High Tide Feb. 27, 2015

IGH H

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA February 27 , 2015 Vol. XCV Edition 10

TIDE

Taking a closer look at RUHS In light of the upcoming WASC visit, the High Tide decided to take a closer look at what RUHS students really think about their school [survey results on pg. 20]

by Joseph Blakely The countless hours spent at school and at home spent work every day would all be for nothing without RUHS being accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Without it, diplomas would be worthless, for WASC verifies that schools are instructionally sound and are providing an education aligned to the standard: completing everything that is necessary for a public high school.

The WASC self study report is now completed, and in March, six officials will visit

Inside

RUHS and determine whether the self-evaluation is accurate through a variety of ways, such as sitting in on classes and interviewing students.

WASC gives each school an accreditation score, which determines how often the school needs to be revisited for evaluation.

The highest score is a “six-year clear,” meaning that the school would be accredited for six years.

“Redondo has not received a six-year clear for its last two visits, but we have gotten a six-year with a three-year revisit which is not bad either,” Principal Nicole

Wesley said. “All they want to do is come back and make sure whatever goals we set are being worked towards.”

While most scores in high school can be improved by higher performance and achievement, the WASC accreditation score improves through creation of a strong action plan meant to reach Student Learning Outcomes: goals determined by the administration for the students to accomplish.

“Sometimes people think that in or-

ILL U PH STRA OT O B TION YC B HA Y ALY ND LER SA KA RO TAO KA SS

[cont. on pg. 20]

pg. 2

pg. 12

pg. 16

News: Ilana Golub won Best Delegate at the Model UN conference at UC Santa Barbara

Feature: Alexandra Hickey recently started doing taxidermy

Sports: The boys basketball team won in the first CIF consolation round

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High Tide

news

News and Briefs

Band Concert

PHOTO BY PERRY OKIMOTO. COURTESY OF RUHS BAND AND DANCE GUARD BOOSTERS AND FRIENDS

Staying sharp. RUHS Concert Band (pictured above), along with the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, played at the secondary school’s Winter Concert on Feb. 20.

Senior Picnic

1.

PHOTOS BY MASHA PESHCHERYAKOVA AND SANDER FINK

Senior Privileges. 1. Taylor Herm, Anevay Heihle and Kristen Hamlin vote for

their top 5 Pom Court nominees. 2. Brandon Webb receives food from the parent volunteers who helped run the distribution by the band room. 3. Haylie Thatcher and Natassia Domael enjoy the food and the stimulating conversation at the Picnic.

3.

2.

Golub named Best Delegate

by Jessica Johnson

At RUHS’s Model United Nations (MUN) club’s most recent conference, at UCSB, senior and club president lana Golub was named “Best Delegate” in the General Assembly.

“I was so incredibly excited. I was actually expecting one of the lower ranking awards.

When I didn’t hear my name called for any of them, I thought my chance had gone and then they called my name for best delegate and I was so shocked,” Golub said.

MUN is a program that simulates the United Nations and students (delegates) represent different countries. The one student who represents their countries ideals the best and most effectively is awarded the Best Delegate.

“UCSB is always a pretty competitive conference so I was definitely expecting a wide array of delegates- ranging from beginner to super experience,” Golub said,”I

was not expecting this award at all.”

The delegates start researching their topics weeks or days ahead of the conference to get an idea of what the country they are representing wants.

“First I have to read the topic synopsis the conference provides, then I went through the actual General Assembly plenary website and found more info from there,” Golub said. “Most importantly, delegates need to create their solutions based off what their respective nation would actually do--staying on policy is vital. After that, I write my position papers off my knowledge of the country.”

Because Redondo offers Model UN as a club, it is not as competitive as the other schools that offer it as a full-fledged class.

“Our club is improving! The fact that kids are getting awards now is great! We’re preparing beforehand and teaching newcomers what to expect. It’s really significant that

our small club is gaining prestige,” Golub said.

Golub has participated in MUN since she was a freshman. Her favorite part is that it is always a learning experience, and she especially enjoys the debate aspect.

“It’s a super neat outside-the-textbook experience,” Golub said. “The public speaking skills members develop are invaluable! I think it’s super interesting. “ While Golub enjoys the debates, what she enjoys more about MUN is the chance the program has given her to have a stronger outlook on the world, on how real nations interact.

“It provides a challenge and a new perspective on global affairs, considering that you’re researching and debating from the point of view of a particular nation. It definitely gives kids an amazing chance to grow and learn-not to mention testing their thinking on the spot capabilities,” Golub said.

PHOTO BY CHRIS PALUDI

Posperous Province. Golub poses with her award and the gavel she received as a prize.

Feb. 27, 2015

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news

NCAA Requirements negate Film Criticism

by Malek Chamas

Students planning on participating in college sports may want to consider the English classes they take carefully. Film Criticism, an English course for seniors, is not recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the governing body for the athletics programs of colleges and universities across the United States and Canada.

High school students who want to participate in college athletics as freshmen must take four years of English courses.

Since Film Criticism is not recognized as a valid English course, students must take a different English course that is recognized during their senior year to meet NCAA requirements.

“There are very few courses at RUHS that are not NCAA approved - very few!” College and Career Counselor Shannon Rodriguez said. “So, this is a relatively rare situation.”

According to Rodriguez, although colleges themselves may approve a course, the NCAA uses a different system to approve new courses, so that same course may not be approved by the NCAA. “We have submitted our course multiple times, including an appeal, and were denied each time,” Rodriguez said. “The NCAA isn’t always very specific about why, as an institution, it does not approve a course.”

Film Criticism teacher Norma Molina says she is “disappointed” that her class is not being recognized as an English course by the NCAA. “NCAA’s disapproval does not make sense

- especially when the course is UC/CSU approved. Most importantly, many universities offer Film Criticism and Theory as an English course,” Molina said. “Learning is not compartmentalized in my course. We are studying art, literature, social studies, and history. NCAA needs to understand that there should not be one set way to teach the Language Arts.”

Senior Morgan Moczygemba, a student

taking Film Criticism and who is planning on being a college athlete, “did not know at first” that Film Criticism did not fulfill NCAA requirements.

“When I found out, I was kind of bummed out, because now I have to take two English classes at the same time,” Moczygemba said.

“I kind of understand their choice, because yes, we watch movies, but we also do a lot of writing.”

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

Cinema Crisis or: How I Learned my English Class might not Count. Students

in period 4 Film Criticism and Theory openly discuss the content of their last movie ‘Le Cercle Rogue’.

“In the wake of the Common Core adoption, it is important to offer a balance between fiction and nonfiction text,” Molina said. “My course focuses on interpreting and citing fiction text and nonfiction text from various writers such as film scholars and literary critics.”

Molina feels that Film Criticism helps prepare students “for the rigor they will anticipate at a four-year university.”

“They explore films from an ideological/ historical, societal, artistic, literary, and archetypal perspective. In other words, they are required to critique films from various critical and theoretical lenses,” Molina said.

“My goal is to make students more wellrounded and balanced in understanding and interpreting both fiction and nonfiction text amid their interdisciplinary studies of cinema.”

Rodriguez says that the effect of the decision by the NCAA to not recognize Film Criticism has had a minimized impact on students in RUHS, thanks to the administration.

“I do know four students have decided to change the course to another that is NCAA approved,” Rodriguez said. “We are trying to make sure that all four students can participate in an elite athletic program if they should choose to do so.”

Molina says she would “like to be optimistic” about Film Criticism being approved in the future by the NCAA. But for now, although Moczygemba says “if you are not an athlete, it is a great class to take”, she has one warning for juniors thinking of what English class they should take next year as seniors.

“If you are an athlete, and you are looking to go Division 1 or Division 2, do not take the class, because you do not want to be in my situation and have to take two classes,” Moczygemba said. “And it is going to be a lot of work.”

Teen Idol finalists to compete for scholarship

by Roxanne Labat

Peninsula, Palos Verdes, and Mira Costa high The three RUHS Teen Idol finalists will ad- schools.

“I’ve been playing guitar for about five vance to the final round to compete against one another and other schools’ finalists for a years,” junior and finalist Alec Johnson said.

Freedom 4 U sponsored scholarship worth a “I do theater at RUHS, and I’ve done theater before that. That was my first experience thousand dollars.

RUHS’s three finalists will compete singing. I just fused the two together and against both one another and the top three played a few coffee shop gigs. I decided to from each competing high school, including sing and play guitar to ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’

by Michael Bublé.”

Sophomore and finalist Elizabeth Anderson, who sang “Red” by Taylor Swift, has had experience through choir, voice lessons, and singing the national anthem during the October rally.

“I love that there are scholarships like this,” Anderson said.

“Not everyone is good at writing, but everyPHOTO PROVIDED BY ALEC JOHNSON one has some sort of Behind the Scenes. Singers performing in the Teen Idol competitalent.” tion hang out before showtime.

Sophomore and fi-

nalist Giorgia Fujita agrees.

“There are a few poem-related scholarships, but not many that have to do with singing. It’s great that there are organizations that support the arts,” Fujita said.

Unlike her fellow finalists, Fujita had only a week to prepare for her performance.

“I ended up changing the song right after the rehearsal, the same day of the event,” Fujita said. “I got nervous, so I switched it to an a cappella of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by The Animals. I wanted to be realistic without getting my hopes up too much.”

The final round will take place March 11 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

“I’m going to ask around for songs that people think are good for the upcoming round,” Johnson said. “I’m not that original when it comes to songs. Some might be inappropriate; not explicitly, but in the way that the song sounds. I’m going to play the guitar as an accompaniment.”

Fujita is also preparing for the final round in hopes of being able to pay for college with the winnings.

“I’m already applying to college scholarships and I’m a sophomore,” Fujita said.

“Winning this would be really nice. At the same time, everyone backstage was so nice to one another that I felt that everyone deserved this scholarship equally.”

Johnson feels more at ease about the final round, despite that the final decision will be based on the judges’ votes, as opposed to being voted on by the public like in the first round.

“Ironically, I don’t have as many nerves for the final round as I did the first round. I’m more prepared now,” Johnson said. “Honestly, I’m just happy to be in the contest. If I don’t win, I’m glad that I have family and friends who support me.”

The winner will be announced the same night as the final competition, and those who would like to support contestants can visit. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for teens, and for free to those under the age of 12.

“I think it would be cool for our school’s students to see other schools’ unique singers,” Johnson said. “It’ll be interesting to hear and see the talent that comes from other schools. It’s not that one is better than the other, but there’s definitely a variety in originality.”

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High Tide

opinion

Letter to the Editor

Thanks, Obama Obama’s new initiative to give free community college will better serve the average American high school graduate

Editorial

A c o l lege degree is the new high school diploma. At least that’s how it seems in a society with an ever growing focus on getting good grades to get into college.

For middle class families, a great problem exists with the expectation of going to college: It’s expensive.

This is why President Obama proposed a program that would grant a free community college tuition to any student who earns a 2.5 GPA or higher.

Students from wealthy families are able to pay their way through college without a problem.

Poor minorities who work hard in school are recognized by colleges and are given large scholarships that finance their education. This is a good thing, but what happens to the students in the middle with the same grades but aren’t “special” or “different” or the ones that did not overcome hardships to qualify for a large scholarship? They get left in the dust.

Yes, these middle class students do get into college. But, in order to pay for their education they need to take out large student loans. Debts from these loans hang over students long after they graduate, effectively crippling them financially before they even get the chance to get out into the world and use their new college degree to make money and support themselves.

Students are suffering from the loans they have to borrow in order to put themselves through college. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, student loans are harder to pay off than credit cards, auto loans, and home mortgages.

This essentially means it would cost less for a lot of students to buy a house than it would to borrow money to get a college education.

It is true, students with bachelor’s degrees do make significantly more money than those with only high school diplomas. According to the Census Bureau, a person with a bachelor’s degree makes $400,000 more than a person with a high school diploma in a lifetime.

However, this extra money is earned over time, leaving college graduates stranded in tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt as soon as they get out of college, and the debt only increases the longer it takes to find a job.

This proposed scholarship to community college would make “the new high school diploma” more accessible to all people, and grants opportunities to the middle class people who are left in the dust by the current model of college payment.

It would also give poor students who are not extraordinary enough to earn a scholarship to a university an opportunity to work hard towards a diploma, which would in

ILLUSTRATION BY LUMA WEGMAN

turn allow them a better chance to break out of the poverty barrier.

There is a strong correlation between people with only high school diplomas and poverty when compared to those with a bachelor’s degree. While 21.8% of people with only a high school diploma live in poverty, only 5.8% of people with a bachelor’s degree do.

The community college scholarship would give the lower class students a chance to make a decent living for themselves without having to worry about expensive student loan debt that currently costs more than buying a house.

One of the reasons tuitions to public and private universities are so high is due to supply and demand. A large amount of people want to go to college to earn a degree to make more money. Therefore, a large amount of people apply to college. Since college is in demand, universities are able to raise tuition prices and get away with it. Adjusting for inflation, tuition and fees to go to public school have increased by 250% since 1985. Tuition and fees for private schools have increased by 150%.

If more people are going to community college, less people will apply to public and private universities. This will, in theory, lower the cost of going to public and private universities by decreasing demand while providing opportunities for higher education to those who cannot afford college.

There are some speculations on how the government will drum up funding for such large scale scholarships, but in an increasingly competitive intellectual society, higher education is becoming more of a priority, making cuts in other areas a worthwhile sacrifice.

At the very least, more citizens will be more educated, which is a good way to spend taxpayer money all while solving an increasing problem of expensive college tuitions.

agree

8

Editorial Board

vote

disagree

Free commnity college will help more students be successful.

1

A student writes in about Measure O’s disadvantages Measure O is a proposal for an oil company to drill for oil in Hermosa Beach. Voters will go to the polls to vote on measure O, which may allow a drilling company, E&B Natural Resources to slant drill for oil and natural gas in Hermosa Beach. The company cannot drill in the bay currently since there is an existing ban on drilling oil. This proposal will allow the ban to be lifted. The city will benefit from this project as Hermosa Beach will receive royalties and money for allowing E&B to drill. This money can only be used for city services and maintaining and enhancing the Hermosa pier. School districts are entitled to financial benefits as well, but it’s not clear to what extent. If voters vote against the measure, then the city will have to pay the E&B $17.5 million in fees. Hermosa has about $6 million already saved up for this situation.

City-owned property can be sold to also assist in paying this fee. I stand against this because there are more risks that outweigh the benefits. This drilling will continue for 35 years and many families will have to deal with these issues for a long time, as there are unavoidable impacts.

The fumes and pollution will affect people more with respiratory illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. The oil rig will be unaesthetic since there will be a 87 foot tall electric drill rig at the site, which is located by the wood chip trail inside a neighborhood. Many families will have to see this. Property value is projected to decrease in areas surrounding the drilling site. It may cause a decrease in tourism, which is large revenue basin for Hermosa.

Tourists may not want to the smell of the fumes from the drilling sites, as the smell will spread across the area and may even affect the tourism of Redondo Beach or Manhattan Beach as well. There is also over a 12% chance of a malfunction or a disaster occurring during drilling. The closest home is just feet away, making it highly unlikely that homeowners will be able to escape the impact zone in the case of a disaster. An oil spill will affect all beaches in the area, not just Hermosa. Even through mitigation, water quality decreasing and a potential oil spill is unavoidable. It will disrupt ecosystems in the South Bay waters. I live in Redondo but I share the risk as well from potential oil drilling.

Sincerely, Daniel Medrano

When you’re done reading the issue, if you are not going to hang onto it, please either leave it in your classroom or recycle the paper.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH BIESCHKE

Feb. 27, 2015

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opinion

Letters to the

Editor

If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com.

We reserve the right to edit them for content, grammar, and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed. Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest opinions are also accepted.

High Tide

staff

Editor in Chief: Allegra Peelor

Managing Editor: Alejandro Quevedo News Editor: Jason Rochlin Opinion Editor: Christopher Paludi Features Editors: Yasmeen El-Hasan;

Vaidehi Gandhi; Caterina Hyneman; Shawn Mallen; Shaniya Markalanda

Get your shots

Sports Editors: Nina Gomez; Sophie Maguy

Design Editor: Grace Zoerner Writing Editors: Stella Gianoukakis;

People should get themselves and their children vaccinated, not just for their sakes but to protect everyone else, too

Kayla Nicholls

Photo Editors: Ted Cavus; Chandler Ross Copy Editors: Joseph Blakely; Kira Bowen Online Editors: Vivian Vy Lam; Romy Moreno

Photographers: Dinah Aiad; Samantha

Bendall; Jennifer Blanco; Madison Brooks; Erin Czulewicz; Morgan Goldstein; Daniel Green; Janelle Howe; Lexi Kleen; Carla Macar; Masha Pescheryakova; Laua’e Schweitzer

Illustrators: Steven Bell-Nixon; Kaita Pannor; Luma Wegman

Staff Writers: Gianna Aquilina; Malek

Chamas; Jason Clebowicz; Erin Czulewicz; Micah Ezzes; Lizzie Fauver; Yasamin Fazeli; Jason Fong; Daniel Green; Zach Hatakeyama; Kayla Hiken; Jessica Johnson; Jon Mallen; Marie Ona; Kaita Pannor; Samaya Rubio; Reema Saad; Mylene Silver; Simrun Ursani; Tyler Wunderli; Adam Yorke High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

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

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

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

by Cody Williams You’re bed ridden, experiencing a throbbing fever, chills, muscle aches and pains, and vomiting uncontrollably. The doctor tells you that you’ve contracted a deadly disease and you will likely die because your body does not have the capability to fight back. Surprisingly, this is not a dusty memoir of an poor South African or an excerpt from the journal of an early explorer of the southern United States. This is happening now, 2015, because people are refusing to be vaccinated.

The fact that people are not taking advantage of these medical blessings which are ridiculously easy to obtain is a disappointment to modern society and just plain stupid. It is widely known that a simple vaccination can spare an individual, and all of those around the individual, the pain of severe sickness and ultimately save lives. It is necessary for people to receive vaccinations in order to protect themselves and to reduce the risk of resurgences of serious diseases.

Ever since the introduction of vaccines into modern medicine, the occurrence of serious diseases has decreased dramatically. Since the pre-vaccination era, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports a 99% decrease in cases of the measles and polio, as well as a 100% decrease in cases of diphtheria, diseases that were all once a major health concerns in the U.S. With the proven effectiveness of vaccination, why would anybody deny themselves something that is so blatantly beneficial to their own health?

Those who speak out against vaccines have based their reasoning solely on paranoia, some going so far to claim that vaccines are just a secret government conspiracy to put tracking devices inside the American population. Also, critics of vaccines have a strong conviction that the components of vaccines are directly linked to the development of autism.

Although autism is a legitimate concern, the Immunization Safety Review Committee has found no evidence to support the linkage of vaccines to autism after eight periods of examination, proving the illegitimacy of the claim as a whole.

In reality, vaccinations are an affordable protective measure that is beneficial to the receiver of the vaccination and everyone who comes into contact with the receiver. One dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine costs, on average, US$ 0.20. A lifesaving dose of measles-containing vaccine costs only US$ 0.24 (vaccines.gov). Mere pennies and a little bit of pain tolerance can save lives for generations to come.

With the ease and obvious benefits of getting vaccinated, it is a shame that anyone in modern society refuses to receive them. Those stubborn enough to deny these medical miracles are being consumed by selfish paranoia, allowing themselves to become a potential health threat to themselves and those around them. The decision should be made clear and simple if one has the most basic human instinct of survival; get vaccinated so you don’t die.

ILLUSTRATION BY STEVEN BELL-NIXON

page 6

and

Crash

BURN

Senior Liam Guzman was in a plane crash while on his way to volunteer at a clinic in Mexico

by Reema Saad Fatigue from volunteering at a medical clinic in Mexico and an early morning flight over a scenic river route in a four-passenger airplane was the last thing senior Liam Guzman experienced before waking up to find a fisherman pulling him out of the river.

The fisherman took Guzman to the nearest Red Cross Center, where he was greeted by his father and the screams of the two girls who accompanied him on the flight.

Soon after, he was taken with the girls to another hospital.

“It all kind of happened fast. In the moment, I did not believe it. It felt like a dream, or more like a nightmare,” Guzman said. “The whole time in the hospital was not real. I was laying in bed all day, not really doing anything. When my dad came up to me I started crying hysterically. He got a call that a plane

High Tide

features crashed and it was really bad and there was one confirmed dead male, so when he saw me he got pretty excited.”

Guzman believed he was better off than the others with his shattered collarbone and broken bones in his nose, in his face, one rib and foot.

“I was not incapacitated. I felt bad for the people who were in the plane with me because the pilot died instantly, one of the girls was in a coma for six weeks, and both girls had really bad back injuries. They tore muscles around their spines and obviously the one in the coma was not doing very well, but she is fine now, which is a miracle,” Guzman said.

After the experience, Guzman has become more “grateful.” According to Guzman, the plane was so small that any one of the passengers could have experienced a fatality.

“Why did I have the least amount of injuries? It was a four-seater, so I was sitting right next to the pilot and the two girls were right behind us. I was probably four inches away from him, so I did not really understand. He broke both bones in both legs, ten ribs and fractured his skull in three places and I was sitting right next to him,” Guzman said. “That is the thing that really got me.”

His father, Ernie Guzman, agrees that the death of the pilot was important.

“I have come to believe that the pilot gave up his life to spare the lives of the teens. Despite being only inches away from death, Liam’s life was spared for a future purpose.

I have not been a religious person in my life, but I feel now that we are all part of some master plan,” Ernie said.

The original plan was to fly over the river, which all the passengers agreed to. As soon as the pilot made the turn over the river, however, unmarked power lines appeared.

1.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIAM GUZMAN

Battered but not shattered. 1. Guzman poses with fellow volunteers at the clinic. 2. Guzman was on a plane with three others on his way to Mexico, when the plane crashed. “It all kind of happened fast,” Guzman said. “In the moment, I did not believe it. It felt like a dream, or more like a nightmare.”

“They were not on the map so we did not get to see them. It was actually against the rules. Their policy was not to fly that low and not go over the river but all the pilots did it.

The pilot asked us if we were okay with it, and honestly we wanted to see it,” Guzman said.

A wing caught on the power lines and dislodged, which caused the plane to start spinning. The cabin “disintegrated” as the plane crashed down into the river.

“The last thing the pilot said was ‘Oh, shoot.’ The moment he said that I was like ‘Alright, we are in real trouble now. If he is worried, we’re in trouble,’ and that is when my heart dropped and I thought I was in a dream,” Guzman said.

2.

After paying respects to the pilot and dealing with hospital bills before he could leave the country, Ernie thought it was “surreal” that he would be returning home with Guzman within days.

“It was surreal to think we would be flying only five days after the accident, where we would never think of flying again. I didn’t notice myself becoming more cautious, but I know Liam did, and that for some days or weeks after he would freeze hearing the sounds of small airplanes overhead,” Ernie said.

Because of the accident, Guzman has been able to develop as a person with the help of family and friends, according to Ernie.

“There is a greater appreciation for the family and friends he has that supported him. Liam has also become fiercely independent, able to manage his own affairs with only selected input from others,” Ernie said.

According to Ernie, he has become closer to his son because they can share the effects of the experience.

“I have felt a closer bond which he and I have spoken about off and on. We were on either end of a tragedy that only he and I could relate to,” Ernie said.

The accident did not stop Guzman from returning to Mexico six months later to continue volunteering at the clinic.

“When I went back, the plane flight was the most nerve-racking thing because they do not have good airports down there. Some of the landing strips are just dirt strips and are not placed well so the planes will go back and forth when landing,” Guzman said.

Guzman was “excited” to go because he felt the need to continue volunteering at the clinics.

“I needed to go for some sort of closure. It wasn’t different going back. I wasn’t afraid because I know that something like that would not happen again,” he said. “I still wanted to keep helping people.”

Feb. 27, 2015

page 7

features

Rodriguez takes classes at Civil Air Patrol

by Samaya Rubio The meeting starts, he tells himself to be precise and professional, that this is important to him and that he wants to be there.

Freshman Andrew Rodriguez participates in a program called Civil Air Patrol.

“We learn a lot about leadership. We take classes on working together, collaborating with your fellow flight members and having your own opinion on current events,” Rodriguez said.

He has been in the program for about five months now and he has learned many skills from it such as, paying attention to detail, being polite, sharing opinions, listening to others and being followers and leaders.

All the participants have learned more about leadership through the program.

“We have leadership textbooks that we read from and take tests on,” freshman Jack Adair said.

“It’s not just about the drills or doing what people tell you, it’s about thinking on your own because people are not always going to be there to tell you what to do. You need to learn how to lead and how to follow in order to be a leader,” Rodriguez said.

During their meetings, the colonel calls

the meeting to order, they say the Pledge of Allegiance and then they all go outside for “opening ceremonies” tradition. They then go inside the hangar to take classes on various subjects and to participate in drills.

“In Charlie flight, the very beginning, we learn how to march and do basic maneuvers for drills. We learn all the basic stuff, take leadership classes and get introduced to the program,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just natural when we get out there and it’s just what we do.”

It is hard for some people to stay focused during this time, but the participants have a good way of reminding themselves to stay focused.

“Its not hard to stay focused because you just have to understand that you need to do everything you can to accomplish the mission at hand,” freshman Clifford Sullham said.

They also have a strict dress code: their shirts and pants must be ironed and they must have their shirt tucked “neatly” into their pants. They also have strict standards for their hair; it must be a buzz cut on the sides and a little bit longer on the top.

“The BDUs can be warm and the blues

can be stiff, but both uniforms are generally comfortable,” Rodriguez said.

When he first joined, he was in a flight of three beginners, but now he is in a bigger flight of twelve more advanced people.

When he first joined they were taught basic commands and how to be disciplined, but he now learns more complicated things in his classes, like discussions about current events, morals and ethics and freedom of speech and religion.

“It’s really cool because you get to share your own opinions and hear other people’s opinions so you can get a whole point of view on the subject,” Rodriguez said.

He has always considered going into the Air Force as an occupation.

“I’ve always been interested in the Air Force because my grandpa was in it and I really look up to him,” Rodriguez said.

After being inspired to join by Air Force veterans at a Veteran’s Day service, he took it upon himself to look up programs in the area that he could participate in now to prepare

himself for this possible occupation.

“I had a meeting with Colonel Williams and immediately knew this was the program for me,” Rodriguez said.

Call of duty. Rodriguez poses with other participants at the Civil Air Patrol.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW RODRIGUEZ

page 8

features

High Tide

Soccer coach Phil Fisher played professionally

by Samaya Rubio Soccer played a huge role in his life as a child, but he would have never dreamed that soccer would be his lifelong profession. The JV and varsity girls soccer assistant coach Phil Fisher played professionally in his home country of England and abroad.

“Where I grew up, obviously in England, it’s what you do. Everybody plays soccer, boys and girls from the earliest age. Dad played, mom played, your brothers play, your sisters play, so it’s kind of in your genes. You just play because everyone is,” Fisher said.

His entire family has played soccer since they were young, but his main influence was his grandfather, a professional player for Liverpool in the English premiere league.

“He was probably my main influence growing up. He used to take me to practice and everything else so he was probably the one, but obviously I had support from all my family and everyone else,” Fisher said.

He has been playing soccer since he was three years old, which is almost thirty years for him. He started coaching at age fifteen,

at a job given to him by his family friend and coach for about ten years.

After he was coached to success by a close family friend, Fisher was signed to a professional English soccer team, Swindon Town, when he was sixteen, and with that team he actually had his favorite moment playing soccer.

“My favorite moment was probably when I was playing for Swindon Town, we were 3-0 down and we came back and won 4-3 and I was a defender so I don’t score many goals but I scored the fourth, which got us a victory. Coming back from 3-0 down was a great game so that was probably my favorite memory as a youngster,” Fisher said.

He played soccer for Swindon Town, a team in New Zealand called Wanganui City FC, and Miami FC in the United States.

“I played on some televised games in the FA cup in England and then in New Zealand our games were televised and also we had a few college games in conference USA that used to be televised on some networks,” Fisher said.

He moved to the United States when

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

Footballer. Phil Fisher played professionally in England, New Zealand, and the United States. he was 21 years old on a soccer scholarship to Miami International University. After he graduated, he played for Miami FC is in the USL league, only one division below the MLS, where he played until he was forced to retire because of his injuries.

After Fisher retired, he got a job coaching for RUHS alongside Shelly Marsdon with varsity and Kevin Norman with JV team for the last two years. He is very confident

about the team’s abilities and is very supportive of them.

“With hard work and the girls’ commitment we’ve got the potential to be not only one of the best programs locally but one of the best programs in southern California and hopefully the nation. That’s the aim, keep building this with the players we have and the talent we’ve got, the facilities we’ve got and we should be golden,” Fisher said.

Feb. 27, 2015

page 9

features

The food is always greener Jordin Morley embraces a vegan lifestyle

PHOTO BY LAUA’E SCHWEITZER

Herbivore. Jordin Morley became a vegan after foods coming from animals made her feel ill. She says her choice was more for heath reasons rather than for ethical or “superiority” reasons.

by Roxanne Labat A peek into her lunchbox reveals an assortment of items that one would normally dig up from the earth. Her current diet is filled with foods that fuel her and allow her to take on the day. Although it is sometimes seen as a large commitment, senior Jordin Morley became a vegan for the benefit of better health, and did not resort to a bland “rabbit food” diet in the process.

“My reason for becoming a vegan was less for ethical or superiority reasons and more for my health,” Morley said. “It became difficult for me to finish meals and just eat in general. I would eat little to nothing for a couple of days until my body became so hungry that I would eat whatever I had access to instead of eating proper meals. I used to barely be able to stay awake during the day because I was eating so little food.”

Morley soon found that fruits, vegetables, and salad did not make her feel ill.

“I had more energy because I was consuming less saturated fats, processed sugars, and cholesterol. It became a way for me to start eating again. I like the way I feel when I eat whole foods instead of processed foods or animal products,” Morley said.

Although Morley now benefits from her

vegan diet, eating with friends is still difficult.

“Going out with my friends is a real challenge because most of them eat meat. I have two vegetarian friends, but it’s hard to go to a restaurant or a friend’s house. I usually end up ordering a salad, but it’s not as filling as something I could have gotten at the grocery store or at home,” Morley said.

Morley’s family did not immediately understand what the reasons for her change in diet were.

“When I first told my parents, they thought I had become vegan to lose weight, like it was a diet fad,” Morley said. “Then they were worried I was trying to starve myself and that I would be protein-deficient.

They’re much more supportive now, though.

They can go to the grocery store without my help and look at the ingredients in the foods they pick out for me.”

Morley’s father, Adam Morley, respects his daughter’s decision and supports her new eating lifestyle.

“Because of my own choices, I have tried to improve my diet. Her new diet has made it a little easier. Although, I’ve noticed that just because something is vegan or vegetarian, it doesn’t mean it’s good for you,” Adam said.

Adam and the rest of Jordin’s family has

adapted to Jordin’s new needs.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t sat down and eaten as a family in a long time, so she just makes her own meals,” Adam said. “We try to eat most of the types of foods she eats, but there are some foods the rest of the family eats and there are some that we don’t anymore.”

Because Jordin’s diet consists of perishable foods, she must take trips to the store every two to three days to buy small servings.

“It’s not too expensive to eat vegan,” Jordin said. “I can pick up a five-pound bag of potatoes for five dollars or less. Some single non-vegan breakfasts are five dollars nowadays. A bunch of bananas is 69 cents per pound where I shop. Entrees at veggie grills are less than ten dollars. I won’t be eating Ramen noodles next year like every other college student.”

In addition to regaining her appetite, Jordin finds that there are many more benefits to reducing the amount of animal products in one’s diet.

“People who don’t eat red meat are less likely to have heart problems, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Those who tend to eat less meat have smaller medical bills because of this. Obesity, as

everyone knows, is a big deal. If you’re only eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, and unprocessed foods, it’s less likely that you will develop obesity,” Jordin said.

Jordin concludes that being a vegan is not as much of a dramatic change as most people think.

“Many regular foods that people eat are vegan; the food you cook it with is not vegan,” Jordin said. “I eat rice, whole grain pasta, bread, vegan bars, dairy-free cheese, and soy products. It’s not as restricting as most people make it out to be.”

Although she is a vegan, Jordin supports all eating lifestyles and believes it is up to each person to decide what they put into their body.

“I hope that people are not closed-minded when a family member or friend adopts a new way of eating,” Jordin said. “Even if someone is not going vegan, but simply becoming a vegetarian, it’s not necessarily because that person is brainwashed. This is what some people need to do for themselves to be healthy again. There’s this stigma that vegetarians and vegans are stuckup and snobbish because they believe the way that they eat makes them better than everyone else. We don’t care what others eat; we’re doing this for ourselves.”

page 10

Harsh Mob

High Tide

center

center

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SoundCloud’s

by Mylene Silver

Up-and-Coming

Maturbo music

Yung Saucy

Golden Queen #trap

by Mylene Silver

Yung Saucy

Oldie

feat. Steezy J, $ky Money, E Flames, Mallie, Slippery Dev, Cruz, Chrisp #YUNGSAUCYD Yung Saucy

SDM

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

Just wait ‘till we come out to play. Clockwise from the top,

feat. Cruz, Dev #yungsaucyd

Steven Bell-Nixon, Larry Saucedo, Mark Jordan, and Eric Mendez are members of Harsh Mob

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Audio sharing website, Soundcloud, has helped senior Nate Maturo express himself in a way that he never could before.

“When you’re an up-and-coming artist, it’s good to have a community that you’re a part of,” Maturo said. “You can share and talk to other people and you can message other artists and ask to collaborate.”

Producing music for a year and a half, Maturo uploads his music to Soundcloud and Youtube and promotes it through social networking.

“Soundcloud is like the best place to share your music, besides YouTube.

It’s all about music and promoting your own content,” Maturo said.

“And also, labels can promote your content as well. It’s a nice place to upload music and share with other people.”

Maturo has nine songs on Soundcloud. and his most popular

13 l

out.”

Recording sessions with the group are both hectic and productive with some underlying playfulness, according to Bell-Nixon.

“Music is a lot of fun to do with friends because you have fun memories to look back on,” Mendez said. “I’m glad I’m doing this.”

According to him, overall quality and vocabulary can be improved in future songs.

“We’re building up in quality and things are getting better and more serious than they were,” Bell-Nixon said.

“We have a lot more to come and people shouldn’t underestimate Harsh Mob.”

69

Harsh Mob is as authentic as they come, but that doesn’t mean you know everything about them. The up-and-coming rap group opens up about collaborating with friends and what’s it like using the audio medium SoundCloud.

“It’s fun making music with friends. We just say stupid stuff and we scream and it’s nice to blow off energy,” senior Larry Saucedo said. “We don’t really take it too serious to the point where it’s not fun.”

As the head of Harsh Mob, Saucedo has produced and uploaded 11 songs to SoundCloud since Oct. of 2014.

“SoundCloud is a great resource and outlet because you can post any music or audio that you want,” senior Steven Bell-Nixon said. “You get to see all these artists who aren’t mainstream that make quality music.”

According to Saucedo, SoundCloud is highly accessible and easy to use, catalyzing the group’s musical following.

“The music sounds good for the quality that it’s being made at for someone who’s maybe not as experienced as an actual producer,” Bell-Nixon said. “Not everyone can make music; try making a beat yourself.”

Harsh Mob’s first collaborative song is a freestyle rap over Oldie by Odd Future.

“The songs don’t have a lot of meaning behind them because it’s more about the sound. I just find words that rhyme and that kind of make sense,” Saucedo said. “I’m not looking to reveal some deeper meaning.”

The group finds inspiration from artists like Denzel Curry and Travis Scott.

“The style of music is reminiscent of what we listen to; that’s why we make it,” Bell-Nixon said. “You can somewhat identify our music tastes in the songs.”

Senior Eric Mendez describes the style of music as “ignorant and fun”.

“It’s ignorant to the point where you’re not listening to it for the lyrics but for the beat, melody, and rhyme,” Bell-Nixon said.

“It’s just to get you hyped and dancing and it’s catchy so you’ll think about it over and over again.”

Saucedo’s pseudonym and name on SoundCloud is “Yung Saucy.” As the group’s founder, he is looked up to for direction in developing their music.

“Larry has a lot of ability and talent and I think he’s putting it to good use and something dope is soon to come,” Bell-Nixon said.

According to Saucedo, he is currently working on an instrumental album that will focus on tranquil music and upbeat, dance music.

“I want to pursue music as a career, but it’s more for fun,” he said. “I make music to make me happy, and if it benefits me in the future, then that’s just the way it works

Feb. 27, 2015

#Drum&Bass

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hosted by Juizify #FutureBass 44,386 views

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Stats from the cloud

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

Mix master. Senior Nate Maturo mixes his songs using professional software in order to improve its quality and make each song unique.

song, Forest Spirit, has been listened to more than 47,000 times.

“I found this label called Juizify and I just sent him one of my songs and he liked it,” Maturo said. “It was an open door. Within like a week of him posting my song, I gained like 400 followers and I get roughly 20 followers every day.”

He currently has three songs with the record label and music channel, Juizify, on SoundCloud.

“When I started off, I was really into Dubstep genre and it kind of spread out later as I explored other kinds of music,” Maturo said.

“Now it’s more like Future Bass, a mix of melodic trap and chill dubstep. It’s kind of melodic and light-hearted and not dark, grimy, and heavy.”

Maturo now uses a professional digital audio program called FL Studio.

“What’s cool about it is, you’re always improving,” he said. “For every song you make and everything you do, you discover something new. You experiment and find a new way of engineering a sound. After every song you make, the experience just builds.”

Maturo considers uniqueness and individuality to be very important when creating a new song.

“I don’t want every song to sound the same. You always have to create new instruments or new sounds to give the song a unique feel, but you still have to stick with your own style and keep your signature sound,” he said. “That’s what’s kind of hard about it.”

Maturo will sometimes get stuck during the music making process and will have to step away and focus on other hobbies.

“My mind will get this block and I’ll take like a week off and then go back to it,” he said. “It’s kind of difficult cre-

ating your own melody but once I do, I play around with different instruments and as everything builds, the sounds just flow into each other.”

Music finds it way into Maturo’s life even when he is not developing his tracks.

“He can’t sit still for more than a minute and he has to start going crazy with his hands and beatboxing and making odd sounds. He’s very musical,” Maturo’s friend, sophomore Dylan Allen said.

According to Maturo, he’ll get inspiration for his songs at any time.

“I’ll be at school or somewhere I’ll get this melody in my head for a song and I go Maturbo mode,” Maturo said. “Inspiration comes from many places. If you get something going, you just have to try and not forget about it.”

When Maturo is not able to go home and work on a song idea, he brainstorm tracks by beatboxing and record the melody from wherever he is.

“Since no one else is making music like him and he’s getting exposure, he might blow up soon since the music he makes is really accessible,” Allen said. “There’s a touch he has on all of his music and you can always tell it’s him.”

Support from family and friends helps push Maturo to work harder on his songs.

“I get a ton of support from friends and my mother which kind of pushed me to make better music. It made me much more confident in my music.”

Maturo looks forward to his upcoming EP. “I plan to take a break away from promotion and start an EP. It will take me a couple months and I’ll try to get about four songs in,” Maturo said. “This will give me a chance to experiment with different sounds and ranges of music.”

page 12

features

Bringing them back to life

High Tide

Hickey practices taxidermy: the stuffing, mounting, and preservation of dead animals

by Lizzie Fauver As she grooms the animal before her from head to tail, pops its delicate eyes into place and completes the finishing touches, the only thing sophomore Alexandra Hickey can think of is the joy she will have once she has given this deceased animal a new life.

“I actually just began practicing taxidermy recently,” Hickey said. “I have always been into vintage and oddities, and I think taxidermy has a slight feel of those things in it.”

Hickey enjoys the artistic aspect that taxidermy provides and believes it is a way to express herself, all while participating in

an art form that she is passionate about.

“I am really into science and I am not terribly artistic so it’s a nice mix and it’s an art form that I can appreciate and have fun with. For the art forms I enjoy doing, I tend to like for it to have living mediums, and is a way of preserving the beauty that nature created,” Hickey said.

Hickey’s love for what many consider an unusual hobby started when her mother gave her a newspaper pull-out featuring Allis Markham, a specialist in the field, whom Hickey is currently taking lessons from.

“I had a general interest before, but after I read that newspaper article, I decided to

2.

Stuffing animals. 1. Hickey holds her most recent project, a raccoon. “It’s not quite finished completely but when I finished the first step, I was pretty happy. I liked how his facial expression came out. It has a slight smile,” Hickey said.

2. Because it’s not finished, the raccoon has pins which keep the hide in place over the mold while the paste is drying and hardening.

1.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA HICKEY

start doing it,” Hickey said.

According to Hickey, the time it takes to complete the process depends on what type of animal is being used.

“In general, birds do not need to go through the tanning process, while mammals do because of their hide and fur, resulting in a longer time spent on larger mammals,” Hickey said.

Along with the time difference, the process is extremely lengthy and complicated.

Hickey enjoys the different steps involved, especially while working specifically on mammals.

“For mammals after I repair the hide and it goes through the tanning process, I need to create a mold and carve it to exactly fit the specific animal,” Hickey said. “I really enjoy measuring the ears and flatten out a piece of lead and cut it to create ear inserts so they don’t flop over.”

After repairing the hide, Hickey must then add clay, the eyes, and groom the animal.

Hickey recently finished one of her first animals and was pleased with the outcome and believes the long process it required paid off in the end.

“I recently completed a raccoon. The tanning process really depends on what kind of hide and size the animal is and it look pretty long. Although I haven’t done too many animals, the raccoon has been my favorite so far,” Hickey said.

All of the animals she creates require precision and a passion for a variety of talents that play into the job.

“I really like the multi- faced characteristic of it,” Hickey said. “You have to be delicate and rough but then there is just emistmating

stuff. I get to work with sewing, paint, clay, and all kinds of different stuff.”

The art of taxidermy makes Hickey feel as if she has the role of bringing what once was dead back to life, in a way for other people to view.

“It’s not just paper and pencil or a canvas and paint. It can be used in so many different ways like education, entertainment, fashion, home decorating and all sorts of things,” Hickey said.

Taxidermy is not only a hobby for Hickey, but also a growing passion in which she can see as a possible career option in the future.

“I wouldn’t say this would be my primary career, but I definitely would pursue it as a hobby or small business,” Hickey said.

Whether Hickey decides to pursue taxidermy as a career, or just do it as a hobby, she believes that she would have her family’s support behind her every step of the way.

“My close family is all very supportive, despite the fact that none of them really like the field itself,” Hickey said. “My grandparents gave me a rather hefty amounts to go towards classes so that helped a lot.”

According to Hickey, there are many skeptical people who are disturbed by the process of taxidermy, but she believes this is only because most have a false impression of what taxidermy really is.

“I would just point out that there is another side to the stereotypical taxidermy of rednecks hanging up their deer heads,” Hickey said. “That’s what most people probably think of, but it is so much more. It can really be done ethically and for a good purpose like for education and museums, and it’s something that I really enjoy doing.”

SPONSORED CONTENT

RBEF attempts to save arts education through donations

by Jon Mallen

“The last hope for arts education in these economic times is for the parents of the district to come together as a community through their support of the Ed. Foundation,” Laura Pace, a teacher at Adams Middle School said.

Pace, like many other teachers, stresses the importance of parent donations to the Ed. Foundation.

“It may be the most effective way an active parent can augment their child’s education,” Pace said.

Year round, RBEF donates teacher grants for the use of “innovative” educational purposes. “Grants should focus on new and creative approaches or programs for engaging students in college-going cultural experiences and integrating college readiness teaching and learning into the classroom,” according to the RBEF website.

The money that RBEF donates in grants, according to Kristen Byard, Administrative Director of RBEF, must come from donations to RBEF itself, usually in fundraisers.

Donations are always accepted outside of the fundraising periods.

“RBEF is a fundraising organization that works throughout the entire year,” Byard said.

RBEF’s largest donation fundraiser is to be held March 16th to March 31st, a period known as the Donor Drive. Last year, the Donor Drive accumulated $278,000 district-wide, all of which was used to improve education and school infrastructure.

“Donor Drive helps supplement programs, equipment and teachers across the district,” Byard said.

According to Byard, the Donor Drive reflects the core values of RBEF. “Established in 1991, the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation continues

the tradition of the very first educational foundation in California, which began as a grass-roots effort by concerned parents and community leaders whose mission was to provide supplemental funding of enrichment programs,” such is the mission statement of the RBEF website.

At RUHS, the money collected by last year’s Donor Drive allowed for the funding of college preparation programs, workshops, and field trips for various classes, such as a field trip to the Orange County National College Fair for those involved in the College and Career Center, as well as improvement of classroom infrastructure, such as the purchase of Classroom Response System Clickers and Vernier LabQuest Interfaces Probeware and Sensors.

“The sole purpose of Donor Drive is to raise money to put back into all of the schools across the district for teachers, programs, and equipment,” Byard said.

This year, RBEF looks to beat their amount raised last year. The goals and incentive structure for the Donor Drive ensure each school gets a $3,000 grant for $300,000 raised, a $4,000 grant for $350,000 raised, or a $5,000 grant for $400,000 raised. To do this, RBEF expects $400 donated per household, which can be payed all together or in $40 intervals over the course of 10 months.

“That is the ask,” Byard said, “we will gladly accept any donation more or less than $400.”

Though parents greatly contribute to donations, according to Byard, most donations come from outside sources.

“Less than a quarter of the funds we raise come from Redondo families,” Byard said, “We try to solicit donations from businesses, corporations, and private trusts, and companies that will match their employees’ donations.”

Feb. 27, 2015

page 13

features

Calderon auditioned for ‘The Voice’

by Kayla Hiken

After getting taken out of the sport she loved due to serious back injury, junior Rena Calderon found herself starting to sing to comfort herself, which eventually led her to audition for the Voice.

“During my freshman year, I re-injured my back so badly that I couldn’t even walk, and I was done with softball for good. I thought that since I couldn’t play softball anymore I needed to find something else to do, which led me to singing,” Calderon said.

Calderon decided to teach herself how to play different instruments, like the guitar, and learn to perform with them.

Soon, she was confident in herself and her singing, which led her to audition for the Voice on Jan. 31. She wanted to showcase her talent to people other than her family and said making it on the show would be “a dream come true”.

“Although money and fame would be a huge benefit from the show, I just want to make people happy by singing and showing them how well I can sing,” Calderon said.

Calderon has been singing for a long time, but really “found” her voice in 8th grade, after her injury.

“I was so sad because softball was my life and I thought I had lost everything. I then turned to singing, which made things easier to deal with for me. I’ve always been told that I have an interesting and unique voice, and that I should share it with people. That’s what really inspired me to pursue singing,” Calderon said.

When Calderon was first getting into singing, it was hard for her to decide on what type of genre she wanted to sing because she felt that she could do a little bit of everything.

“At first, I wanted to sing songs similar to Fall Out Boy, then it went to country, then pop, and then I landed in Indie Pop/Folk,” Calderon said.

As she was getting more into singing, Calderon found inspiration from a variety of different artists, like Demi Lovato.

“Demi Lovato is someone who really inspires me the most because she’s been through a lot and she is so strong, in the way she has overcome many obstacles, and now she is very successful in her singing career,” Calderon said. “Norah Jones, Florence and the Machines, and Charlene Kay are some other artists that inspire me because every time I write a song I use their songs as inspiration. Their songs are unique and have really good messages behind them, and that’s what I want my songs to be like. I want my songs to be able to touch people and talk about real issues going on in the world.”

Leading up to the audition was a long process; however, after getting into the room with about 200 other people waiting for their audition, she had to wait an additional hour

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

The sound of music. Calderon sings Skinny Love, her

audition song. “When I sing I feel like I can let go and be free to be me. People always worry about what others think about them but honestly I couldn’t care less,” said Calderon.

“When I sing, I feel like I understand myself better.”

and a half.

“The whole time I was waiting, I listened to the song I was going to sing, and I would hum the melody and just try to get focused,” Calderon said. “Everyone around me was singing and having a great time.”

After the long wait, someone came into the room and took her and nine other people to a smaller room where her audition in front of one of the show’s producers began.

“For my audition, I sang Skinny Love by Bon Iver, and I honestly sang better for the producer than I have ever done before. I started off really strong and immediately he looked up from his papers and just focused on me. For the other people auditioning, he didn’t really pay attention to them and he just kept his head down, sometimes even cutting them off, but with me, he just watched me perform and you could tell he was really considering me,” Calderon said.

When she finished her audition, she sat down and everyone in the room was staring at her.

“They looked at me like they knew I was going to be one of the people getting the red ticket for the next audition,” Calderon said.

After everyone was done auditioning, the producer walked over to the group and called Rena and one other girl over, and told the rest of the people that they could leave, meaning that they were not moving on.

“Right as he said my name, I thought that I was going to get the red ticket,” Calderon said. “He told me that he was really considering me but that every producer has a certain genre they need to look for, and his was country. He said that he was about to pick me even though I wasn’t his genre, but he couldn’t because there were already too many people under 18 that have been chosen.”

Although she was not chosen for the show this time around, she did get advice to guide her for her next audition.

“I received a lot of constructive criticism from the producer and he also gave me some advice for my next audition,” Calderon said. “He told me to try out again next year, or try out over a video because more of the show’s producers see the videos rather than just one in person.”

Despite her disappointment in not making it through to the next audition, Calderon still learned from the whole process.

“Auditioning for the Voice was the best experience for me. I got some great feedback, and now I know how the audition process works so that I can be prepared for the next time I audition. I left feeling kind of sad, but also super happy because I got the chance to try out and I could potentially get picked next time,” Calderon said.

Ramirez in constant pain due to multiple diseases

by Zach Hatakeyama You see her dance, you watch as her smile brightens up a room, but you could never tell that she deals with severe pain throughout her entire body every moment of the day.

Since age 12, junior Jaimie Ramirez has been dealing with various health issues which include hypothyroidism.

“I lose my hair, I’m prone to catching the common cold or infections and I am constantly tired because of the irregularity of my hormones,” she said.

According to Mayo Clinic, hypothyroidism is a condition that usually affects older women and upsets the chemical functions of the body. If left untreated, it can cause

obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease. Luckily for Ramirez, she was diagnosed at a young age and takes medication daily to treat the condition.

Ramirez also has a condition called fibromyalgia. Unlike hypothyroidism, this condition was difficult to diagnose.

“It took more than a year to diagnose the fibromyalgia because there is no test to verify it. The only way is through a test where I had to react to eight out of eleven pressure points the doctor pressed,” she said.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that usually affects women over thirty and causes severe pain to the skeletal system along with fatigue, tiredness, and memory loss. It only

affects 1% of people under the age of 18.

“I tell people it is like I have arthritis throughout my entire body. There’s never a moment when I’m not in pain,” she said.

“I have turned down so many opportunities because I can’t even get up from my bed.”

The effects of fibromyalgia have also put an impact on her education, causing her to have numerous absences. One of these effects cause is commonly known as a “Fibro Fog.” “A Fibro Fog happens out of nowhere and I completely forget what I’m doing, solving, or reading. “I usually end up re-reading stories multiple times and re-teach myself lessons from that day,” she said.

Despite these hardships, Ramirez has found relief in salsa dancing.

“Surprisingly, dancing and being active help me relieve pain. In the moment, I feel no pain; the only thing I feel is joy” she said.

Ramirez is unsure where the future will take her but she is still setting goals for herself everyday.

“I have no idea how my conditions will affect me, but I know I will be limited. There are activities that tire me out easily but I won’t let it hold me back from trying new things,” she said. “I’ll continue to take one day at a time because each morning is a new beginning where I can do something better than I did the day before.”

page 14

Dive into it

High Tide

features

Sheehey free dives to catch lobster for his family

by Yasamin Fazeli

Nearing the very end of his breath, the lobster latches on to a patch of kelp, stopping him from reaching the surface, but he would rather risk his life than lose this lobster.

Media Arts teacher, Matthew Sheehey had a great love for free-diving nearly his whole life.

“I’ve been snorkeling since I was about five or six years old. When I lived in Rio de Janeiro, I used to snorkel with my dad.

That’s when I got into it,” Sheehey said.

One of his neighbors influenced his original decision to begin, and now Sheehey is extremely passionate about this hobby.

“Twelve years ago my neighbor got me involved in hunting for lobsters and fish.

He just got me hooked. He would walk up front and he would just have these huge fish laying on the grass. I would ask him about the different fish and he’d name them all and thats what really got me

hooked, seeing the fish he caught,” Sheehey said.

Sheehey’s first experience lobster hunting was very problematic, but that only pushed him to go back a second time.

“My very first dive I did was at midnight and it was the first time I’d ever dove at night with my new light that I had just bought. The light filled up with water. I was about half a mile off the coast and I had lost all light,” Sheehey said. “I ended up getting seasick. It was just a horrible first experience.”

Sheehey’s desire to overcome challenges brought him back to the water for a second attempt.

“I’m a big time heavy fisherman. Saltwater fishing and free diving is my passion. I love the challenge. I love going out there and overcoming whatever problems I have. I’m very persistent. I’m very passionate about anything that I do,” Sheehey said. “The second night I ended up getting the lobster and it was a much better night.”

Hunting for lobsters and free diving is a hobby that helps Sheehey escape from everyday problems, but it is also a means to get food for his family.

“I wanted to have free lobster and share it with my family, and now I do it all the time

so we always have freezer full of lobster, and whenever there are fish out there that I can find then bring home fish too,” Sheehey said. “I hunt for all different types of fish: white sea bass, halibut, bass, yellowtail, whatever fish is really good for eating.

And with the price of lobster being so high, I get my pick up lobster whenever I want between the seasons and its awesome,” Along with the many benefits of spearfishing and lobster hunting, there are also a lot of things to take into caution.

“I do a lot of my diving on my own at night and it is scary. I could have an accident,” Sheehey said.

“For example, I could get shallow water black-

out, which is where in the last ten feet when you’re coming up, you just black out.”

Because he has been involved in a few dangerous situations, Sheehey is able to “take the negative and turn it into a positive.”

“There was a spot that we call a billy goat trail because its only about a foot wide and I got within about ten feet of the bottom and I slipped, fell off the cliff and I landed on my back on a rock. Luckily I was wearing my weight belt which landed right on the point of the rock which protected me. But I layed on the ground for about ten or fifteen minutes before I decided to get in the water,” Sheehey said. “Although I was in pain that night, I caught two good sized lobsters. I am very passionate. I will overcome whatever it takes unless I’m knocked out or die.”

Although Sheehey faces negative experiences, some of his best memories were made while hunting for lobster in the ocean.

“A lot of my great experiences are with lobster diving. I was down in Palos Verdes at around one in the morning and it was a full moon, and the water was super clear.

The conditions were excellent and there was nobody down there and during my first dive under when was within five or six feet

in the water lobsters, all spot. com-

there were about six and they were sitting in one I remember ing up out of the water and standing on a rock and yelling ‘Yes! I can’t believe I got all these lobsters!’ There was no one there so I was just yelling happily,” Sheehey said.

Though he enjoys hunting fish and lobsters, Sheehey is careful to take only what he needs.

“I appreciate the ocean a lot more now. Its such a peaceful environment to be under water and to appreciate the fact that conservation is such a big thing. I only take what I need to feed my family. I don’t take more than I need,” Sheehey said.

Spending so much time in the water has opened Sheehey’s eyes to a lot of the problems in the ocean.

“I also get to see what’s under the water and how there’s so much

water and a lot of people don’t see that when they’re above the water. They don’t see that there’s a problem with plastic bags and foam cups but when you’re underwater you see all that trash and get a better understanding about how trash affects our oceans.” Sheehey said.

Because of his understaning of the trash’s affect on the ocean, Sheehey goes to beach clean ups.

“I know every year in Redondo Beach there’s a trash clean up, but thats usually done with people who have tanks, I’ve found lots of fishing equipment and I always pick that stuff out partly because its stuff I can use,” Sheehey said.

While underwater, Sheehey loves the feeling of being alone and able to get close to the fish.

“I love the freedom. I love the fact that i can sneak up on anything and they’ll never hear me coming because I’m not breathing and don’t have bubbles all the time around me. I love being super quiet and stealthy in the water,” Sheehey said.

To Sheehey, the ocean is a “whole different world.”

“The one thing I love is the ocean.

I’ve lived near the ocean my whole life,” Sheehey said. “It helps me escape from all the craziness above the water. The minute I get in the water it takes me to a whole other place. It’s peaceful. It’s quiet. It’s just amazing.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHEEHEY

Diving deep. Sheehey holds five lobster that he caught while free diving.

Feb. 27, 2014

features

Learning the language

page 15

by Simrun Ursani

For many, language is just a medium of communication, but for senior Nina Levinson it is much more.

Levinson uses language as a way to help others feel more comfortable and to understand others emotions.

“I spend a lot of time in Little Tokyo and there are some older store owners there who never learned to speak English so it’s easier for us to communicate if I speak Japanese. I also end up helping a lot of lost foreigners. I could understand them which let them speak about their troubles if they were having any,” Levinson said.

Not only has language been helpful to others, but it also has assisted Levinson in school, especially in her AP Chinese and AP Psychology classes.

“Last semester I finished number one in my AP Chinese class but mostly I think I just have good study habits. When we studied a unit on linguistics in Mrs. Mata’s AP Psych class I found it really helpful to me because I found that I had been experiencing many of the things the textbook had been talking about that I myself couldn’t put into words,” Levinson said.

In addition, she has taken trips to Japan and recently, Spain, and these trips have helped her language usage and skills.

“The longer I’m in other countries, the more my language skills start to improve.

When I go to Japan, I like to spend time with my friends living in the countryside, where no one speaks English, so it forces me to speak more Japanese. I like not having a safety net to turn to because it makes me

work harder to learn more vocabulary and get better at explaining what I need to say to others,” Levinson said.

Her father, Allen Levinson, explains the pride he has for Levinson at how well she has done in foreign countries and the level of skill she has attained.

“I was always impressed by how well she was able to communicate and how independent she could be while traveling.

I had the opportunity to be on the phone with her while she was in Japan, solving the various problems that can pop-up while you travel and was able to be part of those conversations because she could act as the interpreter. We recently just came back from a week in Spain, a language Nina has not studied. I was impressed by how much she learned before we went and how much she picked up while we were there,” Mr. Levinson said.

Allen supposes that it has been easier for her to communicate with others; however, Levinson finds it difficult when sharing the culture to her extended family.

“They often make fun of me for it, even today. When I was younger I would also get bullied for it, a lot. So there’s still apart of me that feels ashamed to be speaking Asian languages even though I’m Caucasian, because it’s how I’ve been told to feel by other people in the past. However, I feel like after six years it’s too late to stop now and there also isn’t any other job I would rather do that would make me happier,” Levinson said.

Nina speaks 3 languages—English, her native language; Chinese, as her foreign

Benefits of Being Bilingual Bilingual individuals have an easier time with these functions Developing strong critical thinking skills

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

Trilingual. “What language does is it allows people to convey feeling and ideas and those feelings never have a stronger meaning than when they are spoken in one’s native tongue,” Levinson said. language at school; and Japanese.

Although she knows multiple languages, Nina has only been interested in language for about seven years.

“I’ve been into learning languages since I was about eleven when I started Japanese.

There are a lot of things that interest me about learning languages and part of it is the feeling you get then you know you’ve said something right and others have understood you. I’ve done a lot of interpreting while being around foreign students and the best part about that is knowing that there is more than one person relying on you to interpret correctly, which is

why I want to do this as a job in the future,” Levinson said.

According to Mr. Levinson, Nina has achieved skills when learning a new language at such a young age.

“It takes a lot of self-motivation, desire and dedication to study something so consistently for so long. But I think she truly loves the feeling of mastering the language and the opportunity that it affords to immerse yourself in a culture very different from your own. It is almost like an opportunity to reinvent yourself and see the world from a totally different perspective,” Mr. Levinson said.

Understanding math concepts and problems Increasing reading comprehension

Cultivating greater cultural awareness Using logic

Focusing, remembering and making decisions

Information from http://elearninginfographics. com/benefits-of-a-bilingual-brain-infographic/

page 16

High Tide

sports

Boys basketball bounces back in CIF consolations

Despite losing to Cathedral in CIF playoffs, boys basketball remains confident through consolation rounds

by Tyler Wunderli

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

Up in the air.

Senior Isaiah Jackson attempts to score against Cathedral.

After finishing off the regular season with a win over Mira Costa, boys basketball lost in their first round of playoffs against Cathedral and are now playing in the consolation bracket. On Wednesday, they won their first game against JW North.

The team’s final regular season record was 21-5, including a 9-1 league record. Some of the players say they were disappointed with this finish, as they were expecting to go undefeated in league.

“The season was good, but not the way we wanted,” Senior Cameron High said. “We could’ve played better as a team, being there for one another.”

The team still came in first place in the Bay League. Their only league loss came in a game against Inglewood in which they lost by only 3 points. However, they found the playoff loss even more “disappointing” and believe they “should’ve won.”

“That also was a tough one, we didn’t seize the moment and we let the game slip away from us,” senior Isaiah Jackson said. “Luckily we got another chance.”

Although they are out of the playoffs, they still have a chance to play in the consolation bracket, so their season is not over yet. They have the opportunity to play another game because they beat JW North 61-58 in a game that came down to the wire.

“It was a tough one especially on the road but we were locked in, except for a few lapses, and came out with the win,” Jackson said.

Although they did not go undefeated in league like they have in the previous two seasons, Junior Elijah Nesbit thinks they “really improved from last year.”

Jackson was pretty happy with how they did, and had no trouble finding positives about the team’s performance.

“We played as a team and didn’t

just have people play for themselves because we all know the one goal we’ve set,” Jackson said. “Playing as a team will help us to that goal.”

High thinks that the team did some things very well such as “competing” even though they were a lot smaller, and they “have faith in each other”. They lost their tallest player, Billy Preston, partway through the season, and adjusted accordingly.

According to Jackson, although the team did many things well, they still had some things to work on by playoffs.

“We needed to convert the other teams turnovers into baskets on our end,” Jackson said. “When we were locked in and doing the little things along with what we normally do well, we can beat anyone.”

Overall, the team was satisfied with their accomplishments this season and is looking forward to their next game. As Senior Mike Munn said, “It’s not over.”

Cheer prepares for upcoming competitions after Jamz

by Jason Clebowicz

With a successful first place finish in the Sharpz Cheer Competition on Feb. 14, the varsity Cheer team headed to Las Vegas, Nevada for their spot in the Jamz Nationals Competition.

The Jamz National competition was held at the New Orleans Hotel on Feb. 20, with several hundred teams nationwide competing.

Competing in division 3.1 advanced(the higher the number, the more skill a division pertains) for varsity showcase cheer, The cheer team finished with a disappointing third place medallion.

“Coming into the competition the whole team was a bit frazzled because they knew how big it was. I think that probably affected the performance of the entire team,” Tyler Brown said.

During RUHS’s performance the girls dropped 2 stunts, a first for the competition

team and had 1.5 bobbles. The team attributes these errors to an unfortunate lack of practice prior to Jamz Nationals.

“Our practices were cut down to once a week, on top of having to change our routine less than a week before Nationals. We didn’t come into the competition as well prepared as we could have been,” Keely Brooks said.

Despite obvious flaws, Senior Tyler Brown commented that the team did many things well throughout their performance.

“I think our actual performance with engaging with crowd and one another was really strong, and we showcased our skills well despite mistakes we performed. Overall we were very uniform, and having the competition in Las Vegas was a great bonding moment between the cheerleaders,” Brown said.

The cheer team has 2 competitions left in season; A Sharpz competition March 7 at

Jamming.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MADISON BROOKS

The varsity cheer team performs at Jamz Nationals in Las Vegas last weekend.

Arcadia High School, and another on March 22 at RUHS. With only a couple competitions left in season, the team is working hard to utilize the 2 weeks preceding their March 7 compe-

tition to get in good shape again.

“I have high hopes for what we can do.

We’ve succeeded in the past, and there is no reason in my mind why we can’t do it again,” Brooks said.

Feb. 27, 2015

Wrestling ends regular season, focuses on next year

page 17

sports

1.

by Romy Moreno With the season coming and going the team recognizes that they are still “a work in progress.”

“We struggled throughout the season with having a line up,” junior Josh Martinez said, “We have a lot of good wrestlers but we just could not perform while under pressure.”

According to Martinez, the team needs to focus on maturing as individuals, as a team , and other things that the tam has been working on improving this season.

“If we want to get better as a whole we need to start getting along better and lifting each other up rather than putting each other down,” Martinez said.

Even with these minor setbacks the team agrees that because of their coaches they were able to accomplish more than they would have been without them there.

“Coach Schoenberg and Coach Ken do their best to make us the best wrestlers and the best wrestling team,” Martinez said, “They push us constantly trying to instill the passion for wrestling within us.”

According to the team, because of their coaches their technique and work ethic improved over the season tremendously and they are now able to see opportunities that are available, that they did not see or were not aware of earlier in the season.

“I really want to emphasize that individually the determination and drive is there,”

Martinez said, “But we need to spread that around and support ourselves as a team.”

What Martinez and the other members eventually want is to be able to go into the wrestling room and feel the enthusiasm from themselves and their fellow team members.

“We need one-hundred percent positive mindset about everything we do if we want to become the best at what we do,” Martinez said.

The team agrees that gaining a positive mindset is very important for such a demanding sport.

“The only thing holding us back from maintaining a positive mindset is fear; fear that we arent good enough, that we can not make weight, that we can not win, that we can not achieve our goals,” Martinez said, “The only thing is that a positive mindset is tiring because you need to be confident about what you do and you have to stay humble at the same time.”

“I personally would like to go back to competing without allowing fear to decide my choices,” Martinez said, “I can not speak for everyone about what makes us as a team fearful but i can generalize and say that if we do not know how to handle fear and overcome it, it will paralyze us.”

The team believes that gaining a positive mindset is going to be crucial for their next season and will come through trials and per-

Maintaining position.

1. Sophomore Thuylinh Turek pins down her opponent 2. Freshman Nick Webb attempts to hold his postion over his opponent. Photos by Chandler Ross.

2. severance and as they progress their technique, skill and attitude will be greater than it was this year.

“We need to be strong mentally, physically, and emotionally and remember to have

fun and not become overwhelmed with fear and doubt,” Martinez said, “We have the tools, we just need to use them wisely and not forget that we should wrestle for ourselves and not for others.”

Girls water polo looks forward to next season

by Jason Fong

Coming off a historic victory against Palos Verdes, girls water polo hopes to build on their momentum, carrying them into next season.

According to senior Madison East, the team’s season was markedly different from last year, as its 4th place finish at the El Dorado Invitational Tournament, which featured several highly ranked teams. Additionally, the team defeated Palos Verdes for the first time in about seven years.

“The season had its up and downs. We definitely had some big wins as a team, but we weren’t able to pull out a trip to CIF. I can’t wait to hear what they do next year,” East said.

According to East, the difference in the team’s play was due mainly to their new assistant coach, Shelby Haroldson.

“Having a new coach this season really helped our team. We switched up the way that we drilled in practice. Our drills this

PHOTO BY SADIE PEARSON

Up and over. Senior Dinah Aiad passes to set during a game against PV earlier this season. season were a lot more physically challenging and intense. Everyone on the team really grew as water polo players,” East said.

East blames the team’s losses on some

technical errors in their play.

“Ultimately, it was a combination of bad passing and shot selection, along with a lack of hustle on defense that led to our team’s

downfall in our league games,” East said.

Sophomore Maddie McCaw cites the team’s “lack of focus” for its low finish in Bay League.

“Towards the end of the season, when it seemed to drag on a bit, the team lost focus.

We had the ability to win those close games against PV and Mira Costa, but we lost that slight mental edge that made the difference between winning and losing. The drive to win sometimes wasn’t always there,” McCaw said.

According to McCaw, key players that will lead the team include sophomore Sophie Maguy, junior Mackenzie Thomas, and senior Aileen Guerrero.

“I’m excited for next season. I think that the team can do some great things next year. There’s a lot of talent moving up from JV, and the starting team will definitely stay close to the sport to build on the progress made this year,” McCaw said.

page 18

High Tide

sports

Girls Basketball advances in CIF

by Lizzie Fauver Despite having a slow start, girl’s basketball managed to walk away with a 56-42 win against Ayala on Wednesday, advancing in CIF. “We really picked it up in the second half, after struggling in the first,” junior Kyra Hamlin said. “We started making our shots and really hustling to win the ball and get back on defense.”

Although they walked away with a win, Hamlin believes that having a slow start can result in a loss in their upcoming game against Tesoro on Saturday.

“The team didn’t do that well in the beginning mainly because we haven’t played in about ten days, so we are a little rusty,” Hamlin said. “Although they were pretty good, we really underestimated the team as a whole. That’s something we have to avoid in upcoming matches.”

The team has yet to see Tesoro’s style of play, but sophomore Makenna Peneueta believes that the key to coming out with a win is to continue playing like they have been, with the main focus on strong defense.

“We really need to stay together as a team, and play for each other. There isn’t going to be a change in our game plan because it’s what got us this far,” Peneueta said. “The only thing we really need to improve on is our communication and strong first half.”

In preparation for the upcoming game, the coaches are doing all they can to get the girls ready.

“Our coaches are going to scout them out and try to figure out their style of play. Even though we aren’t familiar with them yet, they will prepare us the best they can. They bring their intensity everyday and expect us to do the same,” Hamlin said.

During practice the girls not only rely on

their coaches, but each other to improve their game.

“We challenge each other every day during practice to bring the best out in each of us. We practice on not only being strong individuals but also good teammates,” Peneueta said.

On and off the court, Peneueta believes that team bonding is an important factor in coming out CIF champions.

“We try to spend a lot of time with each other. Before games we have team dinners where we bond over our favorite thing to do; eating,” Peneueta said.

Hamlin believes that this win will motivate the team to work even harder and will encourage the girls to continue playing their best to come out as CIF champions.

“Overall we need to continue working really hard in practice and coming out strong during our games,” Hamlin said.

“Good defense and rebounding is what got us this far, and that will make us champions.”

1.

PHOTOS BY MATTHEW YONEMURA

Lay-up. 1. A player on Redondo scores a layup shot against a Mira Costa defender in their game earlier this season. 2. Junior Kyra Hamlin and teammate celebrate their victory at the Costa game.

2.

Boys soccer loses to Santa Barbara

by Jessica Johnson

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

Footwork. A player juggles the ball away from a defender in a game earlier this season.

The boys wrapped up their season in CIF with a 1-0 loss against Santa Barbara.

“We fought until the last seconds of the game and deep into overtime. We were scored on in the last minute and it was powerful to think that it was over. None of us left the game upset we were all proud of how far we came and how well we did,” senior captain Justin Leavitt said.

The boys lost in double-overtime on a golden goal, a goal scored off a corner kick.

“In hindsight I can only wish it could have gone better, but I’m not upset with our performance and I feel we gave it our best,” Leavitt said.

For many seniors, like Ricky Olvera, this loss was a bittersweet ending to their high school careers.

“To be eliminated because of a golden goal in overtime was upsetting. But we’re proud of all the underclassmen who played their best and kept pushing themselves knowing how important it was for the seniors,” Olvera said.

Looking back at their season, the seniors are thankful to their teammates for all the memories that the team has provided them with.

“Defeating PV was the greatest highlight of our season and possibly my high school career. It was surreal when we took the lead against a presumably undefeatable team.

When the game was over and the final score was 4-1 I couldn’t hold back my excitement!”

Leavitt said.

The team this year was “very close” and

the underclassmen and juniors are going to miss playing with the seniors.

“Before the games we would all change in the locker room while music played. It was just really fun and funny seeing Adam King rap in his tighty-whities,” freshman Adam Yorke said. “It was a great bonding time and I think that that is what I’m going to miss most from this year.”

The seniors are very proud of the team and pass on their best wishes to the team for next season.

“Even though we did not get the result we wanted for the season we wanted as a whole, I feel like everyone on the field played their hearts out and gave it their best,” Olvera said. ”This season was by far the highlight of my senior year.”

Feb. 27, 2015

page 19

sports

A gnarly season

Surf’s success in recent season inspires potential for next year

by Jon Mallen Upsetting nearly every team they faced, only having one loss, the surf team looks back at their season with pride, according to Sophomore Drake Brown.

“The team has been doing super good,” Brown said, “We have only one loss and we have been super strong as a team this year.

Brown, along with other members of the team, agree this year has brought a successful surf season.

“We’re doing really well and have exceeded expectations,” Sophomore Kelly Harraka said.

The team, according to Harraka, has done so well because of improvements.

“Over all everyone has gotten better and scored more points,” Harraka said.

Brown as well has seen improvements in the team, especially the girls.

“I’ve seen huge improvements in my teammates, notably Hali Honea, Paige Sullivan, and Emma Waldinger,” Brown said, “Almost every competition I see them placed as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.”

The female part of the team, according to Harraka, brings an element to the team that

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

Breaking right. Sophomore Tate Curran competes on a shortboard in a competition earlier this season.

other schools lack.

“Other schools don’t have as many female surfers as us so when girls compete

it adds points on to what the boys have earned,” Harraka said.

The girls aren’t the only ones improv-

ing and bringing up the team, according to Brown.

“My good friend Trevor Ferdinand has gotten 20 times better and has developed a real passion for surfing this year,” Brown said.

Brown has also seen improvement in himself, both in skills and mindset.

“I have improved my ability to go for bigger maneuvers and waves without hesitation,” Brown said.

The thing that it comes down to, according to Brown, is enjoying himself out in the waves.

“It’s important to have fun with surfing and always go for bigger things,” Brown said.

Most of the team, according to Brown, extends their performance and is doing so well for the sake of making a positive reputation for themselves and the rest of the team.

“I think the seniors are bringing their game because they want to leave a good imprint on the team on the team and the freshman are too because they want to prove themselves to the team, along with everyone else,” Brown said. “That’s why we’ve been so successful.”

Girls soccer finishes season in disappointing loss

by Adam Yorke

1.

PHOTOS BY CHANDLER ROSS

Foul! 1. Senior Kellie Walsh works to protect the ball from the

other team in a game earlier this season. 2. Sophomore Keely Filman prepares to kick the ball to a teammate in an earlier game this season.

In the final minutes of girls soccer’s game on Feb. 19, Newbury Park scored the only goal of the game, ending RUHS’ season in the first round of CIF. “It was a cross and I blocked it but we didn’t clear it so Newbury got the rebound and scored. We had a ton of shots on goal but just couldn’t put one in. It was just one of those games where the ball would not go in the net,” senior Marissa Marshall said.

According to freshman Savannah Martinez, RUHS’ intensity was “high” and they were “determined to win” heading into the game, and despite the first eight minutes, Redondo controlled the game.

“We came out a little slow but once we got an idea of how they play, we took over the game,” senior Kristina Williamson said. “Although we didn’t score we kept the majority of the possession and had more opportunities to score. We should have won that game and it’s very disappointing how it turned out.”

RUHS ended up finishing third in Bay League after losing their last league game 1-0 to Costa. Despite that loss, RUHS had high expectations heading into CIF, according to Williamson.

“If we came out every game with our best effort and hardest work, I’m confident we could have won CIF,” Williamson said. “It was just our lack of accuracy with shots and inability to finish the chances we had that killed us.”

The returning players now only have next season to look forward to.

“Even though this season didn’t turn out the way that we wanted it to, it was still fun,” freshman Ashley Herm said.

“Next year I’m excited to see who the new players will be and

how we will play together. I just hope we can go farther than the first round.”

After the early loss, the departing seniors will miss the 2014-2015 team.

“I’m going to miss all the team dinners and just playing for my high school. It’s awesome representing Redondo, playing your rivals, and having your friends come and watch your games. I’m going to miss it a lot,” Marshall said.

The only regret they have is not living up to their CIF expectations.

“I just wish that we could have gone farther, but I’m really proud of every one of my teammates,” Williamson said. “I’m going to miss the environment, the team, the team dinners, the practices, the games, and all the memories I’ve made. It’s going to be hard to say bye to that but I couldn’t have asked for a better senior year.”

2.

page 20

High Tide | Feb. 27, 2014

features

WASC encourages student achievement

[from pg. 20]

der to get the best accreditation score you have to be a perfect school, and that’s not it at all,” Wesley said. “There are schools that are lower performing than us that get a sixyear clear. All they want to see is that we are transparent, meaning we say ‘these are the things we do very well, these are the things we need to work on, and this is our plan to work on it’ and that’s why we have an action plan and student learning outcomes plastered all over the doors and throughout campus.”

Vice Principal Lindsey Corcoran believes that RUHS is doing a “pretty good job” at accomplishing the Student Learning Outcomes, which are being worked on in a variety of ways.

“A lot of it is done through our classrooms and through our announcements to tell students things we are trying to use to impart on them,” Corcoran said. “One Stu-

dent Learning Outcome is ‘students will communicate effectively.’ Really, one of our goals is to make communication a priority in our classrooms, whether that’s increasing the number of times students present or focusing more on writing, depending on the subject, because we know in order to be successful adults, you need to be good at these skills.”

The Student Learning Outcomes cover various aspects of the educational experience, from self-advocacy in the classroom to having the ability to effectively communicate.

“You should be able to stand up in front of your class and give a pretty flawless presentation using proper English and proper intonation and all those other facets that make a great presentation,” Wesley said. “You should be able to communicate effectively using technology: not sending your teacher an email written like a text message.”

Student Learning Outcomes

“

We are trying to work together to help you graduate not only college eligible, but also college ready. Students should know that the learning outcomes are goals that your administration and staff have for you, Administration they should be working towards that. created these goals - Dr. Nicole Wesley

for RUHS students

- Students will effectively communicate through writing, technology, and presentation

”

- Students will practice critical thinking skills to develop creative solutions -Students will lead an emotionally, physically, socially healthy lifestyle - Students will advocate on behalf of themselves and others, demonstrate initiative, and take ownership over their education

from a survey of 286 RUHS students:

the best?

In which area do you think RUHS is...

the worst?

athletics

8%

classroom environment

19%

50%

16% 7%

15%

24%

academics

9%

26%

school spirit

25%

student involvement

To whom do you go to for academic advice the most?

peers

26%

family

36%

teachers

24%

counselor

12%

administrators

2%

ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEVEN BELL-NIXON