Issue 3

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PEN

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School www.pvphsnews.com Vol. XXXVI

Issue 3

November 20, 2015

Getting back in the zone Administration takes action to revive football program NEWS PAGE 3

PRIVACY POLICY New privacy policy created to protect personal information of students OPINION PAGE 4

Combining cultures Panthers enjoy having divergent backgrounds FOCUS PAGES 6-7

Bike in action Sophomore Gabriel De Ocampo participates in competitive cycling tournaments SPORTS PAGE 10

NEWS

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PROTECTED. Jackie Uy/ The Pen

New district measures guard student identity online Kaitlin bates Over the years, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) has continually updated teachers’ modes of communicating with their students. From Edline to Aeries to Edmodo, teachers are provided with multiple website options.

In the past, teachers were allowed to interface with students via numerous sites, including Facebook and Twitter, among others. But now, in order to protect student privacy, teachers and students are only allowed to communicate via district-approved sites and software. These options have been deemed non-intrusive by PVPUSD, as the district’s primary concern was the release of too much of a student’s personal information.

The most frequently used website is Edmodo.

Its Facebook-style layout lets teachers post information, allowing students to contact their teachers, either by a public post on the group wall or through a private message to the teacher.

Other forms of online communication, such as Twitter, have previously been used by many teachers within the district. Physics

teacher Mark Greenberg has also used Edmodo, Remind 101, Steam and even an original website, GreenbergPhysics.com.

Greenberg prefers his website because he can choose what features to include. Some websites used by teachers require a username and password from each student. However, Greenberg feels that his original website, along with the other sites he has used, are faster and more efficient because they can be publicly accessed. Greenberg has also used Twitter to communicate with his students.

“Most of my thoughts can be expressed in 140 characters or fewer,” Greenberg said, referring to Twitter.

However, a social media website like Twitter is somewhat questionable for school usage.

“I don’t want teachers using [the same] Twitter [accounts] that they are also using with their friends,” Principal Mitzi Cress said. “There has to be a separation.”

Sites that require students to create a personal profile cannot be mandated by the teacher for class use, as law requires parental permission before students share personal identifiable information on websites or software.

“I want teachers to write assignments on the board and to also post them someplace [online], so there are a variety of places students can see homework,” Cress said. “It shouldn’t be assumed that every student has access to Twitter, Facebook or another site like these.”

Dojo, for example, is a student-to-teacher communication website similar to Edmodo.

However, it requires input of a student’s date and place of birth, and so was considered potentially intrusive. It is not included on the list of districtapproved software and websites.

“I was unsure of where all that information was going, so I sent over the website to the district,” Cress said. “We are one of the first school districts that is trying to use technology in a big way, but also to protect privacy. I think we are doing a really good job.”

A list of 40 approved website and software options was released onto the PVPUSD website on Oct. 29.

“Technology is an ever-changing complex,” Greenberg said. “It will always change faster than the policies around it. I personally believe our district is trying to protect our students and empower them with a variety of new technology.”

Bringing back panther football

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Photo Courtesy of Kurt Jupin

Varsity football team at the beginning of the season. Due to extensive injuries, the team was reduced to 21 players and the season was canceled.

Cancellation attracts national coverage as controversy continues kaitlin bates and Joseph Foard In late October, the administration abruptly canceled the remainder of Peninsula’s varsity football season, citing dangers of potential catastrophic injuries to the team’s remaining 21 players. While many students support this decision, a large number of players are still strongly opposed to it.

“With numerous injuries, we no longer believe that we can safely field a team without putting the health of our remaining student athletes in jeopardy,” Principal Mitzi Cress said in a press release on Oct. 20.

Due to intense reactions to the cancellation of the season, several players did not come to practice the day of the press release. Though

some players quit, the remaining team has now started offseason practice.

The major downside, as reported by most of the players, was receiving this information around the same time as the whole student body.

“It’s ridiculous that they had been considering shutting down our season all year and the first time we heard about it was the day it happened,” junior and football player Marco Merola said. “If there had been prior warning it would have been easier to deal with.”

The student body, however, has been supportive of the administration’s decision to protect player safety.

“For the most part I’ve had a lot of support,” said Cress. “And I feel like it’s dying down a bit, and we’re moving forward onto how to improve.”

The cancellation of the varsity football

team’s season gained both local and national coverage; ABC7, KTLA, Daily Breeze, CBS Los Angeles and USA Today ran articles on the season’s cancellation and student reactions. Over 30 other high schools across the country have also canceled football programs due to the dangers of decreased participation.

A petition created by junior Sarah Aoyagi on change.org calls for the school administration to reinstate the football team; the petition currently has 1,928 signatures.

“The football team is such a pertinent part of our school and it essentially defines us as who we are,” the petition reads. “The football team has shown us that they will fight and never give up and taking that quality away from Peninsula is just wrong.”

Although the decision was a shock

Administration leads charge to reestablish team saffy laurio The announcement of the cancellation of Peninsula’s varsity football team disappointed and shocked many students. However, the administration has already been working hard to ensure a strong football team for next year.

Principal Mitzi Cress has been working on progressive plans for the next football season.

“We are going full-speed with reinstituting football,” Cress said.

“I’ve had many meetings with community members, alumni and parents. I have a list of things of things we’re doing. We have to build a football team.”

Associate Principal Michael

Wanmer is also playing a key role in preparation for the next football season.

Wanmer and Cress have been meeting with football coaches from both high schools and middle schools, and with representatives from Pop Warner. To begin recruitment for next year’s football team, Pen football alumni returned on Career Day on Nov. 18 to speak to students about how football affected their lives.

“We want to spread the message that Peninsula football will be here next year,” Wanmer said.

All students are being encouraged, girls included, to try out for football next season, especially students who might be willing to become cross-over athletes and play multiple sports.

Furthermore, a Nike-hosted Combine

Camp at Peninsula is being planned for mid-January to train students interested in football, and will train a potential player in jumping, running and throwing.

Under Armor also plans to host a Friday Night Lights game in the near future.

Wanmer hopes the game will draw in prospective players.

Wanmer acknowledges the potential injuries football can cause, but has plans to make the sport as safe as possible.

The football field is to be updated for night games, the new weight room will be completed soon and games will be scheduled with schools with similar skill levels.

“Football is going to be here. I’m fully confident in that,” Wanmer says. “There isn’t a lot of confidence on campus right now, but we will build it up.”

to the football players as well as to the entire student body, Coach Michael Christensen, Athletic Director Wendell Yoshida and the Peninsula administrators have mapped the path to the reinstitution of the 2016-2017 football team, as well as incorporating a spring football league.

Peninsula remembers teacher Pat Smith

Nile minn Pat Smith, 67, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 3. Smith joined PVPUSD in 1971, and when Peninsula opened in 1991, he was a founding member of the art department, eventually becoming its chair. Smith taught both current art teachers James Meade and Jamie Nyman, who followed their career paths after being inspired by his passion for art.

Smith was also the union representative for the Palos Verdes Faculty Association, adamantly fighting for better working conditions and benefits for PVPUSD employees. He is largely responsible for the additional 20 percent in pay for teachers with an extra assignment. Smith retired in 2008, but has been on Peninsula’s campus as a long-term substitute for Jim in past weeks.

“He was loved by our Panther community and will be sorely missed,” Principal Mitzi Cress, a long-time friend and colleague of Smith, said.

Opinion 27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Lauren Lee Tunika Onnekikami Noah Werksman DESIGN EDITOR Jackie Uy MANAGING EDITOR/ BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Isabelle Wang NEWS EDITOR: Annie Benedict WRITERS: Kaitlin Bates Joseph Foard Saffy Laurio OPINION EDITORS: Marine Fujisawa Zoe Willoughby WRITERS: Chris Chien Nile Minn FOCUS EDITORS: Phoebe Borsum Esther Chu WRITERS: Anne Lee Nina Li STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Amani Jalota Stella Yoo WRITERS: Alison Kim Will Maltz Emily McGinn SPORTS EDITOR: Chris Kong WRITERS: Jordan Chang Trisha Valukonis GRAPHICS Jessica Nye Temishi Onnekikami 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 Isabelle Wang 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 © 2015

Cover Design by Jackie Uy Cover Photo by Candy Shim

EDITORIAL

global tragedies shape student perspectives Editorial staff In the past week, tragedies struck all corners of the world: the bombings in Beirut, Lebanon and most recently, the attacks in Paris, France.

Hundreds perished, but these individuals will not be forgotten.

Community members apprehensively waited to find out if their own family and friends had been afflicted, and with good reason: Nohemi Gonzalez, an American senior at California State University Long Beach who was studying abroad in France, lost her life in the attack. Somehow, this tragedy, though thousands of miles away, felt so close to home.

The most evident outlet for support has been on social media, from our Facebook feeds featuring profile pictures decorated with the French flag to the trending hashtag #prayersforparis on both Twitter and Instagram in solidarity after the attacks. The outpouring of sympathy for

the citizens of France mirrors reactions to the families of past tragedies, for this is not the first time in our lives that an atrocity this grave has transpired, and unfortunately, it will not be the last.

However, our transition into adulthood has broadened our perspectives: no matter how foreign or distant an event, they affect each of us in a very different, yet personal way. The impact of the French catastrophe gives us an opportunity to reflect on the value of family and to greater appreciate the privileges of life that too many have lost. We are all at different stages of our lives, and that will surely influence how we perceive and cope with catastrophes.

However, it is important to realize that as we mature, we will be forced to deal with issues, big and small, personal and impersonal.

In the past year, our campus has been dealt losses that affected each and every one

of us. It is here and now, when we are at a low that we learn to appreciate our highs and build ourselves to be stronger than before.

The process will be arduous as we found out after 9/11,

[

but we know that recovery is possible. Our hearts go out to the people of Beirut and Paris as they recover from the attacks; we hope that they remain united in the wake of such major tragedies.

Created by French graphic designer Jean Jullien, this symbol serves as a beacon of hope for the wounded citizens of France.

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Privacy policy restricts online flexibility

Nile minn

Recently, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) hired a local law firm to improve the student data privacy policy.

This new policy addresses the communication between teachers and students and the type of information that will be given to private domains. It sets the rules for what websites may be used by teachers and students to communicate, and seeks to prevent student data from getting into the hands of software companies with possible malicious intent. In the past, students have used platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, that have not been approved by the district for communication. It should be noted that serious problems have never arisen at Peninsula because of these websites; thus teachers and students should still have the flexibility and freedom to use these sites when communicating across the Internet.

With cyber-hacking groups such as Anonymous and Cicada 3001 gaining information from the Internet with ease, it is logical to worry that students could potentially share private information with domains that

challenge for educators, software publishers and parents is that legislation does not always keep pace with the technology.”

Yet, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter,

I do not think we need to make a big “deal of this because Most of the sites,

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THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL

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like facebook and instagram, we already use in our everyday lives -junior brian mo may sell or use the information without their consent. The district believes that updating the privacy policy will better protect students, parents and faculty.

“With the advances in technology, online learning resources and use of social media, student privacy is an important issue,” Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Support Services Trent Bahadursingh said. “The

both popular websites used by students and teachers at Peninsula, have not experienced any problems with students and the protection of their information.

“I had a Facebook before I needed it for school, so when I had to be added to groups and communicate with peers through the Internet, it was convenient for me since it was a platform that I already had from my personal life,” junior

Brian Mo said. “Hearing about this new privacy policy, I do not think we need to make a big deal [of this] because most of the sites we use like Instagram and Facebook, we already use in our everyday lives.”

So far, 23 programs, such as Edmodo, have been approved for use by teachers in the district. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are not approved by the district, despite their widespread usage by students from homework help to spreading school spirit on campus.

“I see the reason that people are concerned, and I am happy that as a district we are addressing the concerns. But, at the same time, I also think that people have taken it a little too far and are saying we should not do anything online,” AP Calculus and Geometry teacher Brian Hults said. “That is not the world we live in. [In] the world we live in, people are going to do things online.”

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and athletic].”

Other extracurricular programs have seen success in the past with various types of events encouraging involvement from middle schools. For example, the marching band invites the middle school concert band to perform with it at the homecoming game, as well as teach them basic formations. The jazz band also performs at the middle schools during lunch. These programs expose younger students to the various music programs that are available at Peninsula, which contrast the middle school concert band or orchestra.

“Students feel inspired to take a music class after watching and listening to the

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has such a strong debate program with wonderful coaches so that really helped solidfiy my choice of which high school i would be attending -sophomore sonali loomba

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“Peninsula

band,” senior Blake Pilger said. “Also, it helps students who are not completely sure whether they want to take a music class in high school to make a decision.”

Another program that works closely with its intermediate counterpart is the debate program. Debaters at Peninsula earn service points by volunteering at various events and locations. Specifically, students go to Ridgecrest Intermediate School where they judge practice rounds and help the students prepare for tournaments, as well as teach them the fundamentals of debate.

The hands-on approach that debate takes towards reaching out to younger students has influenced their decision for enrollment.

“I knew that in high school I wanted to continue debating and competing in tournaments,” sophomore Sonali Loomba, who was a part of the middle school debate program, said. “Peninsula has such a strong debate program with wonderful coaches so that really helped solidify my choice of which high school I would be attending.”

The various methods that extracurriculars employ to bring students in to programs helps both that program as well as the school.

Reaching out to middle school students early can get them involved in Peninsula programs. Outreach towards middle school students assists them through the difficult task of adjusting to high school.

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However, if certain restrictions were lessened so that Peninsula coaches or students could go to the middle schools and talk about their specific sport experiences, this could encourage more students to join these teams in the future, reducing the likelihood of a similar situation.

“It is not just football,” Christensen said. “I think we can be both [academic

ay frid 2

The number of students that attend a high school determines factors such as the size of faculty and the amount of funding it receives. Peninsula, as well as many other high schools, makes efforts to reach out to younger students with the hopes that they will eventually enroll.

Many extracurricular programs host several events that involve middle school students. This introduces potential Panthers to high school at an earlier age, overall benefiting both the school and future students.

Recently, Peninsula’s football team experienced a decrease in the number of players interested in the program. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules forbid high schools from approaching incoming students with any intent of persuading them to attend a specific school based on their sports. Aside from the annual open house for eighth graders, specific teams cannot be advertised at intermediate schools and specific middle school players cannot be approached based on their abilities. This is to ensure that athletes are not attending a school simply based on its sports programs. However, general programs like youth camps are allowed.

“We held a youth camp last year so there is definitely an awareness of that out there,” head football coach Michael Christensen said.

Recently, the lack of healthy players and potential injuries led to the premature cancellation of the season.

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Outreach benefits prospective high school students

living

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DOUBLE LIVES Students manage multiple identities through language, familY and sports.

marine fujisawa/ model

Nina Li

gino abrajano/The Pen

Focus

With dark eyes and dark hair, people tend to assume sophomore Melinda Saadatnejadi is of Hispanic descent. In truth, she is Chinese and Persian. Saadatnejadi loves her unique blend that gives her a unique outlook on other ethnicities.

Peninsula’s campus is populated with many others like Saadatnejadi, who come from a mix of many cultures. This impacts their lives both at home and school. “[Our family] celebrates many different holidays [from my two cultures],”Saadatnejadi said. “I celebrate New Year’s three times; one each for Chinese New Year, Persian New Year and American New Year.”

At home, Saadatnejadi usually speaks to her parents in English; they speak to her in both Chinese and Farsi. She has been speaking Farsi since she was five and is currently learning Chinese at Peninsula. Handling so many languages at once is difficult, but Saadatnejadi feels she is adapting well to her multiculturalism.

“Being part of a multicultural family is beneficial because I get to experience different parts of the world and then gain a broader perspective of how each culture works,” Saadatnejadi said.

Despite the many perks that come with

coming from a multicultural family, there are difficulties that come with it as well. Language barriers between family members who speak contrasting languages are a factor that makes being part of a multicultural family a challenge.

Freshman Kristen Fernando comes from an Indian, Sri Lankan and Korean descent.

Fernando’s grandparents on her mother’s side can only speak Korean and her grandparents on her father’s side can only speak Tamil. This prevents communication between Fernando and her grandparents, since she can only speak English. In American culture, New Year’s Eve is spent by staying up until twelve o’clock to watch the ball drop in Times Square. In Korean culture, it is typical for children to bow down to their elders and receive money as a gift. The different aspects of each tradition helps Fernando learn more about her cultures.

“As a multicultural person, the moment I love most is when my family from both sides come together on holidays to celebrate all three [American, Indian, Korean] cultures,” Fernando said.

Having grown up in a diverse place like Los Angeles, freshman Ariel Matsumiya knows many multicultural people who attend Peninsula. The various cultures established on campus affect many students.

“When I was at Club Rush for the first time this year as a freshman, I had no idea Peninsula had so many cultural clubs I could participate in [that would allow me to] meet more people who [have the same cultural background] as me,” Matsumiya said.

Having Japanese and Filipino cultures from her parents, Matsumiya sometimes finds it difficult to relate to other students who do not have the same customs as her. Being a part of a mixed culture helps her gain a greater knowledge of her lineage.

“Being a mix [of two cultures] has taught me more about my race,” Matsumiya said. “I relate to people who are the same [ethnicity] as me.”

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Athletes take on two sports Anne Lee She emphasizes that any student can play Many students play more than one on two sports teams if they strive to sport during any given sports season. work hard.

Sophomore Kara Lee and junior Megan “I think that if a student really enjoys Webb tussle with time management as playing two sports, strives to do better they play multiple sports. and has good time management, they Having played tennis and danced for should definitely do both,” Lee said. over seven years, she decided to play Junior Megan Webb came to Peninsula for both sports teams in her sophomore unprepared to play two sports taking year. After successfully making both place during the same season. She has Varsity Girls’ Tennis and Varsity a great passion for both swimming and Dance, she felt frightened at first, but immediately fell in love with her coaches lacrosse, which both occur during spring, and she and teammates. decided to “At first, I play on both was intimidated being on such Managing time can be extremely teams. She finds the great teams, stressful, but I learned how transition but everyone to be productive and avoid from sport was extremely to sport welcoming and procrastination. in school supportive,” at Lee said.

- sophomore Kara lee difficult times, but During the she enjoys fall season, she playing and normally spends plans to join a club team of an intramural five hours every day at tennis and dance level after high school. practices and arrives home around 7 “I enjoy playing both sports because p.m. they are both completely different in “Managing time can be extremely their own ways,” junior Megan Webb stressful, but I learned how to be productive and to avoid procrastination,” said. “Lacrosse is a team sport and swimming is more of an individual sport sophomore Kara Lee said. where beating your personal best time is Lee expresses her gratitude towards your ultimate goal.” both coaches and teams for making her Both athletes struggle to balance their high school experience unforgettable. time for their practices and games, but “My coaches are both such they confirm that they would never give inspirational people to me and they have up either one of the sports. already taught me so much, not only in “It is a great feeling to strive to these sports, but also in life,” Lee said.

“My teams are also loving and they never get better and to know that you are improving slowly,” Lee said. “I like being fail to amuse me.” on two different sports teams because Lee plans to continue her sports they give me two extremely different career in dance and tennis after high perspectives.” school and improve her athletic abilities.

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anna chang/The Pen

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Students embrace dual citizenships Anne Lee

to uphold Japanese traditions in her household.

“At home, I usually celebrate my Japanese culture more since my parents were both born in Japan,” Kimura said.

Coming from British and American backgrounds, David celebrates British traditions with her family and shares the travel and educational advantages of being a dual citizen.

“It means shorter lines at the airport when I enter and leave either country,” junior Annabelle David said. “It also gives me more work and study opportunities.”

Although some countries allow people to have dual citizenships, most countries, such as Japan, ask

those with dual citizenships to choose a country to remain a citizen by the time they turn 18.

“I am proud to be both an American and British citizen,” David said, “But since America is where I see myself staying for the rest of my life, I would choose the United States.”

David, Kimura and Ayoub come from multicultural backgrounds that influence their perspectives of life in America. David has gained cultural awareness, Kimura appreciates the unique values it gives her, and Ayoub says that both cultures shape her into who she is today.

“The presence of the two nationalities gives me multiples dimensions as a person,” Ayoub said.

47 percent of countries around the world allow their citizensto have citizenship in multiple countries at once

90 percent of people with dual citizenship said that in the case of conflict, they would support their native country

temishi onnekikami/The Pen

Peninsula is filled with students who were born in countries all over the world. Many, such as juniors Mana Kimura, Annabelle David and Hana Ayoub, have dual citizenships.

Despite being born in America, Ayoub has Egyptian citizenship because her parents are citizens of Egypt.

“I like that the Egyptian side is relatively unique in comparison to the ethnicities of those around me since it connects me to my family and heritage,” Ayoub said. “Since I am also an American citizen, there are many opportunities available to me,” Ayoub said.

Moving to America when she was only six months old, Kimura adapted to American customs but continues

can’t be beet

Freshman prepares himself a plate of success at a national cooking competition William MALTZ AND EMILY MCGINN Freshman chef Holden Dahlerbruch recently competed on Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown, which airs every Thursday on FYI Network.

On this television show, Dahlerbruch faced off against experienced professionals, competing for bragging rights.

Whether it be making eggs or learning to mince onions, Dahlerbruch has been in the kitchen ever since he was inspired by his father at a young age. Dahlerbruch also learns from watching Alton Brown’s and Anthony Bourdain’s cooking shows. Additionally, he gains practical experience in his home kitchen and with his cooking club, where he can practice in a more relaxed setting.

“When cooking, it is all about checking to make sure every single component is to my liking,” Dahlerbruch said. “Sometimes when there is a component I have, and I think about it for a second and it is not great and it is not good, I either redo it if I have time or leave it off the plate.”

Dahlerbruch was one of over 100 young chefs from across the country who were selected to audition for the show. After a few unsuccessful auditions for Masterchef Junior, a new cooking show for aspiring chefs, the casting director suggested that he audition for Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown. During the audition, he was challenged to create an advanced dish in just 30 minutes. After succeeding, he was offered a spot on the show.

“My favorite part of being on the show is that I get to showcase my abilities for a national audience,” Dahlerbruch said. “I get to fight for the idea that if anyone sets their mind to anything, they can succeed depending on how hard they try.”

In each episode, an executive chef competes against a group of five young chefs individually.

The competitor’s culinary abilities are evaluated through three rounds of cooking challenges In one episode, cooks were asked to create three dishes that required a different kind of skill. This round put the cooks’ molecular

gastronomy skills, which is the chemistry behind the cooking, to the test. The cooks edited food with different textures, flavors, and other qualities. The three dishes Dahlerbruch cooked included a celery root soup with mustard oil and pickled cabbage foam, a sous vide spiced carrot and a watermelon salad. In order to make these dishes, he used techniques such as compression to change the flavor and texture throughout the food. Skills like these helped Dahlerbruch throughout the competition.

Throughout the production of the show, Dahlerbruch’s culinary abilities drastically improved. The competitive atmosphere of the show encouraged him to perform to the best of his ability while cooking and helped him perform better in a stressful environment.

“A lot of [the new skills I learned were] from the competing chefs,” Dahlerbruch said. “[They are] who you are competing against, and how they have taken the challenge [and] how they are creative. Pretty much it is looking at what they are doing, studying their skills to try to make them our own.”

Dahlerbruch enjoyed the experience, including making friends with other contestants and applying his knowledge of cooking to an extremely different setting than the everyday kitchen. He participated in the show for the entire first season. “[Cooking] is an art form,” Dahlerbruch said. “I choose cooking because it employs all five of the senses. You can smell the fish, you can hear the sizzle or crackle, you can taste it [and] you can touch it. It’s every single one of the senses.”

Dahlerbruch prepares garlic for

1 cooking

While adding white wine to

2 his vegetables, dahlerbruch creates a flambe

3 to add a finishing touch, dahlerbruch grates cheese over the veal

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Student Life 8

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Emily Mcginn

The State Department warns strongly against travel to the Communist country of North Korea, where Americans have been arrested and imprisoned when visiting the country. But when senior Anais Han was given the opportunity to spend five days in North Korea, she said yes. It is, after all, where most of her grandparents come from. Even with the dangers and risks involved in traveling to North Korea, Han and her mother embarked on this journey together.

“This is something I [had] been working on for four years,” Han said. “[This was my] last chance to do something like this while [I was] still in high school.”

Han has an internship at Education Ministry International, a non-governmental organization that works with refugees from North Korea that flee to South Korea.

Through a partnership with a travel agency with a government grant from North Korea, the organization was able to send members, including Han, on a tour of North Korea from Oct. 22 to Oct. 27.

Entering the country was not easy. Han was required to submit extensive paperwork, including visa forms and additional paperwork on the plane. She was not permitted to bring electronic devices, such as laptops, cell phones or books of any kind.

“[I] can definitely feel more of a sense of freedom [in America],” Han said. “While [I was] in North Korea, [I could] feel that ‘someone-is-watching-you’ kind of feeling.”

Han was bombarded by a culture shock in North Korea, where American customs such as jeans and Coca-Cola are forbidden.

Public displays of propaganda from the Korean War that were decidedly anti-American were

“it was just really

interesting to see how different the two countries were. north korea is definitely farther behind.

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- senior anais han prominent. Despite this, the citizens that Han met were kind to her and seemed unaffected by her American ties.

She visited smaller cities in addition to larger ones, such as Pyongyang, the capital.

She noticed a difference between the people living in the capital and those living in the countryside, as people in the capital had the opportunity to go to college and learn about life outside the country, while citizens from the countryside were blind to political and

governmental affiliations. She was also able to visit museums that taught her about North Korean history. Han went to the demilitarized zone, the border between North and South Korea, and saw Korean War-related documents. Throughout her stay, Han noticed that citizens carried a sense of national pride similar to other countries. While spending time with locals, Han developed a greater appreciation for them.

“Even though [the citizens] kept to themselves, you could tell they were happy, just not as expressive as people elsewhere,” Han said.

In contrast, Han’s experience in South Korea, to where she also traveled with her internship group, was more relaxed.

“It was just really interesting to see how different the two countries were. North Korea is definitely farther behind. They were still using [cattle] to farm the land,” Han said. “[It was interesting] to see how close [the two countries] are, yet [how] far apart.”

Overall, Han said that she enjoyed the trip and was glad she was given the opportunity to visit North Korea. “[The trip] was a huge learning experience.

Being able to experience a country that no one else has really been to,” Han said. “It reminded me that we have a lot work to do to improve the state of the world and to help these people.”

Temishi onnekikami/ the pen

Senior travels to a forbidden land

Student receives life-altering surgery Sophomore Kai Kato noticed an abnormality two years ago, when he found a dent in his chest that continued to deepen. After he visited a medical specialist, Kato learned that he had Pectus Excavatum, a condition in which one’s rib cage and sternum develops inward, resulting in a sunken chest wall.

“As I started growing more, the dent deepened,” Kato said. “It was to the point where I could eat cereal out of it if I wanted to.”

A year ago, Kato’s doctor suggested that he have surgery immediately because adolescents’ bones reshape quicker and require a shorter recovery time.

The two-hour surgery took place on June 23, 2015, using the Nuss Procedure. In this operation, surgeons inserted a metal bar through his breastbone, pushing the chest wall out to a normal position. Kato now feels the metal bar when touching the sides of his ribcage.

“After the surgery, it was really hard to breathe [so] I took short breaths a lot. The Incentive Spirometer helped me practice [my] breathing,” Kato said. “The nurses told me to use it every hour or so while I was in the hospital to get my breathing up.”

The Incentive Spirometer shows how much he inhaled every time.

For the rest of summer, Kato rested. He had a difficult time swallowing food because of the pressure that the metal bar created. Since then, Kato’s condition has significantly improved.

This surgery affected his life socially and mentally.

This past summer, his activity was restricted. Finally, Kato’s incisions began to heal, and he is now back to volleyball. All the encouragement and love Kato received from his friends and family in the last five months contributed to his recovery.

The metal bar will be removed in two years, once it has given his chest and back enough support.

This operation will be more simple, for Kato will be going home on the same day as his operation. As an Associated Student Body member, Kato hopes to inspire others who struggle through a physical ailment. “[Of] all the people [that visited me] at the hospital and at home, I’m appreciative for all those who prayed for me and thought of me, but now that I’ve experienced this hardship, I feel like future physical obstacles won’t be as frightening,” Kato said.

“I hope I can inspire others who [went] through something like I did.”

photo courtesy of kai kato

alison kim

Kato rests on his hospital bed following his surgery in late June at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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Put your bike into it In February, sophomore Gabriel de Ocampo raced in Phoenix, Arizona. He competed against more than 25 cyclists.

Gabriel De Ocampo breaks away from the pack Trisha Valukonis Sophomore Gabriel De Ocampo was 12 years old when he first learned how to ride a bike. After receiving a new bike for Christmas, De Ocampo began to ride with his friends.

“We would ride from Torrance to Venice every week, but it wasn’t enough,” De Ocampo said. “I wanted to ride faster, so I started to look at racing programs.”

De Ocampo began to practice at the Connie Cycling Foundation in Carson under coach Connie Dareskevin, a former Olympic cyclist. Now, he trains with coach Roger Young for approximately 14 hours a week while in season, which lasts from February to July. His

offseason training, which consists of slow riding to develop the body’s efficiency of oxygen intake, pales in comparison to the speed, endurance and short power that cyclists must improve on while in season.

“Endurance—both mental and physical—­­is the hardest part of cycling for me,” De Ocampo said. “The key is to not put too much pressure on yourself or overthink things.”

De Ocampo competes in both road and track cycling on velodrome tracks. While cycling may seem like a simple sport, tactics are an important factor that contribute to the outcome of the team success.

Tactics include rallying for one cyclist to reach the front and pushing opponents out of position. De Ocampo has placed second at state and has competed at many

regional criteriums, wherein cyclists race on enclosed tracks for multiple laps or a certain amount of time.

Additionally, De Ocampo has placed sixth in an omnium, a track cycling race event that included six different races. During one of his races last year, De Ocampo crashed and had to go to the hospital, leaving him unable to compete in the final two races.

“Everyone is very competitive at the tournaments and my adrenaline gets really high,” De Ocampo said. “I have to remind myself of the fun of cycling so it doesn’t affect how I perform.”

De Ocampo aspires to bike professionally.

“I love everything about the sport—the speed, tactics and intensity of racing someone shoulder­to ­shoulder at 30 miles per hour,” De Ocampo said.

Athletes successfully and creatively help their teammates bond Jordan Chang

and maintaining these relationships is important.

“Team bonding is a really important Sports teams are known to form families among their members, improving part of volleyball, as it changes a group of unfamiliar people into your team, your performance and increasing happiness. family, whom you encourage and trust University of San Francisco Professor Dr. Jim Taylor supports this notion in his throughout the whole season,” junior varsity volleyball player Lauren Leung said.

Huffington Post article “Build a Positive “When you become more comfortable and High-Performing Sports Team with your team, you play better together Culture.” on the court.”

“Team sports, such as basketball, Peninsula teams have started traditions football and soccer, require that time and developed new ways to bond. A and energy be devoted to building a popular activity for a majority of sports culture that will lead to success,” Taylor teams is dining. Cross country teams eat said. “Without this discussion, the pasta together before meets, both for the chances of a team being successful are carbs necessary for athletic competition small.” and for the team bonding. The junior Peninsula athletes agree that the varsity softball team shares a buffet at a process of creating close relationships

team member’s home as a reward after every game. The varsity girls’ basketball also enjoys bonding activities after practices.

“After practice, all fifteen of us went to Gen, the Korean barbecue restaurant,” varsity basketball player Jenna Yamada said. “After, we hit the beach with our beach bodies and tried learning to surf.”

Other athletes bond by conditioning and putting in extra hours of practice.

The track and field team does core exercise together under the bleachers every day during sixth period before exercising.

“In order to do well, we have to have trust in each other and build each other up as a team,” sophomore and track

athlete Katie Hageman said. “Exercising with each other every day definitely helps our chemistry.”

While some teams make up bonding activities during a season, volleyball has maintained the same team building tradition for the past four years. At the beginning of every season, seniors “kidnap” freshmen from their homes early in the morning, escorting them to a day of T-shirt making and games. Each senior chooses a freshman as her little sister and acts as her mentor throughout the season.

“We had no idea that the varsity girls would kidnap us,” junior varsity volleyball player Jane Prock said. “They made us breakfast, T-shirts, and made it an overall memorable day.”

Photo Courtesy of Gabriel de ocampo

Sports

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