Issue 4

VOL. XXXVIII ISSUE 4 January 5, 2018

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Vaping on campus causes administration to lock bathrooms EDITORIAL PAGE 4 FOCUS PAGE 6

Nipping it in the Bud

Fighting for Free Speech

Up, Up and Away

Peninsula cities crack down on the regulation of marijuana

UCs promote free speech with new center

Seniors pursue flying as a hobby

NEWS PAGE 2

OPINION PAGE 5

STUDENT LIFE PAGE 8

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On Jan. 1, legalization of the recreational use of marijuana went into effect across California following voter approval of Proposition 64, also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), by a margin of 57-43 percent. According to California’s proposition voter guide, Prop. 64 allows adults 21 years of age or older to legally grow, possess and use marijuana for nonmedical purposes; it also contains provisions for licensing the commercial sale of marijuana. Peninsula junior Kyle Murdock believes that the frequent controversy surrounding marijuana usage is what may have led to the approval of Prop. 64.

“There is a sense of ambivalence around marijuana and its use,” Murdock said. “So it came as neither a shock nor disappointment [to me] when Prop. 64 was passed.”

However, Palos Verdes Peninsula (PVP) cities have begun drafting regulations that will control the impact of legalized marijuana on local communities.

PVP cities were countering legalization even before Prop. 64 was passed.

According to each city’s respective online documentation databases, all four cities had banned commercial and medical marijuana dispensaries before 2016. Yet, now that the new state law decriminalizes the possession or sale of marijuana and allows users to grow up to six plants for personal use, each city is extending regulations.

In Nov. of 2017, Palos Verdes Estates discussed ordinances that would prohibit the outdoor cultivation of marijuana.

Councilman Kenneth Kao commented to the Daily Breeze that he hoped prohibiting outdoor cultivation would prevent minors from obtaining marijuana.

The ordinance also limits deliveries of medical marijuana to users 21 and over, and imposes a 2,500 dollar fine for any violations.

“Most new ordinances seem focused on preventing people from selling marijuana in Palos Verdes,” junior Dhruv Ahluwalia said. “This might prevent marijuana from getting into the hands of minors and will help maintain Palos Verdes’ image as a peaceful suburb.”

The city of RPV has taken a different approach in dealing with legalized marijuana; their ordinance requires residents to complete a stringent application process in order to obtain a permit to grow what the new state law already allows. Its goal is to prevent the commercial selling of marijuana and to ensure that its growth does not

negatively impact the local community.

The ordinance adopted by Rolling Hills allows solely for the delivery of medical marijuana and requires that cultivation only occur indoors. Rolling Hills Estates has yet to draft ordinance on marijuana, but anticipates mirroring state law.

In response to hearing about the new PVP city ordinances, retired teacher and long term substitute for Advanced Placement (AP) Biology Graham Robertson was reminded of times in the past when overarching legal policies were regulated by local policies.

“Hearing the ordinances made me think the cities may have been overly restrictive,” Robertson said. “It reminds me of abortion being legal in the America, but different states requiring a certain width of a hallway for an abortion clinic to be legal. In a rational world, if abortion is legal, then one should not say you must have a certain size hallway in an abortion clinic. The same goes for trying to regulate away the growing of marijuana.”

Robertson believes most of the ordinances will be ineffective because they are directed at things people already do and that the city may not have the means of regulating.

“The city wants marijuana to be grown indoors. However, most people already prefer to grow it indoors using hydroponic units that easily can be set up and automated to do a better job,” Robertson said. “For example, a neighbor of mine had a grow unit about fifty feet away from my house that yielded maybe 10 plants worth of marijuana from just six plants.”

On the other hand, AP European History teacher Don Frazier agrees with the ordinances and believes they are not extensive enough.

“Personally, I disagree with the legalization of marijuana within state law,” Frazier said. “I agree with the ordinances and believe they should be in place. However, I do not believe they are extensive enough.”

Frazier does admit that the ordinances as they stand now may be ineffective, but that the addition of punitive measures will help.

“People will do what they want to do,” Frazier said. “At least there is a law and the addition of harsher punishments will definitely combat that.”

The question as to whether or not the ordinances will be effective remains to be seen later this year. These ordinances are an extension of current PVP city policies and are subject to adapt as needed. Loosening or tightening these policies is ultimately up to the citizens.

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new LGBT-inclusive history textbooks approved Shenaya Yazdani

The new textbooks will also include more expansive coverage of the farm labor movement, the Mexican Repatriation Program and Native Americans. The textbooks will focus on the importance of civic engagement and emphasizing the diverse, multicultural heritage of the United States.

School districts in California are still uncertain of which textbooks will be implemented in classrooms, but they emphasize their intent to follow state standards and district procedures in order to have the adequate instructional materials in classrooms.

connor tumelty / The Pen

The California State Board of Education became the first in the United States to approve 10 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) inclusive history textbooks for kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms. The textbooks include coverage of the historical contributions from members of the LGBTQ community. The California State Board of Education also rejected two textbooks that failed to address the sexual orientations of LGBTQ historical figures. This exclusion of LGBTQ history violates California’s 2011 Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act, which requires that schools teach about historical figures who were LGBTQ or had disabilities.

“I agree with the production of the new history textbooks,” sophomore William Choi said. “It sounds like a great way to allow people to be more aware of the current LGBTQ community. The textbooks may help prevent further prejudice.”

Experts have been working to incorporate these stories in relevant ways. Teachers in California are being trained on how to navigate potentially complex topics like gender and sexual orientation.

“I personally think that this development [will have] a positive effect on the future generation,” Choi said.

“Raising awareness early on will not only help the

LGBTQ community feel accepted, but will also lessen discrimination against them.”

Advocates say that using LGBTQ-inclusive history textbooks will give minority groups such as AfricanAmericans, farm laborers and Holocaust survivors the same fair representation to their community.

“Hopefully, students will feel that it is okay to not necessarily conform to what is considered the social norm [after reading the textbooks],” freshman and member of the LGBTQ club Keanna Rebogio said.

According to a 2017 Gallup News report, 10 million adults in the United States identify as LGBTQ. The number of Americans identifying as LGBTQ is rising.

This is represented by an increase from 8.3 million adults who said they were LGBTQ in 2012.

“I think the textbooks will have a positive impact on students,” Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher Colette Dunn-Kottke said. “By including LGBTQinclusive material in the textbooks, it will become more [acceptable] to talk about this topic.”

LGBTQ historical figures such as poet Emily Dickinson and President James Buchanan will be acknowledged in textbooks.

“I certainly hope that LGBTQ students feel more accepted when they learn that well-known people were just like them,” Rebogio said. “Hopefully, this will create someone for them to look up to.”

PVPUSD FAMILIES CONNECTED to the south bay Olin osborne III and Shenaya yazdani A 2014 Gallup Poll regarding well-being found that one-sixth of adults around the world are considered to be “thriving” both mentally and physically. However, that number is lower in young adults. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) recently entered into a new partnership with South Bay Families Connected (SBFC) to improve the social and emotional wellness of the Palos Verdes community, specifically young adults. SBFC offers several different free resources that help parents and children navigate any issues they might face. In addition to a centralized database of national and local parenting resources, SBFC has created a community calendar which lists free parent education events occurring throughout the community, such as teen wellness speakers and meetings for parents to connect and give advice to each other when facing parenting challenges. Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology teacher, John Wheeler, believes that the SBFC will better equip people to handle the difficult situations they might be facing.

“The SBFC resource will be very helpful to those who use it,” Wheeler said. “Often, it is encouraging to see that you are not the only one who has problems.

Being able to communicate with others going through the same experience is very valuable.”

connor tumelty / The Pen

The SBFC has given PVPUSD a new youth wellness page called PVPUSD Families Connected. The site provides free access to the following categories: parent resources, teen resources, an event calendar, a parent blog, a teen blog and a video library. The goal of the site, as stated by Superintendent Don Austin on the opening page, is to provide a platform where the

“The SBFC resource will be very helpful to those who use it. Often, it is encouraging to see that you are not the only one who has problems. Being able to communicate with others going through the same experience is very valuable.”

-teacher john wheeler community can work together to help its youth mature and thrive.

The teen and parent resources section is dedicated to helping students and parents solve issues they may encounter such as bullying, stress, divorce and depression. Each topic links the user to another page filled with a plethora of resources specific to that topic.

One of the most central features of the SBFC site is the ability for parents and students to connect with others through parent and teen blogs. The blogs feature posts from teen and young adult contributors, with a section for comments on each entry. Sophomore Lauren Kim has committed to using these resources whenever relevant. Kim claimed that it depends if students are willing to contribute to the commenting feature.

“I feel like students do not want to share their personal problems on a public site,” Kim said. “They may just want to handle them internally, maybe with just their parents or friends and not publicly, where the entire school can view it.”

The site also provides a comprehensive video library that covers many different teen issues and guides parents through helping their child in these situations.

PVPUSD hopes that the site is a step forward in pursuing a healthier environment for teens and for teaching parents how to create that environment.

“I believe these aspirations to help parents with their kids’ emotional and social growth is the most beneficial thing imaginable,” junior Sarah Espiritu said. “Allowing kids to be able to express what they are going through in an open and comfortable setting could possibly save lives in addition to creating a better environment for every kid growing up in Palos Verdes.”

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opinion

THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL 27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Zoe Willoughby Stella Yoo MANAGING EDITOR Phoebe Borsum DESIGN EDITOR Connor Tumelty NEWS EDITORS: Jordan Chang Ana Willoughby WRITERS: Minji Jeun Kristen Lu Olin Osborne III Shenaya Yazdani OPINION EDITOR: Nina Li WRITERS: JungIn Kim Gigi Wargin FOCUS EDITORS: Liana Korotzer Anne Lee WRITERS: Nicole Khalil Saffy Laurio Ailun Shi STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Alison Kim Emily McGinn WRITERS: Sam Herrmann Elissa Luce Christine Youn SPORTS EDITORS: Rianne Aguas Christopher Chien WRITERS: Christopher Guanzing Sarah Liu Erin Okada Asumi Shuda GRAPHICS Rachel Liu Jenna Yamada Alex Yoo BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Sung Gyung Lee Elana Ho 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 Sung Gyung Lee at (310) 377- 4888 ext. 652. The Pen editors appreciate Letters to the Editor, which are accepted up to one week before publication. You may submit them to H52 or to Jaymee Johnson’s mailbox.

Copyright © 2018 Cover Design by Connor Tumelty

administration fails to properly address vaping editorial staff Along with the new year comes new legislation. The recent legislation allowing for recreational marijuana usage came into effect on Jan. 1 throughout California. Although marijuana is now even more accessible, vapes remain the largest issue on campus. According to a survey of 100 students conducted by The Pen, 92 percent of students surveyed know of people who vape and 76.77 percent believed that people are not private about these habits.

One of the most popular spots for students to vape is the school bathrooms, presumably to decrease the chance of being caught.

School administration has allegedly responded to the increases in vaping-related incidents by locking a noticeable amount of bathrooms across campus, only leaving a few different ones open each day. Due to a minority of students breaking the rules, the majority must deal with the effects of closed bathrooms.

From a student perspective, administration is handling the issue ineffectively. It is quite possible that vaping is not an act that can or will be eliminated from school grounds, but if it is such a large problem, administration should find ways to combat it that do not include silently locking bathrooms in

the middle of the day. In order to truly counter this problem, there should be a more definitive and vocal stance from administrators to explain the lack of tolerance for such actions regarding vaping. Of the students surveyed, 79.8 percent do not think the administration is handling the problem effectively; this response speaks volumes to the dissatisfaction with the administration’s actions regarding the issue at hand.

Restricting one popular spot for vapers — the bathrooms — will not extinguish the vaping problem. Rather, it will only divert them to other locations on campus, as students will find other places to vape.

Almost daily, students are now finding themselves scouring the campus just to find an unlocked bathroom. And given the rigor of many Peninsula classes, every minute counts.

Losing even a few minutes of instructional time waiting in line in the only crowded bathroom open in a building is ultimately a disservice to students’ educations.

If the administration would truly like to solve the issue, they should seek other methods of addressing the problem that do not impact the entire student body in an effort to regulate the few bad apples.

California ranked near the bottom for school accountability Gigi wargin In November, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute ranked California as one of the bottom three states in the country for accountability, referring to holding schools, districts, educators and students responsible for results on standardized tests. State Board of Education President Michael Kirst defended these California schools, which presented a new topic for debate. The national evaluation tested components relating to the accountability of schools not only to perform well on tests, but also to reach and aid students of all levels. Color-coded dashboards, which represent the demographics, economic aspects and achievements of schools in a particular state, served as the basis for this evaluation. Hence, when Kirst saw this low score, he commented on the transitioning form of evaluation in the state, which widened to integrate a new true growth model for test scores.

However, the evaluation contains many flaws, including its failure to address the individual situations of certain regions in California and updates in its standardizing process.

“Many schools may not have the resources or knowledge needed to support a wide variety of students,” senior Alyssa Yeh said. “I think that this

ranking is a big wake-up call for California schools.”

While the size and diversity of California are contributors to such a low score, they are also the cause of why the institute’s evaluation was not applicable nationwide. EdSource reported that California’s report was somewhat incomplete since the color-coded dashboard is incorporating a true growth

“If you want to score better, you do not necessarily need to think about your entire student body population; you only need to think about who is underperforming and make them outperform by a certain level.”

-Teacher Brendan karg model, focusing primarily on standardized test scores, which would make it too onesided.

“With Common Core, we have gotten more rigorous in how we rank and measure our success,” principal Brent Kuykendall said. “I think that is [the reason for the low score].”

While states should emphasize accountability, the standards do not account for the differences between

school systems. Furthermore, evaluating accountability causes an opposing effect if only test scores are accounted for.

“If you want to score better, you do not necessarily need to think about your entire student body population; you only need to think about who is underperforming and make them outperform by a certain level,” Advanced Placement (AP) Art History, AP Studio Art, Digital Animation and Graphic Design teacher Brendan Karg said. “But that is not the entirety of education.”

Accountability must be evaluated as more than just a fixed score, and current options, without making special accommodations, are unsatisfactory.

Once the new growth model is implemented at full scale, the score will be more dynamic.

“I think overall our district is definitely an outlier when it comes to how we perform on academic based tests from kindergarten all the way through high school,” Kuykendall said. “It would be appropriate for schools like [Peninsula] to be tested every other year, or to test a different grade level.”

Controversy over California’s surprisingly low score has stimulated a conversation about how to properly assess accountability. School performance levels range too much to be evaluated fairly as a whole. However, the overall sentiment reflects that of the California State Board: standardization should not curb the accuracy of the evaluation.

opinion (5) 31 percent of students say they frequently hear offensive comments about race or religion*

Connor Tumelty / The Pen

72 PERCENT OF COLLEGE STUDENTS REJECT THE IDEA OF PROHIBITING Expressions OF POLITICAL VIEWS**

TWO-THIRDS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS BELIEVE UNIVERSITIES SHOULD HAVE POLICIES Restricting SLURS**

*According to Free expression on campus **According to FREE Speech CENTER

Uc system protects free speech Jungin Kim

According to the Los Angeles Times, University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano decided to construct a national free speech center in Washington D.C., just a month after a conservative UC Berkeley student group announced the cancellation of Free Speech Week.

This institution will analyze disputable issues that relate to the First Amendment and will provide an improved learning experience for the nation’s college students. The construction of the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement will help usher in a new generation of informed students who know the true meaning of free speech: a win for democracy. This development in the college curriculum will set a precedent which high schools can follow. Many students at Peninsula see the benefits of this center and could see such a facility being helpful not only in universities, but in high school as well.

“The UC’s implementation of this new center is appealing to students because of its relevance to today’s issues,” senior Sally Kim said. “Everyone should have the freedom to say anything without having to fear repercussions, a right that has seen some opposition lately.”

Over the course of the UC system’s history with free speech issues, multiple instances occurred where students on the campuses resorted to brute force in an effort to have their voice heard. Although free speech is crucial for the survival of democracy, resorting to violence against someone with differing opinions should not be tolerated. The center will help avoid these violent reactions by improving students’ understanding of the First Amendment. It is important to instill a pacifistic approach in students when discussing policy, starting from high school where they begin to become engaged in political discourse. Peninsula offers Advanced Placement (AP) Government, AP

Economics and other courses where students are able to share their individual opinions. If students are unable to do that, they will never learn how to express their thoughts peacefully. “[The First Amendment] allows us to voice our opinions without the fear of retribution,” principal Brent Kuykendall said. “I feel that all educational institutions should make sure they explain all sides and viewpoints of a topic.”

Despite many seeing the benefits of this new facility, some view it as merely a waste of UC funds that can instead be used to directly better students’ education. However, the center will be financed by a presidential grant and philanthropic donations. In addition, the enhancement of education as a whole is priceless and deserves a substantial amount of money to be allocated to it.

“Although the fiscal aspect of new facilities should always be considered, some institutions are worth every penny,” senior Alex Yun said. “When improving education to foster a brighter and more educated populace, no expense should be spared.”

It is important that this center is built to ensure that the nation’s future enjoys the liberties of free speech. The friction caused by the current political rift in the U.S. can be properly managed with the analysis of free speech. It is crucial that the average citizen has the ability to voice their opinions while also allowing for their political adversaries to express theirs. This concern can be properly addressed by this establishment and can guarantee healthy dialogue between conflicting views. The center is an investment in the country’s democracy and will inform future generations about the importance of thinking for themselves.

By universities setting an example, high schools may follow in their footsteps and be encouraged to enhance their curriculum. With the facility set to be constructed soon, the nation will soon reap the benefits of a more informed society.

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focus

PROTECTION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY Issue of student vaping on campus Increases at Peninsula Saffy Laurio In today’s society, electronic cigarettes have begun replacing traditional cigarettes. These electronic cigarettes create a vapor instead of smoke, and the act of using these electronic cigarettes is referred to as ‘vaping.’ Recently, many students have begun to notice the increase in electronic cigarette use at Peninsula. According to a recent survey conducted by The Pen, 92 percent of 100 surveyed Peninsula students said that they know of people who vape, and 67 percent of students have encountered people vaping in bathrooms. Some students have started avoiding campus bathrooms to evade people vaping during school hours. “[Vapers] make the bathrooms a very awkward place to go to,” junior Max Hampel said. “Personally, I sometimes refrain from going to the bathroom on a given day because I feel uncomfortable being in there while they are.”

Some researchers, such as Public Health England and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, claim that vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking. However, groups such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Framework Convention Alliance are still researching the long-term effects of vaping. The health risks of vaping vary depending on what the devices contain, whether

it be flavored vapor, nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol.

A recent increase of vaping in bathrooms has some students concerned about health risks.

“Personally, [I feel unsafe using the bathroom while people are vaping] because the vape may have nicotine,” senior Alexa Jones said. “I do not want that around me. I come to school to learn, not to get [sick].”

School administrators are aware of students’ complaints about vaping on campus and are taking steps to stop students from partaking in these actions.

Recently, the administration has put staff as security in bathrooms and often close bathrooms if they are having concerns regarding vaping.

“I do know that vaping happens here, unfortunately,” principal Brent Kuykendall said.

“Myself, other staff members and campus security are increasing our vigilance and are trying to discourage students from [vaping]. I do not want other students to feel unsafe or uncomfortable going into the restroom.”

Of the students surveyed, 79 percent feel that the administration’s strategies to prevent vaping are ineffective. Additionally, closing of bathrooms during the school day falls under a gray area legally.

The California Laws and Code 35292.5 states, ‘The school shall keep all restrooms open during school hours when pupils are not in classes, and shall keep a sufficient number of restrooms open during school hours when pupils are in classes. A school may temporarily close a restroom as necessary for pupil

safety or as necessary to repair the facility.’ In addition to closing bathrooms, administration also addresses students who vape on campus directly.

According to school policy, those who are caught vaping or with vape paraphernalia on campus are suspended. If administration feels that it is needed, they offer additional support, such as counseling or education regarding the negative consequences of vaping.

“As educators, just as parents, we assign consequences to discourage that type of behavior,” Kuykendall said. “We [give punishments] to discourage those poor choices and help students make better choices. [If matter get worse], I do not see punishments getting more severe, but I do see administration needing to be more watchful.”

At the end of the day, Kuykendall feels that the majority of the students do not partake in this behavior and does not want to punish the majority of students based off of the minorities’ behavior.

“We have over 2400 students here, and it is a small percentage of kids who are doing this,” Kuykendall said. “I think that Peninsula students are very bright and hardworking and I would encourage students who are intrigued by vaping to not do something [they] do not truly understand.”

focus (7) Gun Control Meeting held locally after recent mass shootings Ailun Shi Community leaders and gun control advocates of all beliefs and religions congregated at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes Estates for an interfaith meeting on Nov. 8. Participants involved discussed recent mass shootings, including the Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas and the Nov. 5 mass killing in a Texas church. These are two of the five deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history. The meeting was held in response to a call for more substantive responses to gun violence from leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. It was the start of diverse communities coming together to take action in the face of these events.

Suzanne Verge of the Los Angeles chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence participated in the meeting. The meeting’s overall objective was to share ideas about how to build a community of peace by promoting gun safety and reducing incidents of gun

violence. Verge specifically focused on the Asking Saves Kids (ASK) campaign, a campaign that promotes the idea of parents asking if there is a gun in the home and if it is locked up before sending their children over.

“Having a gun in the home puts everyone there — the gun owner, the gun owner’s spouse and the gun owner’s children — at greater risk of homicide, suicide and unintentional shooting death,” Verge said. “Guns in homes are often stolen and used in neighborhood violence, such as homicides and robberies.

Communities suffer in fear, retaliation and financial hardship.”

The panel also sought to foster a conversation about the issue of gun violence and examine possible solutions, such as increasing gun safety education.

“I think part of the reason why these [mass shootings occur] is because people lack education about the proper employment of [guns],” sophomore Mishal Syed said. “I feel that [students] in school should

do a review of gun laws, and what is appropriate to do with guns, and what is not.”

While no formal conclusion was reached during the meeting, the need for firearm education was stressed over specific gun control laws. “[Gun safety education should not just be] for people who intend to hold a gun,” junior Kitty Qiao said. “[People] need to learn how to protect themselves if a gun shooting is occurring around them.”

Principal Brent Kuykendall pointed out that having meetings on gun violence and mass shootings is important in remembering the devastation of these events.

“Unfortunately, [mass shootings] have become [so] commonplace, they become forgotten more quickly than they should be,” Kuykendall said. “I think these discussions are good. I do not know if they will necessarily change things, but I do think it is good to keep it on people’s minds.”

Service Learning Leadership Cleans beaches with heal the bay The Service Learning Leadership (SLL) class organized a beach cleanup at Malaga Cove and RAT Beach on Nov. 18. The cleanup was hosted by Heal the Bay, a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization focused on protecting California’s shores. Heal the Bay provided the cleanup crew with all the supplies and also tracked the types of litter found on the shores.

“Everyone picking up trash had a data card so they could record the different objects they picked up,” SLL teacher Heather Myrick said. “Heal the Bay uses those cards to research for their different [public service] work.

That is how plastic bags and styrofoam got banned in certain areas.”

One of the problems Heal the Bay emphasizes is

microplastics and the damage they do to the ocean, the wildlife living in it and this community living near the beach.

“The big thing with plastic is that it does not disintegrate; it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces,” Myrick said. “Many times, the pieces just get washed back into the ocean.”

A major concern in today’s society is the cleanliness of beaches as many feel that people should be doing more to preserve the community’s shores. Junior SLL student Alexandra Moutsios feels that it is important that all of the community works together to protect the beaches and that they should be kept clean for both the benefit of humans and for ocean wildlife.

“Keeping the beach clean is important because the trash thrown on the beach will end up in the ocean, polluting it,” Moutsios said. “This [issue] can lead to a decrease in water quality and a negative impact on the wildlife.”

While cleaning the beaches is important, making sure no trash is in the community’s streets is vital as well.

“Keeping the beaches clean is not enough,” Moutsios said. “[Especially during rainy season], the storm drains can take garbage from a sidewalk miles away and put it directly into the ocean in no time.”

Junior SLL member Morgan Dickson feels that the cleanup was a very gratifying experience and enjoyed seeing the change the volunteers made on the beach.

“People who were on the beach thanked us as we were cleaning, which made the cleanup even more rewarding,” Dickson said. “Although we were only there for a few hours, you could see the difference we had made. It was good to know that all of that plastic would not end up in the ocean and that we made a real impact on the beach.”

In addition to helping the environment, the students greatly enjoyed being on the beach and working together. “[The experience] was really fun, and it was great to spend a morning on the beach,” Myrick said. “People were really working together. Even though it seems like an individual job, it is really helpful when you have a team, and the amount of teamwork that I saw was really cool.”

Although it was a fun experience, Dickson feels that her enjoyment does not undercut the importance of the cleanup.

“Keeping the beaches clean is important for the animals in the ocean along with the overall beauty of the coast,” Dickson said. “Most people do not realize when they leave garbage on the beach so having volunteers come to clean up is super important to the health of our oceans.”

alex yoo / The Pen

Saffy Laurio

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student life

Come Fly with me

Three seniors embrace their passion for piloting sam herrmann For seniors Bryan Hadley, Ethan Burrage and Jack Branger, obtaining a private piloting license is a goal that they are working towards. As they became friends, they realized that they shared a passion for piloting, and they are currently in the process of earning their private piloting licenses.

Getting a piloting license requires 40 hours of flying, along with an online and oral exam. This training allows them to be prepared for anything that could happen in the air. Along with dealing with weather conditions, pilots have to continually communicate with air traffic controllers to determine which runways to land on and if there is incoming traffic.

Hadley began flying during the past summer. He has been interested in learning to fly since a young age and since his father owns a Baron plane, he decided to take lessons. Hadley takes lessons at South Bay Aviation Inc., a flight school located at Zamperini Field in Torrance, and dedicates about two to three hours each week to studying piloting. At this point, he has completed approximately half of the required training for acquiring the private piloting license. “[The process] is hard, but I have [learned] to make time for it because it is going to benefit me in the long run,” Hadley said.

Though he does not plan on pursuing a career as a pilot, Hadley feels that learning to fly will still help him in the future, as he plans to major in aeronautical engineering.

Burrage was introduced to piloting by his grandparents and uncle during his freshman year. He developed a fascination for aviation and decided to act on this interest in his junior year.

Burrage began taking piloting lessons at Pacific Sky Aviation Inc., a flight school that allows him to borrow planes for practice and receive lessons from private instructors.

Working towards a piloting license while in school limits Burrage’s flying lessons to once a month; he has currently completed one-fourth of the required amount of hours. He plans to major in aviation in college, then complete another two years of schooling ETHAN BURRAGE

BRYAN HADLEY

JACK BRANGER

specialized for pilots-in-training to receive more hands-on experience to prepare him for his career as a pilot.

Conquering the fear of taking off and landing was a major milestone for Burrage, as well as learning to be calm and collected when faced with a problem in the air. According to Burrage, the most difficult part of flying is landing with high winds. The wind causes the plane to move, which makes landing difficult. Rain is also a tough condition to fly in, due to low visibility. “[Flying] is definitely a new experience for me,” Burrage said. “It is one thing to sit in a commercial plane [that] flies across the country, but it is different to actually fly [the plane].”

Branger became interested in flying during his junior year when he began to consider his future career. Like Hadley, he started taking lessons in August with South Bay Aviation Inc. Branger takes lessons every other week and dedicates around 20 hours each month to working toward attaining his license.

Through his training, Branger believes he has learned many lessons that apply to his life outside of flying. He feels that by learning to care for a plane and maintaining a constant level of alertness while piloting a plane, he has become more organized. However, he has also faced many challenges.

“It is really hard because it is a whole new [mode] of transportation,” Branger said. “[After learning to drive], you learn that flying is nothing like driving at all.

You are trying to train yourself [in a new way], so that was something that was difficult to learn.”

Currently, Branger has completed 12 to 15 hours of flying. He hopes to complete his required hours and obtain his private piloting license by the end of the school year. Branger plans to major in aviation at Arizona State University and hopes to acquire his commercial piloting license by the end of college in order to become a pilot for a commercial airline.

“There is nothing like [flying],” Branger said. “That is why I love it. After my first flight lesson, I just wanted to go back in the cockpit and do it again and again and again because it is so exhilarating. There is no other feeling that I have ever felt like this before.”

student life (9)

Author addresses child homelessness elissa luce Child homelessness and transitional housing was always an issue of great interest to senior Kennedy Blackwell. She started writing her own novel, “Jayden’s Shoes,” in April, and finished it in August. Since then, it has been edited and was published in October. It is about a boy who experiences losing his home and transitional housing throughout his life.

Due to his poor living conditions, he uses basketball to help him receive an education and secure a better future.

She first had the idea to help with issues surrounding childhood homelessness and transitional housing for her Girl Scout Gold Award project. From there, Blackwell decided that she wanted to write a book to share a message of hope with children who are homeless and to raise awareness about poverty among those who are more privileged.

“I was inspired to write this book by two boys who are family friends that have gone through transitional housing and homelessness,” Blackwell said.

Many people have supported Blackwell in the process of writing her novel, especially her parents and English 3 Honors teacher Sandra Sidella. Every year, Sidella introduces her students to a social injustice project, during which students research an injustice they are passionate about and then create a physical project to try to solve that injustice in some way. Last year, Blackwell chose to offer tutoring to homeless children, and was further inspired to write a book.

“The time and effort this took Kennedy, and all for altruistic reasons, is beyond my comprehension,” Sidella said. “Somehow, besides being an honors and Advanced Placement student [and] a California Interscholastic Federation championship water polo player, Kennedy found time to devote herself to this novel.”

Blackwell’s mother, Sabrina Blackwell, also guided Blackwell by recording conversations they had with each other for the novel so Blackwell could make the conversational tone of the novel sound more genuine.

“As she was writing the book, it became very emotional,” Sabrina Blackwell said. “I could see her heart being poured out into it and her enthusiasm and her conviction about those who go through homelessness and transitional living.”

Blackwell had a book reading and signing at Peninsula on Dec. 7, where she answered many questions about the novel.

She is planning to do more readings at Girl Scout meetings and Harbor Interfaith, a homeless shelter in San Pedro. She has also donated a copy of her book to the Peninsula Center Library. Blackwell is planning to donate her profits from the book to Harbor Interfaith to help homeless children receive a higher education. In the future, Blackwell hopes to write another book, most likely about another social injustice issue.

“I am excited to share this [book] with people because I like to see their reactions,” Blackwell said. “I feel like a lot of people will be able to connect in some way to it.”

her rom sign f e g o ssa es t a pa r e pa r n g . g n i p a di e a d el l e er r ck w ok r A f t k , Bl a er b o h o bo ies at c op

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Liu designs award-winning usad logo

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Liu has created other logos in the past, including one for NASA’s Mission Patch Art and Design Competition during the fall of 2015. This logo competition was for the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), which is an organization that allows student teams to propose real experiments to conduct on the International Space Station. The competition challenged students to design a logo that would represent the experiences provided by the SSEP. For this competition, Liu designed a scene of an experiment in space and portrayed a scale with planet earth in the background, which was chosen as the best representation of the program.

“I love the technique

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Senior Chelsea Liu’s logo submission recently won the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) logo of the year for 2018. The USAD is an annual high school academic competition and each year they hold a logo competition; this year, it was centered around the theme of Africa. For this theme, Liu created an optical illusion that made the acronym USAD look like an elephant and included the number 50 to represent the USAD’s 50th anniversary.

The project took Liu two weeks to complete. She spent most of her time brainstorming and applying her creative interpretation to the given requirements. After brainstorming, she focused on sketching her design on paper, then designed her ideas digitally on a program called Adobe Illustrator.

“For logos, [what is important is] what the client wants,” Liu said. “It is like putting all those elements together in a form that makes it

aesthetically pleasing and also communicates a message.”

Anne-Marie Voegtlin, Liu’s Academic Decathlon coach, English 1 Honors teacher and mentor, values Liu’s talents and encouraged her to apply to the USAD logo competition.

Voegtlin first saw Liu’s talent three years ago in her English class project and encouraged her to display it through the Academic Decathlon competition.

“The project that Chelsea turned in was amazing,” Voegtlin said. “It was very obvious that she was artistically gifted.

Later, I was able to see her progression and how her art has matured over the four years.”

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part of art, rendering, drawing and painting,” Liu said. “I also like the idea of communicating ideas effectively and getting people to really see the meaning when they first look at a painting or a logo.”

Another logo she made was for the Healthy Rancho Palos Verdes event during the spring of 2015 to promote healthy lifestyles in Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV). To celebrate the opportunities the Rancho Palos Verdes Recreation and Parks Department created for healthy lifestyles, the department made a contest for a logo that would promote fitness and healthy habits. Liu designed a lighthouse on a cliff as a symbol of RPV and painted orange lines in the back to portray a sunny and healthy nuance. This design was chosen and is now on many posters and websites as a symbol for the department.

“Art is a way for me to express [my] emotions, and sometimes [just] to think,” Liu said. “Before I make a piece, I do not know what to think about it until I develop my concept and try to figure out a way to show it.”

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sports

Wrestling

winter Sports Preview

christopher guanzing Varsity wrestling started their season with a win on Dec. 2 at the Orange Lutheran Tournament with all five athletes receiving medals and two athletes receiving first place. In their most recent tournament at Marina High School on Dec. 15 and 16, three of the athletes placed, with Steven Erickson and Muhannad Hassan receiving seventh place and Diego Sheng receiving fourth place.

In order to prepare for the tournaments and competitions to come, the team has split into practices between frosh/soph and varsity. They have also received a new addition to the coaching staff in John Sandlin, an assistant coach and former Division 1 wrestler, to aid in weightlifting. The team hopes and believes that his guidance will serve as an advantage in their upcoming season.

Along with the risk of unexpected injury, the team expects to face more obstacles that come with the start of a new season. During each match, athletes are susceptible to the nerves that come with competing.

“I think my biggest obstacle is my nerves,” senior and captain Isaac Aguirre said. “The best way to overcome that is to have faith in your training and know that you have been through harder training than your competitor.”

rachel liu / The pen connor tumelty / The pen

Girls' Soccer

Girls' Basketball

Girls' Water Polo

sarah liu

christopher guanzing

erin okada

The varsity girls’ soccer team is ready to kick off the new season. The team most recently played against South, winning 2-1, and is training harder than before in order to continue their success. However, the team is dealing with the loss of several key players.

The team has introduced plenty of new faces to the team, with six freshman making the varsity team this year. In addition to 2 hour training sessions every day, the team has also been going to the weight room to build strength and team chemistry in order to succeed and surpass their opponents.

“What stands out the most is the passion that this group of girls have,” junior and captain Catherine Schmidt said. “I know that I could be working hard and someone else would be working just as hard as me because we want to perform our best.”

Varsity girls’ basketball started the season off with a loss of 43-52 against Narbonne High School at the recent Battle at the Beach Tournament played on Nov. 27.

“We had a tough first half, but we fought back during the second half and nearly overcame a fourteen point deficit,” junior and varsity captain Sammie Inana said.

The team’s most recent game on Dec. 30 against Sonora High School also resulted in a loss of 37-72, breaking a three win streak.

Unfortunately, one of the key players of the team suffered a knee injury during the summer and will most likely be out for the rest of the season. However each member of the team has stepped up in order to replace her.

“We have a great group of girls this year and I am super excited to see what we are capable of,” Inana said.

Last year, the varsity girls’ water polo team won Division 4 CIF and hopes to do even better this year. This season, the team placed third in the Benson Cup, their first tournament of the year.

“Last year our biggest victory was winning Division 4 CIF, but I believe our biggest achievement is our teamwork,” sophomore Bianca Reinisch said. “We have one of the smallest [water polo] teams out there, and if it was not for our teamwork, we would not have gotten anywhere.”

Reinisch believes one important goal is to become more aware of each other. The team’s plan to achieve this goal is to work hard in and out of practice, pay more attention and help each other out when they need it.

“This year, we are doing more physical training than mental preparation,” Reinisch said.

Boys’ Soccer

Boys' Basketball

Surf

erin okada

christopher guanzing

sarah liu

The varsity boys’ soccer team started the season with a loss against Jordan High School, but has since made a comeback with three wins so far against Compton High School, Valley High School and Hawthorne High School.

The team has set goals for themselves this year, such as learning to trust one another more in games.

“Trust is vital in soccer, and our team needs to learn to lean on each other more,” senior Daniel Louie said. “Every team faces obstacles, but we will take them one game at a time.”

Additionally, in order to succeed, the team is working on developing a stronger mindset and sense of ambition.

“The sky is the limit for our team as we shoot for CIF and beyond,” Louie said. “We will not let each other down and let anything stand in our way.”

Varsity boys’ basketball began their season at an even start, losing a game against Trabuco Hills High School on Nov. 25, but achieving a win against Los Alamitos High School on Nov. 27. In their most recent tournament on Dec. 30, the Covina Christmas Classic, the team finished in third place with a 51-37 win against Covina High School.

“The main obstacles we face this season is our lack of experience,” junior and varsity player Justin Kim said. “[We also need to work on] developing chemistry so that we can work fluidly as a team.”

The team is eager to improve their teamwork, as well as their ability to efficiently cooperate both on and off the court. They hope to better their functionality as a team as the season goes on by building a strong team dynamic and gaining experience along the way.

The varsity surf team has begun their season, starting with their first dual competition, where they lost 59-87 against Palos Verdes. Freshman Charlotte Edler and sophomore Colin Macleod were standout surfers, placing first in the shortboard and longboard heats, respectively.

In order to prepare for the season, the team practices before school weekly and does practice heats, an exercise where surfers try to catch as many waves as possible in a certain amount of time.

“We are very close to becoming a top team in the South Bay premier surf league,” head coach Brian Helmrich said. “We only need a few more talented surfers to help the team earn more points.”

The team hopes to score enough points in competitions in order to move up to more advanced leagues and surpass rival surf teams.

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