VOL. XLII ISSUE 7 JUNE 9, 2022
N O K C A ATT
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Leaked document reveals Supreme Court vote to overturn Roe V. Wade EDITORIAL PAGE 3
RIGHTFUL REPARATIONS
CHART-TOPPER HEARTSTOPPER
Native Americans given free tuition at all UC schools
LGBTQ+ TV adaptation makes a strong impact upon release
FOCUS PAGE 6
A&E PAGE 11
2 DEEPER THAN A DEFAMATION TRIAL On Dec. 18, 2018, Amber Heard published an opinion article in The Washington Post that centered on her surviving domestic violence. Although her former husband Johnny Depp was never mentioned by name, the timeline in Heard’s personal article matched the timeline of their relationship. This piece was all it took to ruin Depp’s career and reputation. Disney dropped him from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise days after the article was released, causing him to lose $22.5 million (Entertainment Weekly). Subsequently, in March 2019, Depp and his legal team sued Heard for $50 million based on defamation of character. In response to his lawsuit, Heard filed a $100 million countersuit in August 2020. The trial for Depp’s lawsuit concluded on June 2. The jury unanimously came to the conclusion that Heard could not substantiate her allegations against Depp and that she wrote her oped in 2018 with the knowledge that her claims of abuse were false (National Broadcasting Company). Therefore, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, the jury also found that Depp defamed Heard on one count and she was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. This explosive trial between the two famous actors was the center of attention on social media platforms as each day of the trial was broadcasted live on YouTube. While it was very controversial, the situation started a conversation about the stigmas that male victims of abuse or violence face and how lying about abuse can silence actual victims. “What this couple’s feud has shown to everyone is that not all women are necessarily victims of abuse,” World History and U.S. History teacher
Charles Kim said. “People are realizing that we have to look at both accounts before making a call on who is an aggressor and who is not. It is sad because Heard has really put [actual] female victims [of abuse] in a negative light. ” In their respective statements, the two made it clear how emotionally and physically exhausting their two years of marriage — which began in 2017 — was. On May 4, Heard spoke on the witness stand about what she experienced. However, over the course of the six years since Heard published her article, the details of events she said she experienced have proven to be inaccurate. One example is when Heard claimed that she had never played the guitar when shown a photo of a bloodcovered guitar which was allegedly taken during the aftermath of one of their fights. Responding to the claim, however, a fan shared a video clip on TikTok showing Heard playing the guitar while singing a snippet from her 2016 movie “One More Time” (Newsweek). In stark contrast, Depp’s recollections of their relationship timeline held consistency throughout the years (People Magazine). Despite increasing social awareness around those subjected to violence, many still do not listen to or believe survivors of abuse. This makes Heard taking advantage of this situation disheartening for those who have actually suffered from abuse. Both actors received heavy negative feedback for how messy the trial became and there has been extensive debate over whether Depp was actually abused based on his gender. This pushback and skepticism against Depp may make victims more afraid to come forward with their stories. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. When it comes to potential male victims of abuse like Depp, people tend to discredit them by resorting to stereotypes such as framing them as
the aggressors. “It is really important to keep in mind that anyone can be an abuser or the victim,” sophomore Hizuki Matsuda said. “It is not emasculating if [men] speak up about [abuse]. Everyone should know that abuse can be in [many forms], from emotional [abuse] to financial and physical abuse.” The trial of Depp and Heard exposed that a socially normalized concept known as toxic masculinity is too often attributed to men. Very Well Mind describes toxic masculinity as the notion that manliness is equated to being aggressive, emotionally callous, physically strong and denying socially feminine habits. Toxic masculinity creates a false and harmful stereotype that men cannot be victims of domestic violence. In order to help male victims, people need to stop relying on toxic masculinity as a scapegoat for faulty stereotyping. “When it comes to changing the behavior toward [male abuse victims], we can, as a society, be more respectful and open to anyone in a tough situation,” sophomore Ryan Rad said. “With that said, I believe [Heard] might prevent some women [who were actually abused] from speaking out because they will think [people] will believe the other person.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 49% of men have dealt with some sort of psychological aggression from their partner. With those willing to lie about abuse and silence actual victims like Heard, this statistic could possibly grow even more. It is important to assure victims that there is nothing wrong about coming forward with their experiences. While Depp and Heard’s story is complex and the full truth behind their allegations may never be uncovered, it is necessary for people to eventually unlearn the assumption that all men follow the traits of toxic masculinity that has been ingrained into society’s perception of male victims.
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STOP THE SUPREME COURT, KEEP ROE V. WADE In a document leaked by Politico on May 3, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade. This landmark ruling stated that abortion rights were to be federally protected, resulting in all 50 states having some level of abortion legality. The official vote to overturn Roe v. Wade has not yet occurred in court, but if it does, the choice to permit abortions or not would be surrendered to individual states. In some states, it is guaranteed that the personal right of access to abortions would be severely limited. In addition to attacking private rights, this potential decision highlights the dangerous, unilateral power of the Supreme Court to freely interpret the Constitution. 13 states such as Texas have trigger laws that would immediately criminalize abortion — and in some cases make it equal to homicide — if Roe v. Wade is reversed. Many others like Arizona do not currently have these laws, but are projected to follow suit (National Public Radio). The National Broadcasting Company also reports that along with banning abortions, several states like Idaho are looking to ban birth control methods such as Plan B. Severely limiting people’s bodily autonomy like these actions threaten to is unjust and deserves to be condemned. But perhaps most importantly, overturning the abortion rights protected by Roe v. Wade would put the U.S. on a slippery slope regarding the excessive power of the Supreme Court to decide what is constitutional. Despite the system of checks and balances, the judicial branch is the only section that had any effective say in this decision. The Supreme Court’s ruling overruled the executive branch, where President Joe Biden emphasized his belief that somebody should choose if they want an abortion. It is true that the
THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL
legislative branch had a chance on May 11 to codify abortion rights, but failed to reach the requisite 60% majority in the Senate to do so, with only 49 of the 100 Senators voting in favor of it (Consumer News and Business Channel). However, this chance does not mean the legislative branch had any meaningful power — with 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats currently in the Senate, it is highly unlikely that a 60% majority would be reached regarding any divisive matter among parties. The alarming consequences of this singular power is apparent in the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Justice Alito implies that any ruling “not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions” and to which “the Constitution makes no reference” should be abolished. What constitutes a value as “deeply rooted” in the U.S. is incredibly subjective, and establishing that as a standard for court rulings is dangerous, particularly for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. For much of American history, marginalized communities have had their identities denied by government institutions. LGBTQ+ rights are certainly not enshrined by the Constitution, and samesex sexual conduct was only decriminalized by the Supreme Court in 2003. Basing rulings on societal ideals of the 1700s is absurd considering how quickly civil rights advanced in the past century alone. As systemic inequalities are recognized by society, constitutionality must adjust accordingly. Therefore, youth-led movements are currently working toward protesting this decision. Generation Ratify, an organization that focuses on achieving gender equality, coordinated school walkouts in Virginia, and a protest in Malaga Cove on May 14 featured many local students. These movements must continue in full strength to block the reversal of Roe v. Wade and show that the Supreme Court can no longer use their unilateral power to enforce archaic social norms.
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 Makayla Lui ADVISER Jaymee DeMeyer PUBLICITY PUBLICITY MANAGER: Victoria Rhodes WEBSITE MANAGER: Savanna Messner Rodriguez OPINION EDITOR: Zahra Habib WRITERS: Leigh Fitch Angelina Wang NEWS EDITOR: Juliette Lin WRITERS: Aarushi Chaudhari Clara Reckhorn
MUSK’S MASTER PLAN FOR CONTENT MODERATION Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk recently announced his plans to transform the social media company Twitter, once he buys it for a proposed $44 billion. Musk aims to increase Twitter’s annual revenue and boost usership. He also intends to take Twitter private, meaning the company would no longer have to report its financial information or changes to the government. He accuses Twitter of currently having excessive content moderation and political bias; he plans to undo Twitter’s current regulations and thus create an unregulated platform that he believes would help preserve free speech. However, content moderation creates a safe environment for users; although it is not a perfect system, it allows people to receive accurate information more often than not (The Conversation). Without content moderation, Twitter could potentially become an untrustworthy platform and fall into disuse. According to the Pew Research Center, about 70% of Twitter users get their news from the site. Instead of traditional news outlets — which are typically extensively fact checked — people use Twitter or other forms of social media as an important source of information for current affairs and politics (Frontiers in Psychology). “Everyone our age gets their information from social media,” freshman Rhys Ota said. “[Its influence is] especially evident with [Musk], as his posts about economics influence the market. [When Musk] tweeted about Dogecoin, [it] resulted in its [stock] price increasing drastically.” With Twitter’s heavy influence, it is important that the app’s content is moderated so people can receive accurate information before making decisions. If Musk removes all content moderation on Twitter, more false information than facts will be spread (The Conversation). Musk also believes that people should not be banned on Twitter, and to him, that includes reversing the ban on
former President Donald Trump, which began after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Twitter permanently banned Trump because the two tweets he posted that day violated Twitter’s Glorification of Violence policy. “I disagree with a lot of things Trump has said and done as president,” sophomore Pradyuman Raja said. “[However], I do not think that it is a justification for banning him from the platform. The fact that [Musk] wants to unban people from the [political] left and the right will benefit the platform.” While some consider Trump’s banning as Twitter silencing the voices of people on only one end of the political spectrum, Trump should remain banned from Twitter due to his selfish intentions and negative influence on his followers. Trump was banned for a reason — he incited great violence with his platform largely because he lost the 2020 presidential election. The people he addressed on Twitter were then motivated to storm the Capitol, causing injuries for about 140 law enforcement officers (New York Times). Even though some argue that Trump being banned on Twitter violates his right to free speech, keeping him banned will benefit society more than harm it. Ultimately, what Musk plans for Twitter might not happen. On May 13, Musk tweeted that his deal with Twitter has been placed on hold until more details about spam and fake accounts emerge (Twitter). However, he did add that he is still committed to the acquisition of Twitter because if he backs out of the contract now, the company can sue him for up to $1 billion (Consumer News and Business Channel). If he does follow through with his changes, Twitter may become an untrustworthy and unreliable platform. “[Many] people make claims that what they say is fact, but it turns out they [do not show the full story].” Economics and Advanced Placement Economics teacher Allen Aronson said. “If [information on Twitter] is more in the middle and we get to the truth of topics instead of [having] selective research, I am okay with [Musk’s changes to Twitter].”
FOCUS EDITOR: Alena Rhoades WRITERS: Hannah Corr Brian Park STUDENT LIFE EDITOR: McKenna McCallister WRITERS: Jacelyn Chen Tessa Kang ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/SPORTS EDITOR: Josie Kwak WRITERS: Jenna Long Neha Sambangi GRAPHICS Hana Fujii Kiara Lee Jihee Seo Lynn Takahashi Brooke Vo ADS Hana Rivera Priya Thakor
“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 Head of Business Makayla Lui at (310)753-9550. Copyright © 2022 COVER DESIGN BY SAKURA SASAKI
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INFLATION IN THE STATIONS With the ongoing war in Ukraine, many families in the U.S. have suffered economic losses (New York Times). Specifically, the Russia-Ukraine War has caused a drastic, nationwide increase in the price of oil due to the U.S.’s reliance on Russian oil. This led to an increase in gas and electricity prices as well as worsened inflation in California (ABC10). The average price per gallon of gas in California was $3.61 in 2021, but as of May 20, is $6.02 (American Automobile Association). California is also facing its highest inflation rate in 31 years at 6.6%, which is up 1.5% from last year’s rate (The Orange County Register). Beginning May 10, the Biden-Harris administration has set forth a plan to lessen inflation and lower the deficit nationwide, stating that they plan to build complete energy independence and lower energy bills by calling on Congress to pass clean energy tax credits. Passing them would encourage taxpayers to buy electric vehicles and produce electric power. This would have benefits like helping them save $500 on their utility bills. However, many sources, such as the New York Times, state that the administration’s plan may not be enough to lessen the struggles of average families. Senior Riley Leongkaye believes that many more problems will arise due to the current issues with inflation. “I fear what consequences these price increases will have for other aspects of life,” Leongkaye said.
“Not only are they making it difficult for families to meet their basic needs [in the present], but they will also affect other prices down the line as goods and services generally get more expensive.” Increased prices of basic necessities have caused difficulties for all Californians, but are especially devastating for lower-income households with budgets that are already strained (Washington Post). According to the Public Policy Institute of California, families whose incomes have not risen by 8% over the last year to account for the rise in prices have suffered a dramatic loss of purchasing power. This situation raises questions over the U.S.’s over-reliance on outside sources of oil. The strategy of importing more oil than what is being produced has become especially questionable during the pandemic, with the shortages and difficulties in shipping logistics it induced. This issue has become highlighted during the Russia-Ukraine War, as the U.S. cannot depend on the oil it usually imports from Russia due to its ban on Russian oil as a sanction. Russian oil accounts for 8% of all U.S. oil imports, making it a major contributor to the oil the U.S. consumes. Since California’s energy supply largely comes from the burning of natural gas such as that from Russia, the state requires sufficient natural gas to power everything requiring electricity (LA Times). California can remedy its current dependence on natural gas by switching to renewable energy sources. However, this solution would take many years to implement; until then,
California’s energy deficit will not recede (LA Times). Senior Vanessa Niu believes that phasing into sustainable energy sources is important, but not an immediate solution to the problem. “It would be ideal if our state could become entirely dependent on renewable energy from solar panels and wind farms, but I do not think we have reached that point yet,” Niu said. “Making this switch would take a long time, but it would be the best way to reduce the burden of having to pay for increasingly expensive gas and electricity.” Beyond switching to renewable energy entirely, individuals can implement innovative solutions to reduce their energy consumption. According to the Department of Energy, some recommended ways of doing this are purchasing energy-efficient appliances and electronics, using lighting sparingly and reducing the number of appliances that are always on. These steps can allow homeowners to save on electricity bills during this period of increased prices. Calculus, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 teacher John Buda feels that individuals have power in this situation. “We have to persevere through this crisis despite these circumstances,” Buda said. “I would advise people to limit unnecessary spending and, for example, walk or bike instead of driving if they are able to. Though it is a difficult situation, I think there is nothing to do but keep a positive perspective and try to keep your bills [and spending] to a minimum.”
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NETFLIX’S SUBSCRIPTION STRUGGLES On April 21, Netflix announced that it had lost 200,000 subscribers since the beginning of 2022. This rapid decrease of subscribers began in March after they suspended their service in Russia to protest its invasion of Ukraine. Later, Netflix stated that they would join other streaming companies such as Hulu, Home Box Office (HBO) Max and Disney+ by halting all future projects and acquisitions in Russia. They had four Russian originals in the works, including a crime thriller series by Dasha Zhuk, which was shooting but has now been put on hold (Variety News). Suspending services in Russia could potentially lead to an overall decrease in viewership along with a decrease in revenue. Sophomore Natasha Kohli agrees with the company’s decision to suspend their services in Russia. “I see banning Netflix in Russia as globally beneficial because it protests [Russia’s] full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Kohli said. “Action needs to be taken to protest [Russia’s invasion] in [both] small and large scales. Netflix suspending themselves in Russia brings us closer to combatting the RussiaUkraine conflict.” Another factor contributing to the drop in subscriptions is that around 100 million households watch Netflix for free using other people’s accounts
by sharing passwords. The company confirmed in January that they will soon require people to pay if they choose to share their password with people outside of the original account subscription. (Personal Computer Magazine). Netflix signaled that they would do this by first alerting account holders whose passwords are being used by other households. Next, they would require subscribers to pay an extra $3 per month to allow someone else outside their household to access their account. This Add an Extra Member feature is currently being tested out in other countries like Peru, Costa Rica and Chile. People who currently use a shared password will be allowed to transfer their personalized information to either a new account or a sub-account, a separate account created through the Add an Extra Member feature, letting them keep their viewing history and recommendations (Consumer News and Business Channel). Sophomore Sofia Deek thinks the measures Netflix is taking are insensitive towards people who cannot afford their own Netflix subscription, and ineffective for the company long term. “I think the Add a Member Feature is disadvantageous for the account holder because they would have to pay extra money for the [person] who is borrowing their account, which seems counterintuitive,” Deek said. “ I think Netflix should not be notifying people who share passwords
and ask for money from them. I have shared my Netflix password with my friends and it is mutually beneficial for all of us.” Another way Netflix plans to combat the loss of subscribers is by offering a cheaper, ad-supported subscription, since giving consumers who would like to have a lower subscription price and tolerate the advertisements another option could be helpful. This installment is most likely to occur in one or two years without the use of data-tracking and ad-matching according to Hastings. As of now, the company’s Standard Plan is $15.49 per month, so an ad-supported plan would most likely be around $8. Netflix also has a Basic Plan, which does not provide high-definition streaming and is $9.99 per month, so an ad-supported plan for this could possibly be around $5 (Personal Computer Magazine). Sophomore Brindha Srivatsav believes that Netflix offering an ad-supported plan has both beneficial and disadvantageous aspects. “An ad-supported plan is a good idea on [Netflix’s] part because it is good marketing and it gives people with lower incomes easier accessibility to Netflix,” Srivatsav said. “However, if a company is potentially offering a $5 plan, then it cannot be good quality. So, once people sign up for the plan, they might cancel their subscriptions due to how poor [the quality] is. At that point, [Netflix] will end up back where they started.”
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PATCHING U PLANS FOR TUITION COME TO FRUITION On April 26, the University of California (UC) system announced that all tuition for Native American individuals of federally recognized tribes will be waived starting in the fall 2022 semester. Many people have supported the plan with hopes that it will increase the percentage of Native Americans that can access post-secondary education, as currently, Native Americans make up only 0.5% of the UC student population. However, many others have criticized the proposal saying that all tribes, not just federally recognized ones, should be included within the act. Native American rights within the U.S. have largely been limited throughout most of the country’s history. Ever since Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, Native Americans have been persecuted and discriminated against (United to End Genocide). One specific atrocity in history was the Trail of Tears. From 1830-1840, the U.S. government drove five tribes, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole, out of their homelands in the South to government designated Indian Territory beyond the Mississippi River. Tens of thousands died as they were not given any food or water and were dragged in chains (History). This incident, along with other forced removals of Native Americans by the U.S. government, are why many believe reparations are needed. Junior Sarah Stacy, a member of the Creek tribe, is closely connected to this event and feels that the UCs giving free tuition is the beginning of reparations. “I come from a family that is personally connected to the Trail of Tears, so I have heard a lot of stories [about] how the government stripped everything away from my family,” Stacy said. “Hearing [about] the UC [free] tuition was actually very exciting. I think [it is] 100% a step in the right direction [because] there is a lot to make up for.” Even though many support this initiative, there are critics saying that only granting federally recognized tribes free tuition is not inclusive of all Native American individuals. Historically, tribes beyond those federally
recognized have gone through the same trauma and discrimination, but are not given reparations and access to education (The Guardian). Despite there being 574 tribes that are recognized by the federal government, more than 200 tribes are not, which leaves thousands of members without free tuition (National Public Radio). This lack of access to higher education can have detrimental effects on Native American representation in politics and the workforce as many careers now require a college degree. As a result, Native Americans continue to rank near the bottom of all Americans in terms of health, education, and employment, according to a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights census. Junior Alyna Han thinks this exclusion shows that there is still more to be done in reparations for Native Americans. “There are a lot of
unfair issues that need to be resolved,” Han said. “I think it is important for everyone as a collective [whole] to make sure they right the wrongs [done
to Native Americans in] the past. There is always more people can be doing.” However, even with these criticisms, the initiative has received more positive reactions than negative (National Public Radio). The UC system will fund the plan using existing and new financial aid funds with the hope that more Native Americans will apply and attend if the financial burden is not exceedingly heavy. According to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), one specific tribe that has already seen an impact is the Tule River Indian Tribe. The tribe sponsors high school students to attend college with a fund set aside for education. Over the pandemic, the only kindergarten educational center on the reservation closed because there were no available educated teachers to keep it open. Now with the free tuition, the tribe can reallocate educational funds to restaff the kindergarten center (ABC). Many Native American tribes are grateful there will be an increase in Native American students within the UC system. Senior Riley Coogan, a member of the Cherokee tribe, hopes to help fund his education at UC Santa Barbara through this new plan. “[The free tuition act] makes [paying] for college a lot easier because it takes a good chunk [of money] off the total cost for college,” Coogan said. “I think it is nice that [the UC system] is giving [more aid] to people who are Native American, and I will be taking advantage of it.”
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UP THE PAST REPARATIONS FOR RACE RIOTS Although the Tulsa Race Massacre happened over a century ago, its legacy still lives on in the memories of survivors and many families of victims. The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred in 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when a white mob destroyed property and killed hundreds of Black people. On May 2 of this year, an Oklahoma judge ruled that a lawsuit seeking reparations from the City of Tulsa could proceed. The reparations
would include compensation for destruction of property and funding for survivors and families of victims of the massacre. The ongoing lawsuit calls for the creation of a Tulsa Massacre Victims Compensation Fund, as well as a hospital in Tulsa to make up for the one that was destroyed during the event (National Public Radio). The three plaintiffs in the case, who initiated the lawsuit in March 2021 with
assistance from family members, are all over 100 years old. Viola Ford Fletcher, Lessie Benningfield Randle and Hughes Van Ellis were children when the massacre occurred, and they say they hope to finally receive justice for the wrongdoings done to their community (American Broadcasting Company). Tulsa in the early 1900s was a highly prosperous but also highly segregated city (History). Most of the city’s Black residents resided in a neighborhood called Greenwood, which included a business district sometimes referred to as Black Wall Street. The massacre was triggered by the arrest of a young Black man named Dick Rowland on May 31, 1921, for the alleged assault of a white girl despite minimal evidence (National Broadcasting Company). This led to a group of white men planning to lynch Rowland, but a collection of Greenwood residents attempted to stop them in front of the courthouse. A fight broke out and the mob grew, with several white sheriffs and officers participating in the mob, until it was more than 2,000 people (NBC). The following day, the mob attacked residents and businesses in Greenwood; over the next 18 hours, hundreds of Black people were killed and thousands left homeless after their houses were burned (History). Though this is only one of many race-related riots from the time period, junior Mason Kramer thinks the Tulsa Race Massacre is significant because of how reparations were denied for so long despite it being one of the deadliest riots in history. “[The Tulsa Race Massacre] was a prominent example of racial discrimination in the U.S. and showcased the results of segregation, [as well as] the divide between white and Black neighborhoods,” Kramer said. “The response that occurred showed that in the U.S. at the time, even though it was past the point of slavery, racial discrimination still persisted.” Over a century after the Tulsa Race Massacre,
the survivors and descendants of victims may be seeing justice with the ongoing lawsuit and through various donations being made toward the cause. The three survivors involved in the lawsuit received a $1 million donation together from the New York-based nonprofit Business for Good on May 18. The families of Fletcher, Randle and Ellis will use the money for the care and needs of the three survivors (ABC). Despite this donation, there has been an overall lack of government support regarding reparations for the massacre (Cable News Network). In recent years, as pointed out in the lawsuit, Tulsa had been promoting the Greenwood site as a tourist attraction, and the revenue raised had not been distributed to the community or victims (Huffpost). Junior William Sun thinks that it is important for reparations to instead be given out to those affected by the massacre. “On one hand, creating a tourist attraction [out of a historical site] could increase awareness of the underlying issues of the event as well as help in remembrance of those who have died,” Sun said. “However, the action would do nothing to actually help the people and families that were directly involved with the event. It takes the focus away from the victims, [even though they are] who we should be prioritizing.” While many people are happy about the survivors and descendants of victims finally getting closure, the situation has led many to question why it took so long for the survivors to obtain reparations, and whether it is too late. The Tulsa Race Massacre left its mark on Greenwood, where racial disparities persist today as a result of what happened a hundred years prior; Black residents in Tulsa are poorer and have higher rates of unemployment than those of white residents (Microsoft National Broadcasting Corporation). When people lost their homes and jobs in the massacre, their financial situation worsened, which negatively affected the generational wealth of families from Greenwood (ABC). Senior Keshav Sharma thinks that although the reparations are much too late, they still need to happen. “I think reparations should have started earlier, but I am glad that the survivors now are still able to get some sort of justice,” Sharma said. “Hopefully, if a similar situation were to happen in the future, people will have learned from the Tulsa Race Massacre and reparations would be given sooner.”
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In September 2021, junior Naomi Porter applied to be the student board member of the California State Board of Education (SBE). This position is held by a high school senior who understands policy needs, funding constraints and has a passion for education. Over a yearlong term, the chosen state board member acts as a regular voting member of the SBE. Members of the SBE vote on matters concerning California’s curriculum and academic standards. To apply, Porter mailed in an application with responses to several essay prompts, her resume, three letters of recommendation, her transcript and other personal information to the California Department of Education (CDE). By Sept. 29, 2021, Porter emerged within the top 12 students out of approximately 200 applicants. After this, she attended the Student Advisory Board of Education online conference from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. Through this conference, the applicant pool was narrowed down to six by a group of student delegates throughout California. In February, the CDE chose three out of the six candidates to be interviewed by Governor Gavin Newsom who then announced Porter’s selection from this group on April 26. Porter looks forward to making a positive change in education for California students in her
new role. “[This position] is exciting and definitely overwhelming, but I am ready for it,” Porter said. “I think it is great that California not only gives students a voice, but also a vote. In many [other] places, [they say] they would love to hear students’ opinions, but ultimately all decisions are made by adults. [However,] in this case, I get a seat at the table and access to closed sessions which is [a unique aspect of] this position. I am not [going to] take that lightly and I [will] work my hardest to make sure student voices are heard.” Porter began her journey with leadership when she joined Girl Scouts in kindergarten. She was awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award in 2020, the summer after ninth grade. She also joined Boy Scouts in ninth grade, and became an Eagle Scout in 2021. Both experiences furthered her leadership skills, as Girl Scouts helped her see problems in society as opportunities for solutions, and Boy Scouts taught her to deal with opposing viewpoints. Her love for education heightened during her time in eighth grade, when she joined the Principal’s Advisory Committee. Naomi Porter’s sister, freshman Sarah Porter, has been alongside her through the whole application process, and admires her sister’s devotion. “[Naomi] is a natural leader,” Sarah Porter said. “Ever since she was a little kid, she has been a great public speaker and good at connecting with other people. I think she is a wonderful person to be around, [because] she has a positive effect on people. She is so passionate about the education system. I
could not have picked a better person [for the role].” As a member of the SBE, Naomi Porter hopes to bring change to California’s education system. Porter wants to have conversations about including financial literacy as part of the school curriculum, as she believes that it is crucial in helping students prepare for their futures after school. It is also key to her that schools strengthen partnerships between community colleges and general education classes to normalize vocational internships and support the idea that a four year degree is not the path for everyone. On Aug. 1, Porter will be sworn in under oath of office, and her first monthly state board meeting will be on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13. Porter will also attend other meetings such as advisory sessions and town halls where she will speak, listen to student voices, have conversations about upcoming agenda items and hear different perspectives on them. Freshman Landon Seidel, who is a member of the Friendship Club with Porter, envisions a great impact from her. “I think we are in good hands,” Siedel said. “I always knew [Naomi] as a leader of many groups. I do not know many people that work harder than her. [Naomi] is a great leader and knows what she is doing, [so] I know she is [going to] do something great.”
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One of the five Peninsula teams won first place at the national round of StellarXplorers, a STEM program in which teams of students compete to design simulated satellites through formulating their orbits and launch locations. This competition prompts theoretical issues - such as how best to gather data from the South Pole - that the teams have to solve by creating original missions. These missions are then critiqued by judges to determine which team displayed the most thoughtful and effective strategy. The idea of participating in the StellarXplorers competition was brought up by AP Computer Science and Principles, Computer Science Advanced Projects, Introduction Engineering Design and Civil Engineering teacher Hassan Twiet in 2016. This year’s winning team is made up of juniors Karry Cui, Yifan Gu, Kylie Jiang, Dino Li, Bobby Yuan and Brian Zhang. The national round took place from April 20 to 23 at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center in Houston. Teams qualified for the national round by placing in the top 10 out of approximately 200 teams in four prior competitions, which began in October and were held virtually. Jiang, one of the members of the winning team, notes the importance teamwork had in helping their team achieve first place. “The way everyone was very cooperative and focused on their work made the journey to first place [very smooth],” Jiang said. “It is very important in the competition to stay on task whilst [doing your] job correctly. I think everyone on our team worked well [with each other] so we were [never] working [under pressure].”
During each round of the competition, the team delegated a specific role to each member. Two members were in charge of the coding aspect of the mission and others were accountable for analyzing the prompt. Despite having separate tasks, they all had to communicate with one another in order to succeed. Due to this year being all of the members’ first year participating in the competition, they say they did not perform well in the first couple of rounds. The members believe that collectively overcoming their struggles in these beginning rounds helped them during the difficult semifinal and final rounds. Gu describes the emotions he felt after overcoming those obstacles. “We had so many instructions to read when I joined,” Gu said. “It was [quite] overwhelming to comprehend most of what the mission was about, but later on, it became easier to adapt. It was such an amazing experience to win nationals, and I believe our hard work paid off.” The StellarXplorers competition will be held again next year and the team hopes to improve by enhancing their strategy in distributing the workload. They also think that winning first place in the country has greatly boosted their confidence. Joining StellarXplorers has been beneficial to students such as Li, who is one of the team’s coding specialists, so he looks forward to competing again and continuing his passion for space engineering. “[When I was a little kid], I would watch and read about stars,” Li said. “Joining this organization meant a lot for me because I was allowed a gateway to help me explore more of what I am passionate about. It is important for this organization to continue and show more people about space.”
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TENNIS TITLEHOLDERS: PENINSULA WINS BAY LEAGUE On April 25, the boys varsity tennis team beat the Palos Verdes High School (PVHS) boys varsity tennis team 9-9 (75-70) in their final match of Bay League, making Peninsula the champions. Bay League is an annual high school athletic competition in which various sports teams from the South Bay compete, including Peninsula, PVHS, Mira Costa High School (MCHS), Culver City High School (CCHS), Redondo Union High School (RUHS) and Santa Monica High School (SMHS). By the end of each season, the team that wins the most matches receives the title of Bay League Champion. In a tennis match, each team plays nine singles matches and nine doubles matches against their opponent. All singles and doubles matches are played in a one set format: the first singles player or doubles team to win six sets wins the match, and the school that wins the most matches wins the overall game. If both teams tie at nine matches each, as was the case against PV, the team that won more sets throughout each of the matches wins. Junior Kyle Shigekawa and his teammate senior Cody Hashimoto played the last doubles match tiebreaker where they almost lost the match due to being set points down, but they eventually won the final points to secure the victory with 75 sets compared to PV’s 70. Shigekawa was happy to make an important contribution to the team and was shocked to win the match. “It meant a lot to me to win the final match against PV because it helped our team win the Bay League title against our biggest rival,” Shigekawa said. “My partner and I almost lost the tiebreaker match because we were down three match points, but we played with a good strategy and fought off those match points to secure the victory.” With their latest victory, the boys varsity tennis team has continued a winning streak over PV. The team beat PV 9-9 (80-71) in the first matchup of this season after previously beating them two times in the 2020-21 season 14-4 and 10-8. The team credits several significant moments throughout the season for helping build confidence towards beating PV for the second time. Most important was when at the start of the season on March 11 and 12, the team
traveled to Stanford University to play in the Bay Area Classic and defeated two well-ranked teams, Monte Vista High School (MVHS) and Redwood High School (RHS). Because the season was ending, senior Cameron Sachar believes that the PV vs. Peninsula match was the most important one of the season and winning was a great result for the team’s future. “The PV match is always the most competitive match of the season because they are our crosstown rivals,” Sachar said. “We have friends on the PV team who we wanted to beat so this rivalry brings the best out of the players on our team. Our win proves that we exhibited a lot of teamwork and the team has high potential for upcoming seasons.” Winning the Bay League title sent the boys varsity team to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division playoffs, which included the best eight teams in the entire state of California. On May 6, Peninsula lost to Woodbridge High School (WHS) 9-9 (66-72) in the first round. This meant the team completed the 2021-22 season with a win-loss record of 15 wins and 10 losses. Despite the following loss, senior Caleb Bringas says the final Bay League match against PV was full of excitement and encouragement from his teammates. “I felt like our team really brought a lot of energy while supporting each other throughout every match. [This really] allowed the players to perform better,” Bringas said. The most memorable part of this match and a moment I will never forget was the ending of the tiebreaker match when we all stormed the court.”
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On April 22, Netflix released a season of graphic novel adaptation “Heartstopper,” an LGBTQ+ dramedy detailing all the wild emotions of uncharted teenage romance. In addition, the show sheds light on the mental health of its teenage characters as they navigate life, loyalty and relationships in a fun and nuanced way. “Heartstopper” was originally released on Tumblr as a webcomic in 2016 by Alice Oseman, which was later published as a physical graphic novel in 2019. The story has been viewed over 60 million times and has amassed a subscription of over 259 thousand followers (The New York Times). Whether it was due to previously devoted fans waiting for “Heartstopper’s” return as a television show or the refreshing plot lines, the show placed number one on Variety’s “Trending TV Chart of the Week” within the first weekend of its debut. The show has also remained in Twitter’s “Top Trending Chart” for three consecutive weeks. Seen by all of “Heartstopper’s” recent success, audiences have been able to appreciate how the cinematography closely follows the original comicbook art style. For example, every time the main character, Charlie Spring, would flirt with his secret crush, Nick Nelson, animated butterflies would float across the screen—clear symbolism of a person getting butterflies when talking to someone they like. However, this is not the only instance where emotions are brought to life on the screen in “Heartstopper”. Whenever the characters feel a surge of powerful and consuming emotions, the creators of the show utilize that moment as a outlet for other kinds of wholesome, animated
imagery. When Charlie and Nick share their first kiss, different shapes and colored hearts appear throughout the screen, making the moment even more touching. Additionally, the use of sharp transitions cutting between scenes accurately mimics a comic playing out in front of the audience’s eyes. Senior Prudence Bhattarai believes the show’s creative cinematography helped bring its likeability and success. “[‘Heartstopper’] was a super fun and unique show,” Bhattarai said. “It was [like] nothing that I had seen before, which made me [really] like it. I think that everyone kind of caught on to it because [it did really well] with helping [the audience] connect to the characters’ emotions, [depicting] teenage romance and ultimately [falling] in love with [the characters].” The show’s incredible execution in representing and portraying LGBTQ+ relationships has earned itself widespread support from the LGBTQ+ community. While many other shows characterize their LGBTQ+ characters with exhausted stereotypes and overused tropes, “Heartstopper” sheds light on different issues the LGBTQ+ community confronts, as well as embraces the characters’ sexualities in a heartwarming and enlightening way. Almost the entire main cast is part of the LGBTQ+ community; for instance, the main character is gay and his main love interest is bisexual. In addition, there are lesbian and transgender characters, which help to catapult the show’s LGBTQ+ representation even further. Senior Nicoletta Gagliano describes why a show like “Heartstopper” has been so important and impactful to the LGBTQ+ community. “After watching [the show], I realized that
there needs to be more shows [that represent the LGBTQ+ community] the way ‘Heartstopper’ did,” Gagliano said. “Among all the shows I can recall that have LGBTQ+ representation, most feel super repetitive and the main focus is always on their struggles rather than appreciating [their sexuality] and giving that character the happy moments they deserve. Instead, ‘Heartstopper’ felt more genuine and comforting to watch and that is what the [LGBTQ+] community should have.” From the show’s creative adaptation to its incredible representation of the LGBTQ+ community, “Heartstopper’’ has set a substantial precedent for future teenage dramas. The discussion of sexuality at a young age and the effects of homophobia on mental health intertwine with playful moments that keep audiences emotionally invested all in one single episode. Not only has “Heartstopper’’ proven its place as one of the most comforting shows to watch this year, it has also highlighted the importance of certain bonds that carry on through life’s toughest moments. English 1 and 4 teacher Lisa Dohren details why “Heartstopper” is an incredible adaptation to experience. “I have always been very into reading comics, so I was excited about this show,” Dohren said. “Although I did not expect ‘Heartstopper’ to be adapted the way that it did, I think [that the producers] made all the right decisions. I was able to feel the same experience and emotions that I get when I read comics. People [are able to] connect to the characters and really understand them in a comic, and I do not think the ‘Heartstopper’ adaptation could have done any better in upholding that.”
