Issue 1 2020-2021

In this issue

Opinion

Feature

Sports

A&E

We must become advocates for racial justice within our own community.

Page 3

New wellness program allows students to access social-emotional support.

Coach Rouzier becomes interim head coach after an unexpected change of events.

Page 9

Known for its cinematic aesthetic, “Euphoria” raises concerns that it glorifies drug abuse.

Page 11

Page 5

Santa Margarita Catholic High School

EAGLE E Y E

THE

October 2020

D.I.V.E.ing into diversity Volume XXXV, Issue 1

School transforms Justice Committee in response to calls for equity.

By Evelyn Driscoll, Print Editor-in-Chief

S

MCHS formed the Diversity Inclusion Vision and Equity (D.I.V.E.) Committee in the spring of 2020 to strengthen diversity on campus. The D.I.V.E. Committee comprises of students, teachers, parents, faculty, and staff dedicated to standing up for justice and inclusion on campus.

The D.I.V.E. committee was founded in response to the Letter to SMCHS Admin on Racism created by alumni. The document contains multiple pages of anecdotes regarding experiences with discrimination in the form of racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and more. The many calls to action and suggestions in the letter largely inform D.I.V.E.’s activities. Junior Izzy Trichet, leader of the Student Activities subcommittee, recalls reading the letter.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Trichet said.

“It’s something that I knew was going on at school, so I saw the letter, and it kind of helped me know where to start with the group.”

D.I.V.E. contains four subcommittees: Curriculum and Training, Communication and Resources, Student Activities, and Student/ Parent/Faculty Handbook.

“Our subcommittees are work-

Photo by Izzy Trichet

D.I.V.E. Day - Students in the D.I.V.E. Day committee plan for a day dedicated to diversity education. The group has planned for the day over Teams.

body in D.I.V.E committee is to make some cultural shifts that help everyone exist […] not just tolerating one another, but in celebration and acceptance of these differences,” Dr. Maria Johnson, member of D.I.V.E. Curriculum and Training said. “To act with Caritas Christi is to love as Jesus loved, and Christ was a model of invitation and inclusion. I think our mission at SM is to build a culture that acts, thinks, and behaves in the same way.”

Seniors Kambiz Shoaei and Jessica Ni hope that D.I.V.E. will stay consistently active, allowing students to value and learn about different cultures. Shoaei also believes D.I.V.E. must be held accountable to stop the many instances of discrimination that go unnoticed.

“If we can shift from a narrative that considers trying to stop issues like this as complaining then the environment will just be so much better,” Shoaei said.

More information on the D.I.V.E. Committee, including frequently updated meeting minutes, is available at smhs.org.

“We are here for everybody,” said Trichet. “It’s not just faculty that you can go to. You can come to any of us. We’re all here and we don’t judge at all.”

ing diligently and have achieved many of their goals and are setting new ones,” Cheri Wood, Principal and D.I.V.E. moderator, said. “The large committee meets every six weeks, the leadership committee meets every four weeks, and the sub-committees meet bi-weekly to create excellent flow of ideas and communication to achieve action.”

The Student Activities committee creates activities to incorporate diversity discussion and training into student life. One of their main projects is an entirely student-led D.I.V.E. Day, which will take place

during the school day.

“The goal is to teach [students] about what it means to be a part of a community of different races and identities,” said Trichet. “It’s kind of a reflection and learning type of thing, but it also includes physical activities, sitting down and watching videos and having discussions with groups of people.”

Another subcommittee within D.I.V.E is the Curriculum and Training committee, which aims to incorporate diversity discussions within the classroom.

Plans for this committee include

teacher trainings, a faculty reading book and discussion, the possibility of including an ethnic studies elective in the next one or two years, having a speaker for the parents, and incorporating wellness into diversity measures. The committee will rely strongly on an upcoming audit that will collect data on the school’s current climate regarding diversity.

Other committees include Communications and Resources and the Student/Parent/Faculty Handbook committees. “[The] common goal of every-

the RSM city council for Bendis, Braun, Acosta, Schwartz, Machuca, Christopoulos, and the second campaign for McLaughlin. On their campaign websites, many expressed the need for increased safety measures on bridges as well as the need to support local businesses.

According to Braun’s campaign webpage, wendybraun2018.com, her goal is to “Bring this issue to light and to take steps to repair and enhance key bridges and then engage our community to share in an outreach program for bridge safety awareness and suicide prevention.”

Tony Beall and Carol Gamble are both incumbent council members.

Beall has served as both the mayor and mayor pro tempore and has practiced law in California for 25 years. Gamble is one of the founders of RSM and has served as both mayor and mayor pro tempore.

Many candidates express the need to support local businesses, but for McLaughlin, business and economic recovery is not the only issue.

According to his campaign statement, “The primary, urgent issue that has surfaced this year is the City’s response to Covid-19 as solely being focused on the economic impact and businesses affected, and not the human cost, or what the situation has done to our schools and our children’s lives.”

The city council members are chosen to represent their city and its needs. Duties can consist of fulfilling requests to fix potholes or street signs or investing in public spaces. Council members also hire for positions on the police and fire services. Voting in the city council election is a way to instill change and reform based on the elected official.

The candidates will be on the ballot on Nov. third, and the voter registration forms can be found at the RSM City Hall and RSM Library.

For those interested in voting, the Rancho Santa Margarita Public Library and the Bell Tower Community Center will be open on Nov. third.

Vote - Voting information is available at ocvote.com. Only 2.3 percent of the OC population voted in the 2019 OC board of supervisors election (ballotpedia.org).

City council candidates prepare for election

By Catherine Bryson, Staff Writer

People will flock to the ballots to vote on Nov. third. Rancho Santa Margarita will hold its municipal election; two seats for the city council are open and nine candidates are campaigning for them.

“Our current City Council in RSM is basically five of the same people: Wealthy, white, conservative, Republican, all lawyers and business professionals,” Chris McLaughlin said, candidate for one of the open positions.

McLaughlin is one of the nine candidates who include Tony Beall, Julia Bendis, Wendy Braun, Glenn Acosta, Carol Gamble, Beth Schwartz, Andrea Machuca-Kirkland, and John Christopoulos, who are contending for the four year term. McLaughlin believes the city council is in need of diversity. He believes the people of RSM need a representative who does not fit with the current mold the city council has.

This is the first campaign for

Check us out online!

Infographic by Catherine Bryson, Evelyn Driscoll

@smchseagleeye www.smchseagleeye.com App: Student News Source

2 News

The Eagle Eye

October 2020

Through the screen International students face challenges taking online classes with their host family and in different countries.

Photo by Juliana Soliman

Exec - ASB Executive Board first meets in August at the ASB retreat.

They loved returning to campus.

ASB to make school year work despite virus

By Natalia von Gierke, Staff Writer Between many Teams calls and brainstorm sessions, ASB members work to create engaging activities for students during online and blended school.

“We are planning on doing a lot of competitions on Instagram that are distanced based,” ASB Executive Secretary Sam Cruz said. “So you can still compete with people and stay six feet apart.”

ASB is continuing, along with distanced competitions, Clash of the Classes with smaller teams to abide by COVID-19 regulations.

The Class of the Classes is a competition between grade levels where students receive points for their class by participating in dodge-

“ They are really pushing for us to be able to do all the normal things, which I think is great. ” -Sam Cruz ball tournaments, having school spirit and enagaging in more activities. Students are still able to support their grade levels in various competitions that are similar to previous years, but on a smaller, safer scale. ASB’s goal is to make the first semester with online and blended learning as interactive as possible.

Although bringing students back to campus for socially distanced, smaller student competitions is their main priority, Cruz explains that second semester will include all the big events and dances that had to be postponed due to COVID-19.

“Starting in January we are having a dance or spirit week every month up until May,” said Cruz.

“They are really pushing for us to be able to do all the normal things, which I think is great, but it is going to be a crazy second semester.”

Students can look forward to their favorite events happening because ASB wants to make this school year as normal as possible.

To stay up to date on event details, check out @smchsnest on Instagram.

By Xiang (Lucy) Chang, Staff Writer

T

he community has experienced a long session of remote learning after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States. Having school online is a difficult for everybody on campus.

However, international students experience a tougher process when taking online classes either with their host families or back in their home countries.

“Living with a host family and taking online classes isn’t easy,” senior international student, Christine Zhao said. “Two difficult things added together, then, exaggeratedly saying, you see the end of the world.”

For many of the international students who live with a host family, the first difficulty they encountered when taking online classes was the lack of support. The transition from regular schooling to online school creates many troubles for students, and the distances between people made communication harder. When international students who live with their host families need help, there aren’t efficient ways to ask for support.

“No one is there for me,” senior Shenghao Dai said. “My family is far away in China and I’m not a real child of my host family. I’m embarrassed to ask my host family to help with too many things.”

International students face the physical distance between their own families and the mental distances with their host families.

This causes an awkward situation where most of the international students felt helpless as they tran-

Photo by Xiang (Lucy) Chang

Online school - During the time of online school, the only way for international students to get support and comfort is through the screen.

International students used their computer, phone, or ipad.

sitioned to remote learning.

Dai felt extremely uncomfortable to stay in his bedroom all day long and take classes through the screen of his tablet. Although Dai’s host family cooked nice meals and provided him with a safe shelter, they did not help Dai to adapt to online schooling like the parents of his local American friends did.

“I saw my classmates and friends taking online classes in their parents’ cars or staying in the same room with their siblings and studying together,” said Dai. “If I’m with my parent, I also want to take online classes in their car. But I have no choice.”

This helpless situation gradually affected Dai’s academic performance. He tried his best to put himself back on track, but this was

not an easy process. Similar to Dai, senior Xinyue Hu talks about how she wanted to at least be staying with her own family when she cannot meet with any of her friends and teachers. Due to her strong homesickness, Hu went back to her hometown, China, 3 weeks after the new semester began in the fall.

However, new problems emerged. The time difference between the United States and China does not allow Hu to take online classes with her classmates every day, so she can only watch the class recordings from her teacher. When Hu sends her teachers emails or messages of her questions about the lectures, homework, and quizzes, the fastest reply she can get is after a day

“It is so inconvenient for me to learn by only watching the class recordings,” Hu said. “I’m completely disconnected from my classes and teachers.”

Fortunately, Hu’s teachers fully understand her worries. All the recordings from Hu’s teachers are ready for her to watch. However, some of the other international students were not this lucky. Internet problems cause difficulty accessing class recordings from their teachers. More than five students taking online classes in China expressed that they didn’t have the access to any of their teachers’ class recordings.

“I have no way to take my classes and finish my assignments, and I don’t even know what caused these fatal problems,” junior international student, Elena Hao said.

To keep up with their classes, some of the international students plan to come back to the United States for school.

“It is a hard decision to leave my family and become alone again, but I have to take my classes and pass them,” said Hao. Dealing with these difficulties, the international students have been challenged in their school lives. They were once in panic, confused, helpless, but are trying their best to figure a way out. They learned a lot from the experience of taking online classes with their host families or in a different country and appreciated all the people who helped and supported them.

“I hope one day I will appreciate what I experienced since the spring of 2020,” said Hu. “Oh no, not hope, I believe I will.”

Fire season affects OC Irvine Division Chief Shane Sherwood describes the fires’ impact on Orange County.

By Emelin Conboy, Staff Writer Lightning in the Mendocino National Forest sparked what is the largest fire in California’s history.

The August Complex Fire, a combination of 37 wildfires, began on Aug. 17. Shane Sherwood, a Santa Margarita parent and Division Chief of the Irvine branch of the Orange County Fire Authority, recounts the impact of these fires.

“This year’s wildfires have been nothing like we have seen in years past,” Sherwood said.

Sherwood states that the fires began because of a dry lightning storm originating in Monterey and spread through Redding, causing the eruption of 60 different fires.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports that firefighters are working to contain fires that have burned over 3.9 million acres of Californian land, killed 31 people, destroyed almost 8,000 structures, and forced over 53,000 people to evacuate. These fires are reportedly over 26 times more destructive than last year’s wildfires.

“These fires have been the top three largest fires in the states history, “ said Sherwood.

One thing that differentiates this fire season from previous fires

Photos by Patrick Driscoll

Smoke - The two photos show the same spot in North Cascades National Park. They were taken one day apart, demonstrating the amount of smoke that overtook the area as a result of fires along the coast.

is the lack of firefighters.

“Typically, we would see 3,000 plus firefighters on these incidents, but because [of] the number of fires, we have half [of] what is needed at each fire,” said Sherwood. “We have seen firefighters from other states come and assist with suppressing these fires along with the National Guard.”

According to Patch, Southern California suffers high levels of ozone resulting from large levels of smog and heat. Orange County experienced and is continuing to experience an air quality index as high as 131, known as unsafe for sensitive groups.

“The smoke can affect those that are susceptible or have underlying medical issues,” said Sherwood.

“For students the same would apply, and I would recommend not doing any strenuous exercise outside, if smoke normally affects you.

Especially, when the fires are close to South Orange County.”

The California Air Resources Board outlines some potential risks from wildfire smoke exposure. Mild effects may include irritation in the eyes and the respiratory tract, and may have more damaging effects for those with heart and lung diseases such as asthma. However, these risks can be reduced with

proper precautions. “[You should stay] inside when the smoke is really bad in our area,” said Sherwood.

Thousands of firefighters remain on the front lines as the California wildfires rage on, and need all our support. “[The] best way to support your firefighters is say thank you when you see them around the area,” Sherwood suggests. “Many of them have travelled to the fires throughout the state to assist in fighting all of the fires in the state of CA. They have been gone from their families for many days to assist the other areas that are impacted by the fires.”

October 2020

The Eagle Eye

Opinion 3

Staff Editorial

The right side of history We must be advocates for racial justice within our own community as protests intensify in our nation.

E

ight minutes and forty-six seconds. For eight minutes and forty-six seconds, the nation watched the excruciating death of George Floyd.

These minutes became a long overdue wake up call to the issues of systemic racism. Not only was our nation forced to see the racism in our country, but also within ourselves and our own community. It is the moral obligation of every decent member of humanity to call out unjust aggressions towards certain communities.

You’re not being forced to call out anything, but can you really call yourself a decent human being if you don’t? Racism is embedded in the systemic roots of America, but as we continue to evolve as a nation, we must uproot this disgusting narrative within our own community.

For those who are not Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) to begin an antiracism journey, they must begin to recognize privilege, especially white privilege. Until we recognize that being white in America provides you with advantages, we can’t begin to tackle racism.

A major part of recognizing white privilege is listening to the experiences of BIPOC. Recognizing privilege and the weight of racism can be incredibly daunting, but we must remember that this issue is not about white feelings or white guilt. Black people’s voices

and feelings must always be at the center of the conversation because they are the people affected.

We must recognize that it is not white people’s place to forgive racism. The targeted

groups are the ones who must make that important decision and it is not the place of anyone else to speak for them. White voices should not talk over BIPOC voices, but should be used to turn up the volume of those around them who lack their privilege.

Non BIPOC must also rec-

ognize the difference between intent and impact. Although your intent may not have been racist, your impact can be. Anti-racism is a conscious act that involves recognizing your own implicit and

explicit biases and working to combat them.

Kindness is the minimum. We must actively confront and tear down our own implicit and explicit biases daily in order to be antiracist, not simply non-racist.

This matter is not one to be taken lightly, as racial tensions

around the world have been jarringly demonstrated to be an issue of life or death. As a result, performative activism is unacceptable. If your only response to injustice in your community is to repost the occasional article to your Instagram story, you’re not doing enough.

Start difficult conversations and promote dialogue about the issues that facing your classmates, your teachers, your friends, and even those you don’t know. Watch educational movies and read books on racism. Write emails and make phone calls to obtain justice for individuals such as Breonna Taylor. Attend protests, make donations. If we each pledge to put in more effort, to not be comfortably numb to the problems that do not affect us, we can help to more effectively bring about solutions.

We each must have a zero tolerance policy towards acts of racism. Now is not the time to be indecisive or impartial in your response to the state of our school.

America will never be great until it is great for all peoples, and that will never happen if we hesitate to respond to the issues facing Black people and persons of color not only in our country, but in our SM community.

What we do now is what will be written about in history books our grandchildren will read. Will you be on the right side of history?

Illustration by Molly Dickerson

Test-optional or test-suggested With the safety of students in mind, colleges have adopted a test-optional policy for 2021 admissions raising concerns.

By Giulia Henshaw, Copy Editor and Alex Vallone, Managing Editor When colleges across the nation announced the new test optional policy, seniors felt relief knowing they had one less thing on their

“ Every student is different.

Every students’ life experiences are different. “ - Jason Hale

application checklist. However, choosing to go test optional in-

stead of test blind could potentially place students who do not submit test scores at a disadvantage.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SAT and ACT tests have been cancelled, causing additional stress for students to scramble to find an open testing center. In fact, some seniors are having to travel to other states in hopes of being able to take a test.

Most colleges review applications through a holistic review, which means they consider all aspects of an application, not just numbers. The holistic process allows college campuses to have a more diverse enrollment full of students that have more substance than just their grades. Although students are accepted based on the full picture, grades and test scores are used to measure how successful students will be in the classroom.

Counselor Jason Hale explains there are more colleges each year deciding to go test-optional pre-pandemic. He emphasizes that college admissions officers have verified not submitting a test score will not harm a student in the application process.

“Colleges and universities are excited about the opportunity to read files more holistically than

Illustration by Lizzie Bork

Stressed out - Students stress over whether to submit a score. Colleges have adopted a test-optional policy for this year’s seniors.

they have in the past,” Hale said.

Counselor Christa Crafts reassures students that the choice to admit an applicant will never come down to a test score.

“Admissions committees review a variety of factors in the application when selecting a class,” Crafts said. “This year especially, a test score is not viewed as an important factor in admissions or predicting future success at the institution.”

Approaching the next round of applications, colleges declared it will not negatively affect applicants, but unless test scores are completely eliminated from the equation, the students who

already have a good score will submit it, which indirectly places students who do not at a disadvantage.

Test optional provides an illusion that colleges don’t want your score, when this clearly isn’t the case. Otherwise, colleges would have gone test blind, which would put everyone on a level playing field.

Even with reassurance from counselors and admission officers, we are left with the question of whether it is really optional.

Which would colleges pick if students had a similar application and GPA, but one submitted a higher score?

The Eagle Eye Staff Print Editor-in-Chief Evelyn Driscoll Web Editor-in-Chief Emily Freeborn Copy Editor Giulia Henshaw Managing Editor Alex Vallone Web Managing Editor Kendrick Choi Social Media Editor Domi Drust Photo Editor Katie Eli News Editor Gracynn Crocker Opinion Editor Devon Nguyen Feature Editor Katharine Lee A&E Editor Bella Scarano Sports Editor Roman Sergi Illustrators Tristen Mielke Xiang (Lucy) Chang Lizzie Bork Molly Jacobson Katelyn Stiegler Carly Giotto Staff Writers Hadley McCusker Natalia von Gierke Sydney McMahon Juliana Soliman Aaron Moffett Lauren Memoly Marcus Kim Lexi McCabe Emelin Conboy Maddy Sherwood Sofia O’keefe Xiang (Lucy) Chang Catherine Bryson Lana Diab Staff Adviser Debra Barbre

4 Opinion

Masks are not about freedom

By Kendrick Choi, Web Managing Editor

The Eagle Eye

October 2020

To cancel or not to cancel Cancel culture promotes accountability.

By Emily Freeborn, Web Editor-in-Chief

originally caused to Swift herself.

In an article for Bustle Entertainment, Taylor Swift spoke up saying, “A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying The term “canceling” has been you are quote-unquote canceled, around for over a decade. It is when individuals call out someone is a very isolating experience, and I don’t think there are that who is promoting offensive ideas or problematic behavior. Although many people who can actually understand what it’s like to have some may argue that canceling millions of people hate you very promotes positive change, with loudly.” the growing rise of social media, People invested in cancel toxic “cancel culture” came along, culture treat life as a game with turning lives of celebrities and no thought of the future or influencers inside-out. acknowledgement from the other Cancelers no longer try to exside. These are human lives that pand the range of acceptable ideas people are and actions ruining. As a and hold result of the those in the #TaylorSwiftwrong acIsOverParty, countable, Swift’s mental but rather health was turn into a permanentmob that ly affected, ruins any forcing her to life in its take a temway. Cancel porary break culture has from music. become a Sadly, many reality TV of the people show game, involved in destroying these cancel a career one culture mobs week then Illustration by Katelyn Stiegler are also apologizing Call out - People gang up on celebrities. about it the Cancel culture has ruined celebrities’ repu- younger chilnext, gain- tations instead of inviting them to do better. dren who just follow what ing tens of thousands of followers who are yet their celebrity idols and media say or do, only furthering their to even know half of the story. impressionability.

One major pop culture example Despite evidence of the downis the flaming feud between pop sides to cancel culture, people artist Taylor Swift and the reality always defend it due to its roots in TV star Kim Kardashian and her moral fairness. Yes, cancel culture husband Kanye West. It began has been beneficial and made a with West using vulgar language positive change by denouncing to describe Swift in one of his consistently racist celebrities, or songs, to which she did not fully consent. She argued with West on- bringing justice for those wrongfully hurt, but cancel culture line until Kardashian released an should know limits. It should edited phone call, in which Swift bring justice to those who need it, seemingly agreed to it all. not stone celebrities over a squabCancel culture then took over, ble and a story that isn’t even true. leading to months of online Moving forward, people should feuding. Kardashian and West focus on finding the true story and called Swift a snake, and the mob not jumping on a bandwagon. joined in. Taylor was credited as a Former President Barack liar, fake, and officially “canceled.”

Obama stated at the Obama This went on until the real version Foundation summit, “The world of the call was released, and the is messy, there are ambiguities. public moved on to cancel Kim People who do really good stuff and Kanye in a matter of days have flaws.” without regard for the damage

By Aaron Moffett, Staff Writer

C

ancel culture, the social media trend of calling out problematic, influential, and affluent members of society, The debate regarding masks has received mixed reviews as contends that wearing one is a it’s grown in power. Taylor Swift, restriction of personal freedom James Charles, Shane Dawson, or possibly, unconstitutional.

Jenna Marbles, and Jeffree Star are Multitudes of protests occur just a few of the big names that across America in opposition of have fallen due to cancel culture mask-mandates. However, these in recent years. Several growprotestors are wrong. ing social media accounts, such Masks are scientifically proven as @exposingsceleb, have now to be effective. In a study by Health Affairs, the daily trend de- become dedicated to exposing the creased by two percent after three wrongdoings of former Hollywood favorites. Though cancel culture weeks of mask wearing. has been criticized for the toxic One study from the Virginia bandwagon it promotes, the trend Commonwealth University and effectively removes problematic another from the University of people from positions of influToronto show that across 198 ence. countries, those that mandated Cancel culture marks a change masks had lower death rates (Rein society, as we grow from ignorsearch Gate). ing the often problematic true The controversy surrounding natures of the elite. A decade ago mask-wearing is not an issue of R. Kelly was defended and idolized infringing upon one’s freedom. It is about considering the wellbeing for years, despite a widely circulated video of him soliciting sex from of everyone else and their loved a minor. Tiktok star Tony Lopez ones--as we would our own has been held accountable for his Wearing a mask protects both yourself and those around you. To similar pedophilic actions within mere months. The last thing oppose mask-wearing with such that we should do is discourage anger is disregard for others and this change in public reaction to an act of utter selfishness.

As a citizen of the United States celebrities.

Cancel culture also prevails of America, we take part in a where legal systems fail. In 2015, social contract in which we give rapper 6ix9ine pled guilty to one up certain freedoms in exchange for a plethora of benefits provided count of Use of a Child in Sexual Performance, according to Fox by the government, such as social security and public transportation. News. The rapper evaded jail time and instead received four years Thus, for both the benefit of all, it is our duty to ensure the United probation. Though justice has yet to prevail, after the release of a States prospers. new track by the artist bragging A country cannot thrive when about the case, people took to 6.41 million people are infected with a potentially life-threatening social media platforms to call for the cancel of the celebrity. If used disease and when its economy is correctly, cancel culture can effecstunted. The quickest way back to how things were before COVID tively act as a boycott against such individuals. is to follow government safety Additionally, by holding people and health guidelines to decrease of influence to a higher standard, infection and death rates. cancel culture prevents problemThe longer people refuse to atic celebrities from maintaining wear masks, the longer everyone their hold on their often young, waits to enjoy those same liberimpressionable audiences. It ties. Wear the mask because your erases these bad influences before “freedom” doesn’t matter when they can make an impression upon you’re dead.

Cancel culture goes beyond accountability.

By Xiang (Lucy) Chang

Canceled - Fans cancel those in power. This has kept problematic celebrities accountable.

young people and has the potential to have a positive impact on creating a generation of moral and accountable adults.

A seeming downside of cancel culture is that it is not conducive to personal growth. However, cancelled Youtuber Jenna Marbles actually expressed gratitude for her cancelling in her recent apology video made in esponse to the reemergence of racist videos from the beginning of her career.

Marbles welcomed the opportunity to take accountability for the mistakes of her former self, while adamantly stressing that she had grown in the many years that had passed since the videos first aired. Though the Youtuber hinted at leaving the platform as a result of her cancellation, tweets began echoing the forgiveness of Marbles, proving that it is possible to move past cancellation.

Apologies have become the determining factor in whether a star stays cancelled. Failed apologies, like Shane Dawson’s awkward video and the cringy notes apologies from racist Tiktokers, weed out the good people who have made a one time mistake from the morally bankrupt.

Cancel culture may promote joining a bandwagon, but things could be worse than encouraging a mass morality policing movement.

More importance is placed on the common person as angry individuals prove to celebrities that just as easily as their adoration and power can be given, it can be taken away.

Political activism online confronts complicity

By Devon Nguyen, Opinion Editor

Graphic by Evelyn Driscoll

A couple years ago, it would have been taboo for you to post about your political opinions on social media. You were supposed to save those conversations for your family at Thanksgiving, not the entirety of your following.

After the tragic death of George Floyd, the floodgates opened, and a wave of unsaid political opinions flooded social media platforms.

It wasn’t just politicians and

celebrities sharing their opinion.

Now, people who are tired of not being able to express themselves make their opinion known. In fact, there’s almost an obligation to participate politically online.

Although social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have a wider age range when it comes to political activism, TikTok and Instagram seems to be a platform exclusively for the younger generation, specifically Gen Z. Fed up high schoolers make it very clear that although they can’t vote or have the means to attend a protest, they can still educate and raise awareness for issues that they’re passionate about.

“I personally feel the need to

post as I can’t go out and do a lot as my family is highly susceptible to COVID,” Senior Sierra Breit said. “Posting on Instagram makes me feel like I’m doing something for my community.”

However, there are a certain amount of people who downright refuse to post anything on social media. They say that they don’t care about politics because it doesn’t affect them.

To say that you don’t care about politics is blatant ignorance. You cannot just ignore the oppression and injustices of certain communities. Your ability to completely drown out the issues surrounding you proves that you are in a place of privilege.

Senior Molly Roberts finds social media activism as a great educational tool.

“Personally through social media, I have been able to find links to petitions, steps to contact my local government officials to petition relevant issues, and mostly information,” Roberts said.

As someone in a place of privilege, you have the ability to make a change. A simple post could educate someone on something they had no idea about. Although it may have been easy to ignore past political movements, the present has made it very clear that you are obligated to participate.

October 2020

Feature 5

The Eagle Eye

Steps toward emotional support Students now have the opportunity to access social-emotional support through a new wellness program.

By Lexi McCabe, Staff Writer

A

safe spot to take a deep breath, share authentic feelings without judgement, and be understood is a highly-desired place for high school students who experience struggles or stress. In a world where mental illness evidently affects many, SMCHS takes steps to uphold the importance of student's social-emotional well being through the integration of a new Wellness program on campus. Students have the opportunity to meet oneon-one or in groups with on-site, licensed clinical social workers where they can learn healthy coping skills and gain support in the midst of everyday high school life.

"I think high school is an amazing time of growth, learning, and fun, but it also comes with many challenges," new wellness coordinator, Beth Chapman said. "We want students to have the tools to navigate those challenges and thrive as they continue on their path."

Chapman has a heart for making students feel understood and heard in times of overwhelming academics, stress, and social troubles. As coordinator, her position entails many different duties for the program.

"Essentially, I am here to support the mental heath and wellness of all students," Chapman said. "My

primary role will be to meet with students who are impacted by a social-emotional issues to provide support, assessment, healthy coping skills, and referrals for community services, if needed. I am kind of just your go-to person if you are struggling."

Using technology to keep student to faculty communication streamlined, the wellness program is just a quick Teams chat away.

"While we are virtual, students can reach out to me the same way they are with teachers and counselors via Teams chat to schedule a meeting," said Chapman. "We also have a referral link on the Santa Margarita website on our wellness page that parents, friends, and students can fill out."

The new program is available for all students. There are no qualifications that need to be met in order to receive guidance from someone on the wellness team. These professionals understand the reality of high school life and want to help, no matter the size of the issue.

"I think that we all struggle with different social-emotional issues at times and a lot of high-achieving classes and homework can bring a lot of stress, so any student is able to access me," said Chapman.

Poor mental health is a real issue found on many high school campuses. Evidently, Chapman and the wellness team are doing their part to normalize the use of support when experiencing a struggle.

Chapman shares her enthusiasm

Photo by Lexi McCabe

Feeling optimistic- The new wellness program offers support for students. Chapman is excited for the future of the wellness program and its impact on the student body.

for the future of the program.

"I am looking forward to continuing to grow and work together

to ensure that Santa Margarita has more of a campus culture where mental health and wellness matter.

Let's show support, inclusiveness, and kindness towards others," said Chapman.

Faces behind the screen Teachers reveal their perspective on remote teaching during the start of the 20-21 school year.

By Katharine Lee, Feature Editor Mark Van Ness has not taught chemistry for twenty-five years for nothing: he’s mastered PowerPoints paired with Star Wars themed music, flying diagrams of isotopes, and endless memes of cats performing lab experiments.

However, he had not foreseen a school year that he jokes has completely taken him “out of his element” (pun intended).

Students weren't the only ones navigating online learning. Teachers were too. As the fall of 2020 approached, teachers braced themselves for onslaughts of emails, technological blips, and “Where do I turn this in?!” For most, apprehension surrounded the potential transformation of a once energetic class atmosphere to one a little too socially distanced.

As students may categorize these times as less than ideal, teachers seem to agree. Every morning, Religion 1 teacher Randy Lopez booms a “Good morning!” to an empty classroom without fail. 30 invisible students in 30 unoccupied seats wave back at him…or at least he imagines they do.

“Obviously, online learning can never replace the hands-on experience students get in the class-

Illustration by Tristen Mielke

Online school - Teachers try their best to make virtual school as normal as possible. The pandemic has temporarily changed teachers' lives.

room,” Lopez said. “I miss most the conversations I have with my students. I miss getting to know them personally, getting to pray and share God with each one of them.”

The student-teacher relationship, easily forged in person, is now

limited by the width of the tablet screen. Engagement levels have become less consistent, and though students appear physically present, the same may not be said mentally. It’s not hard to miss wandering eyes and bored glances at the clock

in the classroom, but it's trickier over video call.

“When the cameras go off and my students are reduced to little black boxes, I have no clue what they’re doing,” said Lopez. “Well, I have a few guesses. Texting, eating,

not paying attention. It’s up to students to hold themselves accountable, especially now.”

Virtual learning may not be ideal, but it requires a united effort from both students and teachers.

Despite its challenges, teachers are united in one single goal—bringing the classroom experience to students' homes. Freshmen teachers like Caitlin Malec took this to heart.

For Malec, teaching English 1 Honors isn’t just a class. It’s ensuring that students are transitioning well into high school, thriving socially in a new environment, and harnessing the power of OneNote.

“I want my freshmen to have a memorable first year,” Malec said.

“It’s my responsibility as a teacher to give them that in English, whether we’re at home or not.”

Whether it’s answering Teams chats on the go or reminding students to put their cameras on, teachers have shown patience, grace, and the unflagging ability to adapt. From constantly changing schedules and steering through the rocky waters of hybrid learning, teachers' perspectives remain determined and, as always, flexible.

“This whole situation is far from perfect,” Van Ness said. “But for now, I’ll just sit back and marvel at some of the most innovative virtual backgrounds I’ve ever seen.”

Tune in to the new trends During unprecedented times, the resurgence of drive-in movies offers a popular, socially distant activity.

By Giulia Henshaw, Copy Editor and Alex Vallone, Managing Editor

I

n a time influenced by poodle skirts and lettermen jackets, sock hops and jukeboxes, everyone rushed to a night at the drive in. Decades later, the trend of drive-in movie theaters are making a comeback as an unlikely benefit of a global pandemic.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the movie theater industry experienced a deficit in income for movie theaters and their employees. Unsure of when movie theaters could open up again, companies began to turn their parking lots into makeshift drive-in movie theaters. Not only do the companies benefit, drive in movies also provide a fun night out and relief during uncertain times for students.

Seniors Maddie Vacca and Ryan Stensby have embraced this new trend by going to drive-in Illustration by Lizzie Bork

Illustration

by Tristen Mielke

movies to enjoy the safe and comfortable atmosphere.

By filling their trunks with snacks and blankets, they get to experience watching a movie in a new setting.

“It is almost like a distraction,” Vacca said. “People are able to relax, get out of the house, and socialize with their friends in the comfort of their own car.”

Although there are many benefits to this new style of watching movies, there are some downsides. Some issues include faulty car batteries and distracting groups of people, which can affect the viewer’s experience.

When attending a drive-in, Stensby struggled to see the screen due to poor viewing positions.

However, despite possible deterrents, people manage to have a memorable movie night. Vacca noticed that some people went the extra mile to make the most of their experience.

Movie theater companies have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, but are working to reopen theaters safely.

the movie, but they were still having fun with their friends,” said Vacca. “I even saw some people and families dressing up as the characters from the movie.”

From old-school classics like “Grease” to more current blockbusters like “Knives Out,” drive-ins provide a wide range of films that appeal to all types of movie-lovers. There are many local drive-ins in Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, and Irvine.

At the Irvine Spec-

trum, ticket costs 50 dollars per car with a 20 dollar gift card used towards restaurants and shops in order to bring in money for businesses.

“Tuning into the movie audio and hearing it through “ I did see t h e car speakers a lot of reminds me of the o l d times b a c k t h e n when they all used to go teenagers t o drive ins,” said Vacthere that ca. “I hope they last.” were talking throughout

progress in deal-

By Hadley McCusker, ing with the viStaff Writer rus so theaters In the midst of a pandemic with copious amounts of free time, people rack their brains for things to do. Simple everyday life has become quickly limited and it is difficult to refrain from being lazy and un-

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motivated. One of the first things people think of as a fun way to pass the time is going to the movies.

Not only are theaters closed, but movie productions that planned for release this year are also postponed, leaving the public in suspense and disappointment, negatively affecting the revenue for movie productions and theater companies.

AMC lost 561 million dollars, according to the LA Times, and it is not the only theater chain that has suffered. Statistica.com states that the global film industry lost seven billion dollars in the middle of March and ten billion dollars by the end of May. As of now, the U.S has made

can open up again.

Most are planning to hopefully reopen their theaters full time by mid March of next year, while some are scheduled to open in the next few months. Currently, a few have chosen to open their doors now such as the Foothill ranch and the Irvine Spectrum.

As theaters plan to reopen, they embark on a long transition to normality. There are many regulations put in place to keep moviegoers safe. Masks will be mandatory, staggered seating is a must, and mobile ticketing will be enforced. The reduced capacity and increasing sanitations between show times will continue, but many theaters believe it is necessary to also limit the concession stand menus, some even eliminating them all together, according to atomticket.com.

Theater openings may seem like a decade away, but there are some movies you can look forward to watching back in theaters. Warner Bro’s, “Tenet,” will be releasing Sept. third, Universal’s “Candyman,” plans to release Oct. 16, Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow,” will be out Nov. six,

Illustration by Lizzie Bork

Movie night- Whether at home or at drive-ins, people can continue watching movies with their loved ones. Movie theater companies are prepared to open up with necessary safety precautions.

and Twentieth Century Fox’s, “West Side Story,” will premiere Dec. 18.

“I’m so excited to finally go back to the movies after so long,” senior Maddy Mangano said. “It is something I’ve definitely missed and the feeling of going with my friends to see a movie [is something] we’ve been looking forward to.”

It may seem like a daunting process, but movie theaters’ main goal is the same as the people: to return back to the big screen as safely and as quickly as possible.

Illustration by Lizzie Bork

Illustration by Tristen Mielke

The Eagle Eye

8 Feature

October 2020

Bittersweet nostalgia Senior Sofia Lim drops her first EP album, showcasing the internal struggles in her life.

name is reminiscent of her childhood. Lim’s family tries to visit as frequently as possible. It is a usic has always been reminder that her parents expean influential part of rienced their childhood on that senior Sofia Lim’s life. street, and it provides Lim with a In middle school, writing poetry nostalgic feeling that she hopes to and playing random chord proincorporate into her music. gressions on her ukulele brought “I would describe the genre her so much joy. Her music also of my album as Indie bedroom brought a sense of peace to her pop,” said Lim. “I’ve always life, but once she entered high been influenced by a lot of difschool, that spark was lost. On ferent music styles, but I mainly Aug. 14th, 2020, Lim released her listen to a lot of indie and alterEP, “Pomelo,” to give light to her native music.” struggles and rediscover her love The album consists of five for music. songs that explain the hard“Over quarantine, I noships Lim has faced from ticed my mental health depressure from her parents, clined a lot so I thought that peers, and herself. The two maybe I should go back into songs that are the most writing,” Lim said. “I got meaningful to Lim are back into music and that’s “Conversation W/ Myself” how I created ‘Pomelo.’” and “Toxic Soulmates.”

The name “Pomelo” has “I’m really close to ‘Conmultiple ties to Lim. Pomversations W/ Myself’ beelo is a citrus fruit that Photo by Sofia Lim cause they are conversations resembles a grapefruit I’ve had with myself and the commonly found in Asia. Lim’s lyrics really take into consideration parents also grew up on Pomelo all the doubts I’ve had against mystreet in the Philippines, so the self,” said Lim.

By Katie Eli, Photo Editor

M

A furry covid companion

Animal adoption rises as people look for company at home.

By Bella Scarano, A&E Editor During quarantine, there is a longing for a sense of companionship since people are prevented from going outside and socializing like normal. Adopting animals has become popular, as people don’t want to be home alone. However, it seems this is not just a phase.

Senior Amanda Duffy works with two Labrador rescues, the Independent Labrador retriever rescue of Southern California and the West Coast Labrador Retriever rescue. She noticed a large increase in adoption at the start of quarantine, but months later dogs are still frequently being adopted.

“Even though quarantine is over, there has been an increase in [the number of] dogs that are rescued,” Duffy said. “The rescues themselves were out of dogs because they had all been adopted, so at one point there were no dogs left to foster.”

Senior Andrea Smith adopted a labradoodle named Ginger from the OC animal shelter. Her family decided to adopt while being at home since they had time to take care and train her as a puppy.

Now, as Smith goes back to school, she finds that it’s a lot more work to take care of her new dog than she had anticipated.

“Spreading out the

responsibility of taking care of her has made it a lot easier,” Smith said. “Obviously when there’s something new that happens it takes time to adjust.”

With the increase in adoptions, it was a concern for the lab rescue organizations that dogs would be later brought back. Before going through with the adoption, they made sure that each family would be a good fit.

“For a lot of the rescues they didn’t really have as thorough of checking before giving a dog away.

I think there would definitely be dogs that were being returned,” said Duffy.

Having a new dog at home has brought a lot of happiness into Smith’s family. During these difficult times, having a companion at home can be extremely therapeutic for people. They find that adopting an animal not only brings joy into someone’s life, but also into the animal’s. Maybe adopting an animal is the comfort that you need being at home, as long as you are ready for the responsibility.

“I definitely recommend adopting because it’s really nice to have a companion inside the house,” said Smith.

“It just brings so much joy just to have a little pet that loves you, and it’s an amazing experience.”

Photo by Christina Duffy

Tail wagging - Duffy’s foster dog, Emmitt, loves to go on adventures with his family.

The family loved adopting Emmitt.

For most of Lim’s life, she has been an overthinker and has felt that she is not enough. The song portrays very raw emotions and arguments that she has had with her parents. The root of most arguments has been Lim’s academic profile.

“Since quarantine hit in the middle of my junior year, I felt very swamped academically and it created a lot of stress,” said Lim. “My parents were always focused on my grades and always told me ‘I have to get the best grades’ and ‘I have to do good on this test’ all the time.”

These statements created a lot of stress for Lim, and as college approaches she’s unsure what she wants to do with her life. Lim does not want to be pushed into a career.

“Mentally it’s very stressful because I don’t know what I want to do for college,” said Lim. “They’re trying to push me into what they want me to be instead of letting me find what my own passions are.”

Since the album was released, she has received positive feedback.

The minimalistic music draws in many listeners, and they can relate

Photo and Illustration by Sofia Lim

Pomelo- In her album, Lim shares her experiences through her music. The album was released on Aug. 14, 2020.

to Lim’s experiences.

“A lot of people like the music because it touches them,” said Lim. “They tell me that [it has a] bittersweet nostalgic vibe, and I’m glad my emotions have been able to be heard through the song.”

The album can be streamed on multiple music platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play, and Tik Tok. Lim’s plans for any future music remain unknown, but if she were to create more music she would want to bring light to problems many teens face.

“If I were to release a new EP, I would focus on the heartbreak you can get from romantic relationships and friendships,” said Lim. Lim is grateful for the support she has received from her friends.

She was hesitant to release her music, but her friends pushed her to publish the album.

“It was a project for myself, and that’s all it really is,” said Lim. “Don’t do it for someone else if it is your passion because at the end of the day it is about what you love and not what somebody else loves.”

Logging on to freshman year Students adapt to beginning their freshman year online due to Covid-19.

By Gracynn Crocker, News Editor It’s 8:30 a.m. and the alarm goes off. Freshman Lexi Fischel hits snooze and allows herself to sleep for a few more minutes. After hearing the alarm again, she gets up and gets ready for a school day, but it’s nothing like she imagined.

Instead of driving to school, she walks from her kitchen to the desk in her room, turns on the tablet, and logs on to her first Teams call of the day.

Due to the circumstances of COVID-19 and the risks of being on campus, this school year began online. This especially affects the freshman class because they have never experienced a school day on campus.

“A lot of the teachers are very helpful teaching us the work, but it is still not the same as being in the classroom with them,” Fischel said.

Students claim becoming a freshman is a big adjustment and not being on campus makes it harder for students to acclimate.

Depite the school year not being what was expected, the school worked hard to try and make online school as smooth as possible.

“The SM community has made us freshmen feel so welcomed and loved because of the special treatment with online school,” freshman Molly MacMillan said. “We still got to do tablet training and we had some sort of Soarientation, so that was very welcoming.”

One of the biggest downfalls of online school that freshmen face is not being able to meet as many new people. However, the breakout room component of Teams allows students to work in smaller groups online. Many teachers use this function for group work, projects, or to go over homework. Not only does this allow smaller group work where the teacher can join

Photo by Jennifer Fischel

Back to school - Lexi Fischel works from home at her desk during the school day. She is excited for the transition to in-person school.

the call and help out, but it also allows the students to meet new people.

“I think that the breakout rooms help us meet new people and experience the social aspect because we can talk to each other and get to know new people,” said Fischel.

“It also helps because we learn how to work with new people that we don’t really know.”

To keep up students’ spirits during distanced learning, normal campus events are being held while following safety regulations like holding retreats during the week. This has helped to keep students’ spirits up about wanting to be back on campus. In addition to this, some sports have been able to start with social distanced practices.

“Being on the song team has helped me a lot because I have a whole team, and I got to meet a lot of new people in different grades,” said Fischel. “Also, I’ve been able to be in person, so it is really good to not be online.”

A common concern about online school is that between school and their homework, students are

at their tablets most of the day.

With sports and other activities around school starting back up with social distancing, students have been able step away from their tablets.

“This is definitely not how I expected my freshman year to be, but I make the most of it,” said Macmillan. “The biggest thing that I have had to adapt to this year is probably meeting new people over a screen. It’s hard to know people and what they are like when you meet them over a video, but I’ve already made friends even though I haven’t met them in person.”

Although this year is not what students expected, they are hopeful of what the rest of this year has to offer. The freshman community understands that the faculty has adapted to make this year as normal as possible with the students’ best interests in mind.

“I think the biggest thing I am looking forward to is really just being able to be around people and to be around my friends,” said Fischel. “I am also exited to meet new people and start my high school experience.”

The Eagle Eye

October 2020

Sports 9

Turning the dawgs loose Coach Rouzier becomes interim head coach after an unexpected change of events.

By Roman Sergi, Sports Editor

A

s practice starts a booming voice yells out, “three claps.” On the field, players respond with an emphatic “WOOOO,” reminiscent of Rick Flair’s signature call. The energy and excitement is different than years past. The difference is the new head coach Anthony Rouzier, and in only a few weeks, he’s already making his mark on the football program.

Coach Rouzier, known as Rouz, has been a member of the team’s staff for the past two seasons as the linebackers’ coach. After the departure of head coach, Brent Vieselmeyer, Rouzier was promoted to defensive coordinator by new head coach Tim Walsh.

Unfortunately, Coach Walsh was forced to step down due to health concerns. Almost immediately, Coach Rouzier’s name was tabbed as the heir apparent.

“When I was given the defensive coordinator job I felt very comfortable and very grateful for the opportunity,” Rouzier said.

“For Coach Walsh, even though his time was fleeting, for the guts to promote me and then when he [had to retire] have the guts and faith in me to run the show. I’m super thankful [and] blessed for this opportunity… to work with great coaches and great kids.”

Photo by Greg Townsend

Hired - Anthony Rouzier and Corey Overton coach the Eagle football team. Rouzier was made head coach the sudden resignation of earlier hire Coach Tim Walsh.

Coach Rouzier joined the program at the same time the current seniors made the jump to the junior varsity and varsity levels, adapting and growing with the players. He has worked with the team and seniors to create a culture that will help lead the Eagles over the hump.

“What’s great about this team, being senior led, we came up in varsity football together,” said Rouzier. “I look at it like I’m a senior like [them], I came in as a newbie when [they] were sophomores. I am super excited about the opportunity

to see [the seniors] have a chance to go out there and compete. They have gone through so much, four head coaches in four years. They are blessed because of that, they’ve gone through an experience that will teach them more about life than most people experience until they’re in their later years. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who is sitting in the [head coach’s] office, the one constant has been [the seniors.]”

Senior linebacker Anthony Comestro is the only player on the team to be personally coached by

Rouzier every year he has been with the program. He has seen firsthand what Rouzier can bring to the table.

“Coach Rouz is an high energy type of guy,” Comestro said. “[He] has always been a mentor to me.

He helped to give me a true football player’s mindset. The last few years he’s always brought the juice and been the guy to get our team hyped and ready for battle. I think he will bring this trait with him as a head coach, and he’ll continue to push guys and get the best out of it.”

Rouzier steps in after two years that featured two different head coaches. During the time of changes, the team struggled, posting a 6-15 record including zero wins in Trinity League play.

Along with coaches brought in

by Coach Walsh, they, along with Coach Rouzier has worked hard to create what he calls the “dawg” mentality and he believes it will help the teams to overcome the obstacles placed upon them.

“This is the most seasoned, poised, and understood team in the Trinity League from a coaching perspective,” said Rouzier. “We understand what it takes to win more so than ever. We believe we can win any game we play this year; I do not know why you would ever play football thinking you can’t.

We have worked to debunk this notion of teams being unbeatable.

I have all respect in the world for the other teams, but respect all fear none. We will play to the very best we possibly can and be competitive against every team.”

The team adopts the new mindset and can feel the changes in practice. Confidence is at an all time high and so are the expectations.

“A whole new year requires a whole new attitude, Coach Rouz has been preaching these things since day one,” said Comestro. “An unbelievable attitude plus unbelievable expectations lead to unbelievable results.”

No equality no play After weeks of protesting racial injustice, NBA players boycott playing over another tragedy.

By Marcus Kim, Staff Writer As COVID-19 restrictions lessen, professional athletes in the NBA, NHL and MLB finally get to resume play in their respective sports seasons. After just getting professional sports back, fans were astonished to

“ I hope these players continue to stand strong and fight for what they believe in. ” - Jake Blazona witness something unique happen in the sports world.

The shooting of an African Amer-

ican man named Jacob Blake by po- izens around the country have used being shot in the back seven times lice in Kenosha, Wisconsin caused their voices and platforms to speak by a police officer in Kenosha, and the sports world to halt once again out against these wrongdoings. Over the additional shooting of protestors. to recognize and protest racial inthe last few days in our home state Despite the overwhelming plea for justice and police of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horren- change, there violence. dous video of Jacob Blake h a s Starting the probeen no tests were NBA teams action, so the Los Angeles Lakers our focus and the Los Angeles today cannot Clippers. Both teams were be on basketwilling to throw away their ball.” run to the NBA title to proFans around test what they believed to be the world were a larger issue at hand. shocked to see This eventually trigthe players dogered a domino effect ing this. around the league with “Initially teams like the Oklahoma when I saw the City Thunder and Houston NBA was postRockets who postponed poning games their games as well. The I was upset beMilwaukee Bucks, whose cause sports home arena was no less than have been so a 40-minute drive from the limited during location of Blake’s shootthis time,” Seing, never came out of nior Carson their locker room during Williams said. their game on August “Then I real26th, 2020 and gave a ized that I’m statement after speaking not a minoriwith Wisconsin politicians. ty, and I can’t At a press conference, Sterrelate to what these ling Brown of the Bucks read what other people have to go the Bucks had been working on. through daily. I understand “The past four months have shed why the NBA Illustration by Tristen Mielke a light on the ongoing racial injusdecided to take tices facing our African Equal play - NBA basketball jerseys now have Black Lives Matter and a break and American communi- other calls for equality on their backs. Players refused to play to protest come togethties,” Brown said. “Cit- racial inequality. er as one and

find ways to show how they feel about the current events taking place.”

With the NBA refusing to play, other sports leagues took notice.

Many MLB teams decided to postpone games as well to honor and protest for Jacob Blake.

“I was really hit with two emotions at the same time I was surprised and happy,” Senior Jake Blazona said. “I was surprised because I had never seen something like this happen before, in any sport, so it really caught me off guard. However, I was extremely happy and pleased to see the players stand up for a great cause and what they believe in.”

With the NBA playoffs still going on, players and teams are fighting for the championship as fans await to see to see how the league will persue the rest of the playoffs.

As the league continues to approve messages on the back of players’ jerseys, it is a great option for players to express their own opinions on what is happening around the country.

“It is hard to say because as seen, our country can be turned upside down with a single video. I am hoping these players continue to stand strong and fight for what they believe in,” said Blazona. “The fighting gives everyone else strength and courage to do the same thing.

The playoffs are going to be very interesting because now, there is more on the line than just a championship.”

10 Sports

The Eagle Eye

October 2020

Colleges cut sports during COVID amid uncertainty and controversy

By Sofia O’Keefe, Staff Writer

A

thletes dedicate years of hard work and training with the goal to play competitively in college. However, for those in less popular sports, all their hard work may be worthless as colleges cut sports as a result of the pandemic.

The coronavirus lockdown altered social interactions, and most sports broadcastings were postponed. Major college sports events such as March Madness and football conference seasons were canceled, resulting in a loss of revenue.

Usually, as reported by Insider, men’s basketball and football produce enough revenue to cover the expenses of almost all other sports at the universities through ticket sales and television contracts.

However, with numerous cancelations and postponements of seasons, budgeting cuts are required.

Over 20 Division I schools have discontinued at least one of their teams since the COVID-19 outbreak began. For example, Stanford has cut 11 sports programs out of their previous 36. Wrestling, softball, baseball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, and men’s volleyball are some of the sports that were cut. The unpredictability of the economic status of the United States, donation turnout, and enrollment could be unfavorable for the future of other sports as well.

“I don’t think getting rid of any program is a good idea, everyone needs different things,” Sean Zeitler, the Director of Track and Field said.

The lack of a sport to increase their probability of acceptance will make the colleges more difficult to get into for prospective student-athletes. This is especially detrimental as some cannot get into these more selective schools without their sport. Due to the cancelation of the men’s volleyball program at Stanford, future applicants can no longer rely on their athletic ability to help them get in.

For example, as stated by The Atlantic, athletic applicants at Harvard University who scored a four

“ They’re making long-term decisions based on a short-term situation. “ - Coach Zeitler on the one through six scale based on academic eligibility were admitted 70 percent of the time, whereas non-athletic applicants who scored a four were admitted only 0.076 percent.

“It will kill recruiting,” said

Illustration by Tristen Mielke

Signing off - The presidents at various colleges approve the sports’ budgeting cuts. Due to the lack of funds brought in through viewers, over 80 programs were discontinued, according to Sports Illustrated.

Zeitler. “If somebody wants to go to a school that doesn’t have a program, then they’re not going to look at that anymore.”

Additionally, the cutting of college sports has numerous repercussions for possible future Olympians. The competition in college sports prepares athletes for Olympic level contests and consequently the U.S. produces numerous world-class competitors from these experiences. According to the Washington Post, in the 2016 Olympics more than 400 members of the United States Olympic team were former, future, or current col-

lege athletes.

In hopes of attracting high-performing recruits, various football team locker rooms have undergone multimillion dollar renovations. Namely, Clemson University spent over $50 million on a locker room makeover since most of their success comes from recruiting.

Athletes and coaches from other sports have questioned the exorbitant spending of football and basketball teams and the better treatment the players typically receive.

“If you were interested in cutting things, there are things in football and men’s basketball that you

could cut,” David Berri, a Southern Utah University professor and sports-economics specialist, said.

“So that suggests to me what’s going on here is [that] athletic directors are using this as an excuse.”

Ultimately, reducing budgets in high profiting sports to allocate the earnings into the other programs will enable more sports to remain.

This change would benefit the diversity of the student body and the legacy of each program on campus.

“They’re making long-term decisions based on a short-term situation,” said Zeitler.

Fall and winter sports seasons pushed back to early 2021

By Lauren Memoly, Staff Writer

As the fall and winter sports prepared for their upcoming seasons, they were hit with a major setbackCOVID-19 has caused their seasons to be postponed to 2021.

CIF released the sports schedule for the 2020-2021 season, and it was a drastic change from years past. For the 2019-2020 season, the CIF sports were split into three seasons: fall, winter, and spring. This year, CIF decided to categorize the sports by either fall or spring. This eliminated the winter seasons and pushed their seasons into the beginning of 2021.

The students and coaches wish they could compete in the sports during their normal seasons but are happy at the prospect of eventually getting to play. One sport that got moved from its usual winter season to the spring season was boys and girls basketball. Junior Brooke Slymen, a girls basketball varsity starter, felt the impact of the schedule change.

“I’d say that with basketball being moved to the spring, there are many different feelings and emotions,” Slymen said “First of all, I’m just happy that we can have a sea-

Photo by Giulia Henshaw

Out of order- With the moving of fall sports, no games and events are currently being played. Until 2021 rolls around, the field has not been used for CIF play.

son at all.”

The rescheduling of many CIF sports also affects the student athletes who compete on club teams outside of school.

“Club basketball typically starts

in March and April, so there will definitely be some conflict there,” said Slymen. “I know a lot of people who will be in the same boat as me, so I think we will all just work it out together.”

The student athletes are going to be faced with new challenges when balancing high school and club seasons. Assistant athletic director Sean Zeitler works with his staff to make the best out of the new

change in schedule.

“We are going to meet with all the coaches and find out which athletes are doing multiple sports,” Zeitler said. “We are going to find a way to make it work to the best advantage for the student athletes.”

Even though many sports were rescheduled to the spring, athletes and coaches are happy to even get a season. They are determined to make the best out the seasons that they get to play.

“It is what it is,” said Zeitler. “Just the opportunity competing. I’ll take anything even if it means [an] impacted spring season.”

There are still many unknowns regarding the future of the sports seasons. With the virus, there is still a chance that more changes could be made to high school sports. Even though the coaches and players face much uncertainty, they continue to stay positive and look forward to their seasons.

“This is a new situation for everyone,” said Slymen. “I think it is hard to predict how it will all end up when we are talking six months into the future, and right now everything is changing on a weekly basis.”

The Eagle Eye

October 2020

A&E 11

Addiction is not an aesthetic Known for its gorgeous cinematographic aesthetic, “Euphoria” raises concerns that it glorifies drug abuse.

By Juliana Soliman, Staff Writer

F

entanyl, Xanax, Oxycontin, and Naloxone -- by junior year, Rue had done them all. HBO’s “Euphoria” follows Rue Bennett, played by Zendaya, and her friends as they journey through struggles of sex, drugs, trauma, addiction, and overdoses. Elaborate makeup looks full of glitter and rhinestones and dramatic mood lighting decorate the entirety of the show. However, with this defining extravagance comes concerns of the show depicting drug abuse in a positive light.

Rue struggles with OCD, anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder and is prescribed drugs from a young age to cope with her mental illnesses.

She quickly turns to unprescribed opioids as an escape from her own head, building an addiction.

Episode two shows Rue and her new friend Jules taking a mystery pill and getting high. The scene shows Rue and Jules loopy, covered in glitter, and in blue ambient lighting. Rue slurs her words as she says, “I’m just so happy.”

“A little tiny part of me was like woah what is that like?” junior Gabi Figueroa said.

Figueroa watched the show “Euphoria” after countless friends told

her how entertaining it was. While watching this scene Figueroa explains that she feels it depicted drug abuse in a positive manner and makes people inclined to see what drugs are like. Despite this scene, the show does not neglect

“ It shows real life and how everyone can get through it. ” - Gabi Figueroa

to show the lows of drug abuse.

Figueroa explains that if the show hid some of the relief drug usage brings, it would simply be unrealistic.

“I don’t see [drug addiction] often, but I know that’s very real in other high schools,” said Figueroa.

“When [Rue] felt down on herself and things were happening she’d

Illustration by Carly Giotto

Addiction - In “Euphoria,” Rue struggles with the abuse of perscription drugs. Controversy has surrounded the show due to its real and graphic portrayal of addiction.

turn to drugs and it was always there for her. That’s what attracted her.”

However it’s not this moment that sticks with Figueroa, but rather Rue’s overdose. The scene shows Rue covered in her own vomit and unconscious on the floor. Her younger sister Gia finds Rue in this state and becomes horrified.

“That was really scary to me,” said Figueroa. “You see how [drugs] really affect your family life

and even your friends.”

Rue’s overdose is only the beginning of the immense struggles of addiction portrayed on the show.

Rue reflects on her relationship with drugs explaining, “Drugs are kind of cool. I mean they’re cool before they wreck your skin. And your life. And your family. That’s when they get uncool. It’s actually a very narrow window of cool.”

Because of her drug abuse, Rue is weighed down by relapses,

depressive episodes, aggressive outbreaks, and damaged relationships. These scenes shift the show’s overall focus to the authentic experiences of drug abuse, not just the glitter and lights.

“It shows a whole different view on teenagers and how rough people’s lives actually are,” said Figueroa. “There was no one in the show that had a perfect life, it was very real.”

Depop sellers take advantage of inexperienced buyers

By Domi Drust, Social Media Editor Access to local thrift stores and small boutiques is limited, making it a challenge to support small businesses and find ways to sustainably style your closest.

In 2011, Simon Beckerman founded Depop, a shopping app that is wildly popular among teens and young adults. People are able to buy, sell, and trade clothing with millions of users. Most of the shops on the app advertise their thrift finds, sell their old clothing, or allow young designers to sell their personal fashion pieces.

Though Depop, people can shop for unique finds at a tolerable

“ These sellers cause the app’s credibility to go down. “ - Taylor Mcnamee

price. However, some sellers use Depop to take advantage of buyers who are not educated on the app.

Senior Taylor McNamee, former Depop buyer, has witnessed this issue first hand.

“I have seen people trying to sell children’s clothing for extreme prices claiming they are ‘thrifted vintage,’” McNamee said.

Even though some may be falling for these sellers’ schemes, it is more harmful for the app itself.

“These sellers cause the app’s credibility to go down,” said McNamee. “It makes genuine sellers look bad. It is unfair because they get roped in with the people taking advantage making their credibility go down.”

Fast fashion clothing brands such as Forever 21 and Shein are frequently sold on Depop. There are many duplicates of the same item selling for double and sometimes triple the original price.

Though Depop has strict guidelines for buyer and seller contact, there is nothing that addresses the respect sellers must have for the buyers.

Though Depop cannot control the hundreds of sellers on the app, some believe they could address this issue by implementing a system where Depop filters though different shops. Having the ability to report this issue and look more intricately into sellers could better the app’s credibility.

“Depop should be able to deactivate or suspend their account,” said McNamee. “They could also try verifying sellers’ accounts based on their service and require merchandise quality checks.”

Brandy Melville is a popular girls clothing store Barely ten years old sellers will market used tank tops and sweatshirts as “rare,” up-pricing originally $16 tank tops to $45, claiming it is a rare print and classifying it as “vintage.” Sellers using terms such as “vintage” and “rare” as a marketing ploy, one that allow s various shops to sell over 50 items using this tactic.

Once Depop addresses this issue with its sellers, buyers might feel secure spending their money.

TOP 5 DEPOP SHOPS

@rainbow_bebe rainbow_bebe @nightcourt @guccig11 @noahsarkvintage @maddiiek Photos by Domi Drust

Pop up - Depop allows anyone to create their own shop. Sellers have made money and buyers have discovered unique clothing.

Infographic by Domi Drust

Safe to shop - Among the unfair sellers, there are some Depop shops that keep the consumer in mind. Buyers were able to purchasing products of good quality and value.

12 A&E

The Eagle Eye

Stepping out of the city

Zac Efron’s new docuseries explores and brings awareness to ecological issues around the world.

By Sydney McMahon, Staff Writer

By Maddy Sherwood, Staff Writer

Photo from Creative Commons

Illustration by Lizzie Bork

The green life - In his new documentary Zac Efron explores new countries. He learned the importance of taking care of the environment.

logical issues that he hadn’t been able to learn much about as a kid.

This unique occasion gave Efron a place to unleash his adventurous, creative, childlike side while also exploring and shedding light on important ecological issues in our world today.

“When this opportunity was brought to him it was something that he was very excited about,” said Raabe. “[It was] a chance to travel the world and explore different topics that he hadn’t got to really spend time with, as a lot of kids do.”

Not only did this series affect Efron, it also changed the way

that many people view the world around them, including senior Julia Ho. Ho shares that documentaries don’t usually resonate with her, but this one did because in contrast to most fact-based documentaries, it shows the audience fun and easy ways to get involved and initiate change.

“I was just drawn to it because it wasn’t just doing random things and talking about facts and climate change, but they were actually doing a ton of different cool practices that showed ways that you can beat climate change,” Ho said.

Efron’s series effortlessly changed Ho’s perspective. She de-

tails that it has already shifted the way she looks at things like a simple water bottle. Ho says that she enjoyed seeing Efron question the world around him, take steps to fix some big problems, and educate others as well.

“I feel like my perspective has changed, because for instance now when I see water I’m like ‘huh, what water am i drinking? Am I drinking the one that helps with the environment?’” said Ho. “Everything I look at now, I try looking at it more deeply [to find] ways to do things that help the environment.”

IB Film shows its artistry Corey Lindabury discusses IB Film student projects

By Lana Diab, Staff Writer Senior Julia Ho has waited all four years of her film journey for her senior year in IB Film, which is dedicated to applying all the knowledge from her years past to create masterpieces- all the learning, collaboration, and experiences from prior years has led up to this moment. Projects such as the IB Film portfolio broadcasts the talent and individuality of every student. The students’ gifts will be highlighted, celebrated, and remembered this year through their work.

IB film students will test and display their creativity through various projects during the year.

These projects were created by the IB film department with the help of IB Film teacher Corey Lindabury. The students will improve their film techniques and elements while broadcasting their creativity.

The seniors work on their portfolio as one of four projects in the IB examination. Their job is to pick three production roles, such as a director, and incorporate it into their portfolios. After they’re done with their portfolios, they focus on the textual analysis portion of the examination. Although there is criteria to consider, they have many opportunities to express their cre-

A mad woman or the 1 Taylor Swift’s new album elicits responses from fans, haters, and the music industry.

A

ctor Zac Efron ventures away from his usual movie genre in his new Netflix docuseries, “Down to Earth.” This eight-episode show follows Efron and his friend, health and wellness expert Darin Olien, as they travel the world learning about how to live a “green” life. Along with immersing themselves into new cultures, the duo explores topics such as clean water, avoiding pollution, and renewable energy.

In each episode, Efron and Olien travel to a new country, meet with experts on a certain issue, and exploring how the country has overcome this issue. In the first episode, the pair arrived in Iceland to learn about how the country has thrived on 100 percent renewable energy.

They met with experts, toured energy plants, and also learned about Iceland’s culture. Costa Rica, Peru and Iceland are just a few other locations that the pair visit during their globetrotting adventure.

Nate Raabe, a close friend of Efron, notices that Efron’s childhood had a large impact on his perception of the world.

“Zac did not have the traditional high school and educational experience,” Raabe said. “He’s always been very interested and curious in terms of learning new things.”

Raabe explains that when Efron was presented with this opportunity, he was thrilled to have a chance to travel the world and to look deeper into global and eco-

October 2020

ativity.

Ho appreciates the freedom in the class and the opportunity to develop her strengths.

“Personally, I love doing cinematography and editing, but I have a friend that loves to do production designing,” Ho said. “You can work together [and] work off each other’s strengths and weakness.”

Much of the j u -

niors’ year will be spent preparing for their IB examination the following year. Currently, the juniors are creating a photobook on cinematography, an important element in film.

“They are learning about cinematography, where they have to go out and take pictures of different cinematography techniques and elements,” Lindabury said.

COVID-19 creates difficulties with collaboration amongst students, but the seniors were able to complete most of t h e i r w o r k during their j u nior year.

This year the IB examination focuses more on individual work rather than collaborative due to the pandemic, as reflected in the updated IB examination requirements. Now, they are perfecting their portfolios.

Since the seniors missed out on collaboration during the end of the year, Lindabury plans to create a separate project once they are done with their IB examinations.

“I do want the seniors to make a good final film,” said Lindabury.

“Even though it won’t be turned in for IB we’ll still make one for the class.”

Through these projects, the students not only learn about film but develop a unique way of thinking.

Whether they hope to pursue film in the future, such as Ho, or not, they will remember the important lessons learned in the class, recognize aspects of film they had never seen before, and cherish their IB film family and experiences. ”[I want them] to appreciate film for being an art [… ]but also to expand their horizons,” said Lindabury.

Photo by Katie Eli

Creative freedom - Lindabury encourages his students to continue learning despite some uncertainities. IB Film students have worked diligently to create their portfolios throughout the year.

Midnight hit on July 24th and the world hit play. Fans, haters, friends, and strangers all listened to 63 minutes of 16 brand new songs. In contrast to the past seven albums, this new album brings a different set of stories and emotions than what listeners are used to. With the release of “folklore,” Taylor Swift surprises everyone, yet again.

“Female artists that I know of have reinvented themselves twenty times more than male artists,” Swift said, in her personal documentary, “Miss Americana.” “They have to, or else you’re out of a job.

Constantly having to reinvent, constantly finding new facets of yourself that people find to be shiny.”

Over the years, Swift has reinvented herself with the release of each album. “Taylor Swift,” “Fearless,” and “Speak Now,” represent the country version of Swift. The launch of “Red” marked Swift’s transition to pop. “1989,” “reputation,” and “Lover” each continued her pop trend. However, in “folklore,” she changes her style once again.

As a listener of seven years, freshman Lauren Kirby, is a fan of “folklore.”

“I absolutely love her new album, and I’m really curious to see what she will do with her concerts,” Kirby said, “Her popularity has definitely fluctuated over her career but every time she releases a new album it definitely goes up and she is higher on people’s radar.”

Over the years, Swift has been in and out of the spotlight, as she has received a mix of criticism and support with every choice, style, song, album, and genre she tries. Some love her no matter what, such as Selena Gomez, but others hate everything she does, such as Kanye West.

“Taylor definitely gets a lot of criticism, and I feel like she is all about rising above it and not caring what people think,” said Kirby.

She works in an industry where it’s all about criticism and judgement, and I feel like I definitely want to be more like her and not let it show that the negativity bothers me.”

In “Miss Americana,” Swift stresses the importance of connecting with her listeners through her storytelling. She feels that her songwriting sets her apart.

Fans, haters, friends, and strangers await to see what story Swift tells us next.