December 2017

Falconer

The Torrey Pines High School

Friday, December 8, 2017

Vol. 43, Issue 3, 24 pages

www.tphsfalconer.com

TPHS 2016-17 CAASPP Test Scores Drop of students did not meet standards. of students nearly met standards.

of TPHS students met or exceeded state ELA standards. from the 2016 ELA CAASPP score baseline.

of students did not meet standards. of students nearly met standards.

higher than the San Diego County average.

of SDUHSD students met state standards.

of SDUHSD students met state standards.

of SDUHSD students exceeded state standards.

of SDUHSD students exceeded state standards.

of TPHS students met or exceeded state math standards. from the 2016 math CAASPP score base.

of San Diego students met or exceeded state ELA standards.

higher than the San Diego County average.

of San Diego students met or exceeded state math standards.

infographic by sumin hwang/falconer

By Sammy Hallal and Sumin Hwang OPINION EDITOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Score reports for the 2017 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress revealed a 10.72 percent decline in English Language Arts and a six percent drop in mathematics scores among TPHS juniors compared to 2016 results.

In 2014, the California Department of Education replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program with the CAASPP, as a part of its transition to the Common Core Curriculum. The test includes ELA and mathematics assessments for eligible fifth, eighth and 11th graders; the pilot assessment was conducted in 2015, when TPHS juniors scored in the 84th percentile in ELA and the 70th percentile in Mathematics. In 2016, TPHS juniors scored in the 79th percentile in ELA and 62nd in math.

In 2017, 68.28 percent of TPHS 11th graders met or exceeded ELA standards.

The 2017 drop puts TPHS fourth out of the four SDUHSD high schools for meeting or exceeding the ELA state average, and 3.89 percent above the San Diego County ELA standards.

The six percent drop in math scores put 56.68 percent of TPHS juniors at meeting or exceeding standards in math in 2017, 20.53 percent over the San Diego county average. TPHS is also now third out of the four SDUHSD high schools for meeting or exceeding the math state average, above only La Costa Canyon High School, by .6 percent.

“There’s a lot of things that factor into [our scores,]” chair of the math

department Robert Preske said. “First of all, it’s too early to make a judgement call on that test. It’s only the first two years. The reason for [the decline in scores], it could be that sometimes [in] the student population from class to class, the ability level varies. Sometimes the way the test is administered. Little factors go into it.”

Most notably, special education scores dropped 56 percent from 2016 to 2017.

“I do believe that this new test has not been rolled out like the old test,” English teacher and chair of the special education department Elizabeth Marshall said. “With the old STAR test, there was a lot of campaigning, a lot of prep, a lot of pretests that were samples that were given to the students prior to the test date. This CAASPP test was not; we were told the first one is a pilot, the second year it was all new and I think that is really the huge indicator as to why the scores were low.”

Eighty-one percent of SDUHSD students met or exceeded state standards for the ELA section of the CAASPP, which placed SDUHSD 25 percent above the San Diego County average.

According to Principal Rob Coppo, the state goal for all schools is a oneto three-percent improvement in test scores each year.

“You want to give a number that’s attainable; one to three percent is attainable,” Coppo said. “Now the funny thing for us is that it isn’t really attainable because we’re already [performing] at the 85th percent[ile].

At some point you hit a ceiling. ... We’re

going to have a lot of credit for our status and some of our successes. But achieving it for us by next year, I think it will be more than doable to put it mildly.”

On Nov. 29, TPHS staff met to discuss the factors behind the decline in scores, what the decline means and how to improve performance next year.

“I think that the way the culture of our school is and how seriously we take the CAASPP has to be changed, and that has to happen in the students, that they recognize that this really has an effect on the perception of our school for universities as well,” English teacher and chair of the English department, Lisa Callender, said. “On the other hand, there was no drop in our [Advanced Placement] test scores and things like that, so I think that just shows the issue of the CAASPP test, particularly the problem we have with taking it seriously.”

Breana Nguyen (12) also said that the fact that CAASPP scores are not recorded in a students’ transcript may negatively impact motivation when students take the test.

“The [CAASPP] doesn’t go with your name and doesn’t really count for your own personal success,” Nguyen said.

“I believe that people try less because it doesn’t really apply to them and whatever they get just applies to the school.”

According to Callender, there also could have been several other factors that caused the decline, including the absence of a formal testing schedule.

“Also, think, it’s a brand new test and it’s still floundering in its ways as well,” Continued on A4.

District releases proposed voting maps

By Bea de Oliveira and Michael Nirula COPY EDITOR AND SPORTS EDITOR The SDUHSD board will vote for one of six proposed district region maps on Dec. 14, completing the transition from “at-large” member elections to “by-trustee area” elections for district representation by school board members.

In at-large elections, the entire

community votes for all school board members, but in the by-trustee area system, the district is split into six regions; voters in each region will elect a board member residing in that region.

The elections are changing so that SDUHSD does not violate the California Voting Rights Act, which prohibits the “at-large” elections that SDUHSD had been using up until now, and could

cause imposition of fines. “[The change is] kind of a financial decision for the district,” ASB School Board Student Representative Isaac Gelman (12) said. “A bunch of districts nearby have been getting notices saying that they are not in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act. If you get a notice, you get a fine.”

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The six proposed areas, dubbed the Green, Blue, Orange, Tan, Cranberry and Purple Maps, have been selected based on many criteria. Factors such as race composition, household income, employment and immigration status were all considered when creating the proposed maps.

Because two board members cannot reside in the same region in future elections, current board members John Salazar, Maureen Muir and Board of Trustees President Amy Herman may not be able to run for reelection when their terms expire in 2018.

At a Nov. 28 SDUHSD board meeting, two new maps and modifications to the Blue map were unveiled. The new maps, called the Tan and Purple, as well as Blue 1 and Blue 2 map, are supposed to reflect public feedback. The Cranberry maps were released on the SDUHSD website on Dec. 5.

“People can come and give us input on the boundary lines,” Gelman said. “We do not want to arbitrarily draw the lines.”

Each area is individual and “every community wants to be together,” Herman said at the district meeting.

When Pacific Highlands Ranch was split into Rancho Santa Fe and Carmel Valley on many of the proposed maps, residents wanted them reconnected so the community could have a more significant influence in their respective region.

Not only do the maps need an equal number of people in each region, but they also need a balanced racial profile as well.

To allow for the community to give feedback, each board meeting concerning the new regions has been open to the public.

Based on public comment, the grouping of the zones and demographics, the members of the Board of Trustees will vote for one of the maps to become official at the public district board meeting on Dec. 14 at 6:00 pm.

By Farhan Hossain FEATURE EDITOR Skylar Jung (12), Jodie Hoh (12) and Carine You (12), presented their piano practice-assistance software with Augment founder and CEO Eric Nelson, who runs an augmented reality platform, at the 2017 Wolfram Technology Conference in Champaign, Ill. from Oct. 17 to 20, where adviser and teacher Abby Brown gave a lecture entitled “3-D Printing in High School with Mathematica.”

Brown introduced Hoh, Jung and You to Nelson, who gave them the opportunity to intern with Augment last summer as he had for previous TPHS students.

“We were the next generation of kids participating in Augment,” Hoh said.

According to Jung and Hoh, the girls created a software called Piano Skills Visualizer, which monitors practice habits and collects information from piano players and provides feedback on the players’ skill. “[The software] analyzed beginner piano playing … through mathematical components of music, such as timing, note value and tempo,” Hoh said.

The girls presented their work with Nelson in a 20-minute presentation at the conference.

“It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, because there were four of us speaking,” Hoh said. “It wasn’t too hard either because we were very familiar with our project.”

Wolfram Technology is the creator of Mathematica, a mathematical computer programming language that Brown uses in lessons and projects.

The conference is a professional conference targeted at Wolfram product users in different industries. Despite its primary focus on STEM fields, the conference attracts a wide variety of users.

“The conference gives us an opportunity to interact with not just

educators but professionals who are using Mathematica in a wide variety of applications,” Brown said. “There are people who use Mathematica for math, science and engineering, but there are also people who attended who use it in the arts and humanities, law and business applications.”

The conference gives us an opportunity to interact with not just educators but professionals who are using Mathematica in a wide variety of applications.

Abby Brown

math teacher The ability to interact with leaders in different fields was beneficial for the students who attended.

“At the Wolfram dinner, I sat next to this German guy, who was really nice, and because I’m planning to major in computer science, he was talking to me about [classes] and different things you have to take, so you have to make a lot of connections,” Hoh said.

The contest participants also learned about new developments in fields they were interested in.

“I was able to see a lot of the stuff that was currently going on in the technology field, and as we went to sessions, I was able to see … what was being updated,” Jung said.

After attending for several years, Brown

stopped bringing student delegations to the Wolfram conference after a loss of funding for travel and the births of her children. However, after meeting Nelson at the end of the 2016 school year, Brown saw student partnerships with Augment as an opportunity to bring students back to the annual conference.

Brown’s three classes, Calculus CD, Calculus D-Linear Algebra and Advanced Math Topics are the highest level math classes at TPHS. However, they are not AP classes or College Board-affiliated.

Instead, the classes are run through a partnership with San Diego State University. SDSU and Wolfram Research helped provide the necessary funding for students to attend the conference.

“The primary source of funding was through SDSU, and they covered most of the travel expenses,” Brown said.

“There are not many high school students that go … but because of my long-term relationship with Wolfram Research and the fact that we were presenting, [Wolfram] helped waive some of those costs.”

Brown sees potential for more interaction between the TPHS math department and Wolfram Research in the future. She will begin holding Wolfram Workshops on Dec. 11 after school to allow all students to learn how to use the Wolfram language. Brown also recently received confirmation that TPHS students will attend the Joint Mathematics Conference in January 2018 in San Diego and help run the Wolfram Research booth in the exhibit hall.

“This is the annual conference of the MAA, the Mathematical Association of America, and the AMS, the American Mathematical Society. These are the two largest professional organizations of mathematicians,” Brown said.

Brown plans to attend the Wolfram Technology conference during the next school year.

Sophomore Parker wins ASB-hosted ‘TP’s Got Talent’ competition

By Ellie Ahles and Annie Cheng ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER The finale of “TP’s Got Talent” was held Nov. 17 during lunch in front of the gymnasium where students, Cole Parker (10), Hannah Uzi (12), Rayhan “Sugar Ray Ray” Tabani (12) and Charles “Big Chuck” Livingston (10) placed first, second, third and fourth, respectively.

“TP’s Got Talent,” hosted by ASB Commissioner of Philanthropy John Schreckengaust (12) was a week-long talent show that took place during lunch Nov. 13 to 17. Cash prizes ranging from $25 to $100 were awarded to first, second and third place winners.

The first three days of the competition were the “preliminary round,” when any and all competitors were allowed to participate. After that Rob Coppo round, judges began principal eliminating contestants.

The semi-finals were on Thursday, and on Friday the top four performers: Livingston, Tabani, Parker and Uzi, performed at the finale.

After each finale performance, each judge commented on the performance and scored the performer on a scale of one to 25 in several categories, including overall performance, audience reaction, creativity, originality and artistic merit, which was an extra boost, according to judges, Principal Rob Coppo and English teacher Lisa Callender.

“It was really cool to see students put themselves out there like that, taking a risk,” Coppo said. “I thought the audience there was great, but I would love to have seen a bigger audience.”

Livingston, the first to perform, sang “The Scientist” by Coldplay while playing keyboard. AP Economics teacher Jeffrey Owen and one of the four judges, said that Livingston, who had previously played the ukulele during his performances, impressed with his act.

Tabani sang an original song, “Imagine,” at the finale and eventually walked off the stage to interact with the audience. “[‘TP’s Got Talent’] was fun [and] made me think on my toes,” Tabani said.

“I realized that I can’t slack and [can] continue to grow as an artist, not just a singer.”

Like Livingston, Tabani got positive reviews from the judges and the audience.

However, Tabani’s stage presence and song originality impressed the judges most.

Coppo also said that he specifically looked for how comfortable performers were on stage.

“Performers got to engage and all, especially with the audience,” Coppo said. “And you can be really technically good at something, but if you don’t have stage presence, it doesn’t work.”

Parker was the next to perform. He “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue, a heavy metal band from the 1980s, accompanied by an electric guitar.

Although he both played and sang during other parts of the song, midway through the song, he displayed his guitar skills with a long guitar riff.

“It was a lot of fun… to hear [such an old song] again,” Coppo said.

Parker said that he did not practice for the first round, but for the next two days, he prepared the night before for the performances.

It was really cool to see students put themselves out there like that, taking a risk.

Parker’s hard work paid off when he received positive reviews by the impressed judges. During the commentary, theater director Marinee Payne said, “I’m flabbergasted; you’ve rendered me speechless.”

After Parker was Uzi, singing “Mamma Knows Best” by Jessie J. During her performance, Uzi’s use of the stage and strong vocals earned her attention from the judges. Callender complimented her on her song choice and Owen said “You’re vocal range is nuts.” He went on to compliment her on her audience interaction, while Payne was impressed by her overall performance.

Parker and Tabani joined “TP’s Got Talent” because of their love of music.

“I enjoy singing and competing,” Parker said. “I couldn’t watch other singers compete without me in the event.”

Tabani wanted to perform in front of the school and see how much he has improved since last year.

After the last performance,

Schreckengaust introduced Robert McKeon, campus supervisor, as “DJ Bob.” McKeon sang part of “Three Times a Lady”

by Lionel Richie, a song he said he sang to his wife on their wedding day. While he sang, the judges calculated the final scores.

When deciding the winners, “it was so difficult particularly because all four of them were just so good, but very different in genres,” Callender said.

“It was a wonderful experience, each day I heard great input from the judges,” Parker said. “[It] couldn’t have gone any better.”

Tabani was content with being able to perform and have fun in the competition.

While he thinks that this year’s event was great and original, Coppo thinks that there are several improvements that could be made to next year’s “TP’s Got Talent,” like minimizing technical glitches and improving the sound system. Callender also thinks that a bigger audience and getting the word out would allow “TP’s Got Talent” to become a fun tradition.

photo courtsey of casey thatcher

just dance: Ricky Landry (12) (LEFT) and Flavio de Luna (12) (RIGHT) perform their dance at ‘TP’s Got Talent’ (ABOVE). The talent show took place over the week of Nov. 13-17.

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Kick Pho Hope holds fundraiser to support children in Vietnam

By Colette Chiang and Angela Liu STAFF WRITER AND NEWS EDITOR

Members of the Kick Pho Hope club sold Krispy Kreme donuts as their first fundraiser on Nov. 14 at TPHS, raising $144 to make care packages with soccer equipment for underprivileged children in Vietnam, according to Club President Annabelle Pham (10).

The fundraiser was held before school, and members sold donuts both in front of the B building facing the drop-off area at the front of TPHS and at the top of the ramp connecting the student parking lot to campus.

According to Pham, a total of 144 regular glazed donuts were sold that day for $1 each.

Pham also sold about two boxes of remaining donuts in Kick Pho Hope adviser David Pillsbury’s sixth period Integrated Math I Honors class.

According to Pham, the decision to hold a Krispy Kreme fundraiser was based on her impression that “everyone likes Krispy Kreme.”

The idea for the fundraiser came to Pham shortly her decision to start the Kick Pho Hope club last summer.

In Kick Pho Hope, students “organize the collection of student cleats in order to redistribute them to kids in need in Vietnam,” according to Pham.

According to Pillsbury, he was approached by Pham to serve as the club’s staff adviser in the second or third week of school. Pham was in his Integrated Math I Honors class last year, when she was a freshman.

The new club, with around 15-20 members, was created “on a whim,” according to Pham.

“I was just sitting around and I saw all of my old pairs of cleats that were still in moderately good condition, and I was just thinking, ‘Wow, someone would really kill to have these cleats,’” Pham said. “With the help of my dad, that kind of birthed the idea of Kick Pho Hope.”

Although Kick Pho Hope is fairly new, Pham has many ideas and plans for her club.

“The goal [of the club] is to send over as

many cleats and supplies as possible for the children who need them,” Pham said.

“My real hope is to help make an impact on someone else’s life somewhere in Asia.”

According to Alina Ho (10), treasurer of Kick Pho Hope, she became invested in the club since she has personally met children who cannot afford to purchase new soccer cleats in Vietnam.

“I joined this club as another way to give back,” Ho said. “This club holds a special meaning to me because I am Vietnamese, and I’ve seen firsthand [the poverty of] daily life.”

Ho believes that “football is an international sport, and [it] is known for its ability to bring people together,” which fuels her desire to continue being involved with the club.

In addition to holding more fundraisers during the rest of the school year, club members plans to collect soccer equipment that will be shipped to children in need in Vietnam.

“Once we get all the supplies, we’re going to clean, package and label them by size and then put them in boxes to be shipped out via my aunt,” Pham said. “We have some connections so she’ll just bring it back with her the next time she travels to Asia.”

According to Pham, although the club’s charity works are “limited to Vietnamese kids and soccer [supplies]” for now, Pham hopes to expand Kick Pho Hope so that it has different branches located at multiple schools in San Diego. She is also hoping to collect equipment for sports other than soccer, and has expressed an interest in shipping to more countries around the world in the future.

“Just having Annabelle as a student last year, I know that she’s pretty motivated,” Pillsbury said. “I think that when she sets realistic goals, she’ll meet those goals. So I think [the club is] something that could really be a positive situation, not only for the kids here that are involved, but for the people that they help out, especially in Vietnam, if they are able to get some soccer stuff together.”

Kick Pho Hope plans to send their first care packages of supplies to Vietnam next summer.

The goal [of the club] is to really send over as many cleats and supplies as possible for the kids who need it. My real hope is to help make an impact on someone else’s life somewhere in Asia.

Annabelle Pham (10)

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Republicans passed their $1.5 trillion tax cut bills through the House and Senate and have begun reconciling the bills’ differences.

After failing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Republicans face pressure to fulfill one of Trump’s biggest campaign promises and are concerned failing to do so will jeopardize their majority in both houses of Congress when 2018 midterm elections take place.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, by 2027, the bill will add $1.44 trillion to federal debt, lop 13 million people off health care rolls and raise taxes on those making $75K or less, while providing cuts to those making $1,000,000 or more.

On Nov. 28, North Korea launched a ballistic missile for the first time in two months. It traveled over 600 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan, a longer distance than has been traveled by previous North Korean missiles. In addition to testing missiles, the firing is also seen as an act of defiance against President Trump’s requests for the country to cease their weapons programs.

Since Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Irma on Sept. 2, less than 50 percent of the island’s power grid has been restored. Some schools have reopened, but many have not restored power. Puerto Rico filed for bankruptcy before the hurricane, and is $120 billion in debt. The governor estimates $94 billion is needed to repair the infrastructure damage. On Nov. 28, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a $146 billion aid bill for the island’s infrastructure, education and economic development. A former colonial possession turned U.S. commonwealth, Puerto Rico does not have any voting members in Congress, and, though they are American citizens, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in U.S. elections. Critics claim response to the disaster would be better if Puerto Rico were a state.

Prince Henry of Wales, better known as Harry, and American actor Meghan Markle publicly announced their engagement on Nov. 27. The prince popped the question to Markle earlier in November in their home, Nottingham Cottage, after 16 months of dating. The couple’s wedding will take place at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle next May.

words by farhan hossain and alexei serguienko infographic by angela liu

Information from BBC, CNN, The New York Times, Politico and The Washington Post

Test scores CONTINUED FROM A1

Callender said. “I do think that the scheduling is a little bit of chaos. I think we need to have a real testing schedule so that students can take it seriously.”

The 2017 CAASPP was given over a four-day period during students’ English and History classes soon after annual AP testing.

“The [CAASPP] was pretty long, convoluted and it was also taking class time,” SDUHSD School Board Student Representative Isaac Gelman (12) said. “[Having it after AP tests] was not good for students, but, at the same time, it was that way for everyone [in the district].”

Chelsea Jones (12) also said the timing of the test may have affected students’ performance on the test.

“Because of the timing and how close it was to AP testing, I didn’t really try because I didn’t feel motivated to try on a test that wasn’t going to personally affect my grades,” Jones said.

According to Marshall, the special education department will take specific measures to improve their scores.

“We will be doing sample tests, which will be released by the state,” Marshall said. “We will prep the students on how to pace themselves to get through the test … But I think that the students haven’t realized the importance of them giving it their all.”

Until 2013, the California Department of Education evaluated the progress of public schools with the Academic Performance Index, which assigned schools a numerical value from 200 to 1,000, based exclusively on students’ STAR standardized test scores.

“The state got rid of the API scores for some of the reasons that it wasn’t a great indicator of whether a school was doing well or not,” Coppo said. “It was just about moving forward and that wasn’t a great way to judge a school and if it’s not a good way to judge a school then how do you decide how you are going to fund schools in districts?”

The CDE is now developing the California School Dashboard, a public report of every California public school’s performance based on six factors: high school graduation rate, academic performance, suspension rate, English Learner

progress, preparation for college/career through the Career Technical Elective pathway programs and student attendance. “[Standardized tests] are one of six things now on that list,” Coppo said. “ Given the fact that the state has put almost a billion dollars into CTE pathways in California, I think that’s going to be a massive focus because that’s where the weight is going to be.”

Schools will receive one of five color rankings, on a scale of blue, the best possible, to red, the worst possible. With these new accountability standards, schools will also receive a College Career Readiness number, which will contribute to the color rankings on the Dashboard.

“How it’s calculated is one of those things that has yet to be explained and that’s what I’m curious about,” Coppo said. “How do I get to be green or blue? Is green or blue based on a bottom line number and how do you define how a school is similar to mine? Is it just demographics?”

According to Coppo, the new accountability standards will allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of already high-achieving schools like TPHS. “In other words, we’re not going to start off as empty [circles] with no color and then we’re going to have to work toward the blue and the green,” Coppo said. “We’ll be in the blue and the green for a very long time, especially in academic achievement, and it might fluctuate a little bit but they’re going to give us credit for already being a high-achieving school with highachieving students.”

However, student performance on the CAASPP still has a variety of implications if TPHS continues to receive low scores on the exam in upcoming years. The scores could affect enrollment, how much funding TPHS receives from the district and the state and the TPHS CCR score, which could subsequently affect nearby property values. Teachers also use the scores to improve the curriculum going forward.

“As teachers, we want to look at the test as well; we want to focus on and look at the real, hard data,” Callender said. “And that would be across the board because English skills are not just taught by English teachers, they’re also taught throughout the curriculum.”

The Dashboard will be available for viewing on the CDE website starting Dec. 4.

On Nov. 24, an attack on a Sufi mosque in northern Egypt resulted in 305 deaths and 128 injuries. While no group has claimed responsibility, at least one of the assailants was carrying an ISIS flag at the time of the attack. The strike is one of many to occur as the presence of ISIS and other terrorist groups in that region of Egypt continues to increase.

Student detained after found on campus with weapon “They asked for the [student] and he went out with them. I didn’t know about anything before they A TPHS senior was detained by took him.” the San Diego Police Department After administration confirmed on Nov. 16 for having a BB gun in that the student was carrying a his possession on campus.

BB gun in his backpack, he was The student, who is a minor, taken into custody by SDPD, and, was in Catherine according to NBC Mintz’s third-period 7/39 News, taken to Economics class, juvenile hall. although the class Because of had a substitute educational privacy teacher that day, laws, Coppo was according to Sora unable to comment Oyaizu (12). on the punishment P r i n c i p a l that the student Rob Coppo said would receive, but administrators and did acknowledge police responded that the student to the incident Rob Coppo would likely be quickly and principal punished by both efficiently, making the law and the it unnecessary to school. place the school on lockdown.

“Any dangerous object on “We identified the student campus is a violation of both the quickly and knew where he was, [California Education Code] and and we were able to remove penal code,” Coppo said. “Even if [the possibility of a lockdown] it’s an adult at a football game, immediately,” Coppo said. you bring a dangerous object onto Coppo also wrote in an email to a high school campus for a school parents that “there was no specific event, that’s a violation of both. threat to any students,” and nobody So there are … school … and then was hurt. legal consequences for that.”

Administration was notified According to Oyaizu, the class of suspicious activity at around was briefed on the situation after 10 a.m. by two students from the the student’s removal, but did not class, according to Coppo. receive much information.

Oyaizu said that she and the “[An assistant principal] told majority of her classmates were us that they were investigating unaware of the situation until something for a while and that they members of administration entered had taken care of the situation and the classroom to get the student. we were safe,” Oyaizu said.

“I saw six or so guys come into Students found with dangerous our class. I think two of them were objects on campus are “relatively assistant principals,” Oyaizu said. rare,” according to Coppo.

By Eve Gross-Sable COPY EDITOR

We were able to remove [the possibility of a lockdown] immediately.

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By Luke Modugno STAFF WRITER

It has been no secret to Americans that President Donald Trump has been a significant opponent of the Affordable Care Act since the beginning of his campaign for the presidency. Now, having secured the presidency, Trump is upholding his promises to supporters with an attempt to end the current health care plan. After their inability to pass a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, the GOP is seeking an alternative way to change the health care system: through tax reform. Trump’s plan is finally coming to fruition, and here’s why we should be excited.

Since its introduction in 2010, the ACA has been met with a strong Republican resistance. According to Newsweek, there have been at least 70 Republican-led efforts to repeal, modify or completely curb the ACA. The GOP’s latest attempt seems like the most organized and daring of them all.

The first aspect of the new plan that the GOP gets right is the end of the individual mandate. With Obamacare, Americans were required by law to own health insurance while also getting lower rates. Any failure to pay for this insurance, though, would result in penalties and fines.

Theoretically, this idea sounds great; everyone gets healthcare at a lower premium, right? Wrong. Most young people in the United States are rarely even near a hospital, leaving them wondering why they pay $13 billion annually as a whole. According to the Pricewaterhouse Coopers Health Research Institute, Americans from ages 18 to 34 are far more likely to request a discount on insurance rates than any other age demographic.

The vast majority of Americans aren’t even signed up for Obamacare, and won’t receive the little benefits it

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Republicans in Congress unveiled their new tax plan for 2017. The proposed bill would make major changes to the current tax code and has sparked debate between and among members of both parties.

offers. In fact, only about 11 million of 353 million total Americans are signed up for medical service. This bill is engineered perfectly to suit both the needs of young people and the majority.

The GOP’s plan also proposes a doubling of the standard deduction, another great feature. Currently, every American with health insurance is entitled to roughly a $6,350 deductible off their annual taxes. The new plan advertises $12,000 and $24,000 deductibles for single and married persons, respectively. This will help repay those paying for health insurance that don’t require it.

This bill is focused immensely on the middle class. In almost every interview, informational pamphlet or website, Republicans try to make a connection between the well-being of the middle class and this bill. In a CNN interview, Republican Senator John Cornyn did just that.

“We need to do this for the workers, the dreamers, the hardworking families and the small businesses who have workers that want a little more take-home pay in their paycheck,” Cornyn said.

The bill also has other various benefits that have no relation to lower taxes on Americans. For example, the bill promises to cut tax rates on incomes of small businesses, repeals the estate (or death) tax, lowers mortgage interest, prevents jobs from heading overseas and lowers the corporate tax rate to 20 percent.

A frequent criticism of the bill is that it favors the wealthy by cutting a mandatory tax. However, the bill is constructed in a way that cuts taxes for nearly all tax brackets, while maintaining the top 39.6 percent tax rate on high-income earners. Even though President Trump is on record saying that this bill will help people as wealthy as him, it really won’t.

This feature within the plan keeps the pressure on the wealthy while alleviating it on every other level.

Overall, this is an extremely comprehensive bill that can help each and every American in a multitude of different ways. Republicans have been searching for an alternative to the ACA, and this seems like the one that may finally break through.

In response to a question asked to adults by Quinnipiac University:

Do you support or oppose Trump’s new Tax Plan?

29%

53%

YES

NO

said

said

When President Donald Trump proposed a new tax reform bill, the plan caught the attention of the nation immediately. The House and the Senate tweaked the new bill into two separate ones that passed.

The implementation of the bills will largely impact the country’s income and economy. Despite having certain positive aspects, Trump’s proposed tax reform bill has downsides that outweigh the benefits.

The new bill does not benefit a majority of the population and would be ineffective in improving the economy in areas that are struggling.

A majority of the population is against the enactment of either bill, and neither would improve the areas of the country in most need of help, such as those who are struggling with low income. A poll by Quinnipiac University showed that only 29 percent of people approve of the bill, and despite its heavy opposition, the GOP is still pushing its bill through Congress, demonstrating their disregard for their constituents.

Even health care is affected by the new tax reform bill. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the GOP legislation will cause over 4 million Americans to lose access to health care by 2019 and 13 million by 2025 because of affordability issues.

According to the new bills, purchasing coverage is unnecessary until one’s health is deteriorating. As a result, the number of enrollees decreases, causing the rates to increase to cover the decrease in clients, exceeding the affordability of millions of Americans.

For a temporary tax cut, the U.S. would have to sacrifice the health care benefits of 13 million people in 2025.

The CBO also reported the Senate bill would hurt workers earning less than $30,000 a year and benefit the highest earners throughout the next decade. The unbiased Joint Committee on Taxation under the Chairman of the Senate recorded similar results of the tax reduction for the rich minority. In 2027, Americans working for $75,000 a year and less will see taxes increase because individual tax cuts expire at the end of 2025. During 2026, tax rates will not be cut nor increased, but equal to the current tax percentages The Tax Policy Center, a

CON

By Daniel Kim STAFF WRITER

nonpartisan think tank in Washington D.C., elaborates on the increase in tax rates only a couple years away. In 2019, Americans would see an average $1,300 tax cut. The inhabitants of the middle class, earning $50,000 to $87,000 a year, would receive a mean tax cut of $850.

People in the top one percent, earning more than $750,000 a year, would see a cut around $34,130. In 2027, the average cut for Americans would be just $300, and 50.3 percent would have increasing taxes. The middle would average a tax cut of just $50; in addition, 65.6 percent of these people would not have any cut at all. People in the top one percent of income earners, unlike the others, get a tax cut averaging $32,510, but still 16.8 percent of people in the top one percent have to deal with increased taxes.

Even if the opposition argues that the tax bill benefits the government, the University of Pennsylvania, using the Penn-Wharton budget model, a nonpartisan initiative to accurately provide analysis on the economy, proved that massive debt will ensue once the tax reformation is enacted.

In just the first 10 years, the U.S. debt will increase by $1.327 trillion, adding to the $20 trillion debt that the nation already bears.

As proven by the reports by Quinnipiac University, the Congressional Budget Office, Tax Policy Center and Penn-Wharton Budget Model, the minimal benefits focused on the rich minority cannot outweigh the side effects that impact 103 million Americans who earn less than $30,000 a year. Defending the accessibility to health care must be prioritized over the assistance to the top one percent of Americans through income.

A7 the falconer

opinion

december 8, 2017

Staff editorial: Attorney General jeff Sessions’ new war on Drugs Under the guidance of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department directed federal prosecutors in May to seek the harshest penalties possible in drugrelated cases. Reinstating harsh drug enforcement penalties is an ineffective way to deal with drug use and burdens the U.S. prison system while exacerbating racial inequalities in the criminal justice system.

Sessions’ action revokes changes made by former President Barack Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, who created policies that cut drug crime sentences and allowed prosecutors to avoid enforcing mandatory minimum sentences, in an effort to reduce the growing U.S. prison population.

Despite the U.S. making up only five percent of the global population, 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, or 2.3 million people, sit in U.S.

art by richard li/falcon artist

county, state and federal jails and prisons.

One out of five of these prisoners is in for a drug-related crime.

Holder’s efforts stemmed from an understanding of the negative consequences of “tough-on-crime” drug policies. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs and led a series of reforms to strengthen punishments and better enforce drug policies, bolstering the Justice Department and creating the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist with his mission. The War on Drugs sought to end drug use in the U.S. by imposing harsh punishment even for minor drug use and possession of small quantities of drugs.

Rather than discouraging use, however, Nixon’s policies exponentially multiplied the U.S. prison population and the length of sentences. Possession of marijuana sent young people to prison for life. The war spilled into subsequent administrations of both parties. Today, data from the World Health Organization shows that the U.S. has the highest use of illicit drugs per person.

Rehabilitation and ending recidivism

In which we explore the significance of issues in the news.

On Nov. 16, 2017, the Federal Communication Commission, which is responsible for regulating communications enterprises like phone, television and radio companies, rolled back regulations established in the 1970s on media mergers, making it easier for media mergers to take place.

Media mergers consolidate ownership of media outlets, which has already happened drastically over the years. According to Business Insider, about 50 media companies controlled approximately 90 percent of the information that the public received in 1983. In 2017, the number is down to just 6 companies: General Electric, Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner and CBS. The1970s FCC restrictions were created to ensure that a diverse group of media outlets would provide citizens with a well-rounded view of news and opinion with which to make decisions, like voting. One such regulation the FCC repealed now makes it possible for one company in a specific media market, which is a region of the country where residents have access to the same television and radio stations, to own both a daily newspaper and a television station. Another long-standing rule states that television stations in the same media market cannot merge with each other if it leaves the market with less than eight independently-owned stations, but this was also repealed.

However, the federal government has also recently shown concern over media mergers. On Nov. 20, the Justice Department sued to block AT&T’s proposed $85.4 billion bid to buy Time Warner.

AT&T is one of the largest communications companies in the world and is also the largest distributor of paid TV in the United States, with services like DIRECTV. Time Warner owns television network HBO, movie studio Warner Brothers and media service Turner Broadcasting, which contains news channel CNN, just to name a few. The Justice Department is concerned that if the proposed merger becomes reality, too much of the media and entertainment industry would be in too few hands.

The Justice Department, however, is willing to allow AT&T’s proposal if the company agrees to sell CNN after the merger, but AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall L. Stephenson has announced that the company has no intention of doing so. Instead, AT&T questioned the motivation behind the pressure to separate CNN. President Donald Trump’s relationship with the 24-hour news channel got off to a bad start during the 2016 presidential campaign and has continued to sour since he took office. There has been speculation that Trump’s justice department is using the CNN sale stipulation as part of the AT&T-Time Warner merger to punish the news channel often publicly called out by the president.

Mergers are one of the ways media outlets hold up against competition. Some merge and enhance services like television subscriptions in order to compete with independent services like

among drug offenders, cannot be achieved behind prison bars. Instead, the U.S. should reduce drug sentences across the board and lower mandatory minimums for first-time offenders.

One of the roadblocks to reduced sentences is the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, the harshest DEA classification of illicit substances. Cocaine is Schedule II, despite potentially causing paranoia, psychosis, stroke and longterm brain damage after only a few uses.

Marijuana’s worst effects, on the other hand, can be avoided if the drug is used after the brain stops developing. Marijuana accounts for half of all drug arrests, and reducing the severity of the punishments for its use can help alleviate overcrowding in prisons, and it can lower sentences.

While reducing sentences would allow inmates to return to their preincarceration lives more quickly, effective reduction of drug use requires investing in career services and rehabilitation therapy.

Without these services easing ex-convicts back into society, drug offenders often find themselves falling into the same patterns that got them arrested. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, a national non-profit research and policy organization, estimates 80 to 90 percent of drug users cannot afford the drug rehabilitation programs they need. Rehab programs can carry price tags into the tens of thousands, effectively barring lowincome offenders from receiving treatment

Netflix, but this competition also drives other companies to set up mergers in order to stay relevant.

Telecommunications company Sinclair Broadcast Group is proposing a $3.9 billion merger with Tribune Media Services, but still needs to be approved by the FCC. This merger would make rightleaning Sinclair the country’s largest broadcaster, reaching about 72 percent of American homes, surpassing the federally mandated maximum amount of 39 percent.

In July, Discovery Communications announced its plans to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive for $14.6 billion. Meredith Corporation recently bought Time Inc., along with all the magazines published under it, with the financial help of Koch Equity Development, a private equity group owned by avowed Libertarians and billionaires Charles and David Koch, after talk of acquisition began in 2013. It has also been speculated that Disney will buy part of 21st Century Fox, but it has not been confirmed yet.

As for the AT&T merger with Time Warner, the issue is still being contested by the Justice Department on the grounds of avoiding a media monopoly, despite the conjecture about Trump’s dislike for CNN playing a role. Either way, Stephenson has announced that AT&T is prepared to legally fight the Justice Department should the case go to court.

by Anvitha Soordelu

Falconer The Torrey Pines High School

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

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if it is not provided to them. Allowing drug users to get the proper rehabilitation they need and assisting them in navigating the job market increases their chances of finding a stable income while still reducing recidivism.

Such programs will be especially beneficial for historically disenfranchised minorities who suffer disproportionately at the hands of the criminal justice system.

Studies from the American Civil Liberties Union show white and black people use drugs at the same rate, but black people receive sentences 20 percent longer for the same drug crimes.

Furthermore, there is a significant disparity between the punishments for crack and cocaine, two forms of the same drug. Crack is more frequently used by African Americans, and punishments for crack are much harsher than for cocaine, the form of choice among most white users.

Research from New York University’s Langone Medical Center found the sentence for possession of one gram of crack is the same as for 18 grams of cocaine. Having a criminal history or drug conviction hurts in the search for employment. And research by the Harvard Business Review shows black people already face discrimination in the hiring process; white applicants with the same qualifications are more likely to be hired. While social programs cannot remove racial biases, they provide a bridge out of prison and help the convicted adjust into society better.

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.

Information courtesy of Business Insider and Statista Editors-in-Chief Business Managers Copy Editors News Editor Opinion Editor Feature Editors Entertainment Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Adviser Staff Writers:

Sumin Hwang Anvitha Soordelu Estelle Kraft Lauren Zhang Bea De Oliveira Eve Gross-Sable Angela Liu Sammy Hallal Farhan Hossain Kahyun Koh Ellie Ahles Michael Nirula Anton Schuh Mia Boardman Smith Annie Cheng Colette Chiang Esther Choi Jeremy Chung Vlada Demenko Dhathry Doppalapudi Daniel Kim

Luke Modugno Alexei Serguienko Photographers: Travis Felthaus Anna Jeong Christy Lam Hayoung Park Alexei Serguienko Jocelyn Tzeng David Vapnek Lauren Zhang Artists: Colette Chiang Carla Hansen Richard Li Amrita Moturi Neilah Soliday

A8 the falconer

opinion

december 8, 2017

Abandoning net neutrality will stifle our free and open Internet STAFF WRITER

An inherent part of being an American is having freedom. Net neutrality is just one of the preventions protecting that freedom and the right to access websites on the Internet.

Net neutrality is what prevents companies from monopolizing the market and controlling aspects of using the Internet to gain more profit.

In 2015, Title II, a provision protecting net neutrality, was passed under the Communications Act of 1934, protecting the internet-using public from being subjected to discrimination and political views of biased companies and the unfair monopolization, or domination of the market, of online phone and cable companies. In other words, it prevented large businesses from deciding what websites citizens can access easily or at all and abusively charging higher prices for certain webpages.

Recently, Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Ajit Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon, has pushed for a measure that would destroy the freedom that users currently enjoy on the internet.

Those who oppose net neutrality argue that the principle allows private internet service providers to monopolize the Internet, therefore restricting smaller businesses’ability to compete.

In reality, it is net neutrality that actually prevents this from occurring. Eliminating net neutrality would lead to a small selection of large cable companies gaining total control of the Internet

and what information we access. Without the policy, these companies can force customers to pay high prices to access certain websites, such as Youtube, Netflix or Facebook and slow down the Wi-Fi in an attempt to redirect customers to their own services.

The argument can be made, however, that net neutrality is unfair to companies overall because some of the services that they provide, such as streaming, have a higher bandwidth and cost the company more than simply loading a smaller website. Because net neutrality does not allow companies to set prices based on how much bandwidth t h e customer uses and instead makes the companies m a n d a t e a single, regulated price, the company loses money. Despite this, net neutrality and the freedom it brings to users of the Internet is more important than the profit of the businesses that already do well from net neutrality. It isn’t worth it to risk the freedom to use the Internet in order to let businesses profit more.

Due to these issues, cable and phone companies like Verizon and Comcast have formed a lobby, and paid Pai and other members of Congress to make and support

a proposal to ban net neutrality so they can benefit from the measure. Not only is this borderline corruption and bribery, but it shows that the supporters of the repeal act do not have the future of the U.S. in mind when asking for the repeal. Also, according to the Pew Research Center, 57 percent of 20 million comments, the majority of which supported the repeal against net neutrality, to the FCC through social media were faked.

art by colette chiang/falconer artist

By Esther Choi

D e mo crat s are currently calling for an investigation into the matter and a vote for the delay of the net neutrality vote. The fake comments further show that businesses against net neutrality are willing to go to extreme measures like faking data to make more money, regardless of the fact that it’s a crime. The internet service providers clearly want to profit at the expense of freedom, integrity and truth.

However, banning net neutrality would lead to smaller companies being at a disadvantage and larger companies having more control, which means that there would be less competition in the market. Less competition would mean that there is more potential for monopolization and a weaker economy.

Furthermore, losing net neutrality would form a clear path to censorship and withdrawal of important information. For example, if a certain ISP only allows their subscribers to access websites that were conservative in their views or opposed to certain policy, they would be blocking citizens from learning about subjects they need to know about in order to make informed decisions.

Net neutrality also allows for the sharing of information and opinions quickly and efficiently.

People can gain access to a wide variety of social platforms and share their voices with net neutrality, and social media outreach has been utilized by movements like Black Lives Matter, Pride, Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and other social activism movements. However, ISPs that are opposed to certain social movements can prohibit users from seeing them and, therefore, learning about them and supporting them.

The social changes that rose with the help of the internet and social mediamight have been prevented if net neutrality had been banned, and, although whose with political views in conflict with the social movements may have disliked them, censorship and the free access to information is essential to being an American.

Some citizens, however, support net neutrality, but want to repeal Title II over worries of how it is regulated by the government and held in place by laws. If the Internet is a public space and commodity, then it should not be controlled. In the contrary, having the government regulate the Internet to ensure its freedom is a much better choice than leaving total control of the Internet to just few businesses.

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ANNIE CHENG

From the dirt floors to the single, bare-light bulb in the room, the state of penury was the elephant in the room. Three generations of six people all living in a cramped room where dust could be seen floating in the sun’s rays of light.

The sight alone showed me just how big the world really is.

A group of nine other San Diegan teenagers and I taught at schools during the mornings and in the afternoons in Jiangxi, China, and then we would go with the village officials to see the children that our organization sponsored.

At each house, we gave each child a backpack and encouraging words to study and work hard in school.

Although the conditions of the children living there were terrible, the stories of each family made me realize that each situation is unique and needs to be cared for. I remember visiting a seven year old girl and she told me that she cooks dinner and takes care of her two younger siblings everyday because her grandparents are busy working in the fields from sun up to sundown. The part that really stuck out to me was when I asked her when she started cooking dinner for her family, she said that she didn’t remember. Her grandmother stepped in to tell me that she started when she was around three years old. It’s so common in China to have one parent, normally the father, pass away in a factory accident, a mugging or a tragically uncontrollable event. And continuing the misfortunes, have the other spouse run away, leaving, not just one or two, but several, around

four or five, children behind with the older generation of grandparents. After reflecting and introspecting, I began to appreciate my own parents’ hard work and drive.

If they had not done all the work they had to do to overcome obstacles and come study in the U.S., I would not be living the blessed life that I have today. I really didn’t understand how much I should appreciate my parents. After meeting the girl, I felt ashamed of myself and promised that I should listen to my parents more attentively and be more considerate to them in general.

During the nightly meetings, we got to talk about the problems we saw with the parents.

One night, while lying in my bed, and my mom in hers, I was telling her about the sevenyear-old girl and then for some reason, my throat choked up. Of course, while visiting the children, you have to keep yourself composed, so I kind of shut off my emotions. But while relaxing and finally being able to process what I had seen and heard, the pent-up feelings overflowed. My mom and I later talked about how and why these situations arise. I was forced to look at the sadness straight on and I had no Netflix to run away to. I rarely cry, even in front of my parents, but I really felt the pain and helplessness. Before going on this trip, I had the feeling that I could do whatever I wanted to do without the help of others if I worked hard enough. I not only did I learn that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do, but also that all the things that I had done before, were only done

photo by lauren zhang/falconer

Staff writer and senior Annie Cheng reflects on her volunteering expedition to rural China and helping to bring education to a 9-year-old girl, Xialu.

because of help from others.

My brother and I sponsor Xialu, a nine-yearold girl who lives in the village that we visited.

She gets an education because of the money that we send. I know this won’t bring her out of poverty, but it can lead to a better life later on. Unlike most of the children, she has both parents. We picked her from the many profiles because both her older brother and younger brother have leukemia. Most heartbreakingly, they had already found a bone marrow match in a city nearby, but the treatment cost far exceeded their capabilities. From this situation, I realized that, if you are capable, it is important to help those who need it. Also, the amount needed per school year increases by age. Many people, including me, would eventually become disinterested in continuing to donate. But this trip taught me that I should keep on donating to charity because it is the best way I could use my

money. After this experience, I asked myself, “In what way would I spend money that is better than giving Xialu a good education?” Another part of my perspective that changed was how much the things I own cost in comparison to how much I donate to charity. Just my golf clubs could pay for a child’s entire elementary school education through the American Chinese Culture and Education Foundation.

The moment I stepped out into the dry air in Los Angeles, the events that transpired in China already felt like a distant memory. I hope to return, next summer, to teach and inspire more kids to keep studying. I don’t want to forget the feelings I had while lying in bed that day.

I have been sharing the problems of Jiangxi, by showing the importance of helping others through my first-hand experience. Committing to Xialu is a way to help, but convincing others to help can bring unimaginable outcomes.

tphsfalconer.com

opinion

the falconer

A9

Culture of sexual harassment is omnipresent in the U.S. Ellie Ahles ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

In Oct. 2016 a video wherein Donald Trump is heard saying, “I just start kissing [women].

I don’t even wait. When you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p***y,” was released. A month later, he was elected President of the United States of America.

In electing Trump after knowing he made such vile remarks, the U.S. made it clear that it condones a culture of rape, defined as an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.

Clearly, sexualized violence is excused by our culture, or at the very least, overlooked.

This culture has become so normalized, it’s a joke. In 2012 on an episode of NBC’s “30 Rock” Jane Krakowski’s character, Jenna Maroney, said “I’m not afraid of anyone in show business. I turned down intercorse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions... out of five.”

Weinstein is a producer and one of the most powerful men in Hollywood when it comes to greenlighting projects and promoting careers.

The number of women who have accused him of varying degrees of sexual assault, including rape, has reached 80. Among his victims are notable figures such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cara Delevingne. Some were allegedly as young as 21 years old at the time they were assaulted and despite all of this, Weinstein denies all allegations brought

against him, according to USA Today and has silenced some of his accusers through legal settlements according to the New York Times.

What makes Weinstein of particular interest is the fact that his sexual misconduct was so widely known that a joke could be made on a successful comedic television show and still, nothing was done.

Not surprisingly, Weinstein is not alone in his sexual misconduct. Recently many allegations have piled up. Kevin Spacey, an Oscar-winning actor, faced sexual assault allegations from a dozen men, five of whom were teens at the time, according to USA Today. While he denies remembering the encounters, Spacey did take the opportunity to announce his sexual orientation. When a big star announces that they are not strictly heterosexual it is normally supported, but Spacey’s announcement was poorly timed as he did so while facing accusations of assaulting children, angering gay rights advocates. Spacey was widely criticized for his announcement due to it’s connection with the child accusations he faces.

Sexual assault, widely recognized in the music and film industry, has recently been made into a polarizing issue by our political representatives. Not to worry though, sexual assault seems to be the only successful bipartisan effort of our current administration.

Republican Alabama Senator nominee, Roy Moore, has been accused by two women who claim he molested them while they were teenagers. According to Fox News, seven women have accused him of “sexually inappropriate behavior,” and his eighth and latest accuser told her story to The Post on Nov 15. Meanwhile, Moore continues to deny and discredit the claims in his run for the Senate, which is now endorsed by Trump. Democratic Minnesota Senator, Al Franken, was accused by a Los Angeles radio news anchor of forcibly kissing her in 2006, which he admitted to and apologized for after a corroborating picture was released, according to NBC News. There are more examples, such as Larry Nassar, the

former Olympic gymnastic team physician who increased. Rape culture, it is important to note, has been accused of sexual assault by more is more than just overlooking the crimes of than 130 women, faces at least 25 years in powerful men who repeatedly sexually assault prison after admitting his guilt in only seven others. Rape culture is perpetuated by the use sexual assault cases and is also waiting for of misogynistic language, the objectification his sentencing about three child pornography of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of crimes he admitted to over the summer. sexual violence, thereby creating a society that Such as Bill Cosby, a well-known example of disregards women’s rights and safety. Part of a sexual assault in America as the number this is victim blaming. of his accusers reach 60, though most of the The Atlantic calls victim blaming “a natural accusations are past the statute of limitations psychological reaction to crime.” The basic idea — another problem when it comes to rape is that by blaming the victim for the crime, the culture. public is able to separate themselves from the While this sort of behavior is currently being victim mentally and let sexual predators, in this brought to the attention of the media, it has case, off the hook. When we ask what a woman been integrated into our society through a was wearing, how much she had to drink or relentless bombardment of sexual harassment, where she was when she was assaulted, we assault and rape since the beginning of time. imply that those answers justify sexual assault.

The fact Today Host Matt Lauer could have as They don’t. It’s never OK, and the victims were many of eight unidentified accusers and never “asking for it.” was fired as of Nov. 30, proves this Rape is an ugly word. It is harsh is still a recent and pressing issue on the ears and makes people today. Only three in every 1,000 cringe. It should. It’s serious. cases of sexual assault results It’s a crime. Yet according to in a conviction. That means U.S. Department of Justice, 99.7 percent of offenders are 99.4 percent of rapists will free. That is unforgivable, not be convicted. Stlll, we especially seeing as how hide behind the word “sexual the federal definition assault” because it makes of sexual assault is a us feel better. Because it’s blanket term that could not rape. Sexual assault potentially cover rape, includes rape.

Sexual attempted rape and assault can be rape. fondling. Considering In a country where our that rape or attempted president has admitted to rape occurs every five groping women without minutes in the U.S., their consent, made according to the U.S. sexual remarks about Department of Justice, his daughter and has that’s an incredible been accused of rape amount of people by a former wife, sexual walking around free assault should never be that should not be. normalized, and rape is a Lately, the amount of word that must be used more media coverage of sexual often to hold people, and our art by carla hansen/falconer assault seems to have society, accountable.

Why isn’t Puerto Rico getting the support it needs to rebuild?

GUEST WRITER

Nico Johnson (LEFT) and Juan Gonzalez (RIGHT)

The 2017 hurricane season has been catastrophic for Puerto Rico. First devastated

by Hurricane Irma, then swept by Hurricane Maria, the Caribbean island that already had poor infrastructure now resembles a Third World country.

Puerto Rico’s power grid is in a shambles.

Nearly half of the power generation in Puerto Rico is still offline, leaving millions without power. Losing power means losing light, heat, communication, transportation, internet, clean water and sewage disposal. These basic necessities have been stripped from Puerto Ricans, and there is no end in sight.

For Juan Gonzalez, a 17-year-old surfer from Puerto Rico, the aftermath of the storms meant leaving his home. Instead of staying in his ravaged hometown of Vega Baja, Gonzalez chose to move to San Diego, where he now attends TPHS. “[My] school had no windows, no doors, no computers and no running water for a month, people came and stole everything,” Gonzalez told me.

Had Gonzales stayed in Puerto Rico, he likely would have spent his senior year spinning his wheels, unable to finish earning his high school diploma. Gonzalez’s story is just one example of countless stories of Puerto Ricans deeply affected by the hurricane and the damage it wreaked on Puerto Rico, home to 3.4 million American citizens.

Despite the devastating effects of the storms, the response from the federal government has been lackluster at best. In contrast to relief efforts in states affected by hurricanes, like Texas and Florida, President

Trump’s response to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, has been sluggish. For example, when hurricanes devastated mainland states, Trump responded swiftly and effectively, paying a visit to each within a matter of days, while appropriating adequate federal funding for the disasters. Meanwhile, Trump only arrived to inspect the damage in Puerto Rico two weeks after hurricane Maria had ravaged the island. Even after surveying the extent of the damage, the federal government only deployed 10,000 workers to assist in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Harvey, the Trump administration sent more than 32,000 federal workers to help recover from the wreckage in Texas.

So, why have the responses been so radically different? What drives Trump’s neglect of Puerto Rico? For one, racial bias may explain it. Natural disasters are indiscriminate, but discrimination can still lie in the way people respond to them. Empirical evidence strongly suggests race as a large factor in disaster response. In 2007, researchers at Stanford and University of California, Los Angeles discovered that Americans are often less willing to back comprehensive taxpayer-funded disaster relief when the victims are not white. Given Trump’s history of sympathizing with white supremacists, it is not too far a stretch to suggest race played a part in his decision making.

Another possible explanation for the disproportionate responses could be partisanship.

A recent poll from the Washington Post revealed a historically low presidential approval rating of 37 percent. To combat this, Trump has once again returned to rallying his base.

Because his base consists mainly of white conservatives, it makes sense for Trump to spend massive amounts of time in

areas where he can have the biggest political impact. Both Texas and Florida awarded all of their electoral votes to Trump during the 2016 election. The president has no political incentive to exert time and effort in a place like Puerto Rico, where people can’t legally vote in presidential elections and have virtually no effect on national politics, as they are severely underrepresented in Washington.

In the realm of private charity, however, quantifiable donations in response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas add up to over $271 million, while private donations in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico fizzle out at $33 million. So, why the staggering disparity in funding for each disaster? Well, Americans see the hurricane’s effects in the Caribbean as strictly foreign affairs. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and although citizens there can’t vote in presidential elections, they

are just that — -citizens. Shockingly, almost half of Americans don’t know Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. When Americans know Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens too, they are more likely to support them. A New York Times poll found that 81 percent of Americans who know Puerto Ricans are Americans citizens support aid for Puerto Rico, while only 44 percent of those who don’t know favor aid. In order for efforts to help Puerto Rico rebuild to gain traction, it is essential for the American populace to be educated. For sympathy to be extended, and checks to be written, Americans need to see Puerto Ricans as their fellow citizens.

The different responses to each devastating hurricane this year can be puzzling, but three main factors stand out: racial bias, partisanship and ignorance. By ditching these indiscretions, America can progress, and Puerto Rico can rebuild. Just ask your new classmate, Juan.

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By Nico Johnson

A10 the falconer

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WINTER 2017

december 8, 2017

DEC 26-JAN 5

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FINALS WRITING PROGRAMS

SPEECH & DEBATE

On average, American adults spend $752 on their Christmas gifts and presents.

174 million shopped on Black Friday in 2017, beating expectations by over 10 million.

The San Diego branch of the Fraternity of Real Bearded Santas has over 50 members.

Christmas-related shopping generates 20 percent of retail sales annually in the U.S.

Mariah Carey has made $60 million on royalties for “All I Want for Christmas Is You.�

Starbucks earned $5.37 billion from sales of their special holiday cup in 2016.

76 percent of Americans will use their mobile devices for holiday shopping in 2017.

Experienced mall santas can earn up to $200 an hour during the holiday season.

76 percent of holiday lists have apparel on them, making it the most popular gift.

infographic by farhan hossain

*Information provided by Statista, Starbucks, National Christmas Tree Association, Nielsen, USA Today, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Fortune, Accenture, National Retail Federation

A12 the falconer

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december 8, 2017

Soft laughter and the gentle clinking of silverware fill the air with festivity and cheer as slices of la rosca, a traditional candied fruit cake in the shape of a ring, are passed around. The pastry is unique in that one small, plastic baby Jesus doll is put into the dough prior to baking.

According to tradition, the recipient of the slice with the figurine must host a potluck at their house during Dia de Candelaria, which is on Feb. 2.

La Rosca de Tres Reyes, or Three King’s Bread, is made with flour, sugar, raisins and eggs and served during Dia de los Reyes Magos, a Catholic holiday that is celebrated by the Hispanic people on January 6. Despite its long history and importance in Catholic and Hispanic tradition, Dia de los Reyes Magos is not well-known among those who do not celebrate the holiday.

Dia de los Reyes Magos, known as the Epiphany to most Catholics, commemorates the three wise men who visited the newborn Jesus Christ with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gold represents Jesus’ royal status, the frankincense shows Jesus’ divinity and the myrrh, used as an embalming agent, foreshadows his immortality. At home and at church, children are taught about the timeless story of how “after Jesus was born” there were “[three] kings [who] were being guided by a star to find him,” according to Spanish teacher Viviana Alvarado-Gomez. “The parents make sure that the children know that the three kings were travelling to give baby Jesus the presents.”

In the past, the holiday usually included praying, singing, reading the story of the Three Wise Men out loud and going to the nacimiento, or Mexican nativity scene, which depicts the birth of Jesus Christ. These traditional religious practices have changed for Dia de los Reyes Magos but still remain today in the celebrations of the Epiphany, the non-Mexican Catholic holiday from which Dia de los Reyes Magos originates.

Today, Hispanics, especially those who live in the U.S., often incorporate Christmas-like traditions such as giving gifts in their celebrations of the holiday.

Dia de los Reyes Magos borrows traditional practices from Christmas to create a new cultural combination of customs.

“So instead of celebrating Christmas, in most Spanish-speaking countries, they would celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas,” said Alvarado-Gomez. “But [the people celebrating Dia de los Reyes] normally don’t give presents, but that’s the way it used to be; now [gift-giving is] mixed in with the culture.”

One such practice that is modeled after a popular Christmas tradition involves leaving out cut grass and water for the three kings’ horses, camels and elephants to feed on after completing their long journey to see Jesus Christ; similarly, people who celebrate Christmas set out cookies and milk for Santa Claus. Another common tradition is moving the small figurines of the three kings in the nativity scenes closer to the manger of Jesus Christ with every consecutive day from Christmas until Dia de los Reyes Magos. Children also leave their shoes outside next to the door so that the three kings can fill them with small presents, like Christmas stockings that are hung over the fireplace for Santa Claus.

In addition, the holiday has changed by shifting its focus away from religion.

The main purpose of Dia de los Reyes Magos in the U.S. and Hispanic countries is to spend time with family and friends. In the typical Hispanic community that emphasizes loyalty, caring, familial love and friendship, the holiday represents This plastic baby Jesus figurine is the culture’s most important values. baked into La Rosca de Reyes, the “I think because Hispanics are very close, and family is the biggest thing and we’re always together,” said Keila de la O (12), who has been celebrating Dia de traditional Hispanic fruitcake. los Reyes Magos her whole life. “Your family is your community because you’re so close to them.”

Dia de los Reyes Magos is an integral way to celebrate familial relationships and appreciate their significance and meaning in life.

Eating the rosca cake is de la O’s favorite part of the holiday because her family and friends gather to celebrate and eat the delicious, traditional fruit-cake together.

According to Alvarado-Gomez, “[Dia de los Reyes Magos is] a big deal compared to United States. It’s possible that a lot of people don’t know about this [holiday].”

Although Dia de los Reyes Magos is little-known in mainstream American culture, and de la O is different for celebrating it, she is proud of “being Hispanic [because it] has influenced who [she has] become and [her] beliefs.”

Keila de la O Similarly, Miguel Merida (10) has “never felt different for student celebrating something that white people don’t [because he loves] where [he’s] from.”

Celebrating Dia de los Reyes Magos with his family and growing up in his community as a Hispanic are daily aspects of his multicultural life that Merida has “never felt ashamed [of].” Rather, Merida proudly embraces his Mexican-American identity becasue “being from Mexico” has formed “[his] roots and [he’ll] never cut them.”

De la O said that even though Dia de los Reyes Magos is “out there” compared to mainstream holidays she “grew up doing these things and [she has] always [had] a really fun time doing [and celebrating] it, and it’s really fun to compare [the holiday] to other cultures because some people have similar things that they do.”

Although it took a considerable amount of time for him to “embrace being Mexican-American,” Merida strongly feels that “celebrating Dia de los Reyes Magos slowly got easier” with the guidance of his siblings, who “showed [him] the right from wrong.”

The community that de la O grew up in and celebrated Dia de los Reyes Magos in, is comprised of her family and friends who provide “emotional support” to de la O. She knows that regardless of “anything and everything [my family and I are] always together.”

According to Merida, “the Mexican-American experience [involves] celebrating both cultures,” and that growing up in America as a Hispanic is “really cool because it’s a mix of cultures and different experiences,” though “people don’t celebrate [Dia de los Reyes Magos] as much in the U.S as they do in Mexico.”

“I think because Hispanics are very close and family is the biggest thing and we’re always together. Your family is your community because you’re so close to them.”

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As Sua Kim (10) walked through the doors of her grandmother’s traditional Korean-style house in South Korea at age seven, she was immediately overwhelmed by the loud chatter of many conversations between all of her relatives, creating a memory vivid enough for Sua to remember to this day. Although she was overwhelmed by the gathering, Sua felt at home, where she was surrounded by family members whom she had not seen since moving to the U.S. when she was three.

Sua’s family was gathered to celebrate Chuseok, a celebration observed by Koreans on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar on the full moon. This year, Chuseok fell on Oct. 3. According to Angela Kang, the Public Relations Director at the House of Korea at Balboa Park, Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving Day, is “one of the most important and festive holidays of the year,” and is when Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns to eat a feast of traditional Korean food with their families, honor their ancestors and celebrate a good harvest.

Family members often gather at one member’s home for a few nights to celebrate, as it usually takes time for everyone to get to the same place at the same time, according to Simon Kim (12), who last celebrated traditional Chuseok in Korea when he was seven years old.

“There’s a lot of traffic at that time [of Chuseok],” Simon said. “Everyone’s moving throughout the country to meet their relatives.”

Chuseok, according to popular belief, originated from gabae, which was the reign of the third king of the kingdom of Silla 2,000 years ago, when Korean Thanksgiving was a weaving contest between two teams in which the team who had woven more cloth at the end of a month won a feast from the other team. Its origins also are related to its traditional emphasis on the celebration of harvests.

“Many scholars also believe Chuseok may originate from ancient shamanistic celebrations of the harvest moon,” Kang said. “New harvests are offered to local deities and ancestors, which means Chuseok may have originated as a worship ritual. In some areas, if there is no harvest, worship rituals are postponed, or in areas with no annual harvest, Chuseok is not celebrated.”

Although Chuseok is celebrated most widely in Korea, as Sua’s family does, Korean people also celebrate it wherever they live in the world, often in various ways.

“Wherever there are Koreans I think they will [celebrate] Chuseok,” Kang said. “We have a good population of Koreans in many different sides of the world … so wherever Korean populations are in the world, they will celebrate Chuseok but in a different way. Some will celebrate more, some will just remember it and make a phone call to their family members in Korea ... so I would say that everybody will celebrate at a different level.”

Sua has celebrated Chuseok both in Korea and the U.S., so she has experienced those variations. The most lively celebrations that she remembers, however, all took place in Korea, the most memorable being in her grandmother’s living room with exposed wood beams outlining the curved roof on top of the one-story home. As she prepared the traditional Korean dishes with all her female family members, she listened to both animated conservations between all of the them, and the distinct laughter and chatter between the men. When the meal was ready, Sua and her family sat on cushions around a foldable wooden table in the middle of the living room with each dish in a specific place on the table.

As they were surrounded by incense and pictures of their ancestors who had died, they first bowed to acknowledge their ancestors and then began to eat.

Traditionally, the cooking of dishes for Chuseok begins one to two days before the actual night of Chuseok, and the table is set that night as part of the Charye ceremony, when a Korean family’s ancestors are honored by their descendants. The elaborate display of dishes on the table is made to represent the Korean family returning their ancestors’ favors of protection.

“Koreans don’t believe that a person is really dead when they physically die,” Kang said.

Yut Nori is like any other board game, except “They believe their spirits are still alive and protect [their] descendants, so they honor their sticks are used instead of dice. The first ancestors by preparing special foods for them.”

Each dish on the Charye ceremony table must also be placed in a certain spot, although person to reach the finish line wins. the specific location of each food can vary among different families celebrating in different regions.

Other Chuseok activities, according to Jiwoo Kim (10), who celebrated Chuseok in Korea with her family before moving to the U.S. when she was 12, include wearing a hanbok, which is “a traditional Korean dress that’s really long and pretty,” and playing games that are similar to poker and board games.

Since moving to the U.S., Sua and her family still celebrate Chuseok each year, but their experiences are slightly different from those in Korea. Most of the time it is only Sua’s parents and younger brother that she celebrates Chuseok with in their home here, although they still eat a large meal and try to make up for being away from their relatives in Korea by calling or video chatting with them.

Many Korean families who have moved to the U.S. have also noticed the differences between celebrating Chuseok in Korea and in America.

One of the more obvious ones is that they are now living in a country where most of the population does not celebrate, or even know about, Chuseok. Their American friends and neighbors celebrate Thanksgiving, which does not focus on honoring one’s ancestors.

“I don’t think [most people in the U.S.] know [Chuseok] that well,” Kang said. “Chuseok is very specific to Korean people, so we don’t really promote Korean Thanksgiving in the U.S., and I believe that’s because there’s a similar concept of [this kind of] holiday in the U.S. already.”

The longer they live in the U.S., however, many families, including Sua’s, have become accustomed to the different cultural environment of the U.S. and have begun celebrating Chuseok to both preserve the tradition of honoring their families and adapting to U.S. culture. Sua and her family incorporate some traditions of Chuseok on Thanksgiving Day in addition to celebrating Chuseok on the day according to the lunar calenda. The happy and bright mood during Chuseok that she experienced in Korea also permeates her U.S. celebration, which made it easy for her to become accustomed to celebrating Chuseok in the U.S. when she first moved here.

Despite the initial challenge of feeling compelled to preserve their Chuseok traditions in a new and unfamiliar country, according to Kang, most Korean families in the U.S. eventually adapt their Chuseok celebrations in a way that allows them to be a part of both U.S. and Korean cultures.

“I think [these families] feel weird [in their] very first years [in the U.S.],” Kang said. “But ... at the same time, [these Korean families] also use U.S. Thanksgiving for their family gathering. Having said that, I think they slowly transition to the U.S. culture and keep their own culture [alive].”

For Sua, Chuseok is no longer only about honoring her ancestors and preserving Korean traditions and culture; it has also become a holiday of celebrating her family since being away from them has allowed her to realize their importance to her as the memories of their eating and celebrating Chuseok together in Korea are still deeply ingrained in her. To her, although she no longer lives in Korea and is not able to frequently see her family members, Chuseok allows her to still to feel close to them as they are all celebrating the same holiday at the same time, just in different parts of the world.

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december 8, 2017

Arguably the most popular teacher on campus, AP World History and AP Art History teacher, Lars Trupe, is well-known for his booming voice and unique classroom behavior, which includes playing the South American vuvuzela to wake up any snoozing students.

History is the study of the past, particularly of human affairs, and how the actions of one person or a group of people can have countless effects on others. Recorded in documents over time, history shapes the perspectives of the world as students connect the past to current events. Although Lars Trupe does not use a traditional textbook, he teaches AP World History and AP Art History in his own memorable and impactful way with a unique story of his own.

For Trupe, the decision to become a teacher was an obvious one. On his mother’s side, “We were either teachers, farmers or engineers,” he said. “I didn’t want to farm [and] I wasn’t really interested in engineering.”

Before becoming the 42nd teacher in his family, Trupe grew up in Trier, Germany, an old Roman city. Since the local area contains historical influence, Trupe’s interest in the past was sparked by the constant exposure to ancient landmarks and artifacts.

“I grew up around Roman ruins,” Trupe said. “Occasionally when you’re out in the fields, you might come across a Roman coin.”

Since his childhood, Trupe has immersed himself in history, exemplified by his passion for traveling and learning about a wide collection of destinations.

Trupe’s most memorable sightseeing spots include Germany, Belgium, France and England.

“I’ve traveled more than a lot of people [have],” Trupe said. “I’ve lived in a lot of places for multiple years.”

Trupe, who has traveled to every continent, has 160 to 170 students and enjoys teaching world history in particular.

“I love Mesoamerica, Medieval Europe, Persia, India [and] China,” Trupe said. “I really don’t have [a favorite]. I like it all.”

Apart from teaching, Trupe also has a passion for music. That he would play an instrument as a child was a forgone conclusion; he was expected to play music until college. Trupe started with the violin, but disliked its tone and wanted to stand out from the other kids. As a result, he eventually picked up the cello instead, playing until he graduated from college in his early twenties.

While he “played pretty much everything in terms of the standard repertoire,” Trupe steered away from composers like Beethoven and Mozart, whom he found to be rather boring and repetitive. Instead, he grew interested in Bartok, as well as 20th century composers like John Cage, Steve Reich and Frank Zappa who worked with atonal and twelve-tone music.

After being rejected by University of Oxford, Trupe earned his bachelor’s degree from University of California, San Diego. A couple years later, he earned his master’s from California State University, Chico, and his interest in jazz was sparked.

“I play jazz and some blues, but it varies,” Trupe said. “I play in two bands, so I keep busy. [I] have a very eclectic taste in music.”

While immersed in the world of jazz, Trupe served in the military to pay off his college loans, and ended up serving for five years, ten months and eight days.

“I grew up in the military, so it was something that I was accustomed to,” Trupe said. “I wouldn’t say it changed me at all.”

After receiving his discharge papers from the military, Trupe began his teaching career as a substitute at TPHS. Ever since, Trupe decided that education was his path in life.

Due to his brutal honesty and humor, Trupe, who has been teaching for 27 years, never fails to make his classes interesting. His philosophy, which is “to make it [class] fun,” includes screaming loudly at unexpected moments, playing his vuvuzela, assigning long articles to read for homework and giving difficult tests.

“I am a difficult teacher,” Trupe said. “I don’t apologize for that at all.”

I was the obnoxious guy who would ask questions sometimes to see if the teacher knew what he was talking about. I guess, in a sense, it did because it helped me be prepared for a-holes like me.

Laurence Trupe history teacher

Even as a demanding teacher, he makes learning history interesting by cracking jokes and capturing his students’ attention with his unique teaching methods.

“The textbook is really old, and [is] in poor shape,” Trupe said.

“I think it’s pretty boring, [so] I try to find things that are interesting and still informative for kids to read.”

In addition to nixing the textbook, he is also well-known for his humor and personality. Every day in class, Trupe watches for drowsy students to wake up with his South American vuvuzela (shrill soccer horn) or opportunities to joke and entertain his students.

“I’m big and loud, and I’m obnoxious,” Trupe said. “I was the obnoxious guy who would ask questions sometimes to see if the teacher knew what he was talking about.”

Though Trupe himself wasn’t exactly an ideal student, he believes that his personality prepared him to deal with students similar to his high school self.

Outside of the classroom, Trupe is very active, and coaches TPHS badminton.

“When I lived in England, we played [badminton],” Trupe said. “When I was asked [to be the badminton coach] I figured, ‘Okay, I can do this.’”

He said the fast sport helps keep his weight down, as does his other favorite sport: soccer. Trupe plays centerback in a men’s league with the same teammates he’s played with for about 25 years. He says he hates running, “except when it’s on the soccer field.”

Trupe also loves to rock climb when he is not busy. On a typical day, Trupe has soccer, chores and grading to do; however, any free time he can scrape together he invests in rock climbing.

“I can’t imagine teaching anywhere else,” Trupe said. “It’s worked out pretty well; I met my wife here, got married, had kids [and] worked here for 27 years, so I can’t complain. I have a pretty nice life.”

Had he been accepted into University of Oxford, Trupe would not have come to live in the United States, and history would have been written in a completely different way for both him and all the students who have reveled in his attention.

by Colette Chiang and Daniel Kim

photo by jocelyn tzeng/falconer

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total revenue brought in by the entire ‘Star Wars’ franchise.

‘Star Wars’ action figures were sold from the first trilogy.

In 2016 alone, sales from ‘Star Wars’-related toys amounted

of “Star Wars Battlefront,” a video game based on the Star Wars franchise, have been sold.

holds the record for the fastest movie to gross $100 million at the box office after hours.

In total, the movie grossed

infographic by sumin hwang

Information from Disney News

photos from wired, wookieepedia, the robot’s voice and hollywood reporter

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If you listen to any of country band Lady Antebellum’s music, two things are immediately evident: the extended use of catchy, uptempo beats on their songs and the pleasantness of the group member’s voices together. Because of this, I had high expectations for their Christmas album “On This Winter’s Night,” and it’s safe to say that I was left surprised in more ways than one.

The group, composed of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, released this album, the follow-up to an photo from capitol records nashville EP released in 2012. It features all six songs from the original record, so, only six of the 12 songs on the album were new when released, and even with those, all but one were covers of other artists’ works.

The album opens with the Quinto Sisters’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” a fitting introduction. Scott’s higher-pitched voice is an appropriate match for Kelley and Haywood’s lower register voices. At times, though, she can drown them out.

However, this is not as noticeable on “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” originally by Mariah Carey; more prominent is the difference in background music compared to Carey’s original version. Inconsistent with their traditionally upbeat songs, this version has been significantly toned down and is not as energetic as Carey’s version, perhaps due to the absence of instruments such as bells.

Left searching for more upbeat songs, I found them in Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” Vaughn Monroe’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas.” It is here where the trio’s adaptability shines.

The smooth singing is most similar to their conventional studio records, and they manage to maintain their pleasant harmony while placing an emphasis on their different voices, such as Kelley’s solo in “Blue Christmas.” Also unlike the other songs on the album is the music; it fits better with the group’s countryrock style, yet it still preserves part of the original song’s charm. The use of instruments similar to the ones found in the classic songs, such as the use of horns in “This Christmas,” assist them in this regard.

It is fitting that the song that best represents the album is the only original song on the album, the title song “On This Winter’s Night.” Opening with a tranquil instrumental, the group begins to sing in their usual technique, with Kelley at the forefront. A choir is heard in the background, and before long, the song transitions into a guitar solo, ending when Kelley takes back the reins and leads the song to a close alongside Scott. Throughout these four minutes, both lead singers are prominent, and the instruments used, such as the guitar, allow the group to stay true to its roots.

The album “On This Winter’s Night” is a well-harmonized collection of holiday music, featuring customized covers of honored Christmas songs. And while not the best representation of Lady Antebellum’s music, due in part to the lack of their own songs, it is yet another example of the beauty that can occur when the group sings as one. But next time, more than just a single original song, please. It’s all I want for Christmas.

by Alexei Serguienko

Sia is known for her emotional, empowering music, but her latest release, “Everyday is Christmas,” fails to meet the high expectations set for it. It lacks originality and doesn’t fit with Sia’s style and personality.

The album starts off with, “Santa’s Coming For Us.” The title seemed ominous at first, but it is an upbeat, happy song, despite being unimaginative in every way. It is no different than any other Christmas song and lacks originality, from the uninspired tune to the meaningless lyrics. “Nights are getting shorter now, hot chocolate/ Fills the air and Christmas cheer does, too/ Pick a merry old Christmas tree, so lovely/ The joy this time here brings to you,” it goes.

Most of the tracks are similar to the first. They are basic, cliché Christmas songs that are average, at best. They all sound very similar, and mixed with Sia’s style of singing, many parts are indiscernible, taking further away from the quality of the music. The main flaw of this album is that the tracks are forgettable. All of them essentially have the same tune and fail to take advantage of Sia’s extensive vocal range and talent, and there is no genuine emotion or passion in them, as if they were written carelessly. This album doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

“Snowman,” a love ballad, is a standout track.

december 8, 2017

The moment the clock strikes midnight on Halloween and November begins, people begin listening to Christmas music, cherishing the 57 days they have to rock out to all the hit music of the holiday season.

Bing Crosby, Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra have made some of the most well-known holiday albums of all time, but will Blake Shelton’s country twist on Christmas classics in his new album “Cheers, It’s Christmas” be memorable enough to join to these famous holiday offerings?

With this being his first photo from warner bros. records holiday soundtrack, Shelton collaborates with Reba, Kelly Clarkson, Michael Bublé and many other artists to create this 17-track album released on Oct. 2. The album opens with a holiday classic, “Jingle Bell Rock,” and Shelton puts his own twist on the late ‘50s song originally sung by Bobby Helms, turning it into a country-pop song. Shelton quiets the background music in order to allow the lyrics to shine through. More classics like “White Christmas,” “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” and “I’ll be Home For Christmas” are included.

“Home,” on which Shelton collaborates with Bublé, caught my attention as I listened to the album. The song is about someone wanting to be home with loved ones for Christmas and doing anything to have that memory of the holidays.

With a cheerful melody and Bublé’s voice to accompany Shelton, the track offers a break from his strictly country genre.

“The Very Best Time of the Year,” a collaboration with Trypta-Phunk, is a slower yet refreshing look at country Christmas music. The storyline also follows a holiday love story, and talks about celebrating the holiday season through bright and happy lyrics. Trypta-Phunk compliments Shelton beautifully to create this fresh sound on a ‘60s favorite.

Personally, one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” lands on Shelton’s album as the eleventh track. He recreates the song in a classic, yet country tone with a complementary calm and soothing melody. As an avid country music listener, I was excited to see this classic song appear on his album, and it brought me right into the holiday mood.

Shelton’s classic homegrown-country tone is perfectly accompanied by the guitar and piano. The guitar is showcased in its own riff, breaking up the song nicely for the listener. By slowing down the tempo of the song, Shelton stresses the importance of the song’s lyrics and its meaning as did Bing Crosby in the ‘40s, allowing everyone to fall in love with the holiday classic.

“There’s a New Kid In Town” follows the Bible story of the birth of Jesus Christ, told by Shelton and Clarkson in a slow yet meaningful melody. The song begins soft with subtle flute and piano notes that eventually turn more upbeat with the help of the drums.

Shelton’s uplifting holiday album is great for any country music fan looking for a new twist on holiday classics. “Cheers, It’s Christmas” is perfect to get any listener in the holiday spirit, and a great representation of a country artist taking on a different genre. Well done, Blake Shelton.

by Estelle Kraft

I especially like this track because of the clever analogy of a snowman to a lover in the lines “Don’t cry snowman, don’t leave me this way/ A puddle of water can’t hold me close, baby.” The song, which is well-written and slower than the other tracks, utilizes gentle piano music. “Snowman” offers a refreshing and much-needed break from all the forcefully joyous songs about Santa, mistletoe and candy canes. It seems to be the only song with meaning in it, and feels like Sia bothered to put effort into it, a drastic change from the other songs in the album.

The worst song, by far, was, “Puppies Are Forever.”

It sounds like it was written by and for a five year old child. “Oh how much, oh how much/ For the puppy in the window?/ How I love his little pink nose/ I think he’s waiting to come home with me,” it says. Sia’s usual talent for songwriting is completely absent in this song. The lyrics sound like they were written by an amateur, rather than the well known, eighttime Grammy nominee. Terrible from start to finish, the song is neither catchy nor pleasing. Instead, it is repetitive, tiresome and just plain annoying. It’s completely unnecessary and takes away from the already low quality of the album.

The last song, “Underneath the Christmas Lights,” is a failed attempt at an emotional song, which ended up being strangely ominous and creepy. Another track in the album, titled, “Underneath the Mistletoe,” is boring and repetitive. It lacks in content, simply

repeating the title over and over again for the majority of the song. Moreover, the words are slurred and the lyrics are incomprehensible.

As a whole, “Everyday Is Christmas” is beyond disappointing, seeming entirely unenthusiastic and forced with poorly-written, repetitive songs. This album doesn’t live up to Sia’s reputation of powerful, passionate songs that show off her impressive vocal range.

by Dhathry Doppalapudi

photo from atlantic records

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The Falconer tastes food from three stops on the “San Diego’s Best Restaurants 2017” list in San Diego Magazine.

I often have been described as a picky eater, and yes, that is true for some types of cuisine, but when it comes to chicken, there isn’t a part that I won’t eat (maybe not the feet or beak, but that’s it). So, when I heard that The Crack Shack would be on the table for a review, I immediately claimed it.

After standing in line outside the rustic restaurant, we were approached by our kind server, who recommended the most popular dishes at the restaurant: the 5 Piece Fried Chicken ($15), Downward Dog salad ($9) and Firebird sandwich ($11). I was pleasantly surprised by her recommendation of a salad, since restaurants that specialize in meat usually fall behind when it comes to greens.

Even at noon, the restaurant was fairly packed, but almost immediately after finding a seat at a large wooden community table, the food arrived.

Each item was neatly placed on a metal tray, maintaining the rustic mood of the restaurant.

In order of appetizer to the main course, we started with the 5 Piece Fried Chicken. The first thing I noticed was the crunch. The breading of the chicken was flaky, and the skin had the crispiness of a potato chip. I was somewhat disappointed with the chicken itself, especially since the coating was so tasty. The meat was bland, as though it had almost no seasoning of any kind. The lack of flavor was accompanied by a great gush of oil, which oozed out the moment I put the chicken back on Upon hearing the name “Tender Greens,” I thought that the place I would be reviewing was an obscure salad bar. Boy, was I wrong.

Occupying a little corner of the UTC mall, Tender Greens is sleek and modern, with soft guitar music melting into its romantic atmosphere of dim, rustic lights that gently illuminate the plastic chairs scattered throughout the restaurant’s chic interior.

Fortunately, I was able to zip through the short line of customers and place my order within of a few minutes. I ordered a Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Sandwich served with Romaine Hearts ($12), Rustic Chicken Soup ($5), and a plate of butter lettuce, mashed potatoes and fried chicken ($12.50).

With tax, the order cost approximately $32, a price that seemed a tad overpriced compared to the surprisingly small portion of food on my plates.

Almost instinctively, my fork dove toward the salad which included the cool, emerald-green butter lettuce and romaine hearts. Much to my disappointment, my appetite was quickly spoiled when I tried the romaine hearts. Coated with a thick blanket of sharp parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing, the romaine hearts were overwhelmingly salty, which made it difficult for me to fully enjoy the crispness and freshness of the lettuce. On the other hand, I was pleased to discover that the butter lettuce, with its incredibly silky leaves that were actually as smooth as butter, proved successful in living up to its name.

the napkin. Although I was let down by the lack of flavor and the amount of oil, the phenomenal crisp on the outside of the chicken almost made up for it.

The Downward Dog salad came next, and if the food were to be judged solely on its looks, this plate would win. Unlike a conventional salad, the Downward Dog had a base of quinoa and hummus, topped with pine nuts, grilled broccoli, carrots of various colors, beets and a refreshing lemon yogurt vinaigrette. It was truly love at first bite; each ingredient perfectly complemented the others, creating a melody of flavor. The lemon of the vinaigrette added a great tangy flavor that helped cancel out the thickness of the hummus and quinoa that coated every vegetable. The addition of the pine nuts also allowed for a nutty flavor lacking in other salads.

The final dish, the Firebird sandwich, is the most popular item at The Crack Shack, and after trying the spicy chicken with fried onion and pickles on a potato roll, it made complete sense. The fried chicken was packed with an amazing flavor that can only be described as a cross of barbecue sauce with Sriracha; the two perfectly complemented each other. Once again, I was a little let down by the quality of the chicken, as it was very tough and some parts of the meat were more cooked than others, creating an uneven bite and strange distribution of flavor. The one ingredient that stole the show was the crispy onion. I have tried many

After being somewhat unimpressed by the greens, my fork hovered indecisively over the heart of the meal: the sandwich, potatoes, fried chicken and soup. Although the chicken soup and mashed potatoes were both nicely seasoned, made with the right degree of saltiness and fluffiness, respectively, looked appetizing, they were really nothing spectacular, especially when taking their slightly expensive prices into account.

By then, I was seriously considering whether my expectations for the restaurant were unrealistically high or whether my taste buds were failing me, since I had read many positive reviews about Tender Greens on Yelp as I waited at the table for the food to be served. Thankfully, the fried chicken did not disappoint. On the outside, it looked like your average fried chicken, but the satisfying crunchiness of the golden-brown crumble and the warm, tender meat hidden beneath was heavenly. Wedged snugly between two halves of toasted baguette, the grilled chicken in the barbecue sandwich was scrumptious; the meat, cut up into small blocks, was savory, juicy and infused with an aromatic, citrusy tang from the flavorful lime salsa. In general, the chicken sandwich was definitely the key component of the meal, as it allowed me to forgive the mediocrity of the romaine hearts served alongside the sandwich.

By the time I had finished eating, I was relatively full, though not particularly satisfied with the meal as a whole.

I’ve experienced many different foods growing up, some of which remain my favorite dishes to this day. One such dish is the Eastern European version of the kebab, which I ate so often it became a regular part of my eating regimen. Granted, while The Kebab Shop serves the more common Mediterranean type, I was still particularly excited to review the self-proclaimed Mediterranean comfort food restaurant.

Walking in, I noticed the meat slowly roasting behind the cashiers right off the bat, and then being visibly cut off the skewers by employees.

This was a nice touch, as it showed the meat was fresh and being cooked correctly. Next, I noticed the wonderful smells, most likely coming from the aforementioned meat and the spices used in the food.

Per the cashier’s reccomendation, I bought the Carved Lamb and Beef Wrap ($9.25), and tried the Chicken Kebab Wrap ($9.75) since wraps were common picks and a good way to judge both vegetables and meat. For sides, I ordered Hummus ($4.00) and the Macaroni Salad ($4.00).

The first things to come were the sides. I decided to delve into the Macaroni Salad before anything else. It took a few bites for the flavor to appear and once it did, it was mostly bell pepper and bacon bits.

That in itself wasn’t that bad, but I had hoped for more flavor from the macaroni itself. Texturally, the dish was a little too rubbery for my liking and

versions of “crispy onion”, but none compared to the one in the Firebird. Fried to perfection, and the perfect addition to the sandwich, it was the first thing I tasted when I took a bite.

With a very short wait for food and great flavor, I would definitely return to The Crack Shack. But, since a salad was my favorite overall meal at a restaurant that has a giant chicken at the entrance, I would recommend trying something a little less conventional from the menu.

by Bea De Oliveira

photo by hayoung park/falconer

Although it is true that Tender Greens does offer a wide array of foods, the fact that the food was just decent and not “damn amazing,” as its website claims, was a big letdown for me. While my experience of dining at Tender Greens was not as enjoyable as I had hoped for it to be, the restaurant is still on the list of places where I would want to grab a quick bite after a long day of shopping at UTC.

by Kahyun Koh

the overall flavor was underwhelming. I wouldn’t consider it bad, but it definitely did not live up to its potential.

I moved on to the Hummus, which came with eight pita bread slices. This intensely contrasted the taste of the Macaroni Salad. The strong flavor of the vegetables and the chickpeas paired perfectly with spices hit me immediately. The organic taste and smooth texture assured me it was fresh and made it easy to recognize it was not storebought.

That said, it would be difficult to convince me to dislike hummus, as it is one of my favorite foods, but past experience told me this dish was very well made.

When I first bit into the Carved Lamb and Beef Wrap, all the flavors of the vegetables, sauce, meat and bread combined perfectly. The greens were crunchy and fresh, which made the whole dish much more appetizing. The meat was cooked and seasoned well, to the point where it was soft enough to melt in my mouth. Although the flavor of the lamb was fairly strong, it worked well with the other components of the meal. This was especially apparent in the garlic yogurt sauce, which brought the ingredients together into one coherent dish.

The bread was thick enough to keep the ingredients together yet thin enough not to overpower them.

I finished off with the Chicken Kebab Wrap. The vegetables were just as fresh and the bread was the same ideal thickness, so the most significant

photo by anna jeong/falconer

difference was the meat. This was easily the best chicken I’ve had in awhile, or at any restaurant chain, at that. It was cooked excellently, not dry and incredibly tender and flavorful. The seasoning complemented the natural flavor of the meat.

Needless to say, this dish was my favorite.

I would undoubtedly return to The Kebab Shop for their affordable prices and high quality food, especially their chicken. Because of my great first experience here, I would recommend that everyone give this Mediterranean comfort food a try.

by Vlada Demenko

photo by vlada demenko/falconer

Boys soccer lances Knights in 3-1 win

s p o rts corner

By Luke Modugno STAFF WRITER

By Jeremy Chung STAFF WRITER

Boys soccer (1-0) defeated the San Marcos High School Knights (0-1) 3-1 in their season-opening match on Nov. 30, with forwards Ted Merrifield (11) and Tyler Weinrich (12) and midfielder Alec Philibbosian (11) all scoring goals.

“As a team, I thought we pushed the ball forward, created chances and, in the end, put the ball in the back of the net,” left wing and captain Grayson LeRose (12) said.

Possession was relatively balanced until nine minutes in, when San Marcos got its first chance to score. But defender Blake Munchnick (12) blocked the shot leading to a huge counterattack by the Falcons.

Merrifield took the ball, dribbled down the middle past defenders and fired the ball past the goalie for the Falcons’ first goal.

“I definitely wanted to start out strong,” Merrifield said. “I was happy to get a goal in the first couple minutes and I think I played well. I could definitely get in shape but I think I did well.”

For the next ten minutes, the Falcons were not able to score until Connor Wood (12) threw the ball towards Weinrich, who fought for the ball, came out victorious and struck the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

Despite San Marcos’ aggressive start, the Knights were starting to tire toward the end of the first half and the Falcons began to dominate possession.

The assistant coach Falcons became even more aggressive, trapping the Knights on their own side of the field.

With five minutes left in the half, San Marcos began to feverishly attack once more. The Falcons dug in defensively and were able to stave off the Knights’ attack, giving them a 2-0 halftime lead.

As soon as the whistle blew to start the second half, San Marcos ran the ball aggressively, but the Falcons defended against the Knights’ offensive pressure.

Soon after, Merrfield surged past the San Marcos defense and forced a throw-in very close to the San Marcos goal. Wood threw the ball in and Philibbosian tapped the ball in lightly over the goalie, giving the Falcons their third goal. Shortly after the

TPHS goal, the Knights dribbled to the end of the field and took a shot that narrowly missed. Falcons goalie, Nick Bello (12), dived and knocked the ball away.

After the attempt by San Marcos, the Knights continued to attack aggressively and took three consecutive shots. The Falcons defense blocked the first two, but the last one slipped by the goalie and sailed into the net.

For the remainder of the second half, the Falcons focused more on defense and kept a consistent barrier between the goal and the Knights for the remainder of the game.

Even with the win, Assistant Coach Joel Kosakoff sees room for improvement.

“I think that the organization from the back to the midfield to the front we still need to continue to work on,” Kosakoff said. “Some of the guys said they need to work on their fitness … and their physicality.”

Merrifield agreed that the team needs to work on fitness, and LeRose said the team needs to work on passing.

“I think we could be a little cleaner from the back transitioning into the midfield,” LeRose said.

While LeRose thinks the team could benefit from “transitioning practices,” he was still proud of the way the Falcons played. “[I] definitely could have put a goal

“We have a lot of good young talent up from the JV team, so we’re just trying to see how all the pieces fit together.”

Joel Kosakoff

photos by christy lam/falconer

battle for the ball: Ted Merrfield (17) plays keepaway from an oncoming defender (TOP).

Falcons celebrate after Tyler Weinrich (9) nets the game’s second goal (MIDDLE). Justin Diehl (12) looks upfield for a pass (ABOVE). into the back of the net, but hey, we came out with the win, and that’s all that we wanted,” LeRose said.

Kosakoff sees the first game as necessary to understanding the team dynamics and the abilities of first time varsity players.

“When it’s the first game of the season, you’re trying to figure out as a coach who goes where,” Kosakoff said. “We also have a lot of good young talent up from the JV team, so we’re just trying to see how all the pieces fit together.”

Boys soccer topped the Cathedral High School Phantoms 3-1 at home on Dec. 5.

Current Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball became a household name last year due to his play at University of California, Los Angeles.

Oddly enough, his father did as well.

LaVar Ball has unapologetically thrusted himself into sports headlines nationwide, making wildly polarizing comments aimed at a variety of celebrities. His thirst for stardom and attention is motivated by one thing: Big Baller Brand.

You may have seen LaVar’s face plastered all over sports networks last March for saying he could beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game of basketball. Obviously, the sports world was turned upside down by these remarks. Basketball’s venerable poster child was being challenged by a 50-yearold father who hadn’t even played in the NBA. Ball appeared on ESPN’s First Take to defend his comments on Jordan, getting into a shouting match with analyst Stephen A. Smith which has since gone viral. Everyone in the world knows Ball wouldn’t stand a chance against Jordan, but that isn’t the point.

Ball always makes his public appearances with an emphatic BBB emblazoned across all of his clothing, the iconic logo of his company, Big Baller Brand. Founded in 2016, Ball’s company sells high-end basketball gear, including Lonzo Ball’s $495 signature shoe, the ZO2. Every braggadocious comment, television appearance and social media rant is geared towards promoting and advertising the brand.

Sports media seems drawn to Ball, hanging on to each word he screams into a camera. Every journalist that decides to write a hit piece on LaVar plays into exactly what he wants: publicity. Ball is a master of using media coverage to his company’s advantage, very similar to President Donald Trump in last year’s presidential campaign. Trump captured headlines far more often than any other candidate, granting him free advertisement. Acting as almost an internet troll has gotten LaVar’s brand all the success it enjoys today. Despite how annoying or disrespectful his comments are, they’re ingenious.

Ironically, Trump and Ball got into a viral feud last week, concerning LaVar’s son LiAngelo’s shoplifting allegations in China. Ball’s brand was exposed not only to sports fans, but the entirety of the United States political sphere. CNN recently invited Ball to talk about the incident with Trump and he made sure to capitalize on the marketing opportunity.

“I’m going to send Trump some ZO2’s … so he can calm down a little bit,” Ball said.

The New York Post estimates that Ball’s war of words with Trump alone has gotten him $13.5 million in free advertisment. This massive figure doesn’t include people such as Michael Jordan, Kyrie Irving, Charles Barkley and John Wall making public comments on Ball as well. Since his CNN appearance, Ball has also appeared on the Today show and SportsCenter.

LaVar knows how to manipulate the media in his favor. He has forced his way into the news countless times and will continue to do so. Don’t be surprised next time you see LaVar flaunting his Big Baller Brand gear on major news networks. You can call LaVar a lot of things — an annoyance, a loud-mouth, or even an evasive sports dad. However, one thing is for certain: LaVar Ball is a master marketer.

tphsfalconer.com

sports

f/stop

tyler weinrich varsity boys soccer december 5 8:05:08

camera: nikon d5500 lens: nikon 55-300m f/4.5-5.6G ED VR iso: 1000 exp: 1/800 seconds f/stop: f/5.3 by david vapnek

the falconer

A23

With the holidays quickly approaching (and we know you only went Friday), the Falconer is here to help with gift giving. For the annoying in your life, we recommend the perfect gift for this holiday season based

Mar 21 - Apr 19 The adventurous and daring may or may not spend way too much time outdoors camping and hiking. Give the Aries in your life the gift of mobility with a tasteful pair of pants! How perfect is that? Between all the Red Bulls and sugar highs, this thoughtful yet insanely cheap gift will not only save your wallet but it will also help your friend remember you with every step.

Jul 23 - Aug 22 Looking for the perfect gift for the selfcentered Leos in your life? Get them some light-up Skechers so they can be the center of attention at all times. That way, they can steal the show, day or night, wherever they are.

Nov 22 - Dec 21 Is the workaholic Sagittarius in your life being difficult to shop for? Pick up Bluetooth Unisex gloves. These stylish and practical gloves are ready to help you pick up a call anywhere anytime! Forget the tangled headphone mess and go wireless.

Apr 20 - May 20 Gift hunting for a Taurus and don’t know what to get to complement their securityloving personality? They probably could use a discount on their monthly refill on Post-It notes to keep the NSA from spying on their daily Aeries-induced mental breakdowns through their laptop video cameras. Perhaps a rewards membership at Staples will work as well.

Aug 23 - Sep 22

shopping for yourself on Black aunt, bratty cousin or difficult dad on zodiac signs.

May 21 - Jun 20 Geminis are known for their ability to talk your ear off, often making you want to quickly run to your car to avoid their next story of how they broke the heart of their most recent ex-boyfriend or -girlfriend.

Give them the gift of a forever companion who will listen to each story they have to tell: Amazon Alexa! Not only will Alexa listen to their every command, but she will respond with rude commentary and usually ridiculous advice. How kind.

Sep 23 - Oct 22

Virgos are cautious, as we all know, so get them a gift that’ll help them stand out.

A Visible Safety Vest is the best option to stay safe year-round indoors and outdoors — you know what I’m talking about, the neon yellow vests that elementary school teachers wear while crossing the street.

Looking for the perfect beauty gift? Head to your local Limited Too or Justice and pick up a limited edition Unicorn makeup kit. The Libra in your life is guaranteed not to have this palette yet, so it’s the perfect gift to surprise her with!

Dec 22 - Jan 19

Jan 20 - Feb 18

Capricorns are driven by success and stop at nothing to achieve it. Purchase a cardboard box from Dixieline and wrap it in articles about Donald Trump from Fox News. Driven for success? Yes! Inspired?

Yes!

Disclaimer - These gifts are not guaranteed to make your family members happy or somewhat excited this holiday season. The Falconer is not responsible for any broken plates, punched walls, etc. Happy Holidays!

Aquarius’ are arguably the most friendly people alive, so the right holiday gift can seem like a hassle because you know they’ll be polite about whatever you get them. Try not to be basic and buy them a white sweatshirt that’s a size too big, so they can be comfy and stylish in the most fashion-forward way possible.

Jun 21 - Jul 23 Cancers are known for their sensitivity and emotional personalities, so get them a gift that breaks them out of their shell. Give the gift of a bag-o-bagels, this way your friend will have something to cuddle with on those lonely Saturday nights.

Oct 23 - Nov 21 Struggling to find the egotistical Scorpio in your life the perfect gift (because if you don’t, off with your head and social life for the season)? Give them the gift of, well, themselves. A mirror will please them all, because, after all, what Scorpio wouldn’t want to stare at him- or herself all day.

Feb 19 - Mar 20 Pisces are commonly known as the fish, so get them something right up their alley, literally. A fish bowl and Beta fish (that’ll probably die within the next 20 days) is the perfect gift. Don’t forget the fish food — ice cream and actual fish food.

sports

tphsfalconer.com

DAY IN THE

LIFE

the falconer

A21

Riding into his 16th year of competitive cycling, Julian Levy (12), perfects his cycling techniques and hopes to strike gold on the national cycling circuit.

The day Julian Levy (12) learned to ride a bike came not long after he took his first steps.

“My dad put me on a bike when I was one or two,” Levy said. “He cycled and raced, too.”

Fast forward 16 years and Levy is a competitive cyclist with a spot on the VeloSport Junior Development team, the largest junior and U23 road cycling racing program in America.

L e v y competes in events for both road and velodrome cycling, two vastly different types of racing.

“Velodrome races are more fast-paced than huge, long races,” Levy said. “At most, the races will be five to 10 miles, so they’re really fast sprints and super intense.”

T h e velodrome itself is a 45 degree banked track, while road

racing can be on flat ground, hills or around curves.

Levy also noted that he cannot even use the same equipment for the two events.

“Track cycling and road cycling are completely separate,” Levy said. “The track bike has no brakes and has a fixed gear so you can’t stop pedaling.”

Levy’s schedule is heavy during the season — he could be competing every weekend if he wanted to. As for crowds, races might have as few as 10 people but can stretch into the hundreds, and similar variety can be found in race duration.

“For the road, basically 45 minutes on the lower end for a criterium to an hour,” Levy said. “For the races that aren’t criterium, anywhere from an hour and half to three hours.”

Road races can be in the form of criterium, which is doing the most laps around a set of city blocks with a fixed time limit, or they are what Levy calls “a to b,” which is typically a race of around 80 miles in the least time possible.

While Levy might participate in 25 to 50 competitions a year, only a small portion are national selection races, which can lead to more high-profile events. “[National selection races] are really big races that you want to win, because if you win them or do well you can get selected for the national team and compete over in Europe,” Levy said.

Before he mounts his Specialized Tarmac 2015, Levy prepares for race day by eating to succeed.

“Diet is pretty big for cycling. It’s really focused on lots of protein and lots of carbs,” Levy said. “The nights before races, I’ll eat like 3 big bowls of pasta.”

Breakfast before the race is traditionally eggs and oatmeal, but don’t be fooled: eating the right food is not all it takes to be race-ready. Pre-race jitters always appear on race day.

“It’s not like a bad nervousness, it’s more like an anticipation nervousness where you kind of get anxious,” Levy said. “It fades.”

Levy firmly believes that a large component of cycling, while it does require participants to be physically fit, is the mind game.

“A lot of [cycling] is psychological. In cycling, you can be really fit but if you’re not there mentally, you can perform terribly,” Levy said. “And it’s the same vice versa. Like, if you’re not fit at all, you won’t be able to race well.”

On the fitness side, Levy must train religiously to maintain his level of performance. What he describes as a normal practice ride is from Carmel Valley to Oceanside and Escondido — and back. Workouts and training sessions tend to occupy a substantial amount of time, especially during the season.

“Twelve [hours] right now in the off-season. When it’s the on-season I’m really training hard, so anywhere from 15 to 20 hours per week,” Levy said.

Levy admits balancing school work with cycling can be quite difficult, especially when he rides in big races or when he has to travel three to four days at a time, but Levy that otherwise, he can balance his training with school somewhat easily.

“It’s easier for training during the week because I can only train as long as the sun’s up. So I can train during the afternoon and then come home and do my schoolwork,” Levy said.

Although he has a multitude of medals, including two second-place national medals for velodrome, Levy hopes to win at least one gold medal at the velodrome nationals and at least one medal at the road nationals in the future. He is also interested in moving to collegiate cycling and, afterward, a U23 team.

When it all comes down to it, Levy cycles not just to compete, but for general enjoyment.

“I just really like being able to get on my bike after school … and just going out riding,” Levy said. “It’s just enjoyable, and when you’re really fit it’s just really fun to be able to go super fast on your bike feeling good.”

by Jeremy Chung & Eve Gross-Sable photo courtesy of stephan lukashev

photo courtesy of Julian Levy

A22 the falconer

sports

December 8, 2017

Student athletes from San Diego gathered at Petco Park on Nov. 29 to attend the first college signing and announcement event of the year. The next signing and announcement event will be on Feb. 7, 2018.

girls lacrosse

boys golf

girls soccer

Sophia LeRose - Duke University Kelli McKinnon - San Diego State University Bailee Monjazeb - University of California,

Berkeley Arielle Shahrabani - San Diego State University Lauren Zhang - University of Chicago

Jonathan Farmer - United States Air

Force Academy James Song - University of California, Berkeley

Jessica Wright - University of California,

Santa Barbara

girls tennis

girls volleyball Kiara McNulty - Northwestern University Dani Fornaciari - University of Pennsylvania Ellie Auerbach - Loyola Marymount University

Kathy Wang - Yale University Hannah Zhao - Duke University

field hockey

boys lacrosse

Ryan Poe - University of California,

Berkeley

Makail Fraboni - United States Naval Academy Jonathan Ford - University of Notre Dame Blake Gagen - University of Delaware Shayne Grant - University of Richmond Spencer Grant - University of Michigan Evan Egan - University of North Carolina Ryan Ramirez - Bryant University

girls beach volleyball Jaden Whitmarsh - University of California,

Los Angeles

swim & dive

triathlon

Savanna Leidy - Colorado Mesa University

from San Diego attended the college announcement and signing event.

Jordan Blitz - Cornell University

local high schools

were represented at the signing event on Nov. 29.

baseball Kendall Burnett - University of Southern

California

boys soccer

Brian Bae - Carnegie Mellon University Grayson LeRose - Northeastern

University Santiago Majewski - Temple University

football Louis Bickett - University of California, Berkeley

gymnastics

Wanda Deriot - Sacramento State

University

track & field Jade Cany - Sacramento State University

athletes were recruited for from San Diego were represented. infographic by sumin hwang

Wrestling falls to San Pasqual 60-19 in season opener

By Bea de Oliveira COPY EDITOR

Wrestling (0-1) suffered a loss to San Pasqual High School (1-0) 60-19 on Nov. 30 in the Falcons’ first preseason dual meet of the year.

TPHS won four of the 12 matches, with one tie and seven losses.

“The team did excellently,” head coach Martin Brown said. “We had about seven wrestlers where it was their first match, and they had a lot of wins.”

Among the winners were Gabe Panikowski (9) DJ Younkin (12), who both said hard work, dedication and having the fight and will to win led to their victories.

Younkin, who won 10-9, prevailed using strength, the “less technical way.”

“It was a fight to the end, for sure, and a tough match, but I guess I just kept my determination in there and won it,” Younkin said.

Having wrestled since his freshman year, Younkin’s experience is a definite factor in wins, a factor that did not figure into the victory by Panikowski, who won his match after wrestling for “a total of two hours.”

“Honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing at all,” Panikowski said. “I just won by strength, and all of my teammates were there for me, and I appreciate that.”

Like Panikowski, many of the new team members are freshmen and sophomores.

“We are a growing program,” Brown said. “We have a lot to improve on, and it’s going to be a long season, and with all of the new wrestlers that we have, building knowledge is going to be the key to this season.”

For Emily Sway, one of two female wrestlers on the team, “escaping from bottom” is the most significant area of improvement for the team.

In her 8-2 win, she swiftly pinned her opponent, scoring TPHS six points, the highest number a wrestler can earn.

Individual and team confidence are what will lead Brown to his two primary goals of the season: having CIF and State Champions on his team.

“With all of the new wrestlers that we have, building knowledge is going to be the key to this season.”

Martin Brown head coach

“I’d like to build the program another step,” Brown said. “Every year for the past three years we’ve been building and this year is a huge opportunity to take a giant leap.”

Even with a loss in the books, Brown says the wrestling team is confident that they will be “much better in the future.”

The wrestling team faced Cathedral Catholic on Dec. 7, after the Falconer went to press, and will compete at Canyon Crest Academy in the Carmel Valley Classic on Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.

photos by anna jeong/falconer

Drag me down: Gabe Panikowski (9) pins his opponent on the floor, hoping to gain an edge in a tight two-hour battle, (TOP). DJ Younkin (12) fights to keep his opponent down. He eventually triumphed 10-9 (ABOVE).