The Pen

the

PEN

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School www.pvphsnews.com Vol. XXXV Issue 6 March 13, 2015

(her)story secretary nurse paralegal

in history

POLITICIAN DOCTOR LAWYER

Outside of school, women find themselves subjected to gender discriminations EDITORIAL Page 4

PAYOFF SEASON

KEEPING UP WITH PENINSULA

X MARKS THE SPOT

Parental investments pressure students to succeed OPINION Page 5

A day in the life of the panther family

Students find passion in geocaching STUDENT LIFE Page 8

FOCUS

Page 6-7

Join The Pen 2015-2016 Staff!

Get your application in H52 now!

Tryout application packets are due to H52 on April 24.

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news

new S.M.E.R.T. complex springs to life 1..

2.

1. The building on Feb. 25, just weeks before construction was completed.

2. Juniors Jacob Brodnansky, Enrique Slavich, Eric Browoleit, and George Farris working inside one of the four labs on March 10.

BY esther chu After three years of planning, the anticipated Science, Math, Engineering, Robotics and Technology (S.M.E.R.T.) building was completed in early March.

The S.M.E.R.T. program has quadrupled in size to nearly 900 students in the past decade, and the administration felt the need to provide a facility for these students.

“With a growing engineering program, it made sense to bring it together in this new space,” Principal Mitzi Cress said.

“Our students need a home for their projects.”

Teams of the S.M.E.R.T. program, like CyberPatriots and Solarboat, are expecting to increase their membership in the next school year and occupy more space.

“This building feels way overdue,”

junior and CyberPatriots secretary Janeline Wong said. “The team is growing quickly. We have always been squished in the computer lab, so we need more space and technology to go farther.”

Before the new building was constructed, all S.M.E.R.T. members were forced to work on their projects in teachers’ classrooms, like S.M.E.R.T. advisor and computer science teacher Hassan Twiet’s H50 and H51. Now, S.M.E.R.T. students will have access to six classrooms, which include an engineering, robotics, computer and CyberPatriot lab. They will also have easier access to the football field as an outdoor working space.

Twiet expressed his optimism about the new opportunities that his students will have.

“These facilities will immensely help the S.M.E.R.T. engineering students,”

Twiet said. “The students are learning the applications of math and physics through hands-on experiences, unlike in a typical classroom setting.”

The Peninsula Education Foundation has donated $40,000 per year since 2005 for S.M.E.R.T. developments, while Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District funded the renovation with $4.4 million. Fundraisers, like selling bricks to students’ families, raised a total of $60,000. Classes will not be hosted in the new facility until fall of the next school year, but in the meantime, teachers and students will be gradually moving in equipment during the spring and summer.

“This is 21st-century learning in a state-of-the-art facility,” Cress said.

“It has been a dream of mine, and I am thrilled for our present and future Peninsula students.”

$4.9

million in cost

300 tons of materials used

3000 work hours dedicated

Longshoremen wade through labor union disputes The Port of Los Angeles is the largest shipping port in the United States. Situated 25 minutes from Peninsula, the port employs nearly 1,000 people, several of whom are relatives of Peninsula students. To the dismay of longshoremen, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents ocean-going shipping lines and controls the ordering of the jobs for the longshoremen, implemented new changes in working hours, policies and equipment. To compensate for the additional expenses brought on by Obamacare, the PMA cut salaries, stopped ordering jobs for the

to four gangs instead of 17 to work it,” longshoremen, fired nearly all of the Longshoreman Malissa Pineda, senior marine clerks and crane operators, and Willow Luna’s stopped paying mother, said. employees for The PMA overtime. i hope that both management justifies its As a result of and we union members can learn actions by the PMA’s recent asserting that it is layoffs and policy to work together and that we introducing better changes, unionized technology to spur workers protested never let this happen again productivity. and worked at a Pineda objects, slower pace, and - longshoreman Malissa pineda saying that the in early February, computerized system is “less efficient the CEO of the PMA publicly warned and stealing people’s jobs.” that if no agreement could be reached, “We are just trying to work towards employers would stop calling workers efficiencies,” PMA Vice President of and shut down the ports.

Labor Relations Chad Lindsay said.

“Now every ship is only given two

“

.

“

BY sonia desaidamle

“Collective bargaining is a beast of its own, so working out a fair deal with a massive union and shipping companies was tough.”

On Friday, Feb. 20, the Longshore and Warehouse Union and the PMA reached a tentative agreement after a stressful nine months of negotiations.

Workers are back at the docks working full shifts, seven days a week. A full contract is expected to be ready in early April.

“The number of jobs is not what it was before the dispute, but things are looking up,” Pineda said. “Los Angeles Longshoreman do a lot more for the city than people think we do, and I’m happy there are unions looking out for us.”

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PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL 27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

THE NO-HASSLE TASSLE High School assisted programs AT rANCHO DEL MAR PROVIDE NEW OPPORTUNITIES

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Uswah Shabbir COPY/ MANAGING EDITOR Fatima Siddiqui

NEWS EDITOR: Noah Werksman WRITERS: Annie Benedict Esther Chu Sonia Desaidamle OPINION EDITORS: Lauren Lee Alex Bologna WRITERS: Zoe Willoughby Marine Fujisawa Trisha Valukonis FOCUS EDITORS: Chris Kong Sama Shah WRITERS: Amani Jalota Christopher Lee STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Jina Kim Florencia Park WRITERS: Phoebe Borsum Stella Yoo Annie Tyler SPORTS EDITOR: Tunika Onnekikami WRITERS: Christopher Chien Jenna Henry Joe Foard GRAPHICS Yasmine Kahsai Jackie Uy BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Isabelle Wang ADVISER Katherine Dunlap “The Pen” is the student newspaper produced by the advanced journalism students of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. It is published eight times per year. Advertising inquiries may be directed to Advertising Manager Isabelle Wang at (310) 377- 4888 ext. 652. The Pen editors appreciate Letters to the Editor, which are accepted up to one week before publication. You may submit them to H52 or Katherine Dunlap’s mailbox.

Copyright © 2014

Front Page Illustration by Jackie Uy Design by Angela Song

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98.4% 98.4%

95.4% 76.5%

76.5%

Peninsula High

rANCHO DEL MAR HIGH

California

Jackie Uy/The pen

DESIGN EDITOR Angela Song

*Average Graduation rates According to U.S. Department of education

BY Marine Fujisawa Peninsula is well noted for its unusually high graduation rate. According to the 2013 Palos Verdes Peninsula Profile, 97 percent of students graduated, 23.7 percent above the U.S. national average.

Although there are many factors on-campus that contribute to the high graduation rate, the district’s alternative school, Rancho del Mar High School, plays a significant role in Peninsula High’s relative success.

Unfortunately, students tend to harbor certain misconceptions about Rancho del Mar and its student body.

Some believe Rancho’s academic load is less rigorous than the one placed at Peninsula High and that, as and “alternative” school, it does not adecquitely

prepare students for higher education. Despite these prejudices, Rancho benefits district graduation rates by accommodating the needs of students individually.

“I think there have always been misunderstandings about alternative schools…but people go there for lots of reasons and they might do better [in] another setting.” sophomore Erika Hathaway said.

Students access alternative schools by choice or by mandatory placement. Several actors or athletes going through PVPUSD prefer Rancho, where school consists of short hours and schedule flexibility. Rancho also serves to accommodate students with academic or behavioral issues. If a student is struggling in Peninsula, he or she is sent to a student study

team, consisting of a counselor, teacher, the parent and the student, to discuss options the student can take to become more successful. If students do not show signs of improvement, other options such as Rancho del Mar are considered.

“If we are not able to get them back on track here, they can typically find a good place at Rancho and be able to be successful and meet all the graduation requirements there,” Associate Principal of Counseling Alicia Foulk said.

Rancho offered a 95.35 percent graduation rate in 2012, according to the School Accountability Report Card.

Even involved students find a place there, and PVPUSD offers students attending Rancho a chance to participate in extracurricular activities on our

campus.

“At first I was skeptical due to the bad rumors I heard,” said Rancho del Mar graduate Kai Maya, who transferred in order to graduate high school early.

By offering a unique educational experience that deviates from traditional school forms, students can take various classes that allow them to meet the required class credits and graduate expeditiously.

“At Rancho, you are given all the work for the course at the beginning [of the course] and are allowed to work at your own pace,” Maya said.

Although alternative schools like Rancho take a drastically different approach to education and suffers the folly of rumors, the opportunities it offers benefit both the district and the individual student.

Editorial: We have the tools to break the ceiling BY editorial staff March is Women’s History Month, time to celebrate the achievements women have made over the past generations. Yet, according to the Women’s Policy Institute full-time female workers still make seventy-eight cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 22 percent. It is unfathomable that during an era of such vast technological advancements and social improvements, gender inequity prevails.

At Peninsula, students are not exposed to the

prominent gender disparity.

Women hold various leadership positions at school, from Principal Mitzi Cress to CoSecretary Generals of Model United Nations Golshan Helfman and Geena Shah. Yet, as soon as girls leave education, an environment that typically fosters female achievement, they are immediately exposed to gender discrimination. They will be judged by their looks and their demeanor, not by their intelligence or leadership.

In 2016, there is a great chance that the Democratic Party will put forth Hillary Clinton as their presidential nominee. She could end up being the most powerful person

in the United States, even the most powerful woman in the world. But, probably not.

Instead, Clinton will continue to get mired in controversies about her cankles and her marriage.

Americans still seem unwilling to endorse female leadership.

Only five percent of S&P company CEOs are female.

As underdogs in a maledominated field, these women are criticized not only on their management and leadership style, but also their personal life decisions. When Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced her pregnancy, she was bombarded with criticisms about how her maternity leave would affect the company. Yet, when she was

on leave a mere two weeks and tried putting a nursery next to her office, she was described as anti-family and “out of touch.”

Time after time, women in power are forced to find the balance between a leadership platform or a bully pundit, between authority or collaboration, between choosing a career or choosing a family. These concerns may seem too far off for high school students to be considering. In fact, some of us do not even realize they exist. We must remain informed, however, because the change begins with us.

OPINION

it’s all about the

money Monetary investments by parents place unreasonable pressure on students in academics and athletics

At Peninsula, most parents have the financial means to support their children’s activities, which does not decrease a child’s feeling that they must justify the money being spent. In the article “The Problem With Rich Kids,” Suniya Luthar writes that students from families of high socioeconomic status feel an obligation to succeed because of their parents’ high investments in those activities. This instigates an “I can, therefore I must” attitude that makes it hard for students to pick their activities in moderation.

Luthar’s studies have found that among children of wealth, levels of depression, anxiety or somatic symptoms are two or more times more evident than the national average. The pressure on students can be relieved if parents do not have unrealistic expectations for their financial investments.

A recent study by Travis Dorsch at Utah State University has found that up to 10.5 percent of parents’ incomes is devoted to their children’s athletic pursuits. Since only two percent of high school athletes receive college athletic scholarships, these expectations for a compensation are difficult to achieve and add unnecessary pressure on students.

Senior Kai Ogawa has been dancing for thirteen years and each year, her parents spend about $5,000 on all dance costs. Because of this huge financial support, she hopes that her achievements in dance will help compensate for their investments.

“I think it is normal to feel a sense of guilt if large amounts

of money, time and energy are being invested in something that is not done well, so it definitely increases the pressure [on] me,” Ogawa said. “Often times it is kind of frustrating how involved my parents get with their [critiques] and comments if a performance is not executed right. They just want to know that their money is being put to good use, and is not being [used] for fun.”

This financially inflicted pressure is not limited to athletics, however. Many students take part in a program called Las Niñas, where investments are made throughout the year in different volunteer opportunities and a current membership fee of $185. This investment ultimately curtails the desire to volunteer without the pressure of succeeding at the level their parents want to.

“Our league also requires the moms to get certain hours [volunteering] at the hospital and attending meetings,” sophomore Sally Gerich said. “It does [feel] stressful sometimes because I feel that if I do not do well or complete the hours, then all the money and work my mom [invested] would be a waste.”

Psychology teacher John Wheeler says that this pressure can cause students to feel as if their parents only love them only conditionally.

“The child feels criticized if they are not succeeding at the level the parents would like them to,” Wheeler said.

“Pressure may motivate them to perform at a higher level but I think it is more negative than positive for the children’s mental health and stability in the long run.”

Angela Song and Jackie Uy /The Pen

BYzoe willoughby

UNDER PRESSURE 94 percent

of students feel more pressure to succeed in an activity in which parents are investing money

72 percent

of students think their parents would be disappointed if they do not succeed at their parents’ desired level * survey taken of 100 students

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A Day in the life of peninsula

"I'm proud of my accomplishments, but I'm always striving to achieve even more, whether that means publishing in new markets or trying to execute novel themes. " -Senior David Steinberg

Stories by Amani jalota and christopher lee

3.

Senior David Steinberg’s fascination with crossword construction began at age 12. Since then, Steinberg has become one of the nation’s youngest crossword constructors for major publications, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Steinberg is also the founder and director of the PreShortzian Puzzle Project, which aims to digitally publish and analyze crossword puzzles from the New York Times between the years 1942 and 1993. His blog, which records the efforts of the Pre-Shortzian project, won first place at the Quill and Scroll 2014 International Writing and Photo Contest for Blogging. Steinberg is also a participant in national crossword puzzle tournaments and conventions, and intends on continuing constructing crosswords far into the future.

Jenny lee/the pen

1. Senior Max Shafer cheers with the Zoo at the PV vs. Pen home football game.

2. At the PV vs. Pen home football game, senior Jordi Adoumie excites fellow Zoo members before Pen players take the field.

3. Senior David Steinberg, crossword constructor, admires a crossword puzzle he created for the Pen newspaper.

4. Principal Mitzi Cress completes paperwork in her office.

"My favorite part of being a zookeeper is feeling the energy at a particularly heated game and celebrating with fellow panthers. " -Senior max shafer

Jenny lee/the pen

Jenny lee/the pen

2.

"I love working with Max because he's made me a better leader and always has my back. He's someone I completely trust. " -Senior Jordi Adoumie

Jenny lee/the pen

The chants of students decked in animal costumes echo throughout the school.

This intense level of spirit results from Zoo Keepers Jordi Adoumie and Max Shafer’s efforts.

While they are most commonly known for running through basketball courts with giant yellow flags or walking through the bleachers to make sure everyone is chanting, their jobs are much more than just exciting the crowd at athletic games. The combination of Shafer’s strong will and Adoumie’s new ideas make them a great pair. For the boys’ basketball teams’ first CIF home game, the two worked closely with Assistant Principal Micah Farrell and Activities Director Season Pollock to create a poster for the team to run through, masks for the Zoo to wear, and shirts with the hashtag PanthersHuntAtNight for spectators to wear. The two take pride in knowing their hard work has paid off when they see students getting involved in class competitions and at pep rallies.

1.

4.

Principal Mitzi Cress develops campus culture and the school’s academic profile.

She ensures activities have appropriate supervision and resources. Despite countless meetings and conferences in the confines of her office, she finds time to observe students in action. Frequent updates on school events, from the results of a mock trial to photos of the latest Link Crew event, push from Cress’s Twitter account. Cress often finds herself on the move, but always enjoys the unpredictable and lively atmosphere of

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focus Jenny lee/the pen

6.

Jenny lee/the pen

5. Senior Ian Sun speaks to a fellow ASB member regarding plans for an upcoming event.

6. Counselor Graham Edwards looks at one of his students’ schedule.

7. English teacher Rebecka Dibble discusses “A Farewell to Arms” with her Advanced Placement Literature students.

8. Senior Natalie Hill competes in a water polo game against Palos Verdes High School. Pen won the match 6-5.

Counselor Graham Edwards arrives every morning at a quarter to eight, ready to handle students who come to him for advice regarding their academic, personal and long-term pursuits. There’s hardly a quiet moment in the Counseling Office, as he and the other counselors assist all students with their scheduling issues and seniors, in particular, with the college application process. When he’s not at work with his students, Edwards’ counsel is still sought by his three kids.

57

% of teachers spend 10 to 13 hours each weekday at school and on school-related activities.

7.

With a cup of coffee to keep her up, English teacher Rebecka Dibble always looks forward to each day of her job with a smile. From creating “Crime and Punishment” musicals to performing minute-long adaptations of “Jane Eyre,” Dibble’s English students find creative ways to respond to literature. Dibble wants her students to have an inventive experience. Also, for those people who may be too shy to actively participate in class discussions, her English blogs allow all students to express their ideas from the comfort of their homes. Dibble is also hard at work with her Link Crew leaders devising ways to make the Peninsula experience a fun and memorable one for freshmen and transfer students.

Avid member of the girls’ water polo team and captain of the girls’ swim team, senior Natalie Hill has taken to both the swim world as well as the academic world. Hill’s interest in water polo began in seventh grade, when a friend dragged her to a practice. There, she discovered her passion for water polo and joined the club team. In high school, Hill won Bay League Championship with the girls’ swim team and was awarded Most Valuable Player last year. Among these achievements, her Rosebowl Club team traveled to Northern California last summer and won the Junior Olympics. Hill will be attending California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for Division III Women’s water polo. There she will major in computer science.

Jenny lee/the pen

"It's rewarding to see ASB's hard work culminate into something that evokes emotion in Finding students. Being able to make host families for the a difference in this school Austrian students, organizing makes me love Pen even Grinchmas, taking on additional work more. " during Walk for Life when Activities Director -Senior Ian sun Season Pollock fell sick— Student Body President Ian Sun has had his fair share of stress. However, despite the immense work load, Sun loves all the organizing, planning and paperwork associated with event planning. As ASB president, his main responsibility is to arrange and promote school activities, such as sports games and class competitions. Sun spends more than half his day in the ASB room: signing papers, making phone calls and then cleaning the room during sixth period. He has formed a close bond with Pollock as well as his fellow ASB members, and views the class as family. Through ASB, Sun has found his passion for leadership, and he hopes to continue leading and involving himself in student life similar 5. to the class in college.

Jenny lee/the pen

8.

52

% of students spend 1 to 3 hours on extracurricular activities each day.

Candice shim/the pen

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Geocache 'em all Students find adventure in treasure-hunting photo Courtesy of everett roth

BY annie tyler

photo Courtesy of Grace Cuffel

On March 8, senior Everett Roth found his 800th geocache at the Rancho Caninos Dog Park.

On March 8, senior Grace Cuffel found a geocache at the Point Vincente Lighthouse.

When senior Everett Roth first began geocaching, he never thought that he would find over 811 geocaches.

Geocaching is an outdoor treasurehunting game in which players use gps-enabled devices to find small trinkets at specific locations by locating the GC code. Caching is more than a treasure hunt, it is also a mind game that takes players on unexpected adventures on trails.

“The first cache I found was in Monterey Bay,” Roth said. “In Arizona, I found 164 caches in one day.”

Typically, caches contain small toys and other objects. To indicate that the cache has already been found, players log in its status and even upload photos. However, they do not have to take the items inside.

If they decide to take the items, they must leave something with greater or equal value.

“Sure, it’s fun to find hidden boxes in public places, but the experiences and the places I go [to] because of geocaching is why I love it,” Roth said. “That is truly why I geocache.”

Roth enjoys geocaching so much that he has traveled to Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Mexico and Indiana in sub-zero degree weather conditions to geocache.

Senior Grace Cuffel heard about geocaching in her freshman year, but it

was not until her senior year that she began geocaching with her friend, senior Haley Hautau.

“I had first became interested in geocaching again after seeing it on Everett’s Snapchat story,” Cuffel said.

“He was holding this box and I recognized that it was a geocache. The first time I went I was with some friends. We were going through this muddy forest and we had no idea what we were doing.”

Geocaching has become wildly popular around the South Bay. On the Palos Verdes Peninsula alone, there are over 200 caches.

“One thing I love about geocaching is the secrecy of it,” Cuffel said. “You get to see places that people would pass every day or places that you didn’t even know were there, things that are blatantly in front of everyone’s eyes that they don’t even realize are there.”

Along with finding caches, Roth also owns eight geocaches, six in Baja California and the other two in the South Bay area.

“The great thing about geocaching is that it revolves around your schedule regardless of where you are or what time it is,” Roth said. “I am a very busy person but I can always make time for geocaching.”

While Cuffel will continue to discover new caches closer to home, Roth will go to Europe for a month this summer to hunt geocaches.

jackie uy/ the pen

Ramayya develops more effective treatment for malaria

BY Stella yoo

What started out as a family vacation to Cambodia for senior Shreya Ramayya four years ago ended in a life changing experience. In a village on the outskirt of Siem Reap, Ramayya met a Cambodian family with a child who had been suffering from fevers. Ramayya discovered that the child had malaria, but was not getting the necessary medical care.

“I was frustrated because the children were not getting the attention they needed, but I was scared too,” Ramayya said.

“I could have easily landed in their position by a twist of fate.

It made me realize that even though the problem of malaria

was many miles away from me, I could still try to create some sort of means to generate an impact.”

To advance research about malaria cure, Ramayya started working with researchers at Harvard University, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California through the science research program at school. Chemistry teacher Peter Starodub helped Ramayya create Mylaria, Ramayya’s nonprofit malaria organization.

By working with other people, she learned the importance of working collaboratively and building lifelong connections with researchers.

“I’ve built a network of people at the National Institutes of Health and researchers at universities because we all have a common goal of eradicating malaria,” Ramayya said.

To understand why current malaria drugs are not productive, she bought medicines from suppliers and studied their chemical makeup.

Because parasites that carry malaria evolve and continually develop resistance to medicine, it is difficult to create a drug that is able to keep up with the parasite’s changes. When Ramayya created a chemical reaction with current malaria drugs and fluorine, she found that it changed the structure and made the drug more

effective.

Ramayya will be working with a university in Senegal who will approve the drug, after which it will be marketed to the mainstream market. “[The drug] has to go through clinical trials to make sure that the positive results I’ve seen in petri dishes applies to humans as well,” Ramayya said.

Ramayya’s malaria project has been a semifinalist in the Siemens science competition and the Intel Science Talent Search, a competition where only 300 semifinalists proceed annually. In the future, Ramayya hopes to turn Mylaria into a traveling organization that spreads awareness about malaria.

Steps to creating Ramayya’s malaria drug

Step 2: Study antimalarial compounds

Step 4: Allow chemical reaction to create fluorine bond

Step 1: Study how drugs are made for diseases Step 3: Add fluorine as a reagent to existing drugs

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student life

Governor

gardner

After a nine-month campaign, junior to lead 3,500 members in Youth and Government political program

BY PHOEBE BORSUM

J

unior Nicolas Gardner was sitting at the final conference of the Youth and Government program in Sacramento awaiting the results of the youth governor election. He was more nervous than he had ever been.

Gardner already defeated 17 other delegates and now it was between him and one other person. In the end, Gardner won by 318 votes.

“I honestly didn’t know how to feel when I found out I won,” adviser Jerry Ciolino said. “I had been so focused on campaigning that at that point I was tired and scared, but I was comforted by the fact that I knew that the program was in good hands.”

According to Gardner, running for governor was a very tiring and difficult process. As part of the campaign, Gardner devoted his time to editing speeches, planning with his campaign staff or formulating strategies. In an effort to reach out to potential voters, he attended dozens of delegations from Berkeley to Newport Beach. At conferences, the campaign became even more brutal. Gardner and his team had to make sure they didn’t go over the campaign spending limit. Such overages would result in disqualification.

“When you see him on stage delivering a speech with such ease and passion, you would never believe that 10 minutes prior he was actually freaking out, pacing and reiterating his speech over and over again,” Ciolino said. “However, for the bulk of the campaign, Nico was very determined. He knew he had an excellent shot at winning, but he never let that stop how

jenny lee/the pen

hard he worked.”

Senior Daniel Mellor was there helping Gardner every step of the way. He acted as the delegation president and later became the political party chair.

“I had a big part in making sure our group was behind him, supporting him and campaigning for him,” Mellor said. “I would be in conferences all day everyday, working to get his name out and making sure that he was meeting people.”

There is much responsibility that comes along with holding this title. As governor, Gardner must fundraise money for the state, lead the 3,500 members of the program and set the agenda for the conferences of the Youth and Government program. During his one year in office, Gardner hopes to connect the different delegations and to develop a mentorship program for the new delegates.

“There were many sleepless nights and difficult meetings that made the road hard, but it was definitely rewarding,” Gardner said.

Gardner hopes that his career will end up in politics.

He says that the Youth and Government program has taught him the importance of not only of speaking up for what is right but also the value of helping others.

“I honestly didn’t know how to feel when I found out I won,” he said, adding that his focus on the campaign itself had exhausted him. “I was extremely happy I won. [I was] also honored by the trust the program put in me. I don’t intend to let them down.”

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The Final

Sports

Jeewoo An/The Pen Maya Tamhane/The Pen

Bonnie Lam/The Pen

As a new season prepares to spring into action, winter athletes and coaches wrap up their schedules.

Courtesy of Temishi Onnekikami

4. Seniors Kari Schoettler (6) and Sherry Black (14) go for the ball during a league game against Redondo Union.

The Feb. 6 game ended in a tie, 1-1.

5. Senior Peymon Dalirifar (14) runs the field during the March 10 game Inglewood High School. The team won the match 4-0.

6. Senior Kevin Cavender prepares to wrestle an opponent. The non-league match was a part of Peninsula’s annual Six-Way wrestling tournament with Mira Costa, Santa Monica, Torrance, San Pedro and Warren high schools.

Girls’ Water Polo 1st in Bay League 19-7 Overall 7-1 in League 2nd Round of CIF

Girls’ Basketball

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6

Jeewoo An/The Pen

1. Sophomore Tyler Hazard (32) goes for a basket during the Jan. 16 league game against Mira Costa. The lost the game in overtime, 75-72.

2. Sophomore Kiersten Hazard (1) looks for an open teammate during a league match against Redondo Union.

The team won the game 9-3 on Jan. 29.

3. Senior Tiffany Lucci (10) looks to pass the ball to a teammate during the Jan. 16 league game against Mira Costa. The team won the game 52-33.

4th in Bay League 16-14 Overall 4-6 in League Semifinals of CIF

3rd in Bay League 18-11 Overall 7-3 in League 2nd Round of CIF

Girls’ Soccer 4th in Bay League 11-7-4 Overall 4-4-2 in League 1st Round of CIF

Boys’ Soccer 1st in Bay League 10-10-1 Overall 5-4-1 in League 1st Round of CIF Jeewoo An/The Pen

4

Boys’ Basketball

3

Candy Shim /The Pen

2

JeeWoo Ann /The Pen

1

by Chris Chien and Jenna Henry

Wrestling 10 CIF Qualifiers Kevin Cavender in Masters Meet

Proposed state law aims to further lessen gender inequality in athletics, in classrooms

BY Jenna Henry and Joe Foard Title IX, first passed in 1972, is the law that addressed gap gender inequality in schools. The law states all activities that receive federal funding including competitive sports teams and mathand-science courses must be open and inclusive to both genders. “[Before], everything was about the boys’ sports. The girls’ [sports] were just like a club and we didn’t compete with anyone,” Principal Mitzi Cress said. “The attitude was that sports were for guys.”

In effort to further resolve the issue of gender inequality in schools, state bill SB-1349 proposes that from the 2015-2016 school year on, public and

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charter schools will publish total student enrollment, the number of participants per sport and the number of teams by gender on its school website or through its district. Lawmakers feel that Title IX is difficult to enforce without proof that schools are actually putting it into practice; bill author HannahBeth Jackson stated that the law would “[shine] the light on opportunities, or lack thereof, for girls to participate in grade and high school athletics.”

Athletic Director Wendell Yoshida already tracks these numbers, so this law will not dramatically affect Peninsula. Rather, the school works to ensure equality continues on campus by following Title IX to the tee.

“Title IX keeps me aware of facilities.

If boys have the proper uniforms, girls should have that opportunity too,” Yoshida said. “If the boys’ [baseball] team has a batting cage, we build a cage for the girls’ [softball] team.”

Since Title IX was passed, the school has worked to equalize opportunities by providing as many playing levels per sport for both genders.

While it has not proven to be an issue at Peninsula, gender inequality is still found on campuses across the nation.

Furthermore, fans still do not show the same interest with girls’ events as is shown for boys, something that cannot be mandated by law.

“The biggest difference is the sheer

number [of attendees],” athletic trainer Scott Gaines said. “You get a lot more turnout for the guys than there are for the girls.”

Even still, Title IX continues to affect the lives of many students athletes; according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the number of girls competing in high school sports jumped from under 295,000 to nearly 3,200,000 between 1972 and 2011; the number of female athletes competing in college has increased from less than 30,000 to over 193,000. SB-1349 means to further the work that Title IX started.

“After 40 years of Title IX, there are still schools out of compliance,” Jackson said. “[SB-1349] seeks to change that.”

Graphics by Jackie Uy/The Pen

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