High Tide Oct. 19, 2013

HIGH

TIDE

Is it worth the risk?

Junior Ilana Golub is conducting a reasearch project with a USC Ph.D. candidate in order to find out about risk-taking in teens.

Redondo Beach, CA // Redondo Union High School Oct. 19, 2013 2013 // Vol. XCIV // Edition 3

p. 7 //

Senior Gaby Bruno had a heart surgery that enabled her to pursue acting.

Emma Waldinger plays guitar p. 14 // Sophomore p. 16 // in a punk band.

[story on page 12]

PHOTO BY JASON CLEBOWICZ ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGELA KIM

The marching band placed third in their competition at Newport on Saturday.

Photos of the week Homecoming

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE

Lights, camera, improv. Improv club gets together in the performing arts center to practice what could be possible bit ideas for the ComedySportz competition.

PHOTOS BY LINDSEY CALLAHAN

A night to remember. Students gathered in the small gym to dawn their masquerade masks and dance with their friends, celebrating the end of homecoming week.

Red and White Carnival

by Shaniya Markalanda

Clubs with a cause. Clubs congregated in front of the Student Union on Thursday, Oct. 10 to serve food ranging from teriyaki chicken, fish tacos, boba, juice (pictured below), dumplings, chicken katsu (pictured right), and more.

PHOTOS BY JASON CLEBOWICZ

Powderpuff Game

1.

2.

PHOTOS BY MATT MARDESICH

Untraditional gender rolls. 1. The boy cheerleaders, dressed in their drag outfits, come together to discuss how they plan to cheer on the playing team. 2. The girls played football for the Powderpuff game, staying true to a national and school tradition.

2 HIGH TIDE . NEWS

Improvisation club grows Improv club has significantly risen its numbers from 18 to 40 members in the past year. They are also going to start competting in ComedySportz.

“All these people are coming and we had different people coming each day, which is really cool,” said club president Jane Witzenburg.

Last year, when the club president stopped attending and few members joined, Witzenburg took over.

Though an increase in members opens up opportunities for the club, it also brings forth new challenges.

“Especially with all these new people this year, we’re really trying to get rules in place just so we can make it professional. Sometimes the new people talk more and they’re not as focused,” said Witzenburg.

Duke Robinson, a member of the club since last April, believes an increase in members will bring more possibilities.

“More people means more minds working and thinking together,” Robinson said.

Both Robinson and Witzenburg agree that with more members comes more potential.

“As the semester goes on, less people will come, but because we have so many now, there are so many more possibilities and so much more talent,” said Witzenburg.

According to Witzenburg, with more members bonding may be a challenge.

“We do things to help us all come together so everybody feels comfortable; and if you feel comfortable, you’re more likely to actually try and actually participate,” said Witzenburg.

For these reasons, Witzenburg emphasizes the goal of making everyone feel like they belong.

“I want everybody to feel like they fit in somewhere. I always had a problem with that when I was first getting here,” Witzenburg said.

Robinson agrees that with a bigger club, a comfortable environment is crucial to the club’s success.

“Improv. is a fun way to express yourself without anyone judging you,” said Robinson. “I can be myself in a comfortable environment where other people are being themselves.”

In addition to bonding, the club hopes to compete in ComedySportz, an improvisational comedy where multiple performers compete by acting according to audience proposals.

“I feel confident that our club can go far in ComedySportz. We are comfortable around each other and we have some bright new members this year.” said Robinson.

With a larger club the options for the competition are greater.

“The bigger the club, the more likely we can get more talent in smaller teams,” said Witzenburg.

Witzenburg believes the club is beneficial for its many members.

“Improv. is a club designed to help you think on your feet and develop public speaking skills. It’s something that can help you in anything you do,” Witzenburg said.

Robinson agrees with Witzenburg.

“Improv. Club is a club for people who want to grow and find themselves in a whole new way. Express yourself in ways you never thought of,” said Robinson.

According to Witzenburg, Improv. also provides its members with life skills.

“Improv. is really good if you want to work on your public speaking skills. When you’re learning improvisation, you’re learning how to speak for yourself,” said Witzenburg. “All these theatre things they later in life. If you want an interview for a job, it’s really great to have all these things on your back because it makes you ready.”

Robinson encourages others to try the club as well.

“Just do it. Try it,” Witzenburg said. “If you never try it, you’ll never know.”

Gatorade supports Redondo sports

by Roxanne Labot

PHOTOS BY JASON CLEBOWITZ

Deal of a lifetime. With Gatorade being a major sponsor for Redondo sports teams, many of these Gatorade containors (pictured above) can be found around the school.

Gatorade provided free samples of their products to RUHS athletes last month through the G Week Program.

G Week stressed the importance of taking proper care of one’s body in order to perform at one’s best.

“Athletes were given a five to ten-minute talk about what the products were and how to use them,” Athletics Director Andy Saltsman said.

The talk preceded an opportunity to try natural energy chews, Gatorade drink samples, and take-home protein shakes. “[Gatorade products] were given to anyone who came to the table near the visitors football stand,” Saltsman said.

Gatorade products are said to help replace fluids and electrolytes that are lost through perspiration therefore hydrating and restoring the body for improved performance.

“High-level athletes definitely understand the purpose behind Gatorade and what it does,” Saltsman said. “There were some kids who were [just] happy to get free products.”

A few of the athletes who participated in G Week were sophomore Romy Moreno of the JV softball team and junior Zac Harris of the varsity football team.

“I really liked the fact that they were giving us these products that we’ve never heard of for free,” Moreno said. “but I don’t think it helped [my athletic performance].”

Harris had a different opinion of G Week

however.

“I felt that having the Gatorade people come and support all of our sports programs was awesome,” Harris said.

Saltsman explained that the correct use of Gatorade products over time would benefit athletes more than if they were to use them for only one day, and the overall response to Gatorade’s G Week at school was positive.

“Everyone was really grateful and thankful to our department and Gatorade,” Saltsman said.

Gatorade’s donations stem back to the company’s partnership with the school. The Nike Football Clinic and some basketball tournaments are sponsored by the company.

“We used to have Coke products in our snack bars on campus, but we switched to Pepsi because they own Gatorade,” Saltsman said.

RUHS is not the only school that gets to benefit from Gatorade’s G Week. Gatorade representatives have given talks and free product samples to other select schools across the nation. “[The program] was for multiple schools,” Saltsman said. “[During G Week], students got to learn the science of Gatorade.”

The partnership started out by filling our school’s coolers, carts, and cups with Gatorade during a few athletic events, and has blossomed into a benefit for both the company and RUHS. “[Gatorade is] taking the time to talk to the kids,” Saltsman said. “[The partnership] brings events to our facilities.”

Teachers learn new software for assessment

by Vivian Lam

A new technology, Illuminate, will soon become the dominant software for teachers thanks to its more advanced capability in judging students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Math teacher Tim Baumgartner, web design teacher Gail Redono, and social science teacher Michael Henges attended meetings to learn how to use the new software with other teachers in the district.

“One of the nicest things is that when we get to do a multiple choice test, we are able to get results quickly, as well as being able to analyze how students are doing on different standards,” Baumgartner said.

Teachers are able to access students’ previous testing scores, such as STAR tests and the CAHSEE. From those previous results, teachers can understand what their students need help on.

“Rather than taking few months and learning their strengths and weaknesses, teachers have the option to go back to previous years and see their students’ results,” Baumgartner said. “[Illuminate] can speed up the process [of ] personalizing [the teacher’s] instruction to help improve any weaknesses the students have.”

Illuminate can analyze the results of students’ scores and clearly show the teachers how capable the students are in learning the concepts.

“We can align the test with different standards so we know which questions covers which standards and get quick results,” Baumgartner said. “It will help determine whether [teachers need to] go back and reteach some standards.”

Teachers can immediately get results by using the Illuminate software to analyze the tests under a document camera.

“With the new software, all teachers will be having a new camera hooked up to their computer and they’ll be able to scan the [quiz or test] themselves,” Redono said.

“Students will know right then how they did. However, not all teachers will have the students check, because you don’t want everyone to know how you did.”

According to Redono, the new software is “much easier” to understand than the old software called Edusoft, which had been used for the past four or five years.

“It’s all the same data whether it is the old program or the new program. It’s how [the data] is presented to whoever is looking at

it,” Redono said. “Let’s say a student scored proficient on a certain test. [Illuminate] then breaks it up into the different generalized concepts under that test so we can see ‘Oh. On this concept, they’re actually advanced, but on this one, they’re way below basic,’ much more easily. It was harder before.”

Although Edusoft and Illuminate have the same content, it is the “very simple” things that make a difference to the teachers.

“Not only can you see the grade in the [Illuminate] reports, but it’s also colorcoded,” Redono said. “Looking at a whole bunch of black text on white is just boring and hard to see.”

Henges finds Illuminate to be very useful.

“I want to know what it is they are having trouble with,” Henges said. “That way when I review the test with them, I can just really focus on the important areas and not waste time on the areas where most students understood.”

According to Henges, the software probably won’t be widely used until second semester.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE

Time for an improvement. Baumgartner shows off some of his current classroom technology which he can use to take notes on a lesson or assignment.

“I’d say [the reaction] is mostly positive,” Henges said. “However, there are always going to be people who are uncomfortable with certain technologies who might take longer to come around.”

3 HIGH TIDE . NEWS

EDITORIAL

Should administration start monitoring students’ social media for bullying?

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about monirtoring social media to prevent bullying and cyberbullying.

This is absolutely unacceptable, even if it is for a noble cause, as it is invasive and unessecary.

The only reason administration should monitor students’ social networking is if they have reason to believe that a particular person is participating in something that is illegal or violates school policy. Any other activity on social media, hurtful or otherwise, is between the parties involved.

Instead, they would be viewing the statuses of students and sticking their noses into things that don’t concern them in an attempt to possibly weed out some sort of bullying. It is very unlikely that real bullying can be caught and prevented online, and even less likely that intervention in this way will adequately deter bullying.

If a student has a problem with bullying or cyber bullying, it should be their responsibility to bring it to the attention of administration. It should not be the other way around, where administration fishes for possible bullying that is happening and brings the issue to the students involved.

Although many students can be embarassed or scared to admit that they are being bullied, it is not administration’s job to play internet policeman. Administration’s efforts would be better served raising aware-

ness about bullying and stadning up to bullys rather than working from the shadows.

Students on social networks can be rude, irritating, and inappropriate towards other students, more so than they would actually be in real life. These accounts are not always an accurate representation of a person’s charcter in reality.

People on social networks may say things they don’t actually mean to other people.

Some may be called names and receive hateful messages. These comments should not be taken seriously, and may lead to a student being wrongly accused of bullying.

Regardless of the person, when people sign up for a social network, they subject themselves to the judgement of their peers.

That is the entire point of social networking when it is broken down: to be judged by peers. Given, everybody wants to be judged in a positive way. But that doesn’t always happen.

When somebody doesn’t get judged in a positive way over the internet, it is nobody’s fault but theirs. They chose to post themselves online for the world to see. The person and that person alone should be responsible for defending his or herself.

If cyber bullying gets to the point that it is a serious problem for the person, it is their responsibility to alert administration of the problem and let administration take it from there. If the bullying persists, then the po-

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSPEH BIESCHKE

lice may also be contacted to intervene, and in many cases it is better to go directly to the pepetrator’s parents.

It is okay for administration to look through a student’s social media, given that they have reason to believe that person is taking part in bullying another. This would mean administration would be directly contacted by a student, parent or teacher and ,therefore, students’ privacy would remain intact.

It is, however, not acceptable for administration to suddenly know that “John Smith is in a relationship with somebody” because they were looking through John Smith’s profile to see if he was bullying. If administration has the power to monitor for bullying, than they are also monitoring any and all other activity on a student’s social media account.

This kind of invasion of privacy without any reason at all is unethical and should not be practiced at any time. Simply because it is a student’s online profile does not make it any less private, and just as much respect should be given to these accounts.

It is not the school’s responsibility to monitor the personal life of students, it is the school’s responsibility to make sure that each student has a healthy environment to learn in. If the school has no reason to believe that a student is not in a healthy learning environment for whatever reason, administration should not stick their noses in matters that do not concern them.

WHAT WE THINK Students’ social media accounts should not be monitored, as it infringes on their privacy .

15 No, admin. should not be allowed to monitor social media.

By the

0

numbers

Editorial

Yes, social media should be monitored to help prevent bullying.

AROUND REDONDO Should administration start monitoring students’ social media?

by Cody Williams

“

– HANNA SAPPINGTON, 9

“

“Yes, as long as they stay out of personal things like pictures.”

– TASJE GEORGE ALLEN,12

“

“

– ZAUASH DEHMIRI, 12

“

“Yes, because bullying is potentially hurtful but they should have limits to what they have access to.”

“

“No, we have our own privacy that they don’t need to see or get involved in.”

– FERNANDO GARCIA, 11

“

“

““No because things like Facebook are our personal information that they don’t need to look at”

PHOTOS BY JASON CLEBOWICZ

4 HIGH TIDE . OPINION

PRO:

Letters to the

Editor

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

We reserve the right to edit them for content, grammar, and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed.

HIGH TIDE

STAFF

Editors in Chief: Cedric Hyon; Allegra

Peelor Managing Editor: Alejandro Quevedo News Director: Jason Rochlin Health & Entertainment Director: Alejandro Quevedo Features Director: Cedric Hyon Sports Director: Allegra Peelor News Editor: Jason Rochlin Opinion Editors: Yasmeen El-Hasan; Chance King Features Editors: Grace Zoerner; Kayla Nicholls; Kira Bowen; Shawn Mallen; Stella Gianoukakis Sports Editors: Ted Cavus; Micah Ezzes Photo Editors: Tyler Eisenhart; Justin Lee Copy Editors Deborah Chang; Angela Kim; Romy Moreno Illustrator: Joseph Bieschke Online Editors: Vivian Lam; Kayla Maanum Staff Writers: Lauryn Alejo; Joseph Blakely; Jennie Bao; Caitlyn Catubig; Jason Clebowicz; Caitlin Cochran; Lauren Diethelm; Jason Fong; Vaidehi Gandhi; Nina Gomez; Kelly Harraka; Caterina Hyneman; Eli Jarmel; Stephanie Lai; Sophie Maguy; Shaniya Markalanda; Marie Ona; Chris Paludi; Phoebe Reneau; Jené Price; Amanda Ross; Chandler Ross; Sophia Ruffo; Reema Saad; Amanda Shaw; Laura Smith; John Webb; Luma Wegman; Cody Williams The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

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

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

Signed commenatries and editorial cartoons prepresent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the High Tide staff.

John Webb

Classroom drug searches are necessary to keep the school safe.

The school has allowed the police to bring drug dogs on campus for a while now, but lately the school has expanded their reach with the dogs now being allowed to search inside classrooms for up to three minutes.

Some people are upset by this and view it as a violation of their rights, but it is not for several reasons.

A common misconception is that by allowing the dogs inside classrooms, the school is giving them permission to thoroughly search a room and everything in it, but that is not what they are doing. They are simply walking the dogs through the halls, as usual, but if the dogs smell something in a nearby class, the police officers with them are allowed to go in the class and have the

dogs sniff anything suspicious. The dogs are not sniffing people, and the police are not looting through students’ personal belongings.

An analogy that can explain this is when someone walks into a mall. They suddenly smell popcorn, so they stop and go find where it is so they can have some. It is the same basic idea, except the dogs are alerting the proper authority figures to something illegal rather than a snack. The dogs were always allowed in school, and the school was always allowed to check backpacks, this just makes it easier for the school to find the right backpacks to search.

Another misconception that the school wants to avoid is that students often think they are trying to catch them in the act, but that is is not their goal. They just want to keep those who might ever want to bring drugs to school in the mindset that they should not because they could get in trouble, so there is not anything illegal in the school.

Even if someone does get in trouble, they can go to rehab and get their suspension lessened. So this is not another way to catch students and punish them, this is another way to prevent students from harming

themselves and the rest of the school preventing the drugs from being on campus in the first place.

There is no harm to anyone who is not doing anything wrong. These searches could improve the school’s reputation and help keep our campus respectable.

Although there is the risk of students carrying non-perscription drugs, such as Tylenol and Advil, getting searched, this risk is necessary in order to ensure the safety of the students at RUHS. There is no harm that could come out of this unless someone is carrying illegal drugs on them, and they could be caught with it in their lockers anyway. They can lessen their punishment easily being caught, so there is no reason to dislike this change, despite any slight inconveniences that may come out of a dog disrupting a class period.

Overall, the main points to take from this change are these: it is not a search, just a walk through campus and the dogs will not enter the room without good reason and the school is not out to get anyone. The only thing anyone wants is to make the school a nicer place, and that is exactly what this will accomplish as long as everything goes as planned.

room could disrupt these efforts and make it very difficult for teachers to regain control over the then-distracted students. They wouldn’t be able to plan their lesson around these kinds of searches either, because administration has stated that they do not plan on informing teachers when these searches will take place.

There is also the distinct possibility that these dogs could detect legal drugs and single out a student for possession of some Aspirin, Tylenol or other perscription drugs.

Many students will also be singled out ,being wrongfully labeled by their peers despite possible innocence. This could lead to social rejection of the student whether they were in possession of illegal drugs or not.

The main motivation for bringing drug searches into the classrooms is to deter drug users from bringing drugs to school.

The problem is that these searches do not solve the problem of students using and storing drugs off-campus, where the school can legally do nothing about it. Instead, innocent students’ privacy will be invaded by searches intended to find drug users who, at

this point, would not bring drugs to school.

There is also the flaw in the deterrent that students are aware of the presence of police officers and drug dogs, yet continue to use or distribute them at school. This suggests that simply extending the jurisdiction of the drug searches will not convince the majority of users that drugs aren’t worth it, but are rather yet another obstacle to overcome by hiding drugs elsewhere or discussing them more thoroughly.

The drug searches here at the school need to stay confined to proper investigation and use of dogs on lockers. Bringing them into classrooms will only disrupt education at the school and serve as a minimal deterrent for students in possession of drugs. If a student is suspected of drug possession by suspicious behavior or locker investigations they need to be checked before or after their classes to minimize problems with interrupting a class.

All that bringing drug-sniffing dogs into class does is disrupt the orderly functions of the school and defeat the purpose of students studying in a class: to work in a distraction-free learning environment.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSPEH BIESCHKE

CON: Shaw Coneybeare

Classroom drug dog searches are invasive, disruptive, and ineffective.

The school board has recently decided that in order to combat the presence of drugs in schools, it is necessary to permit the use of drug-sniffing dogs to detect drugs from backpacks as well as lockers. Due to the fact that during these types of searches most students are in class, the dogs would therefore be permitted in classrooms to search for drugs during class time.

There are a number of issues presented with a policy like this, the least of which being class disruption. The teachers have to work very hard to acquire and maintain the attention of their students, and the introduction of random searches into the class-

5 HIGH TIDE . OPINION

compiled by Phoebe Reneau

Healthy heart tips

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in men and women today. Heart disease can often lead to a heart-attack, congestive heart failure, and other serious, heart related problems that often lead to death. The risks, however, can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight and diet, regular amounts of exercise, and a healthy level of cholesterol and blood pressure.

Setting up steps to make your hearthealthy has many benefits including avoiding heart disease. Being healthy can give you more energy. Through nutritious eating and good exercise, you avoid feeling sluggish.

Being healthy can also increase happiness. since those who are healthier are less susceptible to unnecessary stress. Staying hearthealthy is necessary for individuals to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a positive life.

Eating a wide range of healthy foods, cooked in a nutritious way. Colored fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen with no butter sauce should be consumed regularly.

Fish and shellfish are a much healthier option of protein than fried chicken, bacon, and sausage, which should be kept at a limited consumption, because of their high fat intake.

Engaging in regular physical activity can extremely lower people’s risk of heart problems. People who are physically active for about seven hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active less than 30 minutes a week.

6 HIGH TIDE . HEALTH

Common snack foods such as chips or cookies can be replaced with fruits, or a high source of protein, such as nuts or sunflower seeds. Instead of unhealthy energy drinks or soda, a home-made fruit smoothie can be a healthier alternative.

Cereals, breads, and pasta made from whole grains are a healthier option to white or egg breads, granola-type cereal, and refined pasta and rice, which are more fattening and contain much less fiber than whole grain.

Trans fats should be avoided all together, because they can raise your “bad” cholesterol levels, putting you at greater risk for a heart attack or stroke.

If you get under nine hours of sleep per night, you are at risk. Watching TV or being on your cell phone are distracting and can inhibit sleeping.

Heart to heart

Senior Gaby Bruno underwent a heart surgery that enabled her to pursue her passion for acting.

by Caterina Hyneman

With a childhood full of seizures, asthma attacks, and blackouts, senior Gaby Bruno used to be very limited in her physical capabilities. Living with a congenital heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia (STV), she finally made the decision to undergo surgery during winter break of her junior year.

STV is a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart send out abnormal electrical impulses that cause it to beat quickly.

“My heart would beat so fast and so hard, you could see my shirt move,” Bruno said.

“Most of all, it was just really scary.”

Bruno’s boyfriend, senior Johnathan Echavarria, has been by her side since before she had the surgery.

“She was scared to play competitive sports and do theatre because she was afraid of having an episode during an important moment,” Echavarria said.

Bruno went through a long, hard process to achieve wellness. The surgery had many potential risks. Bruno found it difficult to make the decision to undergo the procedure.

“I was really scared going in [to the surgery] because my dad was having the same surgery, but for a different reason. I knew that I had a good doctor, but it was still my heart, so I was really freaked out,” Bruno said.

Echavarria was also worried about the outcome of the surgery.

“Her main concern, and mine, too, was that she would not survive. I mean, it wasn’t

PHOTO BY LAURYN ALEJO

She hearts drama. After undergoing her recent heart surgery, bruno is now able to paticipate in many athletic activities she was previously not allowed to do. Bruno is able to help the drama department prepare the set for their upcoming fall production, “The Diviners”.

an extremely risky surgery, but at the same time you never know,” Echavarria said.

The surgery did not go as smoothly as planned; there were a couple complications.

“I actually woke up after the procedure when the nurses were pulling the catheters out of the incision in my groin because I didn’t have enough anesthesia. I could feel them tugging at my whole body and the nurse was screaming at the anesthesiologist to give me more,” Bruno said. “I was terrified, but my mom and dad came in and then I blacked out. It was the worst feeling

in the world.”

Shortly after her surgery, Bruno experienced yet another complication.

“I ended up having a hematoma, which is like a blood bubble inside my skin, and I couldn’t walk for two days,” Bruno said.

Despite these difficulties, Bruno is now feeling better than ever.

“I’m feeling great. I don’t really have any more episodes and when I do it’s really not that bad,” Bruno said.

Through the medical procedures Bruno did not give up hope. She had a positive

outlook on her surgery.

“Even though it was really painful having it, it was also comforting to know that everyone around me cared for and loved me,” Bruno said.

Bruno is now able to participate in all the activities she was once excluded from doing.

“After the surgery it was so awesome because I felt like I could finally breathe. I could do sports, or theatre, or traveling or anything,” Bruno said. “I got casted in [A Midsummer Night’s Dream] and I think from there it just went uphill.”

Bruno feels that her illness has even helped her discover what she wants to do with her life.

“I’ve gotten a lot of confidence from it and I have found my motivation and my passion. [Her illness] also showed that I really loved science and that I want to major in it. I think the most interesting part was that I realized how different each of us are and how we react to different things, which is why I want to study more of psychology and eventually become a psychiatrist,” she said.

Although her surgery had many negative results, it came with many positive outcomes. She chooses to look at the positive results rather than focus on the negative setbacks.

“Life is all about perspective,” she said.

“You wouldn’t know to appreciate your heart for beating or your lungs for breathing until they don’t work anymore. So I try to keep positive and appreciate all the little things I know I am blessed with because life is scary and you never know what’ll happen.”

Bruno’s heart line Birth (April 30, 1996)- Bruno is diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia (STV)

Entire childhood- Bruno is limited in the physical activities she is allowed to participate in

Junior year- Bruno makes the decision to have surgery along with her dad

Winter break of junior yearBruno undergoes surgery

Shortly after surgery- Bruno has a hematoma, which is an accumuations of blood that is outside of the blood vessels

Remainder of junior year to present- Bruno is fully capable of participating in physical activites ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH BIESHKE

7 HIGH TIDE . HEALTH

Romeo and Juliet- Average Shakespeare’s classic tale of star-crossed lovers offers an average story told on a big screeen.

by Allegra Peelor

Everybody knows Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet as being the original tale of forbidden love. Now director Carlo Carlei has brought the star-crossed lovers to the big screen in its sixth film adaptation.

Romeo and Juliet, arguably William Shakespeare’s most famous play, follows Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet as they fall in love despite coming from longfeuding families. Through a series of honorprotecting events, Romeo ends up killing Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, after Tybalt kills Romeo’s friend, Mercutio. Romeo is sentenced to a life of exile.

Meanwhile, Juliet’s parents have been planning a wedding for Juliet and Count Paris. Juliet does not want to wed him, so she asks Friar Laurence for advice. The friar gives her a potion that will cause her to seem dead so that her wedding with Paris will get cancelled. Plans go awry when Friar Laurence’s letter to Romeo explaining the situation does not arrive before Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin, brings the news of Juliet’s death to him.

Romeo, stricken with grief, stops at the apothecary to get a lethal poison before hurrying back to Verona to die with Juliet.

When he arrives at her tomb, Romeo is convinced that Juliet is dead and takes the poison, dying just as Juliet wakes up. When Juliet finds that Romeo has killed himself, she takes his dagger and stabs herself. The Montagues’ and Capulets’ resulting sadness causes them to leave their hatred for each other in the graves along their deceased children.

The movie adaptation of the tragic play served as a great form of entertainment--if you had not already seen or read the play, which most people have. My main problem with the movie is that it did not add anything to the story; it just transferred the characters and plot from the stage to the big screen.

The sets and casting were appropriate and worked well, however. Hailee Steinfeld, who is only 16 years old, played Juliet, and her youth and vivacity shone through in her role. Another good choice was Douglas Booth as Romeo; he provided a strong male counterpart to Steinfeld’s innocence.

Also, the on-location filming made the movie feel both realistic and imaginative at the same time--the sprawling castles were beautiful and also provided an actual setting that allowed the classic play to come to life.

The movie was not all good, however; some scenes were a little too dramatic and drawn-out. For example, when Tybalt kills Mercutio, the Capulets enter the scene walking up stairs through blowing dust-- a scenario obviously planned to add dramatic effect. However, similarly to many other scenes, this one just seems fake and cheesy.

Another issue that I had with the film adaptation of the novel is that the characters did not seem as deep as they did when I read the play, especially Juliet. In the play, Juliet is a very mature character and seems hesitant about jumping into her relationship with Romeo so quickly, providing contrast to Romeo’s impulsiveness and urge to fulfill his desires. In the movie, Juliet is neither hesitant nor impulsive; she seems to just go with whatever Romeo wants to do, although she does get worried when he stays too long in her bedroom. This may be due to the fact that many of her lines were cut from

the script-- but the time that was saved by removing those lines was probably made up for in kissing scenes.

One more aspect of the movie that disspointed me was that too much emphasis was placed on the romance of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship-- every time they were together, they were kissing, which became old after a while.

Overall, the movie adaptation of Romeo and Juliet did not do Shakespeare’s play justice, although it was entertaining and would have been enjoyable if I had not already known what was going to happen.

Captain Phillips offers brilliant acting with shaky cinematography

by Cedric Hyon

Yarg. After a long break from films, Tom Hanks is finally back on the big screen in his best performance yet as Captain Phillips.

Director Paul Greengrass brings in a work that revitalizes Hanks’s career, with the cost of cinematography.

The movie tells the somewhat true story of how Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, takes on heroic duties and acts as a hostage when Somali pirates try to raid the ship.

Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips highlights his acting in this movie ; Phillips alone can bring back Hanks’s career. His phenomenal acting deserves the highest praise and is a sure Oscar nomination.

Barkhad Abdi, playing the role of Muse the pirate, also deserves much praise for his acting. An unknown Somai actor, he now

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH BIESCHKE

8 HIGH TIDE . ENTERTAINMENT

has much Oscar buzz for his performance as the pirate. His character drives the conflict and he is easily the second best actor in this movie.

The movie sacrifices cinematography, however. Greengrass’s cinematography is well known for its use of handheld cameras.

However, people of weak stomachs should not watch this movie. Watching this movie, for the length it is at, will make stomachs hurl. No amount of phenomenal acting will make up for it. Greengrass’s style sacrifices the lunches of his viewers.

The movie also draws out the story far too long. The movie spends 30 minutes on nothing but exposition and shots of the ocean. Scenes begs for the conflict to appear, and when it finally does, the conflict is drawn out too long again. While I appreci-

ate that the movie tries to view both sides of the story, the pirates and the crew, it’s overdone for the pirates’ side of the story.

There has also been some controversy for its historical accuracy. While the movie denotes Phillips as a hero, members of the crew have sued the producers because Phillips, according to the crew, blatantly ignored the warnings about pirates and the drive 600 miles away from the Somali coast. The crew does not think that this is an accurate representation of Phillips. However, the movie won’t be ruined because of its inaccuracies.

Overall, Phillips is not a movie for the weak stomach, but for people that can stand seasickness for 2.5 hours. If one can get past that, the phenomenal acting and screenplay highlights the somewhat fictional tale of Captain Phillips.

Cosplay-ing around

by Marie Ona

Papers full of sketches, fabrics, patterns, scissors glue, needles and threads lay out across the table. Despite any flaws that come with her sewing and crafting, she is passionate. Freshman Cerena Gonzalez dedicates her time to create cosplay.

Cosplay, short for costume play, is when people dress up as fictional characters of anime and manga. Gonzalez’s inspiration comes from Japanese animation and comics.

“I saw the characters’ clothes and I really liked what they wore,” she said. “So I decided to make them myself so that I can look like them.”

Gonzalez makes her cosplay for conventions such as the 2013 Anime Expo by machine and hand sewing. She also creates cosplay to wear on Halloween.

“I would say around this time of year, it’s my busiest of times because of making these costumes and also figuring out other costumes for the near future,” she said.

Gonzalez’s artistic talent enables her to “efficiently visualize” her ideas.

“I feel that I have more creativity,” she said. “I also have more structure from drawing. I can imagine exactly how the finished product will look.”

Gonzalez enjoys the process of designing and figuring out how to create her costumes. Sewing, however, did not come easy for her at first.

“Sewing is a process, it’s not just a natural talent--it takes a lot of skill,” she said. “You just have to make mistakes to learn. There’s no other way to get better than to mess up.”

While Gonzalez deals with imperfect lines and accidental gluing, she strives to make everything look its best. The process brings her excitement as well as frustration.

“I am not perfect. It takes time and a lot of mistakes to get far,” she said. “That’s how I learn.”

Her sister Cammy Gonzalez admires her hard work.

“She’s very passionate about what she makes and does not stop until it’s perfect,” Cammy said. “Every time she makes a new costume it gets progressively better and she’s improving a lot.”

Cammy leaves her sister in peace when she is busy with her cosplay.

“She gets so angry when you touch what she’s working on because she thinks I’m going to mess it up,” Cammy said. “It’s almost inevitable because we have a cat who loves to play with the fabric.”

According to Gonzalez, people often question her about cosplay. Some even ask to take pictures with her.

“I like answering their questions,” she said. “It makes me happy when they ask me things.”

Gonzalez has been in group cosplays with friends, dressing up as characters from

Freshman Cerena Gonzalez makes costumes and cosplays with her friends in her free time.

2.

1.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CERENA GONZALEZ

More than just dress-up. 1. Gonzalez models one of her cosplay outfits. 2. Gonzalez and her friend prepare for Anime Expo.

the same comic.

“It’s a lot more fun with people,” she said.

“I wish I had more people to cosplay with.”

Gonzalez earns money to buy materials she needs by selling handmade dresses and accessories to her friends or classmates.

“I try to make them on my free time,” she said.

Making more and more, she hopes to sell to a wider audience on an online store.

“When I ask her to make me something she asks for compensation,” Cammy said.

“That sucks because I’m her sister.”

Through sewing classes at Sew Creative Cafe, Gonzalez learned skills that improved her own sewing for her cosplay. Recently the

class held their annual fashion show where Gonzalez showed off her creations.

“It was my second time doing this particular fashion show,” she said. “It is so much fun, because I like to see the end product. I like all the different color fabrics and laces to mix and match.”

Gonzalez looks forward to the “whole idea of designing” in college. She is also looking even after college possibly a career following the design path.

“I am serious. I want to get better. I want to get to the point where I could make costumes for other people,” she said. “There are still a lot of techniques that I haven’t mastered.”

Ripley paints miniature figures as a hobby

by Chandler Ross

To some he is an ROTC member. For others he is a friend and a student. What some people do not know about junior Henry Ripley, however, is that he paints miniatures, which are small models or figures of an object.

Ripley finds that painting miniatures is an enjoyable hobby that has a rewarding payoff in the end.

“I enjoy it and I like to see the finished product. You look at them and you’re like, ‘wow, I did that.’ You just feel great about yourself,” Ripley said. “It’s a feeling of accomplishment.”

The process of painting miniatures is long and involved.

“First off, I have to start off with the miniatures, which are metal or plastic, and give

PHOTO BY DEBORAH CHANG

it a coat of spray paint,” Ripley said. “Usually I start with the biggest areas of color.

Then I go back through and paint the little tiny areas and I work from the deepest details, outward.”

Ripley possesses a large collection of around 50 to 100 painted miniatures that he has finished. He also sells some of the miniatures.

“Sometimes I just paint them for fun.

Sometimes I get paid to paint other peoples models,” Ripley said. “Usually for the normal size it’s like $5, for something medium sized like $10, for something really big like $15.”

Ripley sells his miniatures to mainly his father’s friends and to his friends at school.

“Some people are not good at it or some people just don’t have the time, so they just hire me,” Ripley said.

Ripley’s hobby started in freshman year from the introduction of war video games by his friends.

“I actually prefer to paint [them] than play the games, but the games are still fun.

It’s almost like a big strategy game,” Ripley said.

Since first beginning to paint miniatures, Ripley has found his hobby to be relaxing and a way to ease stress and anger.

“If I get really mad at someone or something, I’ll just go paint for a while and it calms me down,” Ripley said, “Sometimes I’ll get really in the zone and so I’ll lose track of time and what’s going on around me.”

Ripley believes that people should learn more about this hobby. He often gives advice to people who are interested in painting miniatures.

“Just check it out. Don’t be shy to ask

people about it if you know someone who does it. Look up guides online. YouTube is a great tool if you want to get started,” Ripley said.

In fact, Ripley’s friend, junior Dylan Biggs, was also interested and now paints miniatures too. Their friendship began because of their similar hobbies.

“We knew each other, but we weren’t really good friends. Then we started hanging out more and painting, so now we are good friends and we hang out a lot,” Biggs said.

Unlike Ripley, some people who also partake in painting miniatures are not as open and vocal about it.

“It’s not something people are usually too open about because they feel like they will get made fun of or something, so the people who are open about it are usually people who find people to play with,” Ripley said.

Not so mini anymore. Ripley spends much of his time painting these miniatures.

9 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

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10 . HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

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11 . HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

Golub conducts a survey to discover social aspects of teens She looks over the results searching for trends among teens.

Golub is conducting an anonymous survey about risk-taking in teens with her partner, Vita Droutman, who is working towards a degree in Psychology at USC. “I chose this topic because as a teen, it’s a topic that I can relate to,” Golub said. “As teens, there’s always that nuance where we do things that we know we should not be doing, but we do them anyway.”

Choosing a topic that she understood was important for Golub.

“I thought the project was interesting and I could relate to it, like ‘Yeah, I would do that’ or ‘No, I wouldn’t do that.’ Because this is relatable for me, it’s a much better topic for me than, like, celery,” Golub said.

Golub’s mother, Lora Golub, believes that this project is “helpful” for Golub.

“She’s always loved science. I think this project has given her an understanding that people are much more complex than their biological or physiological attributes,” Ms. Golub said.

In addition to her interest, Golub chose this topic because she feels that it can help her reach her goals of attending a good, instate university and become a doctor.

“I want to go into the medical profes-

sion for sure. I’m interested in the field, and I wanted to do something related to my goals,” Golub said.

According to Golub, this project has been a great fit; as a student, there is a huge pool of people for her to survey.

“I was excited when I started doing this,” Golub said. “You get to know more about the kids at your school.”

Despite her initial excitement, Golub ran into a few obstacles.

“Last year we came to the school and

tried to administer it during silent reading, but the school said we couldn’t. This year we started it on Facebook, but not enough people were taking the survey,” she said.

Her mother is very supportive and proud of her daughter’s efforts.

“She was very excited when she started.

Then there was a slow period where she had to keep her enthusiasm up when the study wasn’t progressing,” Ms. Golub said.

Although she had trouble getting the survey off the ground, Golub did not give up.

“I was really determined,” Golub said. “I didn’t want to drop it.”

This year, Golub approached the school again and convinced principal Nicole Wesley to allow her to administer the survey only in the Psychology Department, which is made up of eight classes, or about 250 students. Upon achieving this goal, Golub is happy with her accomplishments.

“It kind of makes you feel important,” Golub said. “I feel like I’m contributing to something.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGELA KIM

Vlogging duo

Sophomores Jessica Washington and Matt Langford post videos on social media in order to share their exciting experiences at school.

by Amanda Ramos

PERMISSION GIVEN BY MATT LANGFORD

Show n Tell. Washington and Langford star in a special sped up MJ Show episode tilled with laughter and jokes. in the Administration Building

12 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

He brings out his phone and films an impromptu video with his friend, then he does a couple of edits and uploads it to his page.

Sophomores Matt Langford and Jessica Washington have created a vlog called the MJ show where they film themselves and others doing different activities around campus and then they post it on Facebook.

“What we do is we find a special event and we just say, ‘Okay, we’re going to bring the camera and just film and see what happens,’” Washington said.

According to Washington and Langford, they began producing these videos last year.

“We have been hanging out with each other a lot and we would always make jokes.

People were just like, ‘Hey you guys should have a Youtube channel’. So freshman year we started filming. I put it on Facebook

and people wanted to be on the show, so we started filming people and asking them questions,” Langford said.

According to Langford and Washington, they enjoy bringing laughter and entertainment to others. They also like working together to make a common goal of achieving popularity in their videos.

“I like the MJ Show because it’s nice to use my skills like editing,” Langford said. “ It’s nice that I have my best friend on my side doing it with me.”

They also hope to apply the different skills they are obtaining from making these videos in their future because they aspire to be broadcasters.

“This show effects how I want to be a broadcaster by knowing how to report important information and know what’s going on around the area,” Langford said.

Spicing it up

Sophomore Jeronimo Seminario found that salsa club helped him make a smooth transition and become more social after he moved from Peru.

by Vaidehi Gandhi

When they got on the airplane, his mother told him they were simply going on vacation in the United States. In a week, however, he found out that he was in the country to stay. Sophomore Jeronimo Seminario moved from Peru to the United States in 2005 at the age of eight because of his mother’s job.

Seminario struggled with English at first and was completely unaccustomed to the new culture.

“It was a completely new country that I knew nothing about. [Peru] is a completely different place with a different culture and different people,” Seminario said.

He felt isolated from everyone so he decided to try salsa as an extracurricular, and found that it helped him make a smooth transition from Miami to California. “[Salsa Club] is a really great way to get to know people,” Seminario said. “You end up becoming really close. It’s like another family.”

Based on his experiences, Seminario thinks that clubs in general are fun and useful for making friends.

“When you go to a club, you’re there with all these people and you eventually become friends with them--you already have something in common with all of them,” he said.

Seminario’s involvement expands deeper than simply being a member and showing up to practices. He is part of the Salsa Club

PHOTOS BY CEDRIC HYON AND JUSTIN LEE 1.

PHOTOS BY CEDRIC HYON AND LAUREN DIETHELM

Cabinet, where he teaches new members of the club the basics of salsa and teaches them the steps to the different dances they do.

Seminario finds that the club also helps him relate to his Hispanic/Latin American culture, and his family is very happy for the new friendships he has made.

According to Seminario’s mother, Ms. Gijsendorfer, Salsa Club has helped him become more social and has also created a balance between studying and his hobbies.

“Salsa has definitely helped him stay in touch with his culture because the more you are [in a different country], the more you forget about your culture,” she said. “[Salsa] is a way for him to not forget his roots.”

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Shake it Up. 1. Seminario showcases his salsa moves at salsa club. 2. Seminario cannot help but smile when performing his passion. 3.He teaches a new partner his moves.

Due to the fact that being involved in a club has helped Seminario become more social, he advises students who are new to Redondo to try out different activities as well.

“I encourage you guys to get involved because once you are, you are not going to

want to get out,” he said. “We have clubs varying from salsa to a debate club and I’m sure you can find something in your interest.”

Seminario finds that friends are important factors in helping him get through high school.

“I’m just really happy to be doing salsa because it’s helped3. me make friends,” he said. “[It] helps you adapt to a new place so you have people around you that you have something in common with and it’s like a second family. I love salsa.”

Nick Gutierrez enjoys practicing archery in his free time His hobby has him aiming in the right direction: a target across a field. A bow stretches, an arrow flies.

Senior Nick Gutierrez practices the sport of archery.

“First time I went, I loved it and have been shooting ever since. It is a huge amount of fun. It’s really calming out on the range.

On the days I go, it’s quiet and there are few people. I can be there for six hours and shooting one after another,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez has been doing Archery since last Christmas when he went with my family for a new experience. Gutierrez said it “fit well” for him after his first time.

“The first time I went I was actually pretty nervous, but I came back because I wanted to get better and I was determined to do so. At the beginning it’s very frustrating, because it’s difficult to hit the target,” Gutierrez said. “The more you practice it becomes easier and you become better...some days you don’t shoot very well or you’re off but there’s days that are very rewarding because you perform much better,” Gutierrez said.

According to Gutierrez, he quickly took a liking to the sport and found that he enjoyed the calming aspect of it.

“I think I’ve learned how to calm down in high tense situations, especially in water polo. One of my biggest faults is choking at the high tension point. Through archery, it taught me to calm down at the point where I have to release the shot,” Gutierrez said.

Archery also allows him to spend more time with his family because he usually practices with his parents. He has even made friends at the range in Los Alamitos (the place where he practices).

“It’s a big bonding thing with my dad and my mom because I got into it and [then] they got into it. We have a lot of fun there,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez’s brother, sophomore Rodrigo Gutierrez, is “glad” that his brother has found a new hobby that interests him.

“I think that its great that he found something that he likes to do besides water polo,” Rodrigo said. “It relieves a lot of his stress and it helps him clear his mind.”

According to Gutierrez, he agrees that archery helps him feel more relaxed and he believes he has improved over the last year.

1.

PHOTOS BY CORTESY OF NICK GUTIERREZ

He tries to practice Archery for as many hours as he can on the weekends because he is so busy with Water Polo during the week (he plays for RUHS). ”Because I spend most of my time playing water polo for the school, I rarely have time to go for a couple hours every weekend.” Gutierrez said.

He plans on continuing to practice and hopes to one day join competitions once he gets a little better.

“I’ve not received any formal training,

2.

Bullseye. 1.Gutierrez aims at a target in his garage, practicing his precision and accuracy.

2. The results after a day of practicing

but I do want to hopefully after polo season is over. I do hope to continue this,” Gutierrez said.

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by Lulu Wegman

FEATURES

Who let the dogs in?

Sisters Brigid and Claire Antonelli volunteer to be emergency fosters for the pit bull rescue Bullies and Buddies

by Nina Gomez

It’s 11 at night and there is a knock at the door of the Antonellis’ Redondo home. sisters junior Brigid and sophomore Claire are not surprised to receive month-old puppies newly rescued from a local shelter. The girls and their family dedicate their time to volunteering and fostering for Jennifer Rosen’s pit bull rescue, Bullies and Buddies.

“We were looking to adopt a dog and I was playing softball with Tatiana, Jen’s daughter and she told us about her rescue, so we ended up adopting a puppy from her, and ever since then Claire and I have been really involved,” Brigid said.

The two spend most of their Saturday afternoons at the adoptions held by the rescue in Hermosa Beach.

“I’ve been volunteering for three years now, so I know all the dogs and their stories.

So at the adoptions I tell people where the dogs come from and their history,” Claire said.

Over the past three years, the Antonellis have fostered 23 puppies from the South Bay-based rescue.

“We’re emergency fosters,” Claire said, “So we get puppies straight from the kennels and a lot of times they’re sick, so I spend long nights with sick puppies and I have to bathe them because they’re usually filthy when they come out of the shelters.”

As time-consuming as fostering is, there’ isa lot of support from both their family and the rescue.

“When you foster, the rescue covers all expenses so they give you the food and pay

for all the vet bills. All you have to do is be there for the dog,” Claire said. “[Our parents] also like helping and saving the dogs’ lives, but most don’t realize how much work it is when you have a puppy in the house,” Brigid added.

The family mainly fosters puppies because their pit-mix rescue, Bella, who they adopted from Bullies and Buddies when she was only a month old, gets along with younger dogs.

They agree that the most trying part of fostering is dealing with having to let the fostered puppy go. “Of course you feel affection for them, but I’ve never gotten attached to the point where I freaked out or was crying or anything because I have my own dog, and we as a family know that there’s always going to be another puppy that needs a home,” Brigid said.

The Antonellis said that there have been some puppies that were hard to let go of, but they feel it’s all part of the job.

“You could cry because a dog is leaving but you know they’re going to a safe home or you could cry knowing that they’re going to be killed. I know that when you foster it can be hard to let them go but it’s either that or knowing that they’re going to die alone in a shelter,” Claire said.

The Antonellis believe that fostering and adopting is much more rewarding than buying dogs from breeders.

“A lot of people think that dogs that come from shelters are in the shelters because they’re aggressive or have illnesses.

I’m in the band

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIGID ANTONELLI

2.

That’s totally not the case, there are puppies in there because there are people who just can’t afford to keep them,” Claire said.

The experience has brought Brigid and Claire closer together and has also opened up a future for Claire in particular.

“I plan on volunteering as long as I can

Dog whisperers. 1. Claire Antonelli sits with a pitbull from the pit bull rescue. 2. The Antonelli’s dog (left) lays down with a foster dog, Julez (right). 3. The Antonelli sisters pose with a rescued dog in the shelter,

and I actually want to become a veterinarian and one day and have my own rescue,” she said.

Freshman Emma Waldinger plays guitar in a punk band

by Jennie Bao

PHOTO BY TYLER EISENHART

Rock out. The Unknown performs at the carnival before the homecoming game.

14 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

Scale after scale after scale. Whether or not it’s her voice or guitar, freshman Emma Waldinger begins to prepare everything she needs in order to put on a successful show with her punk rock band, The Unknown.

“I get such anxiety before [the show] because I’m all excited and pumped to go onstage. But when I get onstage, everything just goes away and I just have fun,” Waldinger said.

Having performed at many shows in the past, Waldinger says that the experience is “amazing” and “not really nerve-wracking.”

“It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s so exciting and thrilling, especially during the bigger shows,” Waldinger said.

Waldinger’s excitement usually carries on after her performances as well.

With a strong passion for music, Waldinger and her friends started the band four years ago.

“It was supposed to be just like a summer rock band, but we kind of kept going throughout the school year and continued from there,” Waldinger said.

Most of The Unknown’s original songs are based off of personal experiences from the band members.

“Most of the songs are about bullying because one of us can relate to it. It’s just kind of connecting with our feelings,” Waldinger said.

The Unknown has gotten many opportunities to perform their songs at fairs and local shows.

“I think it’s great that the band is progressing the way we are. It grows us closer together and pushes us to get better,” Waldinger said.

During the school year, The Unknown performs about two to three shows a month.

During the summer, they perform three to four.

“It can be difficult performing during [the school year] because sometimes the show is on a school night and it can be hard.

But it’s definitely worth it,” Waldinger said.

According to Waldinger, The Unknown had a smashing success from their recent performance at the Roxy Theater.

“We almost filled the whole place and it was just amazing. It was such a big show for us,” Waldinger said.

Presley Richardson, a member of The Unknown and a close friend of Waldinger, claims that performing at the Roxy was the “best night of her life.”

“It was so different from anything else I have ever done. The vibe from that place, not even the people that were there, just the vibe you get. You feel all of the other musicians and all the other performances, it just gets you up and gets you so excited. That was the best show we’ve ever played” Richardson said.

Baird copes with the effects of epilepsy Something is wrong. He tries to move his arm. He can’t. He tries again, but his entire body is paralyzed. He’s awake and conscious, but sophomore Cole Baird’s entire body is frozen in a seizure. “[Having a seizure] kind of feels like I’m a fish out of water, how it just flops,” he said, “I can’t control it. I’m completely aware, I can see, but I can’t talk. It feels like I’m being struck by lightning, or electrocuted.”

Baird has epilepsy, a medical condition that sends short, powerful surges of electricity through the brain, causing seizures.

There are two types of seizures: whole (grand mal) and partial. Grand mal seizures affect the entire brain and the whole body, while partials affect half the brain and the opposite side of the body. The last time Baird had a seizure, January of 6th grade he had four grand mal seizures in two hours.

“I woke up in the middle of the night, and I couldn’t move my body,” he said. “[Feeling] would start to come back [to my] right hand; I’d make a movement, there would be a big delay, and then it would slap across the other side of my body. I would have a seizure right when I found feeling.”

The medication Baird takes stops the seizures, which is why it’s been years since his last one, by slowing down the neurons in his brain, making them fire and make connections more slowly. It stops the seizures, but it makes him forgetful. He’ll go into a room and forget why, or have a word on the “tip of his tongue” only to have it slip away.

“It’s like God’s playing Sims with you,” he said.

In his quest to be as normal as he can, Baird hasn’t told many people about his

epilepsy. As a result, his friends sometimes think he’s an “idiot.”

“I get treated like an idiot all the time, it’s not even right,” he said, “it’s not me, it’s not who I am. I’m not slow; it’s the medicine making me slow.”

Baird’s mother, YaVanna Baird, knows what Baird’s friends say about him, but she thinks people don’t really understand where he’s coming from and that he gets called names unfairly.

“

[Having a seizure] kind of feels like I’m a fish out of water, how it just flops. I can’t control it. I’m copleteley aware, I can see, but I can’t talk. It feels like I’m being struck by lightning, or electrocuted.

– COLE BAIRD

“

by Lauren Diethelm

“A lot of these things kids can relate to.

You might do it once a day, but Cole finds himself doing it twenty times a day, and then his peers call him stupid,” Mrs. Baird said.

Despite the difficulties he faces in school and sports, like forgetting the date or the play, Baird doesn’t want to exploit his condition. He “never” talks to teachers about it and doesn’t expect extra attention because of it.

“I don’t want to be that person,” he said, “and I don’t want to be treated like I’m special…I just want to be treated like a normal human being.”

Even with all the difficulties he faces,

ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA KIM

Baird wouldn’t choose not to have epilepsy, but rather change people’s opinions of it.

“People talk about the word ‘epilepsy’ like it’s profane, but it’s okay to talk about it,” he said.

A hundred years ago, someone with epilepsy would have been mistakenly diagnosed with some kind of mental illness.

Since then, the medical understanding of the brain has deepened enough that doctors now know that someone who has epilepsy

is by no means mentally ill, but a lot of the stigma associated with epilepsy remains.

“I want people to be able to say the word without being embarrassed or insulted, because it’s not a dirty word,” Baird said.

Baird and his mom hope that more wide spread awareness would help increase education and understanding.

“Awareness would be pretty cool. Spreading awareness fuels funding, and funding fuels research for a cure,” Mrs. Baird said.

Wineland copes with conditions of Cystic Fibrosis

by Amanda Shaw

After narrowly escaping death, Claire Wineland decided that it was time to make a difference in the lives of others who are also living with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes an overload of mucus in the body, mainly affecting the lungs and pancreas.

“I went in for a regular surgery, and it ended up not going well at all. I went into full-blown lung failure. I was in a coma for three weeks. I had a 1 percent chance of surviving the whole thing,” Wineland said.

Once she recovered, with immense support from friends, family, and even many strangers, she realized that not every cystic fibrosis patient has a support system.

“My mom and I thought, we have such a large amount of information on how to live with CF, we should be sharing it with other

CFers,” Wineland said.

Before the foundation was set into motion, however, Claire was just like any other cystic fibrosis patient.

“People with cystic fibrosis aren’t allowed to be in contact with each other physically because we have bacteria that’s contagious to each other. It gets very lonely with CF. You have to shoulder everything by yourself, and it seems like it wouldn’t be that hard, but it’s four hours of treatments a day, and more pills than most people can count,” Wineland said.

Fortunately, Claire was diagnosed at birth, and was able to adjust to the abnormal lifestyle she would lead from the very beginning of her life.

“I’m really happy that I was diagnosed at birth. I’ve never known what it was like to really take a full breath in and not cough,

and I know why that is. Many people go through life not really knowing what’s wrong with them, or trying to be normal when they’re not, that would be much harder,” Wineland said.

While having cystic fibrosis is not something that Claire wanted, it has taught her about how she wants to live her life.

“When you’re lying on your death bed, it doesn’t matter if you got into the right college and started a foundation, and made a difference in the world. All that matters is if you enjoyed life,” Wineland said.

One of her strongest supporters is her mom, who has been by her side every step of the way, and has also been affected by Claire’s positive spirit.

“She’s taught me to stay in the day, and stay grateful for the good things, and the healthy days,” Mrs. Wineland said.

Although she is only a junior in high school, living with cystic fibrosis has entirely changed her outlook on life. Claire has focused on living in each and every moment, and accepting life for what it is, regardless of the restrictions cystic fibrosis places upon her, and will continue to do so for as long as she can.

“So many humans try and make life into what they want it to be instead of enjoying what it actually is. Being human is messing up half the time and being human is being incredibly scared and feeling emotions that no other animal feels. You have to use those emotions to actually motivate yourself and move yourself forward. Human without any form of inspiration is the saddest kind of human,” Wineland said.

15 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

Bringing it on home

The football team utilized their zone-read offense to outgun Peninsula, winning with a final score of 42-35.

by Eli Jarmel

Football rallied to another comeback victory in last Friday’s Homecoming game against Peninsula, winning the game 42-35.

Trailing 35-28 at the beginning of the 4th quarter, the team scored 14 unanswered points to take the final lead of the game with 7:45 left. Offensive coordinator Zack LaMonda was happy for the win but would prefer a more comfortable margin of victory. “[The game] was really important, really exciting,” LaMonda said. “I really wish the game wasn’t that close, but a victory is a victory at the end of the day.”

The Sea Hawks out rushed Peninsula for 461 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, getting big contributions from quarterback Harrison Faecher and running back Jamaal Perkins who ran for 279 and 117 yards, respectively.

LaMonda had a lot of praise for quarterback Harrison Faecher, who had a strong offensive performance.

“For the first five games of the year from a statistical standpoint, [Faecher] didn’t have that many rushing yards,” LaMonda said. “I don’t think Peninsula accounted for Harrison running the football.”

Faecher operated the offense efficiently, leading the offense to four scores in the first half.

“They were giving us certain run plays and Harrison was in the zone. He read the defense properly and the result took care of itself,” LaMonda said. “We’ve been telling Harrison to be more aggressive.”

Peninsula failed to stop LaMonda’s zoneoption offense, a system that the team has grown into since its implementation prior

to last season.

“It was definitely a different offensive set than what was run here before,” LaMonda said. “We had some good games and some bad games [last year] from an offensive standpoint, but I think that was part of the learning curve.”

Originally, LaMonda and head coach Matt Ballard did not plan to run the zoneread offense, but after arriving at RUHS, they decided to give it a shot.

“When we came in last year, we actually weren’t planning on doing the zoneread. We were going to go to a pro-style, more conventional offense,” LaMonda said.

“Coach Ballard and I communicated on a daily basis. He took a chance and believed enough in what I had seen in the athletic ability of Harrison and some of the other guys to put in the zone-read.”

Although all offensive players need to execute to succeed in the zone-read offense, a mobile quarterback is arguably the most important aspect, according to LaMonda. “[With a mobile quarterback] you have a guy that can run and [the defense] has to account for him,” LaMonda said.

After an important first Bay League win behind the zone-read, LaMonda has confidence his team can compete for the Bay League championship. “[Beating Peninsula] was very important.

You definitely want to start off league winning a game,” LaMonda said. “Hopefully if we win this week and win next week, we will be in position to fight for the [Bay League] title.”

Football travels to play West Torrance (4-1 overall, 0-1 in league) tonight in another Bay League showdown.

Finding the end zone. Senior Harrison Faecher is tackled as he runs into the endzone for a touchdown last Friday. The team’s zone-read offense has given Faecher more motion to run.

vision 4A, a larger and tougher division than their previous division 3A. “We’ve been in 3A for a while and we’ve made our ground there. Going into 4A, a bigger division with a lot of tougher bands and higher expectations, was difficult for us and still is difficult for us, but we definitely proved we stand a chance against all the other big bands,” Drum Major Adam Betancourt said.

Although the band improved from its previous competition, Plantiko feels that there is still room for improvement.

“Our goal is to make sure we’re moving in time and make sure we’re getting 100 percent of the horns playing all the time, with good tone quality,” Plantiko said. “We’re aiming high. We’ll see what we can get done in two weeks.”

O’Connell has similar thoughts as the director.

“With all of our practices including Monday night practices and Wednesday night practices, we’ll have plenty of time out on the field to practice marching [and] get better at our technique and step size,” O’Connell said. “We’ll also have plenty of time with music for zero periods and after school practices, and considering our next competition is only two weeks away we’ll have plenty of time to get better at what we do.”

The band sees their success from the competition as a another step in their “uphill climb” to the top. They hope to continue improving over the course of the season.

“We just want to grow as much as we did from the first competition to the next one, or even more [than we grew]. We want to really make ourselves known to division 4A by pushing our boundaries and reaching all of our expectations,” Betancourt said.

PHOTO BY MATT MARDSICH

Band takes third at Newport

by Stephanie Lai

After placing last in their previous competition, the marching band came out with third place finish at Saturday’s competition at Newport Harbor.

“This was definitely our best run-through in the last couple of weeks. We’re really happy to have a full show to show for [it],” percussion instructor Erik Plantiko said.

Drum Major Matthew O’Connell also thought the band did well.

“I’m very proud of the band under the certain circumstances which we’re going,” he said. “It’s very impressive to see [everyone’s] focus stepping up, their ability stepping up, and the level of their performance being so incredibly high for where we are in the beginning of the season.”

With about 110 people in marching band, the band has recently moved up to di-

.

16 HIGH TIDE SPORTS

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE

Marching line. The horn section marches at their competition in Newport Harbor last Saturday. The band hopes that it will continue to improve every week through the season.

Volleyball sweeps Costa

by Reema Saad

The girls’ volleyball team took a major step to repeating as Bay League champions last night as they swept Mira Costa 25-19, 25-20, 25-22. Further details were not available at press time.

Tuesday night was another sweep against West, 25-6, 25-14, 25-17.

“We had a lot of willpower and a lot of fire and just came out on top,” said senior Briana Lanktree.

She also talked about how being mentality in check is just as important as being physically fit.

“Coming out strong and not letting [West] takeover” allowed Redondo to work together and get the win.

The team’s serving and offensive plays lead the team to victory, added Lanktree.

“Everyone got to play and when other players from the bench came in, they also stepped up their game”, said Lanktree.

Junior Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani contributed with her great serves. Junior Kristen Hamlin also had a consistent serve streak that impacted the team’s win, and sophomore Brittany Ungermann hit her marks by pushing the ball into the right positions.

Lanktree believes communicating and “having energy” is important in making sure the girls keep their girls’ held high.

“Talking helps [keep] everyone calm and focused,” said Lanktree.

Like in these last three games, the girls need to keep up their faith and self-confidence when playing Mira Costa on Thursday.

“We need to stay mentally tough,” agreed junior Hayes Honea.

Both Honea and Lanktree see that there’s a lot of room for improvement.

“We need to work on setting and defense since they are the cornerstones in volleyball,” said Honea.

“We need to focus on our side of the net,” Lanktree said.

While being positive is a good thing, Lanktree doesn’t want the team to become overconfident in its abilities or to underestimate other teams.

“When we figure out what [the opponents] are doing, we need to catch up to them and adjust,” said Lanktree.

Lanktree believes that working together as a family and staying mentally tough will help the team consistently have success over the course of this season.

PHOTOS BY MATT MARDESICH

Sweeping success. The volleyball team beat Mira Costa last night 25-19, 25-20, 25-22.

Girls’ golf drops match to Costa

Beach Champs

After the loss, they look to future games for motivation.

by Jené Price

by Nina Gomez

The girls played their last home match against their rival, Mira Costa High School, this past Tuesday and took a loss, finishing 192-217.

“It was a tough match, but Costa is first in league, so I wasn’t and still am not expecting us to beat them,” junior Robynn Ree said.

Varsity coach John Burke noted that although the only matches won this season were against Chadwick, the girls’ scores stayed steady.

“We started getting better at the end but it was a little too late,” Burke said.

Last year the team came second in league, made it to the first team round in CIF and had six girls individually qualify for CIF, which left the team with high expectations for this season but to little avail.

“It’s a little disappointing to know that we couldn’t make it to CIF this year as a team, but we’re going to practice a lot more and improve our game off-season to qualifications for CIF qualifications next year,” junior Mamika Toyoshima said.

Only Ree, who recently finished eighth in a national tournament, qualified for CIF this year. Burke believes she has a fairly good chance of coming first in state.

“I’ve missed winning state my last two seasons, but I’m fairly confident about my ability to be competitive for state this year,”

Ree said.

Senior Cassidy Chaves, the unofficial team captain, is the only one leaving the team after this season, which means the team won’t have many spots to fill next year, but believe they will have a difficult time replacing their “anchor”.

“Cassidy tries her best in all her matches.

Even when she has a bad round, she doesn’t give up until the very end and her humor keeps me in a positive mood. I’m going to miss her so much next year,” Toyoshima said.

The team appreciates her presence, both as a responsible leader and a teammate.

Chaves feels that over the last four years the girls went from freshman she barely knew to some of her best friends.

“It’s sad that I won’t be playing anymore and that I’m going to have to say goodbye.

But I think that Michelle and Mamika will probably come out as leaders next year because they’re girls that can take charge but also get along with everyone, so that gives me some comfort concerning the future of the team,” Chaves said.

The team will be playing Costa again Thursday, Oct. 17 for their last match of the season before CIF. The girls do not expect to get a win on Thursday, but the team wants each individual on the team to try to get their best

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE

Chipping away. Senior Cassidy Chaves takes a shot against West earlier this season.

scores.

“Costa is first in league, so I wasn’t and still am not expecting us to beat them. But I think the goal for this match is for the girls to reach their individual goals for the season,” Ree said.

The very first year a boys’ beach volleyball team has been created, they get a win in the national championship, sweeping Dana Hills 3-0.

“It really means a lot to win the national championship considering it was the very first beach volleyball league,” senior Louis Richard said.

The boys team went undefeated and Dana Hills was the only other undefeated team according to Richard.

“Sweeping the only other undefeated team was rewarding in itself and shows a lot about the strength of our team,” Richard said.

Devon Burki, a transfer from West Torrance High School, teamed up with Richard during beach. According to Burki, the team’s hard work in indoor and beach practices payed off.

“When we won I felt victorious and content. We were missing one of our guys but we brought a kid up from JV, Wes Graves, and he performed well and was able to help us out,” Burki said.

Senior Vincent Pizutti was away on a college visit during the national championship, but when he find out the team’s accomplishment, he gained greater confidence for their indoor season.

“Winning the national championship really gives our confidence going into high school season,” Pizutti said. “There is no doubt in my mind we will do well in season this year.”

.

17 HIGH TIDE SPORTS

Briana Lanktree spikes to success

by Joseph Blakely

Senior Briana Lanktree’s years of hard work have finally paid off. Her continued dedication has helped her improve and become volleyball captain.

Lanktree, in addition to being captain, has played on varsity since freshman year. “[Lanktree] is very hardworking, and always gives 100 percent. She leads the team by example; she puts pressure on the other team and makes the rest of us want to play at her high level,” junior Hayes Honea said.

According to Honea, Lanktree’s teammates depend on her skill on the court.

“She is so calm and does really well under pressure, and we can always count on her to put a ball away,” Honea said.

Lanktree’s hard work ethic helped her improve as a volleyball player, and her team looks up to her as well.

“I want get better and be the best player possible,” Lanktree said.

Lanktree plans attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on a full scholarship.

Lanktree also played in a junior high-performance team, equivalent to a junior Olympic team, for two years in a row, and won a bronze medal.

“They pick the top 15 girls in the U.S,” Lanktree said. “I didn’t think I would make it, but I did.”

One of the people that she credits for her success in volleyball is her coach at Southern California Volleyball Club. “[He] told me never to give up and that I have so much potential,” Lanktree said.

Lanktree says that another thing that motivates her is the crowd during a game.

“When there’s a big crowd it’s exciting and you want to do really well,” she said.

When she started playing volleyball, Lanktree was shy, but she said becoming captain has helped her break through her shell.

1.

3.

PHOTOS 1 AND 2 BY DANIEL ZIEGLER, 3 BY MATT MARDESICH

2.

Soaring above the rest. 1. Senior Briana Lanktree spikes the ball during a match against Mater Dei. 2. Lantree cheers with her team after a successful volley. 3. Lanktree hits the ball during a match against Marymount last year.

“I have to step up and fill that role and get on people,” Lanktree said. “[Volleyball has] made me not shy and more aggressive [on the court].”

However, Lanktree initially tried basketball.

“I tried to go for basketball but my coordination was bad,” Lanktree said.

When her attempt at basketball did not succeed, her

coach recommended that she try volleyball. She tried out for the team and has done well in the sport since then.

Through her perseverance, hard work, and everyday practice, Lanktree has learned valuable lessons she plans to use in college. “[Volleyball] taught me values about life like about trying even harder when you want to give up,” Lanktree said.

Girls Tennis loses due to tough odds

by Romy Moreno

PHOTO BY LAUREN DIETHELM

Racket Ball. Junior Allegra Peelor hits a forehand against Peninsula High School.

18 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS

In Thursday’s match against Peninsula High School, RUHS fell behind and loss to Peninsula, 13-5.

Because Penn is ranked first in the CIF Southern Section division one, the tennis team did not expect to complete the match coming out on top.

“Penn is the number one team in CIF, so realistically we just wanted to do our absolute best,” senior Jenn Duong said.

Duong’s teammate, senior Erin Shy has similar thoughts.

“We knew it would be a tough match and we’re just trying to do the best we possibly could,” Shy said.

Shy also added that sophomore, Alyssa Grijalva, had an excellent game and played extremely well during singles in yesterday’s match.

Even with the loss, the girls feel as if they did the best they possibly could in their match.

“I believe that we gave 110 percent; just like we do every time we step onto the courts as a team,” Duong said.

Just about all of the girls’ on the team had the same thoughts.

“We fought as hard as we could during our games and it wasn’t a perfect match,” Shy said. “But everybody tried and stayed positive, which is awesome and all you can hope for.”

Shy also added, “We played an extremely talented team [Penn] and did our best, which is all you can really ask for from your team members.”

In their upcoming match on Monday Oct. 21st against North Torrance High School, the girls’ are expecting to do incredibly well, especially since it is a non-league match.

“North is not going to be a team that will provide us with any trouble,” Duong said. “I think it will be a fun match to participate in.”

Others also agree with the idea that their upcoming match against North Torrance High School will be a breeze, due to the fact that they were able to come out on top and beat them in their match a couple of weeks back.

“Since North is a non-league match we have the highest of hopes, and are expecting to perform pretty well against them when the time comes around once again,” Shy said.

The girls are all prepared to compete against North once again, and are expecting to come out of the game with success.

Filling the gaps

The boys cross country team fell short against El Toro this Saturday because of inconsistent running times.

by Jason Fong

Last Saturday, boys cross country lost 82-79 in a close race against El Toro in Clovis, Calif. due to the subpar performance of their fourth and fifth runners.

“Our fourth and fifth runners [need to] step it up a little bit,” senior Dustin Herold said.

The team’s main weakness is the gap between the times of the third, fourth, and fifth runners.

However, Herold is confident that “[the fourth and fifth runners] will strengthen as the year progresses and have an amazing year in the end.”

Also, runner Nicolas Wells took an unfortunate fall on the downhill during the first mile. “[He was] unable to complete the race to his full potential,” junior Carlos Suarez said. “[However,] I am proud of him for pushing through it and completing the race.”

However, despite the substandard performance of the fourth and fifth runners, the race on Saturday went extremely well for the team since they are finally coming together and are running as well as they should be, according to Herold.

Similarly, Suarez cites the meet as a leap forward for the team.

“It was really a break-through race for the team tactically,” Suarez said.

In contrast, the team’s first, second, and third runners have been performing on a very high level. They have placed second, third, and fourth respectively in their last league meet.

The team believes that pack running, or running together as a team in order to provide each other with encouragement, is one of their main keys to success. “[Pack running] allows the team to work together, to push each other, and to run up to their full potential,” Herold said.

1.

3.

PHOTO 1 AND 2 BY AHMAD KABBANI, 3 BY JUSTIN LEE

Pack Runners. The boys cross country team competed with other South Bay Teams during the Nike Invitational yesterday.

2.

According to Suarez, the team really started to grasp the concept of pack running in the last meet and has begun to do well because of it. “[We] are on the brink of victory, [as long as] we really go for it and stay in it mentally” Suarez said.

Boys water polo sinks deeper

The team is extremely confident in their chances of success.

“We have high expectations for the [upcoming] meet,” Suarez said. “We are fit enough to win and, if we make a few improvements, we will be unstoppable.”

Boys water polo loses to Mira Costa 5-12, continuing their losing streak.

by Sophie Maguy

PHOTO BY AHMAD KABBANI

All in. Senior Davy Thomas defends the net against the attacking Mira Costa player.

Boys’ water polo battled Mira Costa but fell to the Mustangs’ balanced attack, 5-12.

Redondo got off to a slow start as to Mira Costa’s sprinted to 3-7 lead at halftime. Redondo’s 2-Meter man Jonathan Ortiz scored two goals and drew an exclusion while attacker Davy Thomas scored another goal off of a drive to the post as Redondo kept the game within reach.

With aggressive plays, strong swimmers, and a 23-person team, Mira Costa’s depth kicked in during the second half.

“They have a deeper bench than us,” Ortiz said.

Lucas Duffy scored a goal off of a lob, which left Mira Costa leading 10-4 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Jonathan Ortiz scored an additional goal off of a counter attack and Costa scored two more goals leading to a final score of 12-5.

Redondo had at least two shots hit the post in the third quarter, and two more attempts on goal. Also, after Garrett Lash

worked for a five-meter penalty shot, the Seahawks missed that chance as well in the fourth quarter.

“Honestly, we just have to put more shots in,” Senior Davy Thomas said.

In order to keep on par with their competitors with superior depth, Thomas noted that they need to condition more in order to build up their endurance.

“We obviously didn’t play to our full potential today. We were intimidated by them,” Thomas said.

The Mustangs have been able to go 4-0 in their season so far, and intimidation is a strong tool in any game of water polo, according to junior Sean Labouff.

Costa used their strengths to keep Redondo from running their offense to full efficiency.

“We did okay . . . we tried to run some plays,” Ortiz said.

Coach Mark Rubke said, “It did not go as well as we wanted. We wanted to play closer than that.”

Despite the loss, the team remains optimistic about reaching their goal of making the playoffs.

19 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS

2.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JUSTICE SEGURA

1.

Same Love. 1. Segura poses with his two original moms, Paula and Jasmine, and Jasmine’s new partner, Marilynn. Segura’s mothers have been were aware of the bullying, but they know it was not irritating him.

“He’s a happy kid. He doesn’t come home all depressed,” Jasmine said. 2. Justice with Jasmine and Marilynn. Although he grew up with a very “open mind”, his mothers still remind him not everyone will like him.

“We always tell him, ‘you’re always going to have a hater out there,’” Jasmine said.

Mum’s the word- to the fourth power

by Lauryn Alejo

Some kids cannot stand having one mom, but freshman Justice Segura is proud and happy to say he has four.

Segura believes that his four mothers have helped him to become a more accepting person. He has been exposed to womens’ rights and he is a “strong” advocate for them.

“My family has shown me equality for all genders. They have also shown me that the genders are not always treated the same,” Segura said.

Segura also accepts people who don’t believe in same-sex marriage.

“If they don’t accept [my parents], that’s their opinion. As long as they’re not making comments about it, I’ll still hang out with them,” Segura said.

Segura’s mother, Jasmine, believes he is not a judgemental person.

“There are no racial boundaries. He doesn’t care what political party they are, or what president they want, just as long as they’re a person,” Jasmine said.

Segura’s original two mothers, Jasmine and Paula, were together for ten years. Paula physically carried Segura and Jasmine legally adopted him.

A year after he was born, they separated.

By the time he was three years old, both of his mothers had found new partners.

“They didn’t want to ruin my relationship with them so they decided for all of us to live on the same property,” Segura said.

His mother Jasmine had met another

20 . HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

woman named Marilynn. Once same-sex marriage was legalized in 2008, Jasmine and Marilynn got married.

“It’s no different than any other family that divorced and got remarried,” Jasmine said.

Currently, they all live on the same lot, but in two different houses.

Segura has been the only boy in the house.

“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a dad,” Segura said. “I have all the love and support I really need and have ever asked for.”

Segura also understands that he had a sperm donor, but he still “doesn’t have a father.”

“That person was a donor, just like somebody would donate a heart for someone else to live,” Jasmine said.

Segura finds it’s easier to relate to girls.

All his life he has hung out with girls more than guys, and he believes this was influenced by his moms.

“I don’t understand some of the things guys do because I think it’s stupid but I think they’re being different from what I’ve been raised as,” Segura said.

Since Segura is always around girls and has a different family, he has been a victim of bullying.

“It really started when I was in second grade. People have said that my family was stupid, I’ll turn gay, and that I was gay,” Segura said.

Even when he was younger, he knew how to handle the situation in a calm way.

“I would just walk away and if they kept

doing stuff, I would push them back or make a comment against them as a last resort,” he said.

Even though Mrs. Segura knew he would be picked on, she wasn’t worried; she knew what to expect.

“Kids get made fun of for everything and anything. I knew what my kid’s ‘topic’ was going to be; coming from a family with same-sex parents,” Mrs. Segura said.

She was also confident in her child because she knew that he was a likable kid.

“I know I’m his mother, but he’s a goodlooking kid, he’s got a great personality, he’s smart, he’s in shape, and he’s athletic. So really, what are you going to make fun of him about?” she said.

Segura has learned to take the bullying in a different light.

“I’ve just learned to think of my own opinion and not listen to them,” he said.

Segura believes the bullying has decreased more and more over the years.

“As society has gone further on, more people have been able to accept that people of the same sex can be together,” Segura said.

Although he has learned how to handle people’s judgements on his own, Segura knew that he would experience prejudice.

At a young age, his mothers explained to him that people would say discriminating things against his family.

“As he got older, at an age of reasoning, we would explain to him that families are made up in different ways,” Jasmine said.

His understanding allowed him to grasp the fact that his mothers would be discrimi-

nated against as well.

“He knew that we were not being treated the same as someone else because we were different than them. And he always knew that that wasn’t right, regardless,” she said.

Segura has also witnessed his mothers being discriminated against.

“We’ve been in stores and people have said, ‘That’s not right why do you have a child?’” Segura said.

Segura’s mothers knew that there would be rude comments.

“We knew if we were to have a child we would never deny who we are,” Jasmine said.

He is very open about his family. Segura isn’t afraid to tell any of his friends about his parents; he even says that it “comes up naturally” in conversation.

However, Segura knows many people that have a family just like his, so he never feels alone.

“There are people other than me that go to this school with gay parents and it’s really cool to meet and hang out with people like that,” he said.

At school, he’s also known a group of kids that he’s grown up with. These kids have known his family since kindergarten.

When he was younger, his parents were known as the “paparazzi”, not the “lesbian couple”.

Segura’s mother hasn’t been afraid of who she is, and she believes everyone should be that way was well.

“Whether you’re gay, Mexican, Asian, or Black, you have to be proud of who you are,” Jasmine said.