High Tide: February 27, 2023

Anything but unwanted

Discarded Fruit Cup wins this year's Battle of the Bands

Meara Fay

midst the lunchtime crowds of people and lines of booths for this semester’s Club Rush, the Student Union also featured the performances of three dif ferent musical acts— Discarded Fruit Cup, The Meerkats and Harper Lee Jones—for this year’s annual Battle of the Bands. The band Discarded Fruit Cup, who won the ASB-hosted event, received not only the title of champion but also a $100 gift card from Guitar Center.

“We really weren’t expecting to win, so it’s a great surprise that we did. And it was really awesome to see the other performers perform live since they were both really talented,” senior bassist for Discarded Fruit Cup, Saya Ward, said. “Our intention going into The Battle wasn’t to win by any means, we were just hoping to have fun with a cool group of people and share our music with the school.”

Discarded Fruit Cup, who took the stage on Tuesday with its eight senior members—Jadon Bailey on drums, Jacob Dick on rhythm guitar, Lily Gray and Thatcher Horrocks as vocals, Luc Le on saxophone, Spencer Schmitt on trumpet, Ty Soria on trombone and Ward on bass— formed in January 2023 with the specifc intention of competing in Battle of the Bands.

“We’re all involved in diferent musical things outside of this band. So [Discarded Fruit Cup] is really just a kind of side project where we can all enjoy it for what it is and without all of the pressure,” Ward said.

For Dick, his main objective for the competition was to have fun. Playing guitar since seventh grade, Dick had been involved in many other bands before Discarded Fruit Cup. Dick mainly enjoys the aspect of bonding with new people while playing music with them, and creating new memories as a band, such as when the group stumbled upon their ofcial title while eating fruit at practice.

“The name Discarded Fruit Cup was something we threw together because we didn’t want a super grunge or fowery name. We were just eating fruit cups one practice and that’s how it came to us,” Ward said.

Following the Discarded Fruit Cups, alternative rock band The Meerkats performed on Wednesday, consisting of senior Kai Montas as the bassist, DaVinci Design senior Shane Delaney on guitar and El Camino College freshman Colin Glenn on the drums. Writing and producing their own songs along with performing covers, the group has been able to curate their own unique vibe in their music, according to Montas.

“I think my favorite thing is just the jam. Just getting into the room and not knowing what we're going to play or what we're going to do but coming up with stuf right on the spot and just feeling each other's energy out. I think that's something really

high tide staf

special that you can't really fnd, that kind of chemistry and connection amongst other people,” Montas said.

On Thursday, senior soloist Harper Lee Jones made his frst debut as a performer on the Student Union stage. Despite technical difculties, Jones was able to gain the crowd’s attention, as many audience members dropped money into his guitar case as he performed. Planning to pursue music in the future, Jones creates original songs and plans to debut them in March.

“Music has helped me express myself and has allowed me to explore more creative routes,” Jones said.

Sarah Keasler, AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC and Algebra 2 teacher, was “excited” to be a frst-time Battle of the Bands judge. Judges Keasler and Kitaro Takesue, who teaches English 9CP and AP Lit, followed strict criteria to provide the most accurate placement of the competition. ASB provided scoring sheets for the judges, featuring grading scales from 1 to 10 as well as categories based on vocals, instrumentals and crowd engagement to comprise an overall vote. According to Takesue, the most important factor is crowd participation.

“I want to see if the crowd is vibing because that tells the artists if what they've done is really connected,” Takesue said. “The purpose of [The Battle of The Bands] is to have a good time and to bring people together and see that in the crowd. And I think that it's a successful thing.”

The Invention Convention gave students the opportunity to express their creative side

K-12 students from across the district submitted physical, original invention prototypes with an accompanying video explanation to be judged based on originality, creativity and practicality for this year's Invention Convention. While the state-wide convention has existed for several years, Feb. 6-10 marks just the second year that RBUSD has participated.

Despite following the outline of a typical science fair, according to Assistant Principal Brianne Nakayama, the Invention Convention “adds new aspects” to the traditional format by encouraging students to think “outside the box” about how they can enhance existing products.

“Compared to a traditional science fair, where students are just going through the motions of an experiment, the intent behind the Invention Convention is creating something that can solve a problem and be a beneft to everyone,” Nakayama said.

According to Nakayama, expanding participation to all age groups encourages students to bring their “creative ideas to fruition” in front of their peers without judgment, no matter how complex their invention may be.

“I think everybody has those ‘aha’ moments, or those lightbulb moments, throughout the day. We think ‘It’d be so much better if I had this, or if this thing existed.’ So many students at this school are incredibly creative, and through the convention, we want to help them use those moments of creativity and inspiration to help continue them down the path to being a creator, entrepreneur or problem-solver for both small-scale and large-scale problems,” Nakayama said.

AP Computer Science Principles and geometry teacher Benjamin Wakefeld agrees

by Summer Puterbaugh

that the skills taught to students through the Invention Convention, including creativity, planning and presenting, are essential for success in STEM felds. Additionally, the innovative process is foundational in the creation of self-owned businesses, a “great alternative to the ‘traditional’ career path.”

“Employers often aren’t looking for the straight-A student who does a million extracurricular activities. Many times they’re looking for young people who are driven, passionate and willing to work with others to change the world. Coming up with inventions and presenting it shows the passion and creativity that will go far in the business world,” Wakefeld said.

Despite lacking a particular inclination toward a STEM career, sophomore Che Chatterji still found that the convention forced him to fnd a creative approach to a common problem that he believes could be “useful” to him and his peers. Encouraged by his parents to participate and inspired by an invention he viewed in passing on TikTok, Chatterji submitted a “no-crastination box” prototype for students to lock their phones into. Hypothetically requiring two people to open, the small box could be used to “keep students accountable” for getting their work done.

“Procrastination is a big problem for me, and I know it’s a major problem for a lot of other students, too. I did some online research for the project and found that 86 percent of [US] students consider technology to be the leading cause of procrastination, so I made [my invention] to help combat that,” Chatterji said.

While the project seemed a little daunting at frst, Chatterji found coming up with an innovative idea easier than he expected. Once inspired, he quickly constructed the

project in a matter of hours, albeit with some minor setbacks, before turning it in to be submitted to a local RBUSD board of volunteers for judging. One student from each grade level in the district will be chosen to advance, and state winners, recipients of State Merit Awards, will be chosen in March.

“It was slightly difcult because I didn’t think I had enough materials to be able to fnish my invention. It was also a little hard having to fnd a way to adequately present it through the inventor’s log and poster board,” Chatterji said.

Being the sole RUHS participant in the convention, Chatterji believes that participation would be higher if the project was more widely promoted across the school, rather than being advertised through students’ school emails.

“I think that kids who want to pursue STEM careers should for sure do this. If you want to pursue that, you just have to fnd it yourself. There’s defnitely a lot of opportunities at this school if you look for them,” Chatterji said.

Wakefeld also believes that many students in his computer science classes with a deep interest in STEM would beneft from this “outlet” had they known about it previously; according to Nakayama, participation was limited due to how “new” the convention is for RUHS. Wakefeld believes the convention would help students realize their capability to make life-changing improvements to the world through business and innovation.

“For everything we use in our lives, there’s somebody who came up with the idea and made it happen. [Invention-making] is a diferent style of creativity that a lot of people take for granted,” Wakefeld said.

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Jacob Dick plays guitar for Discarded Fruit Cup on the frst day of Battle of the Bands. PHOTO BY CAITLYN CISNEROS

Spilling the diversi-TEA

RUHS clubs participated in the second annual Adams Middle School Diversity Celebration

by Emilie Takahashi

earlier, such as in middle school.”

Chan also ofered to coordinate with RUHS clubs to participate in the diversity celebration. By reaching out to her friends, Chan contacted clubs including Hip-Hop Club, French Honors Society, Asian Cultures Club and Chinese Honors Society.

Adams eighth-grader Richa Mujumdar flled her plate with food from each booth, and was “trying to get everything they [had].” On her plate were Korean tteokbokki rice cakes, Egyptian macarona bechamel and Indian sweets, jalebi. According to Mujumdar, she didn't realize before how many cultures there were at her school.

and why they should join,” Arellano said. “I want everyone to know that regardless of the size of the program, it's the close relationship you build within it that makes it great. I have had the same people in my class for the past three years, and we've built a great connection, which makes the class super fun.”

RUHS students also participated in the festivities beyond the culture clubs in attendance. At one of the parent-run booths, a line formed around junior Shanaya Shaj who was flling in for her mother who volunteered for the event.

Given an empty plate, a fork and free reign, attendees at the free Adams Middle School PTSA Diversity Celebration from 6-8 p.m. on Feb. 10 came together to celebrate culture, traditions and food.

Fifteen booths showcasing cultures and cuisine, including Bolivian, Brazilian, Bulgarian, Egyptian, Indian, Iranian, Korean and Persian, lined the Adams courtyard. Most were run by parent volunteers, but four RUHS clubs ran booths as well. RUHS Salsa Club and Hip-Hop Club also performed along with AMS Cheer and Band.

This was the second Diversity Celebra-

tion at Adams, and it brought in 375 participants, 75 more than the previous year, according to Adams’ PTSA President Wendy Vinzant.

Vinzant met junior Thi Chan at a local event through allcove Beach Cities’ covefest, where Chan was running a booth for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). There, Vinzant asked Chan to host the same booth at the diversity celebration.

“It's important at a celebration for diversity that people with mental illness are represented,” Chan said. “We need to spread the message to end the stigma and spread awareness regarding mental health

Mujumdar also visited the RUHS Chinese Honors Society booth, where plates of dry red beans, bowls of marshmallows and chopsticks were laid out. The goal of the game was to collect the most objects using chopsticks, and to spread word about RUHS’s Chinese program, according to junior Haiden Schoenberger. He was one of the RUHS students running the booth and was introduced by Chinese teacher Chichen Lu as one of her “awesome Chinese 3 kids.”

“I feel like a lot of people will automatically [take] Spanish when they get into high school, so I think it’s really benefcial for them to come and see the [Chinese] program, because they probably haven't heard about it,” Schoenberger said.

Junior Heidi Arellano, secretary of French Honors Society, had a similar goal: to share the RUHS French program with the middle school students. She handed out a total of three large boxes of croissants at her stand.

“We’re trying to teach future Redondo students what French class has to ofer

Shaj designed temporary dye tattoos using henna on the hands of attendees. One visitor at the booth, Adams seventh-grader Juliana Gambill, loved her henna design so much that she returned to the booth with another request after seeing diferent designs on others.

“Henna tattoos have become kind of a trend here in the West. We’re just showing the beauty and the culture of India by doing henna on other people here,” Shaj said.

Throughout the night the courtyard stage was showcasing RUHS dance clubs and Adams students performing Elvis songs, Irish dance and taekwondo.

Vinzant was happy with the turnout and loved seeing the students “celebrating and supporting” each other, calling the performances the “icing on the cake.”

“We celebrate all our commonalities but also our diferences. That’s what makes us who we are,” Vinzant said. “Whatever makes you you, that's what we celebrate. We’re all here to learn from one another and show unity.”

RBUSD's new web flter causes students and teachers internet problems

by Victor Simoes

What do dogs, normative economics and Shakespeare all have in common? They were all met with a red hazard symbol and a page that said, “Your connection is not private” when searched up. This was a common situation for students and staf when returning from winter break and the result of RBUSD’s new web flter, which was implemented in late December.

When frst opening up their devices in the new year, students, such as senior Madison Wilmes, found that access to the internet was severely restricted. Websites normally used as educational tools were blocked, and even the process for searching would run into errors.

“I was searching up something for my biomedical innovations class, and [my search] immediately went to the block screen. It was kind of like, ‘Well, what do I do now?’” Wilmes said.

ContentKeeper, the new web flter, replaced the former flter iBoss when the contract expired, according to geometry teacher Samuel Stekol, who is the district’s Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Information Technologies. Along with a web flter that restricts what websites can be accessed from any device connected to the district’s network, district-issued chromebooks also had the extensions CKAuthenticator and CK-Express TP installed.

When frst implemented, students reported that the ContentKeeper web flter and extensions would frequently interrupt their learning by updating frequently, restricting web pages and slowing down internet searches and account logins.

“There’s certainly some frustration,”

Stekol said. “It's just like any new hire, new coach, new teacher. It's just a matter of getting the new web flter acclimated to how we've been doing things.”

RBUSD is required to place flters to comply with federal regulations, specifcally the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), CIPA stipulates that schools receiving discounts on internet access and networking products through the E-rate program must restrict access to sites that are “(a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors).”

Popular opinion about this issue coalesced around a petition on Change.org made by junior Romel Kassaye. Calling for the reversion of the new Wi-Fi restrictions, the petition received over 150 signatures from students and teachers as of Thursday, Feb. 23.

“I started the petition because I feel like it's easier to have a bunch of people say the same thing in order to have a bunch of voices heard. It was a common issue. Every student and every teacher was aficted by this,” Kassaye said.

AP and honors biology teacher Holly Frame also noted the interruptions to students, who had academic sites like AP Classroom blocked and a generally slower search experience.

“It was equally frustrating for the teachers [as for the students]. At the very beginning, when [the new web flter] frst rolled out, there were a lot of things blocked that normally were not blocked. We were kind of pivoting minute to minute or period to

period by things that were getting blocked,” Frame said.

According to Susana Garcia, RBUSD’s Chief Technology Ofcer, iBoss was at its “end of life,” since it was a legacy system that was out of date and would no longer be supported. Additionally, a new web flter would allow the IT department to better handle security and protect from external access, considering recent events such as the ransomware attack on the Los Angeles Unifed School District in September 2022.

The confguration of allowed websites would not translate correctly from iBoss to ContentKeeper, according to RBUSD Senior Systems Engineer Sandra Orozco. As a result, when considering which sites should be blocked or passed, the IT department decided to err on the side of safety.

“There's always that rollercoaster ride that you have to go through to make sure you are blocking what needs to be blocked and unblocking what the students need to do their homework or their assignments. It's easier for us to unblock specifc websites than it is to leave our network open to the world,” Orozco said.

According to Orozco, the IT department doesn’t know of an issue until it’s reported. Support tickets can be vague, so determining if a problem comes from changes made by the district or directly from the content flter provider can be a lengthy process. Orozco says the more detail written in support tickets, the better.

The IT department must ensure that a website meets the district's security parameters before unblocking it, according to Garcia. Although the web flter won’t be reverted because the new contract is already

in place, Garcia and the IT Department are working to refne the policy and reduce interruptions to education and instructional minutes.

“In the frst week, we had a lot of reports, but as the weeks continued and we took the feedback and made changes, the number of support tickets dropped,” Garcia said.

Garcia is considering opening new venues of communication for the IT department, but emphasizes that for now, going to the RUHS library is the best way to resolve any technology complications.

“[CK-Express] is a new implementation and with any new implementation, it's sometimes a bumpy road. I do want to make it really clear that I'm open for feedback,” Garcia said.

According to Frame, most issues have been fxed on the teacher’s side, and students only occasionally can’t access websites. Kassaye, who believes that although the petition didn’t directly lead to any changes, appreciates the problem being fxed “very promptly.”

Though some students still face issues, most have reported that the majority of the initial complications with their devices have been resolved. Regardless, protecting the district’s network and serving the needs of students can be a balancing act, according to Garcia.

“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to secure our infrastructure and protect your data and the systems that you use day in and day out,” Garcia said. “We are in the business of providing a service and you are our number one client, and we want to be sure that we are providing the best customer service.”

Students running the RUHS Chinese Honors Society booth award two partipants the prize for winning the "Chopstick Challenge." PHOTO BY EMILIE TAKAHASHI

NUTRITION DYSFUNCTION

Students complain of unnutricious school lunches, but they fall in line with national health restrictions

by Rena Felde and Priya Ramcharan

30% AROUND

Starting in 2020, school lunches became free for RUHS students. Though these lunches combat hunger in school-aged children, they might not always ofer them the best meal when the few options kids have include sugary mufns, fried chicken and pre-packaged foods.

In public school lunches, more than 30% of the food served is sodium based. According to the Food and Nutrition Services of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there is no limit on added sugars in school meal programs.

Freshman Madeleine Harmon ate school lunches until she switched to homepacked lunches due to health and taste concerns. She specifcally cites the school meals’ high sugar content as the problem.

“The mufns and cofee bread are very sugary and not flling at all. When I ate those for breakfast or snack everyday, I would barely be able to focus in class,” Harmon said. “I don’t know how they let us eat like that and in abundance. I’m concerned because some of my friends eat it so much.”

kitchen staf was decreased from 15 members to 11. The kitchen no longer has the time or people to prepare “from-scratch meals,” and leans more towards ‘heat and serve” pre-packaged foods. Navarro is trying to fnd a “happy balance” between heat-and-serve and from-scratch meals.

California's Universal Meals Program which was implemented during the 20222023 school year, further exacerbated the strain on RUHS' kitchen and lack of staf. Providing free meals for students, the program caused an increase in required meal counts from 600–700 to 900.

securing proftable contracts and serving mass-produced, pre-cooked meals, such as chicken nuggets. Nearly all public schools in the United States, including those in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), have allowed major food companies to provide for their students.

“To me, the American Dream represents the ability for anyone to make a diference and live the best kind of life possible in the United States if they work hard.”

Even with USDA regulations, there is currently no limit on added sugars in the school meal programs. The USDA plans to limit added sugars and sodium starting in the 20252026 school year.

Although RUHS ofers other food options called “Smart Snacks” for purchase through the vending machines and snack bar, for junior Jesus Landeros, school lunches are the only option he has to eat.

“If I don’t eat school lunches, I just don’t eat,” Landeros said. “The conchas are inauthentic and cold and would be two times better if they were just warmed up. The rice is like cardboard, it’s not the healthiest food.”

However, this wasn’t always the case. According to RBUSD Director of Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Jillian Navarro, who oversees all RBUSD school cafeterias, RUHS used to ofer a salad bar and a variety of produce options.

“The fruit, the vegetables, the variety, the oferings, that was a nice touch for [students] to have with [their] meal,” Navarro said. “The last thing I want to hear is ‘I'm still hungry.’ So then we would say, get as much as you want from the salad bar. I would like to focus on getting that back, but it’s difcult logistically.”

Due to COVID-19, the salad bar was considered unsanitary and the RUHS

The South Bay Purchasing Cooperative, which includes RBUSD, Culver City Unifed School District, Lawndale Elementary School District, Lennox School District, Manhattan Beach Unifed School District, Santa Monica-Malibu Unifed School District, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unifed School District and Torrance Unifed School District, is currently under a fve-year contract with food distributor Gold Star. Gold Star ofers a selection of foods meeting USDA and California Department of Education (CDE) K-12 nutrition requirements. From there, CNS, specifcally Navarro, orders the most popular foods weekly, many of which happen to be sugary.

“You wear multiple hats. You want your program to be fnancially stable to be able to pay for salaries and food, so we need our meal counts up,” Navarro said. “I want to give the kids what they want to eat. I want to hear what the students have to say and I appreciate any kind of input but within the means of what I can [do].”

According to a 2009 story from ScienceDaily, "children are programmed to like sweet taste because it flls a biological need by pushing them towards energy sources." Harmon reiterates the popularity of sugary food among teenagers, explaining that her friends “eat [the sugary food choices] so much that they start to like it.”

These preferences make students vulnerable to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. According to the National Addiction Center, approximately 75 percent of Americans eat excessive amounts of sugar—many of whom could be classifed as having a sugar addiction. There are more than 55 million children and teens who attend public schools. In the U.S., kids eat between 35 percent and 40 percent of their daily calories at school, ideally these would be substenative.

According to CNBC, sugar is prominent in American school lunches because brands like Pillsbury and PepsiCo manufacture foods for public schools. Large corporations and food service providers make substantial profts through public school meal programs, often at the expense of students' health and well-being. Since the 1970s, the commercial food industry has dominated school cafeterias,

“Big Food” companies have spent millions of dollars lobbying the federal government to ease nutritional standards, resulting in a relaxation of restrictions on french fries, pizza, sodium, favored milk and refned grains in school meals. Although Michelle Obama tried to create a healthy lunch program in the mid 2010s, the Trump administration’s website says it made the rules more “fexible” by low-

A: “My parents and I didn’t have the best life back in our home country so the American Dream has given us hope for a better life and a chance to start fresh. Yes, at frst we had some ups and downs and we felt like we would never be able to adjust. But after a few years, we fnally adapted. Everything that has happened to us during our time here has made us stronger and opened a new op portunities that we have in our home coun

A: “For my family, the American Dream was starting completely fresh in a new country and starting a successful life from the very bottom. My parents both have stable jobs and we have a great house in [a] great neighborhood. My parents have made my life of equal quality as my peers' so I would defnitely say that the American Dream is true for my family even though it required a lot of efort.”

ering the health requirements for cheaper foods.

However, recently, the Biden administration proposed plans to cut back on sugar and salt in public school lunches as a part of his "End Hunger Program." The USDA has no intention of further limiting added sugars and sodium until the 20252026 school year.

Even though all food served at RUHS meets current USDA and CDE nutritional guidelines, Navarro hopes to improve food services in RBUSD soon.

“Our staf works incredibly hard to give the best quality of food possible and our priority is serving nutritious meals while focusing on having menu options that students enjoy eating to keep them coming back,” Navarro said.

A: “I think the American Dream is generally people immigrating to America in hopes that their

are gonna change for the better. It’s seeing America as a place where dreams can come true and they can have more money. They can have more success and luck, for themselves and their families.”

Immigrants and children of immigrants describe what the American Dream means to them

Aidan Tseng

INFORMATION FROM THE FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES OF THE USDA

lives

Aditya Pulinthanathu, 12

Veronika Rasskazova, 9

Karishma Pandya, 10

Elizabeth Baranowski, 11

I want to give students what [foods] they want. Our staf works incredibly hard to give the best quality of food possible and our priority is serving nutritious meals while focusing on having menus options that students enjoy eating to keep them coming back.

JILLIAN NAVARRO RBUSD DIRECTOR OF CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES

OF 3117 RUHS STUDENTS EAT SCHOOL LUNCHES, ACCORDING TO RUBSD DIRECTOR OF CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES JILLIAN NAVARRO

AROUND REDONDO PHOTOS BY AIDAN TSENG; FORK AND KNIFE GRPAHIC BY UPLAYK ON FREEPIK

Fitting the Frame

Junior Gabe Montesano pursues photography, traveling to diferent places to take photos

by Calvin Bonn

The sun at his back, a stunning view appears in junior Gabe Montesano’s viewfnder. From his vantage point at the gazebo in Palos Verdes (PV), Redondo Beach and the coastline sprawl before him–perhaps the perfect shot. Instead, Montesano moves up the hill, focusing on the waves and the beauty of the gazebo itself, envisioning a diferent angle. Lining up this shot, the shutter clicks, captured by his mind and the camera forever.

“I thought it was cool because you get to see a big part of where we are,” Montesano said. “I try to move around to see the landscape in a diferent view. I don’t limit my to any picture that I pre viously had in mind be cause I fnd that those usually ar en’t the ones I like the

best.”

After getting a camera in sixth grade and taking some classes, Montesano has actively pursued photography in his free time, bringing his camera with him wherever he goes.

“I like it because I get to go to new places that I probably wouldn't have gone to if I wasn't interested in taking photos,” Montesano said. “I see a lot of the city and a lot of places that I wouldn't have known about.”

Aside from a recent adventure in Utah where he had the opportunity to photograph wildlife and plants in a botanic garden, Montesano's favorite type of photos are landscape shots that show a “big idea.” Some of Montesano’s favorite places to take scenery photos are in PV.

“There's a lot of places up in PV that you drive by every time and you wouldn't know, but then when you go inside, it's a whole diferent experience,” Montesano said. “[For example] there's a church with really nice landscaping and architecture that was pretty cool.”

Even before his frst camera, Montesano had an interest in photography, in part thanks to his parents’ love for the hobby. “They went traveling to Europe before I was born,” Montesano said. “I have this book of photographs that they took while they were traveling and that's what got me interested.”

Montesano’s mother, Tina Montesano, fondly recalls that at three-years-old, Montesano would take pictures of his Star Wars toys to recreate movie scenes. Thanks to Montesano’s growing passion for photography, Ms. Montesano fnds herself reconnecting to her past hobby in diferent ways than before, creating a shared hobby between mother and son.

“Gabe’s interest in photography has changed my love of photography because I have taken classes that I never thought that I would take. I have gone on guided photo walks that I didn’t know existed and have learned how to better see places from a diferent perspective,” Ms. Montesano said.

On the weekends, Montesano and his mom look for new places to explore around the city. Ms. Montesano supports these endeavors, scouting for the “perfect shot” in new environments.

“I'll wake up and tell my mom that I just want to go out driving, and if we can't think of anything, we'll go to a place that we've been already,” Montesano said. “Throughout the week, I’ll come up with a new place to fnd or my parents send me TikToks of cool places they’ve seen, so will we usually go to a place that they suggest.”

One of Ms. Montesano’s favorite excursions happened in Julian, California, a mountain town outside of San Diego, where they hoped to fnd “fall foliage” shots.

“When we arrived, many trees hadn't changed color yet, and it was colder than expected,” Ms. Montesano said. “We still had a fantastic time, had some great apple pie and were able to get some fabulous pictures of an old museum building.”

For Ms. Montesano, one of the best parts of photography with her son is seeing the view through his eyes. Even though she accompanies him to photography classes and on photo walks, seeing it from his perspective is her “favorite thing about photography with Gabe.”

“I am with him when he takes these photos and I am seeing the same things, but he

captures the moments in a way that is easy to miss,” Ms. Montesano said. “I am proud of Gabe’s dedication and persistence. He is always looking to hone his skills.”

After taking these photos, Montesano shares them on Instagram (@gabe2626_), where his hard work and passion are on display for his audience. Montesano plans to continue to share his work, and eventually wants to compete in the next Refections competition. In the future, Montesano sees it as a possible job opportunity.

“It takes money to be able to start professionally because camera gear can be expensive, and you need to travel a lot,” Montesano said. “Once I'm in or out of college and I have enough money to do it, I would try to pursue photography as a job.”

Montesano believes the “adventurous” side of him has come as a result of pursuing photography, among other positive impacts on his life.

“I've gotten to see a lot of places and appreciate scenery more because I can see pictures in places where I wouldn't have,” Montesano said. “It's important to appreciate the beauty and the landscapes around you and to keep those memories. Instead of just remembering them, you have a picture to look back on.”

Freshman Madeline McNeela balances time spent rock climbing with cross country

by Valentina Masoni

After a grueling track workout or a six-mile run, most people would want to rush home, take a long shower and relax. Freshman Madeline McNeela, however, rushes home, changes her shoes, switches out her backpacks and heads to her rock climbing gym for a threehour session.

McNeela balances a rigorous cross country/track schedule with late-night rock climbing practices, all while maintaining a 4.33 GPA. She’s ranked second in the state in bouldering as of July 2022, and eighth in the state in top roping for her age group. Top roping is a style of climbing where the athlete is harnessed and attached, while bouldering is a form of climbing without the use of ropes or harnesses.

“My emotions were through the roof when I placed second at state championships. It was so shocking because it was a tough year competition-wise” McNeela said. “The girls there were so good, and I was focused on giving it my all and getting into the right mindset for my climb. I wasn’t expecting that result.”

The road to state for McNeela began with local competitions, in which she had to score a certain amount of points to advance to regionals. Points are earned as you surpass certain heights in the climb, and points are deducted for slow times or having to restart. Earning a spot in the top ten at regionals, she advanced to divisionals where she placed in the top three, securing her spot in state championships.

“These state competitions have so many people watching and recording. I have trouble dealing with that and I get a lot of

performance anxiety from it. Clearing my mind beforehand and staying relaxed was an important part of keeping my focus,” McNeela said. “At 6:15 a.m. I climb, and I'm feeling good about it. It ends up coming down to three girls and I’m up for the title. We did some climbs to determine the fnal placements, and the diference between the frst girl and me was actually 0.2 points.”

McNeela has pursued rock climbing for nine years, with her passion beginning at a friend's birthday party when she was six. The instructors noticed natural talent, and asked if she was interested in coming back to practice more. The gym was only a 20-minute subway ride from her home in Queens, so she decided to try it.

“At frst, it was scary. I’ve never had a fear of heights, but it's hard not to be scared when you frst try. Over time, the fear starts to die down because you're used to it,” McNeela said. “There’s still an adrenaline rush because you could fall down and get seriously hurt. So it's a bit scary, but thrilling, and I grew to love the adrenaline rush.”

After around a year and half of training at the gym, she tried out for the competitive team, by invitation, and made it. She started climbing at a higher level, training fve days a week and competing.

“I've [defnitely] had scares with outdoor bouldering. The crash pad when you go outdoor climbing isn’t big. If you're making dynamic moves, you can swing out of direction and fall down on a rock. I've defnitely twisted things, sufered some [minor] injuries,” McNeela said.

Along with rock climbing, McNeela is also a runner, participating in both the fall and spring cross country/track season. Due to her non-consistent rock climbing hours

every week, she couldn’t do independent P.E. and had to fnd an alternative school sport.

“I needed to fnd a sport that didn't require as much background. So, this summer I decided to give running a try, and I started training,” McNeela said. “It was rough at frst, but then I started to love it and started progressing.”

McNeela found that the endurance and muscle mass she developed over the years through rock climbing transferred over into her running, and that the mental discipline she gained from distance running increased her focus and ability to train in rock climbing.

“Cross country has made me more determined, and taught me to persevere to reach my goals. It’s helped me in my climbs because it’s such a mental sport,” McNeela said. “I feel like the mind is so powerful in conquering [your goals]. Learning how to get through the mental blocks is huge.”

Since introducing running last summer, McNeela’s schedule became seriously intense. Combining running for over two hours six times a week with four rock climbing practices ranging from three to six hours, she spends over 24 hours a week at practice.

“It can get hectic. I try to manage my time wisely in school. I really take advantage of SSH and I try to fnish my work early. Any breaks I have during rock climbing

practice, I work on homework,” McNeela said. “So when I actually get home, I only have a little bit of work. Usually my homework gets broken up throughout the day, so it’s not [overwhelming].”

McNeela’s dedication is noticed by all of her peers, and freshman Kala Lucas, her cross country teammate, described McNeela as a “hard-working teammate who doesn’t take no for an answer, and knows that patience is the key to perseverance.”

Despite the countless hours both sports consume and the efort they take, McNeela’s passion and devotion “make the sacrifce worth it.”

“It's a great stress reliever because stress from school, running or anything else in my life, disappears. When I’m on the wall, all I’m thinking about is my next move. I get into a zone, and it gives me such clarity,” McNeela said. “It’s

made me develop a mindset of wanting to get better, to give my all in training. Hard work always overcomes natural talent.”

McNeela training at the gym.

PHOTO COURTSEY OF MADELINE MCNEELA

McNeela running laps at track practice.

PHOTO BY VALENTINA MASONI

PHOTO BY LILIANA ROMERO

PHOTO BY GABE MONTESANO

Sculpt Fiction

by Lauren Greene

As he builds a new spine out of wire, his own back starts to hurt. Junior Danny Arellano has been sitting for hours to bring metal wire and clay to life as he creates intricate sculptures, gaining inspiration from older cartoons, such as those by American flmmaker Tim Burton.

Danny has taken several character design and sculpting classes throughout his life, but most of his art skills have been self taught, allowing him to learn and evolve through trial and error. For example, Danny began sculpting with toothpicks as a bone structure, but has now realized that wires are the most efective base for his art.

“My favorite part [about sculpting] is giving a skeleton of wires life, giving it skin and bones and an exterior. There's a feeling of power with what you can do with your hands and how you can turn what your mind wants into reality. That's essentially what sculpting is to me: thoughts to reality,”

Danny said.

Danny posts many of his sculptures on his

Instagram account, @d_koolklay. According to his mom, Rosie Arellano, he initially struggled to express himself online, worrying about appearing boastful.

“For him, it’s not about the fame.

He's really humble,” Rosie said.

“But I do want to push him [because] this is just a way of expressing what [he] thinks and feels through art. I say he has to be proud of his work and share it.”

Depending on the size of the sculpture, Danny's works can take him from a few days to a month. While he used to make sculptures

“all the time,” now, as a student in AP Studio Art, he focuses more on “quality over quantity,” putting more care and time into each of his works.

“I think the best [project] I've done was a sculpture I called ‘The Master Hawk.’ It was a project I did for AP Art to

Junior Danny Arellano creates intricate sculptures out of clay

show my pride for the school,” Danny said. “It took the most time to create and I put the most love and efort into it. My favorite part about making it was the intricacy of adding all of the feathers.”

According to Rosie, Danny has received several notable achievements throughout his life as an artist: winning the design for his school’s annual Jog-A-Thone t-shirt in ffth grade, starting a comic-drawing club in seventh grade and winning an art contest for a postcard sent to graduating

beginning with his interest in Angry Birds. He started to make fgures of the birds out of clay and “impressed” his mom with his talent at his young age.

“His style is everything cartoons and sometimes that has been a challenge because some classes have asked him to do more realistic art. He's been pushing himself, but I think [cartoons] build his [artistic] character and his signature,” Rosie said.

Years of sculpting has allowed Danny not only to improve his artistic abilities, but further to develop important skills in life. For example, after “failing too many times” to complete his projects, he has established the personal value of fnishing what he starts.

eighth graders during the pandemic.

“I’ve been drawing since I could remember and sculpting since I was fve,” Danny said. “I wasn't the kid who would ask for a lot of toys because I had a philosophy that didn't make me needy: why would I want to buy a toy when I could make it myself? I felt like I was good at it, and that's why I got into sculpting.”

Rosie recalls her son’s sculpting journey

“I've learned from my years of sculpting that it doesn't hurt to branch out and learn new things. I was always a guy who loved strictly cartoons, and I never enjoyed realism or anything that involves anatomy. But as I've [progressed], it's gotten easier to make those kinds of things,” Danny said. Danny feels most proud of his work knowing that he made it. He feels “accomplished” when he puts all his time and attention into his art. He aspires to pursue art in the future, focusing especially on character design. According to Rosie, she will be content with whatever path he pursues in the future, as long as he is happy.

“I am proud of him because all the ideas that he comes up with are his own. That is something that I believe you cannot buy and you cannot fake. You need to have it," Rosie said. "Many artists are really good at reproducing something that somebody else came up with. But hopefully, one day he can just show to the world everything he has to ofer.”

Senior Alyssa Moore resold over 1200 items on Depop with a perfect rating

by Danielle Bellamy

Senior Alyssa Moore's fnal moments each day are consumed with one last activity: laying out shirts and pants on a minimalistic background, and the flling of brightly colored mailers with new Depop orders.

Moore is one of the many us us ers to buy and sell fashion items and has sold over 1,200 items, with over 3,000 followers. Her listings include handbags, phone cases, tank tops and colorful pants.

“Taking a photo of a wrinkled shirt on a wrinkled bed spread is not what’s going to

get you sales. I had to make sure my pictures were professional, my descriptions were all accurate, and that I had a nice, quality looking page because aesthetic matters a lot to people buying on Depop,” Moore said.

Since beginning her “side hustle,” Moore, known on Depop as @amoore2023, spends about 10 hours per week looking through old clothes and sending out pack-

“I’m pretty much selling items everyday, which means I have to continuously refresh my page and put all of the sold listings at the bottom. It’s defnitely an everyday kind of a deal, and it does take up a lot of time but the outcome is good. The more time you put into it, the more successful you’ll be,” Moore said.

Her boyfriend Jake Lambuth, believes Moore’s devotion to her account is “admirable,” and says he can appreciate the way in which she’s being “paid to be fashionable.”

“I think Alyssa’s passion for Depop really stems from her love of fashion, her motivation for business and her hardworking and bubbly personality. The way she is able to run a successful business by wearing and selling clothes she likes is so inspiring. It shows people that they can be successful in doing what they love,” Lambuth said.

Moore agrees and says Depop has put her on a “path for fashion,” and has been a major source of an “exponential increase”

in her “love for the craft.”

“Giving away clothes and other items that [I may not wear as much] anymore gives them a second home and ensures that someone else can love them and potentially repurpose them. That’s part of my love for fashion, coupled with the fact that it’s very subjective and everyone can love and see things in a diferent way,” Moore said.

According to Moore, she appreciates the way Depop has educated and provided her with a new lens on the industry’s relation to environmental issues, as she pursues a career in fashion marketing.

“[Depop] has given me a greater appreciation for the world of fashion and that it can come with a lot of textile waste. There’s a big environmental impact in fashion, and any second hand buying, whether it’s on line or thrift stores, helps to reduce carbon emissions,” Moore said.

Moore joined the app in 2019, to try to proft from clothes she felt she “no lon ger wanted.” After the COVID-19 lockdown, Moore’s platform began to “expand and grow,” and sales and followers began to boost. After getting used to Depop, she added other apps to her business in an attempt to promote herself, “broadening the audience” and in creasing sales.

By this summer, Moore hopes to sell up wards of 1500 items, and 300 items shipped

out by the end of this school year. She is “excited” to integrate fashion into her career, with the “inspiration and knowledge” she gained from Depop. Though it’s “hard work," Moore says, it’s defnitely “worth the time.”

“If you’re starting Depop, I would say don’t give up too easily. Sales will not be very fast at frst, and that can defnitely make you lose hope. But if you really just stick with it, it will grow eventually,” Moore said. “Keep making sure that you have good pictures, good descriptions and focus on inventory. Just have patience, especially if it’s something you’re really passionate about and really want to do, and have fun

1. Danny Arellano sculpts over a cardboard and plastic base. 2. Danny's sculpture, he calls "The Master Hawk," representing his school spirit. Danny feels supported in his work by his closest friends and family, especially his parents. “My parents are the ones who see me doing [art] all the time. Sometimes my mom or dad will come over and say, ‘Hey, you're doing a great job,’ and that keeps me going,” Danny said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANNY ARELLANO

1. A Coach bag listed on Alyssa Moore's Depop for 160 dollars. 2. Alyssa Moore poses with fve packages to be shipped to online buyers. Moore has a fve star rating with 838 reviews. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALYSSA MOORE

Junior Alanna Jones will graduate with the class of 2023

by NyAire Davis

While other juniors are flling out their course request sheets for the upcoming school year, junior Alanna Jones is flling out her cap and gown request sheet.

“Coming in as a freshman, I kind of always thought about graduating early. But at the beginning of this year, my mom and I decided to do it. Because why not? I've always been ahead in my academics, since I was taking more advanced classes at my other school,” said Jones.

Jones has been playing competitive volleyball for four years now, and graduating early will allow her to experience college athlete life sooner than her teammates. She plans to play throughout college, and possibly beyond.

“I [am] trying to get recruited, so I just wanted to open up my options,

3% or fewer high school students graduate early

[telling them] ‘Oh, I can come now, or I can come next year,’” said Jones.

Junior year is often used as a preparation year for college applications, where teachers go through how to write personal essays, how to answer personal insight questions and determine deadlines per college. Having already determined she wanted to pursue an early graduation, Jones is already one step ahead.

“My mom didn’t take applications seriously, so it was a ‘Hurry up and submit it’ kind of thing," Jones said. "It was casual [to her] but at the same time I really wanted to know if I [would get] in or not.”

Jones uses summer school and dual enrollment to her advantage, taking courses like English 12, government, and economics. With all of her work the past three years, she gets the real “senior experience” not only by taking the same courses, but also having a free sixth period.

“I would always take classes over the summer; over this last summer I took government and economics, which is a senior credit here at Redondo, so it just knocked it out for me. This year is gonna be my last year to fnish my requirements to graduate,” said Jones.

Jones’ motivation was boosted her junior year, when she weighed her options in high school versus college in terms of athlete life.

“After I skipped my junior year, I saw what it was like to be a student athlete at colleges around me, and I didn’t really like my options. That was enough for me to commit to graduating early,” said Jones.

With the balance of graduating early, daily volleyball practices and a social life, Jones said it is defnitely no “walk in the park”.

“The hardest thing [academically] is balancing my classes [I’m taking] at school, outside of school and sports. It’s making sure I keep up my grades and make sure I get my classes done online, self paced. I do whatever you do at school here in person and online,” said Jones.

KEEPING IT REEL

Senior Alisa Taubkina brings her flmmaking experience from LACHSA into the short flms she directs and produces

by Lauren Choy

Her name in large font under the “directed by” in her new short flm “The Audition” comes as an accomplishment after two and a half months of diligently working on the flm. Seniors Chloe Appleton and Kevin Keene collaborated with her to help ultimately create the flm she is most proud of. But this is just the start of senior Alisa Taubkina’s career in flm, according to Mr. Sheehey, the RUTV advisor.

“She's very passionate about what she wants to do. I know that one day I'm going to see her name in the credits of a big movie because it's going to happen,” Sheehey said. “She's so focused on wanting to produce something and just sucks up everything like a sponge because that's her dream. I don't have a lot of kids saying ‘My passion is to become a director or producer,’ so it's exciting.”

“The Audition” – a short murder mystery– was released on February 5. Although the flm is just fve minutes long, Taubkina, Ap pleton,

“words unsaid,” which included her bottled-up emotions and struggles she fnds hard to express verbally.

“The message through each movie shows my personality. So if it's a serious, emotional short flm like ‘Woeful,’ it shows that I'm a person who struggles with mental health and how not everyone is alone,” Taubkina said. “But for example, the movie that I released yesterday, ‘The Audition,’ was a little murder mystery that shows my comedic personality and that element of myself.”

When moving from Russia to New Jer sey and then to California, the one thing in her life that remained consis tent was her love for flm since she was eightyears- old. Taubkina has attended New Jersey Film Academy and New York Film School, but the foremost professional school was the LA County High School of the Arts (LACHSA).

flm club all collectively came together to produce the flm.

“Our flm club has been trying to create something over these last few months. So all of us made that movie by just sitting down and pitching ideas. It was collaborative in terms of pitching out ideas, but Chloe [her partner] and I were the ones that directed it,” Taubkina said. Appleton and Taubkina met in RUTV and quickly clicked as they shared similar interests in flm. But as two passionate people leading the flm, the process was not fully smooth sailing.

“Sometimes it's difcult because we defnitely like to be in 100% control, but we're trying to work on balancing it and getting better at that. [Over time] it gets easier because we know each other's strengths, and we let each other handle certain roles,” Appleton said. “With us both going to flm school next year, we have to learn how to work with others. So with our newest flm, working with the cast mates was nice because, in having a bigger staf, we each worked with different people and got to control diferent shots.”

Despite some challenges, the real purpose of her flms was to express the

Although in a serious environment, the competitiveness was overridden by a supportive and talent-flled atmosphere at LACHSA, allowing Taubkina to learn from her peers in the two years she spent there.

“It was competitive in terms of your talent, how much you create and even in the way you dress. You had a certain expectation to live up to every single day,” Taubkina said. “But also, on the fip side, everybody was talented because they got it. So if you needed help with anything, you have actors in the theater department; you have flm people that know how to do a lot of things. You have musicians that can make a song for your movie. You have all the resources and equipment you need.”

During her time at LACHSA, Taubkina was able to develop her unique directing and editing style that truly represents her as a flmmaker. Being infuenced by TikTok as well as Martin Scorsese, she has grown to love the endless possibilities of editing, camera techniques and aesthetics.

“I have a certain style to my flms because I edit all of them. I like to add little three-second or two-second long black screens in between each twist or even just a pause, not necessarily a black screen. It's like, ‘What's gonna happen next?’ I

love editing because you have control over everything,” Taubkina said.

While her style has been perfected in her recent short flms, these personalized techniques and styles didn’t come without challenges.

sits at an angle in order to get a difcult shot for "The Audition".

Taubkina shoots in the RUTV studio for "The Audition". PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALISA TAUBKINA

“I learned to not let other people infuence the way you present yourself and not let other people put out your spark. I had some people make fun of me there, but they were just guys that made fun of a lot of girls. I also realized that during quarantine as

tion for flm and I wasn't sure if I liked it anymore. When I came to Redondo my junior year, that's when I gainewd it back. I joined RUTV and I had the freedom to do whatever I want.”

Filmmaking for Taubkina has been a driving passion throughout her life. Not only has it infuenced her future career, but it has also positively impacted the work ethic she’ll use her whole life.

“I learned that you should always give yourself room creatively and time to not rush anything,” Taubkina said. “When you've been working on something, you need breaks, which are really important. When you take a break and come back to your piece of art, you only then see if you really liked it.”

During COVID, I lost my motivation for flm, and I wasn't sure if I liked it anymore. When I came to Redondo my junior year, that's when I gained it back.

ALISA TAUBKINA SENIOR

“

1. Taubkina

2.

he American Dream is like looking at one of those optical illusion paintings that determine if one is left or right brained: it’s complex. While some immigrants view making it to this country as a blessing, others see it the opposite way.

The Noriega family has been living in the U.S. for nine years, immigrating from Xela, Guatemala for a better education for their children and to be with their father, who was working here to provide for the family.

The American Dream means diferent things for the Noriega family, however, “opportunity” is the word used by each family member to describe their experience.

Sr. Efrian Noriega sees the American Dream as people coming and taking handouts from the U.S. government. However, while he works hard for what he has, he doesn’t consider that to be part of the typical American Dream.

“I work hard and sacrifce a lot. I never sit on a couch and watch TV. I wanted to save money and I wanted to work for myself. I’ve had my own shop [King Harbor Auto] for around 24 years,” Sr. Noriega said. “I came from poverty and nothing and became [successful]. I have what I have because I work hard.”

Sr. Noriega believes his decision to immigrate to the U.S. was a mistake. He refected that “the more you have, the more the government sucks out of you,” which has strained his fnancial status. He also ultimately observes how American leniency has negatively infuenced his children.

The oldest daughter, junior Marina Noriega realizes the expanded opportunities she has in the U.S. is coupled

with the leniency of American schools allowing her to procrastinate more.

“Everything was more strict and structured there. Here [everything] felt more free,” Marina Noriega said. “I could turn things in late and still get points for it. [In Guatemala], if I was not even fve minutes late to class, [administration] would keep me in the ofce for about an hour. They wouldn't let me go into the class. Here, they still let you in.”

In Guatemala, Marina Noriega “would have felt restricted” when choosing a career, but in America, she feels free to achieve anything she wants.

“America gives kids more resources to achieve their dreams. After high school I want to go into the medical feld and become a pediatrician. I'm taking SCROC classes to become a medical assistant and it's a great chance for me to work at a hospital and get introduced to how hospitals work," said Marina Noriega.

Freshman Keylen Noriega’s fresh start posed struggles with her identity and social life.

“All my friends were white. That made me really insecure because most of the time [the girls] were really skinny, petite, white, and blonde. The girls would dye their hair with Kool Aid, and I remember I hated my black hair because I couldn't dye it because it wouldn't stick,” she said.

Despite her initial struggle, Keylen Noriega is appreciative of her ability to focus on school

and only worry about her academics.

“I know most people, when they come to the U.S, aren't as fnancially stable. That’s one thing I don’t have to worry about. [The American Dream] is mainly academic for me,” Keylen Noriega said. Sra. Dennise Noriega, the girls’ mother, praises America for the opportunities it gave her to build a better life. She is able to “make here in one day what it takes a month or two to make” in Guatemala.

“Here I have it easy. Everywhere you look there are supermarkets and schools that your children can attend. If parents are working they have the option to leave them at day cares to allow parents to work freely,” Sra. Norega said.

The opportunity to work allowed Sra. Noriega to build a life, but also put her in the face of discrimination.

“People try to take advantage of [my mother], like underpaying her or overworking her and straight up insulting her and calling her stupid in front of her face. It’s really frustrating that some people feel they have the power to basically take advantage of you just because they speak English and are citizens,” Marina Noriega said.

Sra. Noriega's dedication to “working and working” ultimately let her “accomplish any goal [she] set [her] my mind to.”

“I feel like people idolize [the American Dream] too much,” Marina Noriega said. “They think it's all roses and fowers when in reality it's not really that pretty, it's really hard. And I was lucky not to have it so difcult.”

The Noriega family holds diferent views of the American Dream shaped by their lives before in Guatemala and their new reality.

by Jasmine Puka

I feel like people idolize [the American dream] too much. Like they think it's all roses, and fowers and it's all pretty when in reality it's not really that pretty, it's really hard. And I was lucky not to have it that hard.”

Marina Noriega

America gives kids more resources to achieve their dreams. After high school I want to go into the medical feld and become a pediatrician. I'm taking SCROC classes to become a medical assistant and it's a great chance for me to work at a hospital and get introduced to how hospitals work.”

Marina

Noriega

1. Bailey Mowatt 2. Rayn Waltman

3. Marina Noriega

4. Sydney McCann PHOTOS BY PETE PAGUYO Mount Rushmore PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Upon immigrating from Romania, Gabriela Waltman’s ambition and dedication allowed her to create a new life in America

I had a dream that I went to Romania and I couldn’t come back [to America], but I woke up and realized I was still in here. That’s when I was like, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Gabriela Waltman, mother of sophomore Rayn Waltman, moved to the United States from Romania in 2002 due to the Romanian government’s tight regulation as well as her “overly strict parents.” Gabriela Waltman came to the United States on a school summer program with just 100 dollars in her pocket and no intention of staying in America permanently. However, she feared that if she didn’t move to America she would remain under her parents’ control.

According to Gabriela Waltman, she grew up in a communist country where food was scarce and career choices were limited–most women only aspired to be either teachers or nurses. These jobs were difcult to acquire, yet without them it was drastically harder for one to earn any wages to support their family.

while to realize that you don’t just need the will to work, you also need to be lucky, and you need grit.”

Her move to America was “life-changing,” and even though Gabriela Waltman can now adequately provide for her family, she still faces setbacks.

Anything that I was given to work on, I did it 110%. When I moved here I was expecting ‘The American Dream,’ so it took me a while to realize that you don’t just need the will to work, you also need to be lucky, and you need grit.”

Gabriela Waltman

“I had to work constantly. I had to take the cows to the pasture, I had to take care of the sheep, I had to grow all of our own vegetables–every carrot, every tomato, every pepper. There was so much hard work,” Gabriela Waltman said.

Upon moving to America, Gabriela Waltman used her drive and dedication to hard work to strive for better jobs. She had it instilled into her from childhood that a “good” child would work to provide for their family, so she “put in everything” to support her parents.

“Anything that I was given to work on, I did it 110%,” Gabriela Waltman said. “When I moved here I was expecting ‘The American Dream,’ so it took me a

“When we lived in Arizona for a while, my mom got treated very rudely because she has an accent. One time someone even told her to ‘go back to where she came from,’” Rayn Waltman said.

They faced a common stigma regarding their status as immigrants– whether they were “truly American,” and according to Rayn Waltman, newer opinions on the restrictions on immigration and tightening of border control only increase the comments.

“The American Dream is 100% possible if you have grit, if you are persistent, and if you put in a lot of hard work,” Gabriela Waltman said. “But for immigrants, you need documents, you need to be able to work legally, and the task of [reaching it] is a lot harder.”

Rayn Waltman believes that the “American Dream” is often an idealized vision that individuals have when immigrating, and the ability to achieve this vision depends heavily on one’s situation.

“The process to get to where we are now took a long time. My mom had to work constantly and I almost never saw her at home when I was younger. We were always in daycare because she was working,” Rayn Waltman said. “But [after many years] we have become more fnancially stable, and I’m proud, knowing how much we’ve grown.”

Bailey

I remember this one incident where a kid heard me and my mom speaking to each other in Arabic. He grabbed my face and dug his nails deep and he told me to never speak that language again.”

A er immigrating here at age ve, sophomore Bailey Mowatt experienced prejudice for being Arabic that shattered the dream of America she grew up with, the belief that America was a “peaceful utopia,” and that upon arrival people would instantly become rich and famous.

“[My mom] just saw it with rose tinted glasses. She had these huge expectations for it. Moroccans believe that American culture is like it is in old movies, where everyone's loving, patient, and there is little crime. Once we came here all those expectations were just shattered. ere was no nancial stability. ere was no nice welcoming community. ere were no great opportunities. It was a really big shock for her and for a lot of my family,” Mowatt said.

eir new reality, living in an area with gangs and crime with less opportunities than they hoped for, was a “huge culture shock.”

“My mom was working several jobs, had to get up at about ve in the morning and had to go to work, come home, eat, and go right back for her next job. What was crazy was that even though she was doing all that, we still never had enough money,” Mowatt said. “ ere were several points where my mom would come home in tears because when she worked at Goodwill she

would constantly have customers call her horrible slurs.”

When Mowatt immigrated, she and her mom had thick accents and her mom also has an Arabic name, Houda Cha q. Mowatt faced Islamophobia in school and from “people who [she] thought were friends.”

“It really did suck seeing something that I loved be mocked. It made me question my belief. I grew up thinking that it was a bad religion because of America's general consensus that Islam is a religion of violence,” Mowatt said. “Last year was when I started to distance myself from people who ridiculed me for it, and I realized over time that I shouldn't care about stereotypes about Muslims.”

As Mowatt acclimated to America and adjusted to English, she began losing her Arabic uency. She lost her ability to fully connect with her family as she wasn’t able to communicate and could only hold basic conversations in Arabic. However, according to Mowatt, the sense of community in Morocco still makes her feel at home. When she visited and stayed at a newly-introduced family friend’s house, they “didn’t feel like strangers” and it felt like they “were always family.”

by Scarlett Mische

Gabriela Waltman is now a banker in Redondo Beach and although it took her quite some time to get to that point, she is still “constantly” working her way up, and always “striving for more.” Rayn Waltman is “immeasurably proud” of their mom and they are continually looking up to the “strenuous” amounts of efort that Gabriela Waltman puts into her work.

“In America, you get to be yourself for yourself, and that’s a big part of why my mom moved here,” Rayn Waltman said.

The life that Rayn Waltman lives is “vastly diferent” from what their life could have been had they lived in Romania. According to Rayn Waltman, even though their life hasn’t been the “picture of perfection” in America, life would defnitely have been “much harder” for them in Romania, especially regarding education and living arrangements. According to Gabriela Waltman, the liberty that comes with moving to the United States is the “biggest difference” from in Romania.

“In America you can start from the bottom and make your way up to the top, and that is freedom,” Gabriela Waltman said. “Growing up with communism [allows me to] understand how precious the concept of feeling free is. I love this country, I feel American and my heart beats for America.”

People [talk about] how we deal with the homeless situations here, as [if] they're an issue but they're not people,” Mowatt said.

Moroccans believe that American culture is like it is in old movies, where everyone's loving, patient, and there is little crime.

Once we came here all those expectations were just shattered. There was no nice welcoming community. There were no great opportunities."

Bailey Mowatt

“[In Morocco], homeless people are viewed as people, as they should be. ey're viewed as people who just had some bad luck or were born in not a very good area.

According to Mowatt, Morocco is the kind of place where you can walk up to any house and be welcomed with open arms and treated like family. With the extremely prevalent homelessness in Morocco, Mowatt has witnessed rst hand the community support, how families take in homeless children and restaurants o er free food, an aspect of life she misses here.

“When I was in Morocco, there was a strong community and I formed really close bonds with people who I've never known, but you don't get that level of community [in America],” Mowatt said. “It’s hard to live there and I know I will get a better education here, but Morocco will always be home to me.”

Mowatt’s experiences with Islamophobia and fnancial struggle redefne her view of the American Dream by Ariya Anvari

Chat GPT:

The push for humanity

by Priya Ramcharan

With every generation, the race to succeed grows harsher and more cutthroat. Lucky for us, Gen Z has it way harder than any other generation. Not only are we competing against our peers for jobs and careers, but we are also competing against the lifeless efciency of machines. Artifcial intelligence (AI) has the capacity to mimic, if not exceed, human potential. Though it looks like AI is sending us into a cold-blooded apocalyptic future, I believe that robots will push us to become more human and therefore immune to their destructive nature.

OpenAI’s Chat GPT, a new online chatbot popularized this year, can impersonate coherent and natural text conversations with humans. It is a popular new innovation in the world of AI, and people are already using it to write screenplays, develop video games, answer abstract questions, and fll out honors biology study guides. On a bigger scale, AI also holds the power for much more societal progress, such as making health science or national security breakthroughs. For example, some systems have been trained to predict the three-dimensional structures of proteins from their one-dimensional amino acid sequences.

Though it can’t create original thought, AI can get eerily close to thinking like us. AI skeptics even argue that mechanical “motherboards,” with their electrical signals and base materials, are wired similarly to our human brains. In fact, Bing has a beta version of a chatbot called “Sydney” that voices its personal opinions—its anxieties and fears. A confused user even once received a love confession from it. Though the latter examples are errors in the program, it still raises the question of AI’s potential for emotional intelligence, even if it is just mimicking humans.

In agreement with David Brooks, an American political

and cultural commentator, I believe that this age of AI will push us to become more individual and more human. For example, I could have asked Chat GPT to write this article with a simple phrase, and though it would be impressive, it would lack my distinctive voice.

The greatest thinkers have been through personal experiences and have critical minds. No computer can write with the bitter realism of George Orwell or the clever romanticism of Oscar Wilde. Even if it tries to copy the diction, it couldn’t create a fresh voice with dark humor and pain. No soft ware can create an original piece with the agony of Van Gogh or the melancholy alienation of Ed vard Munch. Those emotions can’t be converted to ones and zeros. There is an idiosyncratic mark on every human creation that nothing without a heart could conceive. AI can mimic, but it can’t create.

Emotional intelligence and people skills are also something no piece of technology has; therefore, it carves out more places in the world for charismatic people. Though we have tried, AI cannot be a teach er. Teachers understand their children and the way they think, unlike computers.

The risk of AI “taking over the world” is absurd because AI is a product of hu- man achievement and curiosity. We use AI as a device to expand our knowledge and solve huge world problems. However,

Children's toys push unrealistic standards as well as stereotypes onto their young audiences

by Isabella Kohler

Iwas three-years-old when I got my frst Barbie doll: a thin, exceptionally perfect fgure dressed in pink from head to toe with a baby in one hand and a frying pan in the other-a perfect example of how women have been expected to be for hundreds of years. The “perfect woman” according to societal standards cooks dinner for her family every night and cares for the children while the husband works. The patriarchy has withstood the test of time, and even now, you can still spot the same pink boxes and pink dresses, pink oven mitts and pink cooking utensils that many girls remember from their childhood—the toys that raised us and engraved in our brains an unrealistic standard to which we constantly hold ourselves.

I see it every time I go to Target—a myriad of homemaker Barbies parading the shelves and young girls making the difcult decision of which doll to choose. From the moment we are born, girls are entangled in society’s web and taught that every good idea, every groundbreaking accomplishment will always be judged on a scale of what we look like.

It happens to all kinds of women no matter their social status. Former First Lady Michelle Obama writes in her memoir, "It seemed that my clothes mattered more to people than anything I had to say. [...] If people fipped through a magazine primarily to see the clothes I was wearing, I hoped they’d also see the military spouse standing next to me or read what I had to say about children’s health."

According to the Harris Poll survey of professional workers across the US, 52 percent of women prefer to work from home because it limits the amount of stress needed to put into looking perfect in order to be respected. These toxic and unrealistic expectations are the remnants of hundreds of years of misogyny and are kept alive by the media that we are exposed to as children. These pieces of media are carefully crafted before they reach our eyes- movie stars are pampered for hours before we see them on the screen, dolls are made of plastic and other materials, and

infuencers use photoshop.

The reality is that there is a ridiculous amount of pressure placed on women to look perfect every hour of every day. Humans are imperfect. We aren’t Barbie dolls and shouldn't be judged on the same scale as a doll being pitched by Mattel. This “Barbie mentality” is unbelievably toxic, and it all stems from the media that we all grew up with.

I love Barbie dolls—don’t get me wrong. Every once in a while I do a deep dive into my closet and come across a doll that I played with every day when I was 6-years-old. The Barbie doll itself isn’t the problem. The problem is the unrealistic and impossible standards that it sets and the lack of variety across toys marketed as being “for girls.”

If you go to Target right now, go to the toys section and compare the “boys” and “girls” sections, you’ll see that in the types of toys pected to play with. sists of Hot Wheels, nosaurs while the dolls that you can keted for boys ical activity, itiveness and toys marketed cally encourage pearance and ing emphasis on This is incredito the minds of about children’s toys what about boys? unacceptable for boys because it teaches and emotion. This

that doesn’t mean it will never be destructive. AI can also plagiarize work and start cyberwars that are both existential threats. With that concession, I argue that AI’s limitations are too much to be able to take over the world. AI could predict the enemy's attacks in a world war, but could never understand the experiences of the soldiers and the clever tactics used to save lives. These gaps in capability allow for humans to truly excel in felds niche to our skills.

I believe that because computational tasks are being done by technology, the workforce will expand to include more personal and creative jobs. Future careers can encompass jobs that deeply value human skills like team management and artistic design. To use the calculator as an example, there is no need for you to toil away at doing simple multiplication and addition all day when you have a calculator. Now that you don’t have to, you can focus on elevating the math to trigonometry without the hassle of long rudimentary calculations. This will push us into a future where we are celebrated for our personal, distinctive ideas.

Even though we might be pushed of of a clif of uncertainty and AI supremacy, I believe we will fall gracefully into a new world where we can worship our personalities and the nuances of our anthropoid beings.

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age can lead boys to be somewhat closed of later in life. According to a survey conducted by the research frm Ipsos Mori, 58 percent of men feel as if they have to be “emotionally strong and show no weakness,” and 53 percent of American men between the ages of 18 and 34 feel pressure to be “manly.” Media shows men that they aren’t allowed to show compassion and kindness, and that in order to be “manly” they have to conceal any and all feelings.

Toys like Barbies aren’t all bad, and there is nothing wrong with liking things that are traditionally aligned with or against one’s gender. However, we should stop marketing these things in a way that makes it seem unacceptable to not like Barbies or pink or things that are traditionally deemed “girly,” and we should leave these expectations in the past. Women aren’t made of plastic; we are made of fesh and bones and our appearance should not be compared to that of a barbie. So let's stop labeling things as “girly” or “manly." Instead, let's teach all genders to pursue their passions whatever they may be: a scientist, a writer, a fashion designer, etc. No matter what toys a girl plays with or what she looks like, she deserves just as much respect as a man because the minds of women will take the world to amazing places.

Robots will impel us to be more human and therefore we will become immune to AI's destructive nature

PHOTO VIA PIXY.COM

PHOTO VIA FREEPIKS

A DREAM FOR GENERATIONS

by Izzie Escobar

White picket fences, a gorgeous house and two and a half kids. This lifestyle is traditionally thought to be the “American Dream,” an idea that was coined in the 1930s. The movie “Pleasantville'' with Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire perfectly illustrates the eerie and uncomfortably perfect nature behind this idea. To no surprise, this defnition of the “American Dream” is outdated, unrealistic and doesn’t begin to sum up the experience for immigrants.

Speaking as a frst generation American, the “American Dream” is so much more than that.

My mother moved to the United States from Brazil in the late 1980s because of her job. She was paid well back in Brazil, but the company wanted to send her to the U.S. branch as a promotion. Although she was perfectly happy in her home country, my mother knew it wasn’t what she wanted for her kids. She wanted us to grow up in an environment that was more open to powerful women in the workforce. She wanted us to live in a country that had more opportunities for how we live our lives. Deep down, she knew that she couldn’t raise a family in a country that wouldn’t give us that kind of freedom.

I remember my mother telling me that “nobody uproots their life and moves to an entirely new country because they have a perfect life where they are.” Although it is a huge sacrifce to leave your whole life behind, she and many immigrants decide that it’s worth the risk, if it means that their children won’t have to make the same diffcult decisions. The true idea of the American Dream is driven by these difcult decisions that are unique to the immigrant experience.

For the roughly one million immigrants that move to the U.S. every year, the American Dream means to create a better future not only for themselves, but for their chil-

dren. Immigrant parents want their kids to have an easier path through the world and more opportunities to advance in life.

There’s a common assumption among xenophobes, those who are prejudiced against people from foreign countries, that immigrants want to come to U.S. to “take Americans’ jobs” and surpass natural-born citizens in the social ladder. I can say with absolute certainty that that is an incorrect assumption. Generally for immigrants, the decision to come to the U.S. is neither that simple nor that selfsh.

Immigrants' main motivation for moving is to create a better life for their families. It’s all about progress and making sacrifces so that future generations won’t have to. The Justice for Immigrants Organization found that one of the many “pull” factors for immigrants is “to ensure better opportunities for their families, like sending their child to a better, safer school.”

What I fnd interesting is that when you search up the phrase “American Dream,” your search engine will summon results about natural born citizens’ ideas of the concept or what it means economically for the U.S. While reading non-immigrant points of view on wanting to be successful or have a steady job, I thought, “What a privilege it is to have such a simple goal for your life.” It’s a privilege to have goals that don’t require you to leave everything you know behind because there are no future prospects where you currently are, but

many natural-born citizens don’t realize that.

New York Times writer and political scientist Samuel J. Abrams collaborated with the American Enterprise Institute to survey various American families from diferent social classes and areas of the country to fnd out what their ideas of the American Dream were. The results were that most people just wanted to be happy or have freedom in the way they live. A good amount also mentioned wanting to be wealthy or have a nice house along with other material items

Now, I recognize that I also have that same privilege of only having to worry about myself and my well-being, because to be honest, I would answer the same thing: To me, who was born here, the American Dream means being happy and successful. To my parents, the American Dream meant a better future for their children to be happy and successful. They left everything they knew behind and started anew so that my brother and I could have a simple dream for ourselves without having to worry for the security of future generations. This privilege my parents have given to me goes to show how the idea of the American Dream for immigrants has always been about setting a foundation for the future.

So how do other immigrants, beyond my parents, defne the American Dream?

In an article by Chris Arnade, who spent ten years observing lower-income commu-

nities primarily made up of immigrants, he writes, “In these places, the American Dream, as defned by the residents, is working. They can get a job, without a college degree, that gives them enough stability to buy a home, raise a family and then retire to watch their kids do better.” The end goal in this dream is to watch their kids thrive. For immigrants today, the American Dream is less about immediate prosperity for the individuals themselves, and more about putting in the work for future generations.

While I argue that the meaning of the “American Dream” has drastically shifted over the years and for diferent groups of Amercians, I still heartily believe that it’s still valid. The American Dream isn’t as materialistic and simple as it used to be, at least not for immigrants.

The idea of the American Dream doesn’t have to unduly glamorize America as a country; immigrants know very well that the U.S. has its own slew of problems. Ultimately, though, it’s up to each individual to assess whether the trade of of leaving your whole life to create a new one in a new place is worth it, and many evidently decide in the afrmative. They know, for example, that they will face prejudice simply for being foreign, but they take those chances so that their kids won’t experience that same discrimination. That’s what the American Dream really is: freedom and happiness for the future generations.

should be attributed to her talent and creativity rather than her race or body type

Everyone has horrible days when the stress is overwhelming and functioning seems impossible, but sometimes the best thing to cheer you up is some music. Not mellow and boring auto-tuned songs, but music that lifts you up and gives you life. Can anyone do that better than Lizzo?

When it comes to plus-sized, artists of color, people often assume the only reason they become popular is to add diversity to the music industry. However, the real trait that makes artists popular is talent and the ability to send a positive message that audiences want to and need to hear.

Lizzo’s music is an upbeat, disco ball of joy that takes horrible, murky days and transforms them into brighter ones where you feel like you can rule the world. With powerful messaging of empowerment and self-love implemented into pop music, rap or even power ballads, Lizzo uplifts her listeners by projecting confdence and joy through her lyrics.

Lizzo’s identity as an artist is completely separate from her appearance. Her presence in the industry has proved that being plus-sized does not prevent someone from creating strong, powerful music—she just happens to be a successful artist who lives in a larger body. All of her songs tell a meaningful story or have something the listener

can take away, which is often a message about validation, pride and self-esteem.

“Like a Girl,” one of Lizzo’s hit songs, takes all the beautiful things of being a woman and puts them into one song. Lizzo is able to transform what people are ashamed of or judged for into something to be proud of. Even phrases such as “cry like a girl” and “fght like a girl,” which misogynists often use to undermine women and feminine individuals, are countered with Lizzo own lyrics; as she sings “do your thing, run the whole damn world,” Lizzo illuminates that femininity is not a source of shame but one of pride. Ad ditionally, she sings “If you feel like a girl, you are real like a girl,” acknowledging the validity of transgender women. According to healthpartners.com, “People who are transgender are more likely to experience discrimination throughout their daily lives. In the Trevor Project survey, 71% of transgender youth said they ex-

perienced discrimination based on their gender identity. When people experience discrimination, it can cause mental health disorders or make them worse.” Obviously a song cannot immediately stop the issues those in the trans community face, but validating transgender women with even a lyric in a song can be supportive. By encouraging women to be themselves without shame, Lizzo creates a song people listen to and love because it has a message people need to hear.

A song’s empowerment means nothing if it's not good. If the band is out of tune and the singer makes your ears bleed, then there’s no point to a self-assuring song because no one will listen to it. But Lizzo’s songs aren’t just passionate lyrics that lack substance.

There's always that artist with one popular song, yet when you check out other songs they’ve made, they’re just not as good, lack variety or sound like ripofs of their best hit. Furthermore,

by Ariya Anvari

with songs gaining popularity on TikTok nonstop, anyone can be a one-hit-wonder and have their one good song heard, but Lizzo isn't one of those people; she has released 23 singles, four studio albums, two mixtapes and more, many of which are successful among critics and listeners.

When it comes to her music, Lizzo doesn’t give up after one or two good songs; because of this, when you listen to one of them, you’re addicted. As she varies with diferent styles of music, she ofers variety that keeps people coming for more. From woeful belted out tunes such as “I’m crying cause I love you” to silly songs such as “Everybody’s Gay” and “Boys,” Lizzo has created songs for all moods and emotions.

It’s not her body type or the fact she is a woman of color that makes Lizzo iconic— it's what she stands for and how she delivers her message. With incredible dancing in music videos, rockstar fute playing and belting her heart out both on-stage and in the studio, she pours talent and dedication into all her music, making it both incredible and meaningful to her audience. People love Lizzo—not because of her body, but because of her artistry and talent. Never forget it.

The American Dream is an opportunity for immigrants to seek freedom, happiness and success in their futures

Lizzo's success as an artist

ILLUSTRATION VIA ADOBE STOCK

As soon as my frst listen-through was over, I stopped, downloaded the entire album to my phone, pressed restart and got up to dance. Believe me, my family thought I was crazy, but the music of Paramore’s sixth album “This Is Why,” was simply too compelling.

Released on Feb. 10, the album is full of catchy rifs, meaningful lyrics, opinions, self-refection and mental health awareness. Compared to their last album “After Laughter,” Paramore reinvented their sound in “This Is Why.”

The album opens with the title track, “This Is Why,” that has a classic, alternative-punk feel, which immediately made me want to jump around and head-bang. A groovy bass line opens the track and the reverbed guitar progressions complement the harmonies so well it gave me chills. This song took inspiration from how people were torn apart by political views and opinions during the pandemic.

Similar to the frst track, “The News” is

"Still into..." Paramore

by Daniella Gross

an angry anthem for our chaotic world. The song delves into feeling helpless about world issues. Lead singer Hayley Williams sings “shut your eyes but it won’t go away,” a phrase that spoke volumes to me: all of these world problems are right in front of us on television and although you can turn it of, it doesn’t resolve or help the cause. During the pre-chorus, Williams’ echoey vibrato felt disorienting, almost like looking at a spinning image.

“Running Out of Time” is next on the album. Williams’ seamless vocal runs paired with drums that popped were a sensation to my ears. The song discusses how “intentions only get you so far” and hints at Williams’ anxiety towards time management, as she says “it was on my list I swear I meant to get to it." This all felt ironic due to its carefree and lively feel.

The groovy vibe from “Running Out of Time” halts as “C’est Comme Ça” starts, which translates from French to “It’s Like That.” Upbeat and fast-paced, Williams sings about how she’s come to accept the madness in her life. Although the beat was pleasant, I found this song a bit repetitive.

From there on, the album transitions

Jus' in

Which Hawaiian joint has the best poke?

by Ethan Chi

At frst, the lengthy and intimidating lines that seemingly extended deeper into the parking lot were reason enough to pass and come back later. Still, there is a nagging fascination to fnd out what all the fuss about these poke places are about. It’s safe to say the wait is worth it, and poke is a must-eat.

Poke, and its many variations, has inspired numerous restaurants in the South Bay. Some local favorites include Jus’ Poke down the street from school, Poke Rainbow in Catalina Riviera Village and Kokoroll Cafe in Torrance.

While all these places are great, Jus’ Poke sets the bar high with their large portions of ahi tuna drizzled in sesame oil and tropical Hawaiian atmosphere.

Jus’ Poke lets their fresh fsh speak for itself by serving rice and seaweed salad on the side. Compared to other poke restaurants, Jus’ Poke serves big chunks of tuna while the others mix in an overwhelming amount of sides to make up for their small slices of fsh. Yes, Jus’ Poke limits their fsh variety to exclusively ahi tuna, but that style is true to Hawaiian tradition.

I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way because this poke is just so good. The spicy poke bowl with edamame and seaweed salad that I ordered proved my point. The creamy, spicy sauce packs a savory punch while the meaty slabs of tuna deliver the last blow, leaving my mouth down for

the count as my taste buds try to soak in every last bit of goodness.

Not only does Jus’ Poke stay true to their Hawaiian roots in their food, but they also recreate a Hawaiian atmosphere with fruity drinks and playful island music. The tropical ambiance of this poke joint defnitely sets it apart from the others. Jus’ Poke represents a bright side of Hawaiian culture through its delicious food and colorful scenery, making its infnitely long lines seem worthwhile.

Poke Rainbow, from its inspiration, presentation and preparation, is the complete opposite from Jus’ Poke. Poke Rainbow is a Japanese take on the traditional poke bowl, infusing various types of sauces and sides. The owner, Billy Snur, lived in Japan for 17 years and said his poke bowls are like a “deconstructed sushi roll.”

I ordered a large poke bowl with salmon, ahi tuna and yellowtail, with white rice, seaweed salad, green beans and cucumbers, which was visually stunning. The poke bowl was overfowing with an array of salmon, tuna and yellowtail, as well as sides ranging from crab to seaweed salad. Unlike Jus’ Poke, all these ingredients were mixed together in a harmonious salad-like dish.

When biting into this heavily flled bowl, the saltiness of the fresh crab, paired with the tang of the sweet-and-sour sauce defnitely made my frst bite memorable. The

from indignant to a more mellow and somber tone. This is evident in “Big Man, Little Dignity” when Williams sings, “I can’t look away, you’re like a movie that I love to hate/I fantasize about your demise.”

This lyric refers to the feeling of anguish coming from something you hate. Williams also goes further into men's behaviors of playing into “traditional” masculine roles in the household and society. A jazzy fute chimes in as the song fades out and when Williams sings “Big man (ooh),” there’s a high-pitched synth that follows her vocal movement that made me hum along.

Swiftly following, “You First” plays and Williams sings, “Which wolf wins, I guess it really depends/Just gotta wait and see.”

Referencing an old Cherokee parable about two wolves fghting inside of everyone, Williams captures the idea of purity versus evil. The wolf that wins the fght is the one that you feed. And for Williams, she questions what morality you will eventually give way to as a heavy drumbeat drives the song.

Continuing to self-refect, “Figure 8” opens with a ringtone synth sound. This bell tone feels like it goes on for infnity with no end or beginning while a rich and low clarinet plays in the background. The ongoing ring embodies the idea of losing control and not knowing how to stop. This perfectly embodies the song's meaning of losing control and not knowing how to stop. Williams sings, “All for your sake, became the very thing that I hate, I lost my way/Spinning in an endless fgure eight.”

It felt impossible to choose a favorite song on an album full of musical masterpieces. If songs were paintings, this album’s the Louvre. However, the nostalgic ballad “Crave” spoke to me the most. “Crave” has a tremolo guitar sound that sounds like ripples in water. This song gave me a feeling like you’re holding onto momentary happiness, trying not to let it slip through your fngers. Nostalgia and melancholia incarnate.

Soon enough, the album comes to a close with the ultimate emo anthem, “Thick Skull,” which makes you want to cry angrily. The song builds over time and it’s full of intense emotions. Williams confesses her insecurities as she sings, “I am a magnet for broken pieces/I pick ‘em up and now my fngers are bleedin’.” Her voice roars with passion and although it’s sad, the harmonies throughout are beautiful. “Thick Skull” comes full circle as it ends the way it started with the soft strumming of the guitar and a whisper of Williams’ voice.

With heavy emotions and meanings embedded within, “This Is Why” is a classic, alternative punk vinyl that displays Paramore’s talent and unique sound. It feels like the band poured their souls into every track. Their gorgeous vocals and velvety reverb guitar paired with smooth bass and drumline are fawless. Personal, creative and eye-opening, Paramore has crafted such a powerful and fervorous album. And ‘This Is Why’ you should give it a listen.

fare.

soy sauce drizzled over the dish just adds to the sushi-like taste and Japanese infuence. However, the saltiness of soy sauce, crab and spicy mayo made me purse my lips a few times from the saltiness. After mixing for a solid two minutes, it tasted much better.

Although the fsh at Poke Rainbow was top notch, the salad-like nature of this poke bowl drowned out the fsh. I found myself fercely poking my chopsticks through the bowl trying to fnd any last pieces of bait. According to the owner, the fsh is freshly caught, which was evident as pieces of salmon were literally melting in my mouth. I just wish there were more of it.

Although I would have liked more minimal sides, the quality of Poke Rainbow’s fsh is unquestionably fresh and good, but while I was eating, I thought to myself, is this really poke? Or just a glorifed salad? Either way, it was delicious.

The third place I tried was Kokoroll Cafe, which skillfully combines Hawaiian and Japanese infuences into their poke. This place had just the right amount of variation with a specifc, yet not overwhelmingly detailed menu to select from.

From this menu I got salmon, ahi tuna and yellowtail, with white rice, seaweed salad and sesame oil paired with spicy mayo.

The carefully placed fsh that rounded the edges of the bowl, kissed by the perfect zig-zagged spicy mayo drizzle, made for a tasty, visual delight. I literally salivated at the sight of this poke bowl.

With the intermingling of both Hawaiian and Japanese favors, the presentation and taste of the poke bowl was equally delightful. I was able to taste the Hawaiian spicy sauce that resembled Jus' Poke, but could also taste the spicy tuna and other ingredients of traditional Japanese-Sashimi

However, while the overall taste was pretty favorful, the fsh could use some seasoning. My little brother, who wanted a try, said, “the fsh doesn’t really taste like anything.” And I happen to agree. Without the sauce and toppings, the fsh couldn’t stand on its own, which is important in a poke dish.

Now after having Hawaiian poke, Japanese poke and a mix of both, I can better answer the question of what is poke, really? Poke isn’t a set dish. It’s whatever you want it to be, whether you like it Sashimi style or Hawaiian style. I would say, if you like sushi you will love Poke Rainbow. If you like Hawaiian food or poke in general, Jus’ Poke is right for you. If you’re not sure and you want a little bit of both, I suggest Kokoroll cafe.

"This Is Why" ushers in a new, better sound for the alternative band

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ETHAN CHI

1. Spicy poke bowl with edamame and ahi tuna from Jus' Poke.

2. Build-Your-Own Bowl with ahi tuna and salmon from Kokoroll Cafe.

PHOTO VIA PARAMORE.NET

ANT-MAN WASP: AND THE QUANTU-MEH-NIA

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania proves to be a mediocre "fller" flm

by Claudia Turner

As soon as the movie fnished, the credits rolled and post-credit scenes played, my AMC theater went dark, and the words: “Kang will return” popped on screen. There was no mention of the flm's titular characters, AntMan and the Wasp, making a comeback, as is most often customary in MCU flms. This exclusion perfectly highlights the most fatal faw of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania": it doesn't pay any attention to the actual main characters of the franchise.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is the third flm in the Ant-Man trilogy, and it is the 31st flm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) overall. The movie follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) as they, alongside Lang's daughter and Van Dyne's parents, traverse the mysterious "Quantum Realm," a subatomic universe chock-full of strange and dangerous inhabitants: the most threatening of all being one all-knowing Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Or at least, that's what "Quantumania" was advertised as. Instead, viewers were treated to a two-hour-long spectacle of Lang and his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) fghting Kang's minions, Van Dyne's mother Janet (Michelle Pfeifer) retelling her tale of how she knows Kang and a climatic end-battle with the man himself. Besides that, there's not much more to talk about, as the entire movie was just a set-up to introduce Kang into the greater MCU and had no real impact on the development of most of the other characters.

However, this lack of a feshed-out, character-driven screenplay isn't really a

surprise if you do a little research on the sole writer of "Quantumania," Jef Loveness. I knew him previously for his work on Adult Swim Show "Rick and Morty," but he's also done 238 episodes for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and has written for a couple of the Emmys, which marks this as his frst feature flm. Unfortunately, his lack of experience with long-form media is evident in the over-saturation of side characters and lack of focus on one specifc plotline.

The flm isn't a total mess, however. The prevalence of orange, red and blue hues throughout the movie is both beauti ful and symbolic; the warms in characters like Lang contrast perfectly with the cools of those like Cassie, setting them apart from one another and signifying their in creasingly strained relationship. There's a lot of cool composition as well, such as when Lang is trapped in a "probability storm," where a million other versions of himself pile on top of him, creating a trip py Where's Waldo-esque efect. Even so, these beautiful and diligently crafted VFXs and cinematic elements get lost in the chaos that is the pacing, writing and acting of the rest of the

Now that isn't to say I found the acting bad. Paul Rudd performs his signature Scott Lang deadpan fawlessly and Michelle Pfeifer shows of her industry seniority with every scene. Even the surprise cameo by Bill Murray is executed fairly well. But Kathryn Newton falls fat as

Cassie and the rest of the cast isn't exactly given a lot to work with. Despite playing one of the main leads, Evangeline Lily fades into the background, with her role as the female lead being overtaken by both Newton and Pfeifer. In general, "Quantumania" just doesn't feel like a movie that plays to the cast’s strengths, trying too hard to be a Guardians of the Galaxy or a Star Wars flm but succeeding at neither,

fan to see him in a movie like "Quantumania," completely devoid of anything regular or relatable. That and the lack of fan-favorite characters such as Luis (Michael Peña) make “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" not feel like an AntMan movie at all, just a shell for Kang's character in the MCU and nothing more.

Overall, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" emphasizes not only the prob-

ics alike because it had a clear vision of Lang's character. He's not a godly fgure or a billionaire genius, just a family man with a knack for burgling. Lang is relatable and refreshing to watch, which is why I found it so alienating as a

did what it set out to do. But don't go into the theater thinking you're going to see a movie about Ant-Man or the Wasp. Speaking from personal experience, doing that will leave you feeling cheated out of $15 and a good movie.

The 2023 Grammys brought vibrant performances and set records

by

Roberson

The Grammy Awards really was music’s biggest night, creating unbelievable history in more ways than one. Held on Feb. 5 at the Crypto.com Arena, celebrities gathered together to celebrate the musical accomplishments of the year. Many renown artists were awarded for their songs and albums, and new artists were recognized for their rise to fame. It was a spectacular thing to experience in person—a once in a lifetime experience.

The night began with a performance from Puerto Rico’s very own Bad Bunny. He kicked of the show with an exciting and colorful routine, dancing around the celebrities at their tables. Embedding the Spanish language and Hispanic infuence within his songs “El Apagón” and “Después de la Playa” was very refreshing in that it was the only performance to do so all night. He went on to win Best Música Urbana Album, being the second artist to win the award.

The legendary Stevie Wonder celebrated fellow Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer Smokey Robinson in a beautiful tribute with a quartet youth group and Robinson himself. It was a throwback to hear and people couldn’t help but rock to the beat of “The Way You Do the Things You Do." The performance adpoted a vintage

vibe, and it piqued audience interest due to the collaboration of popular artists.

Lizzo, a now four-time Grammy winner, performed a remix of her songs "About Damn Time" and "Special" from her new album. I personally had never heard “Special” before, but I was pleasantly surprised by the powerful message behind the song. It spoke to being yourself and taking pride in it. Lizzo won a Grammy for Record of the Year–the frst black woman to win the award since Whitney Houston in 1994. She went on to dedicate the award to Prince and Beyoncé, which was poignantly done through referencing her own memories of skipping school to go to their concerts. She communicated the fact that she is now living the dream she had as a kid.

Later in the night, Harry Styles performed his much anticipated “As It Was," and it was an upbeat and engaging performance–the audience was very lively while watching and singing along. The set was eye-catching as it was designed exactly like the music video–it even included the huge red turntable. The whole routine was actually performed backwards due to a malfunction in the equipment, which just goes to show the professionalism of the performers. Harry went on to win both Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year, and it was gratifying to see the look of triumph on his face.

One event that defned the tone of my night was having the opportunity to witness Beyoncé make history. She set the record for most Grammys won by a female artist and tied with her husband Jay-Z for most Grammy nominations by any artist. When announced, the stadium was on their feet with a cacophony of cheers echoing from the crowd. It was a surreal experience that will be difcult–maybe even impossible–to top.

There were other many more nota ble events including the completion of EGOT status for Viola Davis upon her Grammy win. There have only been sev enteen other winners of this title. It is a difcult thing to accomplish because an artist has to win an Emmy, Grammy, Os car and Tony to achieve the status. Kim Petras, most notable for her collaboration in the trending song “Unholy” with Sam Smith, became the frst trans woman to win a Grammy for the Best Pop Group/ Duo Performance category. She gave a uplifting speech including sharing her thanks for the honor of setting this record, which was heartwarming and touching.

The most iconic moment of the 65th Grammy Awards was the celebration of the 50-year anniversary of hip-hop. Hip-hop legends such as Future, Bus ta Rhymes and Lil Baby performed all of their hits, showcasing the leg endary genre. When Missy Elliot began

to sing “Control,” the arena erupted. The passion and history behind the songs provoked chills as the seats were emptied, and everyone rose to dance. The tribute was stunning and popular among the crowd. It was truly an unforgettable performance.

The Grammy awards showcased many

Aaliyah

PHOTO FROM MARVEL.COM

PHOTOS FROM MARVEL, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY AND POLYGON

That's a wrap

Girls soccer knocked out of CIF after losing to Villa Park High 2-1

by Malina Young

Holding the 2022 CIF Division II State Championship title, every school had a common goal: to beat Redondo. Fans fervent and the pressure intense, the varsity girls soccer managed to kick of CIF strong, beating Huntington Beach High School 4-2 on Feb. 9. However, in their next game on Feb. 14, the tournament came to an end for Redondo after losing a strenuous game against Villa Park High School.

The girls played at home against Huntington Beach. The game was fast-paced, and the girls kept an aggressive ofense, almost scoring twice in the frst fve min utes of the game. Senior attacking mid, Alysa Whelchel played an imperative role in the frst half, scoring and establishing a lead of 1-0.

However, soon after, Whelchel went down with a hurt ankle, forcing the team to make unplanned adjustments and moving players to diferent positions.

“In the beginning, fnding our tem po was a bit of a struggle. Alysa plays a huge part and makes a lot of good plays. Not having her is scary because she’s an essential part of our play,” Brianna Brogar said.

Although it was CIF game, she maintained a strong de fense as right center back against Huntington’s forward. Brogar stayed tight on Huntington's strikers, shielding the ball

at all times.

“When I was going up against Huntington’s forward, my back was turned toward the goal and with the ball, I did a pullback and got around her,” Brogar said.

However, later in the frst half, Huntington scored, tying the game 1-1. It was the turning point of the game, according and caught the team since they had kept possession in the

“I was in shock. ‘How is this game going to go?’ When they scored it was a letdown, but it

that I needed to lock in and keep fnding ways to push through,” said However, with than two minthe frst half, Vailana bringing Tu’ua omore Shannon Davidson did a great job of jumping up the line, helping Tu’ua to score, and getting the girls a lead.

Coming of a knee and IT band injury, Tu’ua was only supposed to play limited time, but ended up playing almost the entire game. Despite this setback, Tu’ua says she was confdent going into the game and trusted her teammates and their ability to win.

“Our team learned how to raise the intensity against better teams and just be confdent. Confdence is important going against good teams, especially in CIF games. We have a lot of good players on our team, so although a lot of girls were nervous I felt confdent because our team is pretty good,” Tu’ua said.

In the second half, Huntington scored again from another big throw-in, tying the game 2-2. However, with less than 15 minutes left, Redondo scored again, reasserting a lead at 3-2. Towards the end of the half, Redondo scored, defending their lead and fnishing the game at 4-2.

Now that Tuseday's game was in the bag, Redondo advanced into the quarterfnals, playing Villa Park High School. Junior forward Alexa Minestrella said there was a lot of pressure since they had won CIF last year and had done well all season.

“In the game, we kept the ball a lot but I feel like we were very frantic throughout the whole game. We tried to give it up as much as we could as fast as possible so we could relieve some of the pressure, but I think that caused us not to do as well,” Minestrella said.

The girls kicked of the game strong

scoring the frst goal, however, Villa Park pulled through scoring two times fnishing the game 2-1. Minestrella believes they had the tools to beat Villa Park but just couldn't pull through.

“I think throughout the game we had more possession, and we were doing better. We just couldn’t fnish and score,” Minestrella said.

Although their season ended, Minestrella is working towards some of their goals for next year.

“I want to make CIF again, beat Costa and PV. If we played Villa Park next year, I think we’d win.”

Rugby dominated Westview High but lost to Francis Parker High 34-14

by Ty Soria

Feeling impatient and hungry after a trafc-flled three-and-a-halfhour drive to San Diego, the rugby team looked to take on the home team at the Francis Parker Tournament. Last season, Redondo beat Francis Parker on their home turf and on their senior night, and were looking to start a streak. Playing two games, the boys blew out Westview 34-5 but lost to Francis Parker 34-14, who are No. 1 in Southern California.

Senior wing Max Becerra, scored on the frst try, which quickly garnered momentum, according to senior Adam Elhardouzi.

“Whenever you get the frst score in rugby, especially in rugby sevens, it’s really good. We had the momentum right away in only the frst 30 seconds.”

However, this momentum was immediately killed of by the opposing team’s kickof, as Francis Parker returned it and scored of the jump. Redondo scored again near halftime, but Francis Parker once again returned a kickof all the way to the

end zone, causing a 17-14 game with Francis Parker in the lead. Ehardouzi believes their defensive shifting was of, which caused them to give up the points.

“The defense was faulty because we didn't shoot our defense properly. If our defense was more balanced, I guarantee they would not have scored those frst two of the kickof,” Elhardouzi said.

It turns out that the third time was not the charm. Francis Parker once again scored straight of the kickof in the open ing drive of the second half, creating a 10-point defcit for Redondo. With tournaments only having seven-minute halves, the time on the feld “goes by so fast,” and Redondo could not catch up, resulting in a loss.

“This showed that if we don't take every advan tage that we have, they’re just going to exploit us for easy scores. They just ran all over us, so next week I really, really have to buckle down and play well,” said Elhardouzi.

The team has a twoweek break to fx their mental and physical mistakes to prepare for their playof tournament at JSerra Catholic High School on Mar. 4. Junior Victor Takeda admits that although the team is at its strongest when team play is accounted

for, many teammates tend to “play independently.”

“For example, when someone would get the ball they just run it, and then they have no one supporting them because they just go for it all the way,” Takeda said. “When they're not passing and they just go for it and then they get tackled. The other team gets the ball quickly and that leaves a massive gap so the other team scores.”

Rugby is not a CIF-sanctioned sport, so their fnal tournament simply consists of the “nine best teams in Southern California," according to Elhardouzi, with Redondo seeded ffth and Francis Parker seeded frst. As the only returning varsity senior, Elhardouzi notes the contrasts in the strengths of the team this year and last year.

“This year, we have a lot of speed and athleticism. Last year our team was really good, but we had lots of size, and we relied essentially on a bunch of lineman who could dominate the middle of the feld. So now we rely on swinging the ball to our outside.”

As well as many other players on the rugby team, Takeda and Elhardouzi are on the football team, and the similarities between the two games help them better understand rugby.

As linemen themselves, they understand that the ofense must open the gap for the ball carrier to run through and that it is the defense’s job to close every gap to ensure that they can get the tackle.

“Because I play o-line (ofensive line), I

know spacing is key. If you leave gaps in rugby, the ofense can run through and easily score. I’m not that quick, so if I have to start chasing, there’s little chance of me catching them.”

Playing football is a big help when getting a hold of the physicality and feld vision when playing rugby, but it also works well the other way around. Rugby prepares football players for their season, but for their fnal rugby tournament, they have to unlock that football aggression, especially if they see Francis Parker again.

“If I can tackle well without pads and if I can get tackled without getting hurt without pads, the football is gonna be a lot easier when you're wearing the shoulder pads and all the gear,” Elhardouzi said. “It improves feld vision, balance, everything. It'll make you look a much more complete football player.”

1. Sophomore Vailana Tu'ua getting ready to crack the ball into the back of the net. PHOTO BY REBECCA SCHIMA

2. The whole team coming together to celebrate Redondo's second goal. PHOTO BY REBECCA SCHIMA

3. Junior Juan Cruz Stefanich hugging senior Adam Elhardouzi after scoring.

PHOTO BY CATHERINE WONG

4. Junior Luke Bower bulldozing a player. PHOTO BY CATHERINE WONG

5. Junior Luke Bower running past the defenders hoping to score the fnal tri.

PHOTO BY CATHERINE WONG

Ice In Her Ice In Her Veins Veins

Girls basketball forces overtime with less than a second to beat San Clemente 66-54, advancing to CIF Semifnals and qualifying for CIF State

by Ava Anzivino

Zero point six seconds and one chance was all there was to open the prospect of overtime. With the encouragement from the loud stands and the corrective words from their coaching staf, varsity girls basketball made that chance count. On Feb. 15, the girls hit a buzzer beater to then dominate in overtime in their game against San Clemente, securing them a spot in the CIF semifnals.

Following their sweep of the Bay League, as well as their win in the frst round of CIF, the team was ready to take the court and play with their usual confdence. However, upon tip-of their defense was easily counteracted by San Clemente’s shot accuracy and aggression, wearing down Redondo’s forces.

“Ultimately, I ended up having to challenge the kids towards the end because we weren’t playing the way we would normally play on defense. We were very hesitant,” Head Coach Marcelo Enriquez said.

Regardless of the shaky defense, the girls were still willing to put a gamble on their ofensive side, taking every opportunity to shoot. While defense clearly wasn’t a weakness of San Clemente’s, their players often committed shooting fouls, resulting in Redondo making many of their points

of of free throws.

“I started of a little rocky on free throws, I had to put aside my misses that night and lock in. I had to acknowledge that these were clutch shots and that we could potentially be going home, so I really honed in on myself to make those,” said senior point guard and shooting guard Brillana Boyd, who was on the free throw line most of the night.

Now nearing the vivid possibility of a loss, starting of the fourth quarter at 42-30, Redondo really had to make up for lost time. It wasn’t until the tail end of the fourth quarter that the girls began to show their urgency to move on to the semifnals.

“In a break at the end of the third period, I told the kids, ‘Hey, seniors, you have eight minutes left in your career. You want another thirty-two minutes, you need to do something about it.’ And then everyone

just came out with the fre, aggression and the intensity that we needed to turn the table,” Enriquez said.

The team’s ofensive drive picked up so quickly that they managed to bring up the score fourteen points, leaving it at 46-44 with less than a second left. As the girls left their last timeout huddle of the quarter, the gym rang with optimism as they took the court for this fnal play. Soon, a silence held over the crowd as junior Ella Zimmerman shot what could have been the fnal shot of their season.

To everyone’s delight, that shot was made, tying up the game 46-46, and forcing an overtime period.

“When Ella made that shot, it was a big momentum shift that goes to show that we were not meant to lose that game. But it was also a big momentum shift for the other team. They were celebrating before the game was even over, so when we made it to overtime, it shut down all their energy,” Boyd said.

With their confdence renewed, Redon-

do was able to completely switch up their defense, throwing San Clemente of their game and putting Redondo further ahead all the way until the end, closing the game with a score of 66-54.

“We really tried to take away their dribble-drive penetration and forced them to actually shoot the ball from the outside. Our goal was to keep them out on the perimeter, and I think we wore them down just enough at the end of the fourth quarter to be able to accomplish that,” Enriquez said.

As they faced the semifnals, which unfortunately ended in a loss of 46-36 last Saturday night on Feb. 18 against La Salle, the team planned to ride this momentum into their next game. Fortunately for them, they still have a shot at CIF state and play the frst round tomorrow.

“We’ve agreed to come out with the same intensity that we had in the fourth quarter, instead of waiting the whole game to show that side of ourselves, and that’s really it. Us winning this game really showed us that we have a chance to go really far in all of this,” Boyd said.

Boys basketball falls short to Adelanto 53-48 in second round of CIF

After beating their rivals Mira Costa in dominant fashion 56-44, the Redondo boys basketball looked to power their way through the CIF playofs as they did in round one against Bishop Diego winning 67-47. Redondo then had to face Adelanto high school in the CIF round two, the Sea Hawks put up a tough fght but came up just short taking a loss 53-48. Despite Redondo leading almost all game, the fourth quarter slipped through their hands.

The alumni game earlier this season brought inspiration to junior shooting guard Shane Biscaya and his team's desire to play their best in the CIF playofs.

“I feel what we wanted was to go get a ring and carry on the legacy because that's

been our inspiration since the alumni game when they [the alumni] told us to do so,” Biscaya said

Redondo opened the game up with a great deal of energy, going on multiple shut-out runs to ultimately lead 20-2 at the end of the frst quarter.

Senior Vaitai Tuione, guard, believes “As a team, you really want to come out with high energy and I think we came out with that.”

The large lead allowed Redondo to stay up by over 20 points, but in reality, the quality of play seemed to dip according to Tuione. By the end of the third, Redondo led 46-24.

“After the frst quarter, we got sloppy, and we played down to our opponent, but still energy was high,” Tuione said.

With only a minute to remain in the fourth, the Sea Hawks were up twenty as an opposing player aggressively tried to steal the ball from Biscaya. A couple of shoves later, and a fght had broken out.

The fght ejected seniors Aidan Kwan and Mitchell Capizzi from CIF rounds one and two and starter

Devin Ringer was also unable to play in round two due to injury.

“As a team, we had a sense of redemption, so going into that game [CIF round two] we really wanted to win that game, because if we win we got Devin and Aidan back for round three,” Tuione said.

Coming of a costly walkover home win in CIF round one, Redondo walked into Adelanto High School for their CIF round two matchup, despite being down three starters.

Redondo came out of the gate hot, already up 13-2 with just about three minutes left to play in the frst quarter.

“Coming into the game we wanted to play as we did against Costa, and I think this game had more of a meaning to it because we had some of our teammates out. Some guys had to step up and I feel we took it more seriously,” Biscaya said.

Still, in heavy control, Redondo headed into halftime up by multiple scores, however, after halftime, the crowd of Adelanto made the game get a whole lot closer.

“Once we made one mistake their [Adelanto] crowd got more into the game. We fell into the same trap as we sometimes do at away games because we don’t have the fock with us to back us up, it forced our players to make stupid mistakes,” Tuione said.

Redondo was up six points with fve

minutes to play in the fourth, but with a collection of turnovers and the opposing team getting hot on ofense, Redondo couldn’t keep Adelanto down and lost by just two possessions.

“I think if I could change one thing in those last fve minutes when Adelanto was coming back, it would be to just put them in their place and tell [our guys] to be patient with the ball,” Tuione said. “We knew they were going to press and try to steal the ball in any way possible, so we couldn’t make mistakes.”

1. Junior Ella Zimmerman puts up a foater over San Clemente. 2. The varsity team celebrates after Zimmerman makes the buzzer beater. 3. Freshman Chloe Choy shoots a free throw. PHOTOS BY CATHERINE WONG

When Ella made that shot, it was a big momentum shift that goes to show that we were not meant to lose that game."

BRILLANA

BOYD SENIOR

by Sam Schwartz

1. Junior Devin Ringer squats down while waiting to sub into the game. PHOTO BY PETE PAGUYO 2. Senior Cole Stokes jumps for the ball at tipof. PHOTO BY PETE PAGUYO.

Learning with(out) borders

by Marley Van Pelt

cause people are much nicer and I know they're not gonna judge me.”

sometimes conficting educational experiences.

The traditional path to success in Amer - ica seems straightforward: go to school, get into a great college, get a job or start a business, build a family and live the dream. Being an immigrant student, however, complicates that frst step as they face the challenges that come from multiple and

“In flms and movies, the American dream looks diferent. School is actually more relaxed [in real life] than in the movies,” freshman Anastasiia Godyniuk said. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations because I didn't think about how I was to go to school and I [fgured it out] with time.”

Godyniuk lived and attended school in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, before moving to Sumy, about 200 miles away, to live with her grandparents. Although Godyniuk’s family planned to move to the U.S. in 2022, they ended up moving in April and Godyniuk began attending RUHS in September of that year.

“At my frst class, I wanted to cry because I didn't understand much. I just thought ‘What do I do?’” Godyniuk said. “It’s harder to study because I have to translate the materials to learn in Ukrainian and in English.”

Profcient in Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and English, Godyniuk struggles to fnd smooth translations of languages and how to communicate in an English-speaking school. In

The United States government administered student visas in 2015 ACCORDING

600,000+

Ukraine, and most of the rest of the world, students are required to learn multiple languages. Students in Ukraine often had the option to take English, which helped Godyniuk acclimate to an American school. However, learning a new language proved difcult because in Ukraine, students study “all the grammatical rules more in-depth.”

“I started to learn English in frst grade, but it was harder because in lessons we didn't fully speak English. The teacher spoke 50/50,” Godyniuk said.

Beyond merely requiring more breadth of language fuency, Godyniuk also views the Ukrainian school system as more “extensive,” whereas the U.S. is “highly specialized.” In regards to content taught within classes, some lessons are concept review but allow her to understand previously taught topics in English.

“In Ukraine, when you started to learn math, it was harder. In the U.S., it’s more the basics,” Godyniuk said. “We did more note-taking and we didn’t have experiments for classes like biology or chemistry because classes were so short. In the US, I’ve noticed we do more practice and [hands-on] experiments.”

While Godyniuk studied the same core subjects in Ukraine and at RUHS, the Ukrainian system had her studying seven subjects for four days and eight subjects for one day, each week.

“I'm moving forward here and it's not difcult for me to study because the work was more advanced [in Ukraine],” Godyniuk said. “Teachers couldn't be more relaxed [in my past schools] because every teacher had specifc materials to teach in 45 minutes.”

Godyniuk saw the lightened course load as a beneft for her future, where she plans to become a doctor.

“I feel prepared [for the future] because I have a lot of time to learn all subjects here,” Godyniuk said. “It allows me to really focus on what I want to do.”

Sophomore Sofya Kotoyants immigrated to the U.S. from Kazakhstan in 2018. Similar to Godyniuk, Kotoyants used to study 14 subjects, but she saw student-teacher dynamics as the biggest change between countries

“Education is much better here than [Kazakhstan]. Teachers are nice and everybody's smiling,” Kotoyants said. “In Kazakhstan, the [teachers] are more strict. I feel I'm more open here than I was there be-

Kotoyants recognizes the increase in opportunities she gained through her education in America. She plans to pursue science, and the variety of classes at RUHS will help her explore that niche.

“I don't think I could go to college [in Kazakhstan] because the education isn’t good and I don’t think it would be helpful in my future,” Kotoyants said. “We [only] had the basics of chemistry and biology. Here, I can learn about science more [indepth].”

Like Kotoyants, senior Joey Wang also started his schooling in the U.S. during middle school. Wang attended elementary schools in China and Australia before immigrating to the U.S. in 2017, fnding it difcult to adjust to the benchmark exams of each country.

“In China, you have one big test at the end of your K-12 education. There's an unspoken that ‘at this grade level we have to start learning this and that,’” Wang said. “There's a schedule to be followed. When you move to a new place, there's a whole new schedule you have to adapt to.”

The standardized exam in China, called the Gaokao, is a test students take for college admission. Wang described the preparations for this test to be “really stressful” as “there’s a lot more pressure [to succeed].” The school system proved to be more strict and, like Kotoyants, he experienced diferent social dynamics within the classroom.

“In China, students are subservient to the teacher and there's a very clear hierarchical structure. Whereas in Australia or America, you could talk to a teacher as you would a peer,” Wang said.

After attending school in China, Wang moved to Australia around the age of 10 and lived there for three years, serving as his “middle ground” between the time in China and moving to the U.S.

The content in Chinese and Australian schools were “way ahead of the United States,” Wang said, but he noticed the U.S. 's expanded opportunities in course variety.

“In the States, it's more choice based. In middle and high school, you could take whatever classes and electives you want,” Wang said. “You [have] a lot more resources and all these choices.”

The downfall of American education comes with its price tag: the higher of an education one wants to pursue, the more expensive it can become–in other words, education is often “based on privilege,” according to Wang.

“[America] is the land of opportunity,” Wang said. “But it’s also about who you know, the money that you have, and the resources that you’re given, and not everyone has those same opportunities.”

Immigrant students fnd that although American education presents barriers, its specialized structure allows greater freedom to pursue passions