High Tide: Dec. 17, 2015

IGH H

TIDE

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA Dec. 17, 2015 Vol. XCVI Edition 7

WE ARE THE

CHAMPIONS [on pg. 24]

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

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High Tide

Photos of the Week

Blood Drive and Frosty’s Festival In the spirit of giving.

1. Senior Marley Capper donates blood to the UCLA Blood Drive.

2. Students gather at the Student Union for Frosty’s Festival and pose for a picture with Santa Clause. 3. Juniors Brooklyn Narvaze and Maddy Bacon pick out their arm wraps for after they donate blood. “The blood drive is a great experience because it gives you the opportunity to save many people’s lives,” Bacon said.

PHOTOS BY MATT YONEMURA

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Blood Drive sign-ups reach carrying capacity

by Ben Brill This year, the UCLA Blood Drive received a higher amount of sign ups than ever before. Due to time and staffing constraints, the ASB was forced to make a cutoff of 250 participants participating in the blood drive.

Organizer of the blood drive, Senior Christina Wilson believes that the cut off was a necessity that showed the increasing amount of students who want to give blood compared to previous years.

“I don’t see it as a cut off, I see it as we got so many students to sign up but we just can’t accommodate all of them,” Wilson said.

“We actually got over 400 sign ups. To have a blood drive from 8-1 and to fit 400 students in to that time period is impossible. It’s just what we have to work with.”

According to Wilson, the recently implemented Classroom Connection, a system where ASB officers travel to classrooms around campus to distribute information, made it easier for students to sign up for the bloodrive.

“We made it more accessible to donate,” Wilson said. “Classroom connections have a really big impact. Now we can go to students directly and have them sign up as collective.”

Wilson believes that the extra promotion through classroom connection has caused more students to be aware of the blood drive and to donate.

“We’ve been pushing it out a lot more,” Wilson said. It’s been easier now that we have classroom connections to push the

blood drive and get students to sign up and have that communication from student to ASB.” This year, 16-year-olds are now able to donate blood with parent permission. Wilson believes that along with making the blood drive accessible to more people, an eagerness to donate within the student body has caused an increased number in blood drive participation “I think that students are just more eager,” Wilson said. “A lot of it has to do with the 16-year-olds being allowed to donate but I feel like people want to donate more.”

With the new change, Sophomore Cat Mendez was eligible to donate this year but was cut off. Despite not being able to

give blood like she wanted, Mendez is happy that an increased amount of students this year want to give blood.

“I didn’t get to donate but I’m really happy for the students who could,” Mendez said. “The fact that there was a cut off could be a good thing in a sense. It goes to show that more people are being selfless and caring and want to help so they go and donate blood.”

Wilson is impressed with the amount of sign-ups the blood drive received this year.

“Its really amazing that we had way over the amount of people that we expected,” Wilson said. “I feel like it was pushed out more and more people want to and are willing to donate.”

Dec. 17, 2015

Campus graffiti causes scare

by Carmen Hamm On Friday, Dec 11, starting at the beginning of snack, the office was barely indistinguishable from a tin of sardines. A line of students went out one door and a line of parents out the other. Anyone attempting to get anything done in the office other than signing a student out had to squeeze through ranks upon ranks of anxious people. This continued for at least forty-five minutes, until a total of 888 students left campus. And it could’ve been even more.

“I think another maybe 150-200 would’ve gone home as well but they asked their parents or assured their parents that everything was okay, and so they were not released,” Dr. Wesley said, “shocked” about the amount of students who left campus. “I had a parent in the office who I stopped and said ‘hey can I help you?’ and she said ‘you know I just I don’t feel comfortable, I want to take my daughter home,’ and even after talking to her for a while she still wanted to take her daughter home and I told her ‘you know that’s your prerogative,’ and she said ‘but the only problem is she refuses to leave class.’ so I was like ‘well that should tell you something.’”

But not all students felt comfortable staying at school. “[The graffiti] caused some anxiety in some students, it caused some fear in some students, that is understandable and that’s why if a parent wants to check their student out that’s their prerogative and we’re not judging that decision,” Wesley said.

AP Euro teacher Julie Ferron was particularly “frustrated” by students being pulled out of class because they would be missing important practice time for their mock trial.

“Most students that I’ve talked to have no desire to leave school, it’s business as usual, like it should be, and many of those students that are leaving don’t want to leave, it’s their parents pulling them out,” Ferron said.

Like many others, Ferron believes the threat wasn’t warning of any real danger.

“They’re getting exactly what they wanted, everyone riled up, everyone possibly scared, and our administration and the police have determined that it is not a threat,” Ferron said. “It’s simply an intimidation.

And by parents and students posting this on social media, by the Daily Breeze taking the picture and posting it, all they’re doing is causing this mass hysteria, which is exactly what the perpetrators wanted.”

Social media is being monitored to try and find the person who made the threat and to stop the spread of misinformation.

“As I look back and reflect, the one thing that concerns me most is that a lot of misinformation was being shared via social media by our students. That’s why we highly encourage students, in situations like that, to not post and repost information,” Dr. Wesley said. “We had students posting that we’re on lockdown and then we had news report-

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ers sharing that we’re on lockdown--we were never on a lockdown.

So then parents hear that we’re on lockdown.

What happens is it just creates more panic and more fear and a situation that’s even more serious than what the actual situation is.”

Luckily, misinformation can be dealt with fairly easily.

“I feel like our admin team has done a great job, our teaching staff has done a great job. I understand with everything that’s been going on why people can be scared, but we need to look at these incidents individually whether they’re a threat or not,” Ferron said.

Although it could be argued that it’s reasonable that people are getting concerned, consid- The great scare. Students and parents crowd the office waiting to leave campus after nearly 900 students left school last Friday due to vulger graffiti written ering the three threats outside the Student Union, which many took as a threat. PHOTOS BY MITCH ZIEGLER Mira Costa has had in the past weeks and the total shutdown of all it wasn’t anything like the message we reschools in the Los Angeles Unified School ceived on Friday. It wasn’t threatening, or District (LAUSD) on Tuesday. intimidating, or anything that would pro“We’re not experiencing what Mira Costa voke fear in anyone. So yes we’ve had graffiis experiencing. They’re receiving phone ti, we’ve had tagging, but nothing like this,” calls--we’ve not received any type of threat- Wesley said. ening phone call, no type of threatening The school and RBPD take these kind of message by any means, whether is be phone threats seriously, even though a percentage call, email, spray paint, whatever,” Wesley of them turn out to be a hoax. said.

“So if for any reason it is a hoax, if it’s Costa’s and LAUSD’s threats have all a student playing a joke, that’s a felony ofbeen specific, ours was not. According to fence and there’ll be some serious conseWesley, “there are certain qualities, a certain quences. I think educating students on the type of language, certain details that would consequences may help deter any widedefine a threat as being specific in nature.” A spread thoughts of there being a copycat general graffiti tagging, although disturbing, situation, we do worry about that,” Wesley cannot be considered a specific threat. The said. situation at Costa has reached a point where If by some chance something does hapthe FBI are getting involved, while the graf- pen, RUHS students can be assured that fiti message is the only alarming thing that’s although it’s impossible to have a concrete happened at RUHS, and there have been plan in place, their safety will be the first no updates about who painted the message priority. from the Redondo Beach Police Department “I’ve talked that through with our super(RBPD), so for now there’s nothing to be too intendent Dr. Keller, and with our chief of concerned about. police, and we’ve talked through all types of “As I walked around campus [on Friday] different scenarios,” Wesley said. “It’s hard and went into classrooms, it’s like a normal to say what will happen, because it depends day. To me it was a typical Friday, minus, ob- on what is shared, how it’s shared, so the viously, the graffiti,” Wesley said. one thing we need to do is gather informaThis wasn’t the first time someone has tion. There’s many different things we can vandalized RUHS. do, including what Costa did, you know “It wasn’t last year but the year before, having to shut down their school, obviously somebody tagged up our school, and they that happens in the most severe cases, but had this little rat icon all over. But the tag- the threat has to be very specific and apging was like more anarchy type message, pear to be credible.”

Ultimate Frisbee Club takes part in their first competition

by Luke Peterson The frisbee is thrown to the opposite end of playing field and is caught midair by a member of the RUHS Ultimate Frisbee Club, signaling the start of the game. He then frantically searches for a teammate to throw it to so the game can continue.

The school’s ultimate frisbee team will take part in their first competition on Dec. 13 at a beach in Santa Monica at 8:00 a.m.

“There is going to be a bracket of teams, but we don’t know how many teams there are going to be in the tournament yet,” sophomore Ryan Corman said about the upcoming competition. “We are going to face one team in the first round, and we’re going to play from there.”

According to club president Bryan Cloutier, the team does not expect to do very well in the tournament.

“We’re probably not going to do too incredibly well because we’re just starting and we’re just getting on our feet,” Cloutier said.

“Right now it’s just a bunch of people who are interested in ultimate frisbee and who want to learn more about the game.”

As of now, there is no official league that organizes competitions between the ultimate frisbee clubs for the schools in our area.

“I am working with other schools that I have had contact with in the hopes of making a league, but currently there isn’t one,” Cloutier said. “My plan is to talk to the schools around here such as PV and Costa.”

Cloutier has revitalized the club this year in order for it to compete against other teams in the future.

“I don’t know how long the school has had this club, because we had an ultimate frisbee club last year, and I’m assuming a few years before that,” Cloutier said.

According to Corman, the team has been preparing for the upcoming competition by squeezing as much practice time as possible into their routines, and by holding club meetings at snack every Thursday.

“We all try to go down to the field during the days in the week when we can get the field reserved,” Corman said.

According to sophomore Peter Jacobson, a majority of the members of the team are new to playing ultimate frisbee and are using the practices to improve their fundamental skills.

“We’re all just trying to focus on improving our catching and throwing since a lot of us are new to it,” Jacobson said. “There are a couple of people where have some experience playing it, so we’re all trying to help each other get better.”

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Repairing the old house

Redondo administration makes plans to repurpose the custodial house

By Malek Chamas

There it stands, a lone structure separate from the school built around it. Its paint is chipped, and its color has long since faded.

The dormant house in front of the science building predates the construction of Redondo Union High School, and has stood longer than the school itself. However, plans are in place to renovate the house to become the Alumni House.

According to Redondo archivist Therese Martinez, the house will host school alumni meetings. It will also be decorated with the school memorabilia currently in the small school archive.

“Currently, the Alumni Association meets off-campus. There’s really no reason for that.

We’re really looking forward to having our own place on campus,” Martinez said. “The

Alumni House will be able to be used for class gatherings, or for any purpose that makes the alumni need to have a place to meet.”

Martinez also says that the house will be decorated with much of the RUHS memorabilia currently stored in the archive, including trophies as well as old band and pep squad uniforms.

“I’m excited that some of my extensive collection of Redondo memorabilia will be able to be housed down there, with easier access,” Martinez said. “We have all kinds of old uniforms, for pep squad, band, and we keep the mantle in here. Here are all the school newspapers that have ever been printed; they’re laminated. And we have a permanent pile of yearbooks. The Alumni House

will be a perfect place to house this amzing collection of memorabilia.”

Assistant Principal Jens Brandt, who is involved with planning the renovations for the house, says that school administration has been considering changing the house for the past few years. Among other things, administration is considering making the kitchen “a bit nicer,” adding in a brick patio, and new wood flooring.

“It’s something that’s been on the mind of Mr. Bridi, Dr. Wesley and I for the last couple of years. The house isn’t in the best state or condition, so we want to fix it, since we have renovated many buildings and facilities on campus after we passed Measure C in 2008,” Brandt said. “The house was left behind, and it’s just sat there. So we feel like we need to

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENS BRANDT

Restored to its former glory. The Alumni House will feature a restored paint job as well as new windows and decorative plants along with a new brick path.

include the house. We have a lot of wall space in it to display pictures, trophies, and other memorabilia.”

Brandt says that the many improvements and repairs being considered would take a significant amount of time because the school campus is not a “typical construction site.”

“Optimistically, it’d be wonderful to have it done by graduation. Realistically, that may not be possible,” Brandt said. “For student safety, we can’t have construction trucks going back and forth. In the summer, we have a lot more flexibility in terms of equipment on campus.”

Brandt also says that the cost of renovations would be a “six figure sum,” and that administration is planning on having a donation drive directed towards school alumni.

Its speed will also impact how quickly the project comes to completion. Since the plans aren’t completely finalized yet, the exact cost of renovations is not yet known.

“Obviously, the repair work is significant in cost. We’re looking to raise a significant amount of money, six figures, for repair of the proposed Alumni House. And donations will likely go through our Alumni Association,” Brandt said. “Our goal is to get the donation drive going in January, or February at the latest, and possibly start repair work during second semester.”

Martinez says that she thinks the house will look “fabulous” once renovations are complete, and that the memorabilia in the school archives is important because RUHS isn’t “just any high school.”

“The red and white line is long. It’s 110 years old,” Martinez said. “All the things we have are meaningful to somebody.”

Redondo ranked 22nd among California schools

by Gerika Macalino Redondo Union placed 41 places higher than Mira Costa in Niche’s 2016 Best Public High Schools in California, ranking 22 while Peninsula ranked 9 and Palos Verdes High School ranked 28.

“For us to finally outrank Mira Costa, based on people filling out a survey, is amazing,” Principal Dr. Nicole Wesley said.

According to the website, Niche bases its rankings on eight factors, all of which assess the overall experience of a public high school. These factors include academics, health and safety. The rating of quality of resources and facilities are all determined by reviews and surveys that parents, students, or other Niche users complete.

“Redondo Union has become a more

desirable school, and I think this is largely due to the fact that we have so many great programs and our students are thriving and excelling in all these different areas,” Wesley said. “We get so much recognition within the South Bay community and beyond that students and parents know ‘if I come to Redondo, there’s gonna be something for me here and I’ll likely be successful.’”

According to Wesley, more families are moving into Redondo Beach specifically for Redondo’s educational program, some even migrating from out-of-state.

“We have more families calling, saying ‘We’re moving from Utah,’ ‘We’re moving here from back East and we’re trying to figure out what school to send our student to.

Can we come take a tour?’” Wesley said Assistant Principal Jens Brandt gives credit to the diversity and strength among students and staff, along with the spirit among the Seahawks, because they all contribute to what differentiates Redondo Union from other schools.

“Our teachers are very willing to try things out. They will take risks, they will experiment, they will create new courses, and they will really form a bond with our students,” Brandt said, “Students are exposed to so many different ideas, values, and traditions, and I feel like our students are lucky for that, because it prepares them for the diversity of life, whether it’s in college some day or in the professional or personal world.”

In the past, many students had requested to transfer to Mira Costa, but over the last couple years, Wesley noticed that the request for permits to attend Mira Costa has reduced “dramatically” and that more students from Hermosa attend Redondo over Mira Costa.

“I had breakfast with the Mira Costa principal [Friday] morning, and we’re really good friends, because he was an assistant principal here when I was an assistant principal here along with Ms. R. With the three of us, it was good times. I didn’t bring it up, because I didn’t want to rub it in his face, but I feel really proud,” she said. “I feel proud when I tell people I’m the principal of Redondo Union High School; it just gives me a natural high to say that, because the school is so great.”

Dec. 17, 2015

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Teen Court attends judicial conference

By Tanner McEveety Several students from Teen Court participated in the annual Beyond the Bench conference, a statewide judicial conference hosted by the California Judicial Branch devoted to discussion and analysis of children, youth, and families in the court system.

About 1,500 people attended the event, including judges, attorneys, policy-makers, and many others involved in the judiciary.

Beyond the Bench’s goal is to give people involved in law a new viewpoint on the people they judge and work with.

On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the conference invited participants of youth courts as well as incarcerated youth to participate in a “Youth Track,” also known as Youth Day, where they attended workshops and discussed the judicial system, especially in regards to youth.

“The reason they call it ‘Beyond the Bench’ is because they want people who work in law to understand the situation the people they’re making decisions about are in,” Teen Court advisor Marie Botchie said.

“They don’t want them to look at things from a narrow-minded perch on the bench. They want them to look at what their lives are like.”

Not only were the students able to participate in the conference, but they also presented and organized some of the events.

“Our students actually got recruited to run a program called Poverty Simulator.

The judges, social workers, policemen, and others were assigned scenarios, and they had to behave as if they were living in poverty,” Botchie said. “They got to see what the people they deal with in the legal system go through every day of their lives during the work week.”

One of the students who attended, sophomore Madison Laster, played an important role during the simulation.

“In the poverty simulation, I was the bank clerk,” Laster said. “It gave me a new perspective [on poverty] from the customer service end.”

The students took part in several of the other diverse workshops offered on Youth Day. They also met with other youth court participants and discussed how to improve the program.

“The final workshop was the only one of the whole day that the youth presented themselves. It talked about important subjects such as gender equality and feminism,” Botchie said. “The Chief Justice spoke during the feminism workshop. It was perfect to have a lady present who had achieved an uncommon job for females.”

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye was one of many individuals well known within the California judicial branch who attended.

Others who attended included: former State

PHOTO COURTESY OF YASMEEN EL-HASAN

Justice League. Teen Court members Samaya Rubio, Madison Laster, and Yasmeen El-Hasan pose with

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. “I was speaking at the conference and towards the end of my presentation, the ballroom doors opened and in walked Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye. It was very surreal. After speaking to the audience for a bit, she and I talked for a while about reforms in the judiciary,” El-Hasan said.

Senator Darrell Steinberg, the Judicial Council’s Administrative Director Martin Hoshino, and Los Angeles presiding justice David Wesley.

“We got to meet the Chief Justice, which was really cool,” Laster said. “We also met with Senator Steinberg, who gave a speech about mental health.”

Botchie believes that the event did its job, giving her students a look at the lives of people they judge.

“This was our first year attending the conference, and I’ll think we’ll go back again in later years,” Botchie said. “This being our second year of youth court, we’re starting to delve into it further than last year.”

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High Tide

Candlelight vigil held for alumna shot in San Bernardino shooting

by Malek Chamas On the evening of Dec. 7, Vincent Park was lit up with thirty candles, as part of a candlelight vigil held

by Redondo Beach community members.

It was in honor of 2011 RUHS alumna Jennifer Stevens, a 22-yearold woman among the injured in the San Bernardino shooting that occurred on Dec. 2. Stevens was released from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where she was hospitalized, on the day of the vigil.

“In the Seahawk family, when something bad happens to one, it’s like it happens to all. So it’s really im-

portant for us to come out as a school community and express our support for Stevens and her recovery,” RUHS alumna Therese Martinez said.

According to Martinez, who helped organize the vigil, it was made up of about thirty people including family friends and RUHS alumni and administrators.

“One thing that I was very proud of was that we looked like a community; we looked strong,” Martinez said. “But mostly, I’m really pleased that Jennifer is a survivor and she’s going to be well. Some other communities are not that lucky.”

Stevens says that despite how vigils are normally thought of as being for those who have passed away, she still found it “touching,” and that it was what she had “hoped for.”

“At first, you always think of vigils as being for someone who’s passed away. But the fact that there are still a lot of people who are willing to light candles and send their thoughts and prayers is really touching. It really meant a lot to me. I have notes that the people at the vigil wrote., and I really loved

that, because a written note is more personal than a text,” Stevens said. “Knowing that there’s so much support and love helps me recover. I think that when so many people believe in me, it helps me believe in myself.”

Stevens was glad to know that the other victims of the shooting were also thought of.

“I feel like this vigil was for me, but the people were also putting in their thoughts and prayers for all the other victims, which I really appreciate. It’s good that the other victims have a lot of help and support, because I was a lot more fortunate than a lot of them.”

Stevens says that although the shooting happened in her workplace, she still plans on “continuing in that field” of work.

“I still plan on continuing in that field, and I still want to become an REHS, which is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist,” Stevens says. “I think that letting it change your life, plans and your goals, would allow the terrorists to win. You have to be able to be strong and get through it. I want to thank everyone for all their thoughts and prayers.”

Students express views on gun control in light of recent events

by Zach Hatakeyama and Mylene Silver Amidst the recent events in Paris and San Bernardino, and various threats made towards South Bay schools, the idea of gun control and who should be able to get their hands on firearms has been in the minds of people everywhere, including students.

“I believe that the gun control laws we have now aren’t really controlling anything because somehow people who are committing mass shootings and killings still get guns,” senior Elena Ceja said. “People argue that it’s in the Constitution and it is a right of the American people, but I don’t think there’s really a need for the amount of guns out there. The more guns [people have], the more others feel the need to have a gun and the cycle just keeps going and the number of guns keeps increasing.”

In order to strengthen control on guns, Ceja believes the government needs more thorough background checks.

“The background check that happens needs to be more serious and more extensive. I know in some states, people with a criminal record are still able to obtain guns and I don’t want to stereotype anyone, but sometimes people with a history cause the most trouble with guns,” she said. “I also think that the sale of certain guns to the public should be made illegal. There is no reason for people to have automatic rifles or weapons like that.”

While some students believe in gun control, others believe that making it more difficult for Americans to have access to guns is unconstitutional.

“We should be able to bear arms like our Second Amendment states. Some people should not be allowed to own them, but we should be able to have our right to own guns,” senior Eve Heri said.

Ceja believes that the Second Amendment is valid, but only under certain circumstances.

“I can see where the Founding Fathers felt why it was necessary to include that in the constitution, but they put that in there for times of invasion or chaos in a country,” Ceja said. “But really, I think that should be interpreted with caution and the only people who should be allowed [to have] a firearm are the people trained and paid to have them.”

According to freshman Kyle Woolery, the Second Amendment is outdated and should not be referred to more than two centuries after its adoption.

“The amendment should be reconsidered after all of the shootings lately,” Woolery said. “Many things have changed over the course of 224 years, but the purpose of guns has remained the same: inflicting harm on others. It can be argued that firearms are used for self-defense, but by defending yourself, you’re inflicting harm on others.”

Woolery believes that national crime rates would drastically decrease after making guns completely unavailable to the public and authorities.

“Police should not be allowed to have guns. In the news, you see stories of police abusing their firearms, as well as their authority. Guns in general are more trouble than they’re worth,” he said.

In addition to guns in public, some students believe that it is necessary to have guns on school campuses such as senior Corey Dombrowski, who believes having guns on campus would be a “safe bet.”

“If a school does have security [guards], they’re not armed with a gun. They’re just there to be there and not really a safety barrier,” he said. “Arming teachers would be really good. People don’t realize that if there is someone who is armed and ready to defend the school, there could be a defensive response within seconds and so many lives could potentially be saved.”

According to American Police Beat, the average response time for an emergency call is 10 minutes.

“I love our police and they do everything in their power to protect us, but they’re not as fast of a response team,” Dombrowski said.

“If there is a school shooting, there could be dozens of people dead by the time police respond to the call.”

Dombrowski believes banning guns altogether will not solve the problem of gun violence.

“Guns are the same thing as drugs, people are still going to buy them on the black market no matter what,” Dombrowski said.

“There should be more of a focus on who’s getting [guns] rather than getting rid of them all together. It matters on the person behind the trigger and not the actual gun itself. But just getting rid of guns all together is not going to stop the rate of crime or stop any person from killing another person or getting hold of a gun.”

According to Dombrowski, the people “behind the guns” are the source of violence.

“If you set a gun down it isn’t killing anyone because no one is holding it, If someone is holding it, then it has a possible threat,” Dombrowski said. “The person behind the trigger is the one who has the option of whether they want to shoot or not. It doesn’t operate on it’s own.”

Ceja agrees with Dombrowski despite believing stricter gun laws.

“I think it’s the person with possession of the gun that kills a person. The gun itself has the ability to kill a person, but no real power until placed in the hands a person willing to pull the trigger,” Ceja said. “I think that the real danger behind guns is when they are placed in the hands of unprepared people.”

Dec. 17, 2015

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Black Lives Matter Movement inspires students

by Miriam Farah Anger boils within her as she watches the video playing on the news. The 17 year old boy is shot; he lies on the ground, motionless. Her heart aches and she is at a loss for words. She thinks to herself, “What if it’s my brother, my cousin, or even me next?” Junior Aaqilah Wright and other African American students are “horrified” by the shooting of Laquan McDonald, further supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Although the shooting happened on Oct. 20, 2014, the video was released by Chicago police 13 months later. The video captures white officer, Jason Van Dyke, firing at McDonald, 16 times in 15 seconds. McDonald was reportedly breaking into cars, but made no advances toward the officer. Dyke was charged with first degree murder.

“I think it was absolutely disgusting the way [McDonald] was shot so many times.

Even though he was breaking into cars, and I understand that he shouldn’t have done that, I don’t think he deserved to die for it.

I think police officers should be trained to stop criminals without actually killing them,” senior Emelie Okwo said.

Wright also believes that the lack of attention given to police brutality is unsettling and causes problems between the black community and police officers.

“There is definitely not enough attention given to police brutality. What happens to the police officer after the incident? They get suspended. They get a leave. This is not enough. Murder is still murder,” Wright said.

Okwo feels that it’s important to listen to the black community and take their concerns seriously regarding police brutality and racial inequality. “[Police brutality] tells us that our government is really adamant about protecting these police officers even when they do extremely hurtful things to civilians. It shows that the government isn’t paying enough attention to these minority groups affected by police brutality,” Okwo said.

Junior Bridgette Flint believes that the Black Lives Matter movement brings much needed attention to the black community and that the biggest step toward peace lies in the police force.

“Police officers are supposed to be peacekeepers; their initial reaction isn’t supposed to be to use their taser or gun. It should be to resolve the issue peacefully. I think all police departments should keep an eye on who they’re training, their past records, mental stability, and all aspects that would eventually play a role in how they would work out in their field,” Flint said.

In response to the video, many Black Lives Matter protesters marched through the Chicago streets and disrupted Black Friday shopping. However, the movement’s message has caused some controversy.

“I think that a lot of people think the

Black Lives Matter movement is pro-black and anti-white which is not at all what it’s about. People think that because we’re saying ‘black lives matter’, it means that we don’t care about white people and we think they’re evil; that’s definitely not what the movement is about,” Okwo said.

Flint recalls a moment when someone she knows was arrested without justification.

“There was a noise complaint somewhere and he had nothing to do with it. He was walking around because he went out with some friends and the cops arrested them without warning. They violated his rights; he had no reason to be arrested,” Flint said.

According to Flint, this experience has helped her become informed about issues with the police force.

“It just really shows some cops’ perspective on black people and what they really think of us. It made me more aware that this does happen. Although we see the stories in the news, you never think it’s going to happen to you or someone you know until it

does.” Flint said.

Okwo believes she has become more attentive to racism in her life.

“As I go through my daily life, I have to be more cautious about the things I say or the way I act because it can be turned on me.

Sometimes I’m afraid to speak too loud or get angry because of the angry black woman stereotype. My cousins are scared to wear hoodies when they’re walking around,” Okwo said.

March on Minneapolis.

Black Lives Matter protesters march from Minneapolis City Hall to Elsie and finally to the Police Officers Federation in northeast Minneapolis to demand answers in the death of Jamar Clark on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015. 2. PHOTOS BY F RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII/ MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/ TNS

w

Racial inequality amongst minorities

Out of 301 students surveyed

40%

15%

OF AFRICAN AMERICANS

OF HISPANICS/ LATINOS Have been physically attacked or abused because of their race/ethnicity

30%

30%

OF AFRICAN AMERICANS

OF HISPANICS/ LATINOS

4% OF MIDDLE EASTERNERS/ NORTH AFRICANS

reported that they have been approached by the police because of racial/ethnic background

17%

15%

4%

OF AFRICAN AMERICANS

OF HISPANICS/ LATINOS

OF MIDDLE EASTERNERS/ NORTH AFRICANS

33% OF MIDDLE EASTERNERS/ NORTH AFRICANS

reported that they have been denied opportunities because of their race/ethnicity

page 8

news

T C FA vs.

FICTION I received an email/letter from college X asking me to apply! I’ll surely get in.

Colleges often give false ecouragement to students.

They often send general letters based on PSAT questions and scores.

My high test scores (SAT, Subject Tests, ACT, AP’s) will land me in a top college.

High test scores alone do not guarantee admission to any school.

Don’t forget the importance of:

High GPA and class ranking

Rigor of coursework and love of learning

Teacher recommendations

Once I’ve been accepted early decision or early action, senior year will be a blast. No homework for me!

Schools can rescind admission due to low grades, academic dishonesty, bad behavior, providing false information, committing a crime and other reasons.

High Tide

Let’s be real

Students hold high expectations for themselves

by Jason Fong Rows of A’s on a transcript. A perfect SAT score. Becoming the captain of a varsity sport. President of Key Club. These are the things students have been told will get them into a “good college.” Or will it?

Independent college advisor and former Harvard interviewer Helen Choi, however, believes that college admissions center around more than just having high grades and test scores.

“Students think that having the best grades and test scores will win. They’ve been told time and again that that is not the case, but they continue to believe it. College admissions aren’t in line with their views on meritocracy,” Choi said.

According to senior Sean Welch, many of the students will deliberately exaggerate their own test scores and academic work in efforts to make themselves feel prepared for college admissions.

“Exaggerating their test scores makes them feel better about their chances to get into college, as they may feel insecure about their chances of admission.. They think that it’s soul-crushing if they don’t have a 5.0 GPA and a perfect SAT score. Many students are really afraid that they won’t have a job if they don’t get into a good college,” Welch said.

According to senior D’Mitri Williams, focusing solely on one’s grades causes students to miss out many valuable experiences, and has more drawbacks than benefits.

“Students that load themselveswith AP classes and focus only on getting straight A’s trade the traditional ‘high school experience’ for stress, sleep deprivation and no social skills,” Williams said.

Welch further stated that students choose to take classes that they may not be inter -

ested in or are too advanced for them. “ Te a c h e r s , students and parents push

for high test scores and for students to take many AP classes. These are very difficult classes, but students will take them even if they’re unprepared so that it will ‘look good’ on their transcript. They think that students have to do all this, along with being involved with many clubs to be well- rounded. They think that being well-rounded is the key to getting into an elite university,” Welch said.

Williams believes that it is important for students to have outside interests, which may also have provide more practical advantages to students, in addition to enhancing their lives.

“I think that it’s really important for students to have a life outside of school. It makes them genuinely more interesting people with broader horizons, which could make it easier for students to get internships and do well in job interviews. They’ve seen more, done more, and know more. They can tell their stories and have a much broader, deeper perspective on life,” Williams said.

According to Choi, students need to focus on specific activities that they’re interested in and pursue them to the highest level that they can.

“The priority, above grades, test scores and extracurriculars is being self-motivated to learn outside of school. Students need to think about what they’re passionate about.

Their applications must demonstrate that they have genuine interests, which they should try to participate in at a community, county, state, national level,” Choi said.

To Choi, ultimately, certain high school students often place too much emphasis on the importance of college.

“College doesn’t define your worth. Don’t be worshipful of students who choose to go to name brand schools and don’t be disdainful of students who choose to go to community college,” Choi said. “There’s value and worth in every path. Every path is different.

Students have the power to demystify the process and it is up to them to have the bravery to do it.”

Take the easiest courses in order to maximize your GPA. Colleges give false ecouragement to students (and sometimes send them letters based on PSAT questions and scores asking them to apply).

ILLUSTRATIONS BY LUMA WEGMAN

Dec. 17, 2015

page 9

news

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College admissions become more selective

by Amanda Shaw

With the college admissions and application process constantly changing, many students and parents are wondering why getting into college seems to have gotten more difficult over the years.

“I think [the college admissions process] has changed in that the number of people applying to college has increased, but so have the number of colleges across the country. It’s just that students generally are applying to the same schools, so it’s perceived that it’s getting harder and harder to get into college,” college counselor Shannon Rodriguez said.

Because so many students are applying to the same “sweatshirt schools,” in addition to advances in the application process for many popular schools, the chances of actually being admitted to these schools have become less likely.

“Admit rates are decreasing because more and more kids are applying, but unfortunately they’re generally applying to the same 30-40 schools across the country. The other thing that’s probably changed is that with these common applications that have come out, like the common app for the private schools, the UC common app, the Cal

State common app, it makes it really easy to apply to multiple schools because you only fill out the application once and then you just check the schools that you want to send it to,” Rodriguez said. “Maybe 15 years ago, students were applying on average to five schools, whereas now kids are applying closer to 10 schools.”

Not only is the number of students applying to college rising, but so are the expectations of admissions counselors.

“Let’s use an example like Cal State Long Beach. 15 years ago, getting into Cal State Long Beach wasn’t that competitive. I imagine it was in the 3.0-3.2 range, and now coming out of Redondo and getting into a school like Long Beach, to be competitive you have to be in the 3.8 range. It’s because they’re getting so many qualified applicants now that they can be a lot more selective,” Rodriguez said.

Meeting with juniors and seniors regularly, Rodriguez stresses the importance of keeping an open mind when applying to college, searching for a school that offers more than a well-known name.

“I think at Redondo what we’re trying to do is get kids to understand that those

“sweatshirt schools” aren’t the only schools out there. But the reason kids are drawn to those schools is because they’ve heard that they’re good schools, but they haven’t done the research into the programs to make sure that’s really a good fit for them, not just academically, but location, student life, etc. Kids don’t even think about things like that,” Rodriguez said.

Judging from general college application trends in the past, RUHS students tend to go to and stay at colleges on the west or east coasts.

“Our kids are becoming pretty self-aware in that we do find that our kids go and stay in these particular states: California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and right now we’re sort of investigating the Mid-Western part of the country, and then we skip all the way to Boston. We’re Boston people. A few kids will go to New York, like NYU, Pace, schools like that, but generally speaking, we’re migrating to Boston,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of it has to do with affordability. Out-of-state tuition can be more expensive if your grades aren’t in the higher area, but if you leave California, there are many options if you can afford to go.”

With all of these factors taken into account, according to Rodriguez, the college process and experience has evolved greatly from only a generation ago.

“When your parents went to college, I think there were fewer people applying because you didn’t really have to have a college degree to get a good job. There were people back then where you could go to a community college, graduate with an associate’s degree and be gainfully employed. College was more for the four-year experience, for people who were pre-professionals, maybe people who were thinking about going into law school,” Rodriguez said.

According to Rodriguez, while college was not a necessity for our parents, it determines the success and ease of our futures.

“The purpose of going to college has changed over the years in that back then, it was for careers in medicine, engineering, and things like that, whereas now it’s become the gateway to employment. If you don’t have a degree, it simply hard to get a job,” Rodriguez said. “I think that’s really why things have changed so much, and why more people are applying to college, because they need a a degree simply just to get a job.”

Dec. 17, 2015

page 11

opinion

Letters to the

Get Angry

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

The lack of reaction to the majority of mass shootings needs to change

Micah Ezzes With the shooting in San Bernardino and the subsequent bomb threats in Los Angeles over these past few weeks, there is another threat to the city that is arguably worse than the threats themselves: our complacency to it.

Per www.shootingtracker.com, there have been 354 shootings in the United States in 2015- just over one every day. Granted, the site’s definition of mass shooting is under dispute, but nonetheless, that’s 354 shootings with four or more injuries and/or deaths. The sad thing is, most of us haven’t even heard of them. It’s not an outrage that these events are happening- it’s merely an occurrence.

I guess, in a certain way, this is a good thing. How many of us can say we know who William Christopher Cabbler, who killed two people and injured four more, is? A significant portion of the shooters tracked by shootingtracker.com are unidentified, and there’s a certain justice in that, I suppose.

Don’t identify the shooter; don’t give them

the infamy.

Having said that, though, leaving the shooters unidentified doesn’t seem to help a whole lot, considering that mass shootings continue to occur in this nation. In my eyes, this is just a manifestation of the media’s bias; as the old adage goes, “if it bleeds, it leads.” Despite everything the media bombards us with every day, we live in the least violent United States that has ever existed up to this point. What we have created is a culture of fear, a culture in which we look between closed hands as violence unfolds in front of us, and it’s live, spotlights and all.

Well, that turned into a bit of a tangent. I don’t mean to say that the violence problem in this country should be marginalized by our history, but rather that we seem to glorify it in such a way that perpetuates the problem. My point is this: the desensitization to mass shootings in the United States is a byproduct of the mass media, and is something we need to get over as a society in order to

solve the problem.

The San Bernardino shooting was a tragedy, a reflection of society’s lack of outrage over such issues. For us, this one hit much harder. This was not some faraway place we’d never heard of, like Newton, Conn. or Charleston, S.C.- this was practically in our backyard, and a former student of our high school was shot that day. But why does it take proximity to generate a response?

Any loss of life at the hands of mass shooters is an outrage, yet we seem to selectively filter out what our outrage is directed towards. This is understandable to a degree, as it is only natural to be angrier about things that affect an individual more personally, like the shooting in San Bernardino did. But 354 shootings is horrendous, perhaps one of the greatest failures of modern American society. What’s it going to take to end this violence? I can’t say. But to me, the first step to getting any real change is to get angry, get loud, and stop this desensitization.

Clean up and move on

Administration handled Friday’s graffiti capably

Editorial

Airplanes receive threats of hijacking daily, even though people are not necessarily aware of it. Schools are terrorized and shot up. The key to controlling these threats, whether they are in the form of graffiti or bomb threats, is not to succumb to fear or give the taunters what they want: for people to live in fear. Schools should not close or go on lockdown unless there is a very specific threat; otherwise unwarranted panic is fostered.

There have been four bomb threats in the past two weeks and schools who closed down only exacerbated the problem. This is not the answer. Undoubtedly, given recent events, a profane graffiti message on the same day as a bomb threat at Mira Costa may seem like more than a coincidence. However, schools cannot continue to lose millions of dollars and eventually be forced by learning hour constraints to add days to the end of the school year. Those behind the threats may never act on them, and this is something we may not know unless the tragedy occurs.

RUHS’ response to the profane message was one that other schools should model.

It’s the students’ prerogative to leave if they are worried or for parents to take their kids out of school if they fear for their child’s safety. While this was indeed the case for some families, it must be admitted that other students saw this simply as an opportunity to leave class. Although nearly 900 students left school last Friday, the school set a good example by sending a strong message that it will not be intimidated by a vague and empty threat. The administration did all it could to ensure safety, from having police officers on campus to securing the school’s perimeter.

What else can we ask for? Shutting down the school would have only encouraged further graffiti or other threats. Administration reacted appropriately to the situation specific to RUHS; had it received a more serious and more specific threat, as was the case with Mira Costa, they may have reacted differently. But given the facts at hand, they made the right call.

It goes without saying that any threat

to the security of an area mustn’t be taken lightly; however, it does not necessarily need to be overreacted to, either. There is a fine line when handling an unprecedented and potentially dangerous situation. RUHS set a good example, one which other schools should remember when facing with similar circumstances.

Editorial Board vote

Administration’s reaction to the graffiti last Friday will discourage further threats, and should be modeled by other schools.

Yes

4

No

3

page 12

1998 CIF FINALIST 2001 CIF-SS FINALIST 2007 CIF-SS FINALIST 2002 CIF CHAMPIONS 2013 CIF-SS CHAMPIONS 2013 CIF CHAMPIONS

High Tide

sports

THEPRIDEOF

REDONDO

2013 STATE CHAMPIONS

Dec. 17, 2015

Athlete of the Issue: Leland Green

CIF FINALIST 2003 CIF CHAMPIONS 2000 CIF CHAMPIONS 2002 CIF CHAMPIONS 2008 CIF CHAMPIONS 2015

Height:

6’3

Average steals/game:

Weight:

Although it is still early in their season, boys basketball has high hopes in maintaining their undefeated record.

“We’re 6-0 right now and playing well, but we have a lot of room for improvement,” senior Eli Nesbit said.

Especially since it is still very early in their season, many agree that there is much that can be improved on. “[Their] communication, ability to play together and hold each other accountable,” are some of the components that can be improved upon, Nesbit said.

Even with those factors possibly hindering them, according to Junior Warren Jackson, “the team is healthy, and very talented.”

“Seniors Leland Green, Eli Nesbit, and Morgan Means are some of the strongest players we have,” Jackson said. “They all practice really well, work incredibly hard and have a natural talent.”

The team believes that “heart” has been the key to their successes so far.

“Heart has kept us undefeated because we never give up when we are in a dogfight, but as we start this tournament [and the rest of our season] we are going to need more than heart to win,” Nesbit said. “We will need to play very close to perfect each game. We cannot allow any brain farts and we need hold each other accountable for achieving each of our

The girls basketball team looks to defend their CIF title as league approaches, and is prepared for the hard work ahead.

The girls agree that although they have the ability to once again win CIF, they currently don’t have the skillset to defend their title.

“I would love to win CIF again, but we aren’t ready for that right now, but I know we have the potential to get there,” senior co-captain Kyra Hamlin said.

The team’s preseason has had a balance of wins and losses, with victories from Carson and Edison high school, and defeats from Windward and Harvard-Westlake high school.

Redondo intends to use their experiences from preseason and use that momentum in league.

“We lost to Harvard-Westlake by double digits and that was disappointing,” said Enriquez. “Our team still has a lot of growing up to do, but we have been working hard in practice every day, so the coaches have already seen improvement.”

The girls believe that their defense and speed are their strongest attributes and intend to polish these skills in order to play at their highest level in future matches.

“Defensively, we are solid. That is probably due to how the coaches drill us everyday at practice about being better in defense,” said Enriquez. “We put a lot of focus into our defense.”

According to Enriquez, the girls practice drills such as

individual goals in order to reach the team goal, which is to win it all.”

Currently the team is competing in a tournament held in Las Vegas where they won their first game against Sheldon high school after being down at halftime.

Although the team is confident in their abilities, Redondo is watching out for teams such as Chino Hills, Sierra Canyon, and Mater Dei. “[Since] Sierra Canyon won state last year and they are number two seeded in open division, and since we’ve never got payback from Mater Dei embarrassing us on national TV in this same tournament two years ago, we have to look out for both of those teams,” Nesbit said.

In the meantime, the boys believe that their current and upcoming games together will prepare them for those teams when the time comes.

“I think the Vegas tournament, the Palm springs tournament and our trip to Canada will be good experiences to bring us together as a whole,” Nesbit said.

Overall, the team has high expectations for the remainder of the season.

“We have a great coaching staff and this is a very good group, so state championship could be in the cards for us,” Jackson said.

by Serena Maanum

“close-outs, defensive slides, and mostly four on four shell.”

These drills are meant to prepare players to remain active at all times on defense.

The team has expressed their excitement over playing in the Tournament of Champions on Dec. 19.

“We have been working really hard in practice for this tournament because there are going to be some tough teams out there,” Enriquez said.

Tsuneishi has similar thoughts on the outcome of the tournament, and is confident in the team’s capacity to finish the tournament on a high note.

“I expect us to play just like we know how to. We have all the tools to do great things this season, so I’m hoping this tournament will get us in the rhythm of Redondo basketball.

[These tools include] strong post play, sharp perimeter shooters, tough defense, and the experience from last seasons’ CIF and State run.”

The team aspires to earn titles beyond the amount they received last season, that being CIF champions, but also believes that becoming closer as a team is a critical aspect that they need to build on in order to achieve these goals.

“As a team, our main focus is to be the best in Bay League, CIF, and State, but we’re also hoping to build better relationships as a team,” said Tsuneishi.

Average points/ game:

14.5 Average rebounds/ game:

Position:

A hopeful season ahead

185 Guard

Winning with heart

by Serena Maanum

The silent leader

14.5

by Romy Moreno

page 13

sports

ESPN Calif. rank:

5.5

27

PHOTO BY ANDRE KIM

Senior Leland Green silently enters the locker room with his headphones in. The boys basketball team is not joking around as they prepare for their game. Coach Reggie Morris gathers his players and says some usual words of wisdom and a prayer. The players gather in the hallway when the game is about to start.

Green says a prayer to himself as well then takes off onto the court.

Green’s teammates, like senior Eli Nesbit, “have a lot of faith in him to carry the rest of the team.” “[Green] is an excellent scorer and gives us points when we need them,” Nesbit said, “He makes explosive plays that make the game fun and gets the team going.”

According to coach Morris, he also notices the effect that Green has on his teammates. “[Green] is never afraid of a challenge,” Morris said, “His teammates gain confidence just from knowing he is up to the task and forces them to reach the next level.”

Green has one goal for the team this year: winning the state championship.

According to Morris, he believes that Green’s eagerness for every game benefits the team and Green’s goal of winning state. “[Green] is a great competitor and is always up for the big game,” Morris said. “He’s not afraid to go against the top notch competition no matter how big, fast, or strong.”

According to Morris, he believes that Green is more of a silent leader who leads through action rather than words. “[Green] is not much of a talker, but he’s improving,” Morris said, “He is more of a leader through hard work and action, but not so much his words.”

According to Green, the whole team is “like a family” which is important when playing on the court.

“If your teammates are like brothers off the court then it really shows positively on the court and in games,” Green said Coach Morris has also taught Green things that he will remember when he’s off the court.

“Coach Morris doesn’t just teach us about basketball, but also about growing up and being a man and being a great person,” Green said.

He started playing when he was around four or five years old, and since then basketball has opened many opportunities for him.

“Without basketball I wouldn’t have been able to go to different states, playing in big events in front of hundreds of college coaches and met people that I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life,” Green said.

Green’s love for basketball gets him to continue playing, and hopes to compete in college next year.

According to Morris, he also thinks Green can secure an athletic scholarship and hopes for him to achieve “all that he dreams of.”

“Whether it’s winning a fourth league championship or securing a Division One athletic scholarship,” Morris said. “I believe all these things are within his grasp and with continued hard work, I believe in his dreams.”

page 14

sports

High Tide

Boys soccer is hopeful for upcoming season

by Mia Berger Despite the boys’ soccer’s game against Southeast being canceled on Tuesday, Dec. 15, the team retains its high hopes for the season.

“Redondo has a ton of amazing sports teams, and it’s easy for soccer to be overlooked; however, we hope that this year we will be able to gain the respect from the school we feel we deserve,” senior Adam King said.

The team agrees that they began the season off with a rocky start, losing to Cambridge on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

“We definitely could have come on stronger in our preseason, but we have a very strong team this year and I think that we are going to do well, come [the] season,” senior Ryan Wadhams said.

A common thread among the players right now is the goal of winning Bay League.

“As far as the season itself, I think we can win Bay League. That would be really cool considering Palos Verdes has won every single year since 2006,” Wadhams said.

Another season-long goal shared by the team is reaching CIF and surpassing the semi-finals.

“One [of the] specific goals we have right now is to continue to do well in CIF playoffs.

We are working on improving as a team and improving our attitude. We are very talented this year but we need to improve on team discipline,” senior Daniel Kelly said.

According to the team, in past years they have not been “extremely dedicated.” However, this year they are working toward becoming more serious and 1. motivated.

“Admittedly, soccer hasn’t been the most dedicated sport, but this year we are really trying to turn it around. We are practicing every week day and on Saturday for two hours.

We are also utilizing preseason to figure out which player should play each position so that, come leage, we will have the most optimal lineup,” King said.

The team as a whole is working so that each player is individually putting in his “best effort” to accomplish their goals for the season.

“Personally, I am just trying to make our team as strong as possible. Whether I end up playing defense to strengthen our back line, or am up top scoring and creating goals, or somewhere in between, I do whatever I can to help the team win games,” Wadhams said.

2.

One down, four to go. 1. Senior Brandon Cohen sprints past two South defenders in Redondo’s 3-1 win against them. 2. Sophomore Adam Yorke moves past South defenders. “It was a really good first game for us,” he said. “We moved the ball really well throughout the game and I’m exciting for the upcoming season.”

PHOTOS BY ANAM KHAN

The team will be playing next at the South Tournament over Winter Break, starting on Monday, Dec. 21.

“On a given day any team can beat anoth-

Girls’ soccer kicks off season

scored on. After that, we couldn’t quite get the momentum back,” Kennel said. “Not to mention we were missing two key starters, Ashley Humphrey and Jessy Loren, due to injuries.”

Junior Keely Fillman had similar thoughts.

“We have definitely learned from the loss against Costa; we have evaluated their strengths, and [will] try to work around them next time. They played a good game, and we just weren’t prepared well enough. Plus, the referee wasn’t making calls in our favor,” Fillman said.

Costa game aside, the girls believe that they will easily bounce back and have a more successful season than the preseason.

“One strength is positivity; everyone is really encouraging to one another, and that’s a great quality to have as a team. It really helps when things get kind of frustrating, an example being horrible [referees] during our games,” Fillman said.

Senior and co-captain Katie Stein agreed, saying “we have a very young team, which can be a disadvantage, but we have good chemistry so far.”

The team believes they can improve their scores by changing the way they have been playing the ball along the field.

After losing to Costa and West, girls’ soccer hopes for more success

by Angie Tait Battling injury, weather, and an inconsistent lineup, the girls’ soccer team is working to prepare for their upcoming season.

“Our preseason has been going extremely

well. We’ve only lost our last two games, due to simple mistakes that we can easily clean up as we continue to practice,” junior and cocaptain Madi Kennel said.

T h e girls lost 1-3 against Mira Costa on Monday, Dec. 14, but attributed their loss to missing players, ill preparation, and high pressure. “[At] the Costa game, we started off really strong, then became disorganized on a counOne down, four to go. 1. Senior Brandon Cohen sprints past two South defenders in Redondo’s 3-1 win against them. 2. Sophomore Adam Yorke moves past South defenders. terattack “It was a really good first game for us,” he said. “We moved the ball really well throughout that they the game and I’m excited for the upcoming season.” PHOTOS BY ANAM KHAN

er.” Wadhams said, “There are bad days and good days like anything else, but when we work together and play on form we are the best team in the league.”

“Something we could work on is winning the ball in the middle, and settling down and just relaxing during the game,” Fillman said.

“A lot of the time we get too anxious and just try to attack and play long balls over the top, when we should really try to pass the ball around and break down the defense.”

Coach Shelly Marsden has also been diversifying the lineup by rotating the girls’ positions--another difference this year that not all girls on the team have agreed with.

“Personally, the lineup Shelly plays is not the best. I am not always comfortable in who she plays all the time. But I hope she will realize [that], sooner or later,” Fillman said.

Stein had different thoughts on Coach Marsden’s changes.

“Shelly has been playing around with the lineup and who fits best, and I am very happy with it because a lot of our players can play in multiple positions,” Stein said.

The team anticipates improvement as the season approaches. Their next step towards success will be playing in a tournament over winter break “Out of the three years I have played at Redondo, I think this is the best team we have had, and I am confident that we will make it far,” Kennel said. “We have great team chemistry on and off the field, and I cannot wait for the season to begin.”

Dec. 17, 2015

Starting off with a splash Girls water polo looks toward tournaments following a win against El Segundo

ing. “[Haroldson] is pushing us a lot harder and practices have become much more serious,” McCaw said. “We can tell she doesn’t joke around anymore.”

Rather than lose momentum over the two-week break, Haroldson has Pool party. Junior Solee Scarlett hefts the ball in an assist to a teammate, who would scheduled prac- then score a goal off of the timely pass in a pre-season game on Dec. 7 versus El Segundo. PHOTO BY ELISE DIPAOLA tice for nearly every day except Christmas and New Year’s personal notebooks to study plays, set personal goals, and kept detailed record of Day. “Over break we’re going to do heavy con- match statistics. ”We all have certain goals we set at the ditioning and even more scrimmaging,” Furman said, “because right after break we have beginning of the season, and Shelby wants us to accomplish those within a reasonable a game against Peninsula.”

Along with rigorous practices, the girls amount of time,” Furman said. “The notehave had to revise their lineup to fill the gap books just make it easier to track ourselves.”

The team is much smaller than it has of last year’s graduated seniors.

“Even though we lost a few key players, been in previous years, but the girls plan to I definitely think the team looks a lot better use this to their advantage.

“Having a smaller team has allowed us to than last year,” McCaw said. “If anything, our become closer to one another,” Maguy said. team’s speed alone will make up for it.”

Recently, the girls have aproached their “Because of this, our desire has really grown, game from all angles. They have initiated and we want to win more than ever.”

Gotta keep their heads up

Despite their loss to South, surf is hopeful about their upcoming season

by Luke Peterson

The team began their season on Dec. 15 with an 86-81 loss to South High in a competition at the Hermosa Beach Pier in the early morning.

“We ended up losing by a pretty close score, but we did pretty well overall as a team,” sophomore short boarder Braeden Anderson said.

“Our main surfers all placed top three in their heats, which is the time when surfers go out into the water and are scored by judges. Based on the score you got from your heat, your team gets points from that.”

The results of the latest event against South High let the team identify what it needs to improve on to be successful in future events, the next one being in January.

“The outcome shows that the team in general needs to work on our finishing maneuvers,” Anderson said. “We also need to work on at-

taining a better selection of waves during our heats.”

The team put its three best surfers in their respective legs of the competition: boys’ and girls’ longboard and shortboard. This selection of surfers was based on how well each person did in practice.

“Before we start our season, we do a lot of heats against each other during our morning surf class,” senior Phoebe Mather said. “The people usually getting first, second, and third are going to be doing these in competitions against other schools.”

The upcoming winter weather and the potentially strong El Niño may impact how the team practices, according to Mather.

“This winter could really influence how we practice, because if it rains we’re not allowed

Wrestling prepares for upcoming season

by Hayley Rigby

by Justin Pioletti Expectations are high for girls water polo as they dive into the Chino Hills tournament this Friday, a determining factor for the rest of their season.

“The Chino Hills tournament can really go in different directions, since there are teams from multiple divisions. In one of our first games we play Crescenta Valley which is a division two team,” junior Sophie Maguy said. “Either way, the tournament is great for seeing how we compare to teams this season.”

Despite a 7-3 win against El Segundo, the match revealed necessary areas of improvement, notably in their offensive preparations.

“Overall, our offense needs to work on a little more coherency, and create a set plan because we focus so much on defense that our offense is often almost ignored,” Maguy said. “As we get closer to bay league games, it becomes more evident that necessary changes need to be made.”

In order to fulfill these “necessary changes,” the team has intensified their trainings.

“A lot of the drills we do in practice are designed specifically for in-game scenarios,” junior Mia Furman said. “Of course, a lot of other teams do the same, but our coach’s experience is what sets us apart.”

According to junior Maddie McCaw, second-year head coach Shelby Haroldson has become thoroughly connected with each of the players; however, she makes a necessary distinction between bonding and condition-

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sports

to surf due to the storm drains opening up,” Mather said. “We also don’t surf if the weather is bad and if it’s really windy.”

According to Mather, one of the team’s most enticing objectives for this season has carried over from last year.

“We had a very strong your last year, but the only team that we lost to was Mira Costa,” Mather said. “I would say that beating them this season is one of our biggest goals.”

The team holds an optimistic view for the rest of the season despite the potentially bad weather and the loss on Dec. 15.

“I still think we’re going to have a really good year this year,” Mather said. “We have a great group of competitors and I don’t think it’s a question of us trying to fix a problem, but us trying to improve our skill.”

Boys and girls wrestling is rigorously training for its upcoming early-season tournaments. The team will compete in its next tournament at the Brute Classic, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Dec 22 at Bishop Amat High School.

Even at an early stage of the season, the team is starting to make preparations and train even more extensively for this season’s approaching matches.

This year, wrestling has added a lot of new individuals to both the varsity and J.V. teams.

According to sophomore Nick Webb, the newcomers have improved the team’s training by contributing a wide variety of beneficial skills.

“We have a lot more recruits this year compared to last year, fortunately a good amount of them have previous experience with sports like football, jiu jitsu, or other forms of fighting,” Webb said.

With so many newly added members, wrestling is training the recruits and exposing them to the skills and moves needed to build on as practices continue to take place.

“We are a fairly young team, so we are introducing new moves to the less experienced wrestlers while the returners are further honing skills and moves. We are also increasing conditioning during practice,” Webb said.

Junior Thuylinh Turek believes that the teams have the chance to perform and achieve at high levels because of the diversity and motivation among all of the wrestlers.

“I feel this year wrestling has a lot of potential to bring real competition to the our opponents. We have a lot of people who are transferring from different sports and they bring a lot of individuality and personality to the team, as well as more motivation to do better. If the teams trains hard and sets goals for themselves, not just goals to win matches but to improve as wrestlers, we will definitely bring competition to the table,” Turek said.

Wrestling is determined to take on this season with their early preparations.

“We are confident that if we all work to our max, we will definitely succeed” Turek said. “Every team always has room for improvement, but if we reach our set goals, we can definitely achieve a lot this season.”

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

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BEHIND THE SCENES:

A Christmas Carol

by Kylie Yorke Overall, the winter production of A Christmas Carol was a success. All four

1.

Bah, humbug. 1. Senior Alec Johnson plays Scrooge and junior

2.

Noelani Montas plays the Ghost of Christmas Past during Stave II of the play. During this stave, Scrooge revisits painful memories, and eventually vows to become a better man. “It was a lot of line memorization,” Johnson said. 2. Junior Courtney Van den Eikhof styles sophomore Joey Shy’s hair. In the play, Shy played Young Scrooge, Peter Cratchit, and ensemble roles. “Backstage was really hectic, but orderly at the same time. We were all running around for costume changes, but we had to be onstage and do the show, too. We all went in different directions, but we were all unified because we all had the same objective,” he said. PHOTO 1 BY KAREN VUONG PHOTO 2 BY RAQUELTAHVILDARI

PLAYING THE PART

GETTING THE ROLE

NOELANI MONTAS GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST

shows ran smoothly, but most people don’t realize everything that had to happen before the curtain opened.

“This show was very stressful. There are so many different elements to it because I went a little more outside the box with it this year, and it brings in different complications that you aren’t ready for,” director Justin Baldridge said.

A Christmas Carol is a classic tale of a man named Scrooge who, through the visits of three spirits, is reminded of the joy that Christmas brings and is encouraged to bring happiness to others with the time he has left.

Baldridge knew from the very beginning, that he wanted to do something special with the traditional story, so he ended up taking the original book by Charles Dickens and turning it into a production that is completely his own.

“I like to take a play and find a new plan of attack on it, twist it a little somehow.” Baldridge said. “It makes it special.”

Baldridge not only altered the original dialogue and character elements, but the audience’s perspective as well.

“The vision I had for this play was that everything would be from scrooge’s point of view,” Baldridge said. “I wanted to honor that, especially with the set design.”

The cast and crew got to work on the first day of school, and stage manager Taylor Harms was busy with props and set design the whole time.

“From start to finish it takes about a month and a half to design the set. You have to build and paint everything, which takes a long time,” Harms said. “Sometimes you will literally be watching paint dry.”

I was very excited for this role because I never read for Christmas Past in the callbacks.

I was happy. It came as a shock and I was intimidated to play this role.

PLAYING THE PART

I like to see the work ethic of the other actors, and it was unique how some of the actors implemented themselves as some of the objects.

I think of my character as a mother owl. I experimented with different body movements that convey me as a ghost.

THE EXPERIENCE

ALEC JOHNSON SCROOGE

Dec. 17, 2015 Whether it’s lights, costumes, sound, or stage crew, everybody has a job to do, but some are kept busier than others.

“There are times when things can be pretty difficult, but it just depends on the show and how much there needs to be done,” Harms said. “The costume crew was really busy for this show just because there were so many quick changes.”

According to costume designer Morgan Goldstein, getting actors quickly changed and on stage can be stressful, but that’s only one aspect of her job.

“We’re responsible for a lot that happens backstage. We have to make sure all the actors return their costumes, and then we have to keep track of and label all the costumes,” Goldstein said. “It gets messy. Sometimes actors will forget their costume and then they’ll be behind schedule and going on late.”

Reina Mcgonigle, who plays the ghost of Christmas present, says that the key to a successful show is handling issues.

“I think part of the excitement of live theater is that you have to approach every show with the mentality that things are going to go wrong, but also knowing how you are going to react to them,” Mcgonigle said.

Actors and members of stage crew get to the auditorium hours before the show starts to get ready and prep the stage, and even though they have a lot to do, there is a positive environment backstage.

“It’s a very calm environment because we’re all about to do the same thing and we all enjoy doing it,” Mcgonigle said. “Everyone is joking around and having fun, but we are also very focused on what we’re doing.”

Once every actor’s costume and makeup is on, the crew moves into the final stages of preparation before the show starts.

“A lot has to happen before we can start,” Harms said. “It’s a chain of command, and we all work together. When the actors are all ready, they’ll tell me they’re ready, and once everyone on my half is ready, I can tell Mr. B that we are ready to go.”

Unlike the peaceful and calm environment before the curtain opens, backstage during the show can get out of hand.

“Once the show actually starts, backstage

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features gets pretty hectic,” Mcgonigle said. “Everyone is trying to get their quick change done and get on stage.”

According to Harms, the shows later in the week are easier to manage, and the crew can get through them with less issues.

“There were some days that went smoother than others,” Harms said. “The later shows are always better, mainly because we’ve run through the show so many times and most of the kinks have been worked out.”

Though dysfunctional microphones, sick cast members, and sore throats slowed them down, the actors carried on with their performances as if nothing was wrong, and showed that even when things don’t go exactly as planned, the show must go on.

“We always are going to have hiccups, but what stood out was that nobody ever let the hiccups affect them,” Mcgonigle said.

Rehearsals can be frustrating for the cast, especially when running through the same scene over and over.

“When we start rehearsing light and sound, we just have to sit there and let them run through the light cues,” Mcgonigle said.

This can be especially difficult for Alec Johnson, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge.

“In most plays, the characters get to leave the stage and take breaks, but for my specific role, I don’t ever leave the stage, which is unique, because it taught me a lot of patience through that one hour on stage without food or water,” Johnson said. “Overall though it’s worth it because it’s a lot of fun.”

When the curtains closed for the last time on Saturday night, the cast and crew had mixed emotions. While some were just glad it was over, others wanted to hold on to the production they had worked so hard on.

“It’s always kind of strange once the show is over, because for so long and for so many months you’re working on the show a lot of your time is dedicated to it,” Harms said. “It’s a really strange feeling for it to just be done, but there is also a sense of accomplishment.”

Mcgonigle, was upset that they only did four shows as opposed to their usual seven.

“I miss it already, and it just feels like everything went by too fast,” Mcgonigle said.

“We all enjoyed it immensely while it lasted.”

‘Tis the season.

1. Senior Bella Vida assists junior Isadora QuevedoCapizzi with her hair while Quevedo-Capizzi finishes up her stage makeup. 2.

The Ghosts of Christmas Present, seniors Serenity Robb and Reina McGonigle, made character choices based on “the relationship between Ana and Elsa” from Disney’s Frozen, according to McGonigle.

4

2.

1.

PHOTO 1 BY KAREN VUONG PHOTO 2 BY RAQUEL TAHVILDARI

GETTING THE ROLE

PREPARATION

DUKE ROBINSON FRED

I practiced my monologues at home. I like to relate to my character’s experiences.

It makes me more passionate.

I was very excited for it because I got to play the role with one of my really good friends.

THE EXPERIENCE

I worked a lot with my friend outside of rehearsal and we talked about how we wanted our characters to be.

The whole cast was very supportive and talented. Mr. B is always willing to talk to us and support us.

PLAYING THE PART

REINA MCGONIGLE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT

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Down Santa Claus Lane Sisters Peyton and Jordan Bell live on Candy Cane Lane

by Summer Saad Climbing up to the roof to dress her house with gleaming lights, painting wooden Christmas trees, and walking through the nearby lit up streets puts the final touches on Christmas for junior Peyton Bell and her family.

Living on Candy Cane Lane has been a part of Bell and her sister, freshman Jordan Bell’s lives for eight years.

“I remember how when I was little, we would walk through everything and it was just crazy,” Jordan said.

Decorating throughout the streets starts after Thanksgiving or the beginning of November.

“Me and my dad spent the last day of Thanksgiving break decorating the house and making different things for the yard,” Bell said.

Bell believes that for some residents, decorating is a part of the culture in Redondo Beach.

“For the people who go all out, they compete for best decorations and the winner gets a sign that says their house was the best,” Bell said.

According to Bell, a lot of the people have their own way of getting in the spirit, and it’s not always decorations.

“My neighbors get really into it. They set up hot chocolate stands and sell popcorn,” Bell said.

“There’s one house where they do a new theme every year. Last year they did Frozen,” Jordan said. “We put up frosty the snowman, my dad made trees this year which we painted and put lights around.”

Living in the area does not necessarily mean that families have to decorate, however, Bell finds it to be “fun.”

“Even though new people move in, everyone that lives in the area does it.

There’s only about one or two houses that don’t do it,” Bell said. “Even if they don’t go all out, everyone likes to put something up for Christmas.”

One thing about living on Candy Cane Lane that Bell enjoys is that it’s always open and available to her.

“We go through the streets probably six or seven times,” Bell said. “Just like after soccer practice or when we feel like going through we can just drive through on the way home.”

Bell believes that just walking through and looking at the lights is a nice hangout for friends and family.

“It’s really cool that we get to have something like this, especially because everybody likes to go there. It’s also nice for people that live there because you’re able to walk outside and come back,” she said.

Most houses begin turning on their lights early December and January.

“The closer it is to Christmas, the more people park on our street and then about two days after Christmas, people stop coming,” Bell said.

According to Bell, living on Candy Cane Lane is fun for the family, but can be frustrating at times.

“It’s annoying when people park in front of our street and block our car, or leave trash outside our house,” Bell said.

It can also be difficult to go places, especially during holiday break, while there are people and cars on the streets.

“There’s a lot of traffic and they try to fit as many cars as possible on our street so it gets crowded,” Bell said.

Bell and Jordan believe that Candy Cane Lane will always be a part of Redondo Beach for friends and family to enjoy.

“Christmas without it would be weird for me,” Jordan said. “I don’t think it’ll ever die down. It’s a good way to spend time with friends during the holidays.”

PHOTOS BY RAQUEL TAHVILDARI

Dec. 17, 2015

features

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Dancing with the stars Kevin Martinez pursues his passion for dance by choreographing quinceñeras

by Erika Zlatkin

1.

Young and sweet, only seventeen.

1. Martinez

poses with juniors Melanie Paiz and Alexis Salcedo at Salcedo’s quinceanera. 2.

Martinez dips junior Lily Rubio while per forming salsa on Club Sign-Up Day, representing salsa club. “Honestly, I can’t get enough of dancing. I never can. I might come home from salsa and still have practice for quinceaneras and it still isn’t tiring, because every dance is different,” he said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEVIN MARTINEZ

A quinceañera is a loud, wild event; as the crowd cheers for the birthday girl’s main dance, junior Kevin Martinez is the one to thank. Kevin and his sister Ana Martinez teach dances for quinceañeras as a small business.

“To be honest, I’ve always danced and have always been interested in it, ever since I was small,” Kevin said.

Learning from his older sister and the Sabor de Salsa club, Kevin has been competing and dancing on a more professional level since freshman year.

His sister, originally the main choreographer for the business, now shares her responsibilities with him.

“The kind of dances that me and my sister make are very lively and make the people feel energized,” Kevin said.

Kevin’s schedule consists of many dancing practices. With salsa club practice twice a week, he has to coordinate his quinceañera practices on other days. These activities require a lot of work, but he says he can manage them both. “[Being efficient] is just knowing when to do your homework and when to schedule everything because I schedule things when I know I won’t be busy,” Kevin said.

Kevin can manage both salsa practice and quinceañera practice, but when it comes to quinceañeras, he has to go and teach girls from different cities whereas salsa practice is taught at the school.

“I don’t just teach people from Redondo.

I also teach people from Lawndale and even Long Beach and Los Angeles. Each vibe is different, but overall, I feel that the students are very understanding and they know that they’ll learn something, so they actually put in the time and effort,” Kevin said.

Being both a teacher and a friend to his students is a very “on and off” situation for Kevin. Because he only has one hour once a week to practice the dances, he has to take control and be more assertive.

“I consider my students friends but when it’s time to work, I do have to take it seriously and because I’m getting paid, I have to be more strict with them. But when practice is over I can be their friend,” Kevin said.

As a teacher to students across different cities, Kevin is exposed to different environments. Often times, he must approach the student and try to build a connection and trust with them. Interacting with everyone in clubs and practices brings out his outgoing nature.

“I would say [teaching] definitely made me more outgoing. It’s a different experience for all quinceañeras. I’ve met so many different people and it’s because they made me outgoing and made me want to talk to them.

And now I can talk to anyone because I know how to approach them,” Kevin said.

Ana finds that teaching a wide variety of people from different places helps her learn to be understanding and flexible in her teaching method.

“A lot of the time you’ll get troublemakers who don’t want to listen, but in the long run you have to know how to be patient and teach different kinds of people because everybody learns in a different way,” Ana said.

Ana believes that being present at dance practices and being committed is a large part of teaching effectively.

“Since he’s my brother we get along really well because we both have the same hobby and we both know how to dance and it works out perfectly,” Ana said.

In addition to choreographing quinceañeras, Kevin has been dancing with the school’s Sabor de Salsa club for the past three years. He loves that he has become close with many people, and that he can spend more time dancing.

“I actually met my best friend through dancing my freshman year because he was dance captain of the club, he taught me a lot and it brought us a lot closer. The whole team has become a family,” Kevin said.

For salsa, Kevin says practicing and perfecting certain moves can boost your self confidence and can shake your pre-performance nerves.

“There’s a difference between practicing and performing. The feeling when you’re practicing makes you more powerful because ‘you know you can do it’ and you look good,” Kevin said.

Kevin says practicing for salsa club, similarly to quinceañera practices, allows you to be more comfortable with your dancing in addition to rehearsing the dance steps repeatedly.

“Performing feels like a big rush.

Even while dancing, you’re shaking because you’re so nervous, but at the same time loving the attention that the crowd is giving you. It’s all about the crowd’s energy,” Kevin said.

Kevin describes dancing on stage to be a little frightening, because you only have one chance to do a performance. On the other hand, he relies on the crowd’s reaction and applause to keep being positive.

He believes people are unaware of how difficult salsa is to dance, and that sometimes people may forget it is a sport at all. Salsa is an underrated “workout” in which you can pull a muscle or injure yourself in any way.

2.

He faces a lot of pressure when performing to do well, not only for the team, but so all his work can pay off.

“I definitely use dancing to not be at the house because that’s so boring. I use it as a distraction and it makes time go by way faster than it actually seems. Even when I’m sick, I feel really energized and happy when I start dancing,” Kevin said.

Kevin’s passion has always been dancing.

Since he was young, he used dancing as a source of happiness. Kevin believes building his small business off of his hobby allows him to express what he loves to others in addition to devoting his time to being active and having fun.

“Honestly, I can’t get enough of dancing. I never can. Occasionally I might come home from salsa and still have practice for quinceañeras and it still isn’t tiring, because every dance is different,” Kevin said.

Although being a mentor can take up some of his time, Kevin is appreciative to pursue his passion for dance.

“Since I love dancing so much, it doesn’t even feel like a job,” Kevin said. “I’m always happy to go and teach because I know I’m going to be dancing so it doesn’t matter.

Making money on the side is just a bonus to my hobby.”

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Safe and sound Meet some of the members of your RUHS security team Tia Batiste “I think the most rewarding part of being a security guard is making sure the kids are safe. And not just physically, but their overall well-being too. I think it’s good to be a listening ear or just be there to give some advice.”

Compliled by Austin Nunis

Jeff Cracknell “The best part about being a security guard would probably be watching them grow up from their freshman year to their senior year. Being vigilant and keeping your eyes peeled is the most important.”

Compliled by Reem Chamas

Ramiro Ramirez “I just want to keep it a safe place. [Redondo was] omewhere I used to go to and felt safe. I want other people to feel the same thing. I’ll be here as long as I can be for the students.

Compliled by Brittany Baker

Irene Mendoza “The freshmen are really the students who cause the most trouble, but eventually they grow and learn. It is our job is to make sure that you guys are safe.”

Dec. 17, 2015

Action. Interested in film since a young age,

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Batiste plans on attending the USC School of Cinematic Arts and eventually start her own film production company all while continuing to volunteer.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TIA BATISTE

Behind the scenes

Batiste is studying film while volunteering with various organizations

by Austin Nunis Growing up, RUHS Security Guard Tia Batiste dreamed of becoming a singer or an actress. However, once she “grew up and learned that [she] couldn’t sing”, Batiste abandoned that career path in favor of a behind-the-scenes type job.

On top of protecting the students, Batiste is also an aspiring film producer, a volunteer, and is furthering her education at El Camino, with hopes of attending USC. “I’m in the process of finishing school.

This is my last week at El Camino and I feel like it’s time for me to move on and figure out what I’m going to do next,” Batiste said.

In regards to figuring out the next part of her life, Batiste is hoping to change paths and get into the USC School of Cinematic Arts, to study either production or directing.

“I fell in love with film when I had to take a film appreciation class. I’d always enjoyed the cinematic art of film, but once I took that class I appreciated film and I understood the process. I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in [the film] industry,” Batiste said.

Batiste has had prior experience working on films and television shows. She has worked as a second assistant director on the short film “L.A. Stories” and as an executive producer on a web series and is currently working as the executive producer on a reality TV show.

As an assistant director, Batiste helps the

director “with the visual aspects of the film, such as a shot list”. She also helps with important decisions such as actors and set design.

Batiste loves the way that film “is there for you” and how it “makes you feel a certain way.” She also likes how complete strangers can bond over their love for a certain production.

“That’s what I love about film. It brings people together. I’ve met so many people just working in film that I’m now lifelong friends with,” Batiste said, “Being able to put what’s in your mind and show people what you see in your head is just something that’s so brilliant.”

For now, Batiste only works part time in the film industry and part time at RUHS as a security guard. Batiste started this job in October and feels that she’s finally getting the hang of being a security guard and the responsibilities that the job entails.

Batiste says that she is responsible for lunch duty in the quad and making sure the campus stays clean. So far, Batiste is happy with the job because it gives her the ability to manage both her school life and her work life.

“This job is perfect for me as far as me going to school and working part time. I still have time with this job to go to school and not feel pressured about not having time to study or have a social life,” Batiste said.

Batiste grew up in Watts, California and worked at Dickison Elementary School in Compton for five years. Batiste specialized in academic intervention tutoring kids and helping them one on one.

Batiste loved the experience and the kids she got to befriend but realized that they didn’t have a lot to work with.

“It was really cool, but I just hate that because it was Compton, we didn’t have as many resources as I see now [at places like] Redondo,” Batiste said. “But the kids were honestly great and I still go and visit them from time to time.”

Batiste has also been volunteering at the Hub City Autism Network for three years, which is also based in Compton. There, she helps them plan events, while at the same time working with kids that have autism.

She’s also trying to grow the foundation and reach a wider audience.

“I was asked about a year and a half ago to become a board member of Hub City Autism. It’s a great organization that I’m helping have a bigger effect on the community, especially because it’s based in Compton and they don’t have a lot of resources,” Batiste said.

In addition, Batiste herself has epilepsy, a neurological disorder in which the victim suffers random seizures triggered by different things. Batiste has had epilepsy for the past 13 years, but has been seizure-free for 11

years.

“I was first diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 14, and it just came out of nowhere. So, all of a sudden during my first year of high school, I just started having seizures, and it was two years of me going through that and finding out what triggers my seizures and what medications controlled them,” Batiste said. “Finally when I turned 16, that was my last seizure. I haven’t had a seizure since, and it’s been 11 years.”

Batiste says that her experiences with her disease are part of the reason that she’s been so involved with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles for the past five years.

“I felt alone during my process because no one understood what was really going on with me. I don’t ever want [the kids] to feel that at all and I want to give them hope that you can overcome epilepsy and live a ‘normal’ life,” Batiste said.

Whatever Batiste decides to do in life, she is extremely grateful for her past experiences and all that she has learned, especially through her volunteer work.

“All of these jobs have made me humble.

I am so blessed in my situation. It’s such a humbling experience and to be able to help people is one of the greatest things I can do; it gives me the greatest feeling ever,” Batiste said. “I learned that volunteering and helping others should be something that everyone does.”

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High Tide

1.

3.

Helping hands. 1 and 2. The First United Methodist Church of Redondo Beach helped less fortunate children in San Quintin Valley. 3. “I learned not to take things for granted,” Hwang said.

“I’m definitely more careful about things that are precious to other people.”

2.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRYAN HWANG AND ANGIE TAIT

Piety helps impoverished people

Hwang and Valenzuela went on a mission trip to help farmers in Mexico

by Eden Millan In the small town of Vicente Guerrero, kids use rusty, iron poles as goal posts and pick-up trucks packed with crates of handpicked fruits drive down rugged dirt roads.

Sophomore Bryan Hwang and freshman Emilio Valenzuela spend a week in the heart of Baja California to support families who are trapped in a cycle of poverty and destined to a life of picking.

“I started to find an appreciation for things I wouldn’t normally see as anything special,” Hwang said. “For example, something as simple as brushing our teeth is just the norm here, but not everyone over there has access to clean water. Doing something that’s just a common part of our normal routine is a struggle in their day-to-day life.”

Both students left on a mission trip with a Christian Youth group through the First United Methodist Church of Redondo Beach.

From there, they did volunteer work in the San Quintin Valley, near the coast of Baja California, to help an impoverished community build houses, run a daycare center, and work in a women’s health clinic.

“Most of the kids were rowdy. We were notified that many of them had never really

been disciplined mainly because no one was ever around. We had to be patient with them and at times we would have to offer ultimatums to certain conflicts instead of, I guess, ‘putting the foot down’ and really having to discipline them,” Hwang said.

Each day a missionary worked three hours and they were allowed to choose what field they wanted to work in. Hwang and Valenzuela looked after a group of boys, from ages 13 to 17, who showed them ways of appreciating life by moments they never expected would define them.

“We need to appreciate everything we have here. You travel down there and things like Coca-Cola are such a luxury. Here, it’s nothing. You can buy one for less than a dollar,” Valenzuela said. “It’s just amazing that we were able to buy these things for them and see such gratitude come from what we think are simple gestures. Same goes for pizza, which in their eyes is fancy, but here it’s just cheap food that’s usually looked down upon.”

Hwang recalls talking to one of the younger boys about what life was like at home.

“I talked to this one little boy and he had

mentioned he had never seen his dad before.

That really hit home with me and all I could think was, ‘Wow, that’s crazy,’ because I have both parents at home and can’t imagine my life without them,” he said.

For Hwang, it was “the little things” that truly started to change his outlook on life outside of Redondo Beach.

“I learned not to take things for granted.

I’m definitely more careful about things that are precious to other people whether it be water, time, or whatever,” he said. “They’re just things we need to be more thoughtful about.”

Valenzuela found that although the fancier items were “more beneficial” than most of the smaller exchanges between the him and the boys, he noticed many of the people had a harder time accepting them.

“We can’t just go down there and assume they want all this ‘fancy’ stuff and give them toys or nice houses because there is a chance that many don’t want that. Often times they will not accept it and feel insulted by us. So, we first have to connect and understand what they really want and not just give them all this free stuff because it’s not useful if

they don’t feel good about themselves after.

Without that, the mission is incomplete and we fail at our job,” Valenzuela said.

Before the group left on their mission trip, they discussed what defines poverty and ways of “helping and not hurting” the Vicente Guerrero community.

“We defined [poverty] as, ‘When you let yourself believe that you’re farther down in life than you possibly could be and making the most out of what you can,’” Valenzuela said. “We are going down there to help them by how they need help and not by how we think they need help.”

Valenzuela saw the experience as an opportunity to observe the different ways people react in desperate situations.

“Even though [the kids] were living life with their six-person families in 20 by 20 feet rooms made out of cinder blocks, they were always just so happy,” Valenzuela said. “They never thought of how bad their lives were and it just defined poverty as not how much money you have but how you react to your way of life. If you learn to accept and if you’re content with the amount of money you have, you can never be poor.”

Dec. 17, 2015

page 23

features

Inventing tomorrow’s clothing Corcoran creates designs for “Generation Hustle”

by Reem Chamas

He checks the clock in the classroom and still has what seems like forever until the end of the school day. Junior Trevor Corcoran takes out his drawing pad and starts to doodle what may turn out as a t-shirt design.

He goes home and perfects the design on his computer and sends it in, hoping to get positive feedback.

Within the past year Corcoran has been designing clothing for a company named “Generation Hustle”.

“I just get my ideas and they kind of help me make it perfect, I guess in a sense,” Corcoran said.

Corcoran has been interested in fashion since middle school and he took the opportunity to start designing about a year ago.

“It is really cool especially when a bunch of these guys give me their insight and see what they are doing, and see how they are partnering up with other companies and how that kind of works,” Corcoran said. “That is what I want to go into: entrepreneurship and business. It is kind of cool to get first-hand in those big businesses working together.”

Corcoran and the rest of the company hope to make “Generation Hustle” a very well known brand by opening new stores all around the world. Currently there is one store in Los Angeles. However, the company is trying to grow to places like Dubai and Turkey.

“I have seen the brand around, but right now we are not printing new designs because we are working on expanding, so that is our

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE ANTONELLI

Designs can make dollars. “Someone can turn a regular t-shirt into a couple hundred dollar t-shirt,” Corcoran said. main process right now,” Corcoran said. “We are not making too many new things right now because all we are trying to do and focus on is pushing it all around the world.”

Corcoran takes inspiration from leading brands around the world in hope that his designs will also become famous.

“I mean just the basic designers and just kind of the thought of how someone can turn a regular t-shirt to a couple hundred dol-

Bowen discovers long lost family

by Gianna Aquilina

The doorbell rings, Keith Bowen goes to open the door to find a stranger outside introducing himself as his brother.

Junior Keith Bowen met the brother that he never knew he had during Thanksgiving break this year.

The meeting happened when his brother, Robert, made an unexpected visit to Bowen and his adoptive family’s house.

“I didn’t know who it was and then all of a sudden he told me he was my brother and I was shocked,” he said.

His brother told him news about his biological mother passing away.

“I didn’t know her so I didn’t take it too hard,” he said. “ Meeting my brother was an interesting experience because I found out how similar we both are. We both love to skateboard and we have the same laugh, it’s so weird.”

Bowen found out he was adopted at about twelve years old. He lives with his aunt and uncle who are his legal guardians although he thinks of them as his parents.

“One day I was with my grandmother and she told me that my parents were not my actual parents,” he said. “Until that point I never knew I was adopted.”

Bowen then learned the story of how he was born in Las Vegas, Nev. and his biological father was his aunt’s brother.

“When I was small my family just basically gave up on me and left me in Vegas,” Bowen said.

Bowen’s aunt, Maria Bowen, got a call when Bowen was born telling her that her brother and his wife had another child that they gave up.

“When we got the call, we decided to take him in because we wanted to keep the fam-

lar t-shirt,” Corcoran said. “Just to become a known brand, to the point where I will be able to walk almost anywhere and spot someone wearing it, because that kind of idea of when you’re walking and you see someone wearing a shirt you designed, kind of makes you feel good.”

Corcoran also feels a sense of fulfillment when he designs a popular shirt.

“It is just kind of self satisfaction saying,

‘I made that’ and someone actually likes it to the point where they will spend their hard earned money,” Corcoran said.

Corcoran’s dad is also very supportive and helps with the design process by suggesting various ideas to bring the look together.

“He is very smart too, and creative and he helps me out with a lot of the designs saying, ‘oh try this, try that’, and it ends up becoming very nice,” Corcoran said.

ily together. Keith was flown from Vegas to California where my husband picked him up at the airport when he was still a baby,” Maria said.

His grandmother told Bowen that he was adopted earlier than his family planned “I wasn’t supposed to find out when I did so my family got in a big fight about it,” he said His uncle and aunt became his legal guardians and have been raising him ever since. They decided not to tell him he was adopted until he was eighteen.

“At the same time I was glad that they told me because I would have been mad if they told me when I turned eighteen,” he said.

Once it “sunk in” that he was adopted, Bowen was not otherwise affected.

“When I found out I didn’t have a drastic change, I honestly felt nothing. I still think of my aunt and uncle as my parents because anybody can have a child, but they were the ones who took care of me and raised me for many years,” Bowen said.

Bowen had many unanswered questions about his life before he was adopted.

“Like every other adopted kid I wanted to know where I came from, why was I aban-

doned, and I wanted to know what I did to make them want to abandon me,” he said.

Bowen and his two other siblings are all living with his aunt and uncle.

“We have taken three of Keith’s biological mothers kids. Along with having three kids myself we have a large family but taking them in was one of the best decisions I have made,” Mrs.Bowen said. “ I am so blessed to be his mother and I love him very much.”

Bowen’s brother then told him about his many other siblings that he has and Bowen has decided to try and find them.

“I didn’t even know I had one brother and all of a sudden I have more siblings. It’s crazy to think that I might have never known about them if I didn’t meet my brother,” Bowen said. “I think it would be cool to meet with them and find out their story and just talk with them and relate.”

Bowen has seen this news as a “huge opportunity” to find out about himself.

“I definitely feel as if I have found myself in a way. I’m beginning to learn my life story because I was always confused about certain things like how my parents could give up an innocent baby who didn’t do anything ,” he said.

page 24

High Tide

sports

Back-to-back

Girls volleyball reflects on winning their second state title

by Vaidehi Gandhi The girls’ volleyball team has become the first team in RUHS history to emerge as back-to-back state champions.

With a 3-0 victory over Menlo-Atherton High School, who were the northern section victors, the girls finished off their season with a 36-4 record.

“It’s honoring and humbling [to win twice in a row]. The fact that we are the first team to do that is special. There are only four state banners in our gym, and the fact that two of them are ours will be a lasting memory for all the girls and I,” head varsity coach Tommy Chaffins head.

During the state playoffs, the girls were motivated to defeat their opponents in order not to be elimi-

1.

PHOTOS BY TED CAVUS

nated from the playoffs and have their season end prematurely. They agree that their recent success was a result of their newfound sense of urgency and improved focus.

“I think the reason we played so well at the very end of the season is that our mental game improved,” senior Amanda Tsao said.

“After losing to Mater Dei high school in CIF, we knew that one more loss would end our season and we didn’t want that. We realized how badly we wanted to win and that to do so, we had to give it everything we had each game. Our conscious effort and mental focus in the last three games of the season renewed our team’s desire to win and elevated our playing and communication on the court.”

Chaffins believes that the girls were more determined to finish their season on a positive note and played well nearing the finals of the playoffs.

“In our last three matches of the season, I think we played our best volleyball, which was necessary to win state,” Chaffins said.

Senior co-captain Megan Rice also agreed that having lost more matches than they would have liked this season contributed to their increase in focus and determination in the state tournament.

“I think we played with a lot more communication and energy the last three games than we did all season.

Also, losing a few matches made us more humble and more determined toward the end,” Rice said.

Among those three games, RUHS competed against and defeated Torrey Pines high school, the No. 1 ranked volleyball team in the state. Many team members consider that game to be their favorite of the season.

“We weren’t expected to beat Torrey Pines, and even if we did manage to win, we definitely did not expect Trabuco Hills to upset Mater Dei. We thought we had already played our last home game ever, but in that surprising series of events, we gained the home court advantage as the higher seed in the bracket and got the chance to play one last game at home,” Tsao said.

With each victory, they gained the mental fortitude necessary to outplay their opponents.

“It’s kind of a common theme for this season in which we exceed everyone’s, and even at times our own, expectations,” senior Liana Marin said. “That match gave us confidence to win the championship because they were the number one team expected to win state, so knocking them out really was a proud moment for us that in-

stilled a lot of confidence.”

Out of the eighteen players on the team, eleven are seniors. Once their next season begins, more than half of the team will have graduated. Despite this, the team continues to have high hopes for their season next year.

“It’s definitely going to require younger players to step up next year. We lost a ton of starting seniors last year, yet we turned a ‘rebuilding year’ into a state championship.

Anything is possible with good leadership and chemistry,” Rice said.

Marin has similar thoughts.

“I think the team next year is going to face obstacles similar to the ones we faced this year after the loss of the graduated seniors. However, I have the utmost confidence that they will overcome it just like we did this year, because of the depth of our team and the ability of our players to rise to the occasion,” Marin said.

too, so that was another plus. I was just looking for somewhere where I knew I would fit in and love it. Hawaii also has always been my dream school,” Iosia said.

Rice believes that UCSB is the best fit for her due to the lifestyle and education. In addition, the location is a “perfect” distance from home.

Baker decided to go to GSU due to the fact that it is a “big Division 1 school with competitive sports,” which she sought after.

While a few of the seniors are committed to continuing volleyball, others, such as Tsao, are still debating.

“I haven’t yet decided if I want to continue playing volleyball at the collegiate level.

It depends on where I end up going, but for me, academics are the priority and I will only continue playing volleyball if I think I can excel in and be fully committed to both my school work and athletics,” Tsao said.

The seniors leave behind a record of 75-6 for the past two years. According to Chaffins, it is difficult for any program to have a two-year run like that in Division 1.

The team fondly reflects on their season, reminiscing on their development throughout the year.

“I think we definitely started off the season strong, but we finished even stronger. The team we became is almost unrecognizable from the beginning because we’ve grown so much closer, and have gained a lot more confidence in our abilities,” Marin said.

According to Chaffins, a large part of the team’s success is attributed to their strong bond with each other.

“This group of seniors is the one of the most closely knit group that I have ever coached,” Chaffins said. “We wouldn’t have won without the girls’ closeness towards each other, no question.”

Some of seniors are committed to playing volleyball at the collegiate level. Rice plans on attending UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), senior co-captain Norene Iosia will attend the University of Hawaii, senior Kacey Baker will attend Georgia Southern University (GSU), and senior Katie Barkley will attend Hawaii Pacific University. All are e x 2. cited to play volleyball for their Put a ring on it. 1. Junior Madi Relaz respective colleges. reacts to winning a second state champion“Hawaii has a great coachship. “It feels so unreal. I’m so grateful to have ing staff, and a great volleyshared the experience with this group of girls.

They’ve been the best of friends to me and will ball program. T h e always be the people I consider my close friends,” fan base in Relaz said. 2. Senior Norene Iosia has committed to the University of Hawaii. “Winning state back-toHawaii is unback is honestly such a blessing, especially since a lot believably of people didn’t expect us to do as well as we did. It’s crazy; it is like just crazy,” Iosia said. “I’m super excited to be playing volleyball at the University of Hawaii. They have a good one big family volleyball program, good support system from the fans that I love. I also and good education. I’m pretty stoked for that!” have family out there