High Tide: Nov. 20, 2015

IGH H

TIDE

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA Nov. 20, 2015 Vol. XCVI Edition 6

A homeless teen anonymously discusses life on the streets [on pg. 24]

PHOTO BY SANDER FINK

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High Tide

news

Photos of the Week

Powder Puff Game and Día de los Muertos Bring it on. 1. Junior Garrett Robat

cheers on the class of 2017 during the Powder Puff game. 2.Senior Rodrigo Guttierez gets his face painted in the traditional Día de los Muertos fashion. “It was the biggest turnout we have ever had,” Guttierez said. “Cervantes members were working nonstop. We were all so glad to see people ineterested in the Día de los Muertos traditions.” 3.Senior Sarah Staudle dodges junior Pierson Wodzynski as she runs the ball down the field during the game. “It was a really great experience to play with the senior girls,” Staudle said. “It was cool getting coached by the football players was very fun and interesting. “ 2

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PHOTOS BY TED CAVUS

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Mock Trial participates in the People V. Hayes case

by Luke Peterson The lawyers’ voices boom in the courtroom as they deliver their final statements to everyone involved in the competition. On Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, RUHS’s Mock Trial team argued in a fake court case called The People v. Hayes, where a college student was accused of murdering a police officer.

“Of course the prosecution is going to argue that his actions were unreasonable, which would mount to murder,” said Mike Henges, AP Government teacher and sponsor of the Mock Trial club. “The defense is going to argue that it was justifiable homicide. This time around Nov. 9, we argued against Hayes, and that it was murder, or at the very least manslaughter.”

The Mock Trial team attained a high score of 176 in the first competition on Nov. 2.

“Our defensive team got our highest score that we’ve gotten in two and a half years for the first competition,” said defen-

sive lawyer junior Brandi Coleman. “We feel that we did really well, and that shows in the score that we got.”

The school’s Mock Trial team deliberated in the second part of a competition sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation against another school on Nov. 9.

“Since we did really well the first time, last night we went up against a different school that was much more competitive than the first school,” Henges said. “We still did pretty well; we had some really good back and forth arguments about the case with the other team.”

Mock Trial competitions are split into two parts in which a school’s defensive and prosecution teams deliberate about a fake court case against another school’s teams.

Each of RUHS’s competitions occurred at the Los Angeles County Courthouse and were supervised by a certified judge.

“Each pair of teams gets a court room des-

ignated to them and it’s very official,” said junior Jaideep Chakladar, club president and defensive lawyer. “They have judges in the jury box; they have everyone who isn’t participating sitting in the stands. We have a table for each set of lawyers and a bailiff for the witnesses.”

On the Nov. 9 competition, the prosecution team feels that the way they worked together yielded proficient results.

“Everything flowed well together and everything seemed really cohesive,” said junior Steven Barbee, who delivers the pretrial argument to the court. “It all worked out in the end; I feel that we did really well.”

The competition offers the chance for a select group of Mock Trial clubs with higher rankings to move on to a playoff competition.

“Most schools will only go twice, one time with prosecution and one time with defense,” Henges said. “But there is a possibil-

ity of moving on if you score in the top 16 out of a 100 schools; the vast majority of schools just go twice.”

According to Henges, the difficulties of reaching the next rounds is caused by the extra measures some schools take in the competition.

“There’s always a chance of moving on, but it’s typically private schools that get in and other schools that have a full-time Mock Trial class. We’re an after school club, it’s sort of a different story,” Hanges said.

Despite the statistical unlikelihood of advancement, the club is still seeking to improve its own performances.

“As a team we have to continue working on not being as scripted because both teams got critiqued on it,” Coleman said. “We want the conversation to flow more naturally, which is why we meet so much. This makes it seem as a close relationship as if we actually were lawyers and witnesses.”

Nov. 20, 2015

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news

The Lounge reopens for the school year School Board

by Malek Chamas Students in need of places to go after school hours end once again have the option of The Lounge. On Nov. 2, The Lounge held its first session of the school year in room 209 from 3-5 p.m. This is the second year The Lounge has been in existence, due to a partnership between RUHS and Freedom4U, a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving the youth of the South Bay “opportunities to find their passions and purpose in life.”

Counselor Sabrina Cox is in charge of The Lounge and saw the first session was a good introduction students to the activities available, with more than double last year’s average attendance of about twenty people. Students were invited to receive tutoring, do homework, eat snacks, and socialize.

“We had an extremely successful turnout of about fifty kids at its height. We had different

kinds of students, of all grade levels. They were with different social groups and different clubs, or some students who just wanted to stop by and check it out,” Cox said.

According to Cox, The Lounge provides students throughout RUHS with a safe place to go after classes end.

“I feel that the goals of The Lounge are extremely important for students here. It is meant to provide a safe space after school for students to hang out. It also tries to create a space that will attract all kinds of students, and I believe it’s good to have a go-to spot for students after school on campus,” Cox said. “The Lounge is almost like a college union center, where things are constantly going on.”

Students are also able to help run The Lounge by becoming Lounge Leaders. Lounge Leaders provide tutoring for students who come to The Lounge, and sell snacks such as small bags of Cheetos and Doritos for a dollar each. Clubs around campus are also welcome to arrange events at The Lounge with the Lounge Leaders.

“If clubs say they want to have The Lounge on a certain day, for a certain reason, then they fill out some papers, and

we may arrange the time with them,” Lounge Leader Nasim Khorasani said. “The Lounge gives them a place to have meetings to discuss whatever they need to.”

Staff member Toyka Whitley also helps supervise The Lounge, and says that attendance in the grow will likely increase with time. Currently, attendance typically stands at fifteen to twenty students per day.

“It will increase with more advertisement through morning announcements, with our Lounge Leaders getting the word out and when we have different events at The Lounge, like movie nights and game nights,” Whitley said.

“Twenty or more per day is ideal.”

Xbox Club and B-Boy Club have both been frequenting The Lounge since its establishment last year. This year, The Lounge is open Monday through Friday. Senior Alex Nguyen, B-Boy Club President, says the Lounge is a good practice area because it has “a really nice wooden dance floor, nice speakers and grass to flip on outside.”

“We do most of our practice in here, but we also practice in front of Room 314,” Nguyen said. “It’s a nice environment, and we hang out here because it has a cool atmosphere. Without it, we wouldn’t be as close as we are, because The Lounge definitely brings everybody together.”

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Lounging around. 1. Students work on homework

afterschool, where free tutoring and assistance is available.. 2. A B-boy dancer practices his routine at The Lounge. “Everything that is paid for in here has been fundraised by these clubs, and they were the ones willing to open up this room and wanted to be part of The Lounge,” Advisor Mike Soohoo said.

“It actually allows them to practice after school here too, so it benefits both worlds.” 3. The Lounge opened the beginning of November and continues to be open everyday. PHOTOS BY KAREN VUONG

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meeting discusses reoccurring issues

by Eden Millan

District board members, led by Superintendent Steven Keller, held a Board of Education Meeting to review the previous weeks’ current events.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by a kindergartner. The rest of the children from Madison Elementary’s Transitional Kindergarten program used their kinesthetic learning skills to make certain movements with their hands and arms to act out specific letters from the alphabet. Their students, guided by their teachers, are learning “fluency and fitness” to prepare them for Kindergarten.

“I hurt my arm teaching them this exercise routine,” Madison Elementary teacher, Karrie Carpenter said.

The performance was followed by updates from Student Adviser and senior Chris Paludi, who congratulated band for placing second out of 18 high schools in their division. Paludi also commended the Mock Trial team for almost making it to the state finals in their most recent competition.

“From what I understand, this is the best the Mock Trial team has done in the three years of it’s existence at Redondo. They work very, very hard to do what they do,” said Paludi.

Along with Band and the Mock Trial team, Paludi acknowledged Football and Volleyball for their continued success in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) games.

“Go Seahawks,” Superintendent Keller cheered.

Paludi also discussed the proposed compost program that will be implemented with next year’s freshmen.

“We want to have place for them to continue that initiative in High School. So, we are looking to better how we do recycling, plan to give students on campus steel bottles to reduce plastic waste, and start a composting program of our own,” Paludi said. “Hopefully, we will have this accomplished by the end of the year.”

One of the last topics addressed at the meeting was the Día de los Muertos exhibit in the Bingo Room.

“It was better than it’s ever been. My favorite part was seeing the piece for a Canadian Hockey player because you don’t expect anyone to do that for an event like that,” board member Brad Waller said.

Board members also addressed the annual UCLA Blood Drive because so many people have signed up that more space is needed.

Paludi also encouraged the board members to attend the blood drive on Dec. 9.

“Every donation has the chance to save at least three lives,” said Paludi. “I will hopefully donate if I ever get over my fear of needles.”

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High Tide

news

School alters meal plan Weekly Lunch Meal Pattern

5

by Mylene Silver The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act has limited the calorie intake of high school students to 750-850 calories, and allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reform public school lunches and breakfast programs, according to the USDA Food And Nutrition Service.

“We definitely have a lot of guidelines we have to follow from the state and the Blue Zones Project,” RUHS food manager Rita Jones said. “The vendors who actually make the food, like the burritos or hot and spicy chicken, have to follow certain regulations in order for us to continue purchasing from them.”

The Blue Zones Project works to motivate citizens to live healthier lifestyles.

“They are part of the Beach Cities Health District. We work closely with them to promote student and staff wellness here at RUHS and in the district,” assistant principal Jens Brandt said.

The cafeteria lunches are audited by the USDA and California Department of Education (CDE) to ensure the school meals fulfill the mandated regulations.

“Students have to take a fruit, entree, and a water or milk in order for us to be able to serve the meal. And they’re only allowed to take so many condiments because that counts towards the calorie count,” Jones said. “That’s how regulated we are. It’s very restricted.”

According to Jones, the breakfast and lunch menus have undergone substantial modifications over the years.

“The portion sizes are definitely smaller and they are a lot more restrictions on the sodium in the food,” Jones said. “If I went back

to when I first started working, almost 17 years ago, we were able to sell Snickers and soda. You could get whatever you wanted.”

Even in recent years there has been a decrease in the amount of snacks offered by the school.

“We’re not allowed to carry things we may have carried two or three years ago, or even when the new cafeteria opened, because the food didn’t meet the guidelines,” Jones said.

“We might have had a variety of maybe more than 20 kinds of chips, but now we’re down to like a variety of 10. We also stopped making pancakes and paninis because of the calorie restriction.”

Some student favorites have been discontinued due to vendors being unable to produce foods that meet regulations.

“Back when the calorie count was much higher, we were able to serve food from Chick-fil-A and Pick Up Stix. They are no longer able to accommodate us, so now we make the chow mein and rice,” Jones said.

However, certain menu items have returned after reformulation to meet nutritional requirements.

“The taquitos are a very popular item and we didn’t have them for about eight months because the vendor couldn’t come up with the recipe for what we needed,” Jones said.

“Finally, they were able to accommodate us and we were able to bring [the taquitos] back about a month ago.”

Jones does not feel the food restrictions have made her job any more difficult.

“I’ve been with the school district for more than 16 years and I think that’s it’s very interesting just to see how everything has changed,” she said.

10

cups of fruit

oz. of grains

5

cups of vegetables

5

cups of milk

Nutritional Requirements - Calories: 750-850 - Saturated Fat (% of total calories): <10% - Trans Fat: 0

In regards to cafeteria food, out of 562 students surveyed...

How often students eat in the cafeteria

Whether or not students like food options 300

400

225

300 300

150

200

75

100

0 Have never tried it

Not at all

Only some of the meal options

Yes

1 or 2 times a 3 or 4 times a week week

Every day Illustrations by Lulu Wegman

Rarely to never Information from USDA

Nov. 20, 2015

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news

Students with overbearing parents are less independent

by Amanda Shaw As parents have gotten more and more involved in the lives of their students, both inside and outside of academics, more responsibilities have been taken on by parents, which can be helpful in their students’educational growth, but when does the supervision become too much?

“I think over the last 10 years especially, our parents are becoming more involved in the educational process, whether it be from getting their student through the high school program for the diploma but even more so the college planning. With college costs going up, I think parents are a little concerned about how they’re going to pay for college,” college counselor Shannon Rodriguez said.

“So because of that I think they’ve become a lot more involved and the change has been significant in the last 10 years.”

Although students are not always thrilled about their parents becoming involved, the college process often requires their parent’s input.

“Students don’t always like it when their parents get super involved but I would rather have overinvolved parents than those parents who are not involved at all because this whole process is actually pretty complicated, so the more support you have, the better off you’re gonna be,” Rodriguez said.

With college and adulthood looming

ahead, parents must find the balance of involvement to prepare their children for the future.

“It’s just sometimes we get a little concerned about transitioning to college because your parents aren’t gonna be there with you. Parents should be super involved freshmen and sophomore year, and as you get a little older, they generally let you do a little more for yourself so when you go off to college, you feel confident that you can do things by yourself,” Rodriguez said.

This increase in parent involvement, while conducive in the college process, has made teacher communication and problem solving easier on students.

“We asked as educators that parents be involved with their child’s education, and we seem to have succeeded in getting them to be involved in their child’s education, but we neglected to ask them to do it right,” English teacher Timothy Ammentorp said. “Parents now compared to the parents in the past are far more likely to defend their child’s mistakes than they were back in the day. Parents used to support the teachers more than they do today. Now it’s up to the teacher to fix it for the child instead of for the child to fix it for himself.”

Although some involvement is “essential” for students, there are limits to what is

healthy.

“Knowing what’s going on with your student and the student’s performance is very important. The involvement that makes it easier for the student is not necessarily helping the student down the road. Students need to be able to advocate for themselves and when the parents are the ones doing it for them, they don’t learn any good lessons,” Ammentorp said.

When parents’ have as strong of a presence in the classroom as their children, high schoolers do not learn how to advocate for themselves.

“A helicopter parent is somebody that is never allowing their student to fail or face challenges on their own, but that’s part of building experience. We make mistakes, we fall down, and sometimes we have to get back up on our own without somebody else helping us. And I don’t think that parents do their children any service if it’s always ‘how can I fix this for my kid?’,” Ammentorp said.

Not only can overbearing parenting interfere with a student’s academics, but their general life experiences as well.

“I haven’t seen parents change significantly in since I started teaching in 1998, but I do think as a society we’re becoming overly protective. I know my own children aren’t allowed to roam the neighborhood the way I

Parenting Styles

Demanding

Authoritative -Highly demanding and responding -Sets rules and enforces them. They also explain and discuss the reasons behind them

Effects of Parenting Styles Self Image Authoritative

Permissive

High self-esteem, Assertive

Social Skills

Academics

Get along, Empathetic

Learn well, More confident, High achievement

High Touble keeping Low interest in self-esteem, friends school Self confidence

Authoritarian

Low self-esteem

Uninvolved

Low self-esteem, Little confidence

Child feels: accepted and safe

Don’t get along, Hard to concentrate Poor social skills Withdrawn, Disrepsectful, Distrustful

Perform poorly on their own

did when I was their age, and that saddens me greatly. Having freedom to explore is important, and I can tell my kids crave it,” English teacher Kerri Eastham said.

Parents are becoming more aware of the harsh realities in their communities due to more news coverage, resulting in understandable concerns.

“I frequently wonder if child abduction statistics are higher now than they were when I was growing up, or if we just perceive society as being more dangerous because the 24-hour news cycle demands constant stories, and many of these are frightening,” Eastham.

Even with these risks taken into account, fear should not be the reason students are held back from solving challenging situations on their own, developing skills that become vital later in life.

“We feel this need to whitewash childhood, remove all the risks, keep kids safe all the time, and I see this as a huge disservice.

My kids’ school has a ridiculous rule that they can’t run on the blacktop because too many kids were skinning their knees falling.

Kids fall. Then they learn they are fine, selfsoothe, and continue about their day,” Eastham said. “How can they learn to deal with life’s big setbacks when we try to prevent a harmless skinned knee?”

Not Demanding

Permissive -Responsive -Makes few demands and give little punishment -Trusts children rather than monitors Child feels: indulged but overwhelmed

Authoritarian

Uninvolved

-Demanding but not rep sonsive -Impose rules and expect obedience, enforce commands with rewards, without explanation for rules

-Unresponsive -Does not monitor and of fers little active support -Neglectful -Detached -Indifferent

Child feels: Shame

Child feels: Ignored and un- important Information compiled from BetterParenting.com

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High Tide

opinion

Around Parents, increase your airspace Redondo So-called helicopter parents are impairing their child’s development As some Editorial researchers put

What do you think about helicopter parenting?

Compiled by Carmen Hamm Photos by Megan Contreras

“

Sometimes it’s necessary, if you lose your parents’ trust you’ve got to get it back somehow.

”

-Joseph Washington, 11

“

That’s my mom!

I guess it’s cool unless they push you too much.

”

-Kalena Cienfuegos, 11

it, helicopter parenting creates wusses.

Defined by Brigham Young University as the over-involved habits of parents, helicopter parenting is counterproductive to the parents’ goals.

Parents have good intentions. When they bombard their child’s teacher with emails or research their homework for them, they do it out of love. This love, however, has the opposite of its intended effect: according to a study by the Mid-South Sociological Association, helicopter parenting breeds underdeveloped coping skills, increased anxiety and depression, a sense of entitlement, and a lack of life skills.

Parents need to take a step back.

Their overinvolvement has proven detrimental to both students’ education and well-being, a trend that teachers have noticed has increased over the years.

According to RUHS teachers, parents

have become more involved in their children’s education, but have neglected to do so correctly. By never allowing their child to fail or face challenges on their own, children never learn how to advocate for themselves.

This phenomenon does not stop after high school graduation.

According to former Stanford dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, it extends into college, which is even more dangerous as more young adults are incapable of living independently. She, along with other deans and professors, have noted a dramatic increase in the involvement of college students’ parents in matters that should be handled by the students themselves. This includes emailing professors regarding their child’s grades, calling the school to check up on their child and attending class with their child.

A study by Brigham Young University concluded that parents stepping infor

their child negatively affects the child’s self esteem and academic performance.

The increase in mental health problems, specifically anxiety and depression, can be associated with children who have helicopter parents.

This generation is often afraid to fail and avoids taking risks. Many teenagers and young adults struggle to manage the everyday bumps in the road because they have been pandered to by their parents. This parenting strategy is misguided and short-sighted; parenting should aim to grow a child who is capable of being a functional adult.

Instead of hovering and making decisions on their child’s behalf, parents should empower them to make good choices for themselves rather than remain dependent on their parents. And instead of accepting the easy path and relying on their parents to solve all of their problems, students should grow up.

“

When it comes to learning about life parents should allow their kids to experience failure.

”

-Emily Bodkin, 12

“

Overprotective parents are doing their kids more harm than good.

”

-Drew Esser, 12

“

I think they don’t let their kids be themselves.

”

-Alexis Hereert, 10

“

ILLUSTRATION BY ALINA BIESCHKE

I don’t like that.

My problems are my problems, I should solve them myself.

”

-Miles Lund, 9

Yes

6

Editorial Board vote

To have their children develop fully, ‘helicopter parents’ need to put airspace between themselves and their kids.

No

1

Nov. 20, 2015

page 7

opinion

Letters to the

A prickly problem

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: Yasmeen El-Hasan; Stella Gianoukakis Managing Editor: Vaidehi Gandhi News Editor: Lizzie Fauver; Shaniya Markalanda Opinion Editor: Christopher Paludi Features Editors: Zach Hatakeyama; Caterina Hyneman; Jon Mallen; Samaya Rubio; Reema Saad Sports Editors: Jessica Johnson; Adam Yorke Design Editors: Shawn Mallen; Grace Zoerner Writing Editors: Kayla Nicholls; Amanda Shaw Photo Editor: Ted Cavus Copy Editors: Micah Ezzes; Carmen Hamm Online Editors: Romy Moreno; Mylene Silver Illustrators: Alina Bieschke; Luma Wegman Staff Writers: Gianna Aquilina; Cass Anderson; Brittany Baker; Mia Berger; Ben Brill; Malek Chamas; Reem Chamas; Jasmine Dube; Micah Ezzes; Miriam Farah; Yasamin Fazeli; Jason Fong; Dina Ghanim; Kelly Harraka; Hannah Hastings; Patrick Henry; Kayla Hiken; Shyanne Landers; Gerika Macalino; Tanner McEveety; Eden Millan; Micky Munns; Davina Nguyen; Austin Nunis; Faith Petrie; Hayley O’Connor-Rigby; Luke Peterson;Justin Pioletti; Samaya Rubio; Summer Saad; Angie Tait; Simrun Ursani; Lulu Weg-man; Kylie Yorke; Erika Zlatkin Photographers: Syd Alli; Samantha Bendall; Angel Blanquel; Megan Contreras; Elise DiPaola; Sander Fink; Hiroki Goto; Ilene Guerrero; Anam Khan; Serena Maanum; Gisela Pedroza; Faith Petrie; Laua’e Schweitzer; Keiko Shingu; Nita Villas; Karen Vuong; Ania Webb This is a wholly student-managed, designed, and written newspaper that focuses on the school and community..

Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist.

PHOTOS BY MITCH ZIEGLER AND TED CAVUS

Micah Ezzes

To keep student donors coming back, ensure those taking blood do so more smoothly

As I reclined in my seat, patiently waiting for my blood to be drawn in the small gym, I decided to make some small talk with the man taking my blood, a pleasant, 20-something Asian guy. We got to talking about how he got into the medical profession. He was relatively new, as he had just graduated college.

“So how long have you been doing this?

Taking blood, I mean?” I asked.

He checked his watch, smiled sheepishly, and replied, “About 45 minutes.”

Well, at least he was honest.

Needless to say, my donation did not go well the day of the blood drive last Spring.

Without getting too graphic, it was an unpleasant experience that was more painful than it needed to be.

As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one who had such an experience at that blood drive.

Senior Frank Guerrero had a similar time.

The person taking his blood missed his vein multiple times, and subsequently stabbed at his elbow multiple times. Unsurprisingly, Guerrero had the same person as I did.

If these were the only two cases I’d heard of, I would chalk the incidents up to an inexperienced phlebotomist and leave it at that.

However, another student (who wished to

remain anonymous) had the needle jammed through his vein and into his muscle tissue, and it was a painful process to get it out. This was not the same man who took my blood — this was a middle-aged woman.

I don’t expect every phlebotomist to be a master at drawing blood — after all, nobody’s perfect, and everyone has to start somewhere. However, the last people to mess up on are the young, impressionable teenagers of a high school.

Many of the people donating blood at the blood drive last Spring were first-time donors, not unlike the 38% of people who are first-time donors at Red Cross blood drives. (http://arcblood.redcross.org/new_site/ quick_facts.htm) The importance of getting it right on these first-time donors is immense; That first experience can seriously affect whether or not the person will donate again.

As a person who has donated multiple times and is unaffected by needles, a bad experience doesn’t bother me too much. But what about the person who is terrified of needles, who decided to overcome their fear for the sake of other people? The incompetence displayed very well could scare them away, turning what should’ve been a noble dona-

tion into an unnecessary, painful experience.

A majority of the people who went to the blood drive had an easy, smooth donation, and I don’t mean to insinuate that my experience is the only such situation people had.

Having said that, simple mistakes like the ones mentioned above can be easily avoided, and can scare away people from donating again. My doctor has drawn my blood before, and I’ve had multiple surgeries in which I was given an IV by an anesthesiologist these people can do it in her sleep. Why can’t they get people like that? How hard could it possibly be to get people to draw blood who haven’t been doing it for 45 minutes?

This isn’t a PSA to avoid the blood drive this December, and this shouldn’t be considered an affirmation of how bad needles are, to those of you who are afraid of them. It’s merely an observation that of all the people to make a good impression on, it should be high schoolers, people who could be donors for life.

I will be donating blood at the drive myself. I have faith in the system and the school’s ability to get qualified professionals, and all in all, giving blood is the right thing to do. That said, my fingers will be crossed when I sit down in that chair again.

Don’t pull the trigger Classroom conversation and curricula should not be censored by misguided ‘trigger warnings’ Christopher Paludi College campuses used to be utopias for discussion. However, today many classrooms of higher education are subject to the student-driven push for ‘trigger warnings,’ alerts that some students believe teachers should use to preface potentially discomforting material. They believe this will protect students and create a safer classroom environment.

But while nobly intentioned, this push for trigger warnings is misguided and counterproductive.

Assistant Principal Jens Brandt observes that whether or not you are exposed to potentially controversial or uncomfortable situations or content, “you’re going to deal with issues throughout your lifetime that are going to make you uncomfortable. [This exposure] is also preparation for life in general.”

He’s right. To grow up sheltered is to grow up unprepared for the world, and life isn’t going to give you trigger warnings.

Classrooms are safe spaces for discussion of disquieting subject matter. But for students to truly learn, a safe space cannot be transformed into an overprotective or trepidatious one. Students should be challenged, not sheltered.

“The best type of learning typically exists in an environment I call ‘productive struggle,’ where students are challenged mostly intellectually but also on a social-emotional level as well,” Brandt said.

Trigger warnings that insulate the student from anything potentially uncomfortable impair that student’s ability to grow intellectually and personally. If there is a situation where a student feels uncomfortable

or unsafe as a result of a discussion or book, that student should of course be helped to feel comfortable and safe, but not at the expense of other students’ educations.

According to Brandt, “the majority of students are either open-minded enough, understanding enough, empathetic enough, to be willing to discuss most issues.”

While this is apparently not the case at many college campuses, with the majority of kids at RUHS, I’ve found this to be true.

Largely thanks to our teachers, our classroom culture is one that facilitates reasonable discourse and even productive disagreement between students.

This is not a campus that needs trigger warnings, and if this movement continues to grow, we should keep it out of our classrooms.

page 8

High Tide

features

Pilgrimage to the

pope Seniors Sara Bertan and Raymone Radi met Egyptian pope

by Vaidehi Gandhi She had ten seconds. She had ten seconds to say something, anything. When the moment finally came, all she could think to say was thank you. She thanked him because he was an inspiration to her, her family, and her church community. She thanked him for coming to a foreign country to bless all of his worshippers. Senior Sara Bertan, along with her youth group from St. Mercius & St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church, thanked Pope Tawadros II for his presence in Los Angeles.

When Bertan finally stood in front of the Egyptian pope after two hours of waiting, she felt him stare “straight into her heart.”

“I felt a rush of excitement with a bit of anxiety because I was about to meet one of the holiest people. Once he entered, I got the chills and I could see that everyone in the room did too because we were all in his holy presence,” she said. “I felt blessed and in pure bliss afterwards.”

She was both excited and nervous, deliberating what she would say to him.

“I was glad to get a chance like this. I was anxious because I didn’t know what I would say when I got to him. Do I ask him to pray for me or say I love you Pope Tawadros or that was great or just a simple thank you?”

Bertan said.

Bertan did not expect to meet the pope until she was thirty or forty years old.

“When I heard that he was coming to Los Angeles, I felt that this was the biggest opportunity given to me and one I had to take. I left school early to see him because this was such a great opportunity,” Bertan said. “I felt a rush of excitement and and a bit of anxiety because I was about to meet one of the holiest people.”

Senior Raymone Radi also met Pope Tawadros through the same church group as Bertan and greatly admired the previous pope, Pope Shenouda III. “He was probably the best man in the world; he held the conservative values that you’re supposed to with religion but he had no hatred in him whatsoever. Ex-convicts, gay people and murderers would come to him and he would be so open to everyone, but he did not accept everyone,” Radi said.

“He knows what the real, good values are but

he also knows how to treat everyone with love and respect.”

Still, Radi believes the only difference between the two popes is experience.

“He spoke to us for a long time—he’s a humble, wise, respecting man and everything he said was a good message.”

Radi has the “utmost respect” for the pope and for his religion.

“The way [popes] act, the way you see them, the way they approach people in their lives, is inspiring because they are open and accepting of everyone, which is kind of hard to do,” Radi said.

Bertan finds that her religion guides her every day.

“Religion has played a huge part in my life and guided me to the person I am today,” Bertan said. The people I share [my religion] with bring out the good in each other. I go by my belief that God will always be there for you as long as you try your best to do what’s right.”

Bertan occasionally attends youth groups consisting of people between eighteen and thirty-five years old and enjoys going to church.

“We walk, eat, play games, do sports, and just have a good time together. One of my favorite things about church is the long-term friendships I’ve made. We can be so serious with religion, learn, and be advised about things, but we also have fun through trips and outings,” she said.

Her youth group signed up to meet the pope at a church in Anaheim; they were told of his visit a month in advance.

“We commemorate his name in almost every mass and I watched the event where he was chosen to be pope. I didn’t think too much about him as a person before since I was so excited to simply meet him,” Bertan said.

Even though she did not sit and talk to the pope personally, Bertan considered standing in front of him a “huge blessing.”

“When I met him, he wasn’t stern at all.

I was intrigued by a lot of what he said because it was straightforward, applicable advice. I was also amazed at how quickly he answered each question; he didn’t think twice about his answers,” she said.

“The wisdom just flowed right out of him.”

The pope’s opinion and advice on sin stood out to Radi.

“He gave us an analogy of a little boy and learning how to walk. That boy always falls down but he gets 2. back up and that’s

what a good Christian should do. You should always fall, but be able to get back up,” he said. “It was an honor to meet a man that I’ve heard a lot about and truly respect.”

Bertan was also inspired by the “relatable” advice Pope Tawadros gave during his speech.

“The pope is just such a genuine and humble person,” she said. “He said that God gave you two eyes in the front for the present and future, not one in the back to constantly dwell on the past. So don’t hold grudges against people and, instead, be forgiving and move forward.”

Driven by faith. 1. Bertan takes a gift from Pope Tawadros II

after waiting in line to see him. He brought key chains with a cross on them and gifted them to everyone who saw him. Unlike Catholic countires, who only have Pope Francis as their pope, Orthodox Christians have either popes, bishops, or other hierarchial figures assigned the each sect of the religion. 2. Pope Tawadros cracks jokes during his speech. Ushers checked everyone’s identification cards and allowed them to choose their seats after. People present were not allowed to share their locations for the pope’s safety. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARA BERTAN

1.

Nov. 20, 2015

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features

Hit me with your best shot. 1. Varsity players pose for

a picture before going to practice.

2. Varsity player, sophomore Hero Cox, shoots the putt into the goal. “He’s a really good player and he has a lot of skill.

Players all have their strong points whether you’re a really good skater or if you’re a really physical player or you’re very skilled. Hero has speed and skating and skill and he scores a lot of goals for us,” Sklarenko said. “He’s a slick player.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NICHOLAS SKLARENKO

1.

Kings of the ice rink History teacher Nicholas Sklarenko pursues his passion for hockey by coaching Varsity and JV hockey at RUHS

2.

by Luke Peterson A line of hockey players glides across the ice in unison towards the opposing goal with the puck in their possession. The coach screams orders from the sidelines as the puck is shot past the goalie into the back of the net, sending the team into a frenzy.

Nicholas Sklarenko, history teacher and hockey coach, passes on his passion for the sport to his players.

“Just being enthusiastic is important,” Sklarenko said. “Showing that you care and that you’re willing to help the kids succeed is something that I try to do every time we get together. I hope I do that in the classroom; it’s something I bring to the ice as well.”

According to sophomore Connor Matthews, Sklarenko creates a supportive environment for the club.

“I was able to get to know players from both of the teams, and I was able to get to know the coach really well, too. It made me want to play better,” Matthews said.

Sklarenko is returning as coach of the school’s JV and Varsity hockey team for the third year. The season officially wstarts this March, and the team will begin practicing in February.

“A lot of the players are returning and I’m familiar with them,” Sklarenko said. “Having now done it a couple of seasons, I know who I have in terms of personnel. It just comes down to coming to practice.”

He notes that the competitive season the players participate in before they play for RUHS influences the way he coaches them.

“I try to emphasize that I want them to have fun out there. After a long, grueling, intense travel season, this is sort of their fun season where they play with their friends,” Sklarenko said.

Sklarenko makes his affection for coaching the team clear when they strive for success on the ice.

“They’re always excited. Everyone wants

to score goals. I get excited, but for me I’m just happy for them. It’s not about me it’s about them. They’re the ones on the ice,” Sklarenko said.

Sophomore Hirotaka Kumagami explains how Sklarenko’s coaching style focuses on constructive feedback.

“He points out things about our game in a supportive way, not an angry one,” he said.

Kumagami also believes Sklarenko’s positive, encouraging mindset is beneficial for the team.

“He’s pretty good at getting us pumped up,” Kumagami said. “ He’s also good at getting us in a light mood if we’re down.”

Sklarenko’s passion for hockey reaches beyond what the school has to offer.

“I play in a couple of adult leagues; it’s a great hobby. That’s usually my Saturday and Sunday nights, at a hockey game,” Sklarenko said. “I’ve met so many friends through these leagues so it’s fun to get together with

the students and enjoy the sport we all like in a fun environment.”

Sklarenko uses his connections in the leagues he plays in to gain insight on effective ways to coach.

“I know other coaches and I talk to them.

I’ve done this now for a few years; you learn on the job. I think I have a pretty good handle on it now,” Sklarenko said.

Sklarenko makes his appreciation for the team evident.

“The most valuable thing is for them to get some playing time together as a group,” Sklarenko said.

Sklarenko correlates coaching the school’s hockey teams to teaching his own classes at RUHS. “They’re good kids. They’re easy to work with, and I’m a teacher, so I’m working with students everyday,” Sklarenko said. “It’s like an extension of that through a sport that we all enjoy.”

Spanish teacher Jamie Fernandez studied in Spain for six months

by Kelly Harraka Taking a different approach to learning new languages, Spanish teacher Jamie Fernandez spent six months studying abroad at Center for Modern Languages at the University of Granada in Spain.

Fernandez noticed the contrasts in lifestyles between American and Spanish cultures.

“It was difficult adjusting to the time zone and their way of life. For example, they ate very small dinners at nine pm and breakfast consisted of a piece of toast and hot chocolate. I had to go home from school every day for lunch and then return to school after lunch,” Fernandez said. “The family that I

lived with was very nice, but they kept themselves. It was difficult because I didn’t know anyone.”

Spain has a lot of history embedded into the country since there are historical buildings that are still standing. The streets are made of stone and people wak instead of drive.

“Returning to the United States was difficult at first because I had grew accustomed to Spanish life. For example, I walked about six miles a day in Spain and was always outside.

I missed how everyone walked everywhere and spent a lot of time outside in their city,” Fernandez said. “I also brought back a new

sense of confidence and accomplishment because I had lived in a foreign country for half of a year without initially knowing anyone, which was very difficult at first.”

While in Spain, Fernandez got close with the people she interacted with while she stayed there.

“In Spain I met a ton of new people and even went to some of their weddings when they got married later on. I traveled with them while in Spain and visited Portugal, Morocco, and Italy but don’t keep in contact with many of them anymore,” Fernandez said.

Even though the experience is over, Fer-

nandez keeps her hopes high to go to Spain again. However, visiting a place and living there are two completely different things and at this point there isn’t a set decision on whether she’ll be able to go back.

“I would not live there unless there was a need for me to,” Fernandez said, noting that her trip was only to improve her Spanish.v Throughout her stay in Spain, Fernandez was able to further strengthen her understanding of Spanish while immersing herself in the culture.

“The experiences in general impacted me and opened my eyes to the world and what it has to offer.”

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High Tide

Under the spotlight Capper and Michelson sisters modeled in a photoshoot for clothing brand Eden’s Laundry

by Kylie Yorke Lights shine from all angles on senior Marley Capper as she takes a deep breath and strikes pose after pose. The steady click of the camera’s shutter is interrupted by a fit of giggles coming from behind the photographer, and suddenly her friends Lexi and Haley Michelson are by her side, easing the pressure of being in the spotlight.

“I think that whenever you’re in front of people, you’re heart just starts to race whether you want it to or not,” Lexi said “But we were all embarrassed or nervous together.”

Two weeks ago, Marley, Lexi and Haley went down to F40 studios to do a photoshoot for the launch of teen clothing brand Eden’s Laundry, and experienced what it’s like working in front of a camera.

“I had a lot of fun with it,” said Lexi.

“There’s something about modeling that’s just really fun and nerve racking at the same time.”

Although this is their first time modeling, Lexi says she’s always wanted to be in front of the camera, in one way or another.

“I’ve always wanted to get into commercials, but in modeling you get to more like yourself,” she said. “You can have your own style instead of reading off a script.”

Eden Feeley, the owner of the company, made sure all the models could express themselves, and gave them freedom to style their outfits how they wanted.

“You can have a lot of individuality in modeling,” Lexi said. “We could pick out our own hats, accessories, and anything we wanted to wear with it.”

All of the models were also given freedom in front of the camera, but according to Capper, the lack of instruction can also cause more stress.

“It was nerve racking because they don’t tell you what to do,” Capper said. “Most people think that they pose models, but you just have to make your way through a bunch

of different poses, and whatever action shot they like best is what gets posted.”

Lexi agrees, and admits it was difficult to know what pose to do because “you don’t know what the photographer is looking for.”

“I’m really good at following the rules, so following instruction was easy,” Lexi said. “It was when we had to think of things ourselves that we felt more pressure, because we had to already know what we wanted to do.”

Capper admits that modeling can sometimes become a competition, and it’s especially “intimidating” when you have and audience.

“It’s kind of competitive because you’re trying to be the best, or the fiercest, or the most photogenic, and everyone is standing around the camera watching you.”

Because the photoshoot was for the launch of a website, girls of all different shapes and sizes were brought in to figure out what body type best fit the look the company was going for.

“There were all different types of girls there and you don’t know what they’re looking for,” Capper said. “A lot of them were super skinny, but Lexi, Haley, and I are athletes so we’re built a little bigger.”

Throughout the shoot, Lexi started to compare herself to some of the girls who had been modeling for a while, and it dropped her confidence.

“Everybody feels like they need to be skinny,” Lexi said. “Being surrounded by all those models made me self conscious about my athletic frame and I started to think I looked fat.”

However, she gained back her confidence when she realized that she does not necessarily want to be ultra thin.

“I realized that that’s just who I am, and because I’ve played volleyball my whole life I have this athletic stature, and that’s okay,” Lexi said.

Fashion Facts An overview of the industry

Once she focused on herself, she says the experience actually made her more self confident because the people on set supported her.

“It was a really big confidence booster,” she said. “Having people encourage you and telling you that you look great creates a really friendly and supportive atmosphere” According to Haley, even if somebody does not feel confident at the beginning, acting more confident than a person is can help them feel more comfortable in front of the camera.

“Sometimes you just have to fake it ‘till you make it, and go in with confidence because everybody feels the same way as you,” she said. “If you fake it, the pictures will turn out great and they won’t know the difference.”

Lexi and Haley have both expressed interest on continuing to model after high school as a hobby. Capper wants to continue pursuing modeling during her last year of high school as well.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, so it was really cool to finally get to do it after so long,” she said. “I’d like to do at least

Most models start their career at 16.

Top paid models include Gisele Bundchen, Cara Models employed by 18% of models are self Delevingne, and Adriana agencies on average make employed and take freelance Lima. In 2014, they made $42,560 per year. or part time jobs. $44 million, $9 million, and $9 million respectively.

Model Magic. The

Michelson sisters and Capper are waitiing for a callback from Eden’s Laundry. If they get the callback, they will participate in another photoshoot. PHOTO COURTESY OF EDJESHOP, EDENSLAUNDRY, AND IRONVAULT

two or three more shoots before senior year is over, because it gets harder and more competitive as you get older.”

Like Capper, Lexi says she had always wanted to try modeling, and is grateful for her opportunity to do it alongside her best friends.

“It’s crazy seeing people like Gigi Hadid and thinking that you’re doing the same thing they’re doing.” Lexi said “It’s really cool to be able to do something that you could only imagine yourself doing.”

Fashion models typically have careers that last three seasons, according to the New York Times Modeling agents and managers usually take 10 to 20 percent of models’ earnings.

INFORMATION FROM ABC NEWS, PBS, AND FORBES

Nov. 20, 2015

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features

Spinning her way to winning Sophomore Sadie Granger has won figure skating and group synchronized skating chapionships

by Erika Zlatkin Sophomore Sadie Granger steps onto the sparkling ice with all eyes trained on her. She tries hard to focus on her skating and tune out other thoughts and noises.

The eyes of six judges examine every twirl and jump from each end of the rink.

She finishes her routine and the uproar from the crowd fills her eardrums.

Granger has won the 2014 Figure Skating Regional Championships and the 2013 Synchronized Skating Pacific Coast Championships with her team “Fusion.”

She has been committed to skating for six years and has a passion for figure skating, which requires a lot of devotion.

“Never giving up is a huge one [lesson],” Granger said, “Because if you don’t give 100% effort then there’s no point in even doing it.”

Granger practices daily, whether it’s a double turn or a whole routine. She devotes roughly 15 hours per week to skating, going to the rink many early mornings before school and attending practices after school. One drawback for Granger is that skating takes away from her school life.

“It’s hard to balance school and skating but you just have to make it work which sometimes means late nights doing homework,” Granger said.

According to Granger, she can become overwhelmed with her workload and skating routines and it is a “constant struggle” to manage them, but she somehow gets things done.

“It helps me physically to stay in shape, and mentally it helps me learn life lessons and it helps me forget about hard things that I get to take my mind off of,” Granger said, “It makes me forget everything else. When I’m skating, that’s the only thing that’s on my mind.”

Granger says she leaves all other problems behind her when she steps onto the rink by focusing on the task at hand and constantly thinking of skating steps. She thinks of skating in a positive light despite facing some anxiety leading up to pressured competitions.

“It takes lots of practice and you basically just have to practice your jumps and spins and go extra hours every week leading up to the competition. It’s hard because before competitions I get stressed out and then start to fall on everything and perform worse, but it works out in the end,” Granger said.

After weeks of practice it all boils down to the one shot she gets in the “energy-filled” rink with other skaters, either competing as solo performance or in teams.

“There are a lot of people, a lot of sparkles, and it’s really loud,” Granger said, “There’s always music playing and people are always

talking, screaming, and cheering.”

The environment at figure skating competitions is “hectic and enjoyable.” With the help of her coaches, Granger stays calm before her performances.

She usually feels stressed, but at the same time she feels “important because there are a lot of people there to watch you and it makes you feel good.”

“It’s definitely a challenge to build up the courage to step out on the ice in a competition,” she said. “You basically just have to keep telling yourself you can do it and that you can succeed, you just have to try.”

When Granger is overwhelmed on competition days, she focuses on her routine and plays it out in her head to ease the stress.

The work she puts into being better pays off, earning her numerous wins.

“I feel excited, as though I accomplished something and all the stress leading up to it finally payed off,” Granger said.

Granger is thankful for her coach, Jenny Hendrickson.

“I guess I am a mentor in a way,” Hendrickson said. “I teach her mentally how to be strong and be a source of moral support so she has me there for her when she might be nervous or frustrated when she has competitions or testing because she can’t get a certain jump right away.”

Hendrickson helps Granger when she is

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SADIE GRANGER

Blades of Glory. Granger practices for 15 hours each week. Despite the time commitment and her efforts to balance school with skating, Granger enjoys it for the life lessons, exercise, and friends she makes.

stressed from school or frustrated when she doesn’t make her mark. Granger said she is not only her coach, but her friend.

“As for the coaches, you definitely form a close bond because you’re with them a lot and they teach you everything you need to know about skating but they also help you with actual outside life,” Granger said. “If you’re not having a good day, they’ll give you tips and calm you down, especially when taking stress out of competitions.”

Hendrickson communicates with Granger when she feels stressed out at competitions. In practices, Granger “does not give up” and is very strong and lighthearted. In

addition to being close to her coach, the time she puts in on the ice brings her closer to her teammates.

“I definitely made a lot of friends through skating,” Granger said. “Since skating is such a rare sport, the friends you make share such a common interest with you and you bond so well.”

Granger believes that with the right mindset and hard work, she can become very successful amongst the skating community.

“Figure skating gives me something to do and it motivates me to never give up,” Granger said. “It motivates me just to keep succeeding.”

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Nov. 20, 2015

High Tide

features

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features

Home away from home

Katie McCarthy and Gianna Aquilina volunteer at soup kitchens

by Amanda Shaw

Helping hands. Volunteers gather around a piano at the church. “Oftentimes, [the

ILLUSTRATION BY KAITA PANNOR AND JOSEPH BIESCHKE

A

homeless people] join us in song,” Darling said. PHOTO COURTESY

dorning name tags and aprons, filling up drinks and serving hot meals to the hungry, and socializing and joking with new and familiar faces alike, senior Katie McCarthy and sophomore Gianna Aquilina have gained many humbling experiences through their volunteer work in soup kitchens.

“People think that homeless people are scary or smelly, and sometimes they do smell, but they’re really sweet too and they want to know you and you want to know them. I enjoy making them feel important because they don’t get that all the time,” McCarthy said. “They love hearing about my life, and I get to hear about theirs. Whenever they said ‘I’m really proud of you’ or ‘Keep doing that’ I feel like I’m making them proud and doing things they can’t do because of the situation they’re in.”

Getting to know the homeless people in between servings and clearing dishes, Aquilina and McCarthy have formed attachments with a few.

“There is one guy who comes in every week and he always sits at whichever table my friend and I are serving. He makes the funniest jokes and he’s so happy even though he’s gone through so much,” Aquilina said. “He was even trying to help us clean up and stuff afterwards.”

While forming new relationships can be one of the most rewarding parts of volunteer work, los-

# of homeless teens

IN THE COUNTRY

IN LOS ANGELES

IN THE SOUTH BAY

7,000 68% teens are

Of the homeless population...

2500000 2000000 1500000 1000000 500000 0

ing a familiar face is always difficult.

“I’ve gotten close with a lot of people there, and one little boy volunteers with us but his family goes there also because they can’t really afford food. It’s sad because sometimes he’ll try to take extra desserts and it’s hard to get mad at him. His grandfather passed away a few months ago so it hit us all hard,” McCarthy said. “We knew him and he went there. That’s happened a few times recently and it’s especially weird when it’s someone who just the week before was hugging you or saying that you were their favorite waitress, and then they’re just gone. And it’s easier for them to die because they’re on the streets and have less money.”

In addition to the passing of regulars, McCarthy and Aquilina are often exposed to tragic situations, which make them further appreciate the luxury of their own lives.

“The saddest thing I’ve seen was when a family came in and there was a little girl and a little boy with this woman. The woman was in a wheelchair, and there was a lot of stuff on her wheelchair and the fact that she was homeless with her kids made me sad to think that that’s how people live. I can’t imagine being like that,” Aquilina said.

Not only are many families with young children in difficult financial and living situations, but many also face painful injuries due to a lack

2006

2010

2013 INFORMATION FROM LA TIMES

homeless

INFORMATION FROM NEON TOMMY

33%

are involuntarily homeless have a mental illness

of medical insurance or availability of proper medical care.

“The other day, one of the regulars that came in lifted his shirt and he had a giant gash down his stomach with staples, not stitches. He got stitches [later] and got it taken care of, but that’s someone I see every week and it was scary to see because I’m interested in medicine and I couldn’t believe it. It must’ve been so painful,” McCarthy said.

Both girls hope to continue volunteering in the future, and enjoy the positive impact the soup kitchens have had on their mindsets and lifestyles in general.

“It’s a really good environment and a really good way to interact with the people there. It’s really cool seeing them around in the town. I’ll see some of them sometimes and say hi,” McCarthy said. “People are afraid of homeless people and they shouldn’t be.”

Dissolving their preconceptions about the inferiority of many homeless people, the volunteer work has taught them to be grateful for the luxury of their own everyday lives.

“I’ve learned to be humble and grateful for what I have. Before I started doing this, there would be times where I would be like ‘I want this for lunch’ and I would be mad if I didn’t get my way. But these people, even if they don’t like it they’ll take it and they’ll be grateful for it. They’ll literally have an orange and they’ll be so thankful,” Aquilina said. “I love doing it because it keeps me thinking about how lucky I am.”

Number of people living in cars

2013: 2015:

70

120

INFORMATION FROM THE BEACH REPORTER

OF ANDREA PEREZ

Local organizations help feed the homeless

by Yasi Fazeli

The doors open at 11 in the morning and a group of 100 homeless men, women, and children rush into the church eager to eat and socialize. A pianist fills the room with music and soon every diner is singing along.

Donna Darling and Andrea Perez, two members of the Riviera United Methodist Church, lead the church’s program that provides meals for the homeless on every fifth Saturday.

Over the past two years, the number of homeless people in the LA county has increased by almost 12 percent, yet many people still choose to ignore the growing issue.

“Many people just don’t want to be bothered. Out of sight out of mind. They don’t want them on the streets because it probably just reminds them that these poor and homeless people do exist,” Darling said. “They don’t know how to help them. They want someone to do something, but just think that they can’t do it because it’s too hard.”

Perez adds that many people may be scared to help out as well.

“A lot of the homeless can be belligerent.

Many are mentally ill and it can be difficult to help them out,” she said.

Many people simply don’t know how to help. Perez suggests that those who seek to help out the homeless population can start by helping out organizations that provide services for them, such as churches or homeless shelters in the area.

“The only way we know how to help them for sure is to feed them. As for other things such as housing, there needs to be an entire community or county-wide effort. One church can’t do it alone. It requires a massive amount of money as well,” Darling said.

The Riviera United Methodist Church’s program that feeds the homeless began about 20 years ago with two church mem-

bers who were upset by the amount of homeless people in the streets and parks.

“They noticed that a lot of the homeless people were eating in a park down by El Camino College. Neighbors were getting upset because all the homeless were camping out there, so they got together with four other churches and decided that they would provide a bagged meal and a hot lunch on Saturdays,” Darling said.

When the program began, only about 10 people showed up to the meals. But over the years, the four churches who work together to feed the homeless have spread the word and roughly 100 people attend every meal.

“It’s run as a potluck. Every congregation member brings a dish and we put it out on the table and it’s ready to serve. We have girl scouts and boy scouts who volunteer at every meal. It’s kind of a win-win situation because the girl and boy scouts are earning their community service badges, and it helps us because all that young enthusiasm really makes it worthwhile,” Darling said.

Many of the diners arrive in “rickety, old cars” or motor homes, but most arrive on the bus. They come from all over: Redondo Beach, Long Beach, San Pedro and one who regularly travels from North Hollywood.

“We decorate the table nicely every time with cute centerpieces that the girl scouts make. It really makes them feel special. They stay afterwards and socialize, so it’s not just a meal for them. It’s fellowship,” Perez said.

Darling believes that with enough community effort, the rate of homelessness can be reduced.

“These are people who need our care. You cannot just walk by and say ‘Oh, it’s your fault you’re homeless’ because it’s not true at all. It’s just not right ignore it. You need to help,” Darling said.

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High Tide

Mending broken hearts

Teachers reflect on working at schools with high rates of crime and violence

by Miriam Farah The siren blares. A voice from the overhead speaker interrupts the lesson–commotion fills the room. Students scramble to get under their desks. The room goes silent. A lockdown has begun.

Teachers Xóchitl Magnone, Angie Yi, and Michael Smith previously worked at schools with a high rate of violence, suspension, and other problems that may impose a threat to students or cause frequent class discussions. They will always look back on the lessons they learned and the memories they made during their time there.

“I expected students to behave and follow directions which did not happen, so my first year was re-

ally difficult,” Magnone said. “I didn’t know exactly what to do, and they don’t teach you those things in school, so it was really challenging. I learned that in order for them to follow what you’re saying, you have to show that you really care about them.”

Mr. Smith, who taught at a similar tier school for a year as a part of a program at UCLA to earn his under-

graduate and graduate degree, and teaching credential while receiving a stipend to help pay for his education, also found it difficult to handle student´s comments.

“In the beginning I would take it personally and the students would eat off of it, but I realized that wasn’t the best way. It’s really directed at me, but instead, it’s directed at their frustration, so I learned to just not take it personally,” Smith said. “I had students fight in my class, I have had kids try to fight me, and it’s not

What is love?!: One

of Yi’s former students who was under house arrest enjoyed drawing broken hearts during class. At the end of the school year he gave two to Ms. Yi to show his appreciation for her.

ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF ANGIE YI

even about me, it’s about something else that made them get frustrated.”

During Magnone’s seven years of teaching at her former school, her experience helped her realize that students need care and an outlet to voice their emotions.

“When those students feel like people really care about them, they change. We need more care, more resources, more activities for students to actually vent and see each other more,” Magnone said.

Just after earning her teaching credential, Yi was responsible for a classroom of failing students and potential drop-outs. This harsh reality taught her about the reasons for students’ actions.

“I had one student cuss me out because I took away her cellphone. As a first year teacher, I learned very quickly how to pick and choose my own battles and realized a lot of the reasons these kids had to be violent or were disrespectful to authorities is because of what goes on at home or perhaps they feel

like they don’t have support anywhere and they lash out at figures of authority,” Yi said.

According to Magnone, due to gangs being a source of many fights, the school’s attempt to bring an end to the violence had a rocky start. Initially, students refused to wear uniforms but they soon realized the dress code benefited them. “[The fights] usually happen between passing period, lunch, after school, or in the allies. Most of the time, the fights were gang related. Someone would say something about someone else, they made the wrong sign, or wore the wrong collar. That’s why the school started implementing uniforms,” Magnone said.

In addition, other problems including nearby gang activity and shootings, the school’s location negatively affected the classrooms’ learning environment.

“There was a lot of gang activity, and there were a lot of shootings nearby and police cars went by all the time. There wasn’t one or two cars, but up to 20 cars, so the school was constantly under lockdown. It affected the learning because it’s hard to be teaching or learning and hear all this commotion outside,” Magnone said.

Homelessness was another devastating issue Magnone was presented with when she accepted the teaching position at her former school.

“They were not ready and they did not have the materials, they were hungry, not clean, so their priority was not learning at the time. They were usually tired and withdrawn from the class. When [a teacher] found out about a student like that, we talked to the counselors to see if we can give them extra assistance.”

Despite witnessing fights and the homelessness, Magnone was most startled by the parents’ attitude towards their children’s education.

“We had a lot of parents that came to school intoxicated and always screaming and fighting with some of our students.

When I called them to let them know what was happening in class, they told me not to call them anymore because they don’t have time,” Magnone said.

Smith found that the family lives of the students really made a difference in their attitudes. He recalls one student whose dad was arrested and soon after his mom left him. As a result he lived with his grandparents who did not have a lot to support him

Nov. 20, 2015

page 15

features

and as a result the student sold gummy bears class,” Magnone said. draw broken hearts. perience and the lack of support from her Smith also used more engaging learning at school to make some money.

“The student who came to my class had colleagues made her job more difficult.

“There were times when he took out his techniques to keep students interested and the ankle bracelet because he was under “It was hard and I wish I had better supfrustrations at school because of his difficult willing to learn. house arrest; he’s one of my favorites be- port. I had moments where I would break“It made me a better teacher because I cause he was very soft-hearted. He would down because I felt like a failure. There were situation at home. But, through talking to the students, I became to understand more,” couldn’t just go in [the classroom] and ram- draw these amazing pictures and they were moments where I wished I had 20 years of ble off an equation. I had to open up every all of broken hearts,” Yi said. “I think it was experience instead of six months of student Smith said.

However, Smith recalls that some stu- lesson with some kind of hook and I had to reflective of what he went through at home, teaching because I would have known how dents, ,such as the handful in his Calculus show something that was perplexing and so I let him do that because because, for me, to reach out to students. There were times BC classes, with more supportive families engaging,” Smith said. “I realized that at the at least he was at school and not out doing where I wish I had thicker skin and not take end of the day, all students really cared about other crazy things so I did appreciate that.” were able to excel more in their academics. some of the things personally, but I learned In other classes when certain students mostly, is that they want to know that their According to Yi, the lack of teaching ex- a lot,” Yi said. were very disruptive even if teachers sent teacher cares. I think that once the students them outside, they would be sent right back knows that I care and I was trying to help in because administration was concerned them to get them to the next stage of their life, I think that made a big difference.” the students would lose learning time.

Amid all the struggles and hardships, Yi “At my last school, I saw that the administration didn’t really support us and if some- will always remembers the student under house arrest who loved to one threw something in class or if there was ever a fight in class, they would literally go out and call the parents and send the kids right back. It just created a culture where kids kind of realized that they could do whatever they want.There were always distractions, kids wanting to do something, not following the rules,” Smith said.

Regardless of the violence and the difficulties the students who attended the school faced, Magnone remembers one student who beat the odds and was accepted into respected universities.

“She was accepted to UCLA and UC Berkeley, and we were so happy. One day, PHOTO COURTESY OF XÓCHITL MAGNONE she comes to my class, crying, and she tells me she can’t go because she needs to help Heart transplant: 1. Another one of Ms. Yi’s strudent’s drawing of a broken heart. 2. Ms. Magnone atout her mom take care of her siblings. Every tends her students’ senior breakfast; it was one of the last times she shared with her students. ““It was nice time I remember it makes me cry to see this helping the kids. I was basically serving them the food. We [the teachers] were their waitresses that day and girl with so much potential, not being able to were making sure they had fun,” said Magnone. go to college because she has to work,” Magnone said.

Yi worked at her former school for only a year, but in that time she grew as teacher and cherishes her experiences there despite facing difficulties and obstacles.

“I think that the students need attention and love, and I still think about of adolescents are of teens will expe- of teens with dethat school fondly because we overdiagnosed with a rience some form pression evendepressive disor- of depression be- tually develop came so many obstacles together. Refore they reach acute or minor der by age 18 alistically speaking, as a teacher, it readulthood bipolar disorder ally drained everything out of me, but of teens grades reof teens reported of teens reportI will always appreciate the students port being bullied carrying a weapon About ed being in a on school property who kept a positive mindset throughon one or more also suffer from another menfight on school TWO THIRDS in the previous 12 days in the previout that time and cooperated with me,” tal disorder, such as grounds in the months ous 30 days Yi said. past 12 months • dysthemia In order to keep her students payFor youth between the ages of 10-24 • addiction to drugs/alcohol ing attention and learning, Magnone it results in approximateexperimented with different teaching • anxiety of teens with maSUICIDE ly 4,600 LIVES LOST techniques to help her students parjor depression is the third leading • antisocial behaviors EACH YEAR ticipate and excel academically. cause of death “We used to do a lot of gallery walks Evidence suggests that where we put different questions up and they answered those, and I would ask for volunteers and they start opening up. More activities like that, the 1 IN 16 CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS have ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) more students were able to share out loud. We had this connection in class CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS in this country of students age 14 and older who where we were able to let them speak suffer from a serious mental disorder are living with a mental illness freely, share their experiences that DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL relate to the topic we’re covering in INFORMATION FROM SUNDANCE CANYON ACADEMY

Effects of high rates of teenage violence and crime

11%

20%

15%

20%

50%

4 million

17%

12%

page 16

High Tide Up in the air. Polnisch has been flying planes since a young age.

“The first few times you’re flying it’s a little scary when you first come off the ground. It’s the moment you realize you’re actually off the ground in a small plane,” he said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACK POLNISCH

How big, how blue, how beautiful Junior Jack Polnisch is training to get his pilot license

by Gianna Aquilina As he takes off on the runway and starts to come off the ground the doubts about the airplane he’s in get pushed away as he starts to fly.

Influenced by his entire family, junior Jack Polnisch flies airplanes and is one to two months away from getting his pilot’s license. He started learning at the Flight Center in the Torrance Airport.

“I wanted to start flying because I’ve always thought it was really cool to be up in the sky and it’s always seemed like a neat idea,” he said.

Polnish usually flies to places in Southern California like Santa Barbara and San Diego.

His favorite flying experience was when he was flying in southern Utah.

“Flying in Utah was one of the most memorable flights because we were about 800 feet above the ground and you really can’t go any higher than that in the plane but you could see so much. It was really beautiful to see the landscape and mountains,” he said.

Polnisch flies a Cessna 172 which fits up to four people inside. He has his student license which he feels is the equivalent of a permit.

“When you have your student license you cannot fly with any passengers. When you have your private pilot’s license you can.

I’m hoping to get my private license before Christmas,” Polnisch said.

Polnisch became interested in flying from his family members who were pilots.

“My grandfather and my aunt are pilots

and both of my parents were flying planes at some point in their life. It was kind of expected,” he said.

Polnish didn’t start flying planes with the expectation to “love it so much” “I fly airplanes mostly as a hobby but I could totally see myself making a career out of this,” he said.

His mother still gets nervous of him flying even though she used to fly planes.

“Of course I am going to be nervous. I know better than anyone that he is safe but just the thought of him being 5000 feet in the air is still nerve wracking,” his mother, Ms.Polnisch said.

Polnisch is “thankful” that there have not been any accidents or dangerous situations while he’s flying.

“I’m always thinking to myself ‘Is this small thing really not going to fall out of the sky?’” he said.

Polnisch does not have his own plane,

instead he rents planes from the Torrance Airport.

“Whenever you go to fly you dont always have the same plane because they are rentals so you never know if its functioning correctly. You just have to hope that its working and take off,” he said.

His entire family is proud of how determined Polnisch is to get his license.

“He always said that he wanted to fly planes but then one day he just made it a plan and got lessons. It was up to him to find a way to the airport and he never lost his determination,” Mrs. Polnisch said.

Even though there is always a risk, Polnisch never thinks he will stop flying airplanes.

“I feel free when I am flying. I believe that’s why I love to do it. There are endless possibilities as to where you can go,or what can happen. You can do and go wherever you want and nothing is stopping you,” he said.

Buchen’s melody places in national competition

by Kayla Hiken As he begins writing his piece, he reflects the image in his mind and turns it into music on paper.

Sophomore Jake Buchen was recognized as one of the top five finalists out of 162 entries spanning across 40 states in the Jupiter National Student Melody Competition.

In the competition, students ranging from grades 6-12 compose an original 16 bar composition. They submit their composition to be judged and the top five melodies are chosen. Ultimately, one winner is rewarded with a trip to Nashville to be part of the National Association for Music Education.

“My dad, who is a music teacher for the district, told me about [the competition] and encouraged me to submit a melody,” Buchen said. “My dad has always been into music,

and has always encouraged me.”

Buchen’s music interest grew in fifth grade when he joined band.

“I began playing the trumpet, then transitioned to the trombone. Since middle school, I’ve been playing the tuba as my main instrument,” he said.

With little experience in composing music, Buchen didn’t think much of the composition competition.

“I started composing music in 7th grade as something for me to do. I started without any prior information. I gradually got more interested in composition and began to do it more often to get better at it,” Buchen said.

When he started his composition, Buchen experimented with multiple rhythms.

“I was kind of toying around with differ-

ent rhythms, but mostly playing around with upbeat ones. The main rhythm came to me and then I started adding on to it, and it began taking shape,” Buchen said.

While composing, Buchen reached out to band director Raymundo Vizcarra for help.

“During this process, Mr. Vizcarra helped me fine tune my piece. I probably could not be where I am, musically, without his support and encouragement,” Buchen said.

Vizcarra gave Buchen “minor suggestions“ on how to improve his piece.

“Most of it was really good and it sounded great. The majority of it was really good and it sounded great.,” Vizcarra said.

Buchen was surprised to find out he was a finalist.

“I’ve never thought of myself as being su-

per great at composing music. After being recognized at a national level, it has definitely shown me what I’m capable of,” Buchen said.

Vizcarra believes that his success will allow him to take more pride in his music.

“Being picked as one of the five finalists is going to give him that extra confidence knowing that what he’s doing is good that he should continue,” Vizcarra said.

Looking into the future, Buchen sees himself in a career involving music.

“I think composing music is definitely an option for me, but I don’t think I want to pursue it that much in the future. I’ll definitely do something with music but I think I’d rather go into music education or performance,” Buchen said.

Nov. 20, 2015

Survivor

page 17

features

English teacher Aimiee Gauvreau conquers cancer with support from sister

by Dina Ghanim After her birth, her parents were constantly on the lookout for signs of autism, paranoid by the recent diagnosis of their first-born. Their breath of relief was cut short when years later their daughter, and now English teacher, Aimiee Gauvreau, was diagnosed with cancer.

“My cancer made me more aware of how impermanent life is. You don’t really think about dying when you’re twenty; no one does,” Gauvreau said.

Gauvreau is a survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells (www.cancer.org). Forced to take a leave of absence to treat her disease, she spent ten months fighting the illness with chemotherapy.

According to Geauvreau, accepting her past with cancer helps her use her experiences to only get stronger. She seeks to live life to the fullest and keep moving forward in times of hardship.

“Once I was in remission, I tried to look at [my cancer] as something that happened

in the past,” Gauvreau said. “Those are things that should help strengthen you, they shouldn’t be the end of what made you you in your existence.”

Shortly before Gauvreau’s birth, her older sister, Annissa Quraishi, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a condition usually associated with distinctive patterns of behavior and restricted social interaction.

“I think I’ve always had a good outlook on life because of my sister.. I always knew I was really lucky to have a fully functioning brain that can interpret and analyze,” Gauvreau said.

Gauvreau’s parents, Razi and Mary Quraishi, believe that their daughter lead the way for many others who have autism in the public education system.

“When your children are hurt, you feel so powerless. Still, once the diagnosis was official, it gave us something to work toward. We became very proactive in the autistic community,” Mary Quraishi said. “In fact, Annissa was part of the first group of special needs

students to integrate into public high school.

She was a pioneer who opened the doors for more diversity not only in our public education system, but the world too.”

Razi and Mary Quraishi are satisfied with the way that life turned out for both of their daughters. According to them, it is important to accept and move on from life’s difficulties.

“We are very fortunate to have children who are happy, healthy, and generous with their time. Yes, the challenges have been significant, but each obstacle has shown us how important it is to be flexible and tolerant of change, of difference,” Mary Quraishi said.

Gauvreau reflects this belief of taking advantage of life’s every opportunity in her students. “[Annissa] may be why I’m so intense with students in school, because I just feel like they are all so smart and capable of so much.,” Gauvreau said. “Use it, because there are so many people in the world who would give anything to have that capacity.”

Gauvreau believes that hardships in

life make people stronger, but do not define them. She advises her students to push through life’s obstacles.

“Don’t be afraid of obstacles. These things happen to all of us. Yes, I have a sister who needs special attention. Yes, I’ve dealt with a life-threatening illness, but everyone has obstacles. Never give up, and never let them define you,” Gauvreau said. “It really makes me happy with the way that the world is going when I see how focused and capable our young people are.”

Quraishi’s disability also inspires Gauvreau to always try her hardest.

“I was raised with the understanding that I had a sister who would need special attention all of her life. I needed to not only work hard for me, but for my sister as well,” Gauvreau said.

According to Geauvreau, her current life is a reflection of her past.

“Despite the cancer, I wouldn’t change anything,” Gauvreau said. “We are the total sum of our life, and I’m happy with mine.”

Ono attends Japanese language school

by Tanner McEveety Senior Rachelle Ono walks the line between the English and Japanese language every weekend.

Ono attends the Gardena Buddhist Church Japanese Language School every Saturday for four hours. In the beginning years of her schooling, she learned to read and write in Japanese. Now, Ono, currently in her twelfth and final year, is fluent in the language and is preparing for the Advanced Placement (AP) Japanese test and Japanese proficiency exam.

“I think I’ll be fully prepared for the AP exam, so I’m not that nervous,” Ono said. “I’m mor nervous about the proficiency exam because it’s really hard to actually pass.”

Despite these challenging obstacles, Ono still finds enjoyment in learning.

“Learning a new language is always fun,” she said. “And even if you master it, there’s still more to learn.”

According to Ono, she felt uncomfortable at the Japanese school when she first enrolled.

“When I joined the school in first grade, it was weird being around the same ethnic group. At my elementary school, I was the only Japanese girl, so going to a Japanese school felt different,” Ono said.

Learning to read, write, and fluently speak Japanese has assisted Ono during her summer visits to Japan.

“I have family in Japan, and because I

know Japanese, it’s easier for me to communicate with them and understand the culture in Japan,” Ono said. “I don’t feel uncomfortable or out of place being there.”

Ono feels that Japan is not the only place where the school’s teachings have helped her.

“Last year there were a couple of Japanese transfer students. I was able to translate for them and we became friends,” Ono said.

Ono believes that learning a new language has a large amount of benefits. “[If you’re learning a language] you have to spend a lot of time with it and try not to give up on it. You won’t learn anything if you don’t keep going,” Ono said. “In English, you only have the alphabet. I like writing in Japanese because there are a lot of different characters.”

There are 46 basic characters, or Hiragana, and roughly 50,000 modern characters known as Kanji.

“Memorizing the Kanji is the most difficult part of the language” she said. “It feels like there’s millions.”

Overall, Ono believes that what she has learned at the school will be valuable to her future.

“My knowledge of the language could help me in a lot of professions. There are areas where many Japanese people live, so if I worked there it could help me communicate with them,” Ono said.

Japanese 101 Hello

“Kon’nichiwa”

School

こんにちは

学校

Goodbye

Classroom

さようなら

教室

Have a nice day

Teacher

良い一日を

先生

“Sayōnara”

“Yoiichinichiwo”

“Gakkō”

“Kyōshitsu”

“Sensei”

Goodnight

Bathroom

おやすみ

バスルーム

“Oyasumi”

“Basurūmu”

COMPILED BY ZACH HATAKEYAMA

page 18

High Tide

features

Just cosplayin’ around Piornack attends cosplay conventions wearing original and homemade costumes

by Austin Nunis Armed with his hand crafted wooden sword and elaborate costume, senior Zack Piornack steps into the convention center ready to go. He spends his time at the convention with old friends, comparing costumes, and walking down the aisles while looking at drawings of anime characters.

Cosplay, a blend of the words costume and play, is a unique form of performance art where participants, also known as cosplayers, adorn homemade costumes designed to showcase certain fictional characters.

Cosplay is, “mimicking the character and how they talk, how they interact, and of course, their costume,” Piornack said, “You get together and you meet other people that are interested in the same things as you.”

Piornack, who was introduced to the art of cosplay by his friends, has been an active participant for the past three years. During this time, Piornack discovered his love for creating intricate costumes.

“It’s kind of like art. You create something and other people [come together] to appreciate it and tell you what they like about it,” Piornack said.

Often times, Piornack shares his costumes with other cosplayers from all over the world who hold the same appreciation for the complexity of the intricate costumes like he does.

“People come from different countries to go to conventions, so cultures can converse and share experiences,” Piornack said.

Cosplaya: Piornack poses in his

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACK PIORNACK

costume of the “powerful” character Madara from the anime “Naruto.”

Piornack believes that cosplay has really helped him gain a greater appreciation for the Asian culture, especially the Chinese and Japanese languages.

On top of that, senior Mallory Scheidel, one of Piornack’s good friends, believes that cosplay has changed her friend into a bolder and more confident person.

“I think that he’s become less shy,” Scheidel said. “[Cosplay has] definitely brought Zack out of his shell. We’ve also gotten to know each other better.”

Scheidel introduced Piornack to cosplay in the first place and enjoys going to conventions with him, making costumes together and even collaborating in group costumes.

“We started [cosplay] together. I thought it’d be fun if we went to a convention since we both like anime. I now have a friend to go to conventions with and do group cosplay with. There’s a wider range of characters we can play,” Scheidel said.

Piornack still is not sure how cosplay will carry over into his adult life.

“It’s just a hobby. I could go into costume making or design,” Piornack said. “But I probably won’t [make costumes or go to conventions] much in college. I’ll be too busy.”

Though Piornack’s cosplay career may be coming to an end, he still appreciates how much cosplay can change a person.

“I also really love that ordinary people, like me, cosplay a character that transforms their being beyond belief,” Piornack said.

Hernandez finds her purpose through SIC

by Brittany Baker From spreading awareness about disease in the savannahs of Eastern Africa to teaching high-schoolers in the coastal suburbs of Redondo Beach, first year biology and physiology teacher Heidy Hernandez experienced two worlds unlike each other and anything she had seen before in the United States.

After college, Hernandez travelled to Africa for ten weeks to spread HIV/AIDS awareness to those involved in Support for International Change (SIC), a student run organization. Her work involved giving informational speeches to the students.

“It humbled me a lot but it also made me realize how much I wanted to give back to the community,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez credits her time spent in Africa with altering her mindset.

“I a lot of my push and drive is embedded from that experience,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez lived with a homestead family outside the village of Magugu and was

able to experience the unique cultures and lifestyles of the community.

“We literally became one with the village we were with,” Hernandez said.

The arrival of Hernandez and her peers constituted an introduction and exposure to the American culture for many villagers.

“We would go running, and they wouldn’t understand why we ran so it was that culture shock for them and us too because they would run with us and be like ‘what are you running from,’” Hernandez said.

With help from the vilagers, Hernandez experienced a new way of life.

“I would like doing something similar in a different setting, and that trip actually prompted me to seeing and exposing myself to different lifestyles,” Hernandez said.

While tutoring on the side, she realized her passion for working with students.

“I realized that medicine wasn’t my field and it was more just helping youth and being

a mentor for them,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez describes herself as having a quirky personality at times, allowing her to be more relatable to her students.

“I don’t care if I embarrass myself in front of students so as a teacher I think that has helped me because I am very humble in that regard and if I make a mistake I can own up to it,” Hernandez said.

One of Hernandez’s students, junior Joseph Washington, reflects on his experiences in her class.

“Mrs. Hernandez has so many personal stories that relate to our class and help us remember the information,” junior Joseph Washington said.

She is always looking for ways to spark interests within her students to the information she is teaching. According to Hernandez, her interests in movies provide advantages in finding techniques to help the students retain information.

“I’m a big movie buff, and often times I try my best to relate a lot of what I’m teaching to a movie,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez previously worked at a charter school with an enrollment of just over 200 students. The size of the campus influenced how students thought about their school.

“I love it here, the culture is completely different than what I’m used to. There’s much more school pride,” Hernandez said.

According to Hernandez, the attitude among the students at the school she previously worked at differed due to the fact that the students have been together many years.

“The school pride was more of a family feel,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez believes teaching will be the only career option made specifically for her and her interests.

“It keeps me young, my mind sharp, and I’ll never graduate from high school,” Hernandez said.

Nov. 20, 2015

Maguy promotes STEM careers for women

by Ben Brill After attending Tech Trek, a math a science camp for girls, and learning that 88 percent of engineering jobs and 74 percent of computing jobs belong to men, junior Sophie Maguy took initiative to promote STEM careers for young women.

She and other girls that went to camp with her contacted the American Association for University Women (AAUW) and formed a collaboration called Tech Trek Alumni Group (TTAG), that holds events that feature women in math and science careers. Maguy believes that her experiences have expanded her knowledge of the technical world.

“It’s really fascinating because I don’t know how else I would have found out about these [ job opportunities] if it weren’t for Tech Trek,” Maguy said. “I know so much more now.”

While Maguy was a junior counselor at Tech Trek, she gained the knowledge she needed to start her group while educating the young girls about engineering and informing them of all the opportunities pertaining to STEM Careers.

“I was like a mentor to these girls,” Maguy said. “The girls are so fresh and enthusiastic.

They don’t know what they’re going to do with their lives yet so they are open to every-

page 19

features

thing. It’s amazing how much they learned and how much I learned [from them].”

According to Maguy, TTAG gives members the opportunity to join together and grow.

“There’s a lot of people you can just learn from and talk to,” Maguy said. “The conversations are great and you make a lot friends in the process. It’s a good way to meet people and get connected. It’s not all business, we’re like a little community.”

Freshman Amari Turner, a member of TTAG, believes that Maguy is the right leader for the group. leader role because she is confident in what she’s doing and is extremely dedicated to the group,” Turner said. “She is one of the few people who when you first meet them, you know they are going to be a huge success. She puts a lot of effort into expanding the group and is doing a great job at inspiring other teenage girls.”

After organizing her local group for over a year, Maguy sees the all the opportunities for women in the professional.

“Women are so outnumbered in these fields so I’m pushing to increase the number of women in STEM Careers,” Maguy said. “I wanted to be inspired again.”

Number of Males to Females in AP STEM Classes Biology

Chemistry

10 to 23

15 to 29

Calculus AB

Calculus BC

53 to 66

31 to 21

Physics 1

Physics 2

21 to 10

8 to 1 Computer Science

25 to 10 INFORMATION COMPILED BY SAMAYA RUBIO AND REEMA SAAD

page 20

High Tide

sports

Football continues to CIF round two

by Romy Moreno With their win against West Torrance high school last week, the boys have qualified for the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals in back to back seasons; however, they are hoping for a different outcome this time against Oxnard high school tonight.

“It feels great to make it to quarterfinals back to back but we have a different attitude this year,” senior Jay Jackson said.

The team believes that they are in a good enough place as a team to progress farther this season when compared to last.

“It’s a real eye opener; we’re in the second round again and we can go far,” senior Ryan Armalin said. “Last year I don’t think a lot of people were thinking that we should take advantage of that. Most of the team were just out there playing football, not like it were a CIF game.”

To prevent the same outcome, the boys are making sure to brush up on Oxnard’s playing style to be prepared for whatever they may bring to the table.

“They run a similar offense to PV, very run oriented and they will try to pound the ball into us but that’ll only play into the strength of our defense,” senior Jacob Silvera said.

The team belives that they know how Oxanard will play.

“They pretty much have an offense based on runs, and they like to pass too, but it’s pretty simple stuff,” Armalin said. “They are a powerful team, and they’ll pass it once in a while, but we aren’t worried about their receivers.”

There is one major component the team expressed that they will have to focus on when taking Oxnard into consideration as a whole.

One down, four to go. 1. Senior Jay Jackson runs the ball down the field in the game against West last week. PHOTO BY MATT YONEMURA

“Not every team wants to be physical all game but that’s what they want to do, and that’s something we are going to have to adjust to, but it shouldn’t be that big of an adjustment because we are already a physical team,” senior Mike Rubio said.

There is one player on Oxnard that the boys are concerned about.

“Their running back is the main person we’re looking out for because he always keeps his feet moving,” Armalin said.

However, there is one thing that the boys

This season’s

College commits Compiled by Mia Berger

agree on that may hinder their overall performance.

“Malik being out is a big loss, especially for our defensive line where he and Cedric would usually dominate [the other team’s] offensive line which really helped us out,” Jackson said.

Although senior Malik Spencer is out due to an injury, the team still believes that other players will be able to step up and fill that void.

“Jemar Jefferson has been having a great month, he’s been running the ball and our blocking has been doing great for him,” Silvera said. “Hopefully we get the passing game going again.”

Especially with that one “major set back,” the team knows that the most important thing for them to focus on at this point are the minor things.

“We have to focus on all the little things because every little thing can change the game drastically,” Armalin said.

Since the team made it to this point last year as well, they believe that they’ll be able to use that specific experience to their advantage.

“It’s a definite plus that we have a lot of players that did play last year and have been there so they know what it’s going to take,” Rubio said.

Overall as a team they have expressed that they feel the pressure but thrive off of it.

“Every game from now on is the biggest game of the season; if we lose we don’t play anymore and that’s super eye opening; there’s no feeling that can compare to that, you get this adrenaline and you playing like you’ve never played before,” Rubio said.

Alyssa Grijalva

Colorado State University

3

“Although I never dreamt of being at Colorado State. I can’t wait to play at the school I fell in love with that also has such a great athletic program.”

PHOTO 1 COURTESY OF MEGAN RICE PHOTOS 2, 3, 4, 5 BY LAUA”E SCHWEITZER

Norene Iosia

Megan Rice

University of Hawai’i at Manoa

University of California, Santa Barbara

1

“I’m going to have to compete harder to earn a spot at UCSB, but it’s also going to take my competitiveness and passion for the game in the next level which I am super excited about.”

“I’m excited to make new lifelong friends and further my education while at the same time competing at a higher level for a college with the biggest fan base and that’s in my favorite place, Hawai’i!”

4

Kacey Baker

Emily Zargham

Gegorgia Southern University

2

University of Rhode Island

“I always wanted to go to the South, and now I can play at a big, sportsoriented school while improving my personal game at a higher competitiveness with the rest of Georgia Southern.”

5

“I’m going to college with the hope that I will grow as a player and make a diference within the program. College tennis has been my dream since I was seven years old and the fact that I get to play and that it pays for college is the ultimate goal.”

Nov. 20, 2015

page 21

sports

Float on Boys’ water polo team advances to CIF for first time in two years but is eliminated in first round

by Justin Pioletti There’s good news and bad news: the boys placed third in bay league improving upon their usual fourth, and qualified for CIF for the first time in two years. However, in their first game the boys lost 4-18 against Dana Hills, ending their season.

“We ended up playing against the second best team in division two,” senior Cade Bruno said. “Obviously [Dana Hills] was going to be a pretty tough team, so we just gave it our best shot, and tried as hard as we could.”

According to senior Mikey Montelongo, the team realized “going into the game blind” would produce the results they wanted, so they instead evaluated players beforehand.

“Before the game we watched some of the players on Dana, one of them being no.

7, who was one of the fastest and biggest players we’d seen,” Montelongo said. “It was definitely important to do this because our preparation led to a much better game.”

To prepare for the game, the boys watched tapes of the other team’s previous matches in order to adjust to their style.

“We found tapes of a few team’s games, so we practiced quite a bit to adapt to their

Flippin’ their fins.

Freshman Alex Wrightsman passes the ball to a teammate in the game against Costa while dodging the opposing team’s player. The team lost 4-12.

PHOTO BY GISELA PEDROZA

playing method,” senior Daniel McKeown said. “Knowing that they were a leg up on us on speed and counter attacks, we knew it would take serious team chemistry to compete.”

McKeown believes their dedication towards a strong team chemistry derives from head coach Chris Murin’s discipline.

“He made us want to be the best we could be. I think a lot of us matured as players, and became smarter in the pool,” McKeown said.

Wrapping up his second season, Murin has left an evident mark on the team.

“Murin taught us this brand new counter attack system,” Montelongo said. “With our previous coach we usually just branched out in the pool and looked for an open pass. I’m incredibly glad he took the position as head

Down and out

Zargham and Grijalva move on to CIF singles while team is knocked out early in competition

by Angie Tait After a strong season with only a handful of losses, the girls’ tennis team concluded its season after a first-round loss at CIF. The girls faced Oaks Christian in their first and only match of CIF, coming out short with a close score of 8-10.

“We did the best we could with the injuries and sickness we had. Oaks Christian is a great school with a great team, and we knew they were going to be,” senior Emily Zargham said.

Most of the team, though disappointed about a lost opportunity to go to State, was still glad that the score was so close.

“The team played really well against those teams. If we’d won one more set, I believe we could’ve won the match, since we were ahead in our games,” senior Isabella Guzman said.

Sophomore Alena Smith had different thoughts.

“To be honest, I never saw a really promising chance in placing in CIF. We just aren’t that good compared to all the other teams that qualified in Division 1. I mean, we’re still a good team, just not good enough for that kind of competition,” Smith said.

The girls agreed that they were “ecstatic” to qualify for CIF, but the initial excitement seemed to wear off after looking back on the season.

“Leading up to the beginning of CIF, we were all really pumped to play. We’d already had our bite of competition. We’d played so many matches already, it just felt ongoing,” Smith said.

Despite their changing feelings before CIF, the team agrees that the season allowed them all to build on their skills as players, and their intensity as a team.

coach two years ago.”

While head coach, Murin has “changed the program entirely,” teaching the team a system which focuses on faction trainings. “[Murin] puts us in a position where we had to rely on each other, and he’s not afraid to speak his voice and tell us how to change as a group,” senior Spencer Malone-White said. “He complements our strengths, but makes our weaknesses clear.”

Murin’s coaching helps the team improve their flaws.

“One of our weaknesses this year was our weak bench,” Bruno said. “This is because we didn’t have much diversity, as well as players who couldn’t finish or stay aware. But by the end of the season, it had improved due to Murin’s repetition.”

“I’m very proud of the team for always putting in the effort. I am happy with how we ended our season, because we proved to other schools that we are real competition,” Zargham said.

Guzman had similar thoughts.

“I know everyone fought well and wanted to win. Being a senior, I wanted to play my best in potentially my last ever match in high school,and I’m sure the other seniors felt like that too,” Guzman said.

Though some seniors are already reminiscing their past seasons, top singles players Zargham and Alyssa Grijalva will be continuing in the CIF individual playoffs.

“It’s not quite over, but it’s bittersweet. These past four years have been so fun; I’ve met so many great people that shaped me into the person I am today. It won’t be the same not playing on a team with them,” Zargham said.

The team’s development provoked the boys to recognize growth within themselves. ”I felt like I improved a lot on my two meter work, as well as getting my passes on point,” Bruno said. “Plus, expecting what the team’s going to do offensively and defensively after practicing drills over and over really has helped me get in position.”

Although this is the last season for many players, they will look back on their experiences at RUHS positively.

“I’m going to miss everything. The sport, the team and especially my teammates,” McKeown said. “We spend every day for hours on end with these guys and they become family. I only hope the younger guys put their heart into it as much as we have these past years.”

Advantage.

Senior Isabella Guzman hits the ball against a Bishop player scoring a game point. PHOTO

BY LAUA”E SCHWEITZER

page 22

sports

High Tide

Athletes of the Issue: Alyssa Grijalva and Emily Zargham

Double trouble Tennis duo and close friends Alyssa Grijalva and Emily Zargham qualified for CIF

by Serena Maanum Senior Alyssa Grijalva calls the play. She drops a shot which forces her opponent to pop the ball. This allows her other half on the court, senior Emily Grijalva, to smash the ball perfectly, winning the pair a point.

This chemistry has led the Grijalva and Zargham duo to qualify for CIF. “It feels fantastic because we never expected to go this far and it was exciting to make our coaches proud,” Grijalva said.

According to Zargham, it was “really surprising” that they made it because they had only started playing as a team last year.

“We found out we are pretty good together as a team,” Zargham said. “[The coaches] were saying we should try as doubles because Peninsula has some of the top girls in the country,” The coaches at first did not like the idea of them playing as doubles because they wanted each of them to earn more points separately, according to Zargham.

“We started playing doubles in easy matches and did really well, so the coaches decided to try us as a team,” Zargham said.

With two weeks to prepare, the pair plans to work on strategies in the game and to practice together and also individually on the court.

“We’ll play practice matches against our teammates and against other tournament players before,” said Grijalva. “We also have individual practices outside of school,” According to Grijalva, both her and Zargham’s years of experience, their chemistry on the court, and how much they want to win will help them advance far in CIF.

“We’re best friends and on the court, we know when the other is in trouble and we can figure out a way to back each other up in order to win the point,” Zargham said.

They are “an unspoken team,” according to Zargham, as they know what the other is going to do before they do it.

“It’s like we have twin telepathy but we’re not twins,” Zargham said. “We know things like how each other hits the ball so we’re prepared for anything,” Teammate Alina Bieschke sees how the pair interacts and how their “chemistry supports their skill.”

“They’e your ideal ‘dynamic duo,’” Bieschke said. “They have known each other since they were little and are both fantastic players,” According to Grijalva, her “weaknesses are Emily’s strengths” and vice versa, and this has helped them in the game and has played into their success this season. “[Grijalva’s] forehand is way stronger while my backhand is way stronger giving us the ability to dominate from both sides,” Zargham said.

Another reason they believe they can advance far is because their mindset in the game is a little different from other pairs, according to Grijalva.

“We have a lot of positivity and we laugh a lot,” said Grijalva. “[The game] is a lot more fun for us because other teams take it seriously and we do too, but we are able to adjust and laugh it off so certain things don’t affect us,” According to Zargham, when one of them

The dynamic duo.

1. Senior Alyssa Grijalva winds up in Redondo’s match against South. 2.

Senior Emily Zargham follows through in Redondo’s match against El Segundo

1 PHOTOS BY LAUA’E SH­­WEITZER

messes up like not setting up the point correctly, they “don’t get mad at each other,” but get more mad at themselves.

“Tennis is an individual sport,” Zargham said. “But when you’re on the court as a doubles team, you just support each other.”

Grijalva also is “very entertaining” and if they’re ever losing, “she can bring anyone up by singing.”

“She’s no American Idol but she always puts everyone in a good mood,” Zargham said. “She sings songs from the Lion King or Barbie Girl but the song that pumped us up for the tournament was ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber.”

Both Grijalva and Zargham have been playing since they were young. Grijalva was influenced to start playing tennis by her dad and siblings who played the sport.

According to Grijalva, tennis was her way to get into college through a scholarship.

Next year, she will be attending Colorado State University, majoring in physical fitness and also playing tennis.

Grijalva knows in college it will be difficult bal2 ancing school and tennis,

but is used to it because of her additional practice outside of school with her dad.

“It’s going to be different because I’m going to be spending more time on the court and train more,” Grijalva said.

Even though it is difficult to become a professional tennis player, Grijalva still would like to try. If not, she just wants to “have fun with the sport” and play it for the rest of her life.

“We want to be those old people at the county club that go out and just hit,” Zargham said.

Because the pair have known each other for so long, they have accumulated many fond memories. “[Grijalva] has fallen in a trash can a few times at school,” Zargham said. “But in tennis my favorite memory would be when we played Peninsula against the top five nationally ranked players and we beat them,” Grijalva enjoyed their coaches reactions when the two qualified to go to CIF. “Our coaches being impressed that we made it to CIF and telling us they believed in us is my favorite memory,” Grijalva said.

Grijalva will continue playing tennis in college but will miss playing at RUHS,.

“I’m going to miss competitions and bonding with my teammates and just having fun with the team because they’re like family now,” Grijalva said.

Nov. 20, 2015

sports

Road to glory Volleyball beat Huntington in CIF-SS semifinals to return to championship

by Davina Nguyen

PHOTO BY MATTHEW YONEMURA

Smackdown. Junior Maddie Relaz spikes the ball between two of Huntington Beach’s blockers.

Girls volleyball is one game away from being back to back CIF-SS champions after a 3-1 defeat against Huntington Beach High School Tuesday night.

The game took place at Sea Hawk Pavilion when Redondo won 25-14, 25-18, 25-16, 22-25.

“We came out really strong in the first two sets,” senior Amanda Tsao said. “Overall, we played pretty well and were pretty consistent throughout the match.”

With a series of kills from senior outside hitter Megan Rice and freshman middle blocker Kyla Doig, the girls cleared a path to the finals.

“Megan and Kyla were definitely strong this match. They were able to put the ball away every time,” senior Norene Iosia said.

Despite their strong offense, the girls faltered on their two-set victory streak with a loss in the third set.

“I think the other team stepped up their game in the third,” Rice said. “It took us a few plays mentally to get our rhythm back, which we did by the end of the game.”

Iosia believes that Redondo made a few mistakes that contributed to their loss of control in the third set. “[Huntington’s] serving got tougher, which made us make passing errors more often. We also made some hitting errors, our block broke down, and we just had bad communication [that set],” Iosia said.

The girls managed to get back up after the third set. This strengthened their defence and mental resolve, which provided them with the momentum that they needed in order to win. This momentum carried over to the fourth set.

“I think we played with a lot of heart, and we were hustling throughout the whole match,” Iosia said. “Even though we were down the third game, we never stopped fighting and that’s what helped us win.”

Senior Liana Marin believes that because Redondo lost to Huntington earlier in the saason, they were “that much more” determined to beat them.

Head Coach Tommy Chaffins also sparked the team’s motivation to play smoothly and consistently before the match.

“Before the game, Chaffins told us that

page 23 we needed to play for each other, meaning that we weren’t going to be selfish and focus on ourselves as individuals, and we did just that,” Iosia said. “Volleyball is a team sport; we have to play for our teammates and not let them down.”

Rice believes that Huntington played a solid game offensively, recognizing that this factor forced Redondo to expand their defense to overcome Huntington’s attacking players. “[Huntington] definitely had some smart, talented hitters on the outside, so we had to stop their great plays for this win. We stepped up our energy and went for every play. When we do those two things, we make balls (score),” Rice said.

This upcoming Saturday, Nov. 21, the girls will be competing against Mater Dei high school to defend their CIF Southern Section D1 title.

Redondo has competed against Mater Dei before in the season, topping Mater Dei with a final score of 25-17, 25-20, 25-20.

“We were so excited when we heard that we were playing Mater Dei again because we want to repeat history,” Marin said.

The girls anticipate on playing a tight match, expecting Mater Dei to “give it their all”, also taking their powerful offense and defense into account. “[Mater Dei] has a very strong offense as well as having good serve receives,” Rice said.

Both teams express their determination to take home the title in the finals, and the girls agree to use that to fuel their already burning anticipation.

“They’re already confident that they’re going to beat us, but we’re just going to use that to motivate ourselves,” Marin said. “We know that they’re going to step up their game so we have to as well.”

Marin also believes that it is not only a matter of defending their title as CIF-SS champions, but also to establish the fact that Redondo is an all-around powerhouse, with or without the forces behind their success last season.

“I think what it’s going to come down to is who wants it more and that’s definitely us,” Marin said.

Cross country prepares for CIF

by Simrun Ursani

As cross country begins its training for CIF, ten boys and ten girls hope to go to state once again. Coach Bob has expects the team to finish high after a season of tough training.

“The training is unique in that unlike most programs we do much more than just run. My goal is to make them better athletes from head to toe. Our training encompasses all that,” Leetch said. “Our goals are the same every season; to run the best of our capability and improve through the season as racers.”

From the beginning of the season to CIF, senior Nicole Beaudoin explains how the

training they have done has been rigorous.

But according to Leetch, the “real training” has already been done in the season.

“This time of year most of the hard work is done. We are fine tuning at this point. We reduce mileage during this period and lighten their load a bit. This will usually only work for a few weeks before they lose fitness. So it makes sense to do it during the most important time of the season,” Leetch said.

Beaudoin adds that the training is a lot less tense when training for CIF. “[Training for CIF] is easier because by the time we get to the championship season,

we are lining up our workouts and the long runs so our legs aren’t as tired,” Beaudoin said.

According to junior Ethan Comeaux, the biggest challenge is having everyone on board for training.

“We do well when we work together as a team during races but it is tough to keep us working together,” Comeaux said. “We have good training and we have been working well together and if everyone does what they need to do during the race then we can have a good race and go on.”

This year, the team is racing in Division 1,

while last year they were Division 2.

“Division 1 doesn’t have as much depth as Division 2 but you have some really great teams that are going to be really great competition and I think we are decently prepared for it,” Beaudoin said.

Leetch explains his thoughts about the team’s relationship during the season and training for CIF. “We work harder and smarter than our opponents. There is also a strong connection with the team. Almost more family like. The connection is earned through hundreds of miles of shared hard work,” Leetch said

page 24

news

High Tide

No place like home

A homeless teenager grows accustomed to his difficult lifestyle

by Vaidehi Gandhi For confidentiality, the source is referred to as John.

He is wearing the scarce amount of clothing he has and sits there with all of his belongings beside him. Cars go by and the days pass; he is still there, always on the go, never stopping. The freezing cold taunts him and his loneliness, but he has nowhere to go.

Nineteen-year-old John has been dealing with homelessness since the age of 15.

At 13 years old, John dropped out of school and started fending for himself. By age 15, his parents were not supporting him at all.

“I wanted to start over and not have to deal with anyone. When I left, I just had a backpack and a couple changes of clothes.

I threw those clothes away along the way and when I got here, I had no money or anything,” he said.

John was not “kicked out” of his home but chose to leave for personal reasons.

“I’ve been homeless on and off for 3 years now and don’t have a permanent place to stay. I left because I wasn’t liking my family.

I didn’t fit in and used to try and wonder why I didn’t get along with my parents and what the problem was,” he said. “We just wouldn’t have gotten along.”

One of the hardest aspects of leaving home and being homeless was travelling.

“I went an overwhelming distance and once I left for my destination. I only had clothes and a backpack. When I reached there, I didn’t have any clothes or money,” he said.

He came to Los Angeles from Las Vegas at 17 because he received more support here.

“I try to see new places as often as I can.

I never would have met new people staying where I was,” he said. “I’ve had so many opportunities and have done so much work.

I’ve had so many opportunities and I think that’s the best part about being homeless.”

John has managed different stores and has worked at various others.

“Being homeless has changed my view because I realized I think less about money.

The only things that I’d need money for are extra things that I don’t really need,” he said.

“I don’t really need much to survive.”

Before, John had trouble getting out of his negative mindset and accepting being homeless.

“You have nothing and you don’t know where you’re going to sleep tonight. There’s still a need to pre-plan these things; ‘I’m here now, but I’m going to be hungry later and I’m not going to know where to sleep,’” he said. “[These thoughts] just ruin your whole mindset and getting out of it is hard, especially

Make this place your home. John lies on a bench

with the two backpacks that carry all of his belongings. “Being homeless has changed my vew because I realized I think less about money. I don’t really need much to survive,” he said.

PHOTO BY SANDER FINK

when you have no one.”

Even after accepting this lifestyle, he still had difficulty becoming accustomed to the spontaneous life of a homeless.

“Every day, I try to figure out what day it is and I have a notebook to keep track of things but that’s really hard to keep. Things change so randomly,” he said.

John notes that settling in one place while homeless is dangerous.

“Usually, I wake up early and go to sleep early to avoid being seen. Most of my day, I avoid being seen,” he said. “I wake up and fall asleep in different places all the time; the day is never the same.”

Being “secretive” and keeping things hidden is the best way to remain safe, according to John.

“Never let anyone know where you sleep because crazy people, maniacs can do whatever they want to do if they don’t like you,” he said. “It’s crazy to think if they picked the right time, they could do anything.”

Currently, at age 19, he finds that being homeless is not as hard as he once thought.

“It’s not hard once you find out what you want to do and why. The whole homelessness [concept] is an experience and it’s just hard feeling alone or on my own in general.

No one’s really going to help you except for you,” John said.

Although he does not like to rely on any-

one but himself, friends and churches have helped him survive.

“The main reason I came to Los Angeles was because I was given a place to stay. No one is going to help you except yourself, but good friends, friendships, and groups with shared interests were really supportive,” he said.

John believes a lot can be done to help the homeless, but not enough people are truly willing.

“A lot of places hold the answer [to this problem] and don’t want to share it. I saw this photo and there was a poor guy sitting in the hole and a richer man was reaching down as if to help the man being trapped. He couldn’t reach the poor man, but he had a ladder just out of view,” he said. “A lot of people act like they will help you, but no one will except yourself.”

ILLUSTRATION BY LULU WEGMAN