High Tide: Nov. 12, 2021

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MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS GRAPPLE WITH DIFFERENT IDENTITIES, PASSING AS WHITE, AND MORE

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Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA

Nov. 12, 2021 Vol. CII Edition 4

3 NEWS

13 OPINION

17 A&E

RBUSD holds job fair to combat nationwide worker shortage

BCHD “Don’t Drink, Rethink” pamphlets fail to discourage teen drinking

Despite stellar cast and production potential, “Last Night in SoHo” falls flat

www.ruhsmedia.com

@ruhsmedia

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news A WONDERFUL DÍA

The RUHS library hosted its annual Día de los Muertos celebration

by SCARLETT MISCHE

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s one walks into the RUHS library during the first week of November, they are met with a vibrant array of colors from the annual Día de los Muertos display. Throughout that week, various works crafted by Spanish students fill the library, and other students and staff are given the opportunity to walk around and explore the abundance of art.

Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a celebration of lost

loved ones that is an important celebration in many regions of North America, Central America and parts of South America. In order to celebrate Día de los Muertos, many festivities are hosted, including dancing, face painting and eating food. According to Spanish 1 teacher Amanda Duran, RUHS Spanish teachers have long used this celebration, usually held on Nov. 1 and 2, as an opportunity to teach Spanish students about the background and traditions behind the language they are learning.

“This exhibit that our school allows us to put on is a tradition that I am very proud has lasted so long,” Duran said.

In previous years, the public was able to come to the library and celebrate the event alongside RUHS by enjoying traditional foods, getting their face painted and watching traditional dances. This year, however, due to COVID-19, the schools’ celebration of the holiday did not include the event and was not open to the public.

In the library, the Spanish program likes to display its students’ projects, which include alebrijes (spirit guides), masks, calacas (skeletons) and altars (a place to honor the dead).

“The students all work really hard on their projects, and seeing the projects displayed makes me realize even more how important it is to

allow everyone to feel welcomed, especially during more isolating times,” Duran said.

Another Spanish teacher, Sara Gonzalez, who teaches Spanish 1 and 2, believes that participating in a culture through arts and traditions can help allow people to feel more accepted into the new language they’re learning.

“This is really a celebration. It is a part of the culture that all Spanish students are learning about and you cannot learn a language in isolation. You have to learn about its people, its culture, its music, its art and all of that,” Gonzalez said.

Helping to include RUHS students in the celebration of souls is a way of getting them to immerse themselves in the culture that they are learning about, according to Gonzalez.

“Knowing more about the culture of the language that you are learning helps you to understand the meaning behind it,” Gonzalez said.

Aside from involving themselves in the Spanish culture through partaking in a Día de los Muertos project, Spanish teachers at the school encourage their students to go to other local events within the community.

“There are many local celebrations around us. It is very lucky that we live in LA because there are lots and lots of events happening,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez mentioned celebrations such as “Hollywood Forever” and “The Filipino Día de Muertos” as those in the area to

visit. She mentioned many other celebrations as well and has recommended them to her students.

Overall, Gonzalez and Duran can both agree that Día de los Muertos is a time for celebration and a time to immerse yourself in a culture that you otherwise might not have known as much about.

“This holiday is a way for me to celebrate and honor my ancestors, while also passing down stories of them to my children,” Gonzalez said.

PHOTOS BY INGRID SOMMERER

MUN had their first in-person conference of the year at UCLA

by LAUREN STRAZZERI

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embers of Model United Nations (MUN) attended their first in-person conference since the start of COVID-19 from Nov. 6 to 7. Bruin MUN, which took place at UCLA, consisted of two committees (general assembly and crisis), each debating on a wide range of topics such as climate change, refugees and human trafficking.

According to senior Patrick Henry, this conference is one of the best RUHS has done as a whole, as there were many awards won by RUHS delegates.

“We got two best delegate awards, which I’ve never seen before. I’ve just seen one best delegate award at Bruin MUN in my entire four-year history at it, so we did really good with that,” Henry said.

Besides the high achieving best delegates awards won by Omid Janani and Anthony Wassink, novice participants received awards, which the club is proud of. Overall, Henry believes the program got at least in the top five for the best delegation award, yet the top two schools were the ones rewarded. The best large delegation went to Mira Costa, and the second-best large delegation went to Huntington Beach.

“I’d say this conference was different just because we had so many good delegates going into it. A lot of our novice delegates especially are just really good.

Their dedication to MUN has been phenomenal,” Henry said.

According to Henry, the best delegation award and other rewards given at Bruin MUN are difficult to receive. Depending on the number of participants within the conference, receiving the best delegates becomes easier or harder.

“There are many good delegates you have to beat.

You have to give better speeches than them and you have to do better in the Backroom [where the Crisis Director and Assistant Chairs respond to notes and directives, plan crisis breaks and craft the world outside the committee itself] than them,” Henry said.

For Henry, going into the conference, there were around 20 characters. He participated in a dual del-

egate conference, which is where two participants share a character throughout the crisis debate. According to Henry, it’s simpler to eyeball delegate’s strengths and tactics within a tiny bunch of people rather than a scattering amount of individuals.

Prior to the conference, delegates put in the work throughout their preparation. Part of the preparation is a position paper, which delegates turn in before the conference and the research itself. For junior Laxmi Upadhyaya, research is a factor, yet the relationships sprouted throughout the conference itself make the difference.

“A lot of it is about making connections with people and then

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK HENRY

making friendships because that way, they’ll vote for the things that you want to vote for,” Upadhyaya said.

According to Upadhyaya, preparation is 50% of the conference, and that in order to succeed delegates need to “deal” with people. Connections and preparation prompt delegates to success.

“Everyone else has studied the same issue. You want to act as if you’re educated, or you want to know what you’re talking about because in the conference when you are actually debating, it’s better to have research and statistics right on your paper,” Upadhyaya said.

Preparing before Bruin MUN, Upadhyaya planned to implement her strategies of communicating with others and gathering as much research into the conference in order to do well. Believing she communicates and performs better face to face than on screen, Upadhyaya continues to look forward to in-person conferences as opposed to those on Zoom, as on Zoom, rules were bent in certain areas.

Reflecting on his performance during the weekend at Bruin MUN, Henry believes his duo with his partner lacked preparation and communication. The duo went into the conference not prepping as much as they should have, according to Henry, which made their execution difficult.

“We went into it [the conference] with one session of just talking between the two of us, and I think that really took us down a bunch of levels. We were in a committee where we should have done way better,” Henry said.

Though this conference didn’t go as planned for Henry, he will use Bruin MUN as a reminder of the necessity of preparing even more in the future. For the conferences to come, Henry believes RUHS will be even greater with further practice under their belts.

“I think we could do a little bit more training. I know next year especially we’re going to have a lot more training sessions in general,” Henry said. “I think we’re only going to go up from here.”

HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

NEWS 3

Reflections

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RUHS students participate in the PTA Reflections Art Contest with the theme, “I will change the world by...”

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The message that I hope to spread is to preserve the environment and influence others to do so.

JONATHAN AFLALO JUNIOR

by SARA MIYAKE-SINGER

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ow can one change the world? This question was answered by students through pictures, dance, music composition, essays, poems, short films and paintings as part of the annual national PTA Reflections Art Contest.

Junior Jonathan Aflalo answered this question through his photo essay “Trash is a Pandemic.” His picture showcases masks, bottles and plastic straws strewn across a beach and aims to highlight the effects of human pollution on the environment.

“I think my piece embodies this theme well,” Aflalo said. “Through my photo and the essay that accompanied it, I tried to explain that I could change the world by reminding others to clean up after themselves and showing how humans change the world negatively through their carelessness. I hope that the message will resonate well with the judges.”

Aflalo has participated in the competition each year since sixth grade and finds taking pictures that embody different messages “really fun.” Aflalo felt that this year’s theme was harder than previous years’ themes and thus had a harder time creating his piece.

“The theme ‘I Will

Change the World By’ was actually challenging since the theme is usually about ourselves rather than the broader theme of the world like this year,” Aflalo said. “For the past few years, I’ve been able to quickly come up with a picture that would match the theme. This year, it took me a while to come up with what to do and the idea popped into my head at the last minute.”

Junior Rebecca Schima felt similarly that the theme of this year’s contest was very “different” than in previous years. As a result, she chose to enter the photography category rather than the essay category as she had done last year.

“I felt that this year’s theme could be better expressed through photography by showing others’ real raw emotions because I can show what I think would change the world rather than just describing it on paper,” Schima said.

Schima chose to enter three girls’ tennis pictures she took for the yearbook as she “saw the themes” of the competition in her pictures and felt that it “could be a good experience.”

“The pictures I took were centered around determination and connecting with others,” Schima said. “I tried to connect the emotions the players felt to human perseverance because I think that it’s a quality that is needed to change the world. To achieve great things I feel that you need to show grit like the players did in the pictures I took.”

Both Schima and Aflalo encourage others to try the contest especially because, according to Schima, “there’s nothing to lose.”

“What’s great about the contest is that there’s lots of stuff you can do so there’s lots of creative potential,” Schima said. “It’s pretty cool to see how well you can do and I hope that the message of my work was conveyed.”

PHOTO BY JONATHAN AFLALO TAKEN AS PART OF HIS RERFLECTIONS PROJECT

PHOTO BY REBECCA SCHIMA TAKEN AS PART OF HER RERFLECTIONS PROJECT

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I really enjoy sports photography and felt that I could display the theme through the athletes.

REBECCA SCHIMA JUNIOR

PHOTO BY REBECCA SCHIMA TAKEN AS PART OF HER RERFLECTIONS PROJECT

Photo of Rebecca Schima

BY VALERIE TISCARENO EARTH IMAGE FROM CANVA

RBUSD holds a job fair to compensate for nationwide worker shortage

by STAVYAH NAVEEN

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ver since the decline of COVID-19 cases in the United States, “For Hire” signs have made increased appearances. The signs are everywhere—local eateries, businesses and stores. This shortage in staff has expanded to school districts across the nation as well.

Recently, Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD) has been suffering from a worker shortage, particularly in its classified staff. The classified staff is comprised of office assistants, custodians, food service workers, campus supervisors, substitutes for classified staff and other essential employees who do not hold a teaching credential.

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources (HR) Dr. Nicole Wesley believes that this classified worker shortage is due to COVID-19.

“COVID-19 has caused people to rethink their career paths and whether or not they want to work from home,” Wesley said. “Perhaps they had to move or wanted to move because of COVID-19. I think that all of these factors have contributed to the

shortage. California, particularly LA County, is not a cheap place to live relative to other states and cities.”

RBUSD explored methods of attracting more employees.

“We did a study that showed that our pay rate was lower than other districts such as Torrance Unified, Hawthorne, etc. After we did that study, we recognized that in order to be competitive, we needed to increase our substitute rates,” Wesley said.

In response to the worker shortage in other classified staff positions, RBUSD held a job fair on Oct. 14 to gather members of the South Bay community who were interested and eligible to work in RBUSD. “We recognized that we had a need for employees in open positions, and these employees are essential to supporting our schools,” Wesley said. “Typically, we advertised positions on a platform called Edjoin.

But solely advertising on Edjoin hasn’t been a fruitful response for certain positions, such as custodians and instructional aides.”

Wesley conferred with other professionals from neighboring districts, who are also

superintendents of HR, to discuss whether they also found it difficult to generate a candidate pool to work in their respective districts. “[In one of these meetings], Hawthorne Unified mentioned that they do job fairs,” Wesley said. “In addition to that, we used to be able to go to job fairs in Loyola Marymount, USC, CSU Long Beach and others.

But because of COVID-19, we haven’t been able to go for a year and a half. So, now as things are starting to get better, the job fair idea made sense.”

Wesley met with other HR specialists of classified staff, including South Bay Adult School director Drew Gamet to plan the fair. They aspired to design one similar to the RBUSD hiring process by taking the candidates through the steps of applying for a job. The candidates were also notified if they were accepted for the positions for which they interviewed the same day as the fair.

“It was absolutely phenomenal,” Gamet said. “Attendees were able to show up, see the plethora of positions that were open

and available, and then immediately move into an application process, an interview process, and a live scan to get the [Tuberculosis] testing done. [It was all completed] in one process.”

The job fair was designed to drive success through efficiency and swiftness. In the end, 250 people attended and 100 people chose to apply for a job. While the typical hiring process takes about two weeks, at the job fair it was completed within one evening in a four-hour window.

Even though RBUSD found the need to utilize a job fair in order to compensate for the worker shortages, Wesley believes that RBUSD has fewer worker shortages compared to other districts across the country, including some in the South Bay. “Redondo is a desirable district to work in,” Wesley said. “We try to create and establish a sense of community, and we really do care about our employees. We have an employee wellness program, and we do our best to connect our employees to the school district and to each other. We have an amazing reputation.”

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Students discuss their interest in astrology and zodiac signs

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lipping through the delicate pages of her mother’s astrology book, she familiarized herself with the signs; Libra, Capricorn, Cancer, Gemini, Aquarius, Leo, Saggitarius, Scorpio, Pisces, Virgo, Aries and Taurus: the twelve signs in the western zodiac.

Reading her mother’s astrology book as a child

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIN CANTRELL

allowed Ellen Puterbaugh, a junior at RUHS, to cultivate an interest in astrology that has flourished in recent years.

As Puterbaugh entered middle and high school, she found more people with the interest. More recently, as the pandemic raged on, her knowledge of zodiacs and astrology thrived.

“I downloaded Co-Star, and then I really started to get into the analytics of it, learn what is actually meant to be this or that,” Puterbaugh said.

Co-Star is an astrology app that allows users to input their date and time of birth and gives them the meanings of their astrological signs. Other apps like Cafe Astrology will do calculations for birth charts.

“It’s not like I wake up every day and put on a black shirt because ‘I’m a Libra and the Zodiac told me that today I need to wear certain colors or something’, but it’s more like, ‘Oh I understand why I click with more people,’ or if I know a large group of people, and I’m like ‘Okay, I get along well with these types of people,’” Puterbaugh said.

Studying astrology is a growing hobby among students. Senior Anthony Sanchez researched astrology freshman year and has learned so much since then.

“I found it really interesting that there

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was more meaning to the signs and birthdays and the stars and how much they can tell you,” Sanchez said.

Junior Bo Little said the recent spike of interest in astrology is intriguing because of the fact that most of the recent interest comes from the younger generation.

“It’s a very complex thing that has a lot of moving parts, and it’s cool that young people are getting into it and teaching other young people about it,” Little said.

Both Little and Sanchez say that they are still learning. Sanchez even welcomes others to talk with him about astrology. He expressed how glad he is that astrology is still active, alive and well.

“It’s like a lost art, and we’re bringing it back by talking about it, by wearing these bracelets, by posting on social media. We’re making sure it isn’t forgotten,” Sanchez said.

ASTRONOMICAL findings The Astronomy Club uses telescopes to observe the night sky

by ARIYA ANVARI

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ut in the frigid night, surrounded by the howl of coyotes and the tall trees of Cranchester, junior Marin Cantrell sets up a tripod and captures it all. One click, then two, then ten: several photos are taken capturing the starlight in various shades of purple and blue. Others capture the scenic beauty of the moon and trees, and one even shows the stark red light of a car cutting through the clusters of stars.

The astronomy club centers on the galaxy and vast world of stars above us.

Cantrell, vice president of the club, focuses

on the astrophotography aspect of astronomy, the reason she joined to begin with. As a girl scout trapped in a pandemic, she decided to earn badges as a way to pass the time, but this ended up leading to one of her newest interests: astrophotography.

“One of the very first badges I did was the space science badge, [which meant that you had] to take pictures of the sky,” Cantrell said. “I thought it was really fun, and I kept doing it. At this point I’d say I’ve gotten relatively good at it. I’ve gotten more equipment for it and learned more about it.

I’ve gone places with the pure intent of taking pictures of the night sky, and it’s one of my favorite things to do now.”

Despite Cantrell’s and others’ interest in astrophotography, the club’s focus expands beyond photography.

“I think we are what I call a large tent.

Some people are more interested in the photography aspect of astronomy so they can get something out of the club, but then there’s also people that just want to learn the straight facts and don’t plan to come to

the star parties or learn or use telescopes.

We try to satisfy everyone’s needs, which is a little bit difficult, but that’s what we’re trying to do,” senior Aaron Alpern said.

Alpern, the president of the Astronomy club, hosts star parties, events where the club members gaze at the stars at night and observe them via telescope. The club, according to Alpern, is like most others, giving people interested in the topic a chance to discuss it and learn about it together.

“The club [was made so that] other people that enjoy learning about the cosmos or the stars [can be together]. [We wanted to] teach astronomy to people that don’t know much about it and spread it to more people, and also for people that are more experienced to harness their skills and get better at using telescopes and identifying constellations,” Alpern said.

Considering the fact most of the previous members were seniors, it left Cantrell and Alpern to lead the club alone. This has given the two opportunities to come up with new activities like Kahoots, planning events, teaching constellations and even the star parties the club holds.

The club consists mainly of those who don’t know much about the topic and want to learn more.

“Most of the people in the club came in knowing one or two constellations max,” Alpern said. ”I was really surprised to see the amount of people that weren’t previously interested in astronomy that were interested in the club.”

According to Cantrell, the club is an opportunity for “discovery” and more than just presentations or facts being shared between peers.

“This is something we’re all interested in and all want to learn about together. We discover something, and we can teach it to other people,” she said. “At the star party last week Aaron was teaching us how to use the telescope because none of us knew how to do it.”

For Alpern, the opportunity to not only learn for himself, but to teach others is meaningful.

“I just really appreciate how [space] makes me feel really small—if I stub my toe or something, it doesn’t seem like a big deal because I’m just a speck,” Alpern said.

HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

FEATURES 5

BYTE LOOKING FOR A

OF NORMALCY The Beach Cities Robotics team halts competition due to COVID-19 restrictions

by LAUREN CHOY

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he usual scene of mechanical students covering the robot with their fingerprints as they finalize their design, and programmers collecting data from the robot and typing rapidly away on their computers is nowhere to be found. It’s been a year and a half since COVID-19 has stopped the Beach Cities robotics 294 team from returning to labs, closed indefinitely due to a shortage of willing mentors for their team.

“I kind of just miss the whole program.

All the people there were really great and building the robot, getting to go to competitions, it’s a lot of fun,” senior Maddie Travis said.

For Travis and senior Josh Schuman, the thing they miss most from pre-COVID-19 robotics with in-person labs is the experience with the team itself.

“I think I definitely miss the camaraderie of the team because it’s just so much easier to get close with your team in regular situations,” Schuman said.

Every Saturday lab, the team would get together and eat a team dinner with all the mentors and members and the environment was very welcoming.

“So missing out on that takes a pretty big aspect away from the robotics experience,” Schuman said.

Mentors for the team are volunteers from engineering companies like Northrop Gruman or Boeing. They aren’t paid for volunteering many hours of their schedule

in order to help the team get through the season.

“They show up on their own free will and a lot of them are worried about COVID-19 regulations and all those kids being in the same, small inside area so the risk of getting COVID-19 is higher,” Schuman said.

Before the labs were closed, members dedicated 30 hours a week and stayed in the lab until 11 p.m. on weekdays.

Having no in-person meetings this year, new students who would like to join are unable to, putting the team at a disadvantage for future competitions, as new members will not get the experience needed to compete.

“Half the future team will never even have been at a competition before, which is pretty major because it’s usually the seniors and juniors doing the work at competitions,” senior Josh Schuman said.

For returning members, working on Zoom was difficult for mechanical students like Travis because their jobs were typically all hands-on.

“You actually have to build a physical robot, which is really hard to do when you’re not at school because the school has our machine and tools shop so we can build all the parts,” Travis said.

On the other hand, as a programmer, Schuman’s typical lab day was primarily on the computer, coding and collecting data.

“We collect data from the robots and sensors, which are all logged in, and we

make visual representations like graphs of out the constraints, and communicating its velocity and its voltage and try to trou- with vendors to actually build a set of road cases that fit our needs,” Choy said. bleshoot problems,” Schuman said.

Since competitions were suspended due With not much happening within the team, Schuman has taken action to enhance to COVID-19, the team managed to work around it and participated in small compehis personal skills for his desired field.

“I’m actually dual enrolling in El Cami- titions in which they ended up placing fifth.

“Instead of making a new robot to comno for programming classes. I just like doing mini projects of my own, so I bought pete, we would use an existing robot to complete little challenga version of my own. I es and upload a video mess around with it and which would then be I’ve used artificial inteljudged by judges online. ligence to recognize obThese judging sessions jects with the camera,” for different cateSchuman said.

I definitely miss the were gories like making our Although there is litown game for future rotle the team can do at the camaraderie of the botics competitions or moment, they are still at- team because it’s solving a problem in the tempting to do as much community,” Choy said. as they can with the little just so much easier Having this virtual face-to-face interaction to get close with competition allowed for available. your team. the team to be able to “We’re working on work together while still building a pit case to enJOSH SCHUMAN following the COVID-19 compass all our tools and SENIOR rules. Although these everything so we don’t online challenges have to pack everything worked well for the curinto boxes,” Travis said. rent situation, the team This pit case is the team’s main project, and senior Colin Choy explains how there really isn’t anything like is one of the members most involved with normal robotics.

“It’s more fun to be in-person and actuthis process.

“It would be easier to set up and take ally build and assemble and see what you around with us. So for the past couple made on the computer come to life,” Travis months, we’ve been designing it, figuring said.

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Some students recently found interest in Japanese Domestic Motor (JDM) cars

by RYAN PARHIZI

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or many car enthusiasts, Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) cars elicit childhood memories and serve as surreal objects in car enthusiasts’ pop culture. JDM cars are an integral part of car culture, especially in the LA area. Now, RUHS students are hopping onto the trend, getting JDM cars, taking them to car meets, modding them, and engaging in the popular East LA JDM community.

Junior Sean Stassi, a common attendee of the JDM car meets, wants to expand the community’s popularity to the Redondo Beach area by promoting car meets hosted

by Steerfresh, an Instagram page for orga-

nizing car meets.

“I love to see new people show interest in the community. I personally own an Integra, and I’ve been working on it for months and taking it to meets. I really appreciate the feedback I get from other enthusiasts.

If I can promote this same atmosphere in the South Bay, that would mean the world to me,” Stassi said.

Stassi and junior Kyan Panis plan on promoting their own car meet in the following months.

“I got into JDM cars after I saw ‘Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift’ for the first time.

Being a little kid and seeing the comradery

A Japanese Domestic Motor car. PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN PARHIZI

it brought really seemed like something I want to have,” Panis said.

Due to their love for JDM, they started pushing their friends, like junior Jake Spangler, to get JDM cars.

“I got an RX-7 as my first car; it isn’t the nicest thing in the world. But it’s a great project car with a crazy amount of potential. I feel like that’s what JDM culture is about: making the best of your situation at hand. That’s how Japanese artists are able to turn a relatively cheap car like a Honda Prelude into a work of art. They have a passion,” Spangler said.

According to Stassi, JDM cars are like

any other hobby, and they attract a zealous class of people who do things with a passion and an appreciation for their craft.

“Being a JDM enthusiast isn’t a cheap hobby by any means, but you can be a part of it from owning something like an NSX which is worth north of $100,000, or a Toyota Celica worth around $8,000. The point is people don’t care about what you’re driving, people want to see how much you care about what you’re driving and how you want to make it the best experience,” Stassi said.

into new cultures

6

features A Swinging Victory For first time in 30 years, RUHS wins doubles Bay League

by ERIKA GLASS

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eeling the warmth of the 90° weather, doubles players and juniors Maegan Deng and Emily Robertson set up on the court prepared to face their opponent. The other team serves, sending the tiny fluorescent ball over the net. The match had begun.

On Oct. 28 and 29, RUHS Girls Tennis played in the doubles Bay League tournament, winning all four rounds in a single elimination bracket.

“It was kind of surreal at first. It was a very big deal for us to finally get a win for the team and for Redondo,” Deng said.

This win marks the first win for Girls Tennis in doubles Bay League in over 30 years. The pair played Santa Monica in the first round, two teams from Mira Costa and Penn in the finals.

Despite emerging victorious, there was a time where the pair came close to losing, according to Robertson. During the semifinals, where she and Deng played a team from Costa, the teams split sets, meaning each team won one set. In order to decide who would win the match, they had to play a tiebreaker, as matches in tennis are best two out of three.

“We faced several points against us in that second match against Costa and were a point away from losing three times,” Robertson said. “It eventually came down to who wanted it more, and we actually ended up defending those points somehow.”

Winning that match 13-11, Deng and Robertson were able to stay in the tournament, which was being played at the Jack

Kramer Club in PV for three of their matches on the first day.

In the days leading up to doubles Bay League, both Deng and Robertson faced challenges. Deng, tired from playing singles Bay League the day before for five hours straight, hadn’t seen Robertson for some time until she arrived back from Florida the night before. Suffering from jet lag, adjusting to the time difference was “pretty rough” for Robertson.

Though the two had difficulties, they were able to quickly overcome them for the matches, due to their “chemistry” and much preparation.

“We felt pretty good going in because we’ve played together in competitive tournaments before. We know each other’s games pretty well, me and Maegan, so it was just pretty fun,” Robertson said.

Both players, who have been on varsity tennis all three years of high school, have put in many hours of training to prepare for Bay League and use certain techniques to help them succeed while playing.

“One of the main things we did was serving to certain spots. You would signal your partner where you want them to go using eye formation and then they would serve there,” Deng said.

For the finals against Penn, the pair played at their home court, and most of the team was able to make it there to support.

“I felt like the atmosphere and environment was really familiar because we knew the court, and it was nice with the team,” Deng said.

“I usually feel a little nervous, but maybe they passed on some luck or something because we were playing at the top of our games in the final.”

After this win, Deng and Robertson will go on to play in doubles CIF, the first round being in late November.

“For CIF, there’s a lot of tough teams there, so it’s going to be good competition,

Deng and Robertson walking off the court post-second match.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAEGAN DENG

and I hope we win. That would be really cool because it would be like making history for the school,” Robertson said. “But either way, I’m looking forward to it.”

High school students teach younger kids how to pitch softball

by LAUREN GREENE

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en years ago, senior Madi Radeke watched her coach, Coach Jud Thompson, teach her softball. Today, he watches her teach it.

Radeke, along with several other students from RUHS, is involved in a student-run pitching clinic. Together, Radeke and her teammates coach softball to girls ages 8-10 — and hold private lessons for girls older than that — utilizing their passion for the sport to help these kids grow and develop as athletes.

“My pitching coach [Coach Jud Thomspon] when I was younger would hold clinics for younger groups of girls,” Radeke said.

“Once I got to high school, he asked me to help mentor and work clinics. I would go in and take a group of my own girls and instruct them through lessons. We work on the fundamentals and build their strengths in certain areas.”

Varsity softball assistant coach, Coach Jud, founded this organization, called Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) Softball Instruction. He now takes pride in witnessing his former students aid younger girls, similar to the way in which he once helped them, reflecting the cyclical pattern of support he formed with the creation of this program.

“I get a big rush out of watching [my previous students] teach now,” Coach Jud said. “Now that we put a lot of work into training them, I like to sit back and watch them work successfully with young kids.

Little girls learn a lot from bigger girls. And a big part of our program is the fact that we have very solid instructors.”

After nearly 10 years of training junior and senior pitchers to coach, Coach Jud switched to teaching students young-

er, starting as freshmen, in order to “get three or four or five years of teaching out of them,” before they go off to college. In doing so, the student coaches are better able to improve their abilities as mentors and thus help their students develop as people and athletes.

“I say this to parents all the time. You need to find someone you trust. Let them teach your child and then stay out of it,” Coach Jud said. “A coach is a great outlet for you to be able to help raise [and teach] your kid.”

Radeke similarly values the emphasis this program places on the unique interaction between older and younger girls, which has allowed to make a personal impact on the students she coaches.

“I’ve had many conversations with parents and they say that [the kids] retain information a lot better when they take it from o l d e r g i r l s because we act more like role

models and not like adults that they have to listen to,” Radeke said. “They’re able to create better connections with us because they look up to us.”

Radeke is able to take advantage of this connection to her students, using it to implement her knowledge of the sport to aid the kids. After four years of coaching, she recognizes both the benefits she provides to her students and the internal pride it creates, stemming from this ability to coach effectively.

“It’s been really rewarding to see all their improvements and watching how what I say changes how they are growing as a player and gaining strength mentally and physically,” Radeke said.

Reflecting on her time as a softball player, Radeke now can channel both the positives

Madi Radeke and Jess Alvear with Coach Jud and kids they coach. PHOTO COURTESY OF JESS ALVEAR

and the negatives of her own experiences to create the most beneficial environment for her students as possible.

“Growing up, I had some coaches that I didn’t really like and they didn’t make it fun for me,” Radeke said. “Being able to be that person for them is just really fun. I just want to make it a fun game, especially at that age. You don’t need to be committing to college when you’re ten. Just keep it relaxed.”

Since she began working the clinics, Radeke has been able to see how her efforts have both improved the younger girls’ techniques and developed her own skills, such as communication and flexibility.

“I’ve gotten opportunities out of that, like customer satisfaction,” Radeke said.

“I’ve gotten the experience to learn how to have composure in chaotic situations and work with a bunch of different personalities to make sure that everyone’s comfortable and learning at the pace that they need to be learning at. Everyone comes in at a different level, and it’s a fun challenge to see where everyone [starts] and build from there.”

One of Radeke’s favorite parts of the program is “seeing the progress of everyone” that she has taught. Coach Jud feels similarly, reflecting on the impact their clinics are able to make on the athletic abilities of young girls.

“If you were to watch an eight year old girl from the time we start with her to the time we leave her, her progress is amazing and it’s a big rush to watch how good these kids can get after a year or two of working at it,” Coach Jud said.

HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

FEATURES 7 Louis Vuitton print VIA FLICKR

Walking Her Runway Following her childhood dream, Greene pursues modeling

by AVA WARMAN

S

discovered her joy of modeling. After modeling on and off for years, she has been conhe walks into a maze of identical sistently modeling for about a year now. cement buildings. Someone outside Additionally, acting opened up doors for greets her, directing her into one of her that she never expected. Greene’s famithem. She sets her bag down and gets her ly connected her with an acting and modelhair and makeup done, talking to a phoing agency when she was young. tographer. She puts on a shiny red dress, “When I got my [acting] agency, I startand just like that, she’s ready for a photo ed getting more modeling jobs than acting shoot at the beach. For actress and model jobs,” Greene said. “I’ve been acting since Haley Greene, this is a typical day on set.

Greene has had several acting and mod- I was little. I started theatre acting, then I realized I had more of a eling jobs, including one passion for commercial fashion show during Los acting because you can Angeles Fashion Week connect to people a lot with TME Modeling more.”

Agency. On her InstaWhen Greene transigram, Greene writes that tioned from theatre acting the show was “so much It’s hard to hear to commercial acting, she fun.” ‘no.’ There’s ten found her true passion.

While acting and Greene enjoys the social modeling have impacted other people that aspect of acting and modGreene’s life, there are look the exact eling because she believes some parts of the entersame as you. that she is able to connect tainment industry that with people in her indusare not as great as others.

HALEY GREENE try very well. Greene be“It’s hard to hear ‘no,’” SENIOR lieves that when you’re on Greene said. “There’s ten set, you share a passion other people that look the with people that you can exact same as you. It deficonnect easily over. nitely had a toll on my mental health.”

“When you’re in a sport, you connect While juggling school, cheerleading, and college applications, Greene feels the pres- with those people because you have something in common. It’s like that for me. sure of modeling more than ever.

“Being in the industry, you want to be Those are my kind of people,” Greene said. perfect all the time,” Greene said. “Work- “We all share the same passion. It’s nice ing in an environment where it’s all about connecting with those people because we beauty and looks can be very pressuring, all have the same interests.”

Greene was introduced to the entertainand there is a lot of stress that comes with ment industry via her father, who worked that.”

Greene began acting when she was in entertainment. According to Greene, three-years-old, and in the process, she both her parents are very supportive of her

“

really affected my grades,” Greene said. acting and modeling career, but “Right now with college stuff, I’ve been especially her dad. working a little bit less. Hopefully I’ll “My dad is very supportstart doing more acting and modeling ive, but my mom just thinks in the second semester.” that five percent of people Through all the struggles of make it, and she just modeling and acting, Greene thinks it’s something has never regretted the time fun I’m doing right spent and sacrifices she’s made. now. [My dad] says that She has many great memories of if it’s something I want the people and experiences she to do, I’ve got to surhas faced through her entertainround myself with the ment career. right people,” Greene “The first time I walked on said. “I know they both a runway was interesting bejust want what’s best for cause it was something I never me.” thought I would do,” Greene Greene’s dad believes said. “When you’re little and she should focus on you have a dream, you want acting and modeling, that dream to come true. That making sure to conwas what happened to me nect with agencies and with modeling. I’m still in form friendships with the same industry I want other actors and modto be in, but I’m going els so she could have in a different direca better knowledge tion [with modof the industry. eling]. It was Acting and really cool to modeling her see the same whole life, industry I’d Greene is now been in, but in taking a break a different form. to focus on I’m really glad I was college apable to start modeling. I plications. think it’s great that my actGreene is ing career led to this.” “very organized” and insists that her entertainment Haley Greene journey hasn’t affected modeling. PHOTO her schoolwork much.

COURTESY OF “Working hasn’t ever GREENE.

Mier produces music and uploads it on Spotify and Apple Music

by YARA EL-HASAN

A

frustrated hand reaches for the slate gray computer, muting the slightly offbeat melody emerging from it. After a few clicks on the keyboard, the song resumes and is fixed. The warm strums of a guitar blend with the voice of senior singer and songwriter Miguel Mier, creating a harmonic tune that will soon be added to the list of the many other songs he’s produced.

“I get my inspiration from all the artists I listen to like Shawn Mendes, Juice WRLD and Luke Combs,” Mier said.

His Spotify profile consists of albums, songs and covers. Mier spends around 30 minutes crafting his lyrics, and it takes him up to two months to completely produce it.

He uses minimal materials in songs, like clips of his friend playing guitar and beats he finds on YouTube.

“My favorite song that I’ve written is probably Life of a Teenager, which was one of the first songs I put out,” Mier said. “It was really quick to write. I gave myself a really short window of time to get it done and it just ended up being one of my best songs.”

Since eighth grade, Mier has written and produced several songs while simultaneously building his platform on Spotify and Apple Music. Mier releases his songs under the stage name “Squinty Eyed Bandit,” an idea of a close friend.

“My favorite part of making songs is probably the reaction my friends have to them,” Mier said. “They tend to like it and whenever I play my music to them it’s always really funny, and they always like to support me.”

He writes his songs in his own house my friends,” Mier said.“One of my friends but often does his producing at his friend’s had a really funny nickname so I made house, who has a small set-up with a com- some songs about him and it was reputer and headphones. Together, they work ally fun to do so I decided I wanton creating music that Mier can release to ed to keep making music.” his fan base. Unlike his friends, Mier’s famWhen producing and making ily admires his work from afar and don’t get music, Mier focuses on the fun of involved with creating his music. it, incorporating his friends in his “My family thinks that it’s a good hobby songs and cheering them up with it. to do in my free time, and they know I don’t With a Christmas album on the way see it as a career. They and a single in the support me, but they usuworks, Mier must ally tend to stay away,” juggle his music caMier said. reer with the Along with songwrit- I get my inspirademands of ing, Mier incorporates school. Almusic into other aspects tion from all the of his life, such as his artists I listen founding of the Country to like Shawn Music Club. As the club’s reigning president, he Mendes, Juice meets with his members WRLD and Luke weekly to create an enviCombs ronment for music lovers like himself.

“My favorite genre is MIGUEL MIER SENIOR country music because I feel like a lot of the songwriters tend to go for more of a storytelling though it’s difficult, aspect. Rap and pop singers are more about he believes it’s worth it. the sound rather than the story,” Mier said.

“I’m very proud of “I like the artists that sing songs I can relate what I do,” Mier said. to, so I try to do that with my own music.”

“Because even though He finds that the hardest part of making I’m not as serious about music is producing it rather than coming it as other people, I still up with the lyrics. Mier explains that when put a lot of work into it he sits down to write his songs, he is usually and I really care about “in the zone,” and ideas easily flow. it.”

“Initially, I was just making music about

“

2

1

1. Album cover photo. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIGUEL MIER. 2. Screenshot of a song by Mier VIA KATARINA BECHES

NOV. 12, 2021 HIGH TIDE

8 FEATURES

Home away from

H ME Junior Rin Lakandula takes on a job at one of their favorite places: the Ice Chalet

by ERIN HARTMON

“I was at my first ever competition, but it was a friendly one at my home rink,” Lakandula said. “I was nervous and excited and doubted myself; I ended up doing all my tricks though.” PHOTO COURTESY OF RIN LAKANDULA

T

he Promenade Ice Chalet, a prominent feature in the South Bay, was on thin ice financially this last year, affecting many patrons such as junior Rin Lakandula.

Residing inside the Promenade Mall in Rolling Hills Estates for over 40 years, the Ice Chalet hosted many birthday parties and skating lessons, becoming a popular spot for South Bay residents. At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the Ice Chalet, along with other businesses had to close down temporarily. Then, in September of 2020, the staff was notified that the business would be closing for good due to costs.

“

I was a ‘rink rat,’ which is a term for skaters who [are always at] the facility and are basically treated like they live there.

RIN LAKANDULA JUNIOR

Sabrina Boyles, the current facility manager, played a vital role in prompting the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo to save the Promenade Ice Chalet. After a new company affiliated with the LA Kings bought the facility, the business was finally able to open again, in turn making new jobs available to those all over the South Bay, including junior Rin Lakandula (they/them).

Lakandula, who has figure skated at the Ice Chalet since 2010, started working there at the end of last September.

Already having a close connection to the staff, Lakandula helped out with small jobs before getting hired.

“I was a ‘rink rat,’ which is a term for skaters who [are always at] the facility and are basically treated like they live there,” Lakandula said. “I just helped out with what I could and talked to the employees because we are all friends.”

Now that they hold an official position and work twice a week, more responsibility has been placed on them than before.

While working in the middle of a pandemic, Lakandula’s job includes keeping everyone safe with the new Covid safety rules being enforced.

“Since I know how to ice skate, usually when there are 15 or more people on the ice, I will have to skate around and make sure that people are being safe and are keeping it a good environment,” Lakandula said. “I clean skates, and I learned how to sharpen them too. And I just do general cleaning to make sure the area looks nice.”

Along with making many good memories, they also had many bizarre encounters, such as when they saw a kid scaling the high and unsteady ropes used to protect viewers from flying hockey pucks surrounding the rink “as if it were a rock wall.”

When the Ice Chalet had to shut down last year, Lakandula felt sad to leave their friends and the community they had built there.

“I was pretty upset [when the Ice Chalet closed] because it was like a family environment. It wasn’t strictly teacher and student. We’re all equals there, and it was really nice,” Lakandula said.

Not only is the Ice Chalet a place where Lakandula works and skates but a place where they have an emotional attachment. After recalling their time at the rink, Lakandula felt extremely nervous when thinking about their second home closing.

“I was really concerned because I’ve made so many [memories] there. It’s just really shaped my life and my drive towards ice skating. And physically, it’s a small rink. It’s not Olympic size[...]I think the emo-

PHOTO COURTESY OF FREEPIK

tional value of it really outweighs the physical aspect,” Lakandula said.

Lakandula hasn’t always loved skating; at one point, they wanted to quit.

They didn’t like their coach at the time, didn’t want to practice and had many feelings of self-doubt. After looking at their skates every night, dwelling over whether or not to start skating again, one day they got a sign to pick it back up.

“I think my calling was when I was at a thrift store, and I saw some ice skates.

They were my size at the time, and I grew out of my old skates. I just used that to pick it back up, and things started getting good,” Lakandula said.

“

I was pretty upset [when the Ice Chalet closed] because it was like a family environment. We’re all equals there.

RIN LAKANDULA JUNIOR

Lakandula also aspires to pursue a teaching job at the Ice Chalet in order to inspire others to try something new and help them build upon a new hobby.

Lakandula’s skating coach, Coco Dobard, started out having the same job position as Lakandula and hopes that someday they will follow in her footsteps of becoming a coach.

“Becoming a teacher is honestly one of the greatest experiences you can have.

And you sort of have built-in knowledge for it. So yeah, I hope that they’re inspired to take on that role,” Dobard said.

Though they’re not sure how long they’ll keep their job, they’re passionate about it for the time being.

“For me right now it’s more of just a side thing just to kind of fund for my future because if I keep saving up, then I’ll have enough money to maybe buy new skates or textbooks for college,” Lakandula said. “It’s still a hazy future, but I would like to stay as long as I can because I just love all the people there.”

Freshman Isabella Kohler uses her love for literature to write a novel by hand

by MICAH MCFADDEN

F

reshman Isabella Kohler sits on her bed, her notebook in her lap, pen in hand. Ideas fill her mind to the brim, yet she doesn’t know where to start. She eventually finds something to grab onto, a thought to begin with. As ink floods the page and the bedroom fades away, for the next hour, nothing else exists beyond the world etched in paper.

Kohler is writing a novel, now 153 pages long, for more than a year, all by hand.

“I get so many more ideas this way, and it’s so much more romantic. Sometimes I like to use a fountain pen,” Kohler said.

When she gets down to writing, “she’s in a different world. You can’t talk to her.

She doesn’t listen to you. She’s just really focused when she’s writing; she can be in the car and she’s writing—she’d zone out,” said her mother, Carla Kohler, who encouraged Kohler’s love for literature.

Kohler’s tale, an adventure story inspired by the TV show Outer Banks, follows the journey of Lizzy and her best friend Daisy on Catalina Island in 1989.

“There’s not much I can say without spoiling it,” Kohler said. She did not do any research about the location or time period before she began writing but made sure to do so once she started.

“I chose to set it in 1989 because I just think that time period is really fascinating, and it just felt like a good time for my book to take place. I did a lot of research about the clothes because I describe a lot of their clothing in the book, and I did a lot of research about the time period and Catalina Island,” Kohler said.

An excerpt reads, “All the lights flicked off as Lizzy peddled through the harbor. The boats swayed gently in the cool summer breeze under the full moon that shone dimly on the ocean. Only the whispers of the wind could be heard on that tranquil evening. It was a cold night, and Lizzy’s untamed sandy blonde hair flew wildly in the breeze. Her mind was far from perfect, but here under the crystal moon, she finally felt at peace.”

This isn’t the first book that Kohler has written, as she has a long experience with literature. When she lived in San Francisco, Kohler and her mother would walk to two nearby libraries often. Writing since the third grade, she has spent many hours in the library at a time.

“I used to take her to the library for storytime since she was four months old,” said Kohler’s mother, Carla Kohler. “We would go every week and check out books that we read at home and just kept that since. The library is one of her favorite places. She can sit and relax there; same thing with bookstores. She loves it.”

Kohler “has a big imagination,” according to Carla Kohler. Kohler said that when she gets stuck, “it’s not exactly writer’s block.”

“I have ideas constantly pouring out, but sometimes I’m not in the mood to write them down,” Kohler said.

Kohler has her own ways of overcoming that hurdle.

“I try to go back to the source and regain that enthusiasm that I had at the beginning. And then I just start writing,” she said.

Kohler’s writing doesn’t focus on any culture or age group, but rather “people who appreciate life, and want to live a full one.”

To those who try but struggle to write something themselves, Kohler said, “Just pick up a pen and start writing. Write whatever comes to your head, because whether it’s good or not, you can always make something out of it in the end.”

HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

FEATURES 9

Breaking book

BARRIERS

Junior Sydney Hyon teams up with head librarian Cassandra Jones in ramping up RUHS’s Book Club

by MARLEY VAN PELT

T

he Girl Scout Gold Award, the most reputable and prestigious award a Girl Scout can receive in her “Journey”, is a recognition that only about 5% of Girl Scouts earn annually. With only grades 9-12 eligible, this special honor encourages young girls to take the initiative in making an impact on their local communities.

Redondo Union junior and Senior Girl Scout Sydney Hyon, motivated by her passions, decided to fulfill her own Gold Award.

“I know that it’s not something that a lot of people do, but that’s kind of why it makes it so important, because if you end up getting it, you’re one of the few,” Hyon said.

Hyon decided to capitalize on her passion for reading in this endeavour. With a

vision of building a more collaborative library made up of both students and staff, Hyon needed to partner with someone with library expertise.

“My 9th grade English teacher, Ms. Jones, is now the head librarian. I reached out to her over the summer about setting up a Library Club because I noticed there wasn’t anything like it during club rush,” Hyon said.

Hyon aspires for her Library Club to go beyond just Redondo Union High School and provide more for the city of Redondo Beach.

“I wanted to create a club that would have a lasting impact on the community at school, and then if I were able to also get in touch with the Redondo Beach Public library and interlace the two, it would be a change for the whole Redondo Beach community,” Hyon said.

Hyon, with her love of books, wanted to encourage others to become more involved.

“I really like the library and books, so I wanted to do something that incorporated the two,” Hyon said. “I wanted to do a project I knew I would be passionate about.”

RUHS’s head librarian and 9th grade English teacher, Cassandra Jones, takes part in the other half of this project.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the assistance that I need, that Sydney’s offering,” Jones said. “And then she reached

out to me. There was the thing I was waiting for.”

“I was reading my emails during the summer, which is never a great place to be in, and it made my day so much better thinking that somebody is dedicated to this as much as I am,” Jones said. “I was just so happy and relieved at the same time.”

Like Hyon, Jones sees the collaboration as an advantage for the library and for an opportunity for students to be more involved.

“I really see it more as a partnership and I want Sidney to run with it and come to me with her ideas,” Jones said. “It’s a very shared responsibility right now and I like having a partnership.”

After seeing an open opportunity for assistance, Jones’s vision became clearer, allowing her to act on her mission to improve the library.

“I have a really strong vision for the library and my biggest hindrance is time,” Jones said. “With this club, we create a network of students who are passionate about books and the library, but they also get an added benefit of service hours or having me as a reference.”

Clubs throughout Redondo Union are always looking for more participants, and the Library Club is no exception.

“Join our club. It’s super lowkey,” Jones said. “Talk to Sydney Hyon and Peyton

PHOTOS BY RUBY CROSTHWAIT

French if you have any more questions.”

The Library Club got off to a good start with about twenty members attending each meeting, a result not seen last year at the height of the COVID-19 blight.

“We tried to do a book club,” Jones said.

“We got a few people, but when the pandemic hit, it kind of fizzled out.”

Due to the suspension of “in-person” learning, the book club could not continue, which is why Jones hopes for the Library Club to be the next evolution for book lovers, “filled with people who are the most passionate about reading.”

“It’s different now but, for a while, I feel like it was so rare to read,” Jones said.

“Now more of us are talking about books, and I like to think it’s because of the library.

I want to keep that momentum going.”

RUHS students and staff emphasize the importance of addressing rape culture

by LUCY DAVIS

A

A hashtag. A sign of solidarity. A breakthrough. #MeToo. Four years after the MeToo movement took the world by storm and gave a voice to survivors, society is still making progress in facilitating and normalizing discussions about sexual assault and rape culture. As a school, it’s a chance to focus on survivors, hear their stories, and continue to improve. “[The conversation about sexual assault] can start up and then die, because something happens and people decide that it’s time to start caring again. No. You should always care,” Sophomore Jane Doe said.

This is a very personal topic for Doe, who experienced sexual assault while in elementary school.

“There was nothing sexual about my oversized sweatshirt. There was nothing sexual about Tinkerbell pajamas. There isn’t anything wrong with me. It is purely based on the wrongdoing of the perpetrator,” Doe said.

Senior Johnny Appleseed, also a survivor of sexual assault, said that the expierence can be much more “nuanced” than expected.

“I had always viewed sexual assault and rape as something that happens [between a] woman and a big, fat, scary guy,” Appleseed said. In reality, “there’s a lot more gray area—for me, it wasn’t black and white. It was someone who I loved, someone I was dating at the time. Sexual assault can happen to anyone at any time.”

Though the MeToo movement was a big push for accountability, Appleseed and Doe agreed that there should be more discussion on an educational level.

“Talk about this. Make it a course and discuss it, because in [health class], they never talked about this. They talked about

consent, but never what happens when in an educational setting, it would ease the consent is violated,” Appleseed said. stigma about coming forward.

However, before a topic like this one “If we normalized not the act [of comcan be discussed openly between peers, mitting sexual assault] but just the conDoe stressed the need for educational versation about why it’s not okay, maybe spaces where students feel safe. that would make things not as scary to talk “You can’t talk about sexual assault about,” Lee said. until everybody who you are speaking to These conversations, Lee said, are “a feels comfortable. If you don’t fit in and long time coming.” you don’t feel safe and you don’t feel like “There have been movements before, somebody will listen to you, it doesn’t matbut the MeToo movement was huge. And ter how much someone else tells you, ‘Oh, it’s been four years but it’s also only been you can come forward.’ Obviously you’re four years,” Lee said. going to be scared, [so] we need to start How are cases of sexual assault rewith that base of trust,” Doe said. sponded to by adults on campus? Each staff Counselor Ivy Lee said that while admember follows rules outlined in the RUHS minisparent-student handbook and follows due tration process per the policy of California Educaand staff tion Code 48900 (section N). Lee says that w o r k because every case is different, the type of to create safe spaces, society’s outlook of sexual assault being “taboo” can make it attention it receives difficult to start is dependent on discussions. the situation.

When they If a student redo, unfortuports harassment nately, it’s from an individ“satirical.” ual off-camShe hopes pus or family that if sexmember, the ual assault police are nowere to be tified immediscussed diately. StuPHOTO COURTESY OF more freFREEPIK AND RUBY quently CROSTHWAIT

dent-on-student cases and allegations involving staff are sent directly to administration, who investigate further and, depending on what is discovered, take disciplinary action or alert the authorities.

Regardless of the situation, Lee commends the bravery of those who speak up.

“No matter when, where, or how that happened, it’s extremely sensitive. It’s extremely difficult for students, so we thank them that they are able to come and tell us because it’s not an easy thing to do,” Lee said.

While these protocols are in place, Lee says that both as a school and a society, “we can always be better.” Ultimately, supporting the needs of the students comes from hearing feedback from those on campus.

“As educators, as counselors, as admin, as teachers, we can tell you, “This is what we’re doing.” When you ask us, “what more can we do?” We really need to ask you guys, “what more can we do?’” Lee said.

What more can be done? On campus? As a society? The MeToo movement sparked a conversation, but real change takes action.

That action, Appleseed said, is a collective effort.

“Change comes from every single person who fights back. But to really fix this issue, we have to go to our institutions,” Appleseed said.

More than that, though, Doe says that the continued concern about the issue is “essential.”

“Don’t do it for three months. Do it for eight. Do it for a whole year, a year and a half, two years, so that we consistently hear, ‘Me too. Me too. Me too,” Doe said.

“The more that it gets accepted and realized within society, the more people are going to be open about talking about it and about changing it.”

10 HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

IN-FOC

STUDENTS’ CLOSENESS TO THEIR CULTURES VA

by KATARINA (HAVEN) BECHES ith families hailing from all over the world, mixedrace students at RUHS share race and culture as core values that influence identities. Whether or not an individual is tied to one specific culture, being mixed race has a great impact on students’ daily lives.

“Most people don’t get the chance to feel both sides of one culture. I feel it’s a very special gift to be mixed race,” junior Kyan Wong said.

Wong is “always excited” to share his cultural background, which is 50% Chinese and 50% Filipino.

Wong feels that his Filipino side is “more energetic” and his Chinese side is “more calm and very formal.” However, both cultures

W

AND IXED M

agree that “family is the most im provides a common ground and “We always eat Chinese food porate both sides of the culture. es, others we’ll have Chinese dis holidays. One year we’re Chines Similar to Wong, junior Una include Italian, German, Irish, P li, and Spanish views her culture unique from others.”

“I find it funny when people a me aware all over again that I’m down to one particular culture,” I’m a mix—no one looks at me a I think is cool.”

However, Meidav does feel a culture because her mom “speak that side of the family more than Meidav’s grandmother was b “feels the most immersed in [he [she] hasn’t traveled there.”

“Every time I’m with my gran with me, whether it be because o dav said.

With seven different ethniciti “difficult” to identify within a sp “What’s unique about my com heartedly say ‘I’m Latina’ or ‘I’m Meidav noted. “It’s almost like f

MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS BALANCE THEIR CULTURES IN UNIQUE WAYS

MULTIRACIAL S WHITE CULTUR

by BEN RINGEL

F 1

1. BRUSH FROM CREATIVE COMMONS 2. CANVAS FROM CREATIVE COMMONS 3, 4, 5: PHOTOS OF KYAN WONG, DIEGO DIPASQUO AND ANIYA JENKINS BY VALERIE TISCARENO INFORMATION FROM PEW RESEARCH CENTER

2

or RUHS students who a vary greatly depending o students are so dark that becomes unknowable, wh point that their Hispanic most people’s perception According to sophomo and half white, people can discre her entire makeup.

“I really love my Japanese cu it is one of my favorite things ab feel misplaced when people say, me, I still love my heritage just a much a part of it even though I’m However, for sophomore Sofi identifies as white because she is has made it harder at times for h her culture.

“I think that [being darker] w more about my culture and I thi on things, since I’d be treated a “The culture my Dad celebrates According to Senior Aniya Je cause her skin is dark but is tech she is treated no differently than of racial makeup. This experienc that race is a flawed, made-up so “It just stems from white peo people of color and ingraining th idea of humanity is distorted by inhibits the growth of everybody Daley says that, because she w passing, looking whiter means s microaggressions or discrminati present more Asian-looking do.

“A lot of my friends are full A their experiences with discrimin actually been super fortunate to never experienced racial slurs or ever getting discriminated again against Asians is a big thing that white, people don’t really associ

HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021 11

CUS

ARIES BASED ON FAMILIAL PRESENCE

mportant thing.” Additionally, food d they “always eat together.” for dinner and always try to incor. Some days we’ll have Filipino dishshes,” Wong said. “We switch it up on se, the next we’re Filipino.”

Meidav, whose various cultures Peruvian, Moroccan, Polish, Israee as “something that makes [her]

ask ‘What are you?’ because it makes m not just one thing and I’m not tied ” Meidav said. “It reminds me that and knows what my heritage is, which

stronger connection to her Peruvian ks Spanish” and she’s interacted with n her father’s, who all live in Israel. born and raised in Peru, so Meidav er] Peruvian culture even though

ndma it feels like a piece of Peru is of her cooking or her stories,” Mei-

ies and cultures, Meidav finds it pecific race. mbination is that I cannot wholem European’ or anything else,” feeling nothing. In terms of heritage,

3

I have a blank slate.”

Despite a largely European heritage, Meidav doesn’t identify as white, specifically because her darker skin tone calls attention to her “otherness.”

Although Meidav’s siblings can pass as white, she feels like “the odd one out” because of her darker skin tone, which sets her apart from her family.

“My brother and sister look white, but my darker skin tone makes me not look white. My identity is interesting because I’m not white but I’m not anything else,” Meidav said.

Feeling isolated, she wishes she had a stronger connection to her different cultures and hopes to form them in the future by traveling and getting to know distant family members better.

Similar to Meidav, junior Leilani Acosta feels more connected to one particular culture, specifically her Filipino heritage over her Mexican heritage.

“My mom immigrated from the Philippines when she was ten or twelve, so I’m a first-generation American. My dad’s side has been in America for a while and when he was growing up, he lived in a predominantly white neighborhood,” Acosta said. “His dad told him not to speak Spanish and not to act like he was Mexican culture or else he would be made fun of, so my dad doesn’t know much about his culture. I know more Spanish than he does.”

To avoid being mocked, Acosta’s father avoided his Mexican culture as much as possible, something that he now regrets, according to Acosta.

“He’s told me it makes him feel embarrassed and ashamed that he doesn’t know more about Mexican culture,” Acosta said. “So sometimes when someone asks where I’m from, I’ll just say Filipino because I don’t know anything about Mexican culture. I don’t have family in Mexico and my family doesn’t speak Spanish. I wouldn’t feel like a true Mexican because I wouldn’t be able to answer questions [about Mexican culture].”

Similar to her father, Acosta has experienced stereotyping for her culture, thus contributing to her internal shame and hesitancy to proudly proclaim her heritage.

“I remember I told someone I was Filipino but not Hispanic and they asked, ‘Oh, is that why you have an A in Spanish? Is that why you’re so good because it’s so easy for you?’” Acosta said. “My first thought was, ‘Are you uneducated or something?’ because the Filipino language is not Spanish. Even if I had told them I was Mexican, that doesn’t mean Spanish is easy for me. I was offended because I put hard work into being good at Spanish.”

While Acosta has experienced prejudice for being Filipino, sophomore Diego DiPasquo has experienced prejudice for not looking Mexican enough.

“One time I was told ‘You’re not Mexican.’ They said I was too

white to be Mexican, but I’m 50/50,” DiPasquo said. “It made me feel invalidated because my mom came from a very poor area with a lot of Mexicans and my grandpa immigrated from Mexico, and they were just denying my heritage.”

DiPasquo’s grandfather immigrated to America from Morelo, Mexico, which has influenced the culture DiPasquo has experienced growing up.

“Morelo serves a lot more indigenous foods versus tacos and burritos, so the food I eat with my grandpa is different from what you would imagine a Mexican household would eat,” DiPasquo noted.

Because of his culture, DiPasquo has wholesome interactions with others, bonding over shared traditions and experiences.

“I mentioned in drama class that my favorite holiday activity is making tamales with my family. Two other people were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so fun,’ because they either eat or make tamales during the holiday season too. Seeing that people shared the same experiences was cool,” DiPasquo said.

4 Growing up in split households because of divorce, DiPasquo has been able to experience cultures outside his own, for his step-mother is Kenyan.

“When my stepmom moved in, it was very different. Not in a bad way but it was a shift from my mom and dad sharing similar cultures to having an entirely new [African] culture in the house. Having my cultures at each house makes such a huge difference because I’m able to enjoy both cultures separately but the same amount” DiPasquo said. “It’s great to have so many different cultures influencing my life because I’m able to see different sides of the world without leaving my house.”

STUDENTS EXPERIENCE DISCRIMINATION AND CONNECTION TO THEIR NONRE DIFFERENTLY BASED ON HOW WHITE-PASSING THEY LOOK

are partially white, their experiences on the whiteness in their skin. Some t the whiteness in their racial makeup hile some are white-passing to the c, Asian or Black culture fades from n of them. ore Serena Daley, who is half Asian edit her Asianness because it is not

ulture, and I try to embody it because bout myself. However, I can definitely , ‘well, you’re only half Japanese.’ To as much and I feel like I’m just as m only half,” Daley said. fia Apitz, who is half Venezuelan and s white passing, having lighter skin her to feel motivated to celebrate

would kind of motivate me to learn ink it would change my perspective little bit differently,” Apitz said. doesn’t rub off on me as much.” enkins, who identifies as Black behnically 75% Black and 25% white, n others who are fully Black in terms ce has emphasized to her the fact ocial construct. ople thinking they’re superior to hat into every single system. Our y this made up social construct and it y,” Jenkins said. would consider herself in part white she doesn’t experience race-based ion on the level her friends who

Asian, and I’ve heard a lot about nation really insensitive people. I’ve o not experience those things. I’ve r anything like that and I don’t recall nst for being Asian. Discrimination t does happen a lot, but being half iate you with being Asian as much, so

they don’t say the same things they might say to an Asian person,” Daley said.

Like Daley, Apitz has noticed that those who are darker than her, like her older sister, senior Ceci Apitz, experience more discrimination on the basis of their race.

“In the past when [my sister and I] were younger, she was treated differently than me in certain situations because she is more brown.

I’ve definitely felt for her; when I was young it would make me feel really bad, especially since I never understood it,” Apitz said.

Jenkins has also noticed that the appearance of the darkness of one’s skin can correlate to how much they experience discrimination, regardless of actual racial makeup. Jenkins’ twin cousins, who are both half Black and half white and live in a predominately white

5 suburb of Colorado, have two “very different experiences” because one of them is darker.

“I have a cousin who’s Black but white passing and he has a twin sister who is dark and they have way different experiences. He has experienced less racism and discrimination and it’s easier for him to blend in,” Jenkins said. “At times, she has felt like she needs to pick

which way to live.”

Before Jenkins internalized the fact that the way she is treated is based more on her skin color than actual racial makeup, she used to “cling” to her quarter of whiteness as a way to try to blend in when she was younger.

“Before I was fully accepting of myself for being Black, when someone would ask me my race, I would say, ‘oh, I’m a quarter white and three quarters black,’ to show people I have something other than being Black,” Jenkins said. “It wasn’t because I was so embarrassed, but I was in a predominantly white neighborhood and school and I wasn’t comfortable. Part of why I identify now as just Black is because I know longer try to cling to that other quarter.”

According to Jenkins, one of the ways that she shied away from embracing her Blackness was not wearing her natural hair out at school. “Envious” of her mother for her straight hair, Jenkins used to “hate” the attention her natural curls could bring, but eventually wearing her hair out to school helped her find pride in her race.

“In sophomore year, I wore my hair out–curly and natural–for the first time. It was then when I was like, ‘dude, I’m not changing.’

I can’t ever be more white whether I straighten my hair or try not to go in the sun as much so I don’t get darker. I’m going to be black my whole life, so I might as well get used to it or get comfortable with it as fast as I can,” Jenkins said. “The sooner I accept that and acknowledge that there’s nothing wrong with being black the better.”

According to Daley, Apitz and Jenkins, their experiences being multiracial have emphasized to them the fact that race is a made up social construct.

“It just stems from white people thinking they’re superior to people of color and ingraining that into every single system. Our idea of humanity is distorted by this made up social construct and it inhibits the growth of everybody,” Jenkins said.

Apitz believes that the differing experiences her and her sister have faced are a result of human nature and our tendency to “categorize each other, form cliques and separate each other.” Daley believes it’s more “inclusive and helpful” to think of her racial plurality as multiple absolute identities, not divided, incomplete parts.

“Being both white and Asian, a lot of times I can feel not fully Asian but not really white,” Daley said. “I think it’s good to think of it as a privilege, to embrace and embody both sides, rather than dividing it up.”

12

opinion The Nightmare before...

HALLOWEEN? Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas Movie?

T

here are several questions that have answers no one can seem to agree on: Is a hotdog a sandwich? Does intelligent alien life exist? And, obviously, the most relevant question is if Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or Christmas movie. Considering that the movie is about Halloween characters dealing with an entirely Christmas-based plot during November, it might as well be called a Thanksgiving movie. However, sadly for those who love the season of giving, I’d say that it’s a Halloween movie.

Jack Skellington, or the Pumpkin King, uses a majority of the runtime trying to infuse his home, Halloween Town, and it’s ghoulish residents with his version of Christmas spirit. He does this since Halloween has become boring; however, his twisted interpretation of bringing joy was kidnapping Santa Claus and giving toys that come to life and attack their recipients. That isn’t exactly Christmas-y.

The physical setting of Halloween Town is also entirely Halloween themed, filled

with characters who are the centerpiece of the film. Coincidentally, or maybe not at all, a release two days before Halloween in 1993 does heavily imply that it is intended to be viewed around the spooky-season.

If that wasn’t enough, the director, Henry Selick, has also gone planely on record saying it is a Halloween movie, no if’s, ands or buts. The icing on the cake is that Disney Plus also categorizes it a Halloween movie; certainly, this means the movie was intended to be watched with Halloween in mind.

Christmas is a holiday associated with vibrant colors, happiness and merry times, but a quick scroll through a preview of the movie reveals that the visuals and colors of the movie are very dark, drowned out, gloomy and fitting of a Halloween theme.

The ending of the film also uses Christmas as a way to mend Jack’s relationship with his own holiday. As a result of his failed attempt at being Santa Claus, his love of Halloween is reinvigorated. If this were a Christmas movie then it definitely wouldn’t end with Hallow-

een being the focal point of the narrative.

It’d be unfair to not address that the movie is possibly a Christmas movie. The opening is the only part that actually takes place during Halloween, and the rest of the movie is through November to Christmas Eve. For me, that’s insignificant since the story doesn’t need to happen at the same time of year; it can still have a strong narrative either way. As well, the primary focus of the plot is about Christmas and how Jack Skellington can take it over. Stories can have double meanings, and in this instance the story is about Christmas teaching Jack to appreciate Halloween; that definitely doesn’t make it a Christmas movie.

Overall, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a classic of stop-motion cinema that has aspects of Halloween and Christmas embedded into its narrative, visuals and theme. No matter what time of year you believe it should be attributed to, you have my special permission to watch it for Halloween, Christmas, both or whenever you want. I’ll keep it between you and me.

Topics regarding human rights shouldn’t be debated

by HADEEL AZZAM

L

ike many, I am someone who lives for a good debate. The adrenaline and the heat of the argument are just exhilarating. But something I hope we all can agree on is that some topics should not be debated in or out of school--for no reason other than they are just basic things that should, morally, only have one side to them, like human rights or consent laws.

Should they be taught? Absolutely. We must know why we need these things and the importance surrounding them. With everything nowadays being so politicized it is vital we remove our biases and become more aware of those around us.

People would rather stay in their own thoughts and try to force what they think is right onto others instead of listening to the other side. Implementing lessons about things that go more into detail on subjects like human rights could bring in many open minded people into society. And this does not stop at our freedom of speech or religion but also

the right to abortion or marriage. Schools should teach students about the court cases or movements that brought new laws into place. I personally had no idea what the Roe V. Wade case (a supreme court case in 1973 that ruled that the Consitution protects a person’s right to abortion) was about until I was doing research for a story I wrote. But teaching these topics and debating them are two very different things.

When you’re debating something you’re looking at the pros and cons of things.

There are no cons to your human rights, and there is no question as to whether or not we should have them, especially when it comes to topics like gay marriage.

Debating someone’s right to marry the person they love just because it isn’t the typical couple you’re used to seeing does not make it ok. It’s degrading; you are making queer students feel

STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Nadia Bidarian Chrissa Olson Meghan Jacob NEWS EDITORS Elise Haulund Erika Glass Sara Miyake-Singer FEATURES EDITORS Katarina (Haven) Beches Mia Dowdell Ruby Crosthwait OPINION EDITORS Allie D’Amato Emilie Takahashi

by ETHAN LERNER

PHOTO FROM GOOGLE

HIGH TIDE

different and out of place among their peers.

There are plenty of relevant debate topics to choose from, including the many different conspiracies regarding the COVID-19 vaccine--they are incredibly significant, especially today with it being so present in our everyday lives.

Or students could debate over the ethics of beauty pageants and if they set unrealistic beauty standards. There are many different sides and opinions about beauty pageants so there is much to debate. Students would be able to express those opinions without taking problematic stances. These are just a couple of examples I found with one google search.

There are topics that no one should disagree on and those are the topics that should be left out of debates. Not to avoid offending anyone but to stay conscientious. People should try sticking with topics that can be ethically debated.

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LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR PHOTO FROM FREEPIK

The High Tide encourages greater input of opinions from both students and staff. If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at: hightideonline@gmail.com We reserve the right to edit 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 NOV. 12, 2021

OPINION 13

Mission Unaccomplished BCHD alcohol prevention flyers miss the mark

by CHRISSA OLSON

N

othing cures my need for a drink like a good game of pickleball.

Regardless of whatever pickleball is, it’s no replacement for alcohol. However, it was one of the suggestions for alternative behaviors to drinking on a Beach Cities Health District flyer, made by the Youth Advisory Board. The flyer, released the week before Halloween, proclaimed, “Don’t Drink, Rethink,” then offered alternative healthy behavior and self-care actions on the back.

Upon first glance, I thought the flyers were completely out of touch. Reading a book or playing Uno with your family is no alternative to drinking. In fact, playing Uno with my family is probably more likely to make me drink than any social pressure ever could.

But how did we get to a point where healthy behaviors are perceived as completely ridiculous in comparison to drinking? To a certain degree, I understand the ridiculousness; reading a book in no way elicits the same chemical reaction in one’s brain as a shot of vodka.

I spoke to several members of the Youth Advisory board, and while their opinions on the flyer differed, they all agreed on one thing: these flyers were never expected nor intended to end teen drinking.

Although the out-of-touchness may have actually increased teen drinking for a night, it was made with good intentions.

Teen drinking, with the exception of truly addicted alcoholics, isn’t a sickness. It’s a symptom.

According to Wellness Center counselor Rachel Andrews, alcohol isn’t usually the reason students seek counseling.

“A lot of people aren’t coming to say they want to reduce alcohol use. People come in because there’s stuff

going on with the family or friends, or they aren’t meeting their goals.

They’re feeling depressed, anxious, or worried, and there’s all these things happening, and alcohol strong adult relationmay be one of 20 differships, confidence, and a ent things they’re dealing sense of belonging are with. For a lot of people, less likely to drink before it’s a coping strategy. the legal age. ProtecIt’s a tool they use to tive factors like these self-medicate to feel calm give children a sense of or happy,” Andrews said. purpose. By minimizing Alcohol works in the insecurities at a young short term. In the long age, teenagers will be far term, it creates a vicious less likely to seek alcohol cycle in which alcohol as an avenue of social GRAPHICS COURTESY OF RANI CROSBY simultaneously floods the acceptance. brain with dopamine and destroys dopamine receptors.

However, in an effort to be more realistic than a certain When the high is over, you’re left wanting more.

BCHD flyer, I can’t say that alcohol prevention is possible But of course, you’ve heard this all before. Adults have by instilling confidence at a young age. No social-emotionbeen drawing the word sobriety in hearts and making al learning in school can prevent a child’s exposure to alcous sign I WILL NOT DO DRUGS pledges for forever. holics in their family. It cannot prevent the development of They’ve made us well-aware of the risk associated with depression or anxiety due to trauma. alcohol.

But we sure can try.

But we risk things all the time. We risk our lives driving our cars too fast. We risk our grades by skipping class.

We risk our safety by sneaking out at night.

Risk, compared to that, is nothing, especially when we feel that the fallout is gone once the hangover subsides.

From high risk comes what feels exactly like high reward. (That’s the dopamine talking.)

Of course, addressing specifically alcohol with young children is still important.

Making sure that children grow up with the knowledge of what alcohol can do to their development is obviously a vital step in alcohol prevention; however, the bigger, more important steps are invisible and far less tangible.

According to Andrews, children who grow up with ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE D’AMATO

Gender neutral bathrooms should be accessible in schools

U

PHOTO FROM GOOGLE

sing a high school public bathroom usually isn’t the most glamorous or comfortable of experiences.

From the long lines, fuming smells and consistent groups of loiterers taking up space, most would consider holding it in rather than bear with the annoyance.

However, for some, these bathrooms amount to more than just a bother. In a report provided by the Biden Administration citing sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it found that “80 percent of transgender students said they’d avoided bathrooms because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable.” Back in 2015, the CDC found this problem linked to 8% of trans Americans reporting UTI and other kidney-related problems.

Evidently, this problem transcends the innocent realm of slight discomfort, becoming a serious threat to the health and safety of transgender student populations.

Schools are made to be harmless and supportive learning environments for all types of youth, not sources of oppression through enforced gender-norms. The binary male/female gender paradigm still widely followed and implemented today is not sufficient for understanding gender identity and expression, including when used for bathrooms. In order for transgender and gender non-conforming students to feel safe and welcome in an environment that validates their identities, schools like ours need to provide support through gender-neutral bathrooms.

Public toilets, as the LA Times points out, “have long been sites for staging anxieties about social change.” Jim Crow laws segregated public toilets by race until the civil rights movement of the 1960s abolished the practice, and in the ‘80s, the AIDS crisis created homophobic caution in public restrooms. In the ‘90s, the Americans with Disabilities Act mandated equal access for the disabled, and the latest argument over access to restrooms for the transgender and gender non-conforming populations is yet another battle over acceptance in the public sphere. Sex-segregated toilets are human inventions built around social constructs and cultural scripts, needing to be addressed as our culture proceeds through the “profound reevaluation” of how we understand gender.

In 2019, the CDC found that almost 2% of high school students identified as transgender—applied to all in ages up to 17, that counts for at least 1.3 million transgender youth. Of that 1.3 million, 64% avoid gym class because they feel unsafe or uncomfortable, and 66% avoid drinking

water throughout their school day so they don’t have to use public bathrooms. The lengths these students are willing to go to are dangerous, but they are a response to a different danger

by RUBY they perceive CROSTHWAIT as very possible, or have already been experienced. According to reports formed by student responses by the National Association of Independent Schools and the Gender Spectrum Organization, these students avoid places like the school gym or bathrooms “out of fear that another student might mistreat or harm them, emotionally or physically. The consequences of these kinds of behaviors can be severe, impacting a child’s health, well-being and ability to concentrate on learning.” Despite the growing acceptance of the LGBTQ community, especially in younger generations like mine, high schools will always be infested with bigoted individuals who take it upon themselves to harrass these students. And despite administration’s efforts to combat this harassment, as long as discrimination, transphobia and homphobia exist, the abuse will persist, supporting the necessary need for a safe, gender-neutral space.

The Trevor Project also found that transgender youth report “significantly increased rates of depression, suicidality and victimization compared to their cisgender peers.”

Just in this past year, “one in three transgender youth reported attempting suicide, almost one-third reported being a victim of sexual violence and more than half reported a two-week period of depression.” These are kids who need to be cared for and supported, and above all need to know that they are acknowledged and valid for expressing their true selves. They don’t need daily activities that we take for granted (like going to the bathroom) to be another obstacle in their way of life.

Although 2% doesn’t sound like much when considering the size of the RUHS population, implementing gender-neutral bathrooms does not just help a small minority—creating spaces that affirm individuals’ gender benefits all students. The act establishes precedents and conditions to be made for the support of all children, proving that the school recognizes and supports its students in need, and will take action for their protection and well-being.

14 OPINION

NOV. 12, 2021 HIGH TIDE

Scam Skincare PHOTO FROM TALKING INFLUENCE

by ALLIE D’AMATO

Celebrities must be held responsible for the products they promote

G

rowing up, I’ve seen my fair share of influencers and celebrities starting launching their own product lines, ranging from fashion and makeup to fitness and coffee. Recently, YouTube streamer Rachell Hofstetter, better known by her gamer tag “Valkyrae,” came out with her RFLCT skin care line, which claimed to reduce skin damage caused by blue light. What initially seemed to be merely another influencer dipping her toes in the corporate sphere ended up a huge controversy, garnering much backlash.

After watching this chain of events play out, it’s apparent that celebrities generally need to be more aware of what products they are promoting to their large fanbases.

Valkyrae developed RFLCT to create skin care exclusively tailored for gamers, bridging a connection between her reputation as an online streamer and her love for self-care products. She launched her skincare line on Oct. 19, and right from the get-go people were skeptical of the efficacy of the products and the legitimacy of the brand. Consumers were quick to criticize Hofstetter, arguing how research proves that blue light exposure, especially from screens, has negligible effects on the skin.

Clearly there were discrepancies within the product line and the reasoning behind developing the product line, which, frankly, is entirely Hofstetter’s fault.

It was apparent how many doctors agreed that there wasn’t sufficient testing to back up claims that blue light damages the skin. In fact, Kathleen Suozzi, certified dermatologic surgeon and the Director of Aesthetic Dermatology at Yale Medicine, even said that though blue light “is suspected [to] induce harmful effects on the skin, specifically pigmentation and photoaging, [it] has not been proven with scientific evidence.” Hofstetter should have been more careful and meticulous when choosing an issue upon which to base her skincare. People, including me, would have appreciated a more pressing problem, like sun-damage or prevention of fine lines, for the skincare to target rather than blue-light damage.

Justifiably, people became angry at Hofsetter, feeling as though they were subjected to a scam. She was quick to shut down

her product line only two weeks after the initial launch due to the insurmountable hate RFLCT was attracting.

This whole situation begs the larger question: are celebrities and influencers given free passes to scam their fans with products that don’t work? I feel that many personalities with large platforms can be careless with items or brands that they launch. Though Valkyrae and her team didn’t intend to offend consumers, they didn’t realize the gravity of the false claims they were advertising. Before influencers get excited about arbitrarily releasing new items, they need to ensure that they are manufacturing quality products that can be used effectively, and they need to broadcast transparency to the public.

Hofstetter’s failure of a skincare line is not the only example of careless product

distribution. Another prime example is the recent launch of Kylie Swim, a swim line developed by Kylie Jenner. Of course her millions of fans flocked to support her, and they invested in her “high end” swimwear, with items priced from $40-$80. When customers eventually received their products, complaints broke out regarding the cheap lining, simplistic style elements and minimal coverage.

These celebrities need to realize the magnitude of their platforms. Multitudes of fans follow these stars across all social media platforms, and they have immense pull when it comes to public opinion and trend-setting. Influencers have to be more careful and aware. If they don’t think through minute details of their product launches, chances are the public will pick their brand apart.

Encouraging paternity leave holds countless benefits

by HEATHER LEE

I

f your parents haven’t told you yet, you are a lot of work.

There are the payments for fertility treatments, pregnancy vitamins, baby clothes, a crib, doctor’s visits, hospital bills, doulas, breastfeeding consultants, pregnant hot yoga — not to mention, the completely life-changing biological and emotional shifts that occur in the process of a person becoming a parent. Forcing one parent to continue to work would just be a cherry of stress on top.

It’s obvious that creating a culture where paternity leave is freely given and encouraged by employers and peers alike is common sense. From the perspective of a mother, paternity leave is a godsend as the couple can battle the sleepless nights, baby vomit and pains of breastfeeding together for the first few months without needing to worry about being able to afford new diapers and rent.

For the father, he is able to fully experience parenthood as he is not asked to scurry back and forth between the office and home worrying about his wife and baby, and he is able to provide support to his wife without running himself into the ground. He is also up close and personal with the functions of a baby that he may miss while tapping away at his computer and navigating the precarious politics of work; what if that nine hours at home meant that he could fully take in the sight of his child’s first laugh, their sleeping face, their coos usually saved for the lazy midday?

PHOTO FROM FREEPIK

9% of

companies provide paid paternity leave to all workers

For the employer, at the end of the few months of paternity leave, they will accept back into office a better acclimated, less stressed worker who is more likely to get his job done and do it well. Although the father will likely face a backlog of projects and paperwork to finish after he returns, the time he has spent with his family will

17%

of

parents in California who took leave where fathers

leave him much happier and more likely to stay sustainably productive. An employer should not underestimate the power of an employee who feels seen and cared for by his place of work.

On top of creating happier fathers and more productive workplaces, paternity leave has the potential to tackle the gen-

der inequality that lurks in sinks and dirty laundry piles: the gap between men and women in housework.

Women have historically been expected to remain in the home and run the household, managing the billion invisible tasks that often go unnoticed. Cooking three meals a day, dusting the furniture, washing dishes and putting them away, paying bills, folding laundry, scheduling doctor’s visits, women are often the earliest to rise and the latest to sleep. In the image of a modern woman, the pressure increases for mothers to become superwomen with eight arms — they must be able to love and tend to their children, work a fulltime job and fight for her promotions, plan date nights and still keep the house spotless. How many hours of sleep are these mothers supposed to get?

It’s not surprising at all that the expectation is zero hours of sleep a night.

Paternity leave can allow men to intimately experience the demands of the home while also allowing them space to help without being able to claim work burnout. No sitting on the couch and watching football for you!

Yes, there are infinite dirty bibs, plates and pans. Yes, dust builds up that fast… and yes, mothers were expected to go through this alone.

Paternity leave can hammer in the realization to fathers that not only is there a lot of work, they are responsible for part of it.

And more importantly, through allowing fathers to remain present for those precious first months, paternity leave shows them that this work pays off. If being able to see the first delicate smile of your baby isn’t enough motivation, paternity leave can also teach fathers to follow the ancient and wise proverb, “a happy wife means a happy life.”

15

entertainment

Turning up the heat

by ELISE HAULUND

L

ike a hearty, home-cooked meal, Elizabeth Acevedo’s “With the Fire on High” fills its readers with warmth and love. Told in lush, sensory prose, Acevedo’s sophomore young adult (YA) novel poetically yet unflinchingly explores the experience of being biracial, the pursuit of one’s passions and the taboo topic of teenage motherhood.

“With the Fire on High” opens in Philadelphia during Emoni Santiago’s senior year of high school, three years after giving birth to her daughter. Seventeen-year-old, Afro-Latina Emoni dreams of attending culinary school to hone her passion for cooking. But, fiercely dedicated to her daughter and her grandmother, Emoni confronts the dilemma of denying herself her dream for the sake of those she loves.

Acevedo addresses and destroys stereotypes throughout the novel, most notably, the “teen mom” stereotype of being reckless and irresponsible. Though the topic of teen pregnancy is rarely touched in YA (or, for that matter, any) fiction, Acevedo tackles these labels through Emoni’s unrelenting devotion and love for her daughter.

Emoni’s internal turmoil over staying true to her own wishes versus giving herself up for her daughter is handled with a level of care and empathy not often afforded to teenagers with children. Throughout the novel, Emoni doesn’t compromise on her own aspirations, but she also doesn’t waver in her love for her daughter—she learns that there is space within herself and within her world for both of these things to coexist. “With the Fire on High” doesn’t shy away from real life; rather, it delves further into it for all its beauty and messiness.

As a biracial (half Black and half Puerto-Rican) teenage girl, Emoni is forced to live within a society that tries to confine her

to one half of her identity. Though she is rejected by both sides of her ethnicity—Latina and Black—for her fluency (or lack thereof) in Spanish, her accent and her skin color, Emoni diminishes their invalidations, declaring, “The whole of me is whole.” She doesn’t want either side of her identity ignored, and she doesn’t want either side of her identity lessened for the other.

Through the complexities in Emoni’s character, Acevedo allows each part of Emoni’s identity to shine in a poignant and detailed portrait. By giving Emoni the space to be both lovable and flawed, Acevedo dismantles the efforts of those who try to reduce Emoni to one label. Afro-Latina herself, Acevedo writes of being biracial from personal experience, creating room on the shelf for an underrepresented identity in teens’ literature.

Emoni is 100 percent unapologetic, displaying a confidence that is mirrored in Acevedo’s prose. Emoni sums up her attitude toward judgments by saying, “I’ve had a lot of things to feel ashamed about and I’ve learned most of them are other people’s problems, not mine.” Despite existing within a world always trying to minimize her, Emoni scintillates with her stubborn refusal to be anything less than her authentic self.

Even putting aside the thematic merit of “With the Fire on High,” the prose itself is enough to prove Acevedo’s authorial prowess. Acevedo, an award-winning slam poet, has two other novels published, both of which are written in verse (“The Poet X” and “Clap When You Land”). Her poetic voice permeates the paragraphs of “With the Fire on High,” taking on a searing, vulnerable and authentic tone in Emoni’s biting voice. Like Emoni’s cooking, each sentence bursts with flavor, ardently telling Emoni’s story with what seems like literary

COVER FROM AMAZON

Revisiting Elizabeth Acevedo’s fierce bestselling novel

magic.

“With the Fire on High” is marinated in rich food imagery with tantalizing descriptions of the mouth-watering dishes Emoni prepares that serve as subliminal metaphors for different stages of her life. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a delectable meal in their life will be drawn in. Anything but bland, the vibrant novel was best described when New York Times Book Review called it “literary soul food.”

Beyond Emoni’s own story, “With the Fire on High” can appeal to any teenager.

By reflecting universal teenage feelings,

Acevedo crafts a novel valuable for all teens, regardless of if they relate to Emoni’s specific experiences. For example, Emoni writes of how she “wish[es] someone would look at the pieces of [her] life and tell [her] how to make sure they all fit back together,” echoing the common high school feeling of the uncertainties involved when growing into oneself.

Acevedo ventures valiantly into the world of taboo, where resonant razing of stereotypes and ravishing writing are ingredients for the masterpiece that is “With the Fire on High.”

If you liked “With the Fire on High,” COVERS FROM AMAZON

“Born a Crime” Trevor Noah A funny and thoughtful autobiography by the current host of the Daily Show about his childhood in South Africa.

“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” Ocean Vuong A debut novel, Vuong explores the intricacies of his family history through a series of letters to his illiterate mother.

“The Poet X” Elizabeth Acevedo The story of a young girl making sense of her mother’s faith and the rest of the world around her through poetry.

“The Vanishing Half” Brit Benett A pair of estranged identical twins grapple with their histories and identity as their lives intersect again after many years.

Then you may enjoy these staff picks

NOV. 12, 2021 HIGH TIDE

16 ENTERTAINMENT

COVER FROM AMAZON

ABBA is back!

....but nothing has changed.

by ROMI RISS

A

fter a 40 year long-awaited return, ABBA releases a new and final album, Voyage. Their hit album, “Gold,” officially released in 1992, set high expectations, and the ten new tracks struggle to live up. “Voyage” starts off strong with “I Still Have Faith In You,” the slow song reminiscent, or rather stuck on, their music from the 70’s. The heartfelt lyrics are vague, yet allow for listeners to connect to their message and are simple enough to create another sing-along anthem.

The second track brings an upbeat change of pace. “When You Danced With Me” is the one song that captures the 70’s nostalgia of the ABBA sound without the copy-and-paste feeling other songs have.

It is similar to their old singles but doesn’t feature anything new or astounding. While this song is catchy and wills listeners to jump on their feet and dance along, it hardly compares to ABBA’s “Gold” album.

These first two tracks start the album off decently, but the third track, “Little Things” feels forced and unrelated to the rest of the album. The random Christmas song was a turn for the worse, the slow piano accompanied by soft lyrics about how children en-

joy the holiday. With no variation in speed, emotion, or volume, the song is generally monotone, until the end where an odd chorus is sung by young children. The song has no clear message and features the pure joy the holiday brings to children along with inappropriate references to the parents.

This bump in the road is followed by a more suiting track for the album, “Don’t Shut Me Down.” Starting off with calm and flowy music and vocals, the song jumps into upbeat beautifully through a fast slide on the keys, or glissando. The use of glissando in ABBA’s previous music makes “Don’t Shut Me Down” nostalgic without being too repetitive and overused. A perfect dancing song, the catchy lyrics and 70’s melody make track four stand out, but the song overall felt like recycled use of their old material, and it is quite obvious to listeners.

My personal favorite, the fifth track, “Just a Notion” continues with a similar upbeat bop and is incredibly catchy and easy to sing and dance to. The lyrics, focused on dancing the night away with a significant other, add to the already danceable music.

“Just a Notion” perfectly captures the essence and nostalgia of ABBA, of dramatic

vocals, dancing music, and sing-along anthems.

“I Can Be That Women” walks through a woman’s struggles with her husband and has an apologetic tone. While I would never listen to this song again because it lacked catchiness and variation, I could imagine this song being used in a musical. It has a similar dramatized theater mood as the ABBA songs used in “Mamma Mia!” The vocals are beautiful, but I found this song boring overall.

Track seven, “Keep an Eye on Dan” is about a child of divorce being dropped off at his father’s for the weekend. The music is so similar to previous ABBA singles that it feels boring, overused, and recycled. While it is understandable ABBA is using the same sound from the height of their fame in the seventies, fans long-awaited the arrival of this album for new ABBA anthems.

“Bumblebee” shocked me. Most of ABBA’s songs lyrics are vague, lacking a strong message, but this track is a warning of climate change. By following the bumblebee, ABBA emphasizes the effects of global warming: “To think we could be trapped inside a world where all is changing too fast

for bumblebees bees to adapt.” I loved how ABBA captured the tragedy through light music and soft vocals.

The album jumps back into the groovy ABBA beat with “No Doubt About It.” This funky flash-back to the seventies features the twists and tools used in previous songs without being repetitive. The grand music and bold vocals truly allow this song to feel like a hit ABBA would have released in the seventies.

“Ode to Freedom” closes the album with a joyous and calm tone accompanied by serious and sad lyrics about freedom. The song reflects on freedom as being fleeting and summarizes that for a song to truly be an ode to freedom, it would be one that any person could sing along to.

While the message is strong, the album sounds unfinished, and I wish it would’ve ended with more of a bang.

“Voyage” isn’t a bad album and features a few outstanding tracks that capture the seventies without sounding like a recycled melody like most of the tracks do. While it didn’t live up to my high expectations for ABBA after 40 years, I would definitely listen to a few of the tracks again.

A storyline too big for the Marvel Cinematic Universe

by SYDNEY LAMICH

R

eleasing on Nov. 5, “Eternals” makes its mark on the Marvel Universe.

Cramming loads of information into almost a two and half hour film, it’s bound to leave fans questioning how the celestial beings came to be.

Almost biblical in scope, “Eternals” introduces a whole new look for the universe.

With futuristic armor for each character and fantastically shot scenes, “Eternals”p is a visual masterpiece. While this does bring up its ratings, the whole plot of the movie is too confusing to follow. Director Chloé Zhao tries too hard to live up to her Oscar award-winning movie “Nomadland,” but she falters due to a rushed storyline.

The story follows a special group of 10 people who were chosen as protectors of Earth by their god-like Prime Celestial, Arishem. If you’re thinking of a new and improved group of Avengers, you’re wrong.

The Avengers protect mankind from global threats that are beyond the control of human warfighting forces while the Eternals’ only mission is to protect mankind from the villainous Deviants. Furthermore, Arishem forbids the celestials to immerse themselves in any human conflicts, explaining why they did not help the previous,

life-threatening issues in other MCU films.

Over a span of 7,000 years, these immortal celestials stay hidden to make sure their powers — and mission — stay a secret. The characters include Sersi (Gemma Chan), who has the ability to transform objects into different elements; Ikaris (Richard Madden), who is basically Superman but in the MCU; Gilgamesh (Don Lee) with sensational strength; Thena (Angelina Jolie), an all-powerful warrior with the power to summon weapons from thin air; Sprite (Lia McHugh), who can make the mind see illusions; Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), who can blast fireballs from his fingertips; Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), who has super speed; Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), a gifted inventor and Druig (Barry Keoghan), with mind control powers.

If you thought that was a lot to take in, it was. While Zhao does her best to introduce each character in the movie, the flashbacks to how their lives started confuse viewers by skipping to the past then present then past again. Although other MCU movies have very complicated storylines like this one, it was difficult to understand Eternals because it’s the first time we are hearing about celestial beings roaming the same

earth as Spiderman and the Hulk.

Even though the movie is a lot, it definitely was entertaining. With amusing little jokes sprinkled in, an insane plot twist and even a few love triangles between the characters, I was so involved with their lives.

Furthermore, with the concern of a new celestial being destroying the world, I saw myself rooting for the Eternals’ chance at a normal life on Earth instead of protectors of mankind.

While I’ve seen better MCU movies than this one, the whole Eternals experience was worth the money I spent. Ultimately, the attractive visuals made up for the rushed storyline. Some may argue that it was a terrible attempt at a Marvel film but the suspenseful fight scenes with the Deviants, beautifully shot landscapes with no apparent CGI and diverse group of characters prove that this movie is only the beginning. Let’s just say that my jaw dropped when I saw the end credits.

POSTER FROM IMDB

HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

ENTERTAINMENT 17

11

SO-SO IN SOHO “Last Night in Soho” falls flat, despite the production potential

by ZELIA LERCH

I

am possibly one of the most avid Anya Taylor-Joy fans, so ever since I saw the trailer for “Last Night In Soho,” I’ve had impossibly high standards for the production level and level of acting talent. When I saw it in theatres on Halloween weekend, I was less than impressed.

The concept for the film had the opportunity to be incredibly strong. It chronicles Thomasin Mckenzie’s character of Eloise’s first weeks at a fashion school in London.

Coming from the countryside, she instantly feels out of place with her roommates, who relentlessly bully her. Eloise decides to move out of the dorm and into a cheap flat in Soho, rented out by a mysterious old woman. At night, she begins to face visions of a performer from the 60’s named Sandie, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who moved to London to kickstart her aspirations of becoming a famous singer.

In these visions, Eloise watches Sandie’s career as an omniscient observer, silently watching as Sandie exhibits her confidence by finding a talented agent and landing gigs.

The visions, at first, inspire Eloise in all areas of her life. Her designs in class, her composure when dealing with the bullies and even her hair and outfits begin to match Sandie’s personality and style. However, once the dreams turn malevolent, showcasing horrific events like the sexual exploitation and eventual murder of Sandie, Eloise cannot escape the dreams even in her day to day life and relationships.

“Last Night in Soho” had the potential to be a spectacular commentary on the lengths women his-

torically have had to go to in order to achieve fame, or the underlying issue of substance abuse in show business, or misogyny that withstood in the later 20th century, or literally anything of consequence.

Instead, the movie opens up the beginnings to all these themes without tying up the loose threads. There were no repercussions for the girls that bully Eloise, and Sandie didn’t really learn anything about where she went wrong, which leaves the story feeling incomplete.

What’s especially disappointing is that the setup was perfect. The editing and cinematography was just incredible and the use of neon color beautifully drives the contrast between modern times and the visions of the past.

Arguably the

most brilliant aspect is the strong casting of Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin Mckenzie, and Matt Smith. Even Edgar Wright, the director and coscreenwriter, has worked on other visually stunning films like “Baby Driver” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”

Wright’s vision of sequences in which the line between Sandie and Eloise blur was successfully carried out. The scene in the nightclub where Jack dances with a woman who changes in between the two female leads whenever she steps out of frame was impressively smooth, and I loved the use of mirrors to determine whether Eloise was in a vision or real life.There’s no doubt that the actors had the full capability to carry out the driving factors and worries of their characters, but what really fell flat to me was not only the message, but the small plot points that were left virtually unexplained. Eloise’s mother, who committed suicide when she was 7, makes appearances as a sort of ghost, but only at the very beginning and end of the movie. I believe that Wright was trying to establish that Eloise could interact with ghosts and the supernatural, but it’s not clear at all.

Another unexplained storyline was the detective who tried to help Sandie. This was only explained when the older version of the detective tells it back, and was never clearly shown visually. To the audience, it seemed as if Wright wanted “Last Night in Soho” to be a Hitchcock-esque crime film, which is how it was presented in the

trailer. Going into the movie, I thought I was watching a murder-based thriller, not a supernatural horror. When the seemingly random hordes of ghost men started showing up, I turned to the friend I was sitting next to and exaggeratedly mouthed, “Whaaaaaat?”

Even though the writing behind the plot of “Last Night in Soho” was nothing to write home about, it’s definitely still worth the $15 it costs to see in theatres.

The specific technical aspects are some of my new favorites. Between the nostalgically creepy soundtrack and the satisfying color scheme and well-paced camera movements, it’s never a dull movie to look at. If you’re willing to overlook the strange tangents and anticlimactic message, the design and acting are completely entrancing.

Honestly, watch it for Anya Taylor-Joy’s enigmatic stage presence, if nothing else.

1. Anya TaylorJoy in a promotional movie poster.

PHOTO VIA UNIVERSAL PICTURES. 2. PHOTO VIA TIME MAGAZINE

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18

sports Coming to a Close

Boys Water Polo beats Northwood High School 15-7 in CIF matchup

by JADE MONTOYA

T

he Boys Varsity Waterpolo team trying their hardest. I try to lead by exwent head-to-head against Northample if possible,” Pierce said. “And if wood High School on Thursday, I’m not playing well, I try to make sure Nov. 2, at 5 pm. Led by good shot-taking, everyone else is on track.” emerged victorious with a final score of 15Despite his being the team captain, 7.

Pierce is disappointed by his perfor“Our shots were flowing really well from mance. He feels that he came up short in the outside,” co-captain Riley Pierce, sehis endowment. He hopes that he does nior, said. “We were basically able to shoot better in college. wherever we wanted and we made a lot this “I feel like I didn’t play as well as I game.” could have, but next year for sure,” Pierce Despite doubling the points of Northsaid. wood, Pierce still had takeaways to apply to Regardless, the Varsity Water Polo their next game against Los Alamitos. team trained consistently for the season.

“We should have played tighter defense Co-captain senior Scott Fujiwara said especially,” Pierce they try to “shoot well

said, “like exploiting and focus on the six the weaker players on on fives.” A ‘six on five’ their team and making situation strives to sure they can’t pass the exhaust an opposing We’ve been playing ball.” team by utilizing an As the season comes with our hearts every offensive pattern. to a close, his team- single game. We’ve The teammates mates’ hard work satisboth have high hopes been putting our max and goals. Fujiwara fied Pierce.

“I’m proud of my effort and I’m really hopes to win more team this season,” proud of us.” games as the seasons Pierce said. “We’ve go on. According to been playing really well RILEY PIERCE Fujiwara, “[they’re] SENIOR this year.” just hoping [they] can The team won fifgo as far as [they] can teen out of the 23 games they played this and win [themselves] more and more season. In addition, despite the frigidity of games as the season gets longer.” the past season, Pierce says the team thinks On the other hand, Pierce wants to they did well and is proud of his team and pursue success more personally, and also their efforts. improve his teammates’ endeavors.

“We’ve been playing with our hearts ev“I just plan to give 100 percent every ery single game,” Pierce said. “We’ve been game,” Pierce said. “It’s a great family putting our max effort and I’m really proud that [we] got here. Everyone loves each of us.” other here, and everyone just wants to Pierce acts as a role model for his teamcompete with the same goal of just winmates, working as hard as he can. He says if ning CIF at the end of the year.” that is not possible, he makes sure that his Following their win, RUHS lost their team are doing their best. next CIF match against Los Alamitos 19“[I] make sure everyone on the team is 3.

1

1. Freshman Declan Goldstein, goalie, chases after the ball on defense.

2. Junior Sammy Hendrickson, attacker, grips the ball as he looks to pass.

PHOTOS BY SASCHA PERDUE

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2

Football loses to Costa despite a big second half effort

by ZOE ROSSI

O

n the mist-covered Mira Costa field, the RUHS football team fought one last time for their school and graduating seniors on Friday, Oct. 29. Despite having teamwork and drive, the RUHS boys varsity team lost 5534, with the Mustangs coming out on top.

To mentally prepare for this game, the coaching staff tried to incentivize the graduating seniors for success. Defensive end and tight end Devin McDonough, senior, reflects on the weight of this potentially being the last game of their high school careers and the final game against their tough rival, Mira Costa. For these seniors, it was their last chance for a win on the field with their team and “brothers.”

“The coaches gave us more incentive and instilled upon us our role in this [game] as seniors,” McDonough said. “This is our parents’ last game. Our last game.”

Offensive left guard and defensive tackle Drake Bondio, senior, reflected on the team’s perseverance going into the second half of the game despite the halftime score of 35-7, with Mira Costa in the lead.

“The first half was bad,” Bondio said.

“But, we didn’t just give up; we kept on pushing and trying our best to score, especially in the second half. I’m glad we didn’t lay down and we still kept going.”

The heavy mist obscured their view and

ability to catch the ball, and also changed how Costa approached the game, which required Redondo to adapt.

“They [Mira Costa] weren’t passing as much as they normally would due to the environment,” Bondio said. “It was just hard to grab the ball, so there was a lot of running this week.”

The weather conditions also prompted play calling changes and strategy changes by the coaching staff while RUHS tried to drive home for a touchdown.

The team “couldn’t get a good snap off [the ball]” because it was slipping due to the moisture in the air, according to McDonough. But, during the last drive of the first half, the coaches called all pass plays to help “drive up the field,” and lead the team to score a touchdown just in time.

For these seniors, it was a special and unique experience to be a part of the RUHS football team. With personalized send offs for each graduate on the RUHS football instagram featuring sentimental quotes from their coaches, the seniors tip their hats to the past four years.

“I feel like it was definitely an experience of a lifetime. I mean, not many people have

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1. Running back and defensive back Carson Crouch, senior, shakes up with offensive coordinator Cole Webb after the game. 2.

Redondo makes their signature entrance before kickoff. PHOTOS COURTESY OF GEOFF MALEMAN.

the opportunity to experience it,” Bondio said. “With this group of people, especially all the sophomores, juniors and seniors, it was something special.”

1. Running back and defensive back Carson Crouch, senior, shakes up with offensive coordinator Cole Webb after the game. 2. Redondo makes their signature entrance before kickoff. 3.

Senior Nick Ponsiglione, wide receiver, catches a short pass. PHOTOS COURTESY OF GEOFF MALEMAN.

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HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

SPORTS 19

Catch ya later Nate Stiveson reflects on his sophomore season and looks to next year for bigger success

by CRISTINA COUCH

Q

uick cut to the left, a dodge back around, his rocket-like feet take off. Hands reach, eyes focus. He’s caught it again. Wide receiver, sophomore Nate Stiveson returned to the field this season, giving a high scoring performance

1 and carrying the football team to small victories.

Stiveson says he is excited to finally be back playing at RUHS after COVID-19.

“I’ve always loved playing, and I just

wanted to be a part of the team,” Stiveson said. “I’ve played football ever since I was a little kid.”

Introduced to the sport by his friends, Stiveson’s love for the game grew over time, evolving from collecting player cards to practicing almost everyday.

“There is not really a sport like football, the energy around the game and the bonds you create with your teammates. There’s just not anything like it,” Stiveson said.

Football has always provided Stiveson with a brotherlike bond with his teammates and some fun along the way. He worked to achieve the level he is at today “over time with repetition and just a lot of practice.”

Stiveson’s role on the team changed due to unforseeable circumstances.

“Originally I wasn’t even playing receiver,” Stiveson said. “One of our guys got hurt, so I had to step into the role pretty abruptly to do my part and help out.”

In addition to the added stress that comes with injured teammates, Stiveson is also the center of many offensive plays. On the receiving end of 55 throws and named a constant MVP of games, Stiveson is constantly in the action. According to his varsity coach, Matt Ballard, he had the highest stats of the team, with 8 touchdowns and over 886 receiving yards. He has scored over 35% of the team’s total touchdowns.

He manages to out run, out maneuver, and dodge almost every opponent, averaging about a 16 yard per catch rate everytime he

“It’s like you go to war with all your teammates, and it gives you a trust with them all, and it’s just so much fun,” Stiveson said.

“It’s kind of like a brotherhood.”

Ballard admires how Stiveson strives for greatness on and off the field.

“He’s got great skills obviously, but he’s also got a great personality,” Ballard said.

From balancing both football and baseball to maintaining good grades, “Stiveson is a good kid to be around. He’s just got that great, calming confidence in him.”

Over the course of his next few years, Stiveson plans to rebuild the football team’s reputation.

“Our goal is to change the culture around the team and build a winning record,” Stiveson said. “I’m just excited for the next two years and hopefully we can grow to improve our record and just have a better season overall.”

touches the ball in play.

Stiveson, often pressured with the weight of the game on his fingertips, seemed “almost too calm” according to Ballard.

“He has that kind of quality of being calm and relaxed in tense situations,” Ballard said. “He doesn’t get all jittery over his position, and sometimes you want to ask

8 TOUCHDOWNS OVER 880 RECEIVING YARDS SCORED OVER 35% OF THE TEAM’S TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS him, ‘Are you ready?’ And he always is.”

“I really just try not to think about it,” Stiveson said. He tries to “drown everything out,” from the amount of people watching to the fear of not doing what he’s supposed to do and focus on the task at hand.

Throughout the season, Stiveson says he enjoyed the sense of belonging and connections that came with being part of the football team.

2 1. Stiveson holds the ball up as he scores a touchdown.

2. Stiveson looks to the sideline for feedback after a play against Mira Costa. PHOTOS COURTESY OF NATE STIVESON

Cross Country advances to CIF Preliminaries

by LARA MAGDESIAN

O

Senior Julia Butler, co-captain, feels “incredibly proud” of her team and believes they all worked hard to pull through for second place.

“I think overall, as a team, we did amazing. We had more of the packing we’ve been talking about and our mindset was more focused. We were here for blood, figuratively,” Butler said.

A highlighted member of the girls team is sophomore Lyla Fedio, who comes out on top almost every race. She wants to accomplish even more in the future.

“I would really like to break 17 [minutes] on this course and other courses. I really want to get faster at sprinting and anaerobic capacity,” Fedio said. “I was pretty proud of myself, and I got a PR of about 25 seconds. I was really happy for everyone else, and I felt really strong in this race, and I think everyone else did too.”

After the three hour long race, cross country coach Bob Leech spoke about his joy for his teams and how well he thought they had done.

“The whole team ran really well. We had many runners like Ania Magdesian, Vivian Martinez and Victoria Valenzuela who pulled For the last couple of together as a complete team. Aaron Thomas had a great day, and Shane Murphy conweeks, I think we have tinues to be this huge surprise for us. Both been racing to win teams are getting ready for CIF next week instead of racing not and they should easily advance to the finals.

The boys definitely have a chance to make it to lose.” to state and the girls can easily make it as a podium team at the state meet,” Leech said.

JULIA BUTLER With the season coming to a close, both SENIOR teams prepare to dominate at the upcoming finals in the coming weeks.

“I think we definitely embodied what our training has been about,” Butler said. “For tacked the last hill more, which would have the last couple of weeks I think we’ve been set me up better for the last leg of the race,” racing to win instead of racing not to lose.”

Thomas said. n Thursday, Nov. 4, Cross Country competed in the Bay League finals where they placed second overall, with Mira Costa coming out at first. RUHS’ varsity girls and boys teams came together to bring home multiple medals and a spot at the CIF Preliminaries.

Boys team co-captain, Harry Lonsdale, senior, says that as a team, they “certainly did better than last league’s meet.”

“We were only four points behind Costa, and I think we could have done a little better and gotten the victory, but considering we were twelve points behind them in the last race, I think we did better,” Lonsdale said.

Junior Aaron Thomas, a runner on the boy’s varsity team, says that despite wanting to have given a little more effort, he’s proud of what he had accomplished.

“I think I performed really well. I placed fifth overall in the race, and it was a new personal record [PR] for me. I wish I had at-

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1. Junior Ryder Want competing on the RUHS track.

2. The girls team making their way up a hill. PHOTOS BY SPENCER ROGERS

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HIGH TIDE NOV. 12, 2021

IN-FOCUS 20

There is a consistent lack of people of color, specifically Black students, enrolled in AP and Honors classes

by MIA SCHRIFT Being the predominantly White school that RUHS is, the impact on students of color is not often recognized. There is a substantially low number of students of color enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes at RUHS, bringing up the question of what could help improve the situation.

Senior Aniya Jenkins is a student who is Black and has taken many AP and Honors classes throughout high school.

“I’ve done the advanced English options since sixth or seventh grade, and it’s always been a pretty good fit for me,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins has always been focused on school, looking to take harder classes that challenge her and push her to grow. However, when reading Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird,” like most every other ninth grade Honors class, Jenkins was put in a situation that no student should ever be faced with.

“I experienced one of the more traumatic, or just unfortunate experiences in my English class when the teacher, who was White, gave the entire class permission to use the “N word,” including herself,” Jenkins said. “Me and my other Black friend in that class looked at each other and both felt really uncomfortable.”

This experience is one that is “sadly not uncommon,” according to Jenkins. In order for students of color to feel welcome into the classroom, she believes there must be a variety of authors and perspectives present.

“There’s been a better job of this over the years. At first, we were reading books written predominantly by White males. Now, there is much more inclusion and cultural background recognition,” Jenkins said.

By providing these outlets and including a variety of perspectives, “we’re not just learning about one type, or way of writing,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins also feels that faculty has a large impact on her “comfort” in the classroom, as she feels supported in a classroom, even if the majority of the students are White.

“Last year I had a Black AP Environmental Science teacher, so that was pretty cool,” Jenkins said.

With the goal of a more diverse AP program in mind, Jenkins believes that having a diverse faculty and being inclusive with curriculum will “only bring us closer” to achieving this goal.

“For me, a more diverse program is motivating, engaging and appealing,” Jenkins said.

English 10 Honors teacher Sergio Quintero works to achieve this in his classroom, as he is focused on “encouraging and uplifting students” through a variety of approaches.

“I think especially as an educator, it’s important that I’m reflecting on my practice in terms of what I am doing to support my students of color that are motivated and encouraged to take these high level classes, while also supporting those students who maybe don’t have the motivation just yet or aren’t always pushed to take these types of higher level classes,” Quintero said. “I want to make my students of color feel like they can take these classes and have the frameworks and the basis to actually succeed in these classes.”

Quintero tries to bring in different perspectives to his classes through book clubs.

“It’s important that we see books as either mirrors or windows. Mirrors allow students to see themselves, their own cultures, ethnicities and nationalities reflected in what they’re actually reading,” Quintero said. “Windows provide opportunities for students to see other perspectives, cultures, nationalities and ethnicities in those same ways.”

With the assistance of these self-reflecting books, Quintero hopes to emphasize his belief that “passion is all that’s needed to take these AP courses” to his students.

He wants his students to feel like they are “wanted in that seat” in his classroom and that their backgrounds are equally as important as every other student’s background.

“I’m making sure that my students feel like they can succeed,” Quintero said. “They have the abilities and support they need to push themselves because like I said, it’s just about the motivation.”

INFORMATION FROM PEW RESEARCH CENTER AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

O U T O F H I S PA N I C, W H I T E , A N D B L AC K P EO P L E , C O L L EG E E N R O L L M E N T R AT E S A R E L E A S T A M O N G B L AC K P EO P L E

86% ILLUSTRATION BY CARLY CARTER

86% O F B L AC K CHILDREN W H O AT T E N D D I ST R I CTS W I T H M A I N LY B L AC K STU D E N T S H AV E FUNDING GAPS IN THEIR DISTRICTS

S I X O UT O F T E N B L AC K P EO P L E S AY S O M E O N E H A S AC T E D AS I F T H E Y W E R E N OT S M A RT O F F T H E I R F I RST I M P R ESS I O N OF THEM