Report card Academic distribution Decathlon delayed competes
City searches for new police chief By Madison Amido Staff Writer South Pasadena City Manager Mr. Sergio Gonzalez has begun the process of searching for an interim chief of police, as former South Pasadena Police Chief Mr. Joseph Payne submitted his resignation on January 22. Gonzalez hopes to find an interim Police Chief within one month. Payne was appointed as South Pasadena Police Chief in 2010. According to Gonzalez, Payne had previously served the city in various positions such as police officer, sergeant, and lieutenant. His service to the city amounts to more than forty years. Payne could not be contacted before press time, but Gonzalez stated that Payne’s resignation was not an unexpected decision. “This was a result of several dialogues and mutually agreed upon by both of us,” said Gonzalez. “His decision did not come out of nowhere. However, due to strict personnel rules, I cannot elaborate any further.” Gonzalez faces two options when selecting an interim police chief: to conduct a formal recruitment, which can take up to five months, or to conduct a focused recruitment, which allows Gonzalez to interview potential candidates. “As city manager, I have the authority to ‘appoint’… If I find that a candidate meets the qualifications required for the position, I can move forward without a formal recruitment,” said Gonzalez. “I need to hire the candidate who would serve the South Pasadena management team, and above all, the city, best.”
in this issue:
5
Opinion:
Why Aeries is ineffective, suspension is not a good punishment, and students should pick majors early.
10 Feature:
Erini Katopodis publishes her poetry, reviews of Oscar-nominated movies, and a closer look at Urban Sustainability.
16 Sports:
Girls basketball sets SPHS record for wins, soccer vies for the league title, and wrestling continues to CIF.
Rachael Garner
Junior Megan Srisutham and senior Jason Qiu play skeeball during Winter Formal at Universal City Walk. See more photos on pages 8-9.
Winter Formal “Lights Up the Night” By Petra Barbu Staff Writer Uncharacteristically rainy Hollywood weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of more than 550 South Pasadena High School students flocked to Jillian’s Billiards and Bowling for arcades, bowling, dancing, pool, and a well-stocked candy table. The 2013 Winter Formal, themed “Light Up the Night,” ran from 8:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. on February 2. Commissioner of Activities senior Ryan Stone organized and coordinated the school-wide event with the help of the rest of the Associated Student Body. “People from every social group were able to spend the night together, and that’s what made Winter Formal so great,” said Stone. “So much work was put into this dance, and all of the ASB class deserves credit for making this night spectacular.” Ticket sales exceeded the expected 450 with a total of 556 tickets sold, the highest in recent history. “The dance had something for everyone,” said sophomore Elise Takahama. “If you didn’t like dancing, you could bowl, play pool, or check out the games.” Students were able to bowl for free and play unlimited arcade games all night. Principal Ms Janet Anderson
and Assistant Principal Mr. Terrance Dunn escorted students out of the dance at 12:00 A.M. to ensure the event ended on time. “I really loved this year’s Winter Formal,” said sophomore Hanna Crowley. “The location was perfect. It was really versatile and allowed everyone to have a good time.”
By Heather Vaughan Copy Editor
By Jason Wang Business Manager
After a delay of nearly two weeks, students received their first semester report cards during third period on February 1. Principal Ms Janet Anderson attributed the wait to technical difficulties surrounding the Aeries database used to track and submit grades. Two district employees spent time attempting to regulate the issues. Before report cards could be released, each teacher was required to double check that all grades were accurate, which Anderson cited as the reason for the late distribution. Many seniors were affected by the delay, as prospective universities required their grade reports to complete their applications. “I received notifications that I’ve [missed] deadlines and that I needed to send the grades myself when there was really nothing I could do,” said senior Hannah Rips. “Colleges are extremely strict about deadlines, and I don’t know how this will affect my admission chances.” Even students who did not need the grades for colleges were impatient to receive them, sometimes pressured by parents who were concerned about the postponement. “The delay was ill-timed,” said senior Ashim Shrestha. “It was a nuisance, but as long as we learn from it, we are okay.” No teachers were available for comment.
Few classes require their students to form a group of nine and hole up in a classroom for over eight hours on a weekend to compete in intense academic competitions. Eighth period Academic Decathlon calls on its students to do this twice. On January 26 and February 2, the members of the South Pasadena Academic Decathlon team faced off against 63 schools in Los Angeles County in two consecutive Saturdays of competition, with both days focused on the overarching theme of Russia. On the first Saturday, every student was required to complete an interview, speech, and essay that were reviewed and scored by a panel of judges. On February 2, the Decathletes completed seven different written exams on topics ranging from arts and music to Economics and science. Students were also pitted against each other in a super quiz relay round, encompassing all the subjects in a fast-paced intellectual battle. A maximum of nine schools will advance to the statelevel competition with eligibility determined by the results of both competition days. This is the first Academic Decathlon that SPHS has competed in for more than twenty years. Advisor Mr. Oliver Valcorza returned the program to SPHS and has built a young but dedicated See “Academic Decathlon” on Page 2
Urban Sustainability receives SPEF grant By Andrés García Staff Writer The newly founded Urban Sustainability Club is planning the construction of an aquaponic growing system to tend to the vegetable garden at South Pasadena High School. The project will be funded by a $1,000 grant that the club received from the South Pasadena Educational Foundation in early January. The aquaponic system will include a live fish tank linked to the school garden. Water will be pumped from the tank and through the garden, where it will be purified before returning to the tank. Seniors Austin Kahn, Ella Hardy, and Angelise Slifkin established an Urban Sustainability independent study at the beginning of the school year, and founded the club and applied for the SPEF grant in October. During
Urban Sustainability’s first meeting on January 24, the group began to gather a construction committee of SPHS students who will assemble the aquaponic system. A marketing committee will focus on promoting Urban Sustainability in the community, and an aquaculture committee will regu-
late the system once it is installed. “We hope that it will open the community’s perspective of making food, rather than buying it from corporations and companies,” said Kahn. “Hopefully, families and other schools will consider changing their mindset.” For more information on the club, see “Urban Sustainability” on Page 10.
Matt Winkel
Seniors Ella Hardy, Angelise Slifkin, and Austin Kahn created volunteer committees during the Urban Sustainability meeting on January 24.