High Tide: Dec 14, 2017

HT

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA October 20, 2017 Vol. XCIII Edition 6

High Tide

How repealing net neutrality will pose a huge setback by giving unrestricted power to big coorporations

page 2

Letters

to Sala

Students offer a new side of the Holocaust through the eyes of survivor Sala Garncarz

by Grace McGonigle

Reenacting History. 1. Sophmore Liana Moore and senior Sterling Goddard play Sala Garncarz and her friend, Ala Gertner in Letters to Sala, a play about a young Jewish woman and her time spent in labor camps during the Holocaust. PHOTO BY MIA WICKS 2. Moore kept the letters in hope of perserving the memories of the people she met. PHOTO BY LILY LOPEZ

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The RUHS theater arts department took on the true story of a Holocaust survivor in their fall play Letters to Sala.

The play, which showed on Dec. 7, 8 and 9, is the story of Holocaust survivor Sala Garncarz and the letters she was able to save throughout her five years captive in seven different labor camps.

“The fact that she saved almost 400 letters is what is so amazing. In a time where she wasn’t allowed to keep any mail, she managed to move from Germany to Poland to the Czech Republic and keep all these letters intact. She survived because of these letters,” director and drama teacher Melissa Staab said.

Garncarz, played by senior Danielle Silkes as an old woman and sophomore Liana Moore as a teenager, was a determined girl who took her sister’s place when she was called to work in a labor camp.

“She was in this place with people she had never met before, with these terrible life or death conditions and never knowing when someone was going to be selected to be killed, so I think the fact that she was able to stay so strong is what I admire most,” Silkes said.

Staab chose this particular play partially because of the different perspective it provides on the Holocaust.

“I feel that most people just think about Anne Frank and Schindler’s List when it comes to stories having to do with the Holocaust,” Staab said. “I really enjoyed ‘Letters to Sala’ because it focuses on a different story, the fact that she was in a labor camp and she had differ-

ent privileges.”

For her first time tackling a true story, Staab decided to appoint senior Lisa Diethelm as dramaturg, or the member of the crew in charge of the research behind the show. Diethelm read Sala’s Gift by Ann Kirschner, the book the play was based off, and used the information to help out set, props and the actors.

Diethelm was also able to learn about another side of the Holocaust in her research of the reality of labor camps.

“Labor camps were very different from concentration camps,” Diethelm said. “They weren’t in death camps; they were there to work. The Nazis did not just try to kill everyone — they exploited them by using them as resources.”

For the actors, connecting with their characters was what they struggled with most, according to Staab, so the cast was able to set up a Skype call with author Ann Kirschner.

“I think everyone came out of it with a whole new level of positivity and connection to the show and their characters,” Staab said. “She gave us some unique perspectives on these people you might not have gotten from the play.”

Staab believes that the show helped the cast not only recognize the importance of hope, but also realize that “life is precious.”

“I think that everyone’s outcome on life has really shifted and they have learned to perceive the world and the people around us in a different way,” Staab said. “The family and friends and connections we make are really what get us through the day and the little trivial things do not matter.”

NEWS

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Up for sale: City is making push to purchase the power plant

The towering plant. The city wants to purchase the AES power plant property to restore the salt marsh wetlands.

By Lorraina Scolaro For about 16 years, the AES power plant in Redondo Beach has been the center of attention for land developers and city councilmen. Mayor Bill Brand, with the support of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and other local officials, has recently placed a bid to purchase the power plant property.

Before the AES property became a power plant in 1907, it was a large salt marsh surrounded by wetlands. Brand and his supporters wish to restore these wetlands, creating a waterfront park.

“Everywhere you go, all the beautiful cities have beautiful parks where people can go to hang out,” Brand said. “What the South Bay needs is that central waterfront park. It’s our big opportunity.”

Laura Emdee, Redondo Beach city council member, believes a park would hurt the economic value of the property.

“The value of the plan depends on what you can put on the land. If it is a park it is the lowest value for the land. You can not do anything with it. You can not make money on it, it’s just a park,” Emdee said.

Emdee is an advocate for large redevelopments in the South Bay, and believes that new housing complexes would be the best for the city’s income. However, she recognizes that is not what residents want.

“The problem is the people said they do not want anymore residential at all in that area,” Emdee said.

THE NEW PROPOSITION The plant sits on the site of a former salt marsh, and a small steam power plant was first built there in 1897.

Because the plant uses ocean water to cool its steam turbines, under new state regulations, it must be decommissioned by 2020.

The plant is owned by AES, a Virginia-based multinational energy corporation that operates three power plants in Southern California Politicians, such as Mayor Bill Brand, want to restore the wetlands and add a park, increasing the amount of open space in the city. The rest of the property would be designed by a private developer, who could possibly build a hotel, restaurants, or shops.

The purchase could cost anywhere from $50-250 million. District Assemblyman Muratsuchi said that Redondo Beach could use $40 million from a state parks bond on the June ballot to buy the property.

A history of failed plans Because the property is right on the California coastline, many large developers have been putting in great effort to

purchase and develop the land for years. In the past, large developers have dismissed the views of Redondo residents, such as in 2001, when the city council wanted to add nearly 3000 condominiums on the property.

“The development was all moving forward in the city government, but the residents did not know what was going on,” Brand said. “The community was shocked that it was happening because we were going to the mayor and the city council, writing letters saying we did not want it but they still continued.”

The city council rescinded the plan after referendums were passed by the citizens. Eventually, in 2008, Redondo residents were able to stop the council from planning large developments without their consent, after passing Measure DD, which requires a vote before development plans are set in place.

“City staff has ideas about what they want for Redondo, but it doesn’t always reflect what the community wants,” Brand said. “I’m fighting to get something that the community wants, not what the developers want.”

Brand is an advocate for slow growth, meaning he believes in development, but not overdevelopment and would prefer not to see giant malls or housing complexes being built along the coastline.

Traffic risk “Revitalize not supersize,” Brand said.

“People want to revitalize the city, they do not want a giant development plan.”

With almost 11,000 residents per square mile, Redondo Beach is one of the most densely populated cities in the South Bay. With the roads already being congested, residents are afraid that over development will lead to higher amounts of traffic.

“There will be more traffic with the redevelopment no matter what. That is one of the reasons why we have been pushing for a park. Something is going to go there and a park creates the least amount of traffic,” Brand said.

To help with funding, the city will most likely team up with a private developer.

While Brand anticipates the developer will look to build a resort on part of the property, he assures residents that a hotel would help the city pay for the wetlands park, employ hundreds of employees, and bring tax revenue without bringing too much traffic.

“A lot of people think I hate developers, but I don’t. We need developers because they’re the ones who make things happen,” Brand said. “We need developers and it’s just up to the community to throttle what they do.”

FCC will vote to end Net Neutrality

By Sabrina Kim

Without Net Neutrality, internet equality is at risk. When anything travels over the internet, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like AT&T and ComCast are forced to treat all that data equally. Right now, that data travels all at the same speed, whether it’s a website or a video being viewed. This is Net Neutrality.

Current Net Neutrality laws keep the internet equal for everyone, but now the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) chairman, Ajit Pai, wants to eliminate these rules.

If Net Neutrality is eliminated, the FCC will no longer regulate the ISPs. This opens the door for ISPs to change the speeds of certain websites or track the websites one visits.

Derek Kinsey, the Chief Technology Officer of RBUSD, wants the FCC to keep its net neutrality laws.

“I do not want to see the FCC regulating the internet whatsoever,” Kinsey said. “It’s a huge privacy invasion.”

With Net Neutrality, all ISPs are subject to common carrier rules. According to these rules, ISPs are not able to tamper with information that can be accessed by the internet.

RUHS has their own ISP that regulates what students do on school devices. The ISPs block websites that have inappropriate content for academics.

Net Neutrality is what keeps ISPs from charging money for different services, such

as “fast” and “slow” lanes for data, or the speed data travels to the screen. Fast lanes will be more expensive, so large service providers like Netflix and Google will be able to pay for the fast lanes, while smaller companies will be forced into slower lanes.

Consumers will see a rise in prices for products from big companies that pay up.

ISPs will also be able to charge customers for access to internet services, such as Skype.

This means ISPs will be able to “throttle” certain websites, changing the speed of that website. For example, AT&T may throttle Netflix to run so slowly that it is almost impossible to use because Hulu has a better relationship with AT&T then Netflix does.

But, these are only hypotheticals. Losing Net Neutrality might not be such a bad thing, since ISPs might not throttle or track information.

Pai believes that overturning the Obama-era Net Neutrality rules will help the economy as well as encourage greater transparency from ISPs. “Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the Internet,” Pai said in a statement.

The FCC will vote to eliminate Net Neutrality on Dec. 14. With Pai, anti-Net Neutrality will have an edge of 3-2.

“Data is data,” Kinsey said. “It should not matter what the data is. If I want to stream, if I want to download, if I want to upload just let me do what I want to do.”

Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality is the principle that all Internet data should be treated equally by Internet service providers.

With Net Neutrality, access and download speeds for websites are equal regardless of which websites they are.

Small businesses are hurt by net neutrality because they would have to pay for their content to be accessed, placing them at a disadvantage to big businesses.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) want to get rid of Net Neutrality.

They want to be able to block certain content and charge you extra to use certain services, like Skype, instant messenger, and search engines.

Even if you are not charged per-use, the ISPs would raise your monthly rates.

NEWS

Beefing up security

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

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A new check-in system will be put into effect Dec. 15

by Angie Tait RBUSD has decided to implement a staff. Obviously, here at Redondo we have a the reason for why you’re there,” Wesley system later creates a list of every student new, digital check-in system in all of its very large campus, any given day we have said. “If you are visiting or volunteering, who arrived late on a given day, along with campuses to more efficiently and safely as many as 3200 people on campus, along you would scan your ID, type in where if they had a note. keep track of people visiting or volunteer- with visitors as well,” Brandt said. you’re going and a “Realistically we can’t ing at schools.

As the school’s former principal and a picture of your face close some entrances, like “If you are visiting the Blue Gate in the parkSchoolCheckIn is a parent of a student in is taken and printed or volunteering, you ing lot, because we have customizable software district, Wesley also on a bright yellow “While one of this the program created in sees utility in having badge that also states would scan your ID, staff and maintenance system’s priorities is a streamlined system your full name, the type in where you’re workers frequently go2002 with the initial purpose of tracking preventing sex of- that allows parents to be date, the time and going and a picture of ing through. If students volunteer hours, but with their stu- reason for visiting.” are choosing to leave, it is fenders on campus, it engaged later updates opened it dents’ whereabouts.

High school stu- your face is taken and difficult to secure our 56also represents a level up to late arrivals, ear“To now know that dents with the abili- printed on a bright acre campus 100 percent of security, account- we have an actual sys- ty of checking them- yellow badge that also of the time, and that’s ly dismissals, staff and visitors. ability and safety for tem, not necessarily hu- selves in or out of states your full name, their choice, and even“The purpose is checking people in school can also use tually they get caught or all of the students and man, to replace the paand creating a log that the program and also the date, the time and have other consequencstaff,” Wesley said. per-and-pencil clipgives us level of an ac- receive printed badg- reason for visiting,” es because they aren’t board for parents and countability for where es that make obvious learning and get impacted Wesley said. students. We’re just a person is going, who to teachers and staff negatively in terms of acajumping into the 21st century, and the they’re seeing, how long they have been that they have fordemics,” Brandt said. main point of this is that it adds an extra on campus and if they are someone who mally checked in through the office.

The program’s cross-referencing system layer of security,” Dr. Nicole Wesley, Direc- should be around children,” Wesley said.

“Many students at this point do arrive to has been known to record some false postor of Educational Services, said.

SchoolCheckIn was implemented as and leave from school independently from itives, depending on the frequency of cerWith this system, visiting adults check a test program their parents, so the tain names, however, the administrative in by having their ID scanned, such as a at Birney Elemain thing we’re go- assistants can manually change a person’s driver’s license or Visa, and their informa- mentary School “To now know that we ing to do at the high file. tion is cross-referenced with the SCI Na- in the spring of is visitor and “Our administrative assistants had have an actual system, school tional Database of Sex Offenders.

2017 and has now volunteer check-in. training so if there were to be an alert for not necessarily human, This means students someone who was potentially on a sex of“99.9 percent of the time people who been adopted dischecking people in and will still be checked fender list, they would know what to do. In come on our campus aren’t and won’t be trict-wide; every sex offenders, but for those who are, there RBUSD campus is creating a log that gives in and out the same most cases, when the visitors aren’t on the are laws that dictate how and when any expected to have for now, but list, they can be manually cleared and let us a level of an account- way type of person who is a registered sex of- the program inby around Febru- in, but if they are confirmed to be on that ability for where a person ary and March they list then principals have a protocol in not fender can enter a campus,” Wesley said. stalled by Dec. 15.

Though no immediate incident influ“I went over to is going, who they’re see- can be using School- allowing any campus access,” Wesley said. enced the school district’s purchase of Birney a few times SchoolCheckIn has also been used in ing how long they been CheckIn,” Wesley SchoolCheckIn, Wesley and current prin- to check it out, and said. school districts in Florida and Oregon, on campus and if they are cipal Jens Brandt believe that the “incon- the parents there Despite the sys“We did the Run-Hide-Fight training, someone who should be tem being geared to- and then we did trauma kit training, so sistencies” between check-in processes at loved it. You just each of the 13 RBUSD campuses contribut- scan your ID, and around children,” Wesley wards independent this is just continuing to add layers of safeed to the decision. your first and last check-ins, students ty and protection on our campuses,” Wessaid.

“While one of this system’s priorities is name is linked to will still need to have ley said. “So we’re not responding to any preventing sex offenders on campus, it also your student. You a verified note from incidents, but our district is progressive, represents a level of security, accountabil- click on that student, and then you can their parent explaining why they arrived and we prefer to be proactive about it rathity and safety for all of the students and check your child in, pick them up and state late or are leaving early from school. The er than waiting for something to happen.”

SLOW GrOWTH Burden and Zykofsky hosted the Streets for All community workshop in Hermosa Beach

by Jenna Edwards

Getting involved. Dan Burden spoke to members of the South Bay community to inspire them to get involved with city politics. “No person in government can do all this,” Burden said. “It has to come from the heart, from us citizens.” PHOTO BY ADAM YORKE

R

esidents of Redondo Beach are progressively trying to better their community through events such as the Streets For All community design workshop that took place in Hermosa Beach on Dec 4.

The initiators of the organization, Dan Burden and Paul Zykofsky held the workshop, hoping to spread awareness about how individuals in a community can contribute to changes of street and sidewalk structure to make them more beneficial and convenient for people to use.

The beach cities of Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo started an initiative called Streets For All to help those cities’ streets become advantageous for different people to use.

When planning the event, Burden wanted to emphasize an interactive portion in which individuals could voice their opinions on what they wanted to be changed in their community and put them into action. Along with the responsive portion, another part of the event focused on getting people to learn about the event through an informative PowerPoint presentation.

In the activity, people who came to the event had a chance to play the role of an average citizen in a town with contrasting beliefs than what the residents had themselves, and then explained what they would like to see in their streets. Their ideas were then turned into street designs and put onto a model of a street where all of the reforms suggested by the citizens

could be seen on the display.

Burden values how his job as an initiator of the organization comes into play through putting ideas of average citizens into physical movements that can change the way a city works. He also appreciates how he can lead a region to success through change, compared to regions who don’t initiate change in the first place.

“My profession is to help people in cities through the process of change; in communities that aren’t changing, in time, they will perish, but those who change the effectiveness of their streets in their own terms, will thrive,” Burden said.

Burden then explained the origin of the projects he completes in towns and where the ideas to reform areas come from.

“To start a project, you have to involve, collaborate and empower citizens, but most importantly, inform others to what is going on in their own communities and try to get people to take charge in the changes being made,” Burden said.

He believes that change does not come from people in government positions individually but also people who are insiders in the community and that they should be the people who have the most passion for what is happening since it is their own environment that will be changing.

“The important thing is that when we create any of these projects, it comes from a spark from inside the community, like a spirit to become something even greater than what the community wants,” Burden said.

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OPINION

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

Editorial

Our freedom of internet access is in jeopardy Exploring the internet: The 2017 edition

HIGH TIDE Staff Editors-in Chief Ben Brill

Elizabeth Fauver

Kylie Yorke

News Editor

“I can’t wait to go watch Netflix!”

Reem Chamas

“Yikes! Netflix is only for our most premium Internet members.”

INTERNET PROVIDER

Opinion Editors Jon Mallen, Miriam Farah

Features Editors Summer Saad, Ben Yepez

Entertainment Editors Mia Berger, Justin Pioletti

Sports Editor Luke Peterson When someone uses the internet, they can make particular content slow if con- to change Net Neutrality rules. The courts expect to be connected to any website, ap- tent companies do not wish to pay, which have rejected two earlier attempts and plication, or content they choose without would hurt sales and even block access to told the FCC that if they wished to adopt certain protections it needed to follow the any restrictions. They expect to be in con- competing sites. .

Without Net Neutrality, how will ac- proper legal foundation: Title II, which trol of their internet experience and that their cable or phone company is not mess- tivists effectively build stable social move- grants the FCC the power to ensure that ments when people may have to pay to companies cannot interfere with web trafing with their data.

This is the idea of Net Neutrality, the ba- access particular websites? How will small fic. It also allows people to share and access sic principle that prohibits internet service business start companies when a portion any information they choose.

These rules have withstood two court providers from speeding up, slowing down of their budget would be allocated to using or blocking any content, applications or the internet? How will small businesses challenges from the FCC, but Pai wants compete against larger corporations who to abandon Title II. The elimination of net websites a person wants to use. neutrality would increase investment in Net Neutrality is the way that the inter- can afford premium service? the ISP sector, according net has always worked, to Pai, but this change but our right to a free will most likely result in and open internet is paying for packages to threatened by the Fedaccess different parts of eral Communications Is the proposal by FCC Chair Ajit Pai to roll back the internet — a model Commission (FCC)’s similar to the one that chairman, Ajit Pai, who the FCC’s rules regarding Net Neutrality a threat to has worked well for cawishes to destroy Net Americans’ freedom when accessing the internet? ble.

Neutrality when the Nevertheless, it’s a FCC votes on Dec. 14. weak argument. It’s acThe agency’s propostually the open competial allows providers of tion and not lack thereof high-speed internet serthat leads to increased vices, such as Comcast, investment, according Verizon and AT&T, to to The Economist. The block websites they disSmall business owners need Net Neu- end of Net Neutrality only benefits large like or charge Web companies for speedier delivery of their content, according to the trality to launch their service or product, corporations who could favor their own Washington Post. Too much power would form markets, advertise their business and business interests.

Ignoring the public outcry, the FCC will be given to internet providers who would reach potential consumers. An open interbe able to determine what websites and net is crucial to foster job growth and inno- vote on Pai’s Net Neutrality-killing plan online services their customers see and vation. Without net neutrality, companies on Dec. 14. Take action by calling Conwould not have to compete based on the gress members to condemn Pai’s attack use.

For instance, Comcast could demand quality of their products or services but on the open internet and urge the FCC to fees from Netflix in exchange for prefer- would force their customers to purchase eliminate this plan. If the U.S. loses Net ential treatment and higher speed. The their products, whether they actually like Neutrality, the Trump administration will repeal of the Net Neutrality rules means them or not. It’s because of Net Neutrality have succeeded in using its power to elimithat these internet service providers (ISP) that small businesses and entrepreneurs nation disagreement. The internet belongs to the people, not in the hands of large and can place services into fast and slow lanes, have been successful online.

This is the first time the FCC attempts greedy corporations. Let’s keep it this way. charging more for increased speeds. ISP

Editorial Board Vote

YES: 7

NO: 0

Hits&Misses Doug Jones wins!

For the first time in 25 years, a Democratic senator holds a Senate seat for Alabama, defeating Roy Moore. Congratulations!

Roy Moore nearly wins...

Doug jones captured 49.9% vote, but Roy Moore captured 48.4%.

That means 48.4% of Alabamans voted for an alleged pedophile.

Photo Editor Eden Millan

Copy Editor Alexander Clark, Lauren Kim

Writing Editor Lauren Kim

Technology Editor Samaya Rubio

Staff Writers Aaya Jhaveri Adam Sayad Alex Laureano Alexis Mesa Analisa Asaro Austin Nunis Camille Grace Christina Owen Christopher Snyder Danny Parhizi Ehtan Park Grace McGonigle Ivanica Skalko Juninho Paniouchkine Jenna Edwards Kate Ripley Kaden Kaczmarczyk Liam Barret Kiera Patterson Maia Ward Lorraina Scolaro Michael Solimando Marha Farah Nicholas White Molly Cochran Rukhaa Kamran OhpeliaWinslett Sangjun Lee Sabrina Kim Sarah Flannery Sarah Falahawazi Sophia Fleming Shyanne Landers William Pournamdari Sydney Nguyen Angie Tait Yasmine Elahihaghighi

Photographers Alex Laureano Analise Asaro Christina Owen

Alexis Mesa Austin Nunis Danny Parhizi

Illustrators Brennan Hickey Makena Frias

Emma Lyon Michael Bottcher

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.

Letters to the editor High Tide encourages greater input of opinions from both students and staff. If you have an opinion about one of the articles letters can be sent to the editor at

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Two words. Star Wars.

Olympic ban on Russia

Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi premieres tomorrow. Set a course for the nearest theater and may the Force be with you.

State-sponsored blood doping is bad, but banning an entire people from particpation is worse, especially those uninvolved.

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OPINION

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

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Feminism stands for equality, not for the hatred of men

by Molly Cochran Feminism is probably not what you think it is.

In today’s society, feminism is so widely misinterpreted and misunderstood that very few know what it actually is. One reason for feminism being discredited is the common misconception that feminists hate men. This simply isn’t true. Feminism is not misandry.

Webster’s Dictionary defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” The problem occurs when people fail to acknowledge the word equal; this is where the misguided notion of feminists’ misandry comes from.

An example of this is the idea of a “feminazi,” a term coined by talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The term is supposed to mean a “radical feminist,” but what exactly does that mean? Is it radical to want equal rights among genders?

I’m not saying that there are no people who identify as feminists that don’t stay true to the pure and purposeful meaning of the movement. That is, however, a small minority for people to generalize the entire movement as. We can’t base an entire

prejudice off of the actions of a few mislead people.

It isn’t just men who believe this either.

The Washington Post asked American men and women if they believed that feminism “unfairly blamed men for women’s challenges” and 41 percent of the women interviewed answered yes. This number is of course small in comparison to the 52% percent of men who answered yes to the same question, but the fact that any women feel that way about the feminism movement is alarming.

It would be naïve for us to form our opinions out of inherent stereotypes rather than forming opinions through actual research and education on the topic.

This misunderstanding of feminism also takes a toll on the amount of people who want to join the movement. For instance, only six in 10 women consider themselves feminists, according to the Washington Post. This is a majority, but there should really be more women taking up this fight. Do those other four in 10 really want to be treated as inferiors to men?

These women likely just have an invalid idea of what feminism is. They fear being labeled as “one of those girls” so they submit themselves to men’s opinions in order to seem agreeable.

So the question is raised, why do we, as a society, think feminism is misandry?

Pam Johnston of the Huffington Post suggests that it is a matter of men lacking respect for women.

“If feminists actually like and respect men, that means men must also like and respect feminists. If men like and respect women who insist on being treated as their equal, than men who treat women as infe-

ILLUSTRATION

BY MICHAEL BOTTCHER

rior must be choosing to behave that way,” Johnston said.

Another columnist of the Washington Post, Cathy Young, holds that men are mistreated by feminists and that feminists don’t practice what they preach in terms of objectification. She believes feminism as it is currently is about picking apart men by pointing out their every flaw but that is a false notion.

Young’s viewpoint falsely identifies feminists. In its truest form, feminism is a movement for gender equality, not supe-

riority. The self-proclaimed “feminists” on the internet who say they hate men are uneducated on what the movement actually stands for. They’re also most likely not real feminists, or just trolls trying to make feminists look bad.

The idea that feminists hold a prejudice against men is dangerous because this stereotype discredits the entire movement and makes people fear labeling themselves as feminists. Feminism’s importance is being jeopardized by a generalization with very little historical or factual backing.

Understanding the implications of having a ‘finsta’ on Instagram

by Adam Sayad When adults invaded Facebook, teenagers packed their bags and began their journey to Instagram. Now adults have arrived to Instagram, and teenagers are running to their final destination, the land of ‘finstas.’ Here, they are emptying their luggage with everything scandalous they don’t want adults to see: drugs, alcohol, provocative images and their real opinions on people.

A finsta is a fake (or second) Instagram account, primarily used to hide scandalous and overtly sexual behavior, cultivate an alter ego and function with anonymity to troll peers, according to teen coach and parent strategist Daniel Patterson.

When Instagram was released, it had been primarily used by young adults and adolescents. This gave teenagers a sense of community and more freedom to post

what they wanted. Whether it was a scandalous photo or their feelings on a teacher, nothing was off limits.

That all changed when adults started creating Instagram accounts to monitor their children’s online behavior. The sudden influx of soccer moms and real estate agents didn’t sit well with teenagers. Real Instagrams or ‘rinstas’ became the center of society’s judgement.

Now, posting something on your rinsta can be compared to signing a long list of terms and conditions. As soon as you press that ‘share’ button, you should be okay with showing colleges, future employers, and adults what you posted. There is a great pressure to stay appropriate.

Teenagers quickly evolved to this sudden change in perspective. Finstas became the ultimate loophole to the terms and conditions of posting something publically.

This newly found freedom has started a troubling new era.

Teenagers are relentless on their finstas, feeling free to post whatever they want without the fear of scrutiny. Drinking and driving, hitting your juul, almost-nude photos, a rant about someone you despise; it’s all common place in the finsta community.

Cyberbullying is a huge issue strongly associated with finstas. Nearly 43 percent of kids have been bullied online according

INSTAGRAM vs.

FINSTAGRAM

. .

to DoSomething.org, an online campaign to stop cyberbullying. Finstas have a false notion of confidentiality and people believe that they can escape confrontation and consequences with what they post.

Victims of finsta cyberbullying are often caught between a rock and a hard place. Telling adults about acts of bullying is highly frowned upon. Because finstas are so exclusive, it is easy for the perpetrator to find out who exposed them.

This harmful cycle affects teenagers all over the country. Adults have a hard time understanding the pressures that enable this behavior because they are not aware that it even exists. Using a finsta as a channel of cyberbullying can have a profound impact on the victim.

This private and unfiltered community is run by the teenagers who feel liberated by it. The finsta community demonstrates a mob mentality with an exaggerated outlook on many things. If someone posts something unethical, the comments are also likely to be unethical as is the case with cyberbullying.

With cyberbullying running rampant, many of us fail to realize that finstas are one large document. Once someone screenshots something you post, it can be used against you even if you delete it.

Unlike the generations before us, our bad behaviors are being documented with the

rise of social media and technology.

In order to prevent ‘snitches’ from sharing what they put on their finstas, teenagers have become relentless blockers. Instagram’s option to remove followers from a private account has turned into a powerful weapon that teens use.

Many finsta users use blocking and denying to assert their importance. They can revel in their control over their space and their profile. If you don’t want someone to sit with you at lunch, it’s incredibly rude to tell them that. However, if you don’t want to associate yourself with someone online, just tap the ‘deny’ button and you’re good to go.

Finstas are a direct result of the closed relationship that many adults and teenagers have. Many adults take a critical and hostile approach to their children’s social media accounts. This leads many children to the finsta community because it takes accountability out of the picture.

The actions by teenagers and adults are both justified. Teenagers need a place to feel free and accepted. Adults want to protect teenagers from the legitimate consequences their online behavior can produce.

Despite the negatives, finstas give teens the opportunity to express their quirky side to people that they are close with. Finstas can be a great thing. However, the baggage they carry for teens needs to be checked.

Of the 78.6% of students surveyed who have Instagram...

50% say they don’t have a finsta

most citing that they wish to maintain professionalism.

50% regularly maintain a finsta

influenced primarily by the desire to post images of themselves and others without any fear of retribution.

Survey conducted online within selected classrooms. 228 total students surveyed.

OPINION

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

Trump’s recent retweets and remarks spark controversy

Around Redondo What do you think of Trump’s remarks toward Muslims and Native Americans?

by Kate Ripley

“

The Native American people is one big community, so when our president makes a discriminatory remark to one member, we experience the same pain from that comment as the Senator did. To put it in simple words, I’m hurt.

“

6

Victoria Hamilton, Montaukett native

“

I hope people can see through the stereotypes and image that the media creates for Muslims.

It was a message of hatred towards Muslims, and it delivered an unwelcome feeling.

Yousuf Shaaban, Muslim

“

Pocahontas herself is not a slur.

She was a strong woman who endured a tragic part of history.

Most of society now uses her name as if it were a slur. The connotation now is the equivalent of the ‘n’ word.

Mikayla Diaz, Chumas/O’odham Native

“

All this will do is make Muslims seem almost barbaric and [shed] a bad light on a group of people who have nothing to do with these videos.

Sami Ghazal, Muslim

“

I want to ask President Trump, and many other men — Democrats and Republicans — who have been accused of sexual assault, if their race or religion is the reason for their behavior.

Malek Chamas, Muslim

“

matter) identified the perpetrator as an immigrant, while the other two simply identified the men as Muslim. This is not just a war on immigration but on an entire religion as well. Ill-taught citizens use these misleading videos to display a warped reality of the Muslim ideals.

I wish I could say this isn’t the America I know — that this type of hate shocks me — but that wouldn’t be true. Being born in a nation from which came the Trail of Tears, years of slavery, abuse of immigrants, forced assimilation, Japanese internment camps — I’m not surprised.

Disappointed? For sure. But I have been disappointed for over a year now. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Trump has posted unofficial and inappropriate messages.

He has shared violent videos, immature personal attacks, false information and unapproved promises regarding policy.

Recently, we experienced a mind-numbing demonstration of his insensitivity during his ceremony to honor native World War II veterans. Although the ceremony was a very respectable thing for him to do, he chose to ruin the sentiment by mocking Senator Elizabeth Warren by using the racial slur “Pocahontas” due to her unverified claims of native blood.

To top this all off, the ceremony occurred in front of a portrait of Andrew Jackson — the president responsible for the genocidal march known as the Trail of Tears that killed thousands of natives.

If our own president cannot display a simple symbol of gratitude to men who risked their lives fighting for a country whose government has done little but harm them, what can be expected from our citizens?

“

“Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” Wait, let me try that again: dark-haired Dutch boy (a natural-born citizen with no listed religious affiliation) beats up Dutch boy on crutches, truth.

For those of you who still manage to tolerate the insufferable circumstances of President Donald Trump’s Twitter, you may have noticed uncomfortable videos shared by, sigh, our president.

All three videos depicted Middle-Eastern-looking men acting violently, a weak attempt to… portray the danger of Muslim immigrants?

Possibly. While the “immigrant beats Dutch boy” story was immediately debunked, the second video proved to be ambiguous.

A Muslim man was destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. While destroying religious relics is offensive, using this video as a way to generalize an entire religious group is a degrading way of spreading xenophobic sentiment.

The third video showed a mob beating a young man and dropping him from the roof of a building during the chaos ensuing after President Mohamed Morsi’s overthrow in Egypt circa 2013. It is important to note that these men (one of whom was put to death) were charged and prosecuted for their crime in 2015.

One of these men was waving an ISIS flag, which — once again — brings us to the point that ISIS is not an accurate representation of Islam.

It is illogical and irresponsible to condemn all Muslims for the acts of an extreme terrorist group. This video doesn’t accurately portray Muslims: there is a difference between ISIS and everyday Muslims.

ISIS kills thousands of Muslims for fighting. Muslims are fighting just as hard as we to rid the world of ISIS. By condemning all Muslims, you are letting the terrorists win. You are hurting others because of your fear.

These unverified videos, while troublesome alone, demonstrate the danger of misinformation and negative propaganda as well as evidence of Trump’s incompetence.

Even disregarding the divisive impact of the videos, no political figure should be sharing these videos without context or actual reasoning.

Political beliefs aside, the videos are in no way presidential. In fact, the woman who provided these videos is the leader of alt-right group “Britain First” who is facing charges for hate crime in the U.K. The president — regardless of who he or she is — should never be spreading possibly false (and in this case proven false) information. Due to Trump’s position of power, he has a great deal of influence over the citizens of our country.

Although immigrants — both legal and illegal — contribute to crime, only five percent of prison inmates in 2015 were non-citizens, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In addition, from 1990 to 2013, the number of immigrants more than tripled yet the violent crime rate fell by about 40 percent, according to the New York Times.

Trump’s tweets target migrants asa well as Muslims, regardless of their national standing. Only one of the videos (the false one for that

“

beth Warren as “Pocahontas.” PHOTO VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

“

Bridging the gap. President Donald Trump hosts an event to honor Native American veterans but later refers Sen. Eliza-

PHOTOS BY DANIELLE SESTAK

Students should be allowed to carry their own medication

by Samaya Rubio

I’m sure you’ve heard the reminders over the loudspeaker that all drugs must be kept in the office, which seems fine, but then they add in ones for headaches and allergies. What I don’t understand is why these over the counter drugs are considered dangerous enough to be checked in to the office.

There is a line here, however. The drugs that are sold by prescription should be kept in the office because the school is supposed to know about the mental or physical health needs of their students and cater to them. I think that when a drug is a commonality in a large majority of students’

lives it should be allowed to be carried around.

As a female, I get a period (what a scandal). And when I’m on it, I feel like that scene from “Alien” when the alien pops out of the person’s stomach. It HURTS. And if I didn’t stay home so I could be in class, why would I want to leave to get some medicine to help with my pain? If a student asks to go to the health office, a teacher usually asks for a reason, and — in my experience — male teachers haven’t been all that understanding of why it’s so necessary.

The girl who gets up, disrupts the lecture, announces to her peers that she’s on her period, and then leaves the good instructional time to walk to the office is at a disadvantage. The school preaches the idea of “you miss school, you miss out,” yet they

are forcing more people to miss parts of their classes by enforcing this regulation.

I regularly use Advil all day long because I get crazy headaches and I find it ridiculous that I would need to walk all the way to the office for that. For me, the headaches actually get worse with every move and speed — walking across campus does not help.

It is also inconvenient for the nurse to hold all of this medicine. In a school of almost 3,000 students, where is the space for a giant locker of over-the-counter drugs?

How would the one nurse in the office possibly give every kid their medication and help any student who cannot handle their situation on their own at the same time?

It’s extremely implausible.

What we don’t know is whether or not

we could ever be punished for it. RUHS has a lot of students who likely have many kinds of over-the-counter drugs, which would make it difficult for the school to enforce rules that are comparable for everyone due to the fact that everyone isn’t using the same drugs.

It seems insane that all the times your parents told you to go take pain medicine if you were hurt could come back to bite you.

Keeping substances controlled on our campus has proven to be difficult for the administration of our school, but they crossed a line when requiring children turn in tiny bottles of allergy or pain medicine. What’s next? Are we going to treat high schoolers like middle schoolers and ban cough drops with the tiniest bit of medicine in them?

Wait, that already happened.

OPINION

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

Bright Futures

7

Gov. Brown’s new bill will make the first year of community college free

by Lauren Kim

The price of education has risen drastically over the past few decades, making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to send their children to universities. Instead, millions of people attend two-year community colleges and then transfer to four-year universities.

But even with the low cost of community college, only 69.2 percent of students enroll in college the fall after their high school graduation, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. A recent bill signed by Governor Jerry Brown makes the first year of community college free, as long as the student is a first-time student enrolled in at least 12 semester units and completes a Free Application for Federal Aid or a California Dream Act. This bill will hopefully encourage more people to attend college and earn degrees and certificates, making it easier for them to secure a job and consequently financial stability.

Finances are one of the biggest reasons why many people do not pursue a higher education.

The average tuition of state colleges for out-ofstate students is almost $23,000, according to Top Universities — a price only few can afford.

Because the bill lowers the cost of college, more students will be able to graduate since some drop out because they cannot afford to pay the tuition for all four years of college. This would increase graduation rates in schools and eliminate this reason people have for dropping out.

The high price tag makes it seem impossible for some to attend a four-year college, and in turn, they begin to search for jobs right after high school rather than pursuing a degree. College graduates between the ages of 25 and 32 make $17,500 more than non-graduates — according to the Economist — so although college

is expensive, it pays for itself in the long run.

College can be seen as an investment, and although it may be expensive, in the long run it increases one’s chances of having financial security.

By making the first year free, it only expedites how long it takes for college to have a high return.

It’s also very important that people receive a higher education, as it increases their chances to be able to secure a job, seeing as only 34 percent of jobs require a high school diploma or less according to ProCon. By passing this bill, people from all financial backgrounds have a higher chance of receiving a college education. It will lift the burden of college debt because the fees that they will pay are realistic prices. Community college only costs an average of $1,636 annually, according to Community College Review. Debt will be significantly lower, alleviating some of the stress debt that many people struggle with for decades after they finish college.

During college, people are also exposed to other opportunities that may not have been offered to them otherwise such as certain internships and job possibilities. Students gain life experiences when they are in college that are hard to get anywhere else. In college, students are on their own and must take responsibility for their lives, leading them to become more independent and learn how to prioritize.

Attending college also allows people to network and build connections that will help them find jobs. It also exposes them to a diverse group of people, and they are able to learn about different viewpoints on certain subjects such as race or religion rather than only seeing what they had grown

up with.

People will be given a shot at improving their financial status and expose them to new job opportunities and unique life experiences b e caus e o f this bill.

INFORMATION FROM CALIFORNIACOMMUNITYCOLLEGES.CCCCO.EDU

Over

67 percent

of California

community college students are people of different ethnic backgrounds.

There are more than 2.1

million students on 114 California community colleges.

Students who earn a degree or certificate from a California community college nearly double their earnings within three years.

For California public community colleges, the average tutition is about

$1,636 per year.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAKENA FRIAS AND BRENNAN HICKEY

What’s wrong with saying “Happy holidays” this December?ion

by Ben Brill

The craze typically begins at 12:01 A.M the day after Thanksgiving. Nowadays, it starts even weeks before Thanksgiving.

The autumn colored decorations come down and the pine trees and lights go up; it’s Christmas time, again.

The season typically is accompa-

46 percent embrace all holidays greeetings.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAKENA FRIAS

nied by the traditional greeting, “Merry Christmas.” However, in an effort to be more inclusive of people who don’t celebrate Christmas, some have chosen a more inclusive salutation: “Happy Holidays,” because people began to realize not everyone is Christian.

There should be no problem with use of the umbrella greeting “Happy Holidays,” right? Who wouldn’t want to try and embrace the holidays of other religions in the season’s greetings?

F o x News and the President of the United States.

A p parently, “Happy Holidays” is part of an ongoing effort to secularize the United States and destroy the Judeo-Christian values it was built on. The likes of Bill O’Reilly, “Fox and Friends,” and President Donald Trump have manufactured this narrative over the years and dub it “The war on Christmas.”

42 percent of people choose “Merry Christmas.”

INFORMATION FROM PEWRESEARCH.ORG

“They don’t use the word ‘Christmas’ because it’s not politically correct. You don’t see ‘Merry Christmas’ anymore.

With Trump as your president, we are going to be celebrating ‘Merry Christmas’ again,” Trump said.

As a Jew, a “Merry Christmas” greeting has never bothered me. The person is only trying to extend the joyous holiday spirit out to me, something that I sorely lack.

I understand that there is absolutely no way he/she would know that I am Jewish, nor do I expect them to alter their greeting to accommodate my religion even if they were to know I was Jewish.

I appreciate though when people and companies try to include all of us under the umbrella greeting “Happy Holidays.”

I am, however, bothered when the so called “religious” right, especially the leader of our country, encourages others to be less inclusive by telling people to intentionally disregard every group of people who are not Christians, including myself.

Mr. President, we still exist. We deserved to be acknowledged at least in someway, not purposely shut out because your feelings are hurt that not everyone believes in Jesus Christ like you do.

You can say “Merry Christmas” all you want. Spread the holiday cheer as much as you like. Just don’t mandate that people should stop trying to be inclusive by saying “Happy Holidays.”

When Starbucks released their “blank canvas” red holiday cups two years ago — devoid of Christmas symbols to interpret the holidays as they wish — “Fox and Friends” and Trump called for a boycott of the coffee company because “they are taking the Christ out of Christmas.”

Fox News pundits claim to be upset because companies are choosing to embrace the “holidays” rather than “Christmas” to avoid offending any liberal snowflakes.

But aren’t they the snowflakes in this case, getting triggered over people trying to allow everyone to participate in the festivities of the holidays? Getting triggered over people trying to be nice?

To give Trump some credit, he did host a Hanukkah party at his hotel, like many presidents before him. Except he only invited two Republican Jewish congressmen, neglecting to invite the other 28 Jewish members of congress, an act which demonstrated the now partisan nature of the holidays under his administration.

In the end, Trump, Fox News and the religious right’s fussiness about Christmas is not really about Christmas at all. They have exploited the holidays as another opportunity to whine and complain about this country becoming more accepting of people who aren’t white and Christian like they are and becoming less accommodating to them I may not be the best person to speak on this, but Christmas is a time of giving and togetherness, not a time of contention and anger. Maybe they are the ones destroying Christmas.

12 percent choose “Happy holidays.”

3

OCT. 6, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

SPORTS

SPORTS

8

SOCCER | WATER POLO | BASKETBALL

Soccer aims to repeat last year’s success

by Alex Laureano The reigning Bay League champion varsity boys soccer team has started its season playing against non-conference teams.

“Our expectations are high this year, and again we are hoping to repeat as Bay League champions and see how far we can go into CIF playoffs,” Ignacio Lopez, the team’s head coach, said.

Lopez has been implementing a new strategy with developing underclassmen to get a taste of what it’s like, preparing key players for future teams.

“During our two preseason games I brought six freshmen and JV players to varsity, and they are performing really well with a good understanding for each other and the team,” Lopez said.

The secret to the team’s success this year will be bridging the gap between the younger players who have tremendous potential and the experienced upperclassman.

“We have nine returning players and the team chemistry is there, we just have to incorporate a couple of the players who are new to the program,” Lopez said.

Lopez sets a high standard for the group with a demanding training regimen with a goal to return the team to the top of the Bay League standings.

Players who were key contributers to last year’s League championship are returning this year.

“We basically have the same team from last year so we hope to keep the momentum from our championship run,” senior Damien Sanchez said.

Sanchez is also the captain of this team for the second year in a row.

“My role is to motivate people to play their best and encourage them when their down,” Sanchez said.

With leaders and dedicated players, Coach Lopez believes his team has a fighting chance this year at the Bay League title for the second consecutive year.

His dedication and commitment to the program over the years is the driving force behind the team’s continued success.

“As a coach you have to be a leader and a mentor to guide the players on the right track,” Lopez said.

Sanchez echoes Lopez’s feeling of dedication towards a championship.

“It would be a great accomplishment because it’s my last year, and it would be fun leaving high school soccer with a Bay League title and CIF ring,” Sanchez said.

Rise up. Junior Logan Kaufman races toward the goal, guiding the ball around defenders in a 3-0 win against Hawthorne. PHOTOS BY ELISE DIAPAOLA

Boys LAX begins training

by Maia Ward Its season starting in Feburary, the boys lacrosse team has started to ramp up its training.

For the first two months of the school year, the team mostly focused on conditioning, according to junior defender Bryson Rillera.

Every day the team does “gassers,” running across the softball field multiple times, and trains in the weight room for two hours after school on Tuesday and Thursday.

Rillera says the team has started adding more drills into practices, working on passing and catching, switching their hands to catch, and completing various stick drills to practice their ball handling skills.

During a normal practice, the team jogs across the field, stretches, and does gassers and strength building exercises before splitting into unofficial JV and varsity teams to work on passing drills and shooting.

The players will use their training to build relationships with each other.

“I don’t think all of us are very close with each other. We don’t really have the relationship we want,” Rillera said.

As the team begins to focus more on working together in drills and scrimmages, Rillera says he wants the team’s communication to improve from last year.

“My goal for the team is to have better communication. I don’t think we talk a lot while we’re playing, and I think having good communication between our teammates is the number one thing I’m looking to get out of this year,” Rillera said.

Track team starts conditioning for upcoming season

by Sangjun Lee As winter approaches, short-distance track runners–athletes who race shorter than 600 meters–are steadily preparing for the upcoming season.

Jacob Lininger, a second-year 110 meter hurdler and sprinter, has already begun to gradually ramp up his workouts.

“We started doing long strides in order to practice our form, and we continuously practice jumping over hurdles to strengthen our speed,” Lininger said.

Lininger believes that these workouts help construe a “base” for support throughout the season.

“We’re working out in preseason since it prepares us for the actual season. For example, we alternate our speed as we go over hurdles to practice keeping our form throughout different parts of the race,” Lininger said.

Although the relative facility of current workouts may make hurdling seem easy, Lininger knows that in-season workouts will be more difficult, sometimes extending into after school hours.

“During the season, we’ll be doing one or two mile runs just to build up our endurance. We do more work then to make sure that we win bay

league and other invitationals,” Lininger said.

Hunter Bode, a new member of the hurdling team, has high hopes for this upcoming track season.

“I have a lot of new goals and aspirations in hurdling and maybe other events like high jump, but my main goal is to contribute to the team, especially in bay league meets,” Bode said.

Bode is also preparing for the season through preseason workouts, but since he races longer distances like the 300 meter hurdles and the 400 meter dash, he does a few long runs of three to six miles with the cross country team.

“The early season workouts are pretty mild, but we still do important drills to stride over hurdles as quick as we can. Long runs build endurance, and 200 meter interval sprints build form and speed,” Bode said.

Being new to the team, some of these workouts were very grueling to Bode at first, but he learned to push through the pain since he knew how crucial these workouts are for his events.

“These workouts are meant to get us into shape and into that mentality of going fast and training hard. They are base workouts that are trying to build us up and get us ready for peak performance during the season,” Bode said.

SPORTS

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

9

Progress in the pool

Girls water polo looks to keep its six-game winning streak alive

by Kiera Patterson Last week, the girls varsity water polo game was cancelled against Temple City due to the dangerous air quality caused by fires throughout Southern California. This week, the girls look to keep up their 6-0 win streak against El Segundo.

“Our mentality going into the game as a team is to work as hard as we can knowing that if we play hard we can beat El Segundo,” freshman Kylie Tretschok said.

Going into this season the girls know it will be tough moving up from Division III to Division I/ Division II but are committed to contributing their maximum effort.

With high expectations, the team has a very intense training schedule. Monday through Thursday the girls have practices twice a day and on Friday and Saturday they practice once a day.

“Some days are swimming, some are weights, while others are a regular practice where we work on the basic and learn some new plays,” Tretschok said.

To keep up their winning streak the girls are continuously putting in 100 percent regardless of whether it is a game or practice.

“Our whole team always works really hard,” Tretschok said.

In and out of the phe girls are consistently spending time together creating a tight bond between one another.

“My favorite part about water polo in high school is playing with my friends but also hanging out with

them outside of school,” freshman Kennedy East said.

Even though this is Tretschok’s first year on the team, she already feels acclimated to the process.

Each of the girls earn their playing time through hard work and dedication to the sport.

“When I first joined it was a little intimidating to be one of the youngest and less experienced ones on the team, but you learn to loosen up and just play the game we all love,” Tretschok said.

The key for the girls to beating their opponents is working with one another in and out of the water and finding trust in one another to be successful this season.

1.

Still afloat. 1. Sophomore Kathy Wrightsman saves the

ball from going in the goal. 2. Junior Sabrina Dimesa scans the pool to make a pass. PHOTOS BY SAM SLATCHER

2.

Girls basketball stumbles to a 1-3 start to season

by Michael Solimando

Penetrate the paint. Sophomore Alyssa Munn

drives through the defense to get to the basket.

PHOTOS BY GRACIE HORN

Girls basketball looks ahead to Wednesday, Dec. 20, when the team will take on Bingham High School in the first game of the Tarkanian Classic tournament in Las Vegas. Although the team has gotten off to a 1-3 start, RUHS is optimistic and confident that it will be successful throughout the tournament.

Junior forward Claire Haddad is expecting her team to win big games in the tournament. The team has been practicing over 15 hours a week, but is still focused on major adjustments they need to make not just for the Tarkanian Classic, but for the rest of the season.

“We haven’t been preparing just for Vegas, but we’ve been watching film from our recent games and fixing big things like transition as well as drive and kick defense,” Haddad said.

Haddad shared one of the main issues that hurt the team in the three loses the team has had this season.

“In the games we lost, the other teams would drive to the middle and kick it out for a three. They would hit six or seven threes a game because of this,” Haddad said.

Despite an uneven performance to begin the season, Haddad and the rest of her teammates “are all super excited [about the Tarkanian Classic] because it is a good team bonding experience, as well as a few days off practice.”

Junior guard Dylan Horton shared that she thinks “as long as [they] play together and trust each other, they have a good shot at winning the tournament” which shouldn’t be a problem considering “[they] have a strong bond on and off the court, always having one another’s backs.”

Horton knows how important the Tarkanian Classic is to the rest of their season, and she is eager to get started.

“It’s extremely important because it is the beginning of the season and I feel like we are all just excited to play because this is something we have been waiting on for a while now” Horton said.

Horton sees the team’s three early losses as “motivation because it only makes [them] work harder as a team to prove to people that those losses won’t stop [them].” Since its last game, the team has been emphasizing fundamentals such as “being up the line on defense” and taking care of the ball on offense.

Senior guard Amari Thompson also shared her expectations on the upcoming tournament.

“We will definitely play hard, execute good defense, and move the ball well. We are expecting to go to the championship” Thompson said.

Although Thompson is confident in her team’s ability to win games, she also knows that the team needs to improve on “communication and transition defense.”

Thompson explained that her team’s overarching goals consisted of “striving towards becoming CIF and Bay League champions,” and behind every championship caliber team is a strong bond between the players, which is what Thompson and the girls have.

“We’re like sisters, we couldn’t be any closer” Thompson said.

The coaching staff, according to Thompson, has “been critiquing [them] on the little things such as facing up, looking for the easiest pass and mainly jumping to the ball,” in preparation for the Vegas tournament, an important stepping stone on their road to the CIF finals.

Aware of the “tough competition” in the tournament, Thompson sees the trip to Vegas as an opportunity for her and her team to learn about their “strengths and weaknesses,” ultimately allowing them to grow closer together and stronger every game.

Looking to bounce back from their last tournament, girls basketball is all geared up for the trek out to Las Vegas, Nevada, where the Tarkanian Classic awaits.

10

FEATURES

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

A pigment of your imagination

Joana Garel was chosen by the Hermosa Beach Mural Project to paint Hermosa’s mural for 2017

by Sarah Falahahwazi

B

road strokes of blue, yellow and brown paint the wall. Two men row their boat, battling the crashing waves. Watching over them is another man standing on a tall tower. He’s ready to put his life on the line to ensure the safety of others. This picture of courage and selflessness is exactly what Joanna Garel wanted to capture.

Joanna painted the mural, named “Hermosa Beach Lifeguards circa 1926”, next to the Hermosa Pier. The mural took

one month to paint, and Joanna finished it with the help of her family.

“It is a salute to the bravery of the lifeguards,” Joanna said. “They look like they are calm and relaxed in their lifeguard towers, but they are ready to spring into action to save whoever needs help. That’s why the painting itself has the juxtaposition between safety and danger.”

The Hermosa Beach Murals Project commissions artists to paint a mural each year. Joanna is the seventh artist and the first woman to participate.

The organization provided the location and the theme of the mural, with this year’s theme being Hermosa Beach lifeguards from 1926. Joanna’s two sons, Trenton and Bronson, and her husband Matthew have all been included in the mural. Matthew is a surfer while Trenton and Bronson are Junior Lifeguards.

“Since my sons are Junior Lifeguards, I thought it was a good theme to bring the old lifeguards from 1926 into the new generation of today while maintaining a vintage feel to the painting,” Joanna said.

Bronson believes that art is a way of looking into the past and that the mural depicts Hermosa’s history and development. However, he also feels that an important aspect of art is that it allows the artist to express their emotions.

Bronson and Joanna

believe that art is not only a form of expression but also a way of unifying people of all backgrounds.

“I think the amazing thing about art is that it is completely accessible to anyone,” Joanna said. “It transcends experience, race, age, sex and time. It brings the community together, and it taps into another aspect of your brain that inspires conversation.”

Hermosa Beach Lifeguards circa 1926. Garel’s mural on 13th Court in the Citibank parking lot. PHOTO BY JUNINHO PANIOUCHKINE

Senior Kaitlyn Arns paints with the Portraits of Hope organization

by Christina Owens Senior Kaitlyn Arns fuses her passion for art with volunteering to paint with Portraits of Hope, an organization that transforms buildings, lifeguard towers, and even blimps into vibrant pieces of art.

Portrait of Hope’s trademark neon flowers and geometric shapes “capture the essence” of their work, as the flower is a symbol of hope and inspiration, and the geometric shapes represent the participant’s responsibility to “shape the future, according to the organization.

“The goal is to enrich the lives of children and adults through participation in unique art projects,” Arns said.

Arns recently created artwork with Portraits of Hope to beautify Angora Animal Center in hopes of raising pet adoption rates.

1.

Artist at work. 1. “This is pop art promoting self love,” Arns said. 2. This is an abstract represntation of song lyrics and what the sounds would be if they were shapes and colors,” Arns said. ARTWORKS COURTESY OF KAITLYN ARNS

2.

“After talking with many of the older teams that run POH, my eyes were opened to how hard it was for animals to get adopted in the often dirty shelters around Los Angeles. I knew then that I wanted to make a difference to help beautify the shelters and increase the chance that families would come home with a new best friend,” Arns said.

Although Arns started volunteering as a part of the National Charity League, a non-profit organization for mothers and daughters, she was drawn to portraits of hope because of her love of art “When I saw there was a charity organization that focused on painting for animal shelters, I instantly fell in love with the idea, and after my first time I’ve been coming back as much as I can because knowing that I’m making a difference for animals is so amazing.”

Arns continues to volunteer bi-weekly at Portrait of Hope’s El Segundo warehouse, where participants can paint for as long as they desire on weekends.

“My love of those animals and painting was combined into the perfect Sunday getaway for me,” Arns said.

In addition to having weekly painting sessions at their various warehouses, Portraits of Hope hosts special events to bring together communities for a cause, such as their 48 hour paint-a-thon.

“They open the warehouse for 48 continuous hours and people can paint for as long as they want, all with the aim of bringing a wider variety of people together in hopes of making a difference,” Arns said.

While Arns volunteers through the National Charity League, she encourages students to volunteer regardless.

“The great thing about Portraits of Hope is that anyone can volunteer. You don’t have to find them through a special organization, you can just look them up online and go independently, which I would strongly recommend.”

Though Arns will be attending college in the fall, she plans on keeping her passion for art alive by minoring in Art to continue to “explore her creative side.”

“Painting is one of my favorite pastimes and calms me down when I’m feeling stressed. It’s a nice escape from the craziness of the world, and I plan on making lots of time for it no matter where I am.”

FEATURES

Holiday spirit.

Houses pictured are located in Torrance’s Candy Cane Lane. PHOTOS BY AMBER DUFRESNE

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

Season’s Greetings Residents of Candy Cane Lane

by William Pournamdari

Q Q Q

“Why do you decorate?”

A

A

A

Q

“We decorate because we love to. There is actually a competition for the best-decorated house,” Cowles said.

“Is decorating and setting up your house complicated?”

“Setting up is a nightmare, so we hire people to do it for us.

Some people set it up themselves while some hire others,” Peter Jacobson said.

“Do you feel that decorating your house is it worth?”

Q

“It's worth it since it really brings a lot of holiday spirit between you and your family because you work together to put up the lights making the holidays a lot more cheerful,” Camryn Cowles said.

“Is living on Candy Cane Lane worth it?”

A

“I feel like it’s not worth living on Candy Cane Lane because it drives up my family’s electricity bill, and we are short on finances, which contributes to my overwhelming feeling at this time of year,” Norambuena said.

“What do you dislike about living on Candy Cane Lane?”

A

“I dislike the obnoxious teenagers that play pranks on my house and create a disturbing environment and put me in poor mental state,” Nick Norambuena said.

11

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FEATURES

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

Buchen and Unemera will perform in the Rose Parade

By Shyanne Landers The Tournament of Roses Parade brings together thousands on New Year’s Day, with parade floats and performances by some of the country’s best dancers, singers, and marching bands. This year’s parade will feature senior Jake Buchen and junior Christian Umemura, who will be performing as part of the 2018 Tournament of Roses Honor Band.

“Being in the band is an incredible honor and experience. People are surprised when we say that we’ve participated in something this big in high school,” Buchen said.

Buchen and Umemura have both been members of RUHS marching band since they were freshmen, and have been involved in band programs in elementary and middle school. Umemura now plays the trombone, and Buchen plays the tuba in Redondo’s band and the sousaphone in the Rose Parade band.

Both Buchen and Umemura found out about the Honor Band through a poster put up by their band teacher. This year will be Umemura’s first time in the band, while Buchen is participating as a second-year member.

Applying and auditioning.

“I saw a poster in the band room sophomore year— our director had put it up —and I just never got around to looking into it or submitting an application until junior year.

I made a point of remembering the second

time I saw the poster,” Buchen said. “I knew about it because Jake did it last year, and saw how cool it was for him, and thought ‘Hey I should try out too,’” Umemura said.

Buchen and Umemura agree that the audition process was “nerve-wracking” and “scary.” Students who apply for the band have to fill out a general application before they move onto an in-person interview at Pasadena City College, held this year on Oct. 8. There, they play one prepared piece of music in front of an experienced musician along with a piece that they have never seen before and have only a few minutes to practice, called sight-reading.

“The audition itself, the first time around, was really scary. But the second year I felt more comfortable and not as nervous. Once I found out I got in the first time, I was like ‘Hey that actually wasn’t so bad,’” Buchen said.

This year, Umemura felt as nervous as Buchen had when he tried out last year.

“For my first time, I wasn’t prepared.

My mouth got really dry and I didn’t bring any water, my hands were shaking, but I thought my sight-reading went well during the actual audition. Looking back on what I actually did I saw it fall apart and I knew I forgot to do some things.” Umemura explained.

Acceptance.

Despite their nervousness and anxi-

ety, both received letters in the mail a few weeks later informing them of their acceptance into the band.

After receiving the news, it was right to work as their practices started the first Sunday in November and will continue for four hours every Sunday until the parade in January.

Rehearsal.

“For the most part the practices have been really exciting; just getting to hear how it all sounds together is incredible,” Buchen said. “Practices can get repetitive since we play the same songs over and over again, but in the back of your mind you’re thinking about how cool it’s going to be to perform these songs in front of millions of people.”

The many hours spent rehearsing, with a few practices walking at Dodger Stadium and Disneyland’s Main Street, will lead up to the morning of Jan. 1 when Buchen and Umemura will be dressed in uniform with their instruments ready to march along the parade route.

The parade.

“Last year the parade was so long, but the adrenaline kept me going the whole time. With all the people lined down the street, the crowd just automatically keeps you going for those five and a half miles,” Buchen said. “I’m not looking forward to that long walk, but it will be cool to see the crowd and experience the adrenaline and

energy of the parade,” Umemura said.

Band director Raymundo Vizcarra, who has been teaching Buchen and Umemura since they were both freshmen, says that marching in the Rose Parade is an achievement for any band student. Vizcarra, who marched in the parade for three years when he was a highschool student, explains that accomplishments like this are what he hopes for all of his students.

“Being able to march in the Rose Parade is a huge milestone, as it takes lots of hours of training and dedication. Jake and Christian have worked extremely hard to be where they are now,” Vizcarra said. “Seeing students like them participate makes me extremely happy because I see that they’re taking initiative to seek music outside of school. That is my main goal as a teacher— I want students to become lifelong lovers of music and for them to pursue that love.”

Buchen and Umemura see being apart of the Honor Band and getting to walk in the parade as an experience not many people get to talk about as high school students, and especially unique because of the people they get to meet.

“The parade part is pretty cool, but the people we’ve met and connected with make the experience that much more meaningful,” Umemura explained. “It’s really cool when people ask what I did in high school?’ and I can say I’ve marched in the Rose Parade!” Buchen said.

Honoring a legacy Pacific Shores Tournament is renamed to the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament

By Yasmine Elahihaghigi After the loss of senior basketball captain Ryse Williams last year, the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament will be held every year to honor him.

The tournament will symbolize everything Williams did for the school while he was here and the impact he had, coaches say.

“We decided to change the name shortly after he passed last year. Ryse meant so much this to this school. It’s something to honor him and keep his memory alive,” coach Ali Parvaz said.

Players along with the coaches felt changing the

“ He was a big brother, mentor and a role model to me. He made me want to push myself to be better and have the qualities of a leader.

- Kyle Carter, senior

He taught me to never take life for granted. He took the basketball part of life seriously and focused on just being an overall great person.

- Darrick Webb, senior

PHOTO VIA EASY READER NEWS

name was the best and simplest way to honor Williams.

“A lot of people knew him and a lot of people I knew would come to the tournament and support the cause wanting to support Ryse and our team at the same time,” senior Kyle Carter said.

Before the team’s first game in the tournament, a dedication ceremony was held.

During the ceremony William’s old jersey, number zero, was retired and he was cheered on one final time as captain and all-star of RUHS Boys Basketball.

He was a great person on the court and off the court, to friends, family members and even just people he didn’t know.

- Raymond McKenzie, senior

He did a lot in the four years he was here and brought a lot of things to the team, especially his work ethic. He was uplifting, great at helping people out and good at being able to communicate with the team.

- Zekiah Lovett, senior

“

FEATURES

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

13

Byars reinvents the cheer program

By Shyanne Landers For culinary arts teacher and Cheer Advisor Emily Byars, cheerleading should be about pom-poms, spirit, and being an active part of the community.

Byars was appointed Cheer Advisor position for the first time this year, and has wasted no time in trying to make the cheer squad more involved in the South Bay in an effort to create a community oriented team and show cheerleaders a world outside of school.

“I think that it’s important for students like the girls on cheer to reach out into the community on their own,” Byars said.

She wants community work to be something the team looks forward to and avoids making it seem like a task.

“If more cheerleaders, or any sport got involved in the community, you could really see a difference,” Byars said.

Byars believes it is important for student athletes to get out into the community because it makes them more aware of people and events in the community that can be overlooked.

“We get so caught up in our day at school that we forget that there’s other things we can put our energy into out in our community,” Byars said.

As a result of busy high school life, student athletes tend to forget to give back to the city that supports them.

“Living in Redondo Beach is about being part of things, and if more people spent time going to events in the South Bay on their own and experiencing a life outside of high school, it would make them more well-rounded when they exit high school,” Byars said.

One of the most memorable causes that the cheerleading team came out to support was the Pier to Pier Friendship Walk hosted by Skechers.

“The Friendship Walk was one that really stuck out for me. People going through

the place where out cheerleaders were was standing was that they were so excited to see the team,” Byars said.

“People don’t think that their teachers are making them be there, they’re thinking about how cool it is that those girls woke up early to support such a good cause,” Byars said.

Byars believes if the team uses the platform they have for something good, the stereotype of cheerleaders being mean

ed to make this year their best by creating a routine for the team to perform during the parade.

“At the Holiday Stroll, I had friends in town who saw them and texted me how cool it was to see the girls there as a part of the community and representing our school,” Byars said. “In the end, I think that having city pride and not just school pride is really important.”

Community-minded. The cheer program after the Skecher’s Pier-to-Pier Friendship walk. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY BYARS

A bright future

Horoschak’s business is in the growing renewableenrgy business

By Juninho Paniouchkine Around the nation, about 20 million barrels of fossil fuels are used each day.

The problem is growing fast, and senior Ethan Horoschak has the solution.

Horoschak is the co-founder of Solar Internet of Things (IOT), a crowdfunding service for solar energy.

Solar IOT paves the way for innovative solar energy for all, and encourages people to make more environmentally friendly choices.

The business uses cryptocurrency, which allows for quick transactions between users on Solar IOT, making it easier for people to improve the non-renewable energy crisis.

Cryptocurrency is a decentralized way of paying, alternative to paypal and banks.

It opens doors for quick, person to person transactions to pay for solar panels, and crowdfunding is as simple as it gets.

Horoschak, and the ability to continue his entrepreneurship, are huge motivators for his business. For him, it comes down to changing way we consume energy.

“I want financial independence, and I have a lot of different passions, so I don’t want to be stuck to one profession.

Through entrepreneurship, I have a lot of flexibility in terms of what I do, so I’m able to make a big impact on people’s lives through entrepreneurship, too.”

His company has garnered many investments from venture capitalists, such as marketing executives of energy companies like Solarcity. Horoschak attends Hackathons with the Hack Club, conventions based on coding new technology and services and presenting them to judges in the field. One of them was Angelhack, a large Hackathon garnered towards start-ups and acceleration. Horoschak is also president of the Hack Club, a club focused on

people may change in the South Bay. “Where I grew up, there were like five or six different high schools so you saw all the schools from one district representing the town. Because we are one of the largest high schools in the South Bay, what we do has more of an impact.”

On Nov. 30, the cheer team participated in the annual Holiday Stroll at the Riviera Village. Although the team is invited every year, the cheer coaches and advisor want-

coding and app development.

“Hack Club won Angelhack, and got to fly to San Francisco for their top acceleration program. It’s a twelve week program that started in August, where we got mentorship, deadlines [for production] and help to develop our company.” Horoschak said.

For good reason, has Horoschak earned these opportunities. His business model of decentralized transactions, and mission to solve a large environmental problems address we face today.

“We’re basically fighting global warming, tackling it from the ground level. We want to have residential solar projects spread across the United States, and so knowing you can make a lot of money and change a lot of lives is really cool,” he said.

The technological field can be daunting at first, but with the right mindset, you’re able to be an expert. Horoschak acknowledges that he is young to be in the idustry.

“At first, we were pretty intimidated, but there’s so many people that want to help. I think more and more it’s becoming common for young people to do stuff like this. In this community, people don’t care about your age, but more about your competence.” Horoschak said. “If you know what you’re doing, they don’t care how young you are”.

Age is not a factor for business, as Horoschak has been able to climb to success despite being 17. He’s achieved many accomplishments, from launching his business to big investments from Solar companies.

“It’s really cool how young we are, and how much help we’ve gotten, and all the door that are open and the new opportunities,” Horoschak said. “So it’s good to know that our idea has potential, and that we’re working on something that could have a big impact on lives.”

ENTERTAINMENT

14

Din Tai Funky

DIN TAI FUNG

Del Amo restaurant Din Tai Fung is inauthentic to Asian cuisine

REDONDO BEACH

by Alexis Mesa In a sea of popular teenage fashion boutiques and sneakerhead hotspots lies Din Tai Fung, a branch of a growing dim sum-like restaurant chain expanding in the United States. With five locations in Southern California, many of Din Tai Fung’s eaters have been brainwashed by the opinions of misguided friends, family, and media well before consumption.

Not long ago after their extreme revamp, the Del Amo Mall became home to a brand new Din Tai Fung. News of the Hong Kong branch’s Michelin Star, a signifier of quality dining, led most to believe their quality was the standard at all of Din Tai Fung’s restaurants. Immediately the new restaurant was packed with customers hoping to taste the

best “authentic” Chinese food the South Bay has to offer. However, it is anything but.

Traditionally, dim sum involves waiters pushing carts of steamers filled with an exotic array of bitesized foods. Although Din Tai Fung remains faithful to the steamer basket method, they choose not to offend the stomachs of customers, filling their menus with frustratingly basic flavors. Unfortunately, this has had a negative effect on eaters, dulling their taste buds with every bite.

Din Tai Fung’s dishes could not be more flavorless, hardly what a Michelin Star receiver could be de-

scribed as. The pork bun shames in an abundance of dry white nothingness which crowds the mouth before the tongue can even touch the little meat it houses. Frankly, Din Tai Fung’s pork buns pale in comparison to buns sold at Sam’s Club.

Additionally, the xiao long bao, or steam dumplings, intimidate eaters with the boiling hot broth they hold. Even after patiently waiting for them to cool the dumplings do not excite, tasting similar to that of watered down wonton soup.

Yet there is a dish that does impress. After an abundance of plain food, the sweet and sour pork baby

Call of the Syren

back ribs offer a taste that is baffling. Coated in what may or may not be honey, they will have you addicted as you attempt to decipher the flavors. However, these ribs will make you question if they could be classified as traditional Chinese cuisine.

But the real culprits of Din Tai Fung are their outrageous prices. Dishes can range from $7 to $12, piling up fast in a restaurant style which thrives on serving small portions of finger foods as entire meals.

There is no real reason to eat at Din Tai Fung, other than to experience the epitome of an overrated establishment. Overpriced and bland, there are several alternatives in a diverse state like California that are both cheap and delectable.

SYRE

Jaden Smith’s SYRE turns a new leaf for the contemporary artist

JADEN SMITH

by Austin Nunis Jumping from aggressive verses to others brimming with softer melodies and reflective lyrics in each song, nineteen year old rap artist Jaden Smith keeps listeners on their toes with his collection of uniquely personal songs in his newest album, SYRE. The album follows Smith’s alter ego, Syre, in a coming of age narrative that navigates his struggle of growing up in the spotlight of Hollywood while figuring out what he wants to pursue in life.

“It’s really just become a legacy of this guy, this kid, who chases the sunset,” Smith said in an interview with Billboard. “And then one day, it chases him back and he can’t get away. It really is the story of me coming to be a young adult, and it wasn’t easy at all.”

The rap album opens with “BLUE,” a 12 minute song split into four tracks. Smith seamlessly connects each song through calculated rap and explores his idea of what ‘being blue’ means to the listener.

The opener, “B”, is a melancholy sound with a hauntingly beautiful and distant melody by Smith’s sister Willow and singer-songwriter, Pia Mia. The airy and chiming intro (written in Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter) effortlessly lures listeners into a haven of tinkling elegance peppered with biblical, cultural, and historical references.

Consistent with the theme of “BLUE”, and instrumentals. From the first notes of Smith frequently uses the ocean as a met- “Watch Me” the listener is met with a powaphor for depression and sadness in sev- erful and vibrant new wave rock and roll eral songs. For example, the lyrics “I’ll die intro. Smith continues to iconically blend by sea, girl, I’ll die by the sea” appear in classic rock with hip hop in the beginning the song “U,” “our love is drowning in the of “Lost Boy”. ocean, hopeless” in the song “Ninety”, and Smith is determined to be more than in “Fallen” Smith repeatedly sings “hide just a music producer. He me from the blue, I’m dying on the strives to incorporate an air moon, and I just needed you.” These of intriguing mystery in lyrics, along with others throughout each song. His songs come the album, represent how Smith alive with his passionate muses and copes with heartbreak and captivating rapping, with and the tortures of love. beautiful ballads of his life Closing out “BLUE”, “E” transistory told in a hauntingly elutions smoothly into “Breakfast”, a sive spoken word. whirl of combative beats and lyrIn the sixth track, “Hope”, ics. This gritty track features A$AP the aspiring changemaker ofROCKY, a surprisingly pleasing fers an optimistic view about combo of deep bass and drums. his desire for our world to be a As in this song and others, place of equality, wisdom and Smith talks in a multilove. The song closes with tude of introspecan extremely peaceful, tive riddles and earthy, long and lullametaphors similar by like outro. to his signature Determined to yet borderline inmake a statement, coherent Twitter Smith avoids using spews. any anti-woman Smith strays words or phrases in from traditional SYRE. rap style beats PHOTO VIA CREATIVE COMMONS “My mom taught

A sign for the times

me different values,” Smith said in an interview with Billboard. “And my sister and my girlfriend and my mom... All of these women in my life show me what it’s like to be a woman and how much I don’t understand, and how hard it can be sometimes...

The misogyny in rap music right now, [is] degrading and it’s hurtful and it’s not pushing the art forward.”

In a video interview with Genius Lyrics, Smith relates that his goal is to “preach a message that is cleaner and different, but still real.” This profound and necessary statement takes a lot of bravery from a teenage rap artist in the hotseat of Hollywood.

To close his album, Smith stuns listeners with the sad downfall of Syre as he sings about heartache and the difficulties of being accepted. The seventeenth and final song, “SYRE,” is narrated in a third person point of view. It’s delicately crafted nostalgic lyrics and dream-like music leaves the listener in a state of awestruck peace and admiration.

In an extremely meaningful and hard hitting album that doubles as a lyrical portrayal of his life, Smith beautifully weaves together a patchwork of edgy and energetic songs with a mix of insightful ballads steeped in melancholy and grace.

THREE BILLBOARDS

Three Billboards brings light to corruption in the police force

MARTIN MCDONAGH

by Sydney Nguyen From the looks of it, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” seems like another murder mystery. However, as audiences follow the story of Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) they are introduced to a deeper plotline. “All this anger, man, it just begets greater anger,” said by Charlie, Mildred’s ex husband, accurately captures how easily the human nature of anger can take over and how much of it rages in the seemingly small and quiet town.

The audience is taken to Ebbing, Missouri, whose townsfolk are moving on from the murder of Angela Hayes seven months ago. Her mother, Mildred Hayes, however, is still seeking answers from the police about her daughter’s killers. She is distraught, believing the police are “torturing black folks” rather than solving the murder, and decides to bring the issue back to light by renting out three old billboards, condemning the police for not solving her murder with phrases like “Raped While

Dying” written across the bright red billboards.

Immediately the story introduces genuine characters that not only exhibit strong personalities, but are able to evolve through the movie and are more complex than the usual protagonist and antagonist in most movies.

Instead of having a saintlike or virtuous hero, Mildred is portrayed as a ruthless, desolate woman who will do almost anything to catch criminals and bulldoze over anyone that steps in her way. She is also an absent mother throughout the movie and shuts herself and her emotions away from the community and her son.

The movie also includes Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell) who is a racist cop that often defies the laws to do whatever he pleases. His anger control most of his actions, as seen when he unexpectedly throws a man out a window of a two story building.

Throughout the movie Rockwell works

his way up to become a more moral person when another shocking event had occurred, causing him to rethink his actions, but not in a sudden and cheesy kind of way since the director keeps Rockwell’s flaw of being unpredictable instead of making him 100 percent pure.

McDonagh casted a strong cast including Peter Dinklage, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and award winning actress Frances McDormand whose characters each make a contribution to the plot in their own way and perfectly fit the storyline. However, the story focuses on the characters of Rockwell and McDormand who do a lot for the movie. For example, McDormand brings comedic relief through a movie with such dark events happening and also provides a fierce character that audiences can not help but love.

The film revolves around dark topics including suicide, police brutality and the fact that many murder cases remain un-

solved, giving us perspective from the victim’s family and from the eyes of the police.

Even with so much negativity throughout the film, little things certain characters do and lines they say bring a bit of comedy to lighten up the mood which was a great way to keep audiences captivated and interested in the movie the whole way through without getting uncomfortable or overwhelmed with the solemnity.

“Three Billboards” is a must see due to its ability to convey a serious message without completely revolving around themes of pure depression through the whole movie by skillfully adding bits of humor and dark comedy to lighten the mood at times. It provides audiences a compelling, dark plotline with strong characters and exceptional acting that does not follow the usual revenge tract or murder mystery type movies often seen in films, putting a fresh and necessary twist on traditional Hollywood films.

ENTERTAINMENT

DEC. 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

15

All I want for Christmas is some new technology

Three of the newest electronics that could be given as holiday gifts.

by Ophelia Winslett Our world is advancing and being taken over by technology and it can be hard to keep up. Every year children wait excitedly for Christmas, however, now Christmas presents are more advanced and tech based. An MP3 players used to be a great gift, now it seems ancient. Here are three popular entertaining devices that will be Christmas presents this year.

Snapchat Spectacles The Snapchat Spectacles are a way to videotape a user’s life without using their phones, however these high tech sunglasses don’t live up to expectations according to freshman Josh Schwartz.

“I’d wanted them for three months, I was really excited when I received them because I think Snapchat’s amazing,” Schwartz said. “They were popular at the time and seemed cool to have.”

In order to turn them on, the user has to press a button on top of the spectacles and then they light up. These $130 spectacles look like regular sunglasses but have two black dots on opposite sides of the glasses that are the cameras.

“They are really big,” Schwartz said.

“There’s obviously a camera on the glasses. It isn’t a secret and they aren’t hidden like they’re supposed to be, but that doesn’t bother me.”

Schwartz received the glasses as a present a year ago and only uses them on vacation because he feels this is the only time they are useful.

“They were fun to use during the holidays, especially with my family. I wore them to places with cool views, like on the top of a building,” Schwartz said. “But other than that, they are really just a video recorder and it’s not that much different

SNAPCHAT SUNGLASSES FRESHMAN JOSH SHWARTZ

than just filming on your phone.”

The glasses record everything a person sees while wearing them and automatically go to his or her phone. The user can rotate their phone while watching the video to see it from a different perspective. They can also zoom in and out.

“The quality is basically the same on the glasses compared to the phone. The only difference is you can use your phone to move the camera,” Schwartz said.

Overall, Schwartz is unimpressed with the Snapchat sunglasses and wouldn’t recommend someone investing in them in the future.

“It’s kind of like a fisheye lens that is really big” Schwartz said. “The glasses don’t do as much as I thought they would do and overall I think it’s not worth the money. I wouldn’t recommend them.”

HTC vive Reality Mask The HTC vive Maskis the future of video games. It’s a visual reality mask that allows you to play games and watch movies in 3D. It comes with a controller and is connected to the user’s computer. ”It felt awesome when I first got one since it was like nothing I’d ever seen,” junior Jacob Ray said.

HTC vive has a 110 degree view field and two screens. It will also display a message if there are any real walls close to the user and has sensors to replicate the player’s surroundings.

“It’s like being transported to another world with endless possibilities,” Ray said. “from a simulation of being a deep sea diver to deflecting lasers just like a Jedi in ‘Star Wars,’ I feel like it’s the future of gaming and leisure.”

The user can download apps and mov-

HTC VIVE REALITY MASK JUNIOR JACOB RAY

ies onto the mask. There are also wireless controllers that come with the set. They have around six hours of battery, sensor pads and a trigger button.

“While I do use it a lot and do think it’s worth it, it’s still a lot of money,” Ray said.

The mask, controllers and tracker all together cost around $700. Even if it is worth it, it is still a very expensive Christmas present.

AirPods Apple’s new headphones, AirPods, are a hit. These wireless headphones that automatically connect to the users Apple devices are easy to use and, according to senior Jimmy Galuppi, are stylish.

“I was really excited when I got them,” Galuppi said. “I use them every day.”

Users can speak into the earbuds while calling someone and double tap on one of the buds to activate Siri.

“I would definitely choose them over normal headphones,” Galuppi said. “They have a better sound quality, don’t get tangled up, and I like the style.”

They automatically pause when the user takes them out. Unlike regular earbuds, the Airpods have to be charged.

When fully charged, they have five hours of playing time, and three hours when charged for only 15 minutes.

The AirPods cost $150 and can be found at any Apple store and online. Overall, Galuppi believes that these earbuds are a great investment.

“It was definitely worth the price I paid,” Galuppi said. “The style is nice and I keep them in the case it comes with when I’m not using them.”

AIRPODS EARBUDS SENIOR JIMMY GALUPPI

The new age of gifts. This season look out for the newest Christmas gifts. The Snapchat Sunglasses are sunglasses with a camera in them that will take videos and send them directly to your phone. The HTC vive Reality Mask is a virtual reality device that makes it seem like you are in another world. The Airpod Apple Earbuds are wireless earbuds that are connected to your phone via blootooth.

ILLUSTRATION BY MAKENA FRIAS

Snapchat Sunglasses (Spectacles): Cost: $130 Colors: Black, Teal, Coral Included with Purchase: Spectacles, Charging Case, and Cable HTC vive Reality Masks (VR Mask):

Cost: (for all equipment) $700 Parts: Mask, controllers, tracker Features: 110 degrees view field, two screens Apple Wireless Headphones (Airpods): Cost: $150 Included with Purchase: Earbuds and charging case Online Stores: Apple, Amazon, Target, Bestbuy

Sorry Sia, everyday is not Christmas

Sia’s new Christmas album fails to meet standards set by past songs

by Sophie Fleming

Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler unsuccessfully attempts to continue her quest of giving musical traditions a unique spin with her throaty voice through her first holiday album, Everyday Is Christmas.

Produced by Greg Kurstin, this album consists entirely of her own attempts of jolly originals– some of which seem to fall flat when compared to her notably successful career in songwriting.

A few of these jovial numbers could have a potential for a spot in families’ Christmas playlist. With it’s tinkling piano, jaunty trumpet, and other holiday notes audible in the background, “Santa’s Coming For Us” and “Candy Cane Lane” would be perfect tunes to jam out to under Christmas lights, or while icing some sugar cookies. And the slow melody of title track “Everyday is Christmas” could be a sound number to solo dance by the fireplace.

Yet, despite the jingling sleigh bells placed behind the verses, Sia’s idiosyncratic voice just isn’t the right fit for this theme of music. In her attempts to shape her vocals into the holiday tune, all that is produced is a sickly-sweet crooning.

No matter how low or high the pitch may be, her overly-sugary, hoarse voice coats over the rest of the musical piece.

While they’re quirky melodies to listen to for a little change, it’s not worthy of the holiday radio playing it on repeat.

“Snowman” and “Snowflake” are perfect pieces to slow-dance to. The slower, swaying tempo, romantic lyrics and soft piano emphasize the sense of serenity. But upon the realization that both are simply love songs dedicated to the anthropomorphization of a snowman, it becomes slightly less moving.

These songs are not only really just the same song with slightly different names, but the bizzarity factor of a love song for a snowman overcomes any sense of warmth listeners receive. Amusing, certainly, but not as touching.

“Ho Ho Ho” is a nice throwback to her 2014 album 1000 Forms of Fear, where she released the successful song “Chandelier”– while the intoxicated tune differs entirely, in both songs we have ourselves a bunch of careless “misfits” and a generous helping of whiskey, rum, and booze. The drunken mewling of Sia’s vocals compliment these lyrics perfectly.

Yet that is where the attribute’s of “Ho Ho Ho” end. Composed of simply two long verses strung together repeatedly, this song gives the impression of laziness and

carelessness in the writing of this number– as if Sia put no thought into this and just whipped up a couple of verses and made it into a song.

While Sia’s vocals and quirky musical style in the past has been a refreshing twist against this decades concept of “pop music,” this album was a let down for fans of both the holidays and the Aussie herself. With a significant lack of cheer in the lyrics and musical style, this collection of originals in unlikely to get her any more followers.

Everyday is Christmas Sia Release Date: Nov. 17 Producer: Greg Kursten Label: RCA Records Genre: Holiday Music

Puppies, and snowmen, and sunshine, Oh MY! Sia released a new christmas album called “Everyday is Chirstmas” and consists of several original christmas jingles. PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA

EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS SIA

16

SPORTS

DEC 14, 2017 | HIGH TIDE

Turning the team around 360 degrees Boys Basketball plays first games under new coach

by Liam Barret With a third place victory in the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament, Boys Basketball heads for Las Vegas to continue their winning ways. Boys Basketball has started this season with a 3-1 record and are set to play Durango in the first round of the Tarkanian Classic.

Last year, the team was eliminated in the first round of the tournament by George Washington High School. With a relatively new team and a new coaching staff, Varsity Boys goes into the tournament with confidence that they can go much further this year. Senior guard Zekiah Lovett trusts his team is ready to take on Durango.

“I know it’s not going to be easy, but I still feel like we can beat them. My teammates are learning fast on how to handle pressure and I’m excited for that” Lovett says.

The team is coming into the tournament ranked 18th in Southern California out of 25 teams by the LA Times despite their good start to the season. The team is undeterred by the ranking and are focused on beating Durango. Lovett explains that the team doesn’t let the rankings define them.

Lovett says the team is “better than 18th” but he “[doesn’t] really pay attention to rankings” The team is faced with the challenge of having a new coaching staff this year under head coach Ali Parvaz. There are mixed feelings about this transition for the team. Junior forward Josh Maduno doesn’t see much change between this year and last year.

“Our new coaching staff isn’t too different from our previous one in terms of playing style, so the transition between the two has been pretty smooth so far.”

This testament isn’t felt by the whole team though. Lovett explained he has concerns with the new coaching staff.

Although he does believe the team is playing well, Lovett says the coaching staff “aren’t specific with what they want on the court” but despite this the team still “[goes] out and [plays] hard for them and never quit.”

The team will be ready to drive to Las Vegas and play on December 20th against Durango where they look to take the first round and have a more successful tournament than last year, where they lost early. The new look Seahawks know they will face challenges, but are primed and ready to soar past them.

Quinn Collins Notable schools from LA Times

Power Rankings

Torunament Scores

1. BISHOP MONTGOMERY (5-0) 2. MATER DEI (5-0) 3. OAK PARK (6-2) ----------------------------18. REDONDO (3-2)

Quinn Collins Center, Senior

15.6 6.2 63%

Points per game

Rebounds per game Shooting percentage

and stands at

6’ 9”

Jump shot.

Center Quinn Collins, senior, banks a shot of the backboard against Lynwood during the Ryse Wiliams Pac Shores Torunament. RUHS went 3-1 in the tournament placing third.

PHOTO BY BEN CHENG

85-55

62-56

64-57

69-67

Win vs Lynwood

Win vs Mayfair

Loss vs Santa Maragarita

Win vs Narbonne

Surf team to focus on teamwork this season

by Camille Grace

I believe that surf team needs to work on etiquette during class. During contests, the team needs to work as a team, not just individual surfers to maximize the points we gather to win.

- Ryan Hughes

S

Lead in. Junior Ryan Hughes rides a split during a competition. HOTO BY BEN CHENG

“

“

urf team started their season with a record of 1-1 after losing to South High School with a score of 75-71 on Wed. Dec. 6th.

“South had normally been an easy team for us to beat, but we knew this year that they had improved due to younger surfers progressing in abilities. We knew we were going to have to give it an extra effort to try and finish the competition on the podium,” senior, captain Kolby Holdsworth said.

After being ninth in the nation

last year, the team is trying to qualify for state and national championships and claim another Bay League title.

“I think the team is learning how to have more fun during competitions which is freeing up the tension and pressure that we have on us this year,” Holdsworth said.

As many valuable seniors graduated from the team last year, many new surfers have had to step up.

“This team is different from last year since we had many seniors on the team which were huge helps to our success, and this year we have many new surfers which will help us win contests as well,” Hughes said.

With their goals in mind and their toughest competitions to come, the team is looking to improve the rest of their season.

“It’s always cool to surf and hang with my buddies that go to different schools and guys that go to RUHS as well,” Hughes said.