High Tide: Oct. 26, 2016

HIGH TIDE

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA October 26, 2016 Vol. XCVII Edition 4

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MARKED

Taking to the streets. 1. Chief Sealth Interna-

tional High School and Denny Middle School teachers and students hold a rally Wednesday morning, Oct. 19, 2016 to show their commitment to closing opportunity gaps and continuing the conversation on racial equity in their school in Seattle. PHOTO

BY MIKE SIEGEL/THE SEATTLE TIMES/TNS 2. Protesters chant outside Bank of America Stadium Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016 in Charlotte, N.C. PHOTO BY JEFF SINER/CHARLOTTE OBSERVER/TNS 3. Protestors confront a police line blocking their progress up Magnolia Avenue below the I-8 freeway in El Cajon, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. PHOTO BY PEGGY PEATTIE/ SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/TNS 4. Ebonay Lee holds up her fist toward a line of Sheriff deputies as she and other people protesting Tuesday police shooting of a black man confront the deputies under the Highway 67 bridge on Broadway in El Cajon, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. PHOTO BY HAYNE PALMOUR IV/SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/TNS 5. Protesters speak at police officers as fans leave Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 25, 2016 in Charlotte, N.C. PHOTO BY JEFF SINER/CHARLOTTE OBSERVER/TNS

Schonberg recounts his experiences with police

by Shaniya Markalanda

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As soon as he sees a cop take a U-turn, he immediately pulls over. Not because he has done something wrong, but because he is so used to being pulled over by police, and now it is the easy thing to do.

Half-white and half-black, freshman counselor Arond Schonberg has had many encounters with police officers.

“I’m big. I’m brown. And I can fit a lot of different cultures. I think what happens is

that when police officers first come out they work in jails and prisons. If you look at statistics, 80% of crime is supposedly committed by blacks and hispanics, so I could probably look like I’m black and hispanic. People still have those stereotypes. All people have those stereotypes,” Schonberg said.

When he first moved to the Lomita area,

[cont. on back]

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High Tide

news

In the event of natural disaster

RBUSD updates its district-wide emergency procedures

By Samaya Rubio

Earthquake. This little word incites fear into the hearts of many Californian citizens. As California is prone to this natural disaster, the Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD) has been adjusting protocol for emergency procedures.

“We have many measures in place to try to make our campus as safe as possible in the event of any emergency. In California, earthquakes are the most sensitive and inevitable things, which is why we have the Great Shakeout drill,” Bridi said.

The newest procedure, the Run Hide Fight protocol, has been implemented in an attempt to save students from another unpredictable disaster, but the other disaster plans have remained untouched.

“As far as protocols we haven’t really changed anything. For instance, during an earthquake drill you’re still going to drop, cover, and hold,” Bridi said.

Large-scale formalities, such as the Great Shakeout, require everyone to understand what is happening in order for all students to survive a disaster.

“We go over this information normally in a big staff meeting. We brief everybody on emergency protocols and give updates periodically throughout the year, along with sending out the dates of when we’re going to have the drills,” Bridi said. “We want our teachers to be prepared because they are go-

ing to lead the students. We want them to be aware of what’s going on.”

Besides the people on-site, the RBUSD has other agencies involved to ensure procedures are effective and safe.

“We invite both the RBFD and the RBPD so they know the dates, too. Last year, during a fire drill, they actually performed a live practice on campus. We had a truck come and they went on the roof and they went through that whole process [of putting out a fire] so the fire department is more comfortable on our larger site and can handle an emergency quickly,” Bridi said.

Even though there is an extensive amount of preparation that goes into disaster procedures, there is still room for error when the actual situation occurs.

“What’s interesting about drills is you can always practice for the real thing, but when it actually happens, students and staff members have to make a judgement call.

If there was damage to the campus, such as if a tree fell over, you have to go around the tree,” Bridi said. “You can’t take that one evacuation route because it’s blocked, so you have to use your own judgement to go a different way.”

Despite the development of greater amounts of seismic activity, the annual Great Shakeout drill remains the same. The RBUSD will continue to update the public

Coffee with a cop

Road work ahead. Junior Madison Laster checks in with teacher Chichen Lu during the Great Shakeout drill on Thursday. The statewide event’s focus was disaster preparedness. PHOTO BY CELINE OH

on any changes that may be made.

“I’d like to thank everybody for participating in the drill and taking it seriously.

You can use some of the skills you learned

at school, take them home and use in the future when in or at future jobs,” Bridi said.

“Being awake during an emergency can save either one or more lives.”

RBPD holds meet and greet at Fika Coffee Company

By Grace McGonigle

The mission of Redondo Beach police on Oct. 7 was not to arrest a highly wanted criminal, nor was it to make an important drug bust; it was to share a cup of coffee with the community.

RBPD held the event “Coffee with a Cop” at The Fika Company on Friday, Oct. 7 to give everyday citizens a chance to get to know their officers of the law.

“The mission of Coffee with a Cop is to break down the barriers between the police officers and the citizens that they serve within the community,” Officer LaToya Harris said. “An emphasis more on the positive things that we’re doing in the community and the positive things that are happening might show people that we’re doing good things in the community as a whole.”

Citizens said they enjoyed the event, thanks to the comfortable atmosphere and eagerness of the officers.

The event, which began in 2011, has grown enough to earn its own national holiday on Oct. 7, and officers are trying to make

this an annual event for Redondo Beach.

“That’s the hope and I actually think that we will. I am seeing more and more cities getting on board with the Coffee with a Cop meetings. I think this is something that’s really taking off because they see that it’s something that the citizens and the community really enjoy,” Harris said.

When citizens entered the coffee shop, they were immediately greeted by an officer and engaged in conversation.

“I was surprised and totally not expecting it. I’ve never been to one of these, I honestly thought this was the first time. It was like the officer came out of nowhere, but my next thought was ‘oh how lovely,’” Truglio, a resident who went to the event said.

Truglio also thinks that the event acted not just as a look into the relationship between the officers and the people, but the officers themselves.

“The event wasn’t just to look at their relationship with the community, it was a look at their relationship as a team and I felt like

they were really good in this mission of getting to know the community,” Truglio said.

According to Harris, the event was also meant to change people’s opinions on law enforcement “Whenever I see an officer by my home or behind me when I’m driving I’m nervous.

If they’re in my neighborhood, I think ‘Why are they here, did something happen?’

So that was really nice. Instead of feeling nervous around the officers, I felt extremely comfortable. They’re here to help protect us, they’re normal people,” Truglio said.

However, some people, like civilian Syrna Glasser, already think highly of the officers.

“I respect them, I think they’re amazing.

I think they’ve been getting a bad rap lately for everything and I think there’s more to the stories than what the media is presenting. I have no problem with the cops, I think they’re doing their jobs and I think they’re protecting us. I think we should all respect them,” Glasser said.

Harris considers Redondo Beach’s

residents to be extremely supportive of the police officers.

“We have a very supportive community and now more than ever we’re getting more people that are thanking us for the jobs that we do and they’re letting us know how appreciative they are of the work that we do,” Harris said. “They’re telling us ‘Be safe.’

They understand how crazy things are in the world, so they just want to take that time to let us know how much they appreciate us. They’re generally thanking us more and now I’m getting more waves and people just coming up and saying very nice things.”

Coffee with a Cop gave the community a look into the police officers that they haven’t gotten before and showed them what really lies underneath their protective exterior.

“I thought that it was a great event, it was a great opportunity to meet officers, to see that they are human and they’re not bad people,” Glasser said. “They’re not against us, they have feelings, emotions, and families just like everybody else.”

Oct. 26, 2016

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news

Road work ahead. Road work on Prospect Avenue near Alta Vista as part of the “Streets for All” project has already begun. The blocked off lanes necessary for redesign have caused an increase in traffic congestion, but the completed project will make the busy street safer for commute to and from school. Similar road work projects are set to begin in the future near schools situated on Prospect, and later other streets that situate school zones as well. PHOTO BY JARRAH MAY

Streets for all

BCHD launches campaign promoting street safety

By Daphnie Fulton

Beach Cities Health District has started a new campaign called “Streets for All” to spread a message of street safety throughout the South Bay, focusing on Prospect Avenue because of its proximity to local schools as well as its frequent traffic.

The goal of the campaign is to deliver educational messages that talk about safety concerns. It’s designed not only to promote safety for drivers, but pedestrians and cyclists as well.

“Streets for All is a public outreach effort to try and bring our residents together to help create safer spaces for people of all ages, ability, and mode of transportation,” Eric Garner, communication director for BCHD, said.

An accident on Saturday brought the death of 31 year old Redondo Beach resident Joshua White. According to RBPD Lt. Fabian Saucedo, the accident happened at about 3:45 AM on the intersection of Prospect and Diamond. White was pronounced dead at the

scene. According to Garner, crashes on Prospect are alarmingly frequent.

“In a three year span there were 64 crashes near Redondo Beach schools on Prospect Avenue. In a two year span, from 2013 to 2015, there were 114 crashes on Prospect alone,” Garner said.

Freshman Liana Moore has volunteered to work with the Streets for All campaign in their door to door lawn sign event this school year. Her use of Prospect Avenue and other major local streets to walk to and from school each day motivated her to become involved with the pedestrian safety initiative.

“I’ve heard of numerous incidents just last year that people were getting hit by cars,” Moore said. “It’s scary to think that if you aren’t looking, someone could just hit you.”

With six school zones and over 6500 students impacted throughout the South Bay, parents were very concerned over the safety

“In a three year span, there were 64 crashes near RBUSD schools on Prospect Avenue.”

of the students using the street, as concluded through a walking audit survey from BCHD. “The audit assessed the routes, barriers, and motivations for kids to walk to school, and from that we learned that there were things about how the streets are designed that raised concerns. These things have become a challenge for students walking to school,” Blue Zones director Lauren Nakano said.

“From that feedback, we really wanted to listen and respond with something that would address those concerns.”

The initiative plans to use campaigning strategies such as using lawn signs and outreach to spread a message of a safer community in order to prevent future incidents.

At a recent event, principal Mr. Brandt and assistant principal Mr. Bridi went along Prospect delivering those signs for residents to put in front of their homes. An estimate of seven hundred signs were passed out over the course of the event.

“We talked to the families of the students walking to school, it really is a shared concern,” Garner said. “People want it to be safe and there is so much support for that from the students and parents.”

The Streets for All campaign can become “increasingly successful” if students and families are willing to advocate and support the changes coming to their streets, according to Nakano.

While the campaign has only just launched and no major changes have been reported, Beach Cities Health District is sure that the campaign will eventually have an impact on the safety of Prospect Avenue and other busy streets in the near future.

“We like to try and measure, but it’s definitely too early to tell. The proof will be coming as we progress,” Garner said. “First comes awareness, then hopefully behavior changes, and then with that increased support, hopefully we’ll see the needed changes put in. That’s really the goal.”

“From 2013 to 2015, there were 114 crashes on Prospect Avenue alone. ”

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High Tide

news

Diplomatic Victory. Brianna Barba, Nasim Khorasani, Angel Rading, Sophia Turcot, Adi Nair show off their Awards of Excellence which they recieved at the Cerritos High School Novoice Conference on Saturday, Oct. 8. The delegates were recongnized for their speeches, debate contributions, and participation in their commitees and caucuses. “It was very fun. A lot of these delegates were sharp people and I had a lot of fun challenging myself and arguing their points and trying to get the best out of them,” senior Matt Mercier said. “For the most part they were friendly, but there were some stuck up Costa kids. But that’s not the point.” PHOTO COURTESY OF NICHOLAS SKLARENKO

Delegation Success

Model UN recognized with five awards at Cerritos Conference

by Alex Dang Five Model United Nations delegates were honored with Awards of Excellence, a club record, at the Cerritos High School Novice Conference on Saturday, Oct. 8.

“Cerritos was unbelievable,” Model UN club president Matt Mercier, senior, said.

“Model UN really shows you the power that every single nation has in this world. The delegates really got to see how other countries work to come up with solutions to real world problems.”

Redondo delegates participated in eight committees, each committee with a different topic ranging from the eradication of poverty in India to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Nasim Khorasani, Adi Nair, Brianna Barba, Sophia Turcot, and Angel Rading each placed in the top ten scores for their committees. Their point totals were tallied from the quality of their speeches, the amount of comments they made during debates, and their overall participation in caucuses and resolution paper groups.

Mercier believes that the delegates’ recognition stems back to the research and preparation they put in prior to the conference.

“It really shows the work we put in. Before, we really didn’t have any teaching moments.

You went in blind and it was really hard for everyone,” Mercier said. “I wanted to make

sure that all the delegates had the chance of learning what they should do in committee. I talked them through different videos, I gave them lectures, I gave them different ways to take notes, and I also helped them write their first intro speeches to help them feel comfortable in their committees.”

Although it’s senior Adi Nair’s first year in the club, he said that the mentorship by student advisers Mercier and senior Steven Barbee has helped him subdue the anxiety of public speaking.

“Of course speaking in front of a bunch of people is scary. But this club has taught me to overcome that fear. I learned to speak in front of a large group people I’ve never met before,” Nair said. “I was very prepared in terms of getting help from my coaches at the club.”

In contrast to the preparedness of the current delegates, in Mercier’s freshman year he attended a conference without researching his country’s policies.

“I was forced to debate on something I didn’t know. I didn’t know about North Korea’s policies on cloning. I went with it and I stood up and gave my points and wrote stuff down,” Mercier said. “I tried my best even though I did horrible my first conference.

Since then, my speaking abilities, my ability to make stuff up on the spot has really im-

proved.”

Even though Nair, who was awarded at Cerritos, did not know any other delegates in his committee, he was eventually was able to lead a resolution paper group, which provided a solution to the World Health Organization’s involvement in controlling and preventing worldwide epidemics and pandemics.

“In the end, I actually got to head one of the groups at Cerritos in deciding the outcome of the committee. I was in charge of my group for the resolution paper so everyone looked to me for leadership,” Nair said.

“Model United Nations challenges me by making me get out of my shell and forcing me to socialize with new people regardless of who they are, or how I feel at the time. It makes me to want to know the world around me.”

Mercier said that the creation of resolutions for real world problems in a committee allows the delegates to be more selfless.

“They can formulate something better for other countries and ensure that everyone’s needs are met,” Mercier said. “It’s awesome because sometimes you can even compare your solutions to the real UN solutions. So you can actually see how your solutions would benefit. It feels like you’re adding something to the world.”

Delegates recognized for their performance: -Nasim Khorasani -Adi Nair -Brianna Barba -Sophia Turcot -Angel Rading Each Recieved an Award of Excellence

ILLUSTRATION BY LULU WEGMAN

Oct. 26, 2016

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news

Katoka and Polak qualify for National Merit Scholarship

by Rubab Quraishi

Seniors Alysa Kataoka and Iris Polak qualified as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program on Sept. 14 after taking the PSAT last October.

The National Merit Scholarship Program awards college money to students who do well on the PSAT. Students submit applications after passing the state’s level and then are selected by the program.

After seeing her PSAT results, Alysa Kataoka was “pleasantly surprised” by her perfect score. With over one million entries into the competition, Kataoka and Polak were the two students selected from RUHS. “I feel like I’m honored to have that title. I feel humbled,” Kataoka said.

Though the prize money is $2,500, Kataoka sees the title as an “asset” to colleges be-

cause of how many other students apply to the competition.

“I’m glad to have the opportunity to compete against other national merit finalists,” Kataoka said.

This year, the PSAT was a new version, so Kataoka had a difficult time studying.

“When I saw my score, I was taken aback.

I didn’t think I’d do that well,” she said. “It was especially surprising that I happened to do well on a new test.”

The results were revealed through morning announcements and local newspapers like the Daily Breeze and Mercury News.

“It was nice to have everyone congratulate me, but at the same time it was weird to have everyone’s eyes on me,” Kataoka said.

“When it comes to test scores, people who

generally do well are seen slightly differently. I’m not a test machine.”

Kataoka is aware of the expectations put upon her after finding out her results.

“It’s a nice feeling when people congratulate me but it’s also a little bit pressuring knowing that I have expectations,” she said.

Kataoka tried her best on the test, but knows that some of her peers criticize themselves based off grades they don’t like.

“People should try their best and work hard but you shouldn’t become obsessed over it,” she said. “Setting high expectations for yourself is good, but don’t become so obsessed in achieving that score that you spend too much time trying to get there.”

Knowing some of her peers stressed themselves to a breaking point, she believes

that bad results shouldn’t equal failure and accepting them will cause improvement.

“If you don’t do well on the PSAT, it just means that you should spend more time reviewing. It’s just an indicator of where you are right now. People shouldn’t associate it with success or failure,” Kataoka said.

Kataoka sees comparing test results to others can be harmful.

“When you start comparing yourself to other people and they do better than you, there might be some resentment, and that’s not how it should be,” she said. “When your peers do well, you should be happy for them.

If you’re truly happy with yourself, what you’re doing and if you’re trying your best you should know that you shouldn’t be comparing yourself to other people.”

Of 1.6 Million aplicants for the National Merit Scholarship

50,000 students with the highest PSAT nationwide scores

1/3

0.04 %

of that number reach the semi-finals

of students total recieve a scholarship INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP CORPORATION

Admininstration considers splitting lunch into two periods

by Sarah Flannery With thousands of students on campus at once, administration has begun discussing splitting lunch into two periods to accommodate for the limited space on campus.

“We’re at the very beginning of figuring it out. Nothing is set in stone yet,” Vice Principal Bill Dargen said. “It’s really a big mystery right now what’s actually going to happen.”

The crowding during lunchtime has made it difficult for students to buy lunch and find places to eat.

“The reason it might go into effect is just to alleviate the crowding during lunch,” Dargen said. “Were thinking towards the future where we’re going to have probably an increase in enrollment over the next few years when we end up with over 3000 students.”

Although splitting lunches can alleviate overcrowding, Dargen acknowledges that there could be social repercussion for students.

“The pro, of course, is trying to make it so that there’s just less crowding during lunch so that people can just find a place to sit without being so densely packed and so they can get their food in a timely man-

ILLUSTRATION BY ADRIAN CRACIUN

ner,” Dargen said. “Cons might include that some friends don’t get to see each other during lunch because they don’t have the same lunch period.”

Freshman Sarah Kabboul remembers how splitting lunches in middle school affected friend groups.

“In seventh grade, no one really liked it

that much because they were split up from their friends and couldn’t spend as much time with them.”

Some students believe that this change is not necessary because the large campus provides different locations to eat at.

“People eat lunch throughout the entire school, so it’s never really that crowded” said freshman Jackson Ozawa.

According to teacher Kelly Lewis, teaching would be more difficult if a lunch period was taking place during a class period.

“If they didn’t separate out where kids go, it’d be distracting. If I’m trying to teach a class and there’s people outside, it would be super difficult to focus for the kids,” Lewis said.

Lewis believes social interaction among high school students is important and splitting lunches would be detrimental to their friendships.

“I think that there’s a lot of social development that happens in high school and freshmen learn a lot by seeing juniors and seniors act so the intermixing of different age groups is good,” Lewis said.

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High Tide

opinion

Editorial

A halt on progress

All lives will not matter until the black community, and other minority communities, feel validated All lives matter. In a country founded on the principles of freedom and equality before the law, that’s a fair case to be made.

But when videos start to surface of black Americans being unjustly shot and killed by police officers, leaving minorities afraid of law enforcement, the problem of police brutality needs to be addressed.

Demonstrating against these injustices has been characterized as divisive and unruly. People suggest that the All Lives Matter movement should be embraced rather than drive the races apart. However, the fear of law enforcement has heightened the need to focus attention on black lives specifically.

This way of thinking can be applied to many different aspects of society. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Does that mean patients with breast cancer are somehow above those with other cancers?

Of course not. It simply means breast

cancer patients, survivors and those who fell to the fight against it deserve the support and resources required to finding a cure.

This comparison seems silly, but here’s the point: Black Lives Matter plainly aims to remind the public that black people should be treated equally before the law just as any other citizen is.

Start applying the illogical “all lives matter” mentality to everyday situations: if a car has a scratch on it, you wouldn’t repaint the entire car. Instead, you would simply paint over that one imperfection.

That’s where the goal of Black Lives Matter comes into the picture. The movement isn’t saying that other lives don’t matter. It doesn’t even imply that black lives somehow matter even a diminutive bit more.

The movement suggests that reform is needed in the system because so many black people are victim to deadly force. If

someone says “Save the pandas,” it doesn’t mean “Kill the sharks.”

In 2016 alone, 768 people have fallen due to fatal force by police officers. Fortyseven percent of those deaths are of whites, while 24.5 percent of those deaths are of blacks (washingtonpost.com). So yes, more whites have died of police killings than any other racial group. But because whites make up 62.6 percent of the population and blacks make up only 13.3 percent of the population in the U.S. (census.gov), blacks are two and a half more times more likely to be killed by police.

When looked at even more closely, the number of unarmed whites and blacks killed by law enforcement is about the same. The only difference is that whites make up nearly five more times of the population than blacks, which in turn means unarmed blacks have a five times more likely chance of being killed by police officers.

With this in mind, do all lives matter to society? That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Turn on the news. What do you see? It’s not footage of a white man being shot dead despite being completely pinned down to the ground, as was the case with Alton Sterling. It’s not a video of a woman’s white boyfriend being shot in front of her daughter for following orders and reaching for his wallet, which is how Philando Castile lost his life. These are black lives in danger, and the all lives matter movement fails to recognize that.

The case for Black Lives Matter exists.

The movement has every right to protest for greater equality before the law and serves as a perfect model to encourage other minority groups to have their voices heard. The eagerness and willingness of Black Lives Matter activists should be embraced in order to move forward as a country, not take steps back towards the horrors of segregation and Jim Crow.

ILLUSTRATION BY LULU WEGMAN

Yes

7

Editorial Board vote

The Black Lives Matter movement is a valid campaign that should not be undermined by the “all lives matter” retort

No

0

Oct. 26, 2016

page 7

opinion

Senior Day

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; Miriam Farah; Lizzie Fauver; Summer Saad; Adam Yorke; Kylie Yorke Sports Editors: Mia Berger; Luke Peterson Senior Editors: Yasamin Fazeli; Amanda Shaw

EVOLUTION

Yasi Fazeli

Though there is room for improvement, Senior Day has come a long way

While many seniors were enthusiastic about Senior Day, some felt that it was going to be pointless—they’d much rather have been at home than enjoying a day meant to celebrate the senior class.

However, most of these students are not aware of how the day has evolved over the past few years to make the it more entertaining.

Yes, it might be tempting to stay home from school on an academic free day, but students should take time to appreciate first and foremost that RUHS even has a Senior Day but also how hard the ASB senior cabinet, administration, and many teachers work to make the day memorable.

Each year something different is added to Senior Day to make it more interesting.

Three years ago, students listened to a speaker from Princeton Review and watched a movie about bullying. In the following years a field day component and a lip-sync battle were added to make the day more celebratory.

This year, the hypnotist was added

which was certainly entertaining.

Senior Adviser Michael Henges’ account of past Senior Days reflects how dull the day used to be. “We would sit there for an hour and listened to useful information, but it was the wrong time,” Henges said.

“I think seniors got a bit bored and felt like it was a waste of a day, so we’ve tried to make it more of a day to enjoy being a senior,” he said.

Many schools are not willing to take the risk of an academic-free day, but RUHS’ Senior Day has proven to heighten the senior class’ excitement.

As students spend time decorating shirts for the panoramic picture they really begin to feel like seniors, and though graduation is months away, Senior Day is a good kick-off to the excitement of the rest of the year.

Senior Day can be improved in the years to come, but it is important to remember that being lectured about financial aid could be the alternative. “Some

seniors might not know how much better it’s gotten so they might not be judging it by comparing it the past years,” he said.

“I feel like sometimes I need to remind them that it could be very different and not every school has a senior day,” Henges said.

Additionally, many students tend to complain about the activities that are planned, but don’t take advantage of giving suggestions to the ASB Senior Cabinet who are ultimately here to make our final year of high school special.

Despite some complaints, Henges believes there is an overall “positive attitude towards Senior Day, but some seniors have a more positive attitude than others.

Hopefully it’s fun based on it’s own right but it might just depend on your attitude and your perspective.”

Many students tend to complain about the activities that are planned, but should instead give suggestions to the ASB Senior Cabinet who are ultimately here to make our final year of high school special.

Photo Editor: Eden Millan Copy Editors: Davina Nguyen; Marie Ona; Samaya Rubio Social Media Editor: Justin Pioletti Illustrators: Lulu Wegman Staff Writers: Brian Adler; Analise Asaro; Maryam Bacaloni; Brittany Baker; Amanda Ban; Mia Berger; Tessa Biscaldi; Malek Chamas; Michael Teng-Kai Chang; Alexander Dang; Whayden Dhamcho; Kayvon Elahihaghighi; Yasmine Elahihaghighi; Martha Farah; Sarah Flannery; Daphnie Fulton; Camille Grace; Maya Groark; Kelly Harraka; Kayla Hiken; Kylee Kallick; Lauren Kim; Julian Kimura; Shyanne Landers; Grace McGonigle; Hayley O’Connor-Rigby; Daniel Parhizi; William Pournamdari; Julian Quevado; Rubab Quraishi; Batia Rotshtein; Keana Sterling; Nadia Stodder; Angie Tait; Benjamin Yepez; Erika Zlatkin

Knowledge in diversity Cultural clubs have a positive impact by gathering people who share an identity and encouraging familiarity with a diverse campus

Cultural diversity seems to be at an alltime high in the United States, yet ignorance about cultures seems to have increased as well.

Unfamiliarity and a lack of understanding of a group of people brings about fear, and the best way to combat this fear of those who are different is to learn about who they are.

Photographers: Cass Anderson; Matthew Cultural clubs on campus target this speDavidson; Hiroki Goto; Kaitlyn Kataycific problem. They organize communities ame; Jarrah May; Anne-Elyse Peterson; of people and create a space where everyone Danielle Sestak; Michael Yoon with that identity belongs, and anyone who This is a wholly student-managed, de- does not share that identity can learn about signed, and written newspaper that fo- it, celebrate it, or simply stand in solidarity cuses on the school and community. with it.

Signed commentaries and editorial carJoining a club that celebrates a culture, toons represent the opinions of the staff therefore, vital to the high school experience writer or cartoonist. in three different scenarios.

One scenario is joining a club relating to your own community. The plethora of clubs

Dina Ghanim on campus assures that everyone can belong somewhere, whether it be a religious club, ethnic club, or any other club representing a culture.

When surrounded by people who have similar backgrounds, similar interests can be discovered. A group of people who share an identity can move forward as a community and as individuals. Research shows that a strong sense of community in the school environment can encourage engagement with school affairs and inspire greater personal achievement.

A second benefit is the opportunity to educate others about your identity by addressing misconceptions or just bringing positive energy to the school.

When people are unfamiliar with a cultural group, they tend to rely on preconceived notions and stereotypes. Do not allow yourself to be a victim to someone

else’s ignorance. Rather educate them about what your identity really is.

The third situation involves exposure to clubs that are unfamiliar or pose a curiosity.

To get the most of out of the high school experience, all educational barriers should be broken down. Learning about communities that celebrate unfamiliar cultures can keep people open minded and accepting, eventually leading to a community with strong bonds and open arms to all.

School clubs can gather people who share an identity, allow people to educate others about their identity and help students learn new things about someone else’s identity.

Society today tends to label diverse groups of people as strange or dangerous simply because they are unfamiliar to many.

Clubs combat these labels by exposing the student body to the diversity that exists on campus.

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features

Going for gold

Celine Olguin competes nationally as a level nine gymnast

by Amanda Shaw

1.

Eye on the prize.

1. Senior Celine Olguin competes on floor in Las Vegas, NV. “I was really feeling my floor music and just expressing my true self. It felt beautiful,” Olguin said. 2. After several months of training, Olguin was able to present her impressive skills on the balance beam. “It was my first event. I felt nervous and I was trying to calm myself down. I focused on my breathing, and I gave myself peptalks to tell myself that I can do it,” Olguin said. 3. In addition, Olguin performed on the uneven bars, which is her favorite event. “It is my favorite event,” Olguin said. “I felt excited, full of energy, but I was also filled with nerves. PHOTO COURTESY OF CELINE OLGUIN

3.

Senior Celine Olguin spent weeks in the hospital this past summer after suffering a torn Achilles followed by two infections that wiped out her white blood cells and led to a fight for her life. Yet the smile on her face never faltered, nor did her love of the sport–gymnastics.

“The last year was crazy. In those moments, you just have to stay really strong and you’re just focusing on what you love and why you’re doing the sport,” Olguin said. “I was just thinking of my goals, like this is where I wanna go, I’m not going to let this stop me. You just have to focus and know why you’re doing it.”

Olguin began gymnastics at age three and with practices six days a week, a total of nearly 35 hours, her health has not been the only thing she has sacrificed for gymnastics over the years.

“I had to move here from Arizona specifically for gymnastics because they have a good training gym here. It takes so much of your life, and if you love it, then it’s worth it. But you see other people hanging out and having that high school life which you can’t have,” Olguin said.

Regardless of the things she has given up for the sport, she is certain that the lessons it has taught her and the goals she gets closer to reaching each day make it all “worth it.”

“It teaches you about yourself. It challenges you and it shows you sides of yourself you didn’t know you had, strength-wise, as well as your weaknesses.

It’s all about discipline,” Olguin said.

According to Laura Olguin, Celine’s mother, her attitude towards life and the struggles it presents has been molded by her experiences as a gymnast.

“Celine has learned perseverance and 2. courage. She learned how important a winning attitude is to succeed in gymnastics,” Laura said. “There are no limitations except the ones you set on yourself.

She knows that what you need to succeed is desire and never taking no for an answer.”

Competing as a level nine, the highest level before elite gymnastics, Olguin has learned how to handle the pressure of important meets, especially with many out-ofstate competitions, most recently in Texas

and Washington.

“The hardest thing with gymnastics is that you train so much and in order to be really good you can’t think. You’re so nervous, but you’re so excited at the same time. You have to just clear your mind and trust what you’ve learned and trust what you trained, and then just do it,” Olguin said. “When you overthink it, that’s when start messing up and you’re not strong.”

According to Olguin, her favorite event is the floor exercise because of the way it allows her to express herself, but her best event is the uneven bars, something she was able to showcase at her meet in Seattle.

“It was my first meet competing with my new team in California. I was nervous and not that good before I came here, but I worked so hard. I remember seeing the highest bars score I’ve ever gotten and I cried because I was happy and my dreams were coming true,” Olguin said.

Competitions like these, along with the practices that precede them, have led to several titles in the gymnastics world for Olguin.

“She learned the value of becoming a team player and often she enjoyed the reward of winning numerous medals, including earning several top state and regional championships,” Laura said.

In addition to allowing her and her teammates to showcase their skills competitively, the many meets they participate in are “bonding opportunities” as well.

“It’s so great because in practice it’s always so serious. You’re not allowed to talk and you are not allowed to have fun. But during those moments–plane rides and stuff–you get to talk and laugh,” Olguin said.

One of the teammates she has trained alongside happens to be Olympic gold and silver medalist McKayla Maroney, someone who has become somewhat of an inspiration for Olguin.

“She talked to me and she gave me a lot of good tips. It was so cool to talk to an Olympian.

She understands how the gym works and how intense it is. She’s really helpful,” Olguin said.

Surrounded by great talent, and working to perfect her own skills, Olguin has big plans for her gymnastics career.

“I want to compete at Worlds and I want to compete elite and just go as far as I can with the sport and see where that takes me,” Olguin said.

Laura believes that the “highly independent, disciplined, and mature” qualities her daughter gained through gymnastics will lead her to success in the future.

“As a gymnast, Celine’s most admirable quality is her unwavering commitment to do the right thing for her family and friends, for her teammates and her gym. Celine’s most admirable quality is by far her unwavering and strong desire to become an elite gymnast and succeed as one,” Laura said. “No obstacle is too hard for her to overcome.”

Oct. 26, 2016

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features

There’s no place like Om Soleil Engin trains to become a certified yoga instructor

by Martha Farah

She walked into her first yoga class unhappy, not “Taekwondo gave me a lot of confidence and my ability of her surroundings. expecting it to change and affect her life so much. She to defend myself. Yoga has given me a lot of acceptance “Before a test, I would always do a breathing technique. began participating in the exercises, and day after day, her though, learning not to fight against things that are going I try my best to meditate before school everyday or before I perspective of yoga started to change. Sophomore Soleil on in my life and just being able to accept them,” Engin go to bed. It has made me so much more mindful of myself, Engin has been doing yoga for two years and is currently said. more aware of what’s affecting me and letting go of things training to become a certified yoga instructor.

Engin’s mother, Monique Ehsan, believes that yoga has that are not serving me and bring in things that Engin believes that yoga can help people deal with difgiven Engin confidence in her athletic abilities. are,” Engin said. ficult situations.

“Yoga can be very athletic and it does make In order to receive the yoga teaching “Yoga teaches you a way to cope with what you’re you feel very good in your body, which for certification on Nov. 20, Engin is curexperiencing, understand and appreciate others’ views and a young girl is very important. There is rently studying sanskrit terminology, understand the world in a deeper way. It really reduces all sorts benefits, but I would anatomy, physiology, the history of hatred,” Engin said. say confidence is number yoga, different types of yoga, mediYoga helps ease According to Engin, yoga is “really great” because every one,” Ehsan said. tation techniques and breathing class is different due to the varying sequences of poses, Yoga helps Engin deal techniques. She also started pracstress by decreasing speed, and intensity. This can also help a person learn with day to day situations ticing crossfit in June to improve the fight or flight more about their body’s needs. and become more aware in yoga. response in your She first started doing yoga because of her injury in Engin teaches a free yoga Taekwondo, which she started because of her visual condiclass every Friday from 7:30 to 9:00 tion. p.m. at the Green Yogi in Manhattan Beach.

“I was born with a visual condition Teaching the class is harder than she called Nystagmus with my eyes, so growexpected. ing up, I could not play ball sports. I “Keeping track and having the entire time sewould just get hit with the ball, so I quence memorized is a feat in and of itself, combined with was always doing things that didn’t watching people doing poses incorrectly and doing the involve moving objects, like swimadjustments,” Engin said. “It is one of the most rewarding ming, and I hated it,” Engin said. “I did experiences because you know you are making people’s Two 90-minute sesTaekwondo, and I loved it.” lives better.

You are making them happy and allowing sions a week can Engin received her black belt in them to find strength reduce fatigue by Taekwondo. She loved to compete and and acceptance with spar in Taekwondo until her injury, whatever life throws 57%. which forced her to quit. at them.”

“When you turn 12, head shots Engin recombecome allowed. In my first competition, mends everyone Regular sessions prothey put me in the ring, and I didn’t know what I to do yoga, but she was doing, and I got kicked in the head. I blacked out believes that many vide short-term relief for a second, and my mom said, ‘You’re not fighting people have an (and possibly long term anymore.’ She would not let me compete, so I just inaccurate idea relief ) for chronic low had my black belt and I quit,” Engin said. of what yoga conEngin also injured her hip and knees when she sists of. back pain. was taught an improper kicking move in “A lot of people Taekwondo. Her mother made her think that yoga is just start doing yoga to heal. breathing and stretching, but “She took me to yoga, they are wrong. There are so many and I hated it. It was moves in yoga. You are holding lunges, doing slow, and I said, ‘How push ups, holding your entire body on your could you be so calm? semi-bent arms,” Engin said. “Headstands and Regular practice This doesn’t make handstands require so much core strength. In sense,’” Engin said. “I yoga, you slowly lift your body up, so you can’t promotes long-term hated it, and she made me depend on momentum. You have to depend flexibility by making do it.” on your own strength to boost you up.”

Just two weekly muscle molecules and The transition from Yoga has helped Engin deal with 90-minute sessions Taekwondo to yoga was tough situations and become a happier protiens more elastic. can lower inflamadifficult for Engin beperson by relieving stress. cause the environment was “Yoga has helped me be happy with tion by 20%. very different. myself and not feel that need to reach this Namaste. Sophomore Soleil Engin stands in tree pose.

She “Yoga was hard because it was so falsified image of perfection. There is no such has been training to be a yoga different to me. I went from a culture of thing as perfection,” Engin said. “There is no such instructor and working on her very militant to just enjoying yourself in the moment. Livthing of ‘If I do this, then I will be happy,’ that’s wrong. strength, flexability, and mindset. ing in the present and being happy with where you are was PHOTO COURTESY OF EDEN MILAN You think that if I get on the sports team, if I get these so new to me,” Engin said. grades, if I go to this school, then I will be happy. You do According to Engin, Taekwondo and yoga have not need those external things to be happy. You need to taught her many different lessons and have helped her appreciate and be happy with wherever you are in your become the person she is today. life.”

HEAD

ENERGY

BACK

MUSCLES

BLOATING

Benefits of yoga

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High Tide

center

The

Q: Do you believe that Black Lives Mat excludes other races?

gray area

Seniors Aaqilah Wright, Jaland Green, Mario Peralta and Amy Martin discuss the Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter movements

A:

“Black Lives Matter doesn’t mean peo ple can’t come out and say Latino or Asian lives matter as well, but as a black commun ty, facing what we will all go through as bla people, we have the same socio-economic disadvantages due to the fact that we are black. So us putting emphasis on our lives as black people is trying to form a commo ground between all black people.” -Aaqilah Wright

“I feel that Black LIves haves been oppress but it shouldn’t just be Black Lives Matter.

I feel like it should be minority lives matte because the Chinese and the Irish came he and they were oppressed, and Hispanics or Latino people have been oppressed and they’ve also been victims of police brutalit so I get that Black Lives Matter is trying to promote the fact that there’s police brutali and there are issues with minorities, but I think it should go to a more general cause helping minorities in general.” - Amy Mart

Q: Do you believe that violent protests are justified?

A:

“I believe the violence that occurs in some of the protests doesn’t help the cause It lowers the credibility of the movement. I think if you can lead a peaceful movement people pay more attention to that and respect it a lot more.” -Mario Peralta

Amy Martin

Mario Peralta

Jaland Green

Hands up, don’t shoot. While under the Highway 67 bridge, people protesting Tues-

day’s police shooting of a black man confront Sheriff deputies as they march on Broadway in El Cajon, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (HAYNE PALMOUR IV/SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/TNS)

Aaqilah Wright

“The violence gets the headlines. For us to act peaceful and have peaceful protests, it’ not gathering enough attention and we’re not getting that change.” -Jaland Green

Oct. 26, 2016

Q: How do you propose we heal the divide

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between police and communities?

Q: Do you think there is systemic racism in law enforcement?

A:

“A lot of these police officers have been in the line of duty for a long time so they deal with a high stress job every single day. A lot of times you don’t know the whole story. They deal with this every day, and it’s not that easy.

And if they’re going to pull a gun, maybe they really felt alarmed in a situation and thought it was life threatening.” -Mario Peralta “There has to be racism, why else would black people be consistently shot for no reason other than the fact that the police officers are fearful because they are black? Why is a person with their hands up in the air being shot and killed?

It just doesn’t make sense. It seems, it’s obviously because they’re black. Are they senseless shooting people? It seems so.” -Aaqilah Wright “I definitely think that there is some racism, but the true definition of racism is when you believe someone is less superior than you or beneath you, and I don’t think that’s the reason why cops are killing innocent black people. I think it’s because they are stereotyping. While it’s easy to say, ‘why did you kill this man? He’s not armed,’ you’re not in that situation. You’re not a cop. You haven’t experienced the things cops have, and I feel that yes, cops are trained and they should be used to this, but they’re still human beings. - Amy Martin

Want to watch the whole discussion? Check it out on hightideonline.org

A:

“I believe that one of the two ways to fix this is putting the officers where they’re comfortable. Often times we have people that are not comfortable with the officers. The officers are supposed to protect these communities and the people, but if the officer is not comfortable in that area, I feel like they’re just prone to act on certain biased opinions they have formed.

-Jaland Green “I think the training should be more intensive and extensive. Like I said, we need to change the whole being trained to shoot to kill because that just seems wrong in all aspects. Why would you try to kill someone in all cases when shooting them? It just doesn’t seem plausible.

You don’t need to kill someone; you just need to stop them from harming other people. You don’t need to murder them. That’s not fair. It doesn’t make any sense. They deserve a right to trial. I don’t get why that would be the motive.

-Amy Martin

Q: Do you think the media plays an influential role in the conflict?

A:

“Lately, the media centers it so much on police brutality, that I’m sure the police officers are even more on edge. Now if they make a mistake, they could get fired, lose their job.

They don’t necessarily have to kill somebody.

It could be the way they arrest someone. If it looks too violent they could lose their badge. I think that just adds more stress on the policemen. -Mario Peralta

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features

Country hopping

Jarrah and Liana May lived in South Africa, India, Vietnam and Australia

by Analise Asaro Starting new lives in various foreign countries is very difficult, especially for siblings Jarrah and Liana May, who have to do it every few years. While each move the family makes becomes progressively harder, some of the sacrifices were worth making in order to get to know the different, unique countries.

Jarrah and Liana have lived in four countries in their lifetimes, including Vietnam, South Africa, Australia and the United States.

The May siblings move because their dad is a diplomat working for the state department and deals with foreign affairs. Throughout their travels, they have seen different places and experienced many lifestyles.

“The countries are all super different from each other and from here,” Jarrah May said.

“There are just completely different cultures and different ways of life. Everything is different, the climate, the food, the people, the cultural norms.”

During the time they were in South Africa, Jarrah noticed a lot of “racism” and “a prejudice towards the native people”.

“It’s unsafe in most parts, so we lived in a compound with an electric fence around it, and all the houses had tall fences with spikes on them and guards 24 hours,” Jarrah said.

“I didn’t go anywhere besides home, school and playing sports at other schools. I wasn’t allowed to go outside the compound by myself. We rarely walked around.”

Another issue for South Africa is the large population of homeless and underprivileged people.

“There was a lot of people begging on the streets and at traffic lights,” Liana said. “It was sad to see, but of course you never really know what people are going to do with that money, so it’s better and safer not to interact with them because they could be dangerous.”

According to Jarrah, there is no middle class in South Africa, just “really rich people and really poor people”.

“Any American going to South Africa would be much more well off than most of the people there, even someone from the lower middle class,” Jarrah said. “There’s townships which are makeshift homes that are made of bits of tin they find and tires hobbled together.”

Poverty is not only an issue in South Africa, but also in the other countries that Jarrah and Liana have seen.

“There is poverty in places like South Africa, India, Vietnam, and Australia,” Jarrah said. “It’s kind of just eye opening. You learn to be really grateful for what you have.”

Jarrah and Liana believe that there are “negatives and positives” to moving around as much as they do.

1.

1.

2.

G’day mate. 1. Senior Jarrah May and sophomore Liana May went horseback riding with their family in Swaziland. “I haven’t talked to most of my friends from

1.

3.

different countries in a really long time, but I recently talked to someone from South Africa,” Jarrah said. 2. Jarrah went to a lemur sanctuary in Madacasgar. “South Africa is probably the best memories I have,” Jarrah said, “it is the best out of all the places I’ve lived overseas.” 3. Liana feeds kangaroos at a wildlife sanctuary in Tasmania, Australia. “I’ve been back to Australia and got back in contact with people there,” Jarrah said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JARRAH MAY

“It gets harder every time to leave your friends as you make more lasting bonds, and starting over in a new place is pretty stressful,” Jarrah said. “The positives are seeing all sorts of different cultures and experiencing different parts of the world before you even go off into the world.”

Liana’s view is slightly different than Jarrah’s, but they both agree in the way that it is hard to leave each time.

“It’s really cool to move around because I can kind of reinvent myself each place I live. If there’s anything that I want to eliminate from my personality I can do that and no one will know because they’ve never met me before. It’s also really cool to experience the world,” Liana said. “My least favorite part is definitely the fact that I never get to maintain steady friendships or relationships for multiple years.”

Throughout their years of moving, Jarrah and Liana have experienced many different school systems.

“Every place has a different school year.

So some school systems start on a yearly

basis instead of American school systems where you start in September and finish in June. We learned Afrikaans and another language that we could take called Zulu in South Africa. Of course we don’t learn languages like that in the U.S.” However, a similarity among all the schools they’ve been to is that they all speak English.

“I started school in Vietnam in an international school, so it’s all taught in English and a lot of the teachers are actually from other countries,” Jarrah said. “My first teacher in Vietnam was an Vietnamese-American woman. Because it’s an international school, teachers come from all over. People go to teach there.”

In addition to their teachers, there were other foreign workers as well.

“There’s lots of EXPats, which are people who move for work other than government work,” Jarrah said. “There are people from England and Australia who are there for other than because they’re representing their country. There’s lots of that in DC too

because it’s our nation’s capitol.”

Even though there were others like them, Jarrah and Liana were not as close with those from outside countries. that their favorite place to live was Washington D.C. “I connected with a lot of the people there and I found that they were really cultured,” Liana said. “I just really connected with them in a way that I didn’t in South Africa or Australia.”

According to Jarrah, it is easier to keep in contact with his friends from D.C. because he can visit and still talk to them. However, he still misses his friends from other countries.

“It would be nice to get to know them as they are now. It’s hard to keep in contact with someone so far away,” Jarrah said. “With D.C. I can go visit them over the summer, but with someone from South Africa or Australia it’s hard to make physical contact.”

Jarrah and Liana are “happy” that they moved around and got to experience something that most other people cannot.

“There’s a lot of different cultures. Really no place was like any other.” Liana said.

Oct. 26, 2016

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features

Daniel Hall begins writing a novel

by Brittany Baker His recurring dreams, movies he watches and literate figures are the source of the stories he composes. Sophomore Daniel Hall is working to complete his first published novel.

According to Hall, the majority of his writing is medieval and futuristic. He has also completed eight stories writing in journals, but hasn’t published any of them.

“I want to get more experience with my writing before I publish my work because although I may sound experienced, I still have a lot of techniques to work on before publishing” Hall said.

Hall began his hobby of writing in 7th grade and has been creating stories ever since.

“I might decide to make a career out of writing, but for now it is still just a hobby,” Hall said.

Hall believes that writing developed from a hobby to a passion and writes more often “I write because there are many things in this world that I know I will never be able to do or see, reality is very boring, my imagination is endless and I am always thinking of new things,” Hall said. “There are many meaningful dreams I’ve had in the past that I don’t want to forget, so I usually incorporate

them into my stories somehow.”

Hall admits that his strengths are creating the story and including depth, but his weaknesses are details, punctuation, and creating characters. .

“Lately, I’ve been writing the plot for new stories so it is summarized in case I take a break from that story,” Hall said.

Two years since Hall has made the decision to begin this book, he is writing the third story to his series, “Betrayal of the Divine”, and is still working hard to complete it.

Although this is the first book Hall will be typing to publish, he has practiced the process with a different book.

“I have only completed one long book on paper, called ‘Fury of the Varan’, Hall said.

“It’s my first ambitious book about a pirate who, after experiencing an attack on his island, attempts to read a book. When he opens it up though, he is blinded by a red light and undergoes immense pain. He then spends the next three days slowly going insane until he finally realizes that a warlord intends to wreak havoc on his continent,” Hall said.

Hall says that he has completed other collections of short stories such as: “The Fatal Series”, “Dark Waters of Blood”, and “Above

God”.

“Once I begin a collection of short stories, I chose to add on to them as I think of more ideas and write more stories,” Hall said.

Now, Hall believes he is more aware of

publishing ebooks and releasing them.

“Publishing ebooks sound to be pretty convenient, especially for high school students like me who can’t dedicated weeks to one project at a time,” Hall said.

Konnichiwa. “There’s a lot of dreams that I’ve had where I’ve done crazy or emotional things. I don’t like forgetting about those dreams, so I write them down,” Hall said. “Usually the dreams don’t make much sense, but I just make sense of them.” PHOTO COURTESY OF EDEN MILAN

Students volunteer in an environmental project

by Maya Groark

As the human population continues to grow, the population of trees steadily declined.

The 5,000 Trees Project is a local group who plans on planting trees in low income neighborhoods around LA County to increase the tree canopy cover. It was started by the Burrito Project, a group that makes burritos for the homeless, because one of the leaders decided it was time to start a new project.

“It’s eye-opening to see the difference between more affluent areas and areas such as Wilmington and Harbor City. The contrast between the empty streets in Wilmington without greenery and the neighborhoods in Redondo Beach is shocking,” Goto said.

The low income areas around LA County have a far less tree canopy cover than more affluent areas and that can benefit the resi1.

Konnichiwa. 1.

Volunteers research planting laws in different cities. “We haven’t really gotten into things yet because it’s not really tree planting season yet,” Goto said.

2. One of the leaders takes part in planting.

“If the opportunity [to join more environmental activism groups] come up, then I definitely would take it,” Goto said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BING RETHY

dents’ health, and the city’s economy.

“I think it’s important today to focus on the benefits of planting trees because through this project, I’ve learned that not only do they produce oxygen and clean the air, they can increase property values, control noise pollution, and promote rainfall,” Goto said.

This project started over the summer and was looking for “involved high school students” to join. Once they joined, their first step was to research. At the weekly meetings, the project members spend their time planning finding out which trees are allowed by law in a certain area.

“We have to research which trees are acceptable in that area,” Goto said.

It will be a long process, but Goto and her fellow members are determined.

“Our ultimate goal is to go way beyond 5,000 trees,” Goto said.

A majority of the members of the 5,000 Trees Project are in AP Environmental Science (APES), and even though the project hasn’t started planting yet, it’s already helped some students, like senior Celine Oh, better understand the class.

“It’s helped me become a part of helping instead of just learning about it in class,” Oh said.

Senior Bing Rethy, also an APES student believes that because of the APES class, she had a broad history in environmental activ-

ism, but the 5,000 Trees Project helped her connect her experiences to the class.

“The majority of us take AP Environmental Science, so we have an extensive background in environmental activism, and we were able to link that to our APES class.”

In addition to helping the environment, Goto believes that the project has brought many likeminded people together.

“I’ve met other students who are very kind and passionate about this, and it’s very inspiring to see that. The adults who lead this project are also so selfless and compassionate, and it’s just a very heartwarming experience to get to work on a project with such passionate and kind people,” Goto said.

Many volunteers are devoted to helping the environment and feel proud of their accomplishments.

“It makes me feel proud that I get to contribute to a project that I actually care about,” Oh said. “I’m attached to this project and I feel the desire to help.”

The 5,000 Trees project will impact many neighborhoods around LA County, as well as the members working hard to help the environment.

“I’ve met a lot of new people and it’s opened my mind to a lot of different views and opinions. It’s also just a nice feeling to know that you’re making a positive change in some way,” Goto said.

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features

High Tide

Ruiz coaches Lawndale Little League team

by Marie Ona

Herself young and hopeful, she aims to inspire a team of boys to do great things. Senior Chanel Ruiz coaches a Little League team for her home city of Lawndale.

Ruiz practices with the team every week to prepare them physically but also to discipline their rebellious behaviors.

“The hardest part is disciplining all these boys because they’re rowdy. I have to learn to control myself because sometimes I get frustrated with them, but they’ve taught me to be more self controlled,” Ruiz said. “I help them and show them how being on a team is not about the individual. If you just focus on yourself, you won’t help out the team.”

Ruiz began as an assistant coach and eventually promoted to head coach alongside her father, Gonzalo Ruiz for the Lawndale Little League.

“When I was first starting out I didn’t do much and I wasn’t able to vocalize or anything but as I got older my dad gave me the responsibility of working one on one with the kids, directing them on what to do and showing them new techniques,” Ruiz said. “I became more wise about the game and about what techniques to use and what not to use.”

Managing a little league team requires a lot of time and dedication. Gonzalo appreciates his daughter’s willingness to help out.

“Sometimes you don’t have enough volunteers because there’s just a lot of people that won’t step up because of the commitment. Sometimes you have to pick up kids that aren’t yours and invest a couple hours here and there,” Gonzalo said. “My daughter has always been the type to help other

people and she offered to help and I was of course glad that she offered.”

Gonzalo is passionate about kids who want to be involved in sports.

“I was involved in any sport I could get into when I was a kid, just as along as I was out doing something. The impression the coaches made on me stuck with me throughout my youth so it seemed like a good thing to give back to other kids interested in sports and who were also looking for something to do for their spare time,” Gonzalo said.

Gonzalo influences Ruiz to teach the kids never give up. ¨He reminds me how important it is to be engaged in something we love because if you don’t, you feel like you have no meaning in life but when in reality you do, you just have to find that purpose. I try showing these boys you can be anything as long as you try hardest, you can do it despite all odds.”

Ruiz sees improvements in the kids’ behaviors since coaching them for the past six years.

“I’ve seen these kids become stronger physically and mentally. I hear them getting better grades and better attendance at school, so that was a major accomplishment. They come back to me and tell me how much I’ve helped them,” Ruiz said.

Coaching the younger kids helped Ruiz learn more about herself.

“Working with these boys up to this point has shown me how much they’ve grown and I’ve just become best friends

with them. It’s helped me as a person learn from younger people because as I’m helping them, I’m helping myself broaden my own knowledge. They’ve taught me more patience and more understanding,” Ruiz said.

According to Gonzalo, Ruiz is “fair” and “strict” towards the kids as a result of her own experience being coached in softball.

“Along her way she had some tough coaches, some lenient coaches and some very strict coaches. I saw that she brought was taught to her to these little kids. She really dedicated herself to it because she was in it for the love of it. It’s a joy to see,” Gonzalo said.

The boys show appreciation towards the sport and to their coaches.

“You’ve seen them grow to love the sport and my dad as the coach. When they win, you just see them crying and cheering; it’s just one of the most amazing feelings,” Ruiz said. “They thanked my dad and I so many times because I could tell they never experienced anything like it.”

As she leaves for college, Ruiz plans to help out in the communities around her but ultimately wants to return to Lawndale and start her own team.

“Lawndale is my home because it’s where all my friends are, where I grew up and where I learned everything about me,” Ruiz said. “I’m definitely going to stay in contact with these kids and just make sure they’re still on the right path.

They come to me when they need help which I love and I hope they continue to do that as we get older.”

Oct. 26, 2016

page 15

features

Seas the day Senior Emi Stephanoff captains the sailing team, hoping for a successful season after a disappointing first performance

Hiking out. Senior Emi Stephanoff hikes out with Jack Polnisch during practice while sailing out of King Harbor. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMI STEPHANOFF.

by Kelly Harraka Having sailed since she was six, senior Emi Stephanoff now captains the Redondo sailing team and is excited to help them improve for the upcoming year of competitions.

“While sailing, my crew and I work together to keep the boat moving faster or even with the other boats around us by trimming (adjusting) the sail and keeping the boat flat by using our body weight,” Stephanoff said. “My crew feeds me information and I make tactical calls.”

Redondo’s sailing coach, Abigail Featherstone, keeps her sailing guidelines simple and easy for her team to keep in mind.

“The crew is in charge of keeping their head out of the boat and being aware of what is going on on the course.

Starts, speed and smarts are key,” Featherstone said.

Sailing requires a lot of precision and communication that is not taken up quickly by beginners.

“What makes sailing a sport is the amount of people that participate and the profound knowledge and skill necessary to do the most basic things,” Stephanoff said.

The different factors of sailing cause the team to always be alert and on their toes.

“I enjoy it because of its variability and the unpredictable elements like the weather, competitors and venues,” Stepha-

noff said.

Every error counts in a competition, known as a regatta, and an extra second while tacking makes a crucial difference.

“It’s most important to make the least amount of mistakes.

The most consistent sailor wins,” Featherstone said.

While watching the Redondo team, it may appear to be smooth sailing. But, a lot is going on aboard the boat where each member of the crew is assigned to a specific task.

“There usually is a lot of quick, back and forth discussions in the boat. While racing, I usually ask my crew to ‘paint the picture’ for me,” Stephanoff said. “They tell me what the boats around me are doing, looking up the course for puffs and lulls in the wind, incoming chop or swell.”

With poor communication comes mistakes and wrong turns. Stephanoff believes that a crew needs to be constantly talking in order to stay on track. “[Communication] is immensely helpful for me because as a skipper, I end up making the final tactical call, so when the crew tells me some information that can help us make gains, all I have to do is do a quick look to confirm what they see,” Stephanoff said.

Redondo’s first regatta was in Monterey, but failed to meet Stephanoff’s expectations. However, she hopes that Redondo

will do better in the upcoming regattas.

“We still have the rest of the season to improve. A lot of the seniors who were dominating the fleet last year graduated, so we have a huge opportunity to move up,” Stephanoff said.

Featherstone is confident in the team and is anticipating a lot of progress throughout the year.

“We’ve been focusing a lot on starts and we are up against really competitive teams in the district,” Featherstone said. “[The team] has been dealing with the issue of being less experienced but [the younger team members] are learning so quickly. I’m certain that at the end of the year they will have their heads up and will improve.”

The Redondo team enters 4 or 5 regattas a year and if they do well, they are able to move onto the Pacific Coast Champions, where they compete against 20 different teams.

Stephanoff is eager to enhance the team’s skills and is looking forward to triumph “I hope to keep improving the Redondo team, so when I graduate the team will stay alive and well. We have a lot of incoming eighth graders and underclassmen who have great potential. I have faith in them to continue this program,” Stephanoff said.

page 16

High Tide

sports

Climbing over the competition

Football rises to third place in Bay League Standings

by Michael Teng-Kai Chang Redondo Football defeated Peninsula high in their latest contest by a score of 22-7 on Friday, Oct. 21 in the first game after being shutout by Palos Verdes high by a score of 35-0 in the homecoming game on Friday, Oct. 14.

On Oct. 21, RUHS traveled to Penn to seek their fourth victory of the campaign and also to regain some of its lost momentum, coming out of the game with a 22-7 victory.

“We started out a bit slow and we had to face several injuries and other issues like the heat”, QB Jack Alexander, senior, said.

“Overall it was good to face these challenges and still be able to come out with a win.”

Despite having multiple key players injured, including the quarterback, Alexander, fracturing his thumb in the first quarter, the team still managed to secure the victory.

Running back Jermar Jefferson had a huge rushing game by gaining a total of 201 yards and 3 TDs. “We are more confident knowing that even when some things weren’t going right, we could still win.”, Alexander said.

RUHS also experienced the death of Jasper Stephens, a long time coach.

“This game especially and the rest of the season will be dedicated to him,” Alexander said. “He was the physical representation of perseverance as he was always there for us despite many health problems.”

The spirit that Stephens brought to the team and its identity will “certainly impact the rest of the season” as they progress into the next game at home against Inglewood on Friday, Oct. 28th.

“Get knocked down, act like you never lost. Come back and win like you Ronda Rousey,” WR Julian Woodward said, citing how it was the motivational speech which the returning Offensive Coordinator gave prior to the victory against Penn.

The motivation Coach Jasper gave to the team and the will to prove that they could bounce back from the defeat, inspired RUHS to a victory against Penn.

After only managing to gain 111 total yards in the game against PV, and by throwing out two interceptions, RUHS was left scoreless through 48 minutes of shutout football.

“I feel like the score did not reflect the ability of our team”, said starting QB, Jack Alexander, junior, “I thought that they had a gameplan and executed it to the fullest where as we did not.”

The players didn’t think the result show their capabilities. After the game, they were able to look back at the content of the game and try not to repeat the mistake in the next appearance.

“In the second half we came out flat with the way we played and made crucial mis-

takes and gave our opponent the upper hand”, Woodward said.

Other players also expressed the thoughts that they could do better and the numbers on the scoreboard didn’t fully show their abilities.

“We had a great week of practice last week, there were just some mistakes in the game that led to points for the other team.” FB, Zach Boesen, senior, said.

The absence of the Offensive Coordinator was a factor in the poor offensive showing of the team against PV. The offensive lineup will be hoping for a better performance the next outing after the forgettable showing against PV. The pass completion percentage of the QB, Alexander was 36.4%, and the average rushing yards by the two RBs were an average of only 3.5.

“Our OC was sick so he wasn’t able to make it to these games,” Woodward said.

With the loss against PV, Redondo was 3-4 in the season before traveling to Penn on Friday, Oct. 21 to play against the Penn who went into the contest with a record of 6-1.

“This game was a test to see how we respond to a tough loss,” Alexander said. “I think we will respond in a positive manner as long as we have a solid game plan and everyone trusts each other and coaches that we will be successful.”

After such losing in such a fashion, Alexander and the team were ready to come back and answer with a much needed victory.

“We can’t and won’t let one loss in league affect the rest of our league play,” Alexander said, hopeful for a different outcome.

On the road to the playoffs and by gaining the momentum early on can ensure a high team morale, which will carry the team on the journey. The last contest at Penn was still far from the end of the season, but the win gave helped the team regain momentum and solidify RUHS as a threat within the league, according to the players.

“Minimize mistakes and execute a game plan, play faster and more physical than Penn,” Alexander said, when asked about what the team will do differently in its approach for the next contest.

The next game will be on Friday, Oct. 28th. at RUHS against Inglewood in the fourth league game of the season as the team will be riding on the momentum from the win at Penn, seeking its second consecutive victory.

1.

2.

3.

Beat the heat.

4.

5.

1. Running back Jermar Jefferson, runs into an open stretch of the field while an offensive lineman protects him in temperatures in the high 80s. 2. Jefferson attempts to avoid oncoming defenders as he holds onto the ball. 3. Jefferson runs the ball down the field on a successful play by RUHS, holding off a defender by keeping him at an arm’s distance away. 4. Jefferson gets tackled on both sides by two opposing players as Julian Woodward, holds off a third.

5. Jefferson is given the ball in another play on the ofensive end. He would go on to end the day with 201total yards and three touchdowns. 6. Quarterback Jack Alexander is about to be taken down by the opposition’s defense after deciding to run the ball himself. PHOTOS 1, 3 BY JOSH KANO. PHOTOS 2, 4, 5 BY MATTHEW YONEMURA. PHOTO 6 BY LILLY LOPEZ

6.

Oct. 26, 2016

page 17

sports

Calamity on the court

Girls tennis hopes to qualify for CIF by means of a wild card birth

by Maryam Bacaloni Girls tennis was defeated by Palos Verdes high school on Thursday Oct. 20, with a score of 13-5, making this their second loss this week.

“Coming into the match, we knew it was going be tough. We didn’t expect necessarily to win, but we put up a good fight even though the final score doesn’t seem close,” captain Jana Jones, senior said. “We motivated each other to leave everything out on the court and don’t give up until the very last point is over.”

The girls agree that a major contributing factor to their record is the fact that they lost two of their top players, Alyssa Grijalva and Emily Zargham.

“We definitely lost good players because they graduated, but this year, we’re all much more positive regardless if we win or lose,” said senior Pa-

tricia Pano. “I feel like with each game we’ve gotten stronger.”

Despite their loss in players, the team has strength from their current members, specifically their top doubles team, consisting of juniors Alyssa Yung and Halle Bender; top singles, consisting of freshman Aimee Grijalva; and second place singles, consisting of junior Renay Charley.

“We mix up our doubles team so we are trying new partners and I think it works out better,” senior Stephanie Lai said. “We improved on our strategy and knowing where the ball is and getting to it.”

The team also lost to Peninsula on Tuesday Oct. 18 with a score of 12-6.

The girls played tough throughout the whole game, dominating the first set, but were not able to persist

throughout.

“Peninsula is always a really hard team. They always come in first in our league so it’s really, really tough. Just to be able to win a few sets off of them is a big accomplishment,” Lai said.

Although the team faced some rough losses this week, the girls remain optimistic and focused on qualifying for CIF and winning their last Bay League match against Mira Costa.

“I think we really tried hard and put in a good effort, and we’re really proud of what we accomplished so far this season. Hopefully we will make it into the wild card for CIF,” Lai said. “Our next match versus Mira Costa is going to be a very tough match because they are one of our biggest competitors, but if we put it all out on the court, we will be happy no matter the outcome.”

Leaning Out and Hitting Long. 1. “We knew we were going to

really have to fight for our points because Palos Verdes has a really strong team, so I guess we were expecting just to finish the best we could,” senior Emilie Chaumillon said.” PHOTO BY JARRAH MAY

Volleyball beats Peninsula in four sets

by Erika Zlatkin

T

he ref’s whistle blows signifying the time to serve the ball to the opposing side’s court. The crowd roars as the team passes, sets, and spikes it over the net with a strong attack.

RUHS girls volleyball played Penn on Oct. 18, and won with the scores of 25-18, 2519, 23,25, and 25-10.

“We have played against Peninsula before, and we won very easily and did very well against them,” senior Samantha Pahl, varsity captain, said. “So I thought we have a good chance of winning, but we have to try

to not get too cocky otherwise we might slip up.”

Girls volleyball won against Palos Verdes on Oct. 20, scoring 25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 15-3.

“Although we won, we aren’t necessarily proud of our performance tonight. Our plays wavered a lot, and we could have won a lot faster,” Relaz said.

The loss of seniors resulted in the gain of many more young and experienced players.

“Considering that we are less experienced and that we have lost many key seniors last year, the team has been doing really well”, coach Tommy Chaffins said. “I think that our younger players have done well and that the current seniors have been following the previous seniors”.

1.

This season especially, it has been more “tough” than others because of the multiple injuries and players that had to be benched because of this.

“The season has been pretty interesting,” Relaz said. “We had a couple serious injuries, and a lot have things have gone wrong. Yet we have come out a lot stronger and many people have stepped up to the plate to fill in their spots, which has brought us all closer”.

The team is not as tall as it has been in the past due to being overall more young, and this has caused them to shift the focus of the improvement of their abilities to make their lack of tall players an advantage. Work-

ing with what they have has been an asset for hard we are going to get it,” Chaffins said.

Despite some areas that need to be imthe team, according to the players. proved, Pahl believes that overall they are a “We have been doing really well on de“strong” team and that the “odds are in their fense, since it has been our main focus befavor.” cause we are not very big in terms of height,” “The kids work hard and they are good Relaz said. teammates,” Chaffins said. “We are a great Pahl says that he has incorporated new team who plays great great competitors. blocking techniques into their practices to And what do great competitors want? Great strengthen their defense against attacks competition, so we give it to them”. in addition to getting the left and right side players to score, rather than just the middle.

“I do not know if this is a good thing or bad thing, but we do not know what our best line up is,” Chaffins said. “So I encourage the kids to stay friendly and it is our problem to figure out who gets to play”.

Because Chaffins is constantly switching out the plays and making adjustments to see which would work best, he believes that “success is gained by focusing on next play and not to get hung up on old ones”.

Most of the new plays have worked out in RUHS’s favor as they are 2nd in the Bay League and have won many important games.

“We have been key teams in Divisions II and III, but since we play 2. in Division I we are at the highest level. We have not yet beat some- Setting a standard. 1. Jasmine Davis jumps in the air to one in the top 10 of Division I, so spike the ball after it comes down from the other side of the net.

RUHS would end up winning every set except the third in the we are still looking for our signa- match against Penn 2. #21 celebrates after RUHS wins its second ture win and if we keep working set against Peninusla on Oct. 18. PHOTOS BY KYRA PACIFIC

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High Tide

sports

Running for the win

XC recovers from PV loss at the Mt. Sac Meet

by Yasmine Elahihaghighi

Cross Country raced at Mt. Sac on Saturday, October 22, in hopes of qualifying for CIF and winning the finals.

“We worked together really well this race.

We were pushing each other and learned a lot and now have a better idea of what we want to do going into league finals,” captain Izzy Ramirez, junior said.

The team ended in fifth place out of a total of 18 teams and overall agreed that they were very happy with the outcome.

“I think all of the things we worked on like hill intervals and running together, really helped to improve our performance. We have definitely improved a lot since the first Bay League meet,” said sophomore Isabella Landry.

At Mt. Sac, freshman Kasey Bohney, Shelby Bender, and Molly Hastings, joined sophomores Peyton Heiden and Landry, and juniors Teja Skalko and Ramirez on the varsity team for the first time.

“I felt that the freshmen could really help

our team win the invitational because they are all talented and push us to run faster,” Landry said. “But I also felt that because our team was so new and young we wouldn’t be as experienced as the other teams and we wouldn’t know how to race with each other.”

Despite their nervousness, the team agrees Bender, Bohney, and Hastings surprised the team with their skills.

“The freshman definitely helped to push the rest of us girls to run faster and we were able to push them. They are all extremely talented and helped our team improve since the last meet,” Landry said.

In past meets, the team’s lack of focus is what lead to their disappointing results. However, they were happy to move forward from being unfocused and get their heads clear at Mt.Sac. “I think that as a team we have learned from mistakes we

tential that we knew we could beat,” said Ramirez.

The team also prepares themselves mentally through pasta dinners and team bonding.

“Before crucial meets we have team dinners where we go over race strategies and hangout for a little, and really talk about what we want to do before the upcoming race. I think all of us have one vision in mind. We all want to do good for each other, and we all want to see us succeed,” Ramirez said.

The team has also made adjustments to their workout because of how hilly the Mt. Sac course is.

“In the week leading up to this race we did a modified hill workout to prepare specifically for Mt.Sac by simulating the hills there, and other difficult workouts in the weeks before as well. I think this all helped to prepare us so when we were running the actual race, we were ready for those hills and the rest of the course,” Bohney said.

Part of the racing strategy that the team is working on is sticking together so that they can achieve the maximum amount of points.

“One of our main struggles right now is the fact that we aren’t running as tightly packed as we want and it’s extremely hard for us to score the points we need to win. I think all of us need to work on running for each other no matter what,” said Landry. “If we can do that I think we will be set for bay league finals and ultimately the CIF season.”

At Mt.Sac, the team was pleased that Landry, one of the key runners, was back even though she still struggled with shin splints.

“Personally, I really struggled during the race because I have been injured with shin splints for a long time now, and it was my first race back. I had also fallen during the race and that definitely set me back,” Landry said.

For their future meet, cross country hopes to stay in shape and work together to try and increase their chances at winning Bay League finals on Thursday, Nov. 3, and qualifying for CIF. “League finals will be here at Redondo, our home court. Redondo has some hills, and some flat parts so we’re gonna do more speed workouts, but at the same time keep working on the hills in order to be better,” Ramirez Over the Hills and through the Woods. Senior Ethan Comeaux is in first place as he leads Redondo up Agony Hill at the Palos Verdes XC Bay League meet on Thursday, Oct. 13. said.

“

Redondo finished in third place at this meet. PHOTO BY JACOB ALTHER

have made racing in the past and that we have fixed those issues we’ve had for the next race,” senior Ethan Comeaux, captain said.

Going into the meet the team had a lot of mixed emotions but knew they needed to stay focused.

“I think I can speak for the whole team that we were all extremely nervous like we always are but this meet especially because it was the freshman’s first race on varsity,” Landry said. “And also because we all wanted to do well at this meet because we didn’t do that great at the PV meet.”

The team agrees that they were able to move past the third place loss at the Bay League meet in Palos Verdes, and still do well at Mt. Sac. “Every meet we always try to have a positive attitude and we always try to push the negativity away, but these past few meets a few of us, including myself, have been negative and it’s been affecting our performance.

So this next meet we hope to keep each other’s spirits up and be positive,” Landry said.

Before the meet, the team had a set idea of goals so they knew what they wanted to accomplish going into the race.

“We were even hungrier and wanted to do better because we knew we had the potential to. I think we were really excited to go out there and race to our po-

We are even hungrier and want to do better because we know we have the potential to.

”

Oct. 26, 2016

page 19

sports

Water polo hopes to beat PV

by Camille Grace

Scoring like a Shark. Freshman Ethan Igloi fights off two Peninsula players as he tries to pass the ball to a teammate. The team won against Peninsula at the Bay League home game with a score of 8-4, on Thursday, Oct. 13.. PHOTOS

BY HIROKI GOTO

Upcoming Games and Matches:

With only two games left in Bay League, boys Water Polo looks to defeat Palos Verdes on Wednesday, for a chance to advance to finals and win the Bay League Championship title.

“We expect it to be a very close game actually.

We’ve improved a lot from our last games and are going to give them a run for their money,” senior Logan Doersam said.

The team had a strong first quarter in their first game against PV, however captain Blake Vogelsang, junior, claims that mistakes in the second quarter lead to the team’s downfall.

“We didn’t play our best team defense. Also our amiss shot selection is what led us not to score later in the game,” Vogelsang said.

The team has been working hard in practice to fix past mistakes made in games, according to senior Greg Clark.

“We have begun to go over plays and focus more on how to play as a team and cooperate with each other so we can reach our full potential in Bay League and hopefully CIF,” Clark said.

According to Doersam, the boys were extremely successful in the South Bay Tournament two week-

ends ago.

“We won three out of five games. We came in sixth which is probably the best Redondo has ever done. I think it boosted our confidence and showed us that we can really play together as a team,” Doersam said.

According to captain Seth Ulrich, junior, the last time RUHS beat PV was nearly 30 year ago. A win against PV could help give the team the confidence needed for the final league game against Mira Costa and CIF. “I would be pretty amazing if we won because Redondo hasn’t beat PV in a long time. We are focusing and keeping a positive mindset and believe that we can win if we play four quarters of tough water polo,” Ulrich said.

With the most important games of the season approaching, the team is focusing on their “unique bond” and what they can do to achieve “greatness.”

“What separates us from last year’s team is the bond we have. There wasn’t enough teamwork and trust and it’s made us a lot better,” Doersam said.

“What we have is a special bond that is allowing Redondo a chance to win CIF for the first time in a while in water polo.”

Girls golf falls short in both South

match and CIF qualifiers

by Justin Pioletti

Football:

10/28/16- (7:00) Home vs. Inglewood 11/4/16-(7:00) Home vs. Mira Costa

Cross Country:

11/3/16- (6:00) Home: League Meet

Boys Water Polo:

10/26/16- (3:00) Away vs. Palos Verdes 10/28/16 Away: Tournament 11/2/16- (3:00) Away vs. Mira Costa

Girls Tennis:

10/27/16 Away: Tournament

Girls golf lost to South High School further on,” Baker said. “The thing with CIF “Burke is a great coach, and the best 260-253 in the last game of their season on qualifiers is that it changes every year so I thing about him is that he’s there to help Thursday, Oct. 20. have a pretty good chance at success next you through everything,” Baker said. “If “The team lost because we lost focus. year.” you’re having a bad game and he can tell Once you get in your head, every aspect of Baker and Liang unanimously agree that you’re struggling, he will be there to lift you your game suffers,” junior Samaya Rubio the correct mentality evidently contributes up. said. “We needed to focus on our mental to the result of every game. According to the Many of the girls take responsibility in game as well as our physical.” girls, coach John Burke spends a considermaintaining a positive attitude throughout Junior Maria Victoria Baker, and captain able amount of time keeping everyone in the team as well.

Corliss Liang, senior played at Rio Hondo the right mindset.

“Our teammate Samaya Rubio and a few for CIF qualifiers on Oct. 18, yet fell other players always hype everyone short of making it past qualifying up, usually we’ll begin a cheer right rounds. before our games, but it has to be “In the beginning I was doing requiet since we’re on the course,” Baker ally well and I was expecting a really said. good score, but then I messed up The team began their season with on one hole, and my mentality went low expectations due to the amount downhill from there.” said Baker. of players lost, yet the girls’ develThe change in scores was partialopment and newfound dedication ly becuase of the change in course. proved otherwise., according to Liang.

In previous years CIF qualifiers was “I can definitely say everyone played at Lakewood, opposed to Rio improved a lot,” Baker said. “It was Hondo. great to see because girls on the team “Rio Hondo is a narrow course typically focus entirely on school, with a lot of trees and water, while but you could really see an obvious Lakewood is a lot more forgiving,” dedication. ” Liang said. “And during the game we Liang, along with the rest of the were really rushed. Getting rushed reseniors, played their last game on ally gets you out of focus, which can Thursday, and looked back on their lead to a bad hole.” time with Redondo.

Despite their loss, Baker plans to “I’m going to miss playing for use this match as motivation for her Redondo,” Liang said. “I want the rest senior season.

Hoping for a hole in one. Junior Maria Victoria Baker is hitting of the team to keep practicing as hard “Next year I want to make it to at her tee shot at the Redondo home course, Alondra on Thursday, as they have been, and continue to get least the second round and hopefully Oct. 20. PHOTO BY MATTHEW YONEMURA better and better every year.”

page 20

High Tide

features

1.

Shout out loud.

1.

Protestors confront a police line blocking their progress up Magnolia Avenue below the I-8 freeway in El Cajon, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept.

28, 2016. Protestors also gathered in front of the El Cajon Police Department to demand release of the video tape related to the shooting of Alfred Olango, a mentally-disabled man that was wandering into traffic late Tuesday. PHOTO

BY PEGGY PEATTIE/SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/TNS 2.

Protesters chant, front/ left/right, as a man yells the name of Jesus, center, outside Bank of America Stadium Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016 in Charlotte, N.C. The Carolina Panthers hosted the Minnesota Vikings in NFL action. PHOTO BY JEFF SINER/CHARLOTTE ER/TNS

OBSERV-

2.

[cont. from cover] Schonberg was putting away items in the garage when a patrol car “pin[ned] him into his garage. “[The officer] has his gun drawn and he says ‘What are you doing?’ I said ‘I actually live here,” and he goes ‘I don’t believe that.’

He made me put my hands up,” Schonberg said.

Another time, the police did not believe that Schonberg’s daughter was actually his daughter because of the differences in their skin color.

“My oldest daughter is very fair, so there’s another time when we’re playing catch on the front lawn of our house. I turn around and two police cruisers are up on my lawn.

They jump out, guns drawn and pointing at me, asking ‘Is that your kid?’ My daughter was freaking out, going ‘Obviously that’s my dad.’ She was really scared,” Schonberg said.

According to Schonberg, the “worst run in” he has had was when a police officer shone a dome light into his car and began “coming after him.”

“He cuts me off, and he uses the n-word probably 10 times. He says ‘Do you want to go to jail?’ and all this crazy stuff. He goes on, ‘I guess this is your lucky day,’ using the n-word again,” Schonberg said. “And when he left, I just pulled over into a gas station on Crenshaw and started crying. It doesn’t matter what education I have or what I do, it’s just bad.”

Despite his negative encounters with cops, Schonberg believes that police officers “have to do a very important, very scary job.”

“I know cops have to do their job. I have no problem with that. Don’t call me the nword. Don’t just pull me out of my car and handcuff me for no apparent reason and then come up with some reason. Because at that point, I didn’t even break the law. Say ‘Mr.

Schonberg, this is why we pulled you over,’” Schonberg said.

Although he is half-black and half-white, Schonberg now considers himself just black.

“It’s interesting. I used to say ‘Why can’t I be black and white?’ but my friend used to say ‘Society won’t let you.’ Back then, this was probably like 30 years ago. I didn’t understand what he meant by that. Now, I do. I get treated like I’m black, not like I’m white.

People don’t look at me and go ‘There’s that white guy.’ People look at me and say ‘That’s a person of color,’” Schonberg said.

According to Schonberg, growing up halfwhite and half-black was “hard” because he did not fit in with whites or black. Growing up with his mother, who had blonde hair and blue eyes, it was hard for her to understand Schonberg’s struggle of not fitting in.

“My mom, to the best of her ability, tried to relate to me, but I don’t look like her. I’m not really relatable to her. And when I lived

in Germany, in the small villages, I was the only brown person there. So my mom would always say ‘You’re like me. You’re like me,’ but I would say ‘I’m not like you. The only way I’m like you is we have some personality traits and I speak the same language as you.

That’s it,’” Schonberg said.

Because it was difficult for them to fit in with blacks or whites as biracial children, Schonberg and other half-black and halfwhite kids “would gravitate towards one another.”

Schonberg’s run-ins with police officers began when he was about 12 or 13 years old.

“Back then, I was never a kid who fought, but if you hit me, then I would fight. People always thought I was older, so the run-in I had with the cops, they said ‘You’re the perpetrator. You’re bigger and you’re older, and you’re a person of color.’ That automatically made me the target. No matter if the kid was five or six years older than me, I was the target,” Schonberg said.

Because he has had so many bad experiences with police officers, Schonberg sometimes thinks “Is this the day I’m going to snap?”

“I’ve had it up to here. You get to a point where it’s just too much. I sit there and then I feel powerless. I’m sitting there forever. Usually what I do is, if I’m driving along and the cop does a U-turn, I just pull over. I just think ‘Okay, yes I know. I fit the description. 5’11 hispanic guy that just robbed 7/11. Here’s my information.’ What can you do?” Schonberg said.

When it comes to controlling his anger, Schonberg looks up to Nelson Mandela.

“When he got out of jail it’s crazy how he was really angry, but he was able to maintain composure. It was a noteworthy quality. I want to emulate my life after that. That’s not to say you’re emotionless; you just control it.

Protesting doesn’t educate people. It makes people mad. It isolates people, alienates them. We’ve got to find different ways to get our message across. If you protest and it’s violent, people don’t want to hear what you have to say anymore,” Schonberg said.

According to Schonberg, it was only after he learned more about African American history, that he appreciated being black.

“I remember having such shame of being black, and then I went to college and started taking classes like African American history. I was like ‘Wait a minute. It’s good to be black.’ This is awesome, especially when you start showing me great things that black people have done. We are smart. We are hardworking. We are all these different things,” Schonberg said.

While many people support the Black Lives Matter movement through protesting, Schonberg believes there must be a “delicate balance.”

“If you protest you’re going to alienate other people. If my message is for white America, if I protest, I’m actually building a chasm for white America, so I have to be careful how I protest. It’s better to volunteer at a place where there’s predominantly whites so I can show how I fit in and contribute,” Schonberg said.