High Tide: Sept 15, 2017

SEPT. 15

2017

RUHS

GIVE ME

A BREAK How teenagers’ summers are melting away BEN BRILL, EDITOR IN CHIEF, JUNIOR MIRIAM FARAH FEATURES EDITOR,

&

JUNIOR

Sept 15, 2017 /Vol XCVIII / Issue 1/ Redondo Union High School

16

Editorial Trumpthreatens to rescind DACA

26 Dunkirk album

20 In Focus

3

Adressing the reality of the growingstudent population

5

Permit parking

5

Ongoing construction on campus

The situation as it is

Give me a break How teenagers’ summers are melting away

17 15

7

Hurricane season

27

Flower Boy A review of Tyler, The Creator’s new album

Lights out Stdents at RUHS reflect on the first solar eclipse in U.S. since 1973

On a mission Junior Natalie Salazar translates for students in Equador

The aftermath of hurricanes hitting the U.S.

Unsteady Start 29 Football loses two of first three

Dream on

9

games

31

Trump and democrats agree to fix DACA

22

Hitting the high notes Students travel to England for chior festival

13

Antifa vs. Alt-right

Two controvercial ideas compared

23

UnBeliezable Lewis and 36 students travel to Belize

Boys water polo sinks Cerritos 8-5

DEPARTMENTS 24 For your

information More on the so called Atl-right

28 Go with the

flow A guide to posting on social media

Back to School. A group of students waits in the Small Gym to receive their official schedules on the first school day of the year.

On the agenda

Addressing the reality of a growing Redondo Administration looks toward solutions to the increasingly large student body

By Luke Peterson Sports Editor, Junior

The heavy walking traffic when moving between classes has become the norm for most students. The bell rings and students pour out from their classes, diverging into massive crowds within which moving just 100 feet can take minutes on end. Welcome to the life of the average seahawk.

“The moment I realized there’s a big population at RUHS was at registration. There were so many people there, and when you think that these are only people in the same grade as me, it really puts things into perspective,” junior Ethan Kim said. “I feel there’s definitely spots where there’s so many people that you can’t walk there anymore, but it hasn’t become a major disaster yet.”

With the new freshman class raising the student body from 2,834 to 2,932, administration is currently working to address the realities of Redondo’s growing population.

“We’re always trying to be considerate of what students are trying to do. Actively, we’re addressing the school’s population through the construction of a new building,” assistant principal Bryan Ines said. “It makes it easier to accommodate students’ needs; Other than that, we need solutions to take our students’ demands.

When ideas come up, we will go through the pro3

cess to reach out to the community to talk about the solution.”

Ines is in charge of constructing the school’s master schedule, a list of all the courses RUHS offers and every student’s personal schedule. The schedule considers the opinions of school counselors, teachers and administration after processing the schedule request forms that students filled out last spring.

“I can’t stress the importance of students filling out those requests in the spring. We will do our best to accommodate those requests, but it isn’t a perfect world, and unfortunately we can’t always have that,” Ines said. “When schedule requests are presented to us in the fall, the work we do is much more difficult than it seems. We need to make sure that all the requests made in the spring were made first and then make the changes; students need as much access to this across the board.”

With a growing amount of people attending RUHS, more students will be put in classes that they didn’t ask for. This is the reality of a system where there just aren’t enough classes to handle the increasingly large amount of students.

“It’s difficult because the demand for classes changes every year and it can be hard to track and predict which ones will be most requested. We honestly go by what the students are requesting at the present instead of making an estimation,” Ines said.

There is concern that the whole of students at RUHS will not receive enough quality time with the school’s counselors to get necessary advice for post-high school life.

This is why the counseling system was recently changed.

“The change in counseling allows better organization in terms of siblings, where now brothers and sisters, and their families are now able to be dealt with a single person,” Ines said. “It also lessens the individual case load on each counselor so they can help students with their needs.”

Solutions for addressing the growing population have been limited to construction for the most part, although administration has been searching for more ways they can deal with the problem.

“When we ask what we can do better, we look to schools with a similar situation and see what they’re doing to handle it. Sometimes we directly ask them what’s going on over there, but we try to apply these methods the Redondo way. We can’t see what they’re doing over there and mimic that over here - it wouldn’t make sense. Our student population is vastly different, as well as our teachers.”

As of right now, the concept of overpopulation does not cripple the school’s operational function, but it has the potential to.

Ines believes the school cannot be apprehensive about handling the situation.

4

Sept. 15, 2017

Instead, he prefers to focus on the unique advantages that it brings.

“The morning here is the favorite part of my day. There’s a lot of students coming onto campus and the school comes alive,” Ines said. “I can actually see with my own eyes that there’s a lot of people here whose needs I need to make. The moment I realized this, I wasn’t really apprehensive, but I was excited to be a part of the school. I still see that everyday with everyone who comes to

the school.”

Kim believes that a large population can be beneficial for the school in some aspects.

“I don’t think it’s overpopulated to it being an issue right now. We do have enough space and we do have enough resources, so it’s not the end of the world or anything,” Kim said. “You interact with more people.

Teachers would be very stretched, it would be very jam-packed and it seems like there won’t be enough places to do things.”

Population growth

is through the roof.

A look into the increasing number of students at Redondo

2,932 in 2017

2,694 in 2016 2,601 in 2015 2,547 in 2014 2,447 in 2013 2,416 in 2012 INFORMATION FROM REDONDO BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

What’s new on campus: What we know: There are approximately 400 spaces on campus and over 200 staff members. Whatever parking is left over— around 170 spots—is reserved for students.

Parking for students is currently under a permit system, and spots are reserved.

Permit parking:

The reasoning:

BY MIA BERGER Entertaintment Editor, Junior

If there are any accidents in the parking lot, students will have higher accountability.

There would be no competition for spots within the parking lot.

The situation as it is The morning line up. Cars move sluggishly through the daily traffic buildup on Diamond street. Most cars are just driving through to drop off students, but a less lucky crowd has to find parking somewhere on the crowded street. “You have to wake up early to find a spot, but it also has to be in a place that isn’t going to get you towed,” junior Samantha Samler said. PHOTO BY MIA WICKS

The results: The parking lot has full reservation, and there are no more permits available.

Students without a permit and a reserved spot must find parking spots on surrounding streets.

Ongoing construction

BY MIA BERGER Entertaintment Editor, Junior

What’s being built: A new building, the “900s building,” will house a combination of five new Math and English classrooms on top of what used to be the grassy area between the 700s and CTE buildings.

The old custodial building is being converted to a new building, The Alumni House.

The reason for construction: The increasing student body requires an additional number of classrooms to maintain the desired ratio of 35 students to one teacher.

The Alumni Association requires a new site to house memorabilia and hold meetings. It was decided the custodial building is to be renovated for the purpose.

He knows the drill. A worker installs anti-skateboard devices outside the Alumni House. PHOTO BY DANIELLE SESTAK

5

Events

Get linked

Link Crew holds Freshman Orientation

BY ANGIE TAIT Features Editor, Junior

Link Crew leaders felt optimistic about their latest freshmen orientation. The endof-summer event, meant to help incoming students remember the information they need to comfortably get around once school begins, is believed by students and staff in Link Crew to have been a success in achieving its goal.

“In Link Crew we made a lot of changes this year, game-wise and structurally, because we tried to make it more helpful and fact-based to get the freshmen to be comfortable with us and each other,” senior Lisa Diethelm said.

With groups comprising of two Link Leaders and 10 or 11 freshmen, along with the occasional set of transfer students, Link Crew organized a four-hour day of introductory games and campus tours for the new students.

“We definitely changed a lot of things, because last year was all about having fun and being more comfortable around others, whereas now was more about getting to know the freshmen and the school,” senior Meagan Cooley said. “Last year was really difficult to get a really thorough tour for the freshmen to learn their way around campus, so we added more time and included more details about specific areas, like the Bingo Room, or certain passageways behind buildings, that make a difference if you need to cover a large distance between classes.”

Both students and teachers in Link Crew saw this year’s orientation as a victory on their own part, mainly due to the reshaping of the event to fit more to Redondo Union’s personality, and less into a general mold of what high school orientations entail.

“We focused more on helping freshmen with the real things they’ll be dealing with in high school during their first couple days, so group discussions and the campus tour helped diminish doubts they might’ve had on Day One. We also personalized it a lot more to being a Redondo Union orientation, which meant eliminating activities that weren’t relevant to what goes on at our school,” history teacher Ms. Pattison said.

Another hurdle was also present in keeping the near 1,000 students that attended orientation engaged, entertained, and satisfied with the school and what it has to offer.

“Since there were so many freshmen this year, we definitely anticipated a challenge because it was so many people and opinions, and a lot of kids in my group played 6

Sept. 15, 2017

sports so they kind of already knew their way around and didn’t need my help in that aspect,” Diethelm said. “However, that made it easier for me because I could focus on the other parts of Redondo to further prepare them, which was fun for all of us.”

Despite the entertainment and games, freshmen orientations are also “unpredictable,” according to Cooley and Diethelm, which leaves the Link Leaders to worry about the true effectiveness the event has on helping the freshmen feel comfortable and prepared.

“I think that as leaders we’ve been successful at organizing orientation based on the what-ifs and by better preparing ourselves, so by the time the students needed help with their own what-ifs, we could focus on them,” teacher Amanda Durán said.

The leaders were also concerned about the impressions they left on the new students, but only “for the sake of the students’ comfort and happiness,” according to senior

Shea Fleetwood.

A few weeks into every school year, Link Crew reaches out to the freshman body to get their feedback. Last year’s freshmen referred the event as childish, irrelevant, and oriented towards kindergarteners, but leaders didn’t agree.

“I think that the freshmen this year thought we were kind of babying them at orientation, and that’s not what we aimed for at all. Some of the groups had transfer students, and a lot of the campus that we toured elicited questions from the new students that not only helped them be comfortable with the school, but helped them to be comfortable with each other,” Fleetwood said. “I know Link Crew certainly enjoyed running orientation this year, and knowing that you can’t go into high school alone, I’m hoping we provided the freshmen with some good friends and knowledge that will stick with them through all of their high school experiences.”

Welcome, freshies. A freshman walks through the crowd of Link Leaders and staff welcoming the incoming freshmen. “I thought that orientation was good, and I had a lot of fun in my group, but I also think that we could’ve learned more, because what they told us were things that we already know. I would’ve liked to hear more personal experiences about what high school is like,” freshman Piper Scheller said. PHOTO BY MIA WICKS

Texas Guardsmen from the 272nd Engineer Battalion prepare to evacuate civilians during Hurricane Harvey, in Houston, Texas.

PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. TIMOTHY PRUITT

National

Hurricane Season Hurricanes Hit the United States

By Shyanne Landers Staff Writer,Junior

H

urricane Irma is being called one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic. It came after Harvey, which devastated South Texas by immersing it in what forecasters believe to be around 15 trillion gallons of water. Now, Hurricane Jose is following closely behind Irma.

These three intense hurricanes are rumored to be caused by climate change. Although, Gillian Moberg, AP Environmental Science and Geoscience teacher, believes it is “too early to tell” if climate change ties into how strong the hurricane is.

“When you are looking at climate, you need a large amount of time. Climate is 30 years, on average. So, a couple of storms, though they may be intense, can’t be conclusive in saying it is caused by [climate change],” Moberg said.

She believes the recent storms are more intense than ones the U.S. has experienced in the past.

“The stats for Irma defines a new category for storms.

For Irma, [scientists] are saying that there should be the possibility of having a category six because it is so intense, 13

7

and that is unbelievable,” Moberg said. “This isn’t unheard of, though.

We have had super hurricanes in the past, which would justify that thinking.”

She believes the intensity of the storm, but not the storm itself, was influenced by climate change.

“Climate change has so many different variables, so it is difficult to isolate just one of them, such as warming seas. But, the seas are warmer than they normally have been, so it’s kind of a big red flag and something to investigate further,” Moberg said.

HurricaneJose,whichisnowacategoryfourhurricaneandnearbythe area of Irma, has yet to have such an impact on land as Harvey and Irma did.

A crane in Miami collapsed. Houses in the Florida Keys have been drowned in water. According to Florida Power and Light, there have been powerfailuresthataffectedovertwomillionpeople,whichrestrictedthem from being notified of Irma’s progress. This is just a fraction of what Hurricane Irma has done to the Atlantic coast.

Winds from Irma have been expected to average out at 110 miles per hour, as stated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NOAA reported that the strong winds are not the only hazardous part of Hurricane Irma. The storm surge — or water that is pushed onto the shore by the wind from a hurricane — is the “greatest threat to life”. These storm surges have the possibility of causing even greater damage when exposed to waves. The strong waves can result in leveled buildings and destroyed vehicles.

Hurricanes are scientifically categorized on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which ranks hurricanes one through five, with five causing “catastrophic damage” to land, according to the scale. Irma fluctuated between categories two and five.

Hurricane Harvey, which preceded Irma, had devastating effects on southernTexasandsouthwesternLouisiana.Harveywasacategorythree hurricane that flooded houses and triggered sinkholes which collapsed roads.

OnAug.25,Harveymadelandfallininsouth-centralTexas,andcontinued east to Louisiana by Aug. 30, which caused disastrous flooding. The hurricane then dissipated in the area of Tennessee and Kentucky.

The Texas governor estimates the aftermath from Harvey will cost an all-time high of $180 billion, which is $50 billion more than Katrina, when adjusted to today’s inflation.

The estimated 8 million cubic yards of garbage in Houston from Hurricane Harvey is enough to “fill up the Texans stadium two times over”, as reported by CBS News.

The damage from Harvey and Irma caused people to be evacuated from their homes and refuge in convention centers, churches, and anywhere with a stable amount of supplies. The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, and Convoy of Hope are now accepting donations for people affected by the recent hurricanes.

UP

in the

Twittersphere Neil deGrasse Tyson @neiltyson

In school, students cheat because the system values high grades more than students value learning.

John Cena @JohnCena

Sooo #iPhoneX about #FaceID ...ummmmm .... what do I do?

Nancy Pelosi @NancyPelosi

America’s faith leaderes are clear: the effort to #ProtectDREAMers is a moral duty.

Conan O’Brien @ConanOBrien

Ed Flower, a business owner from Corpus Christi, Texas, is embraced

by Naftoli Schmukler, left. Flower’s store was destroyed during Hurricane Harvey. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHABAD LUBAVITCH 8

Sept. 15, 2017

Knowing me, when the nuclear bombs fall, I’ll be at CVS, reading the back of a bottle of exfoliating soap.

National

Dream on

Trump and Democrats Agree to Fix DACA

By Amanda Ban Writing Editor, Senior America is known as the ‘melting pot’ of the world because it is a place where people of all different ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds come together to find freedom, opportunity and happiness. President Donald Trump recently announced that his administration was going to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which protects the rights of people who immigrated to America as children, but massive backlash from those who supported to program resulted in a deal between democrats and president Trump allowing the DACA program to continue with some alterations. wvRep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, have been leading the effort to reach a compromise with Trump on the DACA deal.

Trump has famously stated throughout the 2016 Presidential election that he views immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, as problem-causing individuals. Enforcing stricter immigration laws, and carrying out mass deportations was one of Trump’s main goals from the beginning of his campaign.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems,” Trump said.

“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they’re telling us what we’re getting.”

Those who agreed with his hardline stance on the issue, supported the movement to end DACA, and expressed strong opposition to the idea of a deal.

“Unbelievable! Amnesty is a pardon for immigration law breakers coupled with the reward of the objective of their crime,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.

Those who apply to the DACA program, known as DREAMers, receive an amnesty period of two years and must reapply when those two years are over. Of those 800,000 protected under DACA, 91% are employed and 99% have no criminal record. The pro-

gram enables these young people to go to school, get jobs and start careers in America.

“We are not looking at citizenship. We are not looking at amnesty,” Trump said. “We are looking at allowing people to stay here.

We are working with everybody. If we don’t have the wall, we are doing nothing.”

The DACA program was started under the Obama administration and received sharp criticism from those seeking harsher immigration laws. Opponents of the program felt that the program demonstrated an executive overreach because many feel that illegal immigration is a black and white issue and feel that granting amnesty is not in the president’s power. The former President has openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the program ending.

“To target these young people is wrong – because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating – because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love.

And it is cruel,” Obama said.

The new deal would not keep DACA running in exactly the same way that it has been up until this point.

It is unclear if the building of the wall would be required in order to keep DACA intact, as Trump has made statements that contradict those from Schumer and Pelosi.The fine points of the deal have not yet been set in stone.

“We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides,” Schumer and Pelosi said in a joint statement. “President Trump’s Tweets are not inconsistent with the agreement reached last night.”

Although a deal will be made in theory to preserve DACA, Trump stands by his desire for harsher immigration laws.

“I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents,” Trump said. “But we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

“We must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

Catching you up with the President and his administration

By Summer Saad Features Editor, Juniorr JULY 21 to AUGUST 18White House departures Several key members of Trump’s administration resigned, including White House Chiefs of Communications Sean Spicer and Anthony Scaramucci, who both resigned afteroverwhelmingcriticismfromthe press. It is said that Steve Bannon felt pressured to leave his post after the violence in Charlottesville, VA broke out. However, Bannon claims to have resigned two weeks before the incident in Charlottesville.

AUGUST 22Trump announces new foreign policy plan for Afghanistan Trump’s five main concerns addressed in his plan are troop levels, expanding military commander authority, political discussions, modify Pakistan, and victory without nation-building. Overall, Trump’s ambitions are to increase militarypresenceinAfghanistanto insure victory.

SEPTEMBER 7Trump moves to raise federal debt ceiling President Trump came to terms with the Democrats, agreeing to raise the federal debt limit and to fund the government through Dec. 8. The deal awaits passage by the House.

9

Summer

UPDATE Summer of ‘17 in a nutshell

Compiled by Ben Brill Editor-in-Chief, Junior June 1- Trump withdraws from Paris Climate Accord-

President Trump cited an additional economic burden on the U.S compared to other participating countries as his reason for withdrawing from the landmark climate

June 8- Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before Senate committee-

Comey stated in front of the Senate Intelligence committee that he was wrongfully fired due to his investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, in which Trump’s actions fell “within the scope” of the investigation.

July 11- Donald Trump Jr. discloses contact with a Russian lawyerIn an effort to be “transparent,” Donald Trump Jr. released emails detailing his meeting with a Kremlin linked lawyer who claims to have damaging intel on the-candidate Hillary Clinton

July 18- Senate fails to pass ‘skinny repeal’ of ACA-

To the surprise of many top military officials, President Trump tweeted that transgender Americans would no longer be able to serve in the military, citing extra costs.

August 8- Trump threatens ‘fire and fury’ against North KoreaPresident Trump issued threats to Kim Jong Un and his North Korean regime after intelligence revealed the North Korean’s development of a nuclear warhead small enough to mount onto a long range ballistic missile.

A van rammed into a crowd of people in the densely crowded Ramblas section of Barcelona, killing twelve and injuring many others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

10

Sept. 15, 2017

Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others were injured at the hands of a politically motivated gunman.

July 26- Trump announces barring of transgender military service-

In a failed last ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Senator John McCain along with two other Republican senators crossed party lines to vote against the repeal of parts of the ACA with no replacement in line.

August 17- Terror attack kills twelve in Barcelona-

June 14- Republican Congressmen attacked at baseball practice-

July 31- Controversial Venezuela election grants Maduro additional power-

President Nicolas Maduro celebrated a victory in an election which will allow for the formation of a constituent assembly with the power to rewrite the country’s constitution. The election took place amid protests and domestic strife over a crumbling economy and widespread food shortages around the country.

August 25- Trump issues controversial pardon for Sheriff Joe Arpaio-

Trump utilized his presidential powers to pardon Joe Arpaio, an Arizona sheriff convicted for defying a court order which prohibited using racial profiling tactics to identify undocumented immigrants.

Swastikas, shields, and flags.

White supremacists march in Charlottesville, Virginia. during, the Unite the Right Rally. PHOTO BY ANTHONY CRIDER.

Lauren Kim Multimedia Editor, Senior

Opinion

Antifa vs. Alt-Right

Two extreme groups with vastly different beliefs with almost indistinguishable actions

Since Trump’s ill-fated inauguration on January 20th, various political groups have rapidly been growing in the U.S., either supporting or condemning our covfefe speaking leader. Two that have been becoming increasingly infamous are Antifa, short for Anti-Fascists, and Alt-Right, short for Alternative Right.

Antifa is a radical group that aims to fight white supremacy rather than support the Democratic Party or left-wing ideals. The Alt-Right organization favors white nationalism and is often associated with anti semitic and misogynistic ideals. Although Antifa is fighting for the right ideals, the measures they take are far too extreme to be considered positive, and the Alt-Right group is blatantly racist, doing just as much as Trump to “make America great again,” which honestly isn’t much.

Antifa is known to cause property damage and be violent during their protests. When the Republican speaker Milo Yiannopoulos went to speak at Berkeley, the radicals 11

even threw Molotov cocktails and caused so extreme with many members often phothousands of dollars of damage. Because of tographed with swastikas and Confederate the extensive destruction generated by An- flags.

There are news headlines and stories tifa, there have even been petitions to label coming out weekly about various hate Antifa as a domestic terrorist group.

I agree with what Antifa is fighting for, crimes that white supremacists have combut their methods are far too violent to be mitted, one being the recent Unite the Right considered effective. It only helps the Alt- Rally that occurred in Charlottesville, VirRight argue that Antifa members or other ginia.

Although the protest was in favor of left-wing groups are dangerous. The violence attracts attention from the media but white nationalism with the protesters carrying torches and confederate it makes the members seem flags, it did begin peacefully. volatile and makes it hard However, the protest quickly for them to be taken seriousbecame violent as Alt-Right proly. It’s hard to make people testers began to beat many of the listen to your ideas when they’re worried about you Has no real head- counter protesters. The violence escalated quickly, and left 19 inbeating them because they quarters jured and one dead. disagree.

The violence that occurred Antifa is creating a bad name for liberalists and is Has no offical leader during the rally was unequivocally an act of hate crime. The making it easier for those counter protestors were attacked who already side with conand beaten only because of the servatives reinforce their color of their skin or religion. beliefs. The group acts like The Alt-Right discrimination some sort of organization of seldom results in death or this vigilantes that is working to level of tragedy, but discriminatrid the world of antisemiRichard Spencer ing against anyone because of tism and racism.

And this is true to a cer- is considered to be their ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs is imtain extent; they attack leader moral and wrong, regardless of those who are xenophobic, political affiliation. Everyone is but they also prey on anyone entitled to their own opinion, but who is even slightly conservative, which essentially Headquarters locat- not when it is at the detriment of makes Antifa no better than ed in Old Town others.

Trying to get rid of anyone in the Alt-Right that they so America who isn’t white or male strongly condemn.

If Antifia wants to get rid of racism and is a ridiculous notion that ultimately would facism in America, beating anything and not make America great again. America is anyone who disagrees with them is not the filled with immigrants and people of varithing to do. They need to learn to respect ous ethnicities and religions. Everyone in everyone’s opinion. Everyone is entitled to America, regardless of skin color, religion, their own opinion, it’s a part of what makes and sexual orientation contribute to AmeriAmerica what it is and someone should not can society, and trying to get rid of minorities is foolish. be attacked because they are right wing.

Neither Antifa nor the Alt-Right moveThe Alt-Right members, however, are not just right wing conservatives. They are bra- ment are doing anything to make America zenly racist, misogynistic, and antisemitic. better. Both of the groups need to be ended They are often referred to as Neo-Nazis be- swiftly if America ever plans on bringing itcause their beliefs of white supremacy are self back to its former glory.

ANTIFA

ALT-RIGHT

STAFF Editors-in-Chief

Ben Brill, Elizabeth Fauver, Kylie Yorke

News Editors:

Alex Dang, Jon Mallen

Opinion Editor: Lauren Kim

Features Editors:

Reem Chamas, Miriam Farah, Summer Saad, Angie Tait, Ben Yepez

Entertainment:

Mia Berger, Justin Pioletti

Sports Editor: Luke Peterson

Photo Editor: Eden Millian

Illustrators: Makena Frias

Copy Editor: Erika Zlatkin

Multimedia Editor: Samaya Rubio

Staff Writers:

Aaya Jhaveri, Adam Sayad, Alex Laureano, Alexis Mesa, Analise Asaro, Austin Nunis, Camille Grace, Christina Owen, Christopher J. Snyder, Danny Parhizi, Eduardo Rosales, Emerson Owens, Ethan Park, Ivanica Skalko, Jade Rona, Jenna Edwards, Joshua, Juninho Paniouchkine, Kaden Kaczmarczyk, Kate Ripley, Kiera Patterson, Liam Barrett, Lorraina Scolaro, Maia Ward, Martha Farah, Michael Solimando, Molly Cochran, Nicholas White, Ophelia Winslett, Rukhaa Kamran, Sabrina Kim, Sangjun Lee, Sarah Falahahwazi, Sarah Flannery, Shyanne Landers, Sophie Fleming, Sydney Nguyen, William Pournamdari

Photopgraphers:

Shuaib Ahmad, Elise DiPaola, Danielle Sestak, Mia Wicks, Kierin Wooldridge

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Sept. 15, 2017

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Pro//Con

New alpha counseling system

PRO

CON

Samaya Rubio

Erika Zlatkin

Multimedia Editor, Senior

Copy Editor, Junior

Due to the increase of student population, the counseling system has been changed from a gradebased to an alphabetically organized system. This new system is favorable to the last one because it allows every counselor to understand the specific needs of every class, get to know a whole family, not to mention the.

The counselors have so much on their plates from scheduling issues to making sure every student graduates. The senior and junior counselors had almost 700 students to help, they could not have possibly remembered the specific needs of every student. The new system reduces the counselor to student ratio, leaving one counselor with little more than 400 students. The freshmen and sophomore counselors have more students, but the increase per counselor is only an additional 50, which will enable them to help the student in anything they need, not just seeing them once per quarter for a check-in or for an emergency situation.

The counselors will also have the advantage of being associated with every member of a student’s family. The counseling staff hopes this will make the students more comfortable with the counselors because they have a history with that counselor. This is especially important for the students who could use a little extra support from our staff.

This is also helpful to parents with more than one child who meet with the members of the counseling staff because they can grow accustomed and comfortable with one counselor instead of constantly visiting different ones.

Some families may be upset because they will have to get accustomed to the new counselors, but every member of the counseling staff works together to put the least amount of stress on the student and family during the transition.

Another reason for the shift is the need to keep upto-date with all the grade levels. The counselors who only dealt with one grade level were only keeping up with the needs of the singular class they were assigned to and when that class graduated, the counselor had to learn a whole new group of students and any new problems that arose with that grade level.

Overall, this new system is much better than the last one. The lower student to counselor ratio makes it much easier for both the students and the counselors. The counselors can now focus on more individual students and help both the students and themselves.

7

Counselors Total

Approximately

450

Students per counselor

Approximately

50%

Less students for junior and senior counselors

This year, counselors have been rearranged and assigned to students based on an alphabetical system, rather than grade levels. While this is revised to fit the increasingly large freshman class, this new system does not satisfy the needs of every student.

In previous years, counselors stayed with an individual grade level and moved up every year with the same class. This system is beneficial to the students because counselors are familiar with the student body and are more acquainted with them. By getting to know their counselors better, students feel more comfortable to talk to them about problems or seek help.

A majority of the student body has failed to speak to their counselors because they do not know their counselors personally. In doing so, this becomes harder for the counselors to satisfy the needs of the students.

While many students last year directly knew their advisors, currently, these same students hardly know who their new counselors are.

Counselors provide students with more help than just schedule changes and information. For students who are going through a critical time in their personal lives, students often go to their counselors as a safe space when they have no other adult to go to. For the current seniors who have known their counselors for years and have relied on them for advice, speaking to their new counselors about the same issues becomes difficult without a previous establishment of trust.

For students who have had many appointments with their counselors in order to discuss college, future plans, and ambitions, their counselors have a more detailed understanding of how to assist individual students achieve their goals. Although the new counselors have good intentions and do everything they can to help their students, it will take more time to understand them the way the previous counselors did.

Before, counselors worked individually with each grade level and focused on more specific issues pertaining to each grade. By targeting the relative concerns during the year for each class, counselors are allowed to come up with specific solutions and become more aware of news per grade level. Many people would find keeping up to date on information regarding every class to be stressful, and if not, a burden.

Although the new counselor change is more convenient for the huge population of the school, convenient is not always more helpful. The hassle of switching counselors hurts rather than helps the students.

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Editorial

Crushing dream(er)s Ill-informed, stagnant and counterproductive, Trump’s actions in the White House have brought what appears to be a blind frenzy of attempting to reverse Obama era policies. On the chopping block this time is the system of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA. Out of all the blunders of Trump’s presidency, this could be among the worst.

Established by the Obama administration in June 2012, DACA allows immigrants who entered the country as minors under the age of 16—referred to as “Dreamers”—to receive a renewable two year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. According to CNN, approximately 800,000 individuals were enrolled in the DACA program as of this year.

It should be noted that the controversy over DACA did not begin with Trump. The policy had been previously challenged in 2014 after Obama attempted to expand DACA to cover additional immigrants. Multiple states sued to prevent said expansion, but their cases were ultimately blocked by the courts. Several months later, in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security opted to rescind Obama’s expansion and review the existence of the program as a whole.

It was on Sept. 5 that the DACA program was ultimately rescinded by the Trump administration.

Even though opposition to the issue had existed before Trump entered the White House, he was the one who made the executive decision to end it, and it’s Trump who will be at fault for the disastrous consequences of rescinding this policy.

From an economic standpoint, deciding to end DACA was a foolish move. For someone who prides himself so much in being a talented businessman, it seems Trump has forgotten how what he treats as his corporation—and what we know as the Unite d States—makes money.

Multiple American business leaders expressed their opinion to Trump last weekend, urging him to extend DACA. More than 400 businesses signed a letter to the president and congressional leaders warning that such immigrants brought to the U.S. as children are vital to the economy.

According to Center for American Progress, the majority of DACA recipientsare employed. The majority of young men and women under DACA are not migrant workers. The Center for American Progress statistics show that 44.9% of DACA recipients are currently enrolled in school. Of individuals over the age of 25 surveyed, 36% reported they had a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

In reality, those affected are current or prospective white-collar workers with an education, many of whom have jobs for U.S. companies and businesses. To put them out of their jobs and deport them is not only inflicting damage on individual’s self, but also inflicting damage on their company. The sudden termination of employees resulting from their untimely deportation would, without a doubt, stall the productivity of a company in the length of time it takes to find those just as qualified to fill their positions.

ILLUSTRATION BY MAKENA FRIAS

The loss of these educated, qualified workers with ability to aid in extending business ventures overseas will create a void that reverberates throughout American industry, decreasing their profit margins and giving a competitive edge to foreign competitors.

The end result would negatively impact the economy of the nation as a whole, where it would be far more prosperous given that the DACA program is allowed to continue.

Beyond economic, consider the fate of the individuals. Dreamers, who come to the U.S. at a young age, are beyond having anywhere else to go. The majority of the young immigrants come from the less privileged areas of Latin America, where poverty dominates, criminals run rampant, and the standard of living is lower than it will ever be compared to the United States.

How can anyone consciously send men, women, and children back to live among such chaos? If any of us stood in the shoes of the Dreamers and truly understood their plight, we would not let any of them experience this fate and instead welcome them with open arms.

It would seem that this rescinding of DACA defies all logical things a president would do. Not only is Trump crippling his nation’s economy, but he’s turning his back on hard-working people who work each and every day to contribute to their communities and build a better life for their families. To be precise, he’s turning his back on Americans.

And for what? The shortlived joy of reversing the actions of the former president just because he didn’t like him? Donald Trump needs to set aside his personal vendetta for Barack Obama, swallow his pride, and instead face the realities of his presidency. For someone who promised to Make America Great Again, he’s doing a really bad job.

Editorial Board Vote

Getting rid of DACA will ultimately be detrimental to America

YES 7 14

Sept. 15, 2017

NO 0

Inside job. Memebers of the Church of Christ in Tabucando, Ecuador painted the inside of this building for a religious event. PHOTO BY DON LITTRELL

International

On a mission

Junior Natalie Salazar translates for children in a mission camp in Ecuador

By Yasmine Elahihaghighi Staff Writer, Sophomore

The small children scooted close to one another taking comfort in the warm campfire and people who sang alongside them. Amongst them was junior Natalie Salazar, who had only spent one week translating at the Church of Christ in Tabacundo, Ecuador before she fell in love with the kids around her.

“Every night we had baptisms and a campfire. It was beautiful how we all sang Spanish songs and showed that even though we spoke different languages we all came together to be connected and understand each other,” Salazar said.

Salazar struggled in the beginning of the camp because it was the first time she had ever translated for other people.

“I felt like the other staff thought I was a bad translator because I was the youngest there and the majority of the adults were in their thirties. It made me feel intimidated because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Salazar said.

To her surprise, Salazar was highly praised by both her professor and the other volunteers translating at the camp.

{cont. from page 19]

“My professor showed his appreciation and said how it was something he could never do. The American team didn’t know any Spanish so even though my Spanish level was probably not as high whatever I did know made the staff seem grateful,” Salazar said.

The camp Salazar worked at was a Christian camp that held bible lessons and “helped kids strengthen their connection with God”.

“A lot of kids there get baptized, and it was emotionally nice to see how faithful these people are because they come from places where they don’t have much, but their faith still grows,” Salazar said.

Despite not being a religious person, being at the camp made Salazar feel motivated to learn about God. “Because I translated the material the professors were teaching the children, after coming to the camp, I learned more about God and it inspired me to become closer to him as well,” Salazar said.

When it was time for Salazar to come home, the relationships she made at the camp stuck with her.

“The American team all lives on the east coast and I always talk to them because they are such nice people and we write to each other. I made a facebook so I could stay con-

nected to them and the professor I translated for constantly sends me books,” Salazar said.

Even the children at the camp checked in with Salazar and talked to her if they needed something or had questions.

“The students message me asking about California. I was the only one from LA, and they are all interested in what it’s like over here. I had a lot of people I didn’t even talk to feel like themselves with me and to this day I have people texting me from ecuador,” Salazar said.

Because of these strong friendships Salazar has formed, she feels “certain” she would want to go back and continue volunteering.

“It won’t count for anything, but I want to continue because I met so many good people. Going back is the way I will be able to see them and that is worth it. This was also the first time I was noticed or appreciated for being bilingual which does not happen a lot,” Salazar said.

Salazar explains that returning to the camp would also show her commitment overall to the kids and staff who volunteer their time.

“I would love to say in the future that I had been coming here since I was fifteen, and it was something I stuck to,” Salazar said.

Forbes Spends His Weekends at Fulcrum Adventures

By Reem Chamas Features Editor. junior

Junior John Forbes dedicates his weekends to conducting team building activities for people who struggle with self confidence at Fulcrum Adventures.

Fulcrum Adventures in Culver City allows people to experience team building, and leadership development by creating activities such as a ropes course, rock walls, trust falls, and walking across a log about 50 feet in the air. Forbes supervises these activities and guides team members to accomplish the tasks.

“Instead of putting participants through a course and telling them to have a good day, they really want to make it focused on self development, leadership, team development,” Forbes said. “Before and after every course, we go through a bit of philosophy with everybody, and we identify everyone’s goals, strengths, and fears and how they can improve upon it.”

According to Forbes, working at Fulcrum as an independent contractor allowed him to experience working there as leadership development because he was leading groups such as USC Master’s Program and MITT. “I was put in situations where I really had to step up in being extroverted and being able to lead these people through the activi16

Sep 14, 2017

ties,” Forbes said. “It was cool being able to connect with people I probably never would have met at the age I am right now without a job like this one.”

Forbes believes allowing the participants to self reflect on their personal qualities is important for self growth.

“We like to call people out if they are not being completely truthful with us, and try to get them to try to dig deeper and self analyze themselves which is a really hard task to do,” Forbes said.

Forbes trained himself to strive for his own kind of perfection which keeps him motivated in and out of school to excel.

“Self actualization is probably one of my most important values which means that you be the best that you can possibly be,” Forbes said. “To me motivation is something that can’t really be taught because no one can force motivation upon you, but I have found out that if you put yourself around other people who are really motivated as opposed to people who aren’t motivated it makes it a lot easier to stay motivated if you are with more driven people who strive to excel farther than you at many different areas.”

Forbes also believes Fulcrum allowed him

to become a better leader because he finds it easier to listen to the ideas that his team members have.

“I’ve learned that it is really important to work with a team, and if you don’t it’s really hard to get a lot of things done in our society but if you do want to be a leader it is very important to know how to effectively communicate with people and to make sure their voices heard when their ideas are conveyed because a lot of times the majority of the people you work with are too afraid to speak up because they haven’t gained that confidence yet,” Forbes said.

Forbes encourages everyone to find people that are motivated because he is now able to focus on his interests and spend time on doing what he loves.

“What I’ve learned through my experience is that these four years are exactly what you make out of it, because last year I really struggled for a while then I got to a point of self-actualization when everything I had, had a purpose behind it, and I was really motivated,” Forbes said. “Put yourself around people that will make you succeed and strive to find your passion in life because when you do that opportunities that open because of it are amazing.”

Lights out

Students at RUHS reflect on the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States since 1979

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Ben Cheng Senior “All of a sudden you can feel the air temperature. Just imagine if [an] instagram filter consumed the earth and made the sky suddenly start to disappear.”

Total solar eclipses happen because the Sun’s diameter is 400 times wider than the Moon’s, but it is also 400 times

farther away.

Information and quotes compiled by William Pournamdari. Information gathered from TimesofIndia. indiatime.com, Time.com, and lowellsolareclipse.com

Gus Grutzik Senior

Ben Tait Junior “The sun isn’t just a picture and I got to look up at the sky and watch the orbit in real time and it was just a once in a lifetime unique experience.”

Understanding more about how the Sun works, and how solar flares emerge, can help protect astronauts in space as well as electrical grids on Earth.

“I stood on top of the car and waited. It started with a little sliver out of the sun and we continued to wait and that sliver got bigger and bigger until the eclipse reached complete totality. The totality of the eclipse was for some really emotional.”

Totality did not require glasses.

People in the 12 states which can view totality may view the eclipse with their bare eyes rather than using a telescope or protective eye wear.

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Sept. 15, 2017

How teenagers’ summers are

melting away

by Ben Brill and Miriam Farah FOR MANY TEENAGERS, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE INTENT ON GETting accepted into a top tier college, the days of a summer of pure relaxation, vacation or money making are gone. In order to stay within the heat of college competition, many opt to return to school in the summer time, taking classes to advance to more rigorous courses in the fall, or attend camps and programs at colleges, sometimes dubbed “pre-collegiate study programs” or “summer enrichment programs.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that nearly half of high school students spent their summers in an academic related program in 2016, whether it be summer school or a Summer Enrichment program. In 1985, only 10 percent of students attended school year round.

Juniors Poorvi Gorripati and Nasim Khorasani attended RBEF (Redondo Beach Educational Foundation) summer school to take Precalculus/Trigonometry in order to advance and take AP Calculus AB at the start of this school year. Along with six weeks of extensive summer school, both students committed themselves to academic activities to stay competitive for college applications as well as developing their interests in potential career paths.

“Summer school was originally to make up classes that you might have failed or not done well in. Now, more people are taking it for advancement, so they will be able to take these harder classes, make themselves look better on their application for more prestigious colleges so they can get a better job,” Gorripati said.

Due to the “demanding” schedule of summer school—five hours every Monday through Thursday for six weeks, both students were unable to spend time vacationing with their families and friends. Specifically, Khorasani notes that she needed to set academics as her first priority to prevent performing poorly in summer school.

“In summer school, if you have more than one absence, you’re basically dropped out so you can’t do anything during your time in summer school— unless it’s approved. After summer school, I had to focus on my AP summer homework, so I couldn’t really go on vacation,” Khorasani said.

In addition to summer school, Gorripati was also enrolled in a UCLA enrichment camp focusing on Nanoscience studies. Although interested in the subject she studied, Poorvi admitted an underlying motivation for taking a summer enrichment program was the possible appeal to colleges.

Despite the appeal of roaming the halls of a “sweatshirt name” university, Teby Wammack, a co-counselor in The Nest, warns students to avoid a

19

possible marketing ploy. According to Inside Higher Ed, around 50 percent of Cornell’s summer college program attendees applied yet only 10 percent were admitted and enrolled in Cornell University.

“Those can be kind of hit-or-miss. I think that a lot of those programs are more of a marketing [tool] because they use a wellknown school like Stanford or Harvard to kind of get you in the door because of the name,” Wammack said. “Although, the program is actually run independently of that college, so sometimes they can be misleading. They can be great opportunities, but they are expensive. As far as giving you the competitive edge, I don’t think it’s necessarily the answer.”

Both students, dreaming of financial stability and successful jobs in the future, chose to enroll themselves into several extracurricular activities and a rigorous course load in hopes of being admitted into “prestigious” universities. Khorasani states that the pressure students face can be damaging, believing they should identify their limits to avoid leading an unhealthy life.

“Colleges want you to get a really high SAT score, take as many AP classes as you can and more, and the students are under a lot of pressure to do what the colleges want.

Students go through so many problems dur-

ing high school, because they’re trying to focus on school along with having life problems outside of school,” Khorasani said.

“They could have problems with their families, friends. It’s somewhat hard and too much, but if you manage to do it, you can.”

Gorripati, after participating in Cross Country/Track for two years, decided to quit the team to focus on completing her “heavy” school workload and SAT prep class. Although ending her involvement on the team granted Soleil Engin Gorripati more time to do homework and study for the SAT, she Summer in One Emoji still finds herself trapped in a cycle of constant schoolwork on Summer Description: Interested in the weekends. bioethics, she spent two weeks at Har“I didn’t continue because of the time requirement, so I vard University’s Summer Enrichment thought I would have more time program called “Why does cancer still to travel and do things that I exist?” wanted to do. But because of summer school, I didn’t get to go Time Spent: Two weeks anywhere during the summer,” Gorripati said. “I can’t go anySummer in One Word: Productive where on the weekends either because of my SAT classes and then all the homework I have to do. It’s definitely taking away my personal time enjoyment. I can’t PHOTOS BY EDEN MILAN even find the time to read for academic programs during the summer, the pleasure anymore. Every week- national average for teen employment has end is me catching up for school.” trended downwards, from 72 percent in In addition to her heavy 1978 to 43 percent in 2016, according to the course load consisting of four AP Bureau of Labor Statistics. Owner of Wanna classes and participation in sev- Chill shaved ice Shaista Varagoza still sees eral clubs on campus, Khorasani the value in obtaining a job during the sumvolunteers once a week at Tor- mer to develop practical skills for college and rance Memorial Hospital. Kho- the workforce.

“I think it helps them grow and develop rasani, aspiring to pursue a career in the medical field, believes depending on what they are doing for the volunteering at the hospital will summer. It depends on what type of job they aid her with college applications have,” Varagoza said.“If it’s customer service as well as developing her interest based, absolutely. If it’s just back of the house, then maybe not so much, but you’re still in the field.

Claire Haddad “I enjoy volunteering because learning life skills.”

Likewise, Gorripati believes that having I got to interact with people, disSummer in One Emoji charge patients, deliver flowers a summer job can be beneficial yet greatly and I got to do what the staff stresses the importance of academic knowldoes in a hospital. I want to go edge.

Summer Description: Working at Chi“Job experience is really important to deinto the medical field when I potle during the summer has helped grow older, so I feel like it is a velop social skills. In the long run, it’s not that her realize and adjust to the expectagood experience for me. I get to helpful because that’s not what’s going to get familiarize myself with the hos- you into college. Even though colleges value tions and responsibilities attached to a pital, protocols, nurses, doctors people with practical experiences, the focus job. She believes her work experience and patients. I definitely learned is on your transcript and test scores. Howwill help enhance her college resume. more about the medical field ever important practical experience may be, and how to interact with people it’s not as important in their eyes as academic Time Spent: 16 to 24 hours per week achievement,” Gorripati said. there,” Khorasani said.

Wammack believes that spending time toDue to the increased amount Summer in One Word: Flustered of students choosing to pursue wards any “productive” activity will benefit

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Sept. 15, 2017

students in the college admissions process because it highlights work ethic and passion.

“College admission officers do value those things,” Wammack said. “They value volunteer work and jobs. It’s a way of showing those soft skills—such as being able to work in a team environment, committing to something and following through and showing up to your job on time everyday—that can’t be taught or won’t necessarily be shown on the transcript.”

On the other hand, Wammack believes that students are willing to spend their summers committed to resume-building and academic-related activities due to the common habit of students equating a low selectivity rate with a university’s prestige and reputation in the academic world.

Wammack states that despite common belief, highly ranked universities do not guarantee a high salary and a stable job after graduation. According to Wammack, students should focus on the “best fit” for them by considering a school’s affordability, majors offered, location, etc. “[Universities] are selling a product, and in order for their product to look more desirable, they have played into this worry or fear that if it’s easy to get into, it must be a ‘bad’ school. Plain and simple. Stanford has the lowest acceptance rate, and if Stanford is the sparkly product, it has caused acceptance rates to go down to make themselves

43%

Jadyn Bell Summer in One Emoji Summer Description: She traveled to Perú with her father where she hiked Machu Picchu, toured Lima, visted cathedrals in Cusco and stayed in the Amazon Jungle. Additionally, she went to four countries: Austria, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. She believes that visiting new cultures is valuable because she received the opportunity to learn new things as well as vacationing.

Time Spent: Four weeks Summer in One Word: Incredible look like a better school, playing into the fear. People have to work harder to get in and want it more, so it’s kind of like this strategy,” Wammack said.

Regardless of a student’s background or school, Wammack believes that a student’s transcript and standardized test scores will always be considered most important in the eyes of college admission officers. Students, according to Wammack, should also invest their time in activities that interest them.

of teenagers had summer jobs in 2016, compared to 72 percent in 1978.

“Rather than buying into the frenzy, take control of things like your grades that are always going to be valuable. Find something that you want to spend your time in,” Wammack said. “Whether it’s a hobby, holding the skill, getting a job or volunteering, choosing something that you want to invest in is almost mutually beneficial because it’s going to help you build skills and and explore interests, and it’s going to be a great thing to put on your college application.”

40% of teenagers attended academic related programs in 2016.

7.8 million high school athletes are more likely to attend college than non-athletes.

INFORMATION COMPLIED FROM WWW.NFHS.ORG AND WWW.BLS.GOV

21

Hitting the high notes

Reyna and Groark went to England over the summer to sing in the Children’s Choir Festival

by Analise Asaro Staff Writer, Sophomore Music is a universal language. It is for almost everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from.

Sophomores Alexandra Reyna and Maya Groark were among a select few that went with their choir group to London and Canterbury, England for the International Children’s Choir Festival from July 22 to July 29.

“It is of course by invitation, so [your choir] does have to be good, and you also have to have the work ethic it takes to learn these pieces because they are not the easiest.

You just have to be focused, determined, willing to make new friends and work with

hard music,” Reyna said.

They were given the opportunity to sing in both the historic Southward and Canterbury Cathedrals in London.

“Just singing in the cathedral was really exciting because it had so much history,” Groark said. “The songs we were singing were some of the original songs sung in the cathedral from over a thousand years ago. That was impressive because we were in this really old cathedral and we got to sing the music and hear the organ. It was really interesting.”

Eight choirs were invited to the festival, but only four could attend. The four choir groups began training for the specified songs at the beginning of sum-

Singing to the beat.

Sophomores Alexandra Reyna and Maya Groark particpated in the Children’s Chior Festival, which took place in Canterbury and London, England. “We walked around Canterbury which is a very historical city and we got to see a lot of landmarks of England in general,” Reyna said. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA REYNA

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Sept. 15, 2017

mer to be ready in July, where all of them would sing the songs together as one choir.

“We had three days to meet with the other choirs. We were all put next to people we didn’t know, so when we got together we had to polish it off,” Groark said.

The choirs also learned to adapt their singing techniques to the unique acoustics of a cathedral.

“The cathedral was so big and tall, you have to sing kind of sharp so the sound won’t go flat. Then you have to sing really loudly so it’ll fill the room and so that the echo comes back to you,” Groark said.

The choirs worked with Henry Leck and David Flood, who are highly regarded choral conductors.

“A lot of the festivals are many conductors have founded their own choral festivals, which continue to this day because they have a passion for working with musicians from all over the world,” Reyna said. “The festivals we do are with famous choral conductors that are interested in our choir and want to have an experience with us.”

The choirs did four performances in total; three at the Canterbury Cathedral, and one more in the Southwark Cathedral.

One of the four performances they did was Evensong, which is a church service that is like an evening prayer.

“Performing Evensong was so special to me because the song we were singing had been sung in Canterbury Cathedral every single night for around 1,400 years. It was crazy to think that I was taking part in such a historical tradition. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Groark said.

During the trip, the choir explored the city, and spent a lot

of time together, which allowed them to form closer bonds with each other, as well as the other choirs, than before.

“Because we got moved around in voice parts, like soprano and alto, I got to meet a lot of people my age that share the same passion for choir and also music in general,” Reyna said.

Reyna’s desire to visit England and spend time with her choir made her want to go on this trip.

“I love history, especially music history,” Reyna said. “The Canterbury Cathedral is so rich with music history as well as notable historical events. It’s just amazing to think of how many amazing people have performed and visited there to hear music, whether it be church or concerts.”

Groark enjoyed the experience of being in another country because she liked to notice all the differences.

“I had a lot of fun. I know [England] is not completely different, but it was still interesting to see the differences. You’ll be walking down the street and you’ll see some store, and then right down the block there’s a cathedral that has been standing there for over a thousand years,” Groark said.

“We got to see a lot of touristy places when we did a driving tour, like the London Eye and Buckingham Palace.”

Reyna and Groark would both go on more tours abroad with their choir because of their experiences consisting of learning, as well as fun.

“I plan on going to as many choir tours as I can before I graduate high school. Tours are such a fun thing to do because you grow in a very short period of time both vocally and mentally,” Reyna said. “You become more comfortable with yourself and your voice, and learn things that you could learn nowhere else in the world than where you are.”

UnBelizeable

Lewis and 36 students traveled to Belize

by Austin Nunis Staff Writer, Junior 1.

Belize breeze. 1. During the trip, students trekked for about a mile to go cave-

tubing. On the way, they waded through the river, which fed out of the cave. 2.

Students also took a trip to the island of Ambergris Cay. There, they took an oceanside class on how to make hats out of palm fronds. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KELLY LEWIS AND AUSTIN NUNIS

“Heartbreaking”. “Out of your element”. “It blows”. These seemingly negative phrases actually describe coming back from an experience so unique and incredible that they leave you with such a beautiful mix of heartwarming memories and an incurable longing to return to them.

In the beginning of the summer, biology teacher Mr. Lewis took five chaperones and thirty-six students on an “unforgettable” eight-day adventure to various cities in Belize.

Since Lewis recruited a broad range of students who varied in age, gender, travel experience, and ethnicity, many of the kids weren’t familiar with each other going into the trip.

“The group that Mr. Lewis brought was open to everything and everyone and new experiences,” said junior Abby Brenton. “Everyone got so close to one another and it didn’t matter what friend group you were from or what your hobbies were, everyone was just so accepting. You come back with thirty-five best friends.”

Though one of the main purposes of the trip was to learn about the different ecosystems and environments of places like Belize, the students also enjoyed countess of other enjoyable activities. Ziplining through jungles, snuba diving in the quiet of the ocean with sharks and rays ,

caving tubing in complete darkness with nothing but the help of headlamps and flecks of light seeping through cracks in rock formations, feeding wild monkeys, impromptu and unprofessional haircuts, to simple yet song-filled bus rides were some of the highlights of the trip.

From recruitment of chaperones to students, organizing activities and accommodations, and reassuring parents that their children were going to be completely fine and enjoy t h e m selves, the trip took Lewis a year and a half to plan- but in his mind was completely “worth it”.

“For a lot of kids it’s their first time out of the country, and it’s their first time away from their parents for an extended period of time. You’re interacting with some some weird animals, trying some different foods. It’s kind of scary but I want kids that are willing to push themselves and step out of their comfort zone,” Lewis said. “Then I think just by traveling kids dis-

cover who they are and their perspectives shift if they see others that are less fortunate than them and they realize- do I really care what these people think of me or care what I think about myself? The fact that I’m in this position where I can provide this to kids is absolutely incredible”.

Senior Kolby Holdsworth, had travelled with Lewis last summer on a similar trip to Costa Rica, believed his exp e r i ence was m a d e even better by his lack of expectations pre c e ding the trip.

“I had n o n e , and I think that’s what actually made it the best. It taught me how to stay in the moment and appreciate it much more.”

Holdsworth said. “And when you get to travel outside of the country with other people at your school it’s a really unique and special experience that you probably won’t get the opportunity to do again.”

And as Lewis had hoped, students like Brenton were able to

“Everyone got so close to one another and it didn’t matter what friend group you were from or what your hobbies were, everyone was just so accepting,” Brenton said.

2.

get more than a good time out of the experience.

“Going to Belize put things into perspective for me, seeing the way other people live and how they use the land and everything around them to the best of their ability while we just take everything for granted stuck with me,” Brenton said. “It taught me a lot about myself.

Going into this I didn’t really like kids, I didn’t really appreciate other cultures, but going to that school and getting to see all these underprivileged kids, taught me a lot and put lots of things in perspective.”

Though the trip was barely more than a week, the effects of an experience that unique are hardly forgettable.

“It’s like a culture shock coming back because you get so used to eating with thirty-six other students and you have this family to wake up to, a family to spend every waking moment with,” Lewis said. “And it’s kind of unexplainable, but you come back after the best eight days your life and everything is still the same, but you’re not.

Everyone on the trip is sharing so many new experiences and if you’re not there you don’t get it. With traveling you get close with those that you travel with and you learn things about yourself and about your surroundings, and it’s important to hold on to that feeling.”

23

i nformation

For your

What is the so-called

“ALT-RIGHT” 46%

54%

of Americans have heard of the “alt- right”

of Americans have never heard of the “alt- right”

The “alt right” or “alternative right” is a name currently embraced by some white supremacists and white nationalists to refer to themselves and their ideology, which emphasizes preserving and protecting the white race in the United States in addition to, or over, other traditionalconservation positions such as limited government, low taxes and strict law-and-order

The ‘alt-right’ came into prominence during the 2016 presidential campaign when then candidate Donald Trump hired Breitbart news chair Steve Bannon as his CEO. Breitbart was described by Bannon as “a platform for the ‘alt-right.’”

“We’re going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump.

That’s why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he’s going to take our country back and that’s what we gotta do.”

Hate by State Locations of hate groups currently operating in the United states Accoring to Southern Poverty Law Center, 2016

-David Duke, Former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard on the Unite The Right rally.

There are...

130

Ku Kux Klan groups

24

Sep 14, 2017

99

Neo Nazi groups

52

Anti- LGBT+ groups

in the

United States

Fight for Your Bite:

90

LOCALE

$ $ $ $2.0$ 0 $1

Price Ratings

A ITA PIZZ

MARGAR

Pedone’s, Locale90 and Village Pizza clash for the best slice in the South Bay

PEDONE’S

$$$$$ $3.27

CHEESE SLICE

By Lizzie Fauver Editor-In-Chief, Senior It’s easy to say that pizza has practically become a staple in the average American’s diet. However, just because there are dozens of pizza parlors scattered across the South Bay, it doesn’t mean each pie is identical to the next.

From thin crust and pepperoni to Margherita with basil, I went out to compare three pizza restaurants nestled along South Catalina Avenue in the Riviera Village, each just a few strides away from the other.

VILL

$ $ AGE PIZZA $ $3.0 $ $ C 0 HEE

SE S

LICE

The first stop I made was Pedone’s Pizza and Deli. This old New York style pizzeria has a variety of different pastas, salads, pizzas and “specialty items,” such as fried calamari and chicken fingers. After ordering at the counter, the pizza was brought to the table fairly quickly, and the individual slices were quite large considering the price of $3.75 each. The crust was thin and crispy, and the taste was that of an old- fashioned greasy slice you would get off the streets of New York. The basic cheese and pepperoni was enough to have me coming back for seconds, and I wouldn’t hesitate to agree that they achieved their goal of serving “authentic hand tossed New York style” pizza to all who swing by for a slice.

The atmosphere is welcoming and friendly but certainly a place that does not focus on impressing upscale clientele in search for fine dining. Overall, the delicious pie at a cheap price is definitely a satisfactory spot to sit down and hang out with a group of close friends.

LOCALE90

1718 S CATALINA AVE

Photos courtesy of Lizzie Fauver

PEDONE’S

1819 S CATALINA AVE

Next, I walked down the street to Locale90, a restuarants that appears more upscale than the other two and prides itself on keeping close ties to “true Neapolitan tradition.” What does that exactly mean? Well, according to a statement by Locale90, they use “locally sourced and imported ingredients” to create a product that they know their customers will love. When I arrived, the Margarita pizza was ready to serve. After tax, the pie racked up a total of $13.50 for four pieces, easily sharable among two people.

Locale90 doesn’t shy away from introducing true Italian flavors to the local taste palate. If you are in the mood to spend a little more money for a true authentic meal, Locale90 would be the choice for you.

Lastly, just across the street lies Village Pizza. From outside I could see a sign posted “South Bay’s Best,” giving me the assumption that this pizzeria was going to be far better than the previous two. However, in this situation, cheaper didn’t necessarily mean better. Defaulting back to a simple order of cheese and pepperoni, I was excited to see that each “slice” really comes in two. Two slices for $2.75 was the best deal out of all three restaurants. However, the taste and quality didn’t stand out quite as much as the price. The pizza was greasy and the cheese was piled on in a way that no longer was able to melt effortlessly in my mouth.

Although it was served fairly quickly, the pizza wasn’t warm thus lacking the “straight out of the oven” feel. If you are looking for cheap dining and a quick bite, Village Pizza could serve the duty.

Overall, after deliberating the pros and cons of each of the three restaurants, the best value and best overall taste was easily Pedone’s. For the price and quality, Pedone’s Pizza and Deli undoubtingly beat out Locale90 and certainly Village Pizza.

VILLAGE PIZZA

1725 S CATALINA AVE

525

Reviews

Beating the Clock

Review of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk”

By Alex Dang News Editor, Junior

Hope is in sight. A scene from Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” which follows three story lines during the British evacuation from Dunkirk during World War II. PROVIDED BY WARNER BROS.

A group of British soldiers dash across a street - one by one, they are mowed down.

Only one soldier is able to escape, jumping over a fence and behind a barricade of sandbags to the safety of French troops. He smiles at them in appreciation, but they ignore him as they fire back at the German troops; they have themselves to worry about.

So begins “Dunkirk,” director Christopher Nolan’s latest summer blockbuster, a war film about the near-disastrous entrapment of the entire British army on a beachhead

by Dunkirk, France in May 1940. As text explains to us during the opening sequence, approximately 400,000 British troops were stranded at the coastal city — only a little over 20 miles away from England — as the German army closed in on them. As one British soldier laments, the troops can “practically see it.” When asked by another what it is they can see, he replies: “Home.”

The mad scramble to evacuate is told in three intermixed story lines, each of varying real-time length: the Mole, which depicts the plight of the soldiers on the beach (one week); the Sea, which follows British citizens taking their sailing boat to rescue troops across the channel (one day); and the Air, which follows British Royal Air Force pilots protecting the troops from the sky (one hour). Newcomer Fionn Whitehead, Oscarwinner Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy headline each narratives, respectively. In typical Nolan Fashion, the film is told in a nonlinear 26

Sept. 15, 2017

fashion; the three story lines are intertwined to give us the feeling that they are occurring simultaneously. Unless you are a keen and focused moviegoer, the plotlines can become confusing.

The opening scene is a microcosm of the entire helpless situation for the British and French troops. Like the soldiers in the streets, the ones on the beach are also sitting ducks, being paid frequent visits by German fighter planes.

The soldiers who are able to board a ship heading back to England are not exactly saved yet, as shown when one soldier sits alone on the deck of a ship, prepared to jump back in the water in case a German plane or submarine sicks it.

One noteworthy aspect of the film is its lack of blood. In contrast to past war masterpieces like Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” and Oliver Stone’s “Platoon,” there is essentially no gore, no soldiers being blown to pieces and no seen enemy (evidently, this is a conscious choice by Nolan, as he blurs out the faces of German troops in a closing scene). Unlike the traditional war epics, “Dunkirk” does not play out like a horror film. Rather, it feels like a thriller — one about the soldiers’ most basic instinct: their desire to survive.

Within the theme of survival, Nolan shows the selfishness sometimes required to make it out alive, but also the selflessness in ensuring that others can survive. On one

boat among a fleet of citizen boats heading for Dunkirk, Cillian Murphy’s shell-shocked soldier cannot believe that he was saved only to be returning to Dunkirk. “You should be at home,” he angrily says. But the captain, Rylance, shakes his head no and looks onward, determined to continue his part in the evacuation.

If any character comes close to stealing the show, it would be Tom Hardy’s Farrier, the RAF pilot. Hardy barely says a word in the film save for air force jargon, however his facial expressions reveal the immense pressures and conflicts that are weighing down the pilot.

As his plane begins to sputter, running low on fuel, Farrier makes the pivotal sacrifice to return to Dunkirk, deciding against flying back to England. While the evacuation was a success, saving more than 330,000 troops, Farrier’s decision is symbolic of the myriad of sacrifices that played a large hand in the eventual outcome of the retreat.

Nolan has crafted a singular war film, one that can come off as confusing and slow at times, especially with its scarcity of dialogue and its nonlinear narrative; but it is precisely because of these almost experimental storytelling choices, in addition to the film’s beauty and gritty realism, that cement Nolan as one of the most audacious and premier directors of his time.

DUNKIRK

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

Sprouted

FLOWER BOY REVIEW TYLER THE CREATOR

By Justin Pioletti Entertainment Editor, Junior

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAKENNA FRIAS

FLOWER BOY

TYLER THE CREATOR

Tyler, the Creator, the artist formerly notorious for accusedly “gay-bashing” in previous tracks and contending other seemingly homophobic stunts, embarks on an expedition of self-discovery and unpredicted sexuality in Flower Boy, his latest full length album.

Like clockwork, the Los Angeles-based artist has continued his streak of releasing albums every other year since 2011, yet Flower Boy delivers an unexplored, intrapersonal psyche.

The album is most prominent as the pulpit from which Tyler comes out as gay.

As expected, his outspoken homosexuality has caught the attention of numerous critics, arguably so extensive that it has blatantly overshadowed the album’s various other accomplishments. For instance, in terms of production, Tyler has subdued the overall chaos and clunkiness found in previous albums like Cherry Bomb, instead providing a more audibly pleasing and streamline listen. Furthermore, his extensive lineup of features complement his troubling and penitent lyrics, whether it’s Lil Wayne in “Droppin’ Seeds,” or Frank Ocean in “Where This Flower Blooms.”

Tyler’s maturity throughout the album is best described as an evolution in comparison to prior works. While the artist doesn’t actively attempt to exhibit a more sophisticated persona, he provides a submergence into his most authentic and genuine

Summer Concert Reviews:

self. “Mr. Lonely” a n d “Boredom” are among his most intimate tracks, where he voices that his attention-seeking escapades and desire for streetcars stem from his innermost emptiness. This is a vast jump from his former personas, which ranged from psychotic criminals to drug dealers.

Despite his revision, Tyler still shows roots of his old music. There are punchy rap tracks like “Who Dat Boy” and “Pothole,” which provide early listeners of his music the sounds and flow he’s infamous for, and lyrically pertaining himself towards emotion and vulnerability.

The final track, “Glitter,” doesn’t provide the anticipated outcome per se, where Tyler was expected to proclaim his woes as a homosexual in an industry which generally isn’t open to divergence in sexuality, yet in a way it embodies his means of the album. Tyler never wanted his sexuality to be the forefront of the album, rather a display of adjustment in genuinity in his verses. If t h a t were to include references towards his sexuality at times, so be it.

Nonetheless, Flower Boy is Tyler’s best produced album to date, and this dawn of his journey brings him closer to whole.

Interviewer-Ben Yepez Features Editor, Sophomore

2017 MTV Video Music Awards

Classic West Festival at Dodgers Stadium

Shawn Mendes Concert at the STAPLES Center

Interviewee: Lisa Romero,

Interviewee: Tanner Cahalan,

Interviewee: Symphony Muzic,

Q: How did you find out about the concert?

A: I have a family friend who works for iHeart Radio and her job is basically to go to concerts and events. She didn’t feel like going so she decided to give the tickets to me and some other friends of mine.

Q: What was your favorite part?

Q: How did you find out about the concert?

A: I love the band Fleetwood Mac and a few months before the festival I had been looking at when they were playing and saw that they were playing in the Classic Festival. The tickets seemed expensive so I didn’t think I could go but then one weekend my parents surprised me.

Q: How did you find out about the concert?

A:I found out about the concert through social media.

Sophomore

A: My favorite part was Logic’s performance because it was so moving to see them bring up a bunch of survivors of people who suffered from depression and anxiety and that wanted to commit suicide but made it through. I just thought his speech at the end of his song was moving.

Sophomore

Q: What was your favorite part?

A: The whole thing was really amazing. The band is pretty old so they won’t be playing many more times, it was one of the best nights of my life.

Sophomore

Q: Why did you go to the concert?

A: I went to the concert becuase Shawn is a great artist and he’s really hot.

Q: What was your favorite part of the concert?

A: When Shawn touched my hand and waved bye while walking off the stage.

27

Should I post this?

79% of job and school recruiters say they will look at a canidate’s online profile before making a decision.

70%

A guide to social media based on professionalism and personal safety

of job and school recruiters say they have rejected a canidate based on something they saw online.

P

Is everyone in the photo fully clothed? ut

pa your nts on

NO

YES YES

Of recruiters who rejected a canidate due to online content, 53% said that the reason was provocative or inapropriate images.

Are you doing anything illegal in it?

NO

Don’t post it: Of recruiters who rejected a canidate due to online ontent, 44% cited proof of drinking or drug use as the reason.

Don’t post it:

Deleting posts, even on private accounts, doesn’t ensure that anyone who you don’t want to see it wont.

Could anyone screenshot this and use it against you later?

NO Is the photo tagged with your current location or home address?

YES NO

Did you include vacation plans for an upcoming trip in your caption?

YES

.

YES Don’t post it:

NO

Don’t post it:

Knowing that you’re not going to be home for a week in July is a green light for potentiol home invaders, especially if your profile is public.

28

Sept. 15, 2017

Approximately one in four stalking victims reported some form of cyber-stalking such as email or instant messaging.

Go for it!

Information compiled from Onlineclasses.org and jcu.edu

Back on the gridiron. Senior Bobby Moore charges with the ball through the defense. Photos by Jacob Alther

Jack Alexander

Unsteady start

Overall QB stats

Football loses two of its first three games, looks to get back on track against West

220 yards/game

By Adam Yorke Staff Writer, Senior

1-2 record

8 passings TDs +124 QB rating 71.2% completion rate

The football film room is strung with banners about teamwork, brotherhood, and effort. But as the players filed in Monday afternoon, they noticed a new quote, one by junior defensive end Thor Reneau: “This season, we’re like a train. We started out slow, but now that we’ve gotten moving, we’re not going to stop. We’re just going to keep picking up momentum.”

The first game of RUHS’ season was rough, losing to Rancho Verde 45-27. One week later and the Sea Hawks found themselves in the loser’s column yet again after Villa Park scored a last-second touchdown to win 28-21.

“It was a tough loss knowing that we came that close to a win. I thought our offense could have picked up our defense more. If I was feeling healthier, we could have scored more,” senior quarterback Jack Alexander said.

With their backs to the wall, the Sea Hawks came out swinging against Westchester, beating them by a massive margin of 49-12. That victory could signal a turning point in the Sea Hawk’s season.

Next week, Redondo travels to West Torrance in hopes of continuing their momentum. West (1-1) is also coming off of a big win, but they do not pose much of a threat to Redondo.

“We need to go into the game confident that we will win, but not cocky,” junior wide receiver Alex Saak said. “We have been watching their film and we are the better team by far, but if we go into the game cocky and not ready to compete, then they could take advantage of us.”

29

Last year, Redondo beat West early in the season by a score of 58-10.

“We know that they have something to prove after last year, but we also know that we can destroy them, we just need to come out and execute,” Saak said. “Their linebackers are lazy and keep their eyes in the backfield. Their offense is slow and easy to read. If we run our routes correctly and do our jobs, [West] should not be a problem at all.”

The team focued on using the playing time to improve the way it plays the game.

On Wednesday afternoon Redondo head coach Matt Ballard emphasized that their practice was not focused on beating West Torrance, but about being ready to stand against Sierra Canyon, Palos Verdes, and Mira Costa, all games later in the season.

“We need to look past West and towards the teams that always give us a hard time. Having won Bay League last year, we have our title to protect,” Saak said.

Business, as Saak mentioned, is coming in and steamrolling the easier teams. Beating Westchester by 37 points was taking care of business. Now, West is next.

“It’s gonna be a hard fought game but in the end I feel that we will come out on top,” senior linebacker Omar Rodriguez said. “They have been talking a lot lately but that just gives us fuel to keep the train on the right tracks and keep on rolling.”

Girls’ Tennis

“We have a pretty strong

team this year. If some injured players come back soon, then we have a chance at beating Costa.”

Halley Bender Senior

“A lot of our doubles

teams are switching around a bit to find out what works best and who goes best with who.”

Alyssa Young Senior Queens of the court. RUHS entered the season on a high note with a home win in a set against North’s number one doubles team 6-0. The team says the next match will be against South. Photos by Jacob

30

Sept. 15, 2017

A rising threat.

Boys water polo is now ranked first in Division IV. A win against Cerritos by 8-5 in the beginning of the season is a promising sign for a team coming of a strong season last year. Returning players such as Seth Ulrich will surely make RUHS’s CIF aspirations far more realistic than they had been in the past. Photos

by Samantha Aldover

Boys water polo sinks Cerritos 8-5

By Camille Grace Staff Writer, Senior

Boys water polo wins against Cerritos with a score of 8-5 in their first home game of the season.

“We all played in unison and came back in the third and fourth quarter,” senior Andrew Holmes said.

Defensive mistakes in the first half of the game motivated the team to come back in the end.

“We actually put our shots away, did good defense, and kept them to five goals which is our goal for every game,” Holmes said.

After a win in the Corona Invitational this past weekend, the team is now ranked first in Division 4.

“We have a lot more faster, stronger guys allowing us to do counter attacks and a lot of stuff we couldn’t do last year,” senior captain Seth Ulrich said.

After losing the first non tournament game of the season, the team gained a greater motivation to win the Corona Invitational. “[the loss] was disheartening because it was a game that we should have won but only lost because of dumb mistakes,” Ulrich said. The four days of practice we had, we worked on everything we made mistakes in like communication, defense, and team chemistry,” Ulrich said.

RUHS is expecting to have a good season this year after a disappointing loss in CIF that ended their season last year.

“We recognize now that we have serious potential after knocking out several teams in higher divisions,” Ulrich said.

“Our goals are to win all our games and win CIF. We recognize now that we have some serious potential after knocking out several teams in higher divisions” Seth Ulrich Senior 31

News

Publications Advisor Mitch Ziegler wins esteemed awards

By Amanda Ban Writing Edior, Senior RUHS’ publications department has received many different forms of praise over the years, in large part due to the long-time yearbook and journalism advisor Mitch Ziegler. Ziegler was recently recognized for his hard work when he was awarded both the National Scholastic Press Association Pioneer and Journalism Education Association (JEA) Medal of Merit awards two very prestigious awards in the publications community.

“This isn’t the most important award, but it felt the best because I had nothing to do with [nominating] it. I think this is one of the nicest things people have ever done for me,” Ziegler said. “The fact that [my friends] nominated me meant that I had already won because when people say such nice things about you, you feel great.”

Ziegler received glowing letters of recommendation from his peers in the journalism community, including colleague Mary Kay who wrote about her admiration for Ziegler.

“Mitch Ziegler is an expert in all areas of journalism and photojournalism. I was fortunate to have him work with my students during yearbook camps in Gettysburg, Penn.

Mitch has the ability to elicit the best from a student writer,” Kay said.

Unlike awards that Ziegler has won in the past, he was unaware that he was being nominated for these.

“This [nomination] was a total surprise to me. At first I had no idea they were doing this. Brenda Gorsuch is the one who organized it, and she is the one who submitted me for both awards,” Ziegler said. “She gathered the letters of recommendation. I knew something was afoot when she asked me for my resume because that is part of what you have to turn in.”

Brenda Gorsuch had many nice things to say about Ziegler’s work in her recommendation letter as well.

“Mitch has contributed to our profession far beyond his school and publication staffs,” Gorsuch said. “He has made major contributions at the state and national levels that have been recognized with Distinguished Awards in both the Dow Jones News Fund National Journalism Teacher of the Year and JEA Yearbook Adviser of the Year awards programs. He is a past president of his state organization, SCJEA, and he chaired a JEA/NSPA convention in Anaheim in 2008 and contributed on the local committees for the 2011 and 2015 spring conventions. Mitch served as a JEA state director from 2008 until 2013.”

His students also recognize Ziegler’s hard work and dedication to the publications department. Newspaper editor-in-chief Lizzie Fauver has been in journalism all four years of her high school career, and has learned a lot from Ziegler.

“Since we have worked together on the newspaper for four years I feel like I’ve really gotten to know Ziegler as a teacher,” Fauver said. “You can tell that he really cares about publications. He pushes us to do the best that we can, therefore we are able to put forth a great paper every two weeks.”

This win was different for Ziegler because not only was it a surprise, it honored a different aspect of his work than previous awards.

These awards were more of an “individual achievement” for Ziegler because they honored his service to the JEA more than awards that have been given to RUHS’ yearbook and newspaper in the past.

This is Ziegler’s 28th year as a publications advisor, and he continues to grow by attending workshops and learning new skills to

Photo courtesy of Mitch Ziegler

continue to improve RUHS’ publications.

“I fell in love with it very quickly. When you work around really motivated kids it tends to keep you motivated and of course one day is pretty much always different from the next it is always interesting in that way,” Ziegler said.“I really care. If my name is attached to [the publication] in some way I want it to be damn good. The students deserve my best effort and they always have a lot to learn and they need to become good at what they do; they deserve my best effort and I always want the product to be good.”

Ziegler continues to have a passion for publications because it gives him the opportunity to teach students unique and useful skills.

“More than any other subject at this school our students learn critical thinking, media, and they learn to communicate; communication has always been vital,” Ziegler said. “It is also particularly relevant now in that education has moved toward greater collaboration.

Newspaper and Yearbook could not exist without collaboration; they teach management skills, they teach coping, they teach so many things that you don’t necessarily get in other classes. We say that journalism teaching is 24/7 teaching.”