Issue 7 by The Pen Newspaper

VOL. XXXIX ISSUE 7 APRIL 19, 2019

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL www.pvphsnews.com

TUNNEL VISION

Students must focus on factors other than rankings when approaching college decisions EDITORIAL PAGE 4

2019 COLLEGE RANKINGS 1. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY 2. HARVARD UNIVERSITY 3. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 4. YALE UNIVERSITY

WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU

STAY TUNED

SPRINGING FORWARD

Authorities uncover college admissions scandal

Junior releases new original music

Athletes launch into new spring sports season

STUDENT LIFE PAGE 8

SPORTS PAGE 10-11

OPINION PAGE 5

Peninsula’s U.S. History and Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History teacher Logan Tootell was recognized on March 14 as an Outstanding Teacher of American History of California by the Pointe Vicente Chapter (PVC) of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). According to the NSDAR site, the award was created by the organization to recognize full-time American history instructors of students from fifth through 12th grade in public, private and parochial school systems. Applicants for the Outstanding Teacher of American History award are first nominated by a local chapter of the NSDAR. Tootell was required to complete a dossier, which contained an autobiographical statement that included information regarding her educational background, instructing accomplishments, teaching philosophy and any other history-related professional activities she had done. The application also included two letters of recommendation, one of which was

written by principal Brent Kuykendall. Her application was then submitted to the state historian by Dec. 15 by the NSDAR state chapter. The individual state

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yaseen el-magharbel and Caitlyn Lee

We are learning as much as we can, and she is ensuring that she is not only building us as people and as students, but she is also building us as citizens of the country. -junior julia thomas

winner was determined by a committee of at least three judges appointed by the state historian and approved by the state regent. The winners received a state winner certificate and a cash prize. Tootell competed

PENINSULA HONORS FEMALE TEACHERS AMIRA BELHEDI In honor of National Women’s Month, Peninsula’s library featured a trivia game in which students could partake to learn about female faculty and staff members on campus. There were 16 fun fact submissions selected and for 16 consecutive days throughout March, the librarians would place a fun fact written by and about a female faculty or staff member for students to try to guess which anecdote belongs to whom. “I thought that our female staff members have very interesting stories and accomplishments so it was fitting to open it up to them,” librarian Silvia Gutierrez said. “Students could look at [teachers and staff] and think we do not have personalities, but in actuality we all have very intriguing backstories.” Submissions featured teachers such as Chemistry teacher and Science Research adviser Melissa Klose, who was a radio disc jockey for a show called “Pants Off Dance Off,” and Advanced Placement Statistics teacher and Mu Alpha Theta adviser Vararat Chaiyont-Kan, who was her high school’s varsity football and varsity baseball statistician for three years. “I used to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a lot of students find that interesting because when they walk into the student store to buy their prom ticket, they never would have guessed that about me,”

student store clerk Vicki Croucier said. “I think it is important for students to get to know women of Peninsula and what they contribute to our school.” Gutierrez gathered the fun facts by emailing all the female staff and faculty on campus and asking them to submit anything fun and fascinating about themselves. A few of the submitted facts were not included because Gutierrez believed it would be difficult for students to guess based on arbitrary facts such as what their first car was. She focused on selecting anecdotes that students would be able to use to piece together the identity of the staff member or teacher rather than just guessing. In total, the library received over 40 submitted answers from approximately 30 different student participants. Freshman Sean Choo guessed the greatest amount of correct submissions and received a $10 gift card to In-N-Out Burger. Junior Shivani Jain believes the trivia game acted as an ice breaker for many students to become familiarized with the faculty and staff by learning about their past experiences. “The trivia game was a great reminder that women from all walks of life are continuously making an impact on the world no matter the lack of coverage they might receive from the public eye,” Jain said. “Reading the anecdotes and not knowing who it belonged to reminded me that there are a lot of amazing people on campus that I should get to know on a personal level versus just learning about the academics or services they are teaching or doing.”

news

TOOTELL WINS OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD

with educator entries statewide, including teacher nominations from 113 other NSDAR chapters in 15 school districts. Currently, she is advancing to the national level because her application dossier was selected as a top choice among those of the other applicants. National winners will receive a $3,000 check, a 2019 Outstanding Teacher of American History award and a book. Tootell has been teaching at Peninsula for 22 years. Since she grew up in the South Bay, she decided to teach American History in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. Tootell aims to teach her students skills that go beyond a general understanding of the material. “Students show up to history class and they do not like it because they have been forced to memorize places, names and dates,” Tootell said. “I try to not only teach my students the information so they understand it, but I [also] try to make them use it and apply it.” According to junior Julia Thomas, Tootell focuses the class period on one topic each day to encourage depth and discussion, and dedicates a large portion of her time outside of class to improve her lectures. “She is an amazing teacher because she works so hard for us even when she goes home,” Thomas said. “We are learning as much as we can, and she is ensuring that she is not only building us as people and as students, but she is also building us as citizens of the country.” Junior Olivia Gray decided to take Tootell’s AP U.S. History class because she plans to major in political science. Gray describes a typical day in the class as including various activities such as lecture-style notes, document analysis and practice essay writing. She feels that she has learned valuable writing skills because of Tootell’s class and that Tootell’s effective teaching style helped her win the award. “She deserves [the award],” Gray said. “This class has taught me to use my time wisely and express what is on my mind rather than join in on everyone else’s opinion.”

TOOTELL POSES WITH HER OUTSTANDING TEACHER OF AMERICAN HISTORY AWARD. TOOTELL WON THE AWARD at the state level AND IS NOW COMPETING NATIONALLY. PHOTO courtesy of Kurt jupin

Paula Hawkins and logan tootell PHOTO courtesy of logan tootell

THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL 27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Nina Li Emily McGinn MANAGING EDITOR Alison Kim DESIGN EDITOR Connor Tumelty Alex Yoo NEWS EDITOR: Olin Osborne III WRITERS: Amira Belhedi Tiffany Cha Yaseen El-Magharbel Caitlyn Lee OPINION EDITOR: Liana Korotzer WRITERS: Fiona Andersons Saffy Laurio Alexandra Perez Imogene Tomicic FOCUS EDITORS: Rianne Aguas Asumi Shuda WRITERS: Keila Bara Brianna Cho Kaitlyn Ho Minji Jeun Osame Osayande Fiona Yang STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Chris Guanzing Ana Willoughby WRITERS: Jacci Engler Helen Huang Kristen Lu James O’Dea Christine Youn SPORTS EDITOR: Anne Lee WRITERS: Jacey Gibaldi Mitchell Lin Tilly Safavian Aidan Sun Casey Syal GRAPHICS Josh Kim Rachel Liu BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Elana Ho Lina Kugaya 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 Elana Ho 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 © 2019 Cover Design by Rachel Liu

STUDENTS MUST NOT BE INFLUENCED BY RANKINGS IN COLLEGE DECISIONS editorial staff Princeton. Harvard. Columbia. These are the three most highly ranked schools of 2019 according to U.S. News and World Report. Bowdoin College. University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). University of Kansas. These are schools that may not come to mind when considering where to attend college. However, Bowdoin College is one of the top ranked liberal arts schools according to Niche. UCSF has one of the best medical programs in the country. The University of Kansas has one of the most successful law programs. When selecting a college to attend, we tend to base our decisions on the rankings of the schools that accepted us. Instead of focusing simply on rankings, as we make our final college choices, we should view the schools holistically to ensure that we make a decision that guarantees happiness and success. The problem of judging schools based on rankings stems from the beginning of the application process. According to a survey of 93 Peninsula students, 53 percent were influenced by rankings from online websites when deciding which colleges to apply to. The majority of people across the nation share these sentiments as demonstrated by the recent college admissions scandal. The scheme involved many parents using bribes to gain admission for their children at top ranked schools. This misconduct exemplifies the widespread and unnecessary fervor with which people approach the admissions process, highlighting the dangerously extreme extent to which some will go to achieve the

title of attending a highly ranked university. We fail to thoroughly consider other aspects important to college life such as community, location, weather, food options and specific academic programs that could be significant to our futures. All of these factors will affect our daily lives for the next four years. The survey conveys that 24 percent of students did not conduct any thorough research regarding the schools that they were accepted into. Without proper research, we are unable to determine if we truly belong on a certain campus. During the process of making the decision that will determine the next four years of our lives, it is imperative that we take necessary steps to assure that we attend the college that best fits our needs. There are many avenues to facilitate a guided approach toward reaching the correct choice. Peninsula offers resources such as the College Career Center and guidance counselors to help students organize their thoughts to make a coherent decision. Visiting websites, conversing with college students, speaking with admissions counselors and meeting with other prospective students can also provide insight into the overall atmosphere of a school. We also need to consider the unique opportunities each school offers. From studying abroad to internships, each campus provides its students with different chances to learn that might be more appealing to some students rather than others. To truly grasp the sense of being on campus, we should attempt to personally visit the school where we can view life there through the eyes of a college student. Of the

students surveyed, 28 percent did not visit their school prior to making a final decision. Even with online research, the only way to determine if the school is the right fit is to physically experience the campus. While rankings can provide a general idea of a schools academic reputation, they have a limited scope of the culmination of factors that affect students beyond educational aspects. Only three percent of the students surveyed believe that college rankings do not influence a student’s decision to attend a school. The societal pressures placed on students to attend a prestigious college P EN T HE / O O cause us to become Y ALEX blinded by rankings. These numbers will become meaningless once we begin spending the majority of our time at the school. We do not want to regret the decision that we made because we did not place enough value on making an effort to truly determine where we belong. It is crucial that we take the initiative to do research now because when we step onto our campuses in the fall, it will be too late.

NEW PERMIT ALLOWS BULLIED STUDENTS TO ENTER PVPUSD SAFFY LAURIO On Feb. 27, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) decided to provide students who are being bullied in schools outside of the district with a chance to transfer into the PVPUSD. Applications to transfer are being accepted from March 15 to July 31. The severity of the bullying necessary to qualify for the permit to switch districts is unspecified, but the change must be approved by the staffs of the student’s current and proposed school districts. While the district had good intentions when instituting the bullying permit, allowing students to simply transfer districts shows that schools would rather allow students to escape their problems than prioritize bullying prevention and punish tormentors. If a student is being bullied to the extent that he or she feels the need to switch districts, then there are likely major underlying issues to address at the school. The school administration should strive to resolve these bullying issues so that students do not feel forced to leave their district. Schools should first make it a priority to prevent bullying before finding solutions to help students escape their situations. Each student’s voice should be taken seriously by administration, who in turn, should develop a zero tolerance bullying policy and use techniques such as anti-bullying campaigns to bring awareness to the issue. “[Changing districts] should be an option,

but the school is showing signs of being cowardly,” senior Molly Scott said. “They are not facing the fact that kids are getting bullied at their schools. Instead of helping the kids and confronting the bullies, they are getting rid of the kids who are being bullied.” There are benefits to giving students an opportunity to come to a new district. Every student has the right to feel safe in order for him or her to be happy and able to focus on his or her education. This option can be helpful to students in especially unsafe districts. In an article from CALmatters, a mother described the need to change districts after a gun was pulled on her son. In these cases, the bullying permit is useful. “[Students should be able to transfer] because students’ mental health and wellbeing should be the most important thing,” sophomore Zoe O’Neal said. “If [switching schools] is what [the student], their parents or counselors believe is best, then that is what they should do.” However, sending bullied students away to different schools will negatively impact a school’s overall attitude toward bullying. Once one student switches districts, it sets a precedent for other bullied students to simply leave rather than to stand up for themselves and confront their bullies or seek help from school officials. Furthermore, students who suddenly see that they have the power to push their peers out of a district may continue in their cycle of bullying with other students. The permit will negatively

change an entire school’s outlook on bullying by giving bullies an unwarranted feeling of superiority while simultaneously making victims feel helpless. “Kids who are getting bullied can start a new life, but it does not punish the bullies in any way,” Scott said. “It gives bullies the thought that they are more in control. Once they see that people will just leave, it may encourage them to find more victims.” All students should feel safe at their school. If bullying develops to the point that students feel so helpless they must transfer districts, schools should realize that they must take action and punish bullies to help their students rather than send them away. According to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, only 43 percent of bullied students report their bullies to an adult at the school. Statistics also show that students who report incidents to teachers are more likely to be subject to more bullying. Teachers and administrators must be more vigilant and take serious action in response to bullying claims to solve bullying issues instead of allowing them to push students out of the district. “It is hard for teachers to know everything that happens outside of their classrooms,” Advanced Placement Psychology teacher John Wheeler said. “It is up to students to tell us when something is wrong, and it is up to administrators and staff to make students feel comfortable enough to tell us, listen to them and help them.”

opinion

TAKING THE BACK DOOR

Wealthy families exposed in largest college scandal in history Josh Kim

current state of affairs regarding the admissions process. These people point to the involvement of donations from According to the Cable News Network, on March alumni in increasing their children’s chances of admission 12, federal law enforcement brought an indictment at many prestigious universities. According to The against a number of people involved in the largest Crimson, Harvard University raised roughly $1.19 billion college admissions scam in history. At least 50 people in the 2016 fiscal year and $393 million were in the form have been implicated in the scandal, including Lori of alumni donations. In addition, according to National Loughlin, the actress who played Aunt Becky on the Public Radio, a study found that legacy students, students American Broadcasting Company show “Full House,” whose parents once attended Harvard, had an acceptance and others including coaches at various universities and rate of nearly 34 percent from 2009-15 in comparison college preparatory executives. The people involved to the average 5.4 percent admission rate for regular in this scheme paid nearly $25 million to the central applicants. conspirator William Rick Singer. Through his company Undoubtedly, the involvement of donations is an The Edge College & Career Network, Singer controlled ethically complex and ambiguous situation. However, multiple special testing facilities for the ACT and the what sets donations apart from the scandal at hand is SAT. For students to be sent to these centers, they one important legal precedent: quid pro quo. Quid pro must have a learning disability. In an effort to falsify their quo suggests that there is an explicit exchange of a good children’s scores, parents fabricated disabilities for their or service for another good or service. In the case of children so that they could cheat through the use of donations, this exchange is not explicitly made clear, and these facilities. Singer would fulfill his client’s requests as a private institution, Harvard, along with other private for false test results for a fee ranging from $15,000 to universities, does have the ability to indirectly admit $75,000 per exam. Additionally, Singer bribed coaches legacy students based on donations. However, in the case to allow his clients’ children entry through athletic of the activities highlighted in the scandal, a clear quid pro programs they never competed in to secure quo can be established: a parent pays Singer a set amount admission into prestigious universities of money and the parent expects Singer to illegally including Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, Georgetown University, Yale University and University of Southern California. The people involved in this scandal are absolutely repulsive and reprehensible, and with the advent of this scandal, people now see that the college conglomerate has failed to a truly disgusting degree. Although the college system harbors a bevy of issues ranging from the magnitude of legacy to the prevalence of donations, the people involved in this scandal have only exacerbated the idea that privilege can drastically alter one’s admission through shamelessly illicit activity. “I was not surprised at all by this scandal,” senior Kevin Hirokawa said. “I feel like people had this idea about privilege in the college system. I think this scandal only confirms the deep seated problems ingrained within the college system.” The very few defenders of those involved in the scandal argue that there are other ways people manipulate the system, and that this scandal therefore reveals nothing shocking about the

fabricate their child’s exam scores and credentials. Although donations and the current scandal share some similarities, there are far more differences, especially regarding the legality and morality of each situation, and any comparison should not be taken seriously, especially due to the magnitude of the current scandal. The issue of legacy admissions in the college system is no doubt a problem that must be addressed. However, those who benefit from the legacy system more often than not have some credential or merit to their names that validates their acceptance to some degree. On the other hand, the students who benefited from this cheating scheme completely fabricated scores and athletic records. Those involved in the scandal exemplify and abuse the problems within the system. Their blatant and remorseless manipulation of the system will only cast a greater shadow on the efficacy of the college system as a whole. The people involved should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and the children who benefited should be unceremoniously expelled from their schools. “The students should be expelled because their admissions were obtained fraudulently,” Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics and AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher Len Lyberger said. “They can then, without bias, apply to other institutions upon their own academic merit and athletic ability.” All colleges, not just the ones involved in the current scandal, should purge individuals in their communities who damage their public image through illicit activity. Colleges have the responsibility to prioritize merit over privilege, and absolutely any failure to do so should be looked upon with the utmost shame and scorn. “People need to realize that a system like this is not surprising,” senior Kendall Arata said. “However, the scale of this scandal was overwhelming at first. I think people need to be more cautious of the factors at play when it comes to their admissions at schools around the country, not just the ones involved in the current scandal.”

At least 50 people paid nearly $25 million to william rick singer to get their children in to prestigious colleges*

*according to Cable news network Josh KIm / the pen

LOCAL LAW OUTLINES NEW DRINKING REGULATIONS will benefit both the community and its students. Labisi feels that with the help of the Social Host Law, students will The Los Angeles County Board of become more sober and focused on school Supervisors instituted the Social Host work, which will allow them to excel Law on Feb. 26 in the Palos Verdes area. academically. The law ensures that parents are now “[The law] holds parents accountable responsible for parties hosted by their for the actions that their children are children that involve underage drinking taking that may be illegal or dangerous,” and smoking. According to a report taken from the Palos Verdes Healthy Kids Survey Labisi said. “[The law] makes them more aware of these situations taking place that during the 2015-16 school year, 26 percent they would normally not be aware of.” of juniors in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Advanced Placement Psychology and Unified School District reported alcohol Culinary Arts teacher Anne Leonard is or drug use within the past 30 days. The also a supporter of the Social Host Law. same survey also stated that 60 percent She believes that along with peer pressure, of juniors obtained alcohol at parties or underage drinking at parties can be events outside of school, while 20 percent attributed to a teenager’s desire to take obtained alcohol from adults at friends’ risks and have new experiences. homes. The Social Host Law aims to “Teenagers are risk takers,” Leonard reduce the number of teenagers drinking said. “[Rational thinking] is one of the at parties, specifically under parental or functions of frontal lobe development and guardian supervision, and to promote an environment with more responsible parties. usually matures last. They are taking risks, trying on new identities and experimenting According to the Daily Breeze, if adults with something very prominent in our continue to facilitate parties at which society and oftentimes practiced by their underage drinking occurs, they can be parents.” held accountable to pay a $2,500 fine or Some members of the community participate in community service for firsttime offenses. If they make second offenses such as Leonard believe that teenagers and parents will find a way around the within a year of the first offense, parents will be fined an additional $5,000 regardless new legislation and manage to continue to promote underage drinking. According to of whether or not they were present at a report written by Community Education the time of the party. This legislation has Television, parents may be motivated to already been placed into effect in 19 states continue providing alcohol and drugs in including other counties in California such the interest of their children’s popularity. as Ventura County. However, Leonard believes that teenagers Sophomore Tara Labisi agrees with the will be less responsive to the law than new Social Host Law and believes that it

brianna cho and kaitlyn ho

their parents. “If a student is set on experimenting with alcohol and smoking, they will find a way around that law,” Leonard said. “I think that this law was more geared towards parents as a way for them to change their behavior towards how their children are partying.” However, a study conducted by the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs established that the presence of social host policies resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of drinking at parties in other areas. Despite this discovery, the study claims that the laws did not affect a teenager’s overall use of alcohol. Although research of social host laws displays that they may not have major effects on individual teenage drinking, junior Mikaela Garcia believes that the Social Host Law will have a positive impact of the lives of students and parents in the community. “In my opinion, this law is going to end up benefiting a lot of people in the long run,” Garcia said. “I think it will encourage safer, more responsible behavior on the hill. People will probably be able to find a way around the law but at least this law will be able to eliminate one way [to obtain alcohol].” According to the City of Palos Verdes Estates Police Department, the Social Host Law is still in its pilot stages due to the recency of its establishment. However, law enforcement hopes that it will provide a way for authorities to regulate underage drinking.

L a yi n g d o w

minji jeun and fiona yang On March 12, federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released information to the public regarding a college admissions scheme involving cheating, bribery and other illegal practices. According to the New York Times, this scandal involved 50 people, including parents who bribed school officials, students who agreed to the scheme and teachers, coaches and administrators at several schools including Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of San Diego, the University of Texas, Wake Forest University, Yale University and Georgetown University. Public figures such as “Desperate Housewives” actress Felicity Huffman and “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin received the majority of the media attention among the 33 parents who bribed officials to get their children into certain schools. Huffman pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 to a fake charity associated with William Rick Singer to help her unknowing daughter cheat on the SAT, and she addressed the issue with an apology to the educational community as well as her daughter. Huffman faces up to 10 months in jail, charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Loughlin pleaded not guilty of paying $500,000 to another fake charity in order to ensure her two daughters spots at USC and has not made any major public comments regarding the scandal to the media, according to Cable News Network. At the center of the scandal stood Singer, the CEO of The Edge College and Career Network, a company that received money from parents for bribing coaches and falsifying test

results. Singer is accused of helping students cheat on the SAT and ACT and creating false backgrounds for students to make them seem more appealing to selective colleges. National Broadcasting Company News states that through these methods, he was able to extract up to $25 million in bribes from his clients. Once this scandal surfaced, several lawsuits emerged in response. One was from Kalea Woods and Erica Olsen, two undergraduate students at Stanford University who claimed that the scandal would lower the value of their degrees. Another lawsuit was put into motion by Jennifer Kay Toy, a mother who claimed that her son’s 4.2 GPA did not grant him admission into the colleges implicated in the scandal as a result of Huffman, Loughlin and Singer’s actions. Together, these two lawsuits seek over $500 billion to compensate for the damage caused by the scandal. Sophomore Marcus Kim is one of many students who expressed disappointment in the actions the families involved in the scheme took in order to gain admission into top universities. “I think [this scandal] is ridiculous because students are trying to get into these schools thinking they are going to become better people [by receiving a high quality education] through what they thought was a morally intact college admissions process,” Kim said. “These [administrators] were hired to [evaluate potential students for colleges] because [their employers] thought they had the merit to work for the college. Since they broke that trust, it [defies] the meaning of going to a prestigious college or university.” Senior Erika Hsu also feels that the universities involved in the scandal have jeopardized their reputations. In response,

focus

COLLEGE SCANDAL AFFECTS ADMISSIONS PROCESS

many of these universities are attempting to ensure that this incident will not occur again. Many colleges such as USC are making public apologies regarding their participation in the scandal. “I applied to USC, and when I opened my results, there was an additional letter explaining the admissions process because they wanted to be more transparent about it and to address the scandal,” Hsu said. “It still does not change the fact that I will not be able to view these colleges the same [way after this incident].” Students are not the only ones affected by news of the scandal. Counselor Pat Colin guides hundreds of students through the college admissions process every year, so hearing of the scandal was distressing to her. “[When I first heard about the bribery scandal], I felt shocked,” Colin said. “The college admissions process has wrestled with the idea of how to make it fair for everyone, [but this scandal has set them back]. I think they are really trying to find a [good way to do that], but it is a work in progress, and I really hope that [the admissions process] finds a way to eliminate this kind of injustice.” While there are no concrete changes to the admissions process at any of the schools involved in the recent scandal, several sources have suggested solutions. For example, The Atlantic suggested that selective schools admit more students to lower the incentive for parents to cheat. “There are people who really do deserve these [spots],” Hsu said. “Some people just are not getting the opportunity to take part in something they deserve because of someone who was cheating the system.”

rachel liu / The Pen

wn th e La w

MAKING NOISE IN THE INDUSTRY

Junior Maili Tom writes and produces music on streaming platforms kristen lu and christine youn With over fifty of her original songs currently in production, junior Maili Tom channels her passion for music through singing, writing pop music and performing at various venues such as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. She also played a lead character in “The Addams Family,” one of the Peninsula drama department’s musical productions, from March 8-17. On Dec. 16, she released her newest single “Lipstick,” which is now available on platforms including Spotify and Apple Music. “My music is a result of not only my experiences, but [also] those of others,” Tom said. “I [do not] really think that you have to actually go through something to be able to write about it accurately. I have [not] gone through much when it comes to the normal experience of a high school [student], but I often rely on the accounts of my acquaintances to write my songs.” Tom has always had an appreciation for music, which drove her to meet friends who shared her interest. During Tom’s sophomore year, one of her friends, former Peninsula

student Jaewon Suh, became heavily involved in Tom’s musical career and began producing music with her. However, seriously pursuing music production was not at the forefront of Tom’s priorities at the time. Initially, it functioned as a means to connect with Suh. “Songwriting actually started as a social thing for [Suh] and [I],” Tom said. “At one point, [we decided that] our interests complemented each other, [so] why not work together? On most Fridays I started staying over to work until midnight since we were both invested in the music. [I would] listen to a beat that [Suh] made a few times, write a melody and write lyrics to that melody. [Then], I would record the melody and harmonies. [Suh] and his mentor produce, mix and release the song.” Suh is supported by ATO

Entertainment, a Korean entertainment company that produces music. Harim Li, a mentor of Suh who works for ATO Entertainment, helped Suh and Tom acquire a platform to publish “Lipstick” on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. With additional advertising by Tom to her 5,000 Instagram followers, “Lipstick” has over 1,300 views on Youtube and 4,000 streams on Spotify. After discovering Tom’s talent as an artist, Michael Tong, an entrepreneur for Grated, a company that plans concerts, apparel and media for musical artists, also coordinated with Tom to publicize her work. He supports her artwork because he finds it particularly distinctive and culturally significant. “[Maili] has a beautiful voice and is a talented songwriter,” Tong said. “I have noticed that she incorporates both Japanese and Korean elements into her music. She really pays attention to and cares about [elements] regarding [music production]. [Maili] is very affected by her outside world and she grabs inspiration from what happens to her and those around her.” Junior Natalie Brandon believes that Tom’s outstanding work ethic and talent allows her to create unique music

that can be enjoyed by many. “[Maili is] very determined to put effort into creating her music,” Brandon said. “You can just tell that she has practiced really hard to make her voice flow so well. She is not a slacker and she is open-minded, which helps with her creative process. [I think] her talent comes from her appreciation of music and the hard work musicians put into creating good [content].” The rewarding nature of performing, motivation from her parents and positive responses to her music drive Tom to pursue music seriously. “My favorite part about performing has to be the support [I] receive,” Tom said. “The applause after a number feels incredible, as I was reminded on the stage as [the lead] in the school musical. [Furthermore], there are over 3,000 strangers around the globe who have streamed and enjoyed my single ‘Lipstick’ multiple times on various platforms, and although the number is small, it means everything to me.” Tom hopes to produce an album after she graduates from high school and eventually found an arts team that provides a creative outlet for young artists like her who strive to express their creativity.

alex yoo / the pen

kristen lu Serving food ranging from sourdough fries to chocolate raspberry truffles, senior and chef Holden Dahlerbruch organized Lite Nite Bites, a pop-up restaurant he opened from seven to 10 on the evening of March 23 at Peninsula. The event was held in conjunction with performances by the Palos Verdes High School (PVHS) jazz band and a silent auction that showcased art created by Peninsula students. Proceeds from the restaurant were given to the Peninsula Education Foundation (PEF), while money from the art Dahlerbruch and volunteers prepare the food truck to feed all of auction was allocated to the Peninsula art department. the guests attending the event. this is the first time lite nite bites “I could have rented a restaurant, served my own has been held at peninsula. high-quality menu and charged a lot, or I could have [created] a tasting menu and used it as an opportunity nathan an, kelly beaupre, Holden dahlerbruch, josie fleming to give back,” Dahlerbruch said. “I chose the second and sophia pham option [because] the PEF and Peninsula have supported me for the past four years. This was my opportunity to [assist] a community that has always been there for me.” Currently, the vast majority of PEF donations are from alumni families, many of which are allocated to preserving teachers’ jobs. The rest of the donations are used to subsidize major programs throughout the district, including Peninsula’s College and Career Center staff, the Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Robotics and Technology program and academic counselors. The Lite Nite Bites event attempted to expand the number of donors who were outside of PEF’s primary in addition to food, the event included a silent auction during which base of contributors by appealing to students as well as various art pieces were sold. All of the art that was available to individuals not employed by the district. buy at the event was made by peninsula students. About a month and a half before the event, Dahlerbruch began planning for Lite Nite Bites through Photos courtesy of holden dahlerbruch the company he established three years ago, Culinary

student life

DAHLERBRUCH HOSTS FIRST LITE NITE BITES EVENT

Playgrounds, which he used in the past to organize three other pop-up restaurants. “I really like cooking, [because it is] the only art that you get to use all five senses on,” Dahlerbruch said. “Some things I made on a whim, and some things I edited over time. [However], the thing that was the favorite is the dessert. It was a devil’s food cake, layered with a sage whipped cream and a brown butter salted caramel ganache—a series of words that do not make sense in the culinary industry whatsoever, but I made it and it worked.” National Honor Society members, Dahlerbruch’s friends and various patrons of the school district were among the volunteers who worked at the event. Junior and volunteer Kelly Beaupre, helped with food distribution and smaller managerial tasks. “It was a really nice event,” Beaupre said. “The food was really good. The turkey meatballs and the devil’s food cake dessert were the best. During the event, I helped distribute the cold yellow curry.” PEF president Christine Byrne believes that occasions like Dahlerbruch’s pop-up restaurant and various other fundraisers are important because they promote student involvement in supporting schools across the district. “We are very grateful that [Dahlerbruch] selected PEF as one of the recipients of the event,” Byrne said. “I, along with a few PEF trustees, was there. The bites chef Holden prepared were delicious and the music performed by the PVHS jazz band was a wonderful background [for] the evening. It is always such a heartwarming feeling seeing our community come together to not only support one of our talented students, but also to support our schools.”

Boys’ Volleyball

JACEY GIBALDI AND CASEY SYAL

tilly safavian

Peninsula’s track and field team is excited for the new season with the addition of the new coach, Manoh Wesson. Junior and sprints captain Josh Ling is optimistic about the sprinting team’s potential this season and he appreciates the coach’s experienced presence out on the track. “We have a big sprints team that has improved a lot over the past few months, and I am really excited to see what they can do this year,” Ling said. Unlike the schedule of previous years, this year’s schedule includes less head-tohead matchups against other teams in Bay League, and instead focuses on competing in tournaments against schools from all around Southern California. “The team captains of sprints have motivated me to practice and train harder than I did before,” freshman Catherine Christen said. “They have been supportive of me and the whole track team, [and] they always find a way to make each workout fun.” Junior and pole vault captain Anthony Nuber believes that their new head coach Douglas Esparza will improve their results this season. “This season, I am looking forward to [practicing] with our new head coach and team members,” Nuber said. “I am always looking forward to seeing the new members succeed.” Junior and throwing team member Katie Seaton is also optimistic about this season. “Going into this season, I felt pretty confident because this is one of the first times we have had a dedicated throwing coach,” Seaton said. “The feeling of having your coach be there with you as you compete is really assuring, and I feel [that we ALEEZA WEST improved] once we started throwing with his instruction.”

The boys’ varsity volleyball team started its season on Feb. 16 and currently holds a record of 15-6. The team’s win against Redondo Union High School (RUHS) at the Millikan Tournament in Long Beach came as a surprise to the team due to the RUHS team’s high league ranking. The team is confident that they will continue to succeed. “We know we can win our division at CIF,” volleyball coach Kevin Williams said. “That was the goal last year and that is the same goal for this season. Hopefully we can accomplish that.” In addition to making it to playoffs and CIF, the team hopes to continue their two-year winning streak against Palos Verdes High School at their annual match on April 23. During the team’s daily practices, Williams helps them work on their technique and improve on their mistakes from past matches. Many of the seniors have been playing together since freshman year, so the team members feel that they are closely knit and work cohesively on the court. They are able to anticipate each other’s actions, which helps with the team’s overall success during matches. “My favorite part about the team this season is the chemistry we have on the court,” senior and captain Ethan Colin said. “No matter what is happening during a match, we always have each other’s backs and believe in our teammates.” matt lee

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alex yoo / the pen

Track and Field

darren wei

tess rivera

Boys’ Tennis

Girls’ Softball

MITCHELL LIN AND AIDAN SUN

AIDAN SUN

The tennis season has begun for the boys’ team, and the team has gone 10-1-6 since the start of the season on Feb. 19. The team lost a few key players this year, but varsity tennis coach Mike Hoeger expressed optimism regarding the team’s prospects for the remainder of the season. “We have good talent, but we are inexperienced,” Hoeger said. “We lost a couple [of] Division I players this year and a couple in the year before. Guys are getting thrust into leadership roles and [we are] still getting used to everything. Doubles has always been our forte; we just need our singles to take it up a notch.” On March 1-2, the varsity team competed in Menlo Park for the Bay Area Classic tournament where they received fifth place. On March 22-23, they competed in Newport Beach for the National All-American Invitational where they received seventh place. “The program at Peninsula is pretty competitive,” senior Darren Wei said. “We like to keep that stigma. [We are] known for being really good and generally, a lot of our players have been playing since a young age and this program serves to continue that interest.” The team agree that although they might not be as experienced as they were in the past, they still expect to succeed this year. With several league competitions in the near future, the team looks forward to competing. The team plans to continue to fight hard as they prepare to face Redondo Union High School in a series of league matches on April 18, 22 and 23. With its current record, the team is set to qualify for CIF playoffs which begin in May.

kelly beaupre

The varsity softball season began on Feb. 12 and so far the team has a record of 4-15. The players are hoping to improve their record in the coming weeks of the season and hope to qualify for CIF playoffs, which begins in May. Junior and team member Kelly Beaupre believes that in order to achieve this goal, the team must begin to play together as a unit and find the best suited field positions for each of the different players. “We have been playing a tough schedule,” Beaupre said. “We are integrating new players into key positions and we still are trying to figure out who we are [as a team] and what works for us. I have no doubt in my mind that we will find who we are [by the end of the season].” The team hopes to find this balance and be able to win the games coming up in the next few weeks. Despite the losses the team has been experiencing recently, the players are determined to continue working to reach their highest potentials. “The team’s goal this season is to not give up no matter what anyone says,” freshman Hannah Deguchi said. “It is [about] the effort and fight we give. We really want to show that [it is] not about the record and outcome, but how we played during the game.” The team practices every day after school, working on skills ranging from running to working on their throws that will help them win games such as the upcoming one against Palos Verdes High School on April 24.

Girls’ Lacrosse

Boys’ Baseball

JACEY GIBALDI AND CASEY SYAL

MITCHELL LIN AND TILLY SAFAVIAN

The varsity girls’ lacrosse team is looking forward to a new season under coach Paula Borstel. The young team is relying heavily on the help of seniors and co-captains Isabella Sarullo and Tess Rivera. “With the incoming varsity players, we are changing up people’s positions on the field to see what works best to develop more plays, work on our communication and remember to work as a team,” Sarullo said. The team started the season with a 12-9 victory against Mira Costa High School on March 27, a victory the team has only achieved a few times in previous years. Borstel feels that in order to succeed, the girls must continue to work hard and communicate with each other both on and off the field. “The biggest difference [this season] is that the players seem to be more willing to integrate new skills and techniques into the practice, and then from the practice into the game,” Borstel said. “This has caused an improvement in our play and morale.” According to Sarullo and Rivera, commitment and team bonding is crucial to build a healthy team. “The girls on the team are what make lacrosse so great,” Rivera said. “We are all such close friends, and that is what keeps us coming to practice.”

alec britt

sports

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The boys’ varsity baseball team has experienced a growing success rate in the Bay League and tournament games played so far this season. Although the team started the season with four losses, the boys went on to win eight games against other local teams. Varsity members hope that they will emerge victorious in each of their final nine games of the season. “[We are] the underdogs,” baseball coach Brian Bowles said.” We embrace that. [We are going to] focus on [what is] in front of us, which [we are] really optimistic about.” The team’s main goal this year is to win the Bay League title and are willing to work hard to get there. Bowles has faith in his team’s ability to compete with other teams, but he still sees other areas in which the team needs to improve including consistency in their performance. “We need guys showing up every day at practice and having the focus, the passion and an understanding of the importance of every rep, every swing and every pitch,” Bowles said. The team bonds through events such as the annual game with the Skills For Independence students. “I think that [the event] helped the guys realize that it is not exactly a given that they can play,” senior and captain Alec Britt said. “While it may be second nature for [us], it can be something special for others.”

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