Tiger Newspaper March 2015

Virtual Business competes in Oakland

In the News Spring Rio Hondo League season opens March 21 for baseball, softball, and boys’ tennis teams

Companies continue success; prepare for national competition in New York City

Boys’ swimming heads to preliminary relays at Los Alamitos Naval Base pool today, March 19 TASSEL Club to host yard sale on March 21 for money to build a teaching facility in Cambodia

By Jordan Xiao Copy Editor

SPHS celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with green apparel and a donut eating competition during lunch Replacements for Ms Kadletz and Ms Athalye join the SPHS Tiger community (pg. 2) Sophomore class officers will provide free food to promote class bonding Friday on the Tiger Patio “Roaring 20’s” senior citizens prom seeks male student volunteers to participate in the event for comminity service hours Football welcomes head track coach CB Richards to lead team in upcoming 2015-2016 season (pg. 3) Junior Somi Jun awarded Silver National Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing competition Ms Cutler is looking for student participants for the “What You Don’t Tell Your Parents” event

Matt Scholtz

JUNIOR DEFENSE CRUMBLES Senior Jackie Mejia looks to take the ball upfield after receiving the handoff from quarterback Colleen Berry. (See more coverage on pgs. 8 & 9)

Powderpuff game ends in senior victory

By Alex Nakagawa Assoc. Sports Editor The annual Powderpuff football game ended with a historic 46-12 senior victory over the junior team on Friday, March 13.

With the victory, the Class of 2015 secured its perfect record in its Powderpuff history, winning in both 2014 and 2015, after the Class of 2013 did so two years earlier. The game was announced by juniors Coleman Clayton and Julian Prime. The event continued the reverse Homecoming theme.

“I think it was a creative and fun way to unite the class[es],” second year Powderpuff player senior Julia Primuth said. “I wish [our team] could have played more games.”

VIEWPOINTS:

Read more on pg. 7

New century, new look Read more at tigernewspaper.com

“The offense worked really hard on plays in practice and that definitely showed,” Primuth said. “The senior defense was so on point that it was ridiculous.”

Many girls showcased their athletic ability on the defensive side of the field.

Senior twins Jessica and Madison Meier stopped the junior running game consistently, while the junior class was unable to stop the senior offense.

The juniors hope to use its experience as motivation to defeat the incoming juniors for the 2015-2016 school year.

“I’m really proud of our team,” Abbott said. “Even though the game didn’t turn out in our favor, we all had a lot of fun playing.”

National Merit Breakfast honors student scholars

JAKE SWAYZE

“There are a lot of things about our high school that don’t make sense: the sudden popularity of rap battles at lunch, the lack of soap in the bathrooms, why breakfast burritos are only sold on Wednesday and Friday. But the way we run elections is one of the most confusing.”

After two weeks of intense preparation, the teams were ready to execute their newly learned plays. The seniors fed off of the momentum of last year’s win and capitalized on the mistakes of the juniors. Senior Julia Primuth led in scoring with three touchdowns, including one in which she ran the entire length of the field.

Junior Avery Douglas matched Primuth’s performance with the junior class’ two lone scores. Juniors Mariah Rowe and Olivia Chu provided large yardage for the juniors.

Both sides showcased strong quarterback talent, with Christine Abbott and Lauren Richards for the juniors and Colleen Berry and Rowan Leddy for the seniors.

Three Virtual Business teams won a total of seven awards at the SF Bay Area Entrepreneurship Conference and Trade Show at the Oakland Convention Center on March 15 and 16.

Varsity company Walden won first place for its trade fair booth, and first in “WOW Factor” for overall marketing appeal. Senior Tim Bian also earned a first place award for an elevator pitch, substituting at the last minute for ill teammate Ryan Chase.

“The success is pretty much all due to Ryan’s amazing writing that exceeded all the criteria in the judges’ minds; I was just there to deliver it for him,” Bian said.

Junior varsity company Inventor earned second for its business card design, while Orbis won first in Video.

Orbis also won first in Marketing Plan, while Walden took runner-up.

“I feel that our company has matured a lot as a whole and we function a lot better [as a team] now,” Orbis marketer junior Aaron Ogita said.

“We really got a lot of experience from Bakersfield and we were able to use the critique from those competitions to refine [our work].”

Walden’s business plan team will fly to New York to participate in the national-level Virtual Enterprise competition in April, along with the trade fair team and others who qualified at the Bakersfield competition last December.

By Brandon Kim Online Managing Editor Seven SPHS National Merit Finalists shared a celebratory breakfast with friends, family, and distinguished guests in the cafeteria on Wednesday, March 11 in an event organized to recognize the finalists’ academic success. Finalists were allowed invite any number of friends to the event.

Counselor Tracy Ishimaru detailed the achievements of the group of finalists as a whole, which included a four-year band member, a SkillsUSA medalist, and a chief

A megaphone for student voice: Check out ideas from the student body for making South Pasadena High School a better place

6 PAG E

officer of Virtual Business.

The event was coordinated

by Commissioner of Academics Karen Hsueh, who led the finalists in a question and answer session, asking them about subjects ranging from dream dates to potential college majors.

“The event showcased the incredible achievements of these finalists, which may not always be widely known,” Hsueh said.

The seven students qualified as semifinalists by scoring over 222 on their PSAT/NMSQT in October of 2013.

(See National Merit Breakfast on pg. 3)

To the Galilean Moon and Back: Astronomy Night featured five telescopes, four moons, two planets, and one nebula, all from the softball field

Tucker Judkins

SPHS National Merit Scholarship finalists were honored on March 11 for their high academic achievement on the PSAT.

10 PAG E

Boys’ volleyball goes 7-1: The team faced off against Division I and II schools in the pre-season Dos Pueblos Tournament

16 PAG E

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News Tiger - Thursday, March 19, 2015

Pennies for Patients finishes near school goal Students raise over $4,000 to support blood cancer research

By Ryan Nakamura Staff Writer South Pasadena High School raised $4,430.29 in partnership with the Leukemia and Lymphoma society this year, coming within $70 of the school-wide goal. The fundraiser lasted from February 9 to March 5, with donations from school clubs and fourth period classes.

Around $3,900 was collected through class donations alone.

Mr. Anthony Chan’s fourth period claimed first place with a sum of $744 accumulated over the past few weeks. Mr. Paul Groves’ class made its way into second place

AcAdemic decAthlon

Academic Decathlon preps for state competition

By Somi Jun Feature Editor The same team that won and broke Los Angeles County records at the regional level in February arrived in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 18 to compete in the Academic Decathlon state competition. The state event begins today, March 19, and will end on March 22. South Pasadena High School’s team is one of 66 invited to compete at state, out of nine schools from Los Angeles County and 40 regions in California.

“In regionals, any team who wants to can compete and enter,” team member senior Benny Feldmann said. “But in state there are only the best from each region in California, so it’s much more difficult and the level of competition is much higher.”

Last year, SPHS Academic Decathlon placed seventh at state, making a name for itself as the youngest program to be ranked in the top 10 in California.

“This year, if we can just match how we did last competition, I’d be very, very happy. If we get higher than seventh, I’d be ecstatic,” club advisor Mr. Oliver Valcorza said. “But the competition in California is the hardest in the entire nation. So for us to just remain in the top ten, that would be ideal.”

Results for state competition and the announement of teams qualifying for the next round will be announced on March 22. Nationals will take place on April 15 in Garden Grove, California.

for raising $500, followed by a third-place tie between Mr. Ring’s and Ms Denise Gill’s classes at $470 each.

Four clubs also held fundraisers and raised a total of $256.

Art Reach held art-based fundraiser, ranging from henna tattoos to face painting. Music in Measures raised money with a lunchtime performance, Sewing Club sold baked goods, and Leo Club sold root beer floats.

One notable donor, senior Andrew Cuyegkeng, raised $450 dollars by composing, producing, and selling his original album, titled “Nightfall.” The album featured a mix of classical and electronic music on the piano.

“I thought it would be a good bridge to promote music and for a good cause,” Cuyegkeng said. “I was affected by someone who had leukemia so I felt I had a personal connection. The support and feedback that I got was really encouraging.”

Commissioner of School and Community Elise Takahama, who oversaw the fundraiser, believed that the efforts of all the participants brought attention to the cause.

“I think this fundraiser is important not only because it helps raise money for a good cause but because it spreads student awareness,” Takahama said.

News

AROUND CAMPUS

Annual Powderpuff assembly showcases Mantastic nominees

Stephanie Kim

Mr. Mantastic nominees assist Ryan Chase in his quest to catch the leprechaun ‘disrupting’ the Powderpuff assembly.

By Andrew Gruhn Staff Writer Commissioner of Assemblies Ryan Chase opened up the annual Powderpuff Assembly on Friday, March 13. The assembly is held each year to promote the Powderpuff football game and showcase the nominees for the Mr. Mantastic, formerly GQ, court. Clad in explorer’s garb, Chase held the traditional roll call eliciting cheers from each grade level.

Commissioner of Spirit Samantha Lee took the stage to announce the Mantastic Court.

Freshman David Seo, sophomore Sandy Grossman, junior Manuel

PowderPuff

Mr. Mantastic announced during Powderpuff halftime show

By Kevin Park Staff Writer The 2015 Mr. Mantastic nominees entertained the audience with a performance during the March 13 Powderpuff halftime show.

Commissioner of Assemblies Ryan Chase, dressed in an orange and black kilt and tam-o-shanter, walked down the red carpet on the 50-yard line as he declared senior Jonathan Gladding Mr. Mantastic.

Gladding received a standing ovation as he was presented with

FOOD TRUCK NIGHT The freshmen class officers will host food trucks in the high school’s main parking lot on Friday, March 20. The event will start at 5 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m., and is open to the entire community. /Andrew Gruhn

a cape and crown.

The nominees were introduced in the following order: freshman David Seo, sophomore Sandy Grossman, junior Manny Rios, and seniors Jonathan Gladding, Julian Lopez, and Andrew Shults. Each entered with a brief act and a short speech.

“I definitely consider it one of the best days of my life and will cherish this memory forever,” Gladding said. “What made the experience even more special is when I spent the moment with my parents.”

Jenny Luo

Junior manleader David Espinoza performs his rendition of ‘Wrecking Ball’ during the Powderpuff halftime show.

Rios, and seniors Jonathan Gladding, Julian Lopez, and Andrew Shults were voted as the best representatives of each class. The Mantastic princes participated in a short question-and-answer session, answering queries about anything from their pet peeves to their luckiness. Three performances from Pep livened up the stage.

A competition called the Egg Race Challenge pitted representatives from every grade level against each other. The contestants attempted to race to the stage while carry-

ing a plastic egg on a spoon. After three close matches, the freshman class came out victorious in the first assembly while the seniors won in the second.

The Powderpuff Manleaders followed up with a spirited performance, dancing to songs such as Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” Chase surprised the audience when he joined the Manleaders in the middle of their performance sporting a pep uniform.

“The Manleader performance was well-choreographed and executed,” senior Samuel Garcia said. “While I may not be a fan of ‘Wrecking Ball,’ its unexpected use during the performance heightened the dance routines’ originality, making it downright hilarious.”

The assembly ended with a video by ASB videographer senior Benny Feldmann promoting the Powderpuff football game held later that evening.

“The Mr. Mantastic Assembly was energizing, funny, and a great integration of the Mantastic court with the Powderpuff game,” freshman class president Will Hoadley-Brill said. “It’s great that we have a reverse Homecoming, and the assembly was a lot more energizing than all the previous assemblies.”

School BoArd

“Project Lead The Way” outlined during meeting Biomedical and computer science programs to begin in 2015-2016 year

By Kira Gabriel Senior Staff Writer Project Lead The Way (PLTW) gave two presentations about new programs for the elementary and high school levels at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 10.

The non-profit organization develops science, technology, engineering, and math curricula and professional development for project-based learning.

All three South Pasadena elementary schools are planning to test out a new science PLTW for the 2015-2016 school year. Teachers from kindergarten through fifth grade have spent the last year receiving training during professional development days for the upcoming school year. The goal of the trial year is to help teachers understand the program and work out any issues before expanding into future years.

The plan for the program at the high school level focuses specifically on biology and medicine.

The high school will also be using

the first year of the program as an experimental period; however, the entirety of the PLTW Biomedical program extends over four years is comprised of the following courses: Principles of Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions and Biomedical Innovation.

The program’s course of implementation at the high school has not yet been determined due to the amount of time and resources required.

Other PLTW programs that will be implemented in the high school are the Computer Science & Software Engineering and Computer Science Applications courses, which will be piloted in the upcoming year by current AP Computer Science teacher Mr. Garrett Shorr.

“I’m excited to be one of 40 teachers nationwide to pilot PLTW Computer Science Applications. We will be programming Android tablets in Java the entire year,” Shorr said. “PLTW CSE or AP Computer Science A are recommended prior to taking it.”

The new programs are all centered around project-based learning, a method of teaching in which students gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to complex questions, problems, or challenges.

News

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 - Tiger

New football coach announced for 2015-2016 season Track coach CB Richards takes football reins with playoff hopes

By Alex Nakagawa Assoc. Sports Editor South Pasadena High School track coach CB Richards has been selected as the new head coach of the varsity football team.

Coach Richards is no stranger to the football program at SPHS.

Nat. Merit Breakfast (cont. from pg. 1) The students became finalists after submitting applications with biographical information and extracurricular activities, and were announced as finalists September 2014.

Guests at the event included SPUSD Superintendent Dr. Geoff Yantz, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Dr. Steve Seaford, Principal Janet Anderson, counselors, and other members of administration. Anderson, Yantz, and Seaford imparted words of congratulation to the finalists.

Class of 2015 National Merit Finalists Petra Barbu Glenda Chen Alec English Alex Kim Brandon Kim Adriana Shen Jordan Xiao

He served as the defensive back, defensive line, and special teams coach from 2006 to 2011. When applying for the position, Richards stressed his excitement to lead the team towards another year with CIF playoff berth.

“My overall goal is to concentrate the program on that vision and what it takes to get there,” Richards said. “We are in a tough league, with some very talented football schools, but my personal coaching goal is to bring a Rio Hondo League football championship back to SPHS. Once

we are in CIF playoffs, we will take it from there.”

Richards was impressed with the varsity and freshman teams’ successes this year, as both ended the 2014-2015 season with winning records.

“The varsity team is already a very talented group of studentathletes, and good football players,” Richards said. “The players have learned a lot over the past few seasons, and we are primed to do well over the next few years. So my expectations are very high!”

Richards plans to begin team

workout sessions immediately following the end of the academic year to prepare for a successful run to the league crown next year.

“I am very pumped to lead this team in 2015. The success on all levels, they have had in the past, will only serve as a stepping stone for where we want the program to go in the future.”

Richards takes over for former head football coach Marty Konrad, who stepped down from coaching this past fall season after four years of working at South Pasadena High School.

New teachers Jaroch and Russo join SPHS staff

By Jung Su Park Staff Writer South Pasadena High School recently welcomed two new staff members: Ms Katie Jaroch and Ms Michele Russo to replace English teacher Mrs. Kimberly Kadletz and science teacher Ms Seema Athalye.

Jaroch has nine years of teaching experience, having taught 10th and 11th grade English for three years at Wakefield High School in Boston and seventh grade Humanities at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica.

Jaroch completed her undergraduate degree with a double major in English and Secondary Education, and her master’s degree in Literacy, Language, and Culture.

She pursued a career as an English teacher after graduation, achieving the National Board Certifi-

cation recognizing outstanding educators. Jaroch arrived shortly after the end of the first semester to teach Honors World Literature in place of Kadletz. Kadletz will continue to teach online AP English Language until the end of the school year as she begins her new position as Coordinator of Testing & Categorical Programs for the South Pasadena Unified School District.

“Everybody here is very friendly and SPHS holds a family-like atmosphere,” Jaroch said.

“The only difficulty that I’m currently facing is that there is such a little amount of time to get to know students, especially after taking the job midway through the school year.”

Russo taught Consumer Sciences for 30 years at Kingman High School in Arizona and received the 2008 Teacher of the

Year title from the Family and Consumer Science Education Organization. Russo earned her undergraduate degree in Home Economics and Early Childhood Development with a minor in Biology and her master’s degree in Community College Education.

Upon moving to Los Angeles in fall of 2009, she became a substitute teacher at SPHS, and mainly focused on science classes.

“It feels awesome to take on the opportunity of teaching again, aside from substituting,” Russo said. “I love the fact that I’m able to interact with the students and guide them toward understanding deeper knowledge and fun as a teacher while a substitute, in most cases, just shows up and follows the guidelines.”

Russo will temporarily replace Athalye, who left on maternity leave on February 20.

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Blood drive

Blood drive collects 50 pints for Huntington Hospital

By Karen Hsueh Copy Editor ASB held the second annual school blood drive of the year on Thursday, March 5. The drive collected a total of 50 pints of blood, which were donated to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

Commissioner of School and Community Elise Takahama organized this blood drive, as well as the previous December drive.

As the majority of blood used at the Huntington Hospital comes from high school students, Takahama stressed the direct impact the blood drive had on the immediate surrounding community.

“Students often get so caught up in their own lives that they forget about other community needs,” Takahama said. “It’s important to remind people of other needs out there, of the bigger picture. Donors are directly contributing and truly helping the community.”

“Blood drives always require a bunch of planning, and [Takahama] works really hard to make them happen,” Commissioner of Correspondence Iszzy Sun said. “These drives are for a great cause, so it’s always nice to see people coming in and donating blood.”

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Tiger - Thursday, March 19, 2015

Accepted or Rejected?

accepted OR rejected?

It’s that time of year again, and as results roll out, keep in mind that there’s something positive in every situation. Acceptance or rejection, there are multiple places to check out in LA to either put a smile on your face or help you properly celebrate. So whether you’re facing a congratulations or a pep talk, Tiger is here to help.

Page by Michael Stukan Text by Faye Witherall Illustrations by Sandra Moore

HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR COLLEGE REJECTIONS Take a Spa Day

You got rejected, so treat yourself! In South Pas, the probability of not being able to find a massage parlor is pretty slim. Walk down Fair Oaks, and the possibilities are endless. But if you’re looking for serious pampering, venture out of South Pas and look for an upscale spa. Your anger over your rejection will steam away in any sauna.

Have a Netflix Night

The last thing you want after getting rejected is to go out and be forced to plaster a fake smile on your face all night. Simple solution: stay in. Grab some popcorn and your favorite blanket, and hunker down for an evening of Netflix. Recommended shows include: House of Cards, Friends, and Parks and Recreation.

Explore Grand Central Market and the Last Bookstore Spending a day out and about surrounded by food and books is a perfect remedy to rejection blues. Heading to Grand Central Market for a day will keep you completely occupied, as browsing the ten stories will make for a busy wandering. The market is the largest in Los Angeles and boasts every type of food imaginable. Their website also offers a map to help navigate the huge building.

Nearby is Los Angeles’ famous Last Bookstore. The bookstore is California’s largest used and new bookstore, bigger in size than 66 football fields. A day excursion to downtown will provide a quick emotion-lifting experience.

Host a Bonfire Night

A simple, incredibly therapeutic solution to your rejection: burn all of your letters, pictures, and brochures of that college. Huntington Beach offers a prime spot for a bonfire, but any bonfire-legal location will do the trick. And while you’re at it, grab a few marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate, and roast a s’more over the flames of your rejection. The dessert will be almost as satisfying as the experience.

The Fair Oaks Pharmacy:

The Kitchen Sink Challenge The words “we regret to inform you...” are still bouncing around your head, and you’re unable to focus on anything else. Head over to the Fair Oaks Pharmacy, armed with a spoon and as much determination as you can muster, and ask for the “Kitchen Sink Challenge.”

The difficult task allows you one hour to eat a tubsized bowl filled with eight different ice-cream flavors.

At the very least, your attention will be shifted from your rejection to your increasing stomachache.

HOW TO BRAG ABOUT YOUR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES Stroll through Grand Park

You got in! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it’s a beautiful day. Soak in the happiness with a morning at Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles. The park has an incredible view stretching from the Music Center to City Hall, the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Look over the city as you ready yourself for your future at your dream college!

Hike to

Take a Museum Day

You’re going to need some culture under your belt before you begin to tackle college. Do some research and find the best deals on nearby museums. If you’re under 18, the Norton Simon and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art have no entrance fee with a student I.D. Other museums offer discounts on groups, so gather a few friends together and make a day of it.

Hiking to the Hollywood Sign is a must-do for any students leaving California for college.

There are multiple routes for the hike to the sign, ranging from about three to six miles. While you’re at Griffith Park, make sure to check out the observatory and abandoned zoo.

Humble Brag on Social Media

Everyone’s been posting about their college acceptances, or at least are being tagged in their parents’ posts, and now it’s your time to brag (modestly) on social media!

Whip out a quick status update, make a smiling selfie your Snapchat story, or post a picture of your future campus on Instagram.

If anybody calls you out on your humble brag, remember: it’s all jealousy!

See a Movie at the iPic

You got into college, you earned yourself a movie at iPic Theaters in Old Town. While it is pricier than other local theaters, the experience is a great reward for getting into that university. Reclining chairs, your food delivered to you on a tray, and an upscale atmosphere all contribute to the lavish feeling your movie will provide.

Opinion

Thursday, March 19, 2015 - Tiger

Opinion B

5

Yeah Boi

to the girls’ varsity team for winning the Powderpuff game. Though we heard that Coach Jauregui was caught videotaping the juniors’ practices… #D1Bound ravo

B

oo to Israel’s Prime Minister.

Or Bravo. Who really knows?

I think someone posted an article on Facebook.

82 Days

By Sunshine Somang Cho Editor-in-Chief

B

oo to the Ultimate Frisbee team.

With all the bragging you guys do, you would almost think you were playing a real sport... like badminton.

The Tiger EstablishEd 1913

CSPA Gold Medalist 2005 CSPA Gold Medalist 2006 CSPA Gold Medalist 2009 CSPA Gold Medalist 2010 CSPA Gold Medalist 2011 CSPA Gold Medalist 2013 CSPA Gold Medalist 2014

Raj Jain

Student voice: More than just a catchphrase Staff Editorial

Editor-in-Chief Sunshine Cho Managing Editors Sarah Stukan, Print Brandon Kim, Online News Jenna Giulioni, Editor Stanley Wu, Editor Kyle Kan, Associate Editor Opinion Petra Barbu, Editor Olivia Nouriani, Associate Editor Feature Somi Jun, Editor Faye Witherall, Associate Editor Sports Julian Prime, Editor Andrew Shults, Editor Alex Nakagawa, Associate Editor Copy Editors Karen Hsueh, Jordan Xiao Photography Stephanie Kim, Editor Tucker Judkins, Associate Editor Photographers Raj Jain, Jenny Luo, Matt Scholtz Senior Staff Writer Kira Gabriel Staff Writers Fiona Bock, Sandy Grossman, Andrew Gruhn, Ross Lelieur, Sandra Moore,Ryan Nakamura, Olivia Nouriani, Jung Su Park, Jake Swayze, Kevin Park, Marion Wood Staff Illustrators Sandra Moore, Matthew Shults Graphic Designer Michael Stukan Videographer Heather Held

There is an increasing number of attempts statewide this year to actively seek out student voices in matters concerning education. The California State Board of Education has one active student member each year, and programs like Youth and Government and the California Association of Student Councils turn focus on student advocacy. At South Pasadena High School, where we pride ourselves on having an active ASB and functional student-faculty relationships, it’s surprising to many when they realize the lack of opportunities available for students to voice concerns regarding the education they are receiving.

In 2010, California Senate Bill 1422 passed, effectively forbidding any school from preventing students from evaluating their teachers. Since this legislative action, California Education Code states that any student who wants to evaluate their teacher must be allowed to do so. The current primary outlet for SPHS students to make their voices heard is Student Forum. One student from each fourth period class is selected to report on the goings-on of their classes to the ASB. This program has potential to be effective, but the existence of a Student Forum at our school is news to many students. This may stem from a lack an understanding of what Student Forum is, or that teachers see it as irrelevant.

Culture shock

Managers Stephanie Warren, Ads Kelly Xing, Business Technology Manager William Walker Faculty Advisor Mike Hogan Special thanks to sports statistician Nicholas Baer.

Vol. CI No. VI distributed on March 19, 2015.

Distribution: 1523 students; 70 community. 1700 copies printed.

Distributed by Tiger staff free of charge.

Tiger is produced by the advanced journalism newspaper class at South Pasadena High School, 1401 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030.

Layout and photo imaging are completed on-site. Printed by American/ Foothill Publishing Co., Inc., Tujunga, CA. Signed articles appearing in Tiger represent the writer’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, student body, faculty or administration of SPHS. Contact the publications office at (626) 441-5820 ext. 2615 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. for advertising rates and subscriptions. Tiger welcomes articles, letters or rebuttals for publication in the print and online editions. All letters must be signed and verifiable, but names will be withheld upon request.

Tiger Newspaper’s mission is to provide a reliable news outlet for SPHS and the local community. Through a variety of coverage, Tiger empowers/enables students to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, solve problems, set and reach goals, and work cooperatively and independently as responsible citizens. Tiger is a forum for student free speech, in accordance with California Ed Code 48907.

Either way, the current perception of Student Forum perpetuates silent students when it comes to education.

The student member of our local board of education is arguably the only other major method through which students can vocalize their concerns. At SPHS, we elect our student board member; the Commissioner of Internal Affairs serves as the member during their year-long term.

Many students are unaware that this position even exists in our district, let alone who holds it.

The indifference adults hold for student input is further demonstrated in that the student board member holds only an advisory vote on the board. Studies have shown that student feedback is undeniably reliable. It is time our district makes necessary changes to reflect this reality and give the student board member an official vote.

Students are the primary stakeholders in the functionality of our education system.

This may seem obvious, but it is often forgotten. We have the privilege at South Pasadena High School to have many possible platforms for student voice, and it is time for the Associated Student Body and School Board to take the simple measures needed to utilize them.

We have 82 days from today until graduation. Just 82 days, that is, including all weekends and breaks. Within this timeframe, we, the seniors, will decide on our respective schools and future plans, hike the Yosemite mountains, storm the main gym during Farewell Assembly, and of course, graduate.

82 days are quantifiably short in comparison to the 1,200 approximate others we spend in school over four years. Yet, the remaining days may seem to drag on for those of us who have only one thing on our minds: leaving.

The consuming thought of moving on is completely valid after seeing the same faces in the same place for almost all of our lives.

As a whole, our class has practically grown up together, from our Calvary Preschool roots to our awkward pubescent stages in middle school. (I can still clearly remember the tune of “Just Around the Corner.” Thanks, SPMS.) We all can also agree on the special charm of South Pasadena, even if the Farmer’s Market and Old Town probably lost their appeal after you turned fourteen.

These things make up some of the common experiences over so many years that connect our class together, a collective nostalgia that exists regardless of if you enjoyed this time or not.

Unlike previous years, when graduation was some far-away concept, you’re probably much more aware of the finite time that we have together. And in being aware, you can make a conscious decision to enjoy it.

Adding a “last” in front of some word can make any insignificant thing suddenly seem significant. Last time putting a jersey on. Last late start. Last assembly.

No matter how small these things may seem, they only add to the sentiment of high school. And especially for those of us who’ve grown up in South Pasadena, they’re the final few things that mark the end of our childhood.

With 12 more weeks to go, take in as much of high school as you can because this time will not come again.

By Sandra Moore Staff Writer The Mosul Museum’s lamassu, human-headed winged bull statues built to guard the Negal Gate around 600 BC, were exceptionally well-preserved until an ISIS member took a jackhammer and whittled off their faces. In a sickening attempt to “cleanse” the country of any previous attachment to other gods, ISIS released a video late February that featured the destruction of countless artifacts. Sculptures were pushed to the ground and smashed, and power tools used

on those that couldn’t be fallen.

Antiquities experts conclude the damage is irreparable. It’s every bit as devastating as if someone sledgehammered Stonehenge, but, upon questioning, many students of SPHS had absolutely no idea that ISIS had done such a thing. Most had only heard of ISIS because of the beheading of journalist James Foley, and after that, interest slowly died away.

The casual devastation of the Mosul Museum preluded the eventual destruction of the ancient cities Hatra and Nimrud.

Ancient Assyrian stronghold Khorsabad was recently ran-

sacked and other sites of archaeological value are at risk for bulldozing. Syrian activist Ziyad works to infiltrate areas held by ISIS and document artifacts, as well as to convince leaders to spare archaeological sites.

“These sites represent our history,” Ziyad said. “We can’t have a future if we don’t have a past.”

Though the museum, Hatra, and Nimrud are seemingly insignificant to us, to the Iraqis they are the history of their country. Each city had unique architecture, culture, and texts, and to lose them was a travesty.

To not know about the loss is even more so.

It is understandable that many students don’t actively keep up with the news, but when almost everyone is linked into the web in some way, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or even Yik Yak, the lack of interest in this news is shocking.

Students should care. Students should spread the word that ISIS destroyed a museum and three ancient sites with histories not fully uncovered before their destructions. It may seem trivial in comparison to ISIS’s executions, but the loss of Iraq’s historical artifacts will resonate for years to come.

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Tiger - Thursday, March 19, 2015

Opinion

Approachable feminism On multiple occasions, however, students who have made controversial public political statements have been mocked, bashed, and otherwise attacked, both in and out of the group, for not agreeing unwaveringly with their ideals. This is the exact opposite of one of the main feminist beliefs: acceptance.

Clearly not all South Pasadena students are well-versed in feminist literature and can step on toes when using phrases that aren’t politically correct or when expressing political views that stray from the norm. Rather than taking this opportunity to learn and discuss, mob mentality ensues with a borderline cyberbullying approach. The fact that these conflicts take place on social media makes it easier for people to say things they otherwise wouldn’t say. Equality should apply to all members of the population, even if they are not as educated as some members of FU. Fe m i n i s m i s a n i n c r e d i b ly important movement, and equality is an unquestioned right, but there needs to be a balanced approach that focuses on education and inspiration, not judgment and condemnation.

By Julian Prime & Petra Barbu Tiger Staff

Common core is no bore

Sandra Moore

“critical thinking” is where problems arise.

The general lack of comprehensive training on teaching Common Core Standards runs the entire initiative into the ground.

Without giving educators the tools needed to successfully teach the new standards, Common Core is ensured to be just as broken of a system as its predecessor.

A lack of funding is stunting its growth before it even begins. Teacher training will, of course, be met with expenses, but California is currently ranked 49th in the nation in dollars spent per student. Moving up the ladder in spending isn’t something to fear. The initiative has been in the works since the early 2000s, and although many are fans of combatting the new standards, they are already in effect.

Once an understanding of how to handle the new standards reaches both students and teachers, the shift will have been for the better.

It is time to make education a priority and take the time and money necessary to lift the program off the ground.

By Olivia Nouriani Assoc. Opinion Editor Mention “Common Core” and you are often met with eye rolls and groans of disgust, but the Common Core State Standards Initiative is one that has the power to mend many of the flaws in education.

A prominent problem in the system thus far has been the widespread effort to standardize; standardization, after all, is cheap and simple. But this effort has been taken to such an extreme that secondary education is now about mastering the skills that are most easily measured.

Common Core Standards are more critical-thinking based and are designed to foster career-ready students as opposed to test-ready students. The initiative manages to nationally standardize the development of thought processes, solving the problem previous standards presented while still reaping the benefits of standardization.

The attempt to systematize the measurement of something as abstract as

Feminism isn’t a talking point, it’s a necessity and an unquestioned right.

Feminism is not the issue. The issue is the approach of some feminists. Feminism, despite its historical roots, has reached widespread awareness fairly recently.

A large part of the population is still learning the basic ideals of feminism, and part of learning is making mistakes.

The fact that not everyone knows the right words to use or the million nuances of feminism isn’t a reason to attack and condemn—it’s an opportunity to educate.

While the heightened sense of awareness and increase in involvement are obviously positive aspects, this can result in an escalated sensitivity that attacks rather than educates.

Some members of Feminists Unite have exemplified this. Almost entirely made up of SPHS students, the group brings insightful discussion to a local level and is a force for raising awareness of feminism throughout the student body.

For the most part, they’re a positive representation of the feminist movement.

Sandra Moore

Sandra Moore

Tiger Newspaper Asks: Student voice is a driving force of change in education.

If you had the opportunity to change something at the high school, what would it be and why?

If I could change one thing, it would be the lack of understanding between students and faculty. There is a lack of respect for some teachers, but some instructors also don’t seem to respect and value a student’s opinion. Student ideas can be quickly shut down, which discourages a student’s drive to learn.

Instead of interest being brought about by a topic, the student can now only focus on whether or not the teacher thinks they are dumb. On the other hand, students can harshly judge teachers. They may say that a class is very hard but ultimately they are doing the job to the best of their ability. Though teachers need to teach us what will actually be on the quizzes and tests instead of assuming that we know how to do everything! Tests are supposed to assess what we know but we don’t know anything if it’s not taught!

Hannah Winnie, Grade 12 We have a lot of really great, highachieving students in our school who win awards and go to competitions and are super passionate! I think that it would be awesome if in the bulletin (weekly or daily) we could recognize some of the people who did great things inside, and especially outside, of school.

Amelia Anthony, Grade 9

I think that students need more attention from their counselors. I know how overwhelmed counselors are with their work load now, so if that means spending the money to hire more counselors, so be it. Counselor-student relationships can be really important especially when it comes to applying for college, letters of recommendation, and choosing the right classes.

Anthony Chen, Grade 10 I would change the student body’s outlook on mental illness. I feel like people don’t take ailments such as depression very seriously when it actually is something as harmful as a “normal” disease. It is my hope that one day students who do suffer from anxiety or depression can comfortably come to terms with it and get help as needed without feeling weird or feel like they are simply overreacting.

Kendall Chang, Grade 12 If I could change one thing at SPHS, it would be to add more “tracks” to our classes. Next year we are having a BioMed track, and I think we can really benefit from tracks that target a specific area of study. For example, a student who want to be linguist could take multiple language classes. These

specialized tracks will allow students who are passionate about something, to really explore the subject.

a hierarchy in our athletic department that is not only problematic, but also disappointing.

Jake McCurdy, Grade 10

Edward Siahaan, Grade 10

I believe our lack of communication and connection with current events is a huge problem. I’d like to change that by trying to organize something where guest speakers could come to talk about issues we currently face.

Said speakers could be local city council members, or policemen, and if we do well with that, we could even have question sessions for them. Perhaps we could even have members of the state government speak. I believe if we can get a connection with what is going on outside our school, our students will be better prepared.

I wish that essays were turned in anonymously! It could greatly reduce biased grading.

Nate Rudman, Grade 10 I would change some of the courses offered at South Pasadena. Add more fun and useful classes like cooking, sewing, and maybe a class on how to pay taxes and other basic life skills that we don’t learn in other classes.

Sophia Hathaway, Grade 12 I think the school does not treat all sports teams equally, which has created

Connor Dolan, Grade 11 I think students need to be given more opportunities to give direct feedback to their teachers, and for them to be taken seriously. SPHS is fortunate enough to have mostly enthusiastic teachers.

I feel that constructive criticism presented in an affirmative, fairly serious manner could cause a big change for the better in our classrooms.

Perah Ralin, Grade 10 We need classes like AP Music Theory taught at this school and Psychology taught during the school year, and I would like to have health removed from the graduation requirement and have the content incorporated into another class like biology, because its wasting a precious semester of our youth.

Alex Wong, Grade 12

Opinion

Thursday, March 19, 2015 - Tiger

7

Mr. Mantastic: less than fantastic

By Brandon Kim Online Managing Editor

Matt Shults

The Gentleman’s Quarterly Assembly (GQ) was an annual March tradition that paralleled November’s Homecoming.

ASB changed the name of the court to Mr. Mantastic this year, but it’s hard to see what else has changed.

GQ’s main premise was simple; just as Homecoming selected a group of outstanding girls, it would do the same with boys. However, unlike the stately presence of the annual Homecoming Court, the GQ Court tended to have more showmanship, such as sillier questions, unusual escorts, and an effort to pull off disguised sexual jokes.

This tradition carried on until one of last year’s princes made a sexual innuendo even after warnings from administrators.

The event was renamed Mr. Mantastic, a name it had during the first years of the boys’ court. Students were encouraged to vote for boys who would be respected, honorable, and kind, rather than those who flout the rules, such as by giving answers

that are ambiguously inappropriate. Before the vote took place, it seemed like the court would change completely.

However, beneath the surface not much has changed. One of the hallmarks of the GQ Assembly was the diversity of escorts for the princes, but this has been replaced with a simple catwalk. What set the GQ Assembly apart from the more rigid Homecoming Assembly now has become more rigid than the escort march of November. It’s difficult to see how the issues with GQ have led to an escort-less assembly, as all it did was to give the spring event a more comfortable atmosphere.

Some may say that the freedom of escorts granted to GQ princes is unfair to the Homecoming princesses who had to abide by more stringent escort rules. If this is an issue, however, ASB has two directions of progress. It can either change the rules for Homecoming princesses or force a stricter criteria for princes’ escorts. Historically, the former didn’t seem to be an option desired

by Leadership, while the latter would detract from GQ’s unique qualities. Although the

preference of a particular option will vary from person to person, eliminating Mantastic escorts altogether is definitely not the right solution.

GQ was officially changed mainly because students deviated from the true spirit of the event. However, it is unclear as to what that spirit is exactly. Although some may not look favorably upon the “one-upmanship” that often results with the GQ princes, whether this is a flagrant violation of the central theme of GQ should have been left to public opinion. If students had expressed satisfaction with GQ through a poll, the assembly should not have been changed at all.

There are a couple of inherent problems that exist with the commencement of the Mr. Mantastic event. Among them are lack of clear, tangible changes and a lack of the reflection of student opinion. Although Mantastic may have changed for the better for some, that does not account for the flaws of the new assembly, which essentially reinvented the wheel. This was a missed opportunity for real change.

Buying elections: an SPHS tradition tions? Passing out backpack tags doesn’t inform voters or demonstrate aptitude for the job. If candidates want to talk to students they don’t already know and make There are a lot of things about our high a connection, they can go up to them and introduce school that don’t make sense: the sudden popularity of themselves.

Another problem with our system of campaignrap battles at lunch, the lack of soap in the bathrooms, ing is that it makes losing an election that why breakfast burritos are only sold on Tuesday and Wednesday. But the way we “If we didn’t allow much worse. It’s not just that you lost, it’s that you wasted a large amount of money run elections at our school is one of the most confusing. anyone to spend in the process. Of course, it’s possible to run for office without spending money, Before tens of students cast their ballots, deciding who will plan our schools money, we would but by allowing students to spend money on their campaigns we’re pressuring them dances, candidates spend weeks campaigning at school. Every year students running put everyone on an to do so, if only because everyone else is doing it. If we didn’t allow anyone to spend for office spend hundreds of dollars buying pens, pencils, and backpack tags to be dis- even playing field” money, we would put everyone on an even playing field. tributed and then thrown away by students.

No money has to be wasted, no Of course, the school has limited the amount of money students can spend on an election. one has to feel pressured to spend as much as everyCommissioner candidates can only spend $200 and one else is spending, and students can buy their own class office candidates can only spend $100. But why pens. Candidates can give their speeches and then do we allow students to spend money in the first place? people can vote on whose college application they want Besides allowing the candidates to continue in the great to bolster.

We can do what the Supreme Court and Congress American tradition of buying votes, what reason is there to allow students to spend money on class elec- have failed to do. We can keep money out of politics.

By Jake Swayze Staff Writer

Matt Shults

Ending the community college stigma

By Jake Swayze Staff Writer

B

ravo to Ryan Chase for showing us

the secret to having weirdly toned legs. It shows that marching band is good for something else besides playing Get Lucky.

B

oo to to this year’s seniors for win-

ning the PowderPuff game fair and square. You girls had a tradition to uphold.

B

to man buns. We enjoyed seeing them prominently displayed at the PowderPuff halftime. ravo

B

to the installation of new cameras. If we wanted to spend an enormous amount of money on something useless, we could have bought the new Yeezys. oo

A common joke among students and teachers is that if we do poorly in school we’ll have to go to Pasadena City College, as if PCC is some kind of boogeyman for high schoolers. This dismissive attitude is shared by the many students who look down upon community college and make jokes about having to go to PCC if they fail a test. These jokes reflect a troubling view that going to a community college is something to be ashamed of. That is incredibly misguided and elitist.

California has an extraordinary community college system, one of the best in the nation. The fact that so many students are taking advantage of this should be celebrated, not denounced.

Our local community college, PCC, has the second highest transfer rate of any California community college. For students seeking a place at one of the elite UCs Berkeley, LA, Davis, and San Diego, applying from a community college is a real advantage. The desirability of community college transfers extends to private colleges. For example, roughly two

thirds of the transfer students accepted by Amherst, one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, come from community college. Besides the ability to transfer, PCC and other community college’s offer great professors whose primary focus is on teaching students, not on research.

Another advantage to going to a community college is its affordability. It costs around $1,100 a year for full-time tuition at a community college in California, versus $12,190 within the UC system.

When you go to a traditional university there are other expenses that can actually be greater than the cost of tuition. The average annual cost for a UC school is $33,000, of which $14,000 is room and board, a cost you can avoid if you go to a local community college.

Community colleges are also more accommodating with a student’s schedule.

If you need to work while you go to college, community colleges are more likely to work around one’s schedule. That kind of flexibility is unavailable at most traditional universities.

Student debt has been steadily rising as the cost of secondary education rises.

In 2012, 71% of all students graduating

from four-year colleges had student loan debt. That year, the average debt for a student graduating from a public university was $25,550. There are significant consequences to incurring that kind of debt.

Students generally pay off their debt over ten years, during which they pay thousands of dollars in interest. Those burdened with student debt have to put a lot of important life events such as buying a house, getting married, and having kids on hold until they’re able to pay off their debt.

Looking down on people because they can’t afford to go to a traditional fouryear university is just another example of the elitism that is unfortunately prevalent among students in South Pasadena. Not everyone has parents who are willing or able to pay for college. Not everyone can spend their four years in college without taking a part-time job. For those students, community college can be a better option than traditional universities.

Community college is a great way for students to achieve their educational goals without going broke. We should treat community college as a great stepping stone to higher learning, not as a fate to be dreaded.

8 Tiger - Thursday, MArch 19, 2015

assembly

Senior Jonathan Gladding was honored with the Mr. Mantastic crown during the Powderpuff halftime show on March 13. The manleaders added their own twist to the hit song “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus and the theme song of Bob the Builder before performing a spin on the 1980s hit, “(I’ve Had) The Time of my Life.” After all the votes were tallied, Commissioner of Assemblies Ryan Chase eased the crowd and announced Gladding Mr. Mantastic 2015.

Commissioner of Athletics Will Renken awarded each Mantastic nominee with a miniature crown in the following order: freshman David Seo, sophomore Sandy Grossman, junior Manny Rios, and seniors Andrew Shults, Julian Lopez, and Jonathan Gladding.

“It was a complete honor to be a part of the court this year, especially since all the guys were the nicest ever,” Seo said. “The man leaders’ performance was definitely the highlight of the my life.” //Kevin Park

half-time show

The annual Powderpuff football game between the junior and senior classes took place last Friday, and the class of 2015 completed its undefeated rout over the class of 2016 with a score of 46-12, much to the delight of a large crowd of friends, families, faculty. The seniors benefitted from a strong defense and offense from a surplus of experienced athletes from the sports of track & field and swimming as well as ball sports. This is the second time in five years that a graduating class has swept both years in Powderpuff history.

The seniors opened up a large 12-0 lead at the start of the game and kept the juniors on score droughts for the majority of the game. The seniors were bent on experience, but the juniors hope that the loss will motivate the team and the coaches to win next year’s game.

“This game was a great way to bring our class together because we are graduating soon, and it only made it better that we won twice,” senior Hannah Winnie said. //Alex Nakagawa

powderpuff game

Thursday, March 19, 2015 - Tiger

Page // Stephanie Kim

Text // Andrew Gruhn, Alex Nakagawa, & Kevin Park

Photos // Tiger photographers

46-12 seniors dominated

“Even though we lost, it was a great experience. I got to meet new people and I had a great time.” //Lauren Richards, Junior

“Powderpuff was unforgettable. It was amazing to see the senior players unite as one and win the game.” //Jasmine Li, Senior

POWDERPUFF

Commissioner of Assemblies Ryan Chase opened up the 2014-2015 Powderpuff Assembly on March 13 as the band filled the auditorium with music.

Commissioner of Spirit Samantha Lee took to the stage to announce the Mantastic Court. Freshman David Seo, sophomore Sandy Grossman, junior Manny Rios, and seniors Jonathan Gladding, Julian Lopez, and Andrew Shults were the students selected that best represent the student body. The Mantastic princes participated in a lighthearted question and answer session, and were asked to demonstrate their hidden talents.

A competition called the Egg Race Challenge pitted representatives from each of the four classes against one another. The freshman class won in the first assembly, while the seniors were victorious in the second after a close race against the freshmen.

A pep-uniform-clad Chase and the Powderpuff Manleaders followed up with a spirited performance dancing to songs such as Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” //Andrew Gruhn

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TIGER - THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

Feature

Feature

Out and About A benefit fashion show is coming to 538 Mission Street on March 26. The South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) will host the event, which will feature the works of Lun*na Menoh, an artist known for her sculpturesque dresses. After the performance, music will be provided by a local DJ. /Faye Witherall

Instrumental music at local competitions Band and Orchestra win Unanimous in La Cañada, while Winterline competes in Aliso Niguel

By Karen Hsueh Copy Editor

Raj Jain

STARGAZING Astronomy Club members feared that rain would make their nighttime viewing impossible. Fortunately, March 13 saw clear skies, planets, moons, and a turnout of almost 50 people.

Astronomy Club turns telescopes to the sky

By Sandy Grossman Staff Writer Light pollution is a fact of life in Los Angeles County, making it almost impossible to distinguish planets and constellations at night. However, powerful telescopes aimed towards the sky made these celestial objects finally visible from South Pasadena. The Astronomy Club set up its telescopes on the grass of the softball field and held its second Astronomy Night of the school year on Thursday, March 13.

Five telescopes were set up in order to view two planets, one nebula, and four moons. The Orion Nebula,

a cluster of gas and dust 1,300 light years away, was especially clear through the magnifying lens. The volcanic surface of Venus, known for its exceptional brightness, and Jupiter, along with its four Galilean Moons, were also featured through the telescopes.

“The timing was perfect,” sophomore club president Inesh Rathi said. “The skies were clear and four of Jupiter’s largest moons were visible, which we didn’t expect.”

This is the second Astronomy Night the club has hosted, the first taking place last September. The Astronomy Club also hosted a Solar

Eclipse Viewing Night in October. Of the five telescopes used at these events, two were provided by club advisor Mr. Dean Papadakis, two by club members, and one was donated by social studies teacher Mr. Mike Gray.

“We had around 45 to 50 people show up. It was a grand turnout,” Rathi said.

The event also served as an opportunity for the Astronomy Club to raise money. Club members sold pizza and drinks, and plan to use the money to pay for the club’s future endeavours. The club is planning another Astronomy Night tentatively scheduled for late May.

The instrumental music department has been hard at work since the end of marching season by participating in local competitions. The Symphonic Band and Advanced Orchestra performed for a panel of four judges at La Cañada High School on March 6. The following week, Winterline traveled to Aliso Niguel High School to compete for the last time before championship preliminaries.

At La Cañada High School, the Symphonic Band and Advanced Orchestra reused selections from their winter concert last December. The orchestra added one new song to its routine, featuring Orchestra president junior Erik Chan as a soloist. All four judges gave Band and Orchestra ratings of superior, endowing both groups with Unanimous awards.

SPHS’s performance was its first showing at a local festival in over five years.

“It feels good after not attending actual festivals for so many years to do so well,” Chan said. “I think it’s really good preparation for our next few festivals.”

The La Cañada festival was organized by the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA), which hosts festivals for high school bands. This festival was a city level event, but after receiving a Unanimous rating, Band and Orchestra qualify for regional competitions that will take place from late April to mid-May. Winterline’s competition at Aliso Niguel High School marked its third competition of the season and the last before championship preliminaries on March 28. Winterline had only perfected two out of three movements in its show, resulting in an incomplete and short performance. Although Winterline members left before they could see their competition score and results, they were happy with their performance.

“The [Aliso Niguel] show was the best we’ve played,” senior drum captain Sung In Kim said. “It was really hot, and we had to stand outside and practice. We did pretty well, so it was very worth it.”

Personality Profile: Freya Chun

By Kira Gabriel Senior Staff Writer Senior Freya Chun is similar to the song American Pie; everyone knows it and loves it, but until the song comes blasting on the radio, no one particularly talks about it.

Whenever Chun’s name comes up in conversation, someone is quick to say something along the lines of, “Oh, Freya’s the best.” Such unwavering devotion seems inexplicable.

How could one girl, who generally flies under South Pasadena High School’s radar, have so many loyal advocates of her character and friendship?

Initially, Chun’s humor seems to be the root cause of the warmth that radiates off of her, her petite frame somehow contributing to a caricature of playfulness.

As a result, she seems unobtrusive and modest upon first impression. But the idea of Chun being Stephanie Kim timid is almost as funny as her wit Senior Freya Chun’s charismatic laughter is a symbol of in conversation; Chun is a force to her sweet personality and desire to make others smile. be reckoned with.

After a brief period of conversation, it becomes clear where Chun’s magnetism comes from: she genuinely wants good things for other people. She deeply wants her friends and family to find success, and wants to help catalyze that happiness. That honest hope she holds for people around her is rare at this age, especially in our competitive high school culture and society. The ability to hold high hopes for others, without envy or malice, can only come from profound confidence, an innate sense of self-assurance that cannot be feigned.

Perhaps Chun’s confidence comes from having to adjust to a new country, culture, and language, as she chose to move here from China three years ago. She grew up as the daughter of a math teacher, who placed math problems much more difficult than the standard student’s skill set in front of her. So when she was placed in unchallenging classes after her trans-Pacific move to South Pasadena, she advocated to the counsel-

ing department to be moved into a rigorous schedule.

On top of her schedule, Chun participates in Math Club and Youth and Government. Youth and Government involves quick thinking and even faster speaking, and Chun does both well, except she thinks in Chinese and speaks in English.

Chun’s accomplishments in the last three years are remarkable on their own: moving to a foreign nation, successfully advocating for herself, thriving in rigorous courses, and earning loyal friends, all while maintaining her individuality, are nothing to be scoffed at. But what is unique about Chun is not any one achievement. Her high school experiences, from her choice to move to her subsequent success, are indicative of her deep maturity and tenacity. She plans to go into international business, utilizing both her language and math skills, but whatever Chun chooses to pursue, her natural empathy for her peers will earn her a loyal circle of supporters.

Feature

Thursday, March 19, 2015 - Tiger

11

Personality Profile: Julian Pelino

By Julian Prime & Raj Jain Tiger Staff

Raj Jain

Senior Julian Pelino is revered by underclassmen guitar players who have dubbed him, “The Guy Who Sight Reads Better Than Me.”

The proudest achievement of senior Julian Pelino’s guitar career is not a shiny medal or trophy. Instead, when he was in ninth grade, he attended a guitar clinic hosted by GuitarJamz instructor Marty Schwartz, who complimented Pelino on his skill.

Pelino was completely self-taught at the time, and Schwartz’s validation confirmed Pelino’s belief that passion for the guitar would drive his career as a musician. “[I gained] a level of understanding of music and the guitar itself without any lessons.

I just kind of figured everything out, which is pretty crazy to me, seeing how technical a lot of it is,” Pelino said. “I started taking music theory classes about a year ago, as I had a lot of gaps to fill in as far as musical knowledge goes.”

In the past two and a half years, Pelino has shifted from performing music with a

Directions to Garfield Park: 1. Head north on Fremont Ave 2. Turn onto Oxley St 3. Turn onto Park Ave 4. Turn onto Mission St

Man’s best friend enjoys a day at the park

By Faye Witherall Assoc. Feature Editor Spud’s head hangs out of the front window as the wind blows against her face, causing her front teeth to resemble a huge smile. It’s a warm morning, and the indescribable scent of happiness mixed with canine fills the air.

It’s Doggy Day at Garfield Park, and Spud is one of hundreds of pooches celebrating the city’s annual nod to our four-legged friends.

Scooby Doo-esque Great Danes roam the park alongside tiny chihua-

Faye Witherall

huas that look like they just arrived off a Taco Bell commercial set.

I make my way to a group of frisbee enthusiasts putting on a disc dog show. Acrobatic animals snag flying plastic plates out of the air gracefully. My clumsy dog, Spud, looks at me yearningly, pulling on her leash to join the show. In an effort to make her feel included, I toss her a nearby stick. She jumps up desperately to catch it, but her timing is off, and the stick ends up hitting her nose.

We move further along the park where local animal shelters have set up pens of critters up for adoption. My heart melts and I want to take one home. Squatting down next to the pen, I am greeted with licks, enthusiastic whimpers, and heartstring yanks. I momentarily fantasize about emptying all of the little pens and marching home alongside a parade of puppies.

Spud and I are stopped by Girl Scouts circling the area selling homemade pumpkin dog treats.

Booths line the pathway, manned by people selling leashes, harnesses, and collars. Spud leaves five minutes

Faye Witherall

later looking pleased with a bright new ensemble.

By the time I’ve circled the park, it’s clear that these humans love their dogs. But for owners who feel insecure about whether or not that love is reciprocated, Susan Smith bills herself as a dog medium and psychic. For $15, this dog whisperer will tell you exactly what’s on your animal’s mind.

Even for a dog psychic, it’d be difficult to determine whether my pooch or I had a better time. But by the time we leave the park, there is a grin on my face, and a happily wagging tail on Spud.

band to working on a solo EP. From 2013 to 2014, he was the lead guitarist of the band Rosalin, which performed at venues like Amplyfi and at private shows in acquaintances’ homes.

Since then, the band has drifted apart, and Pelino has put aside performing to focus on his own work.

He is currently writing and recording an EP, which is tentatively set to be self-released in June. The EP features input from fellow senior Samuel HoadleyBrill, as well as musicians that Pelino has met outside of school.

Previously, Pelino has uploaded solo works to his SoundCloud, and collaborated with Hoadley-Brill on the rapper’s “The Gringo EP.” Pelino’s style and songwriting are inspired by older musicians, especially his grandfather, who first introduced him to the guitar. Today, Pelino’s grandfather still exposes him to new guitar tricks and unfamiliar music, such as old jazz

and funk. This influence began nine years ago, when a Jimi Hendrix song came onto the radio.

“I remember being in the car with my grandpa, and hearing Jimi Hendrix for the first time,” Pelino said. “My little nine-year old mind was blown and I instantly wanted to play, so my grandpa agreed to teach me a few things.”

Pelino has come a long way since that first encounter with Hendrix. He now owns seven guitars, ranging from a 1966 Fender Mustang to a 2013 Gibson J-35 acoustic, and can tell the subtle differences between the tones of each. In addition to the guitar, Pelino plays bass and the ukulele, and has experimented with lyric-writing through his latest EP project.

He hopes to further this musical knowledge at San Francisco State University, and to spend the rest of his life as a solo artist, making music as he has been.

Club profile: TASSEL teaches commitment

By Sarah Stukan Print Managing Editor Teaching the word “nose” to Cambodian children is a humanitarian experience lost on most South Pasadena High School students. Members of the TASSEL Club, however, teach English to Cambodian children on a weekly basis, fostering commitment to both their students and the international community in the process.

SPHS’s TASSEL chapter was founded this school year by sophomore Tei Park after she learned about the devastation of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. This genocide continues to exert its influence on the country, as many children in rural villages are abandoned by their parents or live in homes with guardians who suffer from alcoholism and PTSD. The TASSEL organization currently runs a school in four rural Cambodian villages, each with about 300 students split into 20 groups. During the November to April term, student volunteers commit to teaching at least one 40-minute lesson a week to a set group of students and their local teacher.

“Being a TASSEL teacher is a much larger commitment than it seems,” Park said. “You have to prepare a lesson plan every week, always be ready for anything to go wrong, and write a log after each lesson to help the following teachers. Most importantly, you must show the children you care.”

These lessons are taught “live” from home or from school with VSee video chat software and follow PowerPoints that teach English phonics. This training helps the students adopt pronunciation skills as volunteers improve their unique teaching styles.

In addition to its teaching contributions, the club also fundraises to help pay for teacher stipends, electricity, and lunches.

TASSEL is currently planning a summer trip to Cambodia in order to distribute medicine and clothes to locals and spend a week instructing students in person.

“TASSEL is designed in a way that brings students [together to] grow as humanitarians [who] can further enrich the lives of others,” Park said.

Courtesy of the TASSEL Organization

TASSEL teaches underprivileged children in Cambodia.

The SPHS chapter focuses on elementary-aged students.

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TIGER - THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

Feature

Chappie is flawed, but has a human touch

By Ross Lelieur Staff Writer 3/5

Chappie seeks to humanize machines in a way that many of its sci-fi counterparts fail to even attempt. Under director Neill Blomkamp, the film creates an intriguing message about humanity that is unfortunately clouded by poor execution.

The film takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016.

The city, previously wracked by crime, has been pacified by robotic police officers built by book-

ish engineer Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), who also begins developing a robot with artificial intelligence capabilities. The robot, dubbed Chappie, struggles to make his own choices while being pulled in different directions by his bickering human companions.

Chappie makes for an extremely likeable main character, but Blomkamp struggles to find the right pace at which to develop him. This leads to a choppy transition between the robot’s childlike innocence and juvenile delinquent adolescence. As a result, Chappie’s once-likable persona becomes difficult to relate to and almost con-

wired.com

Directed by Neill Blomkamp of District 9 fame and starring South African hip hop duo Die Antwoord, Chappie tells the story of an artificially intelligent droid.

// STAFF PROFILES //

trived despite a promising introduction as the most empathetic of the film’s characters.

Blomkamp takes the film deeper into disappointment as he lets trivial plotlines overshadow Chappie’s fascinating journey into adulthood. Instead of focusing the film on Chappie’s coming-of-age story, Blomkamp wastes time developing a number of tangential plots, like a loan-shark’s threats to Chappie’s adopted parents and Deon Wilson’s rivalry with another engineer.

Nevertheless, the true beauty of the film occasionally shines through despite Blomkamp’s distractions. Chappie is a poignant lamentation at the shamefulness of mankind’s cruelty, a message conveyed through Chappie’s compassion in the face of human jealousy and anger. The film’s droid protagonist serves as a character foil to humanity, bringing to light both the species’ faults and vast potential for improvement.

Like humanity, Chappie is a far from perfect film. Clunky character development and poor plot choices make for a number of critical flaws that cannot be overlooked. But Chappie’s hidden message about the promise of humanity, even if the messenger is not 100 percent human, ultimately redeems the film as a thoughtful commentary on people, human and droid alike.

Page by Michael Stukan Text by Fiona Bock & Faye Witherall Pictures by Tucker Judkins

Mr. Daniel Valdes

Mr. Bruce Underwood

Mr. G

Campus Supervisor

Plant Foreman

Campus Supervisor

Mr. G can be found cruising the school during brunch and lunch, chatting with various groups of students throughout the day. He is admired for his rumored linguistic abilities, and feared by all cell phone toting students.

Mr. Bruce Underwood is always heard before he is seen. His whistles or hums fill the campus on a quiet day and never fail to put a smile on the faces of students nearby. His love for both oldies music and hardcore rap is as clear as his melodic C note.

Occasionally mistaken for a student, Mr. Daniel Valdes is sociable and incredibly easy to talk to. He is often located perched on a table surrounded by students. He can also be spotted with a soccer ball at the field playing pickup with other staff members.

Favorite Movie: A Few Good Men Random Fact: Born in Florida, but raised in Ohio Favorite Animal: Dog Favorite Food: Steak and baked potatoes Guilty Peasure: All sweet things Favorite Thing About SPHS: How fun and great the students are Favorite Book: Sports Illustrated

Favorite Movie: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Random Fact: Really enjoys soccer Favorite Animal: Tiger Favorite Food: Pizza, pancakes, and pasta Guilty Pleasure: 80’s music Favorite Thing About SPHS: He attended this school Favorite Book: Among the Thugs by Bill Buford

Favorite Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark Random Fact: Always trying to be helpful and talkative Favorite Animal: Tiger Favorite Food: Salmon Guilty Pleasure: Hanging out with young people and attempting to participate in their activites Favorite Thing About SPHS: The campus is very nice and has a lot of kind people Book: 1984 by George Orwell

Feature

Thursday, March 19, 2015 - Tiger

13

After School: Exploring Space Students are often conflicted about what major or career to pursue after high school. In response, parents, alumni, and community members are interviewed to analyze real careers and show that there truly is a world after school.

Courtesy of Danny Lam

Danny Lam works with the software that allows the Rover to analyze Mars.

By Fiona Bock, Sandy Grossman, & Sandra Moore Tiger Staff More energy from the sun hits Earth every hour than the planet uses in a year.

This fact may seem as foreign and incomprehensible as space itself, but there are scientists who build their entire careers around the study of such enigmas.

Danny Lam, for example, is a flight

software engineer on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. He is part of the team behind the Mars rover’s daily operations, which includes driving and performing scientific experiments on Mars. Jamie Bock is an astrophysicist and professor at CalTech. Bock and his associates study the early universe by designing instruments to analyze cosmic microwaves.

Like most other jobs, studying space requires paperwork. Researchers must file grant proposals that can take up to months to complete. This process is strenuous and competitive, but necessary to receive funding for new experiments. However, the opportunity to take creative risks makes the paperwork worth it.

“The number one reason I love my job is the uniqueness of what I do. How many people can say they have landed a spacecraft on Mars, or worked on the software that successfully guided the Cassini spacecraft into Saturn’s orbit?” Lam said. “[However,] space exploration business is very risky, and there is no second chance.

We pretty much have one shot at nailing the critical event.”

Lam played a key role in launching and guiding the Cassini spacecraft onto Saturn, an event which won him NASA’S Exceptional Achievement Medal. The spacecraft is now physically beyond the reach of Lam’s crew, so they spend their days designing hardware and software adapted to the harsh environment of space.

One aspect of the field that Bock ap-

preciates is the opportunity to travel. Last year, Bock and his team confirmed Einstein’s 1916 theory of general relativity, when they discovered gravitational waves while stationed in Antarctica. This discovery has earned Bock and his team international attention, taking him around the world to lecture his colleagues in countries such as Japan and England.

But receiving a job in the space field is no easy task. Lam recommends taking courses in applied math, programming,

microprocessing, and artificial intelligence, while Bock emphasizes the importance of having a creative mind and internship experience. Both stress the importance of motivation: Lam says that taking pride in one’s schoolwork will go a long way, and Bock encourages students to trust their passions.

“At some level, you have to follow you heart. You have to ask yourself ‘What do I want to do with my life?’” Bock said.

“If you follow your instinct, you can be successful. Don’t ignore that instinct.”

Courtesy of Jamie Bock

Astrophysicist Jamie Bock travels regularly, often making several flights in one month. Last year, Bock went to Antarctica and studied gravitational waves.

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Tiger - Thursday, March 19, 2015

Sports

Rowan Leddy

By Marion Wood Staff Writer Senior Rowan Leddy is currently the school’s record holder in one of track and field’s most exciting and dangerous events: the pole vault. She joined the vaulting squad her freshman year and showed potential early, claiming a JV title and a spot on the CIF roster by the end of the season. Leddy began to devote more and more time to the sport, practicing year-round with the fellow vaulters.

“Part of why I love pole vault so much is the team,” Leddy said. “Even though you compete individually, you still really have that team camaraderie. We spend a lot of time together because it’s such a technical sport, so I just really got to know and love

Richard Yu

my teammates.”

Leddy’s hard work and dedication paid off in her sophomore year, when she broke the school record. She cleared the 9-foot 2-inch mark in the last dual meet of the season against La Cañada. Since then, she has continued to best her personal record, which is currently at an impressive height of 10 feet and 3 inches.

Leddy qualified for CIF last year, but fell short in finals. She is looking to rebound this year with a height of 11 feet and enter the prestigious CIF Masters meet.

“I motivate myself by choosing goals and working toward them,” Leddy said. “My first goal was to break the school record, and now that I accomplished that, I really want to go farther into CIF and to qualify for state.”

Jenny Luo

Leddy is looking to make it to CIF Masters and top her current personal record of 10 feet and 3 inches this season, which is also the school record.

By Jung Su Park Staff Writer Senior Richard Yu is known as a “gift from God” by his teammates. This may be an overstatement to some; however, his overarching contributions to the boys’ varsity volleyball team have backed up that nickname. As a sophomore and junior, Yu played a vital role in the Tigers’ consecutive CIF-SS Division III championship titles in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He also received the CIF Player of the Year Award last season during the Tigers’ title run. Yu aspires to maximize his leadership as the only senior on this year’s varsity squad, which was promoted to Division II this year.

Yu’s volleyball career started in Shenyang, China, when he joined the Shenyang No. 33 Middle School volleyball team as its outside hitter in sixth grade.

Yu quickly became involved in the local volleyball community once he arrived in South Pasadena in the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year as a sophomore.

He has devoted five hours a week to the Santa Monica Beach Club in the summer and winter seasons and ten hours a week to the SPHS boys’ varsity team since arriving. Yu is an integral part of both the club and school teams’ offensive game as their powerful outside hitter, winning numerous MVP recognitions in various tournaments.

“I am thankful for all the support that my teammates have provided for me, not just in improving volleyball skills, but also learning English and breaking the language barrier for communication,” Yu said. “My mentality throughout volleyball is to win

Matt Winkel

Yu’s height and power have brought a new fire to boys’ volleyball’s team since he arrived as a sophomore. games, but that it doesn’t stop there. Bonding and making quality relationships to build team chemistry and ultimately have fun are extremely important to me.”

Yu plans to attend University of California, Los Angeles to play Division I volleyball after a year at Santa Monica College.

He hopes to improve his English speaking skills even more at SMC before his time at UCLA so he can more effectively communicate with his teammates and coaches. After college, he wants to play for Team USA in hopes of winning gold at the Olympics.

Sports

Baseball falls to Alhambra, holds 4-2 record

By Ryan Nakamura Staff Writer The varsity baseball team suffered a frustrating 5-2 loss to the Alhambra High School Moors last Saturday, March 14, falling to a record of 4-2 on the season. This loss concluded the team’s play in the Arcadia Elks Tournament, in which they had a decent showing against Salesian and Marshall Fundamental.

The Tigers were able to hold Alhambra to a stand still in the first inning; however, the Moors racked a quick four runs in the second inning, putting them up 4-0. With the Moors holding the lead, the Tigers weren’t able to mount

any offensive attacks against Alhambra’s rock solid defense and were hampered by poor batting in the first few innings.

Although they were down, the Tigers were able to hold the line against the Moors after the second inning.

Despite the strong defensive effort, the Tigers still couldn’t catch up with any runs on offense.

Desperate to get back in the game, senior Brandon Aguirre managed to put up two RBIs, bringing junior Brandon Louie and senior Matthew Park home in the sixth inning. Although Aguirre got the team on its feet, South Pas couldn’t pull off a comeback. Alhambra scored again in the sixth inning and stole a 5-2

Stephanie Kim

Freshman Jack Renken fires a pitch to the mound during the Elks Tournament.

The Tigers went 3-2 in the tournament, and showed they are ready for league.

victory from the Tigers.

The team’s previous game was against Salesian High School on March 12, in which they topped the Mustangs in a 6-2 victory. After spending the first three innings tied at 1-1, senior Nic Ha dashed home, giving South Pasadena the lead. Louie pitched the complete game and proved to be dominant on the mound.

The team’s first loss in the tournament ended in a 7-6 derailment against Polytechnic High School on March 10. The team held the advantage over Poly with a 4-1 lead in the fourth until the Panthers regrouped for a crucial three runs in the fifth inning. South Pas couldn’t convert any runs from then on, with Poly scoring the decisive run in an eighth inning.

The Tigers won their first two games of the tournament, beating Marshall Fundamental 13-7 and Hamilton High School 4-0 in early March.

“I know we will compete and give it our all when it comes to league,” Aguirre said. “We have a solid team which has really progressed from the previous season. We can definitely make a run for the league title this year [by just] one game at a time.”

The team hopes to jump back from their preseason record of 4-2 and start fresh in league in their season opener on the road against Monrovia on March 20 at 3:30 p.m.

“All of the players on our team are playing to win, and we are expecting just that on Friday,” senior Hermes Ip said.

Tiger - Thursday, March 19, 2015

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Track shows preseason vigor

By Olivia Nouriani Staff Writer Track successfully started its season, defeating Alhambra in its first meet of the year and coming out strong at the Redondo Nike Invitational on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14.

Alhambra made its way to South Pas for a dual meet on Thursday, March 5, where the girls’ team dominated 104-24. The boys took down the Moors as well, coming out on top 65-43. Senior Cullen Irvine led the boys’ varsity squad, coming in first in the 1600 Meter with a time of 4:45, and placing second in the 800 meters with 2:10.2.

Freshman Oliver Chang also surprised the crowd by placing first in the 3200 meters with a time of 10:33.

The girls’ squad, led by junior Emily Ye, followed suit. Ye took first place in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter events, earning times of 2:35.6, 5:46, and 12:50, respectively.

The success against Alhambra paved the way at the Nike Invitational the next week. Irvine came out strong once again on Friday, March 13, running the 3200 in 9:51.25. The next day, the rest of the squad followed his lead. Senior William Brady ran the 100 Meter Dash in 11.68 seconds. Senior Rowan Leddy came in fourth in the pole vault at 10 feet, and senior Nina Acebo led the team across the track, running the 100 meters in 13.07, the 100 meter hurdles in 16.58, and earning a mark of 1606.50 feet in the long jump.

The squad is currently prepping for its next home meet against the Monrovia Wildcats on Wednesday, March 25.

Swimming with strong showing vs. Alhambra

By Marion Wood Staff Writer The South Pasadena swim teams decisively beat Alhambra High School in their first dual meet of the season on Tuesday, March 17.

“It was a pretty dominating meet,” senior captain Sabrina Zavala said. “A lot of swimmers were put in ‘off ’ events and no one went for any CIF cuts this meet, so none were made, but in almost every event we went 1-2-3.”

The girls’ varsity team swept the Moors after strong showings from seniors Grace Wakabayashi and Jasmine Lee,

Golf falls to Polytechnic

and sophomore Perah Ralin. Wakabayashi claimed first place again in the 200 free, followed by senior Kate Iio and sophomore Kelsey Sedgwick. The girls team also triumphed in the relays, winning the 200 medley, 200 free, and the 400 free races.

The boys had several sweeps as well. Senior Will Jo won first in the 100 breast, along with junior Aaron Ogita and senior Court Blake. The 200 free went to senior Griffin Yerian, followed by Jo and sophomore Finn Hadsell-Florin. The relay teams had strong performances in the 200 and 400 free as well.

“Overall, the meet was a great

confidence-booster for the whole team, and I think it was a great start to a successful season for all four levels,” Zavala said.

After the success at Tuesday’s meet, the team is optimistic about its upcoming league matches.

“I think it was a pretty good swim meet that provided everyone with a lot of experience,” Ogita said. “Based on our results from this one, I think we’ll have a very good chance at being league champs this year.”

The team hopes to continue their dominance in their first league meet against Monrovia High School on Tuesday, March 24.

Boys’ tennis looking to capture league crown

By Karen Hsueh Copy Editor

By Alex Nakagawa Assoc. Sports Editor The boys’ golf team hit a rough patch on Tuesday, March 3, falling to Pasadena Polytechnic. The game marked the team’s first official preseason game and the start of a new season for the Tigers under new head coach Ed Smith.

Sophomore Elliott Lee led the Tigers with 47. Senior Cristian Cotaya finished with a 49, and both sophomore Andrew Son and senior Robert Lee finished the day with 51s. Freshmen Damian Ugalde and Brandon Zhu debuted in their first varsity match with scores of 53 and 59, respectively.

“Our team is very young with only two seniors,” Cotaya said. “We have a good amount of time to prepare for the next game.”

The Tigers will look for their first win against San Marino High School on Tuesday, March 24.

Jenny Luo

Ye placed first in the 800, 1600, and 3200, leading the Tigers against Alhambra.

Jenny Luo

Freshman Nick Corvino returns a serve for the Tigers. Corvino has added more stability to the talented squad as a new addition.

The boys’ varsity tennis team is going into the upcoming season with a 2-2 record from its preseason games. While the singles lineup has stayed the same, the team continues to experiment with doubles under the lead of new coach Marivick Mamiit. Senior Lenn Kushigemachi and juniors Casey Corvino and Sagar Raju were recently named the 2015 captains.

“We have a great team with a lot of raw potential,” Mamiit said. “If the boys give every game their 100 percent effort and focus, we’ll definitely be bringing in a lot of wins this season.”

Raju has been a dominating force for the Tigers in singles, consistently playing number one for the Tigers. The other positions have alternated between Casey Corvino, sophomore Jesse Chen, and freshman Nick Corvino.

Doubles has seen a variety of combos, matching newer players with more seasoned

ones. The potential doubles combinations play practice matches with each other to ensure the best combos. For the last match, Kushigemachi and sophomore Kevin Huang played number one doubles, with number two as senior Bruno Cavalier and Nick Corvino, and number three as sophomores Jason Cai and Kendrick Shen.

“I believe we can make CIF and do some real damage,” Cavalier said. “We also need to work on team chemistry and dynamics or CIF won’t be possible.”

During preseason, the Tigers beat La Salle High School 14-4 and Alhambra High School 12-6, but lost 16-2 to Crescenta Valley High School and, most recently, 13-5 to Polytechnic School on Friday, March 13.

The match against Polytechnic wasn’t on the schedule, taking the Tigers by surprise.

“I expect to see some big improvements,” Kushigemachi said. “As of now, I think we’re improving little by little while pushing each other.”

The Tigers’ first league game is against Monrovia on Friday, March 20.

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Tiger - Thursday, March 19, 2015

Sports

Sports

Boys’ volleyball

3/10: 3-2 win @ San Marcos 3/12: 3-0 win v. La Salle 3/14: 7-1 record @ Dos Pueblos Tournament

Preseason Scores Baseball

3/6: 13-7 win v. Marshall 3/7: 4-0 win v. Hamilton 3/10: 7-6 loss v. Poly 3/12: 6-2 win v. Salesian 3/14: 5-2 loss v. Alhambra

Softball

3/5: 7-2 win @ Heritage Christian 3/9: 7-2 loss v. Pasadena 3/12: 4-3 win v. Schurr 3/13: 8-1 win v. Poly

Nakagawa’s Notes Mind over matter

By Alex Nakagawa Assoc. Sports Editor

Matt Scholtz

Junior Max Luck sets the ball for junior Teodore Davis during the boys’ volleyball team’s three set preseason win over the La Salle Lancers. The team is ready for the upcoming league season at La Cañada next Thursday, March 26.

Boys’ volleyball finds success against higher divisions

By Jung Su Park Staff Writer The boys’ varsity volleyball team traveled to Santa Barbara to participate in the day-long Dos Pueblos Invitational held at the Thunderdome of University of California, Santa Barbara on Saturday, March 14.

The Tigers played eight total sets against four other Division I and II schools and placed first in their pool with a 7-1 record during the tournament, which consisted of 30 competing CIF Southern Section squads of ranging divisions.

Although new to Division II, South Pas established itself as an emerging volleyball powerhouse amongst premier Division I and II teams, defeating Harvard-Westlake 25-16 and 25-23, San

Luis Obispo 25-14 and 25-21, and Ventura 25-10 and 25-21.

The Tigers couldn’t keep this momentum up, however, and suffered their first loss of the day to Capistrano Valley, 25-23. South Pas stood at a 6-1 record but finished off Capistrano Valley 27-25 in the next set through extended play.

“We played very well against really good teams and this just proves how strong we are as a team,” senior Richard Yu said.

“We can only get better through practice and we will protect our place.”

South Pasadena qualified for a spot in the playoffs bracket as the Tigers finished first in their pool, with Capistrano Valley took second.

In its first match of the playoffs, the Tigers took a complete turn for the worse playing a tough Simi Valley team.

The Simi Valley block wasted no time to stack three people against Luck and Yu on the outside hit, and the Tigers could not consistently reach a steady momentum all game. The Tigers lost the first set 25-16, and dropped the second set 25-23.

The Tigers hope to carry this momentum from their exceptional performance throughout the Dos Pueblos Invitational into their league opener on the road against La Cañada on Thursday, March 26.

La Cañada is considered the second best team in Rio Hondo League even though the Spartans have never beat the Tigers for two seasons in a row. South Pas looks to win over La Cañada as well as every other team during the regular season to reign as the Rio Hondo League champions for the fourth consecutive year.

Softball faces Alhambra today in preseason finale

By Kevin Park & Jordan Xiao Tiger Staff The varsity softball team wraps up its preseason with a home game against Alhambra High School today, starting league play tomorrow, March 20, at Monrovia. The Tigers are currently 3-2 overall after back-to-back wins against Schurr and Pasadena Polytechnic the

previous week.

On Friday, March 13, South Pasadena blew out Pasadena Polytechnic with seven runs in the third inning, winning 8-1. On March 12, the Tigers trailed behind Schurr by three runs after five innings but rallied back in the sixth to win 4-3.

In their third preseason game, however, the girl’s fell 7-2 to Pasadena

Stephanie Kim

Sophomore Adrianna Ramirez looks for a hit at the plate. Ramirez has a .286 OBP so far this season, and a .231 batting average.

on Monday, March 9, after a devastating fifth inning, where the Bulldogs scored five runs. The Tigers’ first win of the year came early, as they defeated Heritage Christian 7-2 on Thursday, March 5.

Senior captain Cassie Baca has been key in the circle and is supported with the consistent defense and strong offensive.

“It feels like we’re finally coming together and starting to work together as a team offensively,” Baca said. “If our defense can stay strong through all seven innings I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about.”

The 2015 season has shown promise thus far, with the team hoping to make improvements on last year’s 5-16 record.

The Tigers fell to Alhambra 11-3 in the previous season and are eager to turn the tables on the Moors today.

“I think the season has gone quite well so far; I believe we are only going to become closer as a team,” junior Alissa Gentry said. “We have a very positive outlook on the season and strive to become a better team everyday.”

Even the most decorated high school athletes understand the important role that emotion, whether positive or negative, can have on their performance. It is safe to say that the willingness to become better is imperative to the growth of skill and self-determination of each athlete, but athletes walk a fine line between allowing emotions to control their actions and succumbing to the negative criticism that amounts in their heads. In high school sports, emotional outburst is fair, so as long as the athlete is mindful the repercussions that it brings.

Time after time, professional athletes can be seen expressing passion after a large play or during frustrating moments. News outlets today glorify these sudden bursts of animation to be a normal part of the game, justifying these rash actions to be symbolic representations of an athlete’s skill level and dedication to the sport they play. However, people who tend to stay reserved, or at least suppress these feelings, are labeled as deadpan and bad teammates. All-in-all, this obscure topic can only be defined in context.

A good starting point for all high school athletes to utilize the spectrum of emotions is to always be aware of the success of the team.

As a volleyball player, my teammates and I rely on each other to give consistent performances until each set has ended. In an especially close game, adrenaline levels are at an unhealthy high point, in which case the occasional yell of anguish escapes my vocal chords. My teammates’ matched enthusiasm only encourages our team to play harder the next point. My years of experience as a student-athlete balancing a rigorous workload and physically daunting practices and games has taught me to not let a small mistake be detrimental to my play and my teammates’ well-beings. Other student-athletes share this understanding as well.

Combatting emotional detriment will always supplement an athlete’s play. Studies conducted by UC Berkeley show that anxiety can cause a shifted tendency to make bad decisions.

By combatting these anxious and helpless feelings, an athlete increases athletic performance through relaxed muscle tension and increased focus. In a society in which information-sharing based mediums spotlight emotional outbursts for pure entertainment, high school sports should be a place of self-moderation, while helping to teach student-athletes important life values. As for the winning? That’s just an added bonus.

[inside]

Jenny Luo

Boys’ tennis 2-2 in preseason; swimming dominates in first meet page 15