Page 2: Simun launches new AP Environmental Science class. Page 6: Loo participates in cosplay.
Page 7: Girl’s volleyball sweeps Bishop
High Tide
Redondo Beach, CA Redondo Union High School
Sept. 17 2011
XCI edition 01
vol.
www.hightideonline.org
VOLUNTARY
DRUG TESTING by Kaitee Scheyer
On Aug. 14 the Board of Education approved a voluntary drug testing program, which leaves parents the option to have their students drug tested at school. According to Assistant Superintendent Frank DeSena, the idea of voluntary drug testing was brought up as a recommendation from the Drug and Alcohol Community Task Force. “This task force includes parents, community members, like police officers, and members of Beach Cities Health District, [school] district staff and students,” DeSena said. “It’s important to me to have students’ perspectives.” As a member of the task force, Assistant Principle Amy Golden supports the new policy. “It’s not a school sanctioned program, it’s something that students and parents have to
Voluntary drug testing is one step toward creating a drug free community.
consent to,” Golden said. Colby Lombardo, who runs the drug testing program as well as drug prevention counseling, presented the idea to the Drug and Alcohol Community Task Force. “[Voluntary drug testing] already exists at Mira Costa and when Colby presented it to the task force, they decided it would be a good idea,” DeSena said. If parents want their children to participate in drug testing, they must fill out a form along with signing the Safe Space Agreement. These forms were available at registration and will be at Back to School Night. “Parents sign the Safe Space Agreement and agree to provide an alcohol and drug free home at all times,” said DeSena. “150 parents have already signed up for this.” After signing up for the Safe Space Agreement, parents can sign agreeing to have their child participate in voluntary drug testing at school. Parents have to pay $55 for two drug tests each semester. The money goes to the drug testing company, Vinash Coaching. Vinash Coaching gives the results immediately to the parents. “None of the results go to the staff, they
only go to the parents,” DeSena said. “We wouldn’t do it if that were the case, it’s really for the parent’s benefit.” According to DeSena, if a student does not want to be tested when they are asked at school, they can refuse. “Nobody is forcing students to do anything, but the parents would be contacted immediately,” DeSena said. Vinash Coaching is also providing drug counseling to parents and students if the drug tests are to positive. “They provide next steps or options on what to do next,” DeSena said. This drug testing option can also help parents who want to help their children have reasons to say no to peer pressure. “It’s any easy way for students to say no,” Golden said. According to DeSena, the voluntary drug testing is one thing that the district is doing to help reduce drug and alcohol use in our community. “It’s tough because there is so much out there that we are up against,” DeSena said. “This won’t eliminate the problem, but we are just trying to take action that can help some students.”
Cameras installed to improve campus security by Danny Garzon
PHOTO BY JON MARTIN
Watching over. The school installed 25 new security cameras at the school’s exits and other parts of the school. There will also be more installed in the new facilities.
As part of a district wide attempt by the Information Technology (IT) Department to modernize security systems, cameras were installed around the campus over the summer. A total of 25 cameras were installed in the exterior areas of campus. The cameras were installed in areas of high traffic flow, as well as at all of the entrances and exits to the school. “It gives us a greater sense of security, for people who might come on campus that don’t belong here,” Assistant Principal John Newman said. Newman feels that the ability to be able to identify people that come onto campus is a major benefit of the new security. Newman also hopes to cut down on vandalism and fights initiated by students. With the new system, the administration will be able to access video recordings that are
New Skateboard Policy by Shannon Bowman
Starting Monday, students who use skateboards will be required to use the skateboard racks. If not on racks, teachers will be able to take skateboards away and turn them into the office, similar to the policy on electronics. “When kids bring their skateboards to school, they may end up riding them … and kids get hurt,” Newman said, “This will make campus safer.” The skateboard racks are located near the office, in the same area as the bike racks. “[Skateboards have] really been a hassle. They’re dangerous and distracting in class,” Newman said.
A security guard patrols the bike and skateboard rack area everyday, including snack and lunch. According to Newman, a person would have to break a skateboard to steal it if it is correctly locked. If a student forgets their padlock, they can drop their skateboard off in the office of any Assistant Principal to be held until the student returns to pick it up.
stored to a server by logging in through a web browser. The video recordings will be stored in a four-day archive. “The cameras bring us a better feeling of being able to enforce general good citizenship on campus,” Newman said. The idea for added security came from the district’s (IT) Department, and was paid for by the Measure C Bond. The Measure C Bond was $145 million general obligation bond passed in 2008 that provided funding for school renovations. As part of a $1.7 million allotment, phone systems and network infrastructures were also updated. New phones and routers were installed over the summer. Security cameras were also installed at the elementary and middles schools of the district and at the main district office. Senior Class President Kelsey Szerlip feels concern for the students’ safety and well-being. She hopes that the new cameras will as-
sist the administration in finding those who instigate fights and commit acts of vandalism. “Hopefully it’ll help out on campus, to get people to realize what they might be doing is wrong, but you never know,” she said. When construction on the upper campus is completed, more cameras will be installed there. School counselor Arond Schonberg hopes that the new security cameras will help prevent deviant behavior. “I think that 95 percent of the kids are doing exactly what they are supposed to. But then there is that 5 percent that think that they can get away with something and will try to do it,” he said. Although Schonberg understands that students may feel that cameras are an invasion of privacy, he hopes that the added benefit of security will outweigh the negative aspects.
Learning Center aids students behind in credits by Derek Sarno
This year the new Learning Center is in the former location of the Career Center. The Learning Center is replacing the ACES program, which was an alternative education option for students to recover lost credits. According to Taraz Farzad, one of the teachers in the Learning Center, ACES was, “very independent” and left the students to their own devices. The Learning Center uses the program “Cyber-High” which is a vast improvement over the ACES program last year according to Farzad. “The old ACES program did not meet the A-G requirements but Cyber High does” Farzad said. Cyber-High is also an independent program based on the web. “They take all their quizzes and the activities they do are all online,” Farzad said. Senior Danielle Hart, a student at the
Learning Center, enjoys the freedom of the program and how she can “work at her own pace” and is not forced to “sit in a classroom.” “I think it’s cool I get to make up credits online,” Hart said. The program is aimed mainly at sophomores who are behind in credits. “They get the ability to make up credits before senior year to ensure they aren’t credit deficient for graduation,” Farzad said. One part of the Learning Center is focused on helping each student individually. The other part of the learning center is based more around the development of good learning habits. “We work on organization, time management, and work completion,” said Cathrene Madden, the supervisor for this part of the Learning Center, “We are a place for students to come to receive assistance.”
Class size increase impact felt Due to budget cuts, the increase in class size has affected students. by Laura Shodall
With class sizes increased, teachers and the administration have seen a considerable impact on students. “Kids won’t have the same one on one time with teachers and there will be classroom management issues,” counselor Arond Schonberg said. According to Schonberg, the rise in class size has benefited the counselors positively. “The space that has been created has allowed the counselors to move more kids into more classes,” he said. “It helps the counselors but it certainly does not benefit the teachers. It makes the teacher’s job a lot more challenging.” Ceramics teacher Toni Artiga has seen mixed results in her classes so far. “My class sizes have always been set to the max, so one or two more students don’t really make a huge difference,” she said. “But the biggest challenge is that once a student drops the class, another student comes in the same day. The biggest issue for me is the turnover.” According to Artiga, another issue is finding seats and eliminating certain art projects due to time constraints. “The room is set in a way where it’s hard to move around to get materials, and if an aid is with a student from the special edu-
“The biggest challenge is that once a student drops the class, another student comes the same day.” –– Toni Artiga cation program, that’s another seat and another body,” she said. “The more students I have, the less projects we do. Every year I have to take another project out of the curriculum.” Though there are negative affects of her class sizes increasing, Artiga feels like the transition has been smooth. “I feel like there haven’t been as many switches in comparison to other years,” she said. “This is probably because there’s no room anywhere else, but that’s really been helpful.” According to Assistant Principle Amy Golden, the increased sizes were negotiated from 35 students to 36 students. According to Golden, classes sizes have increased so that the school does not have to cut more teachers. “The union has said that they will allow class sizes to go up just for one year,” Golden said. A contributing factor is the school’s loss of class size reduction. “We lost it in English 9 and Algebra 1 because a math teacher retired and we lost an English teacher due to budget cuts,” she said. “There’s no wiggle room. Those two subjects are the ones that have been hit the hardest.” Though the class size increase doesn’t have a considerable affect on administration, Golden says that it’s still very hard. “The classes are so full that’s it’s difficult for students to change their schedules,” she said.
News
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Sept. 17, 2010
High Tide makes the Hall of Fame
Gulf spill is focus of new AP course
By Allie Goldberg
By Anthony Leong
A new Advanced Placement (AP) course, Environmental Science is available for the first time at this school. The AP class is taught by Mary Simun. “I’ve been wanting to teach this class for six years,” Simun said. According to Simun, the course will focus on the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Simun feels that her decision to focus the class on the oil disaster in the gulf was an easy one to make. “It seemed an obvious choice because very early on [the oil disaster] was shaping up to be one of the worst disasters in our nation’s history,” she said. “The damage will be around for many years, if not forever.” Simun treats the recent incident as a “disaster” rather than an “oil spill.” “To me, a spill has a finite amount to it. You spill a cup of coffee, and there’s only so much coffee. The Exxon-Valdez ship running aground, that’s an oil spill; there’s only so much there,” she said. The disaster in the Gulf is much more detrimental to the environment than people think, according to Simun. “In this case, we have tapped an artery a mile under the surface of the ocean, digging a hole in the crust of the earth, so that oil under tremendous pressure will pump out to fuel our thirst for energy, and we have no way to shut it off,” Simun said. Simun believes that the oil incident is “really not a spill.” She looks to bring awareness to this problem. Simun feels that British Petroleum (BP), the company responsible for the disaster, made a big mistake. “I can’t even fathom the cost. If they had an additional shut-off valve, which the federal government,
PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN
Turning a new leaf. Teacher Mary Simun examines plants for an experiment in her AP Environmental Science class. This is the first year AP Environmental Science is being offered at Redondo.
thanks to [George Bush], said was not mandatory, that would have cost them half a million dollars and it would have prevented all this,” she said. “I’ll bet they’re kicking themselves hard.” After the news of the “oil disaster” and with her new AP class in mind, Simun began to design a curriculum pertaining to oil and fossil fuels. The class will also be almost entirely paperless in order to be more environmentally friendly. AP Environmental Science is the first class at Redondo to use a textbook entirely online, according to Simun. AP Environmental Science became available this year because of the student requests for the class. “There always seemed to be a great deal of student interest,” Science Department Chair Linda Dillard said, “And we knew there was a teacher who was involved with the environment and wanted to teach the class.” Jason O’Connell is one such interested student who approaches the class with enthusiastically.
“It’s my favorite class,” O’Connell said. “I love it.” O’Connell feels that AP Environment Science is a class everyone should take. “I mean, the fact that you see the litter around campus, and the ocean’s right here and nobody notices how dirty it’s getting,” O’Connell said. “This class is going to bring attention to these issues we choose to ignore.” A factor that allowed the class to be added was Chevron’s $25,000 grant allowed the books to be purchased among other things. “All we’re trying to do is have more options for students,” Golden said. Simun feels that the people taking this new class are a different group of people than those who would take AP Chemistry or Biology. “I haven’t yet, but I want to find out from students exactly why they took this class, because I just wonder how many of them will be surprised by what it turns out to be,” she said.
Prerequisites eliminated for AP enrollment By Bethany Kawa
For the first time in the school’s history, there is now open enrollment in all Advanced Placement (AP) classes. In previous years, requirements were implemented because students who met the requirements generally performed well in the class. This year, however, AP classes are available to all students. Though each class differed in these requirements, according to assistant principal Amy Golden, most classes required a certain GPA, proficient or advanced STAR test scores, and/or teacher recommendations. This year due to the recent changes, whoever desires to take an AP course has the opportunity to take the class, thereby eliminating the prerequisites that once existed in the AP programs. “We wanted to give kids more opportunity to do really well because they have a passion for certain subjects that they previously did not have prerequisites for,” Golden said. AP classes are college-level courses taken to earn college credit while in high school. According to Golden, the number of students enrolled in AP classes this year increased compared to last
year due to the new open enrollment policy. She believes counselors have encouraged students to enroll in AP classes this year. “We wanted to account students appropriately and counsel them. AP classes prepare students for college,” she said. Each class is rigorous and demanding in workload, because it prepares the student for the AP exam taken in May, according to Golden. “Open enrollment gives students more opportunity to be in higher level classes. However, because there are no prerequisites, some students may not be prepared for the class,” Golden said. Juniors Andrea Martinez and Erinn Middo are currently enrolled in AP United States History, which is their first AP class. Last year, Martinez was not able to enroll in AP European History because she was enrolled in the AVID program. She had already taken Modern World History freshman year, preventing her from taking AP European History as well. “I really wanted to take AP Euro last year, but I couldn’t because I already took a history class. So I signed up for APUSH this year, because I wanted to take at least one AP class, and I got in,” Martinez
said. Martinez believes the new open enrollment policy “gives everyone a chance to prove that they can do whatever they strive to do.” According to Martinez, she is looking forward to taking this AP class in order to help her get into college. Middo also tried to enroll in AP European History, but was rejected due to the fact that she did not take Honors English as a freshman. In previous years, enrollment in Honors English was required to enroll in AP European history. Because of the new policy, Middo decided to enroll in AP United States History this year after deciding that CP history was not challenging enough for her. “CP history was way too easy for me and I wanted to challenge myself. This year, I wanted to take two AP’s. My counselor told me that I could take AP’s this year because of open enrollment, and encouraged me to do so,” she said. Middo believes open enrollment “gives students who couldn’t challenge themselves before, an opportunity to challenge themselves this year.” “I think the requirements for AP classes in previous years were unfair to those seeking a challenge. Now all students can take any class they want, without any restrictions or requirements,” Middo said.
Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain, Mohammad Ali, The Beatles, and now the High Tide. The High Tide has been added to National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Hall of Fame for the first time. There are a variety of different awards and titles that a high school newspaper can receive, including the pacemaker, all-American, and the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame requires that the paper recieves an all-American title ten times in eleven years. According to the NSPA, to be an all-American, the newspaper must receive 3,200 of the 4,200 possible points, and receive four out of the five marks of distinction. The five specific marks of distinction include Coverage/Content, Writing/Editing, Photos/Art/Graphics, Layout/Design, and Leadership, all by Judge Ellen Kersey. According to adviser Mitch Ziegler, this award is very prestigious. “The High Tide has been a good student newspaper for a really long time,” he said. Ziegler explained that it is more difficult for a paper to get a Pacemaker than all-American. However, Hall of Fame is the most difficult. “Some years I didn’t submit [the newspaper]. The 2001 paper did not make it. It’s just hard to be at that level for so long,” he said.
“We want to help preserve this tradition of excellence by putting out a great paper for years to come.” —Molly Simon
Ziegler believes that the High Tide has been successful since he began as an adviser twenty years ago. “Margaret Lee (past adviser) left me with a very well trained staff,” he said. According to Editor-in-Chief Austin Pritzkat, the award is well-deserved. “It’s nice to be recognized for consistently producing a great newspaper,” he said. “We are in the Hall of Fame because year after year, our paper is one of the best in the nation and that’s something I’m really proud of.” Senior Molly Simon, three-year staff member, agrees. “It’s really cool to be a part of a such a great publication that has such a prestigious past,” she said. “We want to help preserve this tradition of excellence by putting out a great paper for years to come.” According to Photo Editor Jonathan Martin, the award did not come as a surprise. “We worked so hard all year on every deadline and from the first deadline it was inevitable that we would receive this award,” Martin said. Although Pritzkat is pleased with the newspaper’s success, he believes there is always room for improvement. “I want to continue to expand our coverage on a greater cross section on the student body. I’d like to see the High Tide move partially online in order to use technology as a tool to tell stories in a more interesting and effective manner,” he said. Pritzkat believes that the newspaper will continue to grow and improve. “We earned our place in the Hall of Fame. Quite frankly we deserve it— we work really hard,” he said.
Link Crew looks to expand activities By Alison Peet-Lukes
After making freshmen orientation a “success” Link Crew looks forward to more activities throughout the year, according to club adviser Keely Gaylord. “The program is growing every year because all of the Link Leaders are so dedicated,” she said. Gaylord also attributes freshman orientation’s success to the smaller group of Link Leaders. “Because there were fewer leaders, the Link Crew was allowed to be a better quality organization,” she said. Gaylord still plans on revising freshmen orientation to help freshmen be more involved in the activities. “Nothing we did this year was bad, but we need to get freshman even more engaged in the activities,” she said. Junior Devon Bogart was surprised with the freshmen’s enthusiasm during the games. “I thought freshmen would think that the games were stupid, but I was surprised when they would actually participate. I felt like I was helping them when they participated,” she said. According to Bogart, Link Crew has helped her respect freshmen more because she feels like she sets an example for them. Because freshmen orientation is run by Link Leaders, there were mandatory link crew meetings in the summer to prepare the Link Leaders for orientation.
“Preparation was sort of slow. I think it could have been quicker paced and more time efficient,” Bogart said. The Link Leaders played a series of games with the freshmen during orientation and also took them on a tour of the school. “I think orientation most helped them find where their classes and locker were, and helped them with the layout of the whole campus,” Bogart said. Freshman Cailin McMartin believes that the Link Leaders were most helpful in finding her classes. “The tour really helped me find out where all my classes and my locker were,” she said. McMartin found that freshmen orientation helped her meet new people and learn about high school. “It was fun because I was with some of my friends and I liked meeting new people. The activities taught me that we need to work together,” she said. Gaylord plans to have new activities with Link Crew throughout the year. “We will have movie nights and tailgates, and we will continue to expand,” she said. Gaylord is excited for the rest of the year with link crew. “It’s exciting because Link Crew is starting to feel more student run,” she said.
1.
2.
3. PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEPHANIE GEIL
1. Teacher Sandra Fowles leads the freshmen in a song. 2. Junior Carolyn Pyle communicates with freshmen in order to make orientation run smoothly. 3. Junior Jeremy Porr helps a freshman find his name tag.
Opinion
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September 17, 2010
Around Redondo
Editorial: A paper for a new year
“Drug tests are bogus because if a student refuses it, people will call them a druggie.”
Simply put, journalism, is just story telling.
12th
Our mission is basic: tell the best stories we can.
–– Kyle Bittman
Every person has a story to tell.
“It’s a good idea but it’s also kind of unnecessary at the same time.”
And we have over 2,600 to cover. We have the freedom to say, write, and print what we want. But we have the duty to be your voice.
10th
It’s not the newspaper of 54 staff members.
–– Brittany Domingo
It’s the paper of each and every Sea Hawk.
“If there’s a lot of druggies around here then drug tests are a good thing.”
9th
–– Eriq Deng
“No, I don’t think we should do in school drug testing.”
You’re not just another athlete or another student. And we’re not just another paper.
Editorial: School Pride
Something feels different this year. There’s something in the air that feels new, fresh; something that’s put a spring in the student body’s collective step. It could be that the new ice cream vending machines allow us to satiate our sweet tooth from the comfort of our school. Or it might just be that our new buildings have given us a reason to be proud to be Sea Hawks. Our school has finally entered the 21st century with the addition of these new facilities: the office (located on the newlynamed Sea Hawk Way), Sea Hawk Bowl, and the soon-to-be completed Aquatic Center. These new additions give our school much more than a muchneeded aesthetic upgrade. They give us a sense of belonging and pride. Our fields are new, our pool is new, and our office is new. No longer will our sports teams be embarrassed to host other teams. No longer will our auditorium seats squeak with every movement, or our pool bleachers give us splinters. However, these new additions have not come without a price. Some seniors are resentful of the fact that they will not be able to reap the benefits of the new constructions before they graduate.
While these feelings are understandable, they don’t realize that we’re witnessing something amazing. The complete transformation of our school in such a short time mirrors that of the students roaming its halls and their growth throughout the years. When our seniors came to this school as starry-eyed freshmen, it was hardly organized. The fields were a mess, the office was out of the way for most, and our facilities certainly showed their age. And now, as our seniors prepare to leave, our school has found its focus. With a clearly defined hub, and suitable facilities for our sports teams, we have made far-reaching improvements that will last far beyond our seniors’ tenure here at our high school. Redondo is entering a new era. It’s obvious in our buildings, our mentality, and even our own newspaper. The fact that we get to see this, and watch our timehonored school begin a new era, is something much bigger than ourselves. Finally our school has been provided the same service it has provided to us –– being made into something stronger and more respectable. Now, walking through the halls, we can say firmly that we’re proud to be Sea Hawks.
“Redondo is entering a new era. It’s obvious in our buildings and in our mentality.”
10th
–– Yasmin Wiber
“I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing but it can see it as an invasion of privacy.”
11th
–– Chris Lew
High Tide
]staff]
Editor-in-Chief: Austin Pritzkat Editor of Design: Molly Simon Managing Editors: Sophia Lykke; Julia Uriarte News Editors: Christina Mehranbod; Kaitee Scheyer Opinion Editor: Josh Hillsburg Features Editors: Dylan Futrell; Kelsey Chung; Meglyn Huber; Ashley Pournamdari; Madeline Perrault; Alison Peet-Lukes; Brianna Egan Sports Editor: Adam Ammentorp; Jessica Cascio Photo Editors: Jonathan Martin Copy Editors: Shannon Bowman; Olivia Loveland; Melissa Rosero Cartoonists: Josh Hillsburg Staff Writers: Vanessa Alarcon; Sammie Avalos; Taylor Ballard; Matthew Brancoli; Loren Brown; Laney Burke; Kimberly Chapman; Zachary Commins; Alexis CurtisOlson; Ciara Diaz; Kaelee Epstein; Gianna Esposito; Daniel Garzon; Allie Goldberg; Anachristina Gonzalez; Bethany Kawa; David Kawa; Casey Lovano; Anthony Leong; Trisha Light; Cammille Mitchell; Joy Ohiomoba; Melissa Rosero; Allison Salazar; Derek Sarno; Alex Shea; Jessi Shipley; Laura Shodall; Annica Stitch; Shayna Stuart; Emma Uriarte; Alyssa Wolf; Zachary Zent Adviser: Mitch Ziegler The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a highquality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body. This newspaper 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, 631 Vincent Park, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Advertising is $7.50 per column inch, $6.00 if paid in advance. For information call (310)798-8665 ext. 2210. Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the writer or cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the High Tide staff.
We’re your paper. With our campus remodeled, so too is our paper. We’ve redesigned and we’re recommitted to serving you. We tell stories to inform you, to educate you, and to entertain you. It isn’t always easy and we can’t always promise perfection. But we promise to put our hearts and souls into every High Tide. We need your input. We understand there are Sea Hawks we don’t know. That is why we need your help. This year, take the time to write us suggestions, to write a letter to the editor, and to get involved. We’re not only journalists, we’re storytellers. Help us tell your story. Please send suggestions or Letters to the Editor to hightideonline@gmail.com or visit rm. 209.
Pro Con Should the district sponsor a drug testing program?
T
hese days, you can’t walk into a school bathroom without being overwhelmed by the skunky stench of pot. Even more obnoxious is the by Josh Hillsburg recent ritual of spamming my news feed every weekend with the latest photos of passed out deliquents crumpled on the floor in a drunken stupor. It is an unassailable truth that the abuse of drugs and alcohol is extraordinarily prevalent among teenagers today and that, given the potential health risks involved with such behavior, efforts should be made by both parents and schools to squash this deviancy. Of course, the question at hand is: “Should our school sponsor voluntary drug testing programs?” The correct answer is a resounding “Yes”. In-school drug testing is hardly anything new, and several other schools such as Mira Costa High School have been sponsoring such programs for years. Not to mention, the process is entirely voluntary, requiring the consent of both the parent as well the student. That’s right, you don’t have to take it if you don’t want to.
Of course, refusing to take the test after your parents have paid to sign you up is probably the most suspicious thing you could do. And therein lies the genius of the program. Parents who suspect their teen of using illegal drugs can pigeonhole their kid into an uncomfortable lose-lose situation where the student is forced to either agree to the drug test and expose his or her delinquency or refuse the test and effectively confirm his or her parents’ suspicions. Nearly 50 percent of 12th-graders admit to having used illegal drugs at some time, according to a last year’s national Monitoring the Future survey, and more than 70 percent have had alcohol (http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/ hsyouthtrends.html). These appalling figures serve as evidence not only of a decline in our generation’s moral sensibilities but also of the need for programs such as voluntary in school drug testing that aim to help reduce substance abuse in our community. Given the voluntary basis of the program and its relatively low cost, one would truly have to be under the influence to neglect its obvious, helpful contribution to the school and the lawabiding, sober community as a whole.
B
ig Brother is coming to get you, in an admittedly less totalitarian way. Our school is implementing voluntary drug testing that parents can sign their child up for. While the school district is approaching this as a solution to an important issue, drug testing will cause more problems than it solves. One problem is inaccuracy; drug tests are not magic. According to experts, students find ways to foil drug tests, yielding false negatives. Even water and medications can affect the results (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ id/20631668/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/). The American Academy of Pediatrics even opposes drug testing. (http://www.adolescent-substanceabuse.com/substance-abuse/shouldyou-test-your-teen-for-drugs.htm) Drug testing has also been shown to be ineffective in stopping drug use. In schools with drug testing, there was no “spillover” effect; percentages of untested kids using drugs stayed the same. What’s more is about one in three students surveyed from those schools still said that they “probably” or “definitely” will use drugs in the next year (http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-0715-drugtesting14_st_N.htm).
Beyond the numbers, how will this affect kids? School is supposed to be a safe place for students to learn, not a place where they have to worry about being by Shannon Bowman called in to urinate in a cup. Yes, testing results won’t be revealed to staff, but even to be called in casts suspicion. Students have a right to refuse to be tested, but how genuine is this “power”? If a parent is concerned enough to pay for testing, a child’s refusal won’t be enough to sway them. The possibility of consequences at home offsets any power a student has over their own privacy. And that’s what this boils down to: privacy. If a family feels their teen is involved in drugs, there are other avenues they can pursue. At-home drug tests can be administered in the privacy of a person’s home, not by a stranger in a supposedly “safe” environment. What’s next? Drug testing in order to try out for a sport, or an extracurricular? Testing at the faculty’s discretion? Testing to even be allowed to attend school? It’s not the school’s place to drug test students; a student has the right to feel safe at school.
Features
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Sept. 17, 2010
Louis rides tandem bicycle across USA by Annica Stitch
He pumps his bike pedals harder and harder and beads of sweat collect on his forehead as senior Matthew Louis gains on the rest of the cycling group who are further up the mountain. On a tandem bike with his father, the pair hoped to raise money and awareness for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America in honor of Louis’ grandfather, Duane Louis, who has the disease. Huntington’s is a neurological genetic disorder which affects muscle coordination and eventually causes dementia and a progressive decline of the cognitive process. Since his grandfather lives in San Francisco, Louis admits he only sees his grandfather once or twice a year. “Since he has Huntington’s disease and I see him so little, every time I do see him, I can easily notice how his condi-
tion has worsened since the last time I’ve seen him,” Louis said. Louis and his father were not the only ones participating in the ride for a cause; various other people from all over America, and even some from other countries, had their own reasons for riding 3,753 miles across the country. According to Louis, many took the challenge as a “bucket list” activity, but others rode for charities such as the Lung Association of America. Although Louis considers himself a casual cyclist and “not very devoted, at that” he started training four months in advance for this particular ride. The ride began in Astoria, Oregon and finished in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Over the course of the ride, Louis got to experience many different terrains. The terrain of the ride was fairly challenging according to Louis; Oregon,
Wyoming, and Vermont had particularly difficult mountainous terrain. By the middle of the ride, Louis and his fellow riders referred to the mountains as “speed bumps.” “Personally, I enjoyed the scenery on the coastal states east and west because of the entertaining terrain and the scenery like mountains and trees all over the place,” he said. “It was a lot more entertaining than the states like South Dakota and Minnesota and Wisconsin where it seemed that the corn fields would just go on forever.” According to Louis the cycling group was a pseudo-family where everyone cooperated happily with one another. “I always felt comfortable around the other riders, and the staff did a great job of [supporting us] throughout the entire ride.” Louis said. After completing the ride, Louis says he’s “hooked” and tries to get out to ride his bike as often as he can.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT LOUIS
Lazy Days. Senior Matt Louis takes a break on the back of the tandem bike him and his father rode across America to raise money for Huntington’s disease.
Price and Smith donate backpacks to underprivileged children by Sophia Lykke
The minute he saw each child’s excited face at receiving a fully stocked backpack, Andy Price, senior, knew that his summer service with the Kiwanis Club was worth it. Price and his girlfriend Shelby Smith, senior, spent 25 hours working on a project to donate ninety backpacks and new pairs of shoes to the Boys & Girls club of San Pedro. The Kiwanis club, a brother organization to the Key Club, sponsored a project over the summer that donated 90 pairs of free
1. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAROLYN PRICE
1. Helping hand. Price and Smith sit
amongst the backpacks they donated tochildren. 2.Tools of the trade. Examples of school supplies that were handed out.
2.
shoes and backpacks to children. After his mother joined the Kiwanis Club in Palos Verdes, Price and Smith took the opportunity to volunteer together for “Project Shoe” in order to help 90 first graders prepare for their first days of school. “We wanted to do it because it helped the children that aren’t as privileged as we are and it gives you the feeling that you’re giving back,” Smith said. Both Price and Smith volunteer together at the Roundhouse Aquarium, but Price expressed that his past experiences were nothing like this one. In one day, they packed one hundred backpacks with 17 items each, complete with school supplies and toiletries that were donated from various companies as well as two used books. Though packing the backpacks themselves was a 5 hour process, Price and Smith worked together in the community helping to find donations for the items themselves. “Our job was to get the books from elementary schools,” Smith said. After calling various elementary schools, Beryl Elementary agreed to donate seven hundred and fifty used books to the project. “They were getting rid of the books
and were happy to give them to us,” Price said. “A lot of the books were from the late eighties and early nineties, but they’re good books.”
“We wanted to make them feel like it’s their book and not some previous kid’s book. We wanted to make them feel special.’’ - Shelby Smith When they finally had all of their supplies, the pair packed each of the hundred backpacks at Price’s house. They enjoyed working together on a service project. “We set up an assembly line and just did it together,” Smith said. “It was really fun because it showed how well we work together. There’s no real way to describe it other than we’re a really good team.”
Price and Smith took care in packing the backpacks, especially by cleaning up the books and erasing any markings out of them. “We wanted to make them feel like it’s their book and not some previous kid’s book. We wanted to make them feel special,” Smith said. This past Saturday, Price went to Payless Shoe Source in Torrance to hand out the backpacks and help the children from the Boys & Girls Club pick their free pair of shoes, paid for by the Kiwanis Club. He felt the true reward of his efforts when the kids shared their excitement with him. “It was fun. The kids came up and were really happy and showing me the shoes that they got. They were really excited,” he said. “Seeing the expressions on the kids’ faces made it all worth it.” Both Price and Smith appreciate the new perspective and gratitude that they gained from giving back to underprivileged youth. “You get to see that not everyone is as privileged as you are, and it gives you a different perspective on the U.S. and different people’s lives. It also makes you think of other parts of the world, since the U.S. is so blessed,” Price said.
Features
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Sept. 17 2010
Brown happy to settle down by Victoria Balding
From college football player, to commercial real estate agent, to football coach, to teacher, to soon-to-be father, Marvin Brown, special education math teacher, is happy to be settling down in California. Brown recently moved to California from Pueblo, Colorado to be with his fiancé who is now anticipating the arrival of their first child. “We met a few years ago at a wedding in Monterey, California. In the past I had considered moving to California so I’m really excited to be here,” Brown said. Before becoming a teacher Brown received a degree in communication and a masters in special education from North Western College in Illinois. “I went into commercial real estate and I loved it,” Brown said. After working three years as a commercial real estate agent he decided to pursue his dream
of becoming a coach. “I thought I’d fulfilled my desire to do real estate, and I had wanted to be a coach since I was in high school,” Brown said. After quitting commercial real estate Brown moved to Chicago and became a football and baseball coach. “I had played football in college and really wanted to be a head coach and I got the opportunity to do so in Chicago,” Brown said. Through his coaching career, Brown discovered his passion for teaching and later moved back to Colorado to be a full time teacher. “I got into teaching because of coaching. I was fortunate to already have credentials in Math and Special Education,” Brown said. Brown is now spending his fourth year as a teacher, teaching pre algebra and algebra. “I teach a slower paced class for students that have difficulty
Baumback teaches and coaches
picking up the information at a fast pace. The course is done in a year rather than a semester,” he said. His background in special education is what allowed him to be able get this position. “I was very fortunate to get the job here, I only applied to one other school district,” Brown said. Brown looks forward to continuing his teaching career as a Sea hawk and plans to stay here for quite while. “I feel happy to be here. I love it here so far and I really look forward to teaching here,” Brown said.
PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN
by Camille Duong
Jeff Baumback is not only the new health teacher and baseball coach, but he also works part time at Shores. According to Baumback, splitting his time has been a challenge and has kept him constantly moving. “The day goes by so quickly and there is never a dull moment,” He said. Baumback previously taught at Long Beach Wilson High School. “This is my fourth year teaching,” Baumback said. As the pitching coach at Wilson, the team won the CIF Division 1 Championship in 2004, 2007, and 2008. “[Wilson] was also named a National Champion, ranked number one in the nation,” Baumback said. According to Baumback he wanted to become a teacher and a coach because he enjoys helping teens in trying
to achieve their goals. “Having summer off is a bonus,” he said. According to Baumback, the year has been amazing so far. “The staff has been very welcoming and helpful. The students have paid attention and make the classroom atmosphere excellent. The baseball players have worked hard and shown dedication,” he said. For Baumback, being the baseball coach has been fun. “I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to run a program at such a great school,” he said. “So far the players have been hard working and enthusiastic and that’s really all I can ask for.” According to Baumback, his time playing at a Division 1 school in college has greatly affected the way he coaches.
“The practices and drills we do are the same as what I went through in college,” Baumback said. “The players will be prepared to move onto college and professional baseball; there will be no surprises.” This season, Baumback hopes to build the foundation of a top notch program. Because the performance on the field last year was not great, he really wants to improve. “Thus far teaching and coaching at Redondo been amazing,” Baumback said.
PHOTO BYJONATHAN MARTIN
New Seahawks
for a New Year
Flores has new teaching approach by Victoria Balding
When Spanish teacher Rosa Flores got into college, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She picked the first major on the list and, being a native speaker, had never taken Spanish. “I grew up speaking Spanish but never really had an interest in it until late,” Flores said. While doing a year abroad in Spain, Flores began taking some of her classes in Spanish. “I fell in love with the language and discovered that I loved learning the different culture,” Flores said. Last year Flores taught at Orange County High School; however, in 2009 Flores attended a workshop provided by the Coach Organization that Spanish teachers Diana Munoz and Cynthia Leathers are a part of. “The workshop had a different approach to teaching Span-
ish that was similar to Orange County’s,” Flores said. Flores wants to teach Spanish in a way that students can apply it to the outside world rather than just putting sentences together. “It’s important that students know the vocabulary but I’ve never heard a tourist ask where the library is before. The workshop used techniques to actually teach the language,” Flores said. She took German in both high school and college. While in Spain, she purchased the European first season of Sex and the City because of the variety in subtitles and languages that the show was available in. “By rotating the subtitles and languages between German, English, and Spanish, I could see the parallels in the languages which really helped me understand how they were structured,” she said. Since Flores knows first hand
that learning a language and being able to apply it are two different things, she hopes that it will help her teach her students how to be successful. She feels the Spanish department has welcomed her with open arms. “All of the Teachers have been nothing be supportive. Ms. Tilltson even left me a bunch of her old stuff that she didn’t need anymore,” she said. Flores has a positive outlook on becoming a Seahawk and is excited for the upcoming school year. “Everyone here has been great so far and I look forward to my first year at Redondo,” she said.
PHOTO BY ALEX SHEA
Akhavan returns as a mother by Alyssa Sanchez
English teacher Kim Akhavan, after giving birth to her first child Cameron Bowie now 11 months old, has made the decision to return to Redondo to continue her love for teaching. During her time away she spent three weeks in Europe riding bikes through Munich, eating everything delicious in sight, and spending time with her relatives from Iran who were extremely excited for the new addition to their family. “My family from Iran were so excited during my pregnancy, I had lip prints on my dress where my big belly was,” said Akhavan. The time away from work allowed Akhavan to relieve some of her stress. It allowed her to take a sabbatical to study and get a break from all the work that being a
teacher requires. Upon returning to Redondo the biggest change that impacts her the most is the change of class sizes. “I have almost the same number of English students I hadwith four classes than with five classes two years ago, not including dance guard. That’s intense,” she said. To balance her roles as both a mother and teacher, Akhavan works only a three day week spending Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays inside the classroom. Her new schedule makes it possible to do a good job as both a mother and teacher. She missed her students but she was also forced to come back because of financial purposes. Though, at the end of the day, the most ideal situation for her is being with her son. “If I could afford to be a stay home mom, I’d like that the best,
but I do enjoy what I do here,” said Akhavan. Akhavan describes her life as all in all happy with a supportive husband with whom she divides all the work very fairly considering their respective responsibilities of work and raising their child. Very content with her life, she wants to keep her family at three. “I think I want to stop [having children], but then again I was the one that said never to having children, but the biggest reason is that I am lucky and happy and I don’t want to mess that up,” said Akhavan.
PHOTO BY ALEX SHEA
Graffio travels to over 30 countries by Anthony Leong
With some experience as an operation manager for an international medical service, Cynthia Graffio has begun as a new French teacher this year. Graffio first explained a little about why she decided to start teaching. “I’ve always liked teaching because I’ve always done it in one capacity or another,” Graffio said. “I learn as [the students] learn, and it’s an everyday challenge, in a good way.” Graffio elaborates on teaching for so much of her life. “I’ve taught English abroad,” she said. “I used to teach English to other businesses, and when I was working for the medical services company, I would be teaching the new recruits about the countries they were going to be working in.” Graffio has also been a tour
guide and an English teacher both one-on-one and within companies. On the side, Graffio enjoys reading books, watching movies, and traveling. She estimates that she has been to thirty-two different countries. In her mind, the three most significant countries she visited were China, South Africa, and Cambodia. “Cambodia was probably the most touching or poignant,” she said. “It was just a very different experience.” Before she was a French teacher, Graffio worked for an international medical service. She was responsible for mobilizing and recruiting doctors. She spent two years in Singapore, seven years in Paris, and she attended Scripps College for women. “Before I was working with doctors; it was very interesting. It was very challenging. But it
wasn’t enough for me,” she said. Like many teachers, Graffio has a goal with her students. “My goal is to help students become lifelong learners and to make them aware of what the world has to offer them by learning a second or third language,” she said. Graffio speaks French, Spanish, and Italian, “with varying competencies,” she says. When asked about her extracurricular activities, Graffio stated that she didn’t have any yet: “But I have plans!”
PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN
De Collibus transitions to teaching by Laney Burke
Imagine going into work every day, surrounded by dead birds. While this idea may seem unpleasant for some, Karin De Collibus preformed autopsies on birds for six years. De Collibus worked at Vector Control doing disease surveillance for West Nile Virus. Everyday, she studied birds to determine the cause of their death. Ever since West Nile Virus first appeared in California in 2003, organizations like Vector Control have been on the lookout for “vectors” that may be transmitting the disease. “I love animals and na-
ture,” De Collibus said. “[But] I like working with kids better than with dead animals.” So De Collibus switched her focus from autopsies to teaching. “Working with my nieces and nephews and helping them with their homework really inspired me to teach,” she said. De Collibus grew up in Downy and majored in Biology at Cal State Long Beach. She was part of the Society for Conservation Biology throughout her college years. “I love hiking, mountain biking, surfing, anything
outdoors,” she said. She also admitted to being an avid sewer. De Collibus was a student teacher in the district last year, but this is her first year teaching here. “I love it here so far,” she said. “And I hope to continue teaching [at RUHS].”
PHOTO BY ALEX SHEA
All of the new staff members have not been included in this issue. They will be reported on in the following issue. A story on history teacher Gregory Fucci’s return can be found on page 6.
Features
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Sept. 17 2010
Fucci returns from year of service in the Coast Guard By Derek Sarno
Chief Petty Officer Gregory Fucci mounts the stairs of the building and briskly walks the lengh of the corridor to his office. He enters the room and takes his place behind his desk, but when he looks up it is not a bank of computer monitors that meet his gaze but the weary eyes of his government class. History and American government teacher Gregory Fucci was not able to fill his teaching post last year due to his Coast Guard reserve unit being activated and shipped overseas. He served as the Seaward Joint Operations Center watch officer for regions in Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait. This includes the responsibility of protecting ships trying to dock as well as massive oil tankers in port. “All war supplies for Iran or Afghanistan came through Kuwait,” Fucci said. “It was my job to ensure the ships made it through safely.” This was Fucci’s second tour and according to him it did not have the same “emotional feelings”. When he received
the news of his second tour, he felt it was “no big deal”. However, Fucci feels the mission went on longer than it should have. Despite this, he feels that American involvement was necessary and the delayed involvement is political. “Many of the Muslims I interacted with are beginning to have pro-west feelings as the growing threat of Iran and their nuclear program are building,” Fucci said. Fuccis also claims that the media does an inaccurate job of reporting the news on both sides of the spectrum. Despite his role in the war effort against the Islamic extremists he has deep respect for the culture. “I respect what i see as a different worldwith different set of values and a different way of looking at things,” Fucci does not regret his deployment but he says that two terms are enough, He values his time spent abroad and is grateful for the time thast he spent in Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait. “I have a deep respect for the culture. I saw it as a different world with different sets of values and a different way of looking at things,” he said.
Kodani takes various music classes By Allison Salazar
PHOTO COURTESY OF GREGORY FUCCI
Soldier on. Teacher Gregory Fucci served a year as Seaward Joint Operations Center watch officer in Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait.
Loo finds passion in sewing costumes for anime conventions By Alex Curtis
PHOTO COURTESY OF COSPLAY.COM
Dress up. Senior Lauren Loo shows off a homemade costume at an anime convention
Imagine spending a day as another person, being called by a different name and taking on a different personality. In her spare time, senior Lauren Loo cosplays (costume-plays) as characters from anime shows that she loves, sewing costumes for herself and her friends. “I like the sewing process. It’s like when people like drawing; I like sewing,” Loo said. Lauren’s love of sewing started in the seventh grade, when a friend first took her to an anime convention. “After going there and seeing all the costumes I wanted to make my own one day,” she said. Since her first, Loo has been to nine anime conventions, attending Anime Los Angeles (ALA) in the winter and Anime Expo (AX) in the summer.
Loo says that she is excited for her next two conventions and the costumes she will do for them. The first, for ALA 2011, is a Pokemon group. The second is for AX 2011, and will be her first couple cosplay, which she will do with her boyfriend, junior Gray Meyers. “She told me stories about going with friends. I actually kind of asked if I could go with her,” he said. Loo sometimes reuses a costume for multiple conventions as she gets attached to one character from a series. Cosplay is “therapeutic” for her, as well as a means to stand out. “It helps me forget about my problems for a while… I like to be different, and it’s my way I can be different,” she said. Loo is aware off the odd looks she gets while walking from her hotel room to the convention halls, but does not care. “I like being a geek, even if people look
at you funny sometimes … I would totally dress up at school,” Loo said. Lauren says that she takes pride in her work and tries to make her costumes with the best quality possible, though this limits the quantity she is able to make. “You want to make so many things, but you can only fit so much into a certain amount of time,” she said. Fashion design teacher Faith Miller has noticed that Lauren is quick to learn and a hard worker. “I would love to have a fashion class full of students like Lauren. She was eager to learn things, did excellent work and was fun,” Miller said. Loo plans to continue sewing costumes and cosplaying in college as well as taking classes to “hone her skill”. “I hope she continues with her interest in designing costumes. She will be a success in whatever she chooses,” Miller said.
Ruiz volunteers at animal shelter because of childhood love for animals By Alyssa Wolf
Senior Cristina Ruiz goes from cage to cage scrubbing out kennels and changing cat litter. She gets paid nothing, nor is it punishment. She chose to do it on her own because it is ‘ethics’: doing the right thing. Two to three times a week Cristina took a few hours out of her summer to volunteer at the VCA Animal Hospital. “I wanted to help the animals, because we always focus on ourselves so I wanted to help something that can’t help themselves,” she said. When Cristina was little she asked her mom, Guadalupe Ruiz, for a dog. “I felt bad because I really wanted to get her one, but I couldn’t get her one because we did not have a big enough yard. She was
very disappointed but she did not get mad, instead she went over to her friend’s house and played with their dogs,” Guadalupe said. “She would just sit there and pet the animals.” Volunteering has always been something Cristina wanted to do. She was in Girl Scouts when she was younger because she wanted to help out the local community and anyone she could. She wanted to be passionate about the place she would volunteer. “If you actually care about something, you are going to make an effort to do a really good job at it,” she said. “If you don’t care about what you are doing then you are just going to do it because you have to but if your passionate about it, you will put in more effort.”
She never realized the effect her efforts had on the animals until she saw how she directly helped a kitten over a few weeks time. “There was this cat named Joey, he was so cute, and he was the most shy out of the whole litter, and I would specifically pick him up and play with him,” she said. “He started being less shy and more outgoing.” Everyday Cristina would walk the animals, play with them, and try and keep everything clean and as sanitary as possible. “It was sad because this place did not have an expensive, high quality shelter,” she said. “All the cats have their cages with their litter, but if one cat got a ring worm, all the other cats would, so they tried to isolate the ones with contagious issues.”
She cannot escape how irresponsible people are and how the animals did not deserve what happened to them. “It made me realize how sad it is that people just get pets because they think that they are cute when they are little but then when they grow up, they go and abandon them at that shelter,” she said. Cristina is going to volunteer again next summer and wants others to join her. “I think people should make a bigger effort to help others instead of just themselves,” she said. “Everyday we only focus on ourselves and what we want to do and we think one little thing that goes wrong is the end of the world, but if you really look at how bad other people, and animals have it, your life isn’t that bad at all,” she said.
Playing five different instruments, music is what offers a window into senior Rick Kodani’s personality. “He plays his music like he is in person, up front and in your face, yet he can move you in ways not many people can. He opens up when he plays his music, and he can portray stories with his notes,” junior Sam Gommel said. Kodani was introduced to music at a young age, and began learning tunes on the guitar from his father. “Music has always been a part of my life. I remember growing up with [my dad] teaching me how to play American Pie by the Eagles,” he said. Kodani is currently in marching band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, concert band, and wind ensemble. He plays the mellophone, the baritone saxophone, trombone, trumpet, and tenor drums. “I don’t necessarily consider myself different, just opportunistic. I saw the opportunity to take as many band classes as I could and that’s what I did. I really enjoy it,” he said. Senior Jason O’Connell also believes music has helped Kodani be dedicated to all aspects of his life. “He seizes opportunities that others would give up on and he always perseveres through them. Music has given him something to strive for over anything else. It is one of the things
“Music has given him something to strive for over anything else. It’s one of the things that motivates him,” –– Jason O'Connell
that motivates him,” O’Connell said. All of Kodani’s hobbies make him different and reflect his personality, according to Gommel. “He has a gentle spirit and knows what to do and when to do it. He is very well rounded, both as a student and a human being,” he said. “If he thinks up a goal and he wants to achieve it, he will. No doubt about that.” However, music is more than just a pastime for Kodani. It has helped him in school as well. “To me music is passion. The sounds that I create come from my soul. It relaxes me from everything that bothers me during the day,” he said. Music has also helped Kodani focus on his future. After high school he plans to audition for the World Class Drum Corps, and The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. “When you’ve essentially breathed music for so long, it becomes such a huge part of your life,” O’Connell said. “If you took music from him, he would be a very different person than he is today. Chances are, he’ll be the old guy playing the trumpet or trombone at a local jazz joint when he retires.”
Carlos to support her ill sister by participating in lupus awareness walk By Allison Salazar
Throughout her life, senior Daisy Carlos has helped her older sister Sonia deal with her disease: Lupus. Carlos decided to form a team this year to participate in the Lupus Walk on September 25th at Exposition Park, in order to raise money and awareness. “I feel like Lupus is something many people don’t even know about, or hear of. Participating in the Lupus Walk not only helps raise funds, but it also supports Sonia. I’m doing it for her to have her know that I care,” she said. 1.5 million Americans and more than 200,000 people in California have a form of Lupus. It is an autoimmune disease that lasts a lifetime and if left untreated damages the body’s organs, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Sonia was diagnosed with Systematic Lupus Erythomatosis (SLE) when she was 17, before Daisy was born. It eventually led to kidney failure. She had to go through dialysis- a process that helps the body by performing the
functions of the kidneys, as well as chemotherapy. (medicinenet.com) “My reaction was that of confusion and fear; I had never heard of Lupus before. I was scared because I didn’t know if there was a cure. The side effect of the medications was something I had to learn to cope with,” Sonia said. However, Sonia began getting rashes, experiencing joint pain, and fatigue. When Daisy was three, her older sister Maria donated a kidney to Sonia. “She is my best friend and I feel like we have something that is sometimes rare to come by. I know that because of the kidney transplant, Sonia and Maria have a bond that I’m sure most people can’t ever compare to,” she said. Sonia also believes the disease has created a close bond between her, Daisy, and the rest of her family despite the hardships. “Daisy was the best thing that could have happened to me. She gave me a reason to continue fighting and to want to get better. My family has been supportive, and they
have played a crucial part in my recovery,” Sonia said. This will be Daisy’s third year participating in the Lupus Walk. She decided to be team captain this year and created an invitation with a background story to get people to join. The team is hoping to raise at least 1,000 dollars. “I think something I realized with Sonia was that not many people have positive things to say when it comes to chronic illnesses and it’s really easy to just give up. I feel that with any disease, determination and just maintaining hope is the key to being positive. Participating in the Lupus Walk helps support people dealing with it,” she said. By participating in the walk, both sisters feel that they are helping to find a cure for Lupus. “Through this I am bringing awareness. Any monetary donation, however big or small, will undoubtedly make a difference,” Sonia said. Overall, Lupus has changed the way Daisy views things in life. It has helped her gain a sense of responsibility and perseverance.
“I see all she goes through and everything she deals with and she carries herself in a way I wish I could as well. Despite all that’s happened to her, she strives to remain positive about things and looks at things in a brighter way,” Daisy said. Daisy wants to continue her efforts toward the fight against Lupus in the future by advocating and making people aware of the disease. “This is a life long dedication. I feel a
personal sense of responsibility not only to Sonia but also to everyone else suffering from Lupus. Making people aware can make all the difference,” she said. To Daisy, Lupus affects more than just the person with the disease. “In the end it makes you stronger. The consequences it has on so many people’s lives are tragic but you learn to deal with them,” Daisy said.
Sports
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Sept. 17 2010
XC girls sweep first race By Olivia Loveland
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN MCMARTIN
Sail away. Senior Brian McMartin sails during one of his many trainings. McMartin participates in races and receives PE credit for his sailing activities.
Sailing accepted as PE alternative By Shannon Bowman
The wind rushes around him, the cold, salty drops whip his face and sting his eyes. He pulls harder, the coarse rope digs into his hands. The boat rocks as another strong wave crashes around him, spraying water over him and his crewmates. This is his physical education. Brandon Folkman, junior, has been sailing since he was seven years old. His grandfather and father both sailed competitively and Folkman participates in competitions from a young age and grew up loving the sport. “I love sailing because I love being on the water,” he said. “I also like all of the places I’ve gotten to go to and all the people I’ve met from sailing.” Folkman chose to substitute sailing for regular PE because racing became more demanding and he did not have enough time to also juggle his other sport, lacrosse. “Sailing is what I love,” Folkman said, “and if I get PE credits while I practice for my races then that’s even better.” Senior Brian McMartin chose to do sailing instead of regular PE as it helped him get ahead in academic classes. “With [sailing] I could do something I’m good at and actually like,” he said. McMartin also enjoys the social aspect of sailing. “At the [races] there would be a bunch of other high schoolers,” McMartin said. “You could hang out on the beach with your friends.” In order for a student to qualify for alternative PE, they have to fill out the application packet. They need to practice at least 15 hours a week and have a coach willing to give them a letter grade. Students must also compete on at least a regional level. Assistant Principal John Newman is in charge of approving applications. He believes that alternative PE is a good idea. “I love that people have something they’re passionate about,” he said. Although he feels most students should take normal PE, Newman sees benefits for serious students. “For students who are competing on a high level, it gives them extra time to spend training,” Newman said. McMartin has won the same three major regattas two years in a row, and sails in races with up to 200 competitors. “It’s one of those things were you have been doing it for so long you never know any different,” McMartin said. Folkman is also very passionate about sailing. He sailed in the Youth International Match Racing Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. Subsequently he has been invited back to compete in the Harken International Match Race in Sydney, Australia. “I honestly don’t know why I’m so passionate about it,” Folkman said. “I just love racing where I constantly have to try my best to sail as fast as I can.” “When I did PE outside of school I got credit and had a chance to practice a sport I cared about,” McMartin said. Both Folkman and McMartin are glad to be able to sail for PE credits. “I went to conventional PE and I could feel the wind and wished I was sailing,” said Folkman. “It sounds corny but it’s true.”
The girls’ cross country team earned a “perfect score” in the Great Cow Run Invitational held at Cerritos Regional Park on Sept. 11. The girls varsity swept the first five places. Going into the race, the girls planned on competing with Saugus, one of the most notorious teams in the state, only to learn that the Saugus top squad was a no-show. However, their perfect score of 15 points and a cumulative team time of 87:19 was a new girls’ cross country course record, previously held by Saugus. “I have never seen that happen before at an invitational meet of that magnitude,” coach Bob Leetch said. The pack-mentality prevailed with the top six runners coming through the first mile-mark at 5:36 to 5:37 to lead the race. They continued to lead the race as a pack coming through the two-mile mark at six minutes. “Our goal going into the race was to get out early and to stay as a pack. We had wanted to compete with Saugus who is notorious for their ‘packing’ The course was pretty flat so it was a good day to run a fast time,” captain Laura O’Neill said. The top finishers for the girls were veteran runners, juniors Rachel Bush and Lyndsey Mull, who tried for first place with a time of 17:25. One second behind them was sophomore Cara Ulizio. Their times have made the 4th, 5th, and 6th fastest times on this course. Seniors O’Neill (17:31) and Kelly Ryan (17:32) took 4th and 5th place with sophomore Kayla Ferron (17:37) not far behind with a 7th place finish. “It was exciting to be able to stay as a pack the whole race. Individually I [set a personal record] by a minute and 20 seconds,” Ryan said. Out of 19 schools and 154 finishers
PHOTO BY R.J. MUSHANEY
Domination. From left to right, Laura O’Neil, Lindsey Mull, Kelly Ryan, Rachel Bush, and Cara Ulizio run in the Great Crow Invitational at Cerritos Park. Together, the five girls earned a “perfect score” sweeping the competition. Redondo took 6 of the 7 top slots with their 7th and 8th runners, Anique Villegas (18:41) and Alexis Thibodeau (18:54) taking 20th and 26th place. On the boys’ side, junior Tyler Caracoza, led the team with a time of 15:26 placing 23rd overall. Coming off a breakout freshmen season, sophomore Evan Malone-White, Redondo’s second varsity runner, came in at 15:34
placing 26th with fellow teammate, junior Patrick Borgerding crossing the line two seconds later. Debuting for the boys race was senior Dezhan Bland (15:57) in his first cross-country season and finishing fourth on the Redondo team with a 39th place overall. “Collectively as a team we ran pretty well but there is still room for improvement,” Caracoza said. “Our goals for this season are
to win the Bay League.” Sophomore Garrett Klatte (16:00) was the final scoring member for the boys who racked up 157 points for a 5th place team finish. Tomorrow night the teams will be competing at the Woodbridge Invitational held at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa. The first league-meet is on Thursday afternoon at Entradero Park in Torrance.
Girls’ tennis celebrates two victories By David Kawa
Girls’ tennis defeated North Torrance, 13 - 5, in the first match of the year. The team had its second victory against Bishop Montgomery, 12 - 6, on Tuesday. Comprised of mostly juniors, the team is in a transitional period. “A lot of the varsity players graduated
last years, so it’s more of a building year,” Senior Anchal Ahluwalia said. Coach Jessica Seibert hopes to make the best of a new varsity team. “We are looking to rebuild the team [this year]. We lost a lot of players. We are trying to up our game to compete with tough schools like Mira Costa,” she said. With only four returning seniors, the
PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS
Player down. Junior Christie Goodman goes down after pulling ligaments in her ankle yesterday against South. Goodman will be in a cast for two weeks.
team is working hard to get up to speed. “Almost all the varsity was JV last year, so we all have to try a lot harder,” junior MaKenna McNair said. McNair hopes that better facilities will help the team get the most out of practice. “I think the program got better because the newer courts have less cracks in the cement, so there are less mistakes that we can’t control when practicing,” she said. An emphasis on conditioning will keep the team competitive throughout the match. “We started doing more foot drills and running to get us more prepared for our matches,” McNair said. The team is using this time of nonleague matches to make the final adjustments to its strategy. “For singles we are using these nonleague matches as a good warm up for the tough Bay League matches ahead of us,” senior Elle Taylor said. According to Seibert, the season goal is to beat West High and gain a bid at CIF. “I feel like we have the potential to do well this year and get into CIF,” Taylor said. Taylor sees a successful year of growth ahead. “Our season looks promising. We should be competitive in Bay League and
hopefully this year our team will grow with experience,” she said. Senior Megan Thomas also feels the team will get far. “Our goals for this year are to win all our non league matches and be competitive with the other Bay League teams,” she said. According to Taylor, a mentality of hard work will keep the team focused on the next game against Torrance and prepared for the season as a whole. “The whole team is working hard. There is a chemistry between us that will help keep us competitive,” she said. Yesterday, Varsity Girls defeated South High, 12-6. Junior Christie Goodman suffered an ankle injury during the match. While attempting to return a drop shot, Goodman overextended herself and rolled her ankle. “As I reached for it, my foot rolled and I heard a cracking sound,” she said. “I felt a lot of pain and fell to the ground.” The other players on the team were worried for their fallen teammate, but kept it together to come out with the win. “We were all worried when she collapsed, but we as a team maintained focus,” Taylor said. The team will now prepare for their
Pool will not be ready for boys’ water polo season By Julia Uriarte
Seniors Andy Danryd and Jake Kirchner have played water polo for Redondo since their freshman year. That’s four summers of practice and hell weeks. However, Danryd and Kirchner will never get to play a varsity game at home. “It’s pretty discouraging to never be able to play a varsity game at Redondo, but its what we got stuck with so we have to take it if we want to play,” Kirchner said. Due to delays, the pool, which was originally scheduled to be finished in August, won’t be complete until after the fall season, forcing the team to practice at Mira Costa and play all its games on the
road for the second year in a row. “We practice from 5:30 to 7 p.m. which is the worst. It divides up your time after school and pushes back dinner until 8 p.m.,” Danryd said. “For the people that live in South Redondo it’s even more inconvenient because some have to drive around 20 minutes just to get to practice.” This inconvenience hurts the team by deterring people from joining, according to Kirchner. “Not having a pool has definitely affected the new people joining water polo. Many people have quit after the summer session or after their first season of water polo because of practicing at Costa,” he said. “For many of them it’s too much of
a hassle to drive all that way and practice at the time slots we have.” According to Danryd, the lack of practice time has put the team at a disadvantage. “Our team has suffered from not having a pool. We aren’t in as good of shape as we could have been if we had more practice time,” he said. However, Kirchner believes that not having a pool has pushed the team to practice harder year-round, not just during the season. “A lot of people have gone to club to make up for lost time and everyone works hard during the time we do have at Costa,” Kirchner said. Danryd also admits that the team prac-
tices harder at Costa in order to make up for the lack of time. “I think that Coach goes harder on us sometimes because he feels the pressure of having games coming up with less practice time than he would want,” Danryd said. But Kirchner believes that the end product will be worth all of the inconveniences and will help the program to grow in the future. “Being able to play in a brand new pool will appeal to incoming freshmen and make them want to join a water sport,” Kirchner said. Danryd agrees. “We just have to accept it because this pool will be amazing once its done,” he said.
Sports
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Golf loses to Palos Verdes
Water polo loses close game, 12-11
By Allie Goldberg
Girls’ golf lost to Palos Verdes, 198-259, after a very competitive preseason. According to senior Kristin Dicipulo, the girls put in a lot of effort in preparation for this season. “I think considering the difficulty of the course, we all played really well,” she said. Gonzales believes that there are small adjustments to be made before next weeks match against Beverly Hills. “The short game is very important right now. Everyone seems to be driving the ball really well,” he said. “We have been practicing really hard over the summer,” she said. “We recently have been playing on courses that we will be playing on this season.” A new practice facility is currently being installed that includes putting and chipping ranges. Dicipulo describes it as “a short game practice facility.” Due to a long term injury, Burke is filling in for coach Loreen Trevino for the semester. Dicipulo believes that the team is definitely moving in the right direction. “Last year we didn’t win any games,” she said. “Personally we have high expectations and as a team we are still building.” According to Dicipulo, the varsity and JV teams are more or less decided, however the girls are still competing for ranking. Although this year the team only has three returning varsity players, Dicipulo believes that this new facility will be very beneficial. “We haven’t gotten to play on [the new facilitiy] yet, but it is going to do great things for the program. We wont have to go off sight as much,” she said.
PHOTO BY SAVANNAH IRVING
Different Strokes. Senior Hayley Lane puts the ball at Alondra on Wednesday.
By Meglyn Huber
PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS
Break Through. Junior Deon Williams breaks through Millikan’s defenseive line at yesterday’s game. Redondo beat Millikan 28-7.
Football defeats Millikan By Jessica Cascio and Kaelee Epstein
After a high intensity game against Serra last Friday, Redondo carried it’s momentum into yesterday’s game against Millikan, winning 28-7. Entering the Serra game, the team knew they were the “underdogs” and not favored to win, considering they lost to Serra last year, “We were expecting to come and play an intense game. It wasn’t expected that it would be easy,” junior Hunter Bradshaw said. The team knew that Serra likes to use screens, therefore they prepared for this defense. “We practiced blitzing and working around screens,” senior Kem Richards said. Even though the scoreboard did not favor the team, they were satisfied with the results of the game. “We need to make it harder for the other team to defend us. That is why we practice and put our players in game-like situations,” coach Tim Ammentorp said. After the loss, the team still thinks they gained team work. “Win or lose, our team still knows how to work hard and work together. The Serra game really improved our team work,” Bradshaw said. Although they lost, coach Ammentorp
did not feel that it resulted from any big mistakes. “We made a lot of mental errors, we didn’t react to things the way we should of,” Ammentorp said. Also, the team has many “young” receivers this year. “The newer players need to take this opportunity and step up. They need to show off what they are good at,” Ammentorp said. Despite the loss to Serra the team was ready to come back and played hard in yesterday’s game. “We practiced hard all week. We knew that we would need to be able to play up to Millikan’s tempo,” Bradshaw said. According to Ammentorp, during practice, they focused on putting the players in real game situations to prepare them for the Millikan game. “They learn from experience, so tough game like practices are useful,” he said. The team was confident about yesterday game as a result of successful practices according to Bradshaw. However, they came out unprepared in the beginning of last nights game, not fully in rhythm. “We started off slow and made too many mental errors early in the game,” senior Jon Catsavas said.
Nick Week: Pope
By Alyssa Sanchez
Monday morning he wakes up at five thirty, grabs a protein shake, and makes the commute from the city of Compton to Redondo Beach. He prepares himself to spend anywhere from 60 to 70 hours of his next week at school. His time is dedicated to his team and the football field, while balancing an intense academic schedule and extracurriculars. This is the life of Nicholas Pope. Pope’s day consists of waking up at five thirty to make it to school for zero period where he remains in class until the final bell rings. Instead of heading for home after laboriously learning, he re-energizes himself because the second part of his day is just about to begin. He goes to the locker room and gets ready to dedicate three to four hours on the football field, knee injury and all. After pouring sweat and supporting his team at practice, he finally gets in his car and drives home. Usually, he makes it home at eight thirty or nine o’clock. As much as he would love to rest and sleep, he starts his homework and finds himself up until twelve. Then his day starts all over again. To others this may not seem worth it but to Pope it’s his passion. “It’s the desire, I want to go to college and it’s mandatory for me, this schedule is preparing me for my future; I want to make a name for myself,” said Pope. In addition to being an athlete, Pope is Co-
Athletics Commissioner for ASB, where he has to keep record of all sports at Redondo and plan sports related activities for the student body. Pope’s biggest supporter is his mom who absolutely supports him and is just as dedicated to Pope’s hectic schedule as he is. She describes him as a hard worker and has nothing but positive words to express how she feels about her son. “I am proud of him and glad that God chose me to be his mother,” said Johnson. Johnson speaks highly of her son and his devotion to football. “He loves his team mates, loves football, and sleeps with his football, which he calls his girlfriend,” Johnson said. Pope is recognized for being humble. “I am honored to be the first athlete of the week. It is nice to be recognized,” said Pope.
The teams concentration was apparent as the rhythm of the game started to pick up. “We kept up the same concentration and discipline throughout the first half and we were prepared to do the same in the second,” Catsavas said. The team was up at halftime, 14-0 with a game plan to shut out the other team and keep the quarterback on the outside in the second half. “We need to stay on the outside of their players and keep a strong defense,” Catsavas said. Early in the second half, they scored again, keeping the momentum up. Junior Ryan Spiwack followed the touchdown up with an interception and junior Hunter Bradshaw caught a pass for yet another touchdown, shutting Millikan down in the third quarter. “We played really well with all the substitutions from injuries,” senior John Miller said. Redondo used a zone to defend Millikan, however Millikan managed to score in the fourth quarter. The team will face Culver City next week, who is not a threat, however they still want to keep the intensity. “We overcame adversities in the first quarter and we’ll come out stronger next week to prevent this from happening again. ,” Catsavas said.
After the El Dorado tournament last weekend, boys’ water polo lost, 12-11, against El Segundo on Tuesday. “[Going into this game] we knew that El Segundo was good and had a couple power houses,” senior Ethan Peak said. Peak believes that the team’s success was due to having prior knowledge of El Segundo’s strengths. “We just knew what we had to do and we went out and did it. We all played with heart and it showed in the way we played,” he said. “I don’t think that in resent years that we’ve put up such a good fight against them and I think that they were surprised at how we came out to play.” Senior Jake Kirchner believes that the team could have prevailed. “Mostly, we all felt like we could’ve won the game, but it just didn’t swing in our favor,” he said. “We were disappointed that we couldn’t pull off the win, but we were still proud of how well we played them.” Kirchner also attributes the team’s close victory to the tournament. “Coming off of a good tournament placing helped a lot in my mind. We were confident that we could play a lot better this time around,” he said. Alec Ortiz was a high scorer, making 9 of the 11 goals. The team, according to Kirchner, played a lot better this year in the tournament, placing sixth overall after losing to Palos Verdes and Palm Springs. Their record was 3 wins and 2 losses. “We did better this year because we came prepared on Friday and won our first two games, moving us to the winners bracket on Saturday. Also, we have a solid set of starters that helped us win the games,” he said. “We did a lot better than many of us expected.” Peak believes that even though not having a pool could be a disadvantage to the team, it has proved beneficial. “Without a pool has made us a team that’s more bonded and we seem to play well together,” he said. Peak believes that the team will do well with a little progress. “This year [the team] seems to be really tight and we all work well together well. I think that this year should be good if we improve on the talent thats all ready there,” he said. Kirchner also has high hopes for this season. “We have a good shot at qualifying for CIF and having a much better record than last year,” he said.
Volleyball falls to Harvard Westlake
Athlete of the
8
By Olivia Loveland
PHOTO BY SAVANNAH IRVING
Last night the girls’ volleyball team lost against Harvard Westlake going into five games and coming close to a comeback. “I wouldn’t say that it was an upset, they are a good team so we were expecting a tough game,” said senior Blake O’brien. The team competed in the first few matches going 2613, 25-17. However, the team tried to make a strong comeback going 28-30, 25-27, and 15-13 in the last few matches. “We had a couple of good comebacks especially in the fourth game which made us get really fired up,” said O’brien. Harvard Westlake was part of their preseason lineup which also included a match against Bishop Montgomery last Tuesday and includes an upcoming match against Orange Lutheran next Tuesday. “One game at a time. all we can do right now is play hard and focus on own next match,” said O’Brien. The girls went into last nights’ game with positive energy from annihilating Bishop Montgomery, sweeping them in three games. “[Our first game went] really well. We have all been working so hard in practice to prepare ourselves,” said senior Blake O’Brien. Freshman Brianna Lanktree playing opposite happens to have the highest hitting percentage on the team from over the summer. “She has been working extremely hard and that pushes all of us to work as hard as her,” said O’Brien. Nicole White from Northern California is a towering 5’11 playing middle blocker who can make up for the loss of Arielle Manz who is now at UC Irvine.
PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS
Bump, Set, Spike. Sophomore Skylar Dykstra spikes a ball over the Bishop blockers on Teusday’s game; the team beat them 3-0. The veterans are Nebraska-bound Laura Dykstra playing outside hitter, setter Blake O’brien, and junior libero Tiffany Morales, and the youngest of the Dykstra’s, sophomore Skylar. “I think this year will be a great year. I am so thankful to be able to play with these girls and play for these coaches,” said O’Brien. According to coach Tommy Chaffins the vetrans are very “seasoned” players, meaning, they know the history between them and rivals Mira Costa and are ready to reach their ultimate season goal as Bay League champions. “They have been working hard, and everyone has been focused,” said Chaffins.
The effects of caffeine on student’s lives [B4-B5]
In search of the
Perfect View A look at the the best vistas in Rancho Palos Verdes [see back]
A the
September 17th, 2010 Features Magazine
nchor
Student views early screenings of popular movies [B7]
also inside...
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Sept. 17, 2010
Dont call it a
Soccer Ball By Maddy Perault
The sounds of shoes hitting the ground reverberates throughout the room as all eyes focus on the sweaty players kicking the ball. However, this isn’t your regular soccer game: this is futsal. “Futsal is a version of Brazilian street soccer that can help young players develop soccer skills,” South Coast Soccer City business manager Lan Yiu said. Soccer City is an indoor soccer facility where people play futsal, a five-a-side soccer game in which players must keep the ball within touchlines and goal lines, requiring quicker passes and skills. “You are constantly on the ball and moving, so it helps to improve foot skills that kids can use in their leagues,” Yiu said. The combination of the ball and the smaller field keeps the game moving quickly. “Whereas in [usual outdoor soccer games] the ball soars through the air, futsal uses a heavier ball so [the ball] can not soar which makes the ball stay on
the ground and the game move faster,” she said. The facility incorporates seven different fields, two of which are artificial turf, four are normal futsal fields, and one is an international field. An international field is larger than the other fields. It is the size of three smaller futsal fields so teams can divide the field up to run drills and practice. “We do not try to compete with AYSO or club, we want to compliment it,” Yiu said. “A lot of club or AYSO kids come to play to help improve their skills.” The facility also offers adult and youth leagues so all ages can play. “Anyone who does not have a team to play with can come and play during the weekdays without having to commit all the time,” she said. The facility allows you to rent fields for team practices, birthday parties, or just play in pickup games. “There is always something going on here,” she said.
Get in the game 540 Maple Ave., Torrance CA 1-888-576-2237
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Handel’s heads west
By Alison Peet-Lukes
With a line wrapping around the whole block, customers at Handel’s Ice Cream waited almost 30 minutes to order on “Dollar Cone Night.” Handel’s has only been open since the middle of June, but it has already become a “small success,” according to owner Randy Hannson. “At our Dollar Cone Night we sold something around 3,000 cones,” he said. Hannson attributes the store’s success to the quality of the ice cream. “There is really nothing like our ice cream. It is unique, it’s fresh, and it’s homemade,” he said. “If it is Vanilla Oreo ice cream, for example, then we actually use real Oreos,” Hannson said. Handel’s is an Ohio-based company that only has two locations on the West Coast, one in Redondo Beach and the other in Upland. Although Hannson recieves most of his ingredients from the Midwest, he tries to incorporate local ingredients as much as possible. “Most of our mix is from Missouri or Wisconsin, but we get all the fruit that goes in the ice cream from our local grocery store,” Hannson said. According to Hannson, the most important part of the store is the students who work there. “It’s interesting to see the personalities of the kids just blossom after a few weeks of working here,” he said. Hannson stresses the importance of good customer service. “I love to see the reactions on the customers faces when I ask them if they would like to try something. If a customer wants ten samples, I will give them ten samples,” he said. The most important part of the ice cream is the flavor, according to Hannson. “I am intrigued by the different flavors. I also love the seasonal flavors that are coming out like pumpkin, rum raisin, and peppermint,” he said. Hannson is planning on getting involved with the local schools to promote his store. “I’m doing a few different things among the Catholic schools where I sell them gift cards that they can give out. I’m also in the process of getting a mobile freezer so I can be apart of the vending at Redondo and sell ice cream there,” he said. Hannson has been offering special promotions on ice cream to attract more attention to the store. “We have $2 Tuesday, Back to Basics Thursday, and were planning on doing another Dollar Cone Day in the middle of winter when business gets slow,” he said. Handel’s sells more than just scoops of ice cream such as smoothies, cakes. and pies; However, according to Hannson, ice cream will always be Handel’s staple. “We do what we do best, which is the ice cream,” he said.
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Try it for yourself 1882 South Pacific Coast Hwy Mon-Sun 11 a.m - 10 p.m. (424) 247- 8861
Made to order. 1. Owner Randy Hannson fills a bucket with fresh made ice cream. All of the ice cream sold at Handel’s is hand made on site with fresh, local fruit and mix sent from the Midwest. 2. A worker hands a customer her order. Since opening in June, Handel’s has gained a steady costomer base. 3 Hannson scoops out an order for a customer. Handels also serves smooties, ice cream sandwhiches and ice cream lolipops.
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Caffeine by the numbers
Caffeine
34%
O v d e r a l o O
11%
began drinking coffee between 10-14 years old
26%
drink coffee or caffeinated drinks once a day
McCafe Latte 12 fl oz Caffeine: 65mg Sugar: 11g Calories: 150
consider themselves to be addicted to caffeine
39%
drink coffee for the taste
186 students from 9th-12th grade were polled during 3rd period English class. This is not a scientific poll.
Caffeine addiction controls daily life
McCafe Caramel Frappe 16 fl oz Caffeine: 65mg Sugar: 71g Calories: 550
by Ashley Pournamdari and Melissa Rosero
Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoctive drug in the world. When ingested, caffeine is completely absorbed in 45
minutes. Caffeine, contrary to myths, is not bad for your health.
Two in the morning, she sits by the computer, shaking and trembling uncontrollably. Hours before, senior Amaris Ramirez had popped a few pills. They were not illegal drugs, but simply caffeine pills. She is a caffeine addict. “It all started in tenth grade when I realized it helped me get through the day. It is definitely a necessity for me in life and I can’t do without it,” Ramirez said. Senior Emily Salazar, another caffeine ad-
Researches have shown that coffee is not addictive and does not cause psychosocial effects. Coffee has antioxidants, which help reduce damage to body tissues. www.cosic.org
PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN
Buzzed. At Starbucks, Ramirez and Salazar have their fix of caffeine.
dict, also craves to have her fix of caffeine, at least three times a day. “I started drinking coffee when I was a child. My dad being Guatemalan, it’s almost a tradition to drink coffee with everything,” Salazar said. Without coffee, Salazar finds it almost impossible to function normally. “If I don’t get at least two cups of coffee a day I get a headache, stomach aches, and I become very cranky,” Salazar said. Although Ramirez first drank coffee for the taste, she quickly realized the heightened concentration it gave her. “When I realized the concentration it gave me, especially during school, I continued to drink it on a daily basis,” Ramirez said. Salazar agrees that caffeine is a helpful addition in her life. “Since I always feel tired, I feel like coffee gives me that extra boost I need to get through the day,” Salazar said. Recently, Ramirez went two weeks without consuming any caffeine, the longest she has gone without it since her addiction. “During the first week, I had a lot of withdrawal symptoms and felt unusually weak. By the second week I was completely fine, but I
caved, and after that, I continued with my normal consumption,” she said. Just recently, her parents have taken the issue into their own hands, lecturing Ramirez about the long-term negative effects of caffeine. “It bothers me because they think my caffeine consumption will get out of hand, and I understand where they are coming from because they don’t want me getting addicted to other things,” she said. What started off with just a few cups here and there has since grown to affect her daily life. “I do have panic attacks and sleep disorders due to my caffeine intake. I can’t sleep for days, or the shaking leads to weight loss. [But] I am slowly cutting back on the amount of caffeine I put into my body,” Ramirez said. According to Ramirez, she doesn’t completely understand the long term effects of being a caffeine addict. However, Ramirez has felt the immediate symptoms of caffeine and wants to do more to ensure nothing too serious results from her addiction. “I don’t see myself ever giving up caffeine, but I will try to regulate how much I have and learn to better understand my limits,” she said.
Mountain Dew 12 fl oz Caffeine: 54mg Sugar: 46g Calories: 170
Red Bull
16 fl oz Caffeine: 154 mg Sugar: 52 g Calories: 220
Arizona Green Tea 23 fl oz Caffeine: 21.6mg Sugar: 49g Calories: 201
PHOTOS BY JONATHAN MARTIN
September 17, 2010
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Treasure
Hunting goes
High-tech by Melissa Rosero
Breath quickening, heart-racing, hands sweating - she becomes increasingly frustrated as she studies the location N 33° 50.456 W 118° 23.439 in her GPS ,glances to the pier floor, to her GPS, and to the floor again. Senior Julia Denney was on a scavenger hunt. Denney was not playing any elementary egg hunt, rather, she was participating in the technological treasure hunt of the present, geocaching. “I started getting frustrating circling the pier because you could look forever and never find the geocache and yet know the exact location. When I was about to leave, my friend bent down to the pier floor and started wiggling the bolts. The geocache was the bolt, and it had a scroll on the inside where people who had found it had written their names,” Denny said. Geocaching requires a GPS navigator, to be a member of the website in order to receive a clue to where the geocache is hidden, and a means of transportation. The purpose is to find the geocache which usually does not contain prizes. Not all geocache boxes are small, empty bolts. “I have found a geocache as big as an electricity box and even found a spider ring and a yo-yo,” Denny said. Like Denney, senior Alex Marin was skeptical when first attempting to geocache. “At first I thought there would be no point to geocaching since you don’t really win a prize once you find the geocache box,” Marin said. Unlike Denney who has successfully geocached several times, Marin has only been able to find one geocache. “After my first GPS hunt I couldn’t help myself and I had to do it again the next weekend,” Denney said. Marin finds geocaching interesting be-
PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN
Finders Keepers. Senior Alex Marin empties a recently found geocach.
cause it is an international game. “If I wanted, I could geocache or make a new geocache location basically anywhere in the world at any moment,” Marin said. Marin has even encountered fellow geocachers during one of her scavenges. “One time I was walking around a building trying to find a geocache when I saw a couple oddly searching in the same isolated area as me. The couple finally told me they were geocachers from out of town and sometimes spend hours driving to new geocache locations,” Marin said. Although Marin is not as an experienced geocacher as Denney, Marin still encourages everyone to try their scavenging luck. “Everyone should geocache because it is an interesting experience, it gets the adrenaline pumping, you go to places you have never noticed before, creates bonding time with your friends, and it tests every person’s perseverance level,” Marin said.
ge•o•cach•ing noun an outdoor activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates.
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Sept. 17, 2010
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Screening with the
critics by Alex Curtis
The film industry is a large and diverse one. It is its own miniuniverse. If there is a job in the real world, there is a film-world equivalent. Film reviewers are the writers of the film world- their important role is sometimes overlooked. If you are a small film hoping to make it big, you need to impress the reviewers. A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a screening of the film Catfish with my mother, a film critic. I’ve been to a screening a few times before, but always had to wait in a long line with the possibility of not going in. I stared at the long line of people that crowded the Landmark Theaters as we went to have dinner at the nearby Nordstrom Café. After, we walked back past the line and straight to the press check-in table. We were handed two tickets: one white allowing us into the movie, and the other one red, allowing us into the VIP seating section. In the theater, we met up with another film critic, fondly called “The Debbie”. She and my mother immediately began discussing their most recent interviews with celebrities whom I’ve only ever seen on screen. I tried to keep up with the con-
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEX CURTIS
In Advance. 1. In order to view the the pre-screening, Senior Alex Curtis checks in at the press check in table. 2. The movie was shown at The Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles. 3. Curtis was joined by many top movie critics at the viewing.
versation, but a long day at school coupled with my lack of movie knowledge made it impossible. Finally, the lights dimmed and the movie came on the screen. Then I remembered that I was one of the few to see this before it even came out. The film’s title flashed in big, bold, black letters: CATFISH. Catfish is a documentary following Nev Schulman, his brother Ariel “Rel” Schulman, and their friend Henry Joost as they begin to make a film about Schulman’s connection to a young artist named Abby. The story begins to
develop into far more than they originally expected and takes them on an unforeseen adventure. After, my mom and I left for our cars, however, the critics had other ideas. We went down the escalator to find a group of people wildly discussing the movie. We stood to the side of the group and began our own conversation. The general consensus: the film was a fake. The events had to be fabricated; there were too many holes. It was fascinating to listen to the discussion afterwards. These
people knew so much about movies, it was insane. The group finally dispersed and we were on our way home. The entire way, I couldn’t help wonder what each review would be like. Would they expose the movie for apparent lies, or would they keep their mouths shut in order to keep good relations with the publicists? Did they even take publicists into consideration when they wrote? I wasn’t sure. The only thing I was sure of was that Catfish was not the thriller I had expected to see.
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Sept. 17th, 2010
Abalone Cove a relaxing, but boring hike by Annica Stitch
The fog has lifted and a truck pulls into the five dollar parking lot of Abalone Cove Shoreline Park to pay the attendant. The lot is nearly deserted. One would expect tumbleweed to roll over the straw laden foreground. No one is at the picnic tables. It looks like the shadow of a dusty childhood memory. There isn’t any grass, and everything seems to have a sepia haze to it. A lone tree looks solemnly over the Palos Verdes cliff. The caution signs read “Dangerous condition. Do not climb on or over railing. Don’t even think about it!” Yards below the beach is deserted. Yards above the bells of the Wayfarer’s Chapel ring. A short winding dirt trail leads to a white rock beach where the water recedes and the rocks underneath it clatter together in applause. It was an untiring walk down, with no lizards or other creatures in sight. The beach is narrow, and sun bleached rocks cover the ground. It’s a quiet place, maybe a good place for a date. Large planks of driftwood and rocks are used as makeshift chairs. Even though bonfires are prohibited, abandoned piles of rocks with charred wood pieces collected at the top lay scattered across the beach. An occasional hawk soars overhead, and its screeches can be heard over the waves. The lack of many park visitors results in a
peaceful environment where one can skip rocks and relax. During low tide one can take a short walk to the tide pools to see crabs, anemones and on a lucky day, other inconspicuous wildlife. With careful grace one can brace him or
herself for a climb around a shallow pool to see a small cove and more tide pools. Abalone Cove Shoreline Park is a close enough distance to travel for a quiet day of light hiking and swimming. It is a disappointing place to go if one ex-
pects to see abalone because they have been nearly eradicated from the are due to hunting. There really isn’t much of a difference from this Palos Verdes spot than all of the others around the bluff, except the parking fee and the lack of people.
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Abalone Cove
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1 p.m.- 4 p.m. weekdays Hours: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. weekends 6.
Location: 5970 Palos Verdes Drive South Parking: $5 per car
ALL PHOTOS BY JONATHAN MARTIN AND CELESTE MANUGHIAN-PETER
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1. View of the bluffs from the rocks. 2. Waves crashing against the rocks below. 3. A log resting on the trail. 4. View of the trail from the hiking entrance. 5. The local flora consists of cacti and underbrush. 6. A sign warning would-be daredevils of their possible fate.
Interpretive Center perfect for whale-watching
Del Cerro Park provides safe hike
by Olivia Loveland
by Allison Salazar
The largest mammals ever known to inhabit Earth are the reason for the gathering crowds at Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verde, an ideal location for whale watching. An abundance of blue whales are gathered in the 1,300 feet deep Redondo Canyon which is located about 520 feet off the shore just south of the Redondo Harbor. The Interpretive Center has been the sight for the grey whale census and has counted up to 20 gray sightings in a day during the peak month of March, however the blues are a relatively new occurrence and should be noted that they are not migrating, but feeding.
Experts believe a large amount of krill, which thrives in cool water, is flourishing because of wind-generated upwelling that forces cooler water to the surface. The 100ton whales need about 4,000 pounds of krill a day. According to Jim Sneer, a docent at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, the blue whales have been spotted in the South Bay for the past couple years, however before the past couple weeks no more than one or two could be spotted at a time. More than twenty Blue Whales have been spotted at one time by onlookers on the Voyager whale watching boat, who have been conducting special daily whale watching tours due to the bounty
Point Vincente Interpretive Center Hours: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Location: 31501 Palos Verdes Drive
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1. The Point Vincente Lighthouse and Museum, which is open every other Saturday. 2. A diving whale views from a boat near the Interpretive Center
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of whales. It is estimated that 40 or 50 whales are in the span of Santa Monica to San Pedro. Considering that there have only been 2,000 recorded blue whales in the Pacific Ocean, this phenomenon is quite extraordinary. Many local sailors and paddlers have been having close-up encounters with the 80-foot long mammals. No one knows exactly how long the blue whales will be visiting, but according to Sneer they have usually stayed from August to September in previous years. The American Cetacean Society volunteers will not show up to the Center until the months of December through May to conduct a census of the gray whale migration cycle. The grays are common the South bay area as they pass through the Catalina channel from the Bering and Chukchi seas in Alaska, to Mexican lagoons where they give birth. The museum at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center focuses on the history of the coast of Palos Verdes and particularly focuses on whaling history, dating back to the Sperm Whalers from the Portuguese bend. They former Marine Land may have to add a new exhibit to their museum if this trend of blue whales continues.
Hidden off to the side of Del Cerro Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, behind a large gate, is a hiking trail which provides a unique hiking experience. Unlike other hiking trails, this one starts off on a descent and branches off into smaller narrow trails. The narrow trails are recommended for people trying to get a workout because they are steeper than the main trail. The main trail is wide with a slightly rocky terrain. You may encounter rabbits, insects, and snakes but it is an overall safe area. Because of its location it is best to go in the morning or evening when it is cool, although it is usually busy at these times. While you are going down the main trail, there is a view of the beach, and even Catalina Island. You can also see different canyons, many of which include burned trees from the Palos Verdes fires. Fortunately, the beach provides some sea breeze to cool you off. Once you reach the top there is a water fountain however, there are no bathrooms. The grassy area, officially Del Cerro Park, provides a view of the entire hiking area. This trail is great for workouts, or to walk around with friends and family. It is not difficult unless you take the narrow trails, and the view is great.