CONTENTS
Fentanyl Crisis: A Silent Pandemic
FEATURE
Spirit Week Heatwaves: The Economic Climate Crisis
06 Wait, There’s an Election? Students’ Political Views
AI Decoding Speech
10
Ukraine’s Counter offensive: Will They Win?
Will the Monarchy Survive After Elizabeth?
Teacher of the Issue: Jacqueline Pelaéz
Summer Jobs
THEME
23
29
Art and Creative Writing on Campus
30-31
Staff Editorial: Emergence
16 High School from Different Perspectives
A Look into the College Counseling Team
17 Science Behind Dreaming
Inflation Rundown: How Does It Affect Santa Barbara?
OPINION
Idols or Politicians? Roe v. Wade: We Are Going Backwards
State Street: Changes and Restrictions
Casual Racism and How it Affects Learning
33
32 The Loss of Indigenous Culture
Disney’s Films
School Safety in America
38-39
Brandy Melville Toxicity
40-41
Saudi Arabia’s Dystopian City
42-43
Governors’ Abuse Migrants for Politics
“Don’t Worry Darling” Review: Misogyny on Camera
46
It’s Time to “BeReal” Students Post What They’re Really Doing
47
à la mode: Fall Fash ion Edition
48
Bon Appétit: How To Make Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
SPORTS
53
Athlete of the Issue: Kendall Keshen’s Swimming Victories
54
Sports Infographics: Fall Sports Wrap-Up
Homecoming Weekend: Football and Girls Volleyball
52
FIFA World Cup ‘22: Qatar, Migrant Labor, and the Top Teams
OUR TEAM
COVER: featuring Emie Valle ‘26 Victorian Rose Dress Butterfly Beach, Montecito
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
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Milla Hirsch
COPY EDITOR Katherine Ball
PHOTO EDITOR Jackson Baltes
MAGAZINE STAFF Magdalena Amezaga Jack Andrews Lucia Camp Christiana Cino
Niccolo D’Agruma Annika Firlik
Hudson Mayfield Eli Meisel
Cierra Nervo Davis Ohanian FACULTY ADVISOR Trish McHale
A Letter from the Editors-in-Chief
Dear Readers,
Last year when you picked up our first issue, you may have noticed that our names were lower on the seniority list. But here we are, at last, the new Editors-in-Chief. How did we end up here?
Over the summer, we worried about our new roles, which kept us up late at night thinking about what was expected of us. Why would last year’s all-star editor team give us their trust?
Would we live up to their high expectations? What if we fail so badly that new students would hate the class? Those were some of the questions left unanswered.
Our story is atypical. We joined the addicting, stressful fiasco that is Journalism at different times in our lives: remotely during the pandemic and immediately upon entering Laguna last year. Though we walked on different paths, we both were drawn to Journalism.
Over the last few years, we’ve fallen madly in love with this class, and now that we’ve wrapped up this issue, we can confidently say that it’s just as meaningful as before.
We are so happy for our new staff, who joined this class with a clear vision for the magazine. At every step of the way, they im pressed us with their maturity. When we stressed over deadlines, they took it on the chin.
We’re proud of our incredible returning staff and section editors for stepping up to the challenge. With only a year in Journalism under their belts, they helped new writers build stories from the ground up, design complex layouts, and create dozens of beautiful graphics.
We’re so thankful that we have such an incredible team of se nior editors–Elli, Abby, Aden, and–Owen who have been our rock during the process, assisting new writers when we couldn’t, taking weight from us when we had too much on our plate, and being great mentors for the class.
Last but not least, we are so grateful for our Faculty Advisor, Ms. McHale. Without her, none of this would be possible. She’s encouraged us to forge our own path and vision for the magazine while ensuring we stayed on track.
We have found this experience in Journalism as some of the most fulfilling, memorable, and entertaining in all of high school. We can’t wait to see where the next three issues take us.
Until next time, Alexandra and Luca
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 expres sion 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 com munity.
• LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
The Fourth Estate welcomes guest columns and let ters 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. Anony mous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate reserves the right to reject advertising. Opinions ex pressed 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.
• 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.
• 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 correc tions box in the next issue.
• COLOPHON
This is the first issue of the new school year and 29th volume of The Fourth Estate, the student-run magazine of Laguna Blanca School 4125 Paloma Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93110. 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 Es tate is an 8.5 by 11 general magazine, created on MAC computers using Adobe InDesign CC2021, Imperial URW and Mencken Standard font families and print ed on glossy paper free for students and $30 for an annual subscription. The magazine is distributed to all 179 Upper School students through the school’s ad visory program and sent by mail to subscribers with 300 copies printed per issue. We are associated with NSPA, CSPA and JEA.
The Harsh Realities of Climate Change
As more climate-change related issues begin to emerge, those with the most resources are able to manage the effects, while those with less are forced to face the harsh reality of a changing climate.
WORDS by LUCIA CAMP ART by DIONNE PETERSONPrivate jets, cooling and heating systems, and gas-guzzling “luxu ry” vehicles are deemed neces sary to the upper echelon of American society. Unfortunately, there are conse quences to these luxuries. Not having to worry about the environmental costs in one’s daily life means it is easier to for get the imminent ecological effects of climate change that loom overhead. Climate change most affects those with fewest resources.
In August and September of this year, Santa Barbara experienced an unprecedent ed heat wave. In order to stay cool, assets like air con ditioning became even more essential.
“My family was fortunate enough to have air conditioning the week of the heat wave, but many houses in Santa Barbara aren’t equipped with sufficient AC systems,” said Mason Siegel ‘25.
That includes senior Emma Schubert, who said, “When Santa Barbara was hit with the heat wave back in September, the absence of air conditioning in my house required me to do more of my work outside since the outside tempera ture was lower than inside my home.”
In communities where resources are far scarcer, a bout of extreme weather can make houses and schools uncom fortable and dangerous environments.
“People living in urban centers will be experiencing issues such as infrastruc ture failure because they are most likely reliant on older grids which are more prone to failure,” said environmental science instructor Erik Faust.
Urban areas rely on an advanced pow
er-sharing system to effectively provide electricity to everyone who needs it.
When it’s too hot, these systems shut down, “Blackouts could be problemat ic in terms of air conditioning and in a broader context, in terms of work, produc tivity, and access to healthcare,” Faust said.
Working remotely has become an
those experiencing poverty will bear the brunt of the consequences of climate change.
However, people who contribute to climate change do not face the same re percussions.
“Generally, people who are going to be more affluent will be using more re sources, and more resources just means more greenhouse gas emissions,” said Faust
Although it may not seem like it, the future of sustain able energy is promising as an alternative to trading cash for fossil fuels emerges.
increasingly more viable option. This way, those with more resources have a way out when disasters like freak floods caused by climate change strike.
“Wealthy people, they have movabil ity,” Faust said. “They will be able to keep doing business as usual, whereas, for people who are already at the low er levels of socioeconomic status, who need to go into work, if their work gets disrupted, their wages get disrupted.”
In disaster stricken cities, residents who can’t pick up and leave are left to fend for themselves against natural disasters including heat waves, hurri canes, and other extreme weather con ditions that are intensifying due to cli mate change.
“This makes them more vulnerable to flooding, which could pollute sanitation systems and make drinking water unus able,” said Faust.
From undrinkable water to the era sure of millions of homes, it is clear that
“I definitely believe that access to clean resources and sufficient energy is a luxury that many people are not able to afford. It is extremely accessible in our community, so it is important to understand our jobs as citizens to support a cleaner planet,” Emma said.
Programs that are assessing this ex act criteria are taking shape across the world as the urgency of the climate crisis heightens.
“More affluent countries are now in a position where they can invest in renew able energy, more efficient methods in providing goods and services, which is slowing leading to a decline in national per capita greenhouse gas emissions,” said Faust.
As countries are taking steps to utilize funds to battle climate change by invest ing in renewable energy and focusing on cutting their emissions, the planet will continue to have people fighting to protect it.
“For people who are already at the lower levels of socioeconomic status, who need to go into work, if their work gets disrupted, their wages get disrupted.” -Erik Faust
Wait, There’s an Election?
Uncertainty surrounding the midterms looms large. The data shows close races in all battleground states: in the Senate, the half-dozen races that decide the majority are practically even, while in the House, analysts predict Democrats will have a tougher path to defending their narrow majority.
With increasing partisanship, most voters already support one of the two major parties.
The results are hard to predict because enthusiasm and emo tion are difficult to model statistically.
After the record voter turnout from young people in 2020, the question was: is this enthusiasm sustainable?
Spurned by economic woes, record gas prices, high inflation, and a disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, it seemed as though Democrats were on track for a record defeat and a loss of their trifecta.
Then the Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion ruling of Roe v. Wade, leading dozens of states to enact abortion bans.
In that dire landscape, many young voters reacted to what they believed was an assault on their fundamental rights.
Almost overnight, the political land scape shifted. Data showed a sharp reduc tion in Republican support.
Before the Dobbs decision, many voters felt disaffected by the political climate. With little action on climate change, inflation, and other top issues, they didn’t see any reason to vote again.
That changed for many voters after the deci sion. Any political scientist worth their salt will tell you anger is the greatest political motivator, yet the problem for Democrats is that there isn’t just one issue angering voters.
According to a poll of 42 students, young people have multi ple different issues on their minds. Respondents were asked to rank five different issues on a scale of importance when thinking about politics.
The top issue on students’ minds was split narrowly between climate change, the 1st pick by 38% of respondents, and the
economy, which was picked by 30% of respondents.
Two other issues were picked as the first choice, Health Care (19%) and Abortion (11%). That’s probably good news for Democrats.
In a national survey conducted by Data for Progress, 53% of voters trust Democrats more on climate change.
However, those numbers are reversed when it comes to the economy and inflation, with 52% of voters trusting Republicans more.
Laguna stu dents are a good sample when it comes to young voters with 65% of Gen-Z voters (1824) voting for Biden in 2020.
According to our poll, 55% would vote for a Democrat compared to 15% a Republican (31% didn’t know or had no opinion). If you split the undecided voters according to how the rest of the data was distributed, Democrats would have 71% of the vote compared to 29% for Republicans.
Those numbers look less rosy for Democrats when looking at the approval rating for Trump. Over 78% of students disapproved of Donald Trump, and only 5% approved of him strongly. In contrast, only 5% strongly approved of Joe Biden’s job performance, but another 57% approved “somewhat.”
Biden’s approval rating of 63% is reminiscent of Gen-Z’s vote in 2020. So why is there such a difference between students’ support for Democrats and their support for Biden?
Only 55% were sure they would vote for a Democrat, compared to 63% who approved of Biden. The gap sug gests Democratic-supporting young people aren’t excited about voting. That’s a warning sign because without young Democrats, tight races that decide control of Con gress could be lost.
With controversial issues at stake, which party will young voters support?
WORDS and ART by LUCA D’AGRUMAAmerica’s Congressional Map if only Laguna Students Voted.
AI Decodes Speech
WORDS by JINLING WANG ART by LUCY WANGEvery year, people worldwide suffer from traumatizing brain injuries causing more than 69 million people to face scarring conse quences.
A majority are left unable to com municate, paralyzed or physically inca pacitated verbally; much of what they would like to express stays trapped inside their brain.
In hopes of improving the lives of those affected, a group of researchers recently developed a technology utiliz ing the data collected by sensory brain patterns to decode brain recordings directly without surgical procedures.
Offering a glim mer of hope, this new technology, developed by Meta AI and funded by Facebook, takes the first steps toward decod ing speech using noninvasive surgeries to record brain movement.
cordings for 56,000 hours in 53 lan guages.
With this approach, King says it “could provide a viable path to help patients with communication deficits without the use of invasive methods.”
Known as a language tool, this mod el is trained to recognize distinctive features of languages on different lev els.
From a fine-grain level, like simple syllables or letters, compared to a general level, that can catch sentences or words, King was able to have both detected.
To test its accuracy, King and his
Observing the fluctuations of both magnetic and electric fields spurred by neural movement, both systems, when used, take up to 1,000 snapshots ev ery second of macroscopic brain activ ity, with the help of hundreds of sen sors placed on the temples.
Meta AI received over 150 hours of recording and leveraged EEG and MEG datasets through four open sources.
According to Meta Ai, in utilizing MEG, results show that the AI can de code chunks of corresponding speech in just three seconds of brain activity.
Providing an alternative for those facing a neurodegenerative disease, spinal or brain injury, this new computational model provides a safer solution to those requiring implicational open brain surgery.
With up to 73 percent accuracy when the answer was embedded in the AI’s top 10 guesses given a large pool of 793 words used daily, this technology’s growing precise ness.
The new computational model pro vides a safer solution to those requir ing open brain surgery by providing an alternative for those facing a neu rodegenerative disease (damaged or dead central nervous cells) or spinal or brain injury.
Instead of needing to embed elec trodes in the brain, new AI technology can reconstruct words in human neu ral networks that once seemed intelli gible to fellow listeners.
From the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, Meta AI researcher Remi King and his colleagues wired a computa tional model to catch both words and sentences after looping speech re
team used AI with this language tool on four different institutions to study the brain activity of the 169 volun teers.
Participants’ brain signals were scanned with the help of either magne toencephalography or electroenceph alography as they listened to snippets of stories from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and Er nest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.”
It can map brain activity by measur ing the magnetic fields created by the electric currents in our brains.
With the help of magnetoencepha lography and electroencephalography (EEG and MEG), they offer the ability to examine brain signals non-invasively.
However, when EEG was utilized, the results varied, and the accuracy declined by 30 percent.
Placing both the EEG and MEG brain recordings into a complex con volutional network, also known as a “brain” model, connections begin to form, allowing them to be studied.
Psychology instructor Meaghan Roarty says that “Researchers have been using functional magnetic reso nance imaging (fMRI) to decode brain activity… mapping out the activity as sociated with participants viewing all sorts of images from objects to ani mals to human faces.”
While each recording varies among individuals due to the unique makeup of each brain, many differences re
A powerful wave of artificial intelligence takes the science world by storm.
garding the timing of neural function and placement of sensors play a signif icant role when collecting data.
In need of complicated engineering, when analyzing the brain, things like a pipeline have to be made to recenter the brain signals on a brain model to receive the best results.
In the past, brain decoders were trained on a limited portion of the recording to estimate a small set of speech features like simple vocab ulary. These new technological ad vancements allow us to dream even further.
Brain activity has been a consider able aim for neuroscientists and clini cians to decode speech.
Progress relies on risky brain-re cording methods, like stereotactic electroencephalography and elec trocorticography.
Although they include a much clearer signal than noninvasive ways, surgery is required to do so.
With this upcom ing technology, data researchers could at tempt to decode what the volunteers had heard in of by AI with the speech sounds from the story re cordings.
The team made the speech sounds with the patterning tivity to record for the AI to compute and process what people were hear ing.
Given 1,000 possibilities, AI could predict what the person heard from the information collected.
In hopes of improving what Meta AI calls a zero-shot classification, a snip
thefourthestate.net
pet of brain activity, deciphering what a person heard from a big pool of pos sibilities.
Afterward, the algorithm can choose the most logical word a person could’ve heard. Gearing new exciting steps, AI’s improved ability to learn how to decode varying brain record ings shows the advancement AI has taken for the future of decoding ver satile speech.
cerns. There are also significant con cerns over the subjective nature of emotions, which makes emotional AI especially prone to biases.”
However, while taking the proper steps, King says this new study is all about the “decoding of speech per ception, not production.”
All while speech production remains the overall goal for many scientists and researchers, as of now, “We’re quite a long way away.”
As with the eth ics that come with every new innovation Roarty says it can create, “ privacy con
Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
A look into Ukraine’s recent liberation of the Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian Territory Reclaimed in Counteroffensives
During the month of Septem ber, the world watched as the Ukrainian armed forces continue to achieve victories against the Russian military in the Kharkiv Oblast.
Simultaneously, the Ukrainians also made significant progress in the region of Kherson, where both sides had pre viously spent months bogged down in fighting a grueling attritional war.
The victory in Kharkiv, alongside the progress made in the Kherson oblast, has led to massive Russian losses in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
According to Walter Plowczak, a
Ukrainian immigrant living in Santa Barbara who closely follows develop ments in the war, “Now, in terms of the offense... [it] has been pretty signifi cant... they mounted a pretty [effective counterattack].”
At present, the counter offensives in Kharkiv and Kherson, have led to the liberation of close to 6000 square kilo meters of Russian occupied territory in the north.
According to Oryx, a respected military blogger, the Russians have lost a grand total of 1170 military vehicles since Aug. 29.
Of these vehicles, 282 were infantry fighting vehicles, another 265 were trucks, vehicles and jeeps, and 227 were tanks. Although impossible to independently verify, the Washington Post reports that the Ukrainian military has claimed close to 50,000 Russian soldiers have fallen on the field of battle since the invasion began in February.
The gargantuan losses in men, ma terial, and territory for the Kremlin, are likely to prove a major setback for Rus sia, possibly providing renewed hope to Ukrainian citizens for a quick end to the conflict in the early months of 2023.
Fentanyl’s Fatality
WORDS and ART by ELLI WESTMACOTTGreen, yellow, purple, and pink. These are the colors that paint the walls of children’s bedrooms and envelope the flavors of sweetened snacks.
However, there’s a threat to young people targeted by the emerging trend of brightly colored unforgiving opioid pills, dubbed “rainbow fentanyl,” in the media.
Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing our country.
Whether hidden in other euphoric drugs, common over-the-counter painkillers, or pills appearing to be colored candy, all forms deliver the same result: overdose.
Three grains of fentanyl is all it takes to kill a person, and it proves to be “up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in over dose deaths. Even in small doses, they can be deadly,” according to the CDC.
The danger of fentanyl is that no one can predict exactly what it is disguised as, and before people can even process what they ingested, they fall powerless to symptoms of overdose that could likely lead to death.
Because of the growing opioid epidemic in the United States, the danger of fentanyl lacing is worse than ever.
Santa Barbara’s Public Information Officer Raquel Zick discussed the ways in which fentanyl lacing has been disguised.
“We have seen cases of fentanyl poison ing occur within SB County, and nationwide there have been other drugs laced with fentanyl such as cocaine & marijuana. Fentanyl is also mixed into the fake M30 –Oxycodone pills.”
Fentanyl poisoning is most prevalent in users of methamphetamine and cocaine. These drugs are so enticing due to their euphoric release.
In an article from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the author dives into the growing risk that this crisis brings specifically to children and teenagers.
“Unfortunately, with new disguises—such as rainbow-colored fentanyl—unintentional overdose in children is on the rise.”
With this new form of fentanyl poison ing—Rainbow Fentanyl—people who take it unknowing what drug it is or if it even is a drug fall at risk of the vicious cycle of drug addiction.
Sadly, this is the best-case scenario, for when it reaches the hands of children, it becomes much more destructive and death-inducing.
Due to the rising rates of fentanyl and the widespread use of dangerous illicit opioids in Santa Barbara, a new program has been created.
Project Opioid Santa Barbara County is a program dedicated to the intense uprising of fentanyl abuse throughout Santa Barbara County.
The public Project Opioid document pro duced by the Sheriff’s office states that, “Fa tal overdoses are rising at an unprecedented rate in the State of California, and Santa Barbara County. Fentanyl has changed the game in California and is fueling the over dose epidemic in our community.
Santa Barbara residents are taking mixed illicit drugs, combined with fentanyl know ingly or unknowingly, with deadly results.”
“One goal of Project Opioid is to bring to gether elected leaders, educators, treatment programs, faith-based leaders, non-profits, and hospital officials,” said Zick.
“By getting these leaders together a consistent educational message regarding the dangers of fentanyl that are present in SB County can be sent out.”
By creating a greater awareness of the is sue, people will think twice before they use, and there is a more widespread consensus over how dangerous Fentanyl can be.
Fentanyl, like many other illicit drugs, provides the user with an immediate high, which they then spend the rest of their lives chasing if not controlled.
It’s a high that encapsulates the user with one grain, and because of its potency, it’s become an attractive narcotic to the rising generation.
“The rainbow fake M30 fentanyl pills could lead to higher overdose rates due to their attractive coloring making them more appealing to youth,” said Zick.
This connects to the issue of mental illness becoming common amongst ado lescents. Teenagers’ minds are not fully developed and therefore are more dam aged when it comes to avid drug use and overdose.
Their minds are also more susceptible to addiction because of their lingering immaturity.
One can connect the growing opioid pandemic to the massive issue of depres sion and anxiety within the younger popula tion in America.
Zick’s advice. “Specifically, to the teenage population, do not take pills that were not prescribed to you by a doctor and picked up from a pharmacy.
“The lethal dose of fentanyl is so small that many people do not get a second chance. The best way to communi cate the dangers is through social media and the schools to stress the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.”
The rate of fentanyl abuse, poisoning and death is rising throughout the nation. The effects are unforgiving and sometimes fatal.
A New Reign Begins
WORDS by ANNIKA FIRLIK ART by LUCY WANGLeadership of a nation affects peo ple worldwide. Leaders run the country, keep things in order, pro tect the national economy and politics, and are responsible for decision-mak ing, which was an essential part of the Queen of England’s job.
In England, a monarch (the king or queen) and Parliament (led by a Prime Minister) work hand-in-hand. For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II reigned as a global icon, navigating Britain’s involve ment in many significant British and world events including World War II and the Cold War.
The Queen’s recent death stirred doubts about whether the monarchy will be able to continue under its new ruler, King Charles III.
The coronation of Charles III is set to take place in May 2023 at West minster Abbey. However, it raises questions about the importance of the British monarchy.
Will Charles live up to the people’s high expectations? Will the monarchy maintain stability? Concerns about the future of the monarchy are most pressing to countries under the British Com monwealth, many of whom are consid ering leaving the political association.
Throughout the Queen’s reign, the Commonwealth shrank as several coun tries declared independence.
The current Commonwealth contains 56 countries, including Australia, Cana da, and New Zealand. In 1949, Ireland left the Commonwealth, with other regions, including Zimbabwe and Hong Kong, following suit in the subsequent decades.
“The Queen’s passing has made Commonwealth countries question whether it’s something they want to continue with,” said British-born in structor Grant MacNaughton.
“There will be some change and
reshuffling among Commonwealth nations.
“I think they’ll put it out to a referen dum to the people of those countries whether they want to continue with that format.”
Senior Katherine Ball’s father is from England, giving her insight into the Brit ish government and monarchy.
According to Katherine, the Queen’s death changes things short term, but the monarchy will retain its general stability.
“The Queen has been in power for the entire lifetime of most people in the world, and because of that, people are mistakenly equating the stability of the monarchy with the stability of an individual’s life,” Katherine said.
With society shifting towards more modern movements, the monarchy may
glory, does not come without a cost. Does the steep price of maintaining the monarchy spark instability in the future?
“There is a defined cost to the British taxpayer,” says MacNaughton.
“Some British taxpayer money goes to sustain the monarchy through sovereign grants. The royal family receives about $39 million per year, funded by taxpay ers. Its current format is unsustainable.”
Adding to this instability, controversy surrounds the new king as many feel that the crown should have skipped Charles entirely and gone to Prince William. People want a king who is relatable and understanding of their views—and that’s how they see William.
“He has more modern ideas and a better representation, [and he is] more in touch with the average UK citizen,” MacNaughton said.
In response to Charles’ corona tion, anti-monarchists have taken to social media using the hashtag #NotMyKing.
be outdated, especially with the death of its figurehead. Will Britain eliminate the monarchy because of Queen Eliza beth’s death?
“No, absolutely not. The monarchy has been in place for a long time; it functioned before the Queen and will function after her. The Queen’s death is the least sudden and best prepared-for death of a monarch in Britain’s history,” Katherine said.
MacNaughton agrees, “I don’t think [it will happen] immediately. I think it’s inevitable at some point in the future, but it’s difficult to say whether it’s in this generation or ten generations in the future.”
The British monarchy, in all of its
Katherine’s dad, David Ball, says “Skipping a generation because some people might like the dash ing young prince might be great for image, but the whole edifice is built on a foundation of rigid tradition. You don’t mess with that, because it sets a precedent that the line of succes sion is a popularity match.”
Despite his popularity, William will not become king any time soon.
“Charles would have to abdicate in order for the Crown to pass to William, but abdication is highly frowned upon in England, Katherine said. “It’s seen as a dereliction of duty. William is more popular among certain demographics, but it’s unlikely that he will be coronat ed under any circumstances other than his father’s death.”
The only immediate changes follow ing the Queen’s death are the crowning of a new king.
Uncertainty and predictions for the future of the British monarchy follow Queen Elizabeth’s death.
“The Queen’s passing has made Commonwealth countries question whether it’s something they want to continue with.”
-Grant MacNaughton
Why Laguna?
WORDS by HUDSON MAYFIELD PHOTOS by JACKSON BALTESTo answer this question, we inter viewed unique individuals. Each came from different parts of our community, including senior football player Michael Wang, self-described “cruise director,” Dean of Students Blake Dorfman, the longtime busdriver Alber to Abrego-Her nandez, our Summer Camp director Zack Moore, and Director of Ad missions Joyce Balak.
Michael said that the “great supportive community” drives him to want to come to school each day—especially the community he has found on various sports teams.
For him, these sports, particularly football and basketball, act as a two-way channel.
Michael experienced the mentor ship that seniors provide their younger teammates, and now he is fulfilling the mentor role.
“Being a senior and passing the torch down to the next generation of fresh men and first-and second-year students has been really motivating to me,” he said.
Like Dorfman, Michael cited the rela tionships he formed with his teachers that made his experience at school unique.
“Shoutout to Ms. Richard and Mr. Uyesaka! Over the course of my four
years here, they have been instrumental in helping me find my passions and allowing me to be who I am today.”
When asked what motivates him to work on campus, Dorfman cited the positive impact that he has had on
laugh every day.”
Longtime bus driver Alberto Abrego-Hernandez, who helps students get to school, shares a love of commu nity. “The kids are like a family.”
One that he has been a part of for over two de cades. He points out that “We should be proud of what we have” on campus given our particularly unique commu nity in which “everyone knows each other,” an environment that has led to the creation of “a great school.”
various individuals over the years.
Specifically, the little things, like get ting a letter of gratitude from a former student, made him realize how much of an impact teachers can have on others, even if they were unaware of it at the time.
Middle school physics teacher and Director of Summer @ Laguna Zach Moore said that he found the rela tionship with students in his classes particularly motivational, saying that he loves the “fun I am able to have on a day-to-day basis when I teach” while “being able to come in the door and
There is a common line be tween things that motivate us to come to school, from our positive impact on others to laughing in a community that treats us like family and friends.
This universal ability to make con nections and share experiences allows us to be ourselves at school and get the most out of our time here.
We all are part of this experience which propels us to come to school each day.
Balak touched on this when she said how motivating it is for her to “work with students while sharing the won derful things at Laguna and getting to know our Laguna family, including the amazing faculty who allow us to grow into the people we become.”
We come to school for a reason, but do we understand why? Is there a meaningful common denominator?
College Counseling Team
Two college counselors and a registrar work together as a team to prepare students for classes and college.
WORDS by LUCY WANG and PHOTO by STEPHEN ZEIGLERQ: What is your opinion on people hiring counselors outside of school?
A: The work of the college counselors at Laguna is very different from what in dependent counselors do. We have two full-time counselors at Laguna, and we devote attention to the fine details; we are accessible and knowledgeable in the college admission landscape.
We also communicate directly with the colleges about our applicants–a role that is reserved only for the high school college counselor. We have our stu dents’ best interests at heart.
We collaborate with students, par ents, and college admissions officers throughout the student’s college jour ney. We are able to visit colleges all over the world, and importantly, are remain abreast of the ever-changing college ad mission landscape. We counsel our stu dents toward the best-fit colleges, and we work together with our incredible faculty to produce the best possible out come for our students.
Q: What has changed over the years in college counseling, and what does the future look like?
A: The fear of not getting into a good school has grown well out of propor tion, we can all understand the anxiety around getting into college, but it’s also a period of growth as one becomes aware of their abilities and start to learn that they will be desirable to many col leges.
But what has changed the most is an overwhelming fear that is driving students to unhealthy lengths and that somehow their life prospects are going to be diminished if they don’t get into this school or that school; we think that is a dangerous and utterly untrue myth.
Students who work hard and do well at Laguna will have a staggering array of opportunities, and admission to a great school is virtually guaranteed because, as we well know, the selectivity of the school does not proxy its quality; it’s a statement of its popularity.
Q: Can you give some advice to students on creating a well-balanced schedule?
A: When you see your schedule for the very first time in the summer, don’t be alarmed at what courses you were signed up to take, it’s really important to trust the process that has been put in place because it is created to make sure that all students are successful and prepared for college.
We are not going to let you fail or fall behind and if you come to us and say you are not challenged enough, in a sec ond, we will get you into the right place.
Very often, students come to me and say: I really want to transfer into or out of AP or honors class into something low er, my suggestion is: have you taken your first test or quiz, and how did you do?
Because a lot of the time, you think you won’t be successful in this class, but you are maybe underestimating your own capabilities.
Liv Gonzalez: Registrar Scan the QR code to read the full interviews. Matt Struckmeyer: Director of College Counseling Colleen Murray: Sr. Associate Director of College Counseling Colleen Murray Matt Struckmeyer Colleen Murphy Matt Struckmeyer Liv Gonzalez by NAMEThe Science Behind Sleep and Dreams
One sheep, two sheep, three sheep jump over emerald fields, slowly dimming into falling dark ness as they fall into a peaceful slumber.
Curling in the warmth and safety of our blankets, hours will tick by as our bodies and mind are ready to reset to function the next day.
Sleep is more than our head hitting a pillow. It is an incredible way to strength en our immune system and sustain healthy blood vessels. Sleep is vital to our health.
How does sleep har ness such power in our bodies while our con sciousness has left its temporary dwelling?
We spend just about one-third of our lives sleeping, and the science behind sleep and dreams opens a door into how the nerve cells in our brains can transmit information to each other while we are asleep.
Looking back to the 50s, people ini tially thought that sleep was just a pas sive task while our bodies and brain were inactive in a state of rest.
However, in recent findings, John Hop kins neurologist Mark Wu believes sleep is a window of time in which our brain is occupied with numerous activities that play a crucial part in our daily lives.
In hopes of learning more about the impacts of mental and physical health when it comes to sleep, Wu and a hand ful of other sleep researchers looked
into theories about sleep, including the REM cycles.
In the duration we are asleep, our brains frequently cycle through two distinct types of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and non-REM sleep. Considered the first part of the sleep cy cle, non-REM sleep comprised of four stages.
The first stage occurs between the
our brain waves are comparable to those when we are awake and our breathing becomes faster, and our body will be in a temporarily-paralyzed state when we dream.
Following a repetitive cycle, as we go through each one, we begin to spend less time in stages three and four, where our deep sleep may be easily disturbed.
Our bodies will continue to rotate through this cycle anywhere from four to five times.
Like cars, our bodies have a pro gramed control sys tem allowing us to regulate and control our sleep.
period when we are awake and falling asleep.
The second one takes place right as our body is ready for breathing control and our body temperature slowly de cline, as well as our heart rate, transi tioning us into a light sleep.
Combined, the final third and fourth stages are what we call a deep sleep.
REM sleep is plays an important role in dreaming, memory, and emotional processing.
New data suggests that non-REM sleep is more effective, peaceful, and restorative. It is also essential when related to memorization and retaining information.
While we transition into REM sleep, our eyes dart underneath closed lids as
These two primary processes are the circadian rhythm and our sleep drive.
Closely related to a clock, a biological clock controls the circadian rhythm in our brain designed to help us wake up.
Dependent on light cues, one of the circadian rhythm’s primary functions is to increase the production of the hor mone melatonin.
Known as the pineal gland found in the brain’s two hemispheres, it receives data from the SCN (suprachiasmatic nu cleus) that controls our sleep cycle and the creation of melatonin.
Playing another critical role in our sleep schedule is our sleep drive. Sim ilar to how our body craves food when we are hungry, our body has an instinc tive desire to sleep when we’re tired.
WORDS by JINLING WANG ART by LUCY WANG
Known to us as a metaphorical way of recharging our battery to retain energy for the day, sleep plays a crucial role in how our body and brain can function healthily.
“And a quiet old lady who was whispering ‘hush’ Good night room Good night moon Good night cow jumping over the moon Good night light And the red balloon” (Goodnight Moon; by Brown and Hurd)
Throughout the day, whether we fin ish a full day of class or work, our desire for sleep begins to grow until it reach es a maximum point where we need to sleep.
One distinct difference between sleep and hunger is that when you are not hungry, you can decide not to eat, but when it comes to sleep, when you are
known as our brain’s capacity to rewire itself and adapt to input.
Along with the benefits of a good night’s rest, researchers recently ob served our brain’s capability to remove toxins in our brains that rapidly produce while we are awake.
While still puzzling, scientists’ dreams
scientists have been thinking about the same questions for years.
Why is it that when we fall asleep, we can imagine ourselves as a celebrity or even a superhero?
How is it possible for us to experience such adventures when we are sleeping without knowing what they mean and their significance?
Consider ing four of the most influential models providing different perspectives and answers of what dreams mean, there are so many more out there, none of which is definite.
However, one thing is for sure; our brains display their creativity when we dream-so who knows what else we can learn from them?
after an unsound night’s sleep? Then it won’t shock you when you experience its effect on your brain throughout the day.
Getting a healthy amount of sleep is essential for “brain plasticity,” also
We experience different types of dreams, from nightmares to repetitive dreams.
So why are they so important? Have you ever had a crazy dream and thought, “What did I just see?” Researchers and
Use the time to reflect on your dreams; maybe you’ll find a new perspective you were unaware existed.
Teacher Feature: Jacqueline Peláez
Of course, I love to sing. I’ve been an educator for 20 years, which is my pas sion.
Q: What were you like as a student in high school?
A: I liked literature. At my high school, we called it “Castellano y literatura” or “Spanish and literature.” In high school, I really liked geography and economics.
Q: What are your hobbies?
WORDS by ADA GREEN PHOTO by JACKSON BALTESQ: Where are you from originally?
A: I am from a country that is very far away. It’s in the north of South Ameri ca, and the country’s coast is Mar Cari be—the Caribbean Sea. That country is Venezuela.
Q: came to Laguna?
A: versity in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A friend of mine told me they needed peo ple to teach Spanish because so many students were interested in studying Spanish and didn’t have enough instruc tors.
go, and I moved here to California. I’ve taught Spanish and cultural classes at UCSB, Westmont College, Cal Luther an, Santa Barbara City College and at Anacapa School. Also, I taught the uku lele to older adults for four years. Now I’m here! I’m very thrilled to be here at Laguna Blanca.
Q: sic?
A: was 14 years old, I wanted to be a rock star. I learned to play acoustic guitar, then electric and classical. I started at the conservatory with the classical guitar, and I thought that was going to be my
instrument. Then, they required me to do some choral work at the conservato ry to be in a chorus.
That experience changed my life for ever. I was in love with the human voice and the possibilities for what you can do with your voice. After getting my de
A: I love to play African drums and the djembe. I have a group of ladies, and we meet every other week, if possible. We feel free when we play the drums. Also, now I’m singing medieval and re naissance music. I really enjoy my hus band’s cooking. His paella is especially delicious.
Q: What is your favorite song?
There is a Venezuelan song called “Venezuela.” Everybody knows that song. It’s so beautiful and inspiration al. I like the Beatles a lot. Even though I didn’t understand the lyrics, I fell in love with the music, the harmonies, and the rhythm when I was little. One of my favorite songs of all time is “Imagine” by John Lennon. The lyrics of that song
What are your hopes for your stu dents this year in your class?
I want them to learn about cul ture—especially knowing that Latin American countries are all differ ent. It’s the same language, but a lot of different cultures and customs, art and music. And obviously, to learn as much as they can in Span ish. The most important thing is that they can communicate and any body can understand them. Even though they can make mis takes, speaking grammatically correct is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that people understand what you want to say.
Born in Venezuela with a master’s in opera performance and teaching experience at Harvard University, Profe Peláez has arrived to teach upper-school Spanish.WORDS and ART by ABBY KIM
Q: What is your job and what does a normal work day look like?
A: My job over the summer was primarily a farmer where I fed kelp to the abalones, cleaned plates, and got the opportunity to go out to the local fishermen’s market to sell our farm products.
Q: Do you recommend your job to others?
A: If you are interested in the field, this is as good as a learning experience as you can get. Spending hours doing maintenance at the farm and working at the market offers an outlook to the bigger picture. You get to see how an upcoming local sustainable corporation functions as a whole.
Q: How did you get your job?
A: I got my job through our school’s STEM program. I worked with Ms. Richard to find an internship that suited me the best. After discussing my interests, the farm was pin pointed. I met my mentor Devin Spencer shortly after and we clicked. Devin assigned me a research project on the vibrio bacteria last year. After completing the project, I was offered to work over the summer.
Stella Mare’s Bistro
Q: What is your job and the best part of your job?
A: I am a hostess, runner, and busser at Stella Mare’s Bistro and have been working there for a year and half. The best part of my job is the people I work with and interacting with many different people and personalities throughout the day.
Q: When and why did you get this job?
A: I got this job during the pandemic in my freshman year. All of my usual after school activities got shut down, and I found myself bored wanting to do some thing.
Q: How is working in the summer compared to the school year?
A: During the summer I have time during my day to do things for myself and I am able to go into the workplace much more energized. During the school year, school is like a second job and very stressful. Working during the school year made me learn time management and overall working in the summer is much more enjoyable.
Bridgehampton Candy Kitchen
Q: What was your summer job and where did you work?
A: I worked at Bridgehampton Candy Kitchen over the summer which is an ice cream and dinner shop in Bridgehampton, New York. I was a hostess, busser and an ice cream server.
Q: Are you planning on working next summer?
A: Yes, I am already scheduled to go back and work there next summer because I had so much fun and made so many new friends. What did your schedule look like?
I worked there for three weeks and worked around four times a week. My fam ily is friends with the owner, so I would work whenever they needed a part timer. I usually worked from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Having a job over the summer is a popular option for many students. Along with a salary comes learning opportunities and experiences.Michael Wang ‘23 Luz Schubert ‘25 Magdelena Amezaga ‘24 Cultured Abalone
The Economy ofSanta Barbara
Inflation is roaring and interest rates and gas prices are increasing. What does this mean, and how are they connected?
WORDS By DAVIS OHANIAN and ADEN MEISEL ART by OWEN NOBLEThe median Santa Barbara house price in 2022 ex ploded to 2.1 million from $940,000 in 2021. This dramatic increase is due to several factors. According to local luxury properties specialist Jim Scarborough, “There is a very wealthy demographic of people who come up from LA who are able to offer and pay crazy amounts of money for properties making it into a sellers’ market.”
Such wealth can be seen in the offers these individuals from LA make on Santa Barbara homes and how they go about purchasing these properties. “We have close to 40% cash buyers,” Scarborough said. “Even though rising interest rates discourage taking out home mortgages, Santa Barba ra’s real estate market remains almost completely unaffected as many buyers are simply not swayed by price tags.”
However, these rising interest rates have contributed to unprecedented changes in the stock market. According to math instructor Paul Chiment, “Whenever the Federal Reserve pushes interest rates higher, you are going to see a downturn in stocks.”
The stock market is incredibly complex, and raising inter est rates is one of the driving factors in its downturn.
According to Time writer Harlan Vaughn, the stock market is on track to have three consecutive quarters of losses, an unforeseen phenomenon that has not occurred since the 2008 financial crisis. When bleak economic outlooks are projected, investors become more reluctant to put money into the market.
In addition to the implications of rising interest rates on investors’ portfolios, rising interest rates are also negatively impact ing retirement funds. “When you see that downturn in stocks, it’s going to impact people’s retire ment accounts and their ability to retire,” Chiment said.
The decreasing value of re tirement accounts and the stock market’s downturn are specifically impacting teachers’ pensions. Since most pensions rely heavily on stocks, many portfolios can
quickly lose value and completely alter one’s outlook on retirement.
Investors are not the only ones hesitant to spend money; when it comes to California’s heavily inflated gas prices, people now think twice about where they get their gas.
According to sophomore Devin Eisman, who commutes from Malibu daily, “I think that it is getting out of hand. The U.S. federal government needs to do more to stop rising gas prices,” Devin said.
The journey from Malibu to Santa Barbara is not cheap, especially since the median price of a gallon of gas in Cali fornia is approaching $7. Devin thinks the Federal Reserve should do more to curb fuel prices, and Chiment backs up this claim.
“What the Federal Reserve has done will not affect gas prices,” Chiment said. “Rising gas prices affect everything.”
In contrast to the stock market, gas prices impact all economic activity in every part of the world. When the price of gas rises, the price of goods and services rise to battle the extra cost invoked by these gas prices. These high prices do
Idols or Politicians?
Though it may be uncomfortable to admit, we have reached a point where the technology that we use to connect with each other digi tally knows us better than we know our selves. Every action we make on social media results in the collection of an un fathomable number of data points.
“Social media pays attention to which posts you like, how long you look at a post, what topics you search for, and who you interact with,” wrote analyst Keegen Lee on the activist site logoffmovement.org.
Data points are then fed into an algorithm that constructs a user’s digital profile and pres ents them with more content that their personality is likely to enjoy.
Because social media platforms make the vast majority of their revenue from selling ads, user engagement is crucial to their business model. These algorithms are a way for social media platforms to present their users with content that keeps them engaged by aligning with their interests, identity, and beliefs.
According to an article from mybusi ness.com, “Having better social media engagement means that customers have a stronger relationship with the brand.”
While these algorithms provide users with content that fits their digital profile specifications, this system has a down side.
When users are constantly surround ed with content in their feeds that rein forces their political beliefs, social me dia algorithms tend to blur what is fact and what is opinion.
“Social media has had a huge im pact on politics in modern times,” DEI Coordinator Ursula Chan said. “It’s so new, and how we get information has changed dramatically. So much can cir culate that is not always true. We see a lot more misinformation being spread related to politics.”
As social media platforms politically personalize the feeds of entire popula
deemed “a hate crime and racially mo tivated violent extremism,” as 11 out of the 13 victims were Black.
“We can see that the algorithms that social media platforms put in place are not always there to protect people,” Chan said.
“Particular groups are being targeted because of misinformation spread and received online by extremist groups that
tions, politically-like-minded users will find that their feeds will mirror their be liefs, creating an environment in which there is little opposition to communities with extreme political views.
Unfortunately, these groups some times partake in violence targeting par ticular ethnic groups.
“People are finding toxic pockets of communities on social media that lead to racism-fueled measures,” Chan said.
In 2019, Brenton Tarrant broadcast himself on Facebook Live while com mitting New Zealand’s worst-ever mass shootings at two mosques and claiming 49 lives.
In the more recent mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, gunman Payton Gen dron took fire in a supermarket that re sulted in the loss of 13 lives.
Not only did he live-stream the shooting on Twitch, but the event was
tion.
“Political influencers represent and spread opinions across the entire po litical spectrum. In some cases, this leads to the dissemination of extremist or anti-democratic viewpoints and con spiracy theories,” according to Frontiers Media.
“We’re seeing more and more people who have influence become politicians, which can work in a variety of ways,” Chan said. “People who happen to be content creators can also have political minds. When they feel they have a voice that is far-reaching, they might want to speak on an issue that feels important to them. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that what they say is true, nor that their beliefs are rooted in toxicity.”
Social media influencers like Charli D’Amelio also gain questionable repu tations online.
As social media engrains itself deeper into the mechanics of society, the more it influences the realm of politics.
WORDS and ART by ADEN MEISEL
“People are finding toxic pockets of communities on social media that led to racism-fueled measures.”
–Ursula Chan
“Even though influencers like Charli have good intentions and sometimes spread good ideas, they often come across as ingenuine,” sophomore Sam Narva said. “Charli specifically propa gates her left-wing political standpoints to boost her following list, popularity, sponsorship opportunities, etc.
“The fact that she constantly switches between dancing and talking politics in her content suggests she isn’t genuinely
began to genuinely believe in his misog ynistic and skewed ideologies, said se nior Jade Silva. “He is a very wealthy and privileged man, so it makes sense that he has these ideas. His followers nev er question him because of his status, which he believes makes him credible to speak on politics and society. He has convinced himself and his followers that his ideas are true and that he is never wrong.”
na believe in his toxic beliefs.”
Andrew represents false societal val ues that are outdated by today’s stan dards of humanity, which doesn’t mean he can’t be convincing on social media.
“Everything about him, such as the way he speaks and his mannerisms, suggests that he genuinely knows what he is talking about, even though he is wrong,” Jade said.
Even though social media algorithms
Girls Just Want to Have Fun...damental Rights
Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court making it possible for individual states to restrict or outright prohibit abortion rights.
WORDS by MAGDALENA AMEZAGA and ELLI WESTMACOTT ART by MAGDALENA AMEZAGAInour November 2021 issue, writers discussed the tensions between the women in Texas and the Texas legislation, the fear that women in Texas were immersed in, and the hypothetical dystopia that our country could become if the safety net that was Roe v. Wade fell.
And now we are here. Still shocked even months after the constitutional right to abortion was overturned. Solemn over the restricted life that is now befalling a good amount of women in our country. We are scared for the future of women’s liberty in America.
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to abortion and privacy, in the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade. Women born today have less rights than the generation before them, with over half the country having lost the right to choose.
Without the protection of federal law, states can ban abortion opportunities within their borders if they wish.
As California citizens, we reside in a state with abortion freedom. We must protect women and care providers from civil liability imposed from other states.
There is no escaping the law for women living in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Ida ho, where having an abortion is now considered illegal.
State and federal abortion restric
tions can result in maternal mortali ty. The risks of dying from pregnan cy-related causes are much greater than the risks of dying because of a legal abortion.
What if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest? Are women expect ed to keep the child? To live with the reminder of the violence that overturned their lives?
When a woman decides she cannot handle having a child, that she cannot give a child a safe life, or in the extreme when it is a life or death decision, women should have that right over their bodies.
gion? The abolishment of abortion rights goes against the very idea of universal equality that America is supposed to represent.
Christianity is pro-life’s divinity. But every woman in America shouldn’t have to conform to Christianity’s beliefs when their life is on the line.
Discussions of the most intimate nature—the choice to terminate a fetus—have turned into a political battlefield used as campaign tools and talking points.
A woman’s right to make an ex traordinarily personal and important decision about her body and future is being disputed by the govern ment—in a battle to have control of women’s personal decisions.
As writers, we are not saying that we don’t understand the alternative side to our argument.
People have the right to prac tice their own religion and to have their own opinions. But that’s just it.
We shouldn’t have to protest in the streets, yelling, crying, and pleading to the government to give us back the right to make our own deci sions.
We shouldn’t have to drive thou sands of miles over state borders to ensure the safety of one’s life. We shouldn’t lose our voice and our choice.
Did the Supreme Court have women’s rights in mind when it overturned Roe v. Wade or was it focused on politics, party, and reli
Everyone has their own opinions and beliefs, but when those opin ions are challenged and enforced by laws, is it fair for those who disagree.
Abortion is an issue that is widely debated, and rightfully so, because it is a serious decision with both the child and the mother’s life to be considered.
But because there is no longer a choice between one side or the other, our country has transformed into a divisive place for women.
The ideals of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion have morphed into the “Freedom” to remain restrained for the women of America.
All that pro-choice activists are saying is that women should have the right to choose their own fate.
To determine the future of their own bodies and lives. To simply make a decision for themselves.
Most women understand pregnan cy’s realities and the responsibilities accompanying it, which are com plex. Many women are not at the right age, time in their life, econom ic status, health status, or relation ship status to handle carrying a child for nine months, dealing with all the appointments, medications, bills, hormones, etc., that come along with it.
Meeting the basic needs of a child include being able to provide a child with medical care, housing, education, and food.
In addi tion, there’s a child’s emotion al and physical needs that need to be consid ered and protecting their child from harm and abuse.
The women most affect ed by the Roe v. Wade decision are women of color Black, Hispanic, lower, and work ing-class women who are already fighting to meet their necessities. A college student who wishes to remain anonymous said, ”If the U.S. government truly cared about people’s lives, and we’re ‘pro-life,’ they would ensure that no homeless people were living
on the streets or in shelters.
It would find safe, loving, nurtur ing, happy homes for the millions and millions of children in the foster care system in the United States.”
This woman also spoke about her experience when she received an abor tion days be fore Roe v. Wade was over turned. She was harangued endlessly by staff at the clinic. She was told that the child could have a happy life and that she didn’t need to do this.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade not only took the freedom to choose for some women, but it left us with more questions than answers. Did the Court’s decision to over turn Roe v. Wade take into consid eration the thousands of women who disagree and will be adversely affected?
The abolishment of abortion rights goes against the idea of universal equality that America is supposed to represent.
But as a student, she could barely pro vide a life for herself, let alone a child, and she wasn’t ready to be a parent. Every woman deserves the right to choose what is best for her.
We are becoming an America that favors alterna tives to cars. Within weeks after the pandemic lockdowns were instituted, restaurants and shops physically moved onto the streets, building extensions and gazebos for outdoor seating.
New policies have changed from prioritizing vehicular traffic to prioritizing people, demonstrating the many social events that COVID and climate change have impacted.
Initially, restaurants, cafes and boutiques moved onto the streets for survival, as customers feared indoor airborne in fections. Sections of State Street were zoned off from cars, it became a pedestrian and bike-only zone, similar to Europe an cities such as Paris.
Temporary parklets and other various structures were built to create comfortable outside dining spaces. Custom ers quickly adapted to this new way of dining to continue supporting local restaurants, and in this process, State Street began its transformation.
In September 2022, the Santa Barbara City Council de cided to develop rules and standards for parklets and other dining structures, improving aesthetics and ensuring they could remain long-term for the next three years until State Street’s plan is finalized.
However, the residents are split on this decision.; half seems to like this new iteration of State Street, while anoth er half wishes to go back to how it was pre-pandemic.
One supporter of the new plan is Ed France. France is the founder of Bici Centro, a used bike shop in Santa Barbara, and a board member on the Coalition of Sustainable Trans portation.
We can “elegantly join outdoor dining with the restaurants and have space for pedestrians, public activity and bikes. It makes Santa Barbara feel more like an international city, which is great,” France said.
Supporters like France argue that Santa Barbara needs to make a significant improvement to the quality of experience and for downtown, dining, and quality of life in general.
Opponents have other ideas about the changes. They say outdoor parklets take up too much space, impeding pedestrian traffic and blocking access to stores because of decreased visibility.
Mayor Randy Rowse is one of the more prominent and well-known opponents of parklets and no-car zones.
“The restaurant business all over town didn’t increase. It concentrated. There are places that are hurting other plac es. We didn’t make the pie any bigger. We just concentrated the slices of pie in one area.”
Bike traffic on State Street has also become a heated debate due to sharing space with pedestrians and people bringing up bike speed and safety concerns.
The city advises all bikers to stay safe on State Street’s shared promenade by being respectful and alert and watch ing their speed.
France recommends taking a course on “sbbike.org, which is like a Drivers Ed certificate for E-Bikes.”
The uptick in bike usage, whether with traditional bikes or E-bikes isn’t just happening on State Street; it’s happening all over Santa Barbara, signaling a more significant shift that State Street represents.
“We are experiencing another bike boom, comparable to the 1970s,” said France.
E-bike docks have cropped up all over Santa Barbara. With new bike commuter paths, people see biking as not just a recreational activity but also a functional mode of transportation, which is being made possible by the increase in E-Bike docks and bike trails.
“In short, bike culture is an alternative to the ‘one size fits all monoculture of roads are only for cars. Bikes are an example of polyculture or a sort of biodiversity of the urban environment,” France said.
Additionally, there is a controversy about trees being cut down to create bike trails.
“E-biking opens the door for a range of trips you would typically take by car. A non-electric bike can easily substi tute for a car trip of three miles or less. At the same time, E-Bikes can do the same for up to around 10 miles, which is especially useful for locations where parking is impacted or traffic congestion,” said France.
Bike traffic is beneficial by reducing car usage, lowering traffic, smog, and carbon emissions: reducing air pollution, and helping fight climate change.
“The system needs to be re-invented. So many cities have great buses. We could too. This could only come from some bigger urban design planning and can’t be done by SBMTD alone, in my opinion,” said France. “They’ve made a lot of improvements. There is further to go.”
Our city is undergoing rapid accelerations as it emerges from the
Writing is Not a Lost Art
said junior Lyla Bollag. Learning how to write can also help with many life/practical skills (letters to employers, teachers, government officials, family,”
Inspiration comes in a variety of forms. Many artists pull inspiration from nature, politics and religion. They find inspi ration by viewing work from other artists they admire. They take notice of their surroundings, ancestry, culture, experi ences, art galleries, music, and literature.
“I have drawn inspiration from movements and styles and other artists that I see at art galleries or online,” Lyla said.
Creation can come from an innate feeling or an outside force. It can be a way of commenting on something import ant, expressing one’s experience and point of view, and exploring one’s identity.
“External sources inspire my motive to create, whether
writers to center themselves and persevere through adversity.
The pandemic influenced and impacted millions of people, especially authors, who had to overcome obstacles and incorporate these into their writing. Reemerging from this trying time has allowed many authors to discuss their feel ings and experiences in their work. For writers, it is vital to preserve their feelings within their work.
As we progress into a digital age that de-prioritizes the written word in favor of superficial digital content, some writers fear that the power of literature is fading.
“YouTube or other social media aren’t always the best be cause they give you an obvious answer. With writing, some one can find individualized meaning in each literary work,” said Lyla. It’s up to the reader to find what I’m trying to say.”
Do you ever wonder why authors write countless drafts while constructing
“Writing is very important to society because it’s a representation of an art form that is slowly becoming lost.”
-Lyla Bollag
stance of the staff editorial
It’s been a long couple of years. Who would have thought that before we fin ish high school we’d have lived through a global pandemic and an attempted coup?
Evidently, we are not done processing what has been going on around us, and it is doubtful that we’re ever going to think COVID was not crazy. There’s a time and a space to reflect about the past. Our gov ernment’s failures shouldn’t be overlooked, nor should our emotional response to the events of Jan. 6, but does that have to be the only thing to talk about?
This issue’s theme is Emergence because we’re moving away from the pandemic into the future. Emergence describes the process of coming into being after being hidden, much like ourselves after the pan demic. Instead of letting the world’s major events define us, we want this issue to be representative of our self-navigated growth.
If we localize this phenomenon, we can start to see the ways in which our commu nity has emerged. We have an emerging school spirit–whether that be through spirit at football games or the indoor homecoming that broke attendance records–we have seen ourselves embrace this school
and community on a level we haven’t seen before.
There was the rejuvenation of the class trips, where each grade took a journey to different corners of California to learn and grow in unique environments.
The freshman class went to Monterey, CA, where they submerged themselves into frigid waters, uncovering the complex eco systems in tidepools. The sophomore and junior class took a trip to Catalina Island, where they explored the ocean’s depths and gazed into the stars. The senior class traveled to El Capitan State Beach, where they prepared for the next phase of their lives, bonding with teachers and peers.
All of these experiences brought the grades closer together, fostering community as students entered the school year ahead.
We never thought it was possible, but our community has shown how to rebuild postCOVID.
Now, as we move forward in our lives, it’s time for us to embrace growth and find joy. We’re all growing up, and this year, we need to focus on what matters most: having fun and embracing our experiences. We have so much to look forward for.
Loss of Indigenous Culture
WORDS by CHRISTIANA CINO and ART by LUCY WANGAt the mention of COVID-19, what is the first thing you think about? The number of deaths? How it affected you? How it hurt your friends and your family? How you had to wear a mask everywhere you went? But do you think about how this pandemic affected people of color more?
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted people’s lives throughout the world. For California’s Native American tribes, that impact was felt deeply.
During COVID, tribal communities didn’t only experience the loss of people, they also lost their cultural identity, heritage, and elders.
Native American society is tightly-knit between generations within close-quarter communities, contributing to the disease’s easy and rapid spread.
In each Native American community, elders were most susceptible to the disease. The elders carry their people’s wisdom, and as they passed due to the pandemic, their deaths significantly affected their communities since much of their wisdom was lost.
“People from Indigenous communities said that their people had higher rates of preexisting conditions that made COVID deadly,” said DEI Coordinator Ursula Chan.
“This affected them in ways where their elders were dying quickly and in really devastating ways. And these are also the people who are culture holders and language keepers, so they are the people that are trying to teach their community the sacred language that is disappearing.”
Without elders in Native American groups, there is no way to pass on the sacred and unique information, knowledge, and wisdom gained from previous generations to new generations.
According to Chan, many Indigenous people in California often were immigrants from Central America and were not able to speak or understand English.
People of color were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. It is significant within the Native American
community, whose culture is at risk; the disease is taking the lives of the elders who teach and share their culture.
“A Lakota couple who were elders of the community passed away from COVID, and their daughter is active in their tribe and said: ‘We lost two of the last people who know this language,’” Chan said.
“There was a strong language barrier because their language was indigenous. So, even getting access to knowledge about how to get vaccinated, where a testing site was, or how to stop the spread was not accessible to them,” Chan said.
Different races and ethnicities live vastly different lives within other areas, communities, and neighborhoods of our country, so COVID’s effects vary from ethnicity to ethnicity. However, the harm Indigenous people suffered during COVID was a policy failure.
“That’s how they were affected in different ways than white people. It is the continual violence of colonization that we see in modern times,” said Chan.
Further actions could have and should have been taken to protect minority groups from COVID’s rapid spread, instead of letting it run wild.
The federal government only began prioritizing Native American elders for the vaccine rollout in 2021, but the pandemic had already taken its toll by then.
“When our government doesn’t prioritize keeping people at home and taking care of financial circumstances, we put people at risk,” Chan said.
Education on how different societies and ethnicities are affected by COVID is an essential topic for future generations.
Protection of minority cultures is still an afterthought, and it is important to see how this pattern of behavior is especially harmful during a disaster like a pandemic.
“It is essential for us to take care of our most vulnerable populations,” Chan said. “And I think it’s really important for us to know the way the continual violence of colonization exists in modern times.”
The impacts of COVID-19 harmed close-knit Indigenous communities with the loss of elders leading to the disappearance of invaluable cultural customs.
“People from Indigenous communities said that their people had higher rates of pre-existing conditions that made COVID deadly” -Ursula Chan
It’s [Not Just] a Joke
Casual racism occurs in comments we read online and at the Thanksgiving dinner table and has become normalized in our daily conversations.
WORDS and ART by DIONNE PETERSONOn her freshman year trip, His panic senior Jade Silva and her peers walked past a taco truck. Her peers laughed, pointed to the taco truck nearby, and then pointed to Jade.
It was small, ignorant, disregard able—but the hint of racism made her uncomfortable. She laughed along with her peers, but her cheeks felt hot as she walked away from the taco truck.
Jade was unsure whether or not she could consider this a racist remark; after all, she thought the comment was meant as a joke, so they could not have meant anything serious, right?
Schools attempt to educate students on the meaning of racism, hoping to inform and bring attention to its ugly history and unspoken implications. These discussions often discount the subtle ways racism can harm others.
While obvious, blatant racism is cur tailed, toned-down racist statements can fly under the radar. Often, this manifests in underhand ed jokes that draw upon stereotypes, deriving from privilege and ignorance, often unintentionally.
This phenomenon is called casual racism, where racism creeps into daily conversations through reflexive prejudice and stereotypes, compared to overt racism.
Casual racism, which occurs pre dominantly in white
communities, can be so normalized that people aren’t conscious of the harm caused by their words.
A lack of diversity creates an environ ment where it’s easy not to think before speaking.
“In my fourth-grade graduation, you would see a bunch of white faces and then just me, a Mexican girl. People would start comparing their skin tones to mine, and I felt uncomfortable and singled out. I have not liked my skin tone until recently,” Jade said.
Throughout Jade’s experiences in high school, she has faced microaggres sions—sometimes, it would be about the food she brought to school, other times about her family. She could not differentiate between what was inten
Still, it affected her.
Instances of casual racism don’t need to be intentionally offensive–they can appear like harmless gestures or compliments. For example, the “model minority” myth is associated with Asians being more successful and intelligent because of their race.
“Asians achieve just enough success to be tolerated, but the moment they are too successful, it gets threatening,” said Ursula Chan, DEI Coordinator.
Assuming these traits, Asian people have been uplifted by cultural stereo types for many generations. Some people might clarify this as a “positive” stereotype, but it only results in more pressure placed upon Asians.
Casual racism has become so normalized on school campuses that students have been conditioned to accept it, disregard it and
“Students on an edu cational level need to be informed about what casual racism is as well as microag gressions. Students might have said something uninten tionally offensive and thought it was a joke instead.
As a school, we could be more explicit in identifying what micro aggressions are and how we can address them,” says Chan.
No matter how casual racism is formed, whether as a joke, a compli ment, or an insult, schools and teach ers need to learn to acknowledge and bring awareness to this contentious
Representation within Disney
Although Disney has always struggled with inclusivity, the 21st century has brought change to the world-renowned franchise, which is evident in the casting of Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.”
WORDS by SOFIA RAMIREZ ART by ALEXIA ACOSTAMommy!...
She’s brown like me!” Maya–daughter of popular TikToker Nicky–said as she caught the first glimpse of “The Little Mermaid” (2023). This sentiment was echoed throughout the country as young African American girls saw Halle Bailey playing the beloved Little Mermaid. This moment was revolution ary for many young girls whose Disney idols didn’t represent them.
No one, not even Disney, can deny its history of racism and discrimination against people of color. When Disney+ launched in 2019, they released a statement ad dressing the racism in their “classic” films, saying, “We can’t change the past, but we can acknowledge it, learn from it, and move forward together.”
In the 2010s, Disney became determined to shed its discrim inatory reputation.
Since then, they have released movies representing cultures from all over the world. Despite this, discrimination is still a hanging presence in Disney, especially in the Disney Princess brand.
Even in the 21st century, only 5 of the 12 Disney princesses represent minority cultures. And, of course, so many ask why it is important that Disney represents different cultures in its movies.
Disney is undoubtedly a signifi cant part of kids’ everyday lives, with about 50% of household families in America subscribed to the streaming service, according to Variety magazine. Children gain so much social knowledge from these movies that the University of Houston urged parents to
use Disney movies to help their child’s development.
DEI coordinator Ursula Chan spoke about why it is important for children to be exposed to diversity.
“When [kids] only have narrow representations of themselves–or no representation of themselves that can negatively affect how they iden
After the trailer’s release, videos flooded the popular social media platform Tik Tok of young girls react ing to the trailer. Their innocent gasps of joy at seeing someone who looked like them represent Ariel were heard worldwide.
However, this casting option met with resistance. Comments proclaiming that Ariel should be played by an actress with fair skin punctured the bubble of joy these young girls had Halle Bailey responded directly to this backlash, saying she was proud to represent Ariel because she knew its effect on young viewers.
She called back onto her own ex perience, saying in an interview with Variety, “I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special and that they should be a princess in every single way. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be.”
Ariel’s story is intended to be univer sal, but due to Disney’s limited views, many girls of different ethnicities could not relate to her.
The only princess Chan could relate to was “Mulan,” although “The Little Mer maid” had been out by that time.
America saw how this im pacts young children with the release of the first trailer from “The Little Mermaid.” Halle Bailey, a 22-year-old African American actress, and musi cian, portrays Ariel.
By presenting the world with a fairskinned and bronzeskinned Ariel, Dis ney shows that the story sur passes appearance, and anyone can associate with the character. Josh D’Armano himself said that “[The company] will never stop working to make sure Disney is a wel coming place for all.”
Connecticut,
2012: 26 elementary school children and teachers dead in Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Sandy Hook Elementary School headlines shook the country, the names and faces of children killed in a supposed safe space.
This was not the first tragic story of a school shooting, nor was it the last. The tragedy rippled through the media and instigated an urgent wake-up call.
Ten years later, this wake-up call is still ringing. As of 2022, more than 2,000 recorded school shootings are in the United States, and the statistics continue to increase. This is a crisis in our country, and it needs to be con trolled.
During the 2021-2022 school year, school shootings hit an all-time high with at least 193 incidents, resulting in 59 deaths and 138 injuries nationwide, according to Everytown.
“It’s really scary that that’s even a possibility, to live in a world where every day your life could be in potential danger… I don’t think anyone’s ever really prepared for that kind of devasta tion,” says junior Grace Trautwein.
A school shooting is classified as an event where a perpetrator injures or kills at least one student or faculty member on a school campus using a gun.
This issue is so deeply embedded in our country that the events of mass shootings have become normalized.
After a deep dive into social media, or even on an app like Twitter, school shooting humor is bound to appear. It may be considered “dark humor” to make jokes about the number of trage dies in our country, but it feels like our options are to either laugh or cry.
The United States is the unofficial school shooting capital of the world, with 57 times as many school shoot ings as the other major industrialized
nations combined.
More than 311,000 children at 331 schools in the U.S. have gone through gun violence since the critical shooting at Columbine High School in 1999.
“The United States also stands out in another respect. According to The New York Times, other countries—including Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zea land, and Norway—have taken swifter action after mass shootings to tighten gun laws.”
How much must more loss be en dured before preventative action will be taken?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,368 kids un der 19 were killed by guns, while 4,000 children were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020.
Kids are more likely to die from a gun than a vehicle accident.
The first armed act of violence in an American school took place in Pennsyl vania on July 26, 1764. A small group of Lenape Native American people entered a schoolhouse and killed the teacher and the majority of the stu dents.
The first school shooting in which the gunman was a student occurred in 1853 when Joseph Semmes shot his professor at the University of Virginia.
The deadliest school shooting in the United States was at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, in 2007, when student Seung-Hui Cho killed 27 students and 5 faculty members.
There are organizations that aim to reduce school shootings. These organi zations are determined to fight for stu dents’ lives, dreams, and communities.
One such organization is Students Demand Action (SDA) and Everytown Gun Safety, which is a nonprofit orga nization advocating for gun control and against gun violence.
thefourthestate.netJuniors Amelie Dalporto and Grace Trautwein lead Laguna’s SDA chapter. “It’s a national organization whose main goal is to create awareness about gun safety and laws.”
SDA chapters help educate students and communities in all 50 states,” said Amelie.
Living in the United States, we have become accustomed to the potential danger we face at school, at events, and in communities.
The bell rings: is it the school bell, or the active shooter alarm?
It’s hard to imagine how such a devastating event can be normalized, but after so many cases and stories of school shootings, we have become de sensitized to it. We hear about people losing their friends, students, siblings, and children in other cities and states.
According to NPR, we see it as an issue targeting strangers, often minority populations.
“I feel like many people don’t fully recognize that these things happen un til they happen to them. I think people will hopefully understand it more by creating awareness,” says Amelie.
Often, people falsely link mental illness with school shootings. This cre ates a presumption that people dealing with mental health should be feared.
In reality, “Half of all mass shootings are associated with no red flags—no diagnosed mental illness, no substance use, no history of criminality, nothing,” says the Columbia University Depart ment of Psychiatry.
The motives behind shoot ings are tough to predict or group into a categories, which is why it’s even more crucial to limit gun accessibility.
Ninety three per cent of school shoot ers pre-meditated the attack, according to the U.S. De partment of Educa tion and Secret Ser vice. Educa tion about school shoot ings is crucial for recogniz ing early
signs/threats among students and perpetrators.
Vanderbilt University psychiatrist Jon athan Metzl studied young-adult-male patterns in school shooters.
He says, “There’s a lot of research about how their brains are not fully developed in terms of regulation.”
The prefrontal cortex, responsible for understanding the consequences of actions, does not fully develop for young males until around the age of 25, according to The Washington Post.
In approximately 74% of gun in cidents, the firearm was taken from home or a relative, according to Every town For Gun Safety.
“I think it’s a huge respon sibility to own something that can kill another human. There should be a few more regulations and safety checks to make sure that they [guns] are going to respon sible people,” says Grace.
The AR-15 was “made for the mil itary, to allow members of the armed forces to better dispatch multiple enemies in short order,” according to NBC. Yet AR-15s are legal to buy in most states.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or Red Flag laws, allow law enforcement to remove legal guns from potential shooters or dangerous gun handlers for a short period.
A judge can issue this order without criminal records or cases of mental illness. Implementing more laws such as this helps limit the danger of armed individuals.
In 2020, 4,368 kids under the age of 19 were killed by guns, while 4,000 children killed in motor vehicle crashes.
The U.S. gov ernment should protect dangerous weapons and cre ate trials and lon ger waiting periods to be approved to own a gun legally.
There are ways to prepare schools for school shootings, with procedures and plans of emergency but, to control the issue at hand, stopping the spread of weapons is a direct solution.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, about 4.6 million American children live in a household with at least one loaded gun kept on the property.
The Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, but our society and the need for guns has evolved since1791.
Back then, firearms referred to weap ons like muskets and flintlock pistols for war protection.
In contrast, modern guns are much more lethal: an AR-15 was the murder weapon in the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Park land, Florida.
thefourthestate.net
According to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely to occur during 1994-2004 when the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was in order.
In early June, President Joe Biden called for a ban on assault weapons but suggested that the legal age to pur chase a gun should be raised to age 21 instead of 18.
Steps like these are a starting point.
Offering “hopes and prayers” to the victims is not enough; we need action.
In the aftermath of the Robb Elemen tary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, many politicians posted support for the victims’ families.
They received backlash for their sym pathy without action because empathy does not save lives.
“School shootings are a national tragedy and need to be taken very seri ously,” Grace said.
One Size Fits [Sm]all
Brandy Melville—the brand that is the icon of teenage clothing culture—is facing backlash for the ethics they are promoting through their clothing.
WORDS by DIONNE PETERSON and SOFIA RAMIREZ GRAPHIC by DIONNE PETERSONOn every tag of Brandy Melville clothing, customers are met with the pointed words: one size fits all. In an era where the clothing industry is trying to create more inclu sivity, brands like Brandy Melville who are refusing to join this movement are facing huge backlash and controversy.
The roots of their ethical misconduct date back to the 80s when Brandy Melville opened their first store in Italy and eventually their first American store in 2009.
The brand quickly grew in popular ity thanks to its ability to keep up with trends. Brandy Melville’s aesthetic was and still is popular because it enforces an image of the skinny Caucasian girl that teenage girls try to emulate.
Brandy Melville uses this well-recog nized image as an advertising strategy. To become an employee, there are three carefully curated requirements: being white, thin, and blonde.
Since the brand originates from Eu rope, they enforce eurocentric beauty standards, which target an exclusive customer that is intangible for others to obtain.
Not only are their employees follow ing these eurocentric standards, but are also their ambassadors.
These girls are called “Brandy Girls,” showcasing young and skinny girls, all noted to have strikingly thin frames and long legs.
Their workers are often hired to model for the brand resulting in only a particular body type being promoted.
The girls Brandy Melville employs have to fit into the clothing. This only puts a further emphasis on their infa mous one-size-fits-all policy.
“Brandy Melville preaches a message ‘one size fits all’ and inclusivity, but it’s
specifically targeted to small girls,”se nior Molly Morouse said.
This sizing method tells the brand’s
habits, such as eating disorders.
Multiple women have come out with similar stories; centered around
This results in pressure on adoles cent girls to make certain changes to themselves in order to fit into the cloth ing, which often results in unhealthy
her experience in a video titled, “I lost weight to fit into Brandy Mel ville.”
She shared how she contemplated
thefourthestate.net
not eating after not fitting into a pair of Brandy Melville jeans.
Her sentiment has been echoed by hundreds of teenage girls that don’t fit into the small fraction of women the brand caters to. This is certainly not the only discriminatory issue Brandy Melville is known for.
Brandy Melville caters to what soci ety has deemed as the “ideal” teenage girl. Skinny, straight, and also white. If a customer walks into their store, scrolls down their Instagram, or takes a look at their website, there is a repeating theme: there are rarely any people of
with. This results in the brand only hiring workers who are of a certain race leading to a significant lack of diversity.
The brand has faced scrutiny after multiple workers accused them of be ing racist in its hiring practices.
Yet despite Brandy Melville’s issues being well known amongst the teenage population, there have not been many attempts to change what the brand has set as their norm.
The few boycotts that have taken place against the brand were unsuc cessful and not popular.
A similar change has been called for in discriminatory brands such as
received from its consumers eventually caught up with them. Boycotts were held and petitions were signed by their models, calling out the brand for its misogynistic and limited views, which caused the brand to renovate its image into a more inclusive one.
They started hiring plus-sized mod els–something they had sworn off do ing in the past–and vowing to promote empowering women.
The change that transformed Victo ria’s Secret from an exclusive platform to the brand they have become was revolutionary—it showed people that a company that has built its brand of promoting the “ideal” body shape can change if the right pressures are applied.
One of the biggest reasons that this has not been the case for Brandy Melville is because their consumers are too hooked on the brand to stray from it.
Brandy Melville provides girls with cute on-trend clothing at af fordable prices. But, of course, this does not come without its reper cussions.
These clothing items are usually thrown out as trends pass to make room for the next trendy article of clothing.
This is defined as fast fashion, which refers to inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by large compa nies to keep up with trends. This, of course, leads to a more significant number of clothing waste.
The image Brandy Melville pres ents is harmful as it creates false misconceptions about what the epitome of a “perfect woman” is. Because the company promotes a specific body type, it has an over whelming damaging effect on the self-image of young girls, causing them to criticize themselves instead of the company’s false “one size fits all” policy.
color representing the brand.
This is because the “ideal girl” is considered to have eurocentric quali ties that most girls of color aren’t born
known for only promoting a specific body shape as the epitome of the femi nine physique.
The backlash Victoria’s Secret
For a brand that stays ahead of its competitors, they are missing the fact that there is not one ideal body type.
Consumers have the power to change this by demanding more inclu sion and representation.
Saudi Arabia’s 170km City
WORDS by CIERRA NERVO ART by ALEXIA ACOSTAImagine living in a massive, reflective skyscraper. in a long—170-kilometers—city riddled with technological advancements unseen in American society. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, proposed just that in a promo video as part of the Neom development project. A formidable mega-city to hold 9 million residents, titled “The Line,” is a part of the government's ambitious plan to attract tourists to their country with high walls, hanging gardens, and an overall futuristic aesthetic.
Stretching from the Red Sea across a barren desert, the archi tectural layout of The Line is sup posed to be made of gigantic mir rored walls. This eerie contrast to the open land surrounding the area, hardly touched by civilization, sym bolizes human evolution in the nat ural world. This project is designed for the country’s 2030 vision, out lining Saudi Arabia’s plan to restyle the geography, diversify the econo my, and signify a revolution in mod ern living.
Though the released architec tural details are limited, those who designed The Line claim that it will run entirely on clean, renewable energy. No roads, no cars, no carbon emissions. High-speed rails that will make it ac cessible to travel from one end of the city to the other within 20 minutes. Hospitals, markets and businesses all within a 5 minute walking distances.
Artificial intelligence said to be incorporated in every aspect of communities, including robot maids, flying drone-powered taxis, and a giant artificial moon, while also maintaining green ery and gardens. The designs for the city's vertically layered communities model Mohammed bin Salman’s idea of en hancing human livability: “The Line will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live.”
Bin Salman’s vision encapsulates the idea of perfect, easy living. So why wouldn’t someone want to live there? Because this Utopian dream designed by the Saudi government is, in reality, a dystopia. This idea can be seen in books like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” and “The Maze Runner,” in
which creating a perfect Utopian world can be more harmful than it seems. Junior Grace Trautwein, an avid reader, relates President Snow in The Hunger Games to bin Salman: “dysto pian leaders think that they are doing the right thing by creat ing their ideal world, which is always unsafe for the citizens. Achieving a Utopian society is impossible, in books and in real life.”
Through literature, today's society has been introduced to the flaws of humanity and the neg ative consequences of dystopian worlds. Dystopian societies are attempted Utopian societies that have failed due to societal flaws. Such flaws, in books and in real life, are what distinguish Utopi an and dystopian cities, typically having relations with poor human rights and human-created environ mental damages.
The Line shows potential to ex ecute both of these flaws once the city is constructed.
The Line’s isolation from the rest of the world reminds Direc tor of Teaching and Learning Anna Alldredge of a dystopian novel. “When reading up on the Line project, I am reminded of ‘City of Ember’ by Jeanne DuPrau. Similarly, the citizens lived completed inside and did not have exposure to the natural elements of the outside world.”
This isolation not only lacks human connection to the natu ral world, but it also makes the city’s inhabitants more prone to being controlled by technology. While residents and visitors bask in this futuristic paradise, they will be subject to heavy surveillance, such as a data-gathering network connected to facial-recognition drones.
Heavy surveillance and little privacy can significantly harm the livelihood of marginalized Saudi Arabian groups, such as women or the LGBTQIA+ community. Discriminatory laws and practices heavily enforce Saudi-Arabian women.
The LGBTQ+ community also suffers from no protection rights, making it illegal to marry the same sex.
“The Line will become a wasteland. Foreigners won’t want to live there, and minorities won’t put trust into their govern ment,” sophomore Eleanor Crafton said. “At the end of most
Saudi Arabia’s vision for a line-shaped city blurs the line between dystopia and utopia.
“When reading up on The Line Project, I am reminded of ‘City of Ember’ by Jeanne DuPrau. Similarly, the citizens lived completed inside and did not have exposure to the natural elements of the outside world.”
Anna Alldredge
dystopian novels, these governments get overthrown, such as in Divergent. The city can't thrive when pushing laws that the citizens are against.”
If Saudi Arabia is already plagued by having no human rights, what makes The Line any better?
There also lies the problem of forced eviction. The Line is supposed to be built over land that is already home to the Huwaitat tribe.
The crown prince, having al ready started the process of de porting the natives from their land, shows how little he cares his own people, much like a dystopian leader.
Twenty thousand people now face eviction, without a place to go or any com pensation. The Line is sim ply an attraction to bring tourists to Saudi Arabia, which will result in who have lived there for gen erations.
And while the crown prince claims that this city will be ex tremely environ mentally friendly, this statement has been found very doubtful consid ering that the country is one of the largest oil-producing countries.
Creating a city that produc es zero carbon emis sions sounds like some joke to environ mental ists and
to anyone who has read about technologically advanced cities, which tend to lack greenery and
The designers of this city have thrown aside the issue of native land, environmental effects, and the danger towards minorities. The flashy features do little to cover up the environmental and moral issues regard
However, this isn’t the first dystopian
Other billion-dollar super projects, that were supposed to change the way of urban living, had been abandoned
Dubai’s Nakheel Harbour and Tower and North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel were both never complet ed due to economic slumps, and China’s Mongolian city of Kang bashi only homed 10% of what they had hoped for.
The Line proves to be noth ing but another dystopian novel waiting to happen.
A vanity project, to bring tourism and money to bin Salman's country, is doomed to suffer the same fate as the me ga-cities before it. This has all been seen be
"I read dysto pian novels all throughout middle school,” junior Lu cas Acosta said. “Those authors have taught me, and the rest of the gener ation who have grown up on those novels, how to differ entiate a dystopian from a uto pia."
Governors Exploit Migrants
A political statement? Exploitation? A free ride? Busing migrants to the East Coast raises concerns.
WORDS and ART by ALEXANDRA SIEGELThey are shuttled like cattle to unfamiliar places. They are packed onto buses with no food or water. They are promised new opportunities. They are stripped of their humanity. More than 10,000 migrants have been bussed to the East Coast since last spring and promised a new life with opportuni ties for success. This is a humanitar ian crisis.
In Texas, Florida, and Arizona, GOP governors send immigrants to Dem ocrat-led cities as a political stunt. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), Flori da Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) say they have been shipping immigrants north to dramatize how broken America’s immigration system is.
However, the exploitation of these vulnerable people by those three governors only makes mat ters worse.
First, we need to understand the history of U.S. policy on migrants and immigration. Since 1783, 86 million people have legally immi grated to the United States. Since the country won independence from Brit ain, the U.S. has been regulating and restricting immigration, especially for minorities.
Through the Chinese Exclusion Act, which provided an absolute 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States, or The Immigra tion Act of 1924, which limited the number of immigrants allowed in the country, the U.S. has a dark history of xenophobia.
In recent years, the election prom ise by former President Trump to “build a wall” to “crackdown on ille gal immigrants” at the southern bor der has exacerbated the immigration issue.
Conservatives have been extremely strict on immigration laws, especially in states that face large amounts of undocumented immigrants.
However, the governors of these three states are pulling a stunt that exploits and misleads migrants, all in order to prove a point to Democrats.
Treating human beings like political pawns is unconscionable, but the po litical stunts played by Arizona, Flor ida, and Texas governors are more disappointing than surprising.
They send thousands of migrants to Democratic strongholds, includ ing New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, and even Martha’s Vineyard.
to New York and 300 to Chicago.
“It is difficult for me to grasp the repercussions of this removal fully. I can only imagine the overall bewil derment and disappointment of the people impacted,” said history in structor Kevin Guay.
Claiming the Biden administra tion’s “open border” policy is a threat to internal security because of drugs and criminality, DeSantis and Abbott title this operation “Operation Lone Star” to fill in the so-called dangerous gaps to secure the border.
Besides migrants being used as po litical pawns, their travel conditions are inhumane.
Some migrants — from Venezue la, Colombia, Peru, and elsewhere — have suffered trauma in their trek north. Either on planes or bus es to D.C. and New York, they are deprived of adequate living condi tions to survive a journey this far.
Ducey’s, DeSantis’, and Abbott’s aims are to humiliate the Biden ad ministration and generate headlines on the surge in illegal border cross ings, which the GOP is using as a po litical cudgel in the midterm elections.
Rightfully, Democrats are outraged by these efforts from Republicans.
Kamala Harris told Vice News, “They are playing games. These are political stunts with real human be ings.”
In Texas alone, about 8,000 mi grants have been bussed to Washing ton since April, including people sent to Harris’s front yard, according to a statement from Governor Abbott’s office.
They have also bussed about 2,200
DeSantis and others shuttle an overbearing number of people onto each transport, making the trip uncomfortable and the water/ food supply scarce.
Many have immediate needs for food, shelter, and medical attention on arrival.
To be specific, a private charter of 48 migrants from Florida was shipped up to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachu setts, a popular vacation destination on Cape Cod.
While not expecting their arrival, the townspeople of Martha’s Vine yard scrambled to accommodate and support the families that arrived on the island on Sept. 14.
Despite their hospitality, it is not their job to cater to DeSantis’s polit ical agenda. DeSantis and the other governors need to think about their actions from a humanitarian perspec
“I can only imagine the bewilderment and disappointment of the people impacted.”
-Kevin Guay
welcome to victory
The portrayal of women and the psychological factors in Olivia Wilde’s new thriller, “Don’t Worry Darling” draws attention how society may evolve. WORDS by CIERRA NERVO and ELLI WESTMACOTT
Welcome to the future. Wel come to utopia. Welcome to sweet sun-soaked success.
Welcome to the flawless reality of the Victory Project, an epiphany of the ide al society, which is the setting of “Don’t Worry Darling” director Olivia Wilde’s newest release. Wilde’s experimental society consists of colorful costumes, vintage cars and retro music.
Hardworking days bleed into nights filled with laughter and decadent drunk en meals. The meaning of Utopian life is simple pleasures.
At first, the audience soaks up the hap piness the characters emanate.
“It’s like I was the one drinking all of the bubbly drinks and wearing frilly clothes,” said junior Amelie Dalpor to about her “strange contentedness” while watching the film.
Aside from the happy, blissful setting, there are many unaccompanied answers in the film.
This psychological thriller envelopes the issues of societal expectations of women and men and the fearful future
of technology taking over actual reality.
While the focus on social media is on the actors’ popularity, the movie’s cau tionary tale is vastly overlooked.
The title is the first hint of the film about male dominance. The word “dar ling” is typically used as a label of femi ninity, implying that someone is telling a woman not to worry.
From the moment the film opens, men drive off to work while women cook and clean all day.
This “man’s world” portrays life in 1950s films, creating an ideal world that perfectly fits a husbands’ expectations.
The differences between women and men and the 50s-inspired attire cause the audience to assume that this patriar chal world is their normality.
The leading female, portrayed by Flor ence Pugh, begins to question her ev eryday experiences, triggering a nervous sensation in the audience. Pugh guides the audience’s emotions throughout the movie with thrill and unease.
“I went back to watch it a second time in theaters,” said junior Sasha Drucker,
“so I could process all of the psycho logical details I didn’t process the first time.”
The surprising twist at the end of the movie leaves Pugh’s character struggling to grasp what is real and what isn’t and leaves the leading husband, Jack, trying to gain the last bit of control he has over his wife.
The ending brings up a lot of ideas about today’s society, such as the theme of male dominance throughout histo ry and how sexism could devolve once more.
The depiction of men trying to hold power over their wives while ignoring their vivid awareness of the hollowness of their Victory is the chilling revelation of the movie. The eerie tale invites ques tions about how relevant this movie’s central ideas are to society. The men use mind-bending technology to place a hold on their wives.
My Friends Discovery
by ABBY KIMá la mode
WORDS and PHOTOS by MILLA HIRSCH1Barbiecore Pink:
We may call it magenta, bubblegum, or “Barbiecore” pink, regardless of its name, this color is flying into fall trends. Valentino claimed hot pink this season, as seen on Florence Pugh, Zendaya, and Anne Hathaway just to name a few. Sophomore Chloe Gid ney says, “Pink is my favorite color because it’s bright and fun!”
2Pacific Ocean Blue:
This shade of deep, electric blue is a vibrant color making an appearance post-summer. It is timeless, a reflection of the sea and the rooftops of Greece. Vogue says, “This hue has been slowly taking over the runways the past couple of seasons, and it’s finally made its way to the street.”
3Neutrals are never out of style. During fall, our trust worthy colors lean on the beige-to-brown scale. Pic ture a perfect iced latte, and imagine the spectrum of colors floating in the cup. Beautiful macchiato shades, dark espresso colors, medium chai tones. These variations of beige can never go wrong in an outfit.
Bon Appetít
Homecoming Day Games
Two teams battled it out on Homecoming Day, one inside the gym and one on the field.
WORDS by DAVIS OHANIAN PHOTOS by JACKSON BALTES and BRAD ELLIOTTHomecoming. It’s one of the most significant events of the year, and this year is supercharged by the return of football and teams heading into CIF. Two teams battled it out on Homecoming Day. The Lady Owls played in a 2nd round playoff match against West Valley High School in their final CIF game in the gym, while the boys took on Santa Clara on the field.
Wide receiver Ethan Carrington ’26 had this to say about his preparation for the game. “I’m training every day, weight lifting, and watching films. I’m not really doing much different to prepare, and I am looking forward to playing my best.”
For sophomore Sam Narva this game was special to him because he returned from a major injury. “You know, it means a lot to me. I’m looking forward to being back with my teammates and getting back to scoring touchdowns,” Sam said.
The Owls showed exactly why they are a force to be reck oned with. They walked away with a 29-21 victory, illustrating that football is indeed back.
Multiple Owls contributed, with Carson Stewart, Gabriel Lea, and Spencer Hlavaty adding to the scoreboard. On the defensive side of the ball, Dylan Comis flashed some of the skills he learned in practice, recording two sacks which huge ly impacted the game.
In addition to Dylan’s incredible defensive performance, Carson contributed on both sides of the ball, setting up the Owls’ offense by forcing a fumble during a critical moment in the game. Sam recorded an interception in his first game since early September and made a considerable impact, demonstrating that his recovery from his broken foot indeed paid off.
The Lady Owls entered the game with an impressive 12-3 record, coming off of a dominant win against Wildwood School. Junior Sarah Woodhouse led Owls with 20 kills, and freshman Ginger Finney dished out 32 assists.
While the Owls fought incredibly hard, they lost a tough match to the highly skilled West Valley High School.
The Lady Owls had an incredibly successful season, going undefeated in league play and hanging up another banner in Merovick Gymnasium.
2022 World Cup
WORDS and ART by LUCY WANGThere is so much more to the World Cup than victory, glory, and intensity. There is an indescribable spirit to this month-long tournament; it has the power to bring out the passion of people from all around the world and connect their hearts together as they celebrate, grieve, and bond over this shared experience.
“[The World Cup] is this vehicle for unification across the world; there is a whole being around it,” said social science instructor and soccer coach Kevin Shertzer. “It’s an identity and a life for people. It’s not just a sports tournament.”
The 2022 World Cup will be hosted in Qatar, and it will be the first World Cup held in Novem ber, instead of in June, due to the extreme summer heat in Qatar.
Much attention has already been drawn to the host country ever since they won the right to hold the World Cup back in 2010.
Organizations and fans worldwide have criticized the country’s treatment of the 30,000 foreign workers in build ing the infrastructures and other multibil lion-dollar projects for the tournament.
The workers live in squalid accommoda tions, work with little wages, and have no access to government aid. Many fans have been disappointed with Qatar’s effort to acknowledge their actions.
This November, fans will watch a total of 32 countries compete for the World Cup title. After the group competi tion, the remaining teams will enter the knock-out stages; the games will get pro gressively more competitive as the best teams fight for the championship, awarded on Dec. 18.
It is a milestone moment as the United States returns to the cup with an enthusiastic team, after unexpectedly dis qualifying for the 2018 Russia World Cup.
“It’s a big step for the country. Soccer has been growing and becoming more popular,” junior Joshua Hansen said.
Since the World Cup only happens every four years, it places enormous pressure on the players to perform at their best, and it holds such significance for the players to repre
Sometimes just having a place in the World Cup can unite Soccer has the ability to bring resonance in the world community and its power for unification within a country is immeasurable. The emergence of a star player can mean the
Many Americans are excited to see the perfor mance of Christian Pulisic, who plays as an at tacking midfielder or winger for the United States national team and Premier League
Pulisic is often perceived as one of the best players of his generation world wide, and his work ethic makes him stand out from other players.
We live in an era where star players train day and night, starting in youth teams, trying to achieve or reach an un
“And sometimes that could turn into this soul-sucking experience of trying to be the best you could be; Pulisic didn’t do that; he played Tuesdays and Thursdays because he loved playing,” Shertzer said. “He did it because he loved it, and you can’t exchange that for any
It is not to say that Pulisic did not put in hard work and effort, but that his love, pure enjoyment, and soccer talent are rare in today’s sports cul ture, and America is indeed lucky to have such
The dynasties are changing as a significant amount legendary veteran players retire, and a generation of energetic and talented young players begin to make a name for themselves. Still, the sportsmanship and spirit that the World Cup represents will persist.
The World Cup trophy will attract the hearts of four billion people worldwide. It will bring grand celebra tions or endless disappointments in different countries and unite nations and bring people together.
“For the soccer players, that’s what you dream about,” Shertzer said. “It’s the pinnacle of what you play for. And there are other things that are important, like the Champi ons League and the Gold Cup, those are important too, but nothing surpasses the World Cup.”
After the catastrophic disqualification four years ago for the 2018 Russia World Cup, the United States men’s team returns to the field.
Athlete of the Issue
Kendall Keshen ‘24 captured the 200 Individual Medley in a record time of 2:14.48
WORDS by ANNIKA FIRLIK and CHRISTIANA CINO PHOTO by JACKSON BALTESQ. When did you start swimming?
“I started swimming when I was 2 years old because my parents were worried I was going to fall into the pool. I was a gymnast from the age of 4-11 until I began to grow taller and was told I was getting too tall for the sport. So, my mom decided to put me on the swim team and I fell in love. I began swimming competitively at the age of 12 and haven’t stopped since. I began getting faster and working my way up the groups until I reached the senior group.”
Q. What does your schedule look like every week?
“My average swim schedule is pretty complex. Monday and Wednesday I swim from 2:30-4:30 p.m.. On Tuesday and Thursday, I swim from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and have dryland from 4:45-5:45 p.m.. On Thursday mornings, I swim from 5:30-7 a.m.. On Saturday, I swim from 6-8 a.m. and then have dryland from 8:15-9:15. The earliest I have to wake up is 4:45 a.m. The latest I will get home is 6 p.m.”
Q. What’s your best time or favorite type of race?
“My best stroke is breaststroke and Individual Medley (IM). I am better at the 200 IM than the 400 IM. My time in the 200 IM is 2.12.96. I’m good at both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. My time in the 100 yard breaststroke is 1.09.24 and my time in the 200 yard breaststroke is 2.29.81.”
Q. How is the dynamic of being a swim team different from other sports like soccer or volleyball?
“Being on a swim team is quite different than being on a soccer team. When you swim, it’s an individual sport, but hav ing team support and a good team culture can make all the difference. Many think that you are just racing against a clock, which is true, yet you are constantly being pushed by your teammates and your coaches to perform at your best level.”
Q. What does an average swim meet look like?
“An average swim meet will start with a group warm up about 15 min before the meets starts. The arrival time for warm ups varies but usually it ranges from 6-7a.m. Meets usu ally start at 8:30 or 9 a.m.. In each meet, there will be races for each stroke and the varying lengths. The meets usually last anywhere from 2 to 6 hours.”
Q. How do you build strength?
“Our team works with Titan Sports Performance, where we have dryland (or weight training) three times a week. We have a special program built for us swimmers to prioritize the things we are weaker at and the things we have to focus on with mo bility. We tend to have a lot of shoulder mobility work since our shoulders are rotating and working much more than other sports, so we need to prioritize them so they don’t get injured like mine did.”
Q. What does your high school season look like?
“Our swim season begins in March and goes through May. Throughout the whole year, I am swimming and competing for my club team. For the high school season, I swim at the San Marcos meets and go to the Cate meets to get CIF qualifying times.”
Q. Where does your motivation come from?
“I think that my motivation comes from my passion for swimming and I love the way I feel as I fly through the water. The motivation also stems from the people around me, like my teammates, coaches, and friends.”
Q. What are you most proud of?
“Despite all the obstacles that may stand in your way, there is always another path. I started at Laguna in kindergarten when we had no swim team. Now here I am, many years later, with a CIF banner hanging in the gym and a four-person swim team. My dreams became possible because I worked hard and never let a challenge stand in my way.”
“from your past emerges the present, and from the present is born your future.”
Muhammad Iqbal