The Fourth Estate - The Green Issue (April)

FOURTH the estate

THE GREEN ISSUE

BLANCA SCHOOL 4125 PALOMA DRIVE SANTA BARBARA, CA APRIL 2023

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Alexandra Siegel

Luca D’Agruma

MANAGING EDITOR

Aden Meisel

OPINION EDITOR

Elli Westmacott

FEATURE EDITORS

Abby Kim

Ada Green

LAYOUT EDITOR

Dionne Peterson

GRAPHICS EDITOR

Lucy Wang

BUSINESS MANAGER

Abby Kim LIFESTYLE EDITORS

Sofia Ramirez

Jinling Wang

NEWS EDITOR

Aden Meisel

WEBSITE EDITOR

Owen Noble

Milla Hirsch

COPY EDITOR

Katherine Ball

Ada Ray & Jules Lecleurq ‘25

Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens

Magdalena Amezaga

Jack Andrews

Lucia Camp

Christiana Cino

Niccolo D’Agruma

Annika Firlik

Hudson Mayfield

Eli Meisel

Cierra Nervo

Davis Ohanian

Elyse Weaver

FACULTY ADVISORS

Trish McHale

Blake Dorfman

A Letter from the Editors-in-Chief

Dear Readers,

Welcome back! It’s been a minute. After a brief hiatus, we’re so proud to present to you to our newest issue of our magazine: The Green Issue, where we put the spotlight on the our planet, the climate, and the environmental issues that are more pressing than ever before. Amidst a period of both uncertainty and hope, we decided to use our publication to shed light on the challenges facing our world and community so that Laguna can be prepared to work towards a sustainable future.

You’ll hear from a chorus of experts and students about the path forward for clean energy, the environment, and our place within it. Through discussing the complexities of various sustainable electricity sources, the political disputes over climate funding within our state capital, or how climate change impacts Santa Barbara–in our rivers and or in our weather patterns–we hope to inspire you to take action and make a difference.

After our recent unprecedented season of flooding, rains, and devastation across California, it proved to us that there is no better time than now to reflect on our part of the climate crisis.

In only a few weeks, our team of staff writers, editors, and artists have all worked tirelessly together throughout the process, from brainstorming to sending the issue to print. Though we did not have our dedicated Faculty Advisor and teacher, Trish McHale, throughout this issue’s production, as she is out on medical leave until Spring Break, Dean of Students and former Journalism staff writer Blake Dorfman gallantly stepped up to shepard our unruly class. We’re grateful to have had his support, help, and advice.

We hope that you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. Together, let us be the change that we want to see in the world, and let us work towards a future that is greener and more sustainable.

Till next time, Alexandra and Luca

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MISSION STATEMENT

The Fourth Estate is an open forum created for and by journalism students of Laguna Blanca Upper School. We hope to use this space to cover events, interviews and topics of interest in greater depth. Our staff seeks to be a platform for creative expression and to report on events and ideas of importance to our readers and to focus on topics of significance and interest to inform and entertain the school community.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

The Fourth Estate welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and must be no longer than 400 words. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and/or taste. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate reserves the right to reject advertising. Opinions expressed in this publication reflect the perspectives of the staff whose goal is to inform our readers with reliable information from which to base decisions and opinions. Editorials represent the voice of the staff and are voted on by the entire staff. Columns and commentaries are labeled as such and represent the opinion of the author. The Fourth Estate publishes four issues per year with a senior insert in the last issue.

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BYLINE POLICY

When two or three people work on a story, all names will be listed. If an editor rewrites a majority of a story, the editor’s name will be listed.

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CORRECTION POLICY

The staff strives for accuracy. When factual errors occur, mistakes are found or brought to the attention of the staff, corrections will be printed in a corrections box in the next issue.

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COLOPHON

This is the first issue of the new decade and 29th volume of the Laguna Blanca School, 4125 Paloma Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93110, magazine, The Fourth Estate. Contacts are available at tmchale@lagunablanca.org, (805) 687-2461 x0317 or www.thefourthestate.net. Laguna Blanca School has an EK through 12th grade student population of 430 with 100 in the Lower School, 151 in the Middle School and 179 in the Upper School. The Fourth Estate is an 8.5 by 11 general magazine, created on MAC computers using Adobe InDesign CC2021, Imperial URW and Mencken Standard font families and printed on glossy paper free for students and $30 for an annual subscription. The magazine is distributed to all Upper School students through the school’s advisory program and sent by mail to subscribers with 300 copies printed per issue. We are associated with NSPA, CSPA and JEA.

How Warfare is Changing

WORDS by JACKSON BALTES ART by ELYSE WEAVER

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is considered to be a “conventional war” in every way, shape, and form. Columns of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery batteries and of course infantry, decide the course of the battles playing out in the war in Ukraine. Many military strategists believed that Russia, supposedly possessing the world’s second best conventional military, would steamroll their much smaller neighbor within a matter of days, if not weeks.

Of course, as of the writing of this article, that has not happened. Roughly one year on, Russia has not only failed to defeat Ukraine, but is suffering massive losses of both men and material. This has left many asking, how has Russia, supposedly the world’s second best military power, failed to achieve a conventional victory against Ukraine?

It is very well known that during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union spent years preparing for a war against each other that never happened, at least in a military sense. During this time period, both sides not only developed the largest weapons buildup known to the human race, but also crafted their own (and much different) military doctrines that still heavily influence their militaries today. These military doctrines not only dictated the operational conduct of both sides’ militaries, but was also heavily reflected in the weapons being developed and produced for the war that would never end up happening.

Many western weapons seen in Ukraine today, with some very notable exceptions, are products of the latest years of the cold war. A very famous example of one of these

weapons includes the FGM-148 Javelin Advanced Anti-Tank Weapons System, or Javelin for short. According to the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM), the process of designing a missile that could prove “highly lethal against tanks with conventional and reactive armor” began in December of 1983, before being entered into full production in 1995. Micheal Smiyun, an immigrant from Ukraine commented that “without the supply of Western or American or NATO weapons Ukraine would have perished a long time ago.”

As many Western weapons developed in the latest years of the Cold War have made their way to Ukraine, the same can also be said about Russian weapons systems. Tanks such as the T-80, which are confirmed to be operating in Ukraine, represent one of the last tanks developed and manufactured in the Soviet Union.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense’s website, the T-80 tanks are “to be employed by mechanized infantry and tank units for improving their fire power.” This emphasis on firepower, while not being new, reflects a key cornerstone of Russia’s military doctrine. According to a 1984 United States Army field manual titled The Soviet Army - Operations and Tactics, “classic Russian military principles” include “maneuver first with firepower. Firepower is maneuver.”

It can be argued that the war in Ukraine, while not being a war that directly involves U.S. military personnel, is the type of battlefield situation which both sides spent the entire cold war preparing to fight.

This belief, while not being known or

The invasion of Ukraine has enabled a new era of tactics, strategy, and weapons between the major European powers.

In a Housing Funk

Santa Barbarans clash over a development project in the Funk Zone.

WORDS by LUCA D’AGRUMA ART by OWEN NOBLE

When 155 new housing units were proposed in the busy downtown Funk Zone, it should have been cause for celebration, but instead, there was vitriol. The SOMOfunk development, led by developer Neil Dipaola, would be built on a 2.1 acre block in the Funk Zone, and would include 29 affordable units and 18,000 square feet of commercial space. The existing structures on the block would be demolished, causing anger in the community. Despite Santa Barbara’s lack of affordable housing, residents lined up to oppose the project.

Opponents believe the development will alter the “character” of the Funk Zone with dense housing, a large building, and a disruption of views. KeeptheFunkSB, a newly incorporated non-profit, is organizing Funk Zone businesses and residents against the plan. On their website, they claim that the development will “devour the existing neighborhood and change it forever” due to blocking “important public views” and displacing some areas for the fishing industry and “artist studios.”

“We’re not against housing,” says KeeptheFunkSB on Instagram. While the organization claims the “rest of the neighborhood will suffer as a result” of the development.

“Building more housing is a no brainer,” said George Nicks ‘22, who is passionate about this issue.

“Housing prices have shot through the roof, and unless we build more they won’t go back down. NIMBYs can complain all they want about character, but I personally feel that reducing homelessness, increasing walkability and lowering rents (while increasing property values) so people aren’t priced out of their homes does more to preserve character than stopping new construction ever will.”

Keep the Funk supporters claim to oppose “gentrification”,

but supporters of the project say that when housing isn’t built in sought-out affluent neighborhoods (like the Funk Zone), people moving into the city rent or buy in workingclass neighborhoods. They claim that if housing was built in the Funk Zone, it would bring rents down and reduce the pressures of gentrification.

On the one hand, opponents to the project can point to the Funk Zone’s parking problems as evidence that the added density will strain the infrastructure of the neighborhood. That’s wrong, according to George.

“More density reduces car dependency, by making walking and public transport more convenient, and reducing the need for wasteful street parking,” he says.

The battle over SOMOfunk serves as a microcosm of a growing political debate across California. The state has big goals for housing and has required counties and municipalities to open up areas for growth in order to meet their RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation), the predicted number of new homes over the next decade.

In the quest to get those units zoned, policymakers are coming into conflict with residents who’d rather “pass the buck” on where new housing is built than accept change to their community. Although the policy consensus is moving towards a “YIMBY” (Yes in my backyard) rather than “NIMBY” (Not in my backyard) approach to housing, local politics is dominated by homeowners, who are more likely to oppose new construction, especially apartments.

No matter the result of the application process for SOMOfunk, Santa Barbara needs to build more housing. ile our city’s policymakers are generally united in support of increasing affordable housing, it becomes a much more divisive issue when we have to figure out where to put it.

“Building more housing... does more to preserve character than stopping new construction ever will.”

- George Nicks ‘22

The Political Pill

WORDS and ART by ELLI WESTMACOTT

The concept of abortion is a highly controversial and political debate that raises eyebrows and passions among large swaths of Americans

The recent overturning of Roe v Wade, a United States Supreme Court ruling that made abortion a constitutional right for 50 years, was followed by nationwide jubilation as well as backlash.

As of now, nearly 24 states have backed up and endorsed the anti-abortion ideals that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of in June of 2022.

Recently, an abortion pill named Mifepristone, which was assessed as safe and effective by the FDA nearly twenty years ago, is now resurfacing, creating yet another explosive issue for the pro-life and pro-choice standpoints to debate.

Major pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens have released statements saying they plan to sell Mifepristone in stores that reside in states where abortion is legal, but they have not started yet.

For those that need abortions due to health issues or other factors, Mifepristone is the safest option according to the FDA, meaning that when it becomes easily accessible, this will be the place where women from all states will be going to in need of an abortion.

Abortion surgery, for some, can be dangerous.

Birth can be worse. For those seeking abortion, especially in banned states, this pill is most

convenient, and will soon be most accessible.

Not only does this pill bring up a more obvious option for women in America, but it also brings into question the legalities of different abortion procedures.

The subject being debated is whether women in states where

abortion is banned should be allowed to order online and recieve Mifepristone through the mail.

In different states the situation differs, but even in the most restricted of states, the Department of Justice rules that there should be exceptions in which ordering the pill online should be legal.

Similarly, the Biden Administration is fighting for accessibility through mail as well. According to CNBC journalist Spencer Kimball, “the Biden administration last month issued a legal opinion arguing that the Postal Service can mail the pill to states where it is banned if the sender does not intend to break the law.”

Now, this debate is about state laws versus FDA approved brands. Many banned state attorneys are suing ether the FDA for allowing Mifepristone to go on the market or threatening the two major pharmaceutical companies, Walgreens and CVS, that are planning to sell the pill.

In Kimball’s concluding paragraphs, he writes, “anti-abortion physicians have sued the FDA in a federal court in Texas to completely pull Mifepristone from the U.S. market.

The FDA has called that lawsuit ‘extraordinary and unprecedented’ and warned that a decision in the physicians’ favor would harm its approval powers.

To say the least, Mifepristone’s availability to American women looks to be a contentious topic in the nation moving forward.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade created a national and ethical conflict amongst pro-choice voters, and the recent endorsement of Mifepristone by prominent pharmacies adds to the debate.

Santa Barbara Film Fest: Celebrating Cinema

D’AGRUMA

Lights, camera, and action! This phrase is often used to describe the excitement and anticipation that comes with the start of a film or video production, and it perfectly captures the atmosphere of the 38th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Santa Barbara Film International Festival (SBIFF) is a yearly event that celebrates the art and craft of filmmaking held in the beautiful Santa Barbara, California. During the 10-day festival, the downtown streets of Santa Barbara come alive with the energy and excitement of filmmakers, actors, and film enthusiasts from around the world.

The festival showcases a diverse range of films, from independent productions to Hollywood blockbusters, and offers audiences the opportunity to engage with filmmakers and actors through screenings, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions.

This year, the event took place from February 8-18, and actors including Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Austin Butler came to the stage to share their latest work on the big screen. From the Virtuoso Award to the Variety Artisans Award, moviegoers came from across the country to watch their favorite stars and directors share about their recently released films.

Hollywood blockbusters, Oscar nominated shorts, and international films were also spotlighted at the SBIFF. Across several theaters in town, including the Arlington Theater and the Fiesta 5 Theater, people were able to watch films that premiered at the event and also got insight into the making of the film through director and screenwriter panels.

Senior Abby Kim attended The Writers Panel, where directors from “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” shared the ins and outs of writing Hollywood scripts.

Abby said, “This year’s writer panel had one of the most impressive lineup of panelists seen in the history of the SBIFF. The panel was very interesting as many of the screenwriters are also the directors of their recently released films, and they all were able to answer questions about the screenwriting process and hardest scene to write and film.”

The Santa Barbara Film Festival is a must-see event for anyone who loves film and wants to experience the excitement and glamor of a world-class film festival. With its stunning setting, diverse range of films, and star-studded events, it is truly a highlight of the film festival calendar.

Because the festival is local and accessible to Laguna students and families, several student journalists had the opportunity to attend the festival as the press and interview many of the honored actors and directors. From the Outstanding Performer of the Year Night to the Montecito Award Night, Laguna’s student journalists asked pressing questions to actors including Cate Blanchett, Angela Bassett, Austin Butler, Stephanie Hsu, Jane Lynch, Ke Huy Quang, and many others.

WORDS and ART by ALEXANDRA SIEGEL PHOTOS by LUCA

On February 15, Santa Barbara local, Jane Lynch made an appearance at the Virtuoso Award Night to announce the eight recipients of the Virtuoso Award. Senior Alexandra Siegel asked her, “What advice do you have for aspiring actors and people in the film industry?”

Lynch said, “In high school, if you want to do plays, which I did many in high school, do them! But you need to remember not to push it. You have to learn your craft, work at it, and be committed. Ultimately, you’ve got to have fun while doing it. And always watch and listen to other young actors.”

Lynch announced Austin Butler (Elvis), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Nina Hoss (Tár), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Jeremy Pope (The Inspection), Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Jeremy Strong (Armageddon Time) as recipients of the 2023 Virtuoso Award.

Sophomore Sofia Ramirez interviewed Angela Bassett, an American actress who recently played Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Sofia asked her, “You are drawn to resilient roles, are there any strong women in the industry you would like to highlight?”

Bassett said, “Any woman in this industry, because it can be difficult, especially if you’re African American, Latina, and Asian. It can be very difficult to find those roles that allow you to express yourself, your creativity, and your art form. But you hang in, you hold on, and you persevere.”

Bassett was awarded with the Montecito Award at the SBIFF this year.

A fan favorite, Austin Butler (Elvis), was one of eight recipients of the Virtuoso Award. Butler started his acting career at age 13, but found his first Oscar nominated role in “Elvis,” portraying famous rock and roll icon Elvis Presley.

Senior Alexandra Siegel asked him about his upcoming role in “Dune Part Two," and how he embodied the role of his new character, Fayde.

Butler said, “It was trying to understand his mindset. When you play a character that certain people could label as villainous, it can be easy to give into the idea of the villain. I wanted to understand that behind every one of those characters, in real life as well as in a film, they believe they are the hero of their own story. It also the intensive physical training as well. I did three months of physical training for the role.”

Cate Blanchett (Tár) was awarded with the highly praised Outstanding Performer of the Year Award on February 10. She played a deranged and power hungry orchestra composer, and through the role, Blanchett criticized the abuse of power and addressed the #MeToo movement simultaneously.

“The film is about the system of power. We understand what male power looks like, but we don’t fully understand Lydia Tár and what female power looks like. By entering into these very patriarchal structures, she’s apeing these things that shes seen that aren’t sitting well with her. So I think having a woman at the center of this film allows the audience, in a nuanced way, to examine those power structures that we wouldn’t have if a man had played the role,” Blanchett said.

Along with Blanchett, director of Tár, Todd Field, made an appearance at the event.

Actor Ke Huy Quang answers questions about his role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Outside Arlington Theater at Variety Artisans Award Night.

Actors Jeremy Strong (right) and Danielle Deadwyler (left) waltz.

Actor Austin Butler speaks to student journalists.

Attending the Santa Barbara Film Festival

A mission the Santa Barbara International Film Festival praises itself on is their efforts in education. In addition to showcasing films and hosting events, the SBIFF also has a strong educational component, with programs aimed at aspiring filmmakers and film enthusiasts of all ages. The festival partners with local schools to provide opportunities for students to learn about film production and screenwriting, and it also hosts seminars and workshops for industry professionals.

One of the ways the SBIFF supports young filmmakers is through partnerships with local schools. The festival works closely with schools in the greater Santa Barbara area to provide programs and resources that introduce students to the world of film production and screenwriting.

Examples of these educational programs include the “10-10-10” Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competition, in which ten student filmmakers and ten student screenwriters are selected to work with mentors to create a short film in just ten days, and the “AppleBox Family Films” program, which provides free film screenings and workshops for families and young filmmakers.

In addition to education in the film industry, student journalists are able to step outside the classroom and ask actors, directors, and screenwriters in a professional red-carpet setting.

Sophomore Sofia Ramirez attended the Montecito Award Night celebrating Angela Bassett.

She said, “Attending the Santa Barbara Film Festival was the oppurtunity of a lifetime. The program allows young journalists, such as myself, to step outside the classroom and into the professional world of reporting.”

Not only do student journalists get to apply their reporting skills in a professional enviroment, but they are also exposed to the reality of the film industry.

“This event poses a great learning opportunity for students as we are thrust into the deep waters of the film industry. I personally was in awe of the patience and respect these incredible figures showed the student journalists. Attending the festival was truly an unforgettable experience.” said Sofia.

"

was the opportunity of a lifetime.

"

- Sofia Ramirez

Theatre Kids; Beyond the Curtain

Behind the props, lights,

curtains,

WORDS by CIERRA NERVO

PHOTOS by BRAD ELLIOTT

The journey of self discovery, the relationship between student and teacher, the traumatic events, and the great accomplishments are all key aspects of the spectacular production “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Brought to life by an outstanding cast, crew, and director, the 2023 Play Production class received praises from the audience on opening night. “I really enjoyed the story and the visuals,” said Junior Nikki Mielcarek, echoing other viewers,” I could tell everyone put a lot of effort into it.”

This coming-of-age story portrays the highly intelligent 15-year-old Christopher

Boone, an isolated boy who is ill-equipped to handle social life. Christopher goes on a thrilling journey to solve the mystery of a neighbor’s murdered dog, with the guidance of his teacher, Siobhan.

“The relationship we see on stage between Christopher and his teacher

Siobhan is a cornerstone in the very foundation of this story,” said Theater director and performing arts chair Dana Caldwell

This production, produced by both middle and upper schoolers, reflects the outstanding creativity and teamwork of the theater department. Laguna Blanca has two main theater productions, the winter play and the spring musical. While the play is part of an elective class and has designated rehearsal time during school, the musical is entirely an after school activity. While students spend the beginning stages of creating

the play in their class periods, as the premier night gets closer, students spend time outside of class perfecting their performance.

While the play rehearsal times are built into the school days for the most part, an average of 20 hours cast-rehearsal time and 40 hours crew all-calls—crew work days—are spent outside of class.

Sophomore Eleanor Crafton, who played the characters “Mrs. Shears” and “Punk Girl,” comments on the connection cast members build with each other. “Rehearsals are really a bonding experience. We’ll go through a scene with our script in hand and we’ll all contribute ideas on what might work for a scene,” Eleanor said.

For the play, the bulk of rehearsals are called “blocking rehearsals.” In blocking rehearsals, the cast begins with table work where they read and analyze the text and get to know their characters. Extensive chunks of rehearsal are spent on choreographing and coordinating while the cast memorize their lines independently. The final step of the play is carried out by the crew, who bring in all the technical elements to bring the play to life. The crew members build and paint sets, hang and program the lighting, find and record sound cues, put mics on the actors, assemble projections, gather props, create costumes, and move sets around the stage. “Because we as crew members aren’t typically seen

and

Laguna’s student performers put together show-stoppers while balancing school and social lives on the side.

during the show, it’s important to know that without us, the show would not go on,” said Senior Zola Peltz, a stage manager and deck captain.

According to Caldwell, this show was the most technically-demanding show that the department has ever seen. The team had to learn entirely new equipment during the production process, with lots of new lighting and projection.

The many different crew jobs, ranging from standard deck crew to stage managers in the booth and back stage, all have an equal role of bringing the play to life. Eighth-grader Cooper Green, the play’s lighting assistant, spent most of his time running concessions and operating the fog machine.

“The tech crew and cast find ways to make the little things feel like a blast. Everything from actors messing up lines in a funny way, to making a little too much fog,” Cooper said. Tech week, the week before the opening night where the crew and cast spend hours after school perfecting every technical detail, is said to be the best, but hardest week. Junior Dylan Charney, who played the role of the father Ed, commented on the intensity of tech week and the lead-up to the show:

“We spend hours a day perfecting the show, but the work is enjoyable, as is getting to bond with your fellow actors and crew,” Dylan said. Despite all the hard work and preparation that the cast and crew put in, there can be unforeseen issues that can occur. The opening nights collided with the Janu-

ary storms and evacuation notices, which created fear that the show would be canceled due to lost rehearsal time. However, despite only having one full run-through before opening night, many agreed that it was one of the best opening nights yet.

“I think some people underestimate what goes into a show like this. I’ve been told that theater isn’t really that hard,” said Eleanor, “You can’t compare a process like this to anything. People see a two-hour show, but they don’t see the hours and hours that are spent making sure every movement, light change, and prop are exactly the way they need to be.”

With so much time within and outside of school spent on the play, students constantly stretch the limit of balancing their social, school, and theater lives. There is so much physical and emotional energy that goes into the theater productions, and so much consideration to the audience’s enjoyment. Attending one night of the play and giving the spotlight to theater kids is a crucial way to appreciate the hard work that the team puts together.

Theater students had very little time to slow down after the Fall production, as “Beauty and the Beast” preparation is in full swing as the musical is set to take the Spaulding stage. on April 21st.

Philosophy @ Laguna

Students Noah Dehli ‘24 and Sage Holcombe ‘26 along with faculty members James Savage and Erik Faust answer thought-provoking questions.

PAGE by ADEN MEISEL

PHOTOS by JACKSON BALTES

What is True Intelligence?

Faust: True intelligence is the ability to understand what is called for, to be able to bring what is called for to bear, and to know how to find the resources necessary to help you do what needs to be done. So it’s not necessarily just plain knowledge, especially since now we can find any information we want from a computer, knowing things is almost pointless. It is knowing when to act a certain way, how to act, and if one cannot act in that way, how to acquire the resources necessary for them to do so.

Savage: It’s got to be more comprehensive than just being book smart or having a photographic memory. When someone is labled ‘not smart’ in school, they are being set off to go about life genuinely believing that they are not intelligent or talented. However, I think true intelligence is the ability to best navigate your world and experience the best that you can.

Is it better to be loved or feared? (From A Bronx Tale)

Faust: I’ve got to go with Michael Scott on this one: “I want them to fear how much they love me.”

Sage: This question is subjective, but in terms of power, fear is optimal. It can be easily incited and is a universal feeling that can change your morals and decisions. Fear can quickly spread and then be twisted to best benefit the feared. The human psyche is more attuned to listening to fear rather than desire, making fear the more controlling emotion and giving the feared more power over the afraid.

Is there such thing as objective truth?

Noah: Our societal truths only translate as far as our perceptions allow them to; religious devotion was the modality of most life, until the scientific lens was applied to it. even in modern society, the lens applies in the opposite direction too, where the religious view expels certain scientific principles. The way we choose to interface with the world creates the objective truths that govern our society. if arcane wizardry is proven to work, science, because empirical proof is it’s modality, will integrate arcane wizardry into a scientific principle. we have so many scientific mysteries that we don’t have the answers to and don’t even know where to search for; what’s to say those mysteries aren’t analogous to religious miracles?

Sage: No, everything that is a “truth” is swayed by the person’s subjective ideas and opinions. There is nothing that is a universal truth; someone will always find a dispute the “answer.”

Sage Holcombe

Noah Dehli

Erik Faust and James Savage

Staff of the Issue: Salvador Trujillo

Dedicated facilities worker, Salvador Trujillo gives the inside scoop into his life after working at the school for almost a decade.

RAMIREZ

Q: You have been a dedicated member of the school community for as long as any student can remember, how many years have you been working at Laguna Blanca?

A: I have been working for Laguna Blanca school for nine years now.

Q: Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

A: One of the things I really like is being part of the Laguna Blanca community.

Q: You have worked at Laguna for quite some time now, out of all your years what has been the biggest crisis you have faced?

A: One of the biggest crises I have faced was COVID-19. I thought it was never going to end!

Q: After working at Laguna for so many years you have gotten to know the campus better than any student, what is the hardest part of keeping our school clean?

A: One of the challenges is having everything ready for the students, like blowing, and sweeping. It is very important to me that the parents come and see the school clean. Some might ask, what is he doing standing there? Well, I have to stop the blower when I see the parents and students coming to be respectful and then I continue. That is definitely the biggest challenge: keeping the school clean for the students.

Q: Could you tell the Laguna community a bit about your early life before you came to the school?

A: I grew up down in Mexico with my parents, I learned the things I know there. I know how to do [my job] because they taught me how to down in Mexico.

Q: Despite being on campus every day many students don’t personally know you, could you tell us some of your hobbies and activities you do outside of Laguna?

A: I don’t have many hobbies, but I like to play basketball, and take walks because I like to see nature. I live in Lompoc, and every day my wife and my kid–I only have one kid–tell me, hey it must be annoying commuting from Lompoc to Santa Barbara. I say no because every day to me is different, when I’m coming this way it is all different because I choose to see the day differently.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Santa Barbara?

A: My favorite part of living in Santa Barbara is working at Laguna!

Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Laguna?

A: Everything. I love every part of what I do here, especially getting to see the students around campus.

WORDS and PHOTO by SOFIA

Ms. McHale Appreciation

The journalism staff reflects and shares their appreciation for their advisor, Ms. McHale, while she is on medical leave.

WORDS by JOURNALISM STAFF PHOTO by JACKSON BALTES

Ms. McHale is the soul of the magazine. Her expertise and knowledge in good journalism is what allows The Fourth Estate to shine through with each issue.

One thing I appreciate about Ms. McHale is the high bar she has for us. She has truly trusted and believed in me to reach beyond my initial goals and supports all of us along the way.

I’ve only known Ms. McHale for a short time in the classroom setting, but my perception of her is ever changing, but right now I believe that she is not just the heart of Journalism, but she is the glue that holds all of the many rotating, moving, and spinning pieces together.

I couldn’t imagine Journalism without Ms. McHale. She’s a wonderful person and teacher and is with us all the way: from helping with text wrap to troubleshooting pages for hours until they are perfect. Thank you for everything you do!

Ms. McHale is the heart and soul of this magazine, rain or shine she is there working long hours to make sure the magazine is as perfect as we all see it. The Fourth Estate would not be what it is without her, we owe her everything!

Thank you being such an engaging and supportive teacher. You have helped me navigate a new school and feel more welcome.

I would not be where I am today without her. Her passion and drive to do good journalism and nurture even better journalists is what inspired me to come into the class and become as involved as I have. The countless hours she spends in all her endeavors is a true show of her love and care for this school.

Without Trish, I would have never discovered my joy for journalism, and I would never have had the chance to experience the joys of this class.

While she trusts us to be a very independent staff, we can always rely on Trish to bring collaboration, guidance and warmth to the class.

Trish is the rock of The Fourth Estate! She is kind, caring, and most importantly, a strong voice when it comes to deadlines! We all love love love you Trish and thank you for all that you have done for us!

What is DEI?

The Leaders of the AVH club explain what they bring to the community.

WORDS and PHOTOS by CHRISTIANA CINO

When someone mentions DEI, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Is it a positive or negative thought, or do you not know what it means? DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and pertains to various topics, including oppression, LGBTQ+ issues, feminine issues, and racial issues. One of the most critical aspects of DEI, however, is celebrating each one of these topics. Many DEI programs exist in schools nationwide, including in Laguna Blanca. Ursula Chan, DEI Director, describes what her role is on campus.

“My primary goal is to be a person of resource to all of our students, faculty, parents, and alumni, to connect with me on any issues related to DEI and to support and foster this environment and be an advocate for people on campus,” she says.

Chan is a valuable resource on cam pus and works with students to find solutions to issues. Diversity, equity, and inclusion pertain to multiple topics, including feminine hygiene.

“Student voice is important to me. It is important for Laguna students to feel they can access me and tell me about issues they need help solving. For example, last year, an issue that was brought up was that in the girls ba throom, the pads and tampons were not usable or accessible. That is a DEI issue, and it was brought to me.“

Because of that, our bathrooms are now stocked with environmentally friendly feminine products.

In addition to solving issues, part of DEI is celebrating diversity and people’s differences. January and February are crucial, as they celebrate Lunar New Year and Black History Month.

“Part of my role is to celebrate the diversity that exists in the world and also on campus. January was Lunar New Year, and it is really important to me to celebrate it because it is part of my culture. It was nice to celebrate it on campus to make people aware, when they otherwise would not know how to celebrate it, and to support a lo cal Chinese restaurant,” says Chan.

woman of color, and her interest in DEI.

“Being a woman of color, I feel like at certain schools, especially in Laguna, since it is predominantly white males, it was difficult to be heard and seen in classroom settings.

I wanted to do something to make people feel more comfortable in having their voice heard and not let social aspects like being a woman and being a person of color get in the way of me speaking out,” says Jade.

AVH (All

Voices

Heard) is a studentrun club, and Chan advises it. The co-leaders of AVH are seniors Abby Kim and Jade Silva, who share why they joined the club.

“We realized there had never been people of color in the Student Council president position. That is what got me more interested in DEI stuff. We rebranded the diversity club to AVH so that it would involve Student Council more and be more connected, and we could reach out to more students,” says Abby.

Jade talks about her experience as a

Last year, AVH hosted a movie night to celebrate Black History Month, and this movie night will continue this year. Chan and AVH celebrate the LGBTQ+ community yearly by supporting local queer businesses.

“In June, we always do our pride celebration. We support Crush Cakes, a queer-owned business in town, and we get cupcakes from them and have rainbow gear to pass out, and it is just fun,” says Chan.

A crucial aspect of DEI is informing people who need help understanding on diversity topics that occur throughout the world and their community. Without this knowledge, it is hard understand the meaning of DEI.

“It is important for students to understand... why this is important. If we look at the demographics of our school population, it is predominately white. If you don’t learn about the experiences of other people, you can’t understand why DEI even matters,” says Chan.

TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool

Fifth edition of the event features our own Dylan Charney and Mr. Silva, inspiring community by highlighting transformation

WORDS by MAGDALENA AMEZAGA PICTURES by BRAD ELLIOTT

On February 1, TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool

hosted its fifth annual event. “Metamorphosis” was the theme, representing development and change. With a beautifully decorated floral stage and a sharp logo featuring a light bulb and butterfly, the day inspired us to view the world from fresh perspectives. There were 15 speakers during the event, including the always-wise Mr. Silva going deep about philosophy and junior Dylan Charney, who gave a talk called “Why I Still Go to Church.”

“I chose to talk about religion because it has been a fundamental part of my childhood and who I am now, and I feel that in the present day, many people are turning away from religion,” he said. “New advances in science, numerous evils committed by many religious institutions, etc., have had an effect on people. Because of this, I wanted to share the benefits that I myself have gotten from my experience in the Church.”

As always, the audience was treated to a wide spectrum of interesting humans on stage. Drag performer Vivian Storm sang beautifully and spoke of her journey to self-discovery. Jillian Walsh spoke as a mother grieving the tragic death of her daughter and the lessons she has learned from the loss. Adrienne Smith shared what it has taken to become the world’s best wide receiver in women’s tackle football, and John Sant’Ambrogio played his cello, which is over 300 years old. The event was the product of months of hard work from TEDx students and advisors, securing speakers and funding while planning the day meticulously.

“It is one of my favorite classes of the day,” said Operations lead Sarah Woodhouse, whose team oversaw all of the logistical working parts of the event and coordinated vendors including catering, audio-visual, chairs, tables, etc.

“Learning how to communicate with such orginizations is a lesson that many students need to learn but never have the chance, and this course has given me and 33 others students this amazing opportunity,” she said.

INTERIEW by SOFIA RAMIREZ ART by DIONNE PETERSON

Could you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to this line of work?

I stumbled into the career of fundraising, I [first] went into a retail career but didn’t feel fulfilled and then made my way back to LMU trying to find that sense of purpose and I stumbled into fundraising. [Then] I found out about the center.

[The Center for Reproductive Rights] aligned with everything that I believe in personally, career-wise, as a Latina, [and] as a single mother to a daughter. Women’s rights and education are the things that I am extremely passionate about [as well as] helping people of color.

Politically most students are unable to make an impact on decisions surrounding abortions due to the voting age, is there any way they could make a direct difference on these laws?

You know, I always say this, I know it feels like this is such a big task and how can I do it even if I’m young and I don’t have the age to vote? What’s really important is, one [to] educating yourself. I think people really undervalue that, educating yourself is very important because once you educate yourself, not only are you educating yourself but you [also] have the ability to educate others around you.

That’s the second thing you can do, you’re spears of influence and that looks different, you don’t have to have a committee of 50 people to feel that your changing people’s

minds, it can be as simple as talking to your parents. I know, especially coming from a Mexican background that’s a tough call, I have grandparents I have aunts that are extremely conservative, those are tough conversations that you need to have, and if you are able to open up your family your parents, just whoever just a little bit more who are able to, that’s a way that you can make a difference, and also just for the generations to come, you’re the future of the generation the more you educate yourself the more educated voters we will have in the future which I think is the biggest disconnect right now, is that people are voting and they don’t even understand what they are voting for and they don’t care to understand or get that information.

Could you see the overturning of Roe v. Wade having an effect on other highly debated human rights laws, such as LGBTQ+ marriage?

Absolutely, I mean this is just the start. The people that really, you know the conservatives that are really against people having rights, these are people that are going to come after everything. You saw it as the overturning of Roe, you know one of the Supreme Justices explicitly said, oh let’s talk about LGBTQ+ rights, interracial rights, all these things will be brought to the table because I feel we’re in a moment where the anti’s and conservatives feel very empowered like if we’re able to do this, we can do other things, and so this is why it’s

Danielle Oviedo shares her experiences and advice after working for the Center of Reproductive Rights in L.A. at a time when abortion is on the line.

so important that people realize the gravity of what’s at stake.

Like we’re not even talking about just reproductive rights or abortion, because I feel like people just think of abortion as just abortion, reproductive rights are a whole other thing that doesn’t just involve that because once abortion was on the table or Roe was overturned. Now there are conversations on, let’s not have birth control, there are just so many things that are going to change people’s lives.

And again it goes back to educating yourself because I think we live in a society, especially in the United States, of well if it doesn’t affect me then whatever I don’t care or I’m not going to care until it affects me, but its just thinking of the future

Could you tell us a bit about why they succeeded now when they hadn’t before?

Trump. He came in and said this is what I’m going to do and that’s what he did. He put people in positions of power and he didn’t care how he did it. He made sure that when he left office it was a very conservative Supreme Court and that’s what allowed this to happen. In the past, they did not let Obama nominate someone so close to an election.

They had brought this up to the table but [Trump] did not care. He made sure that a conservative was put in [as a] replacement of [R.B.G] to it up for them to be able to do things like this. So that is really what happened and thats why it is so important for people elect from the bottom, state officials, everything, it is really important for people to pay attention to that not just major election, because while those are important too leading up to that its just really important that people vote and they know who they’re voting for and know what they stand for because that’s what happens when people don’t pay attention, and then whoever is in power is able to do this.

generations you know everybody–most people, not everyone has to have a baby, an offspring, but everyone knows someone who has had an abortion, everyone knows someone that will be affected this way and I think contextualizing it in that sense, like maybe it’s not abortion or reproductive rights.

I’m sure everyone knows one LGBTQ+ person that will be affected or continue to be affected or someone else, you know it just always comes back to human rights and caring about humanity. And there’s so much at stake but then again I think this was a wakeup call to a lot of people and what’s been really great is seeing people show up at the polls, I’ve seen that it’s really woken people up, like oh crap I need to vote, and we have seen that translate in ballot initiatives and stuff like that so I hope its a wake-up call and people realize what is at stake because really everything is at stake at this point.

Do you see other methods of birth control, such as Plan B and the pill being put at risk after Dobbs v. Jackson?

Honestly, I do not believe so just because republicans are not smart to put that on the table because men and women of any political party are pro birth control. And so I think in the general public overview people will go and vote, just like reproductive rights, I feel like reproductive rights is a non partisan issue which means that is not necessarily Republican or Democrat, like most people when you ask them specifically on that issue are about women having rights to their own bodies.

While it will be put up, and I think it will be debated and people will try, I don’t really see it actually passing because it is really insanity, Because you don’t want people to have abortions but then you don’t want them to protect themselves, and its not smart for republicans or politicians to put that as their campaign because they will not be voted, so i don’t foresee that being an issue in terms of birth control.

Conservatives have been coming after abortion rights ever since Roe v. Wade gave women the right to an abortion.

The house and the senate is also really important and that happens in primaries not just in general elections, its also important that we have a mix so we’re both equally represented. Or for us being a little more on the liberal side to block things like this from happening. But thats how that happened.

How have you seen race and wealth status play into women’s struggles concerning abortion?

That’s a huge one. At the end of the day, this will not affect people of wealth. Typically people of color are in the minority when it comes to wealth and a lot of these struggles people don’t understand. People have said, “[There are] liberal states [and] people should just travel to these states.” People fail to realize that [there are] people everywhere living in extreme poverty with a lot of kids who can’t afford to travel.

At this point, if you’re in the South, you’re having to travel hundreds of miles just to get to the nearest clinic that legally can do the service or procedure.

Really, this is a direct attack towards minorities, towards women that are unable or don’t have resources. It’s keeping people in poverty still in poverty. Women in this society are expected to work like they don’t have kids or families and we’re expected to be at home like we don’t have a job. How are you expecting me to do these things when you’re forcing me to have another child that I don’t want, that I cannot afford, that I cannot provide for, as well as the one I already have?

You’re keeping women from progressing. If people want to have 10 kids, let them decide. That is the life that they choose to have. But there are women that don’t want that. At the end of the day, things happen and some people don’t have resources and are not really educated enough—not by choice, just by circumstance. It comes back to the privacy of your life and what you choose in your own situation. Why should the government have so much control over your life, over something so personal?

“Really, [Dobbs v. Jackson] is a direct attack towards minorities and towards women that are unable or don’t have resources”

How to Throw it out

A guide for where to toss away your trash mindfully:

PAGE by MILLA HIRSCH and ELI MEISEL

Recycle

• All clean metal, including aluminum cans, lids, and scraps

• Rigid Plastics, bottles, and items greater than six inches

• Most paper products

• Clean glass

• NO items with leftover food or residing liquids

• NO styrofoam, plastic bags, cartons, plastic wrap, or bubble wrap

Trash

• Animal waste

• Mylar; shiny metal such as food wrappers, balloons, etc

• Plastic items mixed with metal, fabric or rubber

• Plastic labeled “biodegradable”

• Foil-backed or plastic-backed paper

• Cooking oil and grease

Compost

• Food scraps! For example bread, fruit, dairy, meat, etc.

• Food soiled paper, such as coffee filters or soiled napkins

• Parchment paper

• Natural cork

• Compostable plastic bags

• For other natural resources like leaves, use the green waste bin

Ms. Pointer’s Advice

“I was inspired by Ms. Svendlund, our former lower school science teacher, to help students understand what things went into recycling or trash; the regulations are changing all the time so it can be super confusing, and so I just stand up at Monday morning assembly and pick something new each week, and I ask the student body if they know whether it should go in the recycling or trash!

Periodically I’ll also even make announcements about where to recycle some of the harder items like ‘what are you supposed to do with batteries?’ ‘what are you supposed to do with electronics?’ you usually have to take it to a facility…

I try to stay fairly current on what is going on in Santa Barbara because different cities, different regions of the country, have different regulations about recycling”

The Marborg website is our trash company here in Santa Barbara and Montecito, and their website has pretty comprehensive ‘what goes where’ information.

If you put things in the recycling bin that are not recyclable it ends up contaminating the recyclables that are in there, so… when in doubt, throw it out!”

California’s Climate Conundrum

California’s budget deficit forces hard decisions on spending.

WORDS by LUCA D’AGRUMA

ART by NICCOLO D’AGRUMA

In the face of declining economic growth and tax revenues, California is projected to have a $24 billion budget deficit. After years of expansion of social programs, spending, and various fiscal obligations, the stakes are high over what gets cut.

Announcing his budget plan while tens of thousands of Californians were evacuated due to January’s winter storms, Governor Gavin Newsom said his budget ensures California is “on solid economic footing” by downsizing programs but ensures funding for “universal preschool [and] expand health care access.”

Newsom’s plan continues to fund social programs that were created over the past several years–during the pandemic, California enjoyed yearly surpluses built from the successes of the stock market–but now those added spending obligations are difficult to meet within a deficit. While Newsom’s meeting some goals of his administration, activists say it’s far more telling what he isn’t saying about the budget, namely, what his budget is cutting.

“We are still in the throes of funding and implementing the transition to clean energy our future depends on,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters, “We have to sustain our commitment to climate action every year. This proposed budget doesn’t do that.”

In search of money to cut, Newsom landed on climate investments, activists complain. In comparison to two years of heavy spending

on climate, his current budget proposal includes cuts of nearly $900 million to cleaning up the power grid, almost $200 for drought resilience, almost $500 million for extreme-heat protection, and almost $800 million for wildlands and coastal conservation, according to the San Francisco Examiner. In all, the 2023-2024 climate budget will be $6 billion dollars less than last year.

State Senator Monique Limon, the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus who represents Santa Barbara and Ventura county, responded to the budget proposal measuredly, yet pointedly.

“With billions in state reserves we have the opportunity to safeguard the progressive investments we have made…I look forward to working with my colleagues as well as the Governor to deliver a budget that will deliver on our priorities,” Limon said.

Over the course of the next year, the legislature will work with the Governor to craft a budget. With a super-majority in both the Senate and the Assembly, Democrats have complete control, but there are tensions between activist-alligned progressives and moderates, who are more likely to support the Governor.

Last year, climate bills focusing on banning oil extraction in residential areas passed the legislature and gained Newsom’s support, but many moderate Democrats voted against them. With Newsom planning on reducing the budget and many moderates working with him, it becomes harder for progressives to override his veto power.

“California will need to rapidly and radically transform how we get around,” wrote David Weiskopf, a Senior Policy Advisor for Next Gen Policy in an Op-Ed, “Meeting California’s climate goals means taking an all-of-government approach to decarbonization…California can’t just fun climate programs when it has a surplus.”

Renewable Energy?

WORDS by LUCIA CAMP ART by DIONNE PETERSON

Wind

Pro: Many windy areas are rural, and wind turbines can use this area to produce energy.

Con: Because wind power is only available when the wind blows, there is no on-demand energy, meaning that if you want to charge your car and there is no wind, you will have to wait. Like solar, the energy must travel long distances, degrad ing it. Spinning turbines in open spaces pose a threat to birds who are migrating through the area.

Nuclear

Pro: Nuclear plants be built anywhere to produce energy on demand.

Con: Nuclear power plants can break down, creating global catastrophes when nuclear waste spreads worldwide like Fukushi ma Daiichi and Chernobyl. Even in a perfectly functioning plant, toxic nuclear byproducts of the fission reactions are impossible to eliminate. Although considered “renewable,” reactors rely splitting uranium, which is not a renewable resource. Critics believe using nuclear energy to produce power will encourage nuclear weapons and warfare.

Geothermal

Pro: Geothermal energy is a completely clean source that utilizes naturally existing steam in the ground to generate power. Existing successfully in locations like Mammoth Lakes, natural thermal energy beneath the ground spins turbines, producing energy.

Con: Geothermal energy is only available where geography allows, requiring specific geo logical conditions beneath the earth’s crust.

Water power

Pro: Power can be generated on demand as water is released from a dam. Dam reservoirs used can be used to store water

In areas such as the Narmada river in India, dam construction displaces people living in riparian regions. Dams cost billions of dollars to build and, if not maintained properly, can break, creating a disaster for the ecosystems in the area. Dams change river ecosystems forever as fish struggle to migrate and sediment cannot flow through the river. Climate change is causing changing rain patterns, causing some damns not to fill as reliably as before.

Biofuel

Pro: Plants can be grown anywhere, which makes biofuel accessible to the world. Con: While technically renewable, the fuel burns faster than it is grown, making this option unsustainable. Burning plants cause toxic emissions that harm those in developing countries who currently use biofuel.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Hydrogen power is renewableelectricity that can power a battery to a car with renewable fuel instead of requiring a long charge time. Similarly to gas, the energy harnessed by a battery is proportional to how much hydrogen fuel it contains and not the size of the battery.

Reactions that create elemental hydrogen are expensive and produce CO2, a greenhouse gas. Storing pure hydrogen is dangerous because it is highly flammable

As we look towards a future without fossil fuels, what new forms of energy will be chosen to power the world?

stance of the staff editorial

Santa Barbara’s winter storms have brought years worth of water–in the form of both rain and snow–to our parched California landscape. But despite ensuring a safe reserve of our most precious resource, the crisis has laid bare the fundamental realities of our ecological crisis.

Though California has received enough water in the last few months to sustain decades of drought almost all of it has disappeared and has been swept through our waterways into the ocean. Our state’s water infrastructure didn’t have capacity to capture the massive volume and lawmakers are only now considering investing into projects to make the most of future storms. But all that water is now wasted, and we’re still in a drought emergency that is sapping the reserves of our deepest wells.

In the coming decades, droughts and floods will only increase in intensity and in frequency. While analysts would have once described our recent storms as “once in a century,” in the coming years forecasts project many similar-sized cyclones occurring. California is falling into a destructive feedback loop of droughts, fires, and floods that erase our land’s fertility and livability.

Though we prize our lifestyle as Santa Barbarans, and we appreciate our city’s natural beauty and environment, our actions speak louder than our words. Climate change is fundamentally altering the world around us down to the minute level.

Our pollution, our carbon footprints, our choices all make a sizable difference in the world around us, even if we can’t see it in our naked eyes.

It’s time to put our money where our mouth is. We cannot stand on the sidelines and watch as our future crumbles to climate catastrophe. Whether it’s choosing a “green” bank that doesn’t invest in the fossil fuel industry, or deciding not to accept a sponsorship from a polluting corporate behemoth, or deciding against flying 40 minutes to San Francisco, there’s a multitude of easy choices we can make to do an outside impact on making the world a better place.

Oftentimes, students at Laguna fall into a mental trap in regards to climate activism. Because we don’t think climate change directly impacts us, we forget how our actions affect climate change. Our personal carbon footprints are greater than almost everyone else on the planet, and so our individual power to do good as a consumer is so much greater.

When we look at the devastation our own community has suffered, it doesn’t take an ample imagination to visualize the millions of others that will be impacted by climate change. Our environment is all we have. There is no Planet B. Years in the future, we want to be able to look back on Santa Barbara and see that our choices left it a better place than we found it. Who knows? Maybe our planet depends on it.

Ocean Life

WORDS by ANNIKA FIRLIK ART by AMELIE DALPORTO

The ocean surrounding Santa Barbara is home to a diverse and abundant population of marine life. From playful seals and sea lions to magnificent whales, these creatures play a critical role in the health of our ocean and the well-being of our planet.

Unfortunately, these amazing creatures are facing unprecedented challenges, and their future is at risk.

One of the biggest threats to ocean animals in Santa Barbara is plastic pollution. Plastic waste in the ocean is not only directly harmful to marine animals, but also their habitats. Whales, dolphins, seals, and other marine life can become entangled in plastic waste, causing harm and even death. Plastic pollution also releases toxic chemicals into the water, which can harm marine animals and impact the overall food chain.

Another major threat to ocean animals in Santa Barbara is overfishing. Many species of fish and other marine life are being over-harvested, leading to declining populations and a disrupted ecosystem. This can have a ripple effect throughout the ocean and ultimately harm the entire marine food chain.

So, what can we do to help protect ocean animals in Santa Barbara? Here are a few things you can do:

Reduce your use of plastic: Try to use fewer single-use plastics, such as water bottles, straws, and shopping bags. Consider bringing a reusable water bottle and shopping bags with you when you go out.

Support sustainable fishing practices: Choose seafood from sources that are sustainably managed and certified by organizations like the Marine Stewardship Council.

Participate in beach cleanups: Get involved in local beach cleanups and help remove plastic waste from the ocean and beaches.

Advocate for change: Support policies and regulations that protect ocean animals and their habitat. By taking these simple steps, we can help protect ocean animals in Santa Barbara and preserve their habitat for future generations to enjoy. Start taking action and help protect these magnificent creatures and their homes.

Negative environmental factors impact the health of Santa Barbara’s ocean, from runoff to plastic waste.

Eco-Anxiety

WORDS and ART by ELYSE WEAVER

Climate change has been a looming presence for the entirety of the younger generations life. Millennials and Gen Z have grown up with the knowledge of a constant threat to their future and their world, but the effect this has had on their mental health has been widely ignored until very recently.

Eco-anxiety, as defined by the American Psychology Association (APA), is a “chronic fear of environmental doom.” It’s by no means an official diagnosis, but it is recognized as a component of mental illnesses such as PTSD and anxiety.

Climate change, as a global issue, is one of the most widespread sources of stress for the entire population; atccording to a 2018 survey by the Yale Program on Climate Communication, more than half of the American population feels “helpless” in regards to global warming.

This feeling of powerlessness is even more prevelant in younger generations, as they are the ones who living the longest with the long term repercussions of climate change. Awareness of climate change became widespread before Gen Z was even born, and the threat it has on their futures has been hammered into them from an early age. They’ve essentially

been fighting an uphill battle against climate change their entire lives, so it’s not surprising that the emotional strain of an ever declining world take its toll.

Finding professional treatment for eco-anxiety is difficult; the term wasn’t defined by the APA until 2017, and specialized forms of therapy and other treatment are new and uncommon. It’s also impossible to find an impartial opinion on the is- sue; everyone is affected by and aware of global

lated worries in the midst of helping their clients.

Eco-anxiety isn’t purely the fear of rising sea levels or the destruction of the atmosphere; it also applies to trauma produced by extreme weather events caused by a rapidly changing climate.

The California wildfires, most notably the Thomas Fire and the resultant mudslides, devastated the Santa Barbara area, and the distress this caused the community is a form of eco-anxiety.

In the midst of so much panic surrounding climate change, it’s easy to feel helpless towrds effects of global warming. Eco-anxiety is more common than many people think, and it’s important to balance action with well being. The climate’s fate isn’t sealed, but its necessary to take action against climate change and be conscious of its current path.

warming, so therapists have to confront their own climate-re -

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to global health–mental health in particular–of the 21st century.”

DRIED OUT, THEN

DRENCHED

Santa Barbara starts off the new year by transitioning from drought to “bomb cyclones” that remind residents of the 2018 mudslides and hint at the future of climate change-fueled weather.

WORDS by CIERRA NERVO

ART by DIONNE PETERSON

For years, Californians have fretted about too little rain while suffering regular wildfires and continuous droughts. A healthy amount of rain was said to be just what California needed. What California didn’t expect, however, was for these wishes to manifest into a “bomb” cyclone, which devastated the West Coast with extreme flooding, extensive damage, and even deaths.

Santa Barbara, along the coast of California, was in the thick of the events. All 15 zones of Montecito, as well as other parts of Santa Barbara county, received mandatory evacuation notices. The National Weather service predicted 4-10 inches of rainfall in the mountains, and 2-5 inches of rainfall in urban areas.

Amidst the waves of storms hitting the coast, the California Highway Patrol closed highways and major roads in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Parts of Highway 101 and Highway 154 were closed, including many other popular cross-streets. Hundreds of cars were left on the roads, not able to get out of the traffic due to creeks flooding the freeways.

“Most of the year, there is no water,” Blake Dorfman, Dean of Students, said, referring to Sycamore Creek that runs in front of his yard. “The creek basin is about 15 feet deep. When I arrived home after evacuating the school, I was shocked to see that the basin was entirely filled with rushing water.”

The damage and panic pushed the city’s public services–fire, police, and public works departments–to scramble to mitigate the damage. Thankfully, the county can be happy to say that there were no deaths or injuries reported from hundreds of rescues, and no homes or buildings were damaged beyond repair.

Flash floods and sand bags are not unfamiliar to Santa Barbara residents. Some of the heavy rains back in January coexisted with the anniversary of the 2018 Montecito mudslide, a series of mudflows that devastated the homes and lives of the community.

The permanent damage of lost lives and flattened homes was a disheartening memory during the recent storms. The rains hit the county on a physical and emotional level. Nevertheless, after years of recovery, the public started preparing for future natural disasters by introducing flood warning systems, constructing dams, and strengthening community ties.

While the heavy storming ended back in January, the

cautionary messages from the damages still last. This natural disaster is what is called a “bomb cyclone,” a monstrous, rapidly intensifying storm associated with a sudden and significant drop in atmospheric pressure that came from over the Pacific Ocean. These waves of weather are super-fueled with tropical moisture from a potent atmospheric river, which is essentially a conveyor belt of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere emerging from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 9 of these atmospheric rivers hammered California in a 3 week period.

The rain has proved to be yet another effect of climate change. On a statewide basis, approximately 11 inches of rainfall materialized. 700 landslides, power outages affecting more than 500,000 people, and levee breaches sprawled throughout the state. An estimate of over $1 billion in damages and up to 22 deaths were blamed on the weather.

According to Yale Climate Connections, the storm damages were a preview of what a true California megaflood will wreak. The golden state has suffered a long history of cataclysmic floods and heavy droughts, and both can be directly connected to climate change. This dramatic shift in the weather and intensification of California storms is another warning that mother nature

This isn’t the first time California faced warnings from the weather. Climate change-fueled megadroughts have contributed to the damages by draining the state’s reservoirs and triggering water shortages.

“Rising summer temperatures make the soil and vegetation drier, increasing the chance of drought and wildfires,” says climate scientist Shradda Dhungel, of the Environmental Defense Fund. “Then in the winter, when California gets most of its precipitation, warmer air with massive amounts of moisture unleashes these big storms that are wetter and more intense. Because of these two sets of conditions, it’s possible to have more intense droughts and more intense storms and flooding.”

As weather gets more and more extreme, it’s important to trust the experts in the science community who are pointing to climate change being the culprit. If global warming continues to rise, California– along with the rest of the world– will have to face much more than a few weeks worth of flooding.

While the heavy storming ended back in January, the cautionary messages from the damages still last.

Tool or Temptation?

Today, touch screens and desktop computers are an essential part of every classroom and a huge adjustment from the past for teachers.

In this digital age, technology now are always being utilized in classrooms— but they have grown increasingly more popular in classrooms, especially after the pandemic required everyone to use technology from home. Now, it seems every teacher has some sort of technology incorporated into their teaching lifestyle.

Technology offers students quick access to knowledge, rapid learning, and enjoyable opportunities, putting what they have learned into practice. It also allows students to go deeper into challenging ideas and explore new disciplines.

“Technology has changed the game for schools, espcially in STEM when tackling complex equations and concepts,” said Interim Co-Director of Technology, Ms.Hales.

Not only this, but technology makes learning more accessible for students that are remote or have disability needs.

Although technology is meant to elevate schools, it is without a doubt that they come with distractable downsides.

“There was a study recently conduct-

WORDS by DIONNE PETERSON ART by OWEN NOBLE

ed that humans have a attention span less than a goldfish, and this may be the cause of technology, specifically social media,” said Ms.Hales.

The impact technology has had on students in high school and college has been detrimental to their learning— it was reported when students were allowed to have a phone during class,

well. Things like screen time, poor sitting posture, and screen brightness are all played into effect when staring at a screen for six hours a day at school, which is not counting hours after school dedicated to homework.

According to New Acropolis International Organization, 51% of high school students reported that they have cheated during exams, and technology has made this process easier to cheat.

And now with the rising of programs like Chat GTP that is writing papers for students, it’s tempting to give in to technology— especially since these resources are free.

42% of the time was text, tweet, or engage in social media than pay attention to the lesson.

Not only is it harmful to our cognitive learning, but also using computers and other technology for the whole school day impacts our physical health, as

The biggest problem at hand is how the digital age will affect the youngest generation of students. 45% percent of schools have reported offering computers for each elementary school student. Using technology daily in classrooms will change how they communicate with peers and negatively affect children’s development of social skills, relationships, and overall ability to focus.

“Technology has changed the game for how the younger generation builds social skills, and eventually, how they become future people in our world,” said Ms.Hales.

Technology has been heavily weighed into schools’ curricula and teaching styles. Although it is a powerful tool for students of all ages, it may be especially influencing the younger generation.

SEASONAL DELIGHTS, WHIMSICAL TREASURES STYLE & EVENT SERVICES

ChatGPT’s Dark Side in Schools: How AI Could Harm Student Learning

Imagine a world where technology assists us with most of our intellectual labor. While that may seem like utopia, how detrimental is a society where the ability to learn and grow is filtered?

WORDS by NICCOLO D’AGRUMA

ART by LUCY WANG

ChatGPT is a revolutionary language-based deep learning model created by OpenAI. It took the world by surprise in November, causing a whirlwind in the tech industry. By utilizing deep learning algorithms, it can respond to questions with factual answers, engage in conversations, translate between languages, generate code for the user, and even write creatively in poetry and stories. It is a versatile artificial intelligence trained on a whopping ten billion words and 170 billion machine learning parameters. It is revolutionizing how we interact with computers by generating shockingly human-like interactions and bringing an intuitive, natural touch to our relationship with technology.

ChatGPT uses a type of artificial intelligence called deep learning, specifically a transformer-based neural network architecture. This allows the model to analyze text patterns and learn from them. ChatGPT’s logic behind its text analysis is quite simple: when ChatGPT receives an input, it tokenizes it by dividing it into individual tokens and subwords. Then it converts each token into numerical expressions; this process is called encoding. Next, the model weighs the importance of the different parts of the input string and generates its output one token at a time until it reaches its desired length. It creates text using a probability system, as the algorithm predicts the response most likely to occur based on the likeli-

hood in the training data; because of this system, ChatGPT can spread misinformation if the training data is subpar.

ChatGPT and other machine learning algorithms have the potential to overhaul our education system at its very core. With ChatGPT, students can have artificial intelligence complete their assignments, write essays, and much more. This model is inciting fear into the minds of educators, but is this fear justified? That is the question that is being posed to educators around the world.

even help teachers grade quicker and more fairly. Dr. Guay tries to keep an open mind on the issue when he says, “I am considering a pilot of ChatGPT this semester. I believe it could demonstrate the expected organization of ideas in an essay’s structure. It may help some students better understand narrative progression, appropriate tense, article usage, and language style.”

It is easy to understand why educators are afraid. ChatGPT is a tool that entered the world of education without warning, and there are legitimate questions about the ethics of A.I. generated writing as a whole, but it is here now, and instead of attempting to ban ChatGPT from schools, we could use it to enhance education. It may already be too late to halt its encroachment into the educational space.

Luckily for them, the model is detectable using “the industry standard Turnitin,” comments Dr. Guay. Unfortunately, students can still employ many workarounds, such as running the A.I generated writing through many different paraphrasing tools and adjusting every sentence ever so slightly so that it becomes undetectable. However, “Turnitin is continuously upgrading its products to be mindful of ChatGPT,” says Ms. Hill. With the right approach, ChatGPT can also be a teacher’s best friend. It can be used as an example of discerning inaccurate and accurate information and

Dr. Guay proposes a way for teachers to adapat their teaching methods to account for ChatGPT’s invasion into the educational space. He explains, “If the issue is with students losing the ability to communicate knowledge and understanding through the writing process, that may be addressed by modifying the instructor’s directions, objectives, and expectations.”

The future of education is at our fingertips; if we learn to coexist with language-based machine-learning algorithms, we could transform how we educate the youth. With ChatGPT and other tools, we can: generate curated educational experiences for students,

“The evolution of technology forces instructors to adapt perpetually to a changing educational landscape—both in scope and sequence.”

- Kevin Guay

give students access to tutoring assistants, offer educational resources and study materials, enhance students’ language skills, research skills, problem-solving, and critical thinking, and even help with mental health. To do all of these things, we must first learn how to coexist with deep learning algorithms such as ChatGPT.

Microsoft invested over a billion dollars into OpenAI in 2019; now, they have invested another 10 billion dollars just into ChatGPT, which relies on a massive corpus of text, roughly 570GB. ChatGPT is currently undergoing a merge with Bing, Microsoft’s web browser. Microsoft stands to profit from this merge because only five percent of Microsoft’s revenue comes from Bing. Google, Microsoft’s biggest competitor in the field, makes 80% of its revenue from its web browser. So implementing something similar for Google is less feasible, as it risks damaging its primary source of reve-

nue. Still, with Microsoft threatening to take down its web empire, Google may soon join the race.

When Bing comes out to the public, it is not going to be using ChatGPT, but instead, it will most likely be running GPT 4, which will supposedly have 20 trillion data parameters, but 20 trillion data parameters could potentially be too much, as most companies

struggle to train models on even 20 million parameters due to the amount of raw computing power needed. So instead, they result to using smaller amounts of training data that result in the same outcome.

Google’s latest model, Bard, is an excellent example of this; it has impressive outputs that rival those of LaMDA, which is currently their most powerful model, despite utilizing significantly less training data in its lightweight architecture. They hope to increase their profit margins, while using a lot less computing power than Microsoft, gaining a distinct advantage over Microsoft.

We are at a crossroads in the tech world.

This race between Microsoft’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard will be the deciding factor over the future of A.I.

ChatGPT is a daunting artificial intelligence that threatens massive change within the education system and digital world. This change may not be the ragnorak that we expect, but it has the potential to positively overhaul the education system, improving the way we teach our younger generations.

For the record, this article was not written with ChatGPT... but the headline was.

The New Santa Barbara

WORDS and PHOTO by

LUCIA CAMP

According to Zillow, the median home price in the city of Santa Barbara is 1,828,719 dollars, an increase of 12.3 percent in the past year. This change is unsustainable and speaks for the mass migration of new residents to the area in recent years. While housing prices have skyrocketed, ordinary workers have fallen through the cracks due to the Covid 19 pandemic and inflation. That’s why the 29 sales of over $10M during the first half of this year in Montecito, compared to three of this magnitude in 2020 (Montecito Journal), spark concern. The people moving here with such mass amounts of money are not “working members” of our community. When real estate runs out in the “high end” and more “desirable” areas of Hope Ranch and Montecito, wealthy new residents prey on traditionally working-class lower east and west side neighborhoods.

The signs of this are blatant in neighborhoods where once affordable houses are painted bright white on the

inside and out. Expensive cars sit in now gated driveways during the standard work day. High-end landscaping exists in place of families barbecuing their Sunday supper. This process is known as gentrification, which Santa Barbara is no stranger to.

“Gentrification isn’t bad in and of itself; it’s just a factor of an evolving city,” said art instructor Dug Uyesaka who moved to Santa Barbara in 1975 to attend UCSB. Uyesaka, who has an art studio in Santa Barbara’s funk zone, has witnessed this process firsthand.

“Our whole block is going to get wiped out due to gentrification,” said Uyesaka, “it got bought out, and they are going to develop condos.” While developing affordable housing, such as condos in the funk zone or in empty storefronts downtown, could help house Santa Barbara’s working class, current house prices beg to differ.

“When I first started working in the funk zone, it had been the blue-collar area for welders, plumbers, and

woodworkers. Now it is a mob scene with all the bars and stuff,” said Uyesaka. In areas with a wealthy class, like Santa Barbara, the service industry is a vital element of the economy. Current housing prices offer a luxurious lifestyle to those looking to spend big bucks at fancy restaurants but few options for workers who need to house their families.

For artists and tradespeople like Uyesaka, the funk zone was Santa Barbara’s closest thing to an industrial zone with available space.

“Gentrification has changed the area, and rents are really high now if you are an artist trying to find a space,” said Uyesaka.

Without gentrification, “we are out of land within the Santa Barbara area unless you go into fire territory,” said chemistry instructor Katherine Pointer who has lived in Santa Barbara since 1984.

Pointer has resided in Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Carpinteria and is noticing the recent changes.

When people move to Santa Barbara willing to pay any price, costs skyrocket as inventory is low. Because of this, Santa Barbara is becoming increasingly unlivable for the working class.

“Especially in Montecito, there has been an enormous influx of people from LA, we see a little bit of that in Hope Ranch too,” said Pointer.

With so many new people (The number of new Santa Barbara residents quadrupled from 2019 to 2020, according to the census), historically high-end areas are even more unattainable, especially in wealthy communities.

“When I walk down Coast Village Road now, it’s a very different place than when I was a kid. There aren’t a lot of restaurants where a normal person -a middle-income American- could go have dinner on a Tuesday,” said Pointer. The changes in accessibility in restaurants reflect inflation and the new clientele that can afford the ridiculous prices.

“The service industry employs people, but the wage rate is not livable in Santa Barbara with current costs,” said Uyesaka. While for many of those migrating to Santa Barbara, financial boundaries are no obstacle, living in the area is becoming increasingly difficult for the current working class in the community. For hard workers who have built careers here, rising prices and less housing availability are causing shifting demographics.

“(Coast Village Road) has a ‘vibe’ that is different than it used to be. I miss Little Alex’s and Giovannis,”

Pointer says, referring to favorite community restaurants that rent-hungry landlords have closed down.

While the elite seems to be thriving in their latest trendy and luxurious location, the poverty rate in Santa Barbara was a shocking 15.2 percent according to census.gov in 2021 and the median income per family is $84,356 before taxes, which is far from enough to afford a Santa Barbara lifestyle with current housing prices.

“I think that it is unfortunate that we have to provide subsidized hous-

easily purchase a home and obtain the ‘trendy’ Santa Barbara lifestyle.

“For a school or any corporation, it’s tough to bring employees in knowing that they could never buy a home here unless they inherited money or they have a really high paying job” said Uyesaka.

Educators like Pointer and artists like Uyesaka are essential members of our community and recognize how much of a challenge cost barriers are to living in Santa Barbara.

“Although it is so beautiful and I have family here, every year I have to seriously consider how much of a sustainable place this is for me to live,” said Pointer. With all of the transformation, we must ask ourselves if Santa Barbara can sustain so many wealthy migrants who are willing to pay any price and do not work to support the local economy.

ing for people who work traditionally middle-income jobs, even doctors and college professors can get subsidized housing. Even though they are making a decent salary, they are still struggling to survive in a place like this,” said Pointer.

Why must local working families, from doctors and lawyers to landscapers and car mechanics, have to pull so many strings to survive in Santa Barbara? Meanwhile, non-locals with plenty of cash at their disposal can

The lifestyles of the rich and famous cannot be sustained without workers. With affordable housing dwindling, commuting to Santa Barbara from more affordable areas like Ventura and Oxnard will become even more pronounced than it already is. The wealthier Santa Barbara gets, the less residential room there is for the working class.

“There will always be a working class in Santa Barbara; they just might not be living where they work,” said Uyesaka.

“Especially in Montecito, there has been an enormous influx of people from LA, we see a little bit of that in Hope Ranch too.”

- Katherine Pointer

The CARE Act Does Not Care.

Imagine yourself being placed into a housing and treatment plan by a stranger. This is the reality of the CARE Act.

WORDS by CHRISTIANA CINO ART by DIONNE PETERSON

Is it morally correct to force people with severe mental illness into housing and treatment plans against their will, even if there is a possibility of it helping?

This is the controversy over the CARE Courts program approved by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. The CARE Act stands for Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Act.

Newsom categorizes this act as a way to benefit people with severe mental illness and as a way to prevent houseless people from spending their life in jail or on the streets.

While some support this, many other people and organizations do not.

Organizations such as Disability Rights California, The Public Interest Law Project, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty believe this act is unjust; they have created a petition to the California Supreme Court, which argues the constitutionality of the CARE Act.

This act pertains to psychotic disorders, which include schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder. The overall conflict is the removal of free will from the situation. Free will is a right that every American citizen has, and this program takes that away.

“I’m concerned that if a person lacks the capacity to care for themselves, is it ethical not to provide treatment?,” says Kevin Guay, Social Science Instructor.

California has a homeless epidemic, and it has for a long time. There have been many different attempts to lessen this homeless population. Yet, the bottom line is this: there are not enough homeless shelters or programs that will be able to reduce the homeless numbers significantly.

In Santa Barbara alone, 2022 PIT count results showed that 1,962 people are experiencing homelessness.

“It’s no secret that California struggles with homelessness. And it remains a significant social and political issue year after year.

Ultimately, I’m unsure whether the CARE agenda is to create avenues

being taken with fewer visible homeless. I hope it’s the former,” says Guay.

New laws prohibit homeless people from staying in certain areas, including within a certain distance from some businesses. The CARE Act is seemingly another way to prevent homelessness, but is it right to remove people from the street, forcing them to leave the little they own and place them in a mental institution.

“At one point, California led the nation in forced sterilizations, which aimed to “care” for those suffering from mental disorders or physical limitations.

These eugenic institutions disproportionately targeted people of color in a campaign of purification, arguing that controlling human reproduction would ease the burden on the individual and society.

With a large segment of those currently unhoused being people of color, it begs the question: Is the objective to help or

It is unethical for another human being - especially one with no personal relations - to force another into receiving care that is not wanted and might not help.

Is this act simply another way to try to help businesses profits? it merely another way to make the state of California

No matter how the CARE Act portrays itself, the underlying question is this: who is this program truly meant to benefit? The powerful or the powerless?

A Look at Our Literature

We all read books in high school, but what do we really think of the literature that we read in class?

WORDS and PHOTOS by HUDSON MAYFIELD

Throughout our lives, we will all read a wide variety of texts, including poems, web pages, religious texts, and everything in between. Despite this, very few books outside the Christian Bible, Koran, and Hebrew Bible are read by a meaningful percent of the population... except those assigned in high school English!

If one was to pull an American off the street at random, the most widely read books would be the ones found in the traditional school experience in this country, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Catcher in the Rye, or several other works which have become synonymous with high school reading.

Given this all-encompassing universal nature, it is critical to listen to what students and teachers have to say about these assigned texts and the current debate of historical and contemporary works.

English instructor Bojana Hill began by explaining what she looked for when assigning books to students. “I strive to challenge the students intellectually while engaging them emotionally.” she says, describing how “each student should be exposed to different genres and styles and discover one’s preferences along the way. Hopefully, by the time the students graduate from Laguna, they will have read a variety of texts—from short fiction, poetry, novels—to drama, non-fiction, and hybrid genres.” She also expound on the discussion of contemporary and historical work, saying that “Both have a valuable place in a student’s education.” Hill ends with an analogy, saying “we practice a musical instrument not because we will become professional musicians, but because playing music is inherently good for us. The same is with reading—an exercise that strengthens our neural pathways is a gift that keeps giving.”

Mason Berg, a student in the new English elective program Honors Literature of Resistance, says he would recommend

the books he has read in class to family and friends. “I particularly enjoyed the story of Tsotsi,” he said. “It was fascinating to read about the vivid description of life in South Africa, particularly for those involved in the criminal underworld.” He adds that he would “prefer to be able to read in peace without having to annotate, as annotations for the sake of annotations for a grade doesn’t help me read and take away from the attention I can give to the text.”

Sophomore Eleanor Crafton explains that Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is the most interesting work she has read so far this year. “The moral dimension of the creature was really engaging,” she says, going on to explain that while “the books which are being read help teachers convey a message. There is often a particular theme in terms of the age and genre of books read in class and there need to be a bit more broad subjects and time periods represented.”

Finally, Freshman Robie Polos, who is currently taking English Nine, echoed Mason’s point about annotations, saying that “I really enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby and would definitely recommend it to a friend if they didn’t have to annotate.” He went on to say that he enjoyed reading about the social commentary which underlines the book and left him thinking about the text outside of class.

Clearly, the students at Laguna have strong opinions about the books read in class, from English Nine on up to those in AP Literature and Composition. While there may be some disagreements as to what the “best” books to read in class are, the question may be impossible to answer given the opinionated nature of the issue.

Regardless, it is clear that there is plenty of merit and attention among the students for the 18th century Frankenstein, the contemporary Tsotsi and Fitzgerald’s historical The Great Gatsby.

Bon Appétit

Every Saturday shoppers flock to the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market, located in downtown Santa Barbara. With fresh, local produce it is one of the most popular local farmers markets open to locals and tourists alike.

Carrots

San Marcos

Farms Cinnamon

Spun Honey

Radishes

Sprouts

Strawberries

Carmen Shiach, co-owner of the local restuarant The Daisy, shops at the local farmers market every Tuesday and Saturday. With 90% of their produce coming from the market, Shiach credits the success of their restuarant to the fresh ingredients they get from the market saying, “Our customers tend to be health conscious and really care about where there food comes from. Many of them are also regular farmers market shoppers and it gives them trust in our food when they can recognize. And even if the customer is not local, buying from the Farmers Markets provides a freshness and brightness to our food that you can really taste.”

á la mode

WORDS and PHOTOS by MILLA HIRSCH

baggy + low rise

Comfortable, stylish, and durable: what more do you need in a shoe? Students and faculty all around school show off new and old kicks year round- some fan favorites include all things Nike, Converse, Reeboks, and trendy Adidas Sambas have taken stride. “I like to wear [Nike] Dunks or Jordans, and I shop on the Nike sneakers app or from re-sellings on StockX to find specific styles,” said freshman Brady Clifford.

floral prints

With spring in bloom, our clothing is blossoming along with the season. Juniors Paloma and Regina Lujan love to style floral prints for the spring. “Personally, I do enjoy a good floral print every now and then, I think flowers are so pretty and they look really cute on clothes… I love shopping at Aritzia, Brandy Melville, Réalisation Par, and Reformation” said Paloma. Florals are a closet staple every spring, and the prints are classic and can be styled differently for any occasion. “I always like to pair floral tops with simple bottoms,” said Regina.

That’s right, 2000’s fashion trends have come back full circle. After the high-waisted mom jean trends of 2020, we have now put a spotlight on all things low-rise. Along with lowrise, the baggier the better. Sophomore Tallulah Staeger says, “I always think it’s a good idea to style baggy jeans with a tank top for a cute look, or to commit to the baggy look- an oversized sweatshirt or t-shirt always looks good. I

Why Do ProcrastiWenate?

WORDS by JINLING WANG

ART by LUCY WANG

Not not right now, I’ll just do it later, and Why am I such a procrastinator? These are just a few phrases that run through our heads when burdened with unwanted responsibility, but what does it mean to procrastinate and why are students so prone to do it?

The textbook definition of procrastination derives from the Greek poet Hesiod dating back to 800 B.C., who warned his fellow peers not to “put your work off till tomorrow and the day after.” Prevalent in all adolescents and adults, whether in the workforce or a school environment, procrastination is simply defined as delaying or postponing something.

Procrastination continues to have a tight hold on us, inducing emotions of frustration or even self-inflicted fear if not understood and helped. You’re not a bad student, a lazy kid, or simply going mad; it’s merely something people experience to the right and left of you. This action of procrastination is universal because it’s our brain’s nature and function. According to UPMC HealthBeat, procrastination is “the avoidance of work or necessary tasks by focusing on more satisfying activities that are due to a chemical in the brain.” So what happens explicitly in our brain when we procrastinate due to this socalled chemical?

Science describes it as a battle between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. In charge of the unconscious and pleasure area of our brain, the limbic system opposes the prefrontal side, known as the voice of internal reason or “planner.” With a high probability of the limbic system winning, our human brains are prompted to delay doing essential responsibilities that could and should be finished—to experience a temporary relief of not needing to do something

you dread. Dr. Pychl describes this as an automatic “immediate mood repair” compared to the weaker prefrontal cortex, which combines information to make decisions.

Situated behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex is similar to an angel sitting on your shoulder, reminding you to be productive and to get work done; however, it is not automatic like the lim bic system. In order to kick-start your prefrontal cortex to function, you have to shift gears to tell yourself “ I have to focus and finish writing this journalism article.”

However, if there is a lack of affirma tion, you are left consciously unengaged in an assignment. In that case, the limbic system will dominate, rewarding you with what you want to do instead of writing this article-leading you procras tinate.

So if procrastination isn’t about laziness, then what is it? Connecting back to the ancient greek word akrasiaprocrastination isn’t just freely delaying a chore or an assignment but instead the action of doing something against our better judgment. At the University of Sheffield, Dr. Fuschia Sirois believes, “It doesn’t make sense to do something you know is going to have negative consequences.”

In our brain, procrastination isn’t just a major flaw or a known psychological curse on our time management skills but an outlet to help us cope with tough and pessimistic emotions associated with specific responsibilities- such as stress and self-doubt. Just because you procrastinate does not make you lazy; as Dr. Pyschyl puts it, “[procrastination] is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem.”

The reason for our aversion will fluctuate based on the responsibility at hand. Tasks such as writing an essay, cleaning your room, or washing dishes

I’m not smart enough” or “I am so dumb” come up? If these thoughts pop up, then the idea of procrastinating remains wrapped around our fingers, blocking us from achieving our full potential and productivity. Here are some ways to counteract procrastination and instead increase productivity:

1.) Don’t catastrophize ( have a positive mentality by saying affirmations such as, “ I don’t like doing this, but I can get through this”)

2.) Pomodoro method (break up your tasks into smaller intervals like 25-minute stretches of academic work that can be rewarded with 5 minutes of break)

3.) Reward System ( Set aside a reward like going on your phone or a snack after you finish your tasks so that it is both rewarding strengthening good habits)

4.)No Excuses (does “I’ll just do it later” or “I’m not in the mood” sound familiar? If those phrases do sound familiar know that it is better to start than wait for the “right time”)

#springinstagrams

PAGE by ABBY KIM

Sophomore Ada Ray posing in the sunlight.

Seniors Jenna (left) and Alexandra (right) dressed up for Galentines day.

Senior Aden Miesel skiing in Park City.

Senior Robbie Dunn (left) during a Laguna soccer match.

Sophomore Tyson Deveze celebrates a boys’ volleyball win.

Sophomore Sydney Fisher admiring the view.

Senior Kent Dunn enjoying the snow. Junior Regina Lujan relaxing on the beach.

Sophomore Olivia Deponce at the humanities field trip in LA.

The Rise of Formula 1

Known as the pinnacle of motor sport Formula One’s recent surge in popularity has taken the world by storm.

WORDS by JINLING WANG

ART by LUCY WANG

Five lights on. And it’s lights out, and away we go in Bahrain. In the midst of the night, 20 engines roar to life at 223 miles per hour as the stench of oil fills the air. Clouds of smoke fog up in the humid night, bringing the twinkling city to life.

Revving with immense power, a colorful blur of cars skid across the adrenaline-packed 3-mile track, while burnt tires mark the asphalt ground as they round a tight chicane causing an echo of cheers in the stands. That is Formula 1 the pinnacle of motorsport. Just like any other motorsport, such as NASCAR and IndyCar, there is always one goal in mind; winning. To understand Formula 1, there is absolutely no prerequisite in knowledge, simply a car drives fast, and the first car that crosses the finish line wins.

Aside from the jam-packed action and adrenaline, off the track and in the paddocks, heated rivalries and politics stir up controversies bound to be included every season keeping fans enertaine while on the edge of their seats.

Dating back to the 20th-century, competitive racing had always been prevalent in European cultures ever since the 1900s prompting the birth

open-wheeled racing hosting the first-ever European Championship, later becoming the Formula 1 World Championship. In hopes of turning several dispersed races into a single championship, the 1930s and 1940s became the driving force until World War II started halting everything. Once the war ended in 1946, the Federation Internale de l’Automobile (FIA) began creating a blueprint of rules needed to create a championship.

Born in Silverstone, England, the first-ever race took place in 1950 at the British Grand Prix, cementing England as the origin of one of the most popular sports today. At the center of this motorsport, Formula 1 is largely built on both the capabilities of a driver’s skill, team strategy and the performance of their cars. Built under strict technical guidelines provided by the FIA, each team must adhere to the regulations while also being provided creative liberties and technical creations.

In many admirable cases, F1 consciously stretches the pursuits of each team by forcing them to push beyond the cookie-cutter outline and instead test the limitation of research and design capabilities to stay one step ahead of their competitors, year after year. While teams are scratching

granted a whopping 135 million dollars allowance by the FIA to spend on their new livery (newest car) to promote new technology and competition.

While F1 remains extremely difficult to maneuver and control due to its sheer power, select drivers must prove themselves to their teams and fans by driving every last bit of the car to the asphalt for a nod-worthy performance while remaining in a highly competitive environment.

When given such a complicated and intense vehicle, the drivability rate quickly decrease even for the most elite drivers, as the unique characteristics of the F1 car prove to be very difficult. Some include being in a tight single-seater, an open-cockpit (like a convertible), or steering open-wheels the configuration of the wheels are restrictive when driving for two hours.

Weighing 1,759 pounds (798 kg), the Formula 1 power units, according to Defector.com, “have been based on 1.6 liters V6 direct fuel injection turbo-hybrid engines—the defining feature of this era of F1.”

Looking at the inside of the car, the combustion engine is connected to a turbocharger that is joined by two electric motor generator units to create even more power. In doing so, kinetic

energy is saved as the car constantly brakes, converting all that heat produced into energy for driving the car. Within the battery pack sits lithium-ion cells which have been considered “the most efficient engines in the world,” according to Formula.com.

In order to maintain the center of gravity to a minimum, drivers must be sitting on the base of the car while tilting back as their legs are extended in front. As the driver’s legs are stretched out, they are enveloped in a monocoque chassis formulated with ultra-lightweight carbon fiber, while the tank full of fuel is situated right behind them to limit the possibility of the car bursting into flames if it crashes. Instilled in the motorsport’s blood, Formula 1 is the tradition of not only competing against rivals but also against their own performance last season.

In the hope of creating a more aerodynamic and fast team that exceeds the boundary of motor design year by year, even if that means finding the smallest of loopholes in the regulations to facilitate a new design. In order to outperform each other in efficiency, design, and speed, F1 engineering is integral in optimizing the most updated and advanced technological automotive.

Multiple modifications must be accounted for, like a car’s downforce and drag. Too much of something can cause multiple maneuvering issues, such as oversteer and understeer, which rely on the amount of downforce applied in the rear and front of the car. Aside from the complexities that come with designing a Formula 1 car each year, being on track and racing proves to be a whole

new difficulty. While this seems quite simple, certain procedures need to be done before the five lights flash to go.

Two days before a race, like many other sports, are qualifying laps. During qualifying, each team has the opportunity to compete for the highest position on the grid for race day, earning a huge advantage. Beginning in a staggered position, getting P1 (position 1) on race day is critical in getting a head start.

On race day, when nerves are running high and dedicated fans come repping their favorite teams, all twenty cars will begin a formation lap from the grid to warm up their tires and test their engines right before the official race time.

Similar to a warm-up in other sports, team radios are tested as well as their braking system, to catch any errors prior to the race. Then, cars return to their slots based on their qualifying positions for the dramatic five red lights to indicate the start. As the engines fire, the rush begins as cars attempt to overtake and squeeze past each other. “They quick... Like c’mon, they’re crazy, said junior Griffin Rick, “the fastest speed recorded in the 2022 season was ~218 mph, i.e., ludicrous amounts of speed.” Racing for two hours on an average of 50-70 laps, drivers can race approximately 190 miles nonstop.

When racing so tightly against each other while burning around 242 lbs of unleaded fuel cars, drivers are prohibited from cutting corners like in the game Mario Kart or else a penalization will be given. The first ten finishers of the race are rewarded points that accumulate in the chance of winning

the World Championship. First place gets 25 points, 18 for second place, and 15 for third, while the rest down to 10th place get 1 point. Per championship tradition, bottles of champagne are given to the top three podium finishes to either drink or mostly spray on one another. Driving in teams of two, there are ten teams on the grid fighting to be crowned world champion and the team Constructors Championship. While predominantly popular in Europe, Formula 1 has since seen a huge surge in viewership. Wanting to bring attention to Formula 1 on a global scale, Liberty Media had hopes of growing fans and a media following in the U.S.

As part of their marketing strategy, Liberty Media collaborated with Netflix to create a docuseries “Drive to Survive” in hopes of giving watchers a glimpse into the world of Formula 1.

First released in 2019 Drive to Survive skyrocketed in US viewership, feeding fans behind-the-scenes content of races and pre-season allowing fans to create a relationship between their favorite drivers and teams.

According to RTR Sports Marketing, “the viewership per race has increased from 547,722 viewers in 2018 to 1.4 million viewers in 2022.” A poll conducted by InsideHook reported that “more than half of self-identified Formula 1 fans in the US have claimed they became fans after watching the series.” Signing multiple deals with ESPN for global streaming Griffin says, I think it’s great. If there is any sport I can genuinely get behind, it’s racing, and I love that new people are gaining interest in the sport.”

Source: F1 Glossary (formula1.com)

Athletes of the Issue

Abby Kim is bound to compete golf at Amherst College, and Kincade Avery will play volleyball at Bard College.

Words by ADEN MEISEL PHOTOS by BRAD ELLIOTT

Abby Kim: Golf at Amherst

Participating in a number of on-campus student-led organizations and serving a vital role on the Varsity Laguna Girls’ Golf team, Abby has a long list of both academic and athletic achievements.

Abby first started playing golf in 7th grade and has continued ever since. “I continued playing it because I thought it was fun and started taking group lessons and taking it more seriously,” Abby said.

Abby also attended a boarding school that specializes in golf training, which she claims put her on a trajectory to compete in college. “Everyone else there

wanted to play golf in college and start the recruitment process,” Abby said. “Seeing other people do that around me really motivated me to do it as well.”

Academically, Abby was awarded the Cum Laude academic distinction in her junior year for her impressive GPA. That same year in athletics, Abby made it to the third round of the Individuals tournament held every season. In addition, the entire Girl’s golf team once shot even, and qualified for CIF. In fact, the Varsity Girls’ Golf team has qualified for CIF every year Abby has played.

Outside of school, Abby competes in tournaments held around the country, even winning a few. In October 2022, Abby won the CJG Olivas Links Tournament (shot 71 and 73). Her lowest-ever round was a 70 in the Las Vegas FCG.

“Golf has had a pretty big impact on my life in how I have gotten to travel for different tournaments all around the country and meet new people,” Abby said. “Also, I think the game has taught me a lot of patience that I have used in a bunch of other aspects of my life.”

Kincade Avery: Volleyball at Bard

Standing out as one of Laugna’s most notable volleyball players, Kincade is involved in not just volleyball at Laguna, but in the greater community of Santa Barbara at the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club. Kincade is also committed to playing Varsity Volleyball at Bard College next year.

“I started pretty late in the recruitment process. Typically you should start in your sophomore or junior year to gather film and develop relationships with coaches, but I started in my senior year,” Kincade said.

Despite beginning his recruitment process later than normal, Kincade still has a long list of team achievements

along with individual athletic distinguishments. In late February, Laguna’s Boys’ Varsity Indoor Volleyball team won the 2023 Chadwick Volleyball tournament undefeated (5-0), in which Kincade was named to the All-Tournament team. In addition, the Laguna Boys’ Varsity Indoor Volleyball team won league every year – even going undefeated and qualifying for CIF playoffs every year Kincade has played. In 2022, Laguna advanced to finish 3rd place in CIF’s division 3.

Individually, Kincade was named second-team all-league for beach volleyball & indoor volleyball in 2020 and 2021 and first-team all-league for indoor volleyball in 2022. As to his accomplishments, Kincade gives thanks to Laguna’s Boys’ Indoor Volleyball coach, Jason Donnelly. “I have been playing volleyball since 7th grade, but no one has been of more help to me than Mr. Donnelly. He has been one of my best coaches, if not the best coach I have ever had,” Kincade said.

Looking ahead, Kincade said, “Playing in college would better my experience in keeping my mental health and physical fitness up.”

Senior Kincade Avery spikes the ball.

Senior Abby Kim hits with a driver on the course.

Welcome to Wrexham

Welcome to Wrexham Football Club, one of the oldest professional football clubs in Wales.

WORDS by ELI MEISEL ART by DIONNE PETERSON

On the 22 of September 2020, actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Renolds announced they would buy a small football club in eastern Wales called Wrexham. Their purchase confused most others because the club has struggled for many years, dropping to the lowest professional football league. In the UK, the premier league is the highest level of league play. If a team ends up in either of the bottom three slots in that league, they are demoted to the championship league. After the cham pionship league, some teams may descend to league one and two below it. And finally, the lowest of all leagues is the national league, in which Wrex ham has been stuck since 2008.

Competing in the national league creates lots of problems for the club itself and the town of Wrexham. First, the club’s lack of attention and suc cess doesn’t bring in enough revenue to pay its staff and players well. The club loses a lot of its employees because it cannot build up the money to pay both the staff and players the total amount. The second reason why competing in the national league is a problem is that it brings down the attitude and morale of the fan base.

People who cheer for Wrexham the most have suffered dramatically from their downfall.

Wrexham’s losing streaks not only cause base to lose hope but also anger

them to a great extent. Especially after losing rivalry games, intense fans start to go after one another in violence. This type of fighting is known as hooliganism, where hooligans (angry fans), stir up violent behavior amongst themselves. These outcomes are sole because of the lack of success from the Wrexham football club and prove that winning their way out of the national league is key for their financial situation and fan morale.

and how its success could redeem their faith and hope. Even though the two of them may know little about the game of football, they provide exactly what the club needs, money, and lots of it. In an effort of changing the club for the better, Rob and Ryan have already started to replace some of the staff and players with better-qualified people. They hired Phil Parkinson, a coach of high quality and experience, to run the team. Along with Parkinson, Rob and Ryan replaced the chief executive with a person named Fleur Robinson. The most popular purchases they made that advanced the team’s success were for two players who had been previously in a more advanced league. Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer, are two British football players who contribute a lot of talent to the team. Both of them came from higher, more advanced leagues, and had to accept lots of money in order to move down and play for Wrexham. At first, people began to question the effectiveness of Ryan and Rob’s purchase, but as time went on the club made improvements the people of Wrexham gained more trust. Unfortunately, Wrexham failed to earn their promotion out of the national league in the 2021-2022 season, although they still managed to finish in second place. The rise of the club after a few months is quite impressive, but it is the club’s potential that can rise through the leagues in the future that sparks hope in their strongest supporters. The same supporters who have suffered for years from Wrexham’s losses.

WORDS by DAVIS OHANIAN and ELI MEISEL PHOTOS by JACKSON BALTES and BRAD ELLIOTT

Kent Dunn - Boys Tennis

Q: What are some ways in which you deal with anger after losing a point?

A: Whenever I am angry after a point I take a few deep breaths and tell myself that everything will be okay. I have gained anger in matches in the past, and I always ended up playing worse.

Q: Are you looking forward to this upcoming season?

A: Tennis is fun, and every day I get to spend out on the tennis court is a good day.

Q: What is your favorite type of shot to hit?

A: I like to rip forehands cross court, it is kind of my signature shot. I also like to hit backhands down the line Especially one hand backhands.

Q: What do you want to improve upon from last year’s CIF run?

A: It will be really hard to improve on last year, I feel like we might want to play our singles matches more competitively. “We need to be a solid unit down the whole line up.”

Q: If you were to predict your season record, what would it be?

A: I think that if we played a season with 12 games we would probably win around 7 or 8 out of 12.

Liam Knezevic - Boys Volleyball

Rio Valle - LBS Swim Team

Q: How does it feel to be a new member of the Laguna swim team?

A: I’ve been really working on my swimming skills as an individual, so I’m really looking forward to putting my talents on display for the school. Overall, I’m just looking forward to going out there and competing for my school.

Q: What are some of your individual goals as a member of the team?

A: I would say that my main goal is improving my times on strokes such as the backstroke, the freestyle, and also my long distance times. I’m really just hoping to get better and have some fun while doing it.

Q: How are you looking to create your own legacy as one of the first members of the swim team?

A: I’m really just trying to do my best in all of the CIF events, and am hoping to put a banner up in Merovick Gymnasium!

Q: How do you think your previous training will help you with this year’s meets?

A: I really think that Santa Barbara Swim Club has helped me prepeare for ou school season, as they have fueled my love for the sport.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your coach?

Mason Siegel - Boys Golf

Q: How will this year’s upcoming golf season compare to last year’s?

A: Last year, we had a very young team, and we showed some inexperience through our matches. But this offseason, I think that we have all progressed in our golf skills, and I’m very excited to see us all get better.

Q: What are your favorite clubs to hit?

A: My favorite few golf clubs to hit are my four iron, as it is very versatile. I also really enjoy using my putter when given the opportunity.

Q: What are some clubs that you have been working on during the offseason?

A: I’ve really been working on my wedges, as I’ve been pretty inconsistent with them lately. With this golf season coming up, I’m really looking forward to improving with them.

Q: How are you looking to build upon your CIF Individuals appearance last season?

A: I really think that our many new additions to the golf team are going to help. Overall, I think our team is going to show great improvement, and that will translate over to the CIF level.

A: Coach Donnelly is really responsible, and he’s always planning out new plays for us. Really, he’s always ready.

Q: Who has been a mentor to you on the team?

A: Our assistant coach Ethan Hill is just overall a great coach, as he knows what he is doing. He is just a great guy and has really shown me what its takes to be a good player.

Q: What school do you have a favorite rivalry with?

A: I would say that we have a really strong rivalry with Cate, as they are always really competitive and pushing us to play our best.

Q: What are some of your specific goals for the season?

A: I just overall want to become a better setter, and contribute to the team in any way that I can.

At the dawn of the spring season, various athletes share predictions and stories regarding their sports experiences.

Junior Kendall Keshen dives into competition.

Sophmore Mason Siegel hits a driver down the fairway.

The Boys Volleyball team huddles before match point.

Senior Kent Dunn serves.

Sophomore Dania Zamudio setting up to spike during practice.