Tiger Newspaper February 2015 by Tiger Newspaper

Decathlon places first in LA County

In the News Coding Club members participate alongside college students in the LA Hackathon (pg.3) Girls’ basketball to play CIF at San Marino on Saturday, March 1, against Yucca Valley Math Club maintains fourth overall after recent round of Bay Math League at Long Beach (pg. 3) Pennies for Patients wraps up its 2nd week of the month-long fundraiser for cancer research Varsity boys’ basketball advanced to round 2 of CIF and will play tonight at Servite High School (pg. 16) English teacher Mrs. Kim Kadletz leaves SPHS today to begin her new job as testing coordinator Fremont Centre Theatre to host Winter Arts Crawl featuring local artists, bands, and dancers Senior superlative voting ends tonight at midnight but the Google Doc is still available on the senior class Facebook page Science teacher Ms Seema Athalye will be taking maternity leave starting today

VIEWPOINTS: STAFF EDITORIAL

“College Board owns most of the widely accepted standardized tests that play a major role in college admissions... There is no limit on how high they can raise their price. With virtually no competition, they constantly exploit this power...While College Board exam prices are outrageous, the most negative effect of this massive company is how it has turned learning into a ‘blood sport.’” Read more on pg. 5

New century, new look Read more at tigernewspaper.com

By Somi Jun Feature Editor Academic Decathlon scored a record-breaking 54,897.5 points and won first place out of 43 teams at the Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon (LACAD) competition. Team members earned a total of 54 medals and over $1,900 in scholarship winnings. The first half of the LACAD competition took place at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera on January 31, and the second at the University of Southern California on February 7. Results were presented on Thursday, February 12 at an awards banquet in Montebello. The team will participate in the state-level competition in SacraArlene Gutierrez mento March 19 to 22. “The team did a really reBEST IN THE COUNTY The Academic Decathlon team holds up its first-place trophy after its outstanding success in the Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon com- markable job and I’m very proud of them,” Academic (see pg. 2) petition. The team will travel to Sacramento in March to compete at the state level.

Computer Science class to be offered in upcoming year New class focuses on Java for Android application design By Sandra Moore Staff Writer Students will have the opportunity to program Android phones and tablets through Java in the pilot program “Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Computer Science Applications” next school year. The new course will focus on building advanced skills through various programming softwares and will be taught by Mr. Garrett Shorr. PLTW Computer Science Applications will be entirely devoted to using Java and challenging students to create their own Android software applications. “A class that teaches how to design and develop apps for smartphones seems like a really cool and fun class to take,” AP Computer Science student and sophomore Jaehyung Choi said. “I would definitely plan on taking it if I had space available in my scheduling.” Students wishing to enroll in PLTW Computer Science Applications must have taken the Computer Science and Software Engineer-

Binge watching, binge drinking: Addressing one of the most groundbreaking shows in TV history and a nationwide drinking problem

6 PAG E

Eighth graders preview the high school campus

ing class offered on campus. While PLTW and AP Computer Science will be offered simultaneously, Shorr believes students will benefit from taking both. He recommends, however, that students who are solely interested in program applications should take the course. “Students are limited only by their own creativity when it comes to this new class,” Shorr said. “There’ll be some hiccups, but they’re going to come out with some real-life skills that they can put to use right away.” According to PLTW.org, the course is just one of its many branches of STEM programs. Since its founding in 1997, PLTW courses are offered at more than 6,500 schools in the nation. SPHS will adopt another PLTW course next year, the “BIOMED Pathways” program, which will introduce a four-year medical curriculum. “Word’s just getting out now about the new Pathways, and so far there’s been nothing but support,” Principal Janet Anderson said. “We have so many wonderful electives for students to take different courses, different paths, and so many opportunities. This program is just another opportunity for students to explore.”

Peer mediation progam: A new campus group with the goal of teaching acceptance, leadership skills, and resolving student conflicts

By Andrew Gruhn Staff Writer Over four hundred incoming freshmen and parents attended the first part of Eighth Grade Night at the high school on Thursday, February 19. Presentations took place throughout the campus, showcasing the many activities and classes that South Pasadena High School has to offer. Principal Janet Anderson praised the event as a “low stress introduction to the school.” The event began in the auditorium at 7:00 p.m. where the parents and students were debriefed by Anderson and Activities Director

Casey Shotwell on the happenings of the evening. The visitors were divided into 12 groups which dispersed to stations across campus. Some of the activities that were showcased included drama, athletics, science, foreign language, woodworking, design, photography, and publications. “It is such a huge step from the middle school to the high school,” Anderson said. “We want to provide them with an introduction to the school and some of our programs.” Part two of Eighth Grade Parent Night will be held on Thursday, March 19.

Tucker Judkins

Junior Jack Wilson and senior Marcus Tjajadi introduce the virtual business program to eighth graders and their parents.

10 PAG E

Boys’ soccer secures first:

Thrilling first place finish clinches CIF berth for boys’ soccer; Tigers to take on Chadwick High School

PAG E

News Tiger - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

News

AROUND CAMPUS

PENNIES FOR PATIENTS The Art Reach Club hosted a henna and face painting fundraiser on the Tiger Patio after the Talent Show to help support the efforts of the annual Pennies for Patients campaign, which continues until Friday, March 6. /Brandon Kim

Youth & Government travels to AP English Language Sacramento for state-wide conference classes prep for TEDx English Department brings TEDx to South Pasadena to engage students in projectbased learning

Youth & Government takes over the Capitol during annual fourday conference By Jake Swayze Assoc. Opinon Editor Over 70 South Pasadena High School students traveled to Sacramento during President’s Day weekend to participate in Youth & Government Model Legislature and Court’s 67th annual conference. Youth & Government, which has over 3,000 participants in California alone, is a program where students participate in a model legislature and court. The Sacramento conference took place over four days in the State Capitol and the local convention center. Students learned and practiced various government duties, ranging from legislating to

City CounCil

Council approves plan for community garden By Kyle Kan Assoc. News Editor City Council members met and discussed plans for the possible new community garden on Wednesday, February 18. The council sought the approval of the conceptual plan and a sublease for the site. The prospective garden will possibly be located on 1028 Magnolia Street if all stages of the proceed accordingly. The Community Garden’s rules and Gardener’s agreements were approved in November by the Parks and Recreation Commision. The Commision also unanimously approved the conceptual drawing and community garden location in a recent meeting on Tuesday, February 10. The garden itself will occupy over 80% of the 12,000 square foot lot. Other features of the conceptual plan include a composting bin, two storage sheds, and bike racks. A majority of the remaining space will consist of a pocket park with drought tolerant plants, a dry streambed, and park benches. In other news, City Manager Sergio Gonzalez announced that South Pasadena is the first city in the nation to have a municipal park maintained without any emissions through the sole use of electrical equipment and hand tools. A ceremony to celebrate the accomplishment will be held Thursday, February 26.

By Jung Su Park Staff Writer

Anais Franco

Sophomore Theron Joyet and juniors Sophia Williamson and Stelanie Tripodis prepare their court cases between sessions. lobbying. Unique to other youth programs, delegates had access to work on the Capitol grounds. Student Members of the Senate debated on the State Senate floor and lawyers held trials in local courthouses. “Sacramento is more than a place where thousands of high school students simply take over the capitol in some spiffy suits,” junior Joshua Karalis said. “It’s a place that surrounds us with some of the most genuine and lovable people [from] all across California from whom we learn and grow.” Senior Lena Gavenas completed her year-long term as Youth Governor, the highest position

in Youth & Government. In her closing speech, Gavenas spoke of the importance of empathy and compassion in and outside of the Youth & Government program. “This time we spend together matters. It matters because perspective is the heart of empathy and the ability to imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes is probably the greatest and most widely ignored faculty of the human species,” Gavenas said. “That act of understanding is how we communicate, how we learn, and how we grow together. In other words, the time we spend here matters because that empathy is the heart of hope.”

For the first time in school history, students will take the stage at a TEDx event to open dialogue on negative and sensitive issues. The conference will take a step toward healthy community building under the theme “Transform, Transcend, Thrive.” The event will include student and professional speeches as well as food trucks, musical talent shows, and art displays. The event will take place in the Little Theatre and outside the band room on Saturday, May 30. English teacher Mr. Benjamin Arnold conceived the idea of the conference last spring when the administration asked him what he could do differently in teaching the AP English Language course for the 2014-2015 school year. “I wanted to create a method of incorporating both the Advanced Placement curriculum and my vision of providing an opportunity to discuss issues, share ideas, and showcase talent outside of student boundaries,” Arnold said.

SCHool BoARD

Student achievements recognized in meeting By Kira Gabriel Senior Staff Writer

ACADEMiC DECAtHlon

Decathlon dominates at L.A. County competition (cont. from pg. 1) Decathlon coach Mr. Oliver Valcorza said. “We’ve all worked so hard since the summer, and I think our result is the culmination of everybody coming together and supporting one another.” Seniors John Dullaghan, Oscar Garcia, and Elise Matsusaka each won gold medals for the Individual Awards in Division I, establishing them as the highest scorers in their respective categories. For being the highest scoring decathletes, the California Credit Union awarded $100 and LA County awarded $600 to Dullaghan, Garcia, and Matsusaka. Matsusaka was also named the highest individual scorer from LA County, across all ten events and three divisions, with over 9,000 points out of a possible 10,000. Junior Jacob Chun also won silver for Individual Awards in his category. “This year, all of the results came out to us breaking all the records in LA County,” Valcorza said. “We have all the highest overall team score in the county’s 33-year history. Our highest scorer from South Pasadena, Elise Matsusaka, also holds the highest record for any student who competes

Since the beginning of the school year, Arnold and Ms Diane Shires and their AP English Language students have been working together to prepare for the event. Students separated into project groups, such as Human Relations, Production, and Finance, based on their individual skills and interests. Senior executive producers Hannah Sipe and Karina Safaoui delegated responsibilities among committees to publicize the event, encourage speaker applications, and manage the conference budget. “We are thrilled to see the outcome of our hard work,” Sipe said. “What we will be able to provide for the student body is a special experience they can share opinions and reflect not only through words, but also visual demonstrations and recreational activities offered.” According to Arnold, admission to the event will cost approximately $15, but prices will be finalized on a later date.

Stephanie Kim

Senior John Dullaghan speaks to SPUSD Board of Education about AcaDeca’s accomplishments at El Rancho High School. in L.A. County.” The returning members of the team have been preparing since May of 2014, practicing almost every weekday with additional Saturday sessions. For Matsusaka, Dullaghan, and Garcia especially, the awards banquet was a watershed moment. “There’s this photo of us, the moment of all of us knowing we got number one,” Dullaghan said. “And it was just the most amazing experience, because all the work that we put in just all came out.” The Junior team won third

place out of the 12 groups in the Junior division, an unofficial standing with certificates. Other medal-garnering Decathletes included seniors Benny Feldmann and Rebecca Bao, juniors Symona Stans and Matthew Brogdon, and freshman Theo Matsusaka. “It was really amazing to feel the collection of months and months of hard work, all culminate into one moment, where it was just like, ‘We did it,’” Garcia said. “The great thing about winning was that we immediately set our standards towards state.”

School organizations and clubs from across campus presented their respective successes to the South Pasadena Unified School District in its most recent board meeting on February 17. Academic Decathlon, led by coach Oliver Valcorza, arrived with numerous medals and told the board of its achievements in its most recent competition (see page 1 for more coverage). English teacher Mr. Benjamin Arnold presented his semesterlong project, TEDxSouthPasadena, to the Board. Executive Producer, senior Karina Safaoui, expanded on the nature of the grassroots community event, explaining their progress in planning. Lastly, SkillsUSA stood before the Board in red jackets and discussed its successes in the LA Trade Tech, Southeast ROP, and prospective future competitions, as 38 members have qualified for the SkillsUSA State Competition in April. The Board was duly impressed with the student achievements, and Superintendent Geoff Yantz commented that the foundation for such successful high school students lies with a strong elementary school program and a strong district overall.

News

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 - Tiger

Math Club competes in third round of Bay Math League 19-member team takes fourth behind Peninsula, Arcadia and San Marino high schools By Andrew Gruhn Staff Writer The Math Club placed fourth in the third round of the Bay Math League, hosted at Long Beach Polytechnic High School on Wednesday, February 11. South

Pasadena trailed behind San Marino High School by two points and surpassed North Hollywood’s team by a margin of 44 points. Students each participated in three of five categories which included circle geometry, rational expressions and equations, trigonometric equations, integrals, and normal distributions. “I think we did well as a team in the last meet considering the situation. Careless errors were made at times, but as long as we stay focused and prepped for the next meet, we have the potential to do really well,” club member

Coding Club wins “Best Game” at CodeDay L.A. By Jordan Xiao Copy Editor More than two dozen South Pasadena High School students competed alongside scores of other programming enthusiasts, working for 24 hours to create the best game or app. The Coding Club participated in its second hackathon of the year as part of CodeDay L.A. from Saturday to Sunday, February 14 to 15, hosted at the Hollywood studio of rapper and music producer will.i.am. Seniors Anthony Carrillo, Paul Hennessee, Nishaant Pandita, and Andrew Zableckis earned the Best Game award for their project “The Owl,” in which several users play as security guards attempting to catch a thief in a mansion.

“It really is a great feeling to have such creative freedom and time it’s made so much better with friends,” Pandita said. “It’s not the prettiest sight at five in the morning, but [the hackathon] was one of the best experiences of my life.” In addition to coding games and apps, participants attended workshops on Unity, a widely used game engine. “CodeDay [was] totally worthwhile and lots of fun,” club co-president junior Raymond Gilmartin said. “Food, help from other programmers, workshops, a cool space, and in 24 hours I learned enough Unity to make a decent game.” The club plans to attend the next CodeDay L.A. during Memorial Day weekend, May 23 to 24.

sophomore Jaehyung Choi said. The team scored 204 points in the third meet, improving from the previous score of 195. The cumulative scores from the first three rounds of competition place Peninsula High School in first with 759 points, Arcadia High School in second with 742, and San Marino High School in third with 679. SPHS currently ranks in fourth with 630, and South Torrance High School in fifth with 570. “We as a team have been doing a solid job prepping for events so far,” Choi said.

Math Club advisor Mr. Andrew McGough and vice president senior Glenda Chen will collaborate to give a special lesson in preparation for the next round of competition, as well as distribute practice packets for members. “Most of the practice is on our own. Once the mathematicians have been informed of their events, it is truly up to them to use the resources that they have been given and practice,” Choi said. The fourth and final round of Bay Math League will be held at South Torrance High School on Wednesday, April 15.

Students gain access to Aeries and alter grades Those involved in security breach no longer attend South Pasadena High School By Jenna Giulioni News Editor SPHS administration recently confirmed rumors of a security breach targeting the Aeries schoolwide grading system. According to Principal Ms Janet Anderson, two students gained access to the system and changed a number of first semester grades. A teacher noticed discrepancies and alerted administration.

Administrators investigated the breach and confirmed the identity of the suspects two weeks after discovering the altered grades. According to Anderson, the changes were not widespread. The Aeries portal was closed for several days to resecure the system. Both students have withdrawn from SPHS. “Teachers are a trusting group,” Anderson said. “But this is a wake-up call. We must now reexamine and safeguard our practices for the future.” Anderson assured students that measures will be taken to ensure the future security of the system and hopes that students will perceive this event as an opportunity to think about the underlying moral issue at hand.

YOSEMITE

Yosemite hopefuls begin conditioning training By Kira Gabriel Senior Staff Writer Seniors participating in the annual Yosemite program began bi-weekly workouts to prepare for the tiring terrain of the Yosemite valleys and mountains. Participants are expected to attend workouts at least twice a week, either before school at 6 a.m. or after school at 3 p.m. Workouts include running, yoga, and strength training, among other activities. The conditioning mainly focuses on cardiovascular workouts to prepare paricipants for the rigorous trek through the national park. Along with an essay about personal expectations, training sessions are a way to earn “acorns,” which go towards participant rankings. The acorn system is meant to encourage commitment and participation, as limited slots for the trip will be allotted on the basis of acorns earned by participants. In the next few months of training, the lead teachers of the program will become acquainted with the individual participants. They plan to use their new connections to create cohesive and functional teams for the actual trip, which leaves May 17.

Tiger - Friday, February 20, 2015

And the Oscar Goes to. . .

And the Oscar Goes to... With the close of awards season coming up soon, Tiger presents its picks for the 87th annual Academy Awards, as well as a ballot for you to cast a vote for your favorite films.

Page by MICHAEL STUKAN Text by ROSS LELIEUR & SARAH STUKAN Illustrations by SANDRA MOORE

02 03

BEST PICTURE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Almost every aspect of Birdman––from its acting to its narrative flow and script––deserves tremendous praise for innovation and skillful execution. Birdman is filmed to appear entirely as one take, which looks very slick, and is quite beautiful. The most impressive aspect of this stellar film, however, is its central theme: blending the literal with the fictitious. The ambiguity of many of the film’s moments, like the appearances of fictional character Birdman, serve to proliferate this theme heavily and transform the film into one of the most daring and innovative of the year.

Wes Anderson and Robert Yeoman, as is their signature style, deliver a quaint tale of impossible scenarios and bizarre circumstances with The Grand Budapest Hotel. No less important than Anderson’s masterful screenplay in defining the film’s style is the cinematographic approach. Reminiscent of claymation in its offbeat, quirky execution, the film feels as though it takes place inside of a dollhouse, complete with resplendent, candylike colors and surreal atmosphere. The unusual transitions and use of mostly single-camera action further cement the feeling of a fantastical world caught between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Be sure to watch the Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22!

04 BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 06

Few films from 2014 can match the intensity Whiplash delivers in its portrayal of the pressurized environment of higher education in music. None come close to rivaling the energy the film’s main supporting actor, J.K. Simmons, displays as he screams his students to tears, spittle flying from his lip. Simmons perfectly conveys the sense of an uncompromising and brilliant teacher, hell-bent to pursue the talent of his gifted students and be brutally harsh when they fail. Simmons is both charismatic and frightfully unnerving, a difficult combination that he pulls off without a hitch.

BEST ACTRESS

Julianne Moore’s work as someone coping with the ravages of the unthinkable has won her every major award this season, and likewise will allow her to snag her first Oscar. Moore stars as respected linguistics professor Alice Howland, who receives a shocking diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease that threatens the stability of her familial relationships. Moore transitions from embodying a satisfied woman well-adjusted to her lifestyle to one struggling to be and remember who she once was. Her performance is at once powerful, wrenching, raw, quality, and commendable.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Director Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, shot over a period of 12 years, is an extraordinary chronicle of a life in progress. Patricia Arquette plays Olivia Evans, the disgruntled maternal figure to main character Mason Evans. Arquette is the unsung heroine of film, battling the weighty themes of the script—namely divorce and alcoholism—with resilience and sensational sensitivity. Her performance is joltingly realistic, most clearly displayed when Mason departs for college and she claims there is nothing left to look forward to in her life but death.

Your Oscar Ballot

BEST PICTURE

American Sniper Birdman Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Selma The Theory of Everything Whiplash

CINEMATOGRAPHY

BEST ACTOR

Eddie Redmayne, a newcomer to the awards scene, pulled off an astounding feat with his performance as theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, garnering the praise of critics and his real-life counterpart. Redmayne performed intensive research on ALS to realistically depict Hawking’s stages of decline (impressively performed out-of-sequence during filming). Even as his character must bear the loss of his abilities to walk and speak, Redmayne colors his portrayal with a consistent sense of wit that conveys the undeniable tenacity of the human spirit.

Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman Robert Yeoman for The Grand Budapest Hotel Lukasz Zal & Ryszard Lenczewki for Ida Dick Pope for Mr. Turner Roger Deakins for Unbroken

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Steve Carell for Foxcatcher Bradley Cooper for American Sniper Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game Michael Keaton for Birdman Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything Julianne Moore for Still Alice Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl Reese Witherspoon for Wild

Robert Duvall for The Judge Ethan Hawke for Boyhood Edward Norton for Birdman Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher J.K. Simmons for Whiplash

Patricia Arquette for Boyhood Laura Dern for Wild Keira Knightly for The Imitation Game Emma Stone for Birdman Meryl Streep for Into the Woods

Opinion

Friday, February 20, 2015 - Tiger

Opinion B

Yeah Boi

to Youth and Government. Your fake legislature is met with our fake interest. ravo

oo to the salty San Marino basketball fans who threw coins at the South Pas fans after losing. They could have at least put it in our Pennies for Patients box.

By Sunshine Somang Cho Editor-in-Chief

to Kanye for showing selfrestraint at the Grammys. If only Elliot had done the same last year, we wouldn’t have to deal with Mr. Mantastic now. ravo

The Tiger EstablishEd 1913

CSPA Gold Medalist 2005 CSPA Gold Medalist 2006 CSPA Gold Medalist 2009 CSPA Gold Medalist 2010 CSPA Gold Medalist 2011 CSPA Gold Medalist 2013

College Board: Profit or people? Staff Editorial

Editor-in-Chief Sunshine Cho Managing Editors Sarah Stukan, Print Brandon Kim, Online News Jenna Giulioni, Editor Stanley Wu, Editor Kyle Kan, Associate Editor Opinion Petra Barbu, Editor Jake Swayze, Associate Editor Feature Somi Jun, Editor Faye Witherall, Associate Editor Sports Julian Prime, Editor Andrew Shults, Editor Alex Nakagawa, Associate Editor Copy Editors Karen Hsueh, Jordan Xiao Photography Stephanie Kim, Editor Tucker Judkins, Associate Editor Photographers Raj Jain, Jenny Luo, Matt Scholtz Senior Staff Writer Kira Gabriel Staff Writers Fiona Bock, Sandy Grossman, Andrew Gruhn, Ross Lelieur, Nick Michael, Sandra Moore,Ryan Nakamura, Olivia Nouriani, Jung Su Park, Kevin Park, Marion Wood Staff Illustrators Sandra Moore, Matthew Shults Graphic Designer Michael Stukan Videographer Heather Held Managers Stephanie Warren, Ads Kelly Xing, Business Technology Manager William Walker Faculty Advisor Mike Hogan Special thanks to sports statistician Nicholas Baer. Vol. CI No. V distributed on February 20, 2015. Distribution: 1532 students; 70 community. 1700 copies printed. Distributed by Tiger staff free of charge. Tiger is produced by the advanced journalism newspaper class at South Pasadena High School, 1401 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030. Layout and photo imaging are completed on-site. Printed by American/ Foothill Publishing Co., Inc., Tujunga, CA. Signed articles appearing in Tiger represent the writer’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, student body, faculty or administration of SPHS. Contact the publications office at (626) 441-5820 ext. 2615 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. for advertising rates and subscriptions. Tiger welcomes articles, letters or rebuttals for publication in the print and online editions. All letters must be signed and verifiable, but names will be withheld upon request. Tiger Newspaper’s mission is to provide a reliable news outlet for SPHS and the local community. Through a variety of coverage, Tiger empowers/enables students to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, solve problems, set and reach goals, and work cooperatively and independently as responsible citizens. Tiger is a forum for student free speech, in accordance with California Ed Code 48907.

Matt Scholtz

College Board’s mission statement describes its dedication to “preparing, inspiring, and connecting students to college and opportunity.” Its seemingly inescapable and evergrowing exam fees beg to differ, as the nonprofit’s monopoly on many of its services make it easy to exploit test-takers with outrageous costs. If the organization was truly dedicated to preparation, inspiration, and connection, its products would be far more easily accessible to students of every socioeconomic background. College Board owns most of the widely accepted standardized tests that play a major role in college admissions, so there are few alternatives if you plan to attend a four-year university. There is no limit on how high they can raise their price. With virtually no competition, they constantly exploit this power. Its nonprofit status renders the College Board tax exempt, but there has been longstanding suspicion of violations of this status; in 2006, a $55.1 million surplus was unaccounted for. College Board’s profits increase dramatically with things like late registration fees and additional score reports, adding unnecessarily to the financial burden that is already placed on college applicants. The College Board finds profits any way they can; test fees aren’t their only source of revenue. The corporation sells student names

and personal information to colleges looking to market to students. College Board gathers this information from its test-takers, who rarely question filling out their personal information. The company makes pure profit on students’ incomprehension of where their information is going, resulting in spam mail and e-mail for students. While College Board exam prices are outrageous, the most negative effect of this massive company is how it has turned learning into a “blood sport.” SAT used to mean “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” but when critics noted that high scores on the test were a poor predictor of college success, the College Board dropped the name and kept the acronym. Despite the SAT’s proven ineffectiveness, it is still a widely accepted indicator of college readiness. Administrators of standardized tests are barely short of forcing college applicants to cough up hundreds to attend four-year universities. College Board develops tests as paths to “college and opportunity,” but these tests have come a long way from their original purpose of promoting collegereadiness. Students and parents are offered little alternative. However, if College Board has any desire to prepare or inspire students, they have fallen drastically short.

Upton Sinclair packed an unsettling punch to the American stomach at a time when the shiny machinery of industry blinded the public. His investigative piece, The Jungle, exposed what lied beneath the steel of meat packing factories: inhumane working conditions, filthy quality of packaged food, and corporate corruption. In 1906, his work moved the public to aggressively lobby, which led to the passage of both the Meat Inspection Act and the Food and Drug Act the same year. All of this information was, of course, disseminated in books when people perceived print to be a primary source. A certain nostalgia surrounds this idea of simpler times as once dominating newspapers struggle to stay afloat on the surface of relevance. While the field of traditional print journalism is disappearing, and has been fading for some time now, the principle of journalism is still important. Our society needs—and depends on—journalists to inform and guide us through muddled messes. The news is not an outlet to broadcast only the good and happy events. As a result, it can be difficult to be optimistic about the world after reading about yet another terrorist attack, school shooting, the list goes on. The news can feel alienating, as it can be hard to digest that the facts and figures presented reflect the lives of real people. But these hard facts demand to be known through the journalists who uncover them. From the other perspective, we as a society can only hope that we are made less ignorant and more compassionate by becoming aware of them. Objective journalism does not directly point to or call people to make change. Change is accomplished through the few who cared enough to act after learning about an injustice. And this domino effect will continue to occur as long as journalists report information. Journalism is undergoing a natural transition from its print form, as both professionals and people struggle to define what it will become. However, the field will still hold a valuable place in society at the center of change. If we let it.

Security cameras raise fundamental questions By Mike Hogan Faculty Advisor English philosopher John Locke believed that to enter society we also enter a social contract. We agree to the laws of society to live within a social structure for the common good. Locke saw this as a moral decision, but it can be argued that we give society a certain degree of control over our lives. Which brings us to the issue of security cameras that are currently being installed on campus. No one disputes that campus security is a major concern. You need not look beyond last

month, when every door lock was glued, to see the need for more robust campus security. Acts of vandalism cause a major disruption to learning and incur tens of thousands of dollars in expense to the school district. However, there are issues of privacy that have not been addressed with regards to the new security cameras. When will the cameras be in operation? Just nights and weekends? During school hours? Who will see what is recorded by the cameras? Will the footage be archived? When and for how long? Can the footage be used in cases of student (or

faculty and staff) discipline? Will Ms Wichman’s office wall have a panel of flat screens focused on the movements of every student and faculty member? Most importantly, if this reality show will be playing live in Student Services, will they offer us free popcorn? Journalism students are familiar with the story of John and Mary Tinker, students who in 1965 were suspended from school for wearing armbands that protested the Vietnam War. Their case made it to the US Supreme Court, which ruled that students do not shed their rights when they enter a school campus.

In the eyes of the law, however, you do lose some degree of your right to privacy when you leave your home. As a general rule, it is legal to use security cameras to record what happens outside of a home or business. There are no cameras installed on campus yet; just round ports to indicate the placement of surveillance cameras in the near future. Before they are installed and operational, students and staff who have entered into the social contract of South Pasadena HS need to know who is watching us, when are they watching us, and what will they do with the footage they record?

6 Friday, February 20, 2015 - Tiger

Opinion

Innoculating against ignorance By Sandy Grossman Staff Writer

Sandra Moore

Without modern medicine, humans are extremely vulnerable to life-threatening illnesses. The majority of the population will agree vaccines that protect against these life-threatening illnesses are extremely beneficial to society. Nonetheless, there are many groups of parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids. Some have religious reasons, while others believe vaccines can cause autism. Whatever the reasons these parents vehemently oppose vaccination, their children must be vaccinated to protect themselves and others from harmful diseases. Vaccines are even more important when children attend public school. All 50 states require children to receive vaccines in order to attend institutions such as daycare and public schools. However, these “requirements” are closer to suggestions, as citizens can opt out of getting vaccinated for virtually any reason. West Virginia and Mississippi are the only two states that absolutely and unequivocally forbid parents from withholding vaccines from their offspring. The other 48 states should follow this example, and enforce mandatory vaccines for all students who attend public schools. The principal argument made by many radical opponents of vaccinations is that they contribute to the develop-

ment of autism. This idea was popularized by a 1998 research paper published in reputable British scientific journal The Lancet which stated that vaccines preventeing measles and mumps were, when taken together in the widely dispensed “MMR” form, directly linked to autism. However, the results published in this paper were proven fraudulent soon after its publication, and its author discredited due to unsavory links to the business interests that funded his research. But the paranoia created by this publication persists and causes many to fear vaccination. In the end, the reasons why parents refrain from getting their children vaccinated do not matter. What matters is preventing the public from being unnecessarily exposed to disease, especially in shared environments such as schools. Vaccines had virtually eliminated such pandemics as measles and whooping cough until a handful of ill-informed parents opted out of these effective vaccines. The result of their reckless actions? An outbreak of measles originating from Disneyland, the so-called “happiest place on earth.” Amusement parks are, of course, not the only places where diseases can spread. If kids are not vaccinated, it makes them much more susceptible to all kinds of diseases and it gives them the opportunity to spread. To protect individual health and public safety, children must be vaccinated.

Fresh off the Boat offers fresh outlook By Sandra Moore Staff Writer The first commercials for Fresh Off the Boat drew criticism for its seemingly stereotypical portrayal of AsianAmerican families, with cries of outrage over the title, the accents, and the wannabe-gangster protagonist. However, Fresh Off the Boat is revolutionary for both its deft handling of racial issues and for being the first show since 1994 where the family is Asian. Eddie Huang’s memoir Fresh Off the Boat details his life as a Taiwanese kid growing up in a predominately white neighborhood. Like Amy Chua’s infamous Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, it features family dynamics between parent and child not seen in family sitcoms like Modern Family. In contrast to other family sitcoms, it shows a family different from the regular Western cookie-cutter sitcom family, with different— but no less real— problems. The parents are the stereotypical goofy, lovable dad and the uptight, grades-obsessed mother, but where most TV shows stop there, Fresh off the Boat uses these formulaic representations of Asians to its advantage. When it comes to stereotypes, the show takes the well-loved and unoriginal ones and throws them back in its viewers faces. The teacher cannot pronounce Eddie’s name, people ask him where he’s really from, and they compliment him on how fluent his

English is, despite him being born and raised in Washington. South Pasadena has a larger-than-average population of Asian-Americans, which is why it may confuse and even offend us to see such clichéd portrayals of Asian-Americans. However, Asians only make up 4.6% of America’s population. Terms like “ching-chong” and “chink” are used even in areas with a reasonably high percentage of Asians. Fresh Off the Boat isn’t a perfect show, but it’s a step to evening out the racial discrimination in Hollywood. Rather than having Asian characters that serve only to mock their culture, these characters are instead getting their own arcs in episodes. While the accents that onscreen parents Constance Wu and Randall Park affect are fake and exaggerated, not once are they used as the butt of a joke. Instead, they simply exist as a mark of the parents’ immigration to the U.S.A., something that happens every year. It’s about time that shows start recognizing the people rather than solely the culture. It’s time for people to stop wearing geisha outfits as a costume; for shows like Firefly that have strong elements of mixed Asian culture in it but not one prominent Asian character to rethink what they’re doing; for white actors to stop being cast in Asian roles--or any role with a non-white character. Fresh Off the Boat isn’t the show for everyone, but its lighthearted mocking of the everyday stereotypes faced by Asians makes it a groundbreaking one.

Sandra Moore

New drinking game: responsibility By Olivia Nouriani Staff Writer Abstinence-only sex education has been off the table in California since 2003. Most parents and educators accept that sex is a natural part of teenage life, and teaching safe sex is a better option than pretending it doesn’t happen. Despite this growing acceptance, a fear to move away from abstinenceonly alcohol education still grips educators. Amidst a rapidly expanding drinking culture in South Pasadena and across the country, the danger of turning a blind eye to alcohol use in high school is growing .Teachers and policy-makers need to accept that alcohol use is an inevitable part of many teenage lives that health curriculum needs to reflect. California’s high school Health Standards include eight broad standards regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. None of these standards include information on drinking safely, while all eight reference, at least in part, the dangers of substance use. It is unquesSandra Moore

tionably important to understand the consequences of consumption, but it is naive to think that warning teens about dangers will steer them away from drinking altogether. Students need to be fully informed in order to make responsible decisions. Withholding information for fear of encouraging illicit behavior fosters reckless drinking and unaware teens. Health class warns high schoolers about the risk of alcohol poisoning, but teachers are not required to teach students how to recognize it. Worse yet, few students know how to handle a friend who might be suffering. Teens aren’t told that they are legally protected from criminal prosecution for underage drinking if they call 911 to report their own or another person’s need for medical attention due to alcohol consumption. Students are entirely unaware of how to handle high-risk situations involving alcohol because adults believe that ingraining enough fear of drinking into teenage minds will stop them. This has proven to be untrue. Nearly 72% of

students will consume alcohol by the end of high school, and this form of alcohol education has made virtually no impact on that number. The primary focus of education shouldn’t be preventing teenage experimentation, but promoting safety. 5,000 underage people die from alcoholrelated deaths each year. With the right information, these deaths are preventable. That should be worth far more than the feeble hope of steering students away from substances. Only informed students can make informed decisions. Important facts are simply ignored in health curriculum out of fear, but producing students who know how to drink safely should be the number one priority of alcohol education, especially when the evidence shows that the current curriculum isn’t discouraging students’ alcohol use as it aims to. It’s been long proven that comprehensive sex education is beneficial to teenage health. Why wouldn’t the same apply to alcohol?

Opinion

Friday, February 20, 2015 - Tiger

Divorcing the cheating culture By Faye Witherall Assoc. Feature Editor Students across campus are talking about the two students who were allegedly caught changing their grades on Aeries. Some are impressed, others are horrified, and while the incident was remarkably brazen, if we’re really being honest, the scandal is only the tip of the iceberg. Students at South Pasadena High School feel tremendous pressure to succeed, and find many ways to get ahead. Stories of students who write notes on the back of water bottle wrappers to cheat on a test, scribble vocab words on their palms, and swap texts during quizzes are many, and most students have personally tried to pry information on topics on a test from a friend who has already taken the exam. There’s no doubt that cheating is rampant. But why? Students fear that even small setbacks can be costly for their future, and not without reason. We try to meet high expectations created by parents, colleges, and ourselves.

We all know recent graduates who were smart kids, received a few B’s, and got rejected from their dream universities. One way colleges earn high scores in widely-followed university rankings is by having a very low acceptance rate. The mail piling up from all of those schools telling you you’d really flourish at their campus isn’t because they necessarily want you to attend, but because they want you to apply. The lower percentage they accept, the higher their ratings. In addition to a warped college ranking system, pressure comes from parents. Talk to some students around campus, and they’ll let you know their parents consider a B to be equivalent to an F. These overzealous parents enroll their students in eight-hour daily summer SAT “boot camps” to gain an advantage on the test. The result is sleep-deprived, anxiety-riddled students making their peers who didn’t spend the summer practicing SATs feel like they’re at a major disadvantage. There’s also the unspoken pressure. Parents would love to put that Princeton

or UC Berkeley bumper sticker on their car as a source of parenting validation. The South Pasadena streets are pretty bare when it comes to vehicles advertising Cal State Bakersfield. The problems don’t end there. The counselor’s office is a place to relieve stress and escape the pressure. But inside you find posters detailing the required SAT and ACT scores to qualify for each UC. It’s useful, but hardly calming. For a lot of students, cheating isn’t the only issue. Kids choose classes that they think will impress college admissions officers rather than courses that actually interest them. It has made students résumé builders rather than true scholars. It’s good news that the students that hacked the computer grading system were caught, but let’s not pretend that the problem has ended. High stakes and high pressure have created a culture where students feel that breaking into Aeries is necessary, a fact more dangerous than a couple of computer whiz kids.

Matt Shults

Changing the lineup By Marion Wood Staff Writer

Matt Shults

Every South Pasadena High School football game is a community event with a packed stadium, local sponsors, cheerleaders, and a $5 entry fee. However, the football team has only recently stumbled upon success. They have not won a league championship since 1977, and a CIF title since 1975. The team receives a disproportionate amount of the school’s time and energy. South Pasadena has many outstanding sports teams, including boys’ volleyball, girls’ track, and girls’ water polo. These teams have few fans, posters, or even a Pep presence. Girls’ track won a CIF title in 2012, and boys’ volleyball has won two, in 2013 and 2014. Yet these sports are often overlooked, mainly because of tradition. Football has historically been at the forefront, and so its dominance continues to this day. Understandably, the school cannot regulate the popularity of certain sports. One has only to look at the adoration of NFL teams or the chaos on Superbowl Sunday to realize that football is America’s new “national pastime.” At the very least, the school should allot an equal amount of time and money to

SPHS’s many different teams. Former cross country coach Patrick McGrail informed the school last year that he would not be able to coach the next season. McGrail gave the athletic department six months notice to find a new head coach. The school did not invest sufficient time or energy to find a suitable replacement, despite the many qualified candidates vying for the job. As a result, McGrail was forced to coach for another season, and the athletes had practice at the only time he was available—5:45 in the morning. Similar mismanagement occurred again with the recent track renovation. The logical time for the construction would have been in the summer, so as not to disturb the school year. However, the football team has practices on the field during the summer, so the renovation was moved to the winter. As a result, both soccer teams were displaced to the baseball field during league play, not just practice. The athletic department plays favorites, and football always manages to be on top. SPHS needs to step out of the 1950’s, when the football jocks r uled the school. It’s 2015— it’s time to give all our athletes the attention they deserve.

Amending meninism By Somi Jun Feature Editor Meninism is a ridiculous movement, but not because it’s focused on men. It’s ridiculous because it focuses on the wrong issues. It focuses on a perceived oppression of men by feminists, instead of issues that actually exist: a culture of hypermasculinity, which encourages men to be violent, emotionless, homophobic, transphobic, disrespectful of women’s bodies, insecure in their own bodies, and unhappy. Our culture traditionally paints the ideal man as stoic, strong, a provider, a leader. And in too many instances, these traits are heightened into glorifying violence, promoting a trend in which men in the U.S. commit violent crimes about three times as often as women. In this American culture of hypermasculinity, 93.4% of the prison population is male, and a driving factor behind much of gang involvement is the idea that boys must prove themselves as men. These harms extend to other genders and to those who stray from the traditional idea of what it means to be “male.” From catcalling to sexual harassment to domestic abuse, for the majority of cases, offenders are men and victims are women. On the other hand, male victims of such violence aren’t taken seriously and are

often ridiculed. When the word “gay” is used as an insult, it’s usually directed towards men, because it is inherently degrading to be anything other than the traditional man. Meanwhile, transgender people are paying the price for male insecurity: seven transgender people have already been unlawfully killed in 2015. Four of these murders have named suspects, all of whom are men. It’s a cycle, where men are trapped by ideals of masculinity and feel that they must enforce those same ideals in order to free themselves from scrutiny. It results in systematic oppression of non-males, and emotional repression for men: the suicide rate for men in the U.S. is almost four times higher than that for women. There is clearly an issue with cultural expectations of masculinity, but so few people are directly addressing this genderbent elephant in the room. The values of feminism address these problems of hypermasculinity, but the movement itself is rightfully focused on women. The term meninism was introduced years ago as what was essentially a men’s wing of feminism, which could have provided this much needed attention to the problematic perception of manhood. Since then, however, the term has been repurposed by Twitter users who complain

about women rejecting them and male chivalry. This “meninism” is detracting attention from the issues that are feeding homophobia and transphobia; it’s detracting attention from cultural expectations that are landing thousands of men in prison; it’s detracting attention from the murders and suicides that are a result of hypermasculinity. Women all over the world are fighting gender inequality, and it’s an uphill battle. But at least we have role models to look up to, literature to invigorate us, generations of brave women to remind us that we are more than gender roles, that we are fighting the good fight. But the young boys in this country, the misled men, they have no such role models. User MeninistTweet has over 700K followers; one of its more demure Tweets states, “on valentines day [sic] most of these girls will be alone wanting some comfort, but forgot they spent all year rejecting men.” It would have been great if meninism was not headed by disgruntled men complaining about women rejecting them and imaginary anti-male double standards. It would have been great if meninism aimed to dismantle a harmful culture of hypermasculinity, to provide role models who prove that young males don’t need to be violent or stoic. But it simply does not.

to every girl who posted a picture of herself with food and the “Me and Bae” sticker on Snapchat. We can smell your desperation through the screen. oo

oo to Jake Swayze for not being here to write the Boos and Bravos tonight. Not that he would have helped.

ravo to Kurtis “Nip” for exposing his

chest at the senior photo yesterday. #FreeTheNipple.

oo to the couples who spent Valentine’s Day together and posted about it. No one is actually happy for you.

8 Tiger - Friday, February 20, 2015

CIF Sports

Friday, February 20, 2015 - Tiger

Page by Stephanie Kim Text by Julian Prime, Andrew Shults & Jordan Xiao Photos by Raj Jain, Tucker Judkins & Matt Scholtz

(7-1-2) - League (9-3-5) Overall

The wrestling team finished league season 0-5 in dual meets, but five individual wrestlers qualified for the CIF regional tournament, to be hosted at Lakeside HS from Friday to Saturday, February 20 to 21. Freshman Irving Perez (106), juniors Caleb St. Julian (120) and Emiliano Sornoso (145), and seniors Julian Lopez (152) and Harry Yun (113) will have to earn fifth place in their respective classes to advance to the Masters tournament, which has not seen an SPHS student in three seasons. CIF-bound members are exercising strict diet regimens to maintain their weights, but otherwise are practicing as usual. “I’m a little nervous since this is my first time going,” Lopez said. “I’m also slightly nervous to wrestle against some wrestlers since many of them are Masters qualifiers and state placers.” /Jordan Xiao

(0-5) in dual meets; Five advance

(10-0) - League (21-1) Overall

Boys’ soccer clinched a CIF berth this season, along with the Rio Hondo League title. The Tigers held the first place spot in the standings for the majority of the season, but gave up its exclusivity in the second to last game of the season when Monrovia moved into first as well. The two teams now shared first place. The Tigers, however, reclaimed the sole position when they beat San Marino and Monrovia tied Blair in the final game of the season. Seniors Jordan Jackmon and Ramon Gutierrez’s 1-2 punch spearheaded the Tigers’ offensive attack all season. The Tigers’ defense was anchored by seniors Oscar Jaime III and Kevin Yonami, who stepped up when fellow senior Patrick Nelson was out for a large portion of the season with a concussion. /Julian Prime

WRESTLING Girls’ basketball took the Rio Hondo League title for the first time since 1999, finishing the season 10-0. South Pasadena dominated in Rio Hondo play, winning most games by over 30 points. The Tigers’ lone scare was during their second game against La Cañada, when the Spartans forced the match into overtime. However, South Pasadena took control of the game with junior Kristen Kafkaloff stepping up, leading the Tigers to a 60-55 win. The team already has playoff experience under its belt, with seven returning varsity players. Last year, the Tigers advanced to the semifinals of CIF, before falling to Inglewood. However, they earned a berth into the CIF Division III state playoffs, defeating Sierra High School before falling to Lakeside. This year, they hope to build upon their previous success and go far in CIF. /Andrew Shults

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL BOYS’ SOCCER

CIF SPORTS Season summaries for CIF bound teams

BOYS’ BASKETBALL (8-2) - League (17-7) - Overall

Boys’ basketball has already advanced to the second round of CIF with a 67-49 win over Burroughs Ridgecrest on Wednesday, but the road getting there was not easy. The team’s thrilling season came to a photo finish with a 55-46 victory over the San Marino Titans, which clinched the Rio Hondo championship for the Tigers. Completing the season with an impressive 8-2 record, the team had its ups and downs as it fought for the title with such basketball powerhouses as La Cañada and Temple City. The Tigers started their season off with a strong 4-0 record, barely edging La Cañada 62-58 in front of a Tiger home crowd, electrifying the season only two games in. In their next game, the Tigers hosted the San Marino Titans, and dropped a disappointing 53-37 game, which marked the beginning of a poorly timed slump. Because of this, the Tigers were put in a winner takes all situation going into the final game of the season. In the end, however, the team came through in the clutch, defeating the rival Titans in a heated battle. /Julian Prime

TIGER - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Feature

Out and About

The Arts Crawl is coming to South Pasadena on Saturday, February 21. The event, which displays works of local artists in area businesses, starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. In conjunction with the Arts Crawl, the Fremont Centre Theater is hosting Performance Night, with presentations showcasing singers, dancers, comics, and actors. /Faye Witherall

Peer mediation: help is on the way By Kevin Park Staff Writer

Stephanie Kim

GOLDEN KEY WINNERS Back row L to R: Katerina Levandis, A ‎ aron Ogita, Lauren Richards, Matthew Ng, Ross Lelieur. Front row L to R: Denise Huang, Lily Round, Maya Crain, Faith Kawakami, and Somi Jun (not pictured).

Student writers and artists earn 90 awards By Ross Lelieur Staff Writer A total of 55 individuals from South Pasadena High School won awards as part of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards western region. From both the writing and art categories, SPHS students collectively earned 90 accolades. The awards for writing were broken into three categories: Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention. Of the 80 writing awards received by South Pasadena students, 13 were Gold Keys and the remaining 67 awards were Silver Keys or Honorable Mentions. The Gold Key recipients

in both art and writing will move on to the national level of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Their works, along with award-winning works from other regions of the competition, will be resubmitted to a jury of luminaries. “I wasn’t surprised by the number of students who won regional awards this year because I knew going into the competition how strong our student writing was,” AP English Language instructor Ms Diane Shires said. The Western Region-At-Large encompasses California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, and is the largest region in the

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. South Pasadena students face a consistently competitive awards landscape each year due to the size of the participant pool. Over 300,000 students have entered the national competition for 2015, which offers a multitude of scholarship opportunities for finalists. Prizes include a $10,000 scholarship for Portfolio Gold Award winners in addition to the millions of dollars offered by colleges and universities partnered with the Alliance for Young Authors and Writers. For the full list of winners, go to pg. 13

Campus supervisor Ms Rebecca Hippenmeyer and freshman Will Hoadley-Brill are spearheading the reestablishment of a peer mediation program at South Pasadena High School. The program is currently in its training and planning stages and will be ready for implementation in about three weeks. Peer mediation is training about 20 students to be peer mediators who will help teachers, administrators, and other students solve their interpersonal problems. “In a nutshell, the goal of this group is to teach students empathy, tolerance, and leadership skills in order to empower them to make positive changes in school climate,” Hippenmeyer said. “Some of our group goals are to become better problem solvers, change campus culture, and get to know new people.” The program used to exist at SPHS until its leader Ms Janet Wichman left the school for an administration position at the district office. Now that Wichman has returned as vice principal, she has urged Hippenmeyer, who has experience in social work, to lead peer mediation. The program had its first training session last Wednesday, February 11, at 7 a.m. Hoadley-Brill led the session and has been training peer mediators for about two years. He received his own experience from a similar program at the middle school. The peer mediators were recruited through a combination of teacher referrals, recommendations, and volunteers. After training, these students should be able to act as neutral mediators between conflicting interests on campus.

Matt Scholtz

Freshman Will Hoadley-Brill leads discussion during a peer mediation session in the library tutoring room.

Personality Profile: Elise Matsusaka By Karen Hsueh Copy Editor

Senior Elise Matsusaka’s playful interest in art is visible in the way she embroiders her stuffed animals with their names. For many students, this fascination would not translate into anything tangible, but Matsusaka has allowed it to nourish one of SPHS’s fastest growing organizations. Matsusaka is known on campus for her intelligence and fashion sense, but only recently have people found out that she is the highest scoring decathlete in the history of Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon. Out of 500 students on 55 teams, Matsusaka had the highest combined score of 9,119.2 points out of 10,000 points possible in 10 subjects ranging from mathematJenny Luo ics to essay writing. “[Matsusaka] knows how Senior Elise Matsusaka was the first student in the L.A. to get work done,” senior and County Academic Decathlon program to break 9,000 points. fellow decathlete Oscar Gar-

cia said. “And not only can she do this, but she also helps other people to achieve their maximum potentials as well.” Matsusaka’s role as the copresident of the SPHS Academic Decathlon team has allowed it to score higher than ever before, with a shot at placing in the state and national Academic Decathlon competitions. Although team members are chosen by test scores and not experience, Matsusaka has been on the main competitive team for every year since the program’s inception in the 2012-2013 school year. “At first, I thought Academic Decathlon looked really challenging, which intrigued me,” Matsusaka said. “I was also really inspired by Mr. Valcorza and everyone on the team. I felt like all along there was something of a shared vision that we would do really well, and that created a lot of good energy and motivation, so I loved the environment.”

Matsusaka’s passion for learning goes beyond the realm of Academic Decathlon. Although she is a well-rounded student in terms of academics, her favorite subjects are science and language. In her free time, she likes to binge-watch movies, search up fashion runway shows, and cook. “I like to paint my nails and travel with my family, but my passions lie in food. I like to try lots of restaurants,” Matsusaka said. “I really like art, but I like consuming it, not producing it.” Even though Matsusaka has plenty of personal accomplishments under her belt, she credits her success to teamwork. “If you work hard alone, you alone will do well, but if you work hard as a team and put energy into motivating everyone then you all do well together,” Matsusaka said. “Winning feels best when you have friends to share it with.”

Feature

Kingsman is a clever twist on classic spies By Ross Lelieur Staff Writer 4/5

It’s been a while since the world has been threatened and subsequently saved in the over-the-top, theatrical fashion of a classic spy film. Kingsman: The Secret Service brings this sense of incredulous implausibility back to the silver screen, while also combining elements of satire and new action cinema in a winning, if at times graphic, union. Based off a series of acclaimed comic books, Kingsman details the entry of Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) into a shadowy organization of spies known as the Kingsmen. Eggsy is eager to join the Kingsmen, and endures the rigorous selection process to its final round, only to wash out at the last moment. He is drawn back into the dangerous game, however, when a classically megalomaniacal and lisping villain, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), plots to thin the world’s population. A certain air of irreverence and humor permeates the film, which spoofs the spy film genre. Well-dressed and suave heroes, vainglorious villains, and deadly henchmen all seem to take part in a smart form of appraising mockery. Kingsman clearly does not take its whimsical, satiric plot seriously, an attitude shown through an abundance of amusing scenes. One scene in particular comes to mind, in which a character attempts to take a sip of vintage liquor, only to be killed and have that glass taken by a second character, who suffers the same deadly fate. That said, Kingsman is rated R for good reason. Instead of the more sedate, clean violence of James Bond, this film opts for gruesome and prolonged viciousness, that is more often shocking and unnecessary than it is stylish. A few scenes in particular are so tastelessly violent, it is easy to imagine the director getting lost in a fit of bloodlust, forgetting completely the doctrine of moderation. Kingsman is an intelligently executed piece of satire, as is demonstrated through its tone and writing. Those with weak stomachs might prefer to skip the film, however, as its copious and startling violence is difficult to overlook. Still, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a surprisingly well-done film that perfectly suits the casual moviegoing of the post-awards season.

Friday, February 20. 2015 - Tiger

Teacher Profile: Eric Ketchum By Faye Witherall Assoc. Feature Editor Ask most 12-year-olds what they want to do for a career, and they’ll probably shrug. But Mr. Eric Ketchum had a very sure answer at that age. In his eighth grade algebra class, he learned a proof that taught him two things. First, a negative number multiplied by a positive results in a negative. But more importantly, Ketchum realized that he wanted to teach math in the future. “This was the first thing [that had ever] made sense in my head,” Ketchum said. “I was like, wow, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” His aspiration has since turned into reality. Ketchum teaches Advanced Algebra at SPHS, and has substituted for almost every math class on campus. The Cal-Poly Pomona graduate is also a substitute at the middle school for all subjects. It’s only been a year since he started teaching full-time at South Pasadena High School, but he’s already developed a reputation as funny, engaging, and enthusiastic. Ketchum uses humor to engage his students and help them remember math terms. During one lesson, Mr. Ketchum introduced factoring as “The F-Word.” Students laughed at the initial joke, and the lesson stuck: students walked out the door discussing their “F-Word” homework. But even without his characteristic rhymes or puns, Ketchum’s teaching skills are strong. He paused during our inter-

Matt Scholtz

Outside of school, Mr. Eric Ketchum has interests in model trains, radio control cars, dirtbikes, and surfing. view to help a sophomore understand domain and range. He made no jokes in his brief lesson, but his student was able to graph the function after just two minutes. “I try to keep my classes in a fun atmosphere. Fun, but structured,” Ketchum said. “That’s my personality too, so it comes natural.” In addition to teaching and humor, Ketchum has a hidden talent. During the Color Day assembly in November, teachers danced to Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, and students noted one teacher who stood out: Ketchum, in his orange apron and white chef ’s hat, was among the most fierce and rhythmic dancers. He had been practicing for a week, first in his kitchen at home and then in front of his students during class. Ketchum is first and fore-

most a math teacher, but he’s also an enthusiastic arbiter of school spirit. “I did my student teaching in Pomona. I did it at a high school and at a middle school for about six months total,” Ketchum said. “It’s definitely much more positive here, and I like that. And [the students] are more willing to help each other.” Mr. Ketchum’s favorite subject to teach is Advanced Algebra because he appreciates the diversity of students ranging from freshmen to seniors. He hopes to teach more full-time courses in addition to Advanced Algebra, as he enjoys all math subjects. Decisions made at age 12 are often regretted. Thankfully, that’s not the case for Mr. Eric Ketchum, whose students and school are reaping the benefits from his lifelong passion.

filmpulse.net

An adaptation of The Secret Service comic books, Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman is fitting for the post-awards season.

STUDENT LIFE: Musicians in tune with technology By Jake Swayze Assoc. Opinion Editor With the rise of SoundCloud and the Internet as a whole, it is becoming easier for musicians to create and promote music without the help of a record label. Now more than ever, the creation of music is in the hands of the artists. South Pasadena High School is home to a number of students who have decided to take advantage of the increasing democratization of music, and progress from simply listening to creating their own work. These students musicians use Internet resources to both create and maintain a following. Janelane, for example, is a band comprising juniors Lucas Cerejido and Jake Levy, as well as non-SPHS students Alex Hardy and Sophie Negrini. This garage pop outfit posts regular updates on Facebook and Instagram, and uploads music to SoundCloud and Bandcamp. For live music performances, such as their most recent show at Amplyfi and their upcoming performance at Westridge, members blur the line be-

tween face-to-face and virtual interaction by soliciting online RSVPs from real, live people. “We try to talk up our band at school and to our friends as much as we can, but we also rely a lot on social media,” Levy said. Similarly, senior Samuel HoadleyBrill has cultivated an online presence under the moniker Lez Majesty. He not only harvests beats from fellow musicians on SoundCloud, but also uploads and promotes his own. Hoadley-Brill zealously promoted his latest work, dubbed “The Gringo EP,” via Facebook and lunchtime playlists. But as instrumental as the Internet has been in his music, face-to-face interaction still plays an irreplaceable role in creativity: Hoadley-Brill frequently collaborates with close friend and senior Roy Mabie, aka roydanmab on Twitter and SoundCloud, and participates in the L.A. hip-hop community via a group called Locco Lingo. Despite the rise of online platforms for musicians to distribute their music, the restrictions for student songwriters can be substantial. Recording

equipment is expensive, and professional mics and studio time don’t come easily to full-time high schoolers. Still, students have found creative ways to bypass these boundaries. Senior Julia Primuth, known at SPHS as a vocal powerhouse and frequent musical lead, records her music via iPhone voice memos and posts them to Facebook. Janelane uses Garage Band and professional mics gifted to them by senior Lulu Henry’s family. Hoadley-Brill and Mabie use a Snowball Mic and the Ableton Live Suite app for the Macbook. “I may not have the resources to make music [that’s as] high-quality as famous and accomplished musicians, but what really matters is the passion that I possess,” Hoadley-Brill said. Regardless of what career awaits them beyond high school, these SPHS musicians have the option of producing music indefinitely, thanks to new and accessible Internet resources. And whatever the future of technology, the music these students have produced in the past few years will never be lost: as they say, the Internet is forever.

Raj Jain

Courtesy of Lucas Cerejido

Student musicians bridge the gap between the virtual and face-to-face with their live performances.

TIGER - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

Feature

The Boy Friend begins production

Directions to Little Tokyo via Metro: 1. Board the train at South Pasadena Station. 2. After seven stops, get off at the Little Tokyo / Arts District Station.

By Alex Nakagawa Assoc. Sports Editor The drama department’s musical production of The Boy Friend began rehearsals Thursday, February 19. The cast was announced on February 10, and contains an unprecedented number of freshmen: 10 of the 24 cast members are in the Class of 2018. Director Mr. Daniel Enright is looking forward to working with the unusual number of new faces that have emerged from the student body. “I was very excited about all of the new talent that came to the auditions,” Enright said. “This is a very tough musical to do, as it requires actors who are triple threats, who can dance, sing, and act. I am very confident in the cast’s musical ability this year.” The Boy Friend is a musical written by Sandy Wilson and is set in the Roaring Twenties. Polly (Alana Carmona) is an English heiress at Madame Dubonnet’s (Tru Pierone) Boarding School for Girls. Longing for a boy to fall in love with, she eventually meets the seemingly poor messenger boy Tony (Abraham Szilagyi), and a romantic comedy ensues. The musical’s score and dance numbers recreate the nostalgia of the spoofed love themes that were popular in the 1920s. Enright reports that the musical will likely cost the same amount as last year’s $20,000 production of Beauty and the Beast. The Boy Friend will mainly be funded by the South Pasadena Booster Club, as well as other fundraisers in the next two months. South Pasadena Choir and Arroyo Seco Ensemble director Lia Donovan will be the musical director. Enright is still searching for a choreographer. The musical will premiere on May 1 and have a second show on May 2. “It was quite terrifying to get up and sing on the stage by myself for the audition,” freshman Lucy Ellers said. “But I’m excited to work with all of my fellow cast members.”

CAST SENIORS: Madame Dubonnet: Tru Pierone Maisie: Julia Primuth Lord Brockhurst: Andrew Zableckis JUNIORS: Tony: Abraham Szilagyi Lady Brockhurst: Madison Sewell Hortense: Emily Shishima SOPHOMORES: Dulcie: Cindy Tsai Polly: Alana Carmona Fay: Lorie Meza FRESHMEN: Percival: Adam Fagerson Bobby: Dawson Galluzi Nancy: Katie Chabot

Elusive tea house and Heck Yeah Karaoke By Olivia Nouriani & Faye Witherall Tiger Staff The three of us stepped off the Metro Friday evening and rounded the corner to face a bustling Little Tokyo. We had sworn to have a technology-free evening, and as a result, somehow found ourselves in a shop selling intricate Zippo lighters. The owner sat at a counter, strumming a guitar. We asked him for directions to Four Leaf Tea House, our goal destination, but the man just spun in his chair and nodded ambiguously, continuing to strum the F-chord. Only

slightly alarmed, we decided technology would be acceptable if we needed to call the police. Photographer Matt Scholtz decided we should preserve this moment of friendship with plastic “I <3 L.A.” bracelets. After our purchase, we gave in to the temptation of Google Maps to direct us to the cafe. Even armed with smartphones, it took us 40 minutes of circling to find the little shop. Matt examined the menu and declared, “You know, I’m not really a tea person.” Exasperated, we ordered the “Snow White,” which came with high praise

Marcel: Mateo Diaz Pierre: Thomas Sawano Alphonse: Anders Keith

Matt Scholtz

CHORUS SENIORS: Tae Nam James Tom JUNIORS: Natalie Lizama SOPHOMORES: Ariana Woodworth Charlie Primuth Charlotte Emerson

from Tiger’s graphic design artist and the evening’s coordinator Michael Stukan. We were soon greeted with a warm apple pie-esque crepe, filled with apples and ice cream, and covered with a topping suspiciously similar to croutons. We made our way to the center of town, where a crowd gathered to observe amateur karaoke. Giggling, we pulled each other on stage and took turns belting Taylor Swift at a lukewarm audience. We haven’t decided yet whether the humiliation was worth the entertainment, but the MC of Heck Yeah Karaoke cheered us on, and that’s all the validation we really need. It was 9 p.m., and we returned to the Metro Station. The area had grown less-than-amicable, and we boarded the train quickly, hoping to avoid some of the shadier characters who were starting to surface. The night ended with freshbaked cookies in Olivia’s kitchen. While we wrapped the extra cookie dough to store, our plastic charm bracelets jangled to remind us of two things: first, how fun our trip had been and second, we really did <3 L.A.

You are suffering from extreme “Senioritis”

FRESHMEN: Elisa Jin Lucy Eller Tiffany Chen Miles Mendoza

Personality Profile: Benny Feldmann By Petra Barbu Opinion Editor

Tucker Judkins

Senior Benny Feldmann is known as the student behind the ASB videos. In person, his character is just as, if not more, off-topic.

Behind a pair of box glasses and a colorful buttonup, senior Benny Feldmann is a handful of contradictions. I ran into him at The Last Bookstore this weekend, where he was checking out pieces by Bruce Lee as well as, of course, Sartre. He also reads books about Buddhism and meditates, which he likens to having a superpower. That’s a little off-topic, but that’s the way Benny Feldmann works. To capture all of his offtopic ideas, Feldmann carries around small notebooks in his pockets. He draws to decompress and writes short stories constantly, and has won a Gold Key from the Scholastic Art and Writing awards. In true Benny fashion, this award-winning story featured a mango salesman who was awful at his job and ended up puking coffee and mangoes at a bad job interview for Inteligentsia Coffee. Feld-

mann has furthered his love for writing by collaborating with Tunnel, an online magazine that showcases student art, and attending a four-week writing session at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA). Writing is Feldmann’s passion, one that he hopes to turn into a career. His dream job is writing for a TV show, because it allows for the right amount of “newness.” This is especially important for Feldmann, who is both easily bored and self-described as “obsessive.” Jumping from topic to topic in conversation, he describes his many interests with a sheepish smile. He’s starting to get into anime, watching shows like Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, and Akira. His music taste is no more concrete: he loves punk, but also listens to music from the 70’s and 80’s like Hall & Oates, as well as experimental electronica with hip hop overtones like Flying Lotus.

Feldmann centers much of his life around Academic Decathlon, which took first place in L.A. County last week. If that seems too normal, never fear. Feldmann loves AcaDeca because the team is an interesting mix of “outsiders” from different groups and classes, and the material spans all subjects, which works perfectly for his varied interests and short attention span. Another of his obsessions is Penn Jillette, an outspoken libertarian who dropped out of clown school and has made numerous appearances in assembly videos through Feldmann’s work as the ASB videographer. Much like his short stories, Feldmann’s videos incorporate strange and often outrageous events in otherwise ordinary situations. Perhaps that’s the best way to describe Benny Feldmann: in the routine and mundane situation of high school, he’s a strange, outrageous, and memorable moment.

Friday, February 20, 2015 - Tiger

Feature

Jupiter Ascending is style without substance Actual statements overheard on campus this week.

By Karen Hsueh Copy editor 2/5

The Wachowski director pair has, once again, created a visually stimulating experience that fails to capitalize on enormous potential. On paper, Jupiter Ascending is set for success: A-list actors, vivid graphics, fresh ideas, and dynamic fight sequences made it one of the more anticipated films of 2015. However, a slew of underdeveloped ideas ruin the plotline and character develop-

ment, two elements the film needed to keep audiences engaged. Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) and her single, immigrant mother move to Chicago after losing Jupiter’s father. Life takes a turn for the unexpected when Jones meets human-wolf hybrid, Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) and finds out that the Earth is a part of her inheritance from her past life as an alien queen. The Abrasax family, a power-hungry trio of siblings, is determined to add Earth to their individual collection of planets, so the siblings each try to manipulate Jones for themselves.

nerdrating.com

Jupiter Ascending is another stylish but confusing disappointment from the Wachowski directors of Matrix trilogy fame.

Jones and Wise must work together to stop the trio from destroying the Earth and its inhabitants. The movie has innovative ideas, ranging from invisible hovercrafts to zero-gravity combat boots, but all of this exposition only makes the plotline more confusing. The two hours and seven minute runtime is packed with a plethora of fight scenes, complicated alien politics, detailed graphics, forced romance, and, ultimately, headache. Furthermore, the overwhelming amount of elements made the movie feel rushed and eliminated opportunities for character development. The film undoubtedly had potential, but in this case, too much style led to a clear lack of substance. The cast features plenty of award-winning actors, almost all of whom disappointed. Golden Globewinning Eddie Redmayne demands barely any screen presence with his whispery voice and tasteless costumes. Tatum has perhaps two facial expressions throughout the entire movie, and zero chemistry with Kunis, who, without character development, comes off as a senseless and weak lead. The film’s special effects sequences matched and perhaps even surpassed those of any recent blockbuster. Unfortunately, a confusing storyline combined with mediocre acting made Jupiter Ascending a two-hour descent into disappointment.

Press release for the Scholastic Awards Fifty-five South Pasadena High School students receive 90 Western Region awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition this week. Over 300,000 students grades 7 through 12 participated nationally in this year’s Scholastic competition, in categories ranging from Critical Essay Writing to Poetry to Photography. South Pasadena participates in the Western Region-At-Large, which includes California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and Wyoming. The following South Pasadena Regional winners earn Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key Awards: Writing Categories: Emily Armstrong (HM), Evelyn Beadle (HM) (HM), Mallory Campbell (HM), Lucas Cereijido (HM),Christopher Chan (HM) (S), Erik Chan (HM), Yiyuan Chen (S), Olivia Chiu (S) (HM), Hee Su (Noelle) Cho (HM) (HM), Maya Crain (G) (HM), Sarah Garcia (S), Raymond Gilmartin (HM), Casey Gutierrez (HM) (HM), Ehsan Hamden (HM) (HM), Madeline Hellwig (S), Winston Hibler (HM), Denise Huang (HM) (HM) (G), Somi Jun (S) (G) (G), Tatiana Karme (HM), Faith Kawakami (HM) (G) (HM) (S), Jeanne Kim (S), John Lee (HM) (HM) (HM), Ross Lelieur (G) (G), Katerina Levandis (G) (G), Maddie Lizzul (HM) (HM), Naomi Low (S) (HM) (S), Max Luck (S), Grace Meier (HM), Eddy Moon (HM), Sandra Moore (S), Dashel Murawski (HM)(S), Sarah Muzquiz (HM) (S), Matthew Ng (G), Aaron Ogita (G), Karis Park (HM), Jenny Pon (HM) (HM), Lauren Richards(G), Kristopher Rollert (HM), Lily Round (G) (S), Emily Shishima (S) (HM), Jaehyeon Song (S), Maia Thomas (HM) (HM), Jessica Tse (HM), Changhai Wang (HM), Cameron Waters (HM) (HM) (HM), Ania Webb (S), Maaike Wielenga (S) (S), Xinyu Xu (HM) Art Categories: Ji Young (Sarah) Ahn (HM), Hee Su (Noelle) Cho (HM), Denise Huang (HM), Tei Park (G), Suki Sekula (S) (HM) (HM) (G) (S), Michelle Sun (HM) Gold Key Award winners go on to National Competition, announced on March 16, 2015, when novel writing awards will be announced as well. Last year, SPHS senior Lena Gavenas, Gold Key National Winner for Critical Essay Writing, along with SPHS English teacher Diane Shires, were invited to National Ceremonies at Carnegy Hall in New York City, with Lena winning a Gold Medal in Critical Writing at the National Award Ceremonies in June, 2014. Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Teacher Awards for 2015 include SPHS teachers Ben Arnold, Kim Kadletz, Aimee Levie and Diane Shires. For more information, go to www.artandwriting.org Courtesy of Diane Shires.

Sports

Tiger - Friday, February 20, 2015

Harry Yun By Jordan Xiao & Sandy Grossman Tiger Staff

Raj Jain

Yun brings four years of varsity wrestling experience with him to the mat, making him a hard force to pin down.

Contrary to popular perception, size is not always a deciding factor in a wrestling match. Weighing in at 113 pounds, senior Harry Yun dominates the mat with formidable speed and technique honed by four years of experience. Yun has become one of the Tigers’ most consistent wrestlers since joining the South Pasadena varsity wrestling team as a freshman. He has earned a coach’s award every season as well as the honor of “most improved” for his junior year. Yun’s origins with the team are partly from spending time with his older

brother James. “My brother and I roughhoused a lot and wrestling was part of that,” Harry said of his brother. “[James] influenced me to work hard.” The two wrestled side by side in CIF 2014, with James at 113 pounds and Harry at 106. Yun is one of five Tigers representing SPHS in this year’s CIF tournament, to which he advanced after placing second for 113 pounds at Rio Hondo league finals in late January. In last year’s tournament, Yun defeated the 106 pound third place winner in his first match, but unfavorable bracket seeding prevented him from advancing to the Masters tournament.

“Competition this year is tough and advancing to the Masters tournament will be challenging, but I believe I have what it takes to accomplish just that,” Yun said. “[Since] falling short of placing last year, my mentality has never been more focused.” As a lightweight wrestler, Yun’s most important assets are his speed and technique, which, coupled with an impressive work ethic, helped Yun reach his present status as one of the Tigers’ best. “[Yun] is not one to shy away from a hard wrestling practice,” coach Al Shuton said. “He’s a very solid wrestler, and we can count on him to do what he needs to do.”

Lexie Scholtz By Sarah Stukan Print Managing Editor The phrase “ball is life” is an understatement of senior Lexie Scholtz’s commitment to basketball. Scholtz, the current SPHS varsity girls’ basketball’s co-captain and point guard, prepped for her final high school season with a loaded training schedule. After spending the fall attending practice five to six days a week, working out in the weight room, completing a running regimen, and seeing a personal trainer, Scholtz’s work came to fruition: the Tigers are entering CIF play as undefeated league champions. “We really want to carry this momentum into CIF and I’m really hoping we can go

all the way this year,” Scholtz said. “Honestly, I feel like the culmination of all we’ve done, all the work we’ve put in, all the struggles we’ve been through, and all we’ve not quite accomplished would be worth it if we could reach that goal.” Over the course of four years on the team, Scholtz has become a complete player, armed with mental toughness in addition to her physical abilities. She has averaged 18.3 points per game this season and accomplished a goal she set in seventh grade: playing college ball. Scholtz has been recruited by Johns Hopkins University and will major in biomedical engineering in the fall. She selected Hopkins for its undergraduate research opportunities and its renown in

scientific studies. “I’m interested in the more neurological side of biomedicine or something like really high-tech prostheses,” Scholtz said. Scholtz’s other pastimes include a vast array of creative activities. She sculpts, creates duct tape wallets, and currently serves as the editor of the “People” section for Copa de Oro, the campus yearbook. Although Scholtz is grateful for her various wins and titles, it’s the small details that make their lasting impression on her. “Whether it’s suffering in the ice baths together, our annual trips to Disneyland, our movie nights, our Christmas party sleepovers, or someone saying something dumb that’s really funny, it’s all been so much fun and I want to remember it all,” Scholtz said.

Stephanie Kim

Scholtz plans to bring her same level of play to Johns Hopkins University in the fall.

Wrestling sends five to CIF By Jordan Xiao & Sandy Grossman Tiger Staff An elite wrestling squad is training hard in order to extend its 2014-2015 season and advance beyond the first round of CIF for the first time in three years. Freshman Irving Perez (106), juniors Emiliano Sornoso (145) and Caleb St. Julian (120), and seniors Julian Lopez (152) and Harry Yun (113) will represent South Pasadena in the CIF Coastal tournament at Lakeside High School from February 20 to 21. While the regular season has finished, the CIF qualifiers have put in additional effort to remain competitive for the upcoming tournament. “We’re basically focusing on the fundamentals and skills,” head coach Al Shuton said of the team’s preparations. “It’s business as usual for us, and the most important thing is to keep the team focused and working hard.”

The five CIF-bound Tigers qualified by placing as their respective classes’ top three athletes at the Rio Hondo league finals three weeks ago. The wrestlers will have to place in the top five this weekend to advance to the prestigious Masters tournament, which has not seen a representative from South Pasadena High in the past three seasons. “I’m super pumped about making CIF this year,” Lopez, who missed last year’s CIF by a single match point, said. “I was able to redeem myself since last year by making sure I did my best [at league finals].” Despite occasional shortfalls in performance this season, Shuton is confident in the Tigers’ ability to grapple with some of the best wrestlers in the region. “It’s going to be tough. There are a lot of variables and factors that are beyond our control,” Shuton said. “If we get all our boys wrestling at full potential, the sky’s the limit.”

Raj Jain

The wrestling team will send five wrestlers to the CIF Coastal Tournament today and tomorrow. The team hopes to represent SPHS at Masters.

Sports

Friday, February 20, 2015 - Tiger

Boys’ soccer claims league title and CIF berth Boys’ Soccer South Pasadena’s JV soccer team ended its season with a 6-4 league record and a total record of 8-6-2. The Tigers opened their league season with a 4-0 victory at Blair but lost their next game 5-0 to La Cañada. This theme held true throughout the first half of the season, and the team finished 3-2. In the second half of the season, the Tigers lost to powerhouses La Cañada and Monrovia again but etched out their second victory of the year against rival San Marino. The team is now working with varsity for its CIF playoff game today at 3:00 p.m.

Girls’ Soccer

The JV girls’ soccer team ended its season third place in league with a record of 2-4-2. The team had a rocky start, losing to both Monrovia and La Cañada. However, it improved to tie and later beat Temple City and San Marino, ending the season on a successful note. “We improved a lot throughout the course of the season, and it really showed in our last game against San Marino,” sophomore Isabel Barbera said.

Wrestling February marks the end of the regular wrestling season and the beginning of CIF, but for the JV squad, this is where the season ends. The team has participated in eight tournaments since its first one on November 29. The team also traveled to Monrovia High School to participate in league finals. Most of the players plan to continue on and wrestle next year in hopes of making it onto varsity.

Boys’ Basketball The boys’ JV basketball team ended Rio Hondo League with a 2-6 record after Thursday’s loss to rival San Marino. The team claimed its two wins over the Monrovia Wildcats. “Although we only went two and six in league, our overall record was pretty good and we really came together as a team,” captain Scott Kawakami said. “I’m really proud of the way we played every game and I can’t wait for next season.”

Girls’ Basketball Girls’ JV basketball chalked up its final victory of the season after Thursday’s win against rival San Marino. This marks the second time the team has taken first place in the Rio Hondo League with a 7-0 finish. “Our whole team had good chemistry and our coaches were really good at teaching us,” captain Juliana Tom said.

Girls’ Water Polo Girls’ JV water polo’s league season came to a close with a win over San Marino on Thursday, February 12. The victory brought its Rio Hondo record to 8-2, marking a successful season for the Tigers. The squad lost lead offensive player junior Devun Burt halfway through the season as she moved up to varsity, but maintained its unity and work ethic to finish the season on a high note. The young team’s hard work throughout the season has conditioned many players to be ready to move on to varsity next year.

Tucker Judkins

Senior Jordan Jackmon crosses the ball during the Tigers’ 4-1 victory over San Marino. The win, coupled with a Monrovia tie, clinched the Rio Hondo league title for South Pas. By Julian Prime Sports Editor Boys’ soccer will take on the Chadwick High School Dolphins later today in a CIF Division VI round one matchup. The Tigers clinched a playoff berth and the Rio Hondo division title last Friday when they beat San Marino 4-1 and Monrovia tied with Blair.

With this, the Tigers stood as the undisputed number one in the Rio Hondo standings, automatically clinching them a spot in CIF playoffs. On the other side, despite coming in third place in the Prep league, the Dolphins were granted a CIF spot via an at-large bid. The first place Tigers finished the season with a 7-1-2 record in league and a 9-3-5 total record. The Dolphins finished with a

4-3-1 record in league, and a 6-3-1 overall. Winning the league title wasn’t a walk in the park for the Tigers, who had to overcome their fair share of obstacles to prove themselves as the top contenders. The Tigers lost senior defender Patrick Nelson for a large portion of the season, leaving uncertainty in the South Pas defense. However, solid play in the backfield by seniors Oscar Jaime III and Kevin Yonami kept the Tigers from falling behind. In addition, the team had to overcome a difficult slump in the middle of the season after starting off incredibly strong. The Tigers swept the league in their first playthrough, going 5-0 with wins over each team. After two consecutive thrilling last-minute victories over Monrovia and San Marino, the Tigers suffered a devastating loss to Blair, lowering team morale and breaking the streak. The Tigers couldn’t muster up another electric win and tied 1-1 to La Cañada in their next game, giving up the undisputed first place spot to Monrovia. The team bounced back with a 2-0 win over a weak Temple City team, but tied Monrovia the next game, keeping both the Tigers and Wildcats in contention for first place. The title would come down to the final game of the season. The Tigers played La Cañada, and the Wildcats played Blair. The Tigers beat the Titans handily, and the Wildcats tied, making South Pasadena the undisputed Rio Hondo champions. The Tigers are looking to make it far in CIF, starting with a win over Chadwick. The game will be at 3:00 p.m. at home on Friday, February 20.

Girls’ soccer ends 2-7-1 season By Marion Wood Staff Writer Girls’ soccer struggled during its 20142015 season, finishing with a 2-7-1 record after falling to San Marino in its final game last Thursday, February 12. This is the second year that the Tigers have not been successful in league, after a tough coaching transition last year. The program was upended when the previous head coach retired with little notice, prompting the school to hurriedly find a replacement. The players had trouble adjusting to new head coach Robert Gallo and placed third in the Rio Hondo League. This year, the team placed fifth, a new low for the Tigers. Despite its league record, the team steadily improved throughout the season. The

girls began to communicate better and work together as a team. In the beginning of the season, they had some difficult games against Monrovia and San Marino. They beat Blair twice but could not come out on top against any other league opponents. The team did, however, have its first tie near the end of the season against Temple City in a hard-fought 0-0 game that was very evenly matched. The team improved in their next game against the Monrovia Wildcats, letting in only two goals. Finally, the Tigers’ hard work paid off in their game against San Marino on Thursday night. Although they lost 1-0, the Tigers played their best game of the season against the undefeated Titans. “We’re bummed, but we played an amazing game,” senior Iman Hanif said. “I

don’t think we played better all season.” The game marked the last home event of the season, the team honored their graduating seniors: Alyssa Carlos, Jenni Kause, Maddi Kause, Alyssa Acuna, Hanif, Julia Primuth, and captain Jackie Mejia. Their presence will be missed sorely in the future as the Tigers will look to underclassmen for new leadership. The team has a roster full of talented underclassmen. Many of the girls play on club soccer teams and will practice in the offseason. The Tigers have strong potential and hope to improve in the future. “I think the team is going to do well next year,” Primuth said. “There are a lot of strong leaders in the junior class, and I think the incoming freshman will help the overall dynamic.”

Rocky start mars girls’ water polo’s season By Olivia Nouriani Staff Writer Girls’ water polo finished Rio Hondo play with its third win of the season on Thursday, February 12. Its 3-5 league record places the team fourth in league, giving up CIF to La Cañada. The squad’s three wins were to third place La Cañada and to fifth place San Marino. The primary focus of the season has been team-building for the Tigers, and they are proud of the progress that they have made, despite the lack of success in league play. The relatively young and inexperienced squad has come a long way from the fall preseason. Adjusting to new coach Meaghan Pascall was a concern for the team, but she has built a connected and supportive unit, paving the way for success in future seasons. “This season was really about learning to play together as a team and learning to play under a new coach,” sophomore Skyler Ramirez said. “We’ve grown from a group

of girls with different skill levels to a cohesive team able to support each other’s talents.” The loss of leading scorer junior Bianca Vera halfway through the season presented an obstacle for the Tigers, but junior Devun Burt replaced Vera on varsity and came out as top scorer in her first varsity game. The transition was difficult for the team to complete, but it grew closer as a unit in the process.

Talented young players like freshman Hayden Carlson shone throughout the season, and graduating seniors are confident that the team will be left in good hands. The squad’s youth this year will hopefully make for success over the next several years, and the team looks forward to future seasons to meet its full potential as a cooperative and cohesive unit.

Matt Scholtz

Junior Carolyn Halley and her team are looking forward to improving upon their record next year. The team’s progress this season is a promising sign for the future.

Tiger - Friday, February 20, 2015

Sports

Upcoming CIF events Boys’ soccer Today @ Home v. Chadwick 3:30 p.m.

Girls’ basketball Saturday @ San Marino

v. Yucca Valley 7:00 p.m.

Wrestling Today & Saturday @ Lakeside CIF Coastal tourney

KKG with the 411 More than a game By Kira Gabriel Senior Staff Writer

Matt Scholtz

Junior Greg Luck attempts a layup against the Burroughs Ridgecrest Burros in the Tigers’ 67-49 CIF round one victory. The Tigers held off the Burros, advancing to the second round where they will play Servite later today.

Boys’ basketball advances to CIF round two By Jung Su Park Staff Writer The boys’ varsity basketball team advanced to the second round of CIF playoffs on Wednesday, February 18, handing the Burroughs High School Burros a first round elimination from the Division 3A CIF Southern Section playoffs in a 67-49 blowout victory. The Tigers were poised and ready to play right from the start. Senior Christian Lee got loose from his defender to knock down a three-pointer and score the first points of the game for South Pas. Junior Raymond Arismendez sank a pair of three pointers from open looks, contributing to the home team’s strong statement to open up the game. The Tigers gave themselves a seven-point lead at the

end of the first quarter, outscoring the Burros 18-11. In the second quarter, senior Joey Toyama ripped the ball away from an opponent and drove the length of the court to the basket to score a fast break layup against three trailing defenders. In the next Tiger possession, Toyama pulled up for a three to convert a quick five points. Junior Max Luck took the court, stepping up as a defensive force under the basket to block shots and grab rebounds on both ends of the floor. These components of the Tigers’ game synergized to shut down the Burros’ offensive efforts as the Tigers dropped a surging 19 points, keeping the Burros to a mere nine to hold a safe 18-point lead at the half, 37-20. The Tigers cruised through the remaining two quarters. Junior Greg Luck

received a Toyama pass from nearly half court to complete an alley-oop play, firing up the crowd. South Pasadena showed no sign of losing its large advantage as the Tiger offensive firepower proved overwhelming to the Burros. At the start fourth quarter, South Pas coach Dave Lutzeier put all five starters on the bench to rest for next game and brought out the reserve players. Junior Michael Partida knocked down a deep three, putting the crowd on its feet. The pumped up Tigers received a standing ovation and the crowd counted down the last seconds of the game. South Pasadena hopes to avoid elimination from the postseason CIF playoffs and qualify for quarterfinals with a win over the Servite Friars on the road tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Girls’ basketball finishes league undefeated By Ryan Nakamura Staff Writer The final buzzer rang through the gym as the girls’ basketball team won its final league game to become Rio Hondo champions. The Tigers completed their perfect season after defeating rival San Marino last Thursday in a lopsided 66-30 victory to close out Rio Hondo in first place for the first time since 1999. The girls’ overall record of 21-1 was good enough for a second place seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 3A playoffs. The team also received a bye, allowing them to advance into the second round unopposed. “It was great to finally reach our goal of winning league and knowing that our four years of hard work have finally paid off,” senior captain Lexie Scholtz said. “With the same energy we’ve had, we have a good chance of reaching our goals in CIF as well.” The team’s only recorded loss during its entire 2014-2015 was during

the Brea Olinda Lady Cat Classics championships, when the girls lost to Brea Olinda 68-48. The team broke several records this year, including consecutive wins and consecutive league wins, with 19 and 15, respectively. It also surpassed the old record for the most three point shots in a game, with 12, and the largest margin of victory, 86-9 over Blair.

“We learned a lot last year during our playoff run, I think it will help us this year,” coach Tammy Lai said. “We will just take it one game at a time.” South Pasadena’s next game is scheduled against Yucca Valley High School. Due to Saturday Tiger Bingo night at SPHS, the varsity girls will play at San Marino High School on Saturday, February 21 at 7 p.m.

After being mildly coerced earlier in the day into volunteering at the snack stand, I walked into the gym three minutes before the girls basketball game began (and eight minutes after my snack stand shift had started). The first thing I noticed about the players as I watched them finish warming up was their height—or lack thereof. Only one player, Sophia Hathaway, could be classified as “tall,” which was a characteristic I had considered mandatory for basketball. Once the game began, however, it became quite clear that the lack of inches was an advantage for the team: the girls were able to swiftly get past competitors, dribbling around and under Temple City players’ arms. After a few Cup of Noodles sales, I began to notice something more subtle in the playing patterns of the team. Every time a South Pasadena High School girl threw the ball, there was always another there to catch it; I only saw two throws in that game that TC managed to intercept. They didn’t particularly call to each other, either; each girl seemed to intuitively know where the other was, or at least know that someone would be there to catch her throw. The cohesion of the team was astounding, borderline telepathic. Then I realized the most obvious characteristic of all the girls: they were all friends. It clicked in my mind when I recalled the group photos they had all posted on Facebook and Instagram, and the fact that they all sat together at the same table on the Senior Lawn. They weren’t just teammates; they were all good friends outside of the practice gym walls. Watching them play together was enormously entertaining, not just because they are extremely talented individuals, but also because they are so unified as a team. They work together in an ineffable nature, playing with such coherence that they almost seemed to be part of one single, basketball organism. Standing behind the snack stand table, I felt a small pull of longing to be a part of something that united. They do win (they are ranked second in CIF), but the undivided manner in which they win, the way they play truly together, is what makes their games unique and engaging. The girls will play their first CIF games, which begin this Saturday.

[inside]

Wrestling and boys’ soccer prep for CIF matchups later today

Tucker Judkins

Senior Lexie Scholtz drives towards the hoop during South Pas’ game against San Marino. The Tigers finished their 10-0 season with a win over the Titans.

Raj Jain

pages 14 & 15