The Paw Print March 2016 by The Paw Print

THE WEST RANCH PAW PRINT WRPAWPRINT.COM

...BECAUSE WE GET THAT YOU DO IT

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

IT’S A SMALL WORLD GOOD EATS SEUSSICAL IT’S HIP HOP

WEST RANCH HIGH SCHOOL

Cover Art by Jaeun Park

News Editors Nikhil Bhumralker Candace Ro News Writers Raylene Factora Erica Gillespie Jaesung Park Lauren Lee Sports Editor Jagmeet Arora Sports Writers Bryce Fenenbock Jaryn Santos Sarah Ziskind Andy Song A&E Editors Erica Lee Rachel Lee A&E Writers Sydney Young Aerin Choi Samantha Hartung Hannah Kim Megan Chang Audrey Kim Opinions Editors Gisela Factora Sydney Chang Opinions Writers Josie Lionetti Zoey Greenwald Mina Jang Ga Min Kim Jong Hak Won Features Editors Jacqueline Hoffman Juliet Bernal Features Writers Angelina Hernandez Kiana Quick Alina Truong Siena Zarrell Centerspread Editors Sarah Castillo Jaeun Park Web Editor Morgan Smith Copy Editors Riley Villiers-Furze Min Ju Kang Editors-in-Chief Min Jae Kang Aaron Lee Advisor Mrs. O’Shea

Letter from the Editors 1

News

Opinions

Features

Good Eats

A&E

Sports

Let’s Talk About Vape

Welcome to the second semester of the school year. Freshmen are starting to get the hang of things and seniors are closing in on liberation. But amist these changes, some things remain constant. The Hip Hop team is still dancing, people are still vaping, and we still have awesome theatre productions. Luckily for you, another thing is constant: the Paw Print staff is still here to cover all these constants – the things we will remember after all this is over.

Min Jae Kang Editor in Chief

Aaron Lee Editor in Chief

Principal for a Day Dave and Kathleen Schutz join Mark Crawford as principals for a day Story and Photo by Morgan Smith

n Feb. 5, West Ranch participated in the 24th annual Principal for a Day sponsored by the Santa Clarita Valley Education Foundation. Parents Dave and Cathleen Schutz and community member Stacy Edwards were invited onto campus to shadow West Ranch Principal Mark Crawford and Assistant Principal Donna Manfredi to see firsthand what it takes to manage an effective and positive learning environment. “I enjoy spending time with folks from our community in the business field and sharing with them the complexities of the job,” said Crawford. “Most of all I enjoy sharing the great aspects of West Ranch.” Neither participants are strangers to the program, especially the Schutzs with three students currently attending West Ranch and one graduate attending University of California Santa Barbara. “We’ve been participating [in the program] for years,” said Cathleen Shutz. “It’s a way for us to see what’s going on at the school and give a little in return.” During a tour of the school, the new principals were able to visit classrooms -- including those of their children. After their morning rounds, Crawford, Manfredi, and their trainees headed over to the rally and even led the traditional Spirit Helmet cheer. “It was fun. It was a good day to be here and to see the

school spirit,” said Cathleen Schutz. Following the rally, the principals also enjoyed a catered luncheon at the Santa Clarita Activities Center with other principals, district administrators, and sponsors. Along with an interactive presentation, participants met with various superintendents. This event is more than just a way for parents to check up on their student during class: The SCV Education Foundation, founded in 1995, is dedicated to offering aid to students, teachers, and schools and promoting appreciation for public education through outlets such as literacy programs, teacher grants, and scholarships given to seniors every year -- West Ranch students have even been the recipients of several of these grants and scholarships. “It’s to support the teachers and administration. They take such good care of these kids and given them a hand up into the world,” said Edwards. Local school districts including William S. Hart, Castaic, Saugus, Newhall and Sulphur Springs come together to raise the funds for these programs. “I want the impact to bring awareness to everything that the schools are offering our children out in this valley; it’s very impressive,” said Dave Schutz.

Astronomy Shoots for the Stars Story & Photos by Lauren Lee

Secondary Mirror Strut Light Primary Mirror Rocker Box

WEST RANCH TELESCOPE

While many students here at West Ranch spend their days doing homework, sports and napping, the West Ranch astronomy club has been very busy working on an impressive project. “It’s called the West Ranch Telescope. We want people from different clubs to come and reserve a spot on the telescope and design it however they want,” said Astronomy president Amanda Becerra. The Astronomy club has been building a telescope that can see the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, and Jupiter’s Red Spot. “We’ve been working on this since 2014. After we visited Griffith Observatory, our club’s founder, Emma Lee, had this idea that if more people could see the stars, it would change the world. And that’s why we began building the telescope,” said club adviser Christine Hirst. Students are building what is known as a Dobsonian telescope. The telescope is a favorite among amateur astronomers because of its simple design and portability. This telescope was not at all cheap to make, however. “It cost about $1,900. We got the money from part of a leftover Toshiba grant and one from the Wish Foundation,” said Hirst. With much adversity, the club managed to almost finish building the telescope in a year and is still making the final touches. With the telescope nearing completion, the club has several plans for putting it to use. “We’re going to look at some astronomical phenomenon, go to some star parties, look at some planets, and arrange after-school field trips,” said Hirst. The astronomy club has definitely made a huge achievement building a telescope that will make a huge impact on students. “We want to be able to use the telescope to get the kids excited about astronomy because it really brings the stars close to you when you see them on that scale,” said Hirst.

Story & Photos by Raylene Factora

Chances are, at some point in your “People can be swayed or life, you’ve been a victim, bystander, encouraged when the majority or perpetrator of bullying. The are doing ‘good’ online. #iCANHELP program is trying to Students just need to be shown lower those odds. As stated on their how to respond to the negativity. website, “The #iCANHELP message We need to empower our future is clear -- one person has the power generation to take action against to make a difference and delete all the issues that are arising with negativity online and in his or her technology,” said Karr. life.” Students were frequently raising On Jan. 27 and 28, the co- their hands in response to questions founder of #iCANHELP and current asked by Karr and volunteering leadership skills for different teacher, Kim Karr, activities. One lead assemblies activity had four for students, students put on “I learned about all discussing a wide animal masks the power we have as variety of relevant so they couldn’t teenagers at out age, see each other topics. especially on social Throughout the and act out media. We can make a whole hour and scenarios given difference.” a half duration to them, proving of the assembly, the point that Karr shared stories of e v e r y o n e both bullying in real life and cyber- acts different ways and interprets bullying. One story revealed how the interactions differently. program started: students from the Another activity had two students school Karr works made an offensive squeeze out toothpaste to Facebook page about a teacher. symbolize someone venting their After two weeks, a student finally feelings to people, then trying to turned the kids in, and the page was put the toothpaste back in the tube taken down. This prompted Karr to show the effect students’ words and another teacher, Matt Soeth, to have on others. create the #iCANHELP program to inspire students to take action.

Towards the end of the assembly, after showing a video of people shouting out to their loved ones, Karr invited students up to the front to shout out anyone they wanted with a megaphone. Many students thanked their friends and family for supporting them. “I shouted out my amazing friend Aastha,” said sophomore Sidra Mirza. “I wanted to thank her for being an honest friend and making me feel good about myself.” Though students came from all different backgrounds and grades, all of them took away something new. “I learned about all the power we have as teenagers at our age, especially on social media,” said freshman Jonathan Brinkman. “We can make a difference.” Follow @icanhelpdeletenegativity on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to show that you can make a difference and show your support for the program.

Story by Nikhil Bhumralkar, Juliet Bernal, Sienna Zarell, and Erica Gillespie Photo by Minju Kang It’s a daily scene: you walk through the West Ranch parking lot through a sea of cars with cracked windows. At first nothing’s unusual until smoke starts billowing out in clouds so thick you can’t see inside, and a smell so potent that the entire parking lot smells like Jolly Ranchers. Over the last few years it’s become a phenomenon. It seems as if everybody either vapes or knows someone who does. “I like doing it and learning new tricks. I also honestly just like the way it feels,” said a West Ranch student who wished to remain anonymous because of the negative connotation of vaping. Despite the increasing popularity, there are still many people that are opposed to vaping. The ingredients are the most controversial part of vape. Although it is considered harmless because it doesn’t contain tobacco, many still contain nicotine, which has several dangerous side effects. Nicotine travels through the body’s bloodstream, reaching the brain within seven seconds. From there, the brain releases chemicals that give the body a happy sensation. Once you’ve consumed nicotine, the brain cells become addicted, a person starts to get that “happy feeling,” and it’s hard to stop. Over time, this repeated inhalation of smoke threatens the health of your heart, arteries and lungs which can increase the risk of heart attack, strokes, and lung disease. Vape’s claim to safety is that nicotine levels can be adjusted by the users until there is no nicotine left. Because of this, vaping can be potentially harmless. While many may look at vaping as a pointless hobby, there is another side to it. A lot of people have turned to vaping in order to quit smoking. I headed to a prime source of vape pens here in Santa Clarita, the Smoke Depot. It’s a relatively new smoke shop which opened in 2015 at the mall on the bottom of Valencia Boulevard. Since opening, the business has expanded rapidly. To be honest, I expected to walk into a store full of teenagers excited to waste money on shiny new vape cases and flavorful juices, but that’s not what I saw at all.

I walked into the shop, and was instantly hit by an overpowering sweet birthday cake fragrance, strong enough to make me stop for a second. I glanced around the shop. Thousands of products, including vape cases, vape juice, cigarettes, vape pens, and hookahs lined the shelves along the sides of the store. On one side, a woman looking to be in her college years assisted a group of young adults with various vape products. I watched as one of the men inhaled smoke and smoothly let it out. Others were trying to blow smoke rings with their vape pens, joking around with each other. I was greeted by another employee looking to be in his college years. He directed me over to a middleaged man, the owner, sitting behind a register. He is Farid Zahreddine, and he agreed to let me ask him a few questions about why he opened the Smoke Depot and why he vapes himself. Before the introduction was over, Zahreddine reached for his own vape, took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the vapor, which came right up into my face, the smell of marshmallow smoke once again jarring me. The interview commenced, and I found Zahreddine to be a very amiable owner. “I opened this store after successfully quitting smoking cigarettes. During my journey, I went from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. With e-cigarettes, I was able to gradually decrease the nicotine level in the juice and worked my way from 100 percent nicotine to zero percent nicotine. Now a days, vaping is not necessary for me; I just do it to pass time,” said Zahreddine, before taking another puff of the vape. The true reason Zahreddine opened the store was that after he stopped smoking and started vaping, he felt 10 years younger and his health vastly improved. After trying to use nicotine patches and other methods of quitting, only vaping worked. He wanted to help others with their smoking addictions by introducing them to vaping, which has been proven to be cleaner. “In this store, you will only find products from companies who label what is in their product. Other store owners mix their own juices, but I chose not to because I want customers to know exactly what they are inhaling into their bodies,” he explained. Interestingly enough, most of Zahreddine’s customers are older people who are trying to quit smoking. Our interview was interrupted by an elderly couple who needed assistance.

“

After friendly greetings, the man and woman, who looked to be in their sixties, took out a vape case and explained that it was not working. Zahreddine took out some tools and took apart the case, playing around with it. In a few minutes, he had finally found the problem, a faulty battery. It was easy to see how much Zahreddine cared by the way he thoroughly explained things to the couple, and how he was so personal with them and his other customers. He proceeded to replace the battery for a discounted price. “I am really doing this to help people stop smoking, and I have helped close to 300 people quit since I started this business. There is nothing I can do about the teenagers who come here, especially those under the age of 18. Some use fake IDs to buy our products, and others have their parents come in to buy things. I can try to stop this, but in the end, it is up to them,” said Zahreddine. Because it is located just down the street from West Ranch and up the street from College of the Canyons, the Smoke Depot is a popular store for teenagers in Santa Clarita. However, you must be 18 or older to purchase products from the store. Zahreddine claims that he kicks out at least 10 high schoolers per day because they are underaged. At the Smoke Depot, one vape case usually costs around $150, while each juice bottle is about $12 month, which amounts to $36-48. For a high schooler, this seems to be pretty expensive.

There is nothing I can do about the teenagers who come here, especially those under the age of 18.

“

Even though the $150 is a one-time payment, a vaper goes through an average of three to four juice bottles a month, which amounts to $36-48. However, looking at it from the perspective of quitting smoking, vaping is a much cheaper option. A cigarette smoker spends approximately $200 on cigarettes per month, and the maximum amount spent on vaping per month is much less. When the smoke fades, the financial benefits of going from smoking to vaping is clear. But most West Ranch students aren’t smokers trying to improve their quality of life by switching from cigarettes to vaping. According to a study by Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of teenage smokers has decreased 18 percent. The number of vaping teenagers has tripled since 2012, and it’s increasing steadily. For teenagers, vape isn’t a way to quit smoking. Given the choice between an e-cigarette and a cigarette, an e-cigarette is a better option. Given the choice between an e-cigarette and nothing...? Many of the health effects of vape haven’t been fully studied, although the the general consensus is negative. A Harvard study conducted at the end of last year confirmed the presence of toxic chemicals in the vape juice that destroy the lungs’ airways. A recent scientific study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science done on both people and rodents shows the vast difference between cigarettes, vape, and not smoking at all. Their results were similar to Harvard’s.

The United States Food and Drug Administration is relatively vague on the topic of vape. On the FDA website, the information supplied about e-cigarettes is limited. It discusses potential effects of vaping, which include pneumonia, congestive heart failure, abnormally low blood pressure, and more. In response to these possible health risks, the FDA had proposed a series of regulations last year. These new rules would, if enacted, create a black market for e-cigarettes. The final regulations are on their way to becoming official, but the specifics have not been released about what they are. However, these regulations have the potential to drastically change both the vape industry and vaping habits of e-cigarette users. If so much about vape remains a mystery, it begs the question: why is vaping so widespread among students, particularly here at West Ranch? “All of my friends do it - actually pretty much everybody I know either owns a vape or uses somebody else’s. It’s just something you do when you’re with people,” said another anonymous West Ranch student. To put it simply, vape is “in” right now. It’s glorified by the media, endorsed by A-list celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, and a normality among many groups of friends. As teens living in the digital age, we are impressionable. We are prone to peer pressure. Also as teens, we think we know the answer to everything, rolling our eyes at the things we’ve been hasseled about since elementary school. Vape has become a fashion trend, and everyone wants to keep up with the trend. There’s nothing wrong with keeping up with popular culture; however, this latest craze might lead into something much worse. There is also a common stereotype that a lot of students at West Ranch come from high income families. In a study conducted by the Panel Study Of Income Dynamics, families with higher incomes tend to have a higher history of drug use. While this study applied to marijuana and alcohol, it is likely that the same rule can apply to vape, which is just as pricey a hobby. With the vape outlets that are popping up all over town, e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly accessible. This is great for the smoke shops and the industry, but is it great for you? This is the two-sided story to vaping. On one hand, it is easy to see its great benefits when compared to smoking cigarettes. Vaping is cleaner, safer, and cheaper. However, if a high schooler whose first experience with “drugs” is e-cigarettes, vaping may be dangerous. It is costly, and the medical effects are unknown. While the truth about vaping is yet to be uncovered, the industry has continued to grow. Will this trend continue?

Dear Friend...

Your Faith Does Not Excuse Your Bigotry One day at school during lunchtime, I had been enjoying my lunch hours, content that I could socialize with my friends for a hour. You, in your usual smile and casual walking gait, came up to me suddenly as you asked me one more time to join your church. You said, “Come to my church this Sunday. It will be fun. I’ll show you all the friends and people from church. Come on, I really need you to come.” Along with your Sunday conversations with me, I remember you also begging me repetitively to attend your church retreat held every summer. With my summer plans filled already and my parents reluctant to drive me, I politely declined. The next event that happened, however, came to me as a surprise. You fired back at me as you spat out, “Well, if you don’t go to church with me and continue to be a non-Christian, then… I guess you would not mind or care that you would be suffering in a place called hell after your death…” You were a friend that I had known since seventh grade, and here you were saying some of the most disrespectful words I have ever heard come out of someone’s mouth. Did you know what reaction your words caused? How it gave a negative impression toward you? Aside from my experience with disrespect between religions, I am truly disgusted about the hatred between different religions in the world. Throughout history, civilizations have clashed and fought over “Make not Allah an obstacle to your doing good and guarding against evil and making peace between men.” Quran 2:224

“God hath made of one blood all nations that dwell upon the face of the Earth.” Bible, Acts 17:16

the dominance of religion. The Crusades showed an example where numerous soldiers attempted to capture the holy city of Jerusalem in the name of Christianity. Have you ever considered that this animosity divides countries into halves and turns one country to another for brutal and indifferent war? I know you care deeply about your religion, and I know you are passionate about learning and practicing Christianity by attending Sunday service and the annual church retreat. My intent is not to offend you personally, but I feel as though I need to share my beliefs about respect between religions to you. I earnestly hope that by respecting each other’s stances on religion, both of us could continue to be good friends. Increasingly in the 21st century, the term religion has often been the starting point of all conflict. Recently, a college professor was asked to leave school after she posted on Facebook that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Her purpose was to mainly limit the feuding hatred between the beliefs between Christianity and Islam, but her voice came under fire for advocating a deference and a more peaceful relationship between the two beliefs. Imagine if each person in this world had the right to practice their own religion without a fist of tyranny to stand against them. I urge you as a friend to consider respecting each religion without slamming on their respective values.

Kind Regards, Gamin Kim

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Bible, Romans 12:10

“All people are your children, whatever their belief, whatever their shade of skin.” Jewish Prayer Book

“All beings long for happiness. Therefore extend thy compassion to all.” Gautama Buddha

College Board

While the new SAT is scheduled to change from March 2016, the standardized tests still seem geared to the nation’s wealthiest 1%.

By Jong Hak Won

The SAT. The AP Exams.

Just the mention of either of these tests is enough to cause distress for many students. The overarching organization that controls both of these is known as the College Board, a supposedly non-profit organization whose purpose is to facilitate access to higher education. Most students will rail against the College Board because it is the source of a lot of stress. However, there are more objective reasons that College Board meets the criteria for an evil organization. The most obvious problem with the College Board’s tests is the upfront cost that they require. If you took AP tests last year, it cost you $91 per test (and the cost expected to be $92 this year). Currently, I’m taking five AP courses, which means I can expect to pay almost $500 just to take five tests. Setting this high of a price for a test is problematic since many people are deterred from taking the test due to the upfront cost, which is tragic since these tests can be extremely beneficial. My biggest problem with the way College Board conducts testing can be exemplified by its most notorious and dreaded exam, the SAT. Although it’s supposed to be an acronym for “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” the SAT does anything except measure a student’s potential to succeed academically. There is a fundamental problem underlying the SAT: those who are rich enough to afford legions of tutors and months of dedicated prep classes are the ones who score higher. Much of the SAT isn’t something that can be prepared for through a normal high school curriculum. Studying for the SAT requires that you learn all the tricks that the test writers throw into the test. You need to memorize 2000 specialized vocabulary words that no 17-yearold teenager has likely even read or heard of prior to the test. You need to know how the writers use specific modifiers in a sentence to catch one letter grammar mistakes. These tricks are only learned through SAT-specific tutors or classes that can cost a family up to several thousand dollars. This brings us back to the original problem that only kids with families that have enough cash to spare can score well.

Supposedly the new version of the SAT may resolve this problem by cutting out parts that have traditionally received complaints such as the vocabulary sections. However, this still doesn’t solve the issue that those with money can still hire tutors to help them on the tests. Even though Khan Academy is offering free tutoring online, it still doesn’t match the personalized attention that a hired tutor can offer. Of course, it’s possible to pass the SAT based on the skills that are learned throughout high school. However, there are still special nuances within test questions that are intentionally so convoluted that only those who have had tons of special prep done beforehand could possibly answer. What also worries me is the College Board’s monopoly on the content and process of standardized testing in America. Almost every standardized test taken in high school besides the ACT is written, controlled, and graded by the College Board. This is worrisome since this means that one organization has the sole discretion on how standardized curriculum is created in this country. Perhaps the most insidious consequence of the current system is how it perpetuates structural disadvantages against minorities. While the tests were not set up to be this way, in practice, they have exacerbated the harms of being poor or minority in this country. Year after year, it’s consistently shown that minorities consistently underperform on the SAT compared to whites. Defenders of the SAT will point out that this merely reflects socioeconomic status and that the test itself is fair. However, this ignores one major component of what goes into the SAT in the first place, the experimental section. For those that haven’t taken the SAT before, the experimental section is one section on the exam that test pilots new questions and is not factored into the overall score. If certain questions are not answered correctly by many test-takers, then the question will not be considered for use in a future test.

But if many do answer it correctly, then it in all likelihood will be included in future tests. However, it’s shown that questions that are answered correctly by rich whites on the experimental section tend to be included while those answered correctly by minorities are not. The disparity is driven by the aforementioned inequality in access to prep resources such as tutors. To quote Jay Rosner, a writer for the Princeton Review Foundation, from his chapter in the book “SAT WARS: The Case for Test Optional College Admissions”, “So, if high-scoring test-takers — who are more likely to be White (and male, and wealthy) — tend to answer the question correctly in pretesting, it’s a worthy SAT question; if not, it’s thrown out. Race and ethnicity are not considered explicitly, but racially disparate scores drive question selection, which in turn reproduces racially disparate test results in an internally reinforcing cycle.” Fortunately, it’s been announced that the new SAT will not have an experimental section. However, so long as socioeconomic class can affect one’s score on the test, institutional racism will continue to plague the SAT. The College Board started out with good intentions of getting more kids into higher education. However, its practices over the years have only resulted in a benefit to a select elite few while disenfranchising the poor and disadvantaged. The best way for the College Board to resolve these issues is to devise a testing scheme that ensures an equal playing field for all high school students in the country. Offering Khan Academy as a free resource was a great step forward; the best way to truly eliminate the issue of prep inequality is to find some way to make personalized tutoring more accessible to those that can’t afford it. Because if the College Board and all the colleges in the nation expect us to take all these extra tests, the least they can do is make sure that everyone has a fair shot at them.

STUDENT OPINIONS

[ ] [ ] [ ] “I think it’s a really great program, and it prepares kids for college. Their motives are really great.” - Mauri Dobbs, sophomore

“[The College Board] tends to monopolize the ways of gauging one’s intellectual abilities...” - Jonas Katona, senior

“I don’t like the way of testing... it doesn’t really test our knowledge on a specific subject...” - Shreyas Hariharan, sophomore

THE STATS

$200,000,000

The revenue College Board, a “not-for-profit” company, made in 2013.

High school grades are a better predictor of graduation rates than are The profit College Board standard SAT/ACT test scores.

$62,000,000

made in 2013.

$750,000

The total amount of compensation the current President, David Coleman, earns in a year.

Heavy reliance on SAT/ACT scores in admitting students can have adverse effects on the diversity of the student bodies in universities. *From The 2009 book, “Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America’s Public Universities,”

Not Your Parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Vote

What do Wildcats want? Conversations with West Ranch students about who they are supporting for president and why.

Name: Skijer Hutson Grade: Freshman Supporting: Bernie Sanders

“I am pro-Bernie Sanders because I stand for change and he is the person I think will change the most. I mean of course Donald Trump would change a lot of things, but against what I believe in. A lot of young people are ready for someone like Bernie Sanders. Hillary Clinton would make small changes and be more moderate, but we’re ready for something big. I like liberal ideals. I like LGBTQ rights. I like feminism. I like everything that is more progressive. I’m your typical revolutionary teenager.”

Name: Gabby Dellaripa Grade: Junior Supporting: Hillary Clinton

“Hillary Clinton’s foreign and domestic policy is really strong, and she’s the most

experienced candidate. Her support of male and female reproductive care and Planned Parenthood has been outstanding. She took her role as First Lady and Secretary of State seriously and did the most with them as possible. Why over Bernie Sanders? Her policies are stronger. Bernie has changed his mind on a lot of issues such as gun control and health care; things that Hillary has remained strong on since her first words in politics. Hillary Clinton is the best candidate.”

Name: Drake Sims Grade: Sophomore Supporting: Ted Cruz

“He follows the majority of my issues and we agree on most of his policies because he’s fiscally conservative on his social issues, and that’s good. Why am I a republican? Well, I try to look at whether working for your money is good or is having the government give you your money good. I would rather work for my money because eventually you’ll run out of other people’s money.”

Name: Julia van der Colf Grade: Sophomore Supporting: Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio

“Ted Cruz’s economic policies and tax plan are the most solid out of all of the candidates, but Marco Rubio’s social ideas and overall leadership skills are the best out of most of the candidates. I just believe in the republican ideals of upholding the constitution, economic plans, and growing businesses.”

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G : N I D N E TR NOW

T S E B E H T F O E S M T N SO U O C C A T A C D WIL

@ACHAY

“I like the idea of turning an everyday item into a piece of art. With VSCO I get to showcase my own creativity and my own art.” - Adrienne Chang

a Quic

n By Kia

@KMCHI

“I’ve always enjoyed music and I’ve always wanted to produce and create something of my own. I guess I just hope to get the thoughts in my head out in a beat.” - Daniel Lee

@HAPPYL1NE

“I was inspired to make the account because I’ve always wanted to be well known in the art community. The art world is really competitive but I was told my style was unique and I decided I wanted to share it.” - Davis Lee

@INTROVERTING

“My favorite part about posting on social media is basically documenting my life in little squares. I like the documenting and photography aspect to it.” - Janelle Forbes

French Fries • 1 potato • 1 cup of oil 1. Peel and cut the potato. They should look like raw steak fries. 2. In a large saucepan, pour the oil. Boil the oil. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation.

Frozen Hot Chocolate • 6 tablespoons of hot chocolate powder (3 packets) • 3 cups of ice • 2 cups of milk • chocolate shavings • whipped cream 1. Combine the hot chocolate powder, ice, and milk into a blender. 2. Blend for about 2 minutes or until smooth. 3. Pour into glasses and serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

3. Gently place the potato slices into the oil. Use tongs or chopsticks to evenly spread out the potato slices. Leave the slices until a coating can be slightly visible. Check to see if they are done if they easily indent or if you can make a hole easily in the slices.

Oreo Mug Cake • • • • • •

9 Oreo cookies ½ teaspoon of baking powder ½ cup of milk 1 teaspoon of sugar whipped cream/vanilla ice cream cooking oil

1. Crush the Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender. 2. Mix the crushed cookies, powder, and milk in a bowl.

baking

3. Grease a mug with cooking oil. Pour the batter in the mug and microwave for 2 minutes. 4. Let the mug cool for 10 minutes and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

• • • • • •

Street StyleFries Ramen French

2 packs of ramen 1000 cc of water (about 4.25 cups) bacon green onion 2 slices of mozzarella cheese Sriracha

1. Cook the bacon beforehand. Put the bacon on a paper towel, and pat it down to get rid of the grease. 2. Boil the water and the flavor packet together. When the water is frothy, add the noodles. Put the slices of cheese in as well. 3. When the noodles separate easily, cut up the bacon into small pieces and add with the green onion. Serve with a drizzle of Sriracha.

To All the Miranda Sings Haters: By Sydney Chang

Miranda Sings. want to pull their hair out. When people hear this name, they They simply think, “Why?! Why is this immediately picture the red lipstick crazy woman ruining our idol’s songs?” smeared all over her lips and the red And the answer is, simply, because pants that leave enough girth for her she wants to and has proven to be funky dance moves. successful with her style of humor over Miranda Sings, a character played by the years. Colleen Ballinger Evans, has become I do not mean to steer this article in a sensation on YouTube for her silly a political view all of a sudden, but let yet hysterical humor. She satisfies the us take a look at our first and foremost desires of her fans with videos of herself amendment. The First Amendment showing “tutorials,” collaborating with respects people’s freedom to express other YouTube stars, and and live as an individual. ranting about her haters. “These 10-year- Miranda Sings is simply Her videos would not in accordance olds really do acting be the same without her with this amendment egotistical grimaces and not understand while making almost eyebrow raises. While a million dollars every the whole idea many of her Mirfandas year. of humor and (the title Miranda Sings Her humor may be fans uphold) support considered absolutely satire.” and laugh at her videos, childish and ridiculous, those on the other end of but people love her for the spectrum absolutely despise them. not being afraid to show her true self “You are ugly” and doing what she believes to be her “lol you sing so treble.” forte and passion. Based on the pitiful spelling mistakes Haters can continue to hate, but her and level of immaturity evident, I have success and popularity will continue concluded that 10-year-olds have to expand. Miranda Sings has hosted probably written these hate comments. multiple comedy acts across the nation These 10-year-olds really do not and attended some of the biggest understand the whole idea of humor events, such as VidCon and the Teen and satire. Choice Awards. Her book “Selp-Helf” Miranda Sings often covers popular became “New York Time’s” #1 bestsongs, and she sings them in a certain selling book in the summer of 2015, way that just screams “Miranda Sings.” and she will have her own Netflix TV While her dramatized soulful voice series that is to premiere sometime and fluctuating intonations in her voice soon. make me (and other fellow Mirfandas) Her name has become big in the laugh, these qualities make others world of YouTube. Her popularity and simply spat. Swifties furiously type fame will be maintained as long as she on their keyboards. Beliebers cannot possesses the same arrogance and believe their eyes and ears. Directioners calls out her haters to back off.

Back Off

Real Name: Colleen Evans Number of Subscribers: 6,005,496 (as of publication) Most Popular Upload: Shake it off - Taylor Swift (44,650,897 views)

Story by Juliet Bernal

Allie Banks is a bubbly ASB member, cheerleader, and DFYIT president, and believe it or not, she is also receiving an $180,000 scholarship from the Marines. Balancing school and extracurriculars is tough for all high schoolers, but for Banks having to balance the Marine’s physical training, a strong GPA, and multiple clubs and activities takes everything to a whole new level.

his past summer, Allie was approached by a recruiter from the Santa Clarita Marine Corps recruiting office. Despite never having considered joining the military, Allie listened to what he had to say, and that was the start of it all. It’s now a year later and West Ranch senior, Allie Banks, was awarded with an $180,000 scholarship toward college tuition. Each summer between her college years, she is required to attend a different camp that will help prepare her for the last summer training, when she will attend Officer Candidate School (OCS), and upon graduation from college she will be commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps. In order to win the scholarship, Allie, besides having good grades and a variety of extracurriculars, had to score high on a physical fitness test and go to an interview with the executive officer of the Los Angeles County. “At first the guys were sceptical of me because I was this little blonde cheerleader trying to join the Marines, but then they saw that I was serious and that I work hard.” Her interaction with the other recruiters make clear her leadership abilities and her dedication to the Marines. Now she’s a squad leader, guiding a group of guys at

physical training who she considers to be a part of her family. Banks wants to stay in the Marines for more than the four required years, even though the whole process of training is extremely intense and stressful. After some time in the Corps, she hopes to pursue a political career in the federal government: congress or senate. As the end of high school ticks closer, Banks says that she will miss so many relationships with not only the students but also the staff. “I have grown so close with so many staff members, teachers and admin. I’m going to miss seeing all the familiar friendly faces every day; however, I am very excited to get to know more people like me in the ROTC program at UCSD, people who share the same interests and goals.” Banks’ family is very supportive of her joining the military. Both her parents and friends are very proud of her and her accomplishments. “I’m so proud of her. She’s worked incredibly hard these past few years and I’ve always known that she was capable of doing big things,” said senior Tali Brian, one of Allie’s closest friends. It’s very clear that no matter what path Allie decides to take in the end, she will be successful.

“At first the

guys were skeptical of me because I was this little blonde cheerleader trying to join the Marines, but then they saw that I was serious and that I work hard.”

it’s a Small World Story & Photos by Min Ju Kang, Jacqueline Hofmann, and Siena Zarrell West Ranch has recently opened its gates to a group of students who are not from the valley. Students from Austria, Australia, China, and Syria have integrated into our school system so well, in fact, that some of you may not have been aware of their presence until now. Here is a glimpse into the lives of those who have come into the place we call home and occasionally ‘Merica.

Weizhi Zhao

Grade: Senior Hometown: Zhuhai, China

“In my hometown, it is very hot and humid. When I arrived in Los Angeles I thought the weather was great and no pollution. You know pollution problem in China is very serious.”

Jane Escolano

Grade: Freshman Hometown: Marikina, Philippines

“I was actually ahead in private school in the Philippines. [The schooling] was more private there. Here, public school is not a big deal. But there, the difference between public and private is a big deal.”

Lauren Pritchard

Grade: Sophomore Hometown: Sydney, Austrailia

“We might [revisit] this summer. Yes, after I graduate [we will move back. I have learned] that there’s a lot of different cultures and well, they’re all kind of different and the same.”

John Asmarian

Grade: Senior Hometown: Aleppo, Syria

“I moved three years ago because of war. Living in a war country was hard on me and my family because I couldn’t leave my house and barely saw family. I would like to visit Syria but not move back. I have learned to always fight back at life.”

Jiazheng Li

Grade: Senior Hometown: Beijing, China

“The classes in China are nine subjects a day and every class is 45 minutes. And schools are tall buildings, maybe four or five or seven or eight floors. And here, it’s only one floor.”

Clemens Hofmann

Grade: Junior Hometown: Hartberg, Austria

“[My friends] were jealous, especially when I said California. I heard there is sun. Everything is filmed in California. It’s California, California, California. Austria is really cold at the moment. It is 20 degrees. It is like summer here. I love it.”

Manuel Inclán González

Grade: Sophomore Hometown: Oviedo, Spain

“My school back home is called La Ería. And yeah, everything is different. You have six periods for one hour and you don’t have to move from the classroom. The teachers move. The high school is much smaller.”

Meet the Team Led by officers Sky Thomas (President), Alexa Yutuc (Vice President), Krizzel Cleofas (Treasurer), Angel Siao (Music Director), and Justin Perez (Choreographer), HipHop club joins forces to perfect their moves every Tuesday and Thursday. Their inspiration? Favorite activities outside of school? I interviewed the members of hip-hop to find out.

Sky Thomas 11th Grade

“My freshman year I saw a bunch of dancers, and I knew I liked dancing, so I went to Hip-Hop club. I’ve been in it ever since. My job as president is to coordinate when we have practices, make sure we have the supplies we need to continue dancing, and that we have practice space. I also do the choreographing. In my free time, I volunteer at Real Life Church teaching kids how to dance as well as leading a group of first graders as a small group leader.”

Alexa Yutuc

Angel Siao

Justin Perez

“I got involved in hip-hop because I love dancing, so when I found out there was a hip-hop club I wanted to join. Hip-Hop club has made me more confident of my dance skills. Dancing is also another way to be healthy and exercise, so it has benefited me a lot. As vice president, I assist the president in choreography, and I’m in charge of who gets to be in the dances. Since I’m a junior, I have a lot of homework, SAT stuff, and college to think about, so hip-hop is a good gateway to relax.”

“I did hip-hop for my 20% Time Project for Mr. Manalastas. My project is on self-discovery, so that week was to challenge yourself. And I’ve never danced before, especially in front of the school, but I just went ahead and did it. I started singing when I was three, and I just started performing. But mostly I’m into producing music and managing shows rather than singing. I’ll go on SoundCloud and find music that a lot of people don’t know, but then a few months later everyone knows the song.”

“I like dance because it’s a great way to express yourself, and I’ve loved dancing since about four years ago. I usually go to classes at International Dance Academy in Hollywood. [My favorite part about Hip-Hop club] is just being there every day during Hell Week, which is what we call it when we have to be there every day before the rally. My older brother is my role model because he got really good grades when he went to West Ranch last year and throughout his whole life. And he’s just a really cool guy to be around.”

11th Grade

9th Grade

HIP HOP

hen I first go to take pictures of the hip-hop rehearsal, I can’t find the rehearsal room. First, I think the team will be rehearsing in the dance room, but no luck there. Instead of hip-hop dancers, girls from the West Ranch dance team are stretching to warm up. I quickly excuse myself from the dance room and hurry outside. Eventually, I text Sky Thomas, a junior and president of Hip-Hop club, who informs me that the team is practicing in the staff lounge. When I later ask Sky if this change of practice location happens often, she responds, “All the time. When it’s rally weeks we usually have conflict because the [dance team has] the dance room Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Luckily, Ms. Asplund is our advisor, so we are able to go into the staff lounge.” The staff lounge is set up with all of the tables and chairs pushed to the side leaving an open space in the middle of the room for the team to practice. Thomas stands facing a group of about 10 people as she leads the choreography of the newest dance to be performed at the rally. The opening notes of the song “Say It” by Tory Lanez blast on the stereo, and Thomas calls out the beats. The atmosphere is lighthearted, and the dancers joke comfortably with one another despite differences in age. “I got to meet all of these new people, and now they’re my friends. So that’s really cool,” said Hayley Bolosky, a sophomore member of the hip-hop club. The typical process for preparing for a rally starts off with a lot of preparation on Thomas’ end. She looks at the date of the next rally and begins to plan choreography for the dance. Luckily, Thomas usually gets help from two other members of the club who choreograph their own dances. Thomas personally gets inspiration from watching dancers on YouTube such as Ian Eastwood and WilldaBeast, but it’s still challenging for her to come up with original moves that are appropriate for school.

Story and Photos by Megan Chang

their critiques. Suggestions float across the room filling the air with calls for “more attitude” and to “get lower for that move.” After only a couple of run-throughs of the dance, Thomas feels that the younger members of the club are ready and lets them flood outside of the staff lounge to take a break. The older members of the club, however, stay inside to rehearse their private portion of the dance. They joke around with each other, and immediately, I can feel the adrenaline from these veterans. The dance itself is full of spirit with all of the dancers comfortable with their motions.

“

Hip-hop is wild and messy, not proper or uptight.

”

It’s the day of the rally, and this time the theme is Black Light. Right before going out to perform, the team has a pep talk reminding the dancers to do their best, but also to have fun. Obviously, some nerves are felt in the air, but for Thomas, it’s a whole different kind of anxiety. “I personally don’t get nervous for myself before rallies,” said Thomas. “I’ll get nervous for my team.” The team ends up putting on an entertaining performance with the black light making all of the dancers’ white shirts glow in the dark against the backdrop of fluorescent neon posters. At one point, the black lights flicker on and off producing a strobe light effect that leaves the crowd cheering. The music eventually fades away, and I can tell that the team is overjoyed at having performed so well.

Only two more days until the rally. The dancers are It’s clear that it’s the passion and companionship yet again stuck inside the staff lounge. Today, they are doing something called peer comments, meaning that that makes this club so successful. Freshman hip-hop dancer Taylar Holloman, who two dancers perform at a time while their peers offer previously did ballet, says it best: “Hip-hop is wild and messy and not proper or uptight. You know, you can get loose with hip-hop. You can’t do that stuff in ballet.”

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL a West Ranch theater production

By Candace Ro, Raylene Factora, Sydney Young, Angelina Hernandez

Angus Deveaux

Mayor of Whoville

“I can totally relate to my character because he’s sweet and wants what’s best for him, his family, and his friends.”

Lara Monti Jojo

“He’s very adventurous and he’s all up in his head. Every other character has bright colors associated with them, but Jojo is all gray and black.”

Hila Oz Cat in the Hat

“The Cat in the Hat is very silly and fun so I try and just be very out there with the character.”

Sierra Turcotte Sour Kangaroo

Gisela Factora

Horton “Horton’s trying to do his best to help people and a lot of things go wrong for him, and I think everyone can find that a little relatable.”

“My character and I are both very adamant. My vocal type is very strong and so when I sing it’s very powerful, and that’s why the character is a good fit for me.”

the evolution of pop music Story by Samantha Hartung Illustrations by Rachel Lee and Siena Zarrell

Justin Bieber started out with light bubbly songs that were very recognizable because his voice hadn’t hit puberty yet. As he became more and more famous, his voice matured and he adopted the title of “Hollywood’s Heartthrob.” This all came to a screeching halt when he was arrested for a DUI. Fortunately, he made quite the comeback recently, releasing his album “Purpose.” His songs now include a variety of brass instruments, and they have a modern twist that separates them from generic pop music. Compared to his high-pitched and generic songs before, Bieber’s hip-hop inspired, deeper songs are much better.

Sia has been singing and writing songs since about 2001 when she released her album “Simple Things.” Personally listening to it, the tracks sound very electronic, featuring a lot of electric piano and repetitive sounds. Additionally, Sia seemed almost afraid to play with her vocal range and therefore, almost all the notes were in the same pitch. In 2014, Sia released “100 Forms of Fear” which included her most popular songs “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart.” People definitely liked her new style: edgy and made to dance. She paired her raspy yet unique voice with streamline tracks to add contrast.

Ariana Grande is one of the biggest names in music right now. In her first album, all the songs had a distinct sound: bubbly beats and sweet lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, they were successful songs, but they reminded me of Barbie pop music. In 2015, she released “My Everything,” which was a step up from previous albums. She created a fun and fresh album full of catchy songs. Grande included her signature high note in almost every song, but the use of saxophone and bubbly tracks created a sassy album. This album was more mature compared to previous “Barbie” albums because she added a hip-hop twist to her feminine voice.

Senior captains Nikhil Bhumralkar, Jake Hettinger, and Ruben Banerjee look to three-peat as league champions and make a competitive run at the CIF title.

AT HOME IN

Photo by: Jaryn Santos Story by: Sarah Ziskind The 2014-15 year proved to be a memorable one for West Ranch’s softball team. The team collected a total of 10 wins and zero losses in league, which gave them the privilege of advancing into CIF playoffs, where they placed second. Unfortunately the Lady Wildcats had to say goodbye to seven seniors, including Keeley Walsh, catcher, Charlotte Romero, third base, and Lexy Sorenson, pitcher, who were instrumental to the team’s success. Walsh, who received a full ride scholarship for her outstanding accomplishments on the field and in the classroom, is now continuing softball at Princeton University. There is no doubt that a load of pressure is weighing on top of this year’s 2015-16 team. It will be a difficult record to beat but the players and coaches believe it can

be done. “Our goal for this year is to make it to CIF playoffs where everyone has a chance,” said head Coach Bob Shults, “If I were to pick one word to describe our team it would be ‘determined.’” With players like seniors Katie Clinkenbroomer and Jessica Harper, who have committed to University of Arizona, and sophomore, Makenna Harper, who has committed to Arizona State, there is a great chance of the team reaching their playoff goals. New arrangements have already been made to strengthen the team in areas that were left weak after last year’s graduating seniors made their departure. “We have a very strong middle,” said Coach Shults. “Harper and Napoli in the middle of the indfield and

I THE ZONE

Megan Smith in center field are very good defensively, while Katie Clinkenbroomer, who moved from second to third base, is looking like an ALL-league kid.” ALL-league is the title awarded to the player voted best within league. Before advancing into playoffs, the team is focusing on league. As for conditioning, Coach Shults believes as long as they can hit it over the fence they’re all good, which has been proved to be a successful philosophy. “Our biggest competition this year would have to be Saugus,” said senior captain, Jessica Harper. “They have strong players all around, but their top pitcher was out last season due to injury which hurt their team tremendously.” The team plans to shut down the Centurion’s immediately with their offense, ensuring a win for the Wildcats.

In their last high school season ever, the three graduating seniors, Jessica Harper, Katie Clinkenbroomer, and Megan Smith, have already begun to express how much they will miss playing as a Wildcat. “After graduating I’m really going to miss playing with my sister [Makenna Harper],” said Harper. “She is my best friend and I love playing with her and being able to push each other.” By the looks of it, it will be a great season for seniors to end on. CIF playoffs are easily within the team’s reach and there is no doubt that the team will come out on top. Good luck Lady Wildcats!

Freshman Stud:

Shelbi SChauble By Bryce Fenenbock & Andy Song

Q: How do you like the West Ranch team? A: The cross country team has become like a second family to me. The coaches and athletes are all so supportive and caring and we all have become so close together as a team. I couldn’t have achieved all that I did in this last cross country season without all of my teammates’ and coaches’ support and guidance. I truly was blessed with such an awesome team that was not only very hardworking but very supportive in every way.

Q: When did you start your running career and why? A: I first got on the track when I was about 9 years old. I started it just for fun because I tried other sports, but none of them really clicked with me the same way running did.

Q: What are your short and long term goals? A: My short term goals are to really make the most of this upcoming track season and be able to make it with the help of my team to the Arcadia games in the spring. My long term goals are to make it to state with my team or as an individual in cross country, and with the help of my team become the first girls’ team in West Ranch history to win league overall for cross country.

Q: What is your biggest running achievement? A: I’d say I’m most proud of making it all the way to CIF Preliminaries as an individual last cross country season. I was extremely honored to be invited by myself, but I wish my team was there with me at the start line. I wouldn’t have made it to that point if it wasn’t for my ladies.

Q: Who is your role model? A: That’s a tough one, but I’d have to say Destiny Collins [of Great Oak High School]. Her work ethic is like no one else and she’s inspired me to keep fighting to reach my full potential. She’s achieved so much in the running world that I strive to accomplish in the next couple years.