IGH H
Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA May 15, 2015 Vol. XCV Edition 14
TIDE
Sticking it to ‘em
After winning CIF-SS Northern Division on Wednesday, the girls lacrosse team will play Foothill on Saturday in the CIF-SS championship game. by Adam Yorke Tied against Oak Park with 22.5 seconds left, junior Hailey Vorndran broke the deadlock by scoring RUHS’s 13th goal, crowning RUHS girls lacrosse as the CIF champions. “It felt amazing to be able to beat this team because they were boasting beforehand how they were going to beat us again. We were little nervous but we came out with a lot of fire and were willing to put it out on the field,” senior Haylie Thatcher said.
[cont. on pg. 10]
Inside
pg. 3
pg. 6-7
pg. 13
RUHS won the Excellence in Education and the Gold Ribbon School Award last month
Meet next year’s elected ASB cabinet members
Cheer coach Karen Bustillos is also a full-time paramedic
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High Tide
news
ASB grows due to new appointed positions Mata adds Sergeant at Arms, Fundraising and Student Recognition chairs for ASB next year by Roxanne Labat ASB has introduced three new positions for the 2015-16 school year. “All appointed ASB positions require an available schedule, a minimum of a 2.5 GPA, and the desire to be involved in school,” ASB director Brooke Mata said. “Positions were selected based on applications, teacher recommendations and interviews.” Sergeant at Arms and Fundraising are two positions that were not available this year, but were in past years, and Student Recognition is a completely new ASB position. “I was a part of ASB during junior high and freshman year, but I couldn’t be a part of it this year,” Sergeant at Arms member and sophomore Alexandra Hickey said. “For a while, the vice president had to make sure everything was constitutional per the ASB Constitution, but now it’s a job for Sergeant at Arms. I’m also supposed to make sure people’s decisions are ethical.” While the Sergeant a Arms position is already in ASB’s Constitution, due to it having been a position available before being added again this year, junior Ghattas Malki is uncertain about whether the other new positions will be added into the closely followed document. “The ASB Constitution is made up of 26 articles that describe every aspect of ASB from the position names and jobs to the re-
quirements to be in ASB - Sergeant at Arms is already in the Constitution,” said Malki. Hickey noticed some similarities between her new ASB position and her love for ROTC. “I was interested in this position because it has a sort of constitutionality that I admire in ROTC, which I really like,” Hickey said. Sophomore Maddy Bacon and junior Kelly Gallagher will occupy the Fundraising posi-
tion, in which they will plan, organize, and host a 5k on campus. “I was originally interviewed for the Publicity position, but I ended up being in Fundraising,” Bacon said. “I’m excited, though. This is my first year in ASB and I want to be involved in school. I’ve heard great things about ASB, so I wanted to join.” To ease the transition into ASB, activities
PHOTO BY NINA GOMEZ
Prepping the paperwork. Malki, junior Chris Paludi and junior Jan Kujawski work on posters in Mata’s classroom, the ASB room.
Upcoming Senior Events May Graduation Speech Tryouts 19 - 21
- In Room 824
June 4
Senior Skip Day
- In the Auditorium
June 5
Yearbook Distribution
June 8 - 11
Finals Week for Seniors
- At the Auditorium Lawn
May 21
RUHS Dance Showcase
May 26 - 28
Farewell Address Recording
May 28
Senior Assembly and Luau
- In the Auditorium
May 30
Prom
- At the Majestic
June 15
Scholarship Awards
- In the Auditorium
June 1
Cap/Gown/Ticket Distribution
- Gov/Econ Classes
June 18
Graduation Practice
- In the Small Gym
June 3
Senior Excursion
- At Disneyland
June 18
Graduation
- At the football field
June 12
Senior Breakfast - In the Small Gym, then the and Photo Auditorium
will take place over the summer to allow members to “bond and get an overview of the upcoming year.” “For the board, I know we’re having about three weeks over the summer to get kids aquainted with their fellow ASB members. They’ll learn everything about what the job entails and bond more as a group in order to work more efficiently,” Malki said. The Student Recognition chair was given to freshman Bryan Cloutier and junior Rachel Furutani, in which they will help with the ACE program and the distribution of the prizes based off of student criteria, such as good attendance or an increase in GPA. They will also work on athletic rallies and activities for class council. “The ACE program was created to award students who do their best in school and encourage kids to do better. There are three categories where awards are given out: perfect attendance, GPA above 3.5 and anything above a .5 improvement in GPA,” Malki said. Mata believes adding new positions into ASB will help improve efficiency in different areas, such as delivering ACE program awards, and looks forward to providing more opportunities for students to take charge over a position of leadership. “I hope that positions like these will allow students to hone their leadership skills,” Mata said.
May 15, 2015
page 3
news
Wesley and RUHS win acclaimed awards by Simrun Ursani
RUHS has won two different awards, the Excellence in Education and the Gold Ribbon School Award for dedication to academic and student achievement. “The reason we were nominated for the Excellence in Education Award from the California State Board of Education was for the Soaring Sea Hawk Program with Counselor Arond Schonberg, which helps those students connect on campus and get involved in RUHS,” Assistant Principal Jens Brandt said. Brandt was in charge of placing the application for the different awards, and recognizes both Schonberg’s and Student Advisor Adam Genovese’s programs as “huge reasons” for RUHS receiving the awards. “Genovese’s involvement with The Lounge, where students can go after school rather than hanging out in places that they probably should not be, as well as getting students involved in clubs, athletics, and other activities helped give the school a good name.” When Brandt received the news that RUHS had been awarded a visit from the California State Board of Education that recognizes schools for excellence, both programs’ leaders, Genovese and Schonberg, gave a presentation to a panel of the three judges who approved RUHS’s application and nomination. “The panel of three also met with Soaring Sea Hawks and about a dozen students in Mr. Genovese’s programs and they spoke about what kind of impact the program had on them,” Brandt said. According to the California Department of Education press release of May 5, “the Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program is temporarily taking the place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, while California creates new assessment and accountability systems.” “The California State Board of Education recognizes schools that are making an impact in terms of reaching at risk students, English learners, and students of certain subgroups. It is a placeholder for at least a couple years to rank RUHS in terms of academics,” Brandt said. “It is a recognition that we definitely earned and deserved.” According to Brandt, RUHS is well deserving of this recognition because it represents what RUHS staff and students do on a regular basis. “I am very proud of the awards because they acknowledge and appreciate what is happening at Redondo’s schools, especially RUHS, on a daily basis. We have outstanding teachers, outstanding counselors, we have people that genuinely care about young people and that’s why we are here,” Brandt said. In addition to the school’s recognition as a whole, Dr. Greg Allen, Director of Freedom4U, awarded Principal Dr. Nicole Wesley
1. the Excellence of Education Award at their annual April Fundraiser. Freedom4U leads drug prevention seminars for parents and their children, and provides school-based counseling services for at-risk youth. “Dr. Allen felt that I am an educator that is very inspiring and very supportive of proactive ways to reach students that I have opened the doors for,” Wesley said. Wesley was going to go alone to accept her award, but one parent bought a full table to the event to support her achievement: “I invited my team, Superintendent Dr. Steven Keller, and a couple of RUHS students.” According to Wesley, it is more difficult to accept an individual award than an award for the school. “It is hard for me to accept an individual award, like it is for many students, because I don’t work alone. I am honored by the award and I appreciate the recognition, but I can only accept it on behalf of myself and my admin team and the teachers and all the people work with me to make our school so great,” Wesley said. Wesley comments on the hard work her team and staff put into the school and how amazing it feels when that hard work is recognized. “My admininstration team and I put in a lot of extra hours; we never stop working. We don’t get summers off like the students and staff. We are always thinking of new ways or new programs to help our students excel so for someone to recognize that and honor me for that is very heartwarming,” Wesley said.
2. PHOTO 1 COURTESY OF NICOLE WESLEY, PHOTO 2 BY SIMRUN URSANI
Accepting awards about academic achievement. 1. Wesley receives her award at
the Freedom4U Annual April Fundraiser in the Palos Verdes Golf Club on April 24. “As I reveived the award, I felt very proud and I did think to myself that this recognition made allof the late nights and weekends worth it,” Wesley said. 2. According to the Administration, both Wesley’s award and the Gold Ribbon award reflect positively on RUHS as a whole. According to Brandt, RUHS staff is one of a kind because of all it does for the students and how that is the best this a school can do for its students. “The most important thing that I want people to remember is that the best schools are the ones that have caring adults that
reach out on a regular basis to students, not just at risk students but all students,” Brandt said. “All students need support, direction and mentorship, and really a sense that the school cares about them. That is definitely happening at RUHS, and these awards show it.”
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High Tide
opinion
SBAC unpleasant but necessary Editorial
developing our standardized tests to align Standardized tests are unpop- with that goal is the right way to think ular. They’re said to take away from instruc- about standardized tests. And certainly, the Smarter Balanced astional time, encourage teachers to “teach to the test,” and overall are seen by many as a sessment — or any assessment, really — is waste of students’ and teachers’ time and of better than our old California Standards the state’s money. However, standardized Tests, also known as CST or STAR tests, tests such as — maybe even especially — the which were seen by many students as a Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium waste of time due to the ease with which (SBAC) test are paramount to our ability to most could breeze through them. And so assess and analyze scores to improve our while the new test may be harder, isn’t that a good thing? schools and help students. The Common Core State Standards are The SBAC test has been adopted by 22 states, including California, because it a different way of teaching, and therefore “align[s] to the Common Core State Stan- result in a different way of thinking than dards (CCSS) in English language arts/lit- what we currently in high school are used eracy and mathematics for grades 3-8 and to. According to the CDE, they are “more 11. That means students in all states will rigorous academic standards that emphabe taught to the same high standards,” ac- size not only subject knowledge, but also cording to smarterbalanced.org. Smarter the critical thinking, analytical writing, and Balanced says that it will “provide parents, problem-solving skills students need to students, and teachers a clearer window on be successful in college and career. These whether students are on track to graduate standards set a higher bar for California high school, ready for college and the work- students to help ensure they are prepared to succeed in the future. Because what stuplace.” The Smarter Balanced assessment sys- dents need to know and be able to do has tem, per the California Department of Edu- changed, our tests must change as well.” And so the tests, thankfully, are changcation (CDE), “uses both computer-based and computer-adaptive tests, providing ing. Unfortunately for this year’s juniors, students with a wider range of questions they will be hard and they will be timetailored to more accurately identify the consuming (reportedly the testing will knowledge and skills individual students run for two weeks, for an estimated total have mastered” and will “challenge stu- of eight hours of testing.) No one said this dents to demonstrate critical thinking and would be easy, or that we would like it. In problem-solving, and to apply their knowl- fact, several schools have seen students walk out of or simply not show up to tests, edge and skills to real-world problems.” Given the frequent student complaint is and many parents have decided to ‘opt out.’ ‘how does this apply to my life,’ it is an ad- But while it is laudable that students take a mirable goal to develop and use tests that stand for what they believe in, such beliefs encourage students to use their heads to here are shortsighted. Yes, tests will be hard solve questions, rather than apathetically and scores will be low, but Departments of bubbling answers on the altogether too Education and the Smarter Balanced Consortium need to start somewhere in order easy and popularly derided STAR tests. The state recognizes the need for schools to build and improve. California’s joining of the Smarter Balto prepare students for the real world, and
ILLUSTRATION BY LUMA WEGMAN
anced Assessment Consortium represents the next step in our state’s development of Common Core instruction, as it recognizes that the tests must change to promote learning of the new standards. Teaching students to solve a problem rather than to find the correct bubble on a test is inarguably the right direction for education, and
so while testing may be personally inconvenient, we should try to think outside the scope of ourselves as individuals, and consider the broader goal of educators across the state and country. To accomplish that goal, to improve the educational system for future students, they need to administer this test — and we need to take it.
Editorial Board vote
The SBAC test is a step in the right direction, and though there will be growing pains, the goals justify the process.
agree
7
disagree
2
ILLUSTRATION BY STEVEN BELL-NIXON
May 15, 2015
page 5
opinion
SBAC: a waste of our class time
Letters to the
Editor
If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com. We reserve the right to edit them for content, grammar, and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed. Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest opinions are also accepted.
High Tide
staff
Editor in Chief: Allegra Peelor
Managing Editor: Alejandro Quevedo News Editor: Jason Rochlin Opinion Editor: Christopher Paludi Features Editors: Yasmeen El-Hasan;
Vaidehi Gandhi; Caterina Hyneman; Shawn Mallen; Shaniya Markalanda
Sports Editors: Nina Gomez; Sophie Maguy
Design Editor: Grace Zoerner Writing Editors: Stella Gianoukakis; Kayla Nicholls
Photo Editors: Ted Cavus; Chandler Ross Copy Editors: Joseph Blakely; Kira Bowen Online Editors: Vivian Vy Lam; Romy Moreno
Photographers: Dinah Aiad; Samantha
Bendall; Jennifer Blanco; Madison Brooks; Erin Czulewicz; Morgan Goldstein; Daniel Green; Janelle Howe; Lexi Kleen; Carla Macar; Masha Pescheryakova; Laua’e Schweitzer
Illustrators: Steven Bell-Nixon; Kaita Pannor; Luma Wegman
Staff Writers: Gianna Aquilina; Malek
Chamas; Jason Clebowicz; Erin Czulewicz; Micah Ezzes; Lizzie Fauver; Yasamin Fazeli; Jason Fong; Daniel Green; Zach Hatakeyama; Kayla Hiken; Jessica Johnson; Jon Mallen; Marie Ona; Kaita Pannor; Samaya Rubio; Reema Saad; Mylene Silver; Simrun Ursani; Tyler Wunderli; Adam Yorke High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body. This is a wholly student-managed, designed, and written newspaper that focuses on school and community events. High Tide is published by the journalism class at Redondo Union High School, One Sea Hawk Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the rest of the staff.
by Shawn Mallen
The new standardized test costs not just too much money, but also valuable learning hours
Op-Ed
SBAC tests began yester day, and so began another year of the folly of standardized testing. Those for the test argue that standardized tests are a necessary benchmark to measure the proficiency and academic achievement of students. I, along with many other parents and students, question the need for it. Regardless of whether we take the test or not, we still learn in school. The SBAC takes 8 hours away from actual learning to make time for testing, and even more time for preparation to take the test. We learn the same things in school regardless of if we take the test or not, so what’s the point? The truth is, there isn’t an obvious reason. Standardized tests tell us results we already know. Ask any subject teacher and they can tell you which of their students are proficient and which ones are lacking. If this is the case, California taxpayers are paying a lot of money to tell us what we already know. Pearson and The Educational Testing Service shared a contract totaling $23 million just to design the test (edweek. org). SBAC tests are estimated to cost tax-
payers about $1 billion per year to administer (edsource.org). For $1 billion annually, that’s a lot of contracts to testing companies, technology companies, and high speed internet providers being shuffled around. According to smarterbalanced.org, the purpose of the SBAC is to “develop a system of valid, reliable, and fair next-generation assessments aligned to the Common Core Standards.” I do not doubt the test’s proficiency in testing the standards, and it probably will be a test that is superior to the previous STAR test. However, there is no educational reason for this test to exist. Some may argue that systematic standardized testing over time is necessary to keep students and the education system honest, making sure neither fall off in quality. However, the effectiveness of the learning system of Finland, a world leader in education, begs to differ. Finland has no standardized testing except for a final exam that all students take at the end of high school (smithsonianmag.com). Unlike the SBAC, whose purpose is to assess proficiency of standards, the final exam in Finland is a
There are better ways to spend money than prom Prom season is upon us, and it has been so ingrained into our heads that questioning its superficiality is unheard of. But what better time than now to question the event? For starters, it costs too much. This isn’t the fault of the planners of the event, however—this price was obviously conjured up by planners after all of the spending, so as to cover the costs. The problem, then, goes all the way back to the mindset surrounding prom. Why do we feel it necessary to spend so much money on the event, that we must charge upwards of $90 to pay for it? Why did we allow a prom budget that is so huge that paying for one ticket would take me days of work at my part-time job? Not to mention the fact that prom isn’t even near campus—it’s all the way in Downtown Los Angeles, at the Majestic. As if it
wasn’t enough that students would have to pay for the tickets and their dresses and tuxedos and other “essentials,” they now have to pay for transportation to Downtown. Granted, many prom-goers pay for party buses and limos regardless of location, but being stuck in L.A. traffic is not how I would want to spend an evening. This all relates back to the fundamental problem with the event: prom has become too commercialized. Not to sound like a cranky old-timer, but what happened to the idea that who you went with is more important than the dresses, the lights, the food? These days, it isn’t unheard of to spend $1000 on prom. Why has this blatant materialism become so commonplace? When and how this change occurred is beyond me. Perhaps glorification of the
requirement to move on to university, making it actually necessary. Otherwise, Finland has no standardized tests and devotes all educational resources to actual education, not standardized testing. Possibly the worst part of the SBAC situation is all of the money those in charge have suddenly found to administer the tests. $1 billion would be much more helpful if it was spent toward improving school facilities and exposing students to new ways of learning. While billions of dollars will be spent on standardized tests, programs that actually support student interests and spark their creativity and desire to learn, such as SCROC, had funding cut due to insufficient funds. It concerns me that so much time, money, and resources are being wasted on standardized testing when a country who leads the world in education has proven they are not necessary for success. It concerns me that California students will waste their limited class time just so the companies can get paid and the higher ups in education can brag about how smart we all are at the cost of actual learning.
by Micah Ezzes event through media and sappy high school movies has given prom a false air of importance. Either way, the excess is a more than a bit silly, and I don’t see the point. I’m not even against spending — of course, the money to put on the event has to come from somewhere, and who doesn’t want to look and feel good at prom? But really, I don’t think there’s much of a difference in how someone looks whether they spend $400 or $1,000. At the end of the day, I hope everyone has a good time. Ultimately, there are better things to spend your money, ways that are both more important and more long-lasting. There’s nothing wrong with spending a little extra cash for prom — just try not to go overboard. It’s up to you to make memories, not how much you spend.
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High Tide
features
Democracy in Action
ASB Cabinet
President
“
Daniel Ferradas
Now I have the ability to make the school a better place. I hope to make a year-round class competition and increase school spirit a lot. I really want to help the school a lot, and being president is a really effective way to accomplish this goal.
”
Vice President
“
Ghattas Malki
I’m looking forward to contributing to the school and making next year memorable. School spirit is contagious, and my goal is for everyone to be involved and have pride. ASB offers a way for me to challenge myself while benefiting the school.
”
Senior Class
President
“
Marley Capper
Besides raising a lot of money, I also want to make sure all of our events are planned really well, and that they all run really smoothly. I want to make sure everyone has a really good experience senior year and that everyone gets involved.
”
Vice President
“
Nick Sisto
I want the seniors to be much more active and have a lot of fun in the events that we plan for them, so that everyone has an awesome senior year, utilizing all the funds we have raised already and are going to raise next year.
”
Secretary/Treasurer
Savanna Navarro
“
My goal is to have events that all kids feel like they can get involved in, and for students to have school spirit. I want our school to be a really positive environment. ASB is very intense, but that’s the fun part that introduces you to the real world.
”
Secretary/Treasurer
“
Justin Vu
My role is to fundraise, promote a good environment and get everyone involved. I can bring a level of diversity and creativity to our fundraising techniques and better our school spirit and senior class, so we cam make it a good year for everyone.
”
May 15, 2015
page 7
features
Get to know your 2015-2016 elected officials. complied by Malek Chamas, Lizzie Fauver, Kayla Hiken, and Samaya Rubio photos by Carla Macar
Junior Class
President
Brooklyn Narvaez
“
I hope that we can raise a lot of money so that people don’t have to pay as much for the different activities that we do. I want people to be more involved so we can have more energy and more involvement in different activities at school.
”
Vice President
“
Anna Kurisaki
As vice president, I definitely want to raise a lot of money for senior year to do a lot of activities and to bring school spirit throughout the whole school. It’s kind of scary to take on such a big role, but I feel like I can do it. I’m very outgoing.
”
Sophomore Class
President
Ethan Horoschak
“
I hope to raise at least $2,500 for our class and hopefully plan more activities, such as bonding nights. I am a strong leader and I do well with contacting businesses and negotiating, and I am good at making money, which will benefit our class.
”
Vice President
“
Nick Webb
I think that I can help our class fundraise a lot and enjoy their time in high school, especially senior year when we’re going to put all of our savings into fun events. I’m a good leader and have a lot of connections in and out of the school.
”
Secretary/Treasurer
“
Melanie Paiz
For my class, I hope to get them more spirited and to come more to the fundraisers, because all this is for our senior year. For the school, I want to get people more involved and more spirited for our school, and to make people feel welcome.
”
Secretary/Treasurer
“
Madison Laster
My goal for next year is to double the money that we have in our account right now. We’ll have about $1,000 when we start our sophomore year and by the beginning of our junior year I’m hoping to have at least $2,000, hopefully more.
”
May 15, 2015
features
Sampling the schools
Heubeck attended Mira Costa, PVHS, and RUHS over 3 years by Zach Hatakeyama
As she sits in a new desk surrounded by new people at a new school, junior Katherine Heubeck takes a deep breath and begins her day at her third high school in three years. While the average student would find this situation filled with fear, Heubeck is used to starting new schools. “I went to Mira Costa my freshman year, even though I live in North Redondo, because it’s only a few blocks from my house,” Heubeck said. “It was actually really nice there. The people I met were friendly and it wasn’t hard to make new friends. The classes were difficult though, so I struggled a bit.” While at Mira Costa, Heubeck had many pleasant experiences that she enjoyed. “For me, the greatest part of Costa was just meeting new people and making new friends. Their rallies and football games were really fun, too,” she said. Despite the positive sides of Mira Costa, Heubeck also had negative experiences. “The worst part was the lack of teacher
support. If you were struggling in class, the teachers didn’t really do anything to help you, unlike they do here at Redondo,” she said. A friend of Heubeck and also a former student of Mira Costa High School, senior Edward Carter had similar experiences at the school. “Mira Costa had its fair share of good and bad. I was the new kid going into the school not knowing many people, but truly finding and developing meaningful friendships along the way,” he said. Aside from the social aspect of high school, Carter struggled with the structure of Mira Costa. “As far as the academic requirement for the school in comparisons to Redondo you where required to see your teachers each and every day instead of the block scheduling set up. Having to go to every class every day became very tiring,” Carter said. “I started to develop a lot of anxiety when it came
The long trail ahead
Horoschak and Mansour complete 50 mile bike race in Mexico by Simrun Ursani
PHOTO COURTESY OF ETHAN HOROSCHAK
No brakes. Horoschak and Mansour finished the 50 mile race without stopping.
page 9
down to school. School itself for me didn’t feel as fun as it used to. It felt more like a job than anything else. I completely lost interest and for me I was going through the motions day by day.” After a year at Mira Costa, Heubeck and her family decided to transfer to Palos Verdes High School. “The summer after my freshman year, my dad moved to PV, and wanted me to go to PVHS instead because his house was only 2 blocks from the school,” she said. In contrast to her experiences at Mira Costa, Heubeck did not enjoy her time at Palos Verdes. While it was a school she had never attended, Heubeck was familiar with some of the students. “I went to a really small school before high school, where there were around 40 kids in my grade. I grew up with the same group of kids since kindergarten, and a lot of them ended up going to PVHS,” Heubeck said. Even though she had known some of the students from middle school, Heubeck still found the transition to be challenging. “It was difficult to go to [Mira Costa], be exposed to a whole new group of people and essentially a new life, and then have that taken away and be forced back into a box,” she said. “It was almost like going back to middle school, especially since the students there acted and treated me as if I was the same person they knew before high school, even though I had grown and matured a lot.” Along with the issues she faced a Palos Verdes, Heubeck also struggled with the commute to and from the school. “The commute every day was awful. Even though my dad lived in PV, I continued to live with my mom in Redondo. It was at least a
30 minute drive just to get to school every day,” she said. With her junior year creeping ahead, Heubeck was faced with the decision to stay at Palos Verdes or make a fresh start at another school, something she had done two times before. “I didn’t want to continue at PV, and I’ve always lived in Redondo so I figured I might as well go to the school that’s in my own district,” she said. After her choice to transfer to Redondo, there was a difference in Heubeck from when she attended the other two schools. I’ve seen tremendous growth in Katherine. She’s someone who is very passionate and also very ambitious when it comes down to reaching her goals,” Carter said. “She’s the greatest friend that I have made throughout this high school journey and I couldn’t imagine life without her. I think when it comes down to change she’s just become more driven when it comes down to reaching her goals.” Heubeck was still nervous starting a new school even though she had done it twice before. “I was really nervous on my first day, and I definitely got lost a lot, but everyone was kind and helped me find my classes. Everyone was so friendly and wanted to get to know me and make sure my first day wasn’t awful, which I really appreciated,” she said. Through three years of different high schools, Heubeck only has one regret. “If I could change one thing, I would start at Redondo my freshman year,” she said. “The students here are so open and welcoming, and really made the transition to a new school much easier. The teachers here know their students and truly want them to do well,” Heubeck said.
Freshmen Ethan Horoschak and Thomas Mansour, along with about 7500 other participants, participated in a 50-mile road adventure bike ride that began in Rosario, Mexico and ended in Ensenada, Mexico on May 2nd. Horoschak’s mother has been doing this bike ride for a couple years, this year, he wanted to try it himself, despite having little to no training. “My mom has been doing it for two years and we went with her last time with all of her coworkers and she asked if Thomas and I wanted to do it so we tried it out,” Horoschak said. Mansour enjoyed the “relaxed” environment of the “friendly race”. “It is like the 5K and 10K we have here in Redondo Beach. It is just for fun because it is not too intense.” Mansour said. “There are some people that go there to set a record time for themselves and people that go just because it is fun,” Mansour said. Before their ride, both Horoschak and Mansour were not nervous because of past experiences. “I got a good night sleep so I felt pretty energized but I didn’t realize how long 50 miles was. In the morning of the event it didn’t hit me how long it actually is until I was riding,” Horoschak said. “I wasn’t too nervous because I used to Mountain Bike a lot and I have done street biking a lot but I haven’t done 50 miles so that was like the next step for me,” Mansour said. According to Horoschak, he and Mansour were very proud of how they performed. Horoschak’s time was 3 hours and 38 min-
utes while Mansour’s time was 3 hours and 16 minutes. “Afterwards, my legs were like jello but I felt pretty accomplished since I was riding for 3 hours and 30 minutes nonstop so that was pretty intense,” Horoschak said. Mansour also explained his thoughts after the ride. “Afterwards I felt pretty proud if myself because I went all the way through without stopping and got a pretty good time,” Mansour said. Horoschak believes that the track he rode in Mexico was more challenging than previous trails he has ridden. “We started at the coast and then it went a little bit inland then there were valleys and mountains and then back to the coast,” Horoschak said. According to Horoschak, people who did not want to keep biking could finish the race by car. There are also rest stops along the trail, but neither Horoshak or Mansour chose to stop. “At the very back, they have trucks who come along and for people who do not want to do it or they are too tired and exhausted. The trucks actually pick them up and they finish the race in a car. If you get tired, you can stop and rest for however long you want or you could even walk a little bit,” Horoschak said. Mansour and Horoschak both plan to go on the bike ride again next year. “I would be up for it next year because it is a nice tradition to have like my family every year does the 10K so this can become another thing we do together,” Mansour said.
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High Tide
center
May 15, 2015
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A different world. 1. Some cosplayers model 1.
costumes Macalino and Moberg made. 2. Moberg shows off a staff she created. Photos courtesy of Amelia Moberg.
Macalino makes cosplay costumes by Reema Saad
Custom Culture The Art Club entered in the Vans “Custom Culture” Contest by Luma Wegman The nationwide Vans “Custom Culture” Shoe Contest gives schools the opportunity to earn $50,000 for their school’s Art Department, and RUHS art teacher Amanda Roth has been participating with students trying to win that contest for four years. “There was a deadline to register, so I made sure that happened in order to participate, then I presented it to my classes,” Roth said. “This year, I decided to have the members of the Art Club participate. I showed the students examples, helped them brainstorm ideas, and made sure, and stressed, that everything was done on time for the deadline.” The contest requires each school to follow themes and create four pairs of shoes. Roth and her students have participated
in previous years, but have not gotten into the finals. “This is the fourth year that we have participated and still have not made it to the next round,” Roth said. “It is difficult to know what the judges are looking for. Last year everything was very much sculptural and so that’s what we did. The finalists this year were not very sculptural. The shoes are all judged together, so if one pair is weak, then that could hurt us all.” Roth introduced the Vans contest to the newly founded Art Club rather than her classes. The students participated in completing the project outside of meetings and class. “With every shoe, it was different,” Roth
PHOTOS BY AMANDA ROTH
Fresh kicks. Displayed are the Art Club’s submissions to the Vans Shoe Contest. The “Custom Culture” contest centers the design of the four pairs of shoes around Art, Music, Action Sports and Local Flavor.
said. “The girls that worked on the sport shoe came in at lunch and talked about what they wanted to do. A couple of the students were in my classes, so they worked on them during class time, and others took them home to work on. The difficult part about how the Art Club works on the shoes is that I don’t have everyone in my classes. However, it is nice because it opens up the contest to students who can’t take Art. The students did it all. I refused to touch them, although I did advise students what to do. We had a wide range of students.”
Though the club’s projects did not make it to finals, Roth believes the students were happy with the results. “We got the shoes at the end of February and then they were due the first week of April, which does not give us much time. I also think it is too much for one person to take on one pair of shoes, which I have done in the past. Some students are better at coming up with ideas, some are better with drawing, and some are better at painting. Once the shoes are started, I can pass the shoes off to students that I know have
strong craftsmanship skills.” Roth plans to begin the project earlier next year so that the students are better prepared. “With art, its not always about the outcome, it’s about the process such as problem-solving, collaborating, and experimenting,” Roth said. “I think sometimes the science to art gets lost because everyone is so worried about the end result. Ultimately, I think the students who participated are really proud of what they did whether or not people like it.”
Junior Gerika Macalino: also known as Marshall Lee, the Eleventh Doctor, Captain America, and a walker from The Walking Dead. As a cosplayer, Macalino designs costumes for cartoon and science-fiction characters. Costume designing and cosplaying acts as a break from school and other activities for Macalino. When she is making a costume, she only focuses on the task at hand. “Cosplaying is a great way for someone to escape the realities of life when they need to. It is a good mind break, that is why I love cosplaying,” Macalino said. “It is a really great creative outlet and I do not have to focus on the stress of school.” Macalino’s friend and fellow cosplayer, sophomore Amelia Moberg, gives people a chance to do something different outside of daily life. “When I put on a costume and get into character, I am not quite me anymore. People do not walk up to me on the convention floor and ask for pictures with Amelia. They ask for pictures with Sailor Moon or Haruka Nanase. I do not have to worry about what people think of me as a person, because they are just nerds seeing another nerd in a cool costume,” Moberg said. Moberg considers herself a nerd, but in an embracing way. “I think it is a lot more acceptable to be a nerd now than it was before, with all the Marvel movies coming out and being hugely popular, but a lot of anime still kind of has a bad rap,” Moberg said. “With a lot of people who do not watch anime, if they saw me in cosplay, it would probably be weird to them. I think cosplay is considered a pretty ‘nerdy’ thing. I do not care about calling myself a nerd, though, because I accept that I am a nerd, and a lot of my friends are nerds too. I think they are pretty cool people,” Moberg said. When making the costume for her character,
Macalino tries to imitate the character’s style as accurately as possible. “With certain elements you can put your own personal twist to it, but it is mainly about getting the costume as accurate as possible. There are not a lot of places where you can add a personal twist,” Macalino said. According to Macalino, many cosplayers try to resemble a character not only in their costumes, but also in their body features and hair. However, Macalino only wears costumes and uses makeup. She does not alter her body to match a character’s features. “Personally, I don’t wear wigs or try to alter my skin color because a lot of fictional characters are white, with blond hair and blue eyes. I do not do any of that. To other people it ruins the costume and cosplaying it directly, but to me I am still trying to portray a certain character,” Macalino said. “Some people want to be accurate, but then other people ironically choose not to be accurate. It is all preferential.” One of Macalino’s biggest challenges in making the costumes guaranteeing that they will fit in the end and tries a few times before getting the sizing right. “A lot of it has to do with body sizes, like trying to make everything proportionate to my body. For example, Captain America is the one I’m working on right now. He is obviously really built and tall and not my size. My biggest challenge was figuring out what I am going to have to do for the suit, but after that it is easy,” Macalino said. Because costume making is so time consuming, Macalino said it is “frustrating” when it turns out a costume does not fit correctly to her body. “It is really frustrating because when I think I have it right, I finalize it and put it on, but then it is too small. It is a really frustrating process be-
cause all that hard work that I put into it goes down the drain, and I have to start over again,” Macalino said. Macalino believes that it is often difficult to stand out when many cosplayers wear the same costume at an event. Although she does not compete, Macalino understands the difficulties competitors face while creating their costumes. “My friends try to do things to make it memorable for the judges. In their costumes, maybe they will add something from a specific episode instead of a generic costume that you can buy off of the internet. What makes it a lot more memorable is if they hand make it because anyone can buy a prop. I feel like it definitely makes a difference in competitions,” Macalino said. Moberg believes that cosplaying is not as simple as dressing up for occasions such as Halloween. “You can do it as many times a year as you want. Why limit yourself to one day a year if you do not have to? Also, whether or not you buy or make your cosplays, they are different than just dressing up because of the time and effort that tends to go into making them accurate. Before every day of a convention, I spend an hour in the bathroom doing my makeup to make it look like the character’s. That is a lot more effort than I would ever put into regular dress-up,” Moberg said. Macalino agreed that Halloween is not quite the same as cosplaying a character. “Halloween is the one day you can be anyone you want. Cosplay is just that but everyday. That’s the only difference. If I want to dress up as somebody else, I’m gonna dress up,” Macalino said. “We wear clothes everyday. What is the difference if I wore someone else’s clothes? The only thing that matters is whether or not I feel happy.”
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features
High Tide
(Cos)playing around
Junior Emily Bodkin pursues cosplaying as a hobby and creates her own costumes for conventions and other events by Kaita Pannor After hours of tedious craftwork and hundreds of dollars spent, her costume is ready to be worn at the next convention, where she will make her favorite character come alive. Junior Emily Bodkin makes and wears costumes of her favorite characters from various animes, a hobby known as cosplay. “Cosplay is like Halloween, but you can do it whenever you want. You can dress up like any character you want and have fun doing it,” Bodkin said. Bodkin first began cosplaying when she went to Anime Expo for the first time and was inspired to make costumes. “I saw a lot of people dressed up and thought it would be fun, so I tried it,” Bodkin said. Bodkin mainly cosplays as characters from various animes, her favorites having magical powers. “Their outfits are always really cool and intricate, and it’s really fun to make them,” Bodkin said. Although Bodkin buys shoes and wigs to create parts of her cosplays, she handmakes accessories and props, spending up to $300 on parts and materials for one costume.
“Making costumes is one of the greatest things about cosplay. When you make your costume by yourself and you go to a convention, people show up and talk to you about it, and you talk to them about how you made it, and everyone’s really supportive. No matter if you’re a really good cosplayer, or if you’re really new, it’s really cool to show it off,” Bodkin said. According to Bodkin, costume making is a major part of cosplay that allows her to express herself. “The greatest feeling comes over you when you’re finished with everything and you feel so accomplished because you made the whole thing! It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look good to other people, but knowing that you made the thing in front of you from scratch makes everything worth it,” Bodkin said. While everyone in the cosplay community is “really friendly and accepting”, others, including Bodkin’s family, are not so accepting. “I wouldn’t say they accept it completely; they do think it’s weird. It’s really hard to be accepted by a lot of “normal” people, because they don’t really understand--they
think you’re just a freak who likes anime. But it’s a community, and it’s something that takes a lot of time, effort, and money,” Bodkin said. Bodkin often attends conventions with friends who also cosplay. “Cosplay is worth it because people can express their interests while spending time with their friends,” Junior Alana Okamoto, a friend of Bodkin’s, said, “There is always the possibility that you could be judged for trivial reasons, but surrounding yourself with those who support you makes you feel more confident.” While attending conventions, Bodkin spends time meeting new people and making friends within the community. “Everyone is just so accepting and really friendly, they’ll come up to you and just be like, ‘Hey, your costume is so good!’, and they just want to make new friends,” Bodkin said. According to Bodkin, much of the time spent meeting new people is initiated as others wish to take photographs with the character that is being cosplayed. “I was once literally standing there for about 30 minutes because everyone wanted a picture of me. I couldn’t leave because
I didn’t want to disappoint everyone,” Bodkin said. Bodkin believes many of those who don’t know about cosplay “judge it before they give it a chance”. “It’s definitely different than what you would expect. People shouldn’t see someone who cosplays and think that they’re just a big dork, because it’s a really fun thing to do,” Bodkin said. First getting into cosplay is “easy” according to Okamoto, as all it takes is a favorite character and inspiration to make the costume. “Literally anyone can cosplay, is simply a fun and creative way to dress up as your favorite character while making other people happy to see their favorite character come to life. It can be a challenging task sometimes, but the end result is rewarding,” Okamoto said. Bodkin believes cosplay is an “engaging” hobby, but that “people just don’t give it a chance”. “Cosplaying allows me to be someone who I’m not,” Bodkin said. “It allows me to be someone who I aspire to be like, or I find is funny, or something that I’m not every day.”
May 15, 2015
Mentor by day, savior by night
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features
Pep squad. 1.
Cheer coach Karen Bustillos balances her job at RUHS with being full-time paramedic
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Bustillos poses at the Long Beach Pyramid after winning first place at the JAMZ competition. From left to right: Junior Haley Hyatt, Seniors Keely Brooks and Tyler Brown, Freshman Madddie Brooks, Sophomore Susana Villegas and Junior Marley Capper. 2. Bustillos poses in her paramedic uniform. “When I went in to be a paramedic, it’s all about taking control of a scene, what is happening and staying calm so being able to take control of a large group like that really helped me when I was out in the field,” she said. Photos courtesy of Karen Bustillos.
by Yasamin Fazeli Competition cheer coach Karen Bustillos balances a profession as a paramedic with teaching at RUHS. “I was a cheer coach first. I cheered through Pop Warner, high school and college and then when I was seventeen I started coaching, so I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I only became a paramedic about eight years ago,” Bustillos said. Her decision to begin training as a paramedic originally began with a fear of medical procedures. “I would go to the hospital for check ups, I would get a shot and pass out on the floor. I was kinda scared of it, so I decided I didn’t want to be scared anymore,” Bustillos said. “I didn’t want something to happen and I wouldn’t know what to do.” Bustillos also decided that becoming a paramedic would provide her with knowledge that could help in everyday life. “When I went in to be a paramedic, it’s really all about taking control of a scene with whatever is happening and staying calm so being able to take control of a large group like that really helped me when I was out in the field,” Bustillos said. “It’s everybody’s worst day when they call 911, and I am able to get there, know what I am supposed to do, tell my crew everything we need to do and it really helped in that sense.” Although she felt that she wanted to overcome a fear, Bustillos did not plan on pursuing a medical career.
“I thought I was just gonna take the EMT class and not go anywhere with it, but I liked it so much that I decided to stay. I went from EMT to paramedic and now I’m going to school for my Physician’s Assistant,” Bustillos said. Her job as a cheer coach has helped her in many ways as a paramedic. “I’ve definitely taken a lot of the stuff I’ve learned through being a cheer coach and implemented it into working as a paramedic. I think in that sense, it’s learning to deal with very hectic situations and stay calm,” Bustillos said. Her experience as a paramedic has also helped her handle difficult coaching situations. “The girls get hurt a lot. We’ve had a few concussions, a few breaks and tears and I think that the girls feel a bit more confident with me being there. We luckily haven’t had anything serious, but I’m glad I can be there and know what to do if anything does happen,” Bustillos said. Varsity cheerleader, sophomore Lauryn Alejo feels comfortable doing advanced stunts knowing a paramedic is around. “She knows what she’s doing and if we get hurt then we have someone there right away who can help us,” Alejo said. “It’s also a trust thing because we’ve had her here for a couple years so we trust her with the stunts she gives us and even though she gives us
crazy stunts, it’s okay.” Staying calm as a paramedic is different than in coaching, but the skill has helped the team improve. “I learned that when I’m watching my girls, if something is not going right, instead of jumping in right away, I take a step back and let them figure it out,” Bustillos said. “Knowing when I can take that step back and let them figure it out rather always jumping in makes the difference.” Both jobs have positively impacted Bustillos’ life, but she feels that cheer has more heavily done so. “Working with the girls has taught me how to be a leader and role model for other people,” Bustillos said. “I need to be their coach and that’s taught me a lot.” Being a paramedic has also had satisfying moments in Bustillos’ life. “The best part about a paramedic is being somebody’s comfort, somebody’s relief when situations get really scary. Being able to be there, help somebody and impact somebody’s life every single day whether it’s something little, or something big is what matters,” Bustillos said. Balancing the two important jobs has drawbacks as well. “The lack of sleep is something that’s pretty hard. I work 24-hour shifts sometimes, get off in the morning and I don’t sleep those days. It’s one of the hardest
2. parts,” Bustillos said. “It’s a huge time commitment and the girls expect that from me as much as I expect that of them.” Because Bustillos is no longer the full time coach but only the competition coach, she plans to spend her extra time with her schooling. “I get to take a step back and go back to school if I get into a [Physician’s Assistant] program. I always say its my last year coaching but I always come back,” Bustillos said. She plans on continuing both professions for as long as she can. “It is a lot of work, but it’s work that I don’t mind doing,” Bustillos said. “It’s something that I love to do so it doesn’t feel like work to me.”
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Risky business
High Tide
features
Ilana Golub researched risk-taking tendencies in teenagers
by Simrun Urusani
Senior Ilana Golub recently finished a research project testing teens irresponsibility. The typical stereotype of teens being hopeless is what intrigued Golub to actually do this study. “I began developing a psychology study alongside a USC Ph.D. student. We created surveys and programmed digital ‘tasks,’ both designed to test how we teens grow over time. We correlated these results with MRIs of our subjects’ brains and insular cortex activity,” Golub said. Golub did this research for half of a year giving identical surveys every eight weeks. In addition sophomore Jaideep Chakladar had a similar prediction that the teens would take more risks than expected. “Subjects all exhibited rapid progress and even increased mindfulness as they grew older, all of which stressed the potential for innovation and flexibility unique to adolescents; the very irresponsibility and risky behavior associated with teens is proof that
some of us are also willing to accept change and challenges,” Golub said. Chakladar was a person that Golub did her research on. He was willing to help out his friend. “I mainly wanted to do this project because Ilana asked me to. I was also interested in the experience because I saw that the test was being conducted through USC,” Chakladar said. “I felt a little curious about the study and really excited that I was able to participate.” Although Golub had many fails, she stuck with the experiment and eventually became successful. Golub was inspired after many people came up to her and asked about the research. “Once we sparked teens’ initial interest, actual curiosity about our research followed suit. They proved to me that I was making a difference—that persevering through the ‘no’s’ and apathy was worthwhile. They found that ‘try-try-again-and-you-willsucceed’ mentality is wrong,” Golub said.
Chackladar was also interested in seeing how he tested compared to all the other subjects. “Being a subject, it was cool to see how other people did compaerd to me. I was also a little bit nervous because I didn’t want to screw up all of Ilana’s work,” Chakladar said. Chakladar felt pressure and had mixed feelings about this research project but eventually felt better after it was over. “I believed that the test would be extremely complicated and tricky. However, when I took the tests, I was surprised to find that they were not very challenging. They mostly tested what I naturally did rather than what I was able to do,” Chakladar said. In order to make this research successful, Golub had to set up two surveys but the results were difficult to get because no high school student has much free time according to Golub. “Essentially, we had two different sets of subjects. One, we had individual groups of seven to eight kids whom we tested lon-
gitudinally. Our second set was the large group of RUHS students from all our psych classes. This set was only given the survey once,” Golub said. She had to give the students a little to get the results she needed to complete the research project. “I didn’t expect that it would be as difficult as possible to motivate our individual subjects or convince faculty to accept the school survey. No teen wants to take a questionnaire during breaths of free time, and we risked students filling out the survey too hurriedly, or not at all. But once I added gift cards and other material incentives to the mix, responses quickly surpassed the initial hundred-mark goal, and we collected 383 surveys in total,” she said. Golub learned a valuable lesson during this research. “It was the commitment I devoted to each that yielded success. Passion inspires passion, and imbuing others with desire to learn truly is a feat,” she said.
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High Tide
sports
athlete of the issue: Jack Bradford
Bradford fourth year CIF swimmer
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by Jon Mallen
The competitors take their marks, and plunge into the water of the pool. From there, it’s an all out frenzy of splashing, kicking, gasping, yelling, and cheering from all around. One swimmer is ahead of the heat, finishing seconds before the rest of the competitors, and winning his event: Jack Bradford. Senior Jack Bradford stands out as one of the best swimmers on the team, and a lot of his skill comes from the time he’s put in practicing over the years. “I’ve been swimming for a really long time,” Bradford said, “I started competing when I was eleven, so over the years I’ve worked hard and gotten better.” According to Bradford, there needs to be
1. PHOTOS BY DINAH AIAD
Splash and dash. 1. Bradford swims in a relay at Bay League 2. Bradford after a race at Costa. a lot of hard work in order to achieve stellar results. “A lot of time needs to be put into it,” Bradford said, “And, like every sport, practice is not the most fun.” Bradford feels that good practice stems from good coaching. Coach West Carter, who also is one of the coaches for Bradford’s club team, has been a beneficial factor in Bradford’s improvement. “He’s been very helpful to me personally,”
Bradford said. “I enjoy how he coaches.” Carter is not the only coach who has helped Bradford continue to hone his skill. “My club coach is constantly making sure that the entire team is being pushed to new limits, and I love that,” Bradford said. “That’s what makes swimming what it is; getting to new limits and getting up to the next level, and our coach does a really good job of doing that.” The competition, however, is what Brad-
ford really enjoys. “I’ve had a lot of fun competing, it’s what makes the sport fun,” Bradford said. The competition Bradford relishes in is not only against other schools’ swimmers, but with other Redondo swimmers as well, one of which is junior Cade Bruno. “This year he’s done really well,” Bradford said, “and he’s actually catching up to me in the 100 freestyle. It’s a little bit scary.” The competition Bradford faces with Bruno allows him to improve as he strives to keep his top ranking among the team. “It’s good to have competition,” Bradford said, “because there’s no real way of improving yourself unless you have someone who’s chasing after you or that you’re chasing after. That’s how athletes stay motivated: by looking at other athletes.”
Track to move on to CIF After success in Bay League Finals, the track team is looking forward to CIF by Jessica Johnson
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB LEETCH
Kickin’ it in. Sophomore Ethan Comeaux and senior Sergio Rodriguez run at UCLA Legends.
Track gears up for CIF preliminary trials this Saturday after a strong showing at the Bay League Finals last Friday. “Overall, the team did really well, but this meet was more an individual one, where the events compete to win Bay League and to qualify for CIF,” junior Ryan Wadhams said. The 4 by 4 A Team is one of the teams that qualified for CIF preliminary trials placing first in the event. “The four by four is usually run by me, Sergio Rodriguez, Jerone Jackson and depending on how tires the guys are from the rest of the meet, the 4th person is either Sean Sudduth or Ethan Comeaux,” Wadhams said. To get ready for CIF preliminary the athletes are stepping up their training and mentally preparing themselves. “Our coach, Bob, has really stepped up what we are doing in training, as far as our workouts on the track, in endurance and speed we will do 6-8 mile runs, we do two of what we normally do in one day. He is pushing us really hard to get us in the bests shape we can be for the next meet,” Wadhams said. Wadhams believes that his team will place well in the next meet because they are
racing against faster athletes. “We are so above the level of the other teams in our league that we have, essentially, been racing ourselves which is more difficult because it’s hard to keep a fast pace. But with the stronger athletes that this meet will have we will be pushed by them and faster times will be the result,” Wadhams said. Even though the entire team did not qualify for the next meet, they are all supportive of one another and want the teams that are going to succeed. “The people that are going are the best runners in the school and they will do well because they are racing against better runners which will push our athletes to get better times,” DeCurtis said. Even if the teams do not do as well as they hope Wadhams believes that this season has been “unforgettable.” “I really love the team because of the family atmosphere, it’s like a lot of the sports at redondo. In track we all hang out together and are on the same schedule so it is inevitable that some of your best friends will be on the team,” Wadhams said.
May 15, 2015
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sports
Swim bonds by end of season
Baseball takes loss to Mira Costa by Tyler Wunderli
Float like a butterfly. Sophomore Anthony Dupin De Saint Cyr swims butterfly at Bay League Finals at RUHS last week.
PHOTO BY DINAH AIAD
by Marie Ona Boys and girls swim placed third at the Bay League Finals last week. The team did well compared to previous years, according to senior Elle Inscore. “I think the freshmen have really stepped up in the relays against upperclassmen,” she said. Junior Jack Bradford also feels that the water polo players who joined swim have also improved. “Cade Bruno and Spencer are water polo players who went from not caring about swim at all to actually trying and because of that, they’ve done a lot better. It’s been obvious that they’ve worked for it,” Bradford said. Bradford won the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle at Bay League. “I’m really happy with how I did in the 100 freestyle. I’m a little bummed about the fifty though because I missed the wall and it’s if
you mess anything up in the 50s then you’re going to pay the price and I definitely did. I didn’t get my goal time but I still won that event so I’m still happy with the overall performance.” According to Inscore, throughout the season, the swimmers have worked hard as a team, motivating each other. The relationships with one another helps with the team’s performance. “Swimming is often taken very independently and without much team unity but that can make the sport and training for it very hard and lonely. This year, I’ve seen our swimming become one big family like I’ve never seen before,” Inscore said. “It really does, whether people see it or not, affect each person’s performance as a whole when there are people there waiting for you at the finish.”
Bradford hopes to improve from Bay League for CIF championships next week. “I’m going to be swimming against people who are a lot faster than me so hopefully I’ll be able to keep up,” Bradford said. “Winning an event isn’t the most important to me. The most important part is getting the best time because if you beat your record it doesn’t matter if you got last place. It proves that you’re better than you were before.” Inscore has no expectations for CIF but to do her best for her last year in high school and be happy with how she will do. “I’ve been preparing for our championship meets all year round, for the last 4 years. For CIF, we ultimately want as many relays as possible to make it back to finals on Saturday. I’m set up in a good position to win CIF in my event this year which is my goal,” she said.
Volleyball loses to San Clemente by Romy Moreno The boys volleyball team closed out their season with a 3-1 loss against San Clemente high school this past Tuesday. “I think one of the factors in our loss was due to the fact that we had just gotten off a two hour bus ride,” junior Evan Murray said. “And that we were playing against the number seven team in the nation.” According to junior Lucas Lossone the team did not perform their best when they needed to in this match. “We won the first set and let up after that thinking the other team was going to roll over,” Lossone said. “But then they came out really strong in the other sets and discouraged most of us.” The team agrees that they had a few minor setbacks this season. “We were a very young team this year with little varsity experience and only had two returning starters,” Lossone said. Despite only having two starting returners, the boys were still able to accomplish
many of their goals throughout this year’s season. “It’s sad that this season ended so shortly,” Lossone said. “It’s always sad to lose so early but we were matched up with a really good team.” Now that this season is over the boys are looking forward to next year and have high hopes. “I think next year we’ll be very successful,” Lossone said. “Most of the other teams are losing a lot of starters and meanwhile we have built so much chemistry which will hopefully help us be better than every other team and win Bay League.” The boys agreed that they will have a major advantage over the other teams next year since majority of their team will be the same. “We will be able to make a deeper run next year because we’ll have more experience and chemistry than before,” Lossone said.
PHOTO BY MATTHEW YONEMURA
Setting the standard.
Sophomore Logan Glave spikes the ball in agame against Mira Costa
Baseball sustained its first league loss this year against Costa on Tuesday, but still was successful in Bay League. Despite the loss, Junior Connor Riley is confident in the team’s ability to go far in the CIF tournament. They have a good shot at the first seed in the tournament. “I think the sky is the limit for this team, coming into CIF winning a lot of games really makes us feel better about how we will perform,” Riley said. Last year, the team did well in CIF, going to the semi-finals, and Riley believes this team has the potential to make a deep run. “I would say this team is deeper than last year’s,” Riley said. “We have the ability to lose a guy but someone else can pick up where he left off.” The team has done well this season, and their record backs it up. Sophomore Danny Zimmerman is happy, but still wants more. “I think we’re successful and have the potential to go far in the playoffs,” Zimmerman said. This year’s team is “deep” and has some very good players. Riley believes, they do not have many, if any, weaknesses. “Honestly I don’t think our team really needs to improve on anything big at this point in our season, and our scores and record back it up,” Riley said. Zimmerman agrees that the team is “very well rounded” and a “tough team to beat”. Good teams need to be adequate all around. However, every team has strengths, and the baseball team is no exception. “Without a doubt our fielding. Making errors can make a pitcher’s outing a lot worse and the ability for our pitchers to have confidence in our fielders gets us more outs and doesn’t put pressure on the offense,” Riley said. The team lost to Costa, but still believes they are a “flat out better” team according to Riley. “We put ourselves in good situations to win but could never capitalize in the later innings,” Riley said. Senior Nick DiPaola thinks the team has another huge advantage over some other teams they play. “I believe that our team chemistry is incredible and that will help us grind out through those tough games and help us get victories,” DiPaola said. However the rest of the season shakes out, it has been one to be proud of. “Not only have we performed to our high expectations,” Riley said. “But we have accomplished even more as a team than we could have imagined.”
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High Tide
sports
CIF-SS North Champions Girls lacrosse beat Oak Park in CIF-SS Northern Division finals on Wednesday
They are the champions.
1. Junior midfielder Allison Shamir, who is going to US Naval Academy for lacrosse, passes the ball in a game earlier this season. 2. Senior Maddie Farmer avoids an incoming defender in a game at RUHS earlier in the season. Photos by Sander Fink.
[from pg. 1] The last time RUHS played Oak Park they lost 15-6 in regular season. “When we played them the first time we were out three starters and that definitely affected our chemistry on the field. Going into this game we knew it was going to be a good match. We are both stacked teams who are very alike, so we were nervous but we just played our game and kept our cool,” senior Allie Kobel said. The two teams’ similarities became evident as they were tied at 12-12 until the last seconds of the game. “The whole game was so intense. We would get up a goal. Then they would tie and get up a goal. Then we would come back,” Kobel said. “Oak park played well. They are a very talented team. The game could have gone either way honestly.” RUHS came out strong but Oak Park managed to recover and get back into the game. “We scored the first two goals of the game and Oak Park knew they were in trouble,” Kobel said. Despite Oak Park’s comeback, RUHS was able to stay calm and positive. “No matter the score we always stayed positive. That was the biggest thing that won the game for us. We kept bringing each other up then putting them down for messing up,” Kobel said. RUHS’s positivity was assisted with strong performances on both offense and defense. “The offense played amazing. We were patient, poised, and took care of the ball. The defense was really on as well by making it a point to have good communication which really helped,” Kobel said.
In the week leading up to the championship game, RUHS trained hard and focused on the basics. “To prepare we had a lot of intense practices where we went over the fundamentals and reviewed plays to get our heads in the game,” Thatcher said. After defeating Mira Costa 11-6 in the semifinals, RUHS gained confidence but were aware that Oak Park would not be as easy. “We knew Oak Park was going into the game ready to play. So we just made sure to make the right decisions and focus on fundamentals,” Kobel said. “I knew that if we kept our cool and didn’t panic, we would win. And even if we ended up losing I would still be proud of all our accomplishments this season.” Girls lacrosse now has three CIF titles on their record,and have won Bay League the past seven years. With many seniors leaving, questions have arisen as to whether the younger players can uphold the legacy. “We’re losing eight starters so the team will definitely be impacted but we have a lot of young talent,” Kobel said.
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Stribling places in CIF golf tournament by Sophie Maguy
After finishing fifth overall in Bay League out of approxiamately 50 golfers, senior Garrett Stribling went on as the only representative of RUHS in the first two rounds of CIF. Between the Bay and Ocean Leagues combined, Stribling placed sixth. PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS
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It feels great to have had an opportunity to compete with some of the best golfers in Southern California. I was excited to have surpassed my expectations this season, but also disappointed that no one else [from RUHS] could have joined me. It is awesome to have made my coach and teammates proud and I am very happy with my performance this season.
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-Garrett Stribling, 12
May 15, 2015
page 19
sports
Locked and loaded
Softball comes off recent win against Palos Verdes by Jason Clebowicz Despite an initial one-run deficit, the softball team came back to win 6-1 against Palos Verdes this Tuesday. Through the first six innings of the game, RUHS failed to score a single run. Palos Verdes scored the first run of the game in the fourth inning after a pair of timely base hits. It wasn’t until the bottom of the 7th inning that RUHS got on the board. “Both us and [Palos Verdes] struggled to score runs early in the game. Both pitchers were dominant early on and did not give up runs until the end of the game,” senior Kamryn Fisher said. The top of the 7th was lead off with a single by senior Haley Reed, and followed by a sacrifice bunt. The Palos Verdes third baseman made an error on the play, causing RUHS’s baserunners to be safe at both second and third. Steffi Best, Palos Verdes’s pitcher, retired the next two batters, but walked senior Brigid Antonelli to make the bases loaded for junior Kathryn Ung. Ung singled, scoring two runs and improving the score of the game to 2-1, RUHS. “It was a huge hit for us especially with two outs. It is hard enough to get a base hit in a clutch situation, let alone get it with two outs in the last inning of the game,” Fisher said. The next batter for RUHS singled with runners on first and third and increased the score to 3-1. Allison Betty put an exclamation point on the Redondo girls rally, blasting a 3 run homerun off of Palos Verdes’s Best. RUHS’s Kathryn Ung crushed Palos Verdes’s hope of a comeback as she struck out the side in the bottom of the 7th. She pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts, and one earned run. “I think a key reason why we won the game was the intense positivity we had throughout the entire game. Even when we were behind by one run in the 7th inning we battled back and won,” junior Sarah Staudle said. RUHS will play rival Mira Costa on May 14 at Marine West in the Bay League Championship game.
Winding up. Junior Kat Ung pitches the ball in a game against Pola High School earlier this season.
PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS
Boys tennis concludes season after losing to Mira Costa by Sophie Maguy and Lizzie Fauver
PHOTO BY JOSH KANO
Hitting it off. Junior Kevin Chang hits a forehand in a singles match against Palos Verdes earlier this season.
Boys tennis lost to Mira Costa 14-4 to end their season on May 4. “Losing to our rival doesn’t feel very good, but they are a top ranked team and we all tried our hardest,” sophomore Jaideep Chakladar said. “Going into the match we were really excited and nervous since it was the last match of the year and we really wanted to play well.” Chakladar remains optimistic about the team’s performance despite the loss. “I think our team played well but we couldn’t get the important points. I sometimes lost focus during some points too,” he said. The team hoped to use newly practiced techniques to beat Mira Costa, according to junior William Lee. “Our doubles strategy was to distract them with our chance, and once they are distracted we win our point,” he said. “Our game plan was to go in with confidence and try to win every point. We also didn’t want to let any emotions get in the way of our game since it was the last match of the year.”
The team hoped that practice would prepare them for the Mira Costa game, and despite the loss, the overall takeaway is positive. “Our practices have [previously] influenced our games and we worked really hard in preparation for this game, but we just couldn’t get the points,” Lee said. “We practiced hard, and in the game our doubles were strong as well as our number one singles. In the end Mira Costa was just better than us and have been playing for longer.” Chakladar agrees in the importance of practice time for games and team dynamics. “The practices helped us develop our shots and brought us closest together as a team. Although we worked hard, it wasn’t very stressful so we had a little fun from time to time,” Chakladar said. The team is already preparing for next season and plans to use this positive team momentum towards a better performance next year. “Our overall mindset is: together we stand and divided we fall. We have stuck together as a team and I am pretty content with the outcome of this game and all the others,” Lee said.
page 20
features
Setting the foundations
High Tide | May 15, 2015
Junior Gianna Panlone designs and applies special effects makeup
by Gianna Aquilina Gashes, blood, bruises and scars are not things that normally come to mind when one thinks of makeup. Instead of making people look attractive, Gianna Panlone takes pride in the fact that shes “good at making people look weird and scary.” Junior Gianna Panlone has a passion for special effects makeup, an interest sparked by a mistake. “I was doing my friend’s makeup and I didn’t know how to make her look pretty like girls usually do and give her a nice makeover and I ended up messing up so bad. I just decided to try something new by putting a ton of blue and black makeup on her and I ended up making her into an Avatar and it didn’t look bad,” Panlone said. In fact, her friend was pleasantly surprised by the unusal makeup. “It’s really unique and different from any other type of makeup and it’s really cool how she can express herself through it and show a different side of her,” Panlone’s friend junior Acacia Zettell said. The “mess up” led to a discovery of a form of art Panlone did not have experience with before: special effects makeup. “Once I saw how intense and awesome the cosmetology industry was, it motivated me. It was really interesting and looked cool so I decided to keep doing it,” she said. “It was something I really wanted to be a part of.” Because Panlone hasn’t decided if this is what she wants to do for a living, she hasn’t been able to get all the materials she needs for special effects makeup. “I dont have the brand of makeup that I would like to have so I just have to work with whatever I can get,” Panlone said. “Right now it’s a hobby but if I did do it in the future I would have to get better makeup than what I have now,” she said. Despite not having yet made up her mind, Gianna is looking into going to school for cosmetology to study special effects makeup. I love to act, travel and do makeup. Whatever opportunity comes up for any of them I’ll take it. I’m still figuring out what I want to do,” She said. “I love to make people look like monsters. Its really exciting to see them look completely different that how they actually look,” Panlone said. Many of her friends come to her for help with their Halloween costumes. She does the makeup for their outfits. “This Halloween I made my boyfriend, who was on crutches at the time, into a zombie. We didn’t know what to do so we just did that because he was slow,” she said. She also made her brother into a green ghoul, and her friend into a leopard. “I dont like to do makeup on myself just
because it is harder to do and it takes more time,” Panlone said. She did make an exception for Halloween. Panlone made herself into Twisty the Clown from the show American Horror Story. “It was hard because I didn’t have a lot of time to do it because I was busy doing everyone else’s makeup so I didn’t look as good as everyone else,” she said. She practices on her friends whenever she can “Its something I would love to do forever, if I get the chance,” she said.
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2. PHOTOS COURTESY OF GIANNA PANLONE
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War paint. 1. “The model with the blood is named Jazlynn Mays. Every time 4. 4.
I put makeup on her I always do something scary or demonic because she has crazy in her and it comes out when the makeup’s on her,” Panlone said. 2. This makeup was modeled by Amina Tornqvist, one of Panlone’s friends from Hamilton High School. “I honestly didn’t make her anything in particular. I looked up some images and found one I liked and worked from it; used it for inspiration,” Panlone said. 3. Acacia Zettell modeled this look. Panlone had “no image in mind,” and began to draw with no intended concept.