High Tide: Jan. 27, 2017

HIGH TIDE

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA January 27, 2016 Vol. XCVII Edition 9

D WNTHE

Anonymous teacher explains how his family’s alcohol and drug abuse has affected him

RABBIT

HOLE

by Martha Farah For confidentiality, the source is referred to as John Doe. Despite having an alcoholic father and a sister addicted to drugs, teacher John Doe has not only stopped the cycle of addiction by not using substances, but has tried to help his family get out of it.

According to Doe, his father was a functioning alcoholic who was affected by leaving his family in Russia, including his mother, during World War II. Despite becoming successful in Russia with a job and education, the United States did not feel like home to him.

“He had a certain longing to go back to his own country. He missed the culture and the family connections that might still be there. I think all of that was sort of aided by his drinking in a sense,” Doe said. “He was a classic example of a guy trying to escape, knowing that he could never really fully escape but trying to escape through alcohol.”

In spite of Doe’s friends and sister using substances, he decided not to use them because of the respect he had for his dad.

“I didn’t want to disappoint him, and I was afraid of him. He looked at me and said, ‘If you come home high, I’m going to skin you.’ When he said that to me, I fully understood what he meant,” Doe said. “I didn’t want to face that, so I avoided [substances] constantly my whole young adult life and through my early adult life. I just didn’t want to get involved with facing him.”

Doe looked up to and respected his father.

“When we’re younger, we want to look up to people. We consider them heros, like your parents,” Doe said. “With some families, the parents struggle, and it’s difficult for them to get through life, so they’re not so heroic in certain ways. was my hero.”

Doe’s mother did not use any substances but was sick with heart problems. She had surgery when she was a kid but had never fully recovered. The whole family had difficulties with Doe’s mother’s health, especially Doe’s father.

“My dad was doing the best he could with a sick wife, who was sick to the point where she really needed attention. She functioned at home, but she had a

O BY PHOT

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[Continued on pg. 24]

Inside:

pg. 2

pg. 6

City of Redondo Beach plans to further regulate marijuana use

Ediotial pushes for more drug education in high school.

pgs. 12 & 13 Anonymous students reflect on how drug use impacts their lives.

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High Tide

news

Students reflect on participating in LA Women’s march

By Amanda Ban

2.

March for your right 1. Marchers gather in Grand Park in Down-

town Los Angeles to advocate for women’s and minority rights. PHOTO BY JARRAH MAY 2. “My favorite part of the day was definitely standing on that light pople and seeing everyone in the streets. You could totally see their love and passion and it seemed like the crowd was just endless,” sophomore Austin Nunis said. PHOTO BY HANNAH HASTINGS

O

n Saturday, Jan. 22, about 750,000 people, including many RUHS students, gathered in downtown Los Angeles to march and protest the discrimination that women and minorities face today.

Bing Rethy, Sophie Maguy, Sabrina Dimesa and Maggie McGuinness were among some of the students who marched to demonstrate their support.

“I think there is a really big misconception about the women’s march but also feminism in general. A lot of people think that the Women’s March was a protest against Donald Trump’s presidency when really it was a nonviolent march for the rights of women, the LGBT community and minorities. People think feminists are people who are putting men down or think that women should be treated better than men, but it is really just the radical notion that women are people, that we are the same as men,” Maguy said.

Junior Joe Witteman feels that some of the points made at the march were valid, while some were overstated.

“I don’t totally disagree with what the women’s march was for; I can see why they are upset. Based on my experiences of how men treat women I think saying that women are always treated differently is an exaggeration. At least in Redondo Beach I don’t think that it’s a very big problem,” Witteman said.

There were 673 marches across the country and several more around the world in support of women and other groups who face oppression. Some of the major marches took place in Washington DC, New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, St. Paul and West Key. “It was primarily a women’s march, but it was worldwide and for everybody to show that we are united as people and we will not be divided,” Rethy said. “We are stronger together and I believe that everyone should be equal.”

Many people marched not only to show their support for others, but also because they feel “personally affected” by the discrimination minority groups face.

“As a woman in America, especially with the recent political changes, there is a lot of discrimination. Women are still being paid 78 cents to every man’s dollar, so there are definitely a lot of barriers that women face right now.” Maguy said. “We need to fight for women’s rights in our local

communities and I personally have really tried to promote girls in STEM and in careers that are male dominated. I have definitely witnessed minorities and LGBT people being discriminated against. It’s a big issue in America and in the world. Even in Calif. it plagues our society.”

The marches faced criticism from those who feel that they were meant only to protest Donald Trump’s presidency.

Junior Daniel Nevarez agrees that the event turned into a protest against Trump rather than a march of equality.

“Some people didn’t even focus on women’s rights. Madonna was talking about bombing the white house; why was that necessary? That has nothing to do with women’s rights that’s just being upset about the election. I don’t think that is okay but I also don’t support Trump,” Nevarez said.

Some who attended the marches feel that it is inaccurate and that they had a greater purpose.

“There were a lot of pro-choice people there, there were people who were supporting the LGBTQ+ community and there were some people who were there simply to show their dissatisfaction with Trump. There were a lot of messages that were all slightly different but in the end everyone was there to promote equality and create a sense of security to show people that they can and will be accepted,” Dimesa said.

The marches were criticized by Kellyanne Conway who claimed that the people who attended were “on a diatribe.”

Some felt it might turn violent and possibly lead to arrests and/or property damage. Although there was a massive turnout, there were no arrests or property damage.

“Even though there were a lot of people it was kind of a cozy environment because everyone was supportive of each other. I think people felt safe, even though it could have been a charged environment. I thought there was a really good energy,” McGuinness said.

A major concern for those who attended the marches is keeping this enthusiasm for equality alive now that the marches are over.

“I think advocating and working to make our voices heard as women and minorities is really important,” Maguy said. “I’m really excited about the future and all that’s to come because this is just the beginning.”

Jan. 27, 2017

page 3

news

Controlled Cannabis

Additional restrictions on marijuana cultivation proposed

By Malek Chamas

California residents can now legally cultivate marijuana for personal use, thanks to the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) which they voted in favor of on Nov. 8. However, the law commonly known as Prop 64 allows cities to pass certain additional restrictions on the substance, and Redondo Beach plans to do just that. On the same day the new law was passed, the City Council adopted a temporary ordinance which prohibited the growth of more than six marijuana plants per household and growth of marijuana outside of a secure indoor location.

The ordinance expired forty-five days later, but according to Deputy City Attorney Jillian Martins, there are already plans for the City Attorney’s office to draft a more permanent ordinance with similar regulations to go before the Planning Commission and then the City Council.

“Those provisions will go to the Planning Commission in March, which will vote on whether or not they want them to be amended, and then to the City Council, which will do the same. So we don’t know for certain what the final ordinance is going to look like,” Martins said. “But I can tell you

that the City Council directed us to draft an ordinance with those specific restrictions on individual use.”

RBPD Chief of Police Keith Kauffman says that disallowing cultivation outdoors— where plants are less guarded— or in too large quantities is meant to discourage thieves. But he is also concerned by the possibility of an increase in people driving under the influence of marijuana, as well as a lack of knowledge about the new law among the general public.

“I don’t think we’re having a huge influx of people lighting up on the streets here in Redondo Beach, but what’s concerning is that most people mistakenly think it’s legal to smoke marijuana in public spaces. And there isn’t really a definition of ‘public space’ in the AUMA, which leaves a legal gray area,” Kauffman said. “And if someone who is over twenty-one smokes marijuana legally in the confines of their own home, how do we stop and arrest them if they get behind the wheel? That will have to get worked out over the next few years.”

Martins says that the AUMA has provisions for both personal uses of marijuana,

which are already in effect, and commercial uses, which will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2018. The city will focus on regulating personal uses first as a result of this difference in timing.

“The AUMA is split into two different reas. One is for personal growth and personal use. And the other is for commercial growth, transportation, distribution, sales, etc. The commercial aspects do not go into effect until January 1, 2018. The drafters of Proposition 64 put in some time to allow the various state regulators time to develop standards.

This city and many cities have focused on personal use provisions, because those are in force now, as opposed to commercial ones, which we will probably tackle in the middle of this year,” Martins said.

Cities are not allowed to completely prohibit personal uses of marijuana, but they can do so with commercial uses. Martins does not yet know if the city will completely outlaw the commercial cultivation and transfer of marijuana, as it will depend on the decisions of the Planning Commission and City Council.

“The AUMA permits cities to complete-

According to BCHD Child Supervisor Ali Steward, BCHD is working with community organizations and the school district in order to improve the drug use problem.

“One of the ways we are bringing this conversation to the

community is bringing parents together in partnership with South Bay Families Connected so they have a place to come together and and talk about their concerns with their peers,” Steward said.

In order to target younger gen-

ly disallow commercial operations. So that would be commercial growth as well as processing, distribution, and sales within their boundaries. One thing that the city cannot do is regulate the transportation of legal marijuana products through the city. So for example, if Torrance allowed commercial activities, and a shipment was going to them from the city of Los Angeles, Redondo Beach could not stop that transport and cite them,” Martins said. “The downside of cities completely disallowing commercial activity is that they will not receive revenue from sales of marijuana.”

Kauffman believes that although there will be some confusion over the coming years surrounding the new law, the passing of the AUMA provides an opportunity to educate people about marijuana.

“What does Prop 64 mean for you? What I’ve been telling people, especially parents, is that you have to take the opportunity now to open the discussion about marijuana with your kids. They need to have direction when they run into these situations, because they’ll be new to them, and they’ll start happening more often from now on,” Kauffman said.

BCHD takes initiative with drug use prevention

By Analise Asaro

A recent survey measuring the drug and alcohol usage of teens in LA County revealed that the substance usage in Redondo and Manhattan Beach is higher than that of the inner cities of Los Angeles.

The statistics were obtained from The California Healthy Kids Survey, a self-report data survey that asks freshman and juniors about substance abuse, healthy eating, and mindfulness.

“Within the organization I wouldn’t characterize [the results] as shocking. We discussed the overall health of the community. The substance use numbers for local high schoolers did come up and catch people’s attention, as would any health trend we would like to see reversed or improved,” Garner said.

According to the survey, drug usage nearly doubles between freshman and junior year.

“Junior year happens to be the year where students are worrying about their college and education, especially at high performing schools like Mira Costa and Redondo Union,” Garner said. “Stress most likely plays a very large role in a lot of these numbers.”

1 in 5

38%

of juniors use drugs or alcohol

of juniors report binge drinking

67%

erations at elementary and middle schools, RBUSD is introducing MindUP and Project Alert programs. “[The MindUp program] is instilling a self regulatory curriculum and teaching kids how to properly manage their emotions, stresses and worries in a healthy manner so later it doesn’t affect them in unhealthy ways like substance use or outbursts,” Garner said.

In middle schools, Project Alert focuses on educating children about drugs and alcohol and their effects, as well as ways to deal with peer pressure.

“It’s important to delay the initiation for teen drug and alcohol use,” Steward said.

“There is a lot of research that shows that if you can get of freshman and juniors kids through high school and they’re less likely to have seriously contmplat- college, have a problem with drugs ed attempting suicide and alcohol later on in life.”

Beach Cities Health District is working with many community organizations to prevent teen drug and alcohol usage.

“There’s a coalition of law enforcement, schools and of teens who drink before community groups that are working on strategies and soturning 15 will try other lutions to prevent these high illicit drugs rates of teen alcohol and drug INFORMATION FROM BCHD. ILLUSTRATIONS BY LULU WEGMAN use,” Steward said.

21%

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High Tide

news

Seven on Seven Flag Football

2.

Capture the flag. 1. Senior Gavin Scouton runs the ball away from

1.

sophomore Maxwell Jarveaux and senior Austin Gutierrez. The tournament brought many teams to compete for the first place prize, and each game brought competition on both sides of the football. 2. Seniors Kyle Beatty and Pierson Wodzynski and juniors Joseph Hyman and Bryan Cloutier battle for a high pass. Cloutier has enjoyed the tournament, and is glad the tournament had a large turnout despite it being held in the busy set of weeks before finals.

“I definitely think it’s fun being competitive with your friends and when you score a touchdown everyone goes crazy,” Cloutier said. “I haven’t been able to play like that in so long and it’s an awesome feeling being able to get back out there with your friends. I just don’t have time to anymore but I’ve always loved it and it’s so much fun.” PHOTOS BY MICHAEL YOON

A new take on the school agenda Counseling staff implements Passion Planners for daily use by students

by Julian Quevedo The counseling staff is set to introduce a new form of the student agenda on Feb. 7: the Passion Planner. Passion Planners are academic planners which incorporate a day schedule with personal to-do lists and monthly reflecting questions.

“It’s really to try to get people to take an active role in their life and be intentional about how their choosing to spend their time,” sophomore counselor Tiffany Straight said. “They always say, if you want to know what’s important to somebody, look at where they invest their time.”

Junior counselor Nicole Shlomo hopes that the new planners, which include space for students to plan their daily routine from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M., will reduce stress among students and help them focus on their goals.

“Especially during finals and times where you have to really organize your time, it will help,” Shlomo said. “Most of our Redondo students are highly involved in other things, beyond just academic stuff. I would hope that it helps someone out with the task of or-

ganizing their day.”

According to Straight, the Passion Planner will aid students in managing their time.

“I think that our students, in general, regardless of grades, struggle with time management to some degree,” Straight said.

“What I’m hoping is it brings to them a sense of control, because sometimes I think our students feel overwhelmed.”

Thinking back to her time in college, Shlomo recalls that planners helped her manage her time.

“When you plan ahead and when you can focus in on goals, then you’re feeling better and you’re not as stressed, hopefully,” Shlomo said. “In college, I used my agenda and my planner religiously. I used it all the time.

I would check it every night; I would make sure that I’m on track.”

Shlomo first had the idea to bring Passion Planners to Redondo after watching a TED Talk by Angelia Trinidad. After post-grad uncertainty sent her into a feeling of “directionless floating,” Trinidad created the Passion

Planner to organize her life better.

“I wanted to help people overcome that feeling by making a tool that sat them down to clearly define their goals and dreams, break them down into more actionable steps and then write them in a place that they would see and use everyday,” Trinidad said.

“A planner was perfect for this. I wanted to make a tool that encouraged people to not only think about their goals, but take action towards making those goals a part of their daily lives.”

Hoping that students take the opportunity to reflect on themselves, Shlomo says the new planner will be a personal outlet for students.

“We’re not telling students what to focus on; it’s a personal thing,” Shlomo said. “This is yours. Own it, figure out what you’re most passionate about, and figure out what you want to get accomplished. It doesn’t have to be related to school. A lot of our students are highly involved in other things outside of school, and the planner can help with that

as well.”

Since the TED Talk, Passion Planners have arrived, and the counselors have selected individual students to try them before their official announcement. According to Straight, some students really like the self reflection aspect of the planners.

“At the end of the day, we just want something that’s going to be student-friendly,” Straight said. “We genuinely want it to be something good for them, the students. No one owns this company, no one’s making money off of it. We want to know the pros and cons.”

Shlomo compares the Passion Planner to New Year’s resolutions, and proposes that they will offer students a “fresh start” to the second semester in case they have lost motivation.

“You will see, hopefully, a different variety of students using planners in many ways, Shlomo said. “We all have goals, and sometimes just sitting down and thinking about them is important.”

Jan. 27, 2017

Lake Redondo

news

page 5

Large amount of rainfall results in flooding on practice field

by Erika Zlatkin Taking up most of the practice field, the high school’s newest body of water—jokingly nicknamed by students as “Lake Redondo”— has become a temporary product of flooding as a result of persisting rainfall.

The consistently backed up retention bins cannot hold the set amount of rainfall that Redondo has received. Recharging the groundwater aquifer would help free up space in the bins, ultimately draining the flooded field.

“The retention bases underneath the field were adjusted to a hundred year flood system, meaning it could only retain enough water for a flood every hundred years,” teacher Gillian Moberg said. “But even a flood like this one is too much for the drains to hold causing the water to back up.”

Moberg says the drains are functioning “properly” and holding the amount of water they are designed to in contrast to the amount of water the area has been receiving.

“The water storages underneath the ground function as a typical aquifer would and therefore instead of running off into the ocean and become saltwater, which would be a waste, it is stored underground as freshwa-

ter,” Moberg said.

Moberg believes the storage bins are “crucial” to our drinking water supply, such as a well, because then Redondo wouldn’t have to spend more money importing water from places such as northern California.

“I don’t think the drains should be rebuilt to retain more water because this is sort of a freak event,” Moberg said. “I think it’s left over from the El Niño that was supposed to come but it could be postponed up to now.

So this could be the tail end of a weakened storm.”

It is too early to start constructing a new water storage plan, Moberg believes, because this amount of rain doesn’t occur in southern California often. Although, if heavy rainfall were to become a bigger issue, she believes that it should be dealt with in the future.

“We can never prevent all the floods that goes on at the school but it’s certainly something for a civil engineer to look into,” Moberg said.

Moberg believes that a new storage bin could still lead to a flood and doubts that it will hold enough water. In hindsight, Moberg believes it is too “premature” to start devot-

ing the dollars to building a new storage bin.

“We could also look into moving some field based sports inside instead of trying to engineer our way around everything since it would be quite costly,” Moberg said.

Athletic Andy Saltsman admits the excess flooding has taken a “toll” on some of the sports teams such as lacrosse and soccer.

“Ultimately, it’s out of our control,” Saltsman said. “Because the fields are at a slope, all the water rushes to the field and collects, hindering ability to play sports on the fields.”

Due to the cancelled practices, some students utilized the field flooding to their own advantage. Some ran through the water to put on social media. Others grabbed boards to utilize the wet conditions for skimboarding.

“My friends and I got the idea to go skimboarding on our way to volleyball practice and right after school we went in the fully flooded field,” sophomore Thunder Bird said.

While many students believed that the flooded field was “fun,” STEM class Biomedical Innovations tested water from the field and found Coliform bacteria present. Types of Coliform bacteria include Hafnia, Citro-

bacter freundii and E. Coli.

“Anytime there is still water in the community, not just limited towards the school, it’s not recommended to play in it, especially if it’s contaminated,” principal Jens Brandt said. “There are a variety of symptoms that could result from being in infested water, so students should stay away from the flooded areas for their own safety.”

Playing in contaminated water could cause students to get sick.

“Side effects of being in the water such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting could put you out of school for a couple days which can become a major health emergency with the possibility of being hospitalized,” Brandt said.

In the fifteen years that Moberg has been at this school, she believes that rainfall is “unprecedented” to have had this much of an effect on the campus.

“With climate change, we are faced with a lot of unpredictable weather such as the excess amount of rain we have been experiencing so far,” Moberg said. “So ultimately, how do we prepare ourselves for this? How do we predict the unpredictable?”

Capture the flag. Water floods the practice field on Friday, submerging the bottoms of two soccer goals and creating what was more than just a puddle. Multiple athletic practices were canceled, and the body of water persisted for most of the day. PHOTO BY JARRAH MAY

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High Tide

opinion

Editorial

Weed it out from the roots

To counteract the newfound legality of recreational marijuana use in California, more measures should be taken to promote drug education and protect against the dangers of marijuana

People have died from hallucinations and delusions caused by cannabis. Fourth graders have stolen the drug from their grandmothers and sold it on the playground. All this has happened in Colorado, where recreational marijuana first became legal in the U.S., and still California legalized recreational marijuana use. This undeniably points to the fact that schools should be obligated to teach students about drug abuse now more than ever.

When legalizing a drug like marijuana, methods of determining drug impairment should exist first. There is no 0.08% blood alcohol equivalent for marijuana, as there is with alcohol. There is no breathalyzer for drugged driving.

Because many people focus on the “feel good” medical aspect of the drug, they end up blocking out the side effects and dangers of the drug. Marijuana slows coordination, makes thinking more difficult and results in memory loss.

And while marijuana is legalized for individuals above 21 to use and grow at home, teenagers still manage to get their hands on the drug.

In elementary school, it was drilled into students’ heads that drugs were dangerous.

Health teachers created a stigma so tremendous against drugs that students were too scared to even think about drugs. But as students got older, drug education became a rarer topic of discussion.

It makes sense to teach kids to avoid drugs when they are young, before they have any other introduction to the subject.

It should not be taught less and less as students promote to middle school, and then high school.

Many students can barely remember material they learned in eighth grade science.

Students shouldn’t be expected to remember material they learned about drugs in elementary school.

Admitttedly, the problem does not lie in the fact that the high school doesn’t teach drug education. Health does cover the topic, but it does so very briefly. It’s a short class, just a semester long, and only a small fraction of the class focuses on drugs and their negative effects. Online health classes can be done in an even shorter period of time, and students often skim over the material carelessly.

Drug education should be a more emphasized subject. Learning to say “no” shouldn’t

ILLUSTRATION BY LULU WEGMAN

Yes

4

Editorial Board vote

The legalization of recreational marijuana can reap dangerous consequences for young adults. For that reason, drug education must be emphasized beyond the primary school level.

stop at middle school, or in some cases elementary school. It should be a continuous topic in curriculum. It’s in high school that most students are introduced to or offered drugs. Students so often have to recall information from years ago when it comes to saying “no,” as opposed to information they could have recently heard in class.

Teenagers often do drugs to “be cool” or to “fit in.” And it’s easy to understand the appeal when friends are all doing it and talking about its relaxing effects, but the pleasure is not still worth it knowing that it’s at the cost of losing control of one’s judgment.

Before choosing to do drugs, people

should ask themselves about the risks they are taking and the sacrifices they may have to make because of drugs.

Marijuana has proven to decrease test scores, and high school is a critical time in people’s lives that impacts their career goals and the rest of their lives. Teaching students about drugs even as they get older will help them to make the right decision and avoid going down the wrong path.

Students should be exposed to drug education when they’re old enough to understand terminology like hallucinations and delusions.

Drug education shouldn’t be about mak-

No

3

ing young children blindly believe that doing drugs is bad. Rather, it should be about teaching teenagers why drugs are harmful and letting them make the logical choice for themselves.

The more people are exposed to certain ideas, the more they consider their truths.

Thus, students should constantly be reminded of the consequences of drug use such as death, cancer and fertility issues, to name a few.

It’s better for students to hear it too many times and stay away from drugs, than to not hear it enough and become enveloped by their undeniable dangers.

Jan. 13, 2017

page 7

opinion

Fake news: a fake concept

Letters to the

Editor

If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail. com.

We reserve the right to edit them for content, grammar, and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed.

Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest opinions are also accepted.

High Tide

staff

Editors-in-Chief: Caterina Hyneman; Shaniya Markalanda Online Editor-in-Chief: Reema Saad Opinion Editor: Dina Ghanim News Editors: Ben Brill; Jon Mallen Features Editors: Reem Chamas; Miri-am Farah; Lizzie Fauver; Summer Saad; Adam Yorke; Kylie Yorke Sports Editors: Mia Berger; Luke Peter-son Senior Editors: Yasamin Fazeli; Amanda Shaw Photo Editor: Jarrah May; Eden Millan Copy Editors: Davina Nguyen; Marie Ona Social Media Editor: Justin Pioletti Illustrators: Lulu Wegman Staff Writers: Brian Adler; Analise Asaro; Maryam Bacaloni; Brittany Baker; Aman-da Ban; Mia Berger; Tessa Biscaldi; Malek Chamas; Michael TengKai Chang; Alex-ander Dang; Whayden Dhamcho; Kayvon Elahihaghighi; Yasmine Elahihaghighi; Martha Farah; Sarah Flannery; Daphnie Fulton; Camille Grace; Maya Groark; Kelly Harraka; Kayla Hiken; Kylee Kal-lick; Lauren Kim; Julian Kimura; Shy-anne Landers; Grace McGonigle; Austin Nunis; Hayley O’Connor-Rigby; Daniel Parhizi; William Pournamdari; Julian Quevado; Rubab Quraishi; Batia Rotsh-tein; Keana Sterling; Nadia Stodder; An-gie Tait; Benjamin Yepez; Erika Zlatkin Photographers: Cass Anderson; Matthew Davidson; Hiroki Goto; Kaitlyn Katay-ame; Anne-Elyse Peterson; Danielle Ses-tak; Michael Yoon This is a wholly student-managed, de-signed, and written newspaper that fo-cuses on the school and community.

Signed commentaries and editorial car-toons represent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist.

Caterina Hyneman

Negative coverage of political figures should not be cause for dismissing certain news stories as “fake” or issuing libel laws to facilitate lawsuits

I know that living the rigged, liberal media life seems glamorous, but let me tell you, working for the global news conspiracy is not all that it’s cracked up to be, even on a high school newspaper level. I would know.

I’m joking, of course. But the current political climate and its effects on the integrity of the media are no joking matter.

Whenever a certain high ranking political figure doesn’t like what’s being said about him by the media, he dismisses it, calling it “fake news,” sometimes rejecting cold, hard facts. Facts that have been proven.

Because he is now the so-called leader of the free world, citizens follow his lead, casting off any news that is somewhat critical of the president on the terms that it has obviously been fabricated by the “rigged, liberal media.”

Of course there are stories out there that are not factual by any means. Of course Republicans are not the only ones to blame

either. But there is a clear and present danger posed when any official, regardless of party affiliation, threatens First Amendment rights to freedom of the press because he or she doesn’t like that the press is being critical.

The founders protected our right to a free press in the very first amendment to the Constitution because they felt that strongly about it. It’s known as the “watchdog media” for a reason. The media is intended to be a check on power, for citizens to do research and keep the public informed, and even be critical of our government’s actions.

It seems as if America is rejecting the very ideals she was built on as citizens are quick to condemn civil liberties. Freedom of press rights are stolen in oppressed nations like North Korea to keep dictators in power. Do we really want our president to take away our rights, reject our democracy

and act like a dictator?

Already our president is planning on weakening our First Amendment protections by “open[ing] up” libel laws so that a person in power can sue the media more easily.

“Over here, they don’t have to apologize.

They can say anything they want about you or me, and there doesn’t have to be any apology,” he said. (www.washingtonpost.com) I shouldn’t have to apologize to my president for writing this critical article of him.

I will fight for my right. And so should you.

This is not a partisan issue, but a democratic sentiment that should unite Americans. It is our responsibility as citizens to do our research and become educated on our country and the world around us.

Let us not be intimidated by a loud voice, but hold our government accountable for its actions.

Dolla dolla pill, y’all The pharmaceutical industry has overstepped its boundaries by influencing government affairs and prioritizing profit over health Monopoly: it’s more than just a popular board game by Parker Brothers. When one thinks monopoly, one thinks big, and one thinks business. What doesn’t first come to mind, however, is the industry that’s taken on a menace of its own as of late: pharmaceuticals.

The pharmaceutical industry has a larger, yet less noticed ability, to manipulate federal law and law enforcement agencies to fulfill its corporate interests and a dangerous amount of lobbyists on Capitol Hill to carry it out. When an industry whose purpose is to develop products and treatments for the health of its customers becomes more focused on protecting its own stock and putting its profit first at the expense of its customers’ well being, it’s more than just a small problem.

The pharmaceutical industry has grown into a booming array of companies and products, each working to put out new drugs and treatments into the medical field.

The rapid expansion of pharmaceuticals has facilitated a great deal of competition, creating an environment that motivates cor-

ruption and taking “necessary” steps to protect the stock of one’s own company.

The pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. has had its hand in a number of government policies over the years, influencing bills that favor their products and safeguarding itself from competition with companies overseas and abroad. The pharmaceutical industry is naturally inclined to act based on what’s best for the profit and survival of their company above all, rather than what’s best for their customers’ health and well-being.

The pharmaceutical industry’s influence on government policy and programs extends beyond the scope of pharmaceuticals. Take marijuana. Where it is legal in some states, it remains illegal in other states; it is not legalized nationwide and was prohibited in all states before 2012, when Colorado first legalized it for recreational use. Why was marijuana, a drug that shows lesser effects than a great deal of over-the-counter drugs that are legal and on the market, and that is not physically addicting, made illegal in the first place?

Jon Mallen In addition to doing its intended job, the Drug Enforcement Agency works to enforce the larger interest of the pharmaceutical industry by combating their competition in other drugs through infiltration, arrest, and incarceration of those involved in their sale.

Not only is competition with a pharmaceutical company bad for their business, it’s now an illegal offense that can give someone a criminal record and time spent in jail.

The pharmaceutical industry has become a greedy giant, constantly eating up more and more profit and smearing its hands all over government policy, all the while dropping out of its care the millions of customers it is supposed to care for in favor of the more enticing dollar bills. Pharmaceuticals, however, are just one example, and are by no means the only one.

The ability of major businesses to lobby for the policies they favor with ease and achieve their interests through the appointment of their preferred candidate with the power of money is frightening, and a cause for concern that many Americans are just now coming to realize.

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by Ethan Park

High Tide

features

Do you even lift?

Sophmore Tia Cowley competes in crossfit competitions

A loud, metallic shrill permeates throughout the building’s interior as two hefty weights hit the floor. Standing atop of this iron bar is sophomore Tia Cowley, mentally and physically preparing herself for her next challenge. Cowley is a junior crossfit athlete who recently participated in a beginner/ intermediate competition.

Crossfit is a type of fitness regiment created in the early 2000s. It borrows exercises from traditional bodybuilding, powerlifting and olympic weightlifting as well as the competitive aspects of conventional sports. It is one of the fastest growing fitness trends in the United States because of its combination of a fun, competitive atmosphere as well as simple fitness movements.

“Crossfit is a high intensity workout that utilizes constantly varied movements. There are three main components: lifting, gymnastics, and endurance,” Cowley said.

According to Cowley, crossfit is an easy to join and welcoming community, where people who are beginners to fitness can easily learn simple movements. When she first moved to California, Cowley and her mother were looking for a gym to join, and it just so happened that the closest one was a crossfit center. Soon after joining, she became hooked by the many appealing qualities of crossfit compared to other fitness activities.

“I tried out a lot of sports, and I like crossfit most because there’s so many movements and different workouts you can do and I like switching it up,” Cowley said.

“When I did track we would do the same thing all the time and I would get tired of it.”

After two years, Tia showcased her skills last sat-

2.

Raise the bar. 1. Sophmore Tia Cowley competes in a lifting portion of a crossfit

competition at Code 3 Fitness Center. 2. Cowley competes in order to prepare herself for her goal to be a professional crossfitter. PHOTO COURTESY OF TIA COWLEY

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urday at the Code 3 Fitness Center located in Gardena, California. There, she participated in different competitive events that tested her strength and endurance. The first event was comprised of a lifting movement which lead up to the heaviest weight the competitor could lift, and the second workout was an endurance based workout that involved burpees and front squats.

“Me and my partner placed fourth, which I was overall pretty happy about because we were the only teenagers competing,” Cowley states.

Cowley has shown that she has what it takes to be a competitive crossfitter, consistently breaking her own records in deadlifts, back squats and power cleans.

“My deadlift PR at the moment is 210 pounds, my back squat is 190, and my power clean is about 135,” Cowley said. “Those are the three most popular exercises in Crossfit.”

The competition saturday was merely a precursor to what Tia hopes to be her future. She is set on pursuing her dream of becoming a professional crossfitter.

“In 2018, I hope to make it to the crossfit games, which are essentially the olympics of the crossfit community. In order to get there, you have to win the regional qualifying competition,” Cowley said Cowley is confident in her ability as an athlete, not letting the idea of failure bring down her future plans.

“If I don’t make it then, then I hope to make it in the years later. Last year I wasn’t fully committed to crossfit, so I’m hoping to do better this year,” Cowley states. “I recommend everyone to try out crossfit, as it is a lot of fun and a great way to get in shape.”

Jan. 27, 2017

features

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Cliffhanger

Sophmore Dylan Sestak rockclimbs to pursue a healthy lifestyle

by Julian Kimura The saying, “the sky is the limit,” does not apply to Dylan Sestak who regularly rock climbs into the clouds surrounding the mountains in Mammoth, California. The sophomore has years of experience rock climbing indoors and outdoors in pursuit of a long healthy life.

“My goal in rock climbing is to be an overall healthy person, and work hard at something I love. I love rock climbing so It’s something I try my hardest at,” Sestak said.

Sestak has been rock climbing for six years and he has been competing in rock climbing competitions for five.

“I do two different types of rock climbing- ropes in which you are harnessed up and bouldering in which you aren’t,” Sestak said. “I definitely enjoy bouldering much more than using ropes because it is more freeing and you can do more of what you want.”

After six years of rock climbing, Sestak has turn rock climbing into a “way of thinking.”

“Mentality wise, in rock climbing sometimes it’s better to be smart and concise and sometimes you just have to block your fears and just do the scary stuff. In some situations you are ten feet off the ground and you have to jump up four feet further,” Sestak said. “There is a lot of thought put into rock climbing, but at the same time there is not a lot of thought. It is a very primal sport because sometimes it is best not to think about it and use instinct to act.”

Sestak is also very concise and calculating in his climbing technique.

“There is a lot of thought put into rock climbing, but at the same time there is not a lot of thought. It is a very primal sport because sometimes it is best not to think about it and use instinct to act,” Sestak said.

Sestak trains in rock climbing regularly each week at an indoor rock climbing gym called Hangar 18 Southbay. Sestak trains with his sister under his rock climbing coach Mary Acharon.

“I have been working with Dylan the last five years,” Acharon said. “Dylan is a great student, and a great climber. He is very focused, and handles direction very well.”

Sestak’s sister, Danielle Sestak, has also been rock climbing for multiple years alongside him.

“Often between siblings you see some rivalry but Sestak and Danielle are very close

1.

and are actually each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” Acharon said. “They practice climbs together and give each other feedback. They just work together really well for a brother and sister.”

Danielle accompanies Sestak to rock climbing competitions and practices working with him as a “unit,” at times.

“Despite climbing being an individual sport you are always with five or six other people so a lot of the time I end up climbing with my sister, Danielle, as well as other people on my team. In both using ropes and bouldering you have either a bilayer or a spotter who has your back,” Sestak said.

Sestak competes in the bouldering style of rock climbing during fall and winter and the ropes style during spring and summer.

“My last competition was regionals,” Sestak said. “I had to complete in two local competitions first so that I could compete in our region which is Southern California and part of Nevada. There is definitely a lot of competition especially in my age group. The last competition I won was for bouldering a few years ago.That was a really cool experience for me.”

Sestak is also an avid outdoor rock climber, and often competes in the mountains along the nearby eastern Sierra Nevada.

“My favorite place to go outdoor rockclimbing is called the Happies and the Sads in the Mammoth mountains area,” Sestak said.

Despite how competitive rock 2. climbing has beHanging in there. 1. Sophmore Dylan Sestak pursues rockclimbing in hopes of come, Sestak plans living a healthy life. 2. Sestak rockclimbs for the recreational aspect, but also looks to to continue to com- constantly improve for competitions. PHOTOS BY DANIELLE SESTAK pete and hopes others can also use climbing for a healthier should be prepared for your hands to be comlifestyle like he does. pletely mauled by the end,” Sestak said.“I’m “To those who maybe are beginners to not much of a hippie per say but rock climbrock climbing, I would definitely recommend ing is an incredible sport if you want to have going indoors before anything, and if you do a healthy lifestyle and a positive outlook on want to try outdoor rock climbing, then you life.”

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features

High Tide

Marching for equality Morey participated in the Women’s March in Washington D.C.

by Lauren Kim

Sophomore Maggie Morey was one of the 500,000 people to walk in the Women’s March in Washington D.C. The Women’s March on Washington was a political rally to promote women’s rights, racial equality and LGBTQ rights that took place on Jan. 21, 2017.

“The march was really inspiring. I know this is a difficult situation for a lot of people, and I think it gave everybody hope and a voice,” Morey said. “A lot of people think that Trump being president is going to ruin their lives but I think the march made people think that maybe it won’t be so bad. I think that if there were more than half of a million people who showed up to D.C. to fight for women’s rights, then there is hope for equality.”

According to Morey she had never seen a crowd that large before stand and fight together.

“I was amazed at the number of people that showed up. It was a huge sea of pink,” Morey said. “I got to see people from all over the world come together and stand up for one cause and it was amazingly powerful.”

The sights that were seen during the march were “incredible” and “unimaginable”.

“One of the most amazing things I saw was when I got off the Metro and I walked up the stairs and the crowds I saw on the streets were just incredible. I can’t believe how many people showed up. It’s hard to describe how impressive the sights were. There were so many people from different backgrounds and races standing together,” Morey said.

Morey was inspired by her mother, Amanda Trefethen, and her desire to fight for her beliefs to fly all the way to

Jan. 27, 2017 D.C. to participate in the march.

“My mom invited me to go with her and she is a teacher and she’s really into feminism, and she’s a huge inspiration of mine so I decided to go with her. I really wanted to be a part of history and stand up for what I believe in. I think women’s rights are important and it’s an experience that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. I wanted to be a part of changing this world,” Morey said.

Trefethen’s work teaching philosophy influenced her decision to march in D.C. rather than in Los Angeles.

“I teach a lot of feminist theory and this march in particular was designed to protect women’s rights and equality and I thought it was important for us to go and participate,” Trefethen said. “And the march in Los Angeles was huge, but to go to D.C. the day after the inauguration felt necessary.”

Before the marching took place, the various men and women listened to speeches promoting equality for all from people around the globe.

“We spent an hour hearing women from all parts of the world speak about the importance of standing up for women’s rights,” Morey said. “It was just an entire sea of people in pink listening to these people speak.

They inspired me because there were people speaking from different types of religions and cultures, so it was cool to see people

features from all around the world to come together and support one cause. They spoke about some scary things that were happening around the world and it was really eye-opening.”

According to Morey, her favorite memory was not during the rally itself, but the day after.

“My mom and I were in a museum and a black man came up to us and asked if we had participated in the march, and we told him we had. He said he wanted to give us a huge thank you for fighting for equality for everyone and marching when he couldn’t because he had

page 11 work,” Morey said.

Trefethen urges girls to stand up for their rights and to fight for equality.

“The time has come for women to fight for equality,” Trefethen said. “We think that we’re going to get the rights and equality we deserve and protect them, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, so we have to stand up and make a demand. There’s no time for women to not assert their place anymore.”

Sea of pink. Sophomore Maggie Morey attended the Women’s

March in Washington D.C. with her mother. They were two of the almost 500,000 people who marched. PHOTO COURTESY OF YASMEEN EL-HASAN

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High Tide

center

Let’s be blunt Students reflect on how drug use impacts their lives

by Brittany Baker

F

or confidentiality, the sources are referred to as Jane Doe, Marie Major and John Stiles.

Her initial life path started to alter as her interests became more dependent on the drugs she was doing. Smoking weed, dabbing wax and popping pills, senior Jane Doe shares her experiences with using drugs throughout high school.

According to Doe, her life would not be the same if she hadn’t started doing drugs.

“I’d probably still be running because I enjoyed it, but I just didn’t like being an outcast on the team since I was the only one out of my friends that did drugs,” Doe said.

Doe’s close friend senior Marie Major

agrees that her life has changed as a consequence of doing drugs.

“I didn’t stop cheer because of drugs; it’s just that a lot of people change. I changed myself as well, I’m not just blaming other people. I found myself alone a lot because I didn’t have that much in common with all the girls that didn’t do drugs,” Major said.

According to Doe, she first tried smoking marijuana while she was in eighth grade and continued because her close friends smoked the drug.

“I tried it and ended up liking it, and then it kind of got easier to get. My friends kind of all started doing it, so it just carried on, and now it’s just a part of my life,” Doe said.

Doe and Major have tried a variety of a drugs together over the course of their high school years. They “went through phases” for each drug, first doing one for a period of time, then another.

“It went from weed to bars, which is xanax, and then ecstasy to cocaine, to acid, and then we did shrooms and prescription drugs like cough syrup,” Doe said.

Despite the common perception of teens doing drugs because of peer pressure, Doe started using drugs because she was curious.

“I think [my friends] were more the reason why I kept doing it, not why I started. I started because I wanted to, but the reason I kept doing it was because they wanted to do it,” Sally said.

According to Doe, her friends’ views of her changed because she did drugs.

“I feel like I know that they think of me differently because it was hard to be on cross country because none of them did drugs. But it kinda depends on the situation because I wouldn’t want any of my coworkers knowing,” Doe said.

Like Doe, Major also strayed away from old friends because of her drug usage.

“When I was on cheer and I started doing cocaine a lot, it wasn’t good because ev-

Jan. 27, 2017

eryone noticed that I was getting skinnier. I couldn’t really hold people up and if felt like people were thinking bad things about me.

It made me not want to do anything because things would never work out,” Major said.

Another consequence of their drug use was losing their parents’ trust.

“We started getting in a lot of trouble with our parents. Her phone was getting hooked up to her mom’s and bad things were happening, like both of our parents almost sent us away to bad places. We basically started only smoking weed after that,” Doe said.

Doe’s parents discovered that she had been doing drugs when she came home under the influence. They went through her texts and found out about her drug use. As a result, her relationship with her father has changed, and he worries about her.

According to Doe, she realized that she had to stop doing certain drugs when they started to impact her performance at work.

“That’s also when I stopped doing bars, I was coming into work days after and not being 100 percent. They talked to me and were like, ‘You’re not getting any better; you’re kind of getting worse.’ That’s when I was like

center

‘Alright yeah I’m done with that.’ Other than that, it doesn’t mess with my school work.

That’s an agreement I have with my dad, I can smoke [marijuana] as long as my school work is good and I always have good grades,” Doe said.

Even though Doe’s grades were not impacted, she slowly began to realize that she had to address her usage of hard drugs.

“We all feel like we’re invincible. I was like ‘No, I’m not the person that will get addicted, I don’t have that personality; that won’t happen to me,’ but once it starts affecting your physical health, Marie and I didn’t look good.

You could tell that something was wrong. We didn’t look healthy at all,” Doe said.

Because of her drug addiction, Doe had to see a medical professional.

“Having a sit down meeting with a drug therapist helped. They handed me a pamphlet about bars, and that’s when I realized I had a problem,” Doe said.

Doe was addicted to xanax for a while, secluding her from her friends.

“I feel like bars were a really big problem for me because I wouldn’t enjoy myself, but I would still do them because I felt like I needed them to the point I was rolling by myself,” Doe said.

Using ecstasy also isolated Doe from her

friends because she chose to avoid the calmer drugs her friends were doing.

“I feel like I knew I was addicted when all my friends stopped doing it and I just continued. I remember one time everyone was just drunk, and I was on ecstasy,” Doe said.

Even though Doe admits she was addicted to bars and ecstasy, the process of quitting the majority of the drugs was “not that difficult” in that once she was able to stop bars, she “was kind of able to stop everything.”

Because of the way ecstasy affected her physical health, Doe realized she needed to end her addiction.

“I think when I was doing a lot of ecstasy I knew it was effecting me. I was at like 93 pounds, and I couldn’t sit in class without my brain hurting, and that’s when I knew I had to stop doing that everyday,” Doe said.

Doe and Major’s addictions to these drugs ended for many reasons, a major reason being the death of their close friend, John Stiles. Stiles was a few years older than Doe and Major, but they met him their freshman year and were friends ever since.

“I think I knew he was going downhill but I didn’t think he was going to kill himself,” Doe said. “He never acted negatively even when all the worst was happening, he would go to jail and come back and be like ‘Hey, let’s turn up.’”

According to Doe, Stiles was addicted to “a lot” of hard drugs. He began doing meth

page 13

as a junior, and “kept getting sent away to jail because he would get caught up for a lot of stuff.”

“When he was a minor he would just go to juvy and stuff, but when he was 19 and one of his court cases caught up to him, he was like ‘I’d rather kill myself than go to jail.’ So he took like 20 bars and he hadn’t taken bars in a while and he took 20 because of all the trouble he was in,” Doe said.

Stiles’s death impacted Doe’s view of her own drug use.

“I didn’t want to do bars ever again, especially after that,” Sally said. “I think it made me cherish my friends more because they can just be gone at any moment especially with the way we live, recklessly I guess,” Sally said.

Major’s group of friends were also impacted by Stiles’s overdose. A friend of Stiles’s quit using drugs in response to his overdose and is 250 days sober.

“It made a lot of people change their outlook on drugs because a lot of people who were best friends with him stopped,” Major said.

Doe and Major’s experiences with drugs over the years have left an impression with them.

“I’m glad that we went through all these phases because now I know I’m not going to be experimenting in college and stuff, and I don’t have the desire to anymore. I know people go through this later in life, but we already went through it,” Doe said.

ILLUSTRATION BY LULU WEGMAN

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High Tide

features

Seize the stage Korgan dances competitively in hopes of becoming a choreographer

S

Junior Samantha Korgan dances on

stage, springing into a tilt jump. PHOTO BY RYAN CARTEE

by Reem Chamas

ince she was six years old, junior Samantha Korgan knew she had a passion for dance, and she dedicated ten years to perfect her technique in order to fulfill her dreams of making dance a part of her future career.

Korgan dances contemporary, hip-hop, lyrical, jazz, ballroom and tap at Elevation Studios in Long Beach.

“I have tried tap, but I am not really good at it, but I am still trying,” Korgan said. “My favorite is definitely contemporary because it makes me feel the happiest.”

Recently, Korgan and the rest of the dancers at the studio attended Countdown Dance Competition in Anaheim and scored first second and third place in different group dances and solos in various styles of dance.

“We go to a lot of different competitions around the area, mostly in Anaheim because that is where it is really competitive, but they are really fun and they take place all weekend,” Korgan said. “At Countdown Dance Competition my team felt like a big family and we were really motivated to do well because it was our last competition of the season and our last time performing all of our routines so we were really pumped to make them all look really good.”

According to Korgan, the only thing that matters during the competition is having a good experience and enjoying the time she spends onstage.

“The competitions are not really about winning; it’s more about doing it because you love it and just because you want to be onstage. I couldn’t really care less about winning honestly,” Korgan said. “When I get off,

Contemporary queen.

I don’t remember anything that happened because everything leaves your mind and you are just dancing and having fun. I love doing it and that’s all that really matters to me.”

Korgan started dancing when she was six years old and continued because she “enjoyed it so much.”

“My mom just put me in it because I was really energetic and I would never stop moving,” Korgan said. “At first I was definitely very nervous because I was only six and I didn’t know anyone in the class, and I didn’t know what I was doing because it was hiphop. After I realized that I really had fun and I liked it, so my mom kept signing me up.”

Since Korgan practices dance 30 to 40 hours a week, she previously considered quitting dance because it can make completing schoolwork very difficult.

“It is very hard to find time for school because I will be up really late every night doing homework because there’s so much of it, and it is junior year so it’s the hardest year but I have found time for it,” Korgan said.

According to Korgan, dance has helped her learn to prioritize her time.

“Dance has helped me learn how to balance life because it is hard to find time when you are at the studio until 10:00,” Korgan said. You still have to eat dinner, do homework, work on projects, hang out with friends and family, and it is really hard to find time for all of that but I make time for it.”

Dance provides Korgan some time to relax from all of the stress that school brings.

“When I get to the studio all the stress

from here at school leaves. I forget about all of my homework and projects and tests, I forget about everything,” Korgan said. “I just live in the moment at dance, and I take all the moments in and I don’t take any moment I am there for granted. When I get there I’m so happy and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Korgan’s parents also help Korgan deal with the struggles of having a busy schedule by reminding her of everything she has accomplished.

“My mom and dad made me realize how important dance is when I was about to quit, and they remind me how long I have been doing it for and how it is a part of me,” Korgan said.

According to Lisa Korgan, Korgan’s mother, she is proud of everything that her daughter has accomplished. She adores the limited time she gets to spend with her daughter due to Korgan’s busy dance schedule.

“It makes everything I do worth it to see her happy, and it means so much to me and to her father,” said Lisa. “She just shines when she is there, and it is her place where she feels comfortable and can express herself. We cherish every moment we get to spend with her, and sometimes I feel that it is not enough, so we have great times together because every minute is so important.”

Korgan’s friends in the studio inspire her to keep improving her technique and be the best dancer she can be, so she can have the

option to pursue dance as a career.

“When you meet people who do dance they really push you to keep going, and when you see people who are better than you then you want to be better,” Korgan said.

“When I watch how they do things it makes you go, ‘Oh wow, I want to move like that,’ and it makes you want to try to be like them and copy them. I can’t quit now because I’m at the point where it can really take me places, like I can dance in college and there are so many job opportunities that you can do when you get into dance.”

Korgan believes everyone can dance no matter what their age is, and that there is not a “correct” way to dance.

“It is never too late to start even if you think that you are too old,” Korgan said.

“There is no certain way you have to dance because there is no right or wrong way to dance.”

According to Korgan, going to dance everyday is the highlight of her day because all of the people at her studio make dancing worthwhile.

“It is basically the one thing I look forward to doing everyday after school, and it makes me happy when I’m there because with all the people there, we are a family,” Korgan said.

Because it is a constant source of happiness in her life, Korgan hopes to continue dancing.

“I would love to pursue dance later in life by being a choreographer for a dance company, so I want to pursue dance as long as I can, even after college,” Korgan said.

Jan. 27, 2017

features

page 15

Designed for fit. Loved for style.

Hindle develops an interest in designing and sewing clothes from scratch

by Kelly Harraka

Sew cute. 1. Senior Mary Hindle poses in a shirt she created for her

sister made from dark green stretch velvet. 2. Hindle shows the back of the dress, which has a light blue butterfly print chiffon on the skirt and on the bow as well. 3. Hindle smiles while wearing a green velvet dress that took between two to three weeks to create. PHOTOS BY JARRAH MAY

S

he prefers handmade over store bought. A once mess of fabrics turns into a well structured dress. Senior Mary Hindle designs her own outfits from scratch and hopes to create more in the future.

For Hindle, depending on how complicated the design is, finishing a dress or shirt could take anywhere from a weekend to a couple months.

“The biggest struggle with sewing is trying to find time to do it. I have some projects that I started, but I never finished then because it was bad timing,” Hindle said.

Although sewing can be used to create new attire, Hindle believes that it can also be used to repair old clothes as well.

“I’m the go-to girl at work when one of my coworkers rips their rompers or needs a hem on their dress,” Hindle said.

“I’m known as ‘the little seamstress.’”

Hindle created some of her own clothes in middle school and has continued to improve her style with every design.

“I started sewing because I’ve always been passionate about it, and I love shopping,” Hindle said. “For my 15th birthday, I got my own sewing machine and I started off making pajama pants.”

Her grandmother passed her sewing techniques down to Hindle, and she asks her grandmother for help when trying to complete a complicated stitch.

“My grandma used to sew a lot. She taught my mom how to sew and then my mom taught me. It’s become my favorite

pastime,” Hindle said.

Jainie, Hindle’s mom, saw her daughter’s passion for creating since an early age, and she is happy to help her daughter in expressing herself through sewing.

“I knew she loved fashion, like I did when I was a kid. I thought she would enjoy sewing too, and I am very proud of her,” Janie said.

Hindle has noticed that she no longer “zones out” when watching television, but instead, she pays close attention to what the actors are wearing.

“When an outfit catches my eye, I like to think about how their outfit is made, how it could be cuter, and how I could make it my own,” Hindle said. “I have a sketchbook where I draw outfits out and I take notes on what kind of fabric I would use for it.”

Hindle looks for inspiration on Pintrest, and with this help, she is often successful in coming up with a complete design for a new piece of clothing.

“My favorite part about sewing is picking out the fabrics.

I’m very visual, so it is easy for me to picture how a fabric would look completed as an article of clothing,” Hindle said.

In order to get started, Hindle figures out exactly what she wants to make and what kind of fabric she needs to complete

the project. Then, she picks out the thread that matches and decides whether she wants to add any zippers or buttons as accents to the original idea.

“I like to make my own designs. If I do use a sewing pattern, I’ll start off using it, and then I’ll finish it my own way and make it my own,” Hindle said.

She has not only created her own outfits, but also outfits for her family.

“I designed a shirt for my sister, and although it was really basic, I made everything from scratch,” Hindle said. “I had to measure everything with a lot of precision, and in the end, it turned out exactly how I wanted it.”

Hindle hopes to continue creating more outfits for her family and herself throughout college.

According to Hindle, sewing is a fun hobby and not a stressful task.

“Sewing is my way to relax and I think of new designs everyday,” Hindle said.

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features

Christian connection

High Tide

Junior Ashley Chang attends the Passion Conference at the Georgia Dome

by Kylee Kallick Junior Ashley Chang had the chance of a lifetime to attend the Passion Conference this year, making lifelong bonds with some of the 50,000 people from almost 50 countries who attended.

The Passion Conference, which takes place once a year in various locations around the world, is mostly aimed towards ages 18 to 25 to help people in college and to help maintain their faith in God through college.

“I’m not in college yet, but my whole church was going, and the pastor’s wife insisted I should go to it. Even though I wasn’t a college student, I still gained so much [faith and friends] from this experience,” Chang said.

This year, the conference was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, and people from all over the world attended for a chance to increase their faith, meet others and work through any tough times.

“Passion is a big conference, especially for Christians. About 46 to 50 countries come over, so I met people from Chile, Jamaica, Europe and Russia. You just get

to see how big the body of Christ is and that you’re surrounded by everyone, and it’s like you’re included and you’re all family,” Chang said.

Chang had watched previous Passion Conferences on live stream or on Youtube, but according to her, getting to experience it live was something she will never forget.

“The Passion Conference helps not only people find God through the time they spend at Passion but also just to help people come together and realize just how big of community you can have with everyone,” Chang said.

Before attending the conference, Chang was dealing with some personal issues at home, but Passion allowed her to open up and be accepted.

“My [parents] were about to get divorced, and it was very hard for me. But at Passion, it’s just like you’re included and you’re family. Even though I’m struggling with my own family, I have another family from Passion,” Chang said.

Not only was she able to feel accepted and make another family, but she was also

Praising. “There is fun to it, but at the same time, there’s that love

and discipline that you have and that you can take back to school, as well,” Chang said. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY CHANG

able to relate to others and help them cope with their problems.

“One person in my community group told me her parents got a divorce, and she didn’t know how to react, so I was able to understand and help people who are going through that same situation too. I have a heart for them, instead of being cliché and not knowing how to deal with the situation, I can now actually talk about it and pray for them and help them overcome this difficulty,” Chang said.

Conference attendees got to go to different sessions which ranged from prayers to speakers giving messages, and being able to interview and learn about inspiring people’s lives.

“There was a woman who had half of her face body paralyzed, and we got to understand how difficult it was for her to live and how she learned to overcome the shame.

She taught us that we can have insecurities and that we can relate to her too from how she overcame what happened, and use her flaws and the glory of God,” Chang said.

One thing that Chang took from the

Passion Conference was a newfound set of friends. They all still keep up with one another and help each other through the hardships of life.

“Inside of passion there’s something called community groups and within your age group you’re set up with thousands of people in a room, but you get split off to a group of ten and you’re with people you don’t know. You introduce yourself, and you become really honest and genuine with each other, and you learn about each other’s lives.

I think that was the beauty of it, of how our through our hardships we come together, and we can pray and be there for eachother,” Chang said.

The biggest thing that Chang got out of the Conference though was her confidence and her ability to open up more.

“I’m a lot more comfortable of where I am now, and I’m much stronger in my faith.

The people I met there keep me accountable, and they told me about more of their life. It inspired me to share more and not to be so closed with my life, and I learned that people are there for me,” Chang said.

Jan. 27, 2017

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features

Gabi Sophia

Like, comment and subscribe. “Gabi and I get to hang out and just be ourselves when Sunset.

“I just tried to think of something that really represents Redondo Beach and the sunset and the we film. Trying the miracle berries, for example, was pretty fun and something we wouldn’t usu-

ocean is just a place that most tourists and locals like to go to, so I thought that would be a great idea for the ally do together if we weren’t filming. We get to have these fun experiences and learn more stuff filter,” Loewenstein said. ILLUSTRATION BY JACKIE LOEWENSTEIN about each other,” Ruffo said. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOPHIA RUFFO

Ruffo’s YouTube channel allows her to bond with her best friend

by Daphnie Fulton As soon as they step in front of the camera they are more ready to share their art and creativity than ever. Seniors Sophia Ruffo and Gabi Fernandez film and post videos on their YouTube channel “Gabi Sophia”.

Since she began her channel during the 2012-2013 school year, Ruffo’s channel has gained a total of 1622 subscribers featuring a wide variety of content including challenge videos, music and informative or opinionated discussions of a variety of topics.

“For me and Gabi, we just like to do it for fun. We just make them for fun. We don’t want to do it because we have to,” Ruffo said.

Fernandez has since left Redondo to attend a high school for the arts. While they don’t get to spend as much time together, they always set time aside to spend on keeping up with their YouTube channel.

“We do it whenever we get together because we don’t live that close to each other anymore,” she said. “It’s one of the ways we get to hang out and that’s the main reason why we do it” Their channel serves as a hobby shared between the two friends, something that always brings them back together.

However they are careful not to “put too much pressure” on

themselves in order to keep making videos they are genuinely interested in.

“A lot of people don’t see YouTube as a career, I don’t want it as a career either,” Ruffo said. “But it keeps me connected to still doing things that are art based.”

While it will remain only a hobby, Ruffo’s passion for creativity and art has translated to her video content.

“I feel like it’s made me more creative and more open to doing things online. It’s just kept me in a very artsy state of mind,” Ruffo said.

Ruffo’s experience with stage performing has differed greatly with her experience sharing her talents through the lense of a camera.

“If you’re nervous about a talent, you can share your art portfolio online or sing in front of a camera. It’s not the same as performing on a stage. I’ve done both and I prefer to sing in front of a camera,” Ruffo said. “It builds a lot of confidence.

If I’m talking on a stage, or singing or something like that it’s a different playing field.”

However, the process of creating videos can be time consuming and challenging. There are many steps to creating quality content for viewers including coming up with ideas, filming the video itself and editing it. Ruffo and Fernandez

work together to come up with the ideas for their videos.

“Having an idea and making it filmable is the hardest part.

The most challenging part is having an idea and filming it in a way that’s really quick. You don’t want it to drag on for too long,” Ruffo said. “Even if you like what you’re doing, the viewers might not want to see you sitting and just having a conversation.”

Because of the difficulty of creating video ideas, they tend to “stockpile” ideas they can pull up to use later. When they meet to film they can go over their list and choose a video that sounds interesting for them to film at the time.

“Filming them is my favorite part. I get to hang out with my best friend and film them. We just mess around and have a fun time but share it with people sometimes,” Ruffo said.

“It’s basically what we do, but a bit less personal.”

An important part of the process in using technology in a way that is creative yet effective. Ruffo enjoys editing her videos and working with the cameras and editing software to make content.

“I’ve always thought that technology is important to connect with people,” Ruffo said. “It’s a way for people to put themselves out there without actually going out in front of people.”

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features

On Pointe Allexxis Allen devotes her life to contemporary dancing

Dirty dancing. Allexxis Allen poses while doing an attitude. Allen says one of the most difficult things is balancing dance and friends. “It’s really hard to balance school, friends and my social life. I’ve learned to just take out the

people that don’t understand my schedule. However, I’m lucky enough to have friends that understand what I love to do, and they know how blessed I am to have this gift of mine,” Allen said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALLEXXIS ALLEN .

by Kayla Hiken For junior Allexxis Allen, dance has been a part of her life since she was two years old.

She dedicates more than 20 hours to dance and travels over 1,000 miles a week to get there. With this huge commitment, many awards and prizes have followed, including two national titles as well as scholarships to dance for schools, such as Juilliard, in the summer.

Because she’s been dancing for so many years, Allen has learned to love the art of dance and enjoys performing because of the feeling she gets when she dances.

“What’s really cool about dance is that it is all muscle memory, so I don’t even have to think about it when I’m on stage. I could be in ten different numbers and I would be able to remember every single dance and everything I have to do for each, because it’s all muscle memory,” Allen said. “When I’m on stage, it’s like a cloud in my head.”

Although she loves doing her solos, Allen especially likes dancing in groups because of the “upbeat” environment it brings.

“When I dance with a group, I feel everyone’s energy and I get really excited because we think as a group and move together.

When everyone is going full on, landing their turns and I can feel that the team is super strong, it just feels so good,” Allen said.

“Then when we go to awards and win and get money or prizes, it’s so worth it at the end. All the training pays off.”

Allen began competitively dancing at the age of five. She has danced at two other studios before she found her current one, Just Plain Dancin’, a top studio in California located 100 miles away in Corona. She dances from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and also every Sunday.

According to her mom, Bella Allen, the first national title she won was in eighth grade for a solo she devoted to her childhood best friend, Chase Stecyk.

“This solo she was coined the Dancer Against Cancer, which is a campaign that helps to bring awareness for fundraising research for cancer. When she won that title it was the biggest thing to happen to her in her entire life because it was for such a touching cause. I’ve never seen her more elated,” Bella said.

In addition to national titles, Allen has won personality awards, teachnique awards, costume awards and crowns.

“Allexxis has danced on the Royal Caribbean and Prince Cruises. She’s also been training in New York over the summer for

the past last three years, and this past summer she got accepted into Joffrey Ballet and Julliard. So it’s been pretty exciting to see her get these opportunities and grow as a dancer,” Bella said.

Allen has worked with professional choreographers, along with some of the professional dancers from ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ She also has a professional designer who creates all her costumes for her dances.

Allen is “glad” that she chose to continue going to a regular high school rather than an art school, allowing her to have more time to see her friends, as well as get a chance to be a “normal” teenager and have time away from dance.

“I was deciding on going to Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), but then I auditioned and, of course, I was auditioning for the hardest program there, so I didn’t make it. But as I kept going through the school, it didn’t feel like a school, it felt like a business. It just didn’t feel like home, there’s no football games and sports games to go to, it’s just art stuff,” Allen said. “I ended up getting in after the third time, but I decided against it.”

Allen is able to do what she loves because of all the support she receives, especially that from her parents.

“My parents are really supportive of me in dance and they’ll do anything to make me happy. They try their best to get involved and my dad would even do rhinestoning for me; he rhinestoned my whole entire costume when I was six,” Allen said. “My mom is like a dance mom. She does the rhinestoning and cameras and makes sure that everyone’s makeup is perfect and their hair is pinned up.”

Allen’s main supporter is her mom. With all the time, money and energy that she dedicates to her daughter and to her dancing, Allen’s mom is proud of the dancer she has become.

“As a parent it was difficult to see the old studio hold her back just because she was not one of the strongest dancers. But then to see that reverse and watch her dance in top categories against the same team that said she was horrible, it’s hard not to get emotional,” Bella said. “She goes out there and doesn’t realize that she’s dancing against some of the top dancers in the competition world. She use to watch these very same kids on stage and now she’s dancing with them.

It’s strange for her, but I’m so proud. As a parent I get teary eyed because two years ago she was in the back of the class and now she’s a top dancer.”

Jan. 27, 2017

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features

SUPER SMASH BR S. Seniors compete in video game tournaments

by Alex Dang For the past three years, seniors Josh Kano, Dylan Allen and Logan Chavez have spent weekends all over southern California, from Pasadena to Pomona to San Jose, participating in Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. The crossover fighting game, which was released in 2001, manages to remain “endearing” to its avid fan base.

“I spend my free time doing this out of love of the game. It’s really fun even though compared to my friends, I’m really bad,” senior Josh Kano said. “I enjoy the community aspect of it, being able to hang out with them, and play with them and get better and driving to tournaments. We have a bunch of friends all over SoCal now just going to tournaments and talking to them.”

The tournaments usually feature players huddled around CRT TV sets, or “the older, boxy-looking TVs” as pixelated images flash figures familiar to younger gaming audiences such as Mario, Pikachu and Zelda.

“We all played it when we were younger, so there is some nostalgia for our youth,” senior Logan Chavez said. “Just the way that the game is designed, there are so many individual mechanics that other fighting games don’t have, that makes Super Smash Bros. so

much more interesting.”

Senior Dylan Allen believes that Super Smash Bros. Melee is unique and “different” from many other fighting games. Particular differences from other fighting games include its playing stage being “threedimensional instead of being on a two-player axis, or where you can only move back and forth.”

In addition to the technical originality of the game, players view the openness and variation of playing styles as an outlet for self-expression.

“I think that what’s appealing about it is that you get to express yourself through the game. Everyone has individual play styles, and so they put a piece of themselves into their character whenever they play,” Chavez said.

The three have won local tournaments hosted by fellow Melee enthusiasts. They also attended the Genesis 4 tournament on the weekend of Jan. 21-22, where Chavez and Allen advanced into the second day. It is one of the “major” tournaments, wherein nearly

Zoned in. Senior Dylan Allen (left) focuses on his game displayed on a CRT TV set during the Genesis 4 Super Smash Bros.

Melee tournament. Allen and Chavez advanced to the second day. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CELINE OH .

2,000 players from across the country and the world come for a chance to win the grand prize of $3,000.

Although the top players in the world “end up making a career” playing the game, Allen does not foresee himself in the future doing the same for a living. Those sponsored players regularly attend the major tournaments and maintain streaming accounts on Twitch or YouTube where they play and advertise for their sponsors by wearing merchandise.

“I don’t think that is a possibility for me because it takes way too much practice and time playing the game to get that good. Also, it probably will not be around by the time I’m that old and at that skill level,” Allen said.

According to Allen, the players are usually “older, college-age guys,” although there is a tournament series specifically for high schoolers — High School Smash — which is where the group’s “main” friend circle is.

The trio began their tradition of playing

together at lunch in Mr. Michael SooHoo’s room before switching venues when they were sophomores to Mr. Jeremy Chung’s room.

“It is nice that he let’s play in his room.

It was his first year teaching and he needed people in his room to make it look active,” Kano said. “Sometimes he plays Nintendo 64 with us, and I remember he brought his console one day and he was beating all of us and this kid walked up to him and he was still talking to the kid while he was beating us.

Every time he would take one of our stocks he would talk to the kid again.”

Kano, Chavez and Allen plan to continue playing at local tournaments for the rest of senior year, although they are yet to win one of the larger tournaments. Despite the lack of “major” hardware, Allen views his losses with a more optimistic attitude.

“The way I look at it, I never lose,” said Allen. “It is either I win or I learn, because I am always improving.”

Ristovski attends soccer training camp in Scotland

by William Pournamdari Sophomore Noah Ristovski pushes himself every day towards fulfilling his dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, taking all opportunities to improve, like attending a training camp in Scotland.

“I look at everyday as a challenge that will improve my skills,” Ristovski said. “Learning how to manage Varsity soccer with Galaxy [South Bay], AM Sports, and school taught me to organize my time which helped me become a better player and better student.”

Ristovski was able to learn a multitude of strategies while training with AM Sports Tours in Scotland.

“Going to Scotland taught me many different soccer formations, and it exposed me to a greater diversity of players on the team,” Ristovski said.

After LA Galaxy South Bay coach Ja-

mie Harvey sent a recommendation to AM Sports Tours, Noah was admitted into their training camp in Scotland where he was able to practice soccer for two weeks.

“I recommended Noah because he shows great dedication to soccer and deserved the opportunity. He has excellent ability and and mentality to be able to compete with other clubs in the states,” Harvey said. “I know AM have an excellent program and a player like Noah would benefit from it and take advantage of the opportunity.”

While training in Scotland, Ristovski practiced four hours a day, played two games a week each followed by and played with professional academies in Scotland.

According to Ristovski, the Scotland program allowed him to bolster his skills on the field.

“Going to Scotland made me better at adapting to different situations on the field,” Ristovski said. “I play forward so I don’t always have a lot of time to think before I react so it was good practice playing in a different background.”

Aside from playing with AM Sports Tours and the Varsity team, Ristovski is also in the U-17 Elite Team in the Tier 1 SCDSL. “I’ve become a lot better player since joining the club, and it’s just a really good environment for everybody. The team and the coach are a big family to me,” Ristovski said.

Ristovski believes forming new bonds on the team has benefited his social as well as soccer skills.

He knows that soccer is a verbal game, and what you do on the ball is just as important as what you do off of it.

“I bring a lot of communication, spread positivity rather than putting everybody down, and I just do my best to help the team,” Ristovski said. “The work we put in really pays off like winning OC Kickoff Classic.”

Ristovski aspires to pursue a future career in soccer.

“I plan on playing soccer while I get a college education and then hopefully get into professional soccer,’ Ristovski said.

For Ristovski his hardwork and determination doesn’t end until he’s reached his goals.

“I just try to be the best I can. Seeing other young players on TV playing for professional clubs really motivates me. Watching them makes me think if they can do it then I can too with the enough hard work and determination,” Ristovski said.

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sports

1.

3.

2.

Mopping up the mess. 1. Sophomore Josh Maduno waits for the inbound pass in a 68-54 win at Costa on Jan. 24. Redondo has a five game winning streak dating to the 2014-15 school year. 2. Williams drives around the paint to the rim. Redondo will play at home against Morningside tonight. 3. Senior Ryse Williams takes a jump shot over a Costa defender PHOTOS BY KYRA PACIFIC

Mustang mashup

Boys basketball defeats Costa 68-54, remains unbeaten in League

by Whayden Dhamcho With a 5-0 record in Bay League, the boys basketball team is optimistic looking into its game against Morningside, and into the playoffs, following a 14 point win with a final score of 68-54 against school rival, Mira Costa.

The team’s season has been on track with last year’s team at this point in the season, with a winning record of 18-4, translating to a rank of 62nd in the nation and rank of 14th in the state.

Ryse Williams, senior, is one of the team’s starter and a key player for the team, posting a solid game against Mira Costa with a performance including 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

With the season more than halfway however, Williams believes that the team still has room for improvement.

“I think we have been performing at a

high-level. We are getting better every game, every practice. So, as long as we keep improving, we’ll be good,” Williams said.

Senior Isaiah Tyler also believes the team is currently playing up to par. He believes the whole team has really played strong in its recent games.

“I think we have all stepped up and made an impact,” Tyler said, “I think we have all shocked.”

Williams believes many players coming off the bench also have a major impact on the

“

games.

“I would say everyone is coming in and doing their part,” Williams said, “Everybody coming off the bench has been providing something.”

There have been transfers added to the team who are still adjusting to the play style and flow of the team, but Williams believes they are also a critical factor.

“The transfers are getting better every game,” Williams said, “They’re still adjusting to the system and what we do here at

I think we have been performing at a high-level; we are getting better every game, every practice. So, as long as we keep improving, we’ll be good

”

Redondo, but they are bringing skills off the bench that we need to get to the playoffs.”

The team’s next game will be against Morningside on Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m.

The last time the team matched up against Morningside on the opponent’s home court, Redondo was able to pull away with a 14 point victory, and a final score of 80-66.

Williams is positive the team will win this next game, but also knows the game will not be easy.

The team is also confident going into the game against Morningside, in order to improve their record to 19-4 with a Bay League record of 6-0.

“It should be a competitive, a really hardfought, tough game,” Williams said, “But, of course I feel like we are going to get a win, it’s just a matter of how much we win by.”

Jan. 27, 2017

sports

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Boys soccer stages comeback, beats PV

by Kayvon Elahihaghighi With three minutes left, PV and Redondo were tied at three. Then Noah Ristovski won the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and took a hard shot towards goal. The shot that was meant to win the game was blocked, and settled about five yards away, at the feet of Adam Yorke, who placed the ball far post, top corner, just inches past the goalie’s outstretched fingertips. 4-3. Game over. Redondo wins.

“I don’t even remember the ball coming towards me, it was all instinct. The only thing I remember is being piled on top of by 18 sweaty teammates,” Yorke said. “It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Redondo went down 3-0 early, but with a few minutes left in the first half senior Azuma Sugahara streaked down the sideline, beating three defenders and finishing the ball bottom right, through the keeper’s legs.

This began Redondo’s comeback. Two minutes into the second half Sugahara

scored again, this time on a volley that resulted from a poor PV clearance. 20 minutes later Hewell Ibarra played a long ball over the defense to Ristovski who chipped the keeper to tie the game. Then Yorke finished it off at the last second.

“This was definitely the most intense high school game I’ve ever played in. I am so proud of all of my teammates who kept believing and never gave up,” Yorke said.

Redondo is now 3-0-1 in Bay League, putting them in first place going into their game against Morningside today at 3.

“We have a special team this year. Everyone works together and for one another. Last year we probably had the most talented boys soccer team this school has ever seen, but we didn’t play as a team,” Yorke said. “This year is completely different. Everyone fights for eachother, everyone works hard in practice, and everyone trusts that we will win if we work together.”

Tunnel vision. Junior Adam

Yorke attacks toward the goal, looking for a shot against Mira Costa. “It was a really intense game. In the end, we won because of our determination and drive to finish games,” Yorke said. PHOTO BY HIROKI GOTO

Girls basketball defeats Costa by 20 points

by Hayley O’Connor Rigby

A winning rivalry. Senior Daylan Bonner dribbles up against a defender in Redondo’s 57-37 win at Costa, bringing the team’s Bay League record to 5-0. PHOTO BY KYRA PACIFIC

Girls basketball defeated its longtime rival, Mira Costa, on Tuesday night, Jan. 24 in a win against the Mustangs with a score of 57-37.

“This was one of our most focused and intense team wins. Everyone was really pumped and excited, especially the seniors, since it was our last chance to play costa in their house,” according to senior and captain of the basketball team Lauren Tsuneishi.

The team believes that playing its main rival at Costa made it more motivated to win the game.

“We definitely put a more focused effort into playing Costa. We knew that we had to play as one and as a team and I think we did that last night. We were really excited to play Costa and had been looking forward in playing them,” senior Lane Arkangel said.

According to sophomore Dylan Horton, the team brought really good energy and quality teamwork to this game and felt that they played superior.

“This was my first time playing Costa at the varsity level so it was a great competitive atmosphere to be in. This was by far one of the best games of the season because we all played together as a team,” Horton said.

During the first quarter, the team had difficulty with its offensive abilities, but its strong communication skills pushed them through the rest of the game and win.

“We struggled with rebounding and turn-

ing the ball over in the 1st quarter, but after the coaches brought it up to us, we came out stronger in the 2nd quarter and minimized these errors for the rest of the game. I think that our communication and our energy amongst each other improved last night and helped us win,” Arkangel said.

The next team girls basketball will take on will be Morningside for a second game on Friday Jan. 27 at home. The team is suspecting to be prepared for a second round against Morningside’s team as long as they ‘maintain good energy and enthusiasm’.

“Even though we’ve played them earlier this season and know their tendencies, we still need to stay focused on our goal of being the Bay League champions. We’re going to continue to play as one and sustain our focus for upcoming games,” Tsuneishi said.

According to Arkangel, they should perform exactly how they did at their last game, by maintaining a same positive attitude and cooperation, and agrees if the team does this they will continue their success towards their goal this season.

“We’ll play well against them as long as we come with the same attitude and energy as the Costa game. I think that we should come out with the same type of intensity and mindset every game, no matter what team we play,” said Arkangel. “Also, if we play as hard as we practice, we should come out with a win on Friday night.”

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High Tide

sports Jumping towards victory.

Captain Madi Kennel runs to the ball to try to prevent a Morningside player from scor-

Racing for the record. Freshshman Celine Gehrig blocks a Mira Costa player as freshman Sydney Bloch goes for the ball during the Costa vs RUHS game on Tuesday, Jan. 24. PHOTO BY HIROKI GOTO

Girls soccer ties in game against Palos Verdes and makes season record

by Angie Tait Nearing the end of their season with only one loss, girls soccer picked up a win and a tie, respectively, against Mira Costa High School on Jan. 24, and Palos Verdes High School on Jan. 26.

“Mira Costa is a really tough team, but we came out with great intensity and took advantage of our opportunities in the game. Even then, we know they are a great team, and expect another good game when we play them next time,” captain Madi Kennel, senior said.

The games against Mira Costa and Palos Verdes ended 6-2 and 0-0, leaving the team’s overall season score at 18-1-3. The team is also currently ranked 13th in the state, and 32nd nationally.

“18-1-3 is by far the best record we have had the four years I’ve been on varsity. Our amazing chemistry on and off the field and hard work is reflected by that record, and we want to continue to keep the losses at just one,” Kennel said.

The team has only five games left in their season, including a final rematch against Costa, which the girls are confident they can also win despite expectations of the Mustangs wanting vengeance for the recent loss.

“I feel that the score doesn’t reflect on how both teams played, and I expect [the next game] to be a really good game,” captain Jesse Loren, senior said. “I expect them to come out angry, and I know that they are going to want their revenge, but I can trust my team that we

are going to just play our game and finish all the opportunities that we get.”

Senior Ashley Humphrey had similar thoughts, noting that tight bonds within the team, along with determination, could go a long way in guaranteeing victory in their final few games.

“The last game [against Mira Costa] went extremely well. The team was focused before and during the game, and Mira Costa is our rival, so all we wanted to do was crush them,” Humphrey said. “But next time, Costa is going to come out hard. Every year I’ve played them, it’s always a good game, so if we are focused and play well as a team, we will beat Costa again.”

The girls are also hopeful, after their success at the Excalibur Tournament, about their chances in CIF once the school season ends.

“This year we have a stronger and better team, and I know with this team we can get very far as long as we are consistent and work together, as a team, to get there,” Humphrey said.

The girls’ next game is against Morningside on Jan. 27, a team they beat 8-0 on Jan. 10.

“Our next game is against Morningside, and I am confident that if we come out with the same intensity that we did against Costa that we will get the result we want, and I think this is true for every game for the rest of the season,” Kennel said. “This is our year to win it all.”

Wrestling is pinned by Santa Monica

by Tessa Biscaldi

The wrestling team lost against Santa Monica High School on Thursday, Jan. 26 with a final score of 57-21 overall.

Although it was a tough loss overall, the team still brought home several individual wins.

Sophomores Tristan Kirkpatrick and Teagan Heesh both won by pin, junior Nick Webb won by forfeit, and senior Jason Fong won in an overtime 6-4 victory.

Although Webb won by forfeit, he also won 3-0 against a wrestler heavier than him.

“I got a forfeit win, but I still wanted to wrestle, so I went against a wrestler one weight class above me,” Webb said. “I managed to win 3-0 because I was able to get the first takedown and hold him off for the rest of the match.”

Despite winning his match, Fong believes his performance could have been better.

“I won my match but didn’t wrestle the

way that I wanted or needed to in order to achieve my goals for the post season,” Fong said. “I’m still recovering from the flu but I shouldn’t have used that as an excuse mentally.”

Kirkpatrick believes that his match “went well despite a slow start” and is looking forward to working harder in his upcoming matches “Once I scored the first points I felt confident and I managed to win with a pin in the second period,” Kirkpatrick said. “Right now, my goal for the next few upcoming matches is to go at my pace and go hard all six minutes.”

Coach Arond Schonberg cites the “lack of urgency on the mat” as the reason for their loss.

“Overall, we did a lot of good things, but we just need to make some adjustments in the future and learn from this,” Schonberg

said. “We need to come together more as a team and cheer each other on.”

Webb believe that another factor for their loss was the team’s lack of mental toughness.

“I think that we need to work on mental toughness. Wrestling isn’t a sport meant for everyone. The people that do well are fighters, and we need to get into that fighter mentality,” Webb said.

Fong also believes that the team has things they can improve on.

“As a team we need to really go for it more and compete harder than ever instead of being afraid to lose,” Fong said.

In order to get better, Kirkpatrick believes the team needs to keep their focus.

“As a team, we need to come together and focus more,” Kirkpatrick said. “We definitely need to take the sport more seriously.”

Right now the team is working on fixing their mistakes in practice so they do well in

their upcoming matches.

“We are working on winning as many matches as possible, and getting all the kinks and mistakes worked out before we go up against Costa,” Webb said.

“We have been practicing Monday through Saturday and trying to work on how to not get pinned, takedowns and just improving our overall strategy,” freshman Vincent Reyes said.

The team has a tournament Saturday as well, as a meet against Mira Costa on Tuesday, which they hope to do well in.

‘We know what to expect because we have gone up against Costa before in a tournament, so we are working hard to set the bar higher and keep getting better,” Webb said.

“We are looking at what we did last time and what we did well and what needs to be changed before we compete against them again.”

Jan. 27, 2017

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sports

Girls Soccer Starting Lineup: Changler Kauffman Junior: Denfence #11 (left)

Sydney Bloch Freshman: Defence #19 (left)

Celine Gehrig Freshman: Defence #3 (right)

Clarke Brown Senior: Defence #23 (right)

(missing) Captain Jesse Loren Junior: Forward #12

Captain Madi Kennel Senior: Midfield #21 “It feels amazing to have this record because I’ve been on this team since freshman year and all of the four years we have the most talent and dedication this year and we deserve to win.”

“I feel like whenever I play, I’m able to help my team. I work hard off and on the field and I always give it my all.”

Captain Callie Hokanson: Senior #7 Midfield Eden Millan Sophomore: Goalie #1 (left)

Essie Bonney Senior Midfield #18 (left)

Samantha Encarnado Sophomore: Midfield #20 (right)

Ashley Humphrey Senior Forward #27 (right) PHOTOS BY JARRAH MAY

Girls water polo qualifies for Bay League finals

by Justin Pioletti Girls water polo played a shutout game against West Torrance ending 13-0 last tuesday, securing their position in Bay League finals.

“West is not one of the more competitive teams in the league, so it’s a good game to practice our defense and counter attacks in order to prepare for our more competing games,” senior Maddie McCaw said. “We have been practicing a no center offense, which means our set player is not involved.

Also, our counter attack is really strong, so during games we use that a lot.”

According to senior Sophie Maguy, experience from their game against West, as well as previous games have helped prepare them for the 2017 Bonita varsity Tournament. Currently ranked fourth out of 32 teams, the girls look to climb the leaderboards this weekend and work their way to first place.

“For this tournament, as long as we make the semifinals we should be fine,” Maguy said. “We placed third in our last two tournaments, but this being the last tournament

we’ve gained a lot of experience over the season, so we should perform well.”

Following their tournament, the girls face Costa Tuesday Jan. 31, a potential competitor for first in Bay League.

“It’s really important that we get as many people to the Costa game to support Redondo, especially because it will help determine who wins Bay League,” senior Ardyn Wallo said. “Costa is really strong competition, and they have gotten a lot better this season.”

The senior game against Costa is anticipated to be one of their best games played this season, according to McCaw. “Costa is the closest in Bay League to us in skill level, and I think it’s going to be the best league game of this season,” McCaw said. “A lot of their freshman players have been on club that are new to the team and really good, but I think our freshman are just as good as theirs.”

Goalie Kathy Wrightsman, freshman maintained a shutout game against West, and set a personal record for saves against

Palos Verdes, preventing seven shots in the final quarter alone. The development of both the freshmen and the entire team derives from their refined drive to succeed, according to the girls.

“Over the past four years the team has gotten a lot more intense, which has helped tremendously. As seniors, it’s been cool because we have seen the program go from struggling to make CIF to trying to win CIF,” McCaw said.“We’ve witnessed the growth of the RUHS program and I know all of us seniors are thankful to have experienced this improvement.”

The save of the day. Freshman Kathy Wrightsman leaps out of the

water to stop the opposing team from scoring during the West vs Redondo home game on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Redondo beat West 13-0, allowing them to advance to Bay League finals. PHOTO BY DANIELLE SESTAK

Jan. 27, 2017

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features

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Y TO B PHO EDEN MILL AN

really bad memory. She couldn’t remember anything short term, so we were all challenged by that,” Doe said.

As a kid, Doe remembers wanting a “normal family.”

“You see others with this nice ‘mom dad’ structure, with their stability and function related to support. Everybody had some sort of constant source of calm, no high anxiety, no high stress situations. That’s what you want as a kid, so you miss that, and it definitely affects how you operate,” Doe said.

According to Doe, he was focused on his sports in high school, but his sister did not have that, so drug use became her focus.

“She’s suffered a lot, and she’s a hardcore drug addict. She had difficulties early on, even [as a] pre-teen. She was kicked out of a couple high schools and spent a little time in jail. I mean she had difficulties,” Doe said. “Our family was not functioning as you would have hoped.”

Doe’s sister starting smoking cigarettes at age 13, which led to marijuana use and many other different types of drugs, including PCP. According to Doe, his sister was suffering, and she wanted her mother’s help, but his mother was having issues of her own.

“My mom nurtured my sister some, but not quite to the degree that she would have liked or that my sister necessarily needed, so my sister rebelled,” Doe said. “She was an angry kid but a really bright girl. She just chose a path to go down that was not beneficial to her, and it certainly did hurt our family as well.”

Doe believes that his sister was a different person when she was on drugs, which lead her to not trust him.

“When the drug is in control, that person you’re talking to isn’t who you think they are, it’s the drug you’re talking to and their need for the drug. There’s lots of lying and complete lack of communication,” Doe said.

Doe’s sister passed her high school proficiency test, but she had a group of friends that did not have many goals or achieve-

ments in their lives, so she fell in with them.

“She is one of the most interesting people you can talk to in some ways because she doesn’t make any excuses. She knows what caused her life to go the way it went, although I think she has some harbor resentment, but she’ll never tell you that,” Doe said.

He believes that his sister began using drugs because of the anger she felt from how things were going at home. He believes that she felt as if he had more advantages than his sister in terms of sports and school functions.

“I was basically seeking attention to try to cover up the hurt I was feeling, and thankfully I was a good enough athlete to where I could get some positive feedback,” Doe said. “For her, the only feedback she got was letting people know how mad she was, and unfortunately that meant destroying herself.

People took notice of her view of life and how unhappy she was with how things were.”

Doe tried to help his sister realize the consequences of using substances through articles. Also, he had posters about love, hope, health and family support to show her that they can help her.

“I had posters hanging all around the house, so when she came home, it was sort of like an intervention. It wasn’t a physical face to face conversation. It was more like an environmental change,” Doe said. “I think she needed to feel as if we were supporting her to the point where we wanted to get her help.”

The family tried to help out Doe’s sister, but his father had “hit the end of his rope.”

“He was getting ready to kick her out of the house, but my mom was pleading with him not to do that. My mom was heartbroken over the whole thing. It was a really hard time,” Doe said. “I thought these posters would somehow awaken her and let her know that our love was constant and it wasn’t go-

ing to go away. We’re not going to quit.”

Doe advises people who are undergoing a similar situation he once went through to have a positive attitude and believe that things are going to get better in the future.

“I think kids have to say, ‘I believe that my future is what I make it, and the way I choose to do things today will definitely have a role in how it unfolds. I’m going to choose to not destroy myself and choose to take small steps everyday toward doing things the right way even though they’re hard. When I come home, I’ll try to be forgiving of my parents, yet not let them get me trapped into a lifestyle they’re obviously stuck in,’” Doe said.

Doe’s family members influenced him to be the person he is now in many ways.

“I think I’m a stronger person from the things that happened. I think I’m more introspective because people have hardships, and you can’t gloss over that. You have to give people credit for where they’ve been and what they’ve gone through,” Doe said. “That will always stick with me, to try to think twice about anybody and not be judgemental.”

Doe’s family situation was “unusual and tragic” because now he does not have the relationship with his sister that he wished for.

In spite of it all, he believes that everything happens for a reason.

“I stand up here in these classes everyday, and I think about why I ended up here.

I believe in God, and I believe that there is a certain destiny for all of us. I think God has control over that, and a person’s job is to understand that and do the best they can,” Doe said. “I think, ‘Why did all this happen?’ It must have happened so I can share this with kids. I think God has put me in this position to help people, and this gave me a perspective that maybe I can help them see their way through problems. I can use what I’ve been through to enlighten somebody with it.”

Drugs in the home Children who have seen their parents use drugs are...

2X 3X 3X

50%

of all children live with a parent who abuses drugs

more likely to get drunk in a typical month more likely to have used marijuana more likely to have smoked cigarettes A child of a drug addict is eight times more likely to develop a problem

children live with a parent who 37% ofsmokes or chews tabacoo

13%

of children live with a parent who uses illegal drugs

24%

of children live with a parent who binge drinks INFORMATION COMPLIED FROM WHITEHOUSE.GOV