5.24.18

the

Arrow 100 Lakeview Canyon Rd. Westlake Village, CA 91362 Volume XL | Issue 6 | May 24, 2018

the

m o o r h Bat e l c a b e D age 7 P

End of year brings art show

Local dessert destinations

Esports rise in popularity

Page 2

Page 4

Page 8

2

NEWS

Students showcase their artistic expression by avery pak feature editor

In brief Choir show

WHS choir has its final show of the year, Seasons of Love, from Thurs., May 24 – Sat., May 26 in the Carpenter Family Theater.

Tickets go on sale on May 10 and can be purchased at www.westlakechoir.org or in the choir room (21N) during lunch. Regular admission is $15, and student tickets are $5.

Semester two finals

Semester two finals take place from Wed., June 6 – Fri., June 8.

Wed., June 6: periods 1, 2 &7 Per. 1: 7 – 9 a.m.

Per. 2: 9:20 – 11:20 a.m.

Per. 7: 12:06 – 2:06 p.m.

Thurs., June 7: periods 3 & 4 Per. 3: 8 – 10 a.m.

Per. 4: 10:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.

Fri., June 8: periods 5 & 6 Per. 5: 8 – 10 a.m.

Per. 6: 10:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.

Senior finals

Senior finals take place from Tues., May 29 – Thurs., May 31.

Tues., May 29: periods 5, 6 & 7 Per. 5: 11:12 a.m. – 12:08 p.m.

Per. 6: 12:54 – 1:48 p.m.

Per. 7: 1:54 – 2:48 p.m.

Wed., May 30: periods 3 & 4 Per. 3: 9:38 – 10:32 a.m.

Per. 4: 10:45 – 11:39 a.m.

Thurs., May 31: periods 1 & 2 Per. 1: 7 – 7:54 a.m.

Per. 2: 8 – 8:55 a.m.

Compiled by Avery Pak & Sydney Schlesinger Cover photo by Caelyn Pender

PHOTO BY AVERY PAK

WHS’s second End of the Year Art Showcase is on June 5 from 8 a.m. – 2:48 p.m. in 32E. All grades and art levels, including Art Media, Intermediate Drawing and AP Studio Art (drawing portfolio and 2D design portfolio), will be contributing different works of art to the showcase.

Art teacher Julia Bush began holding art shows two years ago when she started working at WHS. So far, there have been two Winter Art Showcases and one End of the Year Art Showcase. The upcoming showcase will display a variety of art pieces, including paintings, assemblages, sculptures, prints and comic pages.

“It is important to provide opportunities to my students and the other students at WHS in order to expose them to different experiences and to highlight all of the hard work and talent from the year of art–making,” said Bush.

Many students plan on displaying their photography, which is composed of both a breadth and concentration piece.

“A concentration is like a set of 12 photos that show growth, and so mine is from insecurities to self–love,” said AP Studio Art student Natalie Nitzsche ‘19.

AP Studio Art student Roberto Franco ‘18 will also be exhibiting photography; his concentration focuses on fears.

“Mine was kind of a two–stage thing where I split [it] up into six fears and six overcomings,” said Franco. “It all has to do with stuff I experienced going through high school, so like the fear of loneliness. One is set

in the darkness; one is set in the light, and it shows progression.”

Students also create 12 breadth pieces which are not limited to a specific focus.

Students can choose any medium they would like, such as photography, painting or sketching.

There are typically collaborative pieces presented at each showcase, and this year, the collaboration project comes in the form of an art installation and mural.

For the installation, the artists are teaming up with an organization called Get it Out that was created by Ned Jacobs ‘19 and his mother. Get it Out is a creative platform that strives to obtain opinions from youth. It calls for entries— allowing the public to submit writing, photography, music, film or fine art for a chance to win.

“Three to six of the pieces we find most impactful on a certain topic win a prize. It could be a scholarship, it could be some money, but we change the topic,” said Jacobs. “Right now we’re doing school and community safety with gun violence, and we are going to change that as time passes.”

The upcoming installation will focus on school and community safety and how it connects to gun violence, a prevalent topic in current news. It will be on display at the same time as the regular show.

“The viewers can be a part of the installation by leaving their opinion on a particularly hot topic and attaching it to the installation,” said Bush. “This way, even if you are not part of these art classes, you can still be a part of the biggest piece of art at the show.”

A light installation displayed at the most recent Winter Art Show will be displayed as well.

PAINTING WITH PASSION: AP Studio Art students Carlo Taylor ‘18 and Alex Campbell ‘18 paint a blank wall between buildings two and three. All AP Studio Art students are contributing to the mural, which will soon be completed and presented as a part of the End of the Year Art Showcase.

The students participating in the showcase demonstrate a passion for art and its importance in society, not just on campus.

“I think [the art shows] are really important to the school and just the community as a whole because, a lot of the time, there’s a lack of representation for art outside of art class,” said Jacobs. “This is a really great way for students that maybe aren’t super interested in art or have opinions but feel excluded because they don’t make art to get a peek inside of what that’s like

and to even submit.”

The art showcase is a way for students to express themselves in a unique and creative way. It is an opportunity for both art and non–art students to share ideas regarding their artistic passions.

“It’s important to try to connect with people on the basis of art, so that you understand different perspective[s],” said Franco. “Just like how language is like a deep dive into culture … and seeing someone’s art is like understanding their language.”

CTE requirements change club dynamics health occupations that most people aren’t aware of, such as careers that aren’t specifically doctor–related.”

However, the requirements for clubs to As Future Business Leaders of America continue have become stricter for students and and Health Occupation Students of America advisors. CTE credentials, which some advisors finish another year on campus, Career Technical need to have, are becoming more difficult to Education’s new requirements are causing obtain because the requirements are becoming more intensive. modifications in the clubs.

“CTE students gain pathway–specific FBLA is a national student organization technical and that prepares academic skills as students for various business–focused he California well as cross–cutting employability skills occupations Department of for success in any and leadership Education has said that workplace, in further opportunities.

It allows for students any students that are in these career education and in career awareness at WHS to focus technical organziations need to be and planning,” stated on their interests enrolled in career technical education Association for through specific activities at the courses.” Career and Technical Training. conferences they –Dr. Laurie Looker In order for take part in. teachers to become “There [are] advisors of a CTE so many different events you can choose from,” said FBLA club, they have to take a CTE credential course, treasurer Brittany Dinerman ‘18. “There’s intro which can be administered online but has a to business, [intro] to sports management or tuition fee. The teacher also must have at least three years of work experience that is related computer science.”

HOSA similarly prepares high school to the specific category of CTE they would be students in their respective fields of interest, advising.

The issue does not only involve the teachers. specifically ones that fixate on medical– Students also have to obtain certain requirements related jobs. “[HOSA] is a nationally recognized club, in order to continue the CTE clubs.

“The California Department of Education so I’d be able to connect with people all around the country,” said HOSA president Marissa has said that any students that are in these career Huang ‘18. “Also, it’s focusing on different technical student organizations need to be

by sydney schlesinger feature section editor

“T

enrolled in career technical education courses,” said Dr. Laurie Looker, FBLA advisor and Career Education coordinator.

WHS, however, does not offer many CTE classes that allow for students to be co– curricularly enrolled in the same subject matter that they study in FBLA and HOSA. “Our students can take [classes] at the Career Education Center,” said Dr. Looker.

“They have two campuses, one in Moorpark and one in Camarillo … If [students] wanted to be in FBLA, they can take this agricultural business class, anything in art, media and entertainment, marketing [or] cybersecurity.”

The CEC courses allow students to fulfill the co–curricular enrollment requirement for the clubs to continue. The various course categories enable students to center in on specific interests that are related to the focuses of the clubs.

FBLA students are now signing up for these classes in order for FBLA to continue while Dr. Looker finishes the courses she needs to obtain a CTE teaching credential. If this happens, the club can continue.

An issue in commuting may arise since the courses are in Moorpark and Camarillo, so it requires determination on the students’ part.

HOSA is ending at WHS, but it is not the end of medically–centered clubs. The Student Surgical Club is another club that focuses on medical careers.

Even though HOSA has a certain competitive aspect that drives students, the ending of it will not halt all possibilities to expand knowledge within the students’ respective fields.

To continue with FBLA, it is essential that students take the respective CEC courses.

3

NEWS

O R

CH

EN

After 15 years of teaching at WHS and with 27 total years of teaching in history, economics and basketball under his belt, Tom Donahue is retiring.

Known for his funny personality and endless jokes, Donahue even answered many of the questions in his retirement interview with jokes.

“My favorite year is 2018,” said Donahue with a smile and a laugh.

“The year I’m leaving.”

Students and administration alike appreciate his daily humor and ability to make lessons fun.

“He’s really funny,” said U.S.

YL TA BY O PHOT

Lynne Kelsey 2003–2018

while preparing them for success in the future,” said principal Jason Branham. “[He] has always looked out for the best interest of our entire campus by evaluating all aspects and developing new and innovative ideas to make our campus better.”

Acton emphasizes the importance of problem solving in his classes.

“In life, you don’t know the answers; you have to work through them,” said Acton. “It’s not so much the math as much as the how to solve problems … it could be solving problems in science or solving problems in economics … I happen to be solving problems in math.”

Acton’s last year at WHS will

history student Amber Newell ‘19.

“Every time I come to class, I am bound to laugh at some point.”

Besides his famous jokes, Donahue brings excitement to his classes.

“He makes all the topics really interesting when we’re learning about history,” said Newell. “When he teaches, he’s very enthusiastic and funny.”

Donahue integrates many life lessons into his curriculum as well, equipping students with the knowledge they need to succeed in the real world.

“In life, he doesn’t focus on all these things that really don’t matter; he really just gets the whole big picture,” said economics student Duke Cohen ‘18.

Donahue also coaches the JV boys’ basketball team, which, he said with a smile, was the primary reason he became a teacher.

“Mr. Donahue has been a positive mentor and coach on our campus,” said Principal Jason Branham. “In this role, [he] has been able to create lasting memories with our students as he used his skills to develop our student–athletes as basketball players and young men.”

Though he was “pretty much bored out of [his] mind” during his last days at WHS, Donahue’s presence has been felt on campus throughout his teaching career.

“I will remember Mr. Donahue as a teacher, coach and person that had an amazing connection and rapport with everyone he met,” said Branham. “This rapport with students and staff alike has allowed Mr. Donahue to have a positive impact in a variety of situations on campus, in the classroom and on the basketball court.”

Donahue’s instrumental role in the WHS experience for many students will not be forgotten. “[WHS] would be totally different without him,” said Cohen. “[He’s a big part of] the senior aspect … so he’ll definitely be missed.”

Teaching seniors for her entire career at WHS, English teacher Lynne Kelsey currently teaches English 12CP and CSU Expository Reading and Writing.

Chosen as the March Teacher of the Month by CVUSD, Kelsey has made a great impact on the senior English curriculum and has aided other teachers with her tech–savvy advice.

“My favorite thing about Mrs. Kelsey is her big heart,” said Lora Novak. “She is always willing to help her students and to assist her colleagues with curriculum and questions related to technology.”

Before her teaching career, Kelsey worked in Hollywood as a television script writer.

“I still get residual checks for work that I did 25 years ago,” said Kelsey. “[The checks are] most usually for the series Murder She Wrote that still runs on the Hallmark channel.”

Kelsey found her niche as an English teacher after her daughter entered high school.

“As both a teacher and person, Mrs. Kelsey ... truly wants the best for everyone she encounters whether it be a student or colleague,” said principal Jason Branham. “[She creates] positive impacts with students, as [shown] by the number of alumni that come back and visit on her Alumni Day.”

Kelsey has a special place in her heart for seniors, whom she enjoys teaching and aiding in their transition to adulthood.

“I enjoy teaching senior,” said Kelsey. “That makes me unusual.

I enjoy the excitement of helping them get launched in the next phase of their lives.”

Her love of teaching seniors has individually helped each of her students to prepare for college.

“I’ll miss how understanding she is about being a senior,” said Michaella Pirozzi ‘18. “People are just done with this school year…[but] she motivates [us] to keep going. The work that you do, you put in one–hundred percent.”

conclude with him teaching geometry as well as career prep., which includes lessons focusing on finance and life in the workplace.

“He’s priceless,” said Mehrabi.

“He embodies all of the qualities of an ideal teacher: intellect, character and integrity. He has been a great teacher and mentor for many of us.”

As an integral part of WHS, serving in all kinds of positions at the school and impacting all kinds of lives, Acton will be greatly missed.

“Mr. Acton has literally built portions of this school,” said McLean. “[He has] helped in the evolution of the mathematics department and has generally been a major part of what makes WHS great.”

SIN SKI

Richard Acton 1979–2018

Acton’s mission to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Most of us [teachers] enjoy education,” said Acton. “We like the process of learning and discovering.

I think that we also believed that we could change the world, and, to a certain extent, I think we do change the world— our little corner of the world.”

Though primarily focused in math, Acton has been involved in a variety of activities at WHS. Some include teaching in the P.E. department, advising clubs and graduating classes and coaching baseball and softball.

“In each of these roles, Mr. Acton has always had the desire to give the best to all students of [WHS]

RO

L AY YT B O PHOT

Working at WHS since 1979, Richard Acton has been it all: math teacher, cheer advisor, activities director, computer technician and even drummer for the WHS choir.

After teaching for 39 years, all of which have been at WHS, Acton will retire this year.

During his career at WHS, he has taught many students, some of whom have even returned to WHS as math teachers, including Matthew McLean and Armita Mehrabi.

“Mr. Acton’s class was very challenging,” said McLean. “He posed great questions daily. He’s constantly making me think about teaching, making me a better teacher.”

Becoming a teacher was a part of

EY

O R

CH

EN

Beloved teachers say goodbye to WHS

OB PHOT

YS

N YD

Tom Donahue 2003–2018 In her retirement, Kelsey plans on moving to be closer to her daughter, who is a former student of hers and a 2005 WHS graduate.

“My husband and I ... have a house built, and we’re moving to an active senior community,” said Kelsey. “Our daughter and her husband live in San Jose, so [we’ll] be much closer to them.”

Kelsey’s love for WHS is why she is so emotional regarding her departure from her teaching career here. “[WHS has] great colleagues, great people,” said Kelsey. “I have a little bit of experience out of the district, and I’m very lucky to be here.”

Compiled by Connie Shi & Melanie Zhang

Pixar takes over Disneyland, Disney California Adventure

by michelle hang business manager

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are highlighting a Pixar theme, called Pixar Fest, from April 13 – Sept. 3.

Together Forever— A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular, the new firework show, and the Pixar Play Parade are part of the event in Disneyland.

Together Forever features movies such as Coco, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. The show takes viewers on an emotional journey filled with many obstacles experienced by well–known Pixar characters.

In California Adventure, the Paint the Night parade has returned. The night parade consists of bright lights, creative costumes and upbeat music.

The biggest change for Pixar Fest is the addition of Pixar Pier, opening on June 23. The pier features four themed neighborhoods: The Incredibles, Toy

Story, Inside Out and Pixar Boardwalk.

Imagineers decided to update Paradise Pier to Pixar Pier in accordance with Walt Disney’s wish that “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

Martin White ‘19, a frequent Disneyland visitor, is excited to see the new changes because he believes that changes will modernize the parks.

“They’re trying to incorporate more of the Disney intellectual properties into the parks,” said White. “They’re bringing more of their movies into the parks and trying to adapt the spaces that they already have to fit in with [current] ideas.”

Disneyland visitors have high expectations for these new adjustments.

“I always expect the same thing from Disney,” said Disneyland Annual Passholder Brittany Dinerman ‘18. “Whenever they decide to change something ... it’s probably going to be better.”

GRAPHIC BY MICHELLE HANG

4

FEATURE

Summer is right around the corner, and with it comes the time for adventures. There’s nothing better than an adventure with a sweet treat waiting at the end of it! These dessert destinations, located in Westlake Village, Los Angeles and other surrounding areas, offer unique treats ranging from travel–inspired ice cream flavors and gourmet donuts to bubbly boba and handcrafted churros.

BLUE STAR COFFEE AND DONUTS

THE LOOP HANDCRAFTED CHURROS

Established in Portland, OR in 2012, Blue Star Donuts and Coffee recently opened a location in Los Angeles. Blue Star is known for its gourmet donuts made with fresh fruits and various herbs and spices. The donuts incorporate locally grown ingredients as well, benefitting the community. The menu offers unique treats that cannot be found elsewhere, such as raspberry rosemary buttermilk and cointreau creme brûlée. Prices range from $3.75–5.15 for a single donut. An assorted half dozen costs $28.50 and an assorted dozen costs $48.75.

The Loop Handcrafted Churros has put a twist on the coveted fried sugar dessert.

It is known for its handcrafted churros as well as colorful beverages such as passion fruit iced tea.

The menu offers churros with various dips and sauces like dulce de leche. There is also the option to try a glazed churro such as cookies and cream or have simple ice cream topped with a churro. The prices range from $3.50–5.50. The unique and diverse offerings of The Loop make it very much worth the drive.

TIFA CHOCOLATE & GELATO

MINI MONSTER

1142 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

9729 Bolsa Ave.

30760 Russell Ranch Rd.

1000 Universal Studios Blvd. Suite 143

TIFA Chocolate & Gelato, located in both Westlake Village and Agoura Hills, serves over 20 flavors of handmade gelato and gourmet chocolates made both by TIFA chocolatiers and imported from around the world. TIFA also offers espresso blends and homemade pastries.

Gelato flavors range from traditional vanilla bean and stracciatella to more interesting flavors such as honey lavender, brown sugar vanilla fig and espresso chip.

Chocolates also include unique flavors like chevre goat cheese, honey and cracked black pepper dark chocolate and white chocolate basil. Small gelatos cost $4.20, mediums cost $5.20 and larges cost $6.20. Gelato is also available in a cone for $6.

TIFA restaurants offer fun, family games for customers to play as they enjoy their desserts. Inside TIFA, there is plenty of seating for small groups of two as well as larger groups. Outside the TIFA in Westlake, customers can sit near the fountain.

MINI Monster, the smaller version of Snow Monster, is a boba shop located at Universal CityWalk. Snow Monster has several locations throughout the Los Angeles Area, with two MINI Monsters as well. The MINI Monster has slightly fewer choices and no ice cream offerings.

MINI Monster offers cold drinks such as honey milk tea, strawberry lemonade and house–made horchata. The dessert drinks consist of the cold drinks served over warm boba with an adornment: either a reusable flower crown, freshly spun cotton candy or cotton candy with fruity pebbles. Prices range from $4.35–$6.25.

Drinks are served in plastic cups, but customers can upgrade to a glass etched jar for an additional $2.15 or a light bulb-shaped glass for $2.70. People can bring these jars back to purchase refills, which has so far stopped more than 1.2 million plastic cups from ending up in landfills.

WANDERLUST CREAMERY 18511 Ventura Blvd.

CARRARA PASTRIES 476 W Los Angeles Ave.

With four locations around the Los Angeles area, Wanderlust Creamery has a new take on ice cream with its globally inspired flavors.

This unique ice cream shop is stocked with flavors such as sticky rice and mango (“housemade rice milk, coconut cream, swirls of alphonso mango”), smoky road (“80% grand cru dark chocolate ice cream, swirls of housemade vanilla bean marshmallow, roasted almonds and alderwood smoked sea salt”) and abuelita malted crunch (“malted milk, Mexican stone ground chocolate with cinnamon and chili, Belgian dark chocolate freckle [and] crunchy malted milk balls”). Each flavor is inspired by a certain location around the world. Aside from their signature flavors, each month brings seasonal flavors.

Carrara Pastries, an Italian restaurant with locations in Moorpark and Agoura Hills, serves pastries, cakes, gelatos and coffee. Carrara also serves sandwiches, salads and pastas. Pastries include cannolis, cheesecake, tiramisu and shortbread, ranging in price from $1.95–$6.25. Carrara offers a variety of cake sizes— six inch, eight inch, nine inch, quarter sheet, half sheet or full sheet. Cake prices range from from $25 for a six inch cake to $150 for a full sheet cake and come in many flavors such as coffee, lemon and pistachio.

Co–owner Damiano Carrara appeared on Food Network programs on four separate occassions. Most notably, he served as a judge on the second season of the Spring Baking Championship and was a finalist on season 12 of Food Network Star, among other appearances.

More dessert destinations are online at westlakearrow.net

Compiled by Marc Choi, Prarthana Kaygee, Megan King & Caelyn Pender Photos by Megan King, Caelyn Pender & courtesy of public domain

5

FEATURE & OPINION

Meet the 2018-2019 ASG officers

sident Pre

Pa

rker C

lemo

Presiden ce t Vi

19 ns ‘

Sco

tt Pugh

‘ 19

Se c

Ga

brie

asurer Tre

retary

‘ lle Grossman

19

Je n Compiled nifer Matiz ‘19 by Jamie Lee & Connie Shi

What are your plans for next year?

I really want to create a sense of school community and unity through more school spirit. I want to get the actual “One Tribe” feel next year.

What are your plans for next year?

The main goal that I thought of ... is just to add more spirit to the school. I think every school has a problem with spirit, but I think [WHS] could do a lot better.

What are your plans for next year?

I really want to be able to form good relationships with everyone in the class, ... to be able to take a position of leadership, but at the same time, act as a friend to everyone.

What are your plans for next year?

I’m going to make sure we have at least five fundraisers. The more fundraisers we have, the more money we raise, and if we raise enough money, we can also decrease the price for prom.

What is your favorite thing about ASG? We, as students, have the power to actually implement ideas, and it’s really cool to see them executed.

What is your favorite thing about ASG? I think being able to meet everyone in different grades is probably the best thing about ASG. I’ve made friends that are freshmen, sophomores and seniors, who I never would’ve met had I not been in ASG, along with most people in my own grade that I don’t get to interact with in most of my classes. So, I’m so happy to have met new people.

What is your favorite thing about ASG? That it’s work and play. You have fun while you work; it’s not just a bunch of work.

How has ASG helped you grow as a person?

It’s really kept me on track in high school. With ASG, I’ve got to meet a lot of new people and have that sense of community.

What is your favorite thing about ASG? The whole point of ASG is to create a community, like I said, in [WHS], but there’s an even tighter knit community formed in ASG, and I think that’s just the best part, like all of us are really good friends, and we all say “hi.” We have conversations outside of class. It’s really cool just having people like that all around campus.

What crayola color are you?

I’m definitely Forest Green, but with like maybe not a forest because I’m short.

What is your spirit animal?

I gotta go with salmon because salmon are very responsible ... I feel like that’s such a cool fish.

What is your spirit animal?

A lemur ... I’m a pretty hyper person but also very acrobatic with ballet.

What crayola color are you?

An orange sunshine because I’m happy on the outside, ... but we have our darker tones inside.

How has ASG helped you grow as a person?

I have become a lot more spirited and a lot more outspoken. I remember being ... an introvert. I was really quiet. I hardly knew anybody, and then now ... I’m able to reach out more to people.

OF

SAR A

– GR A H A M

AI N ST CO

COMMENTARY Amandatory Reading: Bibbidi–bobbidi–booing toxic anti–feminism

S TE UR

Y

P

O OC HOT

by amanda ju featured columnist I am definitely not a princess.

I can say that with confidence because I’ve checked. For hours. I even tried my hand at the 14–day ancestry.com free trial before giving up when there was actual work involved.

I spent the better part of my childhood waiting for my estranged grandmother (preferably Julie

Andrews) to show up at my house, drop the bomb that I was the long– lost princess of Genovia and furnish me with a glamorous makeover, a limo and, most importantly, Joe the bodyguard. A god among men.

That didn’t happen, so, in the true spirit of the American dream, six–year–old me pulled herself up by her Gymboree bootstraps and decided to make herself a princess. This meant Disney princesses. I mean a next–level obsession with Disney princesses. I mean a wearing the Snow White dress from the Disney store every day for six months, indoors or outdoors, rain or shine obsession with Disney princesses.

But my favorite is, without question, Cinderella. This is new, by the way. I loved her when I was little, but as the years went by and I started hearing whispers that “Cinderella didn’t do anything but fit a slipper, get a prince, spit on everything feminism

stands for and SINGLEHANDEDLY KILL HANNAH MONTANA,” I renounced my penchant for clear footwear in favor of “empowerment.”

I recently rented the remake to feed my inner Ruth Bader Ginsburg Raging Feminist Witch, but upon finishing, like the freshmen who get the end of Of Mice and Men spoiled for them by embittered upperclassmen, I experienced a sudden, shocking revelation: Cinderella, especially for 1950, was a feminist awakening.

Calling Ella passive and weak totally ignores the abusive situation she was forced into as a very young child. And isn’t assuming a domestic abuse victim can “just leave” one of the most anti–feminist things you can do? There is a whole world of reasons why victims stay— fear of retaliation, the belief that abuse is normal and lack of resources being just a few. Just because these reasons don’t fit into

a perfect feminist narrative doesn’t mean they’re not real.

And yes, Ella needed her fairy godmother’s help to get out, but pretending that an abuse survivor’s story is only meaningful if he or she didn’t have any outside help isn’t just ignorant, but dangerous in that it perpetuates the problem itself.

When Ella’s abusers deprive her of her freedom, her childhood and her independence, she responds by staying constantly optimistic and kind, surrounding herself with as many allies as she can, taking care of herself and using her imagination to help her cope with her horrific situation. If that isn’t positive, active resistance, what is?

And downplaying it because her main personality traits are traditionally “feminine” and implicitly “weak” is sexist in itself.

This selective sight also overlooks all of her other, traditionally “masculine”

qualities: self–possession, strength, perseverance, resourcefulness and courage. Modern feminism is about appreciating men and women for all the things they are— going above traditional, oppressive, binary definitions of gender, right?

Here’s my last thing: people just assume that Cinderella’s endgame was marrying the prince.

He was never a part of her dream: she wanted freedom, and going to the ball was an act of defiance.

Ella happens to meet her soulmate there and pursues the marriage herself. There’s nothing anti– feminist about equanimous love or marriage, and if you stuck it out all the way to Cinderella 3, you’ll know that Cindy and Charming are #relationshipgoals.

So go ahead and buy that poofy blue prom dress. I’m sure Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be very proud.

6

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The length of high school and the amount of time students actually spend in class:

To us, high school seems as though it will never end, but this is not the case for the students at East High. The students in High School Musical graduated high school in a matter of five hours and 21 minutes (if you calculate the time of the three movies). We spend approximately 1080 hours a year in high school, and, if you multiply that by four, we are in school for 4,320 hours. Those hours cannot be encompassed by a movie. In addition, students in film and TV seem to be in class for a few minutes, only to hear the bell ring seconds later. However, there have been many days where we sit drearily waiting for the clock to switch to 12:08 p.m. The amount of time Troy, Gabriella and their friends spend in class is not even as long as our nutrition break.

Cafeteria food is always bad:

Cafeteria food is not as terrible as Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide makes it seem. The food at WHS’s cafeteria is nowhere near as good as sushi from Nobu, but it is definitely better than the crawling mush that Ned has to eat (You’ve got to give WHS some more credit than that). Different from the movies, not everyone is forced to eat at the cafeteria.

Many students at WHS go out for lunch or bring their own lunches. In addition, from what we know, there has never been a food fight. WHS is good about not wasting food; rather, we have programs such as the food share table to prevent food from going to waste. Be grateful you do not go to school with Ned!

All high school girls wear make–up:

Across decades, high school movies have depicted a female obsession with artificial beauty: caking foundation on to cover up acne as if it’s shameful, boasting bright lipstick and plastering on glitter eyeshadow. In films like the popular ‘90s hit Clueless, queen bee Cher Horowitz walks around campus with full coverage make–up believing that the key to popularity is simply looking the part. Cher even tries to improve the social standing of a new student by giving her a makeover, strongly preaching that external appearance is associated with companionship.The 2000 film Mean Girls also satirizes the stereotypical high school girl in the same manner, joking that superficiality is more important than reality. While in past decades make–up has played more of a central role, the fact is that not all high school girls wear make–up in this modern day. In fact, with a push for body acceptance on social media, natural beauty is a concept that has become widely accepted in recent years, as many girls show up around campus wearing only mascara or simply nothing at all.

Valedictorians:

Valedictorian. Singular, not valedictorians. A person with zero Bs and all APs. Probably Asian. Valedictorian. False, false, false. Growing up in the academic world, children are accustomed to thinking that being valedictorian is far out of their reach because it’s a title given to only one person a year. It’s still extremely difficult to obtain the esteemed title of valedictorian, so it comes as a shock to everyone when WHS reveals its lengthy valedictorian list of not one, not two, but anywhere from 30–60 candidates a year. Gone are the stereotypical Rory Gilmores (from Gilmore Girls, in case you were wondering) of the valedictorian world.

Now, many different types of students earn the title. From all corners of campus, students work towards high academic achievements.

Girls always fall for the bad boys:

Danny Zuko, Patrick Verona, Jake Ryan, John Bender. Every high school has one of these, right? The resident “bad boy” with the chiseled jaw, skinny jeans and eyes of an indescribable color that stare straight into your soul. *Swoon.* And EVERY girl has a chance with him, right? Because that’s what happens in the movies. The bad boy falls in love with the good girl and, despite a few obstacles (because the two are in different cliques, of course), their story ends with a happily ever after. The truth is, most people in high school aren’t dating, and these stories simply don’t happen. Bad boys aren’t a common species that walk the halls of WHS. More common are boys in basketball shorts and t–shirts with eyes that struggle to stay open. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing since girls are not disillusioned to believe a charming boy will pull up in his Corvette and whisk them away on a romantic getaway. The bad boy myth is becoming a thing of the past.

Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Michelle Hang, Prarthana Kaygee & Katie Reul Photos courtesy of public domain

OPINION

by megan king, caelyn pender & connie shi graphics/photo, managing & co–web editors Bathrooms are a necessity for all who step foot on this planet.

Because of frequent bathroom closures and the small number of bathrooms to begin with, getting to the bathroom from building three or from the bungalows requires a three to four minute hike each way (we timed it), plus the time spent in the bathroom itself. That’s one–fifth of class time missed simply to fulfill a necessary bodily function. Then, add in the time spent catching up on missed work, and you have a bathroom ordeal that takes much longer than it should.

And, yes, there may be (a) bathroom(s), if not only one, open at all times, but they are not what one would consider “accessible.” At some point, the task of going to the bathroom becomes so much of a hassle that students simply forgo taking the time to go and instead suffer through the rest of the day with worries of bladder explosions and bloody leaks.

After a series of threats written in the upstairs girls’ bathroom in February of this year, those bathrooms were consistently closed.

In addition, the upstairs boys’ bathrooms have been closed most of this year. However, more recently and coincidentally after our interview with Principal Jason Branham about the status of the bathrooms, the girls’ bathrooms have been opened more consistently. Nonetheless, the upstairs boys’ bathrooms are still often closed.

In our interview with Branham, he stated that administration has not “seen boys have a big line really” and therefore, administration “can get away with not using [the upstairs bathroom in building one] necessarily.”

Despite Branham’s laid back approach, boys at our school do actually have to go to the bathroom like the girls.

There are other bathrooms on campus, but those located in the cafeteria, the gym and the locker rooms are almost always locked.

So, essentially, no matter where a student is on campus, he or she has only one central location to answer the call of nature— the bathrooms in building one.

When the upstairs bathrooms are closed, there is often a long line and way more people trying to use the downstairs bathroom than it can handle in a mere six or seven minutes. For many people, holding their bladders from 6:30 a.m. until nutrition is not feasible. And, for those who have to make it to the bungalows or building three after using the bathroom … let’s just say that we’re often late to our next classes.

And the need for the bathroom is especially pertinent for girls— once a month, access to it is much more important than usual. Not only are tampons not built to handle that much blood, but there is also risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome and other adverse effects for neglecting to change them on a regular basis.

Using the bathroom during class is often not an option. Many teachers offer extra credit bathroom passes or subtract participation points for using the restroom. Though we understand the motivation behind this, penalizing students’ grades for merely having to express an act of nature is unfair.

High–achieving students are then compelled to risk their health and procrastinate their needs in order to get a higher grade.

There are solutions to this: teachers can pay attention to students’ bathroom excursions and make sure they are not abusing the privilege.

As long as the student makes up any work he or she missed and does not take an excessive amount of time, utilizing a short bathroom break should not be discouraged.

We know that building new bathrooms is not necessarily an option— as Branham explained to us, administration has explored options of building a new student bathroom in building two or building three, but the layout of the buildings and fire codes make it very difficult. Although a new science building with bathrooms of its own is set to finish construction in fall 2020, we need a solution now.

Luckily, there are still viable solutions. For starters, we already have several bathrooms; they’re simply not open for use.

We understand that there are other issues that have resulted in closures: lack of supervision, threatening graffiti and vaping, just to name a few.

In the interview with Branham, he explained that one of the main reasons for the closures is the issue of “providing adequate supervision.” The school only has so many campus supervisors, and since WHS has several non–fenced entrances (requiring supervision), the availability of the supervisors is stretched.

However, catering to the needs of the students is worth hiring one or two more campus supervisors. Additionally, administrators can act as campus supervisors for the bathrooms during passing periods to allow for more vantage points.

However, campus supervisors do not completely solve the root of the problem: the abuse of bathrooms by students. Campus

supervisors cannot supervise all of the stalls, and even if they do go into the bathrooms themselves, the stalls are still private.

It is true that vaping is a difficult issue to tackle; however, there are ways to discourage students from participating. Namely, it is imperative that the school promotes awareness of the harmful and permanent effects of vaping on the brain and other body parts, perhaps through posters in the bathroom stalls.

Additionally, administration needs to make sure that the repercussions for vaping are well known and perhaps even offer a reward to students who report other students who have been vaping. Currently, administration encourages students to report any signs of people vaping to those working in the office. However, this solution fails because of, once again, time. After suffering through the work of going to the bathroom, students simply do not have the time to make an extra trip to the office immediately following witnessing a vaping student.

There needs to be a quick, easy and even potentially anonymous way to report these vapers; the easiest way to achieve this would be for admin to set up a tip–line, such as one through Remind, that students can text when they see a person vaping. If admin hung posters in the bathrooms, then texting a number would be s i m p l e , and students would be more likely to actually help administration with this problem.

Additionally, the anonymity that texting provides would compel students who would not normally report vaping for fear of repercussions by other students to report what they see. And it’s quick and easy, just a click of a button: “vaping in downstairs bathroom.”

In terms of graffiti, although it may be nice to write encouraging messages on the bathroom doors, in some instances, the graffiti is inappropriate or threatening, not to mention damaging to school property.

Perhaps blank papers to be filled with positive messages can be left in stalls for such use.

However, the problem of the condition of the bathrooms remains. Until recently, two of the four sinks in the downstairs girls’ bathroom

7

did not turn on. Our sinks scored a fifty percent! Even now, the sinks are often clogged or do not work well. And we thought WHS had higher academic standards than this…

Additionally, seat covers and toilet paper are not consistently stocked. There have been mornings (at 6:30 a.m., mind you) when several stalls have no toilet paper and no seat covers whatsoever, or the soap dispensers are simply empty. Sometimes, the rolls of toilet paper are just sitting on the ground instead of placed in the dispenser.

In the reliably open boys bathrooms, we have heard (but not seen for ourselves, thank you very much) that soap dispensers are often empty, and there is usually at least one stall broken or closed.

Additionally, the toilet paper rolls are often simply set on top of the dispensers instead of put inside.

While our custodians clean the bathrooms and replace supplies every night, certain steps need to be taken to ensure the long–term cleanliness and functionality of the bathrooms. To aid in this process, students should inform the office or administration if a stock in the bathroom needs to be replaced or if a utility is not functioning, perhaps by use of our genius tip–line idea.

Another problem is that the setup of the bathrooms allows for invasion of privacy on multiple levels. For one, in the girls’ bathroom, the sanitary disposal containers (most of which are shared by two stalls) are not locked, meaning that the doors often swing open and allow people in both stalls to unintentionally see into the other one.

And in the boys bathroom, the urinals are not far enough into the bathroom, allowing innocent passersby to accidently glimpse a guy, um, relieving himself.

The problem boils down to the condition and number of bathrooms.

On the students’ part, the threats on walls and vaping in stalls need to stop. Unfortunately, some students abusing this privilege makes it very hard for other students to use restrooms, as administration cannot justify opening up bathrooms only to have them be vandalized and misused.

If students do their part, we hope administration will do theirs in keeping our bathrooms clean, functional and OPEN. We cannot, and will not, hold our pee any longer.

So give us bathrooms or give us death! But preferably the former.

Compiled by Amanda Ju

8

SPORTS

Spring Sports (as of May 23)

boys

girls

Record: 10W–17L Next game: Season Over

Softball

boys

Record: 12W–12L Next game: Season Over

Golf

boys

Record: 3W–7L Next game: Season Over

Tennis

stunt

Record: 11W–6L Next game: Season Over

Cheer

boys

Record: 4W–2L Next game: Season Over

Volleyball

girls

Record: 20W–10L–1T Next game: Season Over

by alex li opinion section editor As traditional sport viewership decreased across America in 2017, the world of esports has boomed over the last couple of years and shows no signs of stopping.

In addition to the popularity of big tournaments and professional leagues across many video games, live–streaming platforms such as twitch.tv and YouTube showcase professional players playing in front of an audience of thousands of fans.

“Esports has been gaining recognition because of big tournaments, and the players streaming on platforms such as Twitch popularize the industry,” said Conner Chen ‘19, gamer and follower of the Counter–Strike: Global Offensive professional scene. “People want to watch these professionals to get better, which increases the following of the game.”

However, the streaming platform is not just for professional players; twitch.tv has risen to prominence for allowing gamers to stream and receive a stable income from donations and paid subscriptions. Twenty– six year old Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, former professional Halo player, is now a full–time streamer and YouTuber, primarily playing Fortnite. Forbes estimated that Blevins accrues over $850,000 a month from Twitch subscribers, which doesn’t include donations or money from YouTube videos.

Blevins holds the record for highest concurrent viewers on Twitch with over 667,000 viewers when he played streamed from an event in Las Vegas, NV. With the popularity of games like Fortnite, streaming has become increasingly popular and has brought video games into the spotlight.

“I’ve certainly noticed that gaming became more of a mainstream thing with the popularity of Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite,” said Audrey Gehart ‘19. “There’s also a lot of

PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

B aseball

Esports take over the playing field

PLAYERS AND WATCHERS: Seattle’s KeyArena has hosted the DOTA 2 world championships for the past four years in August. Fans paid upwards of $100 to watch their favorite gamers play live, with the winning team earning fourty–four percent of the prize pool of $24 million in 2017.

people that play old Nintendo games because they like the nostalgia.”

Students at WHS are also looking forward to the prospect of more people being exposed to the gaming world and seeing the subculture grow.

“It’s all about the culture, man,” said Chen.

“Everyone’s playing video games now. All these big rappers and celebrities are playing Fortnite, CSGO, League of Legends, and it’s really showing how video games are cool now.”

However, with video games increasing in popularity and garnering more attention, some traditional sports personalities have been outspoken about the new industry.

“I am not a friend of esports,” said Colin Cowherd on his sports talk show for Fox Sports.

“It’s the same with professional wrestling— it’s for booger eaters … I don’t know, go outside.

How about nature? How about enjoying planet Earth and being a community of people who talk to each other?”

But one WHS student is proving people like Cowherd wrong. Matt Dixon ‘18 has been a

professional Rocket League player since 2015. As of season five of the RL Championship Series, Dixon, or “Matt” in the RL scene, plays for Ghost Gaming.

Although some people think the culture is “nerdy” and holds an anti–social, toxic stigma, Dixon believes gaming can be a beneficial outlet for many people.

“Going into esports has taught me a lot about how to deal with the public, talk to people and just have good communication skills, which is useful in any job,” said Dixon. “Knowing how to deal with others and work as a team is useful too.”

While esports and streaming are still only emerging as a mainstream entertainment source, gamers believe gaming has virtually no ceiling and could top traditional sports in the near future.

“Seeing a lot of institutions being built, like the Esports Arena at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, shows that esports are getting the same recognition as traditional sports,” said Dixon. “I love seeing the inclusion of games into mainstream media because it’s not all about the traditional sports now.

Video games have become less taboo.”

Sand volleyball

Record: 10W–1L Next game: Season Over

Lacrosse

Record: 13–6(Boys) 14–3(Girls) Next game: Season Over

Swimming

Record: 2–2(Boys) 4–0(Girls) Next meet: Season Over

Track & Field

Record: 2–3(Boys) 2–3(Girls) Next meet: May 26 CIF–SS Masters @ El Camino College For the latest sports updates, stories and scores, visit the WHS athletics website at westlakeathletics.net.

Compiled by Taylor Chen & Melanie Zhang

GRAPHIC BY ELLIOT KIM