The Pen by The Pen Newspaper

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Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

www.pvphsnews.com Vol. XXXIV Issue 2 October 25, 2013

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Adderall

Methamphetamine

OBSESSSION

Ecstasy Sick BURN HE LP!

HIGH

ADDICT

Dopamine

Caffeine HE RO I N

Hunger

Black Beauty

Struggle ILLEGAL

Abuse

Letting go of

Addiction

By AMANI JALOTA and TUNIKA ONNEKIKAMI

When drugs are taken, a user’s dopamine level increases drastically. Habituation, as Mann described, occurs once the brain habituates to a certain amount of a drug and needs more to feel the same effects, which leads to dependence, the need for even a little bit of a drug to function normally. “At this point, you’ve got to take more and more to get to where you want to get...but you need a little bit just to be okay,” Mann said. “Now you are a regular substance abuser, who is on your way to becoming an addict, who cannot stop.” According to Mann, one out of ten students will develop an addiction to

CHRIS MICHEL/THE PEN

“[Drug addicts] will do everything they say they are never going to do,” rehabilitation counselor David Mann said. During his presentation at Peninsula on Oct. 10, Mann told students in attendance that by the time that he was 38 years old, he was a drug addict who had twice failed to kick his addiction. Mann was a high achieving student and athlete throughout high school, earning him an acceptance into Ohio State University. He stayed focused on his education at Ohio State, graduated with a 4.0 grade point average and was accepted into Stanford Law School. But along the way, he was introduced to a pill—the start of his slow but steady spiral out of control. “The best way to stay off drugs “Up to a point, it was all good,” is to be happy and the best way Mann said. “Then I discovered my medicine. My performance-enhancing to be happy is to love [you]. ” drug came in the form of a pill called a David Mann Black Beauty.” Mann received the amphetamine, normally used to by those trying to lose weight loss and with similar properties with medications used to drugs or alcohol. This fact does not treat attention deficit disorder (ADHD) surprise junior Hanna Hilden, who from another student during his third attributes much illegal drug use to stress. year at Ohio State. The drug increased “[Some] of my friends drink and a his energy, suppressed appetite and couple of them have started drinking evoked an overall good feeling, helping more than they should,” Hilden said. him manage the pressure he felt from “For them it’s an escape from reality trying to succeed in all that he did. After because they are doing so much work.” the effects wore off, however, Mann When Mann asked how many students realized a part his brain wished to feel in attendance of the presentation were the way it did while on the drug. He had regular coffee-drinkers, many hands developed an appetite for it. went into the air and Mann asserted that As with every person, that is the those students’ were addicted to the start of addiction. Mann explained that active drug in coffee, caffeine. the brain rewards good behavior by “I can limit the amount [of coffee] I releasing the pleasure neurotransmitter, drink, but I do not think it is possible dopamine, which makes a certain for me to stop completely,” sophomore behavior, such as eating, feel good so Katherine Petts said. “It gives me energy that it will be repeated. and I just really enjoy it.” “When you take a drug of addiction Mann explained that coffee is not or pleasure, dopamine is released,” Mann initially enjoyable to most people; said. “Your brain responds to it, and it however, people begin to like the does not know that [the drug] is not beverage because it helps keep them good for you, but it thinks that whatever awake. Caffeine alters a coffee drinker’s you just did is good for you because of brain chemistry by blocking adenosine that release of dopamine.” receptors, the compound in the brain

that makes a person sleepy. Eventually brain cells build more adenosine receptors, resulting in drinkers needing more caffeine to block the access receptors. As with all drugs, users build up a tolerance for caffeine as well as dependence for it over time, and may move on to a stronger substance to feel better. After years of using amphetamines, Mann moved on to a stronger substance: He was introduced to the methamphetamine, crystal meth while attending Stanford Law School. He continued to take crystal meth well into his career as a public defender and later began to inject the substance with needles rather than snorting it. After serving a six month prison sentence and losing his law license and practice, Mann went back to drugs. For months, Mann lived out of his truck and scrounged for food until one day he found his truck had been stolen and he was left with nothing; it was around then that Mann reached his lowest point. At his third and final attempt at rehabilitation, Mann broke his 20 year addiction to drugs and has now been sober for 15 years. Mann’s presentation moved sophomore Huws Landsberger, who found Mann’s presentation unorthodox, but effective. “I really thought Mann’s speech was different from all the rest of the ‘drugs are bad, say no to drugs’ cliché speeches made by many teachers and speakers,” Landsberger said. “His real-life examples and relating it to what our lives could be like was definitely informative and actually quite scary due to how it could happen to even the best students.” Mann is now a California Statewide consultant The Other Bar which is where he helps attorneys, law students and judges recover from addiction. He hoped that his presentation would encourage students to make better decisions to prevent addiction as well as to help students create a set of personal values. “The best way to stay off of drugs is to be happy,” Mann said, “and the best way to be happy is to love [you].”

NEWS

DRAWING NEW By JOVEN DU The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District and the Palos Verdes Faculty Association have come to a tentative agreement for a two-year contract after a protracted argument that spanned over the last four years. After working without a contract for the 2012-2013 school year, the teachers began the “PVFA Action Plan”. With staggered launch dates, teachers planned to discontinue hosting after-school activities, supervising club meetings

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and keeping classrooms open at lunch, actions which meant many of the school clubs were left without advisors. “We had to cut back contributions to our personal time that we [took] to host clubs,” Allen Aronson, economics teacher and PVFA Pen representative said. “We planned to cut back step by step, starting with clubs, then leading into [college] reference letters.” The action plan was suspended on Oct. 8 after the tentative agreement was reached. “Since the whole PVFA [issue] has

STAR burns out: Test replaced By SONIA DESAIDAMLE In order to address California’s current challenge to improve the state’s education system, Gov. Jerry Brown approved Assembly Bill 484 on Oct. 2. The bill implements a standardized test, the California Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress, or “CalMAPP” in place of the old STAR test. The bill’s goal is to cover the full breadth of the curriculum taught in public schools, since it was a common belief that the STAR test did not cover all of the necessary information that needed to be tested. “I’ve said from the beginning, California needs tests that measure how ready our students are for the challenges of a changing world,” State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said in a statement regarding AB484. Before the CalMAPP test is to be set in place, however, the state will issue the Smarter Balance Field Test between March 18 and June 6 of 2014. The state will select 681,000 current juniors for the Field Test, who will take 20,000 practice questions that could appear on the real test the year after. The purpose of the field test is to ensure that the subjects on the test are neither too easy nor too difficult for students so that the true test will be fair for all students in their respective grades. Subject areas deemed suitable will then be put into the test for the 2014-2015 school year.

Some groups are not in favor of the new bill, since it would mean that students miss an entire year of testing to allow for the field test. These groups, including Ed Voice, Educators 4 Excellence, Teach Plus and Parent Revolution, advocated for the bill to be vetoed by Governor Brown. They urged that the missing test data for this year would mean the loss of data on the effectiveness of teachers’ teaching for that year, information that is valued among school boards and districts. “At this critical juncture in our transition to Common Core, the public needs a thoughtful, rational middle approach that gives teachers, students and parents space to adapt to new standards, and also maintains transparency for all our stakeholders,” Executive Director of Educators 4 Excellence Ama Nyamekye said. Some Peninsula students aren’t too enthusiastic about the new test either. Sophomore Janeline Wong expressed her concern about the cost of the new technological equipment that could be required to take the test. Wong also noted feeling less comfortable having to take the new test on computers. “I prefer pencil and paper to computers. It makes things simpler,” Wong said. Regardless of varying opinions, incoming and current freshmen, as well as current sophomores will be taking the MAPP test in the 2014-2015 school year.

The PVPUSD Board of Education draws new budget lines and comes to a tentative agreement with the PVFA.

been resolved, we can proudly host meetings,” Pokémon Club’s president David Young said. “The club this year should be able to continue on as normal.” Covering the next two years, the agreement includes a retroactive two percent salary increase effective from July 1, a five percent increase to medical benefits, class size capacities, a set calendar and a $25 per night outdoor education duty increase (to $175 per night) among other benefits. According to Aronson, it was due

to the efforts of many parents who petitioned the district on behalf of the teachers. “For the past six years, pay had been difficult due to the hits to the Californian economy,” Aronson said, “but thanks to the parents’ involvement, we came to an agreement with the district.” The agreement reached is tentative and will need to be renewed after expiration, meaning that discussions may have to resume in two years. Teachers ratified the proposed contract on Oct. 15.

Things to know about AB484 OCTOBER 2014 SPRING 2014 Select juniors state-wide take SBFT ; all juniors can voluntarily take English and math assesments. Science assessments given to 5th, 8th, and 10th graders.

AB484 expected to be signed into law. SPRING 2015 Students graduating during or after 2016 take first CalMAPP.

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL 27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Izma Shabbir Stephanie Minn COPY/DESIGN EDITOR Sunnie Kim MANAGING EDITOR Zohair Lalani NEWS EDITORS: Mina Zhang Tunika Onnekikami WRITERS: Amani Jalota Joven Du Sonia Desaidemle

FOCUS EDITORS: Lauren Lee Soolgi Hong WRITERS: Esther Chu Marine Fujisawa Valeria Park STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Fatima Siddiqui Florencia Park WRITERS: Elisabeth Darling Jasmine Kim SPORTS EDITORS: Amy Valukonis Noah Werksman WRITERS: Chris Kong Danielle Castaneda Sama Shah GRAPHICS Angela Song Jackie Uy Juliette Struye Justin Boisvert Yasmine Kahsai BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Liliana Pond ADVISER Katherine Crowley “The Pen” is the student newspaper produced by the advanced journalism students of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. It is published eight times per year. Advertising inquiries may be directed to Advertising Manager Liliana Pond at (310) 377- 4888 ext. 652. The Pen editors appreciate Letters to the Editors, which may be accepted up to one week before publication. You may submit them to H52 or Katherine Crowley’s mailbox. Copyright © 2013w

Illustration by Angela Song Design by Sunnie Kim

Students often complain about the excessive amounts of homework they have and how much sleep they lose studying. However, what they fail to realize is that teachers spend just as much time, if not more, outside of class for the benefit of their students. Yet the hard work that teachers pour into every class, every individual student, is often overlooked. Link Crew’s teacher appreciation committee is making an effort to acknowledge the dedication of teachers. “Link Crew has done several things for teachers. Last week we gave each teacher a decorated pumpkin muffin and in the past we’ve sent them thank you cards from students,” senior Link Crew leader Fatima Khan said. “Teachers do a lot for us like posting grades and other things that require work outside of school. A lot of students think that’s part of their job, when it really isn’t.” Although leadership students have taken initiative for teacher appreciation, there is still much progress to be made. For all the extra work that teachers put in when they could be spending time with their families or just relaxing, they deserve more than just a simple “thank you,” yet they sometimes don’t even get that. What teachers do outside of school is not limited to just grading papers and entering grades on Aeries. They draft

Editorial

Don’t hate, appreciate

CHRISTOPHER MICHEL/the PEN

OPINION EDITORS: Caroline Park Uswah Shabbir WRITERS: Jina Kim Prashila Amatya Robert Broadbelt Sama Shah

By PRASHILA AMATYA

worksheets, notes and create lesson plans all because they want their students to learn and to enjoy their learning. “I work all the time on the weekends; I work at night; I work at two or three in the morning…I just do what I have to do to make sure that I am getting information to students,” AP Chemistry and Science Research teacher Peter Starodub said. “Teachers work

twenty-four hours a day and take out a few minutes to sleep.” Also, teachers who teach juniors and seniors take on an extra burden that they do not receive pay for: recommendation letters. When a student asks a teacher for a rec letter, the teacher has every right to say no. However, most will agree to write dozens of these letters every year to improve students’ chances of acceptance to the

college of their choice. The next time you stay up late doing homework, think of the teachers that do the same exact thing voluntarily. Teacher appreciation week comes once a year in May. However, if students step back and just count up all of the things that their teachers have ever done for them, they will find that all the days of the year will not be enough to thank them.

Mann depicted his own life: a high school athlete, a 4.0 valedictorian, a quintessential high-achieving student. He even attended Stanford University for law school. In order to keep up with the rigor of his stressful lifestyle, he turned to drugs in college. He started with an ADHD medication called Black Beauty, then moved on to crystal meth and eventually became lost in the world of heroin. Mann’s intent to be a successful student pursuing further education strongly resonates with highachieving Peninsula students. Mann’s academic ambition became an obsession, such that he felt pressured to try anything to aid him. This is not uncommon among the educated, those

under enormous academic and professional burdens; in fact, it is actually so prevalent among lawyers that Mann works to help attorneys struggling with substance abuse. The fact remains: drug abuse can potentially ensnare anyone, and the educated are definitely not exempt. Mann ended his presentation with a piercing description of the months he spent on the streets, with no home and no job. He spoke solemnly of the night he spent sleeping underneath a playground slide to avoid the rain, waking up to the stare of a curious little girl. He heard the girl’s mother yell, “You come away from that man over there! You didn’t touch anything did you? You better go and wash your hands.”

It was this moment, and the realization of who he had become, that convinced Mann to sober up. His experience serves as an example of not only the preconceptions we have of drug users but also that these preconceptions can be wrong. The mother’s reaction is not uncommon. We look down on drug addicts, but rarely consider the circumstances behind them. In an atmosphere as rigorous as Peninsula’s, substance abuse may not be as far as we think. Though the obvious fix would be to avoid drugs altogether, it is important to keep in mind that users are more than their addiction. Instead, they are people who can be rehabilitated and helped.

By EDITORIAL STAFF We look down on heavy drug users. This scorn perpetuates the belief that drug users are inherently bad, dangerous people, that they are the other man, not us. But drug abuse could easily be the fate of any one of us. This month, drug counselor for The Other Bar and former user David Mann spoke to Peninsula students about his destructive journey with addiction. Living in a privileged, affluent community, Peninsula students seem shielded from the influence of serious drugs. Nevertheless, Mann proved that this is far from true.

OPINION

CHRISTOPHER MICHEL/the PEN

The road not taken By JINA KIM

Survey conducted of 120 students regarding transportation

106 students

students

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A never ending line of cars lead up to the entrance of school each morning as vehicles and students alike weave through the crowded intersection. According to a survey of 120 students, approximately 63 percent of students think public transportation in Southern California is inaccessible. Unlike areas around the world in which the public transportation systems are already heavily established, Southern California does not have such a setup. Without a system that can connect the entire region and enable easy travel, students here grow up in an environment where cars are the most common means of transportation. “I ride buses when I’m in Europe, [but] never in California,” said licensed junior Nic Wainwright, who drives himself to school each morning. “People grow up in Europe with public transportation

as the norm. Here in California, we grow up thinking cars are the best and most independent way of travel.” The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) bus station, which provides one of the stops across from Peninsula, schedules one bus every thirty to forty minutes for students heading up and down Hawthorne Blvd. The long and inconvenient wait in between buses interferes with student schedules and results in students choosing to drive or walk instead. “I think [students using public transportation] would be great—I think there should be more buses [and] I think they should run them more quickly—every ten minutes or every five and just keep the transportation going,” campus supervisor Jim Lillie said. The lack of an efficient system

also causes significant traffic issues in the morning at schoolto the point in which it has become dangerous for students crossing the intersection. “It is [getting] worse and worse,” Lillie said. “Because we only have four campus supervisors here, we can’t really oversee [everything]. What I see is a lot of the cars [in] the left turn lane [and] the right turn lane, people coming across, the kids still walking on the crosswalk, and the cars are coming.” Public transportation systems have the ability to change multitudinous aspects of daily life, such as the heavy traffic that students find themselves in each morning. Due to the lack of an inefficient system, however, students rarely consider public tranposrtaion. For everyone’s benefit the system in this region is due for an upgrade.

THE

GENDER

Closing the gap in the world of science By ESTHER CHU In 2010, about eighty-three percent of engineering majors were male; only the seventeen percent were female. According to Yale University, in 2012, ninety-two percent of males and only eight percent of females were engineering majors. Vararat Chaiyont, Statistics AP teacher, said there were few female students in the math field during her college years at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.” “Most of the students in my math classes were male,” Chaiyont said. “I was the only female and the only Asian.” Chaiyont also manages Peninsula’s math club, a predominantly male group. “Out of the 17 officers [in the math club], four are female,” Chaiyont said. Geometry and Pre-Calculus Honors

teacher, Michelle Slattery, does not believe that males perform any better than females because of any genetic advantage. “I think that women may not have been given as many opportunities to reach the level that they need to reach to perform well,” Slattery said. A study conducted by Yale University reported that biologists, chemists and physicists sought to hire more male scientists than females. They also stated that if females were hired, their income would be about $4,000 less than the amount of male scientists would be paid. Of the physics professors in the United States, only 14 percent of the teachers were reported to be female. Senior Raya Kumar wants to major in biology or cognitive sciences. She

expresses her opinion on the way women are treated in the science fields compared to men. “Women are part the future as much as men are,” Kumar said. “It would be ridiculous just to hire a man over a woman if they had the same qualifications.” STEM, an acronym of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, also has a low level of female participants and has not risen since 2000. Schools are now starting to open up STEM classes as electives to allow females, interested in science and math, to cultivate them at a young age. “The gap has shrunk and women are performing better than they used to,” Slattery said. “Maybe one day, that gap will become nonexistent.”

The dress decoded: girls vs. boys By MARINE FUJISAWA When senior Davin McNeil moved from Utah to California, one of the first major distinctions she noticed at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School were students’ outfits. The dress code at her old school was stricter: sleeved shirts and knee-length skirts. Consequently, Brandy Melville crop tops and highwaisted shorts were completely foreign for McNeil. “The girls here definitely wear less clothing, and it was a culture shock,” McNeil said. “I did judge some of them when I came and I think that the less clothes you wear, the more you [will be] looked down upon.” However, freshman Ashley Avina believes that people should not be judged based on what they wear and has witnessed much criticism based on how a girl dresses at school. Avina agrees that “slut-shaming,” degrading judgments on a female’s behavior or clothing choices, occurs.

A study conducted by sociolinguist Sandra McKay concluded that 220 words describe a promiscuous woman, but only 20 words, such as Casanova and Romeo, describe an equally promiscuous man. Junior Elizabeth Dickson, vice president of the Women’s Empowerment Club on campus, believes girls tend to be under the eye of scrutiny more so than their male counterparts. “Women are judged more [than men] by how they look and present themselves,” Dickson said. The administration has noticed that there are higher numbers of female violators of Peninsula’s dress code than male ones. “Definitely, higher amounts of girls have to be called in then boys. The younger ones, freshman, are testing it a little, too,” Principal Mitzi Cress said. “But they figure out pretty soon that we are not really that, and they mellow out.” Even since she was in high school,

Cress has been an advocate of personal freedom for clothing choices. At the time, her school required female students to wear only knee-length skirts. Cress challenged this rule by asking the school board to expand the dress code to allow pants. Cress continues to maintain her beliefs in clothing preference, but she stands strongly behind certain attire expectations in an academic setting. “My expectations are that all kids does not dress in a way that would interrupt the education and our ability to educate our students,” Cress said. Furthermore, at school dances, the administration has clearer guidelines on students’ attire, and Cress believes that dances require different rules. “I think it’s my obligation to make people to dress appropriately,” Cress said. “That is why I have a strict dress code. If you choose to come to our dance, you will abide to our rules.”

92%

of men are engineering majors

of women are engineering majors

FOCUS

Gender inequality across cultures but opportunities still exist this law came in effect, many mothers started aborting, abandoning or giving their female babies up for adoption. Since 1971, there have been over 336 million abortions documented by the Chinese Health Ministry. “Girls were never the ones you wanted to have,” Bronaugh said. “Even though the law is not as strict anymore, boys are still the ones that families want.” The “One-Child Policy,” started 40 years ago, has stirred much controversy in the international community. Consequently, the law has evolved over the years. “China is still getting out of the ‘backwards’ way of living. Now they lifted [part] of the law, allowing people to have a second child,” Bronaugh said. According to BBC News, research shows more than 24 million men who are of marrying age will be spouseless by the year 2020. BBC News states that the ratio of male babies and female babies is 120 to 100, although the normal worldwide male to female baby ratio is stated to be 107 to 103. This means it will be harder for Chinese men

to find wives in the future years and the percentage of single men will eventually increase rapidly. “Once you turn the age of 14 in China, you are not allowed to be adopted anymore,” Bronaugh said. “Once you turn 15, you are sent to adult institutions where they make you work for the government in factories.” Bronaugh’s family supports the Phillip Hayden Foundation, a foundation that takes care of special needs kids in Chinese orphanages. She visits China every year to volunteer and spend time with the children who work in factories and other institutions. This specific orphanage requires much more money than others because of the special care each child needs and the small likelihood of being adopted into a different family. Bronaugh believes that her adoption allows her to live in a better place than she would in the countryside of China. “My parents believe that [our family members] were meant to be together,” Bronaugh said. “In ancient China, they had a theory that families are held together by an invisible red string, and it keeps them together.”

E PEN TRUYE/TH

Each year thousands of babies, some only a few days old, are left out on the steps of a house or out in the streets alone. Some females become victims of human trafficking. Most are left to die in the cold and others are killed immediately after birth. If lucky, an orphanage would take them in and look after them. In the late 1970s, China introduced the “One-Child Policy” because of rapid population growth. Over the years, the law has changed from only allowing one child per family to allowing couples have a second child if they want a boy and the firstborn is a girl. Sophomores Kara Yasunaga and Mary Bronaugh, who both came from Chinese orphanages, share their own stories of becoming part of their current family in Palos Verdes. Both girls were adopted at a very young age and explain the reasons why their parents decided to adopt them. “I was 10 months old when my parents adopted me,” Bronaugh said. “When they finally adopted [me and my

sister], things started to turn out right. I do not even know my exact birthday and just have an estimate [of when it is]”. The adopted girls believe that their fate would have been much different if they were not adopted and had been kept in their Chinese families. “I was thinking about ‘What if I did not have all these opportunities?’ and ‘What if I did not have any parents that wanted me to get a good education and want me to have a successful life?’” Bronaugh said. “I realized many students don’t know they are given so much. They might as well just harness it in their life because so many people don’t even get the opportunity.” In Chinese culture, males are favored over females for their ability to look after their parents at old age and find jobs more easily. Also, males keep the family name, so men are valued for keeping the family lineage, “Males are more valued in Chinese society for supporting the family financially,” Yasunaga said. Couples who violate the one-child law are required to pay fines and may have their incomes cut. Consequently, when

JULIETTE S

By ESTHER CHU

STUDENT LIFE

PV Net Center long unused by students By ELISABETH DARLING

Everyday Ted Vegvari, Education Director at the PV Net Learning Center, walks to his office to find that his inbox has few submissions for internships from Peninsula students. Since 1995, the PV Net Learning Center, a nationally recognized 1,300 square foot information technology service center, has been serving the community with low stress environment classes in a state of the art facility not available in many schools like Peninsula. “A lot of people are interested in computers, but they don’t know why,” Vegvari said. “The Learning Center is like a candy store; you get to try out what you like and go get more.” Located on Hawthorne Blvd., the PV Net Learning Center provides computer science, animation and RAW image converting classes. RAW images are images not yet processed by a device. The service center also has cameras, a green screen and lights for students interested in broadcasting. Counselor Heather Gerber, who recently became aware of these opportunities not being utilized, “refused to let them go unnoticed”. Pen has more than ten years of working with PV

Net and Gerber felt that more students should become aware of this chance to explore their aspirations. Junior Samuel Gioia, who aspires to create his own engineering company, has utilized the 3-D printing, Autocad architecture classes and arial robotics. In fact, with the help of the faculty at the facility, Gioia was able to make real car structures. “PV Net has showed me infinite possibilities about technology,” Gioia said. “For future Panthers, I would advise them to stay calm because at first it may be intimidating.” PV Net also offers internships in computer hardware, web design, animation and the Geographic Information System (GIS) training program. With the GIS program, students create hiking and bike route maps for the city of Palos Verdes, helping them learn to analyze data and piece together patterns and information. The program strives to improve students’ leadership skills by placing them in crucial decision making positions. “Every field you could think of is impacted by computers,” Vegvari said. “It doesn’t matter what your interest is; we’ve got something here that is going to help you.”

ANGELA SONG/THE PEN

1 computer= approximately 164 people

Only 8 Peninsula students use the facilities provided by the PV Net Learning Center.

Gov. Shutdown impacts households By JASMINE KIM

ANGELA SONG/THE PEN

“My mom usually carpools to work [but] her [colleagues] got furloughed, so she had to drive her own car,” Howard said. While the shutdown ended on Oct. 17 when President Barack Obama signed a bill raising the debt ceiling, the

Twenty four billion. That’s the total cost that sixteen days of government shutdown caused. Oct. 1 marked the second time in American history that the U.S government shut down, the first time since 1995. An estimated 800,000 “It was a wake-up call that federal government workers we have to appreciate the were furloughed: some students’ parents who work things we have. ” for the federal government Sabrina Inoue continued to work without pay. “[My mom] is a budget sixteen days were enough to analyst for the Air Force,” junior cause worrisome experiences Grace Howard said. “Her work among both students and division, an important part of parents. missions, was ‘essential,’ but Though the shutdown has she would’ve been furloughed if ended, next year’s tax season the government shutdown [had is still on the way. Even though lasted] any longer.” the Internal Revenue Service The repercussions affected was not operational during the both Howard and her mother. shutdown, tax deadlines are still

set in stone. Despite the fact that tax returns and assistance from the IRS are unavailable until it is fully up and running again, citizens are still expected to pay taxes on time. Junior Sabrina Inoue’s father, Bryan Inoue, works for the IRS as the Director of the Northeast Territory and was marked as an “essential” worker. “He had to cut down on additional spending to save money,” Inoue said. “It was a wake-up call that we have to appreciate the things we have have.” Currently government workers are now being recompensated for the length of the shutdown; however, the terms of agreement will only reopen the government until Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7.

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SPORTS

Beware of roughing the ref: penalty plays

By CHRIS KONG

roughhousing and foul play goes on beneath the surface. In a massive tangle of limbs, ejections are as common as bloody noses. When a double whistle is blown, players are ejected for the length of a play. “I expect to be ejected once or twice each game,” junior water polo player John Mepham said. “Sometimes it is easy to view the referee as an enemy, but we know that even if he is wrong, we still have to treat him with respect.” Soccer fields have seen the most violent attacks against referees. The most notorious example which caused a change in rules worldwide occurred in Brazil last year when a referee was murdered by an angry crowd of spectators. While nothing like that has happened in Peninsula athletics, CIF is taking no chances. “We are always trying to achieve a balance between good sportsmanship and aggressive play,” CIF administrator Brian Seymour said. “We are trying to make it safer for everyone out there.” Referees earn the right and privilege to officiate at high school events. Recognized among athletes by their pin-striped uniforms and shiny whistles, referees play a key part in athletic games. However, the process by which these referees are hired remains an enigma in the athletic community. A referee for a specific sport is required to take multiple classes pertaining to the sport. “For the practical test, you have to go

On Sept. 27, junior Jason Burr (#7) objects to the ref’s decision to not call a pass interference penalty on the defense. The Panthers lost the game to Lawndale 24-32.

CHRISTOPHER MICHEL/THE PEN

The governing body of high school athletics, California Interscholastic Federation, CIF, implemented new rules for overseeing the treatment of referees in response to a growing concern that referees are being mistreated by coaches and players. These new rules, which have been enforced over the past five years, have made it safer for refs but only because of their strict enforcement. CIF’s new campaign labeled “Victory with Honor” was the latest effort to combat a growing epidemic of violence against refs. Peninsula Athletic Director Wendell Yoshida described the new steps taken at Peninsula to cut down on bad sportsmanship towards refs, coaches and players. Firstly, if a coach or player receives a red card, he will be removed from the current and following match. Secondly, if any person pursues an official during a confrontation, he may be exterminated or removed from the team. Thirdly, if a member receives three red cards while on probation, his team will lose a spot in CIF playoffs. And finally, a player or coach will be removed from the team if he uses profane language against a referee. Fourthly, if a player or coach receives four red cards in four consecutive games, then the team will be forced to forfeit four games in the following season. Referees play the most active roles in water polo and soccer. In the pool, a lot of

practice officiating at a scrimmage,” Yoshida said. “While you are officiating, you are evaluated and given a rank.” The rank indicates whether or not an official is qualified to be a varsity, junior varsity or frosh/soph referee. The higher the ranking, the more qualified the official is. For each high school sport, there is a corresponding sports organization responsible for managing where referees go. For example, the California Volleyball Officials Association manages volleyball

referees. Yoshida collaborates with these organizations to arrange the number of refs and when they officiate. “Before each season, I send the assigner of officials our schedule and they assign the officials to our school,” Yoshida said. As Yoshida and CIF administrators reform guidelines and establish new rules for high school sports, referees will continue to be an essential part of the athletic community.

Girls’ Golf gets on the green By CHRIS KONG

CHRISTOPHER MICHEL/THE PEN

On the fringes of a green at Palos Verdes Golf Club, junior Stephanie Yong watches the ball after a chip shot. Senior captains Caroline Park and Momoko Fujiwara led the team against league opponents.

In golf, each golfer’s scores are added together in order to achieve a team total. When sophomore Gracie Irie of the girls’ The team with the lowest sum wins. varsity golf team heard that familiar clunk of The girls’ golf team is currently in third the golf ball sinking into the hole at Alondra place with a record of 6-5 in Bay League. Golf Course, she realized that she had In order for their team to qualify for CIF accomplished an uncommon achievement in playoffs, the girls must have six games with high school golf: two consecutive birdies. scores under 230 points. The team finally “It’s really rare for kids to finish like that won their sixth game with a score of 215 in a nine-hole course with two birdies,” Head against West Torrance High School. The Coach Glenn Van Enk said. “It had to be the team has greatly improved since last season. most amazing thing I saw all year.” “Last year we were so close but couldn’t Later during that round of golf, Irie would make it to the playoffs,” Fujiwara said. “So I finish with a score of 44, helping her team am really happy and proud of the team that in their rounds we made it this against Redondo year.” “It’s really rare for kids to finish like Aside from Union. Irie is just one of many players that in a nine-hole course. It had to coaching his performing well. players, Van Enk be the most amazing thing I ever tries to promote One player in particular who has team camaraderie saw. ” been performing by arranging special Coach Glenn Van Enk at the top of her events before and game is junior Chisa after matches. Kodaka, who has “I take them an average home score of 43 and away score to lunch before matches and we even go get of 42. boba after rounds as well,” Van Enk said. “It “Kodaka has high motivations to try is stressful when we play our biggest rivals improve every match,” senior captain Palos Verdes and Mira Costa.” Momoko Fujiwara said. “She is able to With their playoff clinching victory against constantly score low because at practices she West, the team feels ready for the playoffs knows exactly what she needs to work on.” despite the hard challenges ahead.

6-5

record

228 point average

38 strokes in nine hole round