The Pen

the

PEN

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

www.pvphsnews.com Vol. XXXIV Issue 3 November 22, 2013

JUST A

BOY

JUST A

GIRL

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY Chief Academic Officer Martin Griffin resigns NEWS Page 3

ONE NEW TEACHER REQUEST Teachers utilize social media websites to connect with their students OPINION Page 5

TICKET TO CLICK IT

Junior tap-dancer Michelle May announced as finalist in YoungArts STUDENT LIFE Page 8

MAKE A LIST CHECK IT TWICE They tell us to do our best.

We’ll do our best to be perfect. special report Page 6

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NEWS

Stepping

By JOVEN DU PVPUSD’s Chief Academic Officer Martin Griffin resigned in late October after being accused of uploading inappropriate images of himself onto an adult pornography website.

The allegations were made by PVPUSD parents. Griffin, who was hired in July 2012, was also criticized by members of the community for the manner in which he administered programs.

The scandal initially began when parents started researching Griffin’s qualifications.

Upon doing a web search of the phrase “sucacique,” a handle commonly used by Griffin, they were able to associate the username with a profile on the pornography site Xtube. While parent Linda Reid, whose husband is an investigative reporter for the OC Register, did the bulk of the research into Griffin’s background, the person who discovered the link between Griffin and the handle did not wish to be disclosed. There is no proof that Griffin is the person seen on the website.

According to the Daily Breeze, by accepting the position, Griffin put himself at odds with a local group trying to dissuade the district from adopting the Common Core, one of Griffin’s primary responsibilities. The group cited costs and effect on education quality as a few of the

Chief Academic Officer Martin Griffin resigns amid controversial allegations

Down

key reasons that the Common Core is not appropriate for the district. “[Griffin] was not very knowledgeable about the Common Core. I hope that [now, its implementation] will slow down or cease entirely,” Bill Lama, head of Concerned PV Parents, said.

“[Griffin] was not very knowledgeable about the Common Core. I hope that [now, its implementation] will slow down or cease entirely.”

Bill Lama, head of Concerned PV Parents Community members say Griffin’s style of leadership led to principal resignations in the district, an assertion disputed by the district.

“We offered an early retirement program which six principals total accepted. That was

the main reason for the resignations,” district superintendent Walker Williams said.

In addition, Griffin was blamed for the cuts made to the Gifted and Talented Education program. Williams told the Breeze, however, that the cuts were due to budget constraints.

“With Griffin’s resignation, I hope that the GATE program will be able to come back,” Reid said.

Regardless, education will continue normally and as will the eventual integration of Common Core standards “Because Peninsula is strong, [Griffin’s resignation] will not greatly impact us.”

Principal Mitzi Cress said.

Ready, Set, SCRAM: Latin Department hosts 24 schools for festivities Students gather in the amphitheater for the opening presentation of SCRAM. Over 900 Latin students from 24 schools in Southern California and Nevada were in attendance on Nov. 9.

LUCIE ROBBERS/THE PEN

By SONIA DESAIDAMLE After weeks of preparation, Latin students opened the school’s gates to host the Southern California Regional Amici Madness, SCRAM, on Nov. 9 for the third time in Peninsula history.

Because Latin is not as commonplace as other languages on campus, SCRAM allows Latin students to meet peers from other schools.

The annual event’s popularity has been steadily growing each year.

Students showed their abilities by competing in artistic, mental and physical challenges. Some activities were familiar to students such as basketball and dodgeball, but participants also enjoyed lesser-known games such as “fugepilam”

and “capture the vexillum.” Other projects included sketch-art, mosaic-making, a Latin oratory competition and a mythology spelling bee.

Senior Delaney Kerkhof, the Southern Representative for the California Junior Classical League (CJCL), had prepared for SCRAM along with other Latin students for over a month.

Kerkhof was responsible for preparing regional school registration forms and coordinating a large part of the event.

“We had two five-hour-long work days two weeks before SCRAM, where Latin Club members painted posters and made carnival games,” Kerkhof said. “It was a great team effort.”

On the day of the event, students joined 900 other Latin students from 24 other schools in the

festivities.

“It is great that a lot of kids from so many other schools with the same interests get to come together,” sophomore Janeline Wong said.

“Latin groups at individual schools are not always that big, so it is great when they find out they are not the only ones.”

This year’s SCRAM proved to be a great success for all those who participated. The Latin Club made a profit of over $5,000 from attendance fees, which the club plans to use for buying new Latin textbooks and other learning materials.

“SCRAM is a place where the ancient world comes back to life for one day,” senior and Latin Club president Julie Lee said.

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

STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Fatima Siddiqui Florencia Park WRITERS: Elisabeth Darling Jasmine Kim

Where do we draw the line?

By JINA KIM

Each social media website has terms and conditions and privacy policies that discuss the risks of Internet use. Despite user awareness, cyber bullying has become a recurring major danger of the Internet. School policies regulating cyber bullying, even outside of school, are becoming increasingly punitive.

These decisions, however, are a result of a loose interpretation of First Amendment rights. Rather than schools monitoring these

seemingly dangerous accounts of cyber bullying, these policies should return to the definition of the First Amendment, which protects the right of speech, among other rights.

According to Legislative Attorney Henry Cohen’s Congressional research service report, “Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment,” exceptions to freedom of speech are obscenity, child pornography, “advocacy producing imminent lawless action”

noun 1.the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

JULIETTE STRUYE/the PEN

FOCUS EDITORS: Lauren Lee Soolgi Hong WRITERS: Esther Chu Marine Fujisawa Valeria Park

CYBER BULLYING

SPORTS EDITORS: Amy Valukonis Noah Werksman WRITERS: Chris Kong Danielle Castaneda

and hate speech. Action taken against cyber bullying by the school, however, may at times disregard the First Amendment right to free speech.

School policies have become too particular in translating the First Amendment. Speech punishable by law is far less restricted than what the school dictates to be “cyber bullying.”

While the First Amendment states that the comment needs to be a clear threat in order to be considered outside the protection of the law, Peninsula refers to California Education Code 48900 to define bullying as “any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act.”

“Severe” and “pervasive,” however, are relative to each individual. What may be considered such to one student may not be so to another, making it difficult to determine when one is merely making a playful comment or if the student has intentions of ill-will. This loose interpretation makes it easier for students to claim that they have experienced bullying in contrast to simply owning up to a rude comment or a hurt feeling.

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 © 2013

Illustration by Angela Song Design by Sunnie Kim

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90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it.

75%

have visited a social media site bashing another student.

58% of children admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online -Digital Citizenship -XRay Data

Editorial

­

By EDITORIAL STAFF The recent resignation of Chief Academic Officer Martin Griffin, the thirdhighest ranking official within the school district, amid scandal allegations, raises the question if people in positions of authority should be held to high standards. In a utopian society, leaders would be the paragon of authority: responsible, respectable and accountable. However, we should not have these unreasonable expectations of

those around us. To hold those in power accountable for every action, especially private actions, is absurd because as humans, we are all inherently flawed.

The Pen acknowledges that public figures put themselves into the spotlight, but they still possess certain expectations of privacy. The allegations emerged after intense parent scrutiny. Concerned PV Parents investigated his qualifications through Google and inspected his public records, including his college transcripts. Unlike this group of parents, The Pen adheres to journalistic standards regarding the public disclosure of private and embarrassing facts.

We believe that this scrutiny is extreme and the subject of these allegations, Griffin’s sex life, is sufficiently private.

Griffin’s alleged pornography activity on an adult website, though tasteless, does not reflect Griffin’s professionalism and ability to do his job; thus it should not have been a factor in his resignation.

The Pen, however, does recognize that Griffin’s leadership style was flawed enough to cause dissatisfaction on school sites: former principal of Palos Verdes High School Nick Stephany criticized Griffin’s lack of presence and outdated ideas.

These circumstances are the

ones we must consider when evaluating the performance of any professional, not those in the context of his or her private life.

Due to personnel confidentiality laws, it is unknown whether Griffin’s departure was directly caused by the scandal allegations.

Either way, the criticism Griffin received of his alleged private activities overstepped professional boundaries, forever blemishing his career. For Griffin or for any other official, some respect of privacy must be given.

It is only fair to hold public figures accountable for actions within the workplace, not within their private affairs.

OPINION

Friending faculty: The case for social media in student-teacher relationships

posted something.

The final essay draft will be due tommorow, Friday Nov. 22. Please have it double spaced, stapled and ready to turn in at the beginning of class.

By SAMA SHAH In New York, a teacher “friended” several of his female students and commented things like “this is sexy” on their photos. As well as creating problems for that teacher and the school he taught at, this incident forced schools across the nation to address social media’s role in student-teacher relationships. “[PVPUSD does not] have a rule or policy specifically saying that [teachers] can’t ‘friend’ students on Facebook, but [the district] strongly suggests that it is not appropriate [for teachers] to ‘friend’ students,” Principal Mitzi Cress said.

“On the other hand, I think we are moving into a new digital age and there are many ways [educators] can use technology to communicate

with students.”

It is of utmost importance that students and teachers maintain proper relationships whether it be in the classroom or online. This is not to say that students and teachers should not communicate outside of school, but that in relationships outside of the classroom, educators and pupils should remain cautious in order to avoid overstepping boundaries.

“I ‘friended’ [a teacher] for school-related purposes because I work very closely with [the teacher] in planning extracurricular events,” senior Delaney Kerkhof said.

“Students and teachers should be allowed to be friends on [Facebook] because I personally have learned so much more outside of the classroom. The

teacher I am friends with posts educational materials and links.”

If teachers were to use student-friendly Facebook accounts to ‘friend’ students, communication would be efficient and, as Kerkhof mentioned, teachers could connect with students in a more readily accessible manner.

“Adding a coach or music teacher is beneficial because they can give you tips and talk to you privately [about your performance],” junior Amanda Bolinger said.

David Rush, Harry S. Truman High School’s media communications and television production teacher, has two Facebook accounts –a personal one and a student- friendly one.

He used the student-friendly account to communicate to

his students about a summer internship on a cable-access show; in fact, a student who learned about the internship through Roush’s post ended up winning it.

“I don’t want students on a teacher’s personal Facebook account. There has to be a boundary,” Cress said. “But anytime teachers are willing to give kids extra help via [a student-friendly medium] or share information or have a study group, when it has an educational purpose, I’m fine with that.”

Student-teacher relationships do not have to be confined to classrooms.

Clearly, Facebook and other social media sites can be used as educational tools if teachers are careful of what they post

and if students are mindful of the information or photos they make available. Teachers should be encouraged to create separate accounts so that they can keep their students updated on classroom activities and promote academic discussion.

However, in these relationships, it is essential that students and teachers use good judgment for online relationships to prove beneficial.

“I think that [students and teachers] should use good judgment,” Cress said.

“Teachers are available for kids, they put in extra hours, and they sponsor clubs. I don’t want to take that away. I just want us to make sure that we have clear boundaries.”

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When striving for perfection replaces doing your best, the aftermath could be fraudulence.

SOOLGI HONG & LAUREN LEE/THE PEN

{FAKE} Cheating the system: Students falsify applications

By ESTHER CHU According to the College Board, it is unethical “to exaggerate one’s activities and accomplishments or to have someone other than the applicant write their essay.” Yet, with the pressure of acceptance, high school seniors may resort to seemingly unethical measures to impress college admission officers.

“College is very important to students and their families,” senior Rachel Sumi said. “It does not surprise me that some people would fake [applications] to get into a good college.”

Each year, high school students hire college advisers for special assistance with the college application process. Lacy Crawford, a former college application adviser and author of “Early Decision,” wrote in a Wall Street Journal article that college advisers can earn $20 per word writing a student’s essay. She advised high school seniors to “claim that ‘I’.”

Rebecca Dibble, an English teacher, worked as a College Admission Adviser for 12 years, and is aware of advisers writing their students’ essays.

“I definitely heard that in different parts of the country people charge exuberant amounts of money to advise but also ghostwrite for clients, which is highly unethical,” Dibble said. “I am sure it happens around here. I am not aware of anything specific, but you hear things.”

As more students compete with each other to get into colleges, Businessweek confirms that the falsification of applications or trend of hiring someone to write admissions essays is rising.

Crawford also said in her article that well-meaning

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adults sometimes takeover their children’s essays, causing the essay to lose the writer’s voice. Heather Fishel, a college adviser for Blue Train Tutoring, also have seen parents attempt to hijack a student’s voice.

“Parents are also a very common source of application embellishing - they want their children to succeed and get into as many colleges as possible, but some go to extreme lengths to ensure this,” Fishel said. “I can immediately tell which parts of an essay

“If you embellish sections of your application, aren’t you getting in based on that fake information instead?”

Heather Fishel Blue Train Tutoring College Adviser have been written by a parent.”

The distinction between rewriting an essay and editing can sometimes be an gray area.

“As soon as it becomes that the student has stopped writing and the adviser has taken over then it ceases to be the product of the student and the student is ultimately the one going to college,” Dibble said.

Writing in one’s own voice is important for not only the student but also the college, says director of the College Career Center Terri Lewallen.

“When applying [to] college, you want to present yourself truthfully for who you are,” Lewallen said.

“What you say has to be the truth because [colleges] get thousands and thousands of applications. They are trying to create a community so they want all kinds of people on their campus to create it.”

To ensure the validity of applications, the University of California system has a “truth-in” application process that randomly chooses around 1,000 applicants to verify their activity claims.

One “truth-in” female applicant who was asked to confirm her all of her extracurricular activities claimed that she could not show proof of assisting a soccer team, an activity she wrote down in her application, for the head coach had retired. The University of California admissions board responded saying that she could ask parents of the children she coached to write a letter of confirmation to prove her volunteer work.

The applicant never responded; consequently, her application was canceled.

“Admissions officers can spot [ghostwritten sentences] - so don’t try to sneak your mom’s sentence about how formative winning the “Most Improved” award was into your essay, no matter how great it sounds,” Fishel said. “The consequences aren’t always obvious - maybe your lies will earn you a rejection letter, or maybe nothing will happen. But it isn’t worth the risk, in my opinion.”

FOCUS

Picture

MODEL: RACHEL ZACK EDITED BY JULIETTE STRUYE

By ESTHER CHU & MARINE FUJISAWA

As digital enchancing tools become more accessible, pressure to achieve “ideal” beauty has increased. plastic surgery. When Chang and her mother saw a Korean actress who had recently undergone double eyelid plastic surgery, her mother asked if Chang wished to receive the procedure.

This process diminishes extra skin from the upper eyelid to make one’s eyes seemingly bigger, and in South Korea, the surgery can be as relatively cheap at $800. The country has the highest rate of plastic surgery, as 650,000 procedures occurred in 2011; one in five South Korean women had undergone plastic surgery, reports the Asian Plastic Surgery Guide.

The research of Professor Sharon Lee’s of New York University provides insight into why so many South Koreans desire plastic surgery: the Korean definition of beauty has been influenced by Western ideals. After the Korean War, U.S. military doctors conducted reconstructive surgeries on many Korean war victims, changing their features to fit the Western look, reports Lee. “I guess people and the media say that bigger eyes are more beautiful, so that is why most people want it,” Chang said, “The media and models influence me to want [the surgery] too. I believe [the surgery] will not only make people think they are prettier, but help boost their confidence more.”

Media can change people’s perception about the ideal body, which can ultimately lead to a decline in self-confidence and an increase in pressure to look “perfect,” according to Sheldon. With the increasing usage of digital enhancing tools, different actions emerge in the hopes to achieve an ideal beauty. However, confidence in one’s personal appearance may establish a new and improved outlook on “ideal” beauty.

EDWIN JACOBSON/THE PEN

Photoshop can alter a person’s appearance to fit an ideal human form of bigger eyes, smaller waists and clearer skin. First available in 1990, Photoshop is now widely used by amateurs and professionals to edit photographs, advertisements or illustrations. The extent that these enhancements, whether it is an advertisement or an edited Facebook profile picture, affect individuals’ perception of his or her body remains debatable.

According to Pavica Sheldon of Louisiana State University, watching thin and “perfect” models and celebrities through media can lead to low self esteem and eating disorders. Pressure from family and friends can also lead to women comparing themselves to the perfect models in magazines.

“I feel like when we see edited people on media, it puts tremendous amounts of pressure on us to look the same way,” sophomore Maddy Maloney said. “But the pictures on magazines are fake and artificial, so there is no way we can look like that.”

Low self-esteem in teenagers may result in a desire to change, or “upgrade” appearances. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, teenagers usually have plastic surgery to fix a part of their body that they feel is “flawed” in order to feel more comfortable with their bodies. Furthermore, plastic surgeons have attributed teenager’s increasing interest in cosmetic surgeries to their constant exposure to edited photography in the media. Consequently, there has been a 548 percent increase from 1996 to 2010 for 13 to 19-year-olds undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Freshman Angela Chang is one of many people who is thinking about undergoing

PHASES OF PHOTOSHOP

PERFECT

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STUDENT LIFE

Junior May places as finalist in YoungArts competition

By JASMINE KIM career at the age of four, and has been dancing ever since.

“When I was little, I loved watching Gene Kelly in ‘Singing in the Rain’ and as I got older I started to like tap the most,” May said. “When I was ten I just made tap my main focus and that’s what I’ve been doing since.”

With so much passion for dance, May plans to major in dance and choreography and then continue to pursue dance as a full-time profession.

Aside from May’s expansive dance experiences, one of the most significant aspects of May’s career thus far has been the countless mentors and friends that have become a second family. Her close friend, a finalist from last year, gave her inspiration and support.

“I depend a lot on dance and my dance community,” May said. “I’m so lucky to have support from my parents especially when it’s so hard to have a career path in dance.

I have met so many amazing people and lifelong friends in the dance community, and they have helped me grow so much as a dancer and as a person.”

SERENA TRAMM/THE PEN

On Nov. 3, junior Michelle May was named a finalist in dance out of the 170 finalists in the National YoungArts program. This program, which received over 11,000 applicants, is dedicated to identifying and developing the skills of young artists in literary, performing, visual and design arts.

May will be traveling to Miami in January for a chance to work with masters of dance.

She will have the opportunity to work with world-renowned artists such as YoungArts alumni Rachel Moore and Desmond Richardson. In addition, May will compete for national recognition and a scholarship ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

May put work into earning such rare opportunities.

“I had to send in a audition tape with a two-minute warm up and solo, so I auditioned with tap and choreographed it myself,” May said. “It was a pretty easy process and less nerve-racking because the judges weren’t sitting right in front of me.”

May started her dancing

Senior Marcott receives $10K Nordstrom scholarship

By RACHAEL KU Tears of joy ran down from senior Jen Marcott’s face as it was announced that she had won $10,000 and a new MacBook Air from Nordstom’s Ten4U scholarship.

Out of nearly 12,000 applicants, Marcott was one of eighty chosen winners.

“I think the most surprising part of the whole thing is the statistics,” Marcott said. “Only 0.07 percent of the people who apply actually win. I was

Amount Scholarship Money Students received TheofAmount of Scholarship Money Peninsula between 2011-2013 Students Received in 2011-2013

Class of 2013 Class of 2012 Class of 2011 15

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$12

$6 $9 Dollars in Millions

$3

0

surprised to find out that I am the first student to ever win from Peninsula.”

As Marcott wrote about the most influential person in her life for her essay prompt, she reflected on her purpose in life by reminiscing about her deceased third grade teacher.

“He was the most influential person in my “Only 0.07 life. I wished for just one more day, one more chance to speak with him again,” Marcott said. “I wanted to reassure him that his life and everything he taught had meaning and purpose.”

For her personal statement, Marcott discussed overcoming mental and physical obstacles.

After being named a finalist,

Marcott was interviewed over Skype in front of a seven-person panel.

“The Skype interview allowed me to express my financial need for the award and why I was a good candidate based on my achievements,” Marcott said. “The experience

win private scholarships. Most recently, the class of 2013 received $14.4 million, an increase from previous years.

Scholarship and financial aid counselor Teri Koyanagi believes that since local scholarships usually have far fewer applicants, the odds of earning one are much greater than earning a national one. percent of the people who apply Students with persistence actually win. ” will find the process less Jennifer Marcott challenging.

“It’s not always the student with was very tiring and nervea 4.0 GPA who receives the racking. But getting past each scholarship,” Koyanagi said. “If round was very exciting.” you know what you want to do Marcott, however is one of in the future and can articulate very few people who actually that, there are scholarships receive scholarships. According committees that would be very to the Washington Post, only impressed. You never know one in ten undergraduates what they are looking for.”

Want to advertise with The Pen? Contact Liliana Pond (310) 710-1839 thepen.business@gmail.com

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SPORTS

CHRISTOPHER MICHEL/THE PEN

On Nov. 3, junior captain Aaron Jung performed with his team during the Fall Pep Rally.

Co-ed Choreo makes all the right moves

By CHRIS KONG

Even with 37 performers on the stage at once, co-ed choreo dancers execute their stunts with precise synchronization and fluidity.

“Dance requires a lot more patience and focus than what meets the eye,” junior captain Aaron Jung said. “It is a full-on sport.”

The team practices for roughly oneand-a-half hours each school day and often extends practice times to twice as long as performance dates approach.

“We not only prepare different sets for school pep rallies and events, but

we also spend the entire year preparing for competition season in February and March,” senior captain Michelle Lee said.

Returning coach Heather Horn, with the help of her captains, leads the team’s dance routines.

“Mrs. Horn helps us with fundraising, assigns us outfits and teaches us competition requirements,” senior captain Largoza said.

Largoza, along with her fellow captains, is more directly involved with choreographing, blocking and cleaning.

“Blocking” is the arrangement of stunts performed on stage and an essential part of polishing a dance. In

addition, the choreographers carefully observe the dance routines and correct the dancers on their spot execution.

During Homecoming Week, Co-ed Choreo performed one of its first dance routines to the songs “Baby Boy” by Beyoncé, “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West and “Strawberry Bubblegum” by Justin Timberlake.

“Each song was particularly chosen based on what would make the set visually appealing,” Lee said.

“Sometimes, as I choreograph, I will start singing a random song in my head and envision what a cool dance would look like with it.”

With the help of volunteer alumni, Derek Torng and Erica Kasai, the Co-ed captains manage to seam together their entire set within three weeks.

While simultaneously preparing for other performances, the team is capable of quickly mastering new moves for upcoming gigs.

After the team’s recent performance at Homecoming, the team expresses more confidence and excitement than ever before.

“That performance was the best show we have ever put on at such an early stage in the school year,” Largoza said.

“Our team is truly coming together.”

Shibahara wins in straight sets

By DANI CASTANEDA

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Sophomore ace Ena Shibahara delivers a quick serve to her opponent at Peninsula’s home court. Shibahara helped lead the team to a CIF Championship, the Panther’s first since 2003.

2013 CIF Champion

#2 sophomore in the nation

#1 sophomore in California KURT JUPIN/THE PENJUPIN COURTESY OF KURT

At the age of seven, sophomore Ena Shibahara was just like any other novice tennis player, aimlessly whacking tennis balls and hastily scrambling around the court to pick them up.

Eight years later, after having devoted most of her life to the sport, Shibahara is ranked as the number two high school sophomore girls’ tennis player in the nation.

“It’s very overwhelming to think that I have achieved so much,” Shibahara said.

“But I make sure to never let it all get to my head. It could ruin my career.”

This past summer, Shibahara was in one of the biggest tournaments of her young tennis career. She was one step away from qualifying for the amateur U.S. Open, hosted at a professional venue in New York City. In the last set, the match slipped from her grip as she lost in the finals of that junior tournament.

“They gave me a sportsmanship award,” Shibahara said. “But I wanted a championship.”

Through her dedication and

commitment, Shibahara rose to the occasion by helping Peninsula cinch a CIF championship.

Shibahara swept her three opponents in three separate sets: 6-0, 6-2, 6-1.

“Ena has outstanding potential,” school coach Mike Hoeger said. “She has a great attitude on and off the court - a real leader.”

Shibahara has participated in over 50 tennis matches in the past year, winning all but one with a cumulative score of 4,000 points.

Shibahara won both the singles and doubles tournaments at the Super Nationals, the most prestigious tournament for amateur tennis players in the country. In the finals of the singles tournament, she beat out her undefeated opponent in straight sets.

“I do not just want to play to become famous, I’m playing because it’s my passion,” Shibahara said. “I never want to stop, and I never will.”

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