Tiger Newspaper Vol. XCVII, No. I

What a rush!

Drug dogs to visit campus

Over 70 clubs rally for new members

By Libby Rainey News Editor The South Pasadena Unified School District signed a contract with Interquest Detection Canines this past summer and formed a partnership with the detection and drug dog service. This program will make unscheduled visits to South Pasadena High School during the school year.

The drug dogs can make up to two unannounced visits to school per month, during which time they will be accompanied by a trainer and school administrator at all times. If anything incriminating is found, including drugs, alcohol, or weapons, the dogs will sit down to signify that they have found contraband. School administration will carry out the same discipline policy that would otherwise be used if a student was caught with any incriminating items.

In order to ensure that all students and parents will be fully aware of this addition to school security, there will be an assembly in late September in which the program will be explained and students can ask questions and state concerns. The PTSA is also holding an Informational Forum on Monday, September 27th in the library for all who wish to attend. Interquest Canines CEO Scott Edmunds will give a presentation on the program, and there will also be a demonstration with one of the dogs.

Principal Janet Anderson fully endorses the Interquest Canine program, and emphasizes that the dogs are meant to raise awareness and prevent dangerous possession on campus. The program is not intended to catch anyone by surprise.

“We want to create a distraction-free environment,” says Anderson. She hopes the school community will see the dogs as a positive improvement to campus life.

Drug dogs will begin visiting the campus once all community members have been informed, and can be expected to continue random visits throughout the school year.

By Kelsey Hess Staff Writer

Courtesy of Joel Shapiro

LOS ANGELES COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Veteran SPHS science teacher Paul Groves was named one of 16 LA County Teachers of the Year yesterday. Groves, chosen after close evaluation of applications, will now be entered into the next level of rigorous competition, consideration for California Teacher of the Year. Visit Tiger online for more information on Mr. Groves and this prestigious award.

Burmese performance provokes protest Brendan Perry Staff Writer

foolish and confused.”

The protesters say Thein knows what she is promoting.

“She is not just an unwitting part of Nazi Germany but a cog in the machine,” said protester Douglas Busby, comparing the dictatorship in Burma to the fascism in WWII Germany.

The performers were unavailable for comment.

The Burmese organizers attended the district board meeting on September 7th,

asking the district to reconsider allowing Thein to perform. After explaining Thein’s relation to the regime, they insisted it would be in the district’s best interest to disallow her performance, claiming it would be a black spot on the district.

The district, previously unaware of the issue, looked into the matter and discovered that Thein and her musical group had valid permits See “Protest” on Page 2

More than 20 demonstrators lined up along Fremont Ave. to protest the performance of pro-Burmese government musicians in the SPHS auditorium on September 11th.

Wyne Su Khine Thein, a celebrity in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and the granddaughter of a former minister, is allegedly associated with the Burmese military regime. According to the protesters, known as the “LA Organizers for Burma,” Thein plays a large role in the dictatorship’s propaganda. Her role this summer in the governmentproduced film, “The Lotus Flower Budding at Dawn,” has angered the activists.

Protester Mike Wolfberg says the film is “false, and mocks politically important Coleman Rainey events in Burma, while depict- LA Organizers for Burma protested the Sept. 11 perforing protesters like ourselves as mance of “The Lotus Flower Budding at Dawn” at SPHS.

Club Rush kicked off its first day of events during lunch yesterday, September 21. As students circulated the Tiger Patio, club representatives yelled at the mob of teenagers in attempts to recruit members.

The clubs spanned a wide range of interests- everything from the Ghostbusters Club to various volunteer/charity clubs. Sidney Sekula (Ghostbusters club) explained what her club does.

“We hunt, we dress up as Ghostbusterswe want everyone to be aware of paranormal activity.”

Some students couldn’t get away from the commotion fast enough, while others embraced the chaos and exhilarating experience throughout the school. “This is my second Club Rushit turned out really well! It’s pretty much the same as last year. There are less clubs; that’s good though, the less clubs, the better- it lets you really focus on which clubs you want to be involved in,” said sophomore Laura Hill.

Not everyone thrives off of crowds and a hectic environment, and some people have grown tired of Club Rush. “After four years, it’s the same clubs for the most part. It’s kind of boring, and you never end up sticking with half the clubs you sign up for- if any.” said senior Olivia Hulett.

New students wander the Tiger Patio every year, and the freshman feedback is always the most optimistic.

“It’s cool, Club Rush has a lot of opportunities to connect. I signed up for two clubs, WWF and Pique…I’m excited!” said Jackie Mejia.

Regardless whether or not everyone enjoyed Club Rush, for years it has continued to give students the opportunity to involve themselves in their school and their interests. Said sophomore Cole Teague, “There’s much more energy - It’s even better than last year.”

For additional coverage, see pages 8 & 9.

Middle school renovations taking shape

By Michael Abelev Staff Writer

Edmund Mandin-Lee

Project manager Paulo Lopez shows junior Michael Abelev the new SPMS gym construction site. The project is expected to finish in summer 2010.

Behind the sound of hammers and clouds of dust comes a brighter future for South Pasadena Middle School. Measure M construction is on target to be complete in the summer of 2011. Students passing by the construction site on Fair Oaks have seen the new gym and administration building taking shape.

The new gym will be almost three times the size of its predecessor and will have locker rooms, bathrooms, showers

and coach offices. School offices will occupy the first floor of the new admin building. The new library will be housed on the spacious second floor, with room for a computer lab.

Safety is the number one priority when it comes to process of constructing both buildings: “With all the inspections that are required by the state, schools are one of the safest places to be in an incident or any sort, especially an earthquake,” said Dr. Scott Price, SPUSD Asst. Supt. for Business Services. In addition to the two new buildings, Rollin Street

has been closed. This will allow for a new parking lot to be built with a drop off driveway.

Middle school students have experienced some inconveniences from the construction, but excitement is high for its completion: “It’s really crowded now. We have very little room to eat, and it gets really dusty sometimes. But I am excited about getting a new library,” said 8th Grader Elizabeth Yu. “This is going to help unite our school. It’s been a long process but we see the end coming soon,” said SPMS Principal Dave Kubela.

News 2

News

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Rose Court competition

By Jake Folsom Senior Staff Writer Every year, girls around the Pasadena area compete to be apart of the prestigious Royal Rose Court of Pasadena. Over 1000 girls apply, and only seven are selected after a series of rigorous rounds of competition.

In order to be considered, applicants must be high school seniors or full time college students enrolled in the Pasadena area. Out of the roughly 1200 applicants, a panel of judges will select only 250 girls to return for a second round of interviews. From there, 75 girls will make it to a third round, and after the fourth cut only 25 girls will remain. From those 25, seven are to be selected by a committee of the Rose Court, and in the following week the Rose Court queen is named.

Besides the chance to be a queen, another perk of the try-out process is the Royal Ball, which is being held September 24th in Pasadena. At the initial try-out, each applicant receives two tickets to the Ball, one for herself and another for her guest.

Despite the consistently large turnout for Rose Court interviews, there is an even larger number of girls from SPHS who opted out of participation. One such student, Laura Parada, said “It was too much of a time commitment and I didn’t want to be observed like a show dog.” Others tried out just for the experience. Senior Jazmin Kan said of her try out, “I had nothing to lose and in the end it was just a fun day.”

Although it isn’t for everyone, the Rose Court continues to inspire high school girls around the Pasadena area. The second round of competitors will be announced some time this week.

Around Campus

SPHS Science teacher Robb Guido has announced that he will be leaving his position in order to take a six month long sabbatical in Japan as an English teacher. Regarding his experience as a teacher at SPHS, he said, “Of course I’ll miss everyone here... This is by far the best school I’ve taught in!” He will leave by the end of the month. /Jackson Atwater

Tiger Guide delivery delay elicits mixed response

By Meghan Roche Staff Writer SPHS students and staff were forced to work Tiger-Guide-free for the first two weeks of school this year, resulting in complaints regarding disorganization and confusion.

A database mishap at SPHS’s longtime Tiger Guide supplier, Premier Planners, caused the printing and shipping dates to be delayed.

Students finally received their guides two weeks into the school year, and for many, this posed a problem.

“I had actually several people coming to me, concerned about not having a Tiger Guide. Kids use them; kids are dependent on them,” said mathematics teacher Mr. Shane Mills.

In an effort to placate students, Premier Planners offered to send out 1550 30-pluspage packets that included the entirety of the Tiger Code of Conduct and two weeks of

planning pages, which SPHS decided to take. According to ASB Director Mr. Shotwell, “The students and staff really needed them. It’s very important that the students understand the policies.”

For many, however, the packets may not have been the best solution. “I don’t use mine, and I’ve never seen anybody use them at all,” said junior Cassidy Combs.

Uselessness wasn’t the only issue students found. “I thought it was a big waste of paper,” said sophomore Phoebe Ou-Yang.

When asked about what he thought about the environmental impact these “guides” would cause, ASB Director Mr. Shotwell said, “It was a concern of ours.

Initially we asked to save paper, but in the end, it saved us the time and expense of producing these ourselves.”

Last Monday during fourth period, Tiger Guides were finally distributed to the students expectantly awaiting them.

Sam Gurley

Senior Daniel Buchen personalizes his Tiger Guide after its long-anticipated arrival.

A new calendar year for future students

By Ande Withers Staff Writer Starting in the 2011-2012 school year, there will be a change in the school’s calendar year. Classes will commence about a week earlier than usual, somewhere around the 20th of August.

The Calendar Committee, an organization that meets annually to discuss the schedules of South Pasadena’s elementary, middle, and high schools, introduced this change. Although it is headed by Assistant Superintendent Julie Jennings, there are parent and teacher representatives from each of the three factions.

Initially, the Committee began discussing a change because several representatives, mostly from the high school, thought that the first semester of school should end

before Winter Break, thus allowing high school students to take their first semester finals before they are released.

An earlier start date is also desirable in regard to Advanced Placement students. South Pasadena students start school earlier than most students on the East Coast. This is a cause for concern because it can be said that students who start the year earlier have more preparation time—thus giving them an advantage in taking their AP tests.

Similarly, in the scenario that the school year begins earlier, it would end earlier. Students taking AP classes would no longer have to endure nearly a month of school after completing the crux of the class – the AP test – ridding the fatigued students from the seemingly redundant lectures given by their equally enervated teachers.

Unfortunately, the new calendar presents several issues in 2012.

That year, students would finish their Spring semester on the usual date in mid-June, but begin their next term on the early date in August. Additionally, there would be an even smaller gap between the end of summer school and the beginning of the regular school year.

Counselor Mrs. Dam admits that no matter what, “someone’s summer is going to be cut short.”

As long as the Committee’s changes aren’t too drastic, the transitioning classes will not be negatively affected. Although the representatives have not yet achieved their key goal, ending the first semester promptly, they will continue to deliberate and hopefully institute changes that are beneficial for the entire student body.

Local filmmaker chooses South Pas as setting

By Kristin Gunther Staff Writer

Jennifer Kim

David Zeiger and crew members film scene of “Sweet Old World” on the high school field. Film is partially funded by an impressive Guggenheim Fellowship.

For the past summer and now into the school year, independent filmmaker David Zeiger, whose wife, Maryann Nielsen, teaches at South Pasadena High School, has been shooting his newest movie on the SPHS campus. The film, Sweet Old World, is “narrative story with a documentary [aspect],” centering on a father and his high school-aged son, Ethan, whose poor relationship is a result of a tragedy eight years prior to the film’s setting. Zeiger, the sole screenwriter, has been working on the film since 2000.

The filmmaker decided to incorporate the SPHS Marching Band into the plot as “a simple story of the marching band starting with nothing and developing a program,” said Zeiger. The Band’s rise from the impossible to the extraordinary parallels the emotional transformation that

both Ethan and his father undergo as their relationship is tested by a mysterious new student connected to their past.

Besides employing the entire SPHS band, Zeiger also plans on filming Friday night football games for use in his film, as he believes that there is nothing more real than real teens in their atmospheres. More notably, however, in the cast is Jacques Coliman, a 2010 graduate of SPHS, who portrays the main character, Ethan.

Sweet Old World is partially funded by a Guggenheim Fellowship, a prestigious grant of money given in different arts categories to the creators of projects deserving of the award; the Fellowship is “very competitive,” said the independent filmmaker, and is quite honorable for his film to merit the scholarship. The film crew is currently working on mostly band scenes, and does not yet have a finish or release date. Zeiger and his crew will submit it to multiple film festivals and are hopeful for its future.

From “Protest” on Page 1 to perform. In order to avoid legal trouble, the district was forced to allow Thein’s performance.

The LA organizers for Burma have been following Thein on her tour of California protesting, and preaching the idea of democracy to the Burmese attendees, something they could be killed for in Myanmar. In fact, just two years ago the Burmese Army killed at least 9 demonstrators during the antigovernment protests led by students and monks in September 2007.

Myanmar is under a military dictatorship and has been since 1962. Prodemocracy activists say the government has far too much power and is painfully corrupt. Thein’s grandfather was at the “center of corruption” according to Wolfberg, distorting the numbers of the currency exchange rate. The assets of Muang Maung Thein as well as those of his son, Khin Maung Thein (the performer’s father) are now frozen in Europe and Australia, said Wolfberg.

The organizers were not happy to see Thein perform, but understand that the district was unable to stop it. “She has the right to perform, but we still have the right to protest,” said Busby.

Coleman Rainey

Protestors on Fremont Avenue.

Visit Tiger online for exclusive news, photos, and videos. www.tigernewspaper.com

News

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - Tiger

3

Paper or...paper?

By Amber Laird Staff Writer Use of the classic checkout question, “paper or plastic?” was put in jeopardy in the state of California this August by AB 1998 (Assembly Bill 1998), also known as the “plastic bag ban.” The bill sought to ban single-use plastic bags from retail stores and require them to charge at least $0.25 for paper bags. The store would be able to keep $0.05 of the fine, but the rest would go into the Paper Bag Pollution Cleanup Fund established by the bill. The bill did not pass the State Senate, receiving a 14-21 vote, but Los Angeles County is pursuing its own plastic bag ban.

South Pasadena businesses seem to support this. David Lee, a Dinosaur Farm employee, says, “We have plastic bags, but we don’t use them.

They’ve been collecting dust.” He’s worked for the Dinosaur Farm for two years and only ever remembers using paper bags. He says he always asks the costumer if they would like a bag instead of immediately packing the item up. “I’d say it’s about 50/50; half the time people want a bag, the other half they don’t. It just depends on how much they buy.” To him, charging for paper bags isn’t an issue. If the bill were to pass, people would already save money. Stores could lower prices by no longer having to supply a “free” plastic bag service.

Lauren Hendricks, a Jasleen employee, only uses plastic bags when the store runs out of paper. She prefers paper bags because they’re bigger and less harmful to the environment. She thinks charging for paper bags would even be a good thing because it “might make people consider when they actually need a bag.” She personally shops with canvas bags (which Jasleen sells as an alternative) whenever she remembers, or, if she can carry what she bought in her hand, refuses any bag at all.

Sharyll Burroughs of Marz, a plastic bag free store, agrees. She says, “I’ve traveled to Europe quite a bit and I noticed that a lot of people carry their own bags.” She also noticed that prices were lower, and found out later it was because of the lack of plastic bags. Her philosophy is, “Anything for the environment.”

So, L.A. County, South Pasadena is ready for your plastic bag ban.

Tai Carter

Paper-only bags used by local stores

Sam Gurley

Mr. Dunn, Assistant Principal of Student Services, is already a prominent figure on campus.

SPHS welcomes new administrator

By Luka Douridas Assoc. Opinion Editor One of the most talked about new faces on campus is that of Mr. Terrance J. Dunn— our new Assistant Principal of Student Services. After Ms Janet Wichman relocated to the district office last year, administrators began looking for a replacement. Counselor Ms Marylin Garcia-Peck temporarily occupied the position of Student Services for the latter half of last year, until a full-time member could be hired.

Originally from Melbourne, Florida, Mr. Dunn is now beginning his 16th year in education after working at oth-

! est e n i l rmit t n o l our pe l a d sy s e a p rs so you e v i dr s d ons

er schools in California, Arkansas, and even his home state, where he taught history. He also helped co-found a school in Chatsworth, CA, that was a charter school designed to prepare students for life in college.

Before arriving at SPHS, he was Assistant Principal at Marina del Rey Middle School, a position he held for one year.

When asked to describe the students here, Mr. Dunn said with consonance: “The kids here are reasonable, responsible, and responsive.” He particularly admires how students are eager to be involved—as is seen in classes such as Leadership or Virtual Enterprise. “It is refreshing to see students seri-

S2 H A C ss ve e est t e e o l r k e d p e c Ta , flexibl MV-ap it practi co * t n n D m u s. o • Fu ifornia ne per c s s e i l i c l a r d t pro • C free on e t n n 0 e e •5 d m y an a p m e o c n . i l d sE he on r e iv t r g D n t i dur Visi

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ous about college and earning good grades,” he adds. “The kids here have great respect for their school.”

So far, Mr. Dunn is enjoying his time at SPHS. “We are all so lucky to have such a supportive community that believes in a rigorous education,” he says. “I am looking for continued professional growth and a place to hang my hat for a long time.”

Mr. Dunn also enjoys cooking, as well as playing and watching tennis. A proud husband, he has been married for nine years, and is the father of two children: one seven-yearold daughter and one fourmonth-old son.

Page by Edmund Mandin-Lee, Text by Alex Tranquada

While some of us were spending our vacation swimming, playing video games, or analyzing Catcher in the Rye, other SPHS students were seeing the world. We conducted a sur vey to find out more about the travels of the Tigers, and out of 116 responses, these are the some of the most extraordinar y locales visited by South Pasadena kids this summer.

SPHS Goes Global

Photo by Aritra Bhattacharya

Photo by Atticus Blatt

Atticus Blatt and Nicole Lussier went to

Stockholm, Sweden

Aritra Bhattacharya went to

Calcutta, India

Kay Sasaki went to

Tokyo, Japan Jade Roman went to

San Juan, Puerto Rico

4

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Vitecha Kochaon went to

Koh Chang, Thailand Marika Stanford-Moore went to

Gombe, Tanzania

Photo by Kay Sasaki Photo by Vitecha Kochaon

Photo by Jade Roman Photo by Marika Standford-Moore

Opinion

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - Tiger

5

Opinion Yeah Boi

B B

Tooth fairies and journalism

to Lady Gaga for her meat dress. Got any Color Day ideas?

ravo

to all of you who wore white after Labor Day. Summer is over, morons.

B B

oo

By Coleman Westfall Rainey Editor in Chief

to Mr. Groves for being the best. Period.

ravo

to the freshmen for not understanding how funny the word “gypsy” is.

B

oo

to the recyclables collectors.

It’s comforting to know that we’re not alone during the late hours of Tiger deadline.

B

ravo

to the administration for not letting Mrs. Moonesinghe hold athome study sessions. Now we have to wait until June to see her house. oo

B

oo to Mix ‘n’ Munch for not opening yet and ceding the summer buzz to Menchies. You could’ve made cereal and grilled cheese cool.

B

ravo to the Brunch time fire drill.

Thanks for breaking up the monotony of class...at 9:39.

The Tiger Established 1913

CSPA Gold Medalist 2001 CSPA Gold Medalist 2005 CSPA Gold Medalist 2006 CSPA Gold Medalist 2009 Editor-in-Chief Coleman Westfall Rainey Managing Editor Marcus Kahn News Libby Rainey, Editor Jackson Atwater, Associate Opinion Devin Mitchell, Editor Luka Douridas, Associate Feature Lana Ho, Editor Jessica Moog, Associate Sports Carlton Lew, Editor Christian Miyamae, Associate Copy Editors Christine Chen and Kristin Gunther Photography Sam Gurley, Editor Edmund Mandin-Lee, Associate Photographers Tai Carter, Jennifer Kim, Kathryn Whitworth Staff Writers Michael Abelev, Wyatt Bukowski, Clair Fuller, Sofi Goode, Kristin Gunther, Kelsey Hess, Amber Laird, Chloe Lloyd, Brendan Perry, Meghan Roche, Joshua Roquemore, Alex Tranquada, Max White, Harry Yadav Staff Illustrators Samuel Shin, Daniel Willardson Managers Kennedy Diaz, Ads Angela Jang, Business Webmaster Makenna Sidle Faculty Advisor Mike Hogan

Tiger is produced by the 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. All letters must be signed and verifiable, but names will be witheld upon request.

Finding good teachers

Sam Shin

Staff Editorial Students know more then anyone the importance of a good teacher. They can be the difference between a mentally stimulating, thought provoking, fun class, or a class in which your doodle of the teacher is more interesting then the actual material.

With teachers playing such a vital role in our education, should there not be more concern about establishing which teachers and techniques are the most effective?

This year South Pasadena Unified School District made major budget cuts. It is no secret that we are in an economic crisis, but that is no reason to let the quality of education suffer. In our district a large allocation of funding comes from student performance on standardized state exams; the success of students and financial aid are in direct correlation. With student performance so vital to district relations, it is necessary to not only evaluate those who teaches students, but to evaluate the system of evaluation as a whole.

All around the nation, new education policy has caused controversy. In Washington, D.C. Education Chancellor Michelle Rhee established the value added system. This system proposes that teachers be evaluated by the rate of progress each individual student achieves per year. Using standardized test

scores, the new system dismissed 241 teachers and put 737 on notice to improve within a year or leave. Although some view this method as unfair and outrageous, there is some sound evidence of incompetence within the system.

The goal is not to dismiss all teachers who do not perform well, rather to help teachers improve to provide students with the best education possible. In California, the California Association of Student Councils proposed bill SB1422. This bill would authorize a committee of administrators and students to create a school wide survey to evaluate individual teachers. The results of this survey remain completely anonymous, and are only used as feedback from students with the hope that the teacher may improve. The results of this survey can not only bring attention to points of improvement, but aid administrators in areas to focus on during workshops and seminars.

Teachers with tenure have immunity, and teachers who have done a great job are being pink slipped—but under what standards?

Our current evaluations of teachers do not accurately depict the full classroom experience.

There is no finite solution to improving education standards, but there is reasonable evidence that something must change. South Pasadena, the time for change is now.

I am a tooth fairy agnostic. I didn’t make up the term, but I have never believed in anything as strongly as I do tooth fairy agnosticism. What is a tooth fairy agnostic, you ask? Let me tell you.

The existence of the tooth fairy is an untestable hypothesis. There is no evidence to support the fact that the tooth fairy delivers coins to children across the world—but there is also no evidence proving she doesn’t. On the basis of pure scientific thought, the chances of her existence, or her non-existence, are exactly equal. But that in no way means I think the tooth fairy exists. In fact, I’d say that any intelligent person is pretty convicted that the tooth fairy, and all fairies, don’t exist.

There are many untestable hypotheses in our lives. God, for instance. Or, the strength of men’s morality. Or, the effect that journalists—such as those on Tiger—can have on those around them.

Journalists are fascinated with discovery. They relish in the thrill of discovering not only what is of the moment, but is also timeless. The adversities we face today are the same ones that we have faced for centuries.

Journalists work to bring those discoveries to light, in the hopes that those who read them will reach some kind of understanding—and eradicate some kind of ignorance.

How can we know, though, if that small enlightenment is reached? How can we know if we are living up to our duty to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable? How can we know how far our stories reach, or how our words affect those who read them?

For Tiger, and all other high school newspapers, probably not very much.

The answer, however, is simple: we cannot. The small shifts in knowledge and outlook caused every day by these discoveries are untraceable. Our effect is untestable.

And yet, we continue to search for “the story”. The uncertainty of those hypotheses in our lives does not make them any less real. Doubt is not the antithesis of faith, but its greatest ally. Most of us still believe in God. Most of us still cling to our childhood fantasies of Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.

And some of us—those lucky few—have the honor and the privilege to publish their opinions in print.

There is no evidence to support the fact that this paper will change your mind about anything—and yet, we will continue to write. Because that’s what being a journalist is all about.

Welcome to the 2010-2011 Tiger Newspaper. Enjoy.

The rapid rise of “bathroom trolls”

By Marcus Kahn Managing Editor Social networking sites are fundamentally changing the way humans behave and interact. Websites such as Formspring and Chat Roulette promote low moral standards and others like Facebook make human interaction insincere and superficial.

The primar y problem with Formspring and Chat Roulette is the anonymity it allows.

There are two types of people in the world: good people and “bathroom trolls” who pee all over the toilet seat because they will never be held responsible.

With Formspring increasing the number of “bathroom trolls”, users are allowed to metaphorically pee all over common decency because there is no fear of retribution. We have been conditioned like dogs to seek rewards and avoid punishments.

Formspring rewards people with a temporary lapse in their insecurities and they are never punished as no one knows who did the insulting. When there is no consequence and no accountability people are free to submit to their inner bathroom troll.

Facebook molests social interaction in a much subtler way. Instead of blatantly insulting people, it gradually

strips away sincerity and depth from conversations. Surly and unresponsive people post statuses like, “OMG just had the world’s best taco! XD”. Perhaps Facebook is a medium through which to express your true self when the doldrums of face to face scare you, but it seems more likely that teenagers are simply learning a dumbed down, insincere version of English.

In internet pioneer Jason Lenier’s book, You Are Not a Gadget, he asserts that while the internet can provide a wide scope of information, it does not provide the depth that is lost with easy access. This well-reasoned ideology can be paralleled

to online friendships. Though one has access to a larger group of people, the relationships are subsequently shallower. It is quality versus quantity and quality seems to be lagging. It can also be paralleled to criticisms.

Just because more people can make more criticisms doesn’t make them any more valid or founded in fact.

So can we really take a step back, look at our society and say, “Wow the quality of life really has improved because of these websites”? Or should we get off our lazy virtual butts and use the internet for something productive like Robot Unicorn Attack?

6

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Opinion

Minimal staff leads to maximum crowding

By Joshua Roquemore Staff Writer

School is back, along with all of the SPHS familiarities. As the year progresses, it is becoming more apparent how backed up our school can become.

The sinking feeling that ensues after seeing the lines in the counseling center makes students want to cry, and having to sit elbow to elbow with forty peers every day is not what most would call an ideal education. Despite employees’ valiant efforts to cope with such heavy individual workloads, we can’t ignore the fact that there just isn’t enough staff !

Students and teachers will both agree that most teenagers do better in classes that offer personal attention from teachers. However, such personal attention becomes difficult when a teacher must deal with several overcrowded classes.

It would be rare, at best, for a student to receive personal help from every one of their teachers. In addition, excess amounts of students add to the stress of a class. To watch a teacher reign in dozens of people is distracting to the average student (while perhaps slightly amusing).

In addition to proactive teachers, an essential part of our education is to have active counselors. Counselors not only make our high school journey go much smoother—they are also a huge part of preparing us for college. However, anyone who has tried meeting with a counselor during a busy time in the school year can sympathize with impatient students.

“I have been trying to contact my counselor since school started,” says one junior. “She’s never at her office.”

Students such as the aforementioned junior are forced to check again later or hang around until they return. Don’t

get me wrong: I enjoy a 30-minute wait as much as the next person, but we all have other things that we could be doing.

It must be stated, however, that (as much as some would like to believe) this isn’t the counselors’ fault. They simply cannot deal with the amount of students.

Often, they are forced to rush or postpone a meeting with an eager student, perhaps resulting in mutual dissatisfaction.

We should all know that the repercussions of current pupils’ learning experiences will someday determine our country’s future, and that our educators are an integral part of these experiences.

However, minimal school staff results in minimal care and education. More teachers and counselors must be acquired for the wellbeing of our education.

SPHS board members must look beyond current predicaments and issues and place students’ educations above them.

First-day time wasters

By Alex Tranquada Staff Writer We are constantly being told that as high school students, we need to start “acting like adults.” We need to take personal responsibility for our lives, we need to turn work in on time, we need to balance our social lives with sports and school. This is why it strikes me as odd that our teachers don’t seem to think we can read or make friends.

The first day of most AP classes goes something like this: Welcome students to class (five minutes), lecture students about “acting like adults” (five minutes), and either pass out syllabi to be read to class verbatim (90 minutes) or have students take part in a getting-to-know-you activity (90 minutes).

Put simply, this is ridiculous. AP students are given enough summer homework to crush a small domestic animal, all because “this way, we won’t have to spend time reviewing,” or “there isn’t enough time in the school year to cover everything you need to know.” If this is true, why is it okay to waste a day parroting something that APlevel students could read and understand in the space of ten minutes? We’ve already wasted multiple days of our summer vacation analyzing novels, taking notes on ecosystems, reading history textbooks and slogging through pages of calculus. If teachers are going to insist that we learn during our leisure time, we have a right to insist that we learn during our learning time.

Even worse than syllabus readings are forced social interactions. These stopped after elementary school, and for a good reason: we’ve been going to school with the same people for years. If you’re not friends with someone by your junior year, odds are you will never be best buddies. Besides, friendships are rarely made in the space of an hour. Asking a new student how many siblings they have and what they want to be when they grow up is not going to forge a deep personal connection between the two of you, and the 34 other bored teenagers in the room couldn’t care less either. Although well-intentioned, teachers’ attempts to foster friendship are unnecessary once their students progress beyond the age of eight.

Some students view a first day spent listening to the teacher as a victory; after all, listening involves much less effort than doing.

The same goes for teachers, because there’s no need to plan out assignments if you’re not going to be teaching. But kids in AP classes want to learn, and they’ve spent a large portion of their summers preparing to do just that. It would be nice if our teachers were on the same page.

Daniel Willardson

The responsibility of democracy

By Luka Douridas Associate Opinion Editor In 1952, California State Assembly member Ralph M. Brown proposed a piece of legislation that was designed not only to facilitate, but to encourage citizen participation in local legislative meetings. Under this act, boards—such as the SPUSD Board— are required to make agendas available to the public at least 72 hours in advance of each meeting. The purpose of this is to allow the public to go over the agenda, and see if there are any topics on which they would

like to speak to the Board. In addition, no agenda item can be added less than 72 hours before the meeting. This rule was created to prevent one-sidedness—people from both sides of the issue should be given time to read the agenda and prepare their public comments. Without this rule, if someone were to propose an action item the day of the meeting, the Board would cast their votes after only hearing one side.

Sounds perfect, right? This law was devised to create a healthy and fair public comment system, and it does it well.

However, it would work even better if all

Sam Shin

citizens were eager to be involved—but of course, this isn’t the case. Even though all action items are posted online, there is no guarantee that they will all be read. Sure, some teachers and parents stay updated on the SPUSD agendas, but how many high school students do? Students are affected directly by most of the School Board’s decisions, so naturally, they should be the ones checking online for the monthly action items, and going to the Board meetings for public comment. Still, not even some of the most opinionated or active students read the agendas.

The problem isn’t the Brown Act. The problem is that not enough people know about the Brown Act. The Board is very firm about ensuring the balance that the act provides, but without active participation, the balance is lost. Everybody wants positive change—just not everybody is willing to help create it. But if the change directly involves you, and if there is a statewide law that is designed to help you make that change, then there is no excuse for not taking advantage of it. Not doing so would be almost an almost an insult to those people who would love to have such an opportunity.

Want to prevent monopoly of influence? Read the Board meeting agendas.

You’ll be glad you did.

Visit spusd.csbaagendaonline.net to get involved.

Muslim Americans are not actually terrorists

By Clair Fuller Staff Writer In the United States alone, there are 1,209 mosques: places of worship for the estimated seven million Muslims in the country.

In terms of followers, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. But in the U.S. and a myriad of other countries, Muslims face an inordinate amount of discrimination and opposition as they try to live and worship peacefully.

In August, a New York taxi driver was stabbed for being Muslim. For the 9th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a small church in Florida made (but did not go through with) plans to burn copies of the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an. Protest against the “Ground Zero Mosque” rages on in Manhattan, and as many as 20% of Americans are up in arms

because they wrongly believe that President Barack Obama is Muslim. This and many other instances of flagrant discrimination are written off by claiming that Islam is “incompatible with Western values and morals,” or that hating Muslims is justified— or even patriotic.

How can it be patriotic, in a country founded on religious freedom, to hate someone because they worship differently than you do? It seems that this question never crossed the minds of the countless Americans who firmly and wrongly believe that Islam is a religion of hatred and violence, and that all Muslims can be represented by the terrorists that flew planes into the World Trade Center nine years ago. Never mind that their prejudice is rooted in ignorance and blanket assumptions. Never mind that the pastor who planned the Qur’an burning

admits he does not know any Muslims personally. Never mind that the “Ground Zero Mosque” is, in fact, a community center that will include a prayer space and is planned to be built a full two blocks away from the actual site. Never mind that, although it shouldn’t bear any relevance to his presidency, Obama has repeatedly stated that he is a Christian.

The perpetual painting of Muslims as the “other”—a group separate from the rest, fundamentally different and apart from the quintessential “us” and totally at odds with the “American Lifestyle”—is a tactic similar to those used against African Americans during their struggle for civil rights, against Jews during the Holocaust, against the Japanese after Pearl Harbor. It is demeaning, divisive, and directly counteracts the melting-pot mentality that first established America as a diverse

and tolerant nation.

Christians today are not held responsible for the Crusades or the horrible deeds of the Ku Klux Klan, so how can we justify punishing millions of moderate Muslims for the actions of depraved extremists? We must realize that the individuals responsible for the 9/11 attacks, suicide bombings, and other acts of terrorism are not representative of the vast majority of Muslims: peaceful men and women of faith who are just as horrified by these terrible acts of religious extremists as the next person. Ostracizing Muslims accomplishes nothing, and refusing to learn about Islam only breeds more animosity. It is past time for us to realize that without understanding, there can be no progress—and that inter-faith relations are clearly necessary if the world wishes to coexist peacefully.

Opinion

Let us choose!

By Max White Staff Writer It is no secret that most students have teacher preferences when they receive their schedules for the upcoming year. That is not to say that some teachers are better than others; it simply means that a certain teacher’s instructive methods better matches a particular student’s style of learning or expectations for a course.

Some students need a teacher that forces them to give a lot of effort, while others prefer teachers with more lax policies.

Even within the same course, some teachers run classes that cover the information in a considerably more in-depth and rigorous manner. One student may wish to put extra focus on one subject while another would prefer to just cover the standards. Everyone should be able to ensure or at least suggest that they be put into a class with the teacher who best fits their preferences.

However, because schedules are randomly generated, students continually find themselves in classes with teachers who don’t meet their educational needs. It is nearly impossible for those who find themselves in this unfortunate predicament to switch classes, even if the teacher that they want still has room. These often unpleasant and stressful situations can be avoided if the administration simply gives students the chance to request their teachers for the upcoming school year before they are arbitrarily assigned. There is not a legitimate reason for the administration to prevent students from requesting teachers, and yet they have made it one of the school’s policies.

Sometimes there is nothing to be done.

If a scheduling conflict makes it impossible for a student to be assigned a requested a teacher, then the student will have to make do with a different one. If so many students request the same teacher that their periods would exceed the 36-person limit, then only the students that can fit in those classes can be accepted. Why not help the students that can be helped? A firefighter who is rushing into a burning building doesn’t turn around and leave when he realizes that he cannot save everyone: neither should our administration.

The administration needs to change this policy before next school year starts. If students are given the opportunity to pick their teachers, school will become a far more enjoyable experience.

There is a story of an elite college athlete from a modest socio-economic background whose family accepted benefits from a shady sports marketer with ties to a

7

Taliban resurgence demands intervention

By Sofi Goode Staff Writer A month ago, TIME took an Afghan 18-year-old woman who had been horribly maimed into its protection. The Taliban had cut off her ears and nose as a form of punishment.

Her crime? She ran away from her physically abusive husband.

The war in Afghanistan is the hot military topic of the day. People of different ideologies debated President Obama’s decision to focus on it, as opposed to the war in Iraq. Some argue that there’s no reason for war, while others say that the problem remains elsewhere. The truth is that the decision to occupy Afghanistan is not political, it’s a moral obligation.

Looking at the horrifying images of life circumstances, tortured civilians, and the treatment the Afghan people have to submit to, there’s not a doubt in my mind that it’s the right decision.

The Taliban, a group of Muslim religious fundamentalist extremists, used to rule the Afghan tribes. In 2001, their law was overthrown. However, since 2004 they have regrouped and are on the rise again, and their methods are more extreme than ever. This treatment of the Afghan people needs to be stopped – now.

During their rule, the Taliban became famous for their degrading treatment of women, which continues today. All females are forbidden from working and leaving their own home without the company of a man.

At all times, women are required to wear a burqa: a clothing garment that covers the entire body except the eyes.

Since women are only allowed to see female doctors, and female doctors cannot legally work, it is nearly impossible for women to get healthcare.

Many women have died painful and unnecessary deaths.

In other parts of the country, Taliban leaders have been poisoning water in girls’ schools to keep women from getting an education. Seven million Afghan children are not allowed to attend school, and those who do are being brainwashed into a lifestyle of terror and killing.

The strict laws are bad enough,

Unfair punishments

By Harry Yadav Staff Writer

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - Tiger

but the law enforcement policies just make the situation worse. In America, you have to be tried before a jury of your peers before sentencing. In Afghanistan, no such process exists. The punishments are set in stone. Any theft results in having a hand cut off. While a case of rape or murder could

lead to life imprisonment in the United States, in Afghanistan, suspects are stoned to death.

America has already gone to war in their country and leaving now would be treacherous to the Afghan people. They cannot be left to the mercy of the Taliban again; the treatment they’ve endured in the past attests to that. Finishing this war and freeing

Afghanistan from the Taliban’s regime could help the United States reach peace and understanding with other Middle Eastern countries. But we cannot simply finish, in the sense that we have before.

We must give the Afghani people the power to free themselves – and then it’s not just our victory, but theirs.

Daniel Willardson

Cyber thieves should get lives

By Kristin Gunther Copy Editor It seems to me that the crime rate has gone up in recent years, and I’m not talking about guys who shoot guns and put red handkerchiefs over people’s mouths. No, I’m talking about something even more annoying than those pistol-packing, bank heisters of earlier eras…these days, thievery is all about cyber crime.

A week ago, my mother realized that her debit card information had been stolen and that someone was using her card number to pay for bills and purchases. In the prior month, two friends, one of whom was leaving the next day for a trip, had their debit information stolen, and another acquaintance had his credit card number filched. In one month alone, four friends of mine were victims of hi-tech ogres.

I am bewildered and amazed…but mostly outraged!

Apparently, none of those preyed upon even had their cards physically stolen. There is a new technology in the crime-ridden wilderness we call “the real world”, where hackers and thieves can take card numbers and account in-

Sam Shin

major college program. The athlete went on to win a national championship with that particular college and achieve the highest individual honor in his sport. News of his minor digressions eventually surfaced, and authorities came down hard on his alma mater, banning playoff participation for

formation via small micro-chips inside of card processors. At the gas station, when you insert your credit card into the pump’s payment slot, there’s a chance that some conniver before you has inserted a card-number reader into the slot and is now downloading the account digits off of your credit or debit card. After accessing the number on your card, the thief can put it onto a white and unmarked card and use it just its real owner would.

The worst part of this decade’s vindictive minority’s attempt to pay their way with someone else’s money is not going through your card statements, looking for purchases that you didn’t actually transact, or making ten “press one for a live-operator…” phone calls—the big deal is really about how all of these deadbeats are out there, using up bandwidth and holding a grudge against society, literally taking from those who have earned the electronic money on those cards. If only they had channeled that obvious intellect, and talent for navigating technology systems, into something useful…like a college diploma, maybe? So, have a good weekend, you electro-thieving hobgoblins, while I sit at home and go through receipts, trying to remember if I debited last week’s Subway dinner.

two years, stripping away multiple scholarships, and putting the school in probation for four years.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this story is that of Reggie Bush. And, while former fans now debate whether or not Bush is guilty, surely the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. The crime—his family living rent-free in an expensive house—was essentially harmless, and didn’t aid the athlete in any of his athletic accomplishments. The authorities that inflicted such unnecessary pain don’t seem to have any sense of balance or justice, and use inhumane punishments to warn others not to make the same mistakes.

California’s three-strike law often results in equally unjust consequences for violators. The law states that an individual who commits a third felony, no matter what the felony, will be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Many times, violators are caught doing petty crimes that really don’t merit serious punishment. For example, Leandro Andrade was sentenced to 50 years to life for stealing videocassettes from K-mart.

Andrade’s previous two felonies were home

burglary offenses committed many years earlier. The suffering that Andrade had to go through for such a minor offense is unfair and wrong. Although many offenders of the three-strike law have committed gruesome crimes, there simply should not be a law that allows human beings to be put away for life so much for relatively minor criminal acts.

A similar case of unjust punishment is playing out SPHS this year. Kids who come late to class, even if they were only twenty seconds late, are forced to go to Student Services to schedule an hour of after school detention. If a student continues to be tardy, he is sentenced to the colossal waste of time that is Saturday School and if the trend continues, the student can possibly be suspended. Though the punishment is not as severe as receiving 50 years in prison, getting suspended for tardiness is just as ridiculous.

Whether it be about NCAA violations, felonies, or tardies, disproportionate punishment is too prevalent in our society today. Not only is it fundamentally unfair— but it unjustly harms one individual in order to set examples for others.

8

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Club Rush

Club Rush

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - Tiger

9

Spread by Coleman Westfall Rainey and Marcus Kahn

What do you think these clubs will do this year?

Join the club... Monopoly Club Junk Society

“Junk Society is a fundraising club.

In essence, we collect unwanted goods (Furniture, Electronics, Clothes, Etc.) and hold sales open to the public. Any profit that we collect from these sales are collected and donated to charity.”

Ghost Busters

“Ghostbusters Club is not only about watching the movies, but actual ghostbusting. Co-presidents Sidney Sekula and Mary Donelan, who are obsessed with hunting ghosts and supernatural occurances want to create the ultimate “pee-in-your-pants experience”. They hope to make an adventure to the Queen Mary of Long Beach, with advisor Josh Whitney.”

Maybe it’s about time that board games are given the place of honor they deserve. The Monopoly Club plans to not only entertain their fellow board-game enthusiasts, but educate them and, “give members more knowledge about Capitalist American values”. Weekly meetings will include games, strategy discussions, and the organization of Monopoly tournaments among members.

“They get a whole bunch of junk...and smash it together...to

A Magic Hand Club?”

- Derek Eisen (12)

Sandwich Club?

(known for “loving the sandwich”)

- Levi Christopher (12)

“It’s like a starter frat. It’s like AVID for frats.”

- Crystal Espinoza (12)

“That’s like a secret government agency. ”

- Jacob Goldin (10)

“Sock puppets? ...Like a ghost?

combine their collective junks.”

Do yo u clubs rememb er from last y these ear?

Globular Club?

(advertised as the “local global club”)

“I don’t really think they’re gonna be able to fix that problem...unless they bought up all the people and set them free.”

That’s like fighting orks.

- Ben Youngstrom (12)

Stepperz?

(known for “finding the rhythm”)

- Michael Heberlein (10)

Music Foundation?

(known for “just loving the music”)

10

Feature

Feature

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

TOP BOX OFFICE

Culture Music Art

Books Movies Fashion

BESTSELLING NOVEL

TOP ALBUM

The Billboard 200 ranked Sara Bareilles’s third album, Kaleidoscope Heart, the number one album this past week. Bareilles’s album was released on September 7, and sold 90,000 copies in its first week. Kaleidoscope Heart beat out Disturbed’s Asylum, which held last week’s top spot.

The crime-drama The Town, directed by Ben Affleck, took first place at the box office this weekend. The film, also starring Affleck, drew in an estimated $23.8 million in its first three days of release, easily trumping the teen comedy Easy A ($18.2 million) and the horror film Devil ($12.5 million).

CHECK OUT TIGER NEWSPAPER ONLINE Tiger Online now features web-exclusive content including play-by-plays on your favorite SPHS sports teams, up-to-date news coverage, photo outtakes and creative writing.

Oprah’s Book Club selection Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen, earned the top spot on the New York Times Bestseller List for Hardcover Fiction.

Critics from Publisher’s Weekly to Esquire have printed rave reviews about Franzen’s fourth novel, and Oprah Winfrey herself has called this book a “masterpiece.”

Hunger Games’ Finale Stuns and Pleases Fans

By Meghan Roche Staff Writer

Sam Gurley

While chillin’ like villains at their pad, three senior bros get in some Halo during a night filled with bro talks and tanks.

Uncovering the Bronomenon

By Max White Staff Writer Urbandictionar y.com defines bros as “obnoxious partying males who are often seen at college parties.” Yet an entirely new breed of bro has emerged from these poppedcollared frat boys, replacing fauxhawks and tight Abercrombie shirts with baseball caps and “brotanks.” Teenage boys all across Southern California have embraced this fad with one enormous man-hug, adopting bro styles and mannerisms faster than celebrities can adopt babies from third-

world countries. This bro epidemic has struck South Pasadena, and our city is showing no signs of a swift recovery.

The onslaught of bro culture is perhaps most apparent at school, where it seems as if everyone has been affected to some degree. Phrases like “What’s up, bro?” and “Chill out!” fill the air as high school guys talk during brunch and lunch. A simple high five is no longer an adequate greeting; it must be followed up with a fist-pound or replaced with one of the many varieties of handshakehug hybrids.

Among teenagers there are various subsets of “bro.”

Some bros sport v-neck shirts while others prefer high white socks, Dickies shorts, or a combination of the three.

Most bros, but not all, listen to this moment’s most popular rap and hip-hop artists.

Many play sports, especially soccer and volleyball on the West and lacrosse in the Northeast.

The public’s obsession with bro culture is also reflected in the media. Sites like “My Life is Bro,” a blog of humorous (and often fictional) anecdotes that are

rated as either “chill” or “not chill,” are all over the internet. TV shows that feature bro humor, such as Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, are popping up just as frequently.

Bros have existed for years, but the enormous scale in which teenagers have been transformed by bro culture is a very recent phenomenon. It makes one wonder what fad will next takes the nation’s youth by storm. Regardless, it will be quite some time before the last fist has been bumped and the last fauxhawk has been styled until bros are replaced by their successor.

Readers eagerly awaiting the release of Mockingjay, the final installment of Suzanne Collins’s wildly popular Hunger Games series won’t be disappointed when they finally crack the spine.

The book opens with Katniss, the story’s heroine, wandering through the wreckage of her deserted and destroyed hometown, District 12. Katniss has survived against the odds, becoming a symbol of hope and rebellion for the entire nation, which has been oppressed by the brutal Capitol for as long as anyone can remember.

Certainly the darkest and most violent of any of the books, Mockingjay makes up for the gore by giving it the flawlessly twisted justification of some of the best fictional villains in history. Power begets power, and nothing exemplifies the theory more than the tyrannical Capitol putting a stranglehold on its districts and subjects for no reason other than control.

As the story continues, Katniss grows to not only symbolize, but also lead the rebellion storming through the districts, dealing with love, loss and death by the thousands.

Suzanne Collins’ engaging, intelligent prose has built up some of the most complex characters the young adult fiction genre has seen in years, chapters that end with didn’tsee-that-coming cliffhangers, and a finale that the reader will need to read multiple times to let fully sink in. It is guaranteed that this is a story you will struggle to put down.

Collins has built herself an incredibly strong fanbase in the past few years from the growing popularity of these books. Word-of-mouth, fanmade YouTube “movie trailers” featuring teenagers’ celebrity picks for roles, Facebook fanpages, and dozens of devoted fansites have helped keep the popularity of The Hunger Games constant.

The interesting and rare thing about the writing in this series is that it has no low points. Unlike so many other well received teen-aimed books, both of the sequels do not drag the original down but add to it with sparkling detail and more detailed characterization. Collins keeps her readers constantly guessing, constantly on edge, and she rarely (if ever) disappoints in content.

All in all, Mockingjay is an excellent book, and is highly recommended to fans of the series and anybody who enjoys a good, suspenseful, well-written novel.

Personality Profile: Daniel Patterson

By Sofi Goode Staff Writer “Hey, Nick at Night!” a student yells to his peer. The guy in the purple hat with a lime green inset rolls his eyes and keeps walking toward his destination.

To many, sophomore Daniel Patterson is the kid who was on Nickelodeon when he was younger, but lo and behold this isn’t even true. “That’s just a myth,” Patterson said when asked about his career on Nick. “I was actually on Cartoon Network.”

In fact, Patterson’s appearance on the season finale of Destroy Build Destroy in 2009 was part of an ongoing acting career.

He has been featured in a Frosted Flakes commercial, a television interview for a golf academy, and

as a model for Nike.

Patterson learns about his auditions through CESD talent agency. “My agent gets all the jobs sent to her,” he said. “I go to all the auditions I hear about.”

Odd as it may sound, Patterson acts mostly because he enjoys the money, not that he spends it all.

10% of his pay he spends, while another 10% goes to his church. “I believe in God and [tithing] is part of my religion,” he said. The remaining 80% of his earnings goes into a fund for college and will hopefully pay for his Bachelors and Masters degrees in aeronautical science at Embry

Courtesy of Daniel Patterson

Patterson sports one of his signature hats.

Riddle College in Florida.

Why? Because despite acting now, Patterson doesn’t want to be an actor when he grows up. “I’ll definitely keep acting as a side thing, but I’m going to be a full time commercial airline pilot.” He’s currently working on his private license and can get his full license when he becomes seventeen.

Not content with just being an actor and pilot, Patterson also enjoys trap shooting. Trap shooting is a type of target practice done in a range with clay pigeons.

“You yell ‘pull’ and the pigeon flies out. You track it and shoot it,” Patterson explained.

Proving that he is a guy

with many sides, Patterson also has a distinctive sense of fashion.

He always wears a hat, most often one purchased from Lids. Patterson began wearing hats because “people would always touch my hair, and my dad would yell at me for it being messy.” He owns between eight and ten hats, but can’t wear them right after he gets his hair cut. “I buy the hats to fit my hair size, not my head size.” Patterson also loves jeans. “I can’t live without skinny jeans; they’re all I wear. I have them in every color of the rainbow, except pink.”

Whether you know him under the mistaken identity of the kid on Nick, the aspiring pilot, the trap shooter, or the kid in the hat and skinny jeans, there’s no doubt about it. Daniel Patterson is capped out.

Feature

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

11

Photos by Sam Gurley

By Luka Douridas Assoc. Opinion Editor

illustrations by Sam Shin

People say some pretty interesting things when they think you’re not listening. This issue, Tiger presents a mouthful of candid statements collected by our expert eavesdroppers....

EOVER heard

Have you ever accidently tuned into a bit a conversation that sounds comical, out of place, or inspirational? Submit it to Tiger for our OverHeard section!

Remember the zoo? Remember those hot summer days, where you would stroll from monkey to giraffe, grasping a parent with one hand and holding an ice cream in the other? It seems like that shining icon of our childhood is no longer a destination of choice for us high schoolers. Is it the overpriced food? The overabundance of people?

The depressed animals? Fortunately, you don’t have to put up with that nonsense. All you need to do is go old.

Old L.A. Zoo, that is.

First opening its doors in 1912, the original Los Angeles Zoo was a magical place.

Built upon land donated by a man recently released from prison for shooting his wife in the face, it was the Southland’s premiere location for zoological fun. Angelenos of all shapes and sizes could marvel at their favorite ani-

mals as they sat bored in their cramped little jail cells. Since 1966, however, these animals have had a new, more spacious home, while their old one remains, with the exception of some vandalism, in its original condition.

In life, when a place is both free and really awesome, chances are that it is also very crowded. Fortunately, the Old L.A. Zoo is an exception to the rule. Master adventurers Sam and Luka visited the Old L.A. Zoo one September afternoon. We found no entry fee, no sad animals, and no people—except for a few painters and picnickers. Its cages are highly scalable and explorable, and its scenic, grassy landscape makes it the perfect place to have a picnic or take a hike.

While undoubtedly creepy after dark, the Old L.A. Zoo offers an interesting view into the past for explorers and leisurely hikers alike. Just one visit wouldn’t give time enough for someone to explore all of its secrets.

‘Til next time. Sam and Luka out.

Simon Baker returns in the show’s third season as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, who uses his almost ludicrous attention for detail to track down killers in the department’s highest profile cases.

There are many things to lament about the beginning of school, and the end of summer, but bad T.V. isn’t one of them.

With shows like The League, How I Met Your Mother, and Chuck coming into the mix there are plenty of ways to avoid doing that pesky homework. There is a show for everyone, and an assignment just waiting to be done at brunch.

MTV gives us a new indie documentary that follows Andrew Jenks as he travels America to immerse himself in the worlds of the most unique individuals he can find.

The musical phenomenon returns with a third season of singing and dancing numbers galore with a confirmed guest appearance from Britney Spears and a rumored boyfriend for Kurt.

Based on the Twitter sensation

by Justin Halpern, this new series features William Shatner as Ed Goodson, a foul-mouthed father bent on giving the most pointed and politically incorrect advice he possibly can to his sons.

Will Arnett (Arrested Development) stars in a new romantic comedy series about filthy-rich oil tycoon Steve Wilde, who is determined to buy back the love of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy.

Starring Zachary Levi as cuddly computer nerd turned government operative, the show returns for its fourth season as Chuck tries to juggle his secret identity and new super agent girlfriend Sarah Walker with his old, average and quirky life.

The comedy show returns for a second season where a group of aging high school pals bond over their fantasy football league.

The sidesplitting series enters its sixth season as Ted, played

by Josh Radnor, continues his search for his future spouse.

The beloved, dysfunctional family returns for a second season of mayhem and more so-true-its-funny moments.

Blair Waldorf and company return for another season of high-society heartbreak, scandal, and a good dose of gossip.

Text by Marcus Kahn and Jessica Moog Photos courtesy of CBS, FOX, NBC, CW, FX, ABC, MTV

12 Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Latino Heritage Month filled with local fiestas

Feature

Personality Profile

Galvin Chapman

By Lucas Benitez Contributing Writer

By Joshua Roquemore Staff Writer

September, known as Latino Heritage Month in the United States, is saturated with events pertaining to Latino culture. 2010 also marks two landmark dates for Mexico. September 16th, or dieciseis de septiembre, marked Mexico’s 200th anniversary of gaining its independence from Spain. 2010 is also the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. This, combined with the fact that five other Hispanic countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua – celebrate their independence on September 15th, means communities with large Latino populations will be holding several celebratory events. Below, you’ll find a list of local fiestas that celebrate Latino culture in the upcoming weeks.

Latin American Parade & Festival

1-9 p.m.

Where: Pine Ave. to E. Village Arts District downtownlongbeach.org/LAPF

25

L.B. Aquarium Cutural Festval Where: Aquarium of the Pacific www.aquariumofpacific.org

25

A Taste of Latin Dance Class Where: Music Center Plaza, LA musiccenter.org/cal/events

09

Latino Heritage Parade Where: La Pintoresca Park, Pasadena latinoheritageparade.org

SEP

SEP

25

SEP

9 a.m.-5 p.m.

OCT

11 a.m.-4 p.m.

11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tai Carter

Senior Galvin Chapman rocks the Casio.

Check Ska Pirates out at: www.myspace.com/skapirates

As the speakers continue humming from the last note, senior Galvin Chapman steps off the stage with his fellow band members. Cheers drown out the last sounds as they exit and the guys voice their congratulations to each other. Galvin’s band has completed another show.

A talented musician and bassist, Galvin Chapman has a passion for music. He and his band, Ska Pirates, have played dozens of shows around the L.A. area (their favorite spot being the Tribal Café). Recently reunited, Chapman tells about how they have been working on diversifying their music and sound.

While Galvin’s musical endeavors involve a variety of genres, people, and locations, one of his favorite places to play is in his own house. “My friends and I play every weekend,” he says.

“They just show up randomly, either to create music or just to jam.” In fact, many of his closest friends are musically talented, and he enjoys playing with just about all of them.

“I love playing bass in my ska band…also in my metal band,” he says.

You heard him: Galvin is actually a part of more than one band. “I’m in

like three bands,” says the young musician. In addition to ska, Galvin plays several other genres of music, including metal, jazz and punk. While he enjoys playing acoustic guitar, the bass guitar holds a special place in his heart.

“I got my first guitar when I was eight, but I first picked up a bass in 6th grade,” he says. “I’ve never put it down since.” Hearing him talk about his bass, one might describe their relationship as one of mutual respect. Anyone who is friends with Galvin knows that he isn’t planning on putting it down anytime soon. “I’m definitely planning on playing bass after high school,” states Chapman.

Not apparent to most, Galvin’s interests and plans for the future go beyond music. “I hope to pursue psychology and philosophy in the future,” he says. In fact, Galvin hopes these will be as much a part of his life as music someday.

While pursuing such musical and intellectual interests leaves a formidable set of obstacles for Chapman, it also leaves equal opportunity for achievement and recognition. Whether around school, with his band, or alone (perhaps pondering the great questions of humanity), this young talent will continue to exude individuality; and that is what makes him Galvin Chapman.

This year, Tiger will attempt to break the impossible, putting supposedly unachievable challenges to the test. The Tiger challenger(s) will follow the rules to the letter, do their best, and refuse to give up on the challenge until they succeed, fail, or are no longer physically able to continue.

By Brendan Perry Staff Writer As Tiger’s first challenger, I had my choice of which impossible task I would dare attempt. I gave the decision a lot of thought before choosing one of the most legend – wait for it – DAIRY challenges of all-time.

On September 15th, 2010, I, Brendan Perry, attempted to drink a gallon of milk in one hour.

I am sure most of you have heard the myth that it is physically impossible for any-

one with a normal sized stomach to drink a gallon of milk in one hour without throwing up. I personally, found this hard to believe.

An hour is a long time and I didn’t think a gallon of milk was really that much. I even thought I could do it with time to spare.

I brought the milk to the high school track, sat down next to a trashcan and began to drink. I had two strategies that I thought would make me more successful. One, I would pour the milk into a glass and drink it from there so I would not face the psychological battle of staring at the large container

while I drank. Two, I would drink as much milk as I could in the first fifteen minutes so that when I felt full, I would still have plenty of time to drink the remainder.

My strategies seemed to be working in the beginning; I was 10 minutes in and had already drunk half a gallon. After that, however, every sip was more painful than the last. And after drinking 7/8 of a gallon in 45 minutes, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and vomited every ounce of milk I had drunk.

I do not encourage anyone to try this. I believe it is, in fact, impossible.

Freshman Dalton Carter and senior Jake Folsom

Sam Shin

Sam Gurley

LOOK ALIKE

Shadow a Senior

What happens when...

It seems freshmen are always in the shadow of seniors. Is it possible that they could exist as equals, peers, or perhaps, if the occasion permits, friends? Tiger wanted to find out. Like in Avatar we matched the superhuman with their counterparts, and the result was heartwarming.

Witness diplomacy at its finest, as Tiger tackles the infamous class divide.

Shane Valentine/ Matt Winkel

Article by Andy Withers Photos by Sam Gurley

There is a certain breed of disillusioned hipster that is unaware of its particular presence—the feeling of jocular discomfort that they evoke in their pseudo-audience when they “dance” at shows and drink from lidless coffee cups. These hipsters are particularly intriguing, because of this oblivion that exists in their playful minds—and two of them have chosen South Pasadena High School as their habitat.

Shane Valentine strolled along Diamond, bouncing toward Matt Winkel with a powder blue Bianchi and a Silver Lake acquaintance by his side. “Hey man,” he said, picking up an abandoned coffee cup that sat in front of Winkel. After loitering at the table for several minutes, discussing nothing of significance (except the musical talent of Panda Bear/Animal Collective), they decided to continue (or rather, return) to Out of the Closet, of course!

Upon arrival, Winkel and Valentine did not proceed to the front entrance, nor the back, but rather the solemn gray dumpster—filled with valueless treasures. Sporting matching

Cinelli biking hats, they rolled up their right pant legs (exposing very tall socks) and began digging. Few items were recovered, so they reluctantly walked into the thrift store. There were several exclamations from the clothing and record racks, including “Oh, a sweatervest!” But due to the state of both of their wallets, they exited with nothing but long faces.

They stood awkwardly facing each other, contemplating a final goodbye. “I really want a chrome messenger bag,” Valentine groaned. Demurely, Winkel replied, “Yeah, those are really nice.”

Wednesday, September 22, 2010- Tiger

Tim Lee/ Rachel Newhall

13

Page by Sam Gurley

Article by Kelsey Hess Photos by Jennifer Kim

On a Tuesday afternoon, senior Timothy Lee and freshman Rachel Newhall met in front of the South Pasadena Public Library, walked to Menchie’s, and explored South Pasadena’s iconic Mission Street.

The bubbly pair is very active in school sports, Rachel had just arrived from basketball and volleyball practice, and Tim walked over from football. After indulging in frozen yogurt and a drawing contest in which they had to sketch each other on a chalkboard, this charismatic couple laughed about how much they discovered that they had in common, and the irony of the freshman-senior division.

Lee also hoped that Newhall would benefit early from lessons he just recently learned. “Life happens,” he repeats. “We’ve just got to deal with it and move on.”

High school is an adjustment for any student, but the social metamorphosis was never a problem for our two social butterflies. As our photographer was taking pictures of Rachel and Tim, Tim’s modesty and kindness

Alex Larrimore/ Devon Grab

Article by Chloe Lloyd Photos by Katie Whitworth

What do you do with someone who is infamous for doing nothing? Drive around for an hour and see what happens? The pair arrived at the rendezvous point identically dressed in gray v-necks, jeans, and Hollister flip flops, enthusiastic about the adventure ahead. Devon Grab arrived feeling “tired” and Alex Larrimore, “inquisitive”. The night began at South Pasadena High School, and continued in Larrimore’s car where accelerated driving and shouts were key components to the atmosphere of anticipation.

During the ride, the two played the “you dropped something game”, in which sticking your head out of the window and screaming at an innocent pedestrian “YOU DROPPED SOMETHING!” in a concerned tone while pointing at the ground scores points.

Larrimore shared insight with Grab about high school, boys, and life in general. When asked about his philosphy on

shined though. “Don’t take pictures of me!” he exclaimed, while hiding from the camera. “Rachel’s the real model here.”

The outgoing pair’s personalities easily complimented each other. Rachel’s non-stop smile and cheery personality can make it easier to discover that all freshmen aren’t as lame as seniors think. Tim’s charm and memorable laugh remind us that the senior stereotype rarely applies.

the latter, Larrimore responded, “Let things happen; they usually turn our pretty well in the end”.

Overall, Larrimore and Grab were able to overcome the age and gender gap and have a good time. “It really made me think deeper about my experiences as a freshmen, and how I would talk with Devon in the future,” said Larrimore. Although a life long friendship was not forged, there will certainly be a passing hello in the Tiger Patio.

14 Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Sports

XC starts season on promising note

By Wyatt Bukowski Staff Writer This year, South Pasadena Cross Country hit the ground running. At Estancia High School, in the annual Woodridge Invitational, the boy’s varsity team started the season “the best I’ve seen in years,” said Coach Patrick Mcgrail. He added “Our boys got the second and third fastest times in the past twenty years,” with sophomore Paul Messana and junior Alex Tranquada finishing in under 16 minutes. Freshman Josh Wilson proved he deserved his spot on varsity, with a finish under 17 minutes, a time unheard of for most freshmen.

The girls team did just as well; sophomore Anika Renkin finished with a time of 18:33, her personal record and the best time on the team. All in all, Woodbridge was a very successful meet for South Pasadena. “I’m very excited about this year, our team is really young and really fast,” said Messana after the race. Last year the team fell short of a league title to La Cañada, but the team believes this year, things will be different.

This summer the varsity squad traveled to Sequoia National Park and trained intensively over the course of an entire weekend. On the last day of the camp, it paid off: four players finished under 20 minutes in the final race, a benchmark only one runner was able to pull off last year. This was one of the many stats that leads McGrail to believe he has a special team this year, saying, “When eighty kids put in the work, winning will take care of itself.” Unfortunately, senior Sam Pons was unable to participate in the meet due to nagging shin splints, which may debilitate him for the first league race. Without Pons, the Tigers will have to put themselves to the real test, as they approach league this Thursday.

Tai Carter

Senior Jack Sinclair scans the pool for an open Tiger teammate in a 13-8 upset of the Peninsula Panthers yesterday.

Water Polo aims to repeat as league champ

By Max White Following months of hard training both at home and in Budapest, Hungary, the South Pasadena water polo team feels optimistic about its chances in league after being moved to Division III. The Tigers beat the Peninsula Panthers yesterday and the El Segundo Eagles on Monday after emerging from last week’s Riverside Poly Tournament with a solid record of 3-2.

Peninsula was ranked higher than South Pas going into yesterday’s game, but they fell to the Tigers in a 13-6 upset. The Eagles proved to be tougher opponents, but the Ti-

gers edged them out 13-11.

South Pasadena kicked off the Riverside Poly Tournament with a one-sided match against the Sunny Hills Lancers last Thursday. They were a controlling force, building up a decisive lead and ending the match with a lopsided score of 15-6.

In Thursday’s second round of play, South Pasadena suffered a tough 6-10 loss against Righetti High School.

South Pas’ next opponents were the Sharks of Santiago High School. The Tigers proved their aquatic superiority over the Sharks, emerging victorious with a final score

A fresh start for vball

Squad looks for first CIF berth in four years

of 11-9. This win was aided largely by the efforts of senior Sean Grab, who scored 7 of the Tigers’ 11 goals. Next up for the Tigers was Montebello High. Despite a strong Tiger effort, the Oilers defeated South Pasadena 9-16. The Tigers’ final game versus Troy High School ended the tournament on a positive note.

They soundly defeated the Troy Warriors 11-6.

Senior Evan McCarthy

scored 21 goals over the tournament’s 5 games, while Grab scored 19. Overall the tournament was a promising start for the Tigers. “Whenever we became frustrated we played badly…” said Jack Sinclair, “but when we were calm everyone knew what to do, and we destroyed teams.”

South Pasadena is scheduled to play Pasadena Poly tomorrow.

SPHS SPHS @ R. Poly Tourney v. El Segundo 3-2 13-11

SPHS v. Peninsula 13-6

Goodbye, Joe Dodgers manager will retire at the end of season

By Jake Folsom Senior Staff Writer

Last Friday SPHS played the Alhambra Moors. They led for the entirety of the first game, their biggest lead topping at 11 points The girls varsity volleyball team started over the Tigers. Their defense was unbreakable, off this season with a bang, beating Schurr or so it seemed, but near the end of the first High School in 3 consecutive games. Their game they became a little overconfident. The second and third games both ended tragically Tigers took this break and ran, bringing the score from 12-23 to 22-23, but unfortunately, with the Tigers losing both.

In their game against San Gabriel, the the Moors stepped up and scored 2 more point Tigers started off strong with huge offense by to the Tigers’ 1, winning the game 23-25.

The rest of the match senior Mercedes followed this same pattern, Binns, and freshwith the Tigers trailing for the man Claire Kieffermajority of the game, despite Wright. Despite the a comeback they fell short and impressive offense were defeated. During the third by the Tiger ladies, game, however, the Tigers had a the Matadors were change of pace, leading nearly unfazed. They the entire time. They went on blocked back alto win 25-16 with a final score most every huge of 1-3. spike that the TiThe team is feeling congers threw at them. fident this year, “This season The Matadors led we have an all new coaching each game from staff and we’re looking forward the beginning, to finally making it to CIF. boosting their conIt’s been a long three years of fidence and helpEdmund Mandin-Lee coming up short. The team has ing them win every Senior captain Lana Ho jumps above been exhausting themselves to game with their big the net in an attempt to tip the come up with a better record defense and intelball over her Schurr opponent in a this year,” said senior captain ligent plays. The September 14 home game.

Lana Ho. Despite the less than final score of the promising start to their first few games, the match was 0-3.

“Passing was off and we could have Tigers are confident that they can still have a used a little more communication” said good season and hopefully advance to CIF. Kieffer-Wright. Coach Janet Pantier, although 9/21 9/16 9/14 disappointed with the two losses tried to look SPHS SPHS SPHS on the bright side, “Our understanding of the v. SG v. Alhambra v. Schurr game is progressing. All we need to do is focus 0-3 L 1-3 L 3-0 W on execution.”

By Christian Miyamae Assoc. Sports Editor After a terrible third season as the Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Joe Torre has decided to step down and hand the reigns to current batting coach Don Mattingly. Unfortunately, this makes our season even worse. We are handing the baton from an experienced and successful manager to a rookie whom Torre claims to have groomed? Torre’s decision will definitely hurt this club and its fans.

The manager of three years had brought the winning attitude back to Los Angeles, leading his Dodgers to baseball’s final four two years in a row.

However, this year they have fallen off the table, struggling to even secure a subpar .500 record. Their season has been a mess since the All-Star break, falling from second place all the way to fourth place.

However, Torre is not to blame for his team’s mediocre. The players are at fault for their lack of offense and defense throughout the whole season. On top of these issues, it seemed that the season was a failure from the beginning, because of Frank and Jamie Mccourt’s dispute over the ownership of the team.

Not only has this issue affected the players’ performance, but there has also been some speculation that it has driven Torre away from the Dodgers.

Perhaps for the Dodger’s sake it is good that Torre is retiring, as something had to change in that clubhouse. It

could be Torre’s relaxed attitude that has caused the team to slack throughout the season and a new less submissive person at the position could be the solution.

“I just felt like the [Dodgers] needed a different voice, a younger voice” said Joe Torre about Mattingly taking over the job.

As of this point, it is unclear as to whether or not Torre is really retiring or just looking for a new team. At the age of 70, the latter is more probable for one main reason - number five. After four World Series Titles, Torre is still aiming for a fifth world championship and don’t expect this future Hall-of-Famer to retire. until he reaches his goal.

sportsblog.projo.com

Joe Torre managed the New York Yankees and Mets, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sports

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - Tiger

Sean Grab

15

By Max White Staff Writer

Sara Charney

By Carlton Lew Staff Writer Off the court, she’s an academic songstress, a friend to everyone. But on the court, Sara Charney is a whole different gal. Now a senior, this tennis pro started her high school career as the only freshman on the Varsity team, and since then, has refined her talent to a level befitting an MVP. Coincidentally, was given the title of Most Valuable Player at the end of last year’s season.

In her early career as an athlete, Charney was a gymnast, only playing tennis on the side with her father or twin brother, Ben. After a gymnastics-related injury, she converted to tennis as her sole-sport. It wasn’t until high school, however that the back-handing fiend realized, “…once I started playing it more, I started enjoying it more.”

In the past three years that Charney has been playing on the SPHS team, the Tigers have made it to the CIF rounds of quarterfinals twice and to the semi-finals once. The highlight of her career, so far, occurred during one of these games, where she needed to win a set 6-Love in order to advance to the next level of CIF. With her trademark stamina and skill, Sara Charney dominated her opponent 6-Love.

With the girls’ tennis season well underway, it is now apparent how much Charney’s

game has evolved since her freshman year, especially now that she’s “gained consistency (in her shots),” and is “now taking offense,” according to the head coach Jim Asher. Apparently, she has even perfected how to hit a slice and is adept at making her opponent run the court, trying to keep up with the ball.

While the athlete would like to continue her sport into college, she also declares that “tennis has been an outlet for me.”

Katie Whitworth

Senior Sara Charney prepares to hit her monstrous backhand winner.

85 goals last year alone. Because the Tigers have a strong supporting cast this year, including second leading goal scorer, senior As South Pasadena’s Boy’s Water Evan McCarthy, Echeverria doesn’t think Polo team gears up for the start of the 2010 Grab will need to score as much as in years season, Coach Robert Echeverria has high past. “He can focus less on scoring and help expectations. The us with other parts of the game,” says responsibility of the coach. Grab’s the team meeting love for the game those expectations runs in his family. falls largely upon Sean’s older broththe shoulders of er, Adam, who insenior Sean Grab, troduced Sean to the team’s leading Water Polo, played goal scorer and for the Tigers years p r ove n l e a d e r. ago. And his sis“Sean wants to ter Devon (who control the ball, proudly claims she and he’s not afraid taught Sean everyof the moment,” thing he knows) explains Echevcurrently plays for erria, “His dediGirls varsity team cation in the off as a freshman. season is what reTai Carter After this ally sets him apart, Senior Sean Grab prepares for yet year Sean will be and right now he’s another dominating performance. moving on from SPHS in the best shape Water Polo, hopefully to fulfill his dream he’s ever been in.” to play for a Division I college. But he will Among the key attributes Sean brings never forget his time here, in part because to the team are experience and production. of teammates like McCarthy. “He’s my Grab’s senior season will be his 4th at the brother, and I play my heart out for him,” varsity level, and through three years he has he said. been a relentless scorer, with an impressive

Sara Charney 2010 Stats Schurr: 3 wins, 0 losses San Gabriel: 3 wins, 0 losses

Sean Grab 2010 Stats Goals: 24 Assists: 17

16

Tiger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Sports

Sports

[inside]

Today’s games G. Golf vs. Burroughs 3:00

MLB Insight

Tommorow’s games

Check out one staff member’s opinion on Joe Torre’s departure.

B. Water Polo vs. Poly 3:15 For more sports coverage, visit tigernewspaper.com

Page 14

Player Profiles

Read up on two stellar athletes’ high school careers.

Football dominates in pre-season

Page 15

By Brendan Perry Staff Writer South Pasadena captured their second win last Thursday, defeating the Hoover Tornados by a score of 31-25. With this victory, the Tigers have already matched their win total from a year ago.

The Tigers were determined to defeat Hoover this year, after an embarrassing home loss last season, ending Hoover’s three-year winless drought. The offense moved the ball with ease on their first possession, resulting in a short rushing touchdown by senior running back, Patrick Martin. The Tigers continued their first quarter dominance, forcing the Tornado offense to go three and out, giving the Tigers great field position at Hoover’s 32-yard line. A couple plays later, senior quarterback Conor Bednarski, ran the ball 31 yards for a touchdown, evading many tackles. Bednarski’s athletic run put the Tigers up by two touchdowns.

Despite starting the game with pain in his right knee, Bednarski

Jennifer Kim

Cross Country XC shows potential for breakout season.

Page 14 Sam Gurley

Senior Patrick Martin evades Hoover defenders on one of his many trips to the end zone last Thursday. showed poise in the pocket, completing 13 of his 15 attempts for 179 yards. His only incompletions came on a dropped pass and a spiked ball to end the first half. Bednarski gives a lot of the credit for his success to his teammates saying, “the rest of the guys were also playing really well, giving me good protection and getting open, so it made my job a lot easier. ” The momentum of the game changed as the first quarter came to a close. Hoover quarterback, Andres Pule, threw a 27-yard touchdown on 4th and 9, sparking some life into the

Tornados. The Tornados ran all over the Tiger defense which was expecting Hoover to come out passing after throwing for close to 400 yards in their season opener against Sierra Vista. South Pasadena continued to struggle with the run and found themselves down 17-19, after Hoover scored early into the second half.

Luckily for the Tigers, the offense came out strong in the second half, moving the ball down the field with a balance of run and pass. South Pasadena came up big late, converting long third downs that led to two rushing touchdowns

from Martin, giving him three in the game, and a team-best four on the year. The Tigers barely held off the Hoover comeback and won 31-25.

South Pasadena coach Jeff Chi said, “We did not play our best football but it was enough to come out with a win, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”

9/10 9/16 SPHS SPHS v. San Gabriel v. Hoover 22-9 W 31-25 W

Girls golf drives overall team record to 5-1

By Harry Yadav Staff Writer In its third year, the girls golf program is still in its infancy, but that doesn’t mean this year’s team doesn’t have high expectations. The Tigers, led by co-captains juniors Melody Sue and Victoria Carlos, are off to a quick 6-1 start that they hope is a preview of the rest of the season.

After opening their preseason with a 232-213 loss to San Marino, the Tigers bounced back to beat Crescenta Valley, Westridge, and La Salle to close out the preseason. Against the Titans, Sue came in with a team best 40, and Carlos shot a stellar round of 42, but overall the Tigers were outplayed.

Their winning streak began against Crescenta Valley in a match played at Brookside Golf Course,

a much longer and tougher test than the Tigers are used to. But the girls were up to the task. Sue played an exceptional round of 42, and junior Samantha Ramos shot a solid 48 to help South Pas. Then, against Westridge, South Pas won a tough contest by a narrow margin of 223-235. Sue went low with a team best 37 to lead the Tigers. Next up for the Tigers was La Salle, a team they beat handily, 232-268. The Tigers were lead by solid rounds of 42 from Sue and junior Katie Whitworth. The Tigers opened league with consecutive victories over San Dimas, 246-278 and 206-258, respectively.

Last year, after accumulating a solid 12-5 record, the Tigers went to CIF but were outmatched.

This year, the girls want to do more than just get to the playoffs. “I expect a league championship,” said SPHS coach Richard Goto.

Sam Gurley

Junior Victoria Carlos drives the ball onto the green against La Salle. The Tigers won 232-268.

G. Tennis looks to build off 2009 success

By Alex Tranquada Staff Writer

Katie Whitworth

Junior Taylor Levine follows through on an overhead return.

There’s no denying that the SPHS girls tennis team took some blows to their roster last June. But the Tigers are willing to put in however much work it takes to repeat the successes of last year, when they reached the semifinals of CIF. Not only did the team lose Marivick Mamiit, who was ranked twenty-fifth in the nation at one point in 2009, but Rebecca Orr and Elizabeth Leitner, who won the Rio Hondo League doubles championship last year, have also graduated. Despite these setbacks, junior Michelle Ozaki is optimistic about the upcoming season. “We lost a lot of our best players, but

we’ve been working hard and we a 5-13 loss, and their attempt to rekindle a winning streak on Tuesday hope to make it all the way to CIF Finals this year,” says Ozaki. was spoiled as the Burbank Bulldogs rolled to a 7-11 victory.

The season started out well, as the girls scored two victories Another roadblock for the in a row. Their first opponent was team in their quest for CIF glory Alhambra High School, whom they will be San Marino, who won the CIF Southern Section Championdefeated 12-6 despite the absence ship last year. However, junior of their top singles player, senior Sara Charney. Their next win, 13-5 Taylor Levine believes that “this over Schurr, was initially a closely team has the drive to win, so San contested match before the Tigers Marino had better watch out.”

The Tigers’ first league conmanaged to use the pressure to their test will be held on the 29th at home advantage and pull away. However, the team found their first obstacle against Monrovia. of the season in the 9/9 9/14 9/16 9/21 form of SPHS SPHS SPHS SPHS Polytechv. Alhambra v. Schurr v. Poly v. Burbank n i c, w h o 12- 6 W 13- 6 W 5-13 L 7-11 L dealt SPHS

Speaking of

Sports

Wyatt Bukowski

No Football in 2011?

Screenwriters, baggage handlers, and now professional football players: the strike lives on. People always seem offended by the obscene amount of money professional athletes earn for doing what they love. In the recent conflict between the players union and owners, the attitude of the public has been confirmed with the unreasonable demands of football players. To jeopardize the best league in sports because of two measly games is just a reflection of the spoiled bratty attitude of professional football players. Let me summarize the situation for you: Both owners and players stand to benefit from revenue gain.

But the owners have devised a way to increase the unseemly amount of money both parties are making by adding two games to the season. But are the players willing to put in the extra effort for their own benefit? No. There is a classic proverb. Don’t bite the hand that feeds. However, the players are doing just that. Is this really what football has come to? Reducing it to big business? Are college football players going to snatch up positions as scabs? Or should the whole league just be dissolved because the biggest, most burly men in sports are afraid of a few scratches? Not only would the NFL be losing revenue, but also the jobs of all who depend on football.

It is not only unnecessary, but also flagrantly irresponsible.

To spit in the faces of millions of fans is bad enough. But to jeopardize the nation because of two games is crazy. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are as dumb as football players are reputed to be.