Tiger Newspaper Vol. XCVIII, No. VIII

Virtual Business succeeds in Oakland

By Devin Mitchell News Editor Virtual Business won several awards at the Bay Area Trade Fair on Sunday and Monday.

Helios, the varsity team, won six awards, including first place in marketing and second place in venture capital.

The team also placed third in salesmanship, a central component of large trade fairs. According to Sid Vyas, the chief operations officer of Helios, it was the first time they had placed in salesmanship at the competition.

“We worked especially hard on that portion,” said Michael de la Torre, the Vice President of Operations. “Our salesmen were set-up beforehand and were wellprepared.”

Members of Helios as well as those of Mistery and DuBass, the junior varsity teams, left for the Bay Area early Sunday morning. They stayed at the Waterfront Hotel in Oakland, where the competition was held. The smaller, oral competitions, such as venture capital, human resources, and marketing plan, took place

on Sunday.

The trade fair, when salesmanship and booth quality are judged, happened on Monday.

The judges are a mix of businesspeople and college professors.

Students had a chance to explore San Francisco on Sunday night, with some going to Pier 39, at the edge of the Fisherman’s Wharf district, and others to the Golden Gate Bridge.

“It went really well,” said Vyas. “Our time isn’t as strictly structured as Bakersfield and we have some freedom.”

The junior varsity teams also had success. DuBass also reached the top ten in six categories, including placing second in the video category.

Mistery was recognized in four areas, the best of which was a third place finish in the catalog category.

“It took months to make [the video] look like that,” said DuBass CEO Alex Fung.

“We did a lot better than Baskersfield [in December]. We prepared a lot for this competition, and I’m really proud of the company,” said Fung.

Teachers offered severance package

By Sofi Goode Feature Editor

Theo Mandin Lee

Seniors Montane Silverman and Jackson Atwater carry GQ King Max White down the aisle at the GQ Assembly on March 9. For more on Powderpuff and GQ, see pages 10 and 11.

Juniors shock seniors with Powderpuff win

By Meghan Roche Staff Writer

Jennifer Kim

Mistery CEO James Jin presents the company’s product line to a potential customer at the Oakland Trade Fair on March 12.

in this issue

5

Opinion:

Mr. Asher on online learning tools, a closer look at the merit of AP classes, and a rebuttal to the criticism of KONY 2012.

12 Feature:

Band director wins a Bravo Award, students apply to study abroad, and seniors prepare for Yosemite.

20 Sports:

Girls track continues to set records, Keaton Leach makes a baseball comeback, and volleyball shines early.

The scoreboard showed a 38-26 junior win at the end of this year’s Powderpuff game, but deafening cries of “SENIORS!” echoed through Ray Solari Stadium as the Class of 2012 swarmed the field, unknowingly celebrating the first senior loss in over a decade.

Many students perceive the event to be rigged; accusations of foul play have ranged from switched scores to biased referees

in years past. But no such meddling appeared to take place in last Friday’s game.

Senior Max White was crowned the GQ King at halftime.

“Every year, the juniors complain that it’s rigged, and this just proves that it’s not,” said junior class advisor Mr. James Jontz. “It’s a fair game, it doesn’t come down to the reffing, your grade…it’s how you play.”

The juniors started the game strong when MVP Sammy Amido See “Powderpuff” on pg. 2

The Public Agency Retirement Service is offering eligible South Pasadena High School employees bonuses for retiring from district employment before June 30.

This program provides retiring or transferring faculty life insurance policies if they resign from their current school district by the end of this school year. It functions independently of CalPERS and CalSTRS—the two retirement organizations for California teachers and administrators. Retirement is optional for the program; those who choose to leave SPUSD may be employed by another school district and still receive the benefits.

“It’s an amount of money in addition to and separate from the retirement amount,” said SPHS mathematics teacher Mrs. Margaret Fullinwider, who is eligible for the PARS benefit package.

Faculty members must be 55 years of age with 55 years of District employment or 50 years of age with 30 years of district employment to be eligible for the deal.

Should a faculty member choose to participate in this program, South Pasadena Unified School District will contribute 85% of his or her salary for the 2011/2012 school year to purchase a life insurance policy from the Pacific Life Insurance Company. This policy will include See “Teachers severance” on pg. 2

Students raise money for Pennies for Patients

By Rhian Moore Assoc. Feature Editor More than just pennies have filled the boxes placed in each classroom to collect spare change for the annual Pennies for Patients fundraiser, which ends tomorrow.

Over $2,000 has been collected during the traditional three-week campaign, which raises money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As of press time, Mr. Paul Groves’ class is in the lead for the prize, while Mr. Mark Afram and Mr. Greg Ring’s classes are in second and third, respectively. The fourth period class that collects the most money will receive free lunch from The Olive Garden.

“I told each student to come up with

one idea to do something above and beyond to raise money,” said Groves, whose class has raised almost $500.

Groves contributed by selling soup in his classroom to students and adding the money to the Pennies for Patients fund.

Sophomores Annie Davis, Paulina Darrett, and Grace Algeo did their part by baking and selling cupcakes, brownies, and cookies.

“We figured no one could resist baked goods that supported a good cause,” said Darrett, who raised $20 with homebaked cupcakes.

Additionally, an Xbox Guitar Hero World Tour Bundle donated by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will be raffled off to a randomly selected student who donated $50 or more.

Katie Whitworth

ASB will finish collecting and counting the money students have been donating to Pennies for Patients on March 16.

In past years, South Pasadena High School has raised varying amounts of money for Pennies for Patients. Students raised over $7,000 to support the Society last year. “[Pennies for Patients]

is something that a lot of schools do every year to give to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” said Commissioner of School and Community senior Brianna Loo. “It’s for a great cause, and I’m happy to run it.”

News 2

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

News

Around Campus

Red Cross holds CPR training exercise

Students worry about absence consequences

By Remeny White Assoc. News Editor

By Shyam Senthilkumar Business Manager Many seats were vacant in senior classes on February 21. This year’s “Senior Ditch Day” led to a disproportionate number of senior absences. After the event, which was not authorized by the high school, rumors circulated that teachers would not allow students to make up the work they missed, regardless of whether the absence was excused or not.

Assistant Principal of Student Services Mr. Terrance Dunn made it clear that teachers were given no such instructions.

“Some students came the next day with parent-signed notes and others didn’t,” said Dunn. “We told all teachers to uphold the standard policy for make-up work. We did not treat the absences any differently.”

Teachers and administrators did not report any knowledge of “Senior Ditch Day” or when it would occur. Only on February 21, after a high percentage of seniors were reported absent, did they figure out the student-planned absence.

Administration conceded that it does not have an effective method of preventing students from ditching. Teachers can’t schedule tests and quizzes on “Senior Ditch Day” without prior knowledge of the date.

However, Dunn stressed the negative impact that “Senior Ditch Day” has on classes.

“Teachers are put in an awkward situation, whether they should move on with the lesson even if half the class is missing, or try and find some other work for the class to do,” said Dunn.

Dunn emphasized that seniors do have a contract to live up to so that they may walk on graduation day. When they choose to ditch class unnecessarily, they leave fewer and fewer days to miss class for legitimate reasons.

From “Teachers” on Page 1 monthly benefits that the former employee would receive along with their pension from CalPERS and CalSTRS. “If someone were considering retirement, it’s a definite bonus,” said Fullinwider. “And for those who were considering it some time in the next couple of years, it would behoove them to sit down and do the math to figure out whether this package or additional years of service would benefit them more.”

The PARS benefit only applies for this school year and is the largest package that SPUSD has ever offered to retiring faculty. Eligible faculty members are required to declare whether they will be returning next year or participating in the PARS program by April 24.

Applications to be a member of the staff of Tiger or Copa de Oro are available now in room 615 and available in PDF form on tigernewspaper.com.

Positions open on Tiger include staff writers, photographers, illustrators, and copy editors. Applications are due March 30 and require students to submit a sample of their work for the position desired. /Clair Fuller

Jennifer Kim

Senior Lillie Moffett performs the “Howl’s Moving Castle” theme song with classmates Lilian Coie, Sooji Hong, and Kellyna Fox.

Instrumental Department hosts Spaghetti Dinner Night

By Rhian Moore Assoc. Feature Editor The sounds of strings, winds, and percussion filled the main gymnasium at Spaghetti Dinner night on March 7. The South Pasadena Instrumental Department put on the annual fundraiser. Proceeds will go towards the SPHS Music Boosters for instrument repairs, additional instructors for Winterline, and competition expenses.

More than 25 different music groups took the stage to perform, and many students joined in small orchestra and band ensembles to serenade attendees. Several students arranged unique and original scores for their groups. One group of percussionists arranged and performed a rendition of “African Sun Walk”. The piece brought new sounds to the night with instruments like xylophones, marimbas, and small bass drums. “[Spaghetti Dinner Night] brings people of all ages to listen to us show what we can do outside of large ensembles,” said se-

nior Lia Lohr, who helped organize the event. Preparations for Spaghetti Dinner Night started at the beginning of the school year.

Doors opened at 5:30 pm, allowing attendees to fill their plates with food and sit down before the music began half an hour later. Lohr and fellow senior Melody Sue introduced each performance.

In addition to the food and the music, merchandise donated by individuals and local businesses such as the Canoe House and Mission Street Yoga were available in an ongoing silent auction throughout the night.

The entertainment, food, and auction items led to increased attendance in comparison to previous years.

“It was really entertaining and the food was pretty good- I had seconds and thirds!” said senior Bryan Gutierrez, who attended Spaghetti Dinner Night last year as well. “The work and effort that the students put into their performances really paid off.”

Over forty SPHS students gathered in the gym on March 10 to receive CPR certification and learn how to handle emergency situations. Attendees were trained how to save a choking person and recognize the symptoms of shock and cardiac arrest.

The San Gabriel Pomona Valley Red Cross and the SPHS Red Cross Club organized the training. Red Cross officials played several informational videos about the potential legal issues surrounding mouth-tomouth resuscitation and taught the students how to successfully deliver CPR. Students had to demonstrate proper CPR techniques to the officials in order to receive certification.

The training was free of charge due to a generous grant from the South Pasadena PTSA. “I had a really great time learning all about CPR and safe-

Michelle Ozaki

Senior Sara Jan practices mouth-to-mouth resusitation on a dummy during CPR Training on March 10 in the main gym.

Athletic teams integrate anti-bullying

By Carlton Lew Assoc. Opinion Editor SPHS principal Janet Anderson and athletic director Ralph Punaro started an anti-bullying and anti-hazing campaign last month.

Punaro and Anderson have spoken to all the spring athletic teams about the definition of hazing and how hazing is a part of bullying. The effort follows a police investigation into an alleged hazing incident on the boys basketball team last month.

“We explained [to the athletes] how sometimes [hazing] could be perceived as innocent,” said Punaro. “Hazing can turn into something very serious and we want everybody to understand the severity of this situation.”

In the past, Punaro and Anderson have reviewed these problems annually with all the athletic coaches. This marks the first year that administration has talked to

athletes directly.

“We have talked to coaches for the past ten years [about bullying]. In the past, there has been misunderstanding about hazing,” Punaro said. “We wanted to talk to the athletes directly so that they would understand.”

The administration sent a clear message to athletes in the meetings: anyone seen engaging in

ty,” said freshman Brooke Drury.

“It was an exciting, hands-on experience that showed me what to do when faced with a real emergency situation. I’m really glad I got the opportunity to receive the training for free.”

The Red Cross Club officers were pleasantly surprised with the amount of student participation.

“A lot of people had to cancel because of last minute obligations, but the turnout was still remarkable,” said Red Cross Club co-president Montane Silverman.

The club was unable to host the event last year due to insufficient funding, but hopes to continue the training in the future.

“Whether we put on the training or not depends on funds, and lucky for us the funding worked out for us this year. My hope is that this will start a new tradition and every year the Red Cross Club will be able to certify more and more people,” said Silverman.

hazing will be immediately released from the team and their high school athletic career will be effectively over.

“When they gave our team a talk, they made it clear what the consequences for hazing would be and they went through all possible actions that could be ‘considered’ hazing,” said senior volleyball player Thomas Adamson said.

Virtual Business in New York City Members of the Varsity Virtual Business team, Helios, are headed to New York on March 25 to compete in the National Business Plan competition.

Fedor Kossakovksi, Helios CEO: “We’re frantically preparing now. We went down to Claremont and presented to a panel of professors. New York is whole different kind of competition and we have to be creative.”

Matt Wong, Helios CFO: “I think we’ll do even better than in Oakland. We can focus our time and energy on fewer competitions.”

From “Powderpuff” on Page 1 ran the length of the field in the first play for a touchdown.

“It really was a statement saying we came to play,” said junior coach Nick Fong.

The seniors pulled ahead, but after several penalties and “dirty plays,” the junior team was fired up. They began to gain momentum and by the end of the second quarter, they trailed by just one point. In the second half, they took the lead and never looked back.

“We didn’t prepare for this at all,” said senior coach Sean Magill.

According to Magill, part of the blame for the loss rests on absentee senior players.

“People were missing a lot of practice, and I kept hearing that, ‘It didn’t matter, because the game is rigged and the seniors would win anyways.’”

“It was a good game,” said senior Lillie Moffett. “But it just doesn’t seem fair that last year it was totally rigged for the seniors and this year it wasn’t.”

News

Administration holds follow-up math meeting

By Devin Mitchell and Libby Rainey Tiger Staff The South Pasadena High School administration hosted a seminar-style discussion on parent involvement in potential changes in the math program on Tuesday March 13. The meeting was a follow-up to a forum on mathematics in January in which parents voiced complaints.

While that meeting was organized to discuss Algebra I and Geometry, this one was focused on Algebra II and Math Analysis.

Principal Janet Anderson, Assistant Principal of Instruction Jack

Smith, and math coach Ms Janet Bryson attended the meeting.

“This meeting was about parents sharing their concerns and then wanting to hear what has been happening with the math department,” said Smith.

“The parents are going to be meeting, but not necessarily with the administration.”

Parents at the meeting repeated concerns about the program, similar to those expressed at the meetings on the department in December and January.

“The students do not trust the teachers; that’s one of the issues,” said parent Anne Guittier.

“We’re wondering why some high

achieving students suddenly drop in math once they get to high school.”

But parents did express a willingness to work with the administration to improve the math program at SPHS. “We’ve been working with Janet Anderson and Jack Smith to see where we might help participate with the math education of the kids,” said parent Bill Allen.

“We all share the administration’s goal of improving the mathematical education of our kids.”

“We would love for everybody to get together and try to find a common ground,” said Guittier.

AP Literature to be offered online

By Josh Roquemore Staff Writer South Pasadena High School will offer an exclusively online academic course for the first time next year. Two AP Literature and Composition classes will be available online in the 2012-13 school year.

“Ten years ago we could not have accomplished this,” said Enlish Department Chair Mr. Jim Asher. “The vast and recent improvements in technology have made this possible.”

Except for general deadlines for projects, students will be able to do work on their own schedule.

The English department believes it

could be a difficult course for students who are not independently motivated. The idea of online classes elicited mixed feelings from SPHS students.

“I will not be taking AP Lit online,” said junior Andrew Hon. “I think online classes are less effective. They do not give you the classroom experience. Also, you will have less student and teacher feedback on projects and assignments.”

The class will be somewhat of a hybrid between an online and traditional course. Students will be required to meet with their class periodically for tests and Socratic seminars.

Some students are excited about the prospect of a more flex-

ible schedule and self-motivated course.

“An online class sounds great,” said junior Dominique Amaya. “With afterschool activities and homework for other classes, I finish pretty late on weekdays.

It would be great to be able to do work at my own pace and on my own time.”

If AP Lit. is success online next year, it’s possible that even more classes will be offered online in the future.

“This is something the district really wants to see succeed,” said Asher. “I am excited to see how students taking the course will utilize technology to get things done.”

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

3

Manleader participation down significantly

By Anne Kitchens Staff Writer The annual Powderpuff game was anything but traditional this year at SPHS. For as long as many staff members and students can recall, junior and senior men have had to compete for coveted spots as manleaders.

That was not the case this year. Four juniors and three seniors participated, a significant decrease from the 20 per year that had been standard in previous years. This small number led the manleaders to join forces for their performance in the GQ assembly.

Many attributed the drop in participation to strict regulations that Assistant Principal for Student Services Terrance Dunn implemented for the senior boys after their provocative performance last year during lunchtime. The dance strayed from the approved routine, and the boys were subsequently banned from performing at the game later that night.

Despite these perceptions, Dunn insists that there were no

new restrictions placed on the manleaders.

“Just once your routine is approved, you can’t change it. We don’t want to be surprised by anything on the field,” said Dunn.

However many junior and senior boys were deterred by the junior boys’ suspension from the field last year.

“We felt that we needed to top last year’s performance, but after getting in trouble last year and hearing that we could potentially get suspended this year, we decided not to perform,” said senior Sean Ehrlich. “Hopefully we will be able to perform at the Last Chance Dance in June.”

While few boys joined the manleader group, junior Vesta Javaheri was the first girl in years to join the squad.

“I loved the group,” said Javaheri. “We had a lot of fun and I’m definitely glad I did it. Some other students were weird about it and didn’t understand why I was there, but a lot of kids thought it was super funny.”

“I was disappointed by the amount of manleaders.

There should have been more.”

- Ben Hillman, senior

“Hey, they put themselves out there on the line. You have to admire them for that.”

- Jim Asher, English teacher

4 Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

News

Students fold cranes to support Hajime

By Christian Miyamae Staff Writer Commissioner of Clubs Michelle Ozaki and Commissioner of Publicity Kyeong Min invited students to the Tiger Patio from February 22 to March 9 during lunch to create gold cranes.

The Hope for Hajime: 1,000 Cranes event is meant to support senior Hajime Miyasaka’s fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Participants came together and taught other students

how to make cranes in an effort to reach the goal of one thousand.

The completion of one thousand cranes, according to a Japanese fable, represents the granting of one wish. Students who participated in the event compiled an estimated total of 750 cranes.

“I think the student body as a whole gave a lot of support to the event, because a lot of people ended up coming back repeatedly through the program,” said Min. Members of ASB will make

the rest of the cranes. When the thousand cranes are completed, they will be strung into the Japanese character for “hope.” After the cranes are strung, the gift will be presented to Hajime and his family during the SPEX assembly.

“The efforts to encourage Hajime have been overwhelming and the 1,000 gold cranes were a fun visual way to show our support,” said junior Ashim Shrestha. “My only hope is, after 1,000 gold cranes, our wish comes true.”

ASB hosts aspiring commissioners

By Jackson Atwater Staff Writer

Siria Medina

Senior Samudra Thio folds a paper crane on the Tiger Patio.

March: Anti-Bullying Month Bullying has been a topic of concern at SPHS in recent months. In light of the assembly on acceptance and anti-bullying on February 22 and March being National Anti-Bullying Month, Tiger asked students, teachers, and administrators what they thought about the anti-bullying campaign.

Students

Teachers & Administrators

“To be honest, I think the idea of putting up flyers in classrooms and publicly announcing that it is “No Bullying Month” is just going to make people not take it seriously.”

- Ady Friedman, junior

“I think bullying at this school is going to be more subtle than at others - more mental and cyber. I think at any high school, even in this relatively safe environment, any time you make an emphasis against bullying, to not allow it, it’s going to have a positive effect.”

“You know, it’s a good idea, just not necessarily here.

The people who are bullying are also the ones who aren’t going to care about things like the assembly.”

- Evan Davis, junior

“Shouldn’t every month be anti-bullying month?”

- Ryan Stone, junior

- Richard Martin, Social Science teacher “If you don’t think something is right, you need to stand up and say it. And sometimes the adults need to stand up as a group and say it.

People don’t want to live in an environment where they have to worry about people being rude and bullying others.”

- Jack Smith, Assistant Principal for Instruction Compiled by Natalie McLain

Current ASB commissioners held a meeting at lunch yesterday in the SAC Room to discuss the details and requirements for running for a commission position.

Senior Libby Rainey, the Commissioner of Internal Affairs, gave a brief opening statement and then went over the requirements to run for each position. Each candidate is required to choose a single position and get a minimum of 25 signatures from their classmates in order to begin a campaign. The candidates will then shadow the current commissioner holding the position they wish to run for.

“I was in ASB freshman and sophomore year and had a lot of fun,” said junior Will Jones, who is planning to run for Commissioner General. “I wanted to return to lead my class in a fun senior year.”

All of the current commissioners introduced themselves, gave brief description of their jobs, and explained their shadowing assignment, some of which included planning the SPEX assembly and organizing for the Pennies for Patients drive.

The commissioners and the candidates will meet again in two weeks to discuss campaign regulations.

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Measure M

5

Measure M: Surplus monies could be allocated for new science classrooms page by Libby Rainey

SPMS looks drastically different since the major renovation and construction that ended earlier this school year. The new gymnasium, new administrative building, library and other improvements were made possible due to Ballot Measure M, which was passed in 2003. The major Measure M project has been completed, but around $5 million in funds remain. The school board will decide which projects to pursue with the remaining money. SPHS administration and staff are pressing for a prefabricated science building to be placed on the practice field. The initially proposed building plan involved a two-story, six-classroom building at a cost of $3,532,983. The board is now considering four classrooms.

Students speak “I’ve taken biology, physics, and chemistry and I never really felt like I needed more space or equipment.

I think we’re fine as we are now.”

- Laura Lussier, senior “Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the equipment and facilities the school supplies us with.

The lack of space doesn’t really bother me.”

- Marion Wood, freshman “APES is totally fine how it is but chemistry definitely needs an upgrade. If there were more rooms available, overall student satisfaction would increase.”

- David Barker, junior

Daniel Willardson

Science teachers share:

Many from the SPHS science department spoke at the Feb. 21 school board meeting about the science building proposal.

Mrs. Judy Sammis: AP Physics

Mr. Don Wielenga: AP Environmental Science

“[The lack of science rooms] creates so many problems, I can’t begin to list them.

I really favor the extra room space. When the school was remodeled several years ago, it was set up for exactly the number of students and teachers that were there at the time. Immediately after the school increased in size, we outgrew our space. We have been straining at the seams ever since.”

“I passionately support more science labs.

It is a testament to the quality of our teachers that we have maintained such high quality science instruction in what I consider substandard conditions. I am not fully aware of other classroom space issues on campus. However, I feel that teachers are most effective if they have their own space to work.”

Mr. Paul Groves: AP Chemistry and Chemistry

Mr. Dean Papadakis: AP Chemistry and Honors Physics

“My teaching was very different [before I shared a classroom]... Now that I am in a converted English classroom, I can do minilabs on cafeteria trays at student desks. This adds a level of inconvenience that takes much of the spontaneity out of the lab experience.

I have to make special arrangments to be out of my classroom to set up, take down, and perform labs. It is simply not the same as working in a laboratory classroom.”

“The additional lab rooms would provide a lab classroom for each of our nine science teachers, which would make it easier for all of our teachers to do laboratory experiments. Now, the teachers who don’t have a laboratory classroom either share a lab with another teacher or simply do less experimentation.”

Next steps from Supt. Joel Shapiro After fixing any safety hazards, my next priority is finding which projects would have greatest impact on student learning, which would be adding science labs…

The next priority would be finding projects that have the largest impact on as many students on a daily basis, which includes the renovation of the Tiger Patio and cafeteria. Except for the approval of the fence at the middle school, all of the other ideas are being discussed and decided on. What we are trying to do is make all of these changes come true, but for $3 million less.

“The plans have to be put together and then sent to the state to be approved. All of the preparation takes at least 16-17 months.”

Mr. Jack Smith, Assistant Principal for Instruction

“I really would like to see SPHS expand its science department.

If it was to build more science rooms, more eye wash stations in chemistry would be useful.”

- Chris Glaros, sophomore

Final touches at SPMS

The school board approved a plan for middle school fencing at a meeting on March 6. Some members cited the fence as their first priority with remaining funds.

Measure M: Thirteen projects, five million dollars The school board is evaluating and selecting projects on which to focus remaining funds.

Thirteen potential projects, including the high school science building proposal, were reviewed at a meeting on February 21. The board must decide which projects to pursue with the remaining $5 million in Measure M funds. Below are the other twelve projects.

Construction of a new band room

~SPMS

Conversion of old library to new band room .......... Estimated cost: $506,250

SPMS~

Electrical upgrades in shop area & classroom

Upgrade electrical panels and modernize classroom .. Estimated cost: $141,314

~SPMS

New entrance for woodshop classroom

Practice field gone: how will the potential loss of the practice field affect SPHS and community sports?

“Only the boys and girls soccer teams and Holy Family currently use the practice field, so in the scheme of things the construction would have a minimal effect. But the high schoolers’ only other option would be going to the middle school field, which would not be ideal.

We obviously need more classrooms, so looking at the big picture, sports get overruled.”

Katie Whitworth

Create entrance corridor to woodshop on campus side ... Estimated cost: $33,750

Cafeteria renovation

SPMS~

Upgrade windows & doors; remove band room... Estimated cost: $218,750 Additional serving line capacity................................ Estimated cost: $218,750

Campus fencing

~SPMS

Fence the campus perimeter.................................... Estimated cost: $412,500

Auditorium renovation

SPMS~

Paint the exterior of the auditorium ..................... Estimated cost: $2,000,000 Renovate the interior of the auditorium ............... Estimated cost: $673,750

Gymnasium renovation

~SPMS

Mr. Ralph Punaro Athletic Director

Paint interior, replace doors, and other interior upgrades ..... Estimated cost: $251,250

“Getting rid of the field will ruin our preseason. We spend two and a half months working hard on skills, shooting and more on that field. Preseason is vital for the team’s success during league. The middle school might be filled by other teams and it’s much more convenient to have practice here at the high school.”

SPMS~

Michael Mendenhall Sophomore soccer player

Replace windows ...................................................... Estimated cost: $97,500

Blind installation

Install blinds in classrooms in classroom building ..... Estimated cost: $50,000

Tiger Patio renovation

~SPHS

Create outdoor seating area; replace grass and dirt ... Estimated cost: $87,500

Total Cost: around $8.3 million All estimated costs include soft costs. Information compiled from SPUSD board agenda from February 21.

6

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Opinion

Opinion B

Apathy in high school comes at a cost

to the Tiger boys on the GQ Court. Between this and Homecoming, we think it’s pretty clear which publication has the hottest staff on campus.

B

ravo

to everyone who actually showed up to school on Senior Ditch Day. Way to spoil things for the rest of us.

B

oo

Healthy Kid Survey results reveal that many students lack motivation to get involved

to the block scheduling survey that allowed us to make up our names. Cleverness is measured by one’s ability to make sexual innuendoes in any circumstance, after all.

B

ravo

By Elizabeth Ford Rainey Editor in Chief

to the adaptation of Pastor Martin Niemöller’s poem about Nazi Germany for use in the school’s antibullying campaign. We also feel the need to point out that “swagger” is a thing, not a person. oo

The Tiger Established 1913

CSPA Gold Medalist 2005 CSPA Gold Medalist 2006 CSPA Gold Medalist 2009 CSPA Gold Medalist 2010 CSPA Gold Medalist 2011 Editor-in-Chief Libby Rainey

Daniel Willardson

The false hype of AP classes Staff Editorial

Managing Editor Jennifer Kim News Devin Mitchell, Editor Remeny White, Associate Opinion Clair Fuller, Editor Carlton Lew, Associate Feature Sofi Goode, Editor Rhian Moore, Associate Sports Jessica Moog, Editor Clem Witherall, Associate Copy Editors Alex Tranquada and Max White Photography Theo Mandin-Lee, Editor Kathryn Whitworth, Associate Photographers Rachael Garner, Siria Medina, Matthew Winkel Senior Staff Writer Harry Yadav Staff Writers Madison Amido, Jackson Atwater, Erin Chan, Matt DeFulgentiis, Kelsey Hess, Anne Kitchens, Marcy Kuo, Amber Laird, Natalie McLain, Christian Miyamae, Rachel Newhall, Meghan Roche, Joshua Roquemore, Heather Vaughan Tiger Online Michael Abelev and Thomas von Bibra Staff Illustrators Rachael Lee and Daniel Willardson Managers Alexander Prescott, Ads Shyam Senthilkumar, Business Webmaster Makenna Sidle Faculty Advisor Mike Hogan

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.

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Yeah Boi

For many freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, March means attending a series of lunch meetings extolling the merits (and the difficulties) of taking AP classes next year.

Advanced Placement classes are infamous at SPHS. Incoming freshmen hear horror stories of the stress they inflict. So why enroll?

The reason so many sign up for AP courses is simple – pressure. Students worry they may be under-prepared for a college-bound future, and AP classes supposedly offer the advantage they desire and an opportunity to bolster their transcript.

Collegeboard.com says, “AP courses can help you acquire the skills and habits you’ll need to be successful in college.” But are they really the right stepping stones for students? Not always.

The AP stamp connotes higher-level thinking and reasoning skills. But taking an AP course does not ensure enhancement of the technical skills needed to succeed in advanced classes. Often, what is taught in class focuses on general themes, leaving the students to study the specifics independently. While this may increase student independence, it demands that they already know the study skills required to learn

the specifics; otherwise, they quickly fall behind.

Students must select their AP courses carefully. When advanced classes become a struggle with study habits and workloads instead of a place for creative and advanced thinking, they lose their purpose.

Just as AP courses are no place to play catch-up, they are also not always a fast-track to college acceptance. Many students enroll in AP classes knowing that they may not do well, thinking that the AP label will make up for a mediocre grade. While many schools and programs like to see that a student has taken difficult courses, the SPHS counseling staff agrees that a high GPA and an appropriate course load is more important than a laundry list of APs. Students should also consider that colleges with varying standards for course credit may not accept their AP scores after high school.

AP classes can be effective tools for students, but only when used well. Students frantically overloading AP classes would benefit instead from choosing only courses for which they are prepared. Choosing wisely not only ensures solid grades, but ultimately eases the transition from the high school to university-level.

Tiger and Copa de Oro applications are out, commissioner elections are beginning, and students are in the process of scheduling course loads for the 2012-2013 school year. It’s only March, but the majority of next year’s scheduling will be finished within the next month.

Now is the time to get involved, and time is short.

High expectations and meaningful participation in the high school environment are what set successful students apart, and what will allow them to continue to excel in college and the workplace.

The recently released 2011 Healthy Kids Survey results revealed that only 21% of eleventh grade students felt they had high meaningful participation at school.

An even lower 14% of the last year’s freshman class reported high participation.

These numbers are surprising, particularly in a community such as South Pasadena. SPHS boasts an active music and arts program, successful virtual business companies, competitive athletics teams, and a number of other organizations and clubs that work both on campus and off year-round. Surely among these options there must be a place for every student. But despite these opportunities, many fail to engage.

The success of the high school’s many extracurricular activities makes it easy to assume that the majority of students take part in the school community.

But this is not the case. Many go through high school only involving themselves when absolutely necessary; these students would benefit significantly from taking part in SPHS’s achievements.

Not joining the Red Cross club or refraining from applying to Copa de Oro aren’t actions that seem detrimental. But participation is vital to an enriching high school career. Involvement creates lifelong habits of participation, and engaging now sets high personal standards for life beyond the limited high school spectrum. Engaging in a school group can also give meaning to the rest of the high school experience.

Keeping the focus on students, not job security

By Madison Amido Staff Writer Multiple components are needed to make a class experience a success. Good reading materials, engaged classmates, a structured lesson plan all supplement instruction, but class quality often comes down to the teacher standing at the front of the classroom. SPUSD teachers can become permanent employees by obtaining teacher tenure once they begin their third year in the district after two years of probationary employment.

Tenure has a positive impact for both students and teachers in theory, but it in reality it

is a flawed system. Too often it provides a safety zone for teachers, creating complacency in the classroom.

Job security and the protection of good teachers are undoubtedly important, but tenure takes this to the extreme.

The teachers’ union argues that tenure grants teachers necessary job safety. Although tenure does provide job security for teachers, this is security to an unnecessary and impractical extent.

Tenure could be beneficial for students and teachers if adjustments were made to its current execution. Tenure should become a renewable system that requires teachers to be evaluated

by administrators to determine if the teacher deserves a renewal of their tenure. After analyzing performance, administration can decide who is worthy of continued tenure.

The school board recently discussed its desire to give tenure to teachers after three years of probationary employment, instead of the current policy of two years. Members of the board said that an extra probationary year would give administration time to choose who should be granted tenure. This would be a significant reform to the tenure policy that should be further discussed, and perhaps implemented, in SPUSD. Andrew McGough, a new

math teacher at SPHS, doesn’t think tenure should be necessary for teachers to effectively teach.

“Tenure is a portion of teacher motivation. I don’t think it is necessarily a security blanket, but it is something that allows you to relax a bit in some sense. But what motivates me, as a teacher is to see my kids succeed. If the kids are successful…that is success to me, not so much being tenured,” said McGough.

Teachers should consistently improve as time passes. When the possibility of tenure arises, teachers shouldn’t lose sight of the ultimate goal: to successfully and effectively teach students, despite their current job status.

Opinion

Providing the online option

By Natalie McLain Staff Writer It’s half an hour into biology. You’re ready to move on to another topic, any other topic. Yet every time the teacher seems prepared to do so, your classmates ask another question. And question after question, your time is being drained away, academic resources spent in a way which does not enrich your knowledge nor mesh with your learning style.

South Pasadena High School is considering adding online courses, beginning with AP Literature, to the school curriculum. While a classroom environment has its advantages, online courses are often a more practical approach to handling the large and diverse community of students it serves.

A prevalent problem in college-driven schools such as SPHS is scheduling conflicts between multiple AP, honors, and ROP classes. There was a plethora of scheduling issues at the beginning of this year and in years previous; online classes should be first on the school’s to-do list to solve this problem. Several students were denied access to higher-level classes due to overcrowding, limited resources and scheduling conflicts.

Making online classes available would free up course space and resources; schedule management would be more in the hands of the individual student.

In-school classes are often weighed down by the presence of students who have little to contribute and gain next to nothing from face-to-face interaction with students and teachers. The idea of classroom-based teaching is discussion, developing one’s own thoughts and understandings through the compilation of ideas from a variety of viewpoints and learning styles. But not every

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

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The importance of a classroom

student learns this way, and combining thirty some students in a classroom is practically begging for poor results.

Some students are extremely determined and task oriented. Others learn at a pace too rapid from their peers to keep up with. These are the students who would benefit from the option of learning online.

While they might be hindered by fellow students’ dissimilar needs, online courses would allow them the freedom to move at the pace

By Clair Fuller Opinion Editor

they desire. Simultaneously, the in-school classroom populations would be narrowed to only include those who were enthusiastic and enriched by class discussion and the bouncing of ideas from student to student.

As technology advances, so too should school systems. When the resources are available, they should be utilized to embrace the multitude of different learning styles to which they are supposed to cater. Rather than depriving students of opportunities to excel and reach their goals, the administration should be encouraging student selfsufficiency and independence by offering online classes.

one of them.

Online classes may seem a convenient solution to the issues of overcrowding and scheduling conflicts, or simply a natural evolution of the classroom into the modern day—but they deprive students the opportunity to learn in an environment that is designed for exactly that: learning.

SPHS has begun to make the transition to online classes, with plans to offer AP Literature as both an online and traditional course next year. This is surely the beginning of a shift to more online-oriented curricula, coming after a gradual integration of web-based learning tools and methods. Incorporating aspects of

The standards for interpersonal interactions have changed. Technology has grown to such an extent that it now augments, and sometimes even replaces, faceto-face communication. Yet there remain a few important relationships that can’t be replicated on a screen, and the dynamic between students, their peers, and their teacher in a classroom is

technology that students already use regularly in their daily lives is an obvious way to increase engagement, if done correctly. But to make the leap to a completely online class is going too far.

Across the many subjects and classes offered at our high school, structure and syllabi vary immensely. Physics is taught differently than U.S. History. Calculus demands a different approach than French.

Putting students and teachers in a physical room together allows for flexibility in how the class is taught.

English classes are able to work on group projects, while complex science topics that require detailed explanation and question-and-answer sessions can be handled appropriately.

At a high school level, the delivery of information is almost more important than the information itself.

Classes that are exciting and framed in terms of relevant issues excite student interest.

When teachers engage their students, it allows students to engage each other, fostering discussion and even debate. These are the kind of interactions that can only occur in a traditional classroom, and the kind Rachael Lee that must be preserved to maintain a high standard of education.

Also essential to effective learning is ensuring that students do not fall behind—it is unfortunately too much to ask that each student be self-motivated in their study habits, even in AP classes. Studying course material independently in their own homes certainly seems like an easy way to get out of working, but will ultimately harm the students that benefit from continual deadlines and teacher attention.

The world is changing, there is no question. Innovation should be encouraged. But students must be provided with the foundation needed to make these innovations—a foundation that begins in a classroom.

The GOP’s maligned moderates

By Sofi Goode Feature Editor

Daniel Willardson

As the race for Republican candidate garners national attention, two strong nominees have survived. It has become clear that the ultimate goals of both Mitt Romeny and Rick Santorum are to please the Tea Party The Tea Party is an extremely right-wing faction of the GOP that’s typically represented by figureheads such as Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh. Over the past couple of years, the Tea Party has gained tremendous popularity, and in this year’s primaries, it has provided the majority of the voters.

In order to win the vote of the Tea Party—and by extension the presidential nomination—the potential candidates have been tailoring their viewpoints to be excessively conservative. They seem to have forgotten that while the vote of the Tea Party will win them a place on the ballot, it will not win them the presidency. To sit in that

coveted seat in the Oval Office, they will need the vote of the entire Republican Party, as well as a portion of the Independent vote.

At this rate, none of the nominees will be able to accomplish this. They have made themselves so accessible to the Tea Party that they are now only accessible to the Tea Party. Even centrist Republicans are looking at Romney and Santorum and wondering if they are going to be able to bring themselves to cast a vote for one of these men.

Several weeks ago, Rick Santorum released a statement saying, “I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.”

Unfortunately for Santorum, the separation of church and state lies at the very basis of our government. This statement

certainly brings the Tea Party under his wing, but ultimately drives moderate Republicans away.

Having alienated the nonextremist faction of their party, the nominees are now pushing away another significant portion of potential voters: women.

In recent weeks, the Republicans have been focusing largely on the issues of contraception, abortion, and women’s rights. Santorum has been fighting against contraception, calling it a “license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

If the Republican nominees think that any of these statements will gain the support of voters, they’re clearly more out of touch than their 1870s-esque beliefs make them appear. No Democrat, Independent, or moderate Republican will support these ultra-conservative views, and whoever the Republican candidate is cannot win the election if they continue to forgo all but the most extreme voters.

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Opinion

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Students weigh in...

The school board is currently considering the best use for the remaining funds raised by Measure M, the voter-approved tax that allowed for the remodeling at SPMS. Under consideration is a renovation of the Tiger Patio and senior lawn area to “create a step-down quad with seating wall and planters, replacing worn grass and dirt.”

STUDENT VOICE: “Why would we spend money on remodeling something that is fine? I like it the way it is. I really don’t think it needs to change right now.”

-Thomas Adamson, senior “Renovating the Tiger Patio would make it a lot nicer than it is now; I think it would be a cool idea. When we’re seniors, we want to have a nice place to sit, instead of the run-down senior lawn that’s there now.”

-Amanda Wen, sophomore “Who wants to sit on cement all day? Grass is better. That’s why nobody sits on the [cement portion of] the Tiger Patio.”

-Zachary Lindecamp, senior “If there is extra money, we shouldn’t be spending it on something that’s already fine. We should put it towards the bathrooms that are unclean and textbooks that are falling apart. I guess a new Tiger Patio would be cool, but I’d rather have the school spend extra money on more important things.”

-Jenny Wang, senior “My class just got out of construction at the middle school, which was terrible. We all hated it. I don’t want to have our entire campus taken over again just for something that’s not even necessary. Who knows how long it could take; we might be out of here by the time it’s all over.”

-Kira Gabriel, freshman

Viral doesn’t mean frivolous: KONY 2012

By Jackson Atwater Staff Writer Viral videos are known more for their role in brief entertainment than for their role in ending warlord-driven rampages in African jungles, but it seems that Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign may change that. The viral video has attracted close to a hundred million views on YouTube, and that number is still growing. While the video is mostly garnering widespread support, it also has a surprising number of critics.

Many allege that young people swept up in emotion support the video, and that they are acting on something that they don’t understand. (YouTube reported that the video was

Pessimists and trolls most popular with females aged flock to the video, claiming 13-17 and males aged 18-24.)

Others argue that the there’s no way the segment facts of the video are off, that will be able to affect change in the LRA is small and has left Africa—but we mustn’t forget, Uganda, or that the video aims resistance to change is in their job descripto oversimtion. In the plify the ismeantime, sue, that killAfrica is certainly a optimists ing Joseph nation with many must go on Kony won’t woes, and there is, and make end the of course, no way progress on conflict in behalf of huAfrica, and these could all be manity. that all milidetailed in one halfT h e tary strife in hour video.

Kony 2012 Africa can’t campaign be boiled will of down to a single video. Africa is certainly course be unable to educate a nation with many woes, and viewers on every vein of conflict there is, of course, no way these on the African continent— could all be detailed in one half- that’s not the aim of the video.

The campaign simply aims to hour video.

focus on a single issue, and to raise awareness of that issue.

The facts of the video are not wrong; the filmmakers simply focused on only some ideas. There is a reason that the Kony 2012 YouTube video was seen by more eyes than the Wikipedia articles about the LRA and Kony: the articles are facts, the videos appeal to human emotion.

No one should be bashing the Kony 2012 campaign.

It does not purport to solve all of Africa’s problems. It does not contain false information.

It simply accomplishes its goal of spreading awareness of the horrific acts of the LRA in an attempt to show that the internet, despite all the cat videos and Facebooking, still has room to spare for changing the world.

By Mr. James Asher AP Literature & Composition and Freshman English Over the past several days I’ve found myself discussing online learning with various members of our educational community: students, teachers, administrators, and parents. In these conversations I’ve sensed skepticism from some and blind faith from others about the effectiveness of online learning. A digital immigrant myself, I went through the fire of a master’s degree in Instructional Technology several years ago and learned little at that time about online learning, in part because it had yet to come into its own.

I recently completed an online learning certification course and, as a result of this challenge, am now convinced that online learning can be extremely effective and an attractive option for students. My enthusiasm is largely a result of the development of Web 2.0 tools. While I’ll always be a “digital immigrant,” I love working my way through technological challenges with them. At times I learn from them, and, voila, I’m one step closer to that ever-elusive label “digital native.”

Last year, English teacher Ms Wylie and I developed and incorporated a second-semester online component into AP Literature, which we both teach. We quickly came to realize that this online component tremendously helped our class; students were able to bring their newfound online learning to the classroom and use it to make deeper meaning and connect to the literature at hand.

With such validation, I want to continue taking learning, sharing, and, ultimately, “making meaning” beyond the walls of the classroom. Now, our students in AP Literature spend much of their time in the online environment doing research and synthesizing it, all in an effort to gain a deeper understanding. The truth is students do this in many of their classes on our campus.

If they blog—yes, a Web 2.0 tool—they “make meaning” through their online interaction with others. If they post their work to an online “cloud”—in order to get feedback, they, again, work with others to ultimately “make meaning” beyond confines of the classroom.

Moving seamlessly between the virtual and the traditional classroom is what “digital natives” instinctively do. I want to travel with them in and out of the online learning environment and work together in order to develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of life and its evolving challenges.

The logical approach to grading systems

By Shyam Senthilkumar Business Manager

Rachael Lee

The adage that grades are earned and not given implies that students have control over their grades.

But too often when students try to exert this control by monitoring their grades and determining what they must do to maintain or raise them, they find themselves unable to do so beacause their teacher weights grades.

Weighting grades is the process of placing different assignments into different categories, each holding a different percentage of the total grade.

This provides teachers a way to give more important assignments more value than the rest. Students today have become accustomed to teachers who weight portions of grades—the entire process, however, is a waste that causes unnecessary frustration.

First of all, by weighting grades teachers falsely reward their students by appearing to give them a thirty

out of thirty or even a hundred out of a hundred points on a homework assignment only to water it down to only a small percentage of the student’s overall grade—five or ten percent is essentially nothing in the final course grade.

Teachers are not completely at fault because homework and other minor work should obviously not be worth as much as tests, quizzes and major projects. But why create this aura of confusion? If teachers want tests to be worth more, they could make them 100 points and homework only five or ten points. It eliminates all confusion and has the exact same effect as the weighted grading scale.

Mrs. Judy Sammis is one of the few teachers left who still uses the straightforward point system.

“It really just eliminates so much confusion,” said Sammis. “In a couple of years you will all be in college and there won’t be any teachers or ‘Aeries’ to baby you. Students need

to be able to keep track of their own grade, and this system is the best way.”

This issue of weighting grades also arises when students attempt to calculate their grades. It becomes frustrating to students when it’s a week before their final exams and they must endure the difficulty of pulling out their calculator trying to figure what they need to score on the final to get that A. Googling “weighted grade calculator” returns thousands of sites all dedicated to helping students calculate their own grade. Isn’t the fact that there are websites dedicated to this sole purpose a red flag? Students can’t even watch over their own grade without being forced to head online and put their scores into some algorithm.

The process of weighting grades would seem resourceful if it weren’t for the fact that straightforward point values incur the same effect. Make assignments worth exactly what they’re worth and prevent a struggle come finals week.

Opinion

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

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Free information and the wide world of internet media

By Rhian Moore Assoc. Feature Editor

Rachael Lee

Does organic really mean sustainable?

Global issues on a global scale: Tiger on the environment

By Erin Chan Staff Writer South Pasadena plays home to a Farmers Market every Thursday. And while residents enjoy the novelty of the overall experience, a great proportion of the population does not realize the sanctity in the idea and practice of a traditional farmers market.

Instead of realizing the significance of locally-grown foods, the average shopper falls for the “organic” craze that has engulfed the health food world. The entire global organic produce market continues to flout the economic downturn; new market reports from the Soil Association display an 8.8% growth in sales in 2010, rising steadily into 2011 and 2012. Customers continue to pay more for the “organic” label, but is the extra money truly worth it?

Organic foods do not fully support sustainability. Even though they are grown using non-synthetic and non-harmful farming methods, they are often shipped using enormous amounts of unrenewable energy. Monitoring organic labels

reveal an enormous amount of food that’s actually imported. Frozen peas from China. Grapes from Chile. While they may be organic, they’ve been transported here in a less-than-pure way.

The release of gray and cloudy fossil fuels into the atmosphere can effectively symbolize the product that the organic craze has grown into.

The hyped “organic” stamp overshadows the significantly positive impact that local economies and local production have on the environment.

“The produce that we sell is grown on a farm in Reseda, which is only thirty minutes away. We use less gas to transport, and our food is fresher, lasts a lot longer, and tastes better,” said senior Tess Goldman, whose family has a lettuce stand at the South Pasadena farmers market.

Local farmers markets epitomize the unique opportunity that Californians have.

California weather is consistent enough to have access to a wide variety of fresh foods year-round.

Utilizing farmers markets as a main source of produce is not only feasible, but the only surefire way to make sure you receive the freshest and best-tasting foods possible.

it is not necessarily a worst-case scenario.

The money lost in sales can be made up when potential consumers “try before they On the day that Wikipedia initiated buy” and provide an invaluable marketing a planned blackout, The Pirate Bay, notori- technique: word of mouth.

Fighting piracy should not involve ous for its illegal downloads in the form of millions of torrents, issued a press release restricting Internet freedom but rather making media more accessible. Most people about the issue of copyrights and piracy.

Said The Pirate Bay, “Because of download content illegally due to the price [Edison’s] patents for the motion pictures it or the inability to obtain it through legal was close to financially impossible to create means. Shutting down websites that make motion pictures in the North American east available the content fans want will do nothcoast. The movie studios [therefore] relo- ing to save sales when illegal downloading has never been proven to cated to California, decrease them in the first and founded what we Everything creplace. today call Hollywood. ated in the United The key is to make Today they hold the States should be acall content immediately rights to what other cesible to anyone in available to all locations, people create. If you at lower prices. Everything want to get something the rest of the world created in the United States released, you have to with an Internet conshould be accessible to anyabide by their rules. nection. one in the rest of the world The ones they created with an Internet connecafter circumventing tion, at the same time. Sites like Hulu and other people’s rules.”

This press release was in response Spotify are successful for this very reason. to recent attempts to stop websites from People do not mind ads because the money distributing copyrighted material, including doesn’t come from their pockets, and fans SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA would prefer a legal way to watch or listen (PROTECT IP Act), which have caused an and show their support.

The government’s plan to fight oninternational uproar. The intention of the bills is to eliminate online piracy; they em- line piracy should not involve weeding out phasize cracking down on websites hosted websites that provide copyrighted media for free, because it will never work. Take away outside the United States.

Consumers and creators alike have MegaUpload, and hundreds of other filespoken out against the infamous bills. These sharing websites take its place. The Internet outcries beg the question: is piracy really as is a big place, and the industry needs to take harmful as the anti-piracy advocates make advantage of it in a way that allows both it out to be? It’s true that illegal download- the consumers and the creators to benefit ing causes the creator to lose money, but from content.

Tiger Newspaper Asks: SPHS has a popular and extensive AP program—AP classes are frequently extolled by teachers and administrators as the fast track to academic rigor and success in college. Do you feel that AP classes at SPHS actually live up to these expectations? Why or why not? Should the current policy be changed?

Aritra Bhattacharya, Grade 12 A couple of the Advanced Placement classes offered at SPHS are extremely challenging and taking them might actually increase a student’s chances of succeeding in their respective college-level courses. However, what I have heard from past alumni is that the atmosphere inside a lecture hall and the rigorousness of college courses do not parallel the atmosphere inside most of our classrooms and the intensity of most of the AP courses provided at our high school.

I believe that AP courses supply us with some skills and study habits that might benefit us in the future, but I don’t think these courses provide a student with “a fast track to success.”

Ashim Shrestha, Grade 11 AP classes are no joke. They provide difficult course material and challenge students. The truth of the matter is that AP classes truly depend on the student.

The teachers also play a big role; seeing that they are responsible for differentiating a regular class from an AP class, their responsibility is to enforce that college feel from day one, as well as to prepare students for the AP tests themselves. But the amount of effort put in by teachers must be doubled by students. This is understandably difficult, seeing as we have multiple classes, but this is part of the AP experience. Students must understand

what they are signing up for and realize the amount of time necessary for such classes. As for each class’s difficulty, that is again decided by the teacher. I can personally state that one of my AP classes can fall behind in rigor, compared to the other, but I know that even if the class work may not be as abundant, both AP tests will still be as formidable.

No matter the grade received in class, your true grade is revealed by the AP tests. So do AP classes live up to their expectations? Usually. Do the AP tests live up to their expectations? Always.

Vesta Javaheri, Grade 11 AP classes vary a lot in difficulty. Some classes definitely do push students harder than the standard classes, but some aren’t taken as seriously. I haven’t personally taken an AP class that wasn’t challenging for me, but I’ve been told by many people who have that some of them shouldn’t be considered collegelevel courses.

Lauren Wakabayashi, Grade 12 There are definitely good AP classes at the high school, but there are also some that do not prepare you at all for the test and are a joke. I think that the AP test is what the class should prepare you for, and most do that. However, there are some classes and teachers that do not, and some teachers even have the

nerve to test students after the AP test has happened. At that point students don’t care anymore and it’s just more stress they have to deal with.

Henry Sue, Grade 10 Some of these AP classes do live up to the expectations. However, some of the classes have been known to be the short stick in the pile. One of the many problems is that good grades may be harder to receive, without any justifiable reason. The advantages that one may receive, such as a greater understanding of a topic, may be overshadowed by the fact that one may not be getting the grade one desires.

Jessie Yen, Grade 12 Some throw out names of AP classes that are considered to be “as hard as a college class” while others throw out names of AP classes generally considered to be “jokes.” What this shows is that our school’s AP system is varied, and that the level of difficulty is not set, but rather, decided upon by the teacher.

Therefore, there is no definite consensus to whether or not our school’s AP classes are reflective of the college courses upon which they are based; instead, the difficulty level of an AP class falls upon the fancy of the teacher, meaning that some classes are college-level and some are not.

Joyce Alexander, Grade 12 Having taken many AP classes, I have found that the usefulness of each course varies by teacher and class.

Some courses are considered to be filler, while some have a reputation for driving students to (and sometimes over) the edge. However, in my opinion, high school AP classes cannot succesfully model real college classes.

No matter how you cut it, high school is high school. The workload may be comparable to a college course... but by nature, it’s not college.

Miranda Gontz, Grade 12 Of course it would be hard to accurately assess whether or not our AP classes are actually at college level or not. You have your ivy league schools with accelerated classes, liberal arts schools with extremely interactive classes, and public schools with general ed classes. All of these are college courses, but they’re all executed in dramatically different ways. The same goes for AP classes.

None of the AP classes I’ve taken have been conducted in the same manner.

Of course AP classes are conducted in a more accelerated manner than honors or regular. But I was taking the class that I wanted to take, so I never thought to compare them. We haven’t attended college yet. If you want a real college-level class, go to college.

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Powderpuff 2012

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The GQ Court

Page Woodworth

Austin Kahn

Max White cro

Kevyn Fox

Max White

The Assembly

Alexander Prescott

Spenser Atlas

Page by Jenni Text by Harry Photos by Theo Mandin-Lee, Matt

Students filled the SPHS audito on March 9 for the annual GQ A tured performances from Pep and dance routine and Q&A session of the 2012 prom site, and a pum puff football game, which was he tion followed for the rest of the da The game was hard-fought, but i to the junior girls, whose offensi stopped. The game’s halftime sho from a combined group of junior revealed senior Max White as the orthodox entrance into the assemb to beat out fellow seniors Kevyn

GQ ‘s show off their dance moves at the assembly.

Manleaders cheer on the players at the Powderpuff game.

owned GQ King

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

The Game

Juniors victorious at the Powderpuff game for the first time in over a decade

26-38

ifer Kim y Yadav Winkel and Rachael Garner

orium during fourth period Assembly. The assembly fead the mascots, a lip-syncing with the GQs, the unveiling mp-up video for the Powdereld later that night. Anticipaay until the 7:00 PM kickoff. in the end, the victory went ive line simply could not be ow, featuring a performance and senior manleaders, also e 2012 GQ King. White’s unbly earned him enough votes Fox and Alexander Prescott.

11

Junior MVP Sammy Amido cuts across the field in an attempt to evade senior defender Marika Stanford-Moore.

Senior ZoĂŤ Detzel dodges junior Carly Dunlap.

12 Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Feature

Feature

Out and About A role in the SPHS musical Curtains has opened up! Students interested in playing Belling, a male supporting lead role with minimal singing, can contact Mr. Daniel Enright. /Rhian Moore

Students apply to study abroad Anne Kitchens Staff Writer Underclassmen at SPHS are starting to want more from their high school careers—and they’re ready to work for it. Sophomores Charlotte Foley and Alison Farrar are both ready to leave the somewhat redundant conventional route of high school behind to study in foreign countries, and they aren’t the first to do so.

Last summer, senior Marika Stanford-Moore spent three months in South America studying at the Instituto de Cristo Obrero in Villa Cura Brochero, Argentina. She lived with a host family and attended classes taught exclusively in Spanish from 8 A.M. until 3 P.M. “I wanted to have a greater appreciation for Spanish culture and improve my linguistic skills,” said Stanford-Moore.

Sophomore Charlotte Foley hopes to follow in Stanford-Moore’s footsteps, and plans to put her own spin on the international experience. Foley is applying for a year-long French exchange through both the American Field Service and School Year Abroad programs. This would be Foley’s second stint in an exchange program; last summer she spent three weeks in France with Polytechnic School experiencing the culture and living with a host family.

Sophomore Alison Farrar is looking beyond traditional study-abroad programs. She is prepared to pack up her things and move to almost any country with an International Baccalaureate program. The schools are called “United World Colleges” and work from thirteen locations worldwide, varying from Swaziland in Africa to Norway in Eastern Europe.

Farrar has already been selected to be one of 100 semifinalists for the program. She now advances to an interview round, after which fifty students across America will be selected and sent to the school of their choice.

“By going to a school with people from all over the world, I hope to learn a little bit more about how we can collaborate between different cultures to create a more peaceful world,” Farrar said.

That is exactly what these two sophomore girls hope to do by spreading themselves across the world: understand and experience other cultures.

Siria Medina

Music director Howard Crawford conducts the portion of the SPHS Tiger Band that will perform in the spring musical, “Curtains.” Crawford was a finalist for the annual BRAVO Awards in the Art Specialist Teacher category.

Crawford honored at BRAVO Awards

By Rhian Moore Assoc. Feature Editor SPHS music teacher Mr. Howard Crawford was honored for his innovation and excellence in arts education at the 30th Annual Music Center BRAVO Awards on March 1.

Crawford was a BRAVO Award finalist; he was chosen to be one of five teachers in the county supervisional district to participate in Art Leaders seminars.

The music director was notified in October that he was one of 85 nominees for the BRAVO Award in the Art Specialist teacher category, which recognizes instructors who teach music, dance, theater, or visual arts as their primary subject.

“It’s exciting and an honor to be nominated,” said Crawford. “I normally don’t apply for these sorts of awards, because I’m so busy teaching.”

Crawford submitted an application that contained a one-page questionnaire, a letter of intent, and a letter of support from SPHS principal Ms Janet Anderson.

Crawford worked with other BRAVO Award candidates in the Los Angeles area in four workshops following the completion of the application process. These sessions involved opportunities to visit classrooms of other instructors and also receive feedback from a peer coach.

The awards ceremony took place at the Music Center in the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Winners in each

category were recognized and received cash prizes.

In his 22 years at South Pasadena High School, Crawford has won the Hartsough Award, the PTSA Award, and Oneonta Teacher of the Year.

This is the first award Crawford has been nominated for on scale broader than the district level.

Crawford dedicates long hours to the band and orchestra classes.

“Mr. Crawford is here from seven in the morning to ten at night almost every day, coaching us,” said junior Wendy Tsai, who has been part of the SPHS Tiger Band for three years. “He’s an extremely experienced and involved music teacher, and I really admire his dedication.”

Personality Profile: Amanda Stewart

By Heather Vaughan Staff Writer

Katie Whitworth

Junior Amanda Stewart has an extensive collection of Pokèmon merchandise.

Junior Amanda Stewart is nearly constantly immersed in the fascinatingly whimsical world of Pokémon.

Since obtaining her first Pokémon Game Boy game at the age of ten, she has accumulated an impressive collection of paraphernalia, including a vast collection of Pokémon cards (both American and foreign), ten different video games for various consoles, and an ever-growing bookshelf of Pokémon manga.

An appreciation of all things Pokèmon is not all that makes Stewart a rare breed of high schooler. While few teenagers can identify their exact ambitions for the future, she can. An aspiring pastry chef, Stewart plans to own her own bakery when she grows up.

She began exploring the culinary world at age twelve, with the help

of several Food Network shows.

Stewart originally planned to pursue a career as a general chef, but decided that her pickiness would be better suited to the more specific, art-influenced craft of baking and decorating.

Also a fervent artist, Stewart has an ardent passion for drawing, reading, and watching anime. She has drawn influence from this aspect of Japanese culture for years; she uses graphic novels and Internet blogs and videos to independently teach herself certain drawing techniques.

“I’m working on evolving my style to reflect more who I am,” said Stewart. “It’s also a personal growth thing; I do it for myself.”

Stewart also is a member of an online community of Pokémon aficionados that participate in a “challenge” to make old, already-mastered games more interesting. Participants follow simple rules that increase the difficulty as well as the intensity of the game.

Stewart incorporates her love of drawing into this, regularly creating comics to illustrate her adventures to share with her fellow gamers.

In order to further her immersion in the heavily Japanese-influenced world of manga and Pokémon, Stewart has also been teaching herself Japanese via programs like Rosetta Stone.

Although her efforts are currently on a hiatus due to other commitments, Stewart’s passion for Japanese still continues.

“A lot of mangas are gradually being released in English, but for the time being, the majority of them are still only available in the original Japanese, which is the reason I started studying it,” said Stewart.

The anime enthusiast has more passion than Ash Ketchum and a sweeter demeanor than Pikachu. Ten years from now, you’ll likely find her selling Pokémon cupcakes in her selfowned bakery.

Christian Corona Senior Christian Corona has accumulated eight tattoos since he got his first piece of body art four years ago. His first tattoo was done at a friend’s house when he was a freshman; despite its unorthodox origin, this tattoo remains one of his favorites. The ink shows

his mother’s name in artful cursive, surrounded by roses. His second tattoo and his other favorite is his girlfriend’s name, Erica. His most recent tattoo is a colorful depiction of the state of California.

Corona has a regular tattoo artist and enjoys this form of expression.

(inked) Tattoos tend to have a bad reputation in high school, but this expressive form of body art has legitimate meaning for many individuals. Several SPHS students have multiple tattoos – though you certainly wouldn’t know it by looking at them. These students have chosen to ink their skin with drawings that are both meaningful and relevant, whether they relate to a loved one, a passion, or a movement that the individual supports. /Sofi Goode

Yihai Han

13

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Feature

Joyce Alexander Etched nonchalantly on the inside of senior Joyce Alexander’s forearm are two small triangles. An unfilled triangle signifies Delta , t h e G r e e k symbol for change, and her skill in and love for math and science. The filled triangle represents the lesbian and feminist

symbol – “used in Nazi Germany to mark the ‘mentally unstable’ and homos ex u a l s : t h o s e who didn’t fit the norm,” Alexander said.

Together, these simple shapes effectively symbolize Alexander’s values and passions, which she proudly displays on her arm for the whole world to see.

Just last month senior Yihai Han got his first tattoo.

The large, bird-shaped piece across his back commemorates the life of his father, who passed away when Han was young.

“My tattoo is significant because not only does it make me remember my father, but it reflects what I need to do Reporting by Erin Chan, Anne Kitchens and Kelsey Hess to make him proud,” said Han. Senior Yihai Han has a tribute to his father on his back. Photos by Katie Whitworth

Personality Profile: Hyrum Judkins Although he recently visited colleges in the New England and Chicago areas, Judkins hopes to pursue a major in the Theatre Design and Production Whether assisting in the direcProgram at the University of Southern tion of the spring musical or critiquing California. Promises of a spacious camthe wardrobes of celebrities or friends, pus and well-rounded educasenior Hyrum Judkins aption drew the senior to USC. proaches his passions with Higher education may be a sass and quirkiness that is his next big step, but Judkins entirely his own. doesn’t plan to stop at collegeHe dedicates extensive level theatre. He hopes to puramounts of time to stage disue a career in stage managerection for this year’s spring ment and set design, and his play, Curtains, and is the unique fashion sense will unstage manager and casting doubtedly set him apart. director for SPHS Advanced “I believe that fashion is Drama productions. Judabout being yourself and keepkins works long hours five ing up with the latest style. days a week to perfect the Don’t just wear the clothing; production. wear it for a purpose. It’ll make “He’s a very direct, you feel strong and indepenprecise individual, and that’s dent,” he said. how he gets the job done.

And Judkins is just that.

He is strong with his opinHis unique personality stands ions but he has the experiout even among the stage perence and background to be a formers with whom he works. good assistant director,” said Judkins may spend drama director Mr. Daniel most of his time behind Enright. the scenes of productions, Judkins’s work in stage but this fashion-forward production began at an early Matt Winkel theatre enthusiast isn’t afraid age. He enrolled in a program in his hometown of Senior Hyrum Judkins watches play rehearsal in the to tell people what he thinks, Philadelphia the summer af- auditorium. He is the assistant director for “Curtains.” whether on the stage or off.

By Marcy Kuo Staff Writer

ter his eighth-grade year, specializing in theatrical design and stage presentation.

“My mother really pushed me to get into this program, and from that I started taking great interest in set design.

She shaped my future,” said Judkins.

Arriola exhibits art in public gallery

By Heather Vaughan Staff Writer Photographer and artist Sophia Arriola generally prefers to pass under the radar, especially when it comes to the artistic aspect of her life. However, when the sophomore’s art is on display at the SOPAS Gallery at the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, it will be difficult for her to remain incognito.

Arriola and her mother, Victoria, will present a collection of their mixed media work opening on Saturday, March 17 and continuing through April 13 at 1121 Mission St. The exhibit will be a compilation of pieces that the two have accumulated over the last few years. The majority of

the photographs were taken overseas, specifically in Denmark and Switzerland, where the family frequently visits.

“Traveling has had a huge influence on my art. I’ve developed a more worldly perspective from being able to go around the world and capture different cultures,” said Arriola. “I’m excited to be able to share my work and my thoughts with people here.”

Arriola, one of the few sophomores currently enrolled in AP Studio Art at SPHS, has been an avid artist her entire life. Her mother is a professional artist and art professor at USC and has greatly influenced Arriola’s passion for art as well as her individual works.

Although Arriola was admitted to the Los Angeles County High School

for the Arts, she chose not to attend and has instead participated in classes at Ryman Arts, an elite art program for talented youth.

The SOPAS Gallery is Arriola’s second showcasing of her art; she presented one piece in an Art Center College of Design gallery last year.

This is the first time, however, that the exhibit will focus solely on Arriola’s and her mother’s work. The exhibit serves to compare and contrast the pair’s styles.

“My mom raised me, so her perspective has worn off on me, in terms of art as well as in general,” said Arriola. “We’ve always embraced the arts, which has definitely shaped my life.”

Senior carves rocker for state competition

By Madison Amido Staff Writer SPHS woodshop classes don’t usually have a competitive vibe. Senior Michael Amaya is changing that. He is in the process of handcrafting a classic rocking chair for submission to the 2012 California State Fair. Amaya’s chair must be finished by May 21.

The chair is a Maloof rocker built with thick, solid slabs of walnut wood. The intricate design originates from the late Sam Maloof, a famous California furniture designer and woodworker.

Amaya began working on the chair at the beginning of second semester and has completed the seat, front legs, back legs, and spindles of the rocker.

The seat will be fully complete once Amaya makes the armrests, crest rail, and the rockers.

Once completed, the rocking chair will be sent to Sacramento and evaluated by a panel of judges.

The results of the woodworking competition will be released in early June.

Amaya received two awards at the California State Fair last year for a table made out of walnut, curly maple, and termite-resistant wood. That piece received first place in its category, and was additionally awarded the Green Features Award. Amaya received the prize for his use of eco-friendly termite resistant wood.

His success in past competitions has influenced Amaya to pursue woodworking in the future.

“I’m interested in fine woodworking. I’d like to create custom furniture and cabinets,” Amaya said.

“The thing I like about woodshop is that you’re only limited to your imagination.”

Matt Winkel

Michael Amaya works on the legs of his rocking chair during fifth-period woodshop.

14 Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Feature

Being Flynn remains remarkably true to reality 4/5

By Harry Yadav Senior Staff Writer Movies that are “based on a true story” rarely stay as faithful to tale as Paul Weitz’s Being Flynn. The film follows 27-year old Nick Flynn (Paul Dano), who was raised by a single mother (Julianne Moore) for all of his life. His father, Jonathan Flynn (Robert De Niro) was absent until he walked back into Nick’s life not as a father figure, but as a homeless man.

This real-life story is entertaining from start to finish, and features brilliant performances from Dano and De Niro.

Dano brings intrigue to Nick’s character with his sullen countenance and sudden emotional outbursts. De Niro depicts Jonathan’s character perfectly, capturing the essense of a man whose life is falling to pieces. Even though he is a perpetual drunk, a homophobe and a racist, the audience cannot help but root for De Niro’s character.

Thanks to De Niro’s incredible performance, Jonathon is able to convince Nick at the very climax of the film that, although he seems like he cannot support himself, Nick does not need to worry about him.

Based on Nick Flynn’s autobiographical novel of the same name, the film adaptation is both

true to the story and strikingly realistic. A large portion of the movie is set in a homeless shelter in which Nick is an employee. Weitz’s depiction does not glamorize life at the shelter. Having worked at a homeless shelter myself, I can confirm that the scenes shot there are almost shockingly realistic. This quality at times gives the movie the feeling of a documentary.

Indeed, Weitz’s biggest success is preventing Hollywood from unnecessarily romanticizing the film. This can be seen most vividly in the characters, who are far more normal than those in the average movie. Nick’s girlfriend is not stunningly beautiful, has problems of her own, and eventually dumps him. This subplot exemplifies the fact that the movie does not digress from its heavy themes.

There are no fairy tale love stories in Being Flynn.

Though the plot is intriguing and the performances are flawless, the film seems to be missing something: it is not quite inspirational.

Weitz seems more keen on telling a story than communicating a message.

Without doubt, the film would make a compelling documentary.

Jontz receives PSHA grant

By Amber Laird Staff Writer After years of surviving with a semi-functional speaker system, the SPHS auditorium is getting an upgrade. Auditorium director Mr. James Jontz worked with the South Pasadena Educational Foundation (SPEF) to secure a grant from the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA).

The purpose of the grant is “[purchasing] equipment and [improving] the sound in the auditorium,” according to an email from PSHA. The $13,900 grant will go a long way toward revamping the sound system, according to Jontz.

The last major renova-

tion to the auditorium’s speaker system was over a decade ago. The system is composed of several separate parts; the last renovation’s funding was limited, resulting in inexpensive and lower quality speakers. The system is not custommade to fit the layout of the auditorium, so the acoustic distribution is uneven and the first five or ten rows cannot hear as well as the rest of the audience.

In addition, one of the speakers blew out last year during the spring musical.

Jontz also requested a new soundboard and new wireless microphones, but the budget allowed by the grant will pay for just the essentials: new speakers and amplifiers.

The new array system will have

Iz, Short for Izz By Amber Laird

multiple, linked speakers. It will be designed to reach every seat equally and conform to the shape of the auditorium.

The check for these renovations is set to arrive on April 25, but Jontz hopes to negotiate an earlier date in order to have the new sound system installed by the opening night of the spring musical, Curtains.

Brochures and fliers advertising performances in the auditorium will now feature the PSHA logo and a note stating that the production was supported by the PSHA. “[Before this grant] there was no money for the theater, but everyone wanted to use it and no one understood why [the sound] didn’t work,” Jontz said.

Like this comic? View it in full color at tigernewspaper.com.

Feature

Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

15

Seniors prepare for annual Yosemite Institute Dozens of exhausted seniors have been sacrificing their sleep and after-school activities to attend the infamously grueling Yosemite training sessions. These workouts began on February 21 and continue until March 23.

The sessions require hopeful adventurers to run from two to three miles. This exercise is in preparation for the intense hiking and backpacking that they will have to endure if selected to partake in the Yosemite trip.

Seniors must attend two workout sessions per week to receive full “acorns,” or credits. Sessions are held

Monday through Thursday at 6:00 A.M. at the SPHS track and Monday through Friday at 3:15 P.M. at Lacy Park in San Marino. Students who are involved in a spring sport are given the option to turn in an Athletic Waiver Form to eliminate one of the biweekly workouts.

Attending one session earns a student ten “acorns,” a type of points conceived specifically for determining who attends the Yosemite trip.

The sixty students who have earned the most acorns by April 12 will be able to embark on a six-day journey to Yosemite National Park beginning May 20. /Remeny White

Wilson Muller The Yosemite workouts can be tiring, but they are always worthwhile. I wouldn’t want to go to Yosemite out of shape because I would probably fall off a cliff! Plus, it’s been great getting to know everyone who is going to be on the trip with me in May. Katie Whitworth

Katie Whitworth

“I’ve been going to the morning practices twice a week, which has been hard but refreshing. I’m actually glad that they’re making us train before the trip because I would die in Yosemite otherwise. The training also allows me to bond with new people, which is great.”

Catherine Lee

The Lorax fails Seussical moral E OVER

be at all pleased when they sit down to view this Hollywood dreck.

The story is now set in

By Meghan Roche Thneedville, a gleaming, postcardStaff Writer perfect dystopia where nothing When Universal Studios an- organic grows and a despotic tynounced the release of its take on rant controls the fresh-air supthe Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax last ply. Determined to find a real, year, many were excited at the pros- live tree as a present for Audrey pect of seeing the environmentally- (Taylor Swift), plucky young Ted influenced story, now more rele- (Zac Efron) sneaks out of town to vant than ever, translated to the big pay a visit to the Once-ler (The Ofscreen. Unfortunately, anyone with fice’s Ed Helms at his very best), hopes of a faithful adaptation won’t who is now permanently locked away in a rundown house.

Though

By Daniel Willardson hostile at first, the Once-ler eventually gives in and tells his story: how he razed the forest in order to knit thousands of scarf-like products called Thneeds, and how the Lorax, who speaks for the trees, tried in vain 2/5

Typical

to appeal to the Once-ler’s reason and conscience.

Movie fans will recognize this touching scene, but it is the only sequence with even a hint of heart.

Instead of Dr. Seuss’s original, sweet, and nonsensically winding plots and characters, the movie features cheesy pop-culture references and bad one-liners. As audiences have seen time and again, movie studios run into a problem when they turn picture books into feature-film-length stories – they bloat them until they burst.

The film’s songs, which are awkwardly inserted, sound remarkably like extended radio jingles. The animation is as solid as any other kids movie found in the box office, but that is all it is in the end – a movie written strictly for children.

If this film was simply another big-budget CGI kids film hitting the box office, none of this would be all that problematic. It is a harmless, nothing-special movie, but considering the charm of the book on which it is based, that is not enough.

heard

*Actual conversations overheard on campus. Overheard anything comical lately? Send it to tigernewspaper.com.

Illustrations by Amber Laird

Reign of Terror is wonderfully exhausting 4.5/5

By Kelsey Hess Staff Writer

Like this comic? You can view it in full color at tigernewspaper.com.

Sleigh Bells is attempting to revive music from a past generation through its signature deafening sound. The group’s punk metal/pop essence continues in its second album, Reign of Terror.

The new album exhibits a significant shift in attitude from the band’s debut CD, Treats. Singer Alexis Krauss describes Reign of Terror as a “much more personal record,” but despite the emotion of the EP, it still features the band’s signature extreme volume.

This is not easy listening. The music is almost headache-inducing – a bitter sound contradicted by therapeutic lyrics.

But the songs still somehow keep you listening.

Two tracks on the EP stand out; both feature distinctive melodies and pop-rock flare. “Comeback Kid” opens with a blast, leading into a booming chorus and transitioning swiftly into the verses. The repetitive instrumentals form a catchy tune that contrasts with the high-energy lyrics and melodies.

“End of the Line” is calmer than most of the band’s music, with an overall smooth sound and easy-listening feel. The track starts off slowly and tells the bittersweet story of a failed relationship.

Sleigh Bells is unique in its pop/ metal genre, so its rare sound has yet to be rivaled. Reign of Terror is an impres-

sive collection of songs that greatly exceed the expectations set by the preceding album.

While overwhelming, Reign of Terror presents flawlessly constructed chaos. This emotional album is tiring, but leaves its listener in a completely satisfied state of exhaustion.

Reign of Terror Track List 1. True Shred Guitar 2. Born to Lose 3. Crush 4. End of the Line 5. Leader of the Pack

6. Comeback Kid 7. Demons 8. Road to Hell 9. You Lost Me 10. Never Say Die 11. D.O.A

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

SPHS On: the 2012 Election

SPHS on:

16

The rat race for the 2012 election is in full swing. GOP candidate Rick Santorum won primaries in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday, and the hunt for the Republican candidacy will continue well into summer. To test the knowledge of SPHS students (and future voters), Tiger is emulating Los Angeles-based YouTube sensation Kassem G for the second year in a row. Senior staff writer Harry Yadav and staff writer Matt DeFulgentiis went around campus with photo editor Theo Mandin-Lee to see just how prepared SPHS was for the November election. Responses revealed a stunning lack of political literacy.

the 2012 Election

Keep in mind that just like Kassem G, Tiger chose the most entertaining student responses. So don’t judge your fellow students, but rather admire their openness, and feel free to laugh.

Christian Christmas Can you do a freestyle rap about the 2012 election for me?

Christian: I don’t rap for free... uh... Obama, Obama, if

there is a Republican in office, there will be a whole lot of drama, so have the Republicans kick it with yo momma, keep Obama there because he killed Osama.

Joey Harmon What flavor of ice cream do you think Newt Gingrich is?

Joey: Uh, white... oh... that’s not a flavor.... [laughs]... [more laughing]...chocolate.

Vijay Nachiappan and Derek Wang Who do you guys see winning the Democratic debate this year?

Derek: Democractic debate... who do you think? Obama?

Vijay: Mitt Romney?

Do you like a second candidate?

Derek: I like Mitt Romney...

Vijay: Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney for the Democratic debate?

Derek: I like Ron Paul, he’s old. He’s nice and old.

If Obama wins in 2012, do you think he’s a shoo-in to win again 2016?

Derek: Oh, hopefully. I want him to be. Yeah.

Brooke Drury, Stephanie Warren, and Emily Defilippis Okay, who are you guys going to be voting for in the 2012 election?

Brooke: Obama.

Emily: Uh, Obama.

Stephanie: Obama.

How old are you?

Brooke: I’m fourteen

Xiomara De La O and Lauren Williams How mad are you ladies that Obama isn’t running for re-election this year?

Lauren: Pretty upset...

Xiomara: Yeah, he’s a good president.

Lauren: He’s really good.

What would you say to him to persuade him to run again?

Xiomara: Umm, you made history so... and you did really good so I think you should re-run.

Emily: Fifteen.

Stephanie: Fifteen Do you know that you guys can’t vote?

Brooke: Yes.

Emily: Mhmm.

Stephanie: Yeah... we know.

Visit tigernewspaper.com for the full video.

Sports

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

17

Girls track continues to set records Although just wrapping up preseason, the young squad is eager to repeat as league champions

By Max White and Alex Tranquada Tiger Staff A powerhouse girls track team looks to defend its league title as the Rio Hondo season approaches. Impressive performances early in the preseason leave no doubts that the Tigers have the talent to go undefeated for a second consecutive year.

South Pasadena’s strength lies in its depth; the Tigers have talented athletes in sprint, field, and distance events. Captains Kaylee Anderson and Samantha Amido are among the returning runners and jumpers this year. A host of new Tigers, led by freshman Nina Acebo and senior Zoë Detzel, fill the void left by last year’s graduating class.

The Wildcat Relays at Monrovia High School gave the distance squad a chance to assert its dominance on March 3. The 4x1600 team of seniors Cece Zhu and Anderson, junior Anika Renken, and sophomore Helena Van Loan placed first in its race. Anderson, Renken, Van Loan, and sophomore Kamia Rodil-Willis set a school record in the distance medley relay and edged out Edison High School to claim first.

After a week without a dual meet, the team competed at the Cougar Classic Invitational. Sophomore Claire KiefferWright took first in the 400 meter with a time of 59.27. Acebo, who placed first overall in girls frosh/soph in both the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, finished second in her division in the 100 meter sprint.

Detzel crossed the finish line in of the 300 meter varsity hurdles in 47.89 to claim second overall.

Rather than competing in the distance events at the Cougar Classic, Anderson, Renken, and Van Loan competed in the Ben Brown Invitational at CSU Fullerton. The girls ran the 5000 as unat-

tached athletes because the meet is not open to official high school teams. Van Loan finished 21st in the A heat with a time of 18:05; Renken ran a 19:11 in the B heat, and Anderson crossed the line in the C heat in 19:57.

Two days previous, the Tigers emerged from their March 1 dual meet against the Alhambra Moors with a decisive 119-8 victory. South Pasadena swept every running, jumping, and throwing event except for the discus, a competition in which the Tigers do not partake due to the lack of a discus area on the SPHS team.

The Tigers will compete against Rosemead today for the first time in girls track history. The South Pas squad hopes to use the meet to build momentum for its Rio Hondo opener on March 28

Rachael Garner

Freshman Julia Primuth launches into the pit while attempting to triple jump.

Siria Medina

Sophmore Samantha Zavala races during Tuesday’s meet against Flintridge Prep.

Swim glides through early meets

By Shyam Senthilkumar Buisness Manager The South Pasadena swim team dominated Flintridge Prep, defeating them in a home meet this past Tuesday.

The South Pas girls won 126-48 and the boys finished off their 110-60 win by achieving a CIF cut in the 400 meter freestyle relay.

Senior phenom Carlton Lew placed first in the 200 meter and 100 meter freestyle with times of 1:54 and 51.7 respectively.

Senior Sarp Elaziz claimed first in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 22.9 and first in the 100 meter butterfly with 55 seconds.

The team of Lew, Elaziz, Tyler Halley, and Garrett Tse claimed first in the 200 meter medley race with a time of 1:46.

The girls team had strong results from freshman Kate Iio, junior Hannah Edens and sophomore Samantha Zavala, who claimed first in many of their respective events.

“We have a very deep team, a very

talented team. A combination of talent and depth makes for a successful season.

We are definitely in the hunt for a league championship. We have to fight it out with San Marino and La Cañada,” said girls coach Paul Arco.

Both the girls and boys teams also had commanding victories against La Salle High School last Thursday.

The boys varsity team remains optimistic in regards to the season despite losing many seniors this year.

“This season may not be the best, but it’s an excellent opportunity for us to properly gauge where we are in respect to other schools and determine what is required of us to dominate in coming years,” said sophomore Michael Chang.

Boys coach Tyrone Brown had similar comments.

“We’re doing well. We’re 3-0 so far and off to a great start. We’re very young; we lost a total of 12 seniors, so that was tough,” said Brown.

The swimming program will take on Alhambra High School next Monday at home and look to maintain its undefeated record in preseason.

18 Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

Sports

Boys track prepares for league battles

By Heather Vaughan Staff Writer

Rachael Garner

Freshman Kelvin Mirhan competes in JV long jump at the Wildcat Relays.

The SPHS boys track team is off to a strong start this season; it hopes to achieve victory despite the loss of many graduated seniors. The team performed well at its first dual meet of the season against Alhambra on March 1, beating the Moors 79-47.

Senior co-captain Kevyn Fox led the Tigers, taking two first-place victories in the 400 and 200 heats. Co-captain seniors Bobby Kobara and Bennett Kopperud also contributed to the team’s victory.

Kobara is currently the team’s strongest jumper, with a triple jump PR of 42’9” and a long jump PR of 19’4”.

According to Kobara, the team has gained many eager, talented jumpers to offset the lack of experienced athletes.

In contrast, the pole vaulters gained nearly no new recruits this year and are still headed by juniors Austin

Kahn and Daniel Patterson as well as senior Aidan Louie.

Fox is confident in the team’s ability to succeed during the league season.

“I think we can do really well this year, but Monrovia and San Marino are going to be big challenges,” said Fox. The team will lose several key members for the Monrovia meet due to other obligations, such as the Virtual Business trip and Outdoor Science School, but otherwise Fox believes that the team can dominate the league for the second year in a row.

Head coach PJ Hernandez also sees potential in the team, particularly amidst the younger members.

“This year’s senior class has diminished for a number of reasons; we still have a few dedicated seniors, but what we really have is some good freshmen and sophomores who are ready to shine on varsity,” said Hernandez.

The team’s next meet will be at home against Rosemead today.

Softball brings heat in preseason

By Christian Miyamae Staff Writer The South Pasadena girls softball team has started its preseason with an even 4-4 record. The girls are led by senior captains Marissa Baca and Melissa Payne and junior captain Laura Elbaum. The squad looks to improve on 2011’s 2-22-1 record.

“There’s quite a bit of talent on the team and they’ve been working really hard this year. The team has been working on two things: the hitters on getting at least thirty at-bats per game [as a team] and the

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Maranatha 7-6 L

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Wilson 6-2 W

pitchers on getting the walks down and the strikeouts up,” said head coach Ted Mureau.

The team suffered its most recent loss on Tuesday against Maranatha. Although the game remained close throughout, a walkoff homerun gave the Minutemen a 7-6 victory.

Senior Taylor Colliau went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and freshman Cassie Baca had three hits and two RBIs to support the Tiger girls’ offense.

A 6-2 win over Wilson High School on March 10 kept alive a three-game South Pas win streak.

Wilson held a two-run lead until the Tigers came out roaring to bring the game to 3-2 in the seventh.

South Pasadena scored three more runs in the eighth inning to secure the victory. Junior Cynthia

Ream-Garcia and sophomore Chelsea Hong contributed a combined three home runs to the Tiger effort, securing the win.

South Pas won 9-3 on March 8 against San Gabriel Mission High School after taking control with four r uns in the second inning.

Ream-Garcia spearheaded the Tiger offense with three hits.

The Tigers’ second victory of the preseason was against Arroyo High School in El Monte. The team beat the Knights 10-0.The match ended in the fifth inning after South Pasadena’s ten point lead triggered the high school mercy rule. Cassie Baca led the defense, allowing only two hits in her five innings as pitcher.

The team plays its league opener against Temple City at home tomorrow.

Katie Whitworth

Senior Marissa Baca, #6, pitches for the Tigers during a 9-3 win against San Gabriel on March 8.

Girls soccer

JV Spotlight Although sometimes overshadowed by the success of the varsity squad, the girls JV soccer team had an outstanding season of its own. They recaptured the Rio Hondo League title for the second year in a row. The Tigers emerged undefeated in league and clinched victories in six of their eight games.

South Pas was led by sophomore captains Darcy Douglas and Liz Stellar.

“I had a great time on JV this year,” said Douglas. “It was an interesting learning experience being the leader on such a young team.”

Multiple freshmen stood out this year for South Pas. Forwards Emmy Keenan and Alyssa Carlos headed the Tigers’ attack; the pair was responsible

for most of the squad’s goals. Freshman Marion Wood was a wall on defense and goalie Maddi Kause turned in multiple stellar performances.

One of the keys to the team’s success was the chemistry and trust between players.

“The older girls were really nice and we got along with them great,” said Carlos.

“We worked together well which allowed us to achieve good results.”

Douglas is sure that, with the amount of talent in the squad, the next few years will be just as promising.

“I was happy to be league champions for the second year in a row and I believe we can continue doing well in the future,” she said.

- Clem Witherall

Girls water polo to a second-place finish in league.

The team consistently improved as the season progressed, becoming more and more comfortable moving the ball up and down the pool and taking early shots.

Tabitha Genato, a sophomore team member, pointed to positive chemisty and shared responsibility among the players as the reason for their success.

Despite several of their key players looking to join the ranks of varsity, the team is confident that next year it will be able to maintain a strong squad.

- Sofi Goode

Despite the low expectations placed on the JV boys basketball team, it overcame this negative outlook and succeeded throughout its season.

SPHS placed second in league behind La Cañada, despite beating the Spartans 69-57 at home. This win was part of the team’s ten-game undefeated streak. In addition to La Cañada, the Tigers also defeated their San Marino rivals 55-41.

The squad completed its season with only three losses in league and an overall record of 17-6.

Starting guard and co-captain sophomore Andrew Wong praised his team for its hard work.

“Our team is definitely a special one because we don’t have a ‘superstar’everyone on our team contributes in a The South Pasadena JV boys soccer team finished second in the league this year with a record of 6-1-3.

Sophomore captains Clem Witherall, Thomas Steele, and junior captain Sean Hartman led the Tigers.

Freshmen Kevin Yonami and Ramon Gutierrez provided most of the boys’ offense. Yonami, a forward, led the team in scoring with ten goals and four assists. Gutierrez, who controlled the midfield, had seven goals and twelve assists; he was later moved up to varsity.

Freshman Oscar Jaime was a standout defensive player until a bro-

different way…we had the perfect balance of shooters, rebounders, and ball handlers,” he said.

Sophomore Nicolai Mlodinow, co-captain and center, agrees with Wong.

“We all worked as a team to win; no one player took the team on his back,” he added.

There was not a single member of the team who could be named “best player.” Whether it was junior David Hughey dribbling the ball up the court as point guard, sophomore Sam Mohammadion shutting out the opposing team as defensive guard, or sophomore Jason Lin scoring points as shooting guard, the entirety of the team contributed equally to their outstanding season.

- Rachel Newhall ken leg ended his season only halfway through.

“The team was similar to last year- there were a lot of freshmen on the team and our defense was very strong.” said Steele. “Our offense, however, wasn’t as strong in the beginning of the season. With the help of our coaches, it came along.”

The highlight of the squad’s season was beating La Cañada 2-0 at the Spartans’ home field. However, the squad’s biggest disappointment came during a 2-1 loss to Monrovia, a game that took South Pas out of the title race.

-Matt DeFulgentiis

Boys soccer

The junior varsity girls water polo program is often eclipsed by the incredible success of its varsity counterpart, a three-time League Champion team. Despite being underappreciated, it is perhaps the South Pasadena water polo program’s crowning achievement. The JV team maintains exceptional depth well into its bench.

This year saw another extremely successful year for the team. Several sophomore players stepped up to fill important leadership positions on the team.

One of these players was Chloe Siegel, a sophomore who was elected captain of the squad and led her team

Boys basketball

Sports

Lauren Wakabayashi

By Harry Yadav Senior Staff Writer

Siria Medina

Senior Lauren Wakabayashi has been participating in the Junior Olympics since 2009. She began learning to swim before she could walk.

Keaton Leach

By Rachel Newhall Staff Writer Senior Keaton Leach entered his freshman year at St. Francis High School in hopes of jumpstarting his baseball career.

His plans changed drastically due to an intensive shoulder surgery, forcing him to sit out his entire sophomore season. The doctors first told him he would not be able to play for a year; they later revealed that they did not believe he would ever be able to step up to the mound again.

The doctors didn’t have the last word.

After months of rehabilitation, Leach was able to defy the doctors’ prognosis and safely return to the field his junior year. Instead of returning to St. Francis, he was drawn back to SPHS by the excellent coaching staff, supportive community, and upbeat team.

Leach had a .317 batting average and fielding average of .886 as a center fielder in his first season at SPHS. That same year he was awarded First Team All-League for his performance on varsity.

Despite a remarkable performance

Senior Lauren Wakabayashi’s passion for swimming developed at the age of eight, when she spent most of her time in the waves off the coast of her hometown, Honolulu. These days, the young girl splashing in the ocean is long gone. Wakabayashi is now diving into her senior year as captain of the varsity girls swim team, with the goal of becoming league champions.

Wakabayashi is a four-year member of varsity swim. She also competes with the Rose Bowl swim team in the 100 and 200 breast stroke and the 200 individual medley. She has participated in the Junior Olympics since 2009. The avid swimmer admits that swimming is the only sport she could ever do.

“I don’t run and I don’t walk. I can’t do any land activities. It wouldn’t work out,” she said.

in his junior year, Leach has even higher attend Loyola Marymount and continue hopes for this upcoming season; he wants pitching.

“I just want to be the best I can be and to improve his play on the field and his leadership as a senior member of the team. see where that takes me,” he said.

“As a senior, I try to be that voice on the field that all the other players are looking towards,” he said.

Five games into the season, Leach is proving to be just that. Teammate Nick O’Brien refers to Leach as the “backbone” of the team, and the coaching staff agrees.

“I look for someone who is going to do everything humanly possible to be the best they can be and Keaton does just that,” said head coach Anthony Chevrier.

Chevrier has high hopes for Leach due to his consistently strong effort and attitude on and off the pitch.

“Keaton could be a special baseball player… He has the ability to play at a very high level and possibly be drafted,” said Chevrier.

Theo Mandin-Lee Leach hasn’t planned extensively for a collegiate Leach, #5, recently pitched nine innings and baseball career, but he hopes to hit a walk-off single to end a preseason game.

CIF Winter Sports Girls soccer Round: Semifinals Overall record: 22-3-6

The girls soccer squad has had a season for the history books; it has been seven years since the squad last advanced this far in postseason play. The girls lost 2-1 in a close final match, but came away happy with a season in which they set a school record for most undefeated games in a row. The 21game streak earned them the title of Rio Hondo League champions.

Wrestling

Girls water polo

Round: Second Overall record: 1-2

Round: Quarterfinals Overall record: 16-8

South Pasadena’s boys wrestling team had another strong season capped by multiple members of the squad attending CIF. Seniors Sean Ehrlich and Ned Estrada led the squad.

Sophomore James Yun also impressed. Head coach Al Shuton expects a bright future for the young Tigers.

Although a dynamic team, the girls ultimately fell short of their goal, a CIF championship. “I thought it was a really good season for us in which we brought back [a third consecutive] league title, but I feel we could have gone a little further,” said head coach Robert Echeverria.

Girls basketball

Boys basketball

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Tiger

19

Despite earnestly saying that swimming is her entire life, Wakabayashi enjoys other activities outside of the pool. Wakabayashi collects Archie comics, watches Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and often goes to Din Tai Fung for a dumpling fix after swimming.

Wakabayashi applied to many private liberal arts colleges, and is in contact with swimming coaches from Occidental, Lewis and Clark, and Claremont McKenna College.

“I did a recruit visit at Occidental. I stayed overnight and hung out with the girls on the team,” she said.

Wakabayashi echoes Finding Nemo’s Dory when giving advice to aspiring swimmers.

“Just keep swimming. It’s going to be hard and the practices are tough, but that moment when you win a heat or lower a time makes it worth it,” she said.

Wakabayashi’s focus and friendly disposition give her fellow peers confidence in her ability to succeed in swimming after high school.

“I spend a lot of time with her. Every time I get together with her, she is always positive and willing to do anything for her team. She constantly motivates us and encourages us to do our best, ” said co-captain and friend Hannah Edens.

Baseball ready for league opener

By Rachel Newhall Staff Writer The boys varsity baseball team has already seen its fair share of ups and downs throughout preseason. SPHS broke out of its two-game slump on March 8 by defeating the Norwalk Lancers.

Bryan Bednarski started the game as pitcher and earned the Tigers a 3-2 lead. Leach stepped in to pitch and won the game 5-2. Sophomore Joey Harmon, senior Dylan Trimarchi, and senior Keaton Leach each scored triples and senior Matt Pinson had multiple hits throughout the game. This win gave the team an overall season record of 4-2.

As a result of underestimating its opponents, the Montebello Oilers, South Pasadena took a loss on March 6. The Tigers were crushed 9-4 at home.

Senior Justin Cornford and junior Mark Swanson pitched throughout the game.

Though SPHS has undergone intensive practice, it came into the game cold while the Oilers came onto the field eager to win.

On March 3, the team played a fierce teninning game against the Alhambra Moors at Alhambra High School. Leach pitched the first six innings while Harmon pitched the last four. The Tigers lost due to a walk-off single by the opposing Moors, making the final score 5-4. Alhambra broke SPHS’s winning streak, leaving the Tigers 3-1.

The team took an easy victory over South El Monte High School at home on March 2. Cornford pitched strongly and consistently throughout the game and the Tigers won 4-2, but still were not satisfied with the win.

The Tigers won their first two games of the season in a double-header against the Gabrielino Eagles on February 25 at SPHS. Leach pitched for the entirety of the first game and contributed a walk-off single to end the game in the ninth inning.

Chevriers’ goal for the team as they continue through the season is to see every game as an opportunity to win and do so with a competitive attitude.

The Tigers’ next game before the beginning of league is tomorrow against Temple City.

Boys soccer

Round: Second Overall record: 18-10

Round: Second Overall record: 16-12

Round: Second Overall record: 13-4-4

Girls basketball earned its CIF berth with a third place finish in league, going on to win its first round game against Barstow 47-42. However, their postseason run ended with tough 64-23 loss against the higher-ranked Alemany.

With first year coach Tim Brown at the helm, the boys rode a wave of confidence that culminated in a league championship. With twelve seniors graduating, the team looks to continue its success next year with a young nucleus of players.

Boys soccer made program history by becoming the first squad to qualify for the second round. Led by senior captains Mathewos Ghebrekristos and Steven Blackwell, the team earned a third place finish in league.

Siria Medina

Sophmore Joey Harmon prepares to pitch the ball during the Tuesday’s 2-0 triumph.

20 Tiger - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Sports

Sports

Girls Soccer All League Accolades Rio Hondo League Player of the Year - Taylor Colliau First Team: Angelique Ulmer, Jessica Moog, Samantha Figeroa, Kelly Brady Second Team: Jennifer Suh, Charlie Gleeson Honorable Mention: Jackie Mejia, Jazmin Jackmon

Speaking of Sports Carlton Lew Assoc. Opinion Editor

Athlete entitlement: Isn’t an education enough?

Matt Winkel

Junior Jason Qui agressively spikes the ball over the net in a match against Flintridge Prep on March 13. SPHS won 3-0.

Boys volleyball expects league title Finishing preseason, the experienced squad already shines with 3-0 record

By Matt DeFulgentiis Staff Writer The South Pasadena boys volleyball team continued its preseason success with a win against Flintridge Prep this Tuesday.

The Tigers showed up ready to play and were able to take control of the Rebels from the moment they stepped on the court, resulting in a definitive match score of 3-0 for South Pas. “They had a few strong

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Flitridge Prep 3-0 W

players, but overall we were just taller, stronger, faster. We had more players who had played volleyball before,” said head coach Ben Diaz, who is in his first year at the helm of the program. “We ran our offense really well. We got to run a lot of plays, had a lot of big hits, and were able to get everyone in the game and we didn’t lose our flow. However, I’d like to see a little quicker offense and try to get our middles involved more.”

The Tigers’ top scorer

4/6 SPHS v.

La Salle 5-2 W

4/13 SPHS v.

Eagle Rock 2-0 W

was junior Robert Adamson, who had fifteen kills after three games.

“We were able to execute most of our combo plays due to our good passing throughout the game,” said Robert.

Diaz recently named senior Thomas Adamson as captain of the squad.

The Tigers have been victorious in all three of their preseason games, including wins over La Salle and Arcadia. Their only two losses have come during tournament play.

Diaz is now the head coach of both the boys and girls volleyball programs at South Pasadena and is very pleased to be taking on such a

hardworking team.

“They’re very dedicated.

They don’t fool around too much and they get the job done. They don’t screw around in practice,” said Diaz. “Their will to win is pretty cool to see.”

The boys play the El Rancho Dons today in an away match; the Tigers have never faced the squad before but plan to make no changes to their game.

“I’ve never seen them play before, but the game plan is still to just go in and execute and win.

Get the game done quick and fast and get out of there,” he said.

If the boys continue with their aggressive play, the 2012 season will be a triumphant one.

Boys tennis looking to improve as season progresses singles and who should play doubles.

On Tuesday, junior Karthik Raju, senior Phillip Kim, and senior Alex Deng were swept in their On Tuesday afternoon the singles matches.

SPHS boys tennis team fell to The squad was missing senior Shurr High School at home 5-13. captain Jordan Cheng and junior With the loss, the boys fell to 2-3 Krishna Mocherla, who were both in preseason play. engaged with Virtual Business and Against the Spartans, the could not attend their matches.

Tigers’ only victories came in “That was one of the best doubles play. The pairing of senior Shurr teams I have seen, but if we Eren Cameron and sophomore had our complete squad we would Jason Wang came from behind to have beat them,” said head coach win its match. The duo lost its first Jim Asher. set 2-6 before winning its next two The Tigers’ next match is tosets 6-2, 6-2. day at home against Burbank. They The Tiger duo of junior start league play in an away match Scott Richards and senior Kyeong against powerhouse San Marino Min swept its doubles opposition next Tuesday. in three straight sets with a score Matt Winkel “We have a young team and of 6-3 in each set. our goal is to go to CIF. San Marino “We are still getting into Senior Eren Cameron sends over a serve during shape and preparing for league. We his March 13 match against Shurr High School. is a very strong team so that will be a tough match,” said Asher. are a young team with some valu“We should be good as long liberally with the lineup so far this preable seniors, so we should be pretty season in preparation for league play. His as we continue to get in better shape and good this year,” said Richards.

Head coach Jim Asher has tampered main dilemma is deciding who should play improve as a team,” added Cameron.

By Harry Yadav Senior Staff Writer

The FBI recently launched an investigation into Auburn University basketball player Varez Ward for alleged point shaving during games earlier this season. A form of cheating, point shaving occurs when a corrupt athlete ensures that the game’s results are favorable for bookmakers. The involved athlete earns a profit from their active participation in fixing.

The growing occurrence of these NCAA violations calls into question the integrity of highly scrutinized college players.

Auburn University made $21,991,623 alone in ticket sales in 2011, in addition to the $4,650,000 garnered from television and media deals. The schools are profiting, the coaches are offered million-dollar contracts, and many athletes are subsequently complaining that they earn nothing.

What these collegiate stars fail to understand is that academics come first. The 20112012 average tuition for a private nonprofit four-year college is $28,500 per year. A public four-year college charges an average $8,244 in fees for in-state students and $12,526 for fulltime out-of-state students. These are among a lucky group of scholars who have, essentially, been given a free world-class education in exchange for their athletic skills. That should be more than enough to satisfy sensible eighteen year-olds.

Instead, athletes, such as O.J. Mayo of USC, take advantage of what they have been given and violate NCAA rules to make extra cash. In 2010, it was discovered that Mayo, a basketball star, had received improper cash benefits while playing at the collegiate level. Instead of facing the consequences of his actions, Mayo declared for the NBA early and is now making millions as a professional while USC is still reeling from its self-imposed sanctions that include forfeiture of wins and scholarship deductions.

Mayo and Ward are only two examples of a growing problem of disrespect for the college system. College stars feel that they should be rewarded financially because of their talents, yet fail to grasp the underlying lesson in athletics about respecting the integrity of your teammates and those you represent.

As Olympic coach Herb Brooks said, “When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back.”

[inside]

page 15 Theo Mandin-Lee

Read about boys baseball’s most recent preseason results.