The Paw Print March 2017

THE PAW PRINT March 2017 Vol. 6 Issue 3

the GPA game pg. 4 maya evans pg. 12 landmarks pg. 14 drumline pg. 18

CONTENTS

news editors Raylene Factora Erica Gillespie news writers Ryan Factora Jaesung Park features editors Jacqueline Hofmann Min Ju Kang features writers Kulsoom Hasan Angelina Hernandez Hannah Kim Alina Truong Alyssa Truong Sydney Young Siena Zarrell centerspread editors Sarah Castillo Megan Chang opinions editors Samantha Hartung Ga Min Kim opinions writers Zoey Greenwald Skijler Hutson Minjoon Kang column editor Jong Hak Won sports editors Bryce Fenenbock Sarah Ziskind sports writers Harneet Arora Jasleen Arora a&e editors Erica Lee Kiana Quick a&e writers Allison Alben Aerin Choi Grace Foster Christine Joo Audrey Kim Mary Waugh copy editors Mina Jang Andy Song web editor Lauren Lee web editor in chief Morgan Smith editor in chiefs Jaeun Park Riley Villiers-Furze advisor

Mrs. O’Shea

letter from the editors

Hey West Ranch, This is our second-to-last issue for this year, and we’re really excited to show you what we have in store for you. In this edition, we talk about drunk driving, GPA, what kids hang out at various landmarks at West Ranch, and we particularly focus in on the cave. We also talk about kids being held back for sports, and explore college sports scholarships and fake news.

We hope you enjoy. See you in our senior edition!

Have fun reading, Jaeun Park and Riley Villiers-Furze

A good choice on the road could save your life We read about all the tragedies. About people losing their lives to a careless driver, or because they were careless.

We see all the stories highlighting reckless driving among youth. The destruction a tiny device has the power to cause when we aren’t looking.

We hear the statistics. that Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, killing 2,270 people in 2014 alone. that Reckless driving is linked to 33 percent of major car crashes.

We experience the effects. the Flowers, wreaths, and memorials sprinkled throughout the roads of SCV, commemorating the countless lives taken by accidents ...

Back to driver’s ed, all of you Story by Andy Song

All the evidence makes it crystal clear: Reckless driving is a serious issue on the national and community level. And it’s one that certainly needs to be dealt with at our very own West Ranch High School.

Don’t believe me? Look no further than the parking lot, which becomes a mosaic of reckless driving the moment school lets out. Cars speed out of the lot faster than Mariah Carey’s career died on New Year’s Eve, drivers honk at each other like it’s some form of communication, and cars compete to cut each other off as if it’s a NASCAR race. The lot is loud, it’s unpredictable, and it’s a chaotic mess overall.

“The parking lot is so disorganized after school due to some drivers driving in the left lane and impatient drivers obnoxiously honking their horns,” said senior Andre Mendoza. “I feel like I have to drive more cautiously than usual and be more attentive so I don’t cause an accident.”

Heck, on the first day back to school (Jan. 9), there was a four-car accident on Valencia Boulevard at seven in the morning. Yes, you can argue that accidents at our school because of reckless driving are a rare occurrence, but when those accidents happen, they can have serious repercussions. In fact, it already has.

“Last year (2015) from March until the end of the year, we had four accidents in that area (Valencia Boulevard). Four times I was with our deputy out there making sure everyone was okay, but it happened four times where they thought, ‘Oh hey, I don’t see anybody coming; I’ll just go,’” said Principal Mark Crawford. “Sometimes you wonder if we are lucky that a pedestrian hasn’t been hit in our parking lot; [the reckless driving] makes it a dangerous situation.”

Now, whether you like to admit it or not, inexperience plays a major role behind the reckless driving at West Ranch.

Navigating through the parking lot and streets filled with the cars of three schools isn’t exactly the most simple thing, and a lack of time on the road can certainly lead to dangerous behavior.

“If you have never been in a car accident before, you don’t know how that feels and how quickly things can happen, and so I think it’s because [students] don’t have a lot of experience yet. They don’t understand the risk that they are taking,” said head counselor Suzanne Van Amberg.

Of course, teens aren’t the only ones to blame for the reckless driving issue.

In the hectic, noisy environment of the parking lot, many older and more experienced drivers can become carried away.

“The vehicle is a very deadly weapon, and I’ve been on multiple car crashes that have turned into fatalities because of speed and reckless driving,” said Deputy Coe. “Slow down, be considerate, and leave your house on time; it’s better to be a few minutes late then it is to be in a hospital bed.”

But regardless of whether it’s a student or a parent making poor choices, the reckless driving on our campus boils down to one factor: emotions.

“Everyone calls it an accident, but in almost all cases, it’s not a true accident.

There is something you could have done to prevent it, from not sending that text to not being angry behind the wheel, or taking your time to mellow out a little bit, or not being upset that the person cut you off,” said Crawford.

Reckless driving is a serious issue within our campus, but it’s also an issue that can be solved quite simply. From following proper pathways out of the school to realizing that every other driver in the parking lot wants to get out as much as you do, respect that there are plenty of ways that we can prevent accidents and save lives without spending more than minute of our time.

“I’ve been here 18 years, and the amount of young people that have lost lives in our community due to reckless driving, drunk driving, distracted driving, and just plain speeding has been astronomical,” said Crawford. “Life and the ability to do the things we want to do can be taken away in a matter of seconds.”

Drive safe Cats.

Photos by Minju Kang

You, Your Car, and a dozen Distractions Story by Kiana Quick

Safe Rides: 661-259-6330

s

Do you know that feeling when you’re in the ocean, and the water is almost at your stomach? Or when you’re boogie boarding and you’re just far enough where your feet can no longer touch the ocean floor? Suddenly, in the midst of having your fun day at the beach, an overwhelming sense of panic pours into you. You don’t know what could be lurking in the water. You don’t know if something could pull you down at any moment, and suddenly you want to get out and pretend like it never happened.

That overwhelming sense of panic is exactly what pours over me when I’m actively watching one of my friends drive me while they’re on their phone.

Although my life is literally depending on if they press send in time to look back up at the road, I can’t seem to speak up.

Watching them type letter by letter becomes excruciating and time slows down. I start unconsciously checking for cars around us in the mirrors. I look for people crossing the street. And then I think of the stereotypical car crash scene in the movies. The slow-motion one where you see the giant semi-truck hit the side of the car.

They press send. They put their phone back into the couple holder.

They start singing along to whatever song is on the radio. I relax.

Most teenagers would think this is just an overreaction to drivers using the phone while on the road, but hearing a close family friend talk about how every single one of his friends died in his car because he was drunk driving, you realize that one of those people could be you. The twitch in his hand from the huge scar the front windshield gave him scares you a little bit. And when you can see the sadness, the regret in his eyes, you learn something about making mistakes. Even if he wasn’t on his phone, it is still this same type of reckless driving that can change lives for the worst.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that every day, eight people are killed, and 1,161 are injured in similar crashes. I doubt someone could name 3,179 people off the top of their head, but eight people? Those eight people could be your mom, dad, brother, sister, the guy that sits next to you in English, a neighbor, anyone. This number has continued to raise throughout the past 10 years.

Sending a text is not worth more than a person’s life.

Teenagers don’t just ignore the fact that being on the phone while driving can lead to killing another human being, but they also ignore the consequences that follow.

According to the California State law, it is illegal for novice drivers (18 and under) to use their cell phone while driving. Being pulled over for cell phone use can result in a traffic ticket, points added onto your California driving record, and possibly the suspension or revocation of your license. Reckless driving involving cell phone use is considered a serious violation, and it can lead to a court date or traffic school, depending on how many offenses a driver has committed. Accidents where someone is injured or killed could lead to any one of those same consequences and possibly worse. In the long run, the mental punishment is far worse than paying off a ticket fine.

Getting into an accident and knowing you are responsible for a child’s disability or for murdering your best friend or for ripping a father away from his family — that is a guilt that will stick with you for the rest of your life.

Tell me now. Is that text worth it?

Pictures by Raylene Factora

Story by Jaeun Park & Jacqueline Hoffman

THE GPA GAME IS REAL. EVERYONE KNOWS THE GPA GAME IS REAL.

It’s 2015,

and a teacher walks into Mrs. Zeringue’s classroom, asking for a moment of her AP Chemistry class’ time. Zeringue acquiesces, and the teacher begins to talk about the Astronomy class offered at West Ranch.

The future Class of 2017 members, in the moment, all sophomores, listen to her spiel about the class. Some of the less sleep-deprived kids sit up a little, studying space and the stars, probing the mysteries of the galaxy -- who wouldn’t be interested? They consider going to their counselor and asking for Astronomy instead of AP Physics for next year.

Then, somebody raises a hand and asks a damning question.

“Is it an honors class?”

It isn’t.

And with that, the interested students slump back into their seats. They couldn’t possibly take Astronomy now -- it would be a threat to their GPA. GPA: three numbers on a piece of paper separated by one infinitesimally small dot. Yet to most, if not all, students at West Ranch, these three number are a determinate of their complete and utter worth.

“The GPA game is real,” senior Ryan Yoo, and the projected Class of 2017 valedictorian, said, “Everyone knows the GPA game is real.”

In this so-called GPA game, there’s only one rule: get the highest number possible. For the players, this game is accompanied with secrecy and rivalry. Best friends become your competitors and even enemies.

Minds are cluttered with a plethora of questions like: How many,

THE GPA GAME COC classes is she taking? What classes should I save for second semester senior year, just so my rank won’t go down?

Should I take the classes that interest me or the classes that boost my GPA? “In the past,” said senior and projected tied-for-salutatorian Tiffany Wong, “I’ve noticed people not wanting to discuss rank, or discuss what classes they’re taking besides West Ranch. They want to be a step ahead of everybody else, and they want to sneak up behind everybody else in the ranking.”

“Sometimes they don’t even want to tell you how many [COC classes] they are taking because then you can go and add another one and then they will lose that point zero something extra that they would get,” senior and also projected co-salutatorian Cynthia Samano said.

Students seem incredibly uncomfortable when it comes to talking about their GPA and their ranking and what actions they are taking to get a little more traction in the game.

In fact, when Samano was asked if she would’ve agreed to an interview last year, when she was a junior and the GPA game was still incredibly heated for the Class of 2017, Samano replied, “Probably not.”

“I don’t mean to accuse anybody,” sophomore Hope Jin said, “But some people are super secretive about it.”

Hope Jin was the only underclassmen who agreed to be interviewed.

The junior class and freshman firstranked students both ignored or declined requests for comment.

With this competitive atmosphere, the question is raised on whether this mentality is healthy for students. Is teaching students to value a number or letter over acquiring knowledge on a subject of interest or importance detrimental to how we view the world as adults?

“It’s all a game,” West Ranch guidance counselor Christine Reynoso said, “And it is unfortunate that it has become that. So, while I would say that I don’t

judge it, it is a reality and it does exist.

That’s the part I don’t like; I would love to go back to when we were younger and it was yeah you did well, you got into more competitive schools, but it was nothing like it is now, where you have to try and fit a certain mold.”

Teachers have noticed a change from what taking an AP or Honors class meant when they were students compared to now.

“I don’t mean to be critical,” AP Literature teacher Alison Hunsaker said, “But back in my day AP and Honors courses were not weighted, so people would take those classes specifically to challenge themselves. When I took AP Literature as a senior, getting a B would have been the same as earning the B in a regular English class. When you took those courses, you were really focused in on the rigor of those courses.

Now, we have students who choose for themselves or those who are encouraged by extraneous factors to take AP classes solely for the units you can earn.”

While Reynoso says she understands the reality of the situation regarding the competitiveness of college admissions, she still wants students to realize the importance of building character and memories, instead of solely building upon a number.

“What kind of memories are you going to have? Is it going to be just having your face in a book the whole time or are you going to be able to be part of different programs like journalism or going out with your friends? Or even just plain sitting and watching Netflix every once and awhile. There is true value to that too.”

West Ranch offers 4.0 classes, the regular classes, as well as 5.0 classes, the honors and the AP classes, allowing students to create a balanced schedule in which they can still be a teenager while also taking rigorous and academically challenging classes. However, it also leaves room for students to really learn how to maximize the GPA game. A 5.0 class such as AP

Bio, AP Euro., Honors Pre-Calc, and AP Lang., raises a student’s weighted GPA, while 4.0 classes such as Astronomy, P.E., health, and Spanish, lower a student’s weighted GPA. Masters of the game are often advised or feel it necessary to neglect the 4.0 classes either entirely or until second semester senior year when such classes won’t affect their ranking.

On the other hand, classes offered at COC, which West Ranch students can take through the College Now! program, fall into the 5.0 scale, meaning that most (if not all) classes taken at COC will raise a student’s weighted GPA. Therefore, the summer after sophomore year isn’t spent looking forward to being an upperclassmen, but instead it is the perfect opportunity to make COC one’s home away from home. Acting as an instant grade-point booster, COC classes, which sometimes only last a few weeks, are a quick way to move up in rank.

“Just by numbers alone, I wouldn’t have been able to get my GPA without taking COC classes,” Yoo said. “That’s why I took them. But, does it matter now? No. I really don’t care. It’s stupid. Isn’t it stupid how you do stuff and you don’t care about it later.”

ISN’T IT STUPID HOW YOU DO STUFF AND YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT IT LATER?

If given the chance to re-do high school, many of the higher ranking members of the senior class would have made some changes to their high school class schedules.

YOU SHOULD JUST TAKE WHATEVER INTERESTS YOU, AND TAKE THE CLASSES THAT ARE RELATED TO YOUR CAREER.

“I do wish I had taken more 4.0 classes,” Wong said. “You should just take whatever interests you, and take the classes that are related to your career. I feel like once you hit a 4.5, it doesn’t really matter anymore. You’re really all just in the same range.”

“I think maybe I would’ve taken photo,” Samano said, “Or added more fine arts and probably culinary.”

In addition, boosting that little decimal number comes with a price-- forgoing the chance to be a teenager.

Wake up, go to school, go to COC, go home, do homework, repeat in less than four hours-- and don’t forget sports, volunteering, and other extracurriculars. Hanging out with friends, going to basketball or football games, or even attending school dances are sacrifices that have to be made in the name of The GPA. “I skipped prom last year,” Samano said, “I couldn’t go because I had to study for APs last year and any dance it always ends up falling right before a test or something major so then I have to stay home and study.”

Most of the top “players” of the GPA Game view this competitive atmosphere as a less than conducive.

“I feel like for the people that are driven by the competitive atmosphere, and they’re able to not break under it, the atmosphere at West Ranch is fine.” Wong said. “But, I find it sometimes discouraging that GPA and grades are prioritized by students over actual learning.”

Senior Irene Lee doesn’t feel disheartened herself, but recognizes that others may become mired in the competition.

“I think it does push people to work harder,” Lee said. “But I think sometimes people will get too caught up with just that number instead which is bad.”

Yoo believes this competitive atmosphere surrounds one thing: college admissions.

“Students entering high school have been told, and become very stressed out, that colleges are important and vital to your future, and that these colleges only care about numbers on a sheet,” Yoo said, “It’s a big scare factor, and because of that students try to claw at each other in order to get a little bit of a higher number. Students really treat it like a competition for survival, and it’s because we’re high school students, and we’re really close-minded. This is such a small stage in our lives, but it’s the biggest we’ve seen so far.”

However, there is no one source of this competition.

“I made myself want it,” You said.

“I don’t feel it is something I have to do but it is something I want to do--to do my best,” Jin said, “I know that if I am doing my best I can’t regret it later.”

I DON’T FEEL IT IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO BUT IT IS SOMETHING I WANT TO DO -- TO DO MY BEST. For Samano, the push came from her family.

“My older brother was really the one who introduced me to APs and GPA classes and all that,” Samano said, “I had no idea about it, and my brother was like, ‘Take this!’ and I was like, ‘Okay, I will take it.’”

Samano’s older brother is Miguel Samano, Class of 2015. Miguel graduated third in his class and is currently at Stanford.

Even with this push, the competitive atmosphere over GPA does not really seem to lead to much.

The Paw Print estimates that about the top 20 ranked students in the Class of 2017 at West Ranch High School all have GPAs at or above a 4.60.

In contrast, Harvard-Westlake School,

the infamous college preparatory school, known for feeding students into the Ivy League system, has little to no students with a 4.60.

In an interview over email, Lucy Kim, a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake, stated that, “As far as I know, no one has achieved a 4.90 at my school in recent years. A 4.60 happens to be the highest weighted GPA anyone has seen so far (we have stat books with graduated students GPA’s in them), and I would say that a 4.60 is incredible.”

Hunsaker has noted that there is not a necessary correlation between GPA and academic performance.

“We’ve seen kids who end up in that [GPA] stratosphere that are not necessarily the highest performing,” Hunsaker said, “I had a kid who was really smart and really high performing and he was maybe sixth on the list, because he wasn’t taking all his classes at COC he was taking all his classes here.”

Samano believes that West Ranch students tend to place value in GPA only to find out too late that it has little to no worth.

“I say do what is best for you overall rather than trying to beat your friends at their rank,” Samano said, “Because in the end, even if we are just focusing on the college thing, [the colleges] are going to look at you overall as a person rather than just your rank. I have known people who have a really high rank who don’t end up at any of the Ivy Leagues; whereas others who maybe don’t have such a nice, high rank end up at the really good schools.”

Yoo, valedictorian, has a GPA that clocks in at 4.90. So far he has been accepted to UC Berkeley, but rejected from Caltech and deferred from MIT. “At this point,” Yoo said, “I don’t care.”

DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU RATHER THAN TRYING TO BEAT YOUR FRIENDS. IN THE END, COLLEGES ARE GOING TO LOOK AT YOU OVERALL AS A PERSON RATHER THAN JUST YOUR RANK.

Kave Kidz Story by Jacqueline Hofmann Photos by Skijler Hutson

Valentina

Skyler

Courtney

Elijah

Emilio

ORANGE FOR

MAYA Story by Siena Zarrell & Angie Hernandez

W

hile most high school kids are expecting a new phone or a car on their birthday, Maya Evans was given something that turned her life around.

The story started in October, when Maya caught a case of pinkeye. Unusually, after it cleared up she was left with bumps around her neck and on her head. Maya was in and out of the doctor’s taking blood tests and she assured her doctor that it couldn’t be mono. At a lacrosse game later that week, she struggled to find enough energy to run and breathe.

She visited the doctor’s office again and during a physical exam, they found a mass in her abdomen. After more blood tests, a CT scan, and a bone marrow extraction the doctors finally knew what was causing her so much pain. On Nov. 7, Maya’s parents received results that their daughter had mixed phenotype acute leukemia, a rare mix of both ALL and AML leukemia. Maya was then hospitalized on Nov. 10, the day after her 17th birthday.

“I was in shock and didn’t really ‘react.’ My parents, however, didn’t take it well at all. I could tell they were trying to stay calm but I know they were and are struggling with my diagnosis a lot more than me.”

The diagnosis didn’t just change her life. It turned it completely around. Prior to the diagnosis, Maya was one of the varsity lacrosse captains and an active member in all West Ranch Pack events.

Immediately after the news, she was hospitalized and told that she would not be able to return to school.

Maya has a port that was surgically implanted under her skin. It connects to the major arteries in her neck and pumps her medicine through her body.

Although the treatment process can be hard, she has her family, friends, and community to support her.

“It’s incredibly heart warming. I didn’t think this many people would care.

Receiving all of this support had made coping a lot easier.”

Back in November, ASB contacted Maya to share their intention of dedicating a basketball game to her. West Ranch ASB member, Liesl Block, spent months organizing the spiritwear theme for the basketball game that took place on Jan. 17. In dedication to Maya, the game’s theme was orange-out, the color of the Leukemia ribbon. Both the West Ranch Pack and the Hart Tribe transformed into a sea orange. Maya attended the game and led the “rollercoaster”, a Pack tradition, at half-time.

“It was bittersweet for me because everyone knows I love everything Pack related-- being in it and leading it-- so that was amazing but it was also bitter.

Not only is my participation in the Pack a health hazard but this is my senior year and this is the last time I’ll get to do a lot of this stuff anyway.”

Although Leukemia has changed every aspect of daily routine, it hasn’t changed Maya’s positive outlook on life.

“Well although there is a lot that I could be upset about, I’m alive and there isn’t much more I could ask for. I stay positive by reminding myself of how blessed I am regardless of what is going on now.

I have people that love me, I have all of my limbs, and I have a roof over my head.”

From Maya’s personal experience with cancer, she encourages others to “stay positive and surround yourself with people who love you. Isolating yourself from your friends isn’t the way to go.

Being left with your thoughts can only make this worse. This may seem like a dark journey but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”

In the Spotlight Story by Grace Foster Photos by Kiana Quick When first meeting junior Kyu Hun Han, you might notice his witty humor, learn about his love for video games and snowboarding, or if you’re lucky, experience his love for music.

Han was born in Korea and moved to the United States when he was in third grade.

“I learned English when I came here and it took some time but I really needed to do something with my life so I took up choir,” said Han. Han has been a choir member under the direction of Molly Peters for over four years and is currently in honor choir for the 10th time.

I love music so much because it lets me express myself in ways that I can’t without it Not only is Han active in the the singing community, but he has also participated in debate and is a dedicated church member. In sixth grade, he realized how much he loved music and decided to focus on it solely.

That love and focus threads through his entire life from singing at nursing homes to his church. The first time he auditioned for Honor Choir was at

Rancho Pico.

Honor Choir is a prestigious opportunity provided by the American Choral Directors Association and Southern California Vocal Association.

Students are given the chance to audition for a part in the regional, allstate, western division, or national choir and Han has been bravely doing so since seventh grade.

“It’s been really awesome to watch his journey and development. Just to see his connection to it and how much it means to him. To sing and perform and be part of an honor group. To be willing to go out there,” said Peters.

For each division audition, Han performs an Italian art song, major and minor triads (three note chords arranged as thirds), reads a piece of music when only given the starting pitch, and completes a test of tonal memory.

Han has faced these daunting tasks 12 times and although he has been denied

twice, he never lets that deter him.

“It’s fun for me to go and see how well I do and experience the judging process and if I get in I get to see the friends I’ve made over the years,” said Han. He has participated in every division over the years. In ninth grade, he made it to nationals and performed in Salt Lake City, Utah amongst students from all over the country. This year, Han is in the regional choir.

The hard work does not stop at the audition. The selected singers are then given a piece of music chosen by the conductor, usually Latin pieces. It is up to each member to learn their part since there are only two collective rehearsals before the performance to only work on the small minutiaes.

“It’s the best singers from all over California. I think the rigor in the choir is very high and the will to work. You have to work really, really hard,” said Han. Although it seems like a demanding

and stressful task, Han is nothing but appreciative of his experiences.

“It’s really fun and a great experience.

More people should try it,” said Han. Although he takes his musical journey very seriously, he does not plan to pursue a career in it.

“I know it’s difficult to major in music and I don’t think I’m the best theorist but I definitely think music is something I will do in the future, as a hobby or in a school choir,” said Han. His love for music is enough for him to work hard and pursue his passion without any monetary gain.

“I love music so much because it lets me express myself in ways that I can’t without it. Music lets me become characters in stories that I couldn’t possibly live through. Even without sharing a common tongue, musicians can understand each other just by having the same passion and I really love being a part of that,” said Han.

the circle

classrooms

the kave

a

the hill

the

basketball courts

landmarks - WEST RANCH Story and Photos by Aerin Choi, Alina Truong, Alyssa Truong, Audrey Kim, Hannah Kim, & Kulsoom Hasan

amphitheater

theater

the circle “I started hanging out at the circle at the beginning of sophomore year. My best memory is when my friend squeezed a Capri-Sun and it got all over them. The circle is a place where my friends and I like to hang out. My friends are very loud, but funny. I met the majority of them back in first, second, and third grade by playing on the playground at Pico Canyon.”

Hailey Slate, 10th Grade

backfields “Being in the backfields has defined my time at West Ranch by being my escape. The backfields is apart from the rest of the school, and it’s symbolic of how I distance myself from the ‘high school scene.’ I can do my own thing there, and it’s very liberating. You’re left with your own thoughts and the people you’re with, and to me, that’s very beautiful. I would want to see the legend of the backfields live on to still be where people go to hang out. I want it to be pure. No playing, no gossip, no lying, no trying to ‘fit in.’

It’s not somewhere you go to make out. Just somewhere where one can relax.”

Katia Martinez, 11th Grade

“We started hanging out probably in junior year during football season.

It’s been awesome...it’s been crazy.

It’s been good over here. We made it fun in our own way. I would like to be remembered at West Ranch as the guy who everybody trusted and knew about everything, and the guy who everybody wanted to hang out with and be around with.”

Antranig Asmarian, 12th Grade

“I like hanging out by the theater because it’s just a really positive atmosphere, and I get to be with my friends. My friends and, I were in the same theater class, and we just bonded. They’re really funny, creative, loud, and just amazing. High school would be different if I wasn’t in theater because I wouldn’t have met the amazing people in my class. Theater is just a place where I can be totally myself.”

Kate Gabon, 10th Grade

theater

amphitheater “I really like playing my PS4. I spend a majority of my time hanging out with friends and lowkey watching different anime. I am obsessed with Star Wars. It’s literally the best thing to have ever existed. I play a lot of tennis too. I hang out here mostly for the shade and the people I guess. My friends are crazy, but also really funny. I would describe myself as just a generally calm and average person. I usually try to suppress my emotions, and tend to only open up to my really close friends.”

Marcel Contin, 11th Grade

the

TRIO Story and Photos by Erica Lee

Four years of hard work, dedication, and trust.

Drumline is more than an extracurricular activity for Andrew Launier, Cameron Sotiangco, and Elijah Jones. After years of late night and after school practices, the three have become inseparable.

“It took until about, I’d say, halfway through sophomore year for the three of us to especially start clicking. And then junior year just glued it together.

And this year it was when it’s really apexed,” said Launier.

The group dynamic between Launier, Sotiangco, and Jones is constantly upbeat and happy. But when it is competition time, the three put their game faces on. They all strive for the same goal because they understand the importance of drumline and friendship.

They push each other to become better drummers. The three captains rely on each other for support and encouragement.

“We all have the same work ethic and

humor and social values and moral values and we think very similar,” said Sotiangco. “I’ve never felt so close to people who aren’t my immediate family. They take care of me all the time, whether I’m injured during practice or I’m dealing with boy problems.”

The trio create small mottos to motivate the members. Their junior year was “Get Paid,” which means if they work hard, they are going to see the result in the end. For this year, the motto is “Take No Prisoners.” Puns, funny side comments, and witty banter between them transfer over to their shows and express vibrancy and spirit.

Drumline displays a range of awards in their trophy case and have continued to collect more this year. The three friends have not lost a single competition in their senior year.

“We very much enjoy winning but to us it’s not about winning. It’s about keeping this family together as long as possible,” said Launier.

“IT’S ABOUT KEEPING THIS FAMILY TOGETHER.”

A Feature on West Ranch’s

DRUMLINE Drumline has been awarded high percussion, an award that is presented to the best percussion section in a marching band, for the past five years. Receiving the high percussions is an accomplishment that embodies the members’ ambition and the school’s spirit. West Ranch Drumline has also earned silver medals for the past three years.

“In marching band, it’s difficult for percussion to stand out on the field because the band needs to collectively be equal. However, our percussion section demonstrates qualities on and off the field that most percussion sections in Southern California don’t,” said Sotiangco.

Serious eyes, hard-pressed lips, and focused faces, all working together for one goal. Performing side by side is comforting in a stressful competition.

Drumline captains also use the audience’s reactions to become more energized and hyped.

“I like performing, probably the next best. There’s some feeling I get from performing, said Jones.

However, the traveling to competitions can be stressful and straining. With six

hour long bus rides, traveling can be challenging for the three captains. But they manage their school work and other academic tasks before going to competitions to focus on their performance.

“There’s always traffic so by the time you get to the site we’re rushing and eating -- not even eating -- swallowing our food whole,” said Sotiangco.

Even with the busy traveling practice and school schedules, the three make time to hang out.

“Our chemistry is closer than even some families. We all hang out all the time and we just know everything about each other. We are able to consult each other and vent out anything and everything we want to with each other because we’re just that comfortable,” said Jones.

Before drumline, they were three strangers. After hours and hours of practice, they became three close friends.

Drumline has taught them discipline and has created long-lasting friendships.

“We all know that we’ll continue to keep in touch and stay close when we all go off to college because we’re all best friends,” said Jones.

Playing the system?

The controversial trend of “redshirting” in high school Story by Bryce Fenenbock Parents of student athletes have exhausted every opportunity in hopes of receiving the elusive college scholarship. Flying across the country to train in renowned training camps such as “Five-Star” and “PGC”.

Attending yearlong boot camps with ex-NBA stars. Switching schools to find the perfect program. The recent, most controversial method yet, being “redshirting.” Applying only to college athletics originally, the term is generally used to describe when an athlete is kept out of competing for a year, with the coach’s discretion, in order to strengthen ability. From a high school standpoint, redshirting occurs when parents choose to hold their kids back one or more years previous to high school enrollment in order to gain an athletic advantage. After the successes of recent NBA standouts such as Nick Young and Karl-Anthony Towns, two athletes who reaped the benefits of being held back, this trend has hit boys’ basketball hardest in high school athletics.

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment high school redshirting became acceptable, but less than a decade ago this phenomenon was nowhere near as prevalent.

“The way you win today is not by working hard, or being diligent, or being more intelligent, or being

quicker. It’s just, I’m older. I think that’s a terrible incident. It’s the opposite of an underdog, if there is such a thing,” said assistant football coach Sean O’Brien.

At this phase in its progression, redshirting is no longer a trend, but an accepted practice in high school basketball. While 18-year-old junior Austin Galuppo stands out compared to others in his grade, he is no new story when competing in tournaments for his out-of-school team.

“Coaches ask me how many years I’ve been held back like it’s nothing anymore. Because everybody does it;

you can’t be good without it… When I get out of high school, I’m playing against kids who have been held back two or three times. They’re like 20 or maybe even 21 in their senior year [of high school].”

Cases of athletes being held back two or even three years raise the question: “Where does it end?”

The only rule currently in place by the National Federation of State High

School Associations bans athletes from competing if they are 20 or older entering basketball season of their senior year. With college recruitments happening these days as early as the eighth grade, however, senior year has become almost irrelevant to the recruitment process anyway. It’s not uncommon to see redshirts skip their last year of high school already riding with a college scholarship from their freshman year. In place of their season, these athletes will be granted access to their elected college’s gyms and training facilities to keep in shape.

If everything stays on pace, players will soon have no other option but to redshirt in order to keep up with the pack. Once every freshman is 16, what happens next? Will 17 be the new trend?

With no rules in place to stop the cycle, “true” freshmen will be given fewer opportunities to accel. Players not willing to repeat a year in their academics to keep up will be forced to to abandon the sport they love. “[Redshirting] can have the effect that the best way to excel in competition is to just stack the deck. It’s to not compete fairly or not have everyone have the same rules. It’s to literally be bigger.” said Coach O’Brien. “If I’m playing chess, I have the same pieces as you do. I don’t, just by fiat, get to have two queens because I want them. This

9%

of students are Held back in kindergarten

can foster that idea in kids.”

The design of high school sports is to foster the idea in athletes that hard work pays off and teamwork is the only road to success. An unfortunate result of redshirting is that these critical lessons are growing less and less true.

Practice can improve a player’s game in baby steps, but being more mature is impossible to make up for.

“I’ve coached kids true to their grade that train with the best work ethic. The sad truth is, no matter what they do, no matter how hard they train, they simply can’t outrun athletes more mature than they are,” said cross country and track coach Sara Soltani. “I understand that the rarity of college scholarships these days ‘forces’ some kids to redshirt, but you’ve got to feel sympathy for the kids that work so hard with no result.”

There is a level of risk that comes with athletic holdbacks. Because parents must make the decision early on in their child’s development, there is a possibility that their child might not even want to pursue sports down the road.

Additionally, that choice could stunt athletes’ social and academic growth and adaptability later on in life. When surrounded by less mature students, it is possible a redshirted student could fall academically and socially behind others of the same age. While West Ranch athletic director Cassandra Perez declined to interview on the topic, counselor Suzanne Van Amberg believed that the hesitation to redshirt could result in far worse consequences.

“I haven’t run into any parents yet that regretted holding their kids back to grow a little bit. Thinking oppositewise, people who push their kids to start kindergarten too soon, those parents have regrets sometimes. Because the students are usually younger, smaller, and socially sometimes more insecure than everybody in their class, they just don’t have the same opportunity to excel,” said Van Amberg.

Redshirting has weaved its way into high school athletics’ culture, yet a silent stigma continues to surround parents and athletes that choose to use it to their advantage. Varsity football athlete Grayson Thomas, a 17-yearold sophomore, aims to disprove the popular belief that the goal of redshirting is to cheat the system.

“When I started school I was really young and underdeveloped for my age. The majority of redshirts I know aren’t trying to get ahead, but are trying to catch up to the physical level of everyone else. If these smaller kids want to make it playing football or basketball in high school, they need to repeat a year to be able to compete with these naturally bigger guys,” he said. “Most seniors on the team are just two months

older than me and can lift way more than I can. There’s a lot of kids that don’t need it and a lot of that do just to have the chance to compete.”

From a more political standpoint, taxpayers are responsible to pay for a held back student to complete an extra year of an academic school year, on the context that the athlete is attending a public school. An article from the

3.1%

Daily Record recently discussed this subject at hand and reported that “local taxpayers will be subsidizing a student nearly $19,000 when the student has only a slim chance of receiving a NCAA Division I scholarship.”

When thousands of student-athletes redshirt annually, its effects extend far beyond the court. Rising opposition to the “redshirting” method have encouraged legislative efforts to suppress it from expanding further.

One particular example is the ‘Redshirting Bill’ introduced by State Senator and former Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey. The bill was set to penalize students if they were discovered to have repeated a year in middle school in order to gain athletic advantage. While it passed in the New Jersey State Senate in Jan. 2016, the bill had to be introduced once again as the New Jersey State Assembly failed to pass the legislation. It has never reached a conclusion.

There is no real way to prove if parents held back their kids back for athletic or academic reasons, making the bill virtually impossible to come into fruition. The biggest reason for the bill’s rejection, however, is the overall sensitivity of the topic.

Justified or not, society must accept that this the way high school sports are advancing. Only until parents and athletes respect the undeniable presence of redshirting in high school sports and are open to listen to both arguments will this silent feud be settled.

of athletes will play at the collegiate level

Following in Their Steps...

Story by Sarah Ziskind The bleachers fill with eyes full of excitement and nostalgia. Parents scream and cheer on not only their children, but the legacy they have created. From parent to child a gift has been passed down, creating a bond that is one of a kind. This is the gift of sports.

1.) Mrs. McBride and son Parker McBride : Tennis

2.) Mr. Price and daughter Grayson Price : Lacrosse

4.) Mrs. Sesay and daughter Etana Sesay : Basketball

3.) Mr. Haggenmiller and son Michael Haggemiller : Track

1.) The McBrides

2.) The Prices

3.) The Haggenmillers

4.) The Sesays

Dina McBride’s love for tennis has followed her throughout all of her life.

She has coached for over 20 years and shares her passion with her three children who now play as well. While playing at the University of San Diego, McBride earned a NCAA ranking of 44 for singles within the country. She also received a WTA world ranking for singles and doubles. Mrs. McBride brought her expertise to West Ranch’s girls’ varsity tennis team where she helped them to win first in league this 2016 season.

Dina’s son, Parker McBride, also shares the same talent as his mother. The junior at West Ranch has been playing since he was two years old. This is his third year playing as a varsity athlete on West Ranch’s boys’ tennis team.

“It’s very helpful having parents who play your sport,” said Parker. “They give me advice all of the time and also play against me.”

In his freshman year of high school, father, Jack Haggenmiller joined both track and cross country. He enjoyed a successful career as a captain for both track and cross country, leading his team to win CIF his senior year.

Following high school Jack chose to run during his years at USC. Senior, Michael Haggenmiller, began running track and cross country his freshman year because of his father.

“It gave us something to bond over,” said Michael.

At first, volleyball was listed on his schedule as well but soon was dropped, for he believed running would lead him to greater success. His instincts were right, seeing that the cross country team won two consecutive league titles, advanced to the state meet twice, and placed third in state this 2016 season.

Michael owes some of his success to his father. He thanks running for shaping he and his father’s relationship.

“My dad was like the varsity team’s designated driver so he would wake up at 4 a.m. just to drive us to meets every Saturday,” said Michael.

The history of lacrosse within the Price family dates back to 1973 when father, Ted Price, picked up the lacrosse stick in kindergarten. Years later Ted kept the stick in hand as he continued his passion in college. While at Princeton Mr. Price served as a team captain for the men’s club lacrosse team. As a father, he coached his daughter Grayson’s club team.

The 2016-2017 school year marks Grayson’s third year as a varsity athlete on the girls’ lacrosse team. Grayson recalls holding a stick in her hand for the first time back in the fifth grade where she played club under her father.

Now Grayson plays high school ball as well as club.

“He comes to all of my games which is nice because he can give me accurate comments to help me with my playing,” said Grayson. “It’s also nice because we can play together with my brother on the weekends.”

Mother, Tiffany Sesay, first picked up a basketball to play competitively her freshman year of high school. Ironically, she played three years as a Cowboy for Canyon High School’s girls’ basketball team which is now the rival team of her daughter, Etana. Unfortunately Mrs. Sesay’s career in basketball was cut short when she injured herself junior year, and kept her from ever reaching the varsity level. Injury wasn’t enough to cut basketball out of her life, and now a mother of four, she has involved all of her children with the sport.

Originally, Etana visioned herself as a volleyball player, but when things didn’t work out her parents encouraged her to take up basketball. Beginning freshman year, Etana has come a long way from frosh to a starting position on the varsity team. The sport has become something very dear to Etana’s heart. “It’s definitely something I’ll want to share with my children in the future,” said Sesay.

More Pay Less Play

Should college athletes be paid?

Story by Samantha Hartung Graphics by Siena Zarrell & Skijler Hutson As March Madness approaches, one of the most streamed television events of the year, the topic of paying college athletes always makes its way to the commentators suite. People ask “Well, should we pay college athletes?” and “Where do we draw the line?”

College athletes work so hard, and there is no doubt about it. Having to balance rigorous practices with studying for classes is no easy task, not to mention having a social life. While paying them to do classwork and go to practice is not the answer, student athletes should receive major benefits.

The NCAA strictly enforces the law that student athletes cannot be paid for promotional work or play time, which seems like a legitimate rule on the surface. Until you realize that these athletes are promoting brands for free, which is not fair. Whether it is a Powerade commercial or guest speaking at motivational events, college athletes are not getting paid a dime. They receive the fame and advertisements that professional athletes get, but are not rewarded for them. So what should they receive? Quite frankly, college athletes should get paid exclusively for extra work they do But where is all this money that the players are being deprived of going?

Coaches. Alabama Football coach Nick Saban made 6.9 million last year.

Geno Auriemma, who coaches women’s basketball at Connecticut, makes over 2 million. Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski made almost 7.3 million in 2016. Need to go on? These coaches are profiting so much from the

talent of young adults. I am not saying we should reduce the money given to coaches so that we can disperse it amongst the players, but keeping the coaches’ paychecks so high will not work. Perhaps we shave off a little from the coaches’ salaries and put it toward things such as a better training facility or new gear.

Perhaps the money could go toward offering more to athletes. Not every football player gets a scholarship to go play at their school. Not every

Most students a part of NCAA sports are not allowed to hold a separate job, which means they would have no other means of supporting themselves. Once again, that is fine for the 2 percent who do not need to pay for college or tuition, but as for the rest, it could become a struggle.

While the number of scholarships will vary school by school, the universities have to give out more. How are the families of these student athletes supposed to crank out the money for tuition as well as sporting expenses? It is not like the students can help them out, because they are not even allowed to hold another job. Even if they were allowed to hold a job, they wouldn’t have time to work with school and practice during the weekdays, and on the road games on the weekends.

If we start giving out more scholarships to student athletes, it will be completely justifiable to not pay them. But right now everything it is just too out of balance. All the team members are expected to perform at such a high level, but not all the team members receive aid. Something must change.

I am not an advocate for paying student athletes, because they are just that, students. But I am an advocate for the student athletes themselves. They deserve more, and whether that be more scholarships, pay for promotional work, or even the right to carry another job. If they have to balance the rigor of schoolwork with the intensity of playing a sport, they should have better benefits.

Otherwise, it’s just not fair.

They deserve more, and whether that be more scholarships, pay for promotional work, or even the right to carry another job, they deserve it.” softball player gets a scholarship to play for their school. Only 2 percent of high school athletes get an athletic scholarship to NCAA universities. So while those students fortunate enough to be given scholarships may be taken care of, everyone else has to pay for their education and housing while being on a highly demanding sports team. The system is working for only a select few.

The Pay Gap How do the salaries of college coaches and athletic scholarships compare?

$9,004,000

salary of highest paid football coach, Jim Harbaugh of U of Michigan

$1,640,000 *provided by USA TODAY

average salary of a head college football coach

$36,070 *provided by USA TODAY

average Division I football scholarship *provided by Scholarship Stats **all football scholarships must be full rides according to NCAA regulation

$10,400 average college athletic scholarship *provided by US News

Timmy Josten

Commited to California State University, Fullerton for baseball.

“First of all athletes don’t get priotity over regular students ... We basically have a job to play baseball and go to work for 20 hours a week ... We don’t get treated any different than a normal student. Regular students have academic scholarship opportunities, unlimited access to the gym, field, pools, courts, and everything.”

Ashley Mayhall

Commited to Georgetown University on Women’s Golf scholarship.

“I think that all college athletes are considered priviledged because they get free training experience and I feel like that’s indirect payment. We definitely get any help we need and get first picks at classes and registering for classes as well as free on-campus food and dorming.”

FAKE NEWS false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic Story by Jong Hak Won

“T

rump offering free one-way tickets to Africa, Mexico for those who wanna leave America.”

“WikiLeaks confirms Hillary sold weapons to ISIS … then drops another bombshell.”

All of these very real news headlines have one thing in common: They’re completely and utterly false. Over the last year, there has been a surge in the amount of “fake news” sites, news organizations that purposely write false articles to promote a political agenda.

Problems of Fake News A significant portion of adults get their news from Facebook. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2016 showed that 44 percent of adults got their news from Facebook.

This is a problem. You can pick and choose which sites show up in your feed. Fake news sites will appear as recommended feeds for you to like if you show any political leanings.

Studies also show that the average college student cannot distinguish between expert and fake news. When asked to tell the difference between articles from the American Academy of Pediatrics, a legitimate medical organization with 65,000 members, and the American College of Pediatricians, a hate group that openly espouses homophobia, over half thought that the American College was a more reliable source.

SHARING FAKE NEWS 23% 16% 14% 14% shared a fake political news story and knew it was fake at the time 16% shared a fake political news story and later found out it was not true 23% did both Source: The Pew Research Center

Media Diet in a World of Fake News The rise of fake news is just a symptom of a larger issue: a growing polarization of the way we discuss politics. With Facebook, it is easier than ever to construct your own echo chamber in which you hear only the opinions you want to hear.

It’s okay to read sources that lean on your side of the political spectrum.

However, it’s healthier from an awareness perspective to balance your media diet with other ideas that you both agree and disagree with . I enjoy reading Vox and The Nation as much as any other liberal, but I have taken care to include centrist sources like CNN and The Hill and conservative leaning sources like the National Review into my news feed.

If you’re looking for pure, unfiltered news, wire feeds like the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters are your best bet. Foreign news sources like the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) can also be a good objective read on domestic news since they don’t usually have an incentive to be biased. Beyond that, most other news sources will have some degrees of editorializing and political side bias to varying degrees of acceptability. Sources like CNN and The Hill have slight partisan biases, but they’re subtle at worst and are balanced on both sides.

It can be easy to look at fake news from the opposite end of the aisle and think about how atrocious they are for having such misguided beliefs. But fake news comes from both sides of the political spectrum: Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative. The best way to avoid being corrupted is to just be smart when you’re reading and support organizations that are actively trying to do some good work in this world.

Spotting Fake News 1. CHECKING EVERY SOURCE:

Often times, fake news pieces get run on one site, and no other source will pick it up because they will know that the story is fake. If you see something on InfoWars that is not verified by something on the Washington Post, it’s more likely than not to be a fake news article.

2. OUTRAGE INDUCED: If what you’re reading makes you nauseatingly angry at one political party, there’s a solid chance that you’re reading fake news. Of course, undistorted news can make you angry as well, but if a site is filled with nothing but stories that induce the same blind rage in you, it should be a tip-off.

3. CLICKBAIT HEADLINE: “FBI agent suspected in Hillary email leaks found dead in apartment murder-suicide.”

For a fake news article, an outrageous headline is half the piece. An unknown source like InfoWars needs to get clicks in some way, and the best way to fool the gullible is through outrageous headlines.

4. QUALITY OF WRITING: Good journalists and writers will probably be working at top news organizations and under top-notch editor staffs. Articles on fake news sites will be surface level at best, and you will never find a serious investigative or in-depth piece on a fake news site.

5. EXTENT OF EDITORIALIZING:

Since fake news has a explicitly partisan agenda, their stories will make little to no effort to not insert their own opinion or editorialize an article. Some real left or right leaning sources will editorialize certain news articles, but they are at least based in some verifiable facts.

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