HIGH
TIDE Redondo Beach, CA // Redondo Union High School Sept. 10, 2013 // Vol. XCIV // Edition 1
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The Start of Something
new
It’s that time of year. 1. Link Crew Coordinator Brooke Mata talks to the class of 2017 about what RUHS is all about. 2. Sophomore Trenton Klatte receives his final schedule on the first day of school in the small gym. 3. Guest speaker Josh Shipp talks about being “above average” and that it is your own choices that determine your future. 4. Senior Kim Elwood enjoys participating in the drum circle on the first day of school. Photo 1 by Tyler Eisenhart, photos 2 and 4 by Peter Tran. Photo 3 by Laura Smith.
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Editorial: Our mission statement as a High School Newspaper.
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Kyle Yang and Steven Bell-Nixon both want to pursue animation as a career.
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The football team beat North Torrance last Friday 49-12.
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Costello and Wong give insight in lectures by Kayla Nicholls
1. PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE
2. PHOTO BY MATT MARDESICH
Starting off strong. 1. Mr. Cosello prepares his students with information that will appear on their upcoming quiz. 2. Mr. Wong gets to know his AP Macroeconomics students better.
In response to the retirement of many teachers at the end of the last school year, RBUSD is hiring nearly 15 additional teachers and counselors for RUHS. While over 1,000 people applied for these new, open positions, only those who stood out with their forward thinking and real-world experiences were hired. “[Joining the staff are] Claudia Prada, a published author; James Costello, an AP College Board presenter; and Benjamin Wong, whose work has been highlighted on NPR and the New York Times,” Principal Nicole Wesley said. “They all have such a strong passion for their subjects that it is infectious.” Costello, the World History and Government teacher, agrees with Wesley that their transition is smooth as a result of the support of the other staff. “The entire staff has such a positive attitude and has been more than gracious with its time and support in helping me set up my classroom,” Costello said. Wong has taught AP Macroeconomics and College Prep Economics for ten years. “My primary goal this year at Redondo Union is to ignite in my students a passion
for economics and social studies, to think critically about the world around them, and to consider the impact that they will make on society,” Wong said. One of the ways he hopes to achieve this is by connecting his lessons to relatable movies. “I will admit that my biggest quirk is that I quote a lot of movies in class,” Wong said. “I have an eclectic taste in movies, so I might be quoting Finding Nemo and Citizen Kane within a span of five minutes.” Like Wong, Costello also hopes to inspire his students with his enthusiasm for learning. “My goal is to inspire students to do their best while at RUHS,” Costello said. “I’ve always been tough yet caring with my students’ academic progress and I hope I can continue to set challenging goals and help them as best I can to meet and exceed them.” Wesley has faith that the new teachers will prosper in their positions. “I hope they will bring new ideas for programs, courses, use of technology and instructional practices, so that we can all learn from them, just as they will learn from their colleagues,” Wesley said.
Bridi strives to simplify registration that shows students around school by Jason Rochlin
Collectively rubbing the sleep out of their eyes on an early August morning, students wait for their schedules, books and agendas on registration day. Assistant Principal Anthony Bridi took it upon himself to rework the process of registration this year for RUHS, a process which we will hopefully keep for years to come. “This is my second year going through the registration process, and the first year we had the entire process in the big gym,” Bridi said. “This year we changed it so the registration would circulate through the upper campus.” With over 5,000 students coming to register over the four day expanse, changing the process provides more elbow room. “One thing I did like about [the new process] was that it grouped the different sections parents and students would take, so it didn’t seem like they were being impacted or on top of one another. It was nice to get to show off the campus at the same time,” Bridi said. Because registration circulated around a large portion of the upper campus, new students coming in got to have a look at the school facilities, such as the Library, Student Union, the Administration building and the
2 HIGH TIDE . NEWS
science building. “As well as helping circulation, the route passed by the student union, the ASB finance office and the admin building, so now new students will know where that window is if they need it,” Bridi said. Both Bridi and Roxanna Ring, one of the parent volunteers this year, agree registration was better this year than it has been in the past. “I thought the new process ran quite smoothly and seemed to make the entire registration as a whole go more quickly,” Ring said. Freshman Eric Rothenberger, however, still seemed to find a few flaws in the process. “Overall registration had a lot of people, so it was really crowded in my opinion, but the experience itself was pretty good,” Rothenberger said. Bridi feels that the changes made were positive for the most part, and eagerly hopes for better registration experiences to follow in the future. “I’d like to thank everyone who participated in registration,” Bridi said. “That includes all counselors, the parents and students that showed up, all the volunteers, staff and administration who came in to help.”
How they put the “S” in PTSA The PTSA wants more students to come to its meetings and possibly lead an advocacy committee. Students who come will have an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions with the administration. Students who have been members for two years including senior year are eligible for PTSA scholarships. The first meeting of the year will be held in the school auditorium on Back to School Night, Sept. 26th if you want to participate, so don’t miss it!
EDITORIAL: OUR MISSION STATEMENT
STAFF
ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH BIESCHKE
research of the topic. These criticisms will be made with the highest integrity possible. Direct insults, whining and unconstructive feedback will not be tolerated and will be given full retractions. We will create an open environment for our students to give feedback, suggestions and commentary for our newspaper to further progress our work. Letters to the editor are strongly recommended to ensure receiving the maximum amount of feedback. We will also do our best to cover underrepresented groups, but that does not
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– JONATHON ECHAVARRIA, 12
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mean that we will drive our full attention to these “misrepresented groups.” Should a single person be mentioned too often in our newspaper, he or she will be subject to being “blacklisted” and not being covered in our newspaper again for a period of time. We are dedicated to bringing a high quality newspaper that both entertains and informs our readers without libel, misinformation or false accusations. We will give all of our effort to providing correct information and the best possible newspaper for our readers.
What are your goals for this year? by Stella Gianoukakies
My goals for this year are to get a 4.0 or higher and to start number two on varsity tennis. – ISABELLA GUZMAN, 10
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I am taking five AP’s right now so hopefully that will go to a 4.8 this semester. I want to become a national AP scholar. – WILL TAIT,12
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Editor
HIGH TIDE
AROUND REDONDO
My goal is to get a good role in the plays, make a mix tape for music and join hip hop.
to the
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.
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The High Tide, Redondo Union’s awardwinning newspaper, has been making waves since 1917. We have received the Gold and Silver Crown Awards for print and online and the Pacemaker, the holy grail of student publications. We are a staff of over 50 people working together to create a newspaper that strives to inform and entertain. Our staff writers write our stories and our editors design our pages, edit stories, manage our online website or finalize our newspaper. The newspaper is entirely student-run with Mitch Ziegler as our adviser. The High Tide is a 24-page biweekly newspaper. No other newspaper publishes as many pages as we do besides the Shawnee Mission Harbinger, whom we consider our “rival” newspaper. Our newspaper is split into five sections: news, opinion, entertainment, features and sports. The High Tide is able to publish 24 pages every other week through hard work, dedication and collaboration of all our staff members. Our newspaper functions solely through our staff’s devotion to the jounalism program. As a newspaper, we have policies that we will abide by. We will not stereotype or typecast; racism, sexism and discrimination towards any religion will not be tolerated in our newspaper. No mention of a person’s race, gender, sexuality or religion will be made unless it pertains to the story or in identification of criminals. Our reporters will be conscious of sources and will ensure accurate quotation and fact checks. Misquoting and misinformation will not be tolerated in our newspaper. The staff will not criticize without full
Letters
Editors in Chief: Cedric Hyon; Allegra Peelor Managing Editor: Alejandro Quevedo News Editor: Jason Rochlin Opinions Editors: Yasmeen ElHasan; Chance King Features Editors: Caitlin Cochran; Grace Zoerner; Jené Price; 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; Jeannie Bao; Caitlyn Catubig; Jason Clebowicz; Lauren Diethelm; Jason Fong; Vaidehi Gandhi; Nina Gomez; Kelly Harraka; Caterina Hyneman; Eli Jarmel; Stephanie Lai; Sophie Maguy; Shaniya Markalanda; Marie Ona; Phoebe Reneau; 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 represent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the High Tide staff.
3 HIGH TIDE . OPINION
Home run byYasmeen El-Hasan
The crowd’s cheers reverberate throughout the entire stadium. The energy level is at a maximum. The pitcher throws the ball and the crowd goes loud once more as the batter hits a homerun. In the crowd is freshman and baseball enthusiast, Maddy Bacon. “I love baseball because it’s exciting. You never know what’s going to happen and all of the fans are awesome because we all love the same thing,” Bacon said. “It brings everyone together and is a ton of fun.” Bacon was introduced to baseball at a very young age. Her cousin, Michael Young, is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Texas Rangers from 20002012, the Philadelphia Phillies from 2012-2013, and was recently traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. “We always watched my cousin play, so baseball was always on the TV in the background. If it wasn’t for having a family member in the MLB, I don’t think that I’d like baseball as much,” Bacon said. Young’s career influenced which baseball teams she supported. Because of him, Bacon is a fan of the Rangers and Phillies. “He’s been playing since I was a baby, so I was raised a Texas Rangers fan. We would always go to the games whenever the rangers came to play the Angels. If it weren’t for him, I’d be an Angels fan,” Bacon said. Two years ago, influenced by their love of baseball, Bacon and her immediate family decided that they would atempt to visit each of the 30 MLB stadiums. So far, she has been to 11 fields including: Safeco Field, Seattle; Chase Field, Phoenix; Minute Maid Park, Houston; Rangers Ballpark, Arlington; Wrigley Field, Chicago; Fenway Park, Boston;
Bacon and her family bond over their love for baseball Nationals Park, Washington D.C.; and Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia. “The atmosphere of a baseball stadium is amazing with all of the different sounds and the hardcore fans who dress up. I love it,” Bacon said. This past August, she and her family visited three new stadiums. Every stadium that they go to is a different and enjoyable experience for her, according to Bacon. “I love going to the stadiums. All of the fans are different wherever you go,” Bacon said. As she has become older, Bacon says that she understands the game better and that it brings her family closer to each other. Her family, including her mother Regina Bacon, supports her passion for baseball. “I think [baseball is] fantastic for a number of reasons. First, it’s an interest that the whole family enjoys and I love that we can share it. Second, I think it’s great when a woman enjoys and understands sports. I was like that growing up [and] I like that it’s transferred over to my daugher. Finally, baseball feels great to watch and be a part of. I love that she feels that,” Ms. Bacon said. Bacon agrees that baseball has had a major impact on her family’s life. “Baseball brings my family together because we all love it so much. Both sides of my family have a strong background in baseball and we all enjoy watching it,” Bacon said. Bacon also believes that baseball has parallels to life experiences. “Baseball is exciting and suspenseful because of how the whole game can change because of one pitch. You never know what is going to happen, just like in life,” Bacon said.
Bell-Nixon, Yang dedicate their time to illustrating and are hoping to pursue it as a career. by Cedric Hyon
He smooths out the edges of his last character and sits back to admire the character he has created. Both senior Kyle Yang and Junior Steven Bell-Nixon have aspirations to have careers in the entertainment business, whether it be for visual effects or animation. “Honestly, the job that I want is a very vague image, but I want to major in animation and I’m hoping that I can use what I’ve learned and turn that into a skill to use in the entertainment industry, such as working for cartoons or movies,” Yang said. Yang changed his drawing style which “segwayed” into his desire to pursue the entertainment business. “I used to do a fine-art style, such as replicating pictures or painting, but it felt like an English class because it felt like I tried finding themes that weren’t there, but
Drawing attention
the segway into the entertainment style made the subject more obvious,” Yang said. “I like to draw in a Disney style because I feel their characters are very readable. They are realistic enough for them to be readable as characters, but distinctively cartoon enough. It’s not too crazy yet not too realistic.” Bell-Nixon has been preparing by taking many classes at Ryman and practicing on his tablet at home. “Through Ms. Roth’s art class, I got a scholarship at Ryman Art. From there, you can start an internship for animation to other media and gain connections with people in the business,” Bell-Nixon said. “I also bought a tablet so I can practice drawing on a computer and creating animations on flash. On YouTube, Harry Partridge gives a lot of tutorials so I learn from that as well.” Yang, however, has been practicing independently and drawing inspiration from observing other cartoons and
movies. “I’ve never really taken any classes yet, so I’ve just been drawing on my own. I either brainstorm on a piece of paper or I copy characters I really like and draw inspiration from them,” Yang said. Bell-Nixon hopes to inspire other people with his animations as others have done for him, particularly Pixar. “I always enjoyed watching stories through animation and effects and the different types of styles and expression of movement. I want to awe others with the stories I can create through animation and movement,” Bell-Nixon said. “I love the process of expressing stories and emotions through movement, and making characters come to life. I hope to inspire others just as I was whenever I saw a cartoon or animated film.”
PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE
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4 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES
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Draw something. 1. A drawing of Red Riding Hood by Yang. 2. Yang uses this style often. 3. Yang perfects his skills while drawing a new picture.
A change for the better
Hurd, Menker, and the Riviera United Methodist Church visit Skid Row and help other homeless people in Los Angeles by Allegra Peelor
The Riviera United Methodist Church youth group went to a week-long religious camp with the Sierra Service Project over summer break with the purpose of beautifying the communities of Skid Row, Watts, and Compton. According to senior Paul Menker, the church members split into groups and painted buildings and built small gardens. “We made garden boxes for a center for homeless women,” Menker said. “We planted fresh vegetables because there is only one food store that sells fresh fruit and vegetables within a thirty-mile radius, and it’s very hard to get there if you don’t have a car.” Another group visited Homeboy Industries, which is a company that “serves high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs, and operates seven social enterprises that serve as job-training sites” (homeboyindustries.org). Senior Aurora Hurd and her group helped an old man repaint his fence. “The guy we were helping was so kind to us,” Hurd said. “He was 82 years old and spoke very little English but still tried to help us paint and work.” Menker believes that the part of the trip that impacted him the most was visiting Skid Row. “On Skid Row, homeless people line up on the streets,” he said. “Every day, we would see kids that didn’t have anywhere to go. They probably didn’t even know who their parents were, but they still acted like normal kids; they were
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Runaways by Chance King
Out in the concrete void of the city, children of all ages stagger aimlessly. For various reasons, a series of events has lead them to flee their homes and their families, driving them towards an unknown fate in the world. These children are runaways; this nationwide crisis has spilled into the streets of Redondo. Senior Rachel Carter experienced the shock and panic when her sister ran away over this past summer. “My sister left home without a cell phone. We drove around all day looking for her and then finally made flyers and filed a police report,” Carter said. “My dad’s friend from his police department drove up to a bus station that showed up on her credit card history and luckily he found her there.” According to the National Runaway Safeline, between 1.6 and 2.8 million children run away each year.. Runaway children are easy prey for kidnappers seeking to harm or exploit; and even in Redondo Beach, the risks are very real
just hardened by the streets.” Menker also said the camp was educational and that it helped him understand and accept other people’s way of life. “I definitely learned a lot about the low-income community,” Menker said. “I’ve always tried to believe there were good people there, but part of me has had prejudice toward people with low incomes. After this trip, I realized that most of the people were so nice” One thing that Hurd learned was to not judge a book by its cover. “With some people, if you see them walking down the street you might be scared, but when you meet them they might be the nicest person ever,” Hurd said. In addition to having a more open-minded attitude toward life, Hurd learned to not take things for granted. “You learn to value what you have. People are always complaining about petty things and when you get [to South-Central], you see all these people living in poverty that are still happy,” Hurd said. “I saw people with rodents all around their houses, but they’re still smiling and happy with their lives.” Hurd also said that she realized that you should make the most of what you have in life and just be happy. “Life isn’t so bad. It should be the little things in life that make you happy,” Hurd said. According to Menker, going to the camp was an eyeopening experience. “It’s just not something you can really experience until you see it firsthand,” he said.
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Lending a hand. 1. The Skid Row wokers pose for a group photograph after a long day of working hard. 2. The Riviera United Methodist Church youth group works together to retouch the paint on a mattress store. They sucessfully covered up the graffiti that once covered the building’s side.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAURA SMITH
Senior Rachel Carter describes the traumatic experience of her sister running away for a youth without protection. “For those people that were saying ‘she’s probably fine’ and ‘it’s only been a day, maybe just wait’, a lot can happen in a little amount of time,” Carter said. In the case of the Carter family, the ending was happy, and their daughter was returned home safely. However, most runaways come from a broken home, driven to flee by abuse and violence. Many times, a runaway child will enter foster care, while many others will end up homeless. “I think [some children] are unhappy with either one thing or several things in their home life. Or they just want some space. I think it’s different for every case. It could be any one of those,” Carter said. Thankfully, Carter was fortunate enough to her see her sister’s face coming in the door that she left through; while so many other families are left staring through an empty frame, their child lost to that great, murky oblivion. “I’m glad we found her as quickly as we did and I’m glad my sister is back home and okay and happy,” Carter said.
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2. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASHLEY HAAS
Crowning accomplishment. 1. Haas models her homemade flower crowns and posts the pictures on her company’s Instagram. 2. One of her flower crowns.
What in carnation? by Vivian Lam
Pink, white, pink, white, pink repeat. She picks up cotton-like flowers and carefully glues each colorful flower onto a thin wire for a pretty masterpiece. During her work, all she feels is serenity. Senior Ashley Haas sells flower crowns all over the South Bay with a few orders waiting to be shipped out to Florida through her business called Briar Rose Crowns. “It excites me that people I don’t even know are interested in my homemade crowns,” she said. Haas spends 15 to 20 minutes making each flower crown, completing about five orders a week. “I make the patterns according to the customers,” she said. “[It’s] peaceful for me.” According to Haas, most flower crown businesses sell their products from $20 to $45. However, she uses the more affordable prices of $7 to $10. “I started BriarRose Crowns because I liked being able to make the crowns myself and sell them at a much more affordable price than competing stores,” she said. “[I get] a better range of customers that way.” She is “extremely” dedicated to Briar Rose Crowns and puts a lot of pride in her work. “I see beauty [and] I see my effort,” Haas said. “I see the dedication I give to my business. It’s like my baby.” Haas has always loved flower crowns and learned how to make one after she ordered a flower crown online. “I love wearing them to concerts, events or just for fun,” she said. Although Haas is dedicated to Briar Rose Crowns, she is happy with it being a hobby and a side job to earn extra money. “It’s just a part of the many things I enjoy doing,” Haas said. “Such as being active in the drama club and in advanced drama class and also being vice-president to the Freedom4you club.” Haas likes how flower crowns are simple and able to complete someone’s hairstyle or outfit. “The whole point is to bring simplicity and a bit of natural beauty to someone’s look,” she said. According to Haas, her customers “always” compliment her on the styles she make. “I was very happy, like my hard work paid off,” she said. “It’s still paying off [and] I’m very grateful.”
5 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES
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Football starts season strong by Jené Price
The people in the stands were cheering and ready for the Sea Hawk’s first football game against North Torrance. When North scored within the first five minutes, it only “fired up” the boys, leading them to the first non-league victory 49-12. “I was angry that they scored so fast,” senior Jamaal Perkins said. “I became a little nervous, but I knew we had to come back harder, and we did.” As running back, Perkins had 17 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns. According to Perkins, after the first quarter the team picked up energy and intensity, and came back “even harder”. “We just came back in the second quarter and picked up the tempo. We didn’t want to lose, so we played to our full potential and didn’t let them score the second half,” Perkins said. According to quarterback Harrison Faecher, who had 171 passing yards, four carries for 61 yards, and two touchdowns, 2. team had confidence going into the the
game. “Going into the game I wasn’t nervous. I was excited to get back on the field again on a Friday night,” Faecher said. Senior Joe Ramos had two catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns. According to Ramos, during half-time the coach helped the team go out with a lot more energy. “Coach just told us just to go out harder in the second half than we did in the first and just take all their hopes of winning away,” Ramos said. The team has high hopes for the rest of the season and aspires to succeed where they previously had not. “Our goals are to go undefeated and win League,” Faecher said. Friday night the team faces their first loss 17-14 against Santa Monica. According to coach Ballard, the team made costly mistakes and Santa Monica made some big plays in the game. “They made smarter plays in the fourth quarter that we were unable to defend which led to their victory,” Perkins said. The team plans on continuing to im-
prove throughout the season. “We just have to keep working hard inside and outside of practice in order to reach our goals,” Perkins said. The team plans to come out strong
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against Antelope Valley this Friday at 4:00 in the Sea Hawk Stadium. “We remind ourselves, “winners have to absorb losses”; learn from them, and find the positive within,” Ballard said.
Recovery to Domination. 1. Redondo lines up for the snap at the start of the game. 2. Senior Jamaal Perkins runs the ball past multiple North defenders. 3. Senior Stephon Sudduth tackles an opposing running back during the game Aug. 30.
PHOTOS 1 & 2 BY MATT MARDESICH, 3 BY TYLER EISENHEART
Cross Country looks to rebuild after dominant season by Micah Ezzes
The cross country team hopes to continue its streak of dominance despite the loss of several star seniors. Losses on the girls’ team include Cara Ulizio and Kayla Ferron, who was the Daily Breeze’s runner of the year. Junior Amber Gore believes that the team can succeed even without these runners. “I think that missing them will affect us at the beginning of the season,” she said, “but as we continue to focus and work through the season, we will definitely improve.”
6 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS
Gore admits, however, that to get where the team was last year, certain aspects of the team need work. “We need to focus on pack running [keeping together] so we can score a lot of points,” she said. According to Gore, the motivation to succeed is there. Making it to state last year will help motivate the team to perform well this year. “With most of the team knowing what it feels like to go to state, I think everyone is very motivated to practice and put work in,” she said.
With many new faces on the team this year, Gore feels that it is important to support the new runners. “We need to stay positive, be good role models, and always be encouraging to help team chemistry,” she said. On the boys’ side, graduating seniors include Garrett Klatte and Evan MaloneWhite, both All-Area picks by the Daily Breeze. But according to senior Waseem Radi, with a strong junior class from last year, the team is well-prepared to succeed. “We have seven runners returning to the varsity team, all of whom have ran through-
out high school,” he said. Radi believes that there is actually an overabundance of runners this year. “There are many varsity-inspired athletes, but just not enough spots on the varsity team for them,” he said. The team’s first race was on Sept. 7. The team’s confidence led them to victory, with the girls finishing third and boys first. With that in mind, Radi hopes to make the most of this season. “We are excited about this season because we can go far,” he said. “This season will be one to remember.”
Set for the season
The girls volleyball team is well-prepared to start the season following a productive offseason. by Caitlin Cochran
After many different scrimmages this preseason, including their matchup against Marymount on Sept. 3, the volleyball team was prepared and confident as they went into their first season game on Sept. 7 against Mater Dei. The team was confident as they went into their scrimmage against Marymount because, although Marymont has been a strong team in the past, they know how the team plays. “Marymount is a great team to compete against and we were all pretty excited to play them. It was a pretty successful night,” junior Yazzie Bedart-Ghani said. According to senior Marissa Mitter, the team played well and got a chance to learn how to play together in different combinations. “We are excited any time we get a chance to play outside competition, especially a
team [with] the caliber of Marymount, who is one of the top teams at state every year,” Mitter said. “We had a lot of different lineups, which was good for the coaches to see different combinations of girls.” Although the team has been successful this season, there is always room for improvement, according to senior Leilani Martinez. “We need to work on our cornerstones, serving and passing, and closing the block. Also, we [need] to have consistent energy because it helps us win games,” Martinez said. The team played Mater Dei on Saturday, and after playing Marymount they are very excited. “Beating Marymount helped us by giving us a confidence boost. We’re staying humble, but hungry,” Junior Abril Bustamante said, “[At the time,] we hadn’t seen Mater Dei play this season, but we made sure to focus on our side and play our game.”
Seniors strive toward success by Shawn Mallen
Last year, water polo surpassed expectations with a CIF campaign. This year, they hope to build off of their success and surprise people with an even stronger season. “I expect to do better than last year and hope that we will be one of the best teams that Redondo has had in a while. We want to rank higher in the bay league. We want to get second or better this year, that’s the goal,” senior Jonathan Ortiz said. Some of the teams began training last November, with club water polo in the offseason. Towards the end of the summer, the rest of the team began doing two trainings in one day, which have benefited the team’s fitness. Everybody is working hard, especially the seniors, according to senior Sanjay Mahboobani. “I can tell that everyone is working extremely hard in practice to make Redondo be the best team that we can possibly be. I can definitely see that everyone wants to do well in practice and their working to accomplish that,” Ortiz said. In order to make it farther this year, the team is implementing a new fast paced offense straight out of college water polo playbooks. Both Ortiz and Mahboobani are looking forward to the change in pace. “It’s going to catch people off guard, since the offense we are running is meant for college level, and if it works for college offenses, we know that it will work for us. If we don’t get to goal on the fast break, we can always pull back and go to halfcourt offense and take it from there,” Mahboobani said. Even though the new offense is a great weapon for the team, their biggest strength is their chemistry. “We’ve been playing water polo together so long and we know each other so well that I think that it’s a big advan-
tage. It’s one of the best things we have going for us,” Ortiz said. “We just know each other so well. We know where our teammates are in the pool at all times. It’s the chemistry and the flow we have that really helps us.” For the seniors, this is more than their last season. The team has worked harder, conditioned more, and did two a day practices over the summer to push towards their goals. “All of the seniors know that this is the last year, so we are all taking it very seriously and working hard to try to make it even farther [than before],” Mahboobani said.
PHOTO BY AHMAD KABBANI
Tread lightly. The water polo team practices their offense in a game-like scenario in preparation for the season opener.
PHOTOS BY ALEJANDRO QUEVEDO
Bumping the competition. The girls volleyball team prepares for the upcoming season during practice by performing bumps, sets, and spikes.
Girls tennis hopes to come back strong after last year’s struggles by Romy Moreno
This previous season, the girls tennis team was able to move up to fourth place in Bay League and make it to CIF by a wild card after missing CIF the season before. “We were very proud of how we ended our season due to the improvement we made from our previous year,” senior Jenn Duong said. Coach Jessica Seibert agrees. “We had a shot [in] Bay League, but fell to fourth. However, we were still happy with our performance,” Seibert said. According to Seibert, returning starters will be key to this season. “Now that many starters will be coming back, they will know exactly what to expect,” Seibert said. In addition to the experience the girls have, they also have strong set teams. “This year I believe that we have a strong line up, both with our singles and doubles team,” Duong said. According to sophomore Emily Zargham, the girls hope that their team chemistry will take them far. “We definitely could have done better and gone farther in CIF [if we had been more supportive],” Zargham said. After their first non-league game against Bishop Montgomery this past Tuesday, Zargham says that being supportive really did help them get the win of 16-2. “We got the win because of the amount of support everyone was putting forth,” she said. The girls plan on bringing the same amount of positive energy to their next match against South, which which was yesterday. “I believe that if we do exactly what we did in Tuesday’s match, we will get great results against South too,” Zargham said.
7 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS
Tsuji learns from service trip to Nicaragua by Kayla Maanum
She lay on her cot while chickens strutted about on the kitchen’s dirt floor. The cries of her host brother kept her awake in the two-room house. She was in Nicaragua, and although she was not fluent in their language, she understood the adversities that the people there had to face and how to live in happiness despite them. Junior Allie Tsuji stayed with a host family for six weeks in the small city of San Antonio de Yalagüina, Nicaragua, in the summertime as part of a service project for Amigos de los Americas. During her time there, Tsuji discovered the lack of education some children face, including her 13-year-old host brother Joel, because his parents cannot afford to send him to school. “[In the U.S.], you don’t expect people to not go to school when they’re thirteen. It was kind of shocking [to discover],” Tsuji said. “It’s sad because there isn’t anything that I can do. It puts things into perspective.” To put things into a better perspective, a bus ride to and from school in the Nicaraguan city costs three cordobas (Nicaraguan currency), or about 12 cents. Because Tsuji’s host family could not afford to send Joel to school, he had to drop out at twelve years
old. Not only is the lack of education a problem, but also is the political tension between San Antonio de Yalagüina and its neighboring city, San Antonio de Padua. This is where Tsuji and her two partners from Amigos de los Americas stepped in. “There were two communities that were in the middle of political tension. [My partners and I] decided to start a dance program for the youth from both communities in hopes that [the communities] would reconcile their differences,” Tsuji said. In addition to this mini project, Tsuji and her partners, two other teenagers from the San Diego chapter of the Amigos organization, ran a camp for the city’s youth. “We really bonded with the youth at the camps. We would plan and lead educational activities like scavenger hunts and relay races. We also did a trash pickup around the community that the kids loved,” Tsuji said. Meeting new people was one of the reasons Tsuji’s mother, Donies Tsuji, encouraged her daughter to go on the trip. “[Traveling to a new place] is a really good experience to have because in the real world, you work with different people,” Mrs. Tsuji said. Tsuji came back with a better sense of the adversities many people in Nicaragua
PHOTO COURTESY OF MASSA KASSAB
AROUND REDONDO compiled by Stella Gianoukakis photos by Tyler Eisenhart
What did you do over summer break? 8 . HIGH TIDE
they live even though they have to get their water from wells everyday and eat rice and beans for every meal. They’re happy with their lifestyle,” she said. “It taught me to be thankful for what I have. A lot of people don’t realize how easy we have it.” Tsuji left Nicaragua with new companions and a newfound view on life. “I came back with a new family and new friends. I hope I can go back and visit [my host family] one day. Also, I came back with a new perspective on things in my life,” Tsuji said.
Teaching and learning joy. Junior Allie Tsuji plays cards with the local Nicaraguan children. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLIE TSUJI
Kassab travels to Lebanon to visit family by Grace Zoerner
Terror in the Middle East. Sophomore Massa Kassab visited her family over the break.
face, such as living in the unsanitary conditions of the rural and destitute regions. From these problems, Tsuji’s view on problems at home changed. “There are so many things here we consider of great importance, but people out there have so many problems that are worse,” Tsuji said. Though she stayed in town where a tworoom homes and outdoor latrines were common, Tsuji found that the people there still enjoyed and made the most of their lives. “They are so content with the way that
Every thought is penetrated by constant worry. Every word, strained by anxiety. Every action tenses her muscles. However, recently reassured by the sight of her family’s health, sophomore Massa Kassab has found brief respite from her persistent apprehension. Kassab took an eight-week trip to Lebanon to visit family she has not seen since escaping Syria. “In Syria, our people are so social and love their family. I saw my family every Friday,” Kassab said. “I’m very thankful that I got to see my family over the summer because I haven’t seen
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I went to Indonesia for three weeks and learned a lot about my family history.
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— KENNY DESERIERE, 10
“ I went to Yosemite and did a 22-mile hike. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had.
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— ELIJAH ARVISO, 12
them in over two years.” According to Kassab’s mother, Roula Aboudul-Samad, she and her immediate family have always been close. This new distance has made the transition to America more difficult. “We left everything behind us, like our house, our family and our friends. Our relatives won’t see us anymore, and we will miss them a lot,” Mrs. Aboudul-Samad said. Kassab and her mother constantly worry about their family. “Over here, I am really stressed about my family in Syria. My grandma, my aunt and her children are all there,” Kassab said. “It’s hard to know if they are safe, or if they are eating well. They tell me not to worry, but
I went to Canada, “ where there were a lot of pretty lakes. I also went to a rodeo there.
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— SAMANTHA MARCON, 10
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I went to San Francisco and rode over the Golden Gate Bridge. Then I went to a really good hamburger place.
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— MATT LANGFORD, 10
it’s hard not to.” Moving to America has affected Kassab’s friendships, too; the differences between American and Syrian schools makes forming friendships challenging. “At home, we had classes of students that the teachers came to, not the other way around,” Kassab said. “Our school was small and we were close. I miss this social part more than anything else.” Even with these major drawbacks, Kassab believes that her spirits have been greatly renewed as a result of her trip to Lebanon. “Since seeing my family, I have a lot more energy in America than I did before. I love them so much,” Kassab said. “I really want to go home to them.”
I went to Oregon, “ Seattle, and Las Vegas for basketball. ” — KYRA HAMLIN, 10
I ran a lot with my “ cross country team, I
hung out with friends, went to the beach a lot, and played volleyball. — WASEEM RADI, 12
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