Issue 1

VOL. XXXIX ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL www.pvphsnews.com

GOING GLOBAL Students visit foreign countries to learn and help others FOCUS PAGE 6-7

NOT THE VERITAS

LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE

SETTING FOR SUCCESS

Harvard faces charges for discrimination

Seniors make videos to showcase life at Peninsula

Godbold participates on Junior Olympics volleyball team

OPINION PAGE 5

STUDENT LIFE PAGE 8

SPORTS PAGE 10

Peninsula drops below top 200 for the first time in four years

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Following the end of the 2017-18 school year, U.S. News released their 2018 rankings for high schools across the nation. Peninsula was ranked the 29th in California and 207th in the country. The school received a gold medallion for the national category, which is awarded to the top 501 high schools in the nation.

“I am not surprised by Peninsula’s ranking,” freshman Ronan Lee said. “[Peninsula has] always been academically strong. Our school is filled with many smart and talented kids. I am honestly surprised we are not ranked higher.”

While Peninsula has been a gold medal school for years, its overall ranking has dropped. After the 2015-16 school year, U.S. News ranked Peninsula 156th in the nation, over 50 positions higher than the current rank. After hearing these statistics, senior Kasey Chou was shocked at the ranking disparity within the short time span.

“I never imagined that Peninsula would go down [in rankings],”

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I never imagined that Peninsula would go down [in rankings]. It makes me wonder what we did wrong or did not do well enough in and where we need to improve.

- SENIOR KASEY CHOU

among CA

s dines Rea ge lle Co

91%

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high schools*

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Rachel liu / The Pen

Chou said. “It makes me wonder what we did wrong or did not do well enough in and where we need to improve.”

According to U.S. News, the ranking is determined by using a four-step methodology that breaks down the performance differences between each high school. They begin by assessing whether each school’s students statistically scored higher in comparison to other students within their state. They then look at whether the school’s historically underrepresented students, including African American, Hispanic and lowincome students performed at or better than the state average. The high school’s graduation rate is then compared to a benchmark set by U.S. News, which was 80 percent for 2018.

Finally, schools that make it past all three stages become eligible to be judged according to criteria such as college-readiness performance, which is measured using Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate statistics.

Peninsula also ranked 130th in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) high school category. Even with the drop in rankings, Peninsula ranks among the top one percent of schools nationally for both high school and STEM high school category.

“I am proud of us. We are still better than a lot of other schools, and we are a very rigorous community,” junior Emily Bengston said.

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AILUN SHI

may have serious consequences, including possible changes to the current policies regarding race’s role in college admissions or even the dismantling of affirmative action nationwide, which could seriously impact seniors applying to Harvard.

“Affirmative action [is needed] to provide and ensure diverse campuses,” senior Aarushi Singh said. “[However, students] should [also] be rewarded on the basis of who works hard and excels, not [only] on uncontrollable [factors] such as race and background.”

Support for the lawsuit has been split, with Asian Americans on opposite sides of the divide.

Some groups, such as the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a nonprofit legal aid and civil rights organization, have backed Harvard’s policy.

Harvard’s position has also been supported with legal briefs by sixteen other selective universities, including Johns Hopkins, Duke, Stanford and all of its fellow Ivy League schools. All of these schools use a holistic approach to the admissions process.

They believe race is one factor among many in the background of their applicants and crucial to maintaining a diverse student body. Biology teacher Emi Fujii sees race as a necessary component of the admissions process. “[Race] is an important part of somebody’s character, history and what they have been through,” Fujii said. “It really factors into who somebody is.”

If the case does indeed go to the Supreme Court its outcome could have major ramifications for other universities regarding whether or not race should be a factor in the college admissions process.

Connor Tumelty / the pen

According to The Harvard Crimson, with a 4.6 percent admittance rate and membership in the Ivy League, Harvard is one of the most wellknown and prestigious post-secondary schools in the world. However, Harvard has been involved in an ongoing lawsuit since Nov. 2014, when anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a complaint against Harvard claiming that it has been implementing discriminatory policies in its undergraduate admissions process towards Asian Americans.

SFFA is led by conservative legal activist Edward Blum and among its members are Asian Americans who believe they have been unfairly treated in the admissions process.

SFFA has accused Harvard of holding them to a higher standard in terms of grade point averages, standardized test scores and extracurriculars compared to applicants of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, according to the New York Times, SFFA has submitted statistical evidence based on an analysis of over 160,000 student records showing that Harvard has consistently rated AsianAmerican applicants as lower than others on positive personality traits such as courage and kindness. This claim, denied by Harvard, was officially backed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in a Statement of Interest filed on Aug. 30. The DOJ has taken an interest in the lawsuit due to the millions of dollars in taxpayer funding Harvard receives each year. According to Forbes, during the fiscal year 2014, federal

funding for Harvard accumulated to $608 million.

“There is a stereotype that Asians tend to be docile and conform to a set of social expectations and lack leadership skills,” junior Mishal Syed said.

“That [might] be where the drop in personality rating come from. [Harvard] should consider the individual circumstances people are in, [such as] resource access and socioeconomic status [rather than race].”

The Supreme Court requires universities that consider race in admissions to define their diversity-related goals and explain why these goals cannot be met without using race as a factor. The DOJ has argued that Harvard does not adequately explain how race factors into its admissions decisions. Due to the controversial nature of the lawsuit, the case may go on to the Supreme Court.

According to the Harvard Gazette, the pending lawsuit will go to trial on Oct. 15. The outcome of the lawsuit

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES RETURNS PENINSULA This year, Peninsula’s Speech and Debate program is reintroducing the Lincoln-Douglas debates (LD), a competitive form of one-on-one debate. According to Debate Coach David Dosch, it consists of 30-minute rounds meant to test competitor’s quick thinking skills and resilience.

Sophomore Anish Ramireddy, a member of the LD debate team, explained that back when Peninsula’s debate began, LD was one of the most popular forms of debate. They won multiple competitions, and were one of the most successful programs at Peninsula.

According to Dosch, LD debate is extremely different from other types offered at Peninsula, and covers topics that increasingly challenge the debater’s depth of knowledge.

“Getting a rotation of topics in advance allows for further depth of knowledge,” junior Junshik Ham said.

“It is key to understanding the ethical implications and tangible outcomes of certain ideologies and mindsets, which is what LD resolutions are based on.”

Because of its widespread popularity and triumphs, LD was greatly missed last year when Debate

Coach Scott Wheeler stopped coaching the program because he decided his efforts would be more effective if he focused them primarily on policy debate. With difficulty finding another LD coach, it was temporarily shut down.

However, with the emergence of new a coach this year, Dosch, the team welcomes him to the program as interest in LD has sparked once more.

Dosch explains that this year, the LD program is mainly focused on bringing in new students and growing the team.

“If you are unsure about whether or not debate is something you might have interest in, the best way to decide is by coming to a practice,” Dosch said.

“Often students don’t realize debate is something they have interest in until they have gone to a tournament and have gotten some competitive experience under their belt.”

According to Ramireddy, in order for the team to go to nationals this year, they have to participate in several competitions beforehand. He explained that this year the team is simply hoping to gain experience, as most of the

team has never done high school LD level debate before. Dosch has trained nationally ranked teams, and the students are very hopeful that if they put in the effort they will do well this year and in years to come.

“Winning the tournament is more about learned skills than intrinsic talent, and that’s what I love about it,” Ham said. No one is naturally good or bad at the event, it is about how much you want it.”

Connor Tumelty / the pen

FIONA ANDERSONs

news

HARVARD SUED OVER DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES IN ADMISSIONS PROCESS

PVPUSD SELECTS NEW SUPERINTENDENT caitlyn lee On Aug. 29, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) Board of Education announced a new superintendent, Dr. Alex Cherniss. His predecessor, Dr. Don Austin, served for the last five years, but signed a new contract to work for Palo Alto Unified School District at the end of the last school year.

However, Dr. Cherniss, a longtime educator, is ready to begin his work in the district.

Dr. Cherniss is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara and earned his Educational Doctorate degree from University of Southern California. In a recent PVPUSD Press Release, the school board stated that Cherniss is a top candidate because of his high achievements, such as being responsible for managing the top district in the state, San Marino Unified School District, for the last five years. In 2018, he was also a candidate for the LA County Superintendent of the Year Award.

English teacher, Tim Coleman hopes that Cherniss will help the district grow and increase funding methods. He is also a member of the bargaining team, a group of union members who negotiate for better working conditions such as pay, for Palos Verdes Faculty Association.

“My hope is that Cherniss will help us grow where we need to and maintain our high level of achievement,” Coleman said.

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27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Nina Li Emily McGinn MANAGING EDITOR Alison Kim DESIGN EDITOR Connor Tumelty Alex Yoo NEWS EDITOR: Olin Osborne III WRITERS: Fiona Andersons Tiffany Cha Yaseen El-Magharbel Caitlyn Lee Derric Parker Ailun Shi OPINION EDITOR: Liana Korotzer WRITERS: Amira Belhedi Josh Kim Saffy Laurio Aidan Musgrave Alexandra Perez Imogene Tomicic FOCUS EDITORS: Rianne Aguas Asumi Shuda WRITERS: Keila Bara Brianna Cho Kaitlyn Ho Minji Jeun Osame Osayande Fiona Yang STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Chris Guanzing Ana Willoughby WRITERS: Stella Caceres Jacci Engler Helen Huang Kristen Lu Christine Youn SPORTS EDITOR: Anne Lee WRITERS: Jacey Gibaldi Mitchell Lin Tilly Safavian Casey Syal GRAPHICS Darya Jahanbin Josh Kim Rachel Liu BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Elana Ho Lina Kugaya ADVISER Jaymee Johnson “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 Elana Ho at (310) 377- 4888 ext. 652. The Pen editors appreciate Letters to the Editor, which are accepted up to one week before publication. You may submit them to H52 or to Jaymee Johnson’s mailbox.

Copyright © 2018

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Cover Design by Connor Tumelty

SCHOOL RANKINGS DO NOT DEFINE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Editorial staff Recently, U.S. News released their annual national ranking of high schools for the 2017-18 school year. Peninsula was ranked 207th in the nation, a significant drop from our position of 156th in 2016. While rankings can communicate important information about schools, we must remember that one number does not define us.

Oftentimes, we allow rankings from various sources to determine our judgments about the quality of a school. However, we overlook the fact that these rankings are completely quantitative; they are unable to fairly communicate many qualitative elements crucial to a high school. U.S. News rankings are based largely on Advanced Placement scores, standardized mathematics and reading scores and graduation rates. While this system can display academic aptitude, it has many limitations as it fails to consider other aspects of our school that we value.

On campus, we have over 80 clubs that offer inclusivity and foster interactions among students. There are also a variety of electives, such as Ceramics and Drama, that many students participate in. Students create a positive impact not only on their peers, but also in the community through participation in leadership classes, such as Associated Student Body and Link Crew. This myriad of factors are not taken into consideration in the ranking and therefore does not adequately reflect the quality of our school.

We acknowledge that rankings do hold significance when it comes to college admissions. According to PrepScholar, when colleges receive an applicant’s transcript, they are provided with a brief summary of the school’s profile, including the grading scale, test scores and class size. The admission officers rely on this information when determining the academic rigor of the school and how the applicant compares to students in a corresponding environment.

Similar to how a student’s potential should not be based solely on their numbers, the value of our school should not stem only from quantitative data.

The schools currently ranked top five in the nation all come from the BASIS school curriculum, a public charter system with campuses across the country. Unlike public schools, these charter schools require an application process and are highly selective. Consequently, these schools have an average of 600 students, compared to the 2,400 students that comprise Peninsula. Since these charter schools only accept certain applicants who meet their academic standards, they are bound to rank higher than public schools, forcing our ranking down. This results in higher average scores and graduation rates for the charter schools, giving them an advantage when it comes to the ranking system. In comparison to other public high schools with similar student body sizes such as Lowell High School and Monte Vista High School, our

school ranking has not dropped significantly.

Thus, we can assume that our academic performance may not have changed because we can only directly compare ourselves to comprehensive schools like the aforementioned high schools.

Furthermore, many websites in addition to U.S. News, such as Niche and U.S.A. Today, rank high schools. However, each site measures, and ultimately ranks, the schools based on different factors. As a result, there cannot be one definite number that represents a certain school.

Rather than viewing our success as a simple number, we should consider all the other factors that make our school stand out. We have to acknowledge that scores are only a part of who we are instead of falling into the stereotype of basing our opinions merely on a ranking. Any school cannot be encapsulated into one single ranking and we are worth much more than just a spot on a list of schools.

alex yoo / the pen

CHEATING SCANDAL EMERGES AFTER AUGUST SAT QUESTIONS LEAK saffy laurio Many students put a great deal of pressure on themselves to do well on the SAT. They spend countless hours preparing for the test to ensure that they receive the best score possible. However, during the SAT administered on Aug. 25, many students had an unforeseen advantage.

College Board, the organization that runs the SAT, had reused questions from an SAT test administered in October 2017. Prior to the test on Aug. 25, the questions and answers from the test began to circulate online where students were able to access them. After these recent events, College Board must be more vigilant to prevent students from receiving unfair advantages and to stop undermining honest students.

College Board’s error greatly stressed many who took the August test. When news of the scandal spread, many were calling for the scores to be invalidated. However, had College Board gone through with this, it would have greatly inconvenienced students.

Many students needed those scores for early action and early decision college applications, as this was the last SAT score they could receive prior to submitting applications.

“There would be many more honest people affected [by the scandal] than people who were dishonest,” senior Serin Bok said. “I think College Board should try

to fix the issue for future administrations of the SAT instead of [threatening to cancel] the August SAT scores, as many people truly worked hard and studied [for] the test.”

During a similar situation in 2016, many began questioning the security of the SAT test after it was revealed that College Board continued to administer

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College Board should end the practice of reusing questions altogether, and their refusal to end this demonstrates their indifference and lack of responsibility.

“I feel that despite the presence or absence of technology, the SAT should never reuse questions,” junior Derrick Kim said. “There is always a possibility that some test takers have seen them before.”

College Board should be aware of the pressure students are under to do well and the lengths to which they will go to succeed. It should therefore take precautions to prevent cheating incidents from occurring rather than completely relying on students to abstain from accessing test questions online.

“College Board is the most at fault here,” senior Shioka Chetanna said. “They are the ones reusing questions in the first place, and they know that teenagers will try to find a way to get around things.”

Test questions being leaked was an inexcusable error on College Board’s part that could have been prevented. Instead of blaming technology for making cheating easier, it should stop reusing questions.

“Creating fair tests will provide opportunities for students to see the benefits of working hard,” Bok said. “The SAT test would also be viewed as more credible. The main goal of College Board should be to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”

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THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL

THE SAT SHOULD NEVER REUSE QUESTIONS. THERE IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY THAT SOME TEST TAKERS HAVE SEEN THEM BEFORE. -JUNIOR DERRICK KIM tests despite the fact that many of the answers were posted online, allowing students to access test questions before taking the test. In response, College Board released a statement in which they claimed that reusing questions has always been a common practice, but claimed that it has only recently become an issue because of the instant communication that comes with the growth of modern technology.

However, College Board uses advancements in technology as a scapegoat.

Questions are only reused so that new questions do not have to be written, which saves College Board time and money.

opinion

reaching for rights

Harvard University purposely denies Asian Americans As seniors choose which colleges to apply to, some are aiming their sights on the academic supergiant of the American college circuit: Harvard University. Despite Harvard’s championing of diversity, the school is now embroiled in a lawsuit brought on by Asian-American applicants who were denied from Harvard. The current lawsuit alleges that Harvard systematically ranked Asian-American applicants lower on personality traits including courage, respect, kindness and overall likability as reported by the New York Times. There is only one probable reason for labeling Asian Americans in such a derogatory manner: to minimize the Asian-American population in the student body. Seeing as though Harvard’s actions are clearly intentional, people must pressure Harvard to radically change their admissions practices as a means to eliminate the institutional racism that many scholars from Harvard disavow.

“Artificial quotas should never be applied during the application process,” junior Jiaju Liu said. “However, I expect that Harvard is not alone regarding these quotas.”

Although this situation seems out of character for modern Harvard principles seeing as though they proudly display their diversity efforts through their “Commitment to Diversity” programs, Harvard has a history of stamping down the admission rates of

certain groups to achieve their ‘diverse’ demographics.

According to Business Insider, a situation analogous to the current scandal existed between the 1920s and 1930s when Harvard was found to be using various tactics to suppress Jewish admission below 15 percent representation on campus. For the current lawsuit, the plaintiff claims that Harvard’s practices were similarly meant to repress Asian representation below 20 percent. According to the Supreme Court’s 2009 case Ricci v. DeStefano, it was found that an institution is not allowed to establish a discriminatory quota regarding the admission of applicants of certain racial profiles.

Harvard’s defense seizes upon a loophole in the legal system that stands upon the notion that they are not aiming to achieve a quota of admission, but they are trying to suppress admission below a certain quota. However, simply because the law does not specifically prohibit Harvard’s practices, their measures to prevent the acceptance of Asian Americans into Harvard is unethical and undeniably racist.

“Whether or not Harvard’s practices are intentional, their practices are undoubtedly wrong,” Advanced Placement Calculus

teacher Christian Kim said. “Considering the information from the New York Times, I think that Asian Americans are correct in thinking that Harvard is perpetuating racial discrimination in academia long thought to have been cast out.”

Even though Harvard’s seemingly racist actions are irresponsible and despicable, this is not a particular shock to anyone who has been following the modern college circuit. Although Affirmative Action has given many minorities opportunities to access high-level education, those strides have come at the cost of the Asian-American community, perpetuating decadeslong systematic discrimination against Asian-American students. As a society, institutions should strive for equality of opportunity and should allow people to use their own skills to earn their place in society, regardless of race, creed or color. Endeavors in favor of equality of outcome have always boosted the social standing of groups at the heavy expense of others. Harvard and any other school that practices discrimination must realize that their quest for social justice is reviving institutional racism, the very thing these places proclaim to execrate.

“I am quite put off by Harvard’s alleged derogatory practices,” senior Kevin Lin said. “I am extremely skeptical of Harvard’s practices against Asian Americans, but I hope that Harvard faces enough pressure to abolish these practices.”

Josh Kim / the pen

Josh Kim

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A summer abroad Peninsula students spend their summer exploring their interests overseas Rachel Liu / The Pen

E R U T L U C W E N A S E C N E I R E P X E S S A L C E S JAPANE

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Besides the life in a Jap ig “ b e v e r their visit a th se y b s, real world e o e still onaliti hard th re mily to rs e w fa e w o p st d [h ts o n in h is e k a d y il a nd with host stu y host fam . Since the ere able to e d a b ou t m w c ti ts o n n a household ip c ti . hool, par education attending sc nd learn about their a em shadow th

ula’s Drama Members of Penins t July 27 through Depar tment spen d, witnessing and Aug. 10 in Scotlan h e annual Edinburg participating in th ing rm e largest perfo Festival Fringe, th world. ar ts festival in the osen by the The group was ch ival hool Theatre Fest American High Sc y 45 el at e of approxim (AHSTF) to be on es tiv ta ol represen American high scho ch Ea l.

Fringe Festiva to the Edinburgh s to sors several school year, AHSTF spon ns tio uc uce full prod construct and prod in Edinburgh. n is one of the Senior Liam Goodi a eled with the dram students who trav m hi ed lp . The trip he class this summer es of preparing a lti realize the difficu ed in a different show to be perform lved the obstacles invo countr y as well as el av tr ts hool studen in having 17 high sc internationally. e the trip special “I think [what mad e traveling out of th for me] was both my ith w e nds I mad countr y and the bo n said. classmates,” Goodi

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he i think [what made t was trip special for me] of both traveling out e the country and th y bonds i made with m classmates.

-senior liam goodin

SENIOR TR AVELS AB ROAD Minji Jeun and fiona ya

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minji jeun

ly room where the on of t ee sh a [prop] was is cardboard. I think th it at th us trip taught cy does not take a fan e us ca be e set or venu s ow sh st be e some of th a minimal budget .” th wi ne do re we saw we d performances The students watche d variety of venues an that took place in a ch genres and styles, su encompassed many edy and a show titled as hypnotism, com ing ted a plane crash us “Flight” that simula . sions sound ef fects and illu time Peninsula has st fir e th t no This is e rm by AHSTF at th been chosen to perfo to e they were chosen festival. The last tim . perform was in 2015 e enough to be at un rt fo e ar “If we 21, I back in 2020 or 20 chosen again to go a age any of our Dram really would encour avel e opportunity to tr students to take th an amazing ,” Cohen said. “It is rm rfo pe d an t to s she wonder ful testamen in each of the show opportunity and a of available space r drama students of the hard work ou all watched. production after stival] a lot of continue to put in, “[At the Fringe Fe e eping our ac pl y use of ever n, year after year, ke tio uc od pr performers made s in reputation strong.” id. “We saw show department and its possible,” Cool sa all sm a in street and the middle of the

, who also Junior Emma Cool festival, felt that participated in the the s productions on watching numerou r her. fo e nc ional experie trip was an educat e us e tiv ea d with the cr She was impresse

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L A IV T S E F H G R U B IN D E DR AMA TAKES PART IN

TO SPREAD HER FAIT H

entire process.

This summer, se “My sons have go nior Jane Prock the rest of the ni joined ne [in] previous a group of studen ght had amazing expe years and ts at Texas Christ to riences, so I wan either explore th ian University (TCU ted Jane to e have the same op ) on a mission tr city or worship portunity,” Susa ip to Indonesia and ev in n Prock said.

“I hoped she wou angelized to the private. ld experience th native people about Christiani e love and kindness of the ty. Her trip ran church group sh from May 30 While exploring to June 17, durin e was joining, the city in her sp [that] she would g which she and Prock was surpris are time, model herself af her team explored the city ed te r by the cultural di th th em at of Manado. ] she [would] be [a nd bu fferences t was prepared more convinced “Evangelism [mea to take on respon love for her [and of [God’s] ns to] share our sibilities as a representative for mankind].” pray for people, faith, of her church. share the stor y Since Susan Proc of Jesus and “It required her k was well acqu watch God heal to jump out of he with the church ainted people physically, zone in a lot of r comfort at TCU, the grou mentally, emotionally and ways,” Susan Pr p and its leaders, she wan spiritually,” Proc oc k sa w id ted to give her da ith a team she di . “Going k said. “I gained so much d not know wel ughter the chance to show confidence in [n l and being in a very differe other people th ot holding back when shar nt countr y helped at God not only existed, but that ing God’s word] her broaden her outlook on He really wante , because [I feel that] if I withho her life here. I ho d a relationship with them. ld information ab pe d she would lo ve seeing [that] out Jesus, I am depriving [peopl when we love pe e] of something Ea ch da y op of ou le and go th e mission trip be t of our way for incredible.”

Senior Rhys Her them, it is so fulfi gan with breakfast and a shberger has be lli qu ng.” iet time consistin Going to Indone en a friend of Prock for seve sia was more th g of spiritual contemplation. ral years, so he an su Th mmer vacation another understood en they proceede her excitement trip for Prock; it d to go to the church facilit for the trip. gave a new level of connectio y for a couple ho “[Prock’s siblings n with not only urs of team bonding activities ] have been to G God but also with people from . Afterwards, ex Tijuana [on miss reece and in her team and in perienced ion trips], so she terns who spen Indonesia.

Ev angelizing to othe t the whole sum always had an interest in go mer in rs gave her the Indonesia would ing herself,” Her chance to pr te om shberger said. ll Prock and her ote her faith and “I believe she le team the schedule for the see the world th arned and [grew ne da rough a w ] a lot [after y. Ever yone wou perspective. going to Indone ld then get their lunche sia].” s an “I [was able to] d travel to their Prock’s mother, listen to God as assigned locations in the Susan Prock, was He spoke to me and gave city. Prock and he highly suppor tiv al so me visions of w r team spent about five hours e of her daughter ho I sh fo ould pray r da or what to pray ily on the street through the for them,” Proc s finding people to evange k said. “He spoke a [lot] of lize to. They wer truth into my lif e then given e Himself and also through my team.”

7

STUDENTS CREATE YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FOREIGN TRANSFER STUDENTS Kristen Lu Seniors Luna Takamatsu and Mika Tominaga created a joint Youtube channel on June 12 in hopes of winning a Japanese video contest. As students who moved to the U.S. from Japan two years ago, Takamatsu and Tominaga make videos on their channel with the intent of bridging the gap between Japanese and American culture by offering viewers, particularly Japanese transfer students, a glimpse into their new American lifestyles. Takamatsu and Tominaga’s channel, which focuses primarily on life at Peninsula and various online challenges, had amassed over 200 subscribers and a combined view count of over 14,000 views in little more than a month after its creation.

According to Takamatsu, her firsthand experience adjusting to American culture motivated her to produce content on Youtube.

“Moving to [a] different place is already hard,” Takamatsu said. “But moving to [a] different country and [speaking a] different language [is an even harder] experience. I wanted to give [foreign students] information about America so [they] would know

what they should do before and after [transferring].”

The influence of Takamatsu and Tominaga’s videos has not been limited solely to their viewers.

Their videos have had a personal effect on Tominaga; participating in videos has helped her become more extroverted and step outside of her comfort zone. “[While Takamatsu and I] wanted to [make a YouTube channel], we were [hesitant] to do it alone so we decided to make a channel together,” Tominaga said. “I was a bit scared to [attempt] new things, but creating a channel changed my mind in a good way. [It was] trying something I have never done before, [similar to when] I had to talk to people to improve [my] English [when I moved from Japan].”

Making videos has also impacted Takamatsu, as it has allowed her to improve her video editing and filming skills.

“By filming videos, I got to know a lot about cameras and editing, which I never thought I would [learn about],” Takamatsu said. “Editing is [part] of my daily routine now.”

Junior Kota Ichiban, who helps Takamatsu and Tominaga film using drones and is featured in their videos, feels that the videos positively affect the lives of Japanese transfer students who want to learn more about American culture.

“When I learned they were on Youtube two months ago, I was very happy for [them],” Ichiban said. “Since they came to the U.S. for high school, they [wanted] to inspire others to come [and] study abroad. I am very proud of [them] for going out of their way [to generate a] strong impact.”

After seeing the success of their videos, Takamatsu and Tominaga envision their channel growing to over one million subscribers in a few years, as they create more lifestyle videos and participate in more online challenges.

“After [uploading videos], we receive [more] views and comments everyday,” Takamatsu said. “[Tominaga and I were] very excited when [we saw that we were] inspiring people all over the world; some people who [comment or like our videos] are even from Europe or Africa. That gives us more energy and passion to make [even] better videos. ”

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The tSA Events team is posing with their top ten finalist pins. they placed nationally in the high school children’s stories division.

the tsa leap team is holding up their trophy and $250 check, celebrating their win. they placed third in the high school category.

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PHOTOs COURTESY OF CHArleS LEE

TSA EVENTS AND TSA LEAP RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY jacci engler, helen huang and Christine youn Peninsula competed in both the Technology Student Association (TSA) Events and Technology Student Association Leap Legacy Chapter (TSA Leap) national competitions in Atlanta, Ga. from June 22 to 26. TSA is a nationwide organization that brings together students between grades six through 12 who have a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The TSA Events team included juniors Rianne Aguas, Summer Hasama, Evelyn Hasama, Margaret Gao, Joseph Mina and Amanda Wong.

In TSA Events, students are required to design and create products that integrate innovation with key components of STEM. The team ranked within the national top ten in the “Children’s Stories” category of the high school division, a first in Peninsula TSA Events history. This category challenges participants to create a storybook with narrations and illustrations that would be appealing and educational to children.

Participants had to adhere to the theme which

tasked students to create an electronically enhanced project. The team’s storybook was designed with lights and sounds that could be activated by buttons operated by the reader.

Peninsula’s TSA Leap team was selected to represent California and compete at the national level, where they won third place and received a $250 check. Juniors Rianne Aguas, Summer Hasama, Evelyn Hasama and Ryan Alimento formed the first team from Peninsula to participate in the TSA Leap competition, where they were required to showcase their leadership skills through a resume and presentation. They needed to display the following character themes: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart. Through the presentation provided by the team members, the judges were able to see which teams demonstrated excellent leadership abilities and best reflected the themes.

Throughout the process, the team learned what hard work, cooperation and dedication could accomplish.

rachel liu / the pen

お互いの質問 に答えてくよ ぉ〜ん！

Photo courtesy of peter chen

The Peninsula community mourns the loss of rising junior Daniel Su who passed away on July 19. A memorial service was held at the Chinese Community Church of South Bay on July 28. Although his passing was sudden, Su’s deep-rooted impact on and off campus will continue to be commemorated.

As a student, Su was involved in many activities at school. He was part of the National Chinese Honor Society and was elected to be the vice president of Mu Alpha Theta for this school year. In addition, he was the captain of a Technology Student Association team, and an active member of the Principal’s Advisory Council and Peninsula’s swim team and Math Team.

Math Team adviser and Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics and Precalculus with Limits teacher Vararat Chaiyont has known Su since his freshman year due to his participation in Math Team. Su’s relationship with Chaiyont grew when Su took Chaiyont’s AP Psychology class his sophomore year. In her two years of knowing Su, Chaiyont remembers Su’s best qualities as being humble and understanding of others, including herself.

“Everything [Su] did was to help others be better and to raise everyone else up,” Chaiyont said. “He knew the bigger picture.

He was not focused on being the best and getting the best grades, but making the biggest difference in others’ lives.”

Junior Chrislyn Tseng met Su on her first day of school in freshman year. The pair had three classes together, and started to converse when Su asked Tseng for help with homework. They spent the remainder of their time at Peninsula as close friends. Tseng believes that some of Su’s best traits were his perseverance and diligence. “[Su was] an incredibly determined person, so no matter what he set his mind to, if he [wanted] to accomplish it, he [would] no matter how hard of a challenge it was, [and] attack it with everything he had,” Tseng said.

Off campus, Su continued to showcase his compassion for others. As a member of Press Friends, an organization committed to helping underprivileged youth improve their writing and communication skills, he worked with many children and impacted their lives greatly.

Furthermore, he was part of the Children’s Ministries program at his church where he taught children about the Bible. Due to his love for helping others, Su planned to pursue a career as either a doctor or superintendent to continue to positively impact other people’s lives.

“God gave him a lot of talents and he wanted to use his talents to help other people,” Su’s mother Nancy Wei said.

Su was very close to his family and Wei remembers him as a loving brother to his younger twin brothers. He will continue to inspire others through his long-lasting influence on the Panther community and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family.

Su showcases his presentation poster with his team at the Technology Student Association (TSA) national competition. He was the captain of this TSA team during his sophomore year.

Photo courtesy of lorianne amano

alison kim, nina li and emily mcginn

student life

PANTHER FAMILY MOURNS THE PASSING OF DANIEL SU

Su poses with members of the swim team after their meet at mt. san antonio College. He was a member of the swim team since his freshman year.

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9

CLARKE GODBOLD REPRESENTS U.S. IN THE JUNIOR OLYMPICS Junior Clarke Godbold traveled to Costa Rica from June 5 to 10, representing the U.S. in the Junior Olympics for volleyball.

Since his father enjoyed playing volleyball in high school, Godbold decided to follow in his footsteps in trying out the sport. During the eighth grade, Godbold joined the volleyball team at Miraleste Intermediate School and has continued to play at Peninsula as well as on an outside club team since his freshman year.

To be selected as a member of the team competing at the Junior Olympics, Godbold had to try out independently in Anaheim. The tryout ran similarly to a typical volleyball game. Despite his doubt that he would not qualify for the team, he was assigned as the outside hitter.

Through his experience on the Junior Olympics team, Godbold believes he has grown as a player and even more as a person. He feels that competing in the Junior Olympics with people from all over that the world has impacted him greatly.

“The international way of volleyball is much different than the American way,” Godbold said. “It is much faster and the guys are a lot bigger, so we had to utilize our skill [instead of size] when playing against them.”

Teammate Scott Solan formed a valuable friendship

“

and created many memories with Godbold. Solan provides an outside perspective on the athlete.

“It has been comforting to be on the court with Clarke,” Solan said. “He is a guy that really knows how to terminate the ball when we need it most, so having an asset like that on our side of the net is huge.”

Solan explains that the team faced many physical and mental obstacles as a group. For instance, the members were required to go on a strict diet and to endure a rigorous schedule of conditioning, weight training and drills. Furthermore, the team had to adjust to different competition surroundings, including the social atmosphere and time zone.

According to team captain Joe Karlous, Godbold was a strong player and had a major influence on the performance of the team. Karlous feels that Godbold is a determined player who gives his all every play without fail.

“Every player believed that he could perform at the highest level,” Karlous said. “[Godbold] was nervous at first, but when we played [other teams at the competition], he was unreal.”

Godbold is planning to continue playing volleyball in college and hopefully make it to the Olympics in the future.

“I just had a lot of fun there and [I learned] to cherish every moment on the court,” Godbold said.

“

Jacey Gibaldi

“It has been comforting to be on the court with Clarke. He is a guy that really knows how to terminate the ball when we need it most, so having an asset like that on our side of the net is huge.”

-Teammate Scott Solan

Junior clarke godbold jumps to block the volleyball and defend his team. He represented the united states in the junior olympics during the summer. courtesy of clarke godbold

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sports

alex yoo / the pen

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW casey syal

Casey Syal

The girls’ volleyball team is looking forward to another season together with volleyball coach Kevin Williams. The girls are currently 1-1 in Bay League play, with a win against Leuzinger High School and a loss against Mira Costa High School. For the upcoming season, the girls are planning to focus more on teamwork.

“We are getting so close and growing so much together,” senior and varsity co-captain Jenna Gebhart said. “This is a really special group of girls; we all enjoying watching each other improve.”

The girls’ strong bond leads to communication and trust, two elements that are crucial for success on the court.

Senior and varsity co-captain Jane Prock has high expectations for the girls and believes that the team is strong enough to be successful throughout the season.

“I believe that we will be successful this year because we stay positive through anything,” Prock said.

The team feels that Williams is a key part of maintaining their positivity.

His strong hopes for the girls motivate them not only to believe in themselves, but also in each other. The team is looking forward to a memorable season spent on the court with each other.

The girls’ golf team has started the season with a 5-2 record in nonleague matches, and they hope to pick up even more momentum as they head into Bay League matches. Last season, the girls had a 5-1 league record which resulted in a shared league victory with Mira Costa, who had the same record. This year, however, the girls aim to be undefeated and capture the solo league title.

The team has already won against Palos Verdes High School in one of the first few matches of the season.

“Beating Palos Verdes at the beginning of the season boosted our entire team’s confidence,” senior and varsity team captain Momoka Sasaki said. “I can see this season being different from others because we have stronger players compared to other years.”

The team has scored a 189 so far this season, a lower number than the team has achieved in years. In golf, the team with the lowest cumulative score for its top five players wins.

Peninsula has not advanced past CIF regionals since 2009. With five seniors and four juniors on the varsity team, golf coach Glenn Van Enk believes the team’s experience gives them the potential needed to win league and advance in the CIF playoffs.

Saffy laurio

tilly safavian

Boys’ water polo has started off their season by winning their first three games against Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downey High Schools.

Senior Cole Allyn expects the rest of the season to be similarly successful, as he feels that this season’s team has especially talented senior players.

“We have six seniors on the team and we usually only have two or three,” Allyn said. “[Having many seniors on the team] helps us because we have more physical strength and work better as a team since we have known each other for four years.”

This year, the team has put much more of an emphasis on defense rather than offense because the new team members are not as strong in that area. For example, two new freshman are smaller and do not perform as well on defense, but are skilled shooters.

In addition to the strategy change, the team has become a Division III team this year, which is the highest division it has been in six years.

Senior Luke Martin is excited for this change and the new challenges that competing at a higher level will bring.

“The competition is really [intense] this year, especially from the allboys schools,” Martin said. “However, we have the best chance to do well in Bay League and in CIF than we have had in a long time.”

Varsity girls’ tennis started out their season with a 16-2 win against Beverly Hills High School on Sept. 6, and another 16-2 win against Santa Monica High School on Sept. 11. Captain and junior Koko Makrygiannis believes that the team is looking strong and will be successful in competition this year due to incoming experienced players. Along with seniors who have been playing for the team for three years now, the team has gained freshmen who will be able to add to their overall success.

Makrygiannis is optimistic about the rest of the season, and expresses her love for her teammates.

Although the varsity girls’ tennis team has won the highly anticipated match against Palos Verdes High School (PVHS) in previous years, Makrygiannis thinks that the Oct. 4 game may be a challenge this year, but not impossible. “[Beating] PVHS will be difficult, but if we all play to our best abilities, we can pull it off,” Makrygiannis said.

Sophomore Kimmi Hance believes camaraderie and teamwork are crucial elements of varsity tennis.

“Nobody really stands out too much, but everyone shines in their own way,” Hance said.

Mitchell lin

mitchell lin

The boys’ cross country team ran at Lake Casitas Recreation Area in Ojai on Sept. 15 as their first meet of the season. The meet consisted of many teams that Peninsula has little to no experience running against.

“This is the strongest team [we have] had in years,” senior Lucas Ding said. “Being a senior has really given me new perspective. I remember when I used to look up at the seniors. [It is] just interesting to be that person in a social aspect.”

Cross Country coach Chris Foster plans to help the team improve this year by increasing weight training and by having the top runners run more mileage. Despite many of the team’s fastest runners graduating this past year, Foster believes that this year’s team has significant potential.

“Since we no longer have a clear front runner, the front pack will be tighter than before,” Foster said. “The faster runners will be more motivated to push themselves and others to new heights.”

Foster emphasizes the importance of unity and support to the success of any group and wants to establish cross country at Peninsula as a culture instead of just a sport. “[The coaches] want the young [members] to learn to be a part of the tradition,” Foster said. “The older [members] need to set [the image].”

As the start of the season nears, the girls’ cross country team is looking forward to another season full of memories and hard work. The girls had their first meet of the season at Lake Casitas Recreation Area in Ojai against many other schools on Sept. 15.

Since the team has less runners than usual this year, the coaches plan to focus on nurturing the skills and passions of the runners that they do have. “[A major goal of ours this season] is for the girls to really connect with their love of running,” Cross Country coach Chris Foster said.

Sophomore Erica Wan agrees that in order to improve as a runner, one must be passionate about the sport.

“Coach [Foster] is amazing,” Wan said. “Whenever [I am] dealing with health issues, I can always turn to him for advice. [He is] very supportive.”

Foster wants to establish a culture of family within his team. He emphasizes that cross country is a team sport, which means he expects all team members to cheer each other on during races to show support.

“I [could not] do anything without my teammates,” Wan said. “We always cheer each other on and help each other push through no matter what. Even the people who [do not] really like running stay on the team because they love their teammates so much.”

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