High Tide: October 14, 2011 Edition by High Tide

High

TIDE Redondo Beach, CA // Redondo Union High School Oct. 14, 2011 // Vol. LMXXIV // Section 11 Hightideonline.org

FACULTY

EDEFINED

Between engagements and long lasting friendships, teachers around Redondo are redefining what it means to be coworkers. [See more on page 12]

PHOTO BY ERINN MIDDO

p10-11 //

Senior Clay Attig leads marching band as Drum Major.

p16-17 //

Junior Anjali Read creates her own shorts to sell to her peers.

p22-23 //

Senior Christie Goodman returns a ball in a match against South.

NEWS // OCT. 14, 2011

Red and White Carnival runs smoothly despite obstacles A lack of communication leads to various problems that were later solved by Jeremy Porr

It’s twenty minutes before lunch is about to begin and the doors of the main office are in constant swing. ASB students are scrambling in and out to prepare for the Red and White Carnival. Signs are flying, tables are frivolously being put into place, and students are yelling. For ASB Adviser Sherie Gross, this was just another day of controlled chaos. “The only problem we had was with communication. The students work really well together but they can’t always remember to tell each other everything,” Gross said. Communication wasn’t the only issue that Club Commissioners Aroosa Ansari and Angeline Lee faced during the day, as some supplies arrived late as well. “We received our tables from maintenance later than expected, however, we were able to set up the carnival in the twenty minutes we had left thanks to the extra help we had,” Ansari said. Lee was also worried about the tables. “It was really stressful at first, but after talking it through with Aroosa and getting a plan set, I felt a lot better.” Lee said. Using their last event as a learning experience, Ansari and Lee reorganized the layout of the tables for the carnival allowing for

better crowd flow. “I liked the new set-up because it grouped all of the different foods with their ethnicities, it made it a lot easier for students to find the foods they wanted,” Ansari said. According to Lee, her experience organizing the nutrition fact information for last years International Food Fair was very helpful in the planning process this year. “We attached a paper with approved food vendors [from last year] to the Red and White Carnival sign up sheets for our club presidents to use,” Lee said. After the carnival was underway it was apparent that some clubs did not yet have food to sell to students. Both Interact Club and The Flock had food arrive late. “There was a miscommunication between Interact Club and Jamba Juice, so they didn’t show up on time,” Lee said. Despite the minor hurdles they faced along the way, Ansari feels like everything really came together in the end. “Besides the table problem, everything ran smoothly as planned on our part,” Ansari said. For Ansari, knowing students enjoyed themselves was all that really mattered. “My favorite part was seeing the students faces as they rushed down to the carnival, that really made everything worthwhile,” Ansari said. Gross is happy with how well her students perform and complete tasks. “I’m always proud of them,” Gross said.

ALL PHOTOS BY MAX PITTMAN

Red and White. 1. Science Teacher Gillian Moberg throws a pie in a student’s face. 2. Senior Maggie Gonzalez advertises bean bags. 3. Senior Anique Villegas serves salad and rice to students as part of Amnesty International club’s fundraising efforts.

3. Monday

PHOTO BY ANDREW HAZELTINE

4. Tuesday

PHOTO BY ANDREW HAZELTINE

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

Get in the spirit. 1. Students were surprised to see the school decked out in class colors for a class competition week. The junior’s hall included purple paper lanterns and a purplelined walkway 2. Senior Mitchell Wong stands by a, dressed in senior yellow, 800’s building. 3. Spirit week started off with PJ day. Senior Jonny Rosario dressed in footie-pajamas. 4. Seniors Declan Andrew and Kris Martain dress for little kid day. 5. Wednesday was superhero day and seniors Adam Greenburg, Spencer Peak, and Kris Martain dress up as supermen. 6. Thursday was student’s chance to show their pride for their favorite sports teams.Senior Max Niebergall represented the Los Angeles Clippers.

5. Wednseday

PHOTO BY ANDREW HAZELTINE

6. Thursday

PHOTO BY MAX PITTMAN

NEWS // OCT. 14, 2011

Seniors beat juniors at powderpuff game by LeAnn Maanum

Yesterday at lunch the senior girls beat the junior girls 7-0 in the annual powderpuff football game where girls become the football players and boys become the cheerleaders. “It’s just another way to have pride in your class,” enior Mele Tuuholoaki said. According to senior Camera Carter, powderpuff is an opportunity for girls to show their athleticism, and where they can battle against the opposing grade and be rough like the boys. “I personally enjoy playing because it’s very competitive and proves that girls can do anything the boys can,” Carter said. The game started with the juniors receiving the kick-off. After driving down the field, the seniors intercepted the ball and took over. A running play led to the first, and only, score of the game. “[During the game] I got so pumped up. Your adrenaline is rushing, It was like, ‘forget flag football,” Carter said. The juniors came on and advanced up the field. A run by Taylor Smith got them close to a touchdown, but after an incomplete pass into the end zone, the juniors were unable to get a first down. The seniors’ offense took the field to end the game. “Beating the juniors was really fun, it was initiation for them. They put up a good fight,” Carter said. Both teams were coached by either a JV or varsity football player. It was up to them

to run practices, call plays, and get the girls ready for the game. “[The practices were] a little bit of playing around. It was just running plays, doing drills, and making sure everyone could catch. You’re trying to build team chemistry in four days,” Tuuholoaki said. According to Carter, the goal of the event is to show boys what it’s like to be cheerleaders and girls what it’s like to be football players In addition, Carter feels that the game is a way to prove that each sport takes a lot of work, but both can be done by either gender. “[Powderpuff] is one of the events that the students always remember,” Carter said.

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

“Similar” Schools’ average API scores Redondo’s API score

823

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

840

826

PHOTO BY MAX PITTMAN

API score continues to rise above other similar schools by Jessi Shipley

805

2008

773

2009

786

2010

797

2011

804

—Illustration by Aly Peet-Lukes

Flipped Football. 1. Junior Brittany Oldham runs from the defending senior. 2. Senior Kayla Patterson attempts to pull a flag off of junior Amanda Towler. 3. Senior Kevin Mendez, along with rest of the male cheerleaders, cheers on the senior girls team.

Redondo’s API score improved 14 points from 826 to 840. The Academic Performance Index (API) scoring is based on how well students do on their California Standardized Testing (CST) exams. The goal is to have all schools in the state attain a score of 800 points; however, Redondo has its sights set much higher. “It is the district’s goal for all schools to be in the 900s, [and] we are well on our way,” said Assistant Principal Mrs. Golden. The API is used to determine whether individual school performance is improving or declining over time. Scores have steadily increased from 787 to 840 over a span of six years. The API is also used to compare schools with other schools in the state that have similar demographics. The mean API score for schools most similar to Redondo is 804, indicating that Redondo is performing better than most schools that are considered most similar in demographics. The report is often

mistakenly used to compare RUHS with the schools in closest proximity. “What it comes down to is that people in this community look at our API score and judge us. It is important for Redondo to score well so we get the recognition and accolades that we deserve,” Golden said. According to Golden, students have not always taken the exams as seriously as possible, and in order for scores to improve, students must begin taking the exams seriously. “We need students to take the test seriously and realize it does matter. Teachers work tirelessly every year to ensure they cover all the material that is on the CST,” Golden said. According to Golden, improvements will come with new methods for teachers to teach. “I have no doubt they will do the same thing this year, using new and innovative strategies that promote student learning.” she said.

NEWS // OCTOBER 14, 2011

COLLEGE COUNTDOWN

College Fair. 1. Seniors Katie and Kelsey Woodson ask questions and are informed at the College Fair. “The College Fair is great. I got a bunch of new info about schools I want to apply to,” Katie said. 2. Senior Ryu Wattanabe consults with an expert at the El Camino College booth. 3. Senior Chris Bruno looks into Cal Poly Pomona. 4-5. Students were given over 130 different school options. 3.

PHOTOS BY ERINN MIDDO AND JULIE D’EATH

Theodorou chosen to be in a reality TV show Music teacher Philemon Theodorou was chosen to be on a reality television show where he would achieve his dream of becoming a conductor. He worked with football star Kurt Warner and a camera crew filmed his every move. He filmed for two weeks. At the end of the episode he was given the oppertunity to conduct a professional orchestra. Theodorou enjoyed the opportunity to tune his skills, but being secluded and unable to speak to his family was tough for him. On September 19th music teacher Philemon Theodorou began a series of tasks “There are a lot of pros and cons of having your dreams come true. You have in order to achieve his dream of becoming a conductor with football star Kurt to put so much time and energy in to it and something else has to suffer and for Warner with a camera crew at his side every step of me that was my family. I was in isolation, I couldn’t be the way. in contact with my wife or sons. I couldn’t make phone “I thought [working with Kurt Warner] was very calls I couldn’t use e-mail, nothing. It was interesting,” cool. His [life] story made me identify with the “There are a lot of pros and cons of he said. idea of making your dreams come true,” Theodorou His time in seclusion allowed him freedom to think having your dreams come true. You about where he is in life and his career in orchestrating. said. While filming the show Theodorous’s first task have to put so much time and energy “There were a couple times I was a little stir crazy. was to conduct a professional orchestra, with no But a lot of times I was really just processing it all. in to it and something else has to suf- You begin to think about other things, about your life time to prepare. Although Theodorou is used to conducting and fer and for me that was my family. I when you have time alone,” Theodorou said. has done it many times in the past he admits he While Theodorou believes he is now a better conwas in isolation, I couldn’t be in conductor is normally given more time to prepare before conhe admits that if the show airs it will have an tact with my wife or sons. I couldn’t effect on his life. ducting. “I had conducted before obviously but I was given make phone calls I couldn’t use email, “It was a chance to do something very different than much more time to prepare. I was a little surprised I had ever experienced. I really had to stretch myself but that’s part of a reality TV show,” Theodorou nothing. in terms of my comfort level with taking chances,” he said. said. —Philemon Theodorou According to Theoudorou after the surprise of Theodorou feels that he has not only improved his having to conduct an orchestra at the beginning of skill, but is very grateful for the opportunity he was his two weeks of filming he was completely ready to given. conduct one at the end of filming, this time with a “I definitely learned to be a better conductor and full house behind him and a panel of judges. the importance of being passionate about music. Be careful what you wish for— “I had a lot of time to prepare so I was really confident,” Theodorou said. you might get it,” Theodorou said. by Taylor Ballard

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NEWS// OCTOBER 14, 2011

Homecoming preparations Semper Presidents Christie Goodman and Perwana Nazif stay positive about the Homecoming theme, Sea Hawk Rock, despite minor production problems. The dance is tomorrow from 7:30-11. by Claire Tisius

For the past month Semper Comittee members have been preparing for Homecoming. They have spent most of their time brainstorming ideas for decorations and finding a D.J. All in preparation for the dance which takes place tomorrow, October 15th, 7:30 -11. This year’s Homecoming theme is Sea Hawk Rock. Although originally the theme was suppose to be Tribal, Semper ran into conflict with Administration, who believed the theme would prove to be inappropriate for the event. According to Semper co-presidents Perwana Nazif and Christie Goodman, with the little time they had left, they came up with a ‘50s theme. Originally Nazif was not happy with a 50’s themed dance. “I didn’t like it at first because it was cliché. I was hoping to bring a creative idea that was fresh and new. I don’t hate it, but I’m not in love with it,” she said. However, Semper has been receiving positive feedback from the student body about the theme. “This theme allows everyone to dress up in a different outfit: from greasers to preps, and from jocks to nerds. It’s an easy theme to decorate for and is easy for both guys and girls to dress up for,” senior Alessandra Ragusa said. Tickets start at $10 with ASB, and $15 without ASB. Friday, October 14 at 3:30, is the last day for students to purchase tickets. There will be no tickets sold at the dance. Semper has hired a new D.J. and granola bars and water will be provided at the dance. Students will receive a stamp after their first water bottle and granola

bar; if students wish to have a second on water or a granola bar they will have to pay for it. “We are hoping that not only does the dance do well, but that we also have a higher turnout than last year’s. The D.J. they had last year did not seem to be updated with the music at the time playing what can only be described as ‘rave music,’” said Nazif Nazif believes that last year’s theme was easy to set up decorations for, because it was neon. Goodman reports that Semper plans to dress the gym up like a diner, with checkered walls, jukeboxes, and old fashioned cars. Grease will be projected during the dance without any sound, so it does not interrupt the music. “We want people to know that when we mean ‘50s we are talking about things like the movie Grease, everything about that is ‘50s, so we are going to try and bring that vibe to the dance,” said Goodman. One difference in the decorations this year is that there will be no streamers. Being it is the first year Semper is using the small gym for Homecoming, they have been asked not to use the streamers. So, instead, stars tied to balloons will be the alternative. Another small obstacle is freshman do not believe they can come to the dance because there is no freshman court. Ms. Moon, Semper advisor, has asked Semper students to become enthusiastic around school to let freshman and other students know about the dance. “Homecoming is definitely a big dance especially since we only have two dances a year and this one all grades are allowed to go to,” said Goodman. “I think that a lot of people at Redondo do not look forward to Homecoming as much just because they think that its boring and that it doesn’t matter, but it is a tradition,”

3 Painting pride. 1. Freshman class president Madison East paints a sign for a homecoming float. The class councils are in charge of all of the floats. 2. Members of the senior class council as well as members of ASB and certain volunteers cover a wall of the senior float with pink handprints. 3. Senior Devin Nathan helps set up the senior class float.

Behind the scenes:

Building class floats Madison Hall Senior President “Senior year is the time to really wow people over the ﬂoat. We’ re going completely original and not really basing it off a movie or anything because we thought that would be too easy”

Emily Su Junior President “A lot of time has to be allotted for building the framework and deciding on and executing all the desired decorations.” Sanjay Mahboobani Sophomore President

“Our number one gail besides wining the competition is to get some spirit into the students in the crowd”

Madison East Freshman President “You have to keep telling yourself everything will come together; time goes by so fast when you are trying to create something like this”

OPINION // OCT. 14, 2011

API scores do not accurately reflect a school’s achievements Over the summer, schools’ they aren’t deemed relevant. It seems the educational system API scores were revealed. We is saying, “If it’s not on the test, it doesn’t really matter.” Cheating has increased as well. Last year, several charter all received an envelope with our scores but the results meant schools in LAUSD were under investigation for opening the test early and giving answers to their different things to different people. students. Whispers of inflated scoring Some students may have been proud; even circle the South Bay. some were upset; some really couldn’t Truth be told, API scores are not an care less. Overall, students don’t seem to take the API results seriously. Truth be told... [t]he accurate way of evaluating school perUnfortunately, the state sure takes formance. The strength of a certain strength of a certain school’s performance can not be defined them seriously. API results determine school’s performance by a three-digit number. the type and amount of funding a Currently, Gov. Jerry Brown is evaluschool may receive. High performing can not be defined by ating legislation that would steer Calischools receive more grants and aid; low a three-digit number. performing schools can be taken over or fornia away from reliance on API scores. Instead, the state will look at the school’s shut down. In this tumultuous economgraduation rate and amount of students ic climate, teachers’ jobs are in jeopardy that go onto college (http://www.siif their students don’t perform well. gnonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/03/ This leads to teachers teaching to the STAR Test in order to cement their own livelihoods. Students rethinking-school-assessment/). If this is adopted, all schools are missing out on creative lessons and fun experiences because will have a better opportunity to show their strengths.

Editorial

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High Tide // Staff Editor-in-Chief: Alison Peet-Lukes Managing Editors: Madeline Perrault; Meglyn Huber News Editors: Daniel Garzon; Jeremy Porr Opinion Editor: Shannon Bowman Features Editors: Taylor Ballard; Kimberly Chapman; Anacristina Gonzalez; Bethany Kawa; Tricia Light; Emma Uriarte Sports Editors: Tatiana Celentano; Julie Tran; Zach Zent Photo Editors: Erinn Middo; Jenny Oetzell Copy Editor: Camille Duong Cartoonist: Cooper Lovano Online Editor: Brianna Egan Staff Writers: Matthew Brancolini; Dylan Biggs; Taylor Brightwell; Torrey Bruger; Claire Chiara, Logan Collingwood; Navea Dasz; Mckenna Duffy; Camille Duong; Brandon Folkman; Dan Furmansky; Shivaani Gandhi; Hana Ghanim; Andrew Hazeltine; Cedric Hyon; Craig Ives; Ilana LaGraff; Vivian Lam; Anthony Leong; Cooper Lovano; Kayla Maanum; LeAnn Maanum; Isaiah Madison; Kylie Martin; Benjamin McLaughlin; Hayley Meyers; Madison Mitchell; Rachael Orford; Cameron Paulson; Alegra Peelor; Alejandro Quevedo; Jason Rochlin; Nancy Silva; Jessica Shipley; Taylor Sorensen; Savannah Stern; Hannah Son; Cody Williams Adviser: Mitch Ziegler The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body. This newspaper is wholly student managed, designed, and written newspaper that focuses on school and community events. The High Tide is published by the journalism class at Redondo Union High School, One Sea Hawk Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Advertising is $7.50 per column inch, $6.00 if paid in advance. Call (310)798-8665 ext. 2210. Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the staff writer of cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the High Tide staff.

Textbooks are outdated and should be replaced with modern advancements You go to class and it’s been the same thing for as long as you can remember. You sit down, your teacher takes roll, the class discusses a topic: nothing out of the by Dan Furmansky ordinary. So what’s missing? Class continues, your teacher probably passes out some handouts, and you get to work. Think back to registration. Right after you received your schedule you were instructed to go to the library and pick up the textbooks you needed for your classes. Textbooks. That’s what’s missing. When was the last time you opened one of those in class? According to many of the teachers at this school, the textbook has been pronounced dead. It has become obsolete. The feeling of those worn out, wrinkled, and mistreated pages are a thing of the past, replaced instead by crisp, clean photocopies of the required learning material for your class. “The presentation of textbook style learning isn’t as effective as it used to be,” says AP Government and Macroeconomics teacher Shannon Rodriguez. Rodriguez strongly believes that students become disengaged when the textbook is brought out because “we live in an age of discussion, reading, video, and application oriented activity.” “Your age group especially has grown up surrounded by technology,” she said. “Your generation is simply not drawn to the textbook.”

This being said, textbooks will not be missed as they become a thing of the past. We are moving forward and education should always be at the forefront of progress. Obsolete ways of educating young people should be replaced with newer, modern academic avenues. Teenagers’ lives revolve around technology. Why should school be any different? There is talk about moving schools in the direction of having all students adopt personal tablets instead of textbooks. The textbooks would become e-books and one would be able to carry the equivalent of six textbooks in one tablet that would weigh no more than three pounds. Ivy League schools and other private educational institutions around the country have already adopted this tablet method and have had great success. The problem is that textbooks are extremely limited in a time where education needs to be unlimited. Things are always changing, especially in education as new discoveries are made in various scientific, historical, and social fields. Instead of having to order new textbooks for each student, we would be able to update or download the latest version. This would obviously conserve an enormous amount of paper and education could put a much smaller dent in the environment. The future of education is something that should change with the times. Our parents spoke about libraries used for studying. We will speak about the internet. Who knows what our children will speak of next. Technology and science have progressed faster than anyone would have expected. The death of the textbook is just a product of natural selection in these technological times. It’s nothing personal, we’re just moving forward.

Red and White Carnival success At the end of fourth period on Tuesday, the booming pop music once again tipped students off that someby Anthony Leong thing a little more exciting than a normal lunch was going on. The Red and White Carnival was back, a fundraiser in which each club provides either fair games or food to raise money. Though it is always a pleasure to feel like a free man (if only for a moment) with meals and beverages from the outside world, the prices always make for reluctant buyer. Buying food at school always feels a bit like buying anything at Disneyland: everything is overpriced because there is no competition and ridiculous prices can be set. So although Jamba Juice and Panda Express were available, it didn’t feel quite like going to Jamba Juice or Panda Express because of the sheer magnitude of the difference in price. Pinkberry was overpriced as well. In any case, the selection was broad enough and everything remained quite available. Most students who waited in line were able to receive their intended snack, except big sellers like LBJ’s. The fair games were nearly as fetching as the food, but not quite. Water pong is fun, of course, but this schoolappropriate alternative cannot quite stand up to its counterpart. Handing out marriage certificates to teenagers seemed a bit like some cruel, ironic joke, though that game was almost certainly a big moneymaker. Heat-exhausted students had fun throwing water balloons at each other, too. Henna Club did henna as always, and Club F.I.T. held a fundraiser for cancer. The pie toss was back again, of course, but it seemed more fun when teachers were the targets rather than students. It may be fun to throw pies at your friends (or anyone, really), but being able to cream your teachers is a wholly unique opportunity. Overall, it is always nice to have an event during lunch. Eating some unexpected food with friends, playing carnival games–anything to distract from those droning hours. Anything to break that relentless routine. With events like the Red and White Carnival, at least some students won’t be thinking about that bell before it rings. They can go to sixth period a little more spent–and a little more satisfied.

OPINION // OCT. 14, 2011

Around

Redondo “Should creationist theory be included in school curriculum?” “No, because [creationism] shouldn’t be forced upon people.” —Mike Bentti

Pro

Should the theory of creationism be taught in schools alongside evolution theory?

How did life begin? What is the meaning of life? As an answer to such metaphysical questions, creationism holds that the universe and all living things have been purposefully created by an intellectual force. As a logical and scientific world view, it should be implemented into school curriculum. by Brianna Egan Creation theory claims the first cause of matter and energy in the universe: a Creator who designed life and the laws of the universe. Intricate design, function, and order from vast to minute levels implies a designer, and not chance (actionbioscience.org). Man’s ability to reason, man’s inherent moral code and self-consciousness, and even man’s search for existence–not to mention the idea of a Creator found in indigenous beliefs throughout the world–points to a Being that imparts it all. Creation theory belongs in the classroom. The Supreme Court case of Edwards v. Aguillard states that the unbiased teaching of non-Darwinian scientific theories alongside evolution is legally permitted but it must be actively enacted. There are a growing number of holes in evolution and the debate remains at the forefront of scientific research. Why should creationism lose even the benefit of examination? Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton alike were driven by their Christian beliefs in a Creator and thus sought after explanations to describe the physical world (allaboutscience.org). Their convictions and awe for an orderly, directed universe only advanced their contributions to science. Teaching creationism is simply a matter of fair science education––of portraying an alternative theory to evolution so students can themselves weigh the evidence and pursue their own ideas––not the textbook-writers.

9th “No. I feel like if you want to teach or learn about it, then it should be in private.”

Con

The US was founded on the idea of a separation between church and state. It’s strange that this issue has even been brought up and stayed relevant. Simply put, schools are government institutions and should not promote any religious ideology. by BenjaminMcLaughlin Creationism is a religious belief that stems from Christianity, so teaching it in schools would be promoting religious beliefs. This practice would clearly go against separation of church and state, and thus be unconstitutional. Schools can teach science, or knowledge covering general truths as obtained by the scientific method, not religious beliefs. Proponents of creationism state that evolution is as much of a religious belief as creationism, so it should not be taught in schools either. However this logic is clearly flawed because the Theory of Evolution is based on observation and the scientific method. As stated in the 1994 court case Peloza v. Capistrano School District, evolution is not a religious belief: it is a science, and it may be taught in school (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/peloza.html). Science must be measured through scientific methods, and creationism can not be observed or tested. Creationism is not science and this belief was upheld by the federal court case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (http://ncse.com/creationism/legal/intelligent-designtrial-kitzmiller-v-dover). Schools were created to teach science, not religion. Schools teach subject matter based on observation and critical thought. Creationism is based on faith and is better taught at home, not a federal institution.

—Izzy

12th

Guarrasi

“Yes. Evolution is taught in school so creationism should be, too.”

11th

—Hannah Vorndran

“Everybody is entitled to their own beliefs.”

12th

—Kris Martin

“No. I’m an athiest, so I don’t want to be taught that.”

10th

—Sierra Foshe

Compiled by Ilana LaGraff Photos by Andrew Hazeltine

FEATURES// OCT. 14, 2011

Dayin

day out

Lincoln spends most of her time as stage manager for drama dept.

by Hannah Son

When she arrives at school it is still dark, too early for most people to function. When she leaves far after the last school bell, it is dark. For junior Leanna Lincoln, everyday in high school is a drama. As the stage manager for the theater department, Lincoln takes on the “demanding” task of coordinating Redondo’s drama board. Everyday, Lincoln leaves for school at 6:10 a.m. and leaves the drama room at 6:05 p.m. “I have learned to rely on very little sleep, and do homework as quickly as possible,” Lincoln said. With her busy schedule, she still manages to always stay collected. “She is always one step ahead and some how gets to rehearsals before we even get there,” Drama club member Alessandra Ragusa said. After school, Lincoln gets to work behind-the-scenes where she feels the most gratification. “I enjoy more of the behind the scenes stuff like light, sound, stage management and stage crew,” Lincoln said. As stage manager, Lincoln’s job is to keep the theater running as smoothly as possible. She runs the behindthe-scenes elements and also helps the actors. “During the rehearsals, I am there if the actors do not remember what they say, or when there is a light change, I tell people when to go,” Lincoln said.

3. PHOTOS BY JENNY OETZELL

Besides cueing the actors, Lincoln is also in charge of “sheepherding” them and taking on the role of any absentee crew. Her “job” demands complete attention and commitment. “Leanna is one of the most assertive people I know. She will give you a line on the spot as soon as you ask for it,” Ragusa said. For Lincoln, being on stage is not as appealing as working offstage. “I enjoy being behind the scenes more because the actors have so much pressure to perform,” Lincoln said. After working with the actors during rehearsals everyday for three to four weeks straight, Lincoln’s favorite part of being a stage manager is when she can see growth in the Drama club’s actors. Although she has been involved in theater for two

Mama of drama. 1. Lincoln is helping actors practice falling. 2. Lincoln is turning the microphones on so that the actors can do their run through 3. Lincoln is “setdressing” the stage before the run through.

years, this is the first year Lincoln has taken on the role of stage manager. “Two years ago, I got the papers giving the job descriptions of the specific positions and stage manager just sounded really cool, I applied and did not get the position going into sophomore year, so this year, I applied again and got it,” Lincoln said. Lincoln believes that being a stage manager is not only her “job”, but her life. “I spend more time with my drama family than with my actually family,” Lincoln said. Stage management has shaped Lincoln’s life goals. “I want to go into something theater related for college, it is one of the only things that I find really fun,” Lincoln said.

Parsonsfindsbalancewithjobandfamily by Navea Dasz

She responds to parent emails, answers frequent phone calls, attends meetings, and directly assists the principal. Despite this, Principal Secretary Allison Parsons is a family oriented person who loves spending quality time with her family. Her family life is intertwined with her work life and her children have all attended RUHS. “I was always involved in their school so they were used to seeing me,” Parsons said. Parsons is helpfull with her children and works to applying it toward her work as well. “My primary job [as secretary] is to help people – students, parents, and staff members,” Parsons said. “I try to help people the best that I can. That’s probably my biggest responsibility, to just help people.” According to Parsons, she has come to love her job as the principal’s secretary, but did not plan on working in this field. Initially before getting hired as secretary, she planned to work with the district, in a job of her

background as Human Resources, but was asked to sub temporarily. “I ended up liking it so much that I never left,” Parsons said. Parsons loves working as secretary, but on the weekends, she loves spending time with her family. Some of their favorite pastimes include surfing on the beach every weekend, attending church weekly, and having barbecues. “[Surfing] is just relaxing and something to do with my family,” Parsons said. According to Parsons, she is always on the beach with her family, surfing, running and playing volleyball. “[The beach] is just a big part of our life,” she said. Parsons spends quality time with her family both through recreational activities and at home. They eat every meal together, because she feels that it’s “important to [them]”. According to Parsons, they are a tightly knit family. “I love my family and I love being around them,” Parsons said.

2. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLISON PARSONS

Family first. 1. Parson enjoys spending time with her family at the beach. 2. Parson loves to visit Hawaii with her family.

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

Three times the charm

by Navikka Dasz

Three times the laughs, three times the fun, three times the trouble. The Hsu triplets were born with an inexplicable, permanent bond. Sophomores Siena, Bella, and Gabby Hsu are thankful that they have each other and their strong bond. “We’re lucky because we have an instant connection. After 14 years together, they become a part of you,” Siena said. As triplets, one expects there may be a problem with sharing, but the sisters claim to have relatively few problems with the issue. Some of the main things they share are clothing and two rooms. “Because we’re triplets, over time you get used to sharing every part of your life, and it’s not so much of a sacrifice,” Bella said. The Hsu triplets also have similar interests, but are passionate about different things. They all share a love for music, but Gabby, who plays the guitar and sings, is the most passionate about music. Both Bella and Siena love to run and are part of the Cross Country team. Siena just recently promoted onto the Varsity team. “Before, I always felt I had to be compared to her, but I’m really proud of her [for making the team]. She’s really passionate about running,” Bella said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HSU FAMILY

The triplets may look alike and share similar interests but they differ in character. Bella is described by her sisters and friends as the more serious of the three and “the glue that holds them together”, Siena is more care-free and free-spirited. Gabby is shy but extremely talkative once she “warms up to you”, according to her sisters. Although all three girls attend RUHS, due to sickness, Gabby takes only two classes at the school and does the rest of her classes in Independent Study. She has one of her two classes, English, with her sister Siena. “It’s cool that one of the two classes I have, one of my sisters is in. It makes it so easier to get back to school,” Gabby said. Not attending school with one of their sisters was

The three musketeers. The Hsu triplets value each other’s friendship and company. They each have distinct personalities and interests.

something that Bella and Siena were not used to or comfortable with, but they were forced to accept it. “Everything in your life focuses around school, and when your sisters are not a part of that, it’s not something you’re used to,” Siena said. According to their close friend, sophomore Jessica Horoshack, the girls have the “closest relationship she’s ever seen” between siblings. Although they argue like any other siblings, they rarely fight, according to Bella. “We’re not just sisters, we’re best friends,” Siena said.

Burling pursues many hobbies by Torrey Brugger

From beading to reading, Athletic Administrative Assistant Kathy Burling enjoys a wide array of hobbies and interests. One of her favorite hobbies is collecting beads and making jewelry. She has a room in her house solely devoted to her bead collection. “I enjoy beads, there is a real beauty in them” Burling said. Burling uses her bead collection to make jewelry for her friends and family. She also makes other homemade presents by knitting and crocheting. “I always like receiving homemade gifts, and I like to make them as well, a lot of time goes into it. Giving a homemade gift is like saying ‘I love you’,” Burling said. Burling collects many things such as baskets beacuse she is really interested in the complexity of them. After taking a basket making class, she became more appreciative for basket makers because she realized how hard it actually is to make them. “My husband nearly dies every time I walk into the house with a new basket. I have over 100 of them,” Burling said. Burling has a passion for music and is extremely fascinated by politics. She follows political news online and listens to music up to six hours a day. Her musical interest ranges from rap, to indie, to metal to many oth-

er genres. Burling also considers herself an avid reader. “I read so much my husband believes I should go to a twelve step support group” she said. Among many other interests, Burling loves taking trips to the South Coast Botanical Gardens. Her and her husband have a membership at the Rolling Hills Botanical Gardens and visit it quite often. One day, Burling hopes to have a garden of her own. In addition to all of these hobbies, Burling is inspired by her love of learning to continue to take classes and gain new skills. Some of the classes she’s taken include ceramics, mosaic creating and calligraphy. “When I retire I am planning to learn to speak Italian and French. I also want to learn to play the piano,” said Burling. Along with her many diverse interests and activities, Burling loves her job at Redondo. “I love the students at Redondo. I don’t have any kids of my own, and something I have always liked to do was be around children.” According to Burling, her job at Redondo includes many responsibilities such as clearing students for sports activities, ordering buses for the school teams, ordering and distributing varsity letters, and accommodating the needs of any students, parents, faculty members, or coaches, regardless of athletic affiliation. “I like my job, because everyday is different,” she said.

2. ALL PHOTOS BY ERINN MIDDO

Multifarious interests. 1. Burling enjoys listening to all different kinds of music, ranging from rap to metal. 2. Burling collects baskets and owns over 100 of them.

FEATURES // SEPT. 30, 2011

Keeping the

Beat

Attig leads marching band by Emma Uriarte

Woolner drums in band by Anacristina Gonzalez

The stage lights slowly dim as the crowd begins to scream. A stream of gleaming light descends upon the lifeless stage. The light disappears, leaving the room pitch black. His nerves are quickly cast aside as he begins to play. The beating of his drum fills the room, resonating through the crowd’s chests. Junior Ryan Woolner’s passion for music shines through every time he performs. He is the drummer for his Indie rock band, the Kitsch. “I like to perform in front of people. I love getting to play as loud as I want,” Woolner said. Woolner stumbled upon his love for playing the drums while at church a couple of years ago. “I had always been interested in drums since I can remember. One day I went up to the drum set in church after everyone had left and I started playing and I loved it,” Woolner said.

He has also played the guitar for seven years. His favorite way to play is finger-style. “Instead of using a pick, you use your fingers to play multiple strings at once. It sounds more melodic that way,” Woolner said. Woolner took an interest in music at an early age. His mother and father introduced him to different genres and styles when he was young. “My dad plays blues on the guitar and my mom writes songs on the piano and sings. They’re the ones who inspired me to play,” Woolner said. Previous to playing the drums as a part of a band, Woolner had always played music alone. The experience of playing with other people has allowed him to grow musically. “I was kind of nervous, but excited [to be in a band]. I was excited to show people what we sounded like,” Woolner said.

The crowd’s roar dulls as the second quarter of the football game ends. The half-time show is about to begin and people look expectantly to the field. Senior Clay Attig takes a deep breath and puts on a smile. It’s show time. Attig is marching band’s new drum major. His inspiration to aim for this position is taken from a former drum major, Matt Cataldo. “He was a model to me and he was a good friend,” Attig said. “I wanted to be like him.” Aside from aspiring to be like his friend, Attig also strove to become drum major for personal reasons. “I wanted to have a role in the band because I thought I could make it better than it already was, and I like being a leader,” he said. Matt O’Connell, Attig’s assistant drum major, believes Attig has

already improved marching band. “He has allowed the freshman and even the upperclassmen to communicate with each other and become close,” O’Connell said. According to O’Connell, Attig’s leadership will enable the marching band to continue growing throughout the season. “He’s devoted to the band and because of it [marching band] will be able to get a lot of stuff done,” he said. “With Clay’s leadership there will be an improvement in band and we could place better in competitions.” Attig is in for a lot of hard work, but he is up for the challenge. “I’m ready for it. I love being able to help other students grow as musicians and also teach them about being better people as a result of being in marching band,” he said.

4. ALL PHOTOS BY JENNEY OETZEL

Taking the lead. 1. Senior Clay Attig fills the position of drum major. 2. Attig wants to improve the band as much as he can. 3-4. Attig enjoys being drum major.

Raise your

Voice

Sanchez expresses self through songwriting by Jeremy Porr

For senior Chelsey Sanchez everything about music is enticing. At age four she started playing guitar and at age eight she wrote her first song. “Since I was young my entire life has revolved around music, and I have had this great determination to succeed. I had a very tough childhood and I want to be the first in my family to prove myself,” Sanchez said. According to Sanchez, her parents have played a key role in her music career. “It’s a very risky career, but as I achieve more, they have become more supportive and confident about my decision,” Sanchez said. Sanchez had her first performance in her school’s second grade talent show. It was then she said that she found her true “purpose in life”. “I have always been a very shy girl. When I get on stage, I transform into someone different. I

turn into an energetic and outgoing performer,” Sanchez said. Sanchez’s main goal with her music career is not only to be successful, but also to inspire people along the way. “It’s really an incredible feeling when people come up to you after a performance and tell you that you have inspired them,” said Sanchez. Sanchez is currently working on an album when not busy with school. For Sanchez, writing her own music is not easy. “It takes a great amount of inspiration and a greater amount of discipline to write and compose music,” she said. Sanchez keeps a keen eye open for ideas or inspiration for her music at all times. “Inspiration can be found anywhere for me. As a songwriter, I view things a little differently. A simple conversation between two people can contain an interesting topic to write about,” Sanchez said.

FEATURES // SEPT. 30, 2011

Freshman band plays at House of Blues by Cole Greenbaun

As the crowd roared, the Side Effects nervously prepared for a performance they would remember for the rest of their lives. They took the stage and began to rock the house; The House of Blues that is. The Side Effects are a punk metal cover band made up by freshmen Jay Furusho, Jared Wallach, Carlos Suarez, Ben Brown, and Perry Corkos. This last summer they got the chance to play somewhere most musicians can only dream of playing: The House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.

“It was a little nerve-wracking at first but cool because so many big people have played on that stage,” drummer

Corkos said. Corkos’s mother had got them the gig through a man who booked cover bands for the House of Blues. They were asked to play on one of the themed nights, Best of the Best, along with some other bands. “It was cool to see all the other bands and to be backstage in the V.I.P room with them.” Suarez, one of the bands two guitarists, said. Overall, the band thought it was a success, but it was not their first performance. The Side Effects have been perform-

2. PHOTO COURTESY OF SIDE EFFECTS

PHOTO COURTESY OF SIDE EFFECTS

Rocking the house. 1. The Side Effects is a freshman band that has been playing together ever since their sixth grade year. Band members Jay Furusho, Jared Wallach, Carlos Suarez, Ben Brown, and Perry Corkos play punk metal covers of various bands. 2. Their performance at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip has been their best yet.

COVER STORY

OCT. 14, 2011

N, HAMILTO

by Vivian Lam and Kayla Maanum

Despite what many students like to believe, teachers do have lives outside of school. The friendships some teachers share improve their teaching experience. “[Having friends that are also teachers] makes work a fun place to be. We support each other. We have fun and help each other out,” said Spanish teacher Sandra Fowles. Friendships help make teaching easier, according to science teacher Holly Frame. “Because we share the same job we can relate to each other and share things that others not in the profession may not understand,” she said. English teacher Stephanie Geil agrees. “We can sympathize [about] what we’re going through in our lives,” Geil said. Another advantage of friendship in the workplace is collaborating school curriculum among teachers in the same department. “We will collaborate with each other. We share materials and new ideas,” Fowles said. These teachers feel they have learned from each other. “We’ve learned everything from classroom management to personal problems,” Geil said. While they do discuss teaching ideas and techniques, their relationship extends outside of work. “We have a lot of fun together. We have a really great relationship,” Fowles said. This close friendship helped some of the teachers transition into their new positions. “[Coming to the new school] was intimidating, but its nice to make friends,” Frame said. Many teachers agree that friendships enrich their work environment. “A really great group of people work at Redondo. I’m very grateful to work with [them],” Fowles said.

WILLIAMS ,A By Cedric Hyon

The transition from one teacher to the next can be a challenge for students, but English teachers Kim Akhavan and Leila Williams are trying to make it easier. They met around twice a week all last year to share ideas. “[We wanted] to make sure that honors was more unified from its prompts to assignments. This year the collaboration is a lot more simplified because all that work was done last year,” said Akhavan. All the English teachers have a calendar to make sure that they are on the same pace as the other teachers. However, Akhavan takes it a step further and finds out to what extent Williams will be teaching each subject so that she can do the same. “What Mrs. Akhavan mainly asks me is to what extent something needs to be taught. [For example], how deep should she go into teaching essay writing,” said Williams. Although Ahkavan feels that collaborating may be a hassle and doesn’t let her go at her own pace, she values the large part it can play in the students’ success. “I like to know that we all have the same goals and we’re all finding the best ways to work towards those. Sometimes it can be time consuming or tedious and the thing about collaborating is that it also means compromising, but that’s just the nature of our work,” Akhavan said. “I’m proud to hear from my students that have gone on to AP Language to say ‘Hey, I just got a really good grade on my essay!’ or ‘Hey, what you taught me in grammar last year really helped!’”

ILLUSTRATION BY NAVIKKA DASZ

NCHRONIZE A N SY AV

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

Out of the many teacher relationships at Redondo, the friendship between Cynthia Leathers and Kathryn Tillotson stands out as “especially close”. According to Leathers, she and Tillotson have supported each other from the beginning. “[Ms. Forester said she thought] we would hit it off, and she was right,” Leathers said. Tillotson agrees that they got along well and have been close friends ever since they were introduced. “It just quickly grew into a really close friendship and that’s how it’s always been,” she said. Leathers believes that their relationship grew because they spent so much time together. “You form strong bonds when you work together. It’s just natural,” she said. According to Leathers, her relationship with Tillotson has been supportive and helpful throughout her years as a teacher. “We help each other. If we’re dealing with something awkward or difficult, we will come to each other for advice,” Leathers said. “Teaching is hard and there’s a lot of support you need to give each other.” Their friendship still remains intact, despite Tillotson retiring, although they both agree they don’t see each other as often as before. “We’ve been through all sorts of things together,” Leathers said. Tillotson appreciates the friendliness and camaraderie among the faculty, especially on such a big campus. “It really makes a difference being at a high school when you feel connected with others,” she said. “You really feel like a part of what’s going on.”

SCHOOL D N

Friends at work. 1. Traci Hamilton plans on marrying fellow teacher Greg Fucci next year. 2. Spanish teachers Kathryn Tillotson and Cynthia Leathers at the 2011 banquet for the Vecinos y Amigos exchange program.

School may seem like an odd place for a teacher to find love, but it was the perfect place for math teacher Traci Hamilton. She fell in love with fellow teacher Greg Fucci after school at local restaurant On the Rocks. “He’s just a great guy,” she said. “He treats me really well and I love how he makes me laugh.” Although she has enjoyed their relationship for the past three and a half years, Hamilton says it has been an adjustment working in the same school as her fiancé. “Sometimes we spend too much time together,” she said. According to Hamilton, it is easy to talk about her problems with her students and work with Fucci. “It’s nice because when we talk about what’s going on, he knows and understands a little better,” she said. Hamilton observed reactions of both shock and happiness from her students when they found out about her engagement. “I don’t think it’s wrong were together. I just think they didn’t really see a math teacher and a history teacher getting together,” she said. Hamilton and Fucci are looking at the spring or summer of next year to say “I do”, but she feels that the fact that they are both teachers makes it difficult to set a date. “It’s hard to get time off work and go get married when you are both teachers,” she said. Even though she will have to wait to marry her school love, Hamilton doesn’t see an issue as long as they can be together. “I just love being engaged to him,” she said.

by Shivaani Gandhi and Mannal Haddad

LOSE

PHOTO COURTESY OF CYNTHIA LEATHERS

by Savannah Stern

SPANISH TE

STAY C

ENGAGED I C C

RS HE

LINKS

From an after school romance to an extensive collaboration within the English department, many teachers have established lasting relationships with their coworkers.

FACULTY

OCT. 14, 2011

FRIENDS

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

YOUNG MONEY Freshman Jared Hiram buys and sells stocks

by Madison Mitchell

While his classmates check their Facebook news feed, freshman Jared Hiram keeps a close watch on his stock investments. Hiram has made $22,000 throughout the past year from his investments in stocks. “I find [stock investing] an interesting way to make money,” Hiram said. Hiram currently owns three stocks, MAKO Surgical Company, Lululemon Athletics and Nuance Communications. He checks the stocks regularly to find any buy-in times, which is when the stock pattern holds a steady up keep. Stock investing can be very rewarding, but risks must be made to earn money, and buying an expensive stock may be a risk taken in order to get more money in the end, according to Hiram. “Investing in stocks has the risk of not knowing what the future will bring. It can either be a great day or a horrible one,” Hiram said. While investing in stocks is a risky way to make money, Hiram took the chance and for the most part has been successful. However, there were times when the risks he took did not work out. “I bought into FLW, Corning Inc., and Hasbro thinking they would go up, but they crashed,” Hiram said, “But when stocks are down, I watch t h e m all the time.”

Hiram uses the company, The Motley Fool to watch the stocks he invests in. They offer stock news and analysis to help find when stocks are at the best point to buy and sell. Hiram got interested in stocks about two years ago when he heard his friend, freshman Garrett Stribling, talking about the stocks he owned. Stribling started his investing experience through his family. “My dad and brother were investing in stocks first and were making a lot of money doing it and I wanted to join in on the fun,” Stribling said. Stribling currently owns stocks in Panera Bread and MAKO Surgical Company and in the past has invested in Apple and Chipotle. He uses TD Ameritrade to trades his stocks every week or month when they are doing well. While Stribling wants to use his money to buy a luxury car, Hiram does not have a specific plan for his money. He enjoys having the money he earns as a “sense of security in money” and wants to save it. “I like investing because it helps me stay filled in on what’s going on in the world. I will continue investing but a less intense as I grow o l d e r,” Hiram said.

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

DESERVING ND

Mr. Keye gives students a second chance to make up tests that they did poorly on by Andrew Czuzak

Physics teacher Matthew Keye had a hard time keeping up in his college physics courses. He remembered his obsession with passing, but can barely recall what he learned in the classes. “Students were more concerned with accumulating points in a class than mastering the skills,” Keye said. With retention and mastery of the subject in mind, Keye decided to introduce a new system called, “skills-based learning.” This “skills-based learning” puts more emphasis on mastering the skills by the end of the semester than performing well on tests. “I don’t give a grade for effort, I don’t give a grade for homework, I don’t give a grade for participation. I only care if you master the material,” Keye said. In addition, if students have a hard time mastering the skills in class, Keye offers reassessments that allow students to show their

OF A

2CHANCE?

skills through quizzes that test their mastery of the learning goals. “Reassessments give slower students the chance to learn at their own pace and really learn the subject,” he said. Junior Peter Doykos agrees that the reassessment system is beneficial to slower learning students. He feels that students learn more with the “skills-based learning.” “It encourages you to learn the general subject instead of memorizing answers for a test,” Doykos said. Since there are no consequences for reassessments, students will be able to master all learning goals and in turn get an “A”. Keye is optimistic that this emphasis on mastery will result in a life long understanding of the subject. “Understanding why the sky’s blue and the sunset’s red is more meaningful than the 95 percent you get in physics,” Keye said. PHOTO BY ERINN MIDDO

Clubs on campus fundraise for a cause by Jason Rochlin

PHOTO BY ERINN MIDDO

Fundraising. Members of the boys golf team (from left to right) Garrett Stribling, George Kurisaki, Nick Ettley, Justin Lee , and Brandon Wong, fundraise to pay for a coach and prepare for the Sea Hawk Golf Classic Tournament.

Students are making a difference both on and off campus, expanding their reach in the community and in society as a whole. The boys golf team, who is currently in its off-season, wants to hire a personal coach, Scott Hancock, from “The Lakes” at El Segundo so they can train for a fundraiser in Palos Verdes. The team fundraises every couple of weeks at Plaza El Segundo to raise money to help pay for the golf coach. Hancock is one of the golf pros at “The Lakes,” and is going to help the team perfect their skills. Freshman Mitchell Ring believes Hancock is a very valuable resource. “He will help with our swing and power and provide pointers,” Ring said. The boys golf team is holding another fundraiser on Monday, Oct. 24th, where the fourth annual Sea Hawk Golf Classic Tournament will take place at Palos Verdes Golf Club. The fundraiser honors alumnus Darren Marsee, class of 1999, who died six years ago from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The Darren Marsee Memorial Scholarship Fund provides five deserving seniors with financial support as they leave high school to pursue their dreams. While the golf team is supporting the future of the seniors, other clubs are supporting the future of children in other places. Freshman Winston Wong is a member of multiple clubs that raise money for a cause. He is a member of China Care, Key Club and Freshman Class Council. “In China Care, we are going to paint and sell rocks and ask people for donations. We will hold fundraisers at restaurants like Lazy Dog Café in Torrance to earn money that we will send to orphans in China,” Wong said. “The money will help provide medical care to those in need.” The Key Club, sponsored by Kiwanis International, performs acts of community service for children around the world. Key Club is asking people for donations for United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF). UNICEF works for children’s rights, survival, development and protection. “The world is benefiting from all these clubs. I think it’s great that these amazing clubs help improve the community and everywhere else,” Wong said.

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

AGAINST THE ODDS Ichiyama succeeds in basketball despite his short stature.

by Shannon Bowman

Doing your best at what you love is never easy, but obstacles are only as big – or as short – as you make them. Senior Jordan Ichiyama, has developed a love and talent for basketball despite his short stature. “I [sometimes] wish I was taller because it would be so much easier to do some of the more difficult things,” Ichiyama said. However, Ichiyama does not let his short stature stop him from playing as well as any of this other teammates. “I’ve never been unable to do a shot [because I’m short]. I either find a different way to shoot or pass it to an open teammate,” he said. Often, Ichiyama must practice different shots or alternative plays in order to stay competitive with his taller teammates. “I always need to find a way to get my shot off,” he said. He began playing at the age of five after being inspired by his sister Joylyn. “She played a lot, and I always wanted to play and be like her,” he said. Ichiyama enjoys basketball because it taps in to his competitive nature.

“I’m a competitive person,” he said. “I like playing in front of people.” To Ichiyama, practices are just lead ups to the game. “I just love the excitement,”

“It doesn’t matter that he’s short. He always plays like he’s bigger than he is. -Chris Henderson

”

Ichiyama said. Ichiyama is currently a point guard for the varsity basketball team. At 5’6’’, he is much shorter than his teammates and opponents, but he has never let this stop him from excelling at his favorite sport. Ichiyama’s friend and teammate Chris Henderson, junior, admires Ichiyama’s commitment to basketball.

From fashion to sports, sketches to essays, even the shortest stories need to be told.

“He’s just a great player to play with,” Henderson said. “He always tries his hardest no matter what.” Henderson feels Ichiyama is a great basketball player regardless of his height. “It doesn’t matter that he’s short. He always plays like he’s bigger than he is,” Henderson said. Many players on the team can dunk – except Ichiyama. He hopes to one day be able to, but his height makes the move a lot harder. “I wish I could dunk,” he said. “It looks fun to do and brings the crowd to their feet which adds momentum to our team.” Ichiyama often uses his height to his advantage, especially on the court facing the opposing team. “A lot of my opponents say [things like] ‘Put the short kid on the bench,’ or ‘You’re too short to play this game,’” he said. “They underestimate me and then I surprise them.” One of his best “surprises” was when he brought his team back in a tournament in Las Vegas, leaving to a win in overtime. “I was really excited to bring my team back,” he said. Although he loves bsasketball, Ichiyama has had to give up his dream of playing in college. “I’m too short,” he said.

SHORT

STORIES

2. ALL PHOTOS BY ERIN MIDDO

He shoots, he scores. 1. At 5’6’’, Ichiyama (left) stands next to his teammate Sebastain Lindner (right) who is 6’7’’. 2. Ichiyama plays pointgaurd on varsity basketball despite being the shortest member on the team. 3. Ichiyama practices to stay on the ball. 4. Ichiyama plays basketball inside and outside of the school’s court.

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

Read custom designs shorts for her peers by Cameron Paulson

What started as a hobby turned into a business and, hopefully, a profession in an extremely short amount of time. Junior Anjali Read starts a business altering and making shorts. “I really got the idea to design when I was in fourth or fifth grade,” Read said. Read’s designs are influenced by her family. Since creativity with clothes is the family business, she has been designing her whole life. “My grandfather was a designer; that really started me off,” she said. Her mother, Yamuna Read, brought her daughter into the family clothing business as a child, showing her the ropes. “Thrifting is something I’ve always done, so it’s taught her to be creativ,” Mrs. Read said. In this tough economy, Mrs. Read “I encourage her to be creative adn recycle clothes and use her resources. Now, Read alters, cuts, dyes, and shreds shorts for her family, friends, and anyone who wants them, always following the latesr

trends. “I follow blogs from Sweden and Poland, and in December or January of last year I found my inspiration for shorts,” Read said. “This girl [in the blog] had on a pair of black shorts and I thought to myself, I can make those.” Soon after putting some time and effort into her shorts she was selling them online and to her peers at school. “When I first started making shorts I would just shred them and rip them, but soon after I added studs and once that became popular it all took off from there,” Read said. “I started to bleach and dye the shorts with all different colors and styles. I put more time and effort into the shorts and it paid off.” Soon after Read’s shorts became a hit, she decided she wanted to

make shirts and expand her business from there. “My shorts funded me to print shirts, and now after making shirts, my shirts are funding me to make jackets,” Read said. “All I can do is go up from here.” Read is very passionate about her work and doesn’t see her creations as just something someone can wear. “The shorts and denim itself become a canvas,” Read said. “The possibilities are endless to what you can do with a piece of clothing.” For now Read will continue with her designing and styling, but some day she wishes to take it a step further. “As much as I love designing these clothes this is all for a portfolio to get into an art school,” Read said. “These are the stepping stones to my career. In addition to building a portfolio or for her own pleasure, she wants to inspire other young designers all over the world by designing her shorts. “I hope to make an impact on other people’s lives through my clothing,” Read said, “Knowing I inspired someone is the greatest

satisfaction.” Read aspires to be a professional designer or stylist when and views her design experience as a great stepping stone. “Later in life I want to be a fashion designer or a celebrity stylist,” Read said, “Either way, I’ll be doing what I love the most.” With much faith Read someday hopes to become a stylist for her idol Lady Gaga. “Any stylist would dream of working with her,” Read said.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANJALI READ

Sew cool. 1. Read bleaches, rips, and colors pairs of shorts for her friends. 2-3. One of Read’s favorite techniques is shredding her shorts.

Curtis Miller proves creative writing is no short process by Emma Uriarte

Writing can be a complicated event. It takes practice—and lots of it. Even writing the shortest story requires draft after draft to reach the final masterpiece. Student teacher Curtis Miller knows all about this development, perfecting his writing one try at a time and also helping stu-

dents become more interested in writing. In Miller’s busy schedule, he makes sure to fit in some time for writing. He is constantly working on drafts, changing things around, or fixing mistakes in his stories. “I write when I can, and on the rare occasion that I get something good and sharp, I send it

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZEL

Write on. Ahkavan’s student teacher Miller gives students tips for writing

out. I re-write as much as possible. Re-writing a piece will improve it by leaps and bounds,” Miller said. Although Miller teaches writing, he must work on his own writing consistently like any student works on essay-writing skills. “[Creative writing is] a constant reminder that I have work to do. Writing is a challenge, but it’s the fun homework, when I get the chance,” Miller said. Miller focuses on students with writing before he thinks about writing for himself. His experience with “good” English teachers made him want to be just as fascinating as they were. “I’ve been blessed by great teachers and teacher-writers throughout my life. They still inspire me,” he said. Whether or not from his good luck with teachers, Miller has been interested in writing since high school and throughout college. “My urge to write goes back pretty far. Writing stories for the High Tide gave me the chance to turn that urge into a week-to-week skill,” Miller said. “In college, I took classes in play-writing, fiction

and non-fiction.” Miller’s longtime interest has given him a lot of experience in writing, and he has experimented with many different forms. “I’ve been writing sketches, scenes and attempts at plays for a long time. Plays are my favorite— but boy, are they difficult. Writing stage dialogue is unbelievably tricky,” Miller said. Miller strives to help students with their essay writing so it doesn’t seem so tricky to them. “More and more, writing has driven me towards teaching. I’m pursuing teaching in the hope that I can help and encourage students with their writing,” he said. Sophomore Mckenna Duffy takes writing advice from Miller. “[Mr. Miller has] helped me develop better essay structure. He makes writing easier and more interesting,” Duffy said. Miller is using his experience in Ms. Ahkavan’s class to improve his teaching skills. “I‘m learning how to [teach]. Like anything, teaching has a learning curve. I’ve enjoyed it so far,” Miller said. “The students have responded well, and both of my Master Teachers have been superb mentors.”

According to Duffy, Miller continually gets better and better as the school year continues. “I believe he improves with every class he teaches,” Duffy said. Above all, Miller’s interest in teaching stems from his love for writing. Last year he even taught a free afterschool creative writing seminar. “I wanted to teach something that would be fun for me, and a blast for the students. [I wanted] to help students create their own writing community,” Miller said. “At its best, writing connects me with other people.” Because Miller has so much experience with writing, he always has advice for struggling writers. “Writing doesn’t yield immediate results. It takes time to develop a piece of writing into something sharp and insightful,” Miller said. “Improvement takes practice.” At the end of the day, Miller wants to keep students interested in writing, no matter what type. “[Some students] would rather swallow hot coals than discuss essay writing. I want to show student writers every trick in the book— which, hopefully, should keep it interesting,” Miller said.

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

t r A e h T n g i s e d h g u o r h t s e d i s e v i t a

e r c r i e h t e c a r b m e s t n e d u St Knoles conveys her eclectic state of mind through design by Hannah Ganhim

With her artistic abilities, her bright pink because there is a lot of artistic freedom but at hair, and her unique choices in clothing, junior the same time, I’m always pushed to do better Caia Knoles does not find it difficult to display than what I do now, technique wise and thinkher individuality. ing wise,” Knoles said. Knoles uses different mediums to decorate Knoles is influenced by Surrealist Salvador clothing as a form of expressing herself. She Dalí, Pop Surrealist Mark Ryden, and her good draws and paints on almost every item of cloth- friend junior Valerie Choi. ing she can get her hands on. “Valerie really encourages me and helps me “Usually I go to second-hand stores and look to improve in my art,” Knoles said. “Looking at for bags that have cool shapes and colors and her art really inspires me because of her creativity paint on them,” Knoles said. and skill. She makes me strive to better myself Although Knoles started designing to make in both [creativity and skill]. She’s also very enthings for herself, she has started to sell her prod- couraging when I’m feeling negative and when I ucts. She finished and sold items over the sum- want to give up.” mer and is currently Knoles and Choi working on more, have helped each even though her busy other to become betschedule limits the ter artists. amount of time she “I look up to her, can dedicate to her her artistic ability is passion for designing. incredible and in“Whenever I have spiring,” Choi said. free time [I work], but “I love the colorful —Valerie Choi my free time is kind world she creates of limited nowadays in her art. Her pas[because of school],” sion for art is contaKnoles said. gious.” According to Choi loves Knoles, she puts a lot of energy and effort into Knoles’s style because it is “vibrant” and “colorrepresenting her personality through her work. ful” and the fact that they have so much in com“I definitely try to express my eclecticness mon in regards to art and design has helped their and [love for] color in my art,” she said. friendship. Knoles gets her inspiration from her parents, “We can relate to each other because we both who are both fashion designers. have similar aims in life,” Choi said. “Both of my parents are creative and artistic, Knoles enjoys being creative and hopes to so I’ve always been in [an artistic] environment,” turn her passion for drawing on clothing into a Knoles said. career in animation. Knoles is grateful that her parents support “I want to keep [redesigning clothing] but I and understand her dream of designing. want to do it as a side job,” Knoles said. “I like it, “They help me, but [they] also criticize [my but I don’t want to be forced into doing it.” work] a lot to help me improve. They never put Knoles wants to be a storyboard artist for a me down,” she said children’s animation company. Choi is very supAccording to Knoles, in addition to her par- portive of Knoles’s career choice. ent’s critiques, AP Studio Art has helped her “I admire her passion for art and her aspirabuild upon her abilities. tions to work in animation,” Choi said. “Some“[AP Studio Art] helps me a lot with my art day I hope to work with her in Pixar.”

“I look up to her, her artistic ability is incredible and inspiring

”

Photos by Erinn Middo

Starting from scratch. 1. Knoles drew this design on to one of her bags after an inspiration from her daily life. 2. Knoles works on a new design which she has spent hours on.

FEATURES // OCT. 14, 2011

n g i s e D of

Yuen benifits from the fruits of his labor

Stacey attempts to add flair to beach culture

by Cody Williams

by Tayor Sorenson

Clothing can be a key aspect of self expression for many students, usually driven or stunted by whatever is sold on the racks of their favorite store. Senior Victor Yuen, seeing a problem with the limited choices he was once given, has decided to broaden his choices for clothing and start his own clothing line. Yuen has been designing and selling tshirts by himself for two years. His love and satisfaction for designing comes from seeing a finished product. The satisfaction keeps him, and his business, going. “My favorite thing about designing is just doodling and making my work become real.” Yuen said. “I love seeing people wear my art and appreciating what I do.” Michael Chang, junior, a student who wears Yuen’s t-shirts, is among one of the people who appreciates of Yuen’s work. “The shirts are good,” Chang said, “Considering that they are made by someone in high school.” Although Yuen gets a satisfaction from

seeing one of his finished t-shirts, he still feels a connection to his work. “A little bit is taken away from me,” Yuen said, “because of how much work I put into it.” Yuen’s t-shirt designs, which consist of simple symmetric designs, characters, and letters are a result of inspiration from larger and more popular companies. “Bigger companies I see inspire me when I see other people wear their products.” Even though Yuen’s shirt design and production is functional now, it got off to a rough start. “I failed,” Yuen said, “because I didn’t know what I was doing with the equipment I had.” Yuen’s production of over 150 t-shirts has made him view fashion design differently. “It has changed the way I see other types of products and work with the money I have. Right now I’m not sure what I want to do with my designing, I’ll go wherever it takes me,” Yuen said.

Pirrie emerges himself in graphic design by Logan Collingwood

As he stares at a blank canvas, senior Kye Pirrie gets to work adjusting layer attributes, color levels, font weights, and shadow angles. Although this is not a physical canvas, the results of his efforts appear just as they would if they were done with oil paints, crayons, or pencils. Pirrie mainly creates his graphics, logos, and other art projects using tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, which allow him to design vivid pieces of art. “The biggest reason why I was drawn to graphic design was because I don’t really draw, paint, or anything else like that. I wasn’t necessarily artistic enough,” Pirrie said. Because Pirrie was interested in learning graphic design at a young age, he was forced to learn how to use Photoshop and Illustrator by himself. “I learned by looking at other people’s work, and I wondered how I could do that myself. Once you figure out how [another

designer] does something, you can tweak it how you’d like,” Pirrie said. Pirrie sometimes feels as though his creativity is hindered by his technical abilities and often wishes to design a piece of art one way, but finds he does not yet know how to. “The creative aspect of [graphic design] is based off of taking what you’ve learned from other people and experimenting with it and failing a lot of times,” Pirrie said. His determination to mastering graphic design has made him stand out from other students and has enhanced his relationship with his media arts teacher Mark Sheehey. “He would always take my projects and go deeper with them,” Sheehey said. When Pirrie took the beginning media arts class last year, his talent was beneficial to the success of his classmates. “He would also go around and help out. He was very willing to help out anybody else in the class,” Sheehey said.

Photos by Victor Yuen and Erinn Middo

The road to design.1. Yuen, left, laughs with a friend while discussing his business 2. Stacey models one of his own shirt designs 3. Pirrie lves challenging himself when designing

Seniors Paul Stacey and Ronnie Cagigal have taken the necessary steps in starting a clothing line. According to Stacey, this has been a dream of his for a long time. “As a kid I’ve always been interested in designing and art, so soon enough, I found clothing as a way to express those feelings.” By mixing various styles together, Stacey and Cagigal hope to create a new style of dress which will appeal to all different types of people. “Were trying to make a company that’s different, but appeals to everybody.” Stacey said. The idea of Golden Coast began last year, when the two friends developed the idea of a clothing line where they could both express their artistic abilities. “We both felt that everyone was doing the same thing, and [we] needed a change.” Stacey and Cagigal have been close friends since childhood, and their partnership in the company has since brought them closer together. “It feels good knowing you have a partner you can rely on.” Stacey said. According to Stacey, operating the company will not be an easy task. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it knowing I’m being productive with my time.” Stacey’s family has been more than resourceful in aiding his dream in launching the company. “As far as the company stands, if it weren’t for my dad, we wouldn’t have been nearly as far along in getting things running,” said stacey. Both Stacey and Cagigal share a passion for creativity, and strive for success. Their next project for the company is to create a professional web site, which can be very costly. “The [website] is going to take a lot of work and money, but it’s necessary in spreading the company’s name.” Certain problems with finding the right designer have brought on much stress. Cagigal is keeping his fingers crossed that everything will work out. “We’re taking it step by step, and hoping for the best.” According to Stacey and Cagigal, Golden Coast L.A is a company which was designed to represent the everyday person. “Essentially, all we are trying to do is bring something new into everyday life here in the South Bay.”

SPORTS // OCT. 14, 2011

Water polo defeats West by Craig Ives

Boys’ water polo crushed West yesterday, defeating them with a score of 17 – 5. This was Redondo’s first Bay League win after a recent string of defeats, and Redondo now stands at nine wins and eight losses. Head coach Mark Rubke used the game against West as a chance to play almost everyone on the team. “I was interested to see how the younger players moved and how they responded,” Rubke said. “There were some poor passes and at other times they were too clumped together.” Despite many substitutions, Redondo quickly scored eight points in the first quarter, and nearly doubled that by the end of the third quarter. “It was an exciting game because we got to see everyone contribute,” sophomore Jonathan Ortiz said. According to Rubke, there was some poor shot selection and a few poor passes, but overall the players interact well and are willing to pass the ball to whoever is in the best position. “We need to work on our driving offense and countering the other team,” junior Michael Chang said. Both Ortiz and Chang agree that Adam Rudow has been a key team member who has been playing particularly well. According to Rubke, Rudow greatly assists the team with the energy of every play he performs in each game. The team will need that energy for their game against Mira Costa on Tuesday. Immediately after their victory the team was in the pool practicing for the Mira Costa match. “Mira Costa is going to be a huge challenge,” Rubke said. “We need to focus on our defensive counterattack and we need to be looking at how we respond to each situation in the pool.” Mira Costa is one of the three top teams in the Bay league, along with Peninsula and PV, and Redondo has yet to play all three for the second time. “Our prospects are not very good,” Rubke said. “It would take a phenomenal effort to the defeat those teams.” Part of the effort will be the usual morning practices, which start at 6:30 in the morning. According to Chang, the morning practices are worth it because of the extra practice and the chance to improve their strength. “My expectations for upcoming practices are very high,” Rubke said. “I’m looking for the willingness to push outside the comfort zone.” They also hav an important game against Brentwood coming up Thursday; a team Redondo is more evenly matched with. “It’s a matter of pride to play well against that team. All I can ask is that we play as well as they can,” Rubke said. According to Rubke, lately there has been a loss of commitment to getting better. “The team’s focus right now is: don’t give up on trying to get better,” Rubke said.

PHOTO BY VITORIA MAGNO

Last man treading. Senior Jacob Melendez anchors the boys’ water polo team with his leadership skills and perseverence.

SHARK IN THE WATER

Goalie Jacob Melendez’s determination in practice translates into ferocity in the game. by Colin Welch

First in the pool athlete of the issue// and last to leave, senior Jacob Melendez is a true competitor. Melendez is a tough captain that knows how to stay focused. “He never shows pain and always keeps his game face on,” head coach Mark Rubke said. The team feeds off of his energy as he blocks the shot on goal and throws the outlet pass. “[Melendez]’s outlet pass that starts the offense is what he does best,” Rubke said. These skills that make Melendez stand out were acquired from hard work in practice and determination in the pool. “He has progressively gotten better over the years and has dramatically improved during this season,” Rubke said. Rubke credits his goalkeeping skills to the hard work he puts in at practice. “[Melendez] has applied himself and improved dramatically in his goal keeping skills,” Rubke said. Water polo practice is half of his daily routine. A typical morning for Melendeaz starts at the 6:30 A.M practice, going over plays, followed by leg workouts with a medicine balls and resistance bands. To finish off the day

he goes a practice going over the plays once more. His routine on game day is mostly the same with extra lunge exercises on the goal and egg beaters out of the water, according

“

He fills a very, very important position and comes through in the clutch. -Mark Rubke

”

to Melendez. All of his preparations are makings of a good captain according to Makoski. “He spend so much time practicing his strategies, endurance, and passing that it sets a good example for the first year players,” Makoski said. Melendez was made captain possession because of his hard work. This position requires him to anchor his team and keep them persevering.

“The team can count on Jacob to make the smart decision and do it with precision,” Makoski said. Being capable of making important decisions are part of his job as captain to set a good example for the rest of the team, according to Melendez. “I need to make sure everyone is doing their part right and not giving up on the game because it will negatively affect the team,” Melendez said. As captain, the pressure to succeed and set the example is immense, according to Melendez. “The pressure to not make bad mistakes and knowing that every block counts when in a close game are the toughest,” he said. Despite the pressure, the memorable plays that keep Melendez engrossed in the game are when he can make an assist to a fellow teammate while the ball was still in the air. Melendez is unsure of what the future will bring for his water polo career but he will take the lessons he has learned on the team and use them daily. “The mistakes that I have learned from has helped me better understand why things [outside of water polo] happen as they do,” Melendez said. This two year varsity veteran knows the importance of his position and is always ready for a challenge. “He fills a very, very important position to his team and comes through in the clutch,”

SPORTS // OCT. 14, 2011

XC remains consistent by Kylie Martin

PHOTO BY ANDREW HAZELTINE

Perfect pitch. Freshman Cole Greenbaun and sophomore Matt O’Connell played trombone at a halt during the competition at West High.

Banding together for silver and gold by Allegra Peelor

The marching band and dance guard placed second in their division in their first tournament of the year, which took place at West High School on Oct. 1. The group’s overall score was based on three aspects of their performance: music, visuals, and effect on the audience. Although they lost in their division to Santa Monica High and Mira Costa won the whole tournament, band teacher Mark Aguero was quite pleased with their performance. “They were calm,” he said. “That poise and confidence really came through.” According to Aguero, the team only lost by about three and a half points, which is not an epic margin. “I am very pleased to be as close as were were to them,” he said. The group received the best score on the music portion of the competition. “The music alone is really challenging,”

he said. “Putting the music and marching routines together puts a lot of demand on them.” The group’s overall score was ten points less than Mira Costa’s, but, according to Aguero, generally the marching bands with more members score better. “You can get more impact, more energy, with a bigger group,” he said. There are 87 marching band and dance guard members, about a quarter of which are freshmen and half of which are juniors and seniors. However, Aguero said the young average age of the group did not come in to play very much at the tournament. According to drum major Clay Attig, the group practices a lot. “On Wednesdays, I’m at school from seven a.m. to eight p.m.,” he said. “I have to learn time management.” According to Hardy, dance guard practices about 32 hours per week in preparation for tournaments and other competitions.

“I definitely have a crazy schedule,” she said. The group received a higher score in this past tournament than they did in their first tournament last year, which, according to Aguero, is a good sign. However, he thinks the band still has some things to improve upon. “We need to finish our program, first of all,” he said. According to Aguero, the band has more than 50 pages of drill to keep working through before their next tournament. “We move more than most groups,” he said. Marching band and dance guard usually compete in eight to ten tournaments in the fall. Their next tournament is this Saturday at Newport Harbor. “Because we are still in learning mode, we just need to clean some stuff up,” said Aguero.

The boys’ and girls’ cross country team made a drastic improvement yesterday since their last Bay League meet. The girls placed first because of united team effort and striking individual improvement. The top runners for the girls were juniors Cara Ulizio and Kayla Ferron and seniors Lyndsey Mull and Rachel Bush. According to head coach Julie Ferron, Kayla Ferron made a big difference in yesterday’s race when the team really needed her. “Kayla has been struggling this season and really came through this performance and ran a race like we have known she is capable of,” Ferron said. Ferron believes Ulizio was the powerhouse of the team as the first runner to finish for them. “It always comes down to who wants it more, and we wanted it more,” Ferron said. “We wanted to show everyone what we are capable of and the great team that we really are.” The girls will be running at the Mt. Sac Invitational meet next Saturday. To prepare for the meet, the team will be working on closing the gap between their first and fifth runner so they can place better overall. The boys, on the other hand, placed fourth overall yesterday. “We ran a smarter and more tactical race. We had a plan and performed it well, and we didn’t give up on ourselves,” junior Evan Malone-White said. Malone-White believes that junior Garrett Klatte and senior Tyler Caracoza ran their best races yet and kept strong until reaching the finish line. Malone-White is satisfied with the amount of effort every runner put into the race. “It was one of those days where the ball doesn’t bounce your way,” Malone-White said. “ But the better we run as a team, the better we will do. We have to work hard, stay level-headed, and shake off our team place because we know we are better than that.”

Golf sweeps Chadwick in nonleague match by Isaiah Madison

Girls golf swept Chadwick at a nonleague match yesterday with a score of 289 to 239. The team improved from the last meet and was surprised to win. “The course was really hard and we were not expecting to do well but we really shocked ourselves.” senior Megan Cormier

said. Next Monday, the team will play their last duel meet against South. “ We expect the match to be a close one.” said Madison Mitchell. Following that, the girls will compete at Lakewood Golf Course on Wednesday in hopes of continuing their success. The season has been surprisingly success-

ful this year. Not only have they won many of their matches this year, but they have also become intensely united and well-organized as a team. “We are expecting to go for individual CIF as opposed to a team.” Cormier said. Junior Brittany Shankar, freshman Robyn Ree, and Cormier are among the girls expect ed to qualify for CIF playoffs this year.

PHOTO BY ANDREW HAZELTINE

Staying cool. Despite high heat, sophomore Dustin Harold placed fourth yesterday in the Bay League meet at Palos Verdes High.

SPORTS // OCT. 14, 2011

tale of two seasons Girls’ volleyball goes up against school rival Costa in an upsetting loss that sets their standing back in League.

by Haley Meyers

Mira Costa was the team that decided to show up last night which led Redondo to their first loss in League. After the second game Mira Costa had two wins on their side wih 17-25 and 10-25. At press time Redondo knew that they had to put their all into winning the third game in order to have a chance to win. In the third game Redondo suffered some simplistic tactical errors, according to senior Devon Bogart. “We had two times the passing errors as Costa,” said Bogart. The girl’s volleyball team is currently 6-10 overall and 3-1 in league play. Senior Ally Barry said losing to Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, and South in pre-league games and Mira Costa in League were “wake up calls”. “What the game comes down to is who makes less unforced errors and unfortunately we were not winning that battle,” coach Tommy Chaffins said. As shown in the fifth match against Mater Dei, the girls made nine unforced errors in the last fifteen-point game, which affected their next play focus.

“If we lose, we have to keep pushing each other,” said senior Tiffany Morales. These errors forced the players to work on first ball side-out efficiency and sharpening individual skills. Chaffins noticed a greater sense of urgency, improved chemistry on the court, and better execution in their most recent wins against West and Peninsula. Losing some of the experienced players this year caused the girls to hit a rough patch. “Because we have struggled having a consistent line-up we haven’t been able to get into a rhythm,” Barry said. Inconsistencies during practice convinced Chaffins to bench the starters in the game against Peninsula and play the second string who were out playing them. “It finally dawned on us that it is going to take all of us to win a game,” Barry said. The game against Costa is like no other match in Bay League to the team, according to Barry. “We can’t lose sight of what this match means for the rest of the season- it can give us the reassurance that we can play at the level that would win CIF. The game is just a matter of who can figure it out first,” Barry said.

photo by Paige Garnica

One last touch. Senior Devon Bogart tips the ball over the net against West opponent, in an away match.

Fighting against all odds by Diana Luna

Despite the heat, girls’ tennis had a ‘‘good’’ match against Mira Costa considering it was one of their few toughest opponents of the season. Although they lost 7-11, they were able to keep it close, according to coach Jessica Seibert. In the first set, they lost 4-6. The final score of the first round was lost 2-4 which really set the tone on the rest of the match. “We easily could have been up on them the other way around,” said Seibert. “They’re just a young team and they just

have a lot to learn.” Junior Lia Quilty and senior Christie Goodman walked away happy with their sweep on all three double sets, they both feel that they could improve on our strategies. We need to improve on our volleys, but other than that we’re doing great,” said Quilty. Sophomore Erin Shy had a tough second match so she was satisfied about winning two out of her three singles sets. She has been trying to keep her consistency on her serves, which she has recently been working on.

“I could have done better in my second match, [but] I’m happy how I played in my other two [matches],” Shy said. Next week, the team will face Torrance, Culver City, and Peninsula. They beat both Torrance and Culver on their last encounter and are expecting the same result as before. On the other hand, Peninsula is expected to be a crucial match. “[Beating] peninsula is going to be very, very tough knowing that peninsula is pretty much the best team around,” Seibert said.

photo by Jenny Oetzell

Resilience. Senior Christie Goodman plays in match aganst South.

SPORTS // OCT. 14, 2011

Bringing the pieces together

by Brandon Folkman

After a very strong effort against some tough pre-season opponents teams, the football team is confident going into the homecoming game and Bay League opener tomorrow against Peninsula according to senior Hunter Bradshaw. The team had the advantage of having a bye week before starting Bay League, which coach Gene Simon feels was a good chance to rest up and prepare for their upcoming game. However, Simon stresses that the team needs to stay focused by watching game film and improving their plays in order to win. “We try to review plays we aren’t running so well to improve, and also the plays we think we are running well,” Simon said. Simon feels that the team’s tough preseason schedule made the team more prepared to play their Bay League opponents. “Our guys have played against the very best players, and that makes them better individually,” Simon said. Simon also feels that the team’s effort against the top teams in the state has made the team more confident going into Bay League play.

“[The team’s effort] proved that [these teams] are not that much better than us. I think that it had a psychological benefit on the team,” Simon said. Quarterback sophomore Harrison Faecher believes that the upcoming game will be very important to the team’s season. “The first Bay League game is always important because it gives our team momentum going into the rest of our games, and to have it as the homecoming game makes it even better,” said Faecher. According to Bradshaw, the upcoming game could set the tone for the rest of the season for the team. “This game is the first one that really means anything. We are going to give it everything we have because we want to get a win for our school on homecoming night,” Bradshaw said. “We need to start off on the right foot.” Coach Simon agrees with Bradshaw that the team could use the upcoming game to build some momentum for the rest of the Bay League games. “To win a game is obviously a big boost, but to win a homecoming game and the first Bay League game is even bigger,” said Simon.

photo by Jenny Oetzell

Anticipation. Football team anticipates the snap of the football. Peninsula will attempt to use the snap-count as a weapon.

Play-by-Play R

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The I left lead right play (pictured right) will be run by peninsula several times, according to head coach Gene Simon. In the play, their fullback will attempt to block our buck linebacker, and their guards can block our defensive tackle and mike linebacker. We must attack their movement and knock their blocker backward as we keep our bodies lower and stronger than theirs and converge on their ballcaririer time and again preventing him from escaping through us, to the left of us, and to the right of us.

The Tee Bear Iowa (pictured left) is a play our football team likes to run in offense. In the play, we hand the ball to the back behind the quarterback who runs behind the left guard. The center and left guard double team the nose tackle while the left half back and left tackle block straight ahead along with the linemen on the right side. The quarterback carries out an option fake outside after the handoff.

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SPORTS // OCT. 14, 2011 by Alejandro Quevedo

Junior Shoon Shojima knew this was going to happen eventually. And when his parents started to talk about the move, he wasn’t too surprised by it. But now that his brother, Gyo, has left for Japan, he feels that a valuable partner and role-model has been pulled out of his life. “We did a lot of things together,” Shojima said. “Now that he’s gone its totally different. I’m still trying to adjust.” Gyo Shojima left for Japan in the fourth quarter of last year to take ad-

together. He took a lot of lessons from his brother and is doing what he can to apply them on-field.” As he watched his brother play football on-field and go through his life off-field, Shojima modeled himself after Gyo. By observing what his brother has done wrong and has succeeded in, he hopes to improve himself both as a player and a person. “I’ve seen his mistakes so I’m going to use him as a model which I will improve upon in order to improve myself,” Shojima said.

EMAINING STRONG

When I’m gone. Shoon poses next to the Redondo “R” near math hall. Although his brother moved to Japan, he continues the Shojima legacy.

Cheer looks to compete

vantage of another year of schooling before returning to the U.S., where he will be attending college. He plans to hone his playing skills over there and return to play college football with even more skill and experience. One of the main things that has helped Shojima succeed is the competition he and his older brother had between them. “He was someone I could look up to and try to beat, and he worked to not get beaten,” Shojima said. “It helped us both improve as players and made us stronger.” This competition between the between the brothers is visible to his teammates, such as senior Ryan Spiwak. “Shoon is a competitor,” Spiwak said. “And he’s become a better one because of how he and his brother competed and worked

His brother’s actions have now made some new possibilities for Shojima. He now debates over going straight to a four-year university after high school, going to junior college to play football for two years before attending to a fouryear, or following in his brother’s footsteps and going to Japan. He feels that whichever he chooses, he will be successful. “Our parents taught us to be independent so we could take care of ourselves,” Shojima said. “That’s how I know he will be doing well in Japan, and that’s how I know I will succeed.” Even now, Shojima’s friends and teammates can see his brother’s effect in him. “Gyo worked really hard every day and was very dependable on the field,” Spiwak said. “You can definitely see Gyo’s skills and effort in Shoon.”

PHOTO BY MAX PITTMAN

by Taylor Brightwell

A flyer prepares to be thrown up into the air, she maintains her balance and extends her arms as she smiles at her accomplishment. With 10 years of cheer experience and a paramedic license, Karen Bustillos becomes the new head cheer coach. According to senior captain Camera Carter and varsity squad juniors Suzie Benoit and Alyssa Crenshaw, Bustillos has dramatically challenged the team this year. “Stunt wise we are at a much higher level,” Carter said, “[Bustillos] pushes us a lot harder.” Crenshaw believes that mastering these stunts will help the team

become more like a family. “There are lots of new people this year and we haven’t bonded yet, but by December we will be one big happy family,” Crenshaw said. Bustillos knows the teams have the ability to accomplish these stunts. “The girls all have a strong foundation from the coach last year,” Bustillos said, “They get nervous sometimes, but when they are able to do it they are so happy.” After finishing paramedic school, Bustillos applied for the cheer coach position here at Redondo. She feels that her paramedic background is helpful whenever there is an injury but trusts the

girls to complete the stunts without hurting themselves. “We’ve had a few injuries, but we work though it,” Crenshaw said. With the addition of new stunts, Bustillos is also trying to start cheering in competitions. “I have never competed and I think it would be cool, we’ve improved a lot and I think we have a chance at placing,” Benoit said. According to Bustillos the girls have the technique and ability to do really well. “Competing would be awesome,” Crenshaw said, “We have worked so hard for the past few months and I think we would be great in competition.”

PHOTO BY ANJALI READ

Flying towards victory. Varsity cheer performs at the game show rally last Thursday. The squad looks to compete with the addition of their new coach.