The Pen

the newspaper of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

www.pvphsnew.com

Vol. XXXIII Issue 1 28 Sept. 2012

After issuing precautionary statements for past months, the school district finally implemented the anticipated budget cuts a few weeks ago. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, Principal Mitzi Cress announced exactly what the impact of these heavy reductions on the Peninsula family would be.

The budget cuts did not come as a surprise; the principal had been preparing the Panther community to face changes by sending out regular updates as early as last April, in which she presented the complications the district was working with.

“As school ended, participation donations were down by over $200,000 from the previous year, which was a 35% decrease in participation donations,” explained Cress in an electronic update sent out to the Peninsula family on Aug. 30. (continued on page 3)

Who has a secret parttime job as Peninsula’s nightime crusdaer? See more on page 8

Environmental issues ironically arise on International Coastal Cleanup Day - see more online.

Check out our fall season sports update at the Sports section page 10

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In memoriam: Caroline Vierzba PEN NEWS EDITOR

“When I moved to Palos Verdes from Virginia, she helped me out a lot during the transfer process,” junior Alice Lee said. “She was really sweet and considerate and always friendly and full of smiles.”

Before her passing, she made a decision to keep working as hard as she could and fight the cancer for herself and for the students who she cared so much for. However, Vierzba’s cancer soon started to spread rapidly from her lungs to her jaw and surgery did not ensure a full recovery.

“She did chemo, but it still didn’t look good,” Cress said.

“They gave her six months.

But that was in April 2007; she lived close to 2,000 days after her diagnosis.”

Caroline Vierzba will forever be missed by the Panther family.

PVPUSD welcomes Aeries

The log-in screen to the Aeries website browser.

By USWAH SHABBIR PEN NEWS WRITER

When students received their registration packet for the 2012-2013 school year, something was different.

In addition to the standard paperwork, there were enclosed instructions regarding how to launch the new Aeries system, which would also put an end to Edline as the primary method of web communication.

Edline has been the primary source of communication for years. With the switch to Aeries software, however, the district is breaking the tradition in order to build one unified system.

“The Aeries portal will be best in the long run as a central location for all,” Associate Principal Micah Farrell said.

At the end of the 20112012 school year, teachers were informed of the switch

to Aeries. In order to prepare for the new school year, teachers were offered training during the summer.

Despite the attempts at a smooth transition, there are complications with the system. Teachers are still having trouble with simple things, like grade inputs.

“I went to the training, but my username was not working for me,” teacher Peggy Hescox said. “I did not end up learning a lot because of my unusual circumstance.”

The transition to Aeries is a challenge for many students although most are willing to learn the new system.

“I understand that Aeries is supposed to make things more efficient on campus, but it is still confusing at the moment,” freshman Sarah Memon said. “Once the glitches are cleared up, I think the new system will be very effective.”

DANIYA HAJI/THE PEN

On Sept. 7, 2012, Caroline Vierzba, a beloved staff member of seventeen years, passed away after a five and a half year battle with lung cancer. Among the students and the staff at Peninsula, she will be remembered as the woman with the warm smile and compassion with which never failed to greet new members of the Panther family with.

“She took it very seriously,” Principal Mitzi Cress said.

“Sometimes new parents would break into tears but Mrs. Vierzba wouldn’t want them to feel embarrassed about being scared.”

Although Vierzba made it her personal duty to welcome new students with sincerity, her primary job was as Peninsula’s registrar.

“All this time that she would spend [with the families] meant that some of her other work wouldn’t get done,” Cress said. “She was usually the last person to leave and stayed until the job got done.

She was so meticulous.”

Students, namely those Vierzba took under her wing, keenly feel the loss of such a valuable character.

DANIYA HAJI/THE PEN

COURTESY OF KURT JUPINI/PVPHS.com

By SUNNIE KIM

(Above) Students walk by the new gym building, set to open up at the end of Sept. (Below) Workers put finishing touches to the interior, which includes a new basketball court.

Gym construction comes to a close

By USWAH SHABBIR PEN NEWS WRITER

The sounds of shovels, drills and hammers have been a constant campus soundtrack, until the completion of the gym at the official gym opening at the end of the month.

The opening ceremony to welcome the new addition to the Peninsula campus will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and speakers. Staff, students, district members, and the community are all invited to partake in the event which has both staff and students excited.

“The gym is a very important

building on campus,” junior Javana Zahedi said.

“It is really exciting to have a new building and it is nice for athletes to have extra space to practice, especially with the large number of students at Peninsula.”

Though the new building will be smaller than the original gym, it has distinct features. In addition to the spectator seats on one side, the gym has a tall ceiling that creates a sense of openness as well as an advanced sound system. Along with the actual gym, the building features several music rooms which

are already in use. Along with practice rooms and an extra storage room, there will be a snack shack and bathrooms, perfect for games and events that will happen at the gym.

“The new gym will be used for practice for gym sports, PE, testing and for lower level gym sport games. We are very excited,” associate Principal Micah Farrell said.

The long-awaited gym will soon be open for student body use. The new gym will reduce practice overflow and provide much needed space on campus for both athletes and musicians.

Peninsula implements budget cuts

By ZOHAIR LALANI PEN NEWS EDITOR

Continued from pg. 1 Then, at the end of June 2012, the Board of Education enacted a budget that cut $2.5 million from our school district budget.

Cress “had to make tough decisions” to decide where the cuts would be taken from. As a result, over 20 of Peninsula’s academic programs have been altered or removed altogether, in the form of either certified cuts, which are cuts of certified teachers, or classified cuts, which are cuts of support staff like librarians and custodians.

Further, several courses have been combined, such as Drama and Art into a single class. In addition, the new budgeting necessitated even larger class sizes this year, as several class periods were removed.

Other cuts in

extracurricular activities were the result of the dramatic drop in participation donations.

For instance, Academic Decathlon no longer exists as a class, and nor does the surf team. Other schools have also been severely affected, since the entire state is facing the challenge of working with a new, limited budget.

“The State budget remains highly uncertain,” District Superintendent Walker Williams said.

“Funding provided by the State for public schools has been reduced and/ or deferred for four straight years. Unfortunately, these reductions will result in fewer teaching positions, some higher class sizes, employee furlough days and reduced classified support staff.”

Much of the current district budget and its improvement

depend on Propositions 30 and 38, which will be on the ballot this November.

“In June, the State approved a budget with an assumption that voters will approve Proposition 30 on the November ballot, which State leaders claim will stabilize education funding,” continued Williams.

On Sep. 6, the district staff proposed an initial draft of proposed expenditure reductions if Propositions 30 and/or 38 were not to pass.

“Despite all of this bad news, the Peninsula High staff has returned with a positive attitude, and remains committed to doing what they love to do: teach,” Cress concludes. “We [still] hope that the State of California soon gives us brighter budget news.”

4 OPINION

By ADAM WHITMAN

PEN OPINION COLUMNIST

It probably isn’t good style to begin a year of column writing with politics, but seeing as the elections are drawing closer it seems a necessary risk to take. However, this article isn’t focused on the policies of either President Obama or Governor Romney, but instead on one thing: the lack of truth. Neither side of the aisle is blameless, but the most egregious offender has to be Congressman Paul Ryan, who recently spoke to the American populace at the Republican National Convention.

Some of the claims he made shocked me, but as the evening progressed I became more skeptical over this man’s assertions.

After a few minutes spent

fact checking these clearly exaagerated assertions online, I found the truth, ignored by a possible future vice president. In his speech, Congressman Ryan blamed President Obama for amassing as much debt “as almost all of the other presidents combined.”

According to the New York Times, the debt when Obama took office was $10.626 trillion; currently the debt is $15 trillion. Of course, this is by no means a good thing, but it does not detract from the fact that our nation’s elected leaders are lying to us.

We’ve trusted Democrats and Republicans alike with the power to pass the laws and policies of our society.

Instead, they violate that trust by treating us with the same intelligence as that of an uneducated mob. So instead of taking any politician’s word as fact, I beg you to think for yourself and try to make your own decisions.

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL 27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Jason Choe, Edwin Chu, Kendall Van Nort COPY/DESIGN EDITOR Samantha Neal WEB CHIEF Michael Yu NEWS Editors: Sunnie Kim, Zohair Lalani Writers: Jasmine Kim, Valeria Park, Uswah Shabbir OPINION Editors: Viveka Krishnaswamy, Izma Shabbir Writers: Amanda Katz, Florencia Park, Adam Whitman FOCUS Editors: Sehar Dedmari, Stephanie Minn Writers: Julian Choi, Jina Kim STUDENT LIFE Editor: Michelle Lin Writers: Fatima Siddiqui, Rachel Tosney, Tunika Omnekikami ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Editors: Audrey Tsai, Wendy Wei Writers: Maerah Ahmed, Charles Kim, Lauren Lee SPORTS Editors: Bryan Lee, Jonathan Wu Writers: Sam Quon, Amy Valukonis WEB Web Editor: Robert Papa Social Media Manager: Caroline Park BUSINESS TEAM Manager: Liliana Pond Assistant: Alisha Prasad ADVISER Katherine Crowley “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 Liliana Pond at (310) 377- 4888 ext. 652. The Pen editors appreciate Letters to the Editors, which may be accepted up to one week before publication. You may submit them to H52 or Katherine Crowley’s mailbox.

Copyright © 2012

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pen Nothing but the truth EDITORIAL: Make do with less

By EDITORIAL BOARD

Is the glass half full or half empty? When it comes to something as arbitrary as a simple pint of water, it is easy to make a quick decision.

Half full or half empty. End of story. Throw more complex aspects into the equation, however, and the choice becomes much less simple.

In the 2011 to 2012 school year, many Peninsula programs asked students to pay donations in order to be allowed to participate.

But this year, fearing the possibility of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union over the legality of so-called “mandatory participation fees,” the District stepped down its pleas for payments, “maybe a little too much,” attested Principal Cress.

“Ideally, the District would raise $500,000 and the school programs would raise another $500,000 to cover the approximately million-dollar annual costs of sports and extracurricular activities,” Cress stated.

Unfortunately, this year, Pen High raised $200,000 less in participation donations than it did last year, which

was the source of the cuts in extracurricular programs.

The question inevitably arises, “who’s to blame?”

When the District implemented the participation donations, the goal was to have 70% of all participants turn in their donations, but this year, just over 50% of almost 2700 total students chose to contribute money.

While it is all too easy to claim “I’ve paid my fees, so the fault must lie with students who have not,” we must still remain conscious of the fact that we do live in difficult financial times.

The PVPUSD district budget for this year was already slashed by $2.5 million as a result of state financial difficulties, and this loss of money in turn translated to cuts of staff positions.

Further, 3% of our students come from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, and while they cannot pay the donations, they should not (and cannot) be barred from participating.

So what can we do about it? As students, we don’t possess much economic leverage, if any at all. But we

do have tools available for us to utilize. The ASB allows us to sponsor clubs that target specific interest groups, and even if some extracurricular activities no longer exist as courses for credit, meetings can still be hosted after school or even outside of school at your local Starbucks, albeit in a less formal manner.

Furthermore, some teachers are still willing to promote these programs despite the recently imposed cuts.

Aptly, then, this is not an editorial asking students to fork over their weekly allowances in order to fund their programs. Rather, it is a salient reminder that, although money is certainly one aspect involved in the budget crisis, there is also the issue of how we will adapt.

In the end, it is not the amount of monetary input, but the composition of the participants, that will ultimately determine the success of a program. As long as we have teachers who are willing to support us and students who are interested in working together, these programs will never truly die.

It is up to us to keep them

Administration can now come to the rescue for cyberbully victims

By AMANDA KATZ PEN OPINION WRITER

Cyberbullying, a fairly novel and unfortunate phenomenon, has been on the rise in recent years.

Its occurance presented a challenge to schools everywhere, as schools were not allowed to take action in any bullying that happened off-campus.

However, a state law has been passed that will give administrators a weapon they can use to combat cyberbullying. AB 746, signed into law in July 2011, allows cyberbullies to be suspended or even expelled by administrators. Now, if a student is being harassed online, a school official is allowed to intervene.

“When the administration hears about a recent cyberbullying issue, we

investigate the situation and request a print out of the ‘cyberbullying incident’,” Associate Principal Micah Farrell said. “Then, when we have a basic understanding of the situation, we can take the appropriate next steps.”

Before this law was implemented, cyberbullying victims were forced to handle situations on their own. A survey from the National Crime Prevention Council reveals that only 11 percent of victims ever tell their parents about the bullying that they suffer from. With this new law, students have the administration on their side. School officials are able to take professional and anonymous action that isn’t

heavy with personal investment, unlike that of many parents.

“I think that students feeling safe is one of the most important responsibilities of our jobs as educators,” Farrell said. “Therefore, I agree with the administration allowing us to be involved with cyber bullying.”

Over the years, California has passed several laws regarding cyber bullying issues. Safe school counselor Christine Lopez asserted that this time, the only part of the procedure that was changed was the disciplinary actions that could or could not be taken.

The school’s lawful intervention is completely necessary. Its new legal power is significant for students, as they alone cannot solve these issues; now, cyberbullying will be much easier to resolve with the help of school faculty.

Those affected by Internet abuse are now protected by the district. With the new implentation of the law, students can have both school officials and parents on their side. Were it not for this recent change, there would be no safe outlet to report the vicious offenses.

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There’s no place like the College Career Center: educational resources go unused

By FLORENCIA PARK PEN OPINION WRITER

Out of the 2,526 students on campus, thirty-five students attended the practice PSAT, SAT or ACT on Sept. 1, hosted by the College Career Center. The percentage of the students who took part barely exceeded one percent of the entire student population.

Despite major budget cuts, the CCC, sponsored by the Peninsula Education Foundation, continues to help direct students toward college. It would make sense for students to take advantage of the CCC’s resources, which include not only several practice tests througout the year, but also consist of college representative visits, “lunch and learn” sessions,

Naviance workshops, volunteer opportunities, College Nite and the RACC Mini-College Fair; these events give students plenty of engaging opportunities to prepare for the college experience.

CCC Director Terri Lewallen states that, unlike other schools, Peninsula is fortunate enough to have such “wonderful” programs that influence and inform students. She believes that the CCC should be utilized more often by students of all grade levels, not just seniors, the common misconception.

“My favorite word is ‘possibilities’,” Lewallen said. “That, to me, is the whole purpose of the College Career Center, because you’re entering the four years that are going to be the next steps

of your life.”

Considering the amount of effort put into these programs and activities, they should receive more attention. For instance, representatives from colleges around the nation often travel from out of state in order to tour Southern Calif. schools. With this level of work put into making these visits as successful as possible, small student turnouts are extremely disappointing.There are cases, albeit rare, when not a single student attends.

Lewallen then must greet the representative herself and receive pertinent information for future references.

Josh Beckel, a Juniata College representative, states that Peninsula is one of the only public schools he visits that has such a professionally

In Honor of 59-Across

DAVID STEINBERG/THE PEN

equipped college center.

On a different note, Beckel does feel “disappointed” when there are no students present at these visits. He also emphasized the importance of using the CCC resources in order to facilitate the transition to college.

“Meeting the representative is so important,” Beckel said, “At small schools, we’re the people who make acceptance decisions so it is good to impress us.”

Similarly, senior Justin Choe, after attending the representative visit for Northwestern University, stated that it was “a really useful way to learn about prospective colleges.”

College visits are the personal responsibility of students to attend, and they

help students learn about potential colleges that they may apply to.

Along with these visits, practice tests are also useful tools that Pen High students are fortunate to have.

A large number of students on campus take separate, private classes to study for standardized tests. Along with these students, there are others who pay for online tutoring and other similar services. It is unfortunate that, right under their proverbial noses, similar programs exist, hosted right on our campus for everyone to utilize.

“No matter what a student’s academic standrads are, I want them to know we are here,” Lewallen stated. “We have such great resources, so feel welcome to come in.”

Across 1. Ski slope transport: Hyph.

5. “___ U Been Gone” (2004 Kelly Clarkson hit) 10. Chemical suffix with gluc13. Disreputable 14. In regard to: 2 words 15. School support group: Abbr.

16. 59-Across, notably: 2 words 19. Large coffeepot 20. Gmail alternative: Abbr.

21. Use a keyhole, say: 2 words 22. 59-Across’s position at 50-Across 26. No longer hidden 27. Bitterly regret 28. Social diplomacy 30. “I think you overshared,” in texts 32. Pianist Rubenstein 35. 18-wheeled truck 36. Eminem song featuring Dido 37. With 39-Across, a former workplace of 59-Across 39. See 37-Across 41. ___ vera (lotion ingredient) 42. Hearing organs 44. Olympic volleyball star MayTreanor 45. On the other hand 46. Highest point 47. “Baby Blues” girl 48. Steve who co-founded YouTube 50. 59-Across workplace for 17 years 55. Popsicle holders 57. Parking ___ 58. Christmas Eve drink 59. Subject of this puzzle, who sadly passed away on September 7: 2 words 63. Common conjunction 64. “Bachelor Pad” contestant Rose 65. Less moist 66. Rockies, for example: Abbr.

67. Classroom assignments?

68. Mail deliverer: Abbr.

Down 1. ___ Haute, Indiana 2. Human, for example 3. Wood-cutting tool 4. “The Catcher in the ___” 5. Enjoy to the fullest 6. Single out 7. Fantasy Football group: Abbr.

8. ___ de grâce (final blow) 9. Frank’s comic strip pal 10. Short musical works that include songs and dancing 11. Discount clothing chain at Peninsula Center: 2 words 12. Generate, as interest 13. ___ of the moment 17. Dance partner, often 18. Golf ball support 23. “Go me!”: 2 words 24. Having no doubt 25. Alternatives to stairs 29. Top-secret U.S. organization: Abbr.

31. ___ 500 (car race) 32. “Moby Dick” captain 33. Hardly eager 34. Cube root of eight twentysevenths: Hyph.

35. Envelope attachment 36. Air Force’s domain 38. Sleuth, slangily 40. “Don’t be so shy!”

43. Put back in office 46. Places for bracelets 47. Rigatoni alternative 49. ___-friendly (green) 51. Exploding stars 52. Open, as a backpack 53. Parts of 42-Across 54. Petri dish gel 55. Con man’s scheme 56. Former Madonna label 60. Long of “Boyz N the Hood” 61. Academic URL letters 62. $200 Monopoly buys: Abbr.

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Tumblr: Behind the blogger

By JINA KIM PEN FOCUS WRITER

VICTORIA CHEN/THE PEN Junior Jessica Pedersen browses her Tumblr dashboard. Though addicting, Tumblr also served as an emotional outlet for Pedersen.

Tumblr, a blogging website that was created more than six years ago, has developed into a community of people who can express their thoughts and feelings via texts, pictures, and audio or video files. Unfortunately, teenagers especially have developed an addiction to Tumblr, which serves as distraction from schoolwork. “[Tumblr] provides an open [place] for us to express our feelings, [something that is increasingly] harder and harder to do in real life,” junior Jessica Pederson said.

“You also meet new people and learn about their personal experiences.”

While Tumblr is a great pastime, very dedicated users, dubbed “Tumblr

famous,” have a more intense experience with the other users. Pedersen was a member of the Tumblr community for eight months before she finally left the site.

In that time, she acquired almost 10,000 followers on her blog.

“I had a black and white blog because... I think the photos are so much deeper and [more] beautiful without color; you really see the subjects and their feelings as they are raw, and not overshadowed by color,” Pederson said.

Tumblr also has a function that allows followers to send messages to the Tumblr owner. Bloggers can choose to allow anonymous messages, which are often times considered more fun

KENTARO CROCKETT/THE PEN

Francesca’s Collections ™

than receiving a signed one. Many popular blogs, however, become the victims of hate messages, in which the majority originates from jealous, not-so-famous bloggers.

“I deleted [my blog partially] because Tumblr started to change and people got pretty nasty on there,” Pederson said.

Of the 72.1 million “tumblogs” in the database, nearly 50% of the users are under the age of 25, according to Comscore. These users channel the stress in their lives into blogging.

“There are some drawbacks. Tumblr is definitely addicting and you meet some not-so-nice people, but it’s such a great emotional escape,” Pedersen said.

NOW OPEN in the Promenade on the Peninsula.

One on one styling for you and your friends!

Exclusive, one of a kind, handpicked items!

New arrivals daily!

Senior Harold Hong contemplates his online purchases. Online shopping has gained much popularity among students who prefer its convenience.

Shop at your fingertips

By JINA KIM PEN FOCUS WRITER

The best 18th birthday present you’ll ever get is the right to vote: Use it or lose it!

Technology has recently targeted teenagers through shopping. From household products to electronics, almost anything can be bought online.

Some students have schedules that make it nearly impossible to shop in-store. As a result, online shopping is appealing, especially since trendy, online-only websites such as ShoeDazzle and Etsy are popping up. Etsy allows users to sell custom crafts.

It is rising in popularity as “indie” or unique items become trendy.

“Shopping online gives you a lot more options to choose from,” junior Tiffany Wu said. “Also, there are a

lot of promotional offers out there that make shopping online very cost-effective, too.”

Stores like Walmart and Macy’s e-mail coupons that are redeemable online, giving shoppers the opportunity to get better deals.

“I shop online because you can take a long time to find what you really want,” said sophomore Amanda Cheam. “You can shop in a more relaxed atmosphere.”

However, the differences between shopping online and in stores do not please everyone.

“Online shopping is convenient, but sometimes I miss out on the fun of trying out clothes and dressing up,” senior Jenna Lin said.

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Navigating Naviance

By JULIAN CHOI

School bells have started to ring again, students have filled the campus, and piles of backed up work have become inevitable. Now, instead of that Tumblr page or Facebook tab, the log-in screens for Naviance appear on the monitors of students’ computers.

Terri Lewallen, College Career Center Director, and Teri Koyanagi, College Career Center Scholarship and Financial Aid Director, highly encourage students to take full advantage of this online resources.

Naviance Week will orient freshmen to site so they can begin to explore the information there: the 2012-2013 school calendar, the weekly news update, forms, information and test preparation resources.

Even freshmen have the opportunity to start a resume, and Naviance makes this headstart possible. The tabs at the top of the page include a resume generator under “About Me,” and personality quizzes and career suggestions under “Careers.”

Sophomores benefit from building their resumes online. as well. Since they have begun participating in high school activities, Naviance provides an easy way to input information in order to keep track of everything that an individual has accomplished.

“I use Naviance to keep track of my activities. It helps a lot,” sophomore Hana Lee said.

Instead of waiting for senior year to begin, students can benefit from making resumes early so that nothing will be left out when it comes time to send them to various colleges.

Also, sophomores are encouraged to start preparing for standardized testing; on the left side of the home page, Naviance hosts links which lead to practice SAT and ACT tests.

Juniors could use Naviance to start thinking about which colleges they might be interested in.

“I use Naviance to browse different college programs to see what might be a good pick for me,” junior Jane Tsui said.

Content under the “colleges” tab is full of valuable information to help juniors prepare for their fast-approaching senior year.

Juniors should enter test scores and compare them to the average ACT and SAT scores of students accepted to various colleges, giving students an idea of where they stand as a candidate.

“I use Naviance to look up the statistics of different colleges and compare them to my scores. That helps me to see where I am in comparison with the colleges I want to go to,” junior Katie Cha said.

Seniors use Naviance to access many forms, documents and information to prepare for college. By using the “Colleges I’m Thinking About,” students automatically receive an email when that school books a campus visit.

“I used Naviance to get the application for my recommendation letters and to research colleges and their demographics,” senior Kristi Sakai said.

Letters of recommendation forms can be found under the “Document Library” file to the right of the home page, and all financial aid information is provided at the left side of the screen under “pages”. Senior students should look under the “Careers” tab to learn more about the college majors they want to study.

“I use it [Naviance] to sign up for college visits so that me and my friend can learn about different colleges together,” senior Kevin Choi said.

Regardless of grade level, all students are advised to learn to navigate the site because of its variety in content and information.

The blue box at the top shows “What’s New,” such as information on upcoming college visits and College Career Center events.

Although the haze of summer has left many students unprepared for the demands of school, the new year leaves Lewallen and Koyanagi hopeful that many students will understand the functions and resources embedded within the Naviance website.

MARIE LUM/PEN

PEN FOCUS WRITER

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A&E

By MAERAH AHMED

PEN A&E WRITER

By MAERAH AHMED

the same as Yami Teahouse.

“The boba at HoneyBoba is sweeter than Yami’s,” said Fukushima. “It tastes like brown sugar.”

Unlike Yami’s, HoneyBoba’s cups are wider and resemble more of bowls than cups. A down-side is the frustration of trying to fit them in the car’s

cup holder.

In contrast to others, HoneyBoba has more creamy beverages to energize bobaholics. Overall, HoneyBoba’s imaginative venue sets a relaxing aura with refreshing, cold drinks. One can always count on HoneyBoba’s drinks to rejuvenate their day.

Left: HoneyBoba’s classic milk tea Right: Yami Teahouse’s assorted fruit-flavored beverage with lychee

PEN A&E WRITER

It is common to see students drinking a milk tea concoction labeled with a mint green “Yami Teahouse.”

Located on Narbonne Ave and Lomita Blvd, Yami Teahouse boasts a wide variety of food items ranging from milky teas and smoothies to Asian

BENSON LEUNG/PEN, PHOTO COURTESY OF YAMI TEAHOUSE

Colorful, flashing lights, electronic music and chandeliers greet boba lovers as they enter. HoneyBoba, located in Lomita, is one of the new hang-out spots for tapioca-obsessed students.

The feel of the place is fun and entertaining with both indoor and outdoor seating.

“HoneyBoba has a cute atmosphere with eye-catching décor,” sophomore Hana Mukadam said.

HoneyBoba is often compared to Yami Teahouse, a neighboring boba restaurant.

“HoneyBoba definitely has more taste variation compared to Yami Teahouse,” junior Rie Fukushima said.

With over 115 drinks, the menu includes unique forms of milk tea, iced tea, smoothies, slushies and yogurt drinks with a broader selection of toppings, including honey boba, grass jelly, passion fruit jelly, coffee jelly and egg pudding. The store’s bright names such as Tropical Summer Ice Crystals also attract customers. For the most part, the cost of the drinks is around $3, about

By CHARLES KIM

PHOTO COURETSY OF NOELANI EMNACE

PEN A&E WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN FALSTRUP

Inside PART-TIME NINJA

Andrew, a seemingly ordinary man, works at iBerries. Little does anyone know he lives a secret double life. At night, he conquers the injustices of Palos Verdes in “Part Time Ninja.”

The show, a locally produced mini-series, is an action-comedy about a character named Andrew and his daily struggles. Andrew finds it hard to adjust to the real world because of his conflicting ninja instincts.

Senior Ryan Watanabe, the series’ writer and executive producer, made short comedy videos for his YouTube channel and wrote the script for a ten-episode web series during the summer between his underclassman years.

“I came up with an idea of a guy that works at Starbucks during the day and became a ninja at night,” Watanabe said. “I’ve written 40 to 50 drafts of it. I decided I could take this idea and add certain aspects, like romance, and make it much bigger.

“The theme is to accept who you are, to learn to adapt to new situations and that it is possible to get through struggles. Even if you come from a different world, society will learn to accept you.”

Another member of the video production team is senior Christian Falstrup, the director and editor.

With over 60 students and graduates involved, Falstrup

and Watanabe are making “Part Time Ninja” mainly to bring people together.

“It connects us as a school,” Watanabe said. “It creates friendships between the people involved that never knew each other before.”

Senior Shogo Komiyama, one of these students, plays the main protagonist.

“There have been many speed bumps and conflicts in the filming production,” Komiyama said. “But we have powered through any complication and the results should be above and beyond.”

According to Falstrup, time constraint was the main difficulty. Filming days had to be pushed back because of conflicting schedules. Another complication the team experienced during filming was its lack of technology and equipment.

“Independently, it shows that we can work and be creative on our own,” Falstrup said. “Despite our lack of resources, we can still make something as big as this happen.”

Watanabe began production in March 2011 and rebooted filming in June 2012.

“I’m ecstatic to see the release,” Komiyama said. “We have put in so much time and hard work, and I hope viewers will enjoy it.”

The web series is set to release on YouTube in early 2013. There will be a premiere hosted at iBerries.

signature dishes, such as popcorn chicken and noodles.

Its most popular specialty, however, is the boba milk tea.

“It’s not too mushy or soft compared to other places, and it’s actually sweet,” sophomore Emily Yan said.

With the new HoneyBoba just a few blocks away, Yami Teahouse is beginning to face some fresh competition. Still, the softness and the freshness of the Yami’s boba sets it apart from other stores.

Yami adds a contemporary Asian flair to its store. The teahouse is bright and open with Oriental-style furniture.

Four flat-screens surround the shop while Asian pop songs play in the background.

Although drink prices range from $2.50 to $3.58 and meals can cost up to $10, many still believe that Yami is worth it.

The late hours and free WiFi also create an appealing hangout spot for students.

“I run into people from school,” junior Alison Bartkowski said.

With a place both social and welcoming, Yami Teahouse offers much more than HoneyBoba does.

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Saunders explores politics

By RACHEL TOSNEY PEN STUDENT LIFE WRITER

Saunders visiting the Capitol while at an MUN conference.

photos provided by bethan saunders

With the voting age of eighteen barring them from most direct political involvement, many students take little interest in government and its policies, assuming that a teenager could not possibly serve a significant purpose in such a field. Senior Bethan Saunders, though not yet able to vote, has never hesitated to involve herself in local and national politics: She devotes much of her time to participating in various political campaigns and other government-related activities.

Saunders’ interest in politics greatly increased in the summer of 2011. During this time, she worked on her first political campaign. It only took one campaign to convince her that government was her passion.

That summer, she worked over 200 hours for the Janice Hahn for Congress campaign, thus beginning her efforts to make a difference in politics.

Saunders meeting California Secretary of State, Debra Bowen at Girls’ State. At Girls’ State, Saunders learned about and practiced implementing principles of American government.

“That summer opened a door for me. I saw my future in government, and I found a passion that has guided me to where I am today,” Saunders said.

Saunders wished to continue her local campaign work, so she joined a new local city council campaign.

During this campaign, she spent hours each weekend leading field organization and managing the public outreach strategy by recruiting volunteers, organizing canvassing and managing phone banking data. With this “fantastic opportunity to be a leader” in only her second political campaign, Saunders felt she had “never before been so dedicated to a single cause.”

In the mere fourteen months since she began her first campaign, Saunders has strived to influence various

elections and has gained multiple leadership positions.

Saunders has worked five campaigns, including Janice Hahn for Congress,Eric Alegria for RPV City Council, Gordon Teuber for LA City Council and Obama for America. Currently, she is the Fellowship Organizer for the Hahn Campaign 2012 and the Voter Outreach Personnel for the local chapter of President Obama’s re-election team, Organizing for America.

As a result of her political involvement, Saunders was invited to two different programs this past summer.

She attended Girls’ State, where she spent a week learning about the principles of American government.

During this time, she drafted party platforms, organized campaigns, ran for offices and gave speeches.

“I learned so much about

government and being an active citizen,” Saunders said.

She also attended Georgetown’s Summer International Relations Institute, an intensive international relations course in which students gain handson experience to help them better understand today’s global issues.

“I spent an entire week learning and immersing myself in the world of international relations in the nation’s capitol. It was really enlightening,” Saunders said.

Her summer activities inspired Saunders to continue to involve herself in local and national politics. Later on, she hopes to pursue a career in this field.

Saunders proves that students can, in fact, play an active role in politics; they don’t have to wait “to make a difference.”

Link what?

Co-coordinator Jacqueline Valerio answers questions about Peninsula’s newest student group: Link Crew.

Q: A:

What is the goal of the Link Crew?

High School can be a challenge to freshmen coming from smaller middle schools to a school with over 2,500 students. Our goal is to make that an easier and more successful transition for not only the freshman but also for the transfer students.

Q: A:

How does Link Crew help new students?

One of the things we were in charge of is Freshman Orientation. Participating juniors and seniors broke into groups and did icebreaker activities with each other. That way [new students] came to school knowing they were going to see familiar faces.

Q: A:

What does the Link Crew class do?

We try to develop leadership skills as well as hold forums, discussions and brainstorming sessions about what we can do for new students and the school.

Online educational videos take center stage PEN STUDENT LIFE WRITER

In an era of ubiquitous technology and Internet usage, can education remain confined solely to the classroom? Though some students prefer lectures and other traditional in-class methods, others are now turning to other sources to complement their in-class learning: educational videos.

Educational videos can be found online, often free of charge, for students that wish further explanation on topics discussed in class. For example, Khan Academy, Brightstorm and MathTV provide users with access to thousands of videos covering a variety of subjects and topics.

“I occasionally use sites

such as Khan Academy when I don’t understand certain concepts in class. It helps because I can go at my own pace and rewind parts I don’t understand,” senior Jillene Ma said.

Sites supplement in-class lectures. Khan Academy, for instance, contains thousands of free math, science, computer science, economics, history, art, finance and other videos as well as exercises for students who seek to clarify ideas taught in class.

“I have used Khan Academy for physics. You could use it to make up for the lecture you missed or to catch up with rest of the class. It is especially helpful when you’re completely stuck,” senior Christine Jung said.

Online resources are also becoming increasingly

common and efficient educational tools created to complement classroom instruction.

“Online videos... allow for different approaches and techniques to be shown to the class,” physics teacher Mark Greenberg said.

Greenberg also uses online videos in the classroom so that his students may experience university-level demonstration and labs.

Now, some teachers and students at Peninsula, such as Mike Spalding and his Physics B AP class, are working to emulate these helpful sites and create their own educational videos. “[Spalding] wants to make videos so students can watch lectures and see example problems at home. They will be able to rewind, fast

marie lum/THE PEN

By RACHEL TOSNEY

A Khan Academy lecture explaining calculus derivatives. forward and pause lessons Become a certified nursing whenever they want to assistant in 6 weeks! increase their comprehension, Atrium School Inc. but if they still have 451 E. Carson Plaza Drive questions, they can simply Carson, CA 90745 ask in class the following day,” (310) 251-5964 senior Brian Rubin said.

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What’s cookin’ in the Panther Den?

By BRYAN LEE

PEN SPORTS EDITOR

Boys Waterpolo: 5-4

Boys Cross Country: 4th in Bay League, 7th in State

NICK ENTIN/THE PEN

JASON TRAN/THE PEN

With key seniors Stephen Sansom, Hayden Hinsch, Brennan Megeff and Robbie Faustino, the team seeks to advance far into CIF Finals and the State Championship.

High hopes reside with underclassmen Alex Mendoza and Ralphie Maarek who will be working hard to compensate for injured senior Nick Meyers.

Boys waterpolo comes off a win against Bell Gardens, 23-16. The team has been forced to practice at Miraleste and play all home games at Palos Verdes High.

After playing the game of the season against Palos Verdes, which included a last second goal in overtime, the team aims to repeat their recent successes against their cross-town rivals.

JASON TRAN/THE PEN

Football aims to bounce back from a tough loss against Lawndale. Throughout the course of the game, questionable calls lead to overtime which ultimately resulted in a 34-31 loss.

However, senior runningback James Nelson Jr. competes for a spot in the All-Bay League team with 357 yards total with 5 touchdowns, averaging 89.3 yards per game.

Team of the Month: Girl’s Tennis

Keep Calm and Zoo On!

CHRIS MICHEL/THE PEN

By SAM QUON

PEN SPORTS WRITER

The tennis court rings with grunting and clapping. Junior Annika Ringblom stares down her West opponent.

The serve whizzes towards her. With a swift forehand, Ringblom returns the ball perfectly to the corner, past her opponent, winning the match. One of the key athletes on the team, Ringblom has won all of her matches so far this season.

“Last year, we lost to Dana Hills in CIF. They’re a great team, but now I know we can get to the CIF finals,” Ringblom said.

This season, the team has to deal with the loss of key players such as Kenadi Hance.

Nationally ranked, Hance was a crucial factor in Peninsula’s CIF run last year, winning almost every match she played in. Without Hance, the team did not look destined for

a strong year and would have to rely on other players.

“We have strong freshmen coming in so we can do very well,” senior captain Sachi Carlson said. “They have the ability and skills to fill the void created by the players we lost.”

The team has won its first three matches, carried by Ringblom and freshman Ena Shibahara. Victories against Corona Del Mar, San Marino and Chadwick have given the team high hopes for Bay League and CIF. “We need to continue to work harder and become more focused,” Ringblom said. “We just need to continue to work as a team and have the goal of winning the whole thing.”

A surprising change is the team’s new uniforms.

Bright neon green, the outfits replaced simple black jerseys.

The team stands out on campus on game days.

Even with the loss of a few key athletes from last season, the team seems poised for a victorious run through Bay League and into CIF. “Hopefully everyone remains healthy. Then we’ll definitely do well in Bay League and have a strong showing in CIF,” Ringblom said.

The team recently suffered heartbreaking losses to South Torrance and North Torrance High.

The biggest test yet will come against Redondo Union, who has been dominant in the Bay League during the past decade.

Nicole Kerkhof seeks to continue her streak of excellence on the team, along with seniors Jasmine Zahedi, Cami Zuliani and Mary Butcher.

NICK ENTIN/THE PEN

Girls Volleyball: 7-4

Football: 1-3

School is back in session; know what that means? The Zoo has returned, and we need the student body to come out and support our fellow Panthers at these home games.

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