Issue 4

ARTIFICIAL INTEGRITY

HOW CHAT-GPT AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN AFFECT THE CLASSROOM

FOCUS PAGE 6

PSYCHED FOR ABNORMAL PSYCH

STUDENT LIFE PAGE 9

SPORTS PAGE 11

JADYN LEE: RECORDBREAKER

THE TALL TALES OF PRINCE HARRY

Prince Harry, King Charles III’s son and fifth in line for the throne, published his new memoir, “Spare”, on Jan. 10. It provides details about Harry’s family, his decision to step back from his royal role and more. With 1.4 million copies sold the day it was published, it quickly became the fastest selling non-fiction novel in history (Newsweek). Some critics commend Harry for speaking up, praising him for his bravery in exposing the hardships of royal life. On the other hand, many view the memoir as paradoxical, one-sided and vengeful. Alexandra Jacobs of The New York Times wrote that the memoir “draws endless attention in an effort to denounce fame,” explaining that even though Harry claims that he wants to stay out of the spotlight, he is achieving the exact opposite with the publishing of this memoir. Although “Spare” was written so Harry could share his story with the world, it is nothing more than an ill attempt at victimizing himself and tarnishing his family’s reputation.

The detailed accounts of Harry’s experiences often fail at what they are intended to do: portray him as a victim. For instance, during Prince Harry’s time serving in the military in Afghanistan, he claims to have killed 25 people and describes his targets as “chess pieces” rather than human beings. He then goes on to blame his training from the British Royal Army for this mindset, stating that he was trained to “other-ize” them. Naturally, these controversial remarks have spurred criticism towards British military and security figures (Australia Broadcasting Corp.). Because he takes no responsibility and deflects all blame instead, the only thing that Harry’s accounts of Afghanistan accomplishes for him is that he successfully manages to dishonor the British Army and show what low regard he places on the lives of others. This pattern of not owning up to his mistakes continues on throughout the memoir. Harry includes details about some of the choices he made in his youth, such as the scandal in the early 2000s when Harry dressed up as a Nazi soldier.

Instead of taking any blame, Harry proceeds to drag his brother, Prince William, and William’s wife through the mud. He accuses them of coercing him into dressing up as a Nazi soldier, saying that they thought it would have been “funny” (Newsweek). Prince Harry made the conscious decision to dress up as a Nazi soldier, and placing all the blame on his brother for the ensuing drama is not acceptable. Harry was an adult who was fully capable of making his own decisions at the time, and he should have admitted that he was the one to blame. Any decent and honorable person would accept they were at least partially at fault.

“[What Harry did] by exposing the inner workings and telling the public what they do not see is [commendable],” junior Audrey Yu said.”He painted himself in a better light than he should have. I do get [that there is] drama between him and his family. However, that does not mean he has the right to victimize himself and drag down his family with him.”

Furthermore, “Spare” was written for an intimate look into Harry’s life, but in the process, Harry disrespected many members of his family. There are moments where Harry acknowledges the positive moments he shared with his family, but most of the time, he portrays them as villains. Allegedly, before Harry married Meghan Markle, King Charles tried to convince Harry that marrying Meghan would be a mistake, describing her as “difficult, rude and abrasive.” Harry also names the memoir after a joke his father made: that William was the “heir” and he the “spare.” This joke supposedly held some merit, as William always received luxuries that Harry did not. But even if what Harry described in the memoir is true, he has a moral obligation to protect his family from the public. He is not just describing the King of England in the memoir; he is describing his father. William is his older brother, not only the Duke of Cambridge. Even though the royal family did not protect Harry from the public at times, by exposing his family, Harry himself turns into the villain. It could be said that they caused Harry to go down this path due to their terrible actions, but Harry was the one who chose to seek revenge. Harry even claims that he wants to distance himself from the royal family. By writing this book,

however, Harry only associates himself with his family even more.

The drama between Harry and his family could have also been handled in a better fashion. With the family being so famous that all their affairs are scrutinized, Harry should have addressed his complaints internally. Since Harry is being criticized for exposing his family in the memoir, it is only fair that the royal family receive the same judgment for exposing him in the past. Nevertheless, the accusations Harry makes regarding the royal family’s treatment of him portray him as the antagonizer.

“It is great that he is building a life independently, but if he really wants to be independent, he should stop including the royal family [in what he does],” junior Peyton Khorey said. “It does not make a lot of sense [because] he [says that he] is trying to distance himself [from the royal family], then writes a whole book about them.”

Harry’s memoir has received mixed criticism for its content and stirred up an abundance of old drama. Some say his detailed account of his life’s troubles is a brave move on his end because the royal family is not as glorious as the public makes it out to be. However, not once does Harry seem thankful for the privileged life he leads. He and his family currently live in a $14 million mansion in LA. Additionally, Harry’s relation to the royal family is one of the only reasons he is generating revenue; the money made from his memoir, too, is only due to his fame from being a royal. No matter the difficulties he endured, he still had access to the royal family’s vast resources and had a more lavish upbringing than nearly all people due to it. At the very least, Harry should have expressed some gratitude for that opportunity.

“I think he is taking advantage of the situation and trying to profit off of it instead of going off and trying to heal himself,” sophomore Lucy Chai said. “[The memoir] is [a] source of income [for Harry] and people are paying him for his story. It is very disrespectful to his family because he did lead a very privileged life before he threw it all away. He has so much the world can only dream of.”

ANGELINA WANG

ALARMING TRANS ERASURE IN PVPUSD

JEREMY KIM & AUDREY LIN

On Mar. 10, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) held a board meeting that turned into a fiery and contentious debate between parents, students and teachers in attendance over the novel “Too Bright To See” by Kyle Lukoff. Two fifth grade teachers in the district, Gina Tredennick and Caitlin Waddell-Show, read the novel to their classes, and with its transgender main character, drew the ire of many conservative parents within the district. These parents used the open-mic portion of the board meeting to argue that this book and others with LGBTQ+ themes should not be read in school. Nearly 40 students and teachers alike also spoke in response, defending this book and promoting the message of inclusivity in school. In a time when government officials across the U.S. are pushing legislation that explicitly targets trans youth, it is downright sickening that people in PVPUSD seek to censor discussion of gender orientation in classrooms.

Earlier in March, the Iowa Senate passed a bill that, if signed into law by Gov. Reynolds, would ban education regarding gender identity and sexuality up to sixth grade and mandate rapid parental notification if a student’s expression of gender differs from the biological sex on their birth certificate (Des Moines Register). Similar legislation is being introduced in multiple states and there have been calls to remove LGBTQ+ books from not only school libraries, but also local bookstores. PVPUSD, too, seems to have folded to the dangerous calls for regulations in school reading by both administrators and parents. English teachers are now required to submit a list of novels they will be teaching throughout the year to the principals of their respective

schools for approval and share that list with the parents of their students, who can then prevent certain books from being taught.

Therefore, with transgender youth being placed in potentially life-threatening situations and having their existences erased from classrooms, it is appalling that one of the parents speaking at the board meeting chose the words “the trans disease”. Not only does it reveal a shameful lack of empathy, but it plays into harmful stereotypes by vilifying transgender individuals as dirty and predatory. It is this type of language that forces isolation upon transgender youth, creating an obstacle against inclusivity. These parents arguing against the book claim they wish to protect their children, yet this is hypocritical — the blame is largely on them that a 2020 study from the Trevor Project revealed transgender and nonbinary youth were 2 to 2.5 times as likely to experience depression and attempt suicide compared to cisgender LGBTQ+ youth. Legislative protections exist to protect LGBTQ+ youth in California, and it is necessary for classrooms to promote these regulations in the classroom, and for parents to embrace this education instead of tearing them down with bigoted rhetoric. The testimonials given at the board meeting by students and teachers clearly reflect the need for LGBTQ+ books and inclusive classrooms. PVPUSD aims to function with the ideal of putting students first. Students and parents must continue to support educators, who are highly qualified and trained professionals, and advocate for their rights; if LGBTQ+ material is banned from curricula, it not only censors important information, but also normalizes hate, posing direct harm to transgender youth.

QUESTIONABLE CAMPUS CUISINE

BRANDON ZHANG

The issue of food provision for K-12 students has long been a contentious topic. The debate of who should be responsible for student health and nutrition has resurfaced once again with the proposed updates to School Nutrition Standards by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to raise the quality of school lunches. The question now is whether school lunch programs can meet the quality and nutrition standards set by the USDA while continuing to provide free meals. Up to now, the answer is a clear no. Instead of offering free, USDA-regulated lunches, students should pay for higher quality, more nutritious meals.

Undoubtedly, school lunch plays an important part in the growth and development of students, but public school lunch’s reputation in the U.S. has never been pristine. Images of cold gluten-free pizza and stale fries have dominated the common perception of public school lunches. Beyond the question of quality food options is a much scarier prospect: school lunches that are not even safe for students to consume. The prevalence of E. Coli in school lunches has already been scrutinized by news and media outlets in the past, but there are more nasty shocks in store for parents and public school students. In fact, the standards governing the preparation and food content of school lunches fall short of minimums imposed upon even fast-food restaurants, such as KFC and McDonalds (Public School Review). Raised nutritional standards will mean nothing if there are no inspections and enforcement to make sure that food is both healthy, and most importantly, safe. With the shoestring budgets most programs are on, it is likely that this is simply impossible to do.

“Schools as a whole are an important institution not only for raising the youth of our country into healthy and capable adults,” senior Collin Chen said. “Therefore, proper nutrition is essential,” senior Collin Chen said. “I believe our school lunches have room to improve. Currently, the meals offered are not only processed, but also tend to be imbalanced nutritionally. I have seen people on social media claim that even some prison foods are healthier and taste better than the food offered at schools.”

Another issue with free school lunch programs is the risk of waste and inefficiency. Too often, large amounts of food are wasted or thrown away, leading to not just increased costs for already strained school nutrition budgets, but environmental impact as well. A study conducted by Pennsylvania State University found that 27% to 53% of the food served in U.S. school lunches are thrown away, especially fruits and vegetables. This phenomena can be seen at Peninsula as well — from students throwing cranberries during class, to whole, uneaten pieces of fruit being thrown in the trash, to unopened cartons of milk sitting on benches and tables.

“Peninsula] is experiencing the unfortunate, unintended consequence of food waste on our campus,” AP Physics 1 and 2 teacher Mark Greenberg said. “There exists a small percentage of students who are not using these [free] meals for their intended purpose. There are full milk cartons and other food items that have been thrown on a small ledge outside of my classroom as part of a Panther Time game. It is shameful that a small handful of students are taking for granted what so many others lack.”

Free school lunches are not just causing nutritional problems either — they have become a moral liability, especially at a school as privileged as Peninsula. In addition to encouraging a culture of privilege and entitlement, the current system at Peninsula is vulnerable to fraud and abuse, with some students taking advantage of the system to obtain free meals that they are not entitled to, such as claiming other students’ lunches using their student ID numbers. Lunchtime in the cafeteria or outside the food carts often devolves into a mildly chaotic scene of pushing and shoving, with students clamoring to get a free slice of nutritionally dubious pizza.

“Since lunch became free, I have noticed how the lines have gotten a lot longer and that there are a lot more people cutting into line just for something as mundane as fried chicken,” senior Jeremy Su said. “I have seen entire packages of uneaten food left on benches. Some people are not appreciative of free school lunch at all. Free food has brought out the worst in some people, which I think is just sad.”

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL

27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

EDITORS IN CHIEF

Jeremy Kim

Audrey Lin

MANAGING EDITOR

Nomi Tsogmagnai

HEADS OF DESIGN

Shai Becker

Sakura Sasaki

HEAD OF BUSINESS

Hana Rivera

ADVISER

Jaymee DeMeyer

PUBLICITY

WEBSITE MANAGER: Savanna Messner Rodriguez

OPINION

EDITOR: Zahra Habib

WRITERS: Alesha Paramasivum

Angelina Wang

Brandon Zhang

NEWS

EDITOR: Juliette Lin

WRITERS: Aarushi Chaudhari

Siwoo Kim

FOCUS

EDITOR: Alena Rhoades

WRITERS: Caori DeGuzman

Sivan Stoler

STUDENT LIFE

EDITOR: McKenna McCallister

WRITERS: Jacelyn Chen

Jihoon Kwon

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/SPORTS

EDITOR: Josie Kwak

WRITERS: Tessa Kang

Neha Sambangi

GRAPHICS

Hana Fujii

Kiara Lee

Zhixin Liu

Jihee Seo

Lynn Takahashi

ADS

Bridget Auer

Lauren Farrar

Kana Fujimoto-Taitano

Lexi Hollerbach

Eva Johnston

Caide Jung

Natasha Kohli

Sara Mizrachi

Frederica Nishioka

Maya Owainat

Kate Shenton

“The

directed to Head of Business Hana Rivera at phone (310)347-1188 Copyright © 2022

BROKEN SOIL, POLITICAL TURMOIL

Kahramanmaras earthquake devastates Turkey and Syria

On Feb. 6, the Kahramanmaras earthquake struck southeast Turkey and northwest Syria. This earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, was followed by around 1,600 aftershocks and tremors. The death toll surpassed 45,000 people on Feb. 17 and is continuing to rise due to more injuries and discovered bodies. Reports also show that over 87,000 people were injured and 47,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged between Turkey and Syria (Consumer News and Business Channel). The earthquake also caused damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure. In response to the earthquake, both Turkish and Syrian authorities deployed emergency services and rescue workers to the affected areas. The Turkish government announced that it would provide financial assistance to the injured, and the military deployed helicopters and other resources to the region to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. They also set up field hospitals and provided medical aid to those injured in the earthquake. The assistance includes tents, blankets and other supplies to the targeted regions. Senior Jessica Espinoza feels that Turkey and Syria should not be the only nations providing support.

“The earthquakes occurring in Syria, Turkey and other countries affected by these disasters are devastating and saddening,” Espinoza said. “The world is in so much conflict and has been for

centuries. We are at the point where we are losing society and our Earth. It is extremely important to unite and work collaboratively for the same goals. This is a critical time. We need to heal, rebuild and move forward.”

Making recovery efforts complicated is the political tensions between Syria and Turkey - for several years, Turkey has been involved in Syria’s civil war through military operations in northeast Syria to combat the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Following the earthquake, 40,000 refugees from the civil war living in Turkey returned to their homes in northwest Syria to contact relatives caught in the disaster or send family members back to Syria whose homes in Turkey were destroyed. At the Turkish Cilvegozu border crossing, hundreds of Syrians lined up to cross, starting on Feb. 20 (CNBC). In Syria, the earthquake and its aftershocks mainly hit Idlib, the area most ravaged by the country’s ongoing civil war and one of its last rebel-held territories, leading to concerns that the earthquake may exacerbate the existing political unrest in the region. Despite the ongoing conflict between the two countries, their governments are cooperating closely in responding to the earthquake. Turkish and Syrian officials held talks to coordinate their efforts and ensure that aid and resources were distributed to the areas most in need. However, there were also reports of tensions between the countries’ forces in the aftermath of the earthquake. Turkish military officials accused Syrian forces of preventing Turkish rescue workers from entering Syrian territory to assist with the recovery efforts. The accused officials denied these allegations, stating that they were working closely with Turkish officials to coordinate their response (Middle East Eye). Junior Ashima Bhatia feels as though there could have been a better response to the earthquake from both governments.

“Both parties could have handled the humanitarian crisis that this earthquake caused in a more efficient way,” Bhatia said. “As an immediate response, they could have modified sanctions related to earthquake relief. Modifying sanctions

would increase financial flow, which would allow Turkey and Syria to better combat the crisis.”

The Kahramanmaras earthquake is similar to a previous 1999 earthquake in Turkey. Around 17,000 people were reportedly killed in the earthquake, although the actual number was much greater (Cable News Network). This was partly due to the Turkish government mismanaging the earthquake response: president Erdogan, who was mayor of Istanbul at the time, was among the loudest in calling out those responsible. Many believed that the previous earthquake would have inspired the government to be more prepared for future disasters, but as demonstrated by the Kahramanmaras earthquake, this did not happen as its response was too slow. The lack of immediate military response led to the neglect of repairing critical infrastructure necessary for rescue efforts. Furthermore, the civilian office responsible for emergency relief, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, is considered badly managed, under-funded and uncoordinated (The Middle East Institute). However, on the Syrian side of the border, the Syrian government responded quickly to the earthquake, with the Syrian Red Crescent Society mobilizing volunteers and aid to the affected areas. The Syrian government also provided medical assistance and sent ambulances to transport the injured to hospitals (MEI). Senior Michele Chan, a board member of Peninsula’s National Honor Society which recently held a fundraiser helping the Turkish and Syrian governments give relief for the earthquake, hopes for an international response to the disaster.

“There should be countries open to helping with temporary rehoming, as well as providing any kind of health care assistance to these hospitals and providing medical kits for everyone to use,” Chan said. “[The degree of assistance] would all be up to the countries on how much they should spend on this endeavor, but I would hope that they are involved in helping fund at least some repairs to buildings and [giving] some money to the families.”

AARUSHI CHAUDHARI

CAORI DEGUZMAN

MEMPHIS POLICE MURDER 5

ARIEL LYGA

At 8:24 p.m. on Jan. 7 in Memphis, Tennessee: 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, a Black man, was pulled over for seemingly no reason and pinned onto the ground by police officers. Nichols managed to break free, but the officers caught up to him and began to beat him at 8:33 p.m. Within three minutes, Nichols had been punched, kicked, sprayed with chemicals and hit with a baton, then handcuffed and propped against a police car. Medical personnel arrived at 8:41 p.m., yet no aid was given until 16 minutes later. Roughly 54 minutes after the initial traffic stop, Nichols was taken away to a hospital six miles away from the initial site (New York Times). Three days later, Nichols died from blood loss.

After the incident, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice began a joint civil rights investigation. When it concluded, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) fired five officers involved with the situation who were identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith - all Black men. This type of altercation where an officer behaves violently against a civilian is referred to as police brutality. In the U.S., it disproportionately affects Black people, who make up around 24% of deaths by police despite being only 13% of the population (Amnesty). However, sophomore Armon Riaz feels that police brutality is not just a racism issue.

“The [increase of] racist police brutality is a

massive problem in the world, especially the U.S.,” Riaz said. “That being said, this situation is not due to racism. Police brutality is something that exists even without [racism]. This case is proof of that.”

Officers can commit acts of violence against anyone - even members of their own race. A history of systematic oppression within policing is what often enables occurrences like this (USA Today). In its origin during the 1700s, the police force was meant as slave patrollers who captured and returned runaway slaves. Once African Americans were emancipated in 1868, the patrollers shifted to enforce Jim Crow laws designed to segregate white and Black people (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Due to the history of the police system and discrimination within it, circumstances similar to Nichols’ can occur, making the quick disciplinary action against the officers surprising to many. Once the officers were fired, they were indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression (Reuters). Junior Devin Lai has hope that the officers will face legal consequences for their actions.

“[These] charges are important because it is often the case that the police get away with what they do to these people,” Lai said. “It is important that they are held accountable and justice is [served]. Problems [like this] are large enough that it requires a lot of action to try to stop.”

Shortly after the charges were announced,

protesters in downtown Memphis blocked the Interstate 55 bridge and called for the discontinuing of the SCORPION (Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods) taskforce, which the five Black officers were a part of (Channel 3 News). It has since been disbanded due to the backlash, according to the MPD police chief, Cereylyn Davis (Associated Press News). After speaking with Nichols’ family, President Joe Biden reinvigorated his push to pass the George Floyd Act in Congress, which could implement national standards for training and deescalation, address officer wellness and change police culture to protect civilians and officers (AP News). English 2 teacher Tracy Bly feels that these types of reforms are important for citizen safety and welfare.

“Police officers need a longer training period because they are doing a really difficult job,” “[They are] walking into situations

what is happening, but in instances like [Nichols’] where it is so blatantly disturbing, it just makes me sad.”

Launched by technology company OpenAI in November 2022, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that has been heralded by Forbes as a tool that can revolutionize AI. After creating a free ChatGPT account on the OpenAI website, users can request nearly anything into the textbox and the AI will respond. ChatGPT can create stories, instructions, recipes, have conversations and much more after receiving a prompt. OpenAI processed the program with 8 million documents in order for it to store knowledge and learn how to write naturally. ChatGPT also actively learns from each interaction with users in order to better understand the context of questions and to be more clear in its responses (Atria Innovations). The versatility and precision of the AI quickly made it immensely successful, earning OpenAI over 29 billion dollars after just a few months of running by selling premium memberships (Reuters).

Due to its widespread applications, ChatGPT may impact many industries. For example, since it has the ability to code, software engineers could see AI playing a larger role in their job. It can do more mundane tasks that engineers prefer not to do, but is not yet developed enough to completely eradicate the need for human software engineers, as many had feared (Business Insider). ChatGPT also poses a threat to technical writing careers because it can easily type out instructions or articles (Business Insider). Soon after its release, students began to recognize this ability and realized the AI could help them do well in school, in part due to its popularity on TikTok. The hashtag for ChatGPT has over 1.5 billion views and there are a plethora of videos on the app showing students who have had ChatGPT write assignments for them. According to Forbes, 30% of college students say that they have used ChatGPT for classwork and one in 30 said that they use ChatGPT on every assignment. Many feel that these numbers pose a threat to academic integrity since ChatGPT can create essays or written assignments. When asked how it “feels” about students using its AI to plagiarize work, the chatbox says it does not condone academic dishonesty and wants to only be used to amplify assignments, not completely make them. Freshman Brooke Elliot has witnessed ChatGPT complete a class assignment and shares her thoughts.

“My English teacher showed us one example of a review written by a student and one written by ChatGPT,” Elliot said. “Until she told us which one was written by who, I honestly did not question why one sounded a bit more calculated than the other. It really surprised me that an AI was able to accurately recreate student writing. It is really exciting that ChatGPT has the ability to create these things in just seconds.”

Despite these functions, ChatGPT has several

CHATTING WITH GPT SAY HI

limitations that could be detrimental to students looking to have the AI do their schoolwork. One Slate journalist realized that, when asked for a source regarding an answer it had provided, the chatbox sent a link to an article which had no relevant information in it. Because it essentially makes up sources, students will still have to do research if a works cited or bibliography is

technology that feels very scary to our curriculum like when Wikipedia or Google came out,” McCloud said. “Like with any tool, it is here and it is not going to go away. I think we need to enhance our curriculum around ChatGPT. It will probably force us teachers to change how we think about some of our assignments, but life is always changing and teachers have to adapt with it. I am coming out of the initial shock of ‘oh my God, this is going to ruin how I teach’ and I am accepting that AI can be useful and not harmful.”

required on an assignment they used ChatGPT for. Furthermore, researchers at the University of California, Riverside noted that the AI seems to struggle with correctly answering logic-based questions like complicated math equations. Freshman Wendy Hu similarly realized that ChatGPT’s abilities are not perfect.

“I saw one of my friends try to use ChatGPT for an essay in school,” Hu said. “Although what the AI came up with technically answered the prompt, the final product was not very good. The essay was super repetitive and did not flow together nicely. They ended up just writing the essay on their own, but it was still really shocking to see how quickly it created a slightly below average essay.”

Some education experts, however, believe that ChatGPT could easily become an advantage to students and educators alike (New York Times). It can, for example, create study materials like practice questions or mnemonic devices, explain topics in a simple way and help teachers create lesson plans geared for different types of learners. There has also been speculation that ChatGPT will be used in English classrooms much like how calculators are in math classrooms: allowed on some assignments and tests once students have mastered the basics of a topic. Others say that the inclusion of ChatGPT in classrooms could bring a new wave of teachers utilizing oral exams to make sure students do not cheat on written work using AI (New York Times). English 1 and 2 Honors teacher Maria McCloud feels that ChatGPT is ushering in a new wave of education.

“At first, I thought ChatGPT posed a serious threat to education, but we always have new

SIVAN STOLER

Alena Rhoades

TO AI

Striking concert visuals paired with vibrant song and dance have helped make K-pop, or Korean popular music, a dominant industry across the globe since its first appearance in the early 1990s. Album concepts for K-pop groups range from having dreamy and ethereal undercurrents to dark and eerie ambience. Keeping up with concept lore and discussing experimental themes online is a crucial part of the fan experience, especially for those enjoying content internationally. Since 2023, projects that consist of interlacing artificial intelligence (AI) with human idols have emerged, pushing aesthetics and fan-idol interactions to the

AI K-POP MAKES K-BOPS

next level.

Entertainment companies have already begun creating idol groups with AI; the widely popular girl group Aespa has both physical members and virtual counterparts from a fictional universe called KWANGYA. SUPERKIND is a boy group with five physical members and five AI members that are being periodically revealed. One of the most recent AI K-pop bands to debut is MAVE, a group with all four members having AI-generated facial features. Although the main concept for the band is AI and virtual life that transcends limits of the physical world, every aspect of the band is managed by human beings. Staff behind the scenes are responsible for animating the choreography, rendering the models and visual effects and there are anonymous human singers creating all of the vocals, ultimately bringing the AI members to life in videos that are shared on social media (KProfiles). MAVE was introduced to the public under Metaverse Entertainment, a company specializing in shared 3D virtual spaces, with their debut single album “Pandora’s Box” available on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. In relation to the appeal of these bands, senior William Sun remarks on how their relevance may stay long-term.

“Virtual K-pop bands definitely have the potential to be further explored by entertainment companies,” Sun said. “I do not think they are just an experimental afterthought, but a refreshing addition to the industry in general.”

Since its release on Jan. 25, under the K-pop distribution YouTube channel 1theK, the music video for the song “Pandora’’ has reached over 16 million views. The album “Pandora’s Box” focuses on the idea of humans discovering newfound hope and escapism in the virtual world of Idypia (Allkpop). The overall aesthetics of the video pay homage to the cyberpunk genre, or a futuristic dystopia with its neon palette and highly urbanized environment. Mainly positive and excited feedback found in the music video comment section reflects on the project’s success and overall enjoyment from viewers worldwide. Due to its leap towards an experience held entirely in the metaverse, many K-pop fans are excited for what else MAVE and similar upcoming groups have to offer. Junior Fariya Atiqee explains how past

music videos from virtual bands such as K/DA and True Damage of Riot Games may determine the degree of further success of virtual bands in the K-pop industry.

“It is really easy for [AI groups] to enter into mainstream if they market correctly, since they are not real humans,” Atiqee said. “Though they lack the ability to achieve a parasocial relationship, AI groups have a chance with previous successes like [virtual band] K/DA in the past.”

Widely seen as the 3D version of the Internet, the metaverse can open up possibilities for new ways of marketing and fan-idol interactions in the K-pop industry. Metaverse technology and virtual entertainment spaces in general have already been utilized by artists within the K-pop industry, such as Blackpink holding a virtual concert in the video game PUBG Mobile as well as BTS performing virtually in Minecraft (MUSE by Clio). With K-pop being an industry that caters mostly to international audiences with a strong online presence, the consistent quality content and interactive community building that comes with metaverse technology can be effective tools that further enhance the viewer experience in regards to music videos, performances, livestreams and other social media content. Physical K-pop idols are unlikely to be overshadowed by these new concepts due to their continuous success worldwide and the amount of effort they put into their live performances. However, junior Karen Ngamary fears that human idols may lose opportunities to AI, considering how idols still face bitter online criticism for their looks.

“Considering how harsh and competitive the K-pop industry is, I would not be surprised if several talented artists got denied from companies simply because they did not have the ideal look that the company was looking for,” Ngamary said. “With AI, all you really need is the vocals and maybe someone to base the idol off of. I think it [would] be much easier for AI groups to debut because they do not have to go through as much training as non-AI idols.”

AI has the capacity to completely change the K-pop industry in terms of how an idol group is expected to both produce and perform, as well as lessening the pressure for staff members and the idols themselves. Considering the high standards in regards to idol auditions now, introducing virtual idols in the place of physical idols leaves out the worry of putting human mental and physical health in jeopardy (The Asian Articles). Many K-pop fans have already been enjoying animated idols with shining vocals and the artist collaborations that very often come with them. With upcoming virtual idol groups, bands that already participate in metaverse open spaces and AI idol projects that have yet to be announced, digitally enhanced idol experiences will likely hold a permanent place in Korean pop culture in coming years.

CAORI DEGUZMAN

From Feb. 2 to Feb. 3, members of the Latino Connection Club organized a thrift store where they sold clothes collected through a donation drive held at school. The goal of this was to collect money for Corazon de Vida, an organization that provides support for orphans in Baja California, Mexico. According to data from the California Department of Education, 11.7% of students enrolled at Peninsula are Hispanic or Latino. Despite the large number of Latino people at the school, senior Alejandra Muller always felt that the Latino community at Peninsula did not receive enough representation. This led her and her sister, Sophia Muller, to submit their club charter to create the Latino Student Union in September of 2022. During this time, senior Tommie Phillips also submitted a charter form for his club, La Conexion Club. The Muller sisters’ original idea for their club was to mainly volunteer and promote donation opportunities to benefit Latino communities. Meanwhile, Phillips’s purpose for his club focused on creating engaging activities for students to participate in and learn about Latino culture. By October, the two clubs decided to merge and form the Latino Connection Club, with Alejandra Muller and Phillips as co-presidents. Alejandra Muller became president of the service branch and Phillips the president of the activities branch. Additionally, Sophia Muller became the vice president and is involved in both branches’ decisions.

The Latino Connection Club strives to help students of Peninsula gain better understanding

of Latino culture by participating in culturally relevant activities and serving Latino communities through fundraising events. Alejandra Muller decided to hold the thrift store after she experienced a college merchandise exchange in her Service Learning Leadership class, where students bought and traded clothes with each other. She loved this concept since a lot of students wear similar styles of clothing, allowing people to find many options of clothes that matched the new college they had committed to. When the club decided to hold the thrift store as their next fundraiser event, they began to collect the clothes with a donation drive that lasted from Jan. 23 to Jan. 27. Buckets were set up around the school where students could drop off their unwanted clothing. Some teachers gave out extra credit to students who donated clothes, prompting further engagement. By the end of the drive, they gathered a total of 25 large trash bags full of clothing. This considerable sum of clothes posed a welcomed issue because organizing it proved challenging.

“Coming to school and folding the clothes was very memorable,” Sophia Muller said. “It was an overwhelming amount, it was heavy and we had all the clothes in the baseball shed, so taking all that stuff and sorting it into price ranges and folding it all was stressful, but fun.”

The members of the Latino Connection Club ended up spending nearly four hours dividing all the pieces of clothing into different prices, with T-shirts and shorts selling for $2, hoodies, jeans and sweaters for $5 and high-quality clothing like dresses or trendy items for $10. Corazon de Vida

also helped the preparation as they put Phillips in contact with the owner of Inka Wasi, a Peruvian restaurant located in the Peninsula Shopping Center. This allowed the club to sell food at the thrift store as well, creating more revenue and attraction. To advertise for this event, Alejandra Muller and Phillips created a video which some teachers showed to their students. By Feb. 2, the thrift store had been fully set up in the gym and thoroughly prepared. Going into the thrift store knowing all that it took to get the event ready, Alejandra Muller was thrilled.

“I was honestly super excited,” Alejandra Muller said. “When I was talking with my friends and different classmates, everyone was exhilarated to help out with the cause so I was extremely optimistic going into it.”

The event met and exceeded their collection goal as they had originally estimated that they would raise $150 dollars, but the event raised $865. For two days, the gym was full of students buying clothes and food from the thrift store during lunch. With this event, students simultaneously purchased clothes of their liking while helping raise money for a good cause. Going forward, the Latino Connection Club hopes to hold the thrift store annually.

“A memorable moment for me was seeing a girl walk out with one of my favorite shirts from freshman year,” Phillips said. “That shirt had been sitting in my closet for a long time, but another student was excited to add it to her wardrobe. I enjoyed seeing how students were able to repurpose used clothing and I hope we inspired more unique fundraisers at Peninsula.”

JIHOON KWON

HANA FUJII

TAKE A SEAT IN ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

On Feb. 7, the Abnormal Psychology dual enrollment program was added to Peninsula’s afterschool curriculum. Enrolled students participate in an in-person class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5:30 p.m., which is taught by professor Arianna Yates. The program is taught in a clinical context and is intended to help students think creatively and critically about abnormal psychology, the study of people’s thoughts, feelings and behavior that would be scientifically classified as atypical. Yates previously earned a double bachelor’s degree in psychology and journalism from Biola University and a master’s degree in counseling from Pepperdine University. Now an adjunct professor at Los Angeles Harbor College, she has been teaching a broad spectrum of psychology courses such as Introduction to Psychology, Lifespan Psychology and Critical Thinking Psychology. She began educating in the field of psychology because she was passionate about watching people become better versions of themselves and expanding their knowledge of human behavior. She utilizes various methods, such as discussions, to facilitate a space where students will use their reasoning skills to back up their claims In an Abnormal Psychology class, students first listen to lectures delivered by Yates and then work on a group activity. Yates is pleased with the students’ enjoyment of the class thus far and their enthusiasm for participating in

respectful discourse.

“[Knowing I am teaching at Peninsula], it was not shocking to see how incredibly enthusiastic my students were,” Yates said. “It has been very fun and interactive; the students make my passion for teaching psychology very easy and fulfilling. I hope they will learn more as we dive deeper into topics of abnormal psychology.”

This dual enrollment program was encouraged by the associate principal, Dr. Jennifer Panagos, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) school board. With an influx of students joining the Advanced Placement Psychology course on campus this year, the dual enrollment program serves as a college class experience for the many students who are interested in the topic. To implement the course, the PVPUSD and Los Angeles Harbor College boards went through many rounds of executive meetings. With over 35 students participating in the Abnormal Psychology course, the boards feel that students are truly interested in the opportunity to take dual enrollment classes. Consequently, Peninsula will be offering new dual enrollment classes with Los Angeles Harbor College in data science, culinary and business pathways for students next year. The students will be able to take up to six such dual enrollment classes and have the opportunity to earn college credits from them. Panagos was pleasantly surprised with the popularity of the Abnormal

Psychology course.

“My role was to advertise this course out there to the students,” Panagos said. “My main [priority] was to get the students who currently take Psychology to consider this class. I was shocked by the amount of people who signed up [because] I did not think the advertisements would work.”

One topic students have learned in Abnormal Psychology is the introduction and methods of formal research, which includes naturalistic or laboratory research conducted by psychologists. In order to promote a more discussion based lesson, Yates poses questions that try to engage her students in answering what it means to display abnormal behavior and outlining the history of mental illness. Furthermore, the students often watch films and other forms of media to learn about topics like the causes of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Junior Tara Reddy is a student in the Abnormal Psychology class and has expressed her excitement for what the rest of the course has in store.

“I have learned so much from this class already,” Reddy says. “[Yates] has touched on subjects surrounding psychology that I did not know existed, such as contemporary perspectives on psychology and therapeutic orientations. [These new approaches] have only intrigued me more. I hope I will learn more throughout the semester as I take her class.”

JACELYN CHEN

KIARA LEE

DEFY THE FUNGI

“The Last of Us,” an award-winning post-apocalyptic action video game, was recently adapted into a Home Box Office (HBO) show which premiered on Jan. 15, with episodes releasing weekly until March 12. So far, the show has been highly successful with a critic rating of 97% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, and is even considered by critics as one of the best video game adaptations ever. There are nine episodes in season one, covering the events from the first part of the video game. In both the show and game, much of the world is infected with Cordyceps fungus, which possesses the brain of its host and turns people into zombie-like creatures called runners, which transform into stalkers, then clickers and even more grotesque forms as the infection progresses. The series follows Joel, a weary man haunted by the death of his daughter, and his mission to bring a 14-year-old girl named Ellie westward across a post-apocalyptic U.S.; he does so because Ellie is immune to Cordyceps and therefore provides a potential key to the cure. Freshman Emmy Kang is intrigued by the horror, fast-paced action and unbreakable bonds featured in the show.

“People who like adventurous shows will find ‘The Last of Us’ very interesting because it is tense and keeps [viewers] at the edge of [their] seat,” Kang said. “There is a lot of action at all times, [and no one] will get bored watching it. The emotional [bonds] between the characters make the show [feel] very real.”

In the adaptation of “The Last of Us,” many changes were made to smoothly translate the game to television. These changes have been well-received by most, especially considering how video game adaptations are often executed poorly, resulting in a controversial phenomenon dubbed the “video game adaptation curse” by film watchers. The reason this show in particular is exempt from this curse may be due to the nature of its source material. The video game is very cinematic already, similar to a television show, giving it an advantage compared to other games that get adapted. Additionally, people play “The Last of Us” game for the storyline which translates well to a show, while the appeal of other games lies in the mechanics and exploration (Inverse). Although “The Last of Us” was already very suitable for a television adaptation, certain details were still tweaked. One of the most noticeable changes was the shift in the time frame between the outbreak of the apocalypse and the present events. In the game, the outbreak occurs in 2013, the year the game came out, and the main events take place in 2033. In the show, however, the outbreak starts in 2003 and a time skip brings the audience to 2023. This decision was made by the creative director of the game and current co-director of the show, Neil Druckman, to make the outbreak feel more timely and immediate, as if occurring in a parallel reality.

Another creative liberty the show took was tweaking the origin of the Cordyceps outbreak. In the game it seemed to appear from nowhere, but the show stresses that it was a dismissed threat since the 1960s, a warning of the severity of what may happen if environmental events like climate change are ignored. The show also altered the way in which Cordyceps spreads: in the game, it is transmitted through spores released by the infected, which is why the characters sometimes wear gas masks. For the adaptation, the creators of the show decided that they did not want the cast to wear gas masks throughout the show, so they revisited the original concept art of the game. This led them to the idea for infection to spread through tendrils, root-like networks which the infected are interconnected by; if stepped on, these tendrils exchange information about the location of the characters (Eurogamer). Junior Mark Sherry appreciates how the changes made to the show create a refreshing viewing experience for fans of the game.

“The overall tone [between the game and the show] is similar,” Sherry said. “The [producers] changed some plot points [like] Pittsburgh [being] replaced by Kansas City, Bill’s character arc and the removal of spores. The fans I talked to like the changes because it keeps [the show] from being repetitive and [they] were still handled respectfully. [In particular], I

really like episode three, [because] it was entirely different from the game. It would not have worked in the game because of the lack of action scenes, but did really well in the show.”

What draws people to “The Last of Us” is the immersive story and strong emotional responses it evokes from the audience. The highly praised third episode of the show deviated from the plot of the game by showcasing the tear-jerking love story between Bill and Frank, two side characters, which was only implied in the game. It was an unexpected move to devote an episode to flesh out the relationship of minor characters, but it proved to blend well with the overarching theme of the show. Bill, an old acquaintance of Joel, fell in love with Frank and they lived for many years together. In the end, they take their lives together because Frank is suffering from terminal illness and Bill is scared of living without him. This episode tugs on viewers’ heartstrings because even though the characters are under completely different circumstances than the audience, people can still relate to the feeling of fear that comes with love. It also delivers the message that life without love is merely surviving, and that love can be found with anyone, under the most unexpected circumstances (IGN). Bill teaches this through a letter he leaves behind for Joel, in which he gives the advice that it is worth fighting for the one person worth saving. As Joel hardened himself against the world after the loss of his daughter, the audience witnesses as he begins to take this advice and soften towards Ellie in the later episodes, but not without difficulties and arguments on both ends. Junior Amani Ghazy loves how the show handles relationships and humanity, specifically Joel and Ellie’s.

“[Joel and Ellie’s] dynamic is special because it is comforting,” Ghazy said. “They have a father-daughter relationship that neither of them want to admit, but it is extremely apparent and identifiable. I love the way Joel will do anything to protect her, and Ellie will do anything to protect him. I [also] like how the show is not afraid to reveal the truths about humanity even if they are ugly.”

DRIBBLING TO THE DREAM Senior Jadyn Lee breaks three school basketball records

NEHA SAMBANGI

In the 2022-23 girls basketball season, senior Jadyn Lee broke three school records, becoming the all-time leader in steals, field goals and overall points in the girls varsity basketball program. On Dec. 13, 2022, Lee moved to the top of the career scoring list, scoring 33 points in a victory over West Torrance High School. Following the conclusion of the season, Lee now has 1,936 career points, surpassing the previous record of 1,513 held by the current girls’ varsity basketball coach, Natalie Kelly, who played from 1995-99. On Jan. 17, in the final Bay League match against crosstown rivals Palos Verdes High School, Lee broke the record for most steals in program history, with 266. In addition, Lee holds the record for the most field goals, any basket that is scored other than a free throw, scoring a total of 737. Kelly expresses how fulfilling it was to watch Lee break so many records and coach her for the past four years.

“I am super proud of Jaydn for everything that she has accomplished in the four years she spent on the team,” Kelly said. “Jadyn is a leader for our team and she sets an example for the others with her work ethic and determination. It has been a privilege for the team to have someone like her in our program to uphold the values of our school’s basketball program.”

Over the course of this past season, the team struggled due to many players getting injured. Four players suffered season-ending injuries, forcing Kelly to play several freshmen in crucial games. Despite these obstacles, Lee and the team had some important victories which allowed them to build their confidence. On Nov. 23, Lee was named the Daily Breeze Girl Athlete of the Week for her noteworthy performance in the St. Mary Tip-Off Classic tournament, where she scored 97 points throughout the four games of the tournament. The team also traveled to San Diego in December to participate in the San Diego Southern California Holiday Prep Classic tournament where they placed third overall. Once again, Lee was the top scorer from the Peninsula team, contributing a total of 104 points across four games and was named to the All-Tournament team. This was a special achievement as team coaches could only select one player to be recognized with this post-tournament honor. Varsity girls basketball player and junior Brindha Srivatsav expresses how special Lee was for their team and the positive impact she continually made.

“Jadyn is such an amazing player because she always cares about the betterment of the whole team,” Srivatsav said. “She is encouraging, even if the team makes mistakes, and has

helped so many of our teammates get better. Jadyn is the glue that holds this team together and she has given me a lot more confidence to keep getting better at basketball.”

Lee achieved much throughout her four years with the varsity team: notably, in her junior season, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) named her as one of eight players in the Division I All-CIF Southern Section 1st Team. Furthermore, the team won the Bay League title in Lee’s freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, with Lee being named the team’s Most Valuable Player by Kelly in her sophomore and junior seasons. The team had previously never won three Bay League titles in a row since 1990. Lee’s most memorable game of her career was the finals of the CIF Southern California Regionals in 2020, the furthest the team went in the tournament in her four years, where Lee scored 10 points and Peninsula fell short to Paloma Valley. Concluding her senior season, Lee is now in the top 10 of all the girls varsity basketball program’s individual records, a feat very few players have achieved. Using her basketball skills and accomplishments throughout her career, Lee will attend Pomona College and continue to play basketball there. Lee

shares how special and valuable it was to be a part of the girls basketball program.

“Being a part of this team in a high-energy environment and supportive community is something that I will never forget,” Lee said. “I always reminded myself that high school sports are only for four years, so I knew I needed to make the most of it and gave my best effort. It is really rewarding to break these records because all the hard work that I put into basketball paid off and I made a positive impact on the team.”