Issue 2

LIV Vol. X 2 ISSUE 23 14, 20 .

V O N

SPILLING VICTORIA’S SECRETS

VICTORIA SECRET’S “REALISTIC” REBRAND CONTROVERSY NEWS PAGE 5

A NEW AGE FOR CONGRESS

STAKING CLAIMS ON ON STAFF STAFF HOUSING

GIRLS’ TENNIS SERVES

OPINION OPINION PAGE PAGE 22

FOCUS PAGE PAGE 99 FOCUS

SPORTS SPORTS PAGE PAGE 13 13

PALOS VERDES PENSINSULA HIGH SCHOOL PVPHSNEWS.COM

LYNN TAKAHASHI

Opinion

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OUT WITH THE OLD NEEKTA BAGHOOLIZADEH

implications for such an elderly Senate, especially in such a polarizing political environment. Thankfully, measures How old is too old? How long in power is other than age limits can be used to bring too long? These questions, among others, the age of the Senate closer to that of the have been raised in response to the passing of average citizen, with term limits being Senator Dianne Feinstein. After a term riddled another popular option. with emergency absences and health concerns, “There are both [benefits] and [drawbacks] Feinstein passed on Sept. 29 at the age of 90. to term limits,” U.S. History and Advanced During her lifetime, Feinstein was a source of Placement U.S. History teacher Colette Dunninspiration for many people, with a great deal of Kottke said. “[They lead to] a better rotation of accomplishments to her name. Feinstein served people in and out, [introducing] new opinions. as the first female mayor of San Francisco in 1987 [However], it takes a lot of time and experience to and later went on to be a Senator for over 30 years learn the workings of the federal government.”

(Associated Press). Despite being repeatedly While it is true that establishing term limits on asked if she would consider retirement, the Senate would introduce a series of challenges, Feinstein resolutely held onto her seat, it is abundantly clear that the benefits of doing leading skeptics to wonder if age limits– so would far outweigh the drawbacks. Imposing and term limits–should be introduced to term limits would lead to new voices being heard, the Senate. new perspectives considered and new leaders “[90-years-old] is too old [to serve in the furthering social progress. Additionally, term U.S. Government],” Government and Advanced limits would satisfy the issue of age in the Senate.

Placement Psychology teacher John Hangartner Without a term limit, 98% of Congress said. “However, [if an age limit is set], people are incumbents maintain their position going to challenge that. If the people still trust the (Al Jazeera). Therefore, term limits person and vote for them, [then] there should not would curtail the disproportionate be an age limit.” presence of the elderly in the Senate, Despite the fact that age limits would be and invite more youthful voices to impractical to impose, the fact remains that the partake in the discussion.

Senate is aging rapidly. The median age in the “I always love encouraging young Senate is 65 years old, the highest it has ever people to vote,” senior Nathan Brown been (National Public Radio). This stands said. “Youth voices are some of the most in stark contrast to the average age in the underrepresented voices in politics. If [younger U.S., which is currently 30 years (NPR). With generations did vote], we would be listened to such a vast gap between the people and their more, things would be so much better for [us] representation in government, doubts are arising and Congress would take us seriously.” about how representative that government truly is At a time when political participation is of of the general population. Furthermore, political utmost importance, the lack of term limits in views vary widely between age brackets, with only Congress stands as a barrier to democracy.

10% of people aged 18-29 describing themselves All voices, not just those of the elderly and the as business conservatives, compared to 32% privileged should be both heard and taken into of those over the age of 65 (Pew Research consideration. By mandating term limits, more Center). The discrepancy in political equal representation can be ensured and a views between generations has major just world for all can be created.

VERONICA CHEN

EDITOR: ALENA RHOADES

Opinion

BACK THE GUN TAX MCKENNA MCCALLISTER & NOMUNDARI TSOGMAGNAI As of Nov. 13, there have been 602 mass shootings in the U.S. this year alone. This statistic has been steadily climbing with every sale of ammunition and guns that are utilized to inflict harm rather than acting in self-defense. Therefore, it is only fair that the taxes from such transactions are put toward increasing school security presence.

Gov. Gavin Newsom more than doubled the tax rates on guns and ammunition, with a promise of the funds serving to improve safety standards (Cable News Network). Out of the estimated $159 million that this new tax will bring to California’s budget, $75 million of it will go to California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program and $50 million will go to the State Department of Education (NPR). With over 35,000 deaths related to gun violence in this year alone, this is a small price to pay (Gun Violence Archive).

Peninsula is a fairly unique school in regard to security precautions.

The school is lucky enough to have a retired Lomita Sheriff, David Rozas, as the school resource officer (SRO) who is in charge of safety and crime prevention on campus. It is an absolute necessity to have someone dedicated to these tasks on campus for the safety of students, teachers and staff. Safety precautions should not be limited or reduced depending on grade levels; everyone deserves to feel safe while learning. However, the U.S. Department of Education reports that high schools are more likely to have SROs than middle schools or elementary schools. This is a concerning report seeing as two out of the three school shootings with the highest death tolls to date were at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Robb Elementary School. Safety drills to combat a shooting have remained unchanged leaving serious exposure to shooters that have sat through the same drill with knowledge of the school procedures. The

hope is that this tax will allow more schools of all education levels across states to adopt practices similar to those within California.

Despite the need for safer precautions and protocols that would be improved through the tax, it is no secret that many believe the additional charges to be unconstitutional and vindictive. Keep in mind, this tax is not taking away the right from anyone to buy a gun, but simply raising the price making access more limited than before. Yet, people against the tax argue that everyone should be able to protect their families with one of their fundamental entitlements: the right to bear arms. However, when the statistics are examined, it becomes clear that people who live in homes with gun owners are more than twice as likely to die by homicide (Stanford Medicine). Following the logic set forth by these statistics, buying a gun would more likely endanger a person’s family, not protect it.

Of course, this rapidly progresses into heated discussions of whether guns kill people or people kill people. If examined from a larger perspective, those people may realize that in reality, a person could inflict harm with anything. A person could be stabbed, ran over or pushed off a roof. If a person possesses the intention to harm another, they will find a way. However, the indiscriminate distribution of guns makes it easier. Although an important factor is the person in possession of the gun and their mindset, it is important to acknowledge that having guns widely accessible enables the senseless killings of innocent lives.

While California has never been a particularly pro-gun state due to its largely Democrat and Liberal population, it is encouraging to see at least one state setting an example for this year’s school shooting hotspots in the midwest. It is of utmost importance that the rest of the nation follows in California’s footsteps with higher gun taxes and greater emphasis on campus security to prevent further casualties.

PULL THE PLUG ON PATRIARCHY AARUSHI CHAUDHARI As of August 2023, women hold 26.7% of technology industry employment in the U.S. while men hold the remaining 73.3% of these positions (Tech Report). It is no secret that women and non-binary people in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field are brutally overshadowed by male influence, with men holding 3.7 million more tech jobs than women. This disparity could be seen at the 2023 Grace Hopper Celebration, an annual career expo in Orlando, FL exclusively for women and non-binary tech workers, attended by 30,000 people. It was a four-day event that cost upwards of $1300 to attend. At the entrance of the fair, the workers who wanted to participate filled out a form, which indicated their personal information, including their gender. The men in attendance lied on this form, selecting non-binary or female when they did not identify as either.

Most of the men at the event were rude to the women and non-binary tech workers there by cutting lines and calling them misogynistic slurs.

Many sponsors from large corporations, such as Apple, Amazon and Google, came to discuss job opportunities and hosted career workshops specifically targeted toward minorities. The expo is usually competitive with tens of thousands of annual attendees, and this year the access was more limited due to a surge of men overtaking the lines (National Public Radio). Although inclusivity was the main theme of the event, men should have been asked to leave the expo since women deserve increased access to tech jobs due to their underrepresentation in the industry. The presence of men and their disrespectful attitudes diffused the support system built between women and non-binary tech workers.

“The men who attended [completely disregarded] the context of the event,” senior Eshani Prasad said. “It is disheartening to see how women in STEM keep getting pushed off to the side. At [the expo], someone [should have] made it clear to the men that they should not have imposed rather than just letting them take opportunities that were not meant for them.”

A common misconception about inclusivity is that by encouraging minorities to participate and engage more than the majority, the roles will reverse, causing a never-ending cycle of imbalance. What many fail to realize is that providing women and non-binary tech workers

3 THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL 27118 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS IN CHIEF McKenna McCallister Nomundari Tsogmagnai MANAGING EDITOR Josie Kwak HEADS OF DESIGN Brian Wang Lynn Takahashi HEAD OF BUSINESS Kylie Baik ADVISER Jaymee DeMeyer PUBLICITY Savanna Messner Rodriguez Ricardo Escalante OPINION EDITOR: Alena Rhoades WRITERS: Aarushi Chaudhari Neekta Baghoolizadeh NEWS EDITOR: Sivan Stoler WRITERS: Gunnar Lee Allison Kumamoto FOCUS EDITOR: Juliette Lin WRITERS: Jihoon Kwon Caori DeGuzman

with a safe space does not diminish men’s presence in the industry. At STUDENT LIFE the moment, women and non-binary people continue to be a largely EDITORS: Zahra Habib underrepresented presence in the STEM field, which contributes to a Angelina Wang large number of them quitting their jobs. According to a report from WRITERS: Melina Ajami Accenture, women are 50% more likely than men to drop tech roles Jacelyn Chen before the age of 35, which is three times more than in other industries.

This is due to the fact that women are less likely to obtain leadership ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT roles than men within their respective companies, causing other SPORTS minorities to feel underepresented. Seeing the lack of women and nonEDITOR: Tessa Kang binary tech workers demotivates them and makes them less inclined to WRITERS: Sura Kiasatpour keep their current jobs.

Neha Sambangi “It definitely makes sense that women in lower-level positions would be discouraged from lack of representation,” senior Ashima GRAPHICS Bhatia said. “If companies conducted a fair evaluation of men and Abby Lee women considering that women will have less experience due to lack of Angie Jo representation and decreased employment, they would likely have more Anthony Jang leadership roles in tech, which would slightly level the playing field.”

Caori DeGuzman It was not right for the men to come to an event specifically targeted Chloe Dimick toward minorities in the tech industry and then put a larger spotlight Jiselle Nguyen Juliette Lin on themselves rather than who it was originally intended for. The only Kiara Lee way for women and non-binary people to hold an equivalent position Veronica Chen to men in the industry is to foster an environment where they are given opportunities to network, find job prospects and most importantly, feel ADS supported. An encouraging setting was present at the start of the expo Caide Jung when women in the lines were building each other up and offering words Frederica Nishioka of advice and motivation to one another. This connection symbolized Kana Fujimoto-Taitano unity within a group of people who feel insecure within their job Marisa Tan setting, and just when they started to feel more encouraged, they were overshadowed by the sweeping population of men at the event. It was “The Pen” is the newspaper very unsettling to women and non-binary tech workers, who came to produced by the journalism students the expo to find a job that is more accessible to men, just to be treated of Palos Verdes Peninsula High the same as they usually are by members of their industry.

School. Advertising inquiries may “I know exactly what it feels like to finally be comfortable in a certain be directed to Head of Business environment, just for it to get disrupted by an unwanted force,” senior Kylie Baik (424) 458-8395 Lia Osipyan said. “That is probably what the women were going through.

Copyright © 2023 I also want to go into STEM, so it is heartbreaking to see how women feel inferior in their careers, [a place] that should be a safe space.”

COVER DESIGN BY BRIAN WANG & LYNN TAKAHASHI

4

News

REASSURING RIDES

Lyft’s new service aims to ensure the safety of women and non-binary people GUNNAR LEE Finally heeding the requests of its passengers, the ridesharing company Lyft announced a new safety feature allowing women and non-binary riders to request female and non-binary drivers. The in-app option, called Women+ Connect, is currently only available in the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Phoenix and Chicago, though Lyft plans to expand it nationwide by the end of the year. Women+ Connect does not guarantee that a passenger will receive a female or non-binary driver, but makes a match more likely. The feature was added following a series of lawsuits by passengers pertaining to incidents of sexual assault by drivers (Cable News Network).

Mainstream ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber have come under intense scrutiny over safety concerns as a result of high rates of sexual assaults mainly perpetrated by men. Between 2017 and 2019, Lyft received 4,158 reports of sexual assault, including 2,300 accounts of nonconsensual touching, 350 incidents of rape and 10 deaths. However they stated that these incidents account for less than 1% of all rides. Although the reports do not specify the perpetrators’ genders or whether they were the driver or passenger in their, Lyft was hit with several lawsuits by female drivers and passengers who accused the company of failing to address passenger safety as well as ignoring the attacks despite being aware of them. One plaintiff was sexually assaulted by her driver and coerced into silence because he knew where she lived. Another plaintiff was taken from Brooklyn, New York to a site in

BRIAN WANG EDITOR: SIVAN STOLER

New Jersey where her driver and two other men raped her (Helping Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Assualt). Despite the victim of the latter assault contacting a Lyft representative, she received nothing but a formal apology. In June 2022, Lyft reached a $25 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit accusing the company of concealing instances of assault and in September 2022 alone faced 14 lawsuits regarding sexual assault (National Public Radio). The lawsuits sought to make Lyft take more safety precautions; their suggestions included criminal background checks for drivers, video and audio recordings of rides and an option for female passengers to hail female drivers. Following the last proposal, Lyft created Women+ Connect in the hopes to reduce these incidents and help female passengers feel safer and more comfortable. Lyft and Uber also agreed in 2021 to share the names of drivers who were deactivated due to sexual misconduct ranging from inappropriate comments to rape (NPR).

Freshman Keoni Alegre believes that Women+ Connect is long overdue, but also recognizes that even with precautions it is difficult to monitor sexual assaults.

“Given the assault cases, Lyft should have introduced more safety measures sooner,” Alegre said. “The idea of having rideshare companies that take passengers where they need to go is a really good idea, but no one would think twice [about assault] until it actually happens. Then again, it is really hard to keep track of [assaults] because there are a lot of people around the world and Lyft is just one company.”

Since nearly half of Lyft passengers are female, but only 23% of its drivers are; the company specifically launched the feature in cities that have a greater female driver to female rider ratio. Lyft has stated that they hope Women+ Connect will attract more female drivers to sign up (NPR). Another notable aspect

of Women+ Connect is the inclusion of nonbinary drivers and passengers which the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, commended (Them Magazine). Freshman Nelly Szalkowski praises Lyft for including LGBTQ+ representation in its service.

“As a non-binary person, I neither identify as male or female, and if I had a non-binary driver I would feel much better as they would understand my struggles and I could relate to them,” Szalkowski said. “It is good that Lyft is encouraging female and non-binary [job] opportunities in a male-dominated [field].”

Women+ Connect has been appreciated by many, stating that it makes them feel safer and more comfortable (Columbia Broadcasting System). The non-binary community has praised Lyft for their explicit inclusion of nonbinary drivers and riders at a time when many other companies shy away from the LGBTQ+ community (NPR). Others, however, feel that the service is not enough to protect them, as a male passenger or driver could easily mark their identity on the app as female or non-binary (National Broadcasting Company).Freshman Taylie Saga-Narikawa is among those unsatisfied with what Lyft currently offers. “[Lyft] should definitely do a better background check for their drivers to see if they have a history with drugs or assault,” SagaNarikawa said.

“Taking into account how a driver could do anything to a passenger, it is definitley ideal to have as much information as possible on a Lyft driver.”

News

FALLEN ANGELS

Victoria’s Secret rebrand increases diversity and sparks controversy many have had questions about whether the brand will remain performative.

Adriana Lima and Gisele Bündchen dominated the The trailer for their movie, Victoria’s Secret: 2000s modeling industry and were two of the most The Tour ‘23, released on Prime Video on Sept. 26, notable Victoria’s Secret (VS) Angels, women who modeled displays a more diverse range of models, meaning for and represented the brand on the runway and in that the audience can see a wide variety of body advertisements. These women were known for having the types being represented, despite previously being body that society idolized at the time, with their intense extremely limited in terms of inclusivity. The workout routines and restrictive diets playing a large role in movie received a rating of 1.7 out of five stars with achieving this figure. In fact, many former models like Lima 131 reviews on Amazon Prime and a 2.4 out of have opened up about the extreme regimens they held. ten with 194 reviews. As a result, many hope the Lima told reporters that she avoided solid food for nine rebrand will bring a more positive image and not days leading up to the brand’s annual fashion show (Equip an unrealistic standard for young women all over Health). Since its founding in 1977, VS has been criticized the world (Daily Mail). Freshman Ava Nayebdadesh for having a limited range of sizes and failing to feature a explains her difficult experience shopping at VS. diverse cast of models. According to E! News, the brand “I shop at Victoria’s Secret, but I do not think did not feature a plus-size model until 2019, when the their clothing is for everyone,” Nayebdadash said. brand featured its first size 14 model, Ali Tate. Her “They are trying harder to include bigger sizes, recruitment was a result of encouragement from Gen but they only brand women with skinny waists Z, but it still took a long time to make this change and bigger busts. Shopping there is harder for me compared to other lingerie brands such as True & Co. because they do not have a wide range of sizes, and Lane Bryant. which they need to add more [of]. I have a smaller VS has been looked up to by young girls and women bust and it is hard to find a bra that fits right.” all over the world since the resurgence of the “Y2K While VS’s garments are aesthetically pleasing, aesthetic” (Stitch). Along with this revived they are not greatly functional, which is admiration for the company, the fact that VS something that causes today’s generation to has advertised their lingerie as being able to be more hesitant to purchase VS products. transform the average woman into a tall, slender Faux inclusion is not new to the brand, as and bronzed bombshell has gained the public’s they have previously tried to switch out attention. The idea that buying VS products can old models with ones they deemed magically change a teenage girl into a grown more inclusive to project diversity woman curated by the male gaze is one that when in reality, they still fit a many young girls have fallen for (The Street). similar mold. In recent promotion Senior Mia Matarazzo is the vice president of the for the brand, there were many Embodying Love Club which promotes self-love models of different races and and body positivity, as well as awareness about a wider variety of body types. eating disorders. Matarazzo expresses ways However, many argue that they still she thinks the brand can and should improve did not look realistic as they still fit their unrealistic images. a stereotypical body type (People).

“If [VS wants] to be more inclusive and In much of their advertising, VS only shows diverse, they should simply be more inclusive exceptionally glamorized women without and diverse,” Matarazzo said. “They have imperfections. This has led many to feel that never had an amazing history with diversity, the increase of their diversity of models is [as their] whole brand [is built off] of a step forward in the right direction, but unattainability and fantasy. They should put not all that glitters is gold. Many plus-size in the effort to get the execution right and not models still share similar body types, having [simply] hire models who are different sizes no double chin, a big bust and skinny waist. and races” Still, compared to its original collection of The rebrand has already undergone criticism sizes and models, VS now has a wide range of for having an image that greatly differs from its past diverse models. However, according to Better aesthetics and themes. For example, the use of baggy Marketing, a need for improvements is clear. jeans and muted colors in an attempt to draw in a Gen Freshman Elena Thomas is a consumer of Z audience has disappointed many consumers due to VS, but she agrees that the brand has a lot of its contrast with the VS 2000s style (Evie Magazine). work to do.

The popularity of their fashion shows on social media “Their clothes should be the same no matter platforms had a lot of young people wanting the bows, who is modeling them,” Thomas said. “That lace and colorful garments that were available to is what would be inclusive. These brands still purchase in the previous decades. Items from their cater to a specific body type, when every body past lines had fun designs and although it was lingerie, is completely different. These [attempts] were it managed to be playful and fun while keeping its sex made because brand are lazy and refuse to think appeal. The absence of these products has contributed about how not everyone has the same body type to a failing rebrand. While it has already been failing, as a stereotypical model.”

ALLISON KUMAMOTO

KIARA LEE

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Meet the Focus Section

WHAT IS FOCUS? The Focus section is the most wide-reaching and varying section in our newspaper. Each issue has a different focus (artificial intelligence, sports, LGBTQ+ rights, etc.) that our two-article spread will focus on under an “umbrella”, causing the two articles’ content to be connected.

EDITOR Hello, my name is Juliette Lin and I am the editor of the Focus section! This is my third year on staff, and also my third year of struggling to be a theater kid and publication nerd at the same time. I am a confused Chinese-American teenager who loves film and diasporic literature; you can find me doodling in my school notebooks, receiving tiered rejections from literary magazines and probably cutting paper into letters for our awesome section board in H52. To a year full of sleep and publishing (go Focus)!!

WRITER Hi, my name is Jihoon Kwon, I am a junior and I am a writer for the Focus section. I originally began in the Student Life scetion, but moved to Focus as a second-year writer. I like to read in my free time. Recently I have been reading a lot of “Lovecraftian” books. I also love watching sports. Specifically, I support the Brooklyn Nets, Paris Saint Germain and Scuderia Ferrari. I also participate in Robotics and run Track. This year my goal is to write one good article.

WRITER Hi I am Caori DeGuzman, and I am a writer for the Focus section! I read moreso than do what I am supposed to do— my favorite artist-poets include Leah Lakshmi PiepznaSamarasinha, Sung Yim and Ismatu Gwendolyn. I am a level 10 Life Wizard on Wizard101 and drink coffee that my body violently reacts to. My position as a level two writer right now is teaching me a crucial life lesson: communicate consistently and write/contribute even if it is not perfect!

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Panther Corner

FALL FESTIVITIES

I <3 The Pen Across [2] Butt of a corny math teacher’s joke [4] A butternut squash, for one [9] Arachnid Autumn [10] Needle in a ____ [12] Autumn jamboree [13] Early sign of autumn [14] You might find these on the ground [15] Autumn in Mexico [17] A child’s finger painting [18] Classic pie crust component

Down [1] Let’s go to a ____ patch!

[2] Most popular item on Starbucks’ Fall Menu [3] ____ weather [5] A scary disappearance [6] Sweet like ______ [7] Horn of plenty [8] Has no brain [11] “It’s the ____ Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966 film) [12] Michael Meyers movie [16] Daylight Saving Time during autumn

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Focus

CONTRACT CON

KAISER BURNOUT CAUSES LOW TURNOUT CAORI DEGUZMAN Burnout is defined by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to be a psychological state of work-induced mental and physical stress.

This condition seems to have spread with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020, filling hospital hallways with coughing patients and exhausted staff. This became apparent at the start of October when a nationwide walk-out of health care workers against Kaiser Permanente, a nonprofit health care company, remained active for three days. The collective call for reform included compensation for cost-of-living expenses, improvement of hiring practices and a raise of the current minimum wage.

It is considered the largest health care walk-out in U.S. history, with more than 75,000 workers participating from multiple states. Emergency medical care and hospitals remained open during the walkout.

COVID-19 is considered a major source of burnout for both clinical and non-clinical support staff, such as food service staff and lab technicians.

Due to work overload caused by the virus during its peak, employees and equipment were strained to maximum capacity (NLM). Effects are evident in the staffing shortages and large turnover in Kaiser and similar organizations; more than 5 million medical workers nationwide left their jobs during the pandemic, leaving gaping vacancies in their wake (Reuters). In fact, Kaiser itself has 11% of unfilled positions.

Many workers in health care continue to face burnout, and the October strike is just one of many examples of a stressed system failing to adapt to workers’ needs. Dr. Tracey Imley, Regional Assistant Medical Director for Kaiser Southern California and Hawaii, describes some burdens of those who work extensive hours during this difficult time.

“Being in the health care industry is tremendously rewarding,” Imley said. “Getting to help people for a living is a job that brings joy to me everyday. That being said, we know that the pandemic [has been] difficult for many including those in the health care field. Many of those in the health care industry saw higher disease burden during the pandemic that was coupled with fears of catching the more deathly forms of COVID-19 in 2020 [as well as] the fears that [they] could spread it to their loved ones.”

The increased protection and basic benefits such as paid leave that medical workers are

protesting for have been more difficult to obtain since the rise of the pandemic (Public Broadcasting System). Domestic service workers have been repeatedly excluded with little access to protective equipment in the midst of the pandemic (Harvard Health Publishing). Caretakers and nurse aides are examples of positions that have been overlooked by the health care sector. When health care organizations function on a care-for-profit model, some can assume how workers’ needs can easily be pushed aside as an afterthought. Even for non-profit health care corporations, when revenue is issued through the state, there are many cases in which ethical standards can drop and leave workers vulnerable to mistreatment.

As a volunteer for Kaiser and having a parent working in a medical setting, senior Erica Kim empathizes with these complaints.

“I volunteer at Kaiser [and] my department was affected by the strike. It is true that Kaiser staffing is terribly managed,” Kim said. “My mom [who works at Kaiser] does not really have an issue with pay as she is a specialist, but I cannot tell you how many times she has had to go into work when she should not have to just because [her department is] understaffed.”

The Kaiser employee strike helped spread the word on the institution’s nationwide staff shortages and desired improvement of patient care (Reuters). Results of the walk-out and persistent calls to action included a 21% wage increase, which will benefit frontline health care workers and clients alike in terms of receiving urgent and longterm care. The new contract also requires Kaiser to implement job fairs and workforce development to fill its current vacancies.

The October strike may be over, but the injustices raised by the union and health care workers in the U.S. are far from resolved. Considering how much effort it may take to study in preparation for being in the medical field, establishing a system that accounts for nurses, aides, caretakers and those who maintain the cleanliness and power of hospitals and their clients is crucial to create beneficial long-lasting impacts for the general public. As a whole, hospitals and other sites of care should be places where everyone’s health is taken seriously (World Economic Forum). If the understaffed and underpaid situation in U.S. health care continues, consequences

are likely to show through further acts of protest advocating for more empathetic and effective systems of medical care. The Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations has reported an uptick in health care strikes; 37 have occurred as of October of this year.

As a patient who often visits Kaiser for check-ups, sophomore Ashe Currence mentions collectively recognized flaws in hospital networks.

“People do not recognize how many people it takes to run a hospital,” Currence said. “[This is] because people think of health care workers [as] doctors and nurses, but [forget] positions [such as] receptionists and custodians.

American health care corporations just want money, which usually comes at the cost of the well-being of those below them.”

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Focus

NTROVERSIES

LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR TEACHER HOUSING

JIHOON KWON California has one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S., but the salaries for teachers have not been high enough to pay for the corresponding cost of living. Thus, several attempts have been made to tackle this issue. One of the most notable examples is Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD), located in Silicon Valley, creating a groundbreaking plan called “Laying the Foundation.” This plan aims to provide affordable housing for school staff in the district. Most recently, they posted a video on Vimeo in September 2023 showcasing the plan’s progress on studio units as well as one and two-bedroom apartments, totalling 123 living areas. This initiative would address the issue of expensive housing prices that has contributed to the loss of teachers.

The average monthly rent of an apartment in California is $2,541 while the average rent across the U.S. is $1,702, making it the third highest average in the nation (RentCafe).

Despite having housing prices that far exceed the country’s average, the salary of teachers in California is relatively low. This is especially apparent in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD), where the average salary for teachers in 2022-23 was $67,859 to $76,697, meaning the cost of rent alone would consume nearly half of their yearly salary. Due to the housing market in California, many of its residents have departed the state in recent years (Calmatters). This trend, also known as the California exodus, has negatively affected school districts as retaining and attracting educators has been a major issue. Many teachers, especially young ones, struggle to pay for the inflated housing prices with their conversely low wages, resulting in them leaving or not entering the district at all. World History and Advanced Placement European History teacher Donald Frazier, with experience teaching in other states, feels these reasons make it nearly impossible for young teachers to start their careers, especially in California.

“It would be nice to match the real estate market to the teachers’ salaries, [given] how expensive it is to live in the area,” Frazier said. “25 to 30-year-olds would not be able to afford to buy a house here. I

ABBY LEE

bought [a] house in Vermont [when I was 26 years old]. I could live in the same town that I taught in Vermont, but I could not do it [in California].”

In order to take action, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Oct. 4, 2022 which would allow construction of houses specifically for educators. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, this bill will allow housing for teachers to be built anywhere within school property without any zoning change request from the city (EdSource). MVWSD has partnered up with the city and Miramar Property Group, a real estate business. Through this partnership, the district plans to raise $122 million to build 144 units, 127 of which will be reserved for teachers (Fox News). $88 million of the funds will be attained through Measure T, a bond passed in 2020 that provided MVWSD with financing that would allow them to sponsor any projects to improve the district. English 4 and Advanced Placement Literature and Composition teacher Tim Coleman, who is also the president of Palos Verdes Faculty Association (PVFA), would love to see PVPUSD do something similar.

“The district has in the past talked about potentially having teacher housing within Palos Verdes,” Coleman said. “Any attempt to get housing for teachers, especially for young teachers, is still something we would love to see and endorse. I think that would be a great use of our surplus school sites [with no current facilities].”

While such a plan can certainly address part of the problem, many teachers argue that the root of the problem lies in the wages that do not match the high housing prices. On July 25, 2023, negotiations between the PVFA and the school district improved the situation for the teachers as it tentatively increased the income of teachers by 10% (Daily Breeze). Despite significant improvements, PVPUSD teachers still appear to earn less than staff in nearby districts, such as the Long Beach Unified and Redondo Beach Unified School Districts. Faculty will likely continue advocating for more competitive

EDITOR: JULIETTE LIN

salaries and medical benefits.

PVFA member and English 2 Honors teacher Rebecka Dibble believes that while this negotiation has addressed the issue slightly, many teachers in the area are still struggling to combat the cost of living.

“We recently renegotiated our contract for better wages,” Dibble said. “[The situation has improved], but it could still be better.

Unfortunately, as the cost of living continues to go up nationwide, this means we are spending more money on basic goods and services, so the net gain for us is less. In terms of living conditions, teachers are feeling the stress of higher rents and more expensive housing, especially in our area.

As a result, some of our teachers cannot afford to live in the South Bay, so they must commute to school from their homes 30 minutes to 1 hour away.

Teachers make a lot less than we should for the work we put in. It has gotten better, but it is still [a] very challenging [situation].”

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Student Life

FIRST-CLASS FRC

JACELYN CHEN Since the founding of Team 2637: The Phantom Catz in 2008 the group has become an elective class and has accumulated experience over the years in various robotics competitions. Their most recent endeavor involved arranging an off-season For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition (FRC) scrimmage known as the SoCal Showdown. The event was hosted by The Phantom Catz, Team 4201 from the Da Vinci Schools and Team 687 from the California Academy of Mathematics and Science. A total of 34 teams attended the event from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8 at Da Vinci High School, with no necessary qualifications due to the event being exclusive to the local robotics teams. At typical FIRST competitions, teams will compete in two regional competitions and if they win the finals or either of the outreach awards, Engineering Inspiration or Impact, they will advance to the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas. This year, the game objective was for the robot to pick up game pieces, such as cones or cubes, and score them onto a grid-like goal to earn points. The team with the greatest number of points after each match would progress to win.

This was Peninsula Robotics’ first time cohosting an event with other schools. They had to prepare for the event by improving two of their latest robots, Overtime and Atlas. Overtime is a robot used to pick up a cube and shoot it into the

desired perimeter, whereas Atlas is a robot that can pick up and bring both cubes and cones to the desired destination. Each participant of the team is tasked with a specific duty to help prepare for the event. Senior Darren Cheng is a part of the Mechanical Design subteam that is tasked to alter the robot, Overtime. The team’s mission was to redesign Overtime and make it move quicker to score more precisely.

“We were really eager to make [Overtime] score the most amount of points possible during the competition,” Cheng said. “We made the robot much lighter to move around the field faster and focused primarily on scoring cubes onto the shelves. I would then record the information and try to make it more efficient by altering different aspects of the robot.”

During the competition, members of The Phantom Catz were categorized to oversee different aspects of the event. Some jobs were to shadow referees for the matches while others were to maintain data for each trial of competition through applications (apps). Senior Prachod Kakatur created an app for members to input data for the robots before the competition, which helped organize data that was outputted during the competition. For instance, the app recorded how many seconds it took for the robot to place the cube into the desired area, which efficiently helped the members jot down the information. This collection of data would be utilized to form strategies and alliances for the gameplay. As a result, the team played all the way

EDITOR: ZAHRA HABIB JAEWON JANG

up to the finals and has achieved one of their biggest accomplishments by being both a finalist and alliance captain, a representative from the highest ranked team on an alliance. The alliance captains, Atlas and Overtime placed second and third.

Kakatur explains how this event was different from the other competitions he has participated in.

“Differing from standard competitions, some of our [scouts] had to stay back while the bulk of our team represented [The Phantom Catz],” Kakatur said. “The remaining scouts had to volunteer a lot by being [aids to the] referees or just by helping with the materials. The overall experience was great, seeing how well the event executed.”

Since The Phantom Catz placed in the finals and earned alliance captains for their robots they are expected to win the regional competition and secure a position in the FIRST Championship in April. The team plans to continue developing innovative designs and setting realistic goals for their robot next season. Senior Johnathan Lin is excited to advance the robots further and compete in upcoming FRC competitions.

“With Atlas and Overtime, we all gained a [lot] of experience because of the opportunity to work on two robots where everyone had their [own] jobs,” Lin said. “For Overtime specifically, it was a great design to be able to build off of because it was simpler [than Atlas]. I hope we [will] be able to [reach] for more ambitious designs since we have a bit more experience and cooperation [as a] team.”

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Student Life

TURNING A NEW LEAF

ANGELINA JO

MELINA AJAMI

EDITOR: ANGELINA WANG

where more students know how to access our mental health resources and the [assistance] our SAGE therapists offer.”

Principal Brent Kuykendall works very closely with the SAGE At academically rigorous schools like therapists, and he wants more students to take advantage of their Peninsula, students face a multitude of challenges, including mental health issues. The services. He believes the SAGE Advisory Group is needed as it will therapists in the SAGE program on campus advertise benefits students gain through talking to SAGE therapists, are available throughout the school day to help including avoiding potentially harmful situations students may be in. students battle these problems; however, many “[The hope is that the group will help students get in touch with] students still do not want to take advantage of the services offered by the SAGE therapists so they can step in,” Kuykendall said. “I have SAGE therapists for many of reasons. These range from not feeling seen emergency situations where we have had a student in a space comfortable with seeking help to believing that their problems are not that was potentially unsafe for them. The SAGE therapists addressed big enough to warrant meeting with a counselor. The newly formed the scenario with parents and staff to create a plan to support them SAGE Advisory Group, run by students, aims to address this problem through that stressful time and that was amazing to watch. I have seen this a number of times and it breaks my heart that our students are and help others feel comfortable with asking for and accepting help. going through that, but I am also super proud of our SAGE therapists.”

Led by senior Sydney Iravanchy, the advisory group aims to inform High school can be a difficult time for students, so it is important students about activities and mental health resources organized by for students to know what resources are available for them. The SAGE the SAGE therapists by planning events on campus with the goal of Advisory Group will have a wellness center and organize fundraisers reducing the stigma surrounding mental health assistance. in order to create awareness. In the future, Iravanchy is determined The SAGE Advisory Council has allowed students to learn more about SAGE through social media and activities, such as presentations to inspire more students to visit the SAGE therapists and learn about the opportunities available within the counseling community. Sheree for students and parents and holiday events. While working as a student board member for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School Risley Aragon, one of the SAGE therapists, believes that receiving District (PVPUSD) Student Council, Iravanchy noted the results of a input from students, rather than adults, helps the counselors improve survey taken by the Palos Verdes Board of Education which show that students’ experiences by focusing on what they are struggling with.

“The SAGE Advisory Group and us want to spread awareness 99% of high school students in PVPUSD are aware of SAGE therapy about mental health and let students know that they can drop-in but only 40% feel comfortable reaching out to the counselors. These even if they are overwhelmed [about] that day or that week,” Aragon activities hosted by the group will help students feel comfortable said. “Hopefully with the help of the Advisory Group, students [will coming to the therapist’s office for advice or routine meetings. take advantage of our services so] we [can] help them with time “The SAGE Advisory Group [was] created to reinforce the management and [let] the student body know that [there is no problem reputation of the SAGE therapists on campus and to destigmatize seeking [out] mental health help,” Iravanchy said. too small to receive help]. They can come in for everyday little stressors “This way, we can create a better environment on our campus and we can help them navigate through that.”

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Arts & Entertainment ETHICS OF ENTERTAINMENT The upcoming release of “Squid Game: The Challenge” is met with controversy

SURA KIASATPOUR The boundaries between fiction and reality are being broken with the upcoming release of “Squid Game: The Challenge,” a reality show that is scheduled to debut on Nov. 22 on Netflix.

Following the craze of the popular thriller and drama “Squid Game,” released in 2021, fans are in for a heated competition rather than the highly anticipated second season of the original show. The reality show, filmed in England, contains the largest cast and prize in reality show history. This cast consisted of 456 participants who take part in intense challenges, similar to the original show, except lives are not at stake in this version, but $4.56 million is (Collider). Despite a few differences, original aspects of the drama can still be seen, such as participants wearing the classic green and white jumpsuits and performing the famed colorful step-marching sequence, all with the cashfilled glass orb hanging above them (Los Angeles Times).

While the challenges of the 10-episode-long series are not life-threatening, the competition remains just as cutthroat as it was in the original television drama which had garnered a global appeal. Furthermore, interest in K-Dramas and Korean entertainment as a whole has peaked due to the success of “Squid Game” as the themes of economic disparities are relatable on a global level for all cultural backgrounds. The upcoming competition reality series has the ability to not only maintain this momentum, but also pave the way for reality television to become more than the generic dramas they typically are. Junior Josephine Cho, president of the Korean Entertainment Research Club, is hopeful about the spread of Korean culture that comes with this release.

“I am looking forward to seeing it,” Cho said. “It is good to see a Korean show that has the culture and representation getting into a more diverse area. Spreading the culture to the world instead of being another show [that is only popular in Korea].”

Despite the initial enthusiasm, there are rising concerns about the ethics of this competition for several reasons. Not only due to the fact that the experiences of real people are being turned into entertainment, but also because it loses the depth of societal analysis and commentary that made the original series impactful. Therefore, it fails to portray the most meaningful message of “Squid Game”, ironically encouraging the very element the show was meant to critique. Rather than shedding light on how money can cause people to be amoral and the self-serving mindset it can lead to in society, the show will glorify the government’s corruption, transforming it into a trivial game that lacks depth.

People are being put in extreme conditions with their pain and struggle to be used for entertainment. Although there are no fatalities and people can argue that it is what participants signed up for, it is hard to believe that they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into due to the extremely intense nature. Many challengers have stepped forward claiming it was like a warzone and complaining about a challenge that left them freezing in an airplane hangar playing games where they had to hold statue-like poses for nearly 30 minutes (People). Other ​​ concerns were raised when it was revealed that participants had to endure prolonged periods without eating food and wakeup calls as early as 3:30 a.m, though it is unknown if they are allowed to tap out at any point. A crucial responsibility the entertainment industry must have is ensuring the wellbeing of their actors/participants, so It is of utmost importance that moral lines are not crossed in an attempt to capture amusing moments for views. The ethical problems that are often associated with reality television are heavily displayed in ‘‘Squid Game: the Challenge”, especially the physically and emotionally straining aspects. Senior Angel Soung thinks there should be greater emphasis on moral considerations within reality television.

“The intense and life-threatening challenges in ‘Squid Game: the Challenge’ could have significant psychological effects on participants,” Soung said. “The extreme stress, fear and trauma experienced during the game could lead to long-lasting psychological consequences. It is important to prioritize mental well-being and consider the potential impact on participants before engaging in such extreme activities.”

There are many mixed emotions and reviews among fans just from the trailers, arguing that the show is pointless. Some claim that it made no sense to create a reality version of a show that aimed to critique capitalism, not celebrate it (Daily Mail). The conversion of the show into a real-life scenario reflects broader concerns regarding the dilution and misinterpretation of the social messages of “Squid Game.” Senior Jia Garcia questioned whether the release of the show is necessary. “[Making a reality show] seems odd,” Garcia said. “People will be disappointed because ‘Squid Game’’ was left on a cliffhanger, so this seems like it is only [being made] to attract more people on Netflix [rather than original fans]. ‘Squid Game’ airing as this reality show is Netflix ‘milking’ its popularity. It would have been better to get a different show in general because the more violent games at the end of ‘Squid Game’ sound worrisome to play out.”

JULIETTE LIN EDITOR: TESSA KANG

Sports GIRLS’ TENNIS HITS HIGHER Girls’ tennis wins second place at Golden State Classic

NEHA SAMBANGI The varsity girls’ tennis team competed at the Golden State Classic in Palo Alto, California on Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, placing second out of 32 teams competing. Typically, the team travels to San Diego every season to compete in the Point Loma Tournament.

However, instead of this tournament, the team entered into the Golden State Classic for the first time in five years to challenge their team’s caliber early in the season. In this tournament, 32 teams from different high schools in Southern and Northern California were split into four groups, with the winner of each group progressing into the semi-finals, followed by the finals. The playing format has four singles players and three doubles teams from each school playing against each other in a full match format, and the first to win two sets wins. If the sets are split between the teams, a 10-point tiebreaker will be played to decide the winner. The team opened the two-day tournament by securing 7-0 wins over MenloAtherton High School, Castilleja High School and Sacred Heart Prep High School, placing first to progress into the semifinals. On Sept. 9, the team defeated Menlo High School, 6-1, during the semifinals. However, in the finals, the team fell short to a familiar rival from Southern California, Westlake High School. The 2-5 loss placed Peninsula at second. Senior and captain Kayden Roxas expresses the importance of the results at the tournament and how beneficial it was for the team.

“A run to the finals of the Golden State Classic was super essential for the team’s confidence,” Roxas said. “With the tournament happening so early in the season, we got to experiment with different lineups and doubles pairs. The team got so many opportunities to bond since it was an overnight trip, which improved our performance on the court and our competitive spirit.”

Throughout the tournament, the girls were able to play doubles with different team

members and play at different singles positions. This helped them understand where they would best fit in the lineup for the upcoming Bay League matches, an annual high school athletic competition within the South Bay. Building on the team’s strong results in the Golden State Classic, the girls’ varsity tennis team continued their winning streak, opening the Bay League play 4-0, with wins over Redondo Union High School, Mira Costa High School, Santa Monica High School and Culver City High School (CCHS). The team credits the results in the Golden State Classic to their doubles teams’ improvement in game play, constantly winning five matches or more against every school. Junior Emma Gonzalez recalls how memorable this tournament was, being only the second travel tournament she has played with the team.

“My favorite moment from this tournament was winning the third doubles match with my partner as we previously lost to the same team two weeks ago,” Gonzalez said. “Playing this tournament was special because we have not competed against teams in the Northern California division before, so we did not know how well we could perform. The tournament made us realize how much versatility we have the team lineup.”

On Oct. 11, the girls’ varsity tennis team defeated San Marino High School, the 2022 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division Champions, 14-4. The team currently has two more league matches against CCHS and Palos Verdes High School remaining before the CIF rounds begin, where they hope to win the 2023 CIF Open Division title. Sophomore and first time varsity team player Ava Sharng looks forward to finishing the season on a high note.

“I am excited to compete in the CIF and State Championships with the girls,” Sharng said.

“Above everything, I am interested to see how much our team intensity can grow since that has been a huge positive for us this season. The team environment is very strong, so I am eager to see how far we can progress.”

JISELLE NYUGEN

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