December 16, 2010

B4-B5: The anchor explores different cultures within Los Angeles, including Little Ethiopia.

P6: Band wins it’s first Southern C.A. Judging Association Championship.

P7:Senior Gabriella Reynoso puts her arm up to block a pass.

High Tide

Redondo Beach, CA Redondo Union High School

Dec. 16, 2010 vol.

edition 6

]www.hightideonline.org ]

Although the pool is finished, there are complications with the ventilation system in the new locker rooms.

by Kimberly Chapman

LMXXIV

&

MOLD, MILDEW, MALFUNCTIONS

Due to a power shortage in the new “They might fix the tiles during wingirl’s locker room by the pool, the ven- ter break since it will give contractors a tilation system does not work, resulting lot more time to work in there,” Newmildew problems. man said.

One problem in the locker room is According to Newman, whenever a that students are unable to store towels project is finished there are still a couovernight. However, Coach Mark Rubke ple of issues that need to be fixed afterbelieves it is for the best since the team is wards. forced to clean their towels more often.

“It’s great that we’re in the pool other “I don’t want them to have a problem than the issues of construction,” Newwith mold or mildew, the girls found man said. that out the hard way,” Rubke said.

According to Rubke, the construction According to Rubke, because the ven- problems have not alarmed him in any tilation system doesn’t work, the team way. members will just have to bring tow“It’s such a phenomenal change to els and other have our own facilclothes home. ity, maybe I’ve been “We are just so happy about happy that we that, that I haven’t have nice locknoticed all of the ers to store our problems,” Rubke stuff in during said. the day,” Rubke Rubke stresses said. that the team needs Accordto be patient and ing to Vice —Mark Rubke thankful that they Principal John are back on camNewman, it is pus. difficult to access the pool and fix the

According to junior Adam Ruproblems because of the gym construc- dow, the problems have not been a sigtion that is still taking place. nificance to the students either.

Along with other problems, there is “I don’t think the locker room probsome puddling of water on the floors of lems have affected us in any way. All that the locker rooms because the floors are we really care about is having our own not sloped toward the drain. pool to swim in,” Rudow said.

“If we went in and fixed the floors Other teams are more interested in right now, they wouldn’t be able to use playing at the new facility which is good the locker room or be able to work out, for the program according to Rubke. so scheduling around their workouts is “I hope the pool drives up the numthe biggest issue,” Newman said. ber of people that want to participate New tiles are falling off the ceiling in in aquatics because the new facility will the girls locker room, because of the ven- make our program something to be tilation problems as well. proud of,” he said.

“It’s such a phenomenal change to have our own facility, maybe I’ve been so happy about that, that I haven’t noticed all of the problems.”

1.

3.

PHOTOS BY SAVANNAH IRVING

2.

What's that smell? 1. Tiles fall off the walls of the locker room due to excessive moisture. 2.

Students are advised not to keep towels in the lockers. 3. The vents are left open on the ceiling of the locker room, but there is no ventilation, which contributes to mold and mildew growth and a putrid scent.

ASB holds festival to create holiday spirit

Administration considers changing No-Go policy to reward students who improve during the semester

by Alyssa Sanchez

by Danny Garzon

Students lined up to decorate cookies, make ornaments and other holiday crafts and sit on Santa’s lab at ASB’s first annual Frosty’s Festival on Tuesday at lunch.

The festivities included different arts and crafts tables, games, and holiday cocoa and food. Santa Claus even made an appearance.

“The Frosty Festival was something to throw for the kids to get them into the seasonal mood,” ASB Activities Advisor Sherie Gross said.

ASB had been planning the festival for about a month and each spirit and activities commissioner spent about 15 hours of their time planning the event, running errands, and making sure to maintain the events budget.

ASB President Michelle Hough, Spirit Commissioners Tiffany Tran and June Kim, and Activities Commissioners Anjali Read and Jennifer Gagliano were in charge of planning the event.

According to Hough, ASB worked hard to make the event possible and to make sure the students enjoyed it.

“All we really wanted to do is see the kids happy and having a good time and actually wanting to participate in the activities”, she said.

The Frosty Festival was a non-religious event which enabled the entire student body to come together and have school spirit. Regardless of what holiday student’s celebrate, there was something for each student to do.

The Frosty Festival attracted crowds of the students who agreed that it was a suc-

1.

2.

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN MARTIN

Jingle all the way. 1. At the Holiday Festival, students gather around an arts and crafts table to make ornaments. The festival attracted crowds of students. 2. Students sit down to create different holiday crafts. 3. Santa Clause, played by senior Adam Ammentorp sits down and waits for students to come and make Christmas wishes.

3.

cessful event.

According to sophomore Kimia Yazdi, ASB was successful. “I had a really fun time at the festival. I was able to sit on Santa’s lap and it brought back child-

hood memories. It was also nice to see what seemed like the whole student body participating in a school event for once”, Yazdi said. “I hope [they] bring it back again next year.”

Administrators are discussing increased leniency concerning students on the NoGo List, according to Assistant Principals John Newman and Amy Golden.

For now, students who are placed on the No Go List cannot be removed until the end of the semester. Golden feels this punishment is too harsh, especially for seniors who wish to participate in end-ofyear activities.

“What happens if a student is placed on the No Go List and he or she makes vast improvements in their behavior? We feel there should be some reward for this change,” she said.

Golden also says there are inconsistencies in citizenship grades, with some teachers being too lenient and others being too harsh.

“It’s not necessarily fair across the board,” she said. “So we talked about maybe making some changes.”

The policy was instituted five years ago and has changed little since.

To stay off the No-Go List, in order to stay off the list and participate in extra curricular activities, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average and have no more than one “U” in citizenship.

According to Newman, students would have the opportunity of being removed from the No Go List if the student shows improvements in grades or behavior.

Golden feels that changes would also serve as motivation for students who are placed on the no go list at the beginning of the semester.

“If, in the second week of the semester,

a student already has more than one U, the student has no incentive to improve and they just give up,” she said.

Leila Williams, English Department Co-chair, agrees with the proposed changes to the policy “I would not want to just toss out the No-Go List,” she said. “But I’d like to see some of those kids have to opportunity to redeem themselves; otherwise, it makes coming to school pretty grim.”

Formally on the No-Go, List Kim Brown* believes that the old policy was too strict.

“I know from personal experience that being on the No-Go List doesn’t mean that you are only a bad student. Different people have special circumstances and they shouldn’t be penalized for that,” she said.

Brown finds that the new policy is the perfect solution.

“Even though the policy changed, students still can’t bend the rules too far,” she said. “But they can still redeem themselves.”

She believes that it will greatly benefit struggling students. “ Now, students will have more motivation to get good grades because in return it’s like they receive a prize,” Brown said.

Not only will this new policy benefit the students, but the school as well.

“Because students will no longer be on the No-Go List, they will be able to attend more school activities. This will allow more students to have school spirit” she said. *The asterisk denotes an anonymous name to protect the student’s identity.

Opinion

2

p.

]Dec. 16, 2010 ]

Around

Sarno’s

Redondo

Patriot Corner

”Should students on the no-go list be able to redeem themselves?”

On

WikiLeaks

“No, those kids already had a chance and they chose to waste it.”

12th

— Jake Leonard

“Yes, because more students deserve a new chance to turn over a new leaf.”

12th

— Jesi Nicoloro

“They should, because the no-go list is absolutely inane.”

11th

­— Jazmin Freeman

“I guess so, because some teachers judge too harshly.”

10th

­— Jacqueline Himmelrich

“Sure, because they’ll get an opportunity for motivation.”

9th

­— Garrett Lash

“It should depend on what they did to get on it in the first place.”

9th ­ Courtney — Melendez

High Tide

]staff]

Editor-in-Chief: Austin Pritzkat Managing Editors: Sophia Lykke, Julia Uriarte Editor of Design: Molly Simon News Editor: Kaitee Scheyer Opinion Editors: Josh Hillsburg, Christina Mehranbod Features Editors: Dylan Futrell, Kelsey Chung; Meglyn Huber; Ashley Pournamdari, Alison Peet-Lukes, Madeline Perrault Sports Editors: Adam Ammentorp, Jessica Cascio Photo Editor: Jonathan Martin Copy Editors: Shannon Bowman, Olivia Loveland; Melissa Rosero; Joy Ohiomoba Cartoonists: Josh Hillsburg, Cooper Lovano Online Editor: Brianna Egan Staff Writers: Vanessa Alarcon, Sammie Avalos, Victoria, Balding, Taylor Ballard, Matthew Brancoli, Loren Brown, Laney Burke, Tati Celentano, Kimberly Chapman, Zachary Commins, Alexis Curtis-Olson, Ciara Diaz, Camille Duong, Kaelee Epstein, Gianna Esposito, Daniel Garzon, Allie Goldberg, Anacristina Gonzalez, Michelle Hough, Bethany Kawa, David Kawa, Casey Lovano, Anthony Leong, Tricia Light, Cammille Mitchell, Cameron Paulson, Melissa Rosero, Allison Salazar, Alyssa Sanchez, Derek Sarno, Joanie Schneider, Alex Shea, Jessi Shipley, Laura Shodall, Annica Stitch, Shayna Stuart, Emma Uriarte, Alyssa Wolf, Zachary Zent Adviser: Mitch Ziegler The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

This newspaper is a wholly student managed, designed and written newspaper that focuses on school and community events.

The High Tide is published by the journalism class at Redondo Union High School, One Sea Hawk Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

Advertising is $7.50 per column inch, $6.00 if paid in advance. For information call (310)798-8665 ext. 2210.

Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the writer or cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the High Tide staff.

Editorial: New grad gowns wasteful In corporate America, “going green” is synonymous with a more traditional green: money. Companies across the country have bent over backwards to obtain this elusive image, and in turn the public’s admiration and wallets. Whether “going green” is fueled by simple greed or a genuine desire to better the planet, Jostens — the Minnesota-based graduation and class ring juggernaut — has hopped on the bandwagon.

For better or worse, seniors are now required to purchase and wear Jostens’ new environmentally-friendly, “biodegradable” graduation gowns. While this may warm the hearts of many starry-eyed, idealistic seniors hoping to leave the smallest possible carbon footprint as they take their first steps into adulthood, the battle is far from won. The downsides of these gowns far outweigh their benefits.

The gowns will harmlessly deteriorate if left in contact with soil, and those wanting to preserve their graduate memories can only store them in a dark place for up to 7 years. Most high school students will neither use their gowns enough to warrant preserving them nor take the initiative to bury them in their backyards.

As a result, thousands of gowns will end up in landfills where, covered in trash and blocked from water, sunlight, and oxygen, they will remain indefinitely, negating any sort of supposed environmental benefits.

But fear not, jaded environmental warriors. Jostens promises to donate $1 towards the noble cause of “environmental sustainability” for every student who enters their gown’s tag number into the company’s website. (www.Jostens.com)

However, the link corresponding to where Jostens actually donates their money leads to a dead end, begging the question whether “environmental sustainability” could simply be the production of more gowns.

This, in addition to Jostens’ sly business practices, like overcharging students with unnecessary “shipping and handling” fees — only giving them a key chain in compensation — barely quell suspicions that they are doing little more than taking advantage of an environmentally-conscious public.

If Jostens’ primary concerns were with “environmental responsibility,” or “earth-friendliness,” or any of the feel-good rhetoric found on their website, owning gowns would be a thing a past.

And, ironically, gown ownership never was a thing of the past.

Decades ago, students used to rent their graduation gowns, returning them after use and saving them for future years. Unfortunately, this practice died down somewhere along the line. (Los Angeles Times) Ideally, Redondo would bring this tradition back, giving students the option of renting gowns for a discounted price, or purchase the gowns at a regular cost. This would be both environmentally-friendly and appease parents who wish to have constant reminders of their child’s accomplishment.

However, as always, the gap between the ideal and real is large. These gowns are here to stay, or rather, wither away in a few years. If you are a senior truly dedicated to preserving the environment: keep your gown after graduation. Give it to a sibling, or a friend with a similar body type. Keep the gown in circulation as long as you physically can. And if you can’t: find a nice, clear plot of land, and start digging.

“Jostens are doing little more than taking advantage of an environmentallyconscious public.”

Every morning when I wake up –– be it in a gutter or a five star hotel –– I can be thankful that I am waking up on American soil. Living in this country is a privilege for which our Mother America asks only one thing in return: loyalty.

That is why I am absolutely appalled to hear about this massive information leak, dubbed “WikiLeaks.” Any true proud American would outright refuse read this shadily-acquired and outright treasonous information.

I can understand why this Australian man would want to publish these dirty documents.

He simply cannot appreciate the beauty my country has or the dreams She allows to become realities.

It is envy, plain and simple. This is not the first time that Mother America has been spited for being leaps and bounds above the rest of the world. Thankfully, those audacious enough to question the might of Old Glory have received just punishment in the form of a good old-fashioned waterboarding at Guantanamo.

America is a shining beacon of hope in these turbulent times, a goal that all countries can strive to meet. American citizens put their lives on the line every day saving Afghanistan and Iraq from oppression, we battle tyranny and hate, and we assuage the pain of nature’s wrath.

After all of these sacrifices and all the boons the world owes Her, why would this man try to undermine America’s security?

He is putting every hardworking American citizen in danger, men and women who baptize themselves daily in the sweat wrought from a hard day’s work bringing home a paycheck to support not only their family but the great capitalist system that is my United States of America. (Even if Obama’s America is slightly more socialist than mine.)

So when I see this attack on our brothers, I see it only as a rallying call for us to support old glory and mend the areas that have run threadbare from these acts of betrayal. Maybe this massive government the leftists have been systematically shoving down our throats can finally be put to use.

WikiLeaks is the embodiment of everything un-American and it cannot be tolerated. We need to show this Australian saboteur what we really think of his self-proclaimed “heroics” by not viewing these documents and shutting down Julian Assange’s obnoxiously subversive excuse for a website.

Pro Con Is the No-Go list too unforgiving in its restriction of student privileges?

O

ur administration is considering changing the nogo list policy. And thank goodness, for any change to this archaic, ineffective system is a

by Shannon Bowman fantastic idea.

Currently, anyone on the No-Go list will remain there until the end of the semester. With the proposed reform, positive changes in behavior will get a student off of the No-Go list. That means if your F goes up to a D, you’re back in business.

Currently, regardless of how drastic the improvements may be, the student is still barred from activities until the semester ends.

This, of course, means they will be unable to attend dances, events, or any other activities that break up the mundane drone of high school. And for seniors, this is especially horrible: no prom, no barbecue, no Disneyland trip, no events you’ve been looking forward to since you were a pimply-faced freshman.

Is this fair? Reformed prisoners get reduced sentences for good behavior; aren’t high school students given more privileges than ruthless murderers in penitentiaries?

Sports are also highly affected by the unfair policies. Too many vital players have been left on the bench due to outdated punishments, causing losses our teams cannot afford to lose. Many of these players bring their grades up, but they still cannot play because their season

falls before the end of the semester.

Drama, dance guard, and band have all lost members in performances because they were unable to compete. Sure, they should have watched their grades in the first place, but what about ones who have changed things around? Should they still miss out on things they’ve been practicing for because the No-Go list is unfair?

Honestly, changing the policy makes sense. We shouldn’t have to be punished when our crime is now defunct. The no-go list should be consistently lookedover, and any improving students should be excused. Being late a few times when you couldn’t find your first-period class in September shouldn’t stop you from attending homecoming two months later.

We should be rewarded for our current good behavior, not mistakes we’ve already addressed and corrected.

Critics may argue that the No-Go list is fair, and that if students are truly worried about missing out on opportunities they should watch their grades and citizenship. Some feel the long length of time the students are restricted is a larger deterrent, and shorter sentences would not have the same impact.

Yes, students should be accountable for their past transgressions; no one is saying they should not be. What the policy should do is give an incentive for students to work harder to change their grades or citizenship and show students that changing for the better yields positive results.

Students deserve fair treatment and rewards for their improvements. A revision of the No-Go list will provide this.

T

he infamous No-Go list consists of students who have earned below a 2.0 GPA or have two or more “U’s” in citizenship.

The No-Go list has successfully kept up the grades of less motivated students by providing harsh, rigid consequences for falling below par.

But administration is considering lowering the standards and providing students with a series of “second chances.”

They believe that giving students chances to redeem themselves before the end of the semester would be reasonable, especially for seniors in their second semester. However, if this were to be practiced, students would not learn to keep their grades up, show up to school on time, or refrain from fighting.

The No-Go list serves two purposes.

It disciplines students and keeps students from school events who would otherwise ruin the experience for others.

Students may be put on the No-Go list for a variety of reasons. They may be disruptive, disrespectful, irresponsible, or unmotivated.

The No-Go list does not, of course, deal with student’s whose behavior is more severe, so getting rid of it would provide no middle ground. Even with a more lenient version, students who barely maintain their grades, both academic and citizenship, would behave worse and study less.

If a student’s one motivation is Friday night football games or Senior Excursion and the administration suddenly allows them to go, that student is not going

to attempt to do well.

Such a student would let their grades and composure slip until they hovered just above suspension.

This new leniby Alex Curtis ency would also limit the number of events students would miss because of their behavior, lessening any lessons that could be learned.

Allowing students multiple chances at being removed from the No-Go list defeats its purpose entirely. Sure, there are some students who may have had a rough quarter and have truly turned around, but these are an incredible minority.

Administration wants to solve a small problem by creating a bigger one.

Now, unfortunate students who may have gotten off before after a few talks with their counselor have been spared the misfortune of being unable to attend the Winter Formal while more students are released a few months too soon.

A quarter is not nearly enough time to learn from one’s mistakes. There are not enough events at school within a few months that one student would attend.

Some students stay motivated through sports, some through their parents, and some through the fear that they may be put on the No-Go list. There is no purpose in changing something that is already working smoothly.

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Features

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p.

]Dec. 16, 2010 ]

Wood produces skate videos, follows his passions

By Sammie Avalos

Senior Matt Wood did not want to be known for the Vans, tight pants, or shaggy hair under his beanie.

Yes, he is a skater, but he did not only want to be known for his work on the skateboard.

He wanted to be known for his work behind the camera as well.

Although Wood aspired to become a professional skater when he started skating six years ago, he began to lose interest in the image he was creating for himself. “[Skating on its own] stopped being fun,” he said.

Wood quickly grew tired of the stereotypical “skater boy” image, so he decided to look at skating in a different way.

“I was sick of the reputation and it just wasn’t the niche I wanted to fulfill. It wasn’t something I liked,” Wood said.

After deciding to change the classic skater image, he and his friends began creating skate videos, or teasers, with hopes of becoming sponsored.

Lights,

Camera,

Action!

“I wanted to take it further, so we put out videos. All great skaters have videos. We wanted to be like them.”

Students immerse themselves into the world of film through their parents, school, and hobbies.

Father, daughter bond through film industry

By Kimberly Chapman

Magic was in the air as senior Allison Field took the back lot tour of Universal Studios. At just ten-years-old, Field found her calling.

“I just felt like I had this special connection with [the studios], and that’s a weird realization at such a young age,” she said.

Field’s father, Steve Field, is a freelance camera man who shoots various shows for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and other cable networks.

“His job has allowed him to visit almost every country since he works on a lot of travel shows. He gets to see the world,” she said.

Allison appreciates that she has an “in” to the movie industry since she has been interested in being a director since she was young.

“I was considered the bossy kid who would always direct everyone in the home movies. I like the feeling of being in control,” she said.

Allison loves being around her dad’s camera crew.

“The crew is like one big happy family and I want those types of relationships in

my life,” she said.

Allison gets to see her dad film the Hollywood Christmas Parade every year.

“As my dad films the parade it makes me feel special knowing that my dad is a part of why people get to see it on TV,” she said.

Allison also likes to know what goes on behind the scenes and how certain things develop before making it on to the big screen.

“My dad shows me his cameras and how to work with them. This type of hands on experience is good for the future,” she said.

Allison’s father has seven Emmy awards displayed on the piano in their living room.

Not only do the awards serve as an inspiration for Allison, but they also remind her that she can reach for her dreams.

“They are a daily reminder to me that my dad has achieved his goals and the fact that he has gone and done what he loves inspires me,” she said.

Steve expresses his love for his job outside of his work, according to Allison.

“He has such an appreciation for the quality of his work that he likes to have the family only watch TV in high defi-

Media Arts class provides a creative outlet for students

By Loren Brown

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE FIELD Experience and Adventure. Steve Field films for a television show in the Sahara Desert.

nition because of its higher quality,” she said.

Steve comes home from work and constantly describes to Allison the unique places he had the chance to visit and the various opportunities that he got to experience.

“She’s seen how excited I get about my job and I think she wants to experience that on her own,” Steve said.

Although Allison looks up to her father’s skills in filming, she desires to one

day enter the field of directing.

“I love that you can make something for someone else that can inspire them. I want to show people what they wouldn’t normally see. It takes them to a different place,” she said.

According to Steve, he hopes that his job has inspired Allison to see and experience as much as possible in life.

“Letting her know that there is a great big world out there is a great thing to share with Allison,” he said.

Rieg pursues a career in cinematography

By Laney Burke

Senior Kieran Newton leans in for the kiss . . . with another man and it’s all caught on film.

Senior Kevin Rieg has captured this scripted moment for his short film, “How Could She?” Rieg has made many short films, a few of them starring friend and actor Newton.

This short film, “How Could She?” has been accepted to the Lovett High School Film Festival. Rieg has submitted this film to other festivals as well, but he will not find out whether they have been accepted until February.

“I feel like I have a pretty good chance [of being accepted],” he said.

Rieg has many years of experience with

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN RIEG Traveling Abroad. Senior Kevin Rieg films in Germany, taking advantage of his traveling opportunity.

Wood not only got the chance to spend time enjoying himself skating, but also to pursue his dreams of getting recognized.

“I wanted to take it further, so we put out videos,” Wood said. “All great skaters have videos. We wanted to be like them.”

After collecting three years of footage of Wood’s various tricks, he and his friend Brent Black put out Wood’s own 9 minute trailer.

With his own trailer Wood was able to be sponsored by Soul Performance and Armada Skate Co. Wood risked his own health for the sake of making these videos.

“Each time I would do the stairs, — Matt Wood my heels and hips would hurt for days afterwards,” Wood said.

Although he cannot skate as much as he used to because of his injuries, Wood’s passion for skating and filming never diminished.

“I still skate about once a week now and [get] footage for another skate video,” he said.

Wood plans to finish his skate video by next summer.

film.

He got his first video camera when he was only seven-years-old, and ever since then he has been filming “random stuff,” and more recently, short films to submit to film festivals and colleges.

“As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to make films,” Rieg said.

Rieg plans on pursing his passion of filmmaking in the future. He would like to be a cinematographer or film editor, but he is open to other film jobs as well.

“The industry is so competitive,” he said.

“You have to take whatever [job] you get.”

Rieg would prefer to work on movies over television, but he feels he has to be pragmatic in his goals.

“TV is more realistic, more reliable,” he said. “You have a job as long as the show runs, while movies are a one time thing.”

Rieg admits that directing his friends for films is challenging.

“I want to be friendly, but they screw around a lot,” he said. “I realized I had to be aggressive to get the shot done.”

Newton, who has participated in many of Rieg’s films, has observed Rieg’s struggle with directing.

According to Newton, Kevin’s strengths are setting up the actual shots, but “not controlling the artistic vision of the shot.”

Newton wrote the script for “How Could She?” and for Rieg’s Chapman University application video, “Extraction.”

“How Could She?” was Newton’s idea, but

they both agreed on the topic, while “Extraction” is based on one of Rieg’s favorite movies, Inception.

“Whenever I come across a good idea I get inspired,” Rieg said. “As I watch movies I think, ‘I want to do that with my camera.’”

Two summers ago, Rieg interned for PI Pipeline Productions and Zara Pictures.

After working as a production assistant, he is now credited on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) for working on both films, along with his short film “How Could She?” “I was really surprised I turned up on IMDb,” he said. “I randomly searched my name one day and it showed up.”

Rieg also did a film workshop at UCLA where he made short films with aspiring filmmakers from all over the country.

“It’s easier [to make films] when people are passionate about them,” Rieg said. “Here, students don’t really know what they’re doing.”

Rieg enjoys shooting all types of film with varied styles.

“It all depends on the mood [of the shot],” he said. “I’ll use quick cuts for action sequences and long shots for dramatic ones.”

Rieg hopes his experiences working with real filmmakers and creating films with friends will prepare him for college and the jobs in future.

“I’ve been able to make connections [through the UCLA workshop] and I’ve learned how to be professional,” he said. “I’m open to everything . . . I just have to see where things take me.”

The first idea was mediocre: take one.

The second idea was scratched up, torn down, and thrown out again and again: take two, three and four. The third idea was shot numerous times with different angles, lighting and scripts and finally a film masterpiece was born.

According to Media Arts teacher Matthew Sheehey, great film productions are not created in one take.

It takes days, weeks, and months to create a work of art that entertains, tells a story, brings out emotion, and most importantly, makes sense, Sheehey said.

In the Media Arts with Sheehey, students learn what it takes to create “successful” films with all these qualities.

Students learn about the production process of film making, which is broken down into three parts: preproduction, production, and postproduction.

Media Arts is a hands-on class that requires students to develop technical skills as well as develop an understanding of media literacy.

“I try and show [my students] a lot of examples of professional work and former work from some of my past students.

I model or demonstrate techniques for the projects we create in class,” Sheehey said.

Cameras and computers are the only tools required.

Just as there are different types of brushes and many techniques to paint a picture, there are different types of cameras and programs to create a film.

According to junior Chris Farmer, film is something that everyone can embrace, whether it’s a regular movie, a YouTube video, or a film for documenting memories.

Farmer wants to use his skills developed in Media Arts to form a design company as well as incorporate his film knowledge to promote success.

“In Media Arts, I like being able to make several pieces out of one and easily create art without being frustrated,” Farmer said.

Like any other art, film can also be an outlet on the stressful side of life, according to Farmer. “[The Media Arts class] allows me to be creative. Having that Media Arts period is a time when I get to make something really cool. It just stops all the clutter and stress I have in my life,” Farmer said.

According to Mr. Sheehey, media arts prepares students for future careers.

“We live in a world of ever-changing technology and knowledge of multimedia concepts and tools can prepare students for employment in the fields of traditional business, art, photography, computer graphics and more,” Sheehey said.

Features

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p.

]Dec. 16, 2010 ]

GAME

ON

Video games like Halo and World of Warcraft have become a part of our student culture.

Manughian-Peter siblings bond over Halo and become closer

Halo club leads to new long-lasting friendships

by Annica Stitch

by Anacristina Gonzalez

For each of their academic years, senior twins Celeste and Cosi Manughian-Peters’ hard work has made them successful academically, and their mild mannerisms and punctuality have earned them many “outstanding” marks in citizenship.

But since Halo 2 came out for the Xbox, the mild mannered twins and their older brother, alumnus Nikolas Manughian-Peter, have found not only a way to be more aggressive but also a way to spend time with one another outside of parent sanctioned “family time.”

Without the presence of their parents, the siblings spend time together in a less serious setting.

“I can say and do whatever I want without caring or being self conscious when it’s just me and [my siblings],”

Cosi said.

The trio has numerous inside jokes that originated from things they do in the video game.

“Just the kind of things like saying ‘I’m gonna get slap happy’ with a lisp, and then you slap someone and assassinate them. That’s called being slap happy,” Celeste said.

Without the supervision of their parents, the siblings let loose by teasing and joking with each other in real life and assassinating each other in the game.

The whole family goes on camping trips together, usually eats dinner together and has a pizza night and a barbeque night, but playing Halo away from their parents allows the siblings to act more humorous and less composed.

“I guess [from an outsider’s point of view] it looks like we’re together a lot anyway, like besides the dinner nights.

But we really all do our own things.

We’re usually busy with work or other things so when [those other things] are done it’s cool to just play [Halo] and kick back,” Nikolas said.

Celeste and Cosi’s real life rivalries are sometimes expressed through their gaming.

“It’s like we kill each other in the game so we don’t in real life,” Cosi said.

Celeste also agrees that the game sometimes expresses their aggression towards each other.

The three agree that gaming every other day after Nikolas gets off of work is both therapeutic in some way and brings them closer together as siblings.

“Every time we play, especially when other people are playing on [Xbox LIVE] with us, there is some new stupid joke and some new thing that we can laugh at together,” Cosi said.

Ricondo’s life-long interest in video games leads him to work for video game companies

by Bethany Kawa

Impatiently waiting outside GameStop at 8:00 a.m., the only thing on junior Joseph Ricondo’s mind is playing the new Halo game, “Halo 3 ODST.” Although Ricondo was supposed to be in school, he opted out to be one of the first to get his hands on the new release.

“I really wanted to try out the game after seeing the videos that the [video game designer], Bungie, put online. It was an upcoming game for the Halo series and it had a new game-mode called firefight AI,” he said.

Ricondo’s first experience gaming was at the age of six when he started playing the game “Killzone” on the PlayStation 2. Although he wasn’t as passionate about gaming as he is now, it introduced him to the world of video games.

“I can express myself in different ways as a gamer. You can do things you can’t do in reality and get away with it. If I want to be a bad guy, I can destroy the world and conquer or I could be like a god,” Ricondo said.

After getting an Xbox and his online account at 12 years old, Ricondo became a “hard core gamer.” So much so that he now spends four to six hours a day playing online at home.

“It is an escape from reality and almost anything is possible in the world of gaming.”

--Joseph Ricondo “Xbox LIVE is a great way to meet new friends, network, and talk about the next game that is coming out. It allows me to socialize with other gamers,” he said.

Ricondo sometimes spends his lunch with the Halo Club, playing against his friend and club president, junior Kevin Daley.

“Joseph and I often play against each other during lunch and gaming is a great way for us to socialize and hang out. I don’t spend as much time playing video games as Joseph does, but we definitely have fun playing to-

gether,” Daley said.

Because of Ricondo’s love of video games, he is considering a career related to gaming.

He took a video game design class over the summer which spurred his interest in someday being a video game creator.

“I love the artistry, creation, environmental designs, and the freedom to develop plots within games,” he said.

One of the company’s Ricondo is considering working for is Bungie, the creator of his favorite game series, Halo.

“Everything about Halo is amazing, from the story line to the design and art. I am serious about the game and I’m currently reading one of the Halo books called Halo Evolution,” Ricondo said.

Ricondo’s favorite part about gaming is the imaginative oppertunities it offers.

“It is an escape from reality and almost anything is possible in the world of gaming,” he said.

Club members from past years that have graduated still talk to each other and hang Whether it’s the Hip-Hop Club practicing out, according to Soohoo outside or people eating lunch with the music “This club has brought together guys that blasting inside, there’s always something go- normally wouldn’t be interested in talking to ing on in Mike Soohoo’s classroom. If you one another. It’s given them opportunities to look to the back of the class, you’ll find a meet new people,” Soohoo said. group of students huddled together around The members of this club are self-sufficient a wall of televisions. This is Halo club. and maintain the club themselves through Halo club has been at Redondo for seven fundraising. years now. It has brought many different “It’s a great amount of responsibility. I people together that share a common inter- have to make sure everything’s put back and est: video games. nothing’s missing,” Daley said.

“I think it’s provided for people with comSoohoo tries to let the club members do mon interests to find friendship and have everything on their own. He knows that they a place to bond,” Soohoo, the Halo Club are responsible and can handle it. sponsor, said.

“I try to make them take their own leaderHalo Club president, junior Kevin Daley, ship in their club. Everyone is very responhas been involved with the club for two and sible in making sure everything is handled a half years. He also thinks that it has served properly and taken care of,” Soohoo said. as a place where people can make new friends This club has opened doors for it’s memand have fun. bers. A few have found themselves joining the “We bring lots of different people together. salsa team after getting to know people that There’s a mixture of sophomores, juniors, and share the same classroom during lunch. seniors,” Daley said.

“It’s funny because every year a lot of my The friendships that are made through top Salsa dancers start out in Halo Club and Halo Club are long lasting. Club members migrate just from hanging out in this room,” keep in touch with each other through online Soohoo said. gaming.

Daley enjoys being president of such a “What these guys don’t really know right diverse club. He believes that everyone in the now is that they’re making friends that are club gets along well and has a good time. going to stay with them throughout their “I’d say that we’re all good friends in the lives,” Soohoo said. club,” he said.

PHOTO BY LISA INOUE

I Can See Your Halo. Members of the Halo Club play Halo together and form lasting relationships

Mother and daughter play video games together

by Emma Uriarte

Many students know Traci Hamilton as a math teacher and her daughter Alex Johnson as a good student. But outside of school, they have alter egos with the game World of Warcraft (W.O.W.).

Online, people know them by their characters’ names.

Ms. Hamilton goes from math teacher to a rogue named Jyordan, Johnson goes from high school senior to a character named Sandriline.

Alex sees her time playing W.O.W. with her family as a chance

to spend time with each other.

“It’s a way of connecting and doing stuff together. Even if it’s just a game, we’re still bonding,” she said.

Hamilton also sees the game as a way to help her unite with her daughter. “[The game] has helped [us bond] because it gives us something common to talk about,” she said. “It gives us something to do when we spend time with each other.”

“It’s a way of connecting and doing stuff together,” Hamilton said.

--Joseph Ricondo

Johnson and her mother started playing the game three years ago when her stepdad introduced the game to them.

“We all started playing around the same time,” Alex said. “We used to play every weekend. We would get together and play for a couple hours.”

Now Ms. Hamilton only gets to play with her daughter a couple of times a year, one of those being Christmas, when they play for hours together.

Hamilton uses the game as an activity that she and her daughter can bond over.

“We both like [World of Warcraft] because we have something to share that we enjoy doing together,” Hamilton said.

W.O.W. is a role-play game where anyone can make their own character and assume an alter ego.

Johnson doesn’t play much anymore, but she still recalls questing which is her favorite part of the game.

Questing is when a player gets a request and has to do what is asked of them.

When the player finishes the quest they get experience and can get to higher levels.

“I like questing because there’s always a storyline and I can understand the backline,” Alex said. “You feel like you’re taking part in something important.”

Even though Alex is busy with college applications and focused on graduating, she can look back on the times when she and her mother would play W.O.W together.

“When we would play we did things like quests together,” Alex said. “It was just a common interest with us.”

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]Dec. 16, 2010]

Vassilakis family bonds through skiing

Romero travels to snowboard

by Emma Uriartie

by Alyssa Wolf

He straps his snowboard onto his free foot and looks down the mountain. He takes a deep breath, stands up and propells himself down.

Senior Taylor Romero goes snowboarding about twice a week.

“Me and my friends just love the sport,” he said. “To us, it is worth [traveling for].”

Romero and his friend Morgan Guss, a senior at Mira Costa, take day trips to Mountain High on the weekend. It takes about an hour and a half each way with decent traffic.

“We love snowboarding,” Guss said. “It is our passion.”

Romero started off skiing when he was four, but after a year he switched to snowboarding and now prefers it.

“My dad started snowboarding [rather than skiing], so he got me a snowboard and he taught me,” Romero said. “It’s a lot like skateboarding and surfing and I like skateboarding a lot.”

“Me and my friends just love the sport. To us, it is worth [traveling for],” —Taylor Romero Though Romero has been snowboarding for 12 years he does not plan to make a career out of his passion.

“I just snowboard to have fun. I think that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Romero has traveled to many places in order to snowboard. One of his favorite places to go is Utah. “[Utah] just gets a lot more snow then here and you caride in the park, hike, or ride powder,” Romero said.

Romero is not limited to going down slopes. He does different kinds of snowboarding including snowboarding in parks with obstacles such as rails and ramps.

“I would say I like the park better then powder,” he said. “Around here, [parks] are all we really have so thats what I tend to ride and that’s what I like the most.”

Both Guss and Romero view snowboarding as a form of artistic expression.

“When [the run] comes together and I land all the tricks I have been working on I just feel so accomplished. By the time I’m at the bottom of the run I just wanna get back up to the top and try to do something new,” Guss said.

PHOTO COURTSEY OF GEORGIA VASSILAKIS

It's a family thing. Georgia and her mother, Debra at a ski lodge in Mammoth, California. She has been skiing with her family ever since she was four and shares enthusiasm for the sport with them.

She glides down the slope with the crisp wind rushing past her face, she’s flying. Sophomore Georgia Vassilakis ends her run and watches her family appear one by one beside her. For Vassilakis, skiing is a family activity.

Apart from being a fun extracurricular, skiing provides more for Vassilakis than just leisure.

“Skiing is something that helps me bond with my family,” she said.

Her dad taught her how to ski when she was four, and she has been skiing with her family ever since. According to Vassilakis, skiing is an activity that unites her family. “[Skiing] has brought my whole family closer,” Vassilakis said. “I feel like we have a special bond because we have an activity to do together.”

Her mother, Debra Vassilakis, has been skiing ever since she was young as well. She includes the sport as a regular activity in her life.

“I love being outdoors in the beautiful mountain country in the snow,” Mrs. Vassilakis said.

She grew up skiing, and she met her husband through it. She has always wanted her kids to enjoy one of her favorite childhood sports.

“As a parent it’s good to see your children grow and love a sport,” Mrs. Vassilakis said.

Whether it’s by being on a chair-lift together or just planning a ski trip, she feels like skiing has helped her become closer to her husband and kids.

“When you’re skiing you spend a lot of time together picking out trails and figuring out where to eat afterwards. You also have to look

WINTER

out for each other,” she said. “Skiing and being outdoors is what we love to do together.”

Georgia enjoys the family aspect of skiing as well as the beauty of being on a mountain in the snow.

“Skiing gives me more than just a fun day in the snow,” she said. “It gives me a way to be active and enjoy the scenery at the same time.”

Mrs. Vassilakis shares her daughter’s enthusiasm for the sport.

“Skiing is the kind of sport where even if you’ve only done it once or twice, you want to do it [again],” Mrs. Vassilakis said.

Georgia knows she will one day share the privilege of skiing with her own family, keeping up with her classic winter tradition.

“I honestly can’t imagine being unable to ski,” she said. “Skiing has become a part of my life.”

Students take advantage of the surrounding mountains and partake in various winter sports.

WONDERLAND

Drawing class shirts opens new doors for Picazo

by Cammille Mitchell

He gets lost in a trance of creation and fueled inspiration as he draws the snowballs.

With each smear of heavy ink and shaded contours, he adds to its beauty.

Senior Mathew Picazo invests his time and skills into creating pieces of art that feature a touch of localism and soul as a way of expressing his energy.

“I definitely look at life with an artistic perspective and look to create things. Art always plays some sort of role in something even if it has to do with schoolwork,” he said.

Recently his work has been featured on the senior class shirt as well as the 09-10 year book and the art gallery on campus.

“People heard that I drew well, so they asked me if I wanted to design the senior shirt, so I [agreed] because I thought it’d be pretty cool to see all my friends wearing something I drew,” he said. “It gave me a chance to put my drawings out there.”

After seeing his success in designing the senior shirt, he realized that his talent could open more doors for him.

“It’d be really cool if I could design things.

The shirt opened my eyes that I could designs things that people want,” he said. “Me and Jake Collins have our own shirts that we haven’t put out yet, but we’ll be printing shirts soon and try to sell them.”

Matthew’s mother, Pamela, recognized early on that her son was gifted and over the years has seen his talents progress.

“I’m very proud, and I’m glad he can do it. I can’t draw at all so for me it’s really neat to see it,” she said. “He sees art and finds it in

things that other people might over look,” Working together with friends that share his talent and eager expression compels Matthew to strive for improvement.

“My friends do art too, Grant Wessel and I would get together and draw on surfboards or spray paint and make designs. Seeing their art and abilities makes me want to progress in mine,” he said.

Matthew’s parents offer him a great system of support and advice, from enrolling him in an art class to giving him valuable feedback.

According to Mrs. Picazo, as the day comes to an end, working on bits of his many projects helps him unwind.

“If he has something on his mind it’s a good distraction. I just think it helps him to be more aware of so many things around him. He also writes songs and plays the guitar so its not just drawing,” Mrs. Picazo said.

Matthew appreciates the experience of briefly attending an art school but long ago realized he was a self learner that was capable of guiding his talent.

“I don’t like when someone tells me how to draw, I like to do it myself. I’m glad they gave me the opportunity,” he said.

With so much surrounding visual stimulation and inspiration, he finds himself committing to several pieces of work at a time.

“It’s chaos basically. I’m never working on one. I’m always working on ten or even fifteen [works of art],” Matthew said. “I always have sketches on me, I’m working on all at the same time. I always have a bunch happening at once.”

Though he prefers to use pencils and pens

to do most of his work, Matthew decided to explore the other ways of creating art by enrolling in ceramics.

“I took ceramics just to get a different feel. I really liked it. It was pretty cool to make something 3-D instead of making it appear 3-D. It was very different,” he said.

“When it comes to drawing it’s very micro

detail where you work on it quarter inch by quarter inch. Ceramics makes you work on the whole piece,” he said.

Despite not making art his career, his mother hopes that he always has a piece of his passion in his life.

“I hope that he always continues to create art. I know that he wants to be a fire fighter

and a paramedic. It’s a passion for him and I hope that he carries it forever,” she said.

Matthew plans to explore his abilities as well as historical sites that offer a window into the minds of many famous artists.

“I’d love to go to Europe because it seems like they have a lot of architecture. Architecture is a big thing I like just because of how it differs,” he said.

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MARCHING TO THE

BEAT

Aguero overcomes tough times during band season

PHOTOS BY JON MARTIN, JAKE COLLINS, CELESTE MANUGHIAN-PETER

by Zac Commins

The voice reverberates over the stadium loudspeakers: “Redondo Union High School, you may begin your show in championship competition.” These are the words that Director of Bands Mark Aguero has been waiting to hear for nine long years.

Despite buying a new house, moving his father into his own home, and experiencing the birth of his first child all within the past nine months, Aguero was able to lead the Sea Hawk Band and Dance Guard to its first Southern California Judging Association (SCJA) Championships title and invitation to Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Field Championships.

Just two days after Aguero moved into his new house, his father also moved in after a series of mini strokes.

“Initially it was a lot of stress making sure he was okay,” Aguero said. “It’s sort of a role reversal. You grew up with him taking care of you and now it’s the opposite.”

While taking care of his father at home, Aguero focused on the upcoming marching season and the band’s rise to the 3A division for SCSBOA competition, the result of a large freshman enrollment. “[The 3A division] was a bit of uncharted territory but we thought we had a chance to be competitive,” he said.

After first and second place finishes at the band’s first five competitions, Aguero set the band’s sights on contending for a SCJA Championship title.

“I was a little bit more nervous than I thought I would be,” he said. “I realized we really had a shot to win it.”

While the band and dance guard competed for the SCJA crown, Aguero kept focused on qualifying for the more esteemed SCSBOA Field Championships by being one of the 12 highest scoring bands in the division, as other bands received an extra SCSBOA score to improve their chance.

“We had no control of getting in,” he said. “We knew that bands we beat headto-head would get in and it would be frustrating for them to get in and for us not to.”

Though the pressure of trying to qualify for SCSBOA Championships subsided, that stress returned by the end of Thanksgiving break.

Slightly more than a week before the band and dance guard took the field at SCSBOA Championships for the first time, his daughter, Elena, was born.

“That week [before SCSBOA Championships] was tough because I couldn’t really focus on one particular thing,” Aguero said.

Although he expresses pride and amazement in being a father, Aguero also considers it a “little overwhelming.”

“I didn’t think about it leading up to it,” he said. “There was nothing I could do about it then.”

Ultimately, Aguero considers “staying ahead of the game” the key to balancing his personal and music life.

“It’s a lot of stuff to get used to,” he said. “You have to be really on top of things.”

Band and Dance Guard successful in season Band finishes 1st and 10th in state competitions despite having many new members.

by Laura Shodall

Band and Dance Guard have not only beat the odds once, but twice this season. They have won a state competition and placing in the top ten in another. For teams that were never expected to even qualify for either, they have made history.

“This is the first time in the history of Band and Dance Guard that we have qualified for [the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association] SCSBOA) Championships,” Dance Guard captain Savannah Irving said.

Irving is proud at how far Dance Guard and band have come.

“These competitions have the best of the best in Southern California and it was amazing just being there and qualifying,” she said.

Band and Dance Guard placed 1st at the Southern California Judging Association (SCJA) competition and 10th at the

SCSBOA competition.

“The whole band was jumping up and screaming when we found out we won first place,” High Brass Section Leader Rick Kodani said.

Kodani’s thoughts echo the overall feeling of the band, who has been working harder and harder to improve.

“It felt really good to win,” he said.

Though band and Dance Guard placed tenth in the second competition, they were not discouraged.

“We were still really happy that we placed at the SCSBOA competition because we were competing against the best teams in Southern California,” Irving said. “We still went out with a bang.”

According to clarinet section leader Kari King, placing top ten was still a significant accomplishment.

“I would have liked to place a little higher, but it’s still top ten,” she said.

“It’s very difficult to place for, but band and dance guard finally got there.”

Assistant Dance Guard captain junior Erin Hardy credits their success this season to unity on the team.

“Everyone in our unit wants to be on the team and part of something,” she said. “This year more than ever, we are united.”

Assistant drum major, junior Clay Attig, agrees with Hardy.

“At the beginning of the year, there was a lot of disunion and conflict due to personal problems,” he said. “We all came together to win the title.”

Dance guard has improved dramatically over recent years, according to Irving.

“The whole band was jumping up and screaming when we found out we won first place. It felt really good to win.”

—Rick Kodani “Over the last four years, we’ve improved our technique and performance, both with flag and dance,” she said. “This is due to our new coach, who inspires us every day.”

In addition a supportive coach, skill improvement also came from outside work.

“For Dance Guard, it was a requirement to take ballet classes over the sum-

mer in order to prepare for the upcoming year,” Irving said.

Irving feels a new approach to dancing helped to propel the team toward winning.

“We went back to the basics and made sure everyone on the team was on the same page,” she said.

Kodani also feels change has helped the band. He credits band’s change in attitude, and feels the positivity has helped them.

“It seems like we have more heart this year in comparison to other years,” he said. “Both championships were extremely important to us, and we all wanted to make history for our program.”

According to King, the band has become more focused. He has noticed a bigger emphasis on taking everything seriously.

“We recognize that we have to get stuff done,” he said. “We stopped messing around.”

Hardy is proud of her team and feels the scores at the end of the night reflected Dance Guard’s commitment to good performances and practices.

“Our band was playing from the heart,” she said. “So we just danced from the heart. We all just came together.”

The father of cross country in the South Bay mentors Leetch

by Olivia Loveland

Besides coming in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the Division II State Championship Girls’ crosscountry meet, Redondo, Mira Costa, and Sagus also have ties to former El Camino Community College coach Dave Shannon.

“I cannot express how great it made me feel that the top 3 women’s teams in the state were tied to El Camino College and products of my programs,” Shannon said.

Dave Shannon coached from 1976-89 at ECC that became breeding grounds for current coaches Bob Leetch (RUHS), Renee Williams Smith (Mira Costa) and Dean Lofgren (ECC) who coached state championship Sagus team coach Rene Pargas.

“They all know how much work is required to improve and have all been involved in successful training systems and team programs that they have been able to hone to fit their needs with the athletes they are working with at their schools,” said Shannon.

Shannon was not a high caliber runner like many of his athletes became, but his passion is what influenced his athletes the most.

“I was very fortunate to have very hard working athletes over the years who blossomed with training at that point in their lives and went on to great college careers and

more importantly to teaching and coaching,” Shannon said.

Shannon was the head coach at now closed Aviation High School before enrolling at CSU Long Beach for teaching and coaching preparation.

“Since day 1 he’s constantly in my ear with the way he organized it, set it up, the systems that he ran.”

—Bob Leetch “I was always a track and cross country nut but I never had the opportunity to compete in college but I knew I wanted to get into the profession,” Shannon said.

Of his athletes, his closest relationship remains with Bob Leetch, who still keeps in touch with him weekly.

“He is one of my all time great athletes dating back to 1980 and a great friend,” Shannon said.

Leetch, a Redondo alumnus whose mile time is still on the 100-all time high school

boys mile time list, went to El Camino as a fall back plan after Arizona State University would be facing a sanction for a recruiting violation.

“It ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me,” Leetch said.

From then on Shannon became a mentor for Leetch.

“He had a way of kind of being a friend and a father and a coach at the same time.

What he did was really different and it made a really big difference to be connected to someone I felt was very committed to me,” Leetch said.

Leetch was the 1500m JC champion and a part of the championship crosscountry team among other success at ECC under Shannon even after going to Kansas State University on a scholarship along with Williams-Smith, he always thought of Shannon as his main coach.

“Since day 1 he’s constantly in my ear with the way he organized it, set it up, the systems that he ran,” Leetch said.

When Shannon inducted Bob Leetch into the El Camino Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 they both had the same anecdotal story for a speech to give from Leetch’s first meet for El Camino at Cerritos college.

The incident occurred when Leetch’s

competitor reached out to shake his hand and wish him luck before an 800m race when Leetch blew him off not wanting to ruin his “aura” before a race.

“It was always business to him when he stepped to the line,” Shannon said.

After winning the race with a leading state time, Leetch was surprised to be “chewed out” by Shannon.

“It was really an eye opener for me. No one had ever treated me that way after a good athletic performance. Thank God I had Dave Shannon there to direct me the right way,” Leetch said.

The tight-knit group created at El Camino by Shannon is what Leetch believes to be an attribute to building a successful team.

“When I was El Camino there was such a close group and it really seemed like. . .We were fighting for the same goal and the same cause. The camaraderie and teamwork on the guys and girls team came from him and his passion for us. I really wanted that at Redondo,” said Leetch. “[Mira Costa and Sagus] are like us, always driving, always grinding, never quitting, always going to the end—those are the things that are more of an influence from Dave Shannon,” said Leetch.

Sports On the PROWL

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With a new nickname and an experienced team, girls’ basketball is on the hunt for a league title.

“It just takes time for the new players to get used to the intensity of practice and games,” she said.

Focusing on improvement, the team reflects on the narrow loss, 38-35, to Serra – a state champion.

“Confidence was missing, but after that game we know that we can win whether we are the better team or not. We really shouldn’t have lost, but we learned from our mistakes and then capitalized with two good wins

by David Kawa after that [loss],” Scarlett said.

Enriquez attributes this loss to a weak offense.

Girls’ Basketball opened the season by taking first “Defensively we were outstanding, but we had a poor place, 3-1, in the Silver Division Bracket in the Battle at shooting night and it just cost us the game,” he said. the Beach Tournament.

Starting the season off with a tournament win, the The team, referring to itself as the Wolf Pack, gath- team is motivated to continue its success. ers under a new motto: “The strength of the wolf is the “Every game is going to be a battle. We have to take pack. The strength of the pack is the wolf.” things one game at a time. We can’t let up or rest on any Coach Marcelo Enriquez discovered the phrase in a previous success. Every game we have to come out and Phil Jackson book and brought it to the team. leave everything on the court” Stuart said.

“When I first read it, I thought of this team. We The team hopes to winning have been a close knit group for the Bay League title. the past three years and for us to “I think our chances of winbe successful, everyone has to do ning Bay League are very realistheir part. When we do, we can tic. We have a good group that be pretty ferocious,” he said. has worked really hard during The team has taken the motthe off-season. We have a great to of unity to heart, according to combination of talent, experisenior Michelle Lowery. ence, and hard work,” Enriquez “Everyone is very into the said. wolf pack mind set. We track According to Lowery, the our prey, wear them down, then team will continue to play hard go in for the kill. We know we nosed basketball until they are can only do this if we are all Bay Leaugue Champions. working as one,” she said.

“It’s everyone’s job to keep – Michelle Lowery Senior Shayna Stuart also beeach other accountable to keep lieves the new mentality helps to up their work ethic. Everyone puts all they have in solidify the team as a unit. practice,” Lowery said.

“It definitely brings us closer together as a team beThe team has its sights set on winning the Beverly cause we know that for us to play at our fullest potential Hills Tournament over Winter Break. we need everyone. The Wolf Pack stays together,” she “We’re definitely looking forward to this tournasaid. ment,” Stuart said. “It’s just another opportunity for us Senior Rachel Scarlett hopes the attitude will allevi- to improve and to warn everyone to look out for Reate the transition for the new Varsity players. dondo.”

“Everyone is very into the wolf pack mindset.

We track our prey, wear them down, then go in for the kill. We know can only do this if we are all working as one”

2.

PHOTOS BY JON MARTIN

1.

Hunting. 1. Senior Shayna Stuart goes up for a lay up against a Santa Fe defender. 2. Senior Rachel Scarlett penetrates offensively towards the basket. Redondo beat Santa Fe in the Battle at the Beach tournament.

Making a splash Girls’ water polo beat Torrance on Tuesday and is preparing for “tough” league competition.

by Julie Tran

The girls’ water polo team won against Torrance, 9-6, in a non-league game Tuesday. They prepare to compete for one of the top three positions in Bay League.

“This was a really nice game for us because it felt like everything was gelling and our plays were actually working,” senior Gabby Reynoso said.

Reynoso and senior Julia Uriarte scored two goals each, while seniors Devon Cohen and Emily Ewart each scored one.

“It seemed like everyone got in on the action today. We had a coordinated attack that seemed to be working really well,” Cohen said.

The girls hope to carry this success into league play, which starts after winter break.

“We’re taking a break for the first week but after Christmas we have two-a-days every day,” Reynoso said. “We’re really going to hammer in our plays and get in great shape for league.

According to goalie Sarah Logan, West

tends to be the weakest team in Bay League.

“We always look forward to playing West,” Logan said. “We use games against them as opportunities to up our shooting averages and try new plays.”

Logan believes that Peninsula will be the most competitive team they face, but that Redondo’s new regulation-sized pool will work to their advantage.

“Practice time is no longer limited by the commute. There’s more space,” assistant coach Rob Baird said. “No doubt this versatility boosts our efficiency as a team.”

Even though the season has just begun, there have already been some standouts, according to Baird.

“Jaycee Baldus, who scored 3 of 9 goals [on Tuesday], continues to be a key player for us as well as Sarah Logan, who is only a sophomore but has had some amazing saves for us,” Baird said. “Tiffany Morales [junior] has also brought some potency to our offense and is a solid defender.”

According to Logan, they successfully

1.

PHOTO BY MAX PITTMAN

Legging up. 1. Gabby Reynoso plays defense in a game against Culver City. 2.

Junior Tiffany Morales looks to shoot in the same game. They are currently 2-2. used time plays and a new offensive counterattack, setting up a 4-2 strategy and transferring to a 3-3 in their win against Torrance.

“We kept a consistent defense, pressing Torrance without fouling,” Logan said.

Baird believes the team needs to improve on offense, but that, at this point in the season, they still have time.

“Teams can practice for hours and never

2.

Looking ahead

Shining

through the fog

Boys’ soccer lost yesterday, 2-0, in tournament play against Bellflower.

by Alex Shea

Although dismal conditions and cloudy skies filled the South Bay yesterday morning, Redondo’s surf team shone against South High.

The contest took place in inconsistent surf conditions while a slight drizzle came down, yet the team pulled together and gained winning scores over South.

The boy’s surf team did well with surfers placing in the top three in longboard, shortboard and bodyboarding. The meet also marked the best results for the girl’s surf team this year.

According to freshman Sara Curran, the girl’s team placed first and second in both shortboard and longboarding, a huge improvement from previous contests.

“It is the best we have done this year. We are such a young group and we are looking forward to improving towards the end of the year,” Curran said.

Yesterday’s victory was the teams first winning competition so far this season.

“We’ve lost lately which gave us an extra drive to win,” sophomore Ethan Pezzelo said.

The team’s recent losses to other South Bay teams has been frustrating, yet motivates the team to improve on its scores.

“The team is learning to focus on our surfing, not who we are surfing against,” sophomore Johnny Hobbs said.

improve,” Logan said. “It’s game experience, which all of us have and continue to gain, that really counts.”

According to Reynoso, the team is excited for league play and hopeful for a possible CIF berth.

“If we continue working as a team and keep up the intensity, there’s a very good chance for us to make a push in CIF this year,” she said.

by Jessi Shipley

PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS

Shredding. Junior Connor Beatty kicks it back in a competition against South.

Winning the competition today was the team’s last head to head meet before they move on to the South Bay Surf League prelims in January.

The team is building momentum going into prelims due to experience, talent and an easy going approach according to senior Ben Fortun.

“The team takes the contests easy and go out to surf and have fun. We have some great surfers with bags and bags of tricks,” Fortun said.

The team’s talent leading up to prelims has improved, surf conditions in the South Bay have been inconsistent and poor during

most competitions.

“We are ready for prelims, but its really hard to know in surfing because of the different conditions, one day it might be really big shore pound and the next super small.

Contests have also been called off due to run off or heavy fog, its been a crazy year,” Curran said.

Despite poor surf conditions, young teams and challenging opponents the teams appears prepared for the upcoming prelims.

With a little over a month before competition starts, the team will carry their momentum from yesterday’s win into prelims, according to Curran.

Boys’ Soccer lost, 2-0, to Bellflower in a “hotly contested” tournament game.

According to coach Nacho Lopez, the defense is the strength of the team.

But even with their strong defense, they couldn’t pull through to score. Redondo found themselves down two goals in the first half because of “uncharacteristic” defensive mistakes.

In the second half they made adjustments and improved their game by keeping the ball away from their own goal area. The strong defense in the second half led to some offensive opportunities. They consistently bypassed Bellflower’s midfield defenders, giving them great opportunities to score. Each time, however, they failed to make the right shot, according to Lopez.

The game was very physical according to junior Kris Martin. Two yellow cards were given to Bellflower players. Redondo fans were calling on the referees to give even more yellow cards to prevent such physical play that might get someone in-

jured.

It was a disappointing loss according to Lopez. Still, the Sea Hawks remain optimistic about future games.

“I believe we are going to destroy the competition this year,” Martin said.

It’s not just the players that feel this way, the coaches also remain upbeat.

“I feel that this is one of our strongest Redondo teams in a while,” Lopez said.

The synergy of the team will pull them through to future wins according to Martin.

“We focus a lot on team spirit and the chemistry of the team, it’s good for our players to learn to be supportive of their fellow teammates” Lopez said.

Although the team has not been successful lately, the team still believes in the game plans and their plays, according to Lopez.

“I can see that the boys believe and trust their coaches and that is very important,” Lopez said.

In addition to team chemistry they are working on specific strategy changes.

“This season we are going to mix it up.

We are switching our point of attack and are going to control the rhythm and tempo of the game,” Lopez said.

They expect a different result when they take the field again on Tuesday for the South Torrance tournament.

Sports

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p.

] Dec. 16, 2010]

Basketball heads to Las Vegas

by Tatiana Celentano

Boys’ basketball was 2-2 in Redondo’s Pacific Shores Tournament and is heading to Las Vegas for another tournament this weekend.

The team has been working hard to improve, according to senior Brandon Boyd.

The team has been working specifically on strength and endurance as well as shooting and ball handling skills.

“We’re becoming a good team, the new kids are fitting in and we are playing better together. The chemistry is coming along,” Boyd said.

With 9 out of 15 players being seniors and only four with varsity experience, the team is working to build chemistry and technical skill. Players Martyre Demarco, Mwelu Mataya and Joc Bates are leading their team to success, according to coach Tom Maier.

“We are trying to bring the inexperienced along as fast as we can. Slowly but surely they are coming together and the confidence in each other and themselves is rising,” Maier said.

In addition to chemistry, the boys are also dealing with two key players out due to injuries. Boyd and senior Austin Moore are both temporarily not playing. Boyd hopes to be cleared on Jan. 6, in time for season.

Moore is recovering from knee surgery and also plans to be back for season.

“Once everybody gets healthy and we have all of our pieces back together, we are going to be dangerous,” Moore said.

The boys hope to beat Costa this year and advance in the CIF playoffs, according to Mataya.

“I expect us to grow as human beings and be more manly. We need to stop being children and be mature. Hard work and concentration will get us there,” Mataya said.

Bates believes with the team’s hard work, passion for the game, attitude and skill they will go very far and can prove to be a good team in this tournament.

“We need to advance every year. Where advance takes us this year, we don’t know yet,” Maier said.

2.

Kicking it. 1.Sophomore Erin Guernsey takes the ball away from a forward in Monday’s game against San Pedro. 2. Senior Brina Moreno attacks the goal in Monday’s game.

Redondo beat San Pedro 3-2.

1.

PHOTO BY CELESTE MANUGHIAN- PETER

The year of the pass Girls’ soccer aims to use a different style this year, focusing on a fast ground game.

by Zachary Zent

The girls’ soccer team beat Torrance, 4-0, yesterday afternoon.

The team has been unsuccessful against Torrance in the past and was happy to finally get a win after a “disappointing” tournament last weekend, according to junior Samantha Witteman.

The offense was “unproductive” early in the game but soon ignited after a goal by freshman Shannon Simon. The offensive spark led to back-to-back goals in the 26th and 27th minute by senior Katie Teshima.

Senior Patricia Gonzalez credits the decisive win to solid passing, ball control, and setting plays.

“We were taking chances and keeping the ball on the ground,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez believes the pre-season is a good indicator of what is to come the rest of the season.

The game seemed to be out of Torrance’s control after a throw-in goal that the goalie missed by senior Jen Stevens, leading to the final score, 4-0.

Coach Shelley Marsden is confident in the team’s potential success for the rest of the pre-season and competing in their “chal-

lenging” Bay League schedule, including Mira Costa and Palos Verdes.

Marsden has faith in this year’s aggressive offensive scheme.

“This is the year of the pass. Fast passing and offensive attacks in numbers is the name of our game this year,” Marsden said.

Marsden is relying on junior Samantha Witteman to “come up big” this year for the senior-heavy team. Marsden believes Witteman’s outstanding work ethic will help her lead the team.

Marsden also believes their deep bench will be an advantage and help to pull out wins in tight games.

“Even though we’re fit and talented, our subbing will help us stay fresh and maintain a high level of play throughout the game,” Marsden said.

The team is optimistic that their bench will remain deep, despite injuries to juniors Michelle Epp, Amanda Johnson, and Melissa Andersen.

Every player has a “team-first” mentality and seems to have a united belief in what it is going to take to win the Bay League, according to Marsden.

“To get where we want to be, it’s going to take determination, heart, and good team chemistry,” Witteman said.

Athlete of the

Martyre Demarco Issue

by Allie Goldberg

PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN

Take Down. Senior Matthew Ulizio holds a South wrestler in a match on Nov. 29.

Wrestling lacks experience

by Matthew Brancolini Youth is a gift. But it is also a curse for the Redondo wrestling team.

The team’s lack of experience resulted in a 51-50 loss to Carson last Thursday. According to sophomore Tommy Thompson, the first year wrestlers were not prepared for their matches.

“The newer kids need to improve their mentality. They go out there thinking they aren’t ready or that they’re going to get whooped and that’s what happens,” Thompson said. “We got intimidated watching their guys jumping around and getting excited before the match.”

Senior Matt Ulizio agrees that mental preparation is the key to success.

“At least 75 percent of wrestling is purely mental. If you just try to out-muscle your opponent, you’ll lose,” Ulizio said, “It’s about knowing your moves and when to use them and just being confident.”

Coach Arond Schonberg believes that confidence is huge when going into a match.

“The first take down can give you the upper hand for the entire match. You take the guy down and you’re thinking ‘Now I’m the alpha male.’ That first take down can change the entire match for you,” Schonberg said. “It’s the same with scoring the first touchdown in football. It demoralizes the other team.”

However, Schonberg also knows that confi-

dence alone can’t win matches and that strong fundamentals are important.

“Kids come into wrestling and they want to run before they know how to walk,” Schonberg said, “They need to learn the basics. There are over forty moves and the kids don’t realize it but they’re learning a lot of them while we drill them in practice. Then they get in the match and it’s like ‘Hey, I know what I’m doing.’”

In preparation for the upcoming Tournament of Champions, Schonberg plans to increase the intensity of practice.

“We’ll up our conditioning and climb a lot more rope in order to increase grip strength.

Also, we’re going to do a lot more live wrestling,” Schonberg said.

Ulizio hopes that the intensified practices will prepare the young wrestlers for the tournament.

“It’s a new style of tournament and the new wrestlers won’t know what to expect. It’s a lot bigger and more competitive than dual meets.

It’s the best of the best,” he said.

Schonberg believes that the Tournament of Champions will be a good experience.

“Wrestling is the epitome of the journey of life. There are plenty of obstacles along the way.

No matter what, the obstacles teach you lessons.

Hopefully this will help out the team. It takes a lot of courage to step into that perfect circle and know that the guy across from you might be better than you and that you might lose,” he said.

There’s a new sheriff in town. Senior Martyre Demarco transferred from Arizona and has quickly become a “leader on the court.”

According to Demarco, he left Arizona because he “hated everything about it.”

“I’m from here originally and I really missed home,” he said. “Plus my mom lives right next to the school.”

Demarco says that he is extremely passionate about basketball and wants to help the team improve.

“Everyday I wake up at 4:30 a.m., run two miles, and then eat a breakfast of egg whites and Wheaties. Then I take a shower, go to school, practice basketball, then hang out with friends until its time to get ready for bed,” he said.

Demarco feels that his leadership is going to contribute to the team’s success.

“I just want to be the best that I can be, and if they want to follow my example then so be it,” he said.

Demarco explained that his move has made his basketball experience more rewarding.

“I love this team,” he said. “I love my teammates and this is one of the best teams I have ever played on.”

Demarco has great aspirations for the upcoming season.

“I plan on winning CIF,” he said.

“Things are really starting to come together for us.”

Junior Jordan Ichiyama explained that Demarco has encouraged other players to work harder.

“He gets everyone on task when we’re all messing around,” Ichiyama said. “He is very serious on the court and he knows how to lead us.”

Ichiyama believes that the team’s

dynamic has improved, as everyone is working together.

“He always attacks the basket with a purpose and if he gets stopped he always finds a teammate who is open. He creates opportunities for the people around him,” Ichiyama said.

Demarco explained that he enjoys playing with his new team and his passion for basketball is very strong.

“My goal is to play Division 1 in college, and then play professional basketball,” he said.

According to coach Tom Maier, Demarco has led the team as a strong offensive threat.

“He is an outstanding ball handler and a slashing guard,” he said. “He is giving us a lot of points.”

Maier explained that the team has become more structured because of Demarco’s presence.

“Martyre is a great floor leader. He’s our point guard. He’s basically like being the setter in volleyball or the quarterback,” Maier said.

Maier believes that Demarco’s hard work will inspire teammates, and help the team have a winning season.

“He has really given the team a lot of confidence,” he said. “Obviously we are very happy to have him.”

PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS

Ben-Amor expresses culture and values through tattoos

by Melissa Rosero

Inked.

Some are for show, some are for strength, some are for remembrance, and others are simply mistakes. No matter the motivation, tattoos are a lifelong decision that have permanently inked the lives of students who get them, for better or worse. [See back for more]

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIO

N BY MOLLY SIMON

A

the December 16th, 2010 Features Magazine

nchor

Senior LJ Ben-Amor doesn’t need a Facebook page to express himself. Nor does he feel the need to show who he is through his music, poetry, or fashion. Everything you need to know about him can be revealed with a glance to his left shoulder.

Last August, Ben-Amor began the first piece of a tattoo that will never be completely finished.

“My tattoo will not be done for a long time because I will add more as I get older,” Ben-Amor said.

Ben-Amor’s tattoo represents a typical Polynesian tradition. These tribal tattoos are a unique custom of his Samoan heritage. Tattooing is a custom that his uncle brought with him from Samoa to the USA. “My uncle is a well-known Polynesian tattoo artist. He did my tattoo and has tattooed most of our family,” Ben-Amor said.

According to Ben-Amor, his uncle has a real tribal tattoo from Samoa. On the island, the tattoos are done with a shark tooth and a small hammer.

“Even though my uncle used a tattoo gun, he still followed the tradition because he did my tattoo free-handed. He typically bases the tattoo design on the person’s family and personality,” Ben-Amor said.

Ben-Amor takes special pride in his tattoo because it is an exact representation of who he is and what he values.

“I got my tattoo because I wanted to get my voice out to the world. This is my way of letting people know who I am,” BenAmor said.

The various tribal symbols all have a specific meaning.

“The arrowheads represent strength because that’s what the warriors hunted with, and the zigzag design is supposed to be a worm, the symbol of wisdom. The most important symbols are the fish, which tell people that I keep my word and always go through with my actions,” Ben-Amor said.

Because the tradition is to have the tattoo done without a stencil, every tattoo is different.

“You would never find my tattoo on anyone else’s body, which separates me as an individual,” Ben-Amor said.

He also finds pride in his tattoo because he believes it contains more meaning than most other tattoos.

“There are those people who get tattoos because they think they’re ‘cool’ and later regret it. I can never regret who I am, so that’s why my tattoo is perfect,” Ben-Amor said.

He has inspired his younger brother, junior Sam Ben-Amor to want to get a Polynesian tattoo as well.

“I think the type of tattoo LJ has is the type of tattoo everyone should have. It describes his personality and his style,” Sam said.

Sam find the cultural tie especially important.

“Not only does this kind of tattoo represent you, but everyone before you. It represents the entire Samoan culture since the tattoos are so unique,” Sam said.

LJ appreciates the personal significance a single tattoo can hold.

“Without saying anything to them, you can tell who that person is from what their tattoo holds,” he said.

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Dec. 16, 2010

PRESIDENTIAL

WISH

GRANTED

After surviving leukemia, sophomore Chelsea Johnson met President Obama through the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

by Michelle Hough

The blades sliced through the air and wind ruffled her hair as she watched the President’s helicopter lift off, the past seven minutes still racing through her mind. Leukemia survivor Chelsea Johnson was astounded after shaking hands with the leader of our nation.

Johnson, sophomore, was given a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity when she was offered the chance to meet Barack Obama.

With the help of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Johnson and her family were able to travel to the White House to have a private tour, meet Secret Service members, snipers, and a bomb-sniffing dog.

When Johnson was 11-years-old, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a type of childhood blood cancer. She and her family were completely shocked.

“My whole family was really scared. I thought I was going to die. I started chemotherapy that very night [that I found out],” Johnson said.

For two and a half years, Johnson’s treatment included chemotherapy, medication, weekly doctors’ visits, and monthly hospital visits for shots, spinal injections, bone marrow tests and IVs. She lost most of her hair and missed much of her sixth grade year.

In May 2009, all the cancer cells were

gone. She has been cancer free for a little over a year and a half.

The Make a Wish Foundation became involved with Johnson because of her severe sickness. MAW (Make-a-Wish) grants the wishes of children who have life-threatening diseases. The child can wish for something and the Foundation will try its best to make it happen.

“It took me a while to decide what I wanted to wish for, but I decided I wanted to either meet The President or J.K. Rowling. I chose to meet the President because it’s not something just anyone can do. One of my fellow patients met President Bush and said it was really cool, and I hoped I could raise awareness of childhood cancer,” Johnson said.

She made her wish back in 2008, and was therefore surprised when she got a call on Oct. 13, saying that the President could finally meet her.

Her family quickly compared schedules and headed to Washington D.C. There, they were transported in limos, able to sight-see, and dined in nice restaurants. MAW paid for the flight, the hotel stay, transportation, and gave the Johnson family money for meals and tours.

Johnson and her family enjoyed an extensive tour, saw private halls, and have candid pictures with the First Families. Lastly, they were taken to the Oval Office waiting Mr. President. 1. Johnson shakes hands with Obama for the first time. 2. Johnson and her family chat with the President. All photos courtesy of Chelsea Johnson.

1.

room.

“We were all really nervous. We were taken to a random hallway where we had to empty our pockets and leave behind pretty much everything, when all of a sudden the door opened and there was the President, greeting us by name,” Johnson said. “We were expecting to be led into the Oval Office by someone else, but he came out to get us and led us in himself.”

Johnson and her younger sister shook hands with the President. They were both given pocket versions of the Constitution, a White House Challenge Coin, Presidential MnMs, and Presidential chocolates. He signed Johnson’s book and her Make-A-Wish itinerary. Then they “made small talk.”

“It was all very surreal. We were escort-

2.

ed outside to the Lawn, where we watched his [private] helicopter take off. After that, we finished up our tour and waited for the Limo to come and pick us up,” she said. “As we were leaving, a Suburban pulled up and we watched Sasha, the younger daughter, and her grandma come home from school, which was pretty cool.”

Johnson was given the opportunity to have a conversation with the President. She was shy and knew he was in a hurry, as they only had seven minutes to talk.

“He asked me about school and asked me how I liked DC. I was so nervous, I really didn’t talk much, but I asked how his daughters were doing. He said that they like school, and he was just at their parent-teacher conference, and that the teachers said they were doing great,” she said. “He also asked us if we had seen Bo, the White House Dog. Apparently he just gets to wander around the White House wherever he wants.”

Johnson enjoyed the friendly but formal atmosphere of the meeting.

“He is very tall. I know, that’s kind of obvious, but that was one of the first things I thought when I saw him. He is really nice and sincere, but he is very formal and talks like he is giving a speech,” Johnson said.

Overall, Johnson is thrilled and still amazed that she was able to meet the President.

“I was really nervous beforehand, stunned during the meeting, and even more stunned after. It’s hard to believe I even met him, everything happened so fast. I had an awesome time though, and it’s definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life,” Johnson said.

Dec. 16, 2010

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ROCK

jingle bell

Almost Acoustic Christmas offers great musical variety.

by Jonathan Martin

KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas has become a staple Southern California concert festival. The two-night event invites headliners from locations all around the world to play a no-pay show for citizens of the greater Los Angeles area. Though night one had an impressive list of bands, I went to the second night of the concert.

The second night featured artists from all over the musical spectrum. This variation caused the tone within the Gibson Amphitheater to change from set to set and forced the audience’s ears to adjust from song to song. Although it’s not necessarily an issue, it can be a bit distracting to hear the music change from the enchanting voice of Florence Welch to the raspy tone of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. But, it was not an issue considering the amount of talent in the amphitheater.

As the set began with the post progressive dream funk sounds of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, it was clear this would be no usual rock concert. The band put the audience into a powerful trance and the set was filled with dancing and their sound was identical to how they sounded on their first record. Despite the short set, they placed as one of the best of the night.

Next came Broken Bells. Though the Broken Bells’ show was interesting, it’s hard to thoroughly enjoy a band playing more acute songs from their album, although the hits were played as well.

The Temper Trap played next, and they had great stage presence. The Australian band held total control over the audience with long electric solos and intense danc-

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1 ALL PHOTOS BY RENEE BARRERA

Rock on. 1. Phoenix was one of the bands played the second day of the concert. 2. Vampire Weekend put on one of the best performances of the night. 3. Despite much anticipation, Brandon Flowers disappointed fans with a lack-luster performance.

ing on stage. Though the majority of their songs were unknown to the audience, they did play their regular hits. “Sweet Disposition” had the audience standing and singing within seconds.

Neon Trees played an interesting set, but was a bit disappointing. However, as the night went on the bands got exponentially better.

Florence + the Machine played a set that knocked the socks off of every person in the audience. Florence arguably has the best voice of all the singers that performed at Almost Acoustic Christmas, and the songs all highlighted her vocal capabilities.

And then came Brandon Flowers. Now, being a self proclaimed Killers fan, and, having seen the Killers perform four years earlier at Almost Acoustic Christmas, I was expecting a lot from him. For whatever reason, his set was not as good as anticipated.

His music seemed strange and he attempted to put his own twist on Killer’s classics like “Mr. Brightside,” which ultimately

sounded interesting, but was nothing like the original. It seemed as if Brandon Flowers was trying to distance himself as much as he could from the Killers overall tone.

But the band that I had been waiting for finally came on: Vampire Weekend.

The preppy east coast band took the stage in a glorious way with charisma and energy that exploded in the audience. The overall stage presence of the band was arguably the best of all bands of night two and I left with “Walacott” ringing through my ears. But nothing could compare to what Phoenix brought to the stage.

The band greeted the audience with rhythmic synth-pop sounds and a simple greeting: “Hello we are Phoenix and we are from France.” As expected, Phoenix blew the roof off of the amphitheater. The songs flowed from amps and into the ears of eager listeners. As “Girlfriend” started playing, Thomas Mars powerfully led the band. Mars’s voice led the band in availing force and the audience played into his

3

power.

Almost Acoustic Christmas did not fail to disappoint, but there were some interim issues. The main issue with Almost Acoustic Christmas is fact that if the band is not a headliner, it most likely is a one-hitwonder. This was clear with performances

by Neon Trees, but it’s nice that KROQ creates a venue for newer bands. But with any music festival, attendants must wade through the sounds of some bands they might not prefer to listen to, but that’s what concessions stands are for.

“The Artist’s Museum” at MOCA showcases varied and intriguing works

by Gianna Esposito

My eyes flit from screen to screen. Surrounded by eight towering screens and enveloped in the sounds of the city — a coin spinning in a gutter, a glass bottle breaking, the whir of the subway — I am completely immersed in the artist’s world.

Doug Aitken portrays a scene in which the last man on Earth reacts to the sounds and the movement of the city. He is between “consciousness and unconsciousness,” his nervous system mirroring the network of Los Angeles. With a blank stare he dances down an empty street.

“The Artist’s Museum” at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) exhibits works

from 146 Los Angeles-based artists who played a role in MOCA’s founding and development from its opening in 1979 to the present. The exhibit provides a variety of modern works that expresses the many facets of the city of Los Angeles as a culture-filled city of contemporary artists willing to experiment.

Just like Doug Aitken’s video installation “electric earth,” all the other works in the exhibit were more than just art — they were an experience. Even paintings with one dimension ensnared the viewer with their strange subject choice, curious words, or intriguing images.

One unique aspect of the exhibit was its inclusion of a quote by the artist in the piece’s description. These quotations provided an-

swers to the viewer’s questions about a work’s message or at least an interesting statement of the artist’s philosophy, giving the exhibit even more of a voice from its founding artists.

“I have always liked potentiality better than actuality. We all wait for the storm,” Mark Bradford said in regard to his painting, Untitled. Simple and succinct, words like this complement the art.

Another notable characteristic of “The Artist’s Museum” was its variety. Despite the extreme modernity of the works, the exhibit truly felt like it had something for everyone: drawings, paintings, pastels, photography, video installations, sculptures, animation, and a giant, figurative hot dog made out of

yarn that followed the sine curve.

Art enthusiast or not, everyone will find intrigue and enjoyment in something.

Although a trip to MOCA means a drive on the freeway, the exhibit is definitely worth a visit. With a large parking garage across the street and $5 admission for students to the museum, the experience is fairly accessible for all.

Open through Jan. 31, “The Artist’s Museum” provides a unique look into the artistic heart of Los Angeles over the last 30 years.

And instead of upholding the stereotype of modern art as overly metaphorical, color block paintings meant to confuse, it proves the stereotype wrong with its interesting variety of works meant to enlighten.

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Dec. 16, 2010

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b.

Little Ethiopia

by Anthony Leong

In a Chinese restaurant, a waiter will probably forgive a diner’s unfamiliarity with chopsticks and ask if he or she would like a fork. At the Merkato restaurant in Little Ethiopia, there is no such forgiveness. Diners will receive no forks, but luckily, one needs no knowledge of foreign utensils like chopsticks in order to eat. To eat like the Ethiopians, one only needs his own two hands.

Instead of plates, each person’s order is placed on a single large platter in the center of the table on a porous, sourdough flatbread called injera. Injera is also served in large quantities with the meal-to pick up bits of meat, vegetables or sauces.

But the food wasn’ t the only outstanding thing at the Merkato Ethiopian restaurant and market. The ceilings are decorated with ornate umbrellas, and a life-size model of a giraffe stands near the door. The colors of the green, yellow, and red colors of the Ethiopian flag glow in the restaurant’s neon sign in front.

Utensils or not, the Merkato restaurant, with its expansive menu, deliciously prepared meats and vegetables, and the abundant injera, makes for a diverse meal on the unusual side that never fails to satisfy that craving for something a bit different.

en Bi

Olvera Street

The smell of the famous Olvera Street candle shop fills your nose. Vending carts line the street selling Mexican candies, instruments, and clothes. Not only is Olvera Street a historic landmark, but it is also a very festive place to visit during the holidays.

Olvera Street was built by settlers in 1781, making it the oldest street in Los Angeles. There are 27 historic buildings surrounding the street with a traditional mexican style plaza in the entrance of the street.

Every year around Christmas, Olvera Street celebrates Las Posadas. During Las Posadas, the merchant families create candlelit processions of Mary and Joseph followed by children, adults and animals.

They sing hymns and holiday songs in Spanish and English while they walk.

They stop at each store, asking for shelter. Time and time again they are turned away, until the final door is swung open and the pilgrims are allowed to enter singing.

Pan Dulce and hot chocolate are provided after every ceremony, pinatas are broken, and the music continues.

Las Posadas is performed every night Dec. 16 to Dec. 24. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m.

Not only is it a very cultural and enriching experience to see Las Posadas, Olvera Street is a interesting place to go on its own. It is an excellent place to practice Spanish, buy traditional Mexican items, and eat authentic Mexican dishes in one of the traditional restaurants.

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by Joanie Schneider

Little Saigon

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Amidst the geometrical architecture in Little Tokyo, there lies antique shops, Asian clothing, and Japanese cuisines.

by Camille Duong Walking the streets of Little Tokyo, many people from diverse backgrounds unite Little Saigon is more than just a small Vietnamese community. It emin one common area. bodies the best of Vietnamese culture.

At the “Little Tokyo Mall,” Hikosen Cara Appleseed was filled with a diLittle Saigon is mostly unknown to many. It isn’t as popular as places such orama of brightly colored knit prints in an organized fashion. This accesas Olvera Street or Chinatown, but Little Saigon also offers authentic foods and sory store felt quite welcoming as the store manager Yumiko Yuno apsmall souvenirs pertaining to the culture. proached with a smile.

For Caucasian restaurant owner Hilda Huynh, she had to adjust a lot when “I have been working here for more than ten years and I love she moved from Louisiana to Little Saigon in 2002. When she came, she knew it.” she said. “It surprises me that there are many different little about Vietnamese culture. people (not Japanese) that come visit the store” “It took a while but I am learning a lot about Vietnamese culture,” she said.

Out of the vast amount of stores in Little Tokyo, A unique part of Vietnamese culture is the Lunar New YearDuring the Lunar one of the most visited stores is the Kinokuniya New Year, people can watch firecrakers and the traditional “Dragon” dance. bookstore. Almost every item is in Japanese, and Because the experience is different from the American New Year celebration, the store workers speak only limited english.

Little Saigon becomes extremely crowded this time of year.

According to Hikari Yamane, the store Also, living in Little Saigon has provided a diverse environment for her sons. manager, he has grown a deep interest “Their father is Chinese, I am American, and now they can learn about the for the society.

Vietnamese culture.”

“It’s a very amazing place to Little Saigon offers a great view of Vietnamese culture that you cannot find live in,” he said. anywhere else.

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Dec. 16, 2010

‘Black Swan’ is grim but captivating

by Alex Curtis

Movies have given somewhat of an inaccurate name to ballet. Ballerinas are delicate, beautiful, and somehow effortlessly perfect. Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is the story of a young ballerina who wants nothing more than to be perfect. She will do whatever it takes, sacrificing herself and those around her to achieve perfection.

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is perfect for the role of the White Swan, a character from “Swan Lake” with her strain for perfection and overall helpless demeanor. Another ballerina Lily (Mila Kunis) is Nina’s foil: outgoing, carefree, and artistic, perfect for the role of the Black Swan.

However, their director (Vincent Cassel) wants the Swan Queen to be played by one girl. In her attempt to free herself and become perfect for both roles, Nina quickly loses her mind due to the stress she, her mom, and ballet have put on her.

Nina’s character immediately comes off as extremely soft-spoken; she looks to the ground when spoken to and speaks in a high, soft voice. She seems ready to

burst into tears at any moment. When her mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), is introduced, the reason why she is so sensitive becomes apparent.

Her mother is too controlling and too worried. From the very beginning,

Aronofsky gives the film an uncomfortably ominous tone which only grows as the film progresses.

Aronofsky truly did an incredible job at blending the worlds of reality and fantasy. The story of Black Swan parallels

that of Swan Lake, simply told in a modern form. Because of this, the audience will always know where the story is going without ever expecting what is about to happen next.

It’s truly genius. Aronofsky incorporates film techniques from a variety of genres that one wouldn’t necessarily expect: fantasy, drama, and horror. The last scene, the ballet, give us a final recap of what has happened thus far, before the big finale.

Both the costumes and the music in this film are exquisite. The music, of course, is nearly all taken from Swan Lake and incorporated seamlessly into Nina’s story.

Erica, gives an outstanding performance. She adds a depth to her character that could easily have been nothing more than an antagonizing monster.

Erica as both a victim and an attacker.

She has been hurt by the world in some way, which has lead her to protect and drive her daughter.

Black Swan is more than a film—it is an experience. The film sweeps its audience into another world where they are left to wonder what is real and what is not.

‘1940s Radio Hour’ is more than a collection of songs

by Nic Cruz

The blaring crescendo of the trumpets, the entrancing voices of the actors, and the beautiful beams of light that fall upon the stage­—all of these factors contribute to the artwork of the stage at the Civic Light Opera’s “1940’s Radio Hour.”

When I first walked into the theatre, I was taken aback by the quality of the stage. The visual appeal of the set was nothing less than amazing. It seemed like a masterpiece.

Nothing seemed out of place or poorly executed.

Want to check out the performance yourself?

The play will be showing at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center until Dec. 19.

You can buy tickets online or at the box office.

The setting seemed like it was professionally tailored to suit the performance.

The play focuses on the life of New Yorkers working at the WOV radio station during World War II. The station broadcasts a special Christmas Eve radio show to show their support for the troops in the war.

However, the play is not just a collection of songs, but a story of the friendships and bonds between the characters.

The actors truly brought the subtle romantic feelings between Ann and Johnny and the friendship that everyone shares with Biff play to life.

Audience members were able to feel tension when friends fought amongst themselves, jollity when characters laughed with one another, and sorrow when they saw one of their friends say goodbye.

Despite being placed in a grave period of American history, the comic relief plays a prominent role in the play.

Audience members continually laugh at the clumsiness of greenhorn member Wally Fergusson, played by Dane Biren, and the comedic mishaps during the radio show.

Fumbling through his songs and dance routines and making the scripted, clumsy mistakes, Wally keeps the audience engaged and laughing during the play de-

spite the play’s serious undertones.

Besides the characters themselves, the songs in the play greatly contribute to its overall quality.

The harmonies and tunes in this play are simply stunning. From lighthearted songs like “I Got a Girl in Kalamazoo,” to more soft ones like “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” everything is sung beautifully and passionately.

The contrast between cheery songs and bittersweet ones gives the play its realistic qualities, the sadness underneath the laughter.

The play also offers a wide variety of different styles and voices like Karole Foreman’s crisp and powerful voice and Christopher Newell’s deep and sultry voice.

The band members also performed exquisitely and backed up the actors with their expertise.

The expert quality of the cast members in their songs and the band leaves no room for disappointment and leaves the audience craving for more.

The overall quality of the performance was great, however, the only flaw I found in the play was how it ended.

I found myself asking what would happen to the characters after the stage lights went out.

I wanted to know if he got what he

wanted, and if they all ended up happy.

However, the play is a wonderful performance in itself and captivates its audience.

I immediately became lost in this imaginary world, watching characters spend Christmas Eve with the people that are most important to them.

From the comical beginning to the slightly somber ending, my eyes were never drawn away from the stage.

I walked out of theater lighthearted, humming a catchy tune from the play, and considering a second visit to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

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Dec. 16, 2010

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T-Mobile myTouch 4G T-Mobile has recently come out with a phone, the myTouch 4G, which is very similar to the iPhone 4G. FaceTime is included in both devices, which means it has a camera that you can use to video chat. What sets the devices apart from any other is the myTouch’s ability to FaceTime without a wifi network. Unlike the iPhone 4G that needs a wireless network, the myTouch is much more accessible to video chat. The myTouch is also thinner than the iPhone and gets better reception in more places. A downside to the myTouch is that it only comes in a silver color unlike the iPhone 4G which offers a choice of white or black.

TECHNOLOGYAT YOUR

FINGERTIPS The latest and greatest of technology and gadgets.

Macbook Air The new Macbook Air was released in October. It is two times thinner than the previous model and now holds the record of the thinnest computer in the world. A big problem for the Air before was its lack of memory space. While all features are the same, memory has been added and so has battery life. Because the computer was so thin, it was hard to store all the information needed.

The new Macbook Air added 2 GB to its hard drive while managing to be smaller than before. Battery life is always a problem for laptops and while the old Mac’s battery lasts only two and a half hours, the new Macbook Air lasts up to seven. These improvements have also lead the makers at Apple to produce an eleven inch Macbook Air. Not only is it the thinnest computer in the world, it is the smallest you can get from Apple.

IMAGES FROM WIKIMEDIACOMMONS.COM

Xbox Kinect Xbox Kinect is one of the first of its kind. It is a module that lets you play your game without a controller. Like a webcam, it detects movements, gestures, and any other motions made. Although there are not many games to match up with the new module, Xbox will soon expand to many different games. As of Nov. 29, 2010, 2.5 million Kinect sensors have been sold.

As the new module is very popular, there are occasional reviews of the game not working and unsatisfactory results.

This new electronic may have certain kinks to workout but it is overall a very good choice.

by Cameron Paulson

iPad 2 The iPad, the latest technology form Apple, was introduced in April 2010. And there is already talk that the iPad 2 is scheduled to come out in Feb. 2011. The upgraded iPad is said to be somewhat like an iPhone 4G because it will have a camera in the front and back of the device. The feature will include taking pictures and having the choice to video chat or FaceTime. While the screen resolution and overall quality will be upgraded, other features will include different colors, a thinner device, more memory, and a choice of two different sizes.

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Nov. 19th, 2010

Henna Club offers accessible tattoo artistry

by Tricia Light

Tattoos may provide a valuable outlet for self- expression, but the pain and permanence that accompanies them is undesirable for most students.

The Henna Club offers a more accessible alternative in the form of temporary Henna tattoos.

“Our goal in starting the club was to introduce henna to people,” president Maria Bangash, junior, said.

Henna is an herb-based dye that can be used to make intricate tattoos which will last around two weeks.

“It is a form of art,” Vice President Neha Qureashi, junior, said.

During weekly meetings students because natural dyes are temporary.

“We bring some designs out to chose from. People also look up designs they want or can draw their own, and we’ll make it,” Bangash said.

Students can be creative due to the natural dye’s temporary nature.

“Unlike a real tattoo, when you don’t want it you can just let it wear off,” she said. “You can change it whenever you want to.”

Part of henna’s appeal lies in its wide range of uses.

“It can be used on nails or even as hair die,” she said.

While the club receives positive feedback from students, a location change has resulted in lower attendance.

“Last year there was a tremendous amount of people,” she said. “This year we have some things we are trying to work out.”

In addition to being a source of amusement, Henna plays a traditional role in many societies.

“It is a part of our [Pakistani] culture.

Henna is our tradition,” Qureashi said.

Saenz regrets hasty tattoo

by Allison Salazar

She turns around and looks at herself in the mirror, admiring her dress. Then she spots it on her left shoulder and the regret sets in.

For senior Stephanie Saenz, the ink beneath her skin is a permanent reminder of what seemed like a good idea three years ago.

“I took advantage of the situation but I really didn’t think about it,” she said.

“It was just for the excitement,” she said.

“When you’re young you do stupid things but a tattoo is forever.”

Saenz got her last name tattooed on her shoulder when she was 15 years old, by her step mother’s neighbor. She had seen some of his work and since her father asked her if she wanted to get a tattoo, she jumped at the opportunity.

“I wanted to get it because I’m very proud of my last name; I wanted to pass it on because I don’t have any brothers so that was my way of doing it,” she said.

However she regrets not getting it done professionally and thinking about her decision. Rather than dwelling on the situation, she has changed her perspective on tattoos.

“I look at the symbolism and what it is portraying, and then I try to relate it to my life,” she said.

When Saenz got her tattoo it felt like she was being scraped but the pain was bearable.

Although she did not experience as

much pain as she had expected, getting a tattoo did not help Saenz face her fear of needles.

“It’s not the same thing. When I got my tattoo I knew what was happening but being near needles is different; it scares me,” she said.

Saenz is not scared of needles but she fears the thought of them going into her arm. After having her appendix removed and having blood drawn when she was eight, she began feeling anxious whenever she would see needles.

“I get really nervous and my palms get sweaty,” she said. “Then these thoughts come into my head and I start thinking about all the bad things that could happen.”

Saenz’s fear has even resulted in her running out of the doctor’s office during a check up. Having the needles around her causes her to shake, but once they are near her skin she starts crying.

“I’m scared of the unknown,” she said.

Despite her fear of needles, getting a tattoo was not a difficult experience for Saenz. Although she regrets not waiting and getting it done professionally, she is happy to have shared the experience with her dad.

“It was a bonding experience since we both got them at the same time. We were close back then but not so much anymore,” Saenz said.

In order to cover up her tattoo Saenz

wants to get a tattoo of Jack Skellington from the “Nightmare Before Christmas” because she believes it is symbolic of her life.

“During my sophomore year I felt that no one really understood me. I had all these great ideas just like Jack does when he comes back from Christmas Town, but I couldn’t express them,” she said.

Because her tattoo is on her shoulder, Saenz tends to forget that it is there. However according to school policy all tattoo’s must be covered. Saenz has not had any problems with administration regarding her tattoo, but she disagrees with the policy.

“I took advantage of the situation, but I didn’t really think about it” –– Stephanie Saenz “I think it’s dumb,” she said. “A tattoo is a piece of art and some people consider their bodies a blank canvas they can decorate in order to express themselves.”

Looking back on her experience has helped her learn to be patient and realize that perception changes over time.

“I was young when I got my tattoo and I thought it was cool. Sometimes it’s better to wait than rush into things,” she said.

First Person Anonymous: Student plans tattoo to remember miscarriage I want to feel the pain. I want the needle and the ink to meet my skin. I want to look at my tattoo everyday and think about the child I could have had.

Last February, I discovered that I was pregnant. I was only 16 — how was I supposed to take care of another human being when I could barely do my own laundry and take care of myself? I tried to look at my situation objectively. I considered all my options, but abortion and adoption were just two options I couldn’t take. I knew that I was unprepared to raise a chid and I knew that I had very little support, but I still wanted to keep the baby.

I told my boyfriend about my plan.

He wanted me to consider adoption, or

abortion if that was my choice, but he supported me when I chose not to.

I didn’t even know how I was going to tell my parents, or my friends, or anyone else for that matter. Regardless, I never got the chance.

One night the bleeding started. I woke up at 2 a.m. in so much pain that I could barely move. I struggled to pull back the sheets on my bed and as I did, I saw blood everywhere.

I managed to stumble into the bathroom where I spent the next five hours bleeding alone and scared. I had just lost what would have been my child — the grief was incredible.

It was over and I was in shock. I didn’t know if it was normal to feel both relieved

and consumed with guilt. Everyone always says it’s not your fault if you lose a baby, but it didn’t feel that way to me.

I was filled with so much pain and

“I’m getting a rose tattoo so I can carry that baby wherever I go.” guilt I didn’t think I’d ever be able to sleep without nightmares. Though my child wasn’t even old enough to be medically considered a baby, it still felt like a child to me, an actual person, no matter how small it was.

A few months after I was watching a

movie and one of the characters said “God gave us children so we could have roses in December,” and somehow that line really stood out to me.

I had always wanted to get a tattoo but never had a reason; now I finally did. I’m getting a rose tattoo so I can carry that baby with me where ever I go. It will be a constant reminder of the pain but also of life and how delicate it is.

I know that tattoo will help me with the guilt and help me understand what it means when people tell me it’s not my fault, no matter what anyone says I will still feel the blame. I know that filling my skin with in ink will in no way bring back what I lost but I hope that it will help me come to terms with it and move on.