May 2018

The Beachcomber

Vol. 59 No. 05

www.bcomber.org

Beachwood High School

25100 Fairmount Boulevard Beachwood, Ohio

May 25, 2018

Administration Announces Dramatic Changes Moves to Close Campus

Introduces New Schedule

By Orly Einhorn Staff Writer

By Amelia Port Staff Writer

BHS students will no longer be able to go out for lunch in the 2018-19 school year.

At a May 17 open forum after school, Principal Tony Srithai and police officer C.J. Piro, Beachwood Schools’ Director of Security, made it clear that they intend to close campus.

Currently, open campus is a privilege that upperclassmen may take advantage of during their lunch or free periods and sophomores may use during only their lunches.

Freshmen and sophomores with unscheduled slots in their days are given a mandatory study hall.

Parents must sign off on a student’s open campus privileges and the administration and parents also reserve the right to take this away “at any time for good cause or convenience in-

Word on the street is that BHS will have a new schedule for the 2018-19 school year.

Principal Tony Srithai has designed a schedule to make it easier for students to attend academy and for teachers to collaborate.

The schedule is not yet finalized.

“I’d like for it to be, but we’re still in the process of planning,” Srithai said.

One controversial aspect of the proposed schedule is that it may require a 7:35 start time,15 minutes earlier than the first period bell currently rings.

“I would hope people realize the benefits of the schedule change would far outweigh the negatives,” Srithai says.

Srithai understands Cont’d on pg. 3

Inside This Issue...

K9 Search

Pg. 2 Seniors March Off

Pgs.6-7 White & Gold

Pg.8 Record-Setting Run

Pg.10

Officer C..J Piro and Principal Tony Srithai announce next year’s changes at the May 17 forum. Photo Alex Shupp cluding but not limited to a student’s behavior, attendance and/or academics,” according to the student handbook. At the May 17 open forum, Srithai announced that free periods will only be given during first and last periods of the day, limiting students

to coming to school late or leaving early.

In an interview, Piro conceded that the first and last free periods are a decent idea, though he stayed consistent in his full support of a completely closed campus.

“It has to do with safety… knowing who’s here and who’s gone, and being able to keep track of that,” he said.

Piro is concerned that it’s much harder to know who is really in the building with an open campus.

In the case of an emer-

gency, Officer Piro and the administration are worried about not knowing where a student has gone.

Many students are against the decision.

Junior Madison McShepard says she supports open campus because it Cont’d on pg. 3

Community Awaits Result of Issue 2 Vote

By Vivian Li News Editor Issue 2 on Beachwood’s May 8 ballot, a combined 8.7-mill operating and bond levy, fell short by only 8 votes, according to the initial count.

Unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections showed that 2,006 people voted against the levy while 1,998 voted for.

Absentee and provisional ballots are still being counted, and the official count for the issue will be released May 29.

Superintendent Dr. Robert Hardis is cautiously awaiting the results.

“Our goal right now is to ensure that every legitimately cast ballot, absentee or provisional, is counted, and then we’ll see where the chips fall— what the final count is,” Hardis said.

If the final count shows a difference of 0.50% or less, Ohio law will require a recount.

The operating levy, the district’s first in 13 years, sought to increase funding for the schools. If the levy ultimately does not pass, it would be the first school levy failure in Beachwood’s history.

The bond issue would provide the funds necessary for the consolidation of Bryden and Hilltop at the Fairmount School site, a project estimated to cost $38.8 million.

Bryden and Hilltop would be demolished and their properties used for a complex of single-family homes and a community

Signs for and against Issue 2 were seen around the community in the weeks before the vote, and outside the polls on the May 8 election day. Photos by Vivian Li park, respectively.

According to Hardis, the construction process for the consolidated elementary school is on hold until the official election results are released.

“We will start looking at our timelines … so if we pass, we will have a fallback plan with a revised timeline for how we’ll still bring the project in on time,” Hardis said. “Then we will begin contingency discussions about what the timeline would look like if we fail but pass in November.”

Hardis believes that if the levy ends up failing, it will be back on the November ballot in the same combined form as it was in May. “The operating revenue is an absolute need right now and addressing our aging buildings is a need right now,” Hardis said.

“The two issues are interconnected in many, many ways.”

“Maybe we would have

been successful with one of them, but it’s not a success because we can’t operate without both,” said Loren Chylla, Chairman of Beachwood Citizens for Quality Schools, the group advocating for the levy.

Opposition groups against the levy include Low Tax Citizens, led by Mikhail Alterman, and Beachwood Community Connection, led by Bruce Bream.

Opposition groups are concerned about a variety of issues including rising tax rates, the consolidation of Bryden and Hilltop and the combining of the operating and bond issues.

Alterman believes that consolidation is not necessary.

“The assertion of the pro-tax position that it will cost $39 million or more to [renovate Bryden and Hilltop] versus new construction is just ridiculous,” he said. “Any other alternatives besides

demolition and construction were not at all considered.”

Bream told The Cleveland Jewish News that he thinks separating the issues would have prevented such division in the community.

“You can see it’s 50-50,” Bream said. “The fact that [the board] had to combine it, trying to get their school plans passed at the same time, which was really not liked by a lot of the community, is really what set up all this acrimony.”

A website made by Beachwood Community Connection, https://savebrydenhilltop.wordpress. com/, provides an extensive list of points against the combined levy.

The American Policy Coalition, an out-ofstate group responsible for funneling significant amounts of money into races across the nation, sponsored a Facebook video in early May that

spread false information about the levy.

“Every single point in [the video] was a fabrication, a complete distortion … It used a lot of scare tactics and falsehoods,” Hardis said. “[The video] included things that quite frankly were not true,” Chylla said. “[The goal was] just to get people angry and [turn them against] the schools.”

“To me, that was very frustrating,” he added.

Both Alterman and Bream denied any connection between their organizations and the video.

Alterman thinks that whoever was behind the video wanted to hide their name because they currently have kids in the schools or businesses in Beachwood.

“We obviously took a hit from it because it took us off [our original] message,” Alterman said.

According to Hardis, if the levy ends up failing, there will be several significant consequences.

Cuts to programs and services, such as extracurriculars and athletics, would have to be made as part of a 5-year financial forecast that shows the district’s revenues exceeding its expenditures for at least three years.

In other words, the district must be able to show that it is making more money than it is spending for the next three years.

“It’s not that school would halt and nothing would happen, but in many ways we would have Cont’d on pg. 4

News

THE BEACHCOMBER

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Police Dogs Search School Campus For Controlled Substances

By Chad Baker Staff Writer Administrators announced a schoolwide shelter-in-place during third period on Tuesday, April 10. Students were asked to place their bags in the middle of the hallways so trained police dogs could check for illegal substances.

The search lasted roughly 15 minutes. The dogs also checked cars in the BHS parking lot. The search was performed by a regional K9 police unit primarily serving west side communities.

“Conducting dog searches is like running fire drills,” Asst. Principal Ryan Patti said. “The more the students, the community and the staff see that we’re trying to ensure the safety of the building and the students in it, that’s something that we’re going to try to do.”

The dogs are trained to search for controlled substances.

Patti said the school received one complaint from a parent concerned that the search distracted students from learning.

Junior Johnny Marks did not feel that the search was disruptive.

“As long as no one has any illegal substances with

“Conducting dog searches is like running fire drills.

The more the students, the community and the staff see that we’re trying to ensure the safety of the building and the students in it, that’s something that we’re going to try to do.”

-Asst. Principal Ryan Patti them, why would it be a problem?” he asked.

Junior Max Luxenberg questioned the effectiveness of the search.

“It’s a waste of time, in my opinion, because even if a student were to have anything, they could easily hide it,” he said.

This is the first year that the regional K9 task force has offered Beachwood the opportunity to participate.

Some students were pulled out of class and escorted to their cars for checks.

Patti said the purpose of the search was to train the dogs as much as to check our school for contraband.

Six other schools in the area also participated in the K9 searches, including Chardon and Solon.

Some students expressed concern about their cars being checked, and the fact that when their cars were checked, they were pulled out of

class. One parent also questioned whether the school had legal authority to search cars in the parking lot.

“The reason to check cars was because it’s a frequent way to transport contraband,” said C.J. Piro, Beachwood police officer and Director of Security for Beachwood Schools.

Patti explained that when cars are parked on school property, they are subject to search. Also, when a trained dog signals that he or she detects contraband, police have probable cause to search.

Officer Piro explained that when a dog detects a drug or explosive, he or she will give a signal based on their training.

According to the website Crimewire, police dogs have a sense of smell over 10,000 times stronger than that of humans.

Cadaver dogs can even

smell a human buried 12 feet below the ground.

Patti explained that random checks will occur in the future.

The K9 team used eight German Shepherds during the search of BHS. The dogs ranged in ages from four to ten years old.

The dogs did not find any drugs in the April 17 search. If students were caught with drugs, Patti explained that the student-parent code of conduct would be enforced.

“It depends on if it’s your first offense, if you’ve already been to counseling, if you’ve had other incidents with other substances and if you have intent to sell based off what was found,” he said.

According to the student-parent handbook, the penalty would include at least a 10-day suspension as well as possible drug or alcohol probation.

This is the first year that the regional K9 task force has offered Beachwood the opportunity to participate.

Photo by Gabriella Covolan Costa

Beachcomber Subject to Censorship by Administration

By Clinton Sansonetti Staff Writer School administrators censored an article submitted for publication in the April issue of the Beachcomber.

Principal Tony Srithai explained that administrators censored the story because they were concerned about the privacy of a student, although the student was not identified in the article.

“There was reason to believe that people could still be able to track down the student, and it could make that student uncomfortable or harassed, [therefore we should] protect that student,” he said.

Administrators have reviewed Beachcomber content prior to publication since 2006 and have expressed concerns about articles, but this is the first time that an article has been censored.

The School Board policy on student publications was revised in 2010 to read as follows: “While students may address matters of interest or concern to their readers/viewers, as nonpublic forums, the style and content of the student publications and productions can be regulated for legitimate pedagogical, schoolrelated reasons.”

Following established precedent, Beachcomber adviser Josh Davis shared the article with Principal Tony Srithai.

Soon after, Srithai informed Davis that the

““The Beachcomber has covered controversial issues in the past. No matter how controversial the issue is, we have covered it because we believe students should know more about the school and their environment.”

-Editor-in-Chief Jinle Zhu administration would not allow the article to be published. After Davis informed the Beachcomber staff, they requested a meeting with administrators to attempt to resolve the issue.

Additionally, Beachcomber Editor-in-Chief Jinle Zhu contacted the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), an organization that advocates for First Amendment rights for student publications.

SPLC staff attorney Sommer Dean explained that the Supreme Court has put limits on student speech in school-sponsored publications.

“You are protected by the First Amendment,” Dean said. “However, there are instances where public high school administrators may censor student publications,” Dean said. “This is a result of a case called Hazelwood v.

Kuhlmeier.”

The SPLC’s page on censorship explains the Hazelwood case. In January

1988, the United States Supreme Court handed down its opinion in the case Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. The Court upheld the decision of public high school administrators at Hazelwood East High School in a suburb of St. Louis, Mo., to censor stories concerning teen pregnancy and the effects of divorce on children. The stories had been published in a school-sponsored student newspaper.

The case distinguished between public forum and non-public forum publications.

Factors that determine whether a publication is a public forum include whether it is part of the curriculum, whether it is sponsored by the school, and if there is a precedent of students making content decisions.

“If your newspaper is [not] a public forum and administrators can show that the censorship is related to a legitimate educational purposes, it will be

“You are protected by the First Amendment.

However, there are instances where... administrators may censor student publications.”

-Student Press Law Center Staff Attorney Sommer Dean allowed [by the courts],” Dean said.

When a publication is considered a public forum, the Supreme Court holds that administrators have to reach a higher bar in order to justify censorship, as established in the 1969 case of Tinker vs. Des Moines.

In 1965, Mary Beth and John Tinker, students in Des Moines, Iowa, were suspended from school for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the students should not have been disciplined for their protest.

“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,” Justice Abe Fortas wrote.

The ruling held that in order to justify censorship, administrators must show that the speech “creates a substantial disruption to

the educational environment.”

Beachcomber staff members did not feel that the article would create such a disruption.

Five members of the Beachcomber staff met with Srithai, Superintendent Robert Hardis and the school district’s attorney Daniel McIntyre of Brindza McIntyre & Seed after school on April 9 in Davis’s classroom.

In the meeting, it was clear that administrators would not allow the article to be published.

The Beachcomber staff did not think this was fair.

“We as a staff went to the Ohio Scholastic Media Conference and attended a law and ethics forum,” Editor-in-Chief Jinle Zhu said. “What we learned there was inconsistent from what the school was telling us. We felt that their reasoning for censoring the article was completely unjustified.” “[I have been told that] justifications for

censorship have to illustrate that the article would create a clear and substantial disruption and/or material interference,” Zhu explained in an email. “However, during our meeting with the administration, it became clear that they could NOT prove for certain that there would be any such thing. their explanations hinged on slippery slope fallacies and a chain of cause and effect that could only be supported with ‘well, this might happen.’”

“I also find it highly hypocritical that the administration is willing to stretch so far on a series of “could-bes” and “mights” to protect the comfort of a single student, but would be willing to censor the article and, in essence, create discomfort and take away the voices of the other students who were quoted in the article,” she added.

In Zhu’s view, the censorship runs counter to the larger mission of the school: to educate students.

“The Beachcomber has covered controversial issues in the past,” she said.

“No matter how controversial the issue is, we have covered it because we believe students should know more about the school and their environment.”

“We do not understand how--when an article is censored--how students will know about the issue,” she said.

News

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Bison Briefs Seniors presented Senior Search presentations on Tuesday, May 22 in the community room. Projects included artwork, independent research, job shadowing, writing fiction and forming a company to sell donuts.

On April 19, BHS sophomore Channah Creve, together with students from other Northeast Ohio schools, presented KNOW Abuse, a dramatic performance about issues of teen dating violence and abuse, sponsored by the Jewish Family Services Association of Cleveland.

Image by Alex Shupp New Schedule from Pg. 1 that starting school earlier is a controversial move, but that doesn’t mean the schedule won’t be implemented. He hopes that the response to a schedule change will be a positive one.

Many have argued that teens should be starting school later.

Freshman Mallory Chylla believes an earlier start time won’t be beneficial.

“I don’t like the schedule change because I feel it isn’t adhering to the needs of teenagers today,” she said.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that moving the school start time to 8:20 helped high school students.

“We found the same patterns of benefit for the health of teens with a later start time,” Kyla Wahlstrom wrote in Phi Delta Kappan. “Among the 9,395 students in our study, those who slept eight or more hours each night were significantly less likely to: report symptoms of depression; fall asleep in class; drink caffeinated beverages; have a phone or computer in their bedroom; and do dangerous things without thinking.”

Srithai and the scheduling committee hopeto move the academy into the school day. This would require an earlier school start time.

However, English teacher Todd Butler sees more negatives than positives regarding this schedule change.

“I don’t think [the schedule change] is beneficial for students,” he said.

‘If you had asked me three years ago I would’ve been against it,” Butler said, “because I took my kids to school in the

Closed Campus from Pg. 1 “give [her] a break” in her day and extra time to do homework, sleep, or grab food from home.

Other students have echoed that sentiment.

morning.”

Although he doesn’t need to do this anymore, he sympathizes with teachers that still do have to take their kids to school or daycare in the morning.

“Another negative [is] that teachers like to come early ad prep for the day, and [with the schedule change], some teachers might not be able to get here until five minutes before,” Butler points out. “This might create a rush, and I don’t know if that’s a good way to set the tone for the day.”

However, Srithai has his eyes on a different issue altogether.

“For a student who wants to go to AM or PM academy, the structure is too loose,” Srithai said.

“It’s hard for students to navigate when teachers are free.”

Academy built into the school day seems to be the best solution the scheduling committee has come up with.

Sophomore Eric Golovan is also skeptical of the idea of bringing academy into the school day.

“Academy shouldn’t be mandatory; it should be optional,” he said. “It’s not fair for students who don’t need help to be here when students who do need help are.”

Butler believes that there really isn’t a benefit to moving the school day earlier.

“It would be very beneficial if students used that academy time built into the day to their benefit,” Butler said. “...

Though I’m not sure it’ll pay off.”

There are multiple people involved in the process of creating a new schedule. Teachers and administrators are involved as well as soliciting important feedback from the school district’s

central office.

Srithai described the process of drafting a new schedule.

“We met with a teacher-level committee to solicit feedback about things that are working with the current schedule,” he said.

Then the group listed things they believe would improve students’ learning.

While a more organized academy is an important reason to change the schedule, there are other reasons as well.

“One of the biggest items on the teachers’ wish list was to be able to collaborate and work together,” Srithai said. “From a student standpoint, there is student support [teachers would] like to offer and the current schedule limits us in that support,” Srithai explained.

“How often do you see your math and English teachers talking?” Srithai asked. “Probably not as much as they’d like the time for.”

While he recognizes the potential benefits, Butler feels that teens need more sleep, not less.

“I feel like elementary and high schools schedules should be flipped,” Butler shares. “Starting earlier may be problematic for older kids,” Butler said, “I think high school kids have trouble getting out of bed early.”

Sophomore Olivia Wilbur put it simply.

“I think it’ll do more harm than good,” she said.

“I think it’s important that the teachers really have a voice in influencing the right decision,” Butler shares, “I just hope we can find common ground on both sides.”

During the open forum, students also asked if it’s possible to have a system of checking in and out of school, such as school IDs, which must be used to get in and out of the building.

This compromise would allow students open cam-

pus and an easier way to keep track of who is in the building for administrators, though none gave a clear answer to whether or not this is truly a possible solution.

On May 1, students heard a presentation from a recovering addict who shared some of his own dark truths about addiction.

First Annual Roundball Classic Congratulations to the BMS staff, who defeated the high school staff 33-25 on Thursday, May 3rd at the high school.

Both teams put in a grueling performance to entertain students fried from weeks of AIR testing.

Apparently the game was not exciting enough for BMS math teacher Matt Miller, who will be returning to coach the varsity basketball team next year.

The Spanish Club is starting in the fall of 2018-19! Come to meetings and learn about Spanish traditions, celebrate Spanish holidays, and help get the school involved in Spanish culture. If you are interested in joining or have ideas for the club, contact Señora Cayne.

Congratulations to the 2018-19 Student Council Executive Board President - Jing-Jing Shen Executive Board Executive Vice President - Sydney Leikin Executive Board Vice President -Lena Leland Executive Board Secretary - Joelle Rosenthal Executive Board Treasurer - Amy Chen Class of 2019 Class President - Maya Neyman Class Vice President - Heidi Maier Class of 2021 Class President - Elizabeth Metz Class Vice President - Neha Chellu Class Secretary - Sabrina Fadel Class Treasurer - Somin Jung Class of 2020 Class President - Parker Gil Class Vice President - Lucila Thal Class Secretary Priyanka Shrestha Class Treasurer - Kelsea Brown Class of 2021 President: David Kuang Vice President: Vidula Jambunath Secretary: Alice Anastos Treasurer: Matt Blumenthal Representatives: Alan Travis, Alyssa Murphy, Emma Henry & Amelie Cotta Photos by Matthew Keyerleber, Ethan Jeffords, Carrington Peavy and Amy Chen

Features

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Making Culinary Connections in the Chinese Classroom

The Chinese 2 Class shows off their cooking skills. Photo courtesy of Ai-Lan Lin

By Vivian Li News Editor In Chinese teacher AiLan Lin’s classroom, you don’t just learn about Chinese food: You make it.

The Chinese 2 class held an Iron Chef competition on Thursday, April 19.

In the class, students learn about various Chi-

nese foods. Lin hopes that by actually getting a taste of it, they will acquire a deeper knowledge of the culture.

“If [students] make the food that can represent the culture, that will [help them better understand] what they are learning,” Lin said.

Each group made two dishes, one a dish eaten during Chinese New Year

and one a western dish similar to the Chinese dish.

The three pairs of dishes were spring rolls vs. burritos, dumplings vs. perogies, and turnip cake vs. biscuits and gravy.

Students invited three teachers from different departments to act as judges.

This year, math teacher John Kaminski, English teacher Josh Davis and sci-

ence teacher Karla Seery were the judges.

While serving their dishes, each group gave a presentation about similarities and differences between the foods they served.

Freshman Yoav Pinhasi felt that the project contributed greatly to his knowledge of Chinese culture.

“It was a unique experience, and in a positive way it allowed for us to experience what people in of other nations do,” Pinhasi said.

Lin enjoys seeing students take pride in presenting their dishes to their teachers. “[The students] like to show off what they know about Chinese culture and their cooking to other teachers, especially when they actually see the teachers trying their food and complimenting it,” Lin said.

“I really loved the excitement the student presenters had,” Seery said. “It felt like an honor to be the one

to enjoy their efforts.”

Seery was surprised at how much effort the students put in.

“They worked hard to create and plate the dishes well,” she said. “They had to bring a lot of materials from home to make it happen.”

Pinhasi felt proud of the results of the project.

“It was great to see others try and comment on your dish and doing the same thing for others,” he said. “I think the project as a whole brought the class together.”

Chinese dishes paired with matching international cuisine Photo courtesy of Ai-Lan Lin

Students Take Political Action Against Gun Violence

By Nakita Reidenbach Staff Writer Junior Jing-Jing Shen led a #NeverAgain gun violence meeting on April 17 after school in social studies teacher Pam Ogilvy’s classroom.

The goal of the meeting was to educate students and raise awareness about gun violence and possible solutions. Shen encouraged students to write letters to their local representatives, including Senator Rob Portman.

Postage and pens were spread out on the tables as students voiced their concerns about gun violence.

“I was inspired first by conversations I had with friends and other students following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting,” Shen stated in an email. “We were all shocked that anoth-

er school shooting massacre had occurred, and we sought to do something about it.”

What started with conversations soon sparked into action. Shen decided to share her thoughts and views on gun reform. She put together a document full of information about the numbers of deaths lost to guns and possible ways we can work to change those statistics.

“On average, school shootings cost the life of one child every hour, so this issue is especially relevant to our demographic,” she said. “That’s why our voices are so powerful, and by speaking up we can actually push for change.

Writing letters is something small yet impactful that anyone can do, and it shows that we care. We want change.” Many students agree.

“Politicians are kind of lazy right now. It shouldn’t be the norm that people are getting slaughtered by guns, especially not the AR-15,” sophomore Joe Spero said. “The presentation was just a starting point for meeting attendees to get acquainted with the issue and also learn about the options we have,” Shen said. “We need to pursue an end to the national epidemic of gun violence.”

Some students believe that tightening security measures and regulating who’s in the school might be a good place to start.

“I think politicians should regulate school safety more; maybe put metal detectors in the school, or have students use their student ID’s to get into the school,”

sophomore Paisley Truitt said.

Others argue that more restrictive gun control laws should be passed.

“Gun reform is necessary. School should be a safe place; I shouldn’t have to worry about someone taking my life,” freshman Iyonna Stewart said.

Stewart believes that guns can turn violent people into mass killers.

“There are millions of people who have the same problems but they don’t go shoot up a school,” she said.

Sophomore Ryan Rosenfeld, who wasn’t at the meeting, disagrees. “Restricting guns won’t stop shootings,” he said. “There’s nothing stopping people from getting guns, because there’s places like the black market that you can still purchase firearms.”

Issue 2 from Pg. 1 to hit pause on a lot of the operations of the district in terms of planning ahead, and we wouldn’t be able to move forward with them,” Hardis said.

New sources of revenue could also include shifting costs to parents.

“Right now, Beachwood has fairly low fees for parents compared to many other school districts,” Hardis said, “But we would have to start expanding the types of fees that we charge to parents to offset the costs that we face.”

Permanent improvement funds, which are used for routine facility maintenance and improvements, would have to be used to keep Bryden and Hilltop running as opposed to de-

Photo by Vivian Li veloping other projects, such as renovations to the high school pool.

Hardis wants Beachwood voters to understand that the district only asks for

money when it truly needs it.

“I think our school system is very transparent, honest and direct on all matters, including finan-

cial ones,” he said.

“As the leader of [Beachwood Citizens for Quality Schools], I tried to constantly share correct information—that was my

“By speaking up we can actually push for change,” Shen said. “Writing letters is something small yet impactful that anyone can do, and it shows that we care. We want change.”

Photo by Nakita Reidenbach “We can’t stop mass shootings, it’s always going to happen no matter how many background checks you do,” he added.

In addition to guns, students identified inadequate mental health care as another source of the

problem.

“It all begins with mental health and getting the mentally ill help instead of just limiting them to another statistic and letting them go through their problems alone,” freshman Carrington Peavy said.

whole goal,” Chylla added.

However, Alterman thinks that Beachwood citizens are overly generous when it comes to funding of education.

“The majority of the voters in Beachwood have become complacent over a long period of time,” Alterman said. “We’re working to change that.”

“We expect better results, and instead of running tax and demolition scams [the board] really needs to refocus on making Beachwood the best, not just claiming to be the best,” he added.

Less than half of the nearly 9,000 eligible voters in Beachwood voted on Issue 2.

“If [the levy] fails, then less than half the people that live here even participated in the process,” Chylla said. “It’s really im-

portant to study the facts and make an educated vote. Even if your vote is no, just vote for the right reasons; don’t believe lies.”

Hardis believes that there is a lesson to be learned from the results of this election.

“We need to learn from this and figure out ways to do a better job of communicating to not just the voters but to all the citizens in Beachwood,” he said.

“Communicating with and informing the people of Beachwood is something we should be doing every day, not just during a levy campaign.”

Features

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Science Olympiad Places Sixth at State Tournament

By Amelia Port Staff Writer The Science Olympiad team placed sixth place overall in the state competition on April 28 at OSU. The performance matches their 2012 placement.

The team placed in a variety of events: experimental design, fermi questions, mission impossible, helicopters and towers.

Their best individual placement was second place, won by Sridhar Uppalapati, Julia Woomer and Stephanie Yen in experimental design.

Sridhar Uppalapati and Daniel Mishins also won second place in mission impossible.

Coach Alise Stawicki is very proud of the team.

“This is my personal best [placement as coach],” Stawicki said. “The students really worked hard this year, and I was very proud of their achievements.”

Competitors put a lot of preparation and hard work into each event in order to place so high.

Team captain Daniel Mishins said that each event prepares a little differently.

“Kids work to prepare

Individual and Team Placers

2nd Place Experimental Design Julia Woomer, Stephanie Yen and Sridhar Uppalapati 2nd Place Mission Possible Daniel Mishins and Sridhar Uppalapati 4th Place Fermi Questions Jack Zhang and Maxwell Rackmill 4th Place Towers Jack Zhang and Maxwell Rackmill 6th Place Helicopters Julia Woomer and Jakin Wu cheat sheets that they’re allowed to bring in for study events,” Mishins said.

For building events, competitors have to make a device and then perform numerous tests.

“Testing is the most preparation because there’s almost always something that doesn’t work right, so you have to test and figure out a way to get it consistent,” Mishins said.

Stawicki explained how she helps the team to prepare.

“Between the months of October through April, we

meet several days a week,” she said.

Stawicki assists competitors in finding resources, packing materials, as well as providing encouragement.

Junior Julia Woomer said that most competitors participate in an average of three events. However, this year she participated in more. “...I probably spent a lot more [preparation] than last year because I have more events,” Woomer said, “I am in five events out of [the limit of six].”

Stawicki is also happy to see the team growing.

Academic Challenge Places 15th in National Tourney

By Sam Thomas Staff Writer

The academic challenge team recently went to Chicago on April 28 for the small school National Academic Quiz Tournament.

“We competed in the playoffs, made it to the finals, and overall placed 15th in the nation out of 100 teams,” says Shen.

Coach Karla Seery brought a team consisting of junior Jing-Jing Shen, sophomore Athena Grasso, freshman Somin Jung, sophomore Nikhil Murali, and Freshman Yang Yu. “For such a young team, it was a cool feat, and I’m hoping to come back even stronger for next year,” Shen said.

Shen describes academic challenge as a “team quiz show where there are questions running the game from sports to history to science to pop culture.”

Shen has been participating in academic challenge since her freshman year.

“The objective is for the team to buzz in with the right answer before the opposing team,” she said.

Shen says the questions can be about anything. It depends on what type of tournament she and her teammates are competing in.

“For the more traditional tournaments, like the Ohio Academic Competition and National Academic Quiz Tournaments, questions can be about anything from literature to operas to military history to physics,” Shen said.

“There’s are also the

“Our team has continuously gotten better each year, and I think the word has gotten around,” Science Olympiad Coach Alise Stawicki said. Photo courtesy of Alise Stawicki “Five years ago, when I first started coaching this team, we had about 20 consistent members. This year, we grew to about 33 consistent members,” she said.

Stawicki attributes this growth to the team’s improved performance in competition.

“Our team has continuously gotten better each year, and I think the word has gotten around,” she said.

Stawicki wants her students to get the most from the club.

“The biggest thing I want students to get out of Science Olympiad is exposure to science and the many places it can take them in the future,” she said.

Woomer believes that the club has benefited her a great deal.

“It’s given me more motivation to look at more things being discussed scientifically outside of the school setting,” Woomer said. “I [enjoy] learning new things that you can’t take classes on at school.”

Mishins agrees.

“You have to learn to

start something from nothing and get an understanding of it,” Mishins said. “I really value that skill.”

Stawicki truly believes her students have excelled this year.

“This group is very hard working,” Stawicki said.

“They truly deserve the credit that they receive.”

Woomer encourages classmates to join Science Olympiad.

“It’s a really good club,” Woomer said. “There’s always a spot open if you’re willing to work hard.”

Student Council Sees Early Transition in Leadership

Students voted for class officers on April 26. Photo by Ethan Jeffords

“For such a young team, it was a cool feat, and I’m hoping to come back even stronger next year,” Shen said.

Photo courtesy of Jing-Jing Shen TRASH tournaments, which revolve around pop culture, rap, memes, internet trends, celebrities, etc.

“You name a category and there’ll be an AC question related to it,” she said.

Shen says that there are typically 10 to 12 players on the team at invitationals.

However, at nationals there only have five players on the team.

At invitationals, the winning team is determined by round robin tournaments in a bracket.

“At both invitationals and most recently, at nationals, points come from adding the number of toss ups answered correctly by individuals, the number of bonuses the team answers correctly, and subtracting the number of incorrect or early buzzes.”

“One’s bracket is determined by their win-loss record, too,” she said.

The team typically prac-

tices once a week.

However, many players also study and learn the different topics on their own time.

“Knowledge for Academic Challenge can come from anywhere,” she said. “From watching March Madness, to reading a chemistry textbook, to reading the news.”

For Shen, the best part about being in Academic Challenge is that it pushes participants to seek more knowledge.

“You become more aware of life around you, and you also come to appreciate a lot more,” she said.

Shen says that she will definitely be doing academic challenge next year.

To be a part of Academic Challenge, Shen suggests that students reach out to herself or adviser Karla Seery.

“We encourage anyone to join,” she said.

By Jacob Borison Staff Writer Student Council saw an unexpected transition in leadership this March.

When the Exec Board President position became open, Brady Safenovitz took on the leadership of the school.

“He was the next person in the line of succession,” Student Activities Coordinator Craig Alexander said.

This has led to concerns from students regarding the current state of the Student Council. Additionally, some students feel that Student Council’s image has suffered.

“I just think Student Council can do a better job of keeping the students involved,” junior Jvian Ferguson said.

“I’m in Student Council, and we often don’t have much say in terms of what the administration [implements],” said sophomore Class Secretary Priyanka Shrestha.

Alexander assures students that the leadership changes have not had a

“It’s Time to Look Forward.”

-Student Activities Director Craig Alexander

negative effect on Student Council’s functioning this year.

“The only measure of productivity would be attendance at things,” Alexander said. “Homecoming was more well attended, snowball was more well attended, White and Gold was more well attended.”

Student Council elections for next year’s Executive Board were held on Feb. 23. Safenovitz abstained from running.

Jing-Jing Shen ran against Jaivir Gill for the position of Executive Board President. She addressed the school by rapping her campaign speech, ultimately leading her to victory.

Sydney Leikin was elected as Executive Vice President, sophomore Lena Leland as Vice President, sophomore Joelle Rosenthal as Secretary and freshman Amy Chen as Treasurer.

Shen will begin to lead

the school in 2019, but has already taken the initiative to create plans for her presidency.

“My main vision is for our school to be more active,” Shen said. “I want to start up more school-wide outreach efforts, amplify school-wide unity and energy, invite more of the student body to send in suggestions, and encourage more students to participate in Student Council meetings.”

Additionally, Shen hopes to improve the school culture.

Alexander is focused on the future.

“With there being only [a few days] left of school, I would hope that the students of 2019, 2020 and 2021 can … be good role models for the class of 2022 as they come to the high school,” Alexander said.

“It’s time to look forward,” he added.

Design by Gabe Stern

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Zachary Mitchell Gap Year

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Arts & Life

THE BEACHCOMBER

8

Students Display Diverse Talents at White & Gold 2018

Watching students–your friends–on stage pouring their heart and soul into something is quite a sight.

Tal Yankevich and Stephanie Yen perform “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint Saens.

Photo by Timothy Ordillas

By Joey Lewis, Staff Writer White and Gold was performed for only one night this year, on April 14.

A long-standing and beloved tradition, White & Gold displays a side of our classmates that we don’t usually see, in the words of junior Gabi Covolan Costa, who was one of the directors.

The show kicked off with a grand opening, impressive in terms of scale and coordination. Simply called Cheer, this dance was performed by nine cheerleaders and featured excellent synchronized dancing and simple uniforms, which were much more dignified than the usual cheerleader accoutrement.

The performance was a captivating sequence of consistent movement with a twist at the end. Props to Coach Schachtel and the

cheerleaders for setting a high bar for the show Another one-of-a-kind performance was sophomore Priyanka Shrestha’s “Martial Arts Compilation”.

It started with Shrestha swinging a toy lightsaber to the Star Wars theme, but that wasn’t as impressive as what she was about to do.

When she put down the plastic bat, things really ramped up when she started doing different stances, using what seemed to be two linkable blades and a staff. It is impressive how the act became exponentially better as it went on.

Junior Maya Neyman and sophomore Eric Golovan performed “Roxie” from the musical Chicago.

Their singing and piano performance was very inspired.

Golovan, skilled behind the piano, also had a solo act later in the show with “Fast Car” by Tracy Chap-

man accompanying himself on the piano. This performance showed Golovan’s true depth of skill, with well-rehearsed singing and phenomenal piano playing.

One of the most unique and surprising performances premiered right after intermission. The “Teacher Band” performed “Old Friend” by J.J. Cale and “Blue Shadows” by Freddie King. This band featured several teachers with BHS alum Michael Bohm, accompanied by several current students.

One thing that made this performance so enjoyable was the harmonica and keyboard. Not only were they a breath of fresh air for the audience at this point, they were also used as the backbone of the performance, beside the drums. As a recurring feature in every show, this performance lives up to its reputation.

In a departure from the

musical acts, Langston Gaines-Smith spat rhymes in a piece called “Spoken Word”, about the political climate and the uncertain times that we live in today.

It was a breath of fresh air for the audience and a courageous performance as well.

The two ballet performances were particularly memorable, appearing in the first and second acts.

The first ballet was called “Variation from ‘Giselle’”

by Adolphe Adam, executed by sophomore Anna Ward.

It featured graceful turns and elegant hops, which kept to the rhythm and was synchronized with the background song.

The second ballet dance was “Cupid Variation from ‘Don Quixote’” by Ludwig Minkus, performed by sophomore Athena Grasso. This one in particular seemed much more expressive, as the dance moves felt less cluttered and clumsy than before.

The next act was a piano and violin performance. The song was “Danse Macabre”

by Camille Saint Saëns. It was performed by sophomores Tal Yankevich and Stephanie Yen. It started out slow, but sped up into a storm of coordinated violin and piano action, followed by periods of delicate grace followed by energetic frenzy that turns into a memorable act.

I gotta say, I think this was one of my favorites.

Yankevich did a great job on the violin, and Yen’s elegant piano playing complimented his performance ef-

fectively. Keep in mind that this might be my bias; I’m a bit of a classical music fan.

For my final White And Gold highlight, I describe the show’s final and most impressive performance, in my opinion.The show directors obviously thought to save the best for last. This act consisted of three students: juniors Talya Berenholz and Tara Gallaugher sang while Jonathan Slain played piano and sang.

Slain, however, was slayin’ with his ability to juggle the roles of piano player, harmonica player, and singer at the same time. The coordinated singing, harmonica playing and piano playing were phenomenal.

Since this performance was such a display of skill, it was my favorite.

All in all, I thought this talent show-off was pretty good. Still, I thought that it could still be better. Why? Because in this article, only about nine performances are discussed, out of the

eighteen total performances. This got me thinking, what if the talent show awarded the best performances? What if it became a competition? If this were the case, it might make it all the more exciting, giving the audience a better experience.

If the awards were diversified to honor diferent categories of performance, like in the Oscars, then we might see more variety in performances than just musical. Some performers might showcase other talents if a reward were offered for incentive.

Would a competitive environment hurt the experience for the cast of White and Gold? Perhaps, but it is an idea worth exploring.

While there were aspects of the show that could have been improved, it was certainly worth seeing.

Watching students–your friends–on stage pouring their heart and soul into something is quite a sight.

Eric Golovan performs “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman.

Photo by Timothy Ordillas

‘On My Block’ Presents Diverse Cast in Binge-Worthy Drama On My Block hits on many important social topics such as feminism, racial profiling, sex and cultural appropriation.

Sierra Capri stars as Monse in On My Block. Image source: Netflix.com

By Allonda Watkins Staff Writer Set in South Central Los Angeles, in a majority black and Latino neighborhood, the new Netflix series On My Block follows four fourteen-yearold best friends who are stepping into high school as freshmen.

The group goes through many challenges together, and they alternate as one another’s friends and as enemies.

The show was co-created by Lauren Lungerich, Jeremy Haft and Eddie Gonzalez, who each bring a wealth of experience in the television industry.

The show is often described as “many differ-

ent TV shows, all put into one show,” which for the most part is true. It leaps over gaps in time to zoom in on poignant moments in the characters’ lives.

The first scene in the first episode shows the group spying on a high school party full of upperclassmen.

Within minutes, we find out that Monse, the only girl

among the four friends, is leaving for the summer for a writing camp.

Then the next episode skips the whole summer, and drifts to when she comes back. She returns to find out that one of the friends, Cesar, said something that the other two friends, Ruby and Jamal, didn’t like and now the friend group is split up.

Jamal is an awkward, intelligent black kid who likes to solve mysteries but hates sports. He is forced to play football in honor of his dad.

Monse plays a strong role. She’s tom-boyish but also girly, and her mother abandoned the family. Nonetheless, she is cared for by her father and others in the community. She is a voice of reason and compassion to her friends.

Ruby is the opposite of Cesar. Cesar is a tall, tough ladies man who has gotten involved with a gang called Los Santos.

Ruby, on the other hand, is small, cute, overlooked

and comes from a religious family.

Monse’s first challenge is to find out what happened, and to try to get the group of friends back together.

Next, she discovers that Cesar is now part of the gang, which forces him to do things he doesn’t want to do and puts him in situations that nobody would want to be in.

Overall, the actors do a good job of presenting typical teenagers who are not good at dealing with problems, and even though they aren’t, they are mature enough to not let jealousy and conflict get in the way of their childhood friendships.

On My Block hits on many important social topics such as feminism, racial profiling, sex and cultural appropriation.

Even though the show is set in the present, it has a throwback feel since the teens aren’t tethered to their cell phones. Kids walk and ride bikes, not

ubers or lyfts.

On the other hand, On My Block does have its flaws. Cesar’s brother Oscar is known around the neighborhood for being a tough leader of Los Santos. People are usually afraid of him.

Occasionally, he and the other members tend to “hit on” Monse.

Though this is just trying to show the setting of South Central Los Angeles, some viewers may find it to be a little “too much,” as Monse is only 14.

The first season ends with a dramatic cliffhanger, which leaves viewers like me feeling distraught. Fortunately, the show has been renewed for another season.

In conclusion, On My Block has earned a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and lots of great feedback from Netflix viewers.

Personally, I give it a 4.5 out 5 stars.

Opinion

THE BEACHCOMBER

What I Learned From March of the Living

By Max Alter Online Editor-in-Chief

“In spite of everything, the Jewish

When I finally stepped foot outside the gated, barbed wire fence at Auschwitz-II Birkenau, I exhaled a breath unlike any I had ever taken.

I, unlike millions before me, was a Jewish man able to walk out of Birkenau.

I didn’t walk out famished or naked. I walked out wearing my kippah and my pride, both thankful for the world I live in today and ashamed that I live in a world that enabled this to ever occur.

I walked out of the gates feeling numb.

That feeling is why I think people emphasize the phrase “Never Forget”.

You can never truly experience history. I couldn’t emulate what the imprisoned experienced. My emotions could never match what they felt.

With that being said, if my emotional experience was just a small, small fraction of the horror that the millions of victims of the Holocaust experienced, how did humanity let this happen?

How can so many people be so vile?

The Auschwitz concentration camp system consists of a network of more

people traveled with me and 12,000 others to the Jewish homeland.” than forty-five camps, each as gruesome as the next.

Auschwitz I was the home base for it all. After prisoners worked tirelessly in Auschwitz I, they’d be sent to their extermination at Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the major death camp within the Auschwitz network.

The day after I first visited Auschwitz I, I returned with a different spirit to participate in the International March of the Living.

With me were 12,000 Jews from all over the world and friends of the Jewish people.

I wrapped tefillin in Auschwitz I before the March.

I freely expressed my religion where the people before me were prosecuted and brutally murdered for doing the same.

As we marched to Auschwitz-II as one, the tone was somber but prideful.

I looked ahead and behind me, and all I could see were waving Israeli flags and Judaic pride. I realized why I was there.

In spite of everything

else, the Jewish people are still alive.

In spite of the Third Reich’s invasion of the former Jewish quarter of Krakow, known as Kazimierz, a small city that had once been called home by over 32,000 Jews… A few prewar synagogues and cemeteries remain standing as a reminder...

In spite of the inhuman cruelty with which Nazis once corralled 400,000 Jews in the 1.3 square miles of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw… To put this in perspective, the U.S. Census lists Beachwood as 5.2 square miles with a population of 11,593. This stretch is now populated

by Polish citizens and lacks any reminiscence of Jewry.

In spite of the gassing of 17,000 in one day at Treblinka, represented by 17,000 stones that are standing in commemoration… Nothing aside from the stones remains.

In spite of the horrors represented within the remains of Majdanek,

where the original gas chamber and crematorium still stand and remain untouched and functional…

The scent in each room was distinct: deep and rancid.

In spite of everything, the Jewish people marched with me from Auschwitz I to Birkenau.

In spite of everything, the Jewish people traveled with me and 12,000 others to the Jewish homeland the following week.

I saw Mount Masada. I experienced the Dead Sea. I celebrated Shabbat with a community. I attended a service for Yom HaZikaron– Israeli Memorial Day. I heard the prayers echo across a nation rather than a mere chapel.

I prayed at the Western Wall, the holiest location in all of Judaism. Here, I wrapped tefillin once again. I juxtaposed the emotional experience from wrapping tefillin at Auschwitz to the experience of wrapping at the Wall. Both equally empowering and eye-opening.

I celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut– Israeli Independence Day. The nation turned into a block party for a night. No work, no bickering, just celebration.

On the 70th anniversary of the State, the citizens around me were as grateful for finding a homeland

as I imagine their founders had been.

I participated in the second portion of the March of the Living from the exterior of the Old City of Jerusalem to the Western Wall once again. It was the same crowd that had joined me in Poland.

This time, the same 12,000 were spirited. People were singing songs, playing games and conversing. The journey was no longer a representation of what Adolf Hitler had attempted to do to the Jewish people– it was about what we had now become.

According to the The Cleveland Jewish News, the 2012 estimated Jewish population in Cleveland was 80,800. An estimated 75 Cleveland Jewish communities were murdered in the Holocaust.

Worldwide, however, an estimated 15 million Jews remain. Of which, 6.5 million reside in Israel.

The Third Reich’s end goal was to make that total zero. As my plane departed from Ben Gurion Airport, I realized: We won.

The Jewish people are still here.

That is what the International March of the Living taught me.

Never Forget.

Finding Hope in the Era of School Shootings

By Orly Einhorn Staff Writer I attended the March For Our Lives in Washington D.C. on March 24.

I listened as student after student from across the United States spoke about their experience with gun violence, watched as Sam Fuentes threw up during her spoken word piece and finished it even stronger, heard numerous world-famous performers sing, cried for hours, and listened to Emma Gonzales.

A minute or so into her speech Gonzales stopped talking. It seemed like she was just having a hard time continuing at first, but she looked into the crowd with strength and defiance.

She stayed silent, with a hard face that no teenager should have to show, for

four and a half minutes. An alarm went off on her phone, and when she spoke, she explained that it had been six minutes and twenty seconds since she walked onto the stage.

She referred to the timeline of the Parkland shooting.

“The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”

For two months, I have struggled to find the words to describe how I felt about that day. After all, how do you describe 200,000 people standing in silence? I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to.

Recently our high school’s administration and Director of Security have decided to close our campus. This

means no more free periods, no more bagel runs, no more naps in the middle of the day. A lot of students are against that.

Despite the fact I’ll miss those things, I understand where the administration is coming from. They’re afraid for our safety and they aren’t alone in that fear. The fear of a shooting at our school is a real one -- but on some level it feels like giving in.

I understand that the school is responsible for us and our safety, and if someone isn’t in the building because of open campus, it would make things harder for the school and parents to verify that the student is safe in an emergency.

I understand that and I don’t disagree, I just don’t want to live every day scared of a shooter. The decision to close campus is driven by fear that we as students feel

everyday. We are not oblivious to the danger we face.

We have no choice but to come to school, and most days I come fearful that I won’t make it out. I am constantly thinking of where the closest exit is, how I could get out if I had to, worrying about who we could possibly lose.

I am tired of living in that fear.

I am angry that I still have to.

I’m angry that there have yet to be gun laws that would fix the problem, angry that people do such awful things to children, angry that no one will listen to us because we are teenagers, angry that ageism is alive and well, and I am angry that I am more scared of dying than of finals.

Mostly, I am sad. Because this isn’t how I asked to spend my adolescence. I

don’t want to worry about who’s going to live through the next school year.

The March For Our Lives was a reminder to me that I’m not alone in my anger or in my sadness. I know that my generation will defiantly dream of a better world and do everything in our power to create it.

There are plenty of people who would look me in the eye and tell me that because we are young, we are incapable of creating change. Incapable of understanding the circumstances of the world we live in. These people would speak to me as a child and expect me to act like an adult.

To these people I respond: You can remember me when your children and grandchildren get back to being afraid of finals. You can remember me, because I know we are going to do things no one will ever forget.

9

Our Take On the New Schedule by the Beachcomber staff

In the 2018-19 school year, the administration has planned to make some changes.

They have drafted a new schedule that starts school at 7:35 and ends school at 2:55, incorporating academy into the middle of the day.

They have also revoked open campus privileges for all students, in hopes of increasing security measures.

The administration claims that the revised schedule will make it easier on academy goers and will give more time to teachers who are looking to collaborate testing schedules with other staff members.

However, it seems that the positives will not outweigh the negatives. Students will lose 15 minutes of precious sleep, and 10 minutes at the end of the day will be added, totalling an extra 25 minutes of school.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, lack of sleep can disrupt teens ability to learn and concentrate. Although the administration only plans on a 15 minute early start time, students feel that we will be losing essential time needed for healthy functioning.

Another problem we see with the later dismissal time is that sports will start right after school, giving students no time to unwind or have a snack before they begin their two-hour practices.

It seems that administrators are trying to make the schedule change more complicated than it needs to be. Their motivations behind the changes are flawed. The built-in academy period during the day is likely to make academy periods more hectic with larger student to teacher ratios.

As one student was heard saying at the open forum, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

The Beachcomber Editor-in-Chief Jinle Zhu

Online Editor-in-Chief Max Alter

Layout Editor Alex Shupp

Sports Editor Ben Connor

News Editors Vivian Li Prerna Mukherjee

Adviser Josh Davis

Issue Staff Chad Baker, Jacob Borison, Amy Chen, Gabriela Covolan Costa, Orly Einhorn, Ethan Jeffords, Elizabeth Metz, Carrington Peavy, Amelia Port, Nakita Reidenbach, Clinton Sansonetti, Ari Sokol, Joe Spero, Gabe Stern, Sam Thomas & Allonda Watkins

The Beachcomber is a student publication subject to prior review. This newspaper is dedicated to affording an opportunity to all BHS students to express their opinions on these pages. All unsigned editorials appearing in The Beachcomber represent the opinions of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the student body, the staff, or the administration of Beachwood High School. The Beachcomber welcomes all letters to the editor, whether critical, complimentary, or informative. Letters deemed obscene, libelous or inflammatory will not be published. Letters should be sent to Editor-in-Chief Jinle Zhu at jzhu@ beachwoodstudents.org. To contact Beachcomber adviser Josh Davis, email him at jmd@beachwoodschools.org.

Sports

THE BEACHCOMBER

10

A Record-Setting Run

Track Team Captain Mia Knight Has Led the Track and Indoor Track Teams to a Series of Historic Victories

By Ben Connor Sports Editor

As the school year nears the

finish line, senior Mia Knight is already on the winner’s podium.

The success that Knight has brought to the school is incomparable. Not only is she the greatest track star in BHS history, but she has also led her team to unprecedented success.

Last spring she led the BHS track team to win the Division II State Championship, the first ever state championship team in school history.

Additionally, she led the team to the Indoor Track State Tournament during both her junior and senior years.

Before this year’s postseason even got underway, Knight already earned 17 medals from indoor and outdoor track.

It’s apparent that her success transcends track, but the journey to success had to start somewhere.

“I realized I had a love for track after my 8th-grade season,” Knight said. “Despite all the hard work that comes with it, I had formed a bond with not only the track but with some of my teammates as well.”

That bond stuck as Knight and her teammates evolved the track program into the dynasty it is today.

“The first three years of my high school career have been amazing,” Knight said.

Knight commented on the fact that Beachwood’s track team has succeeded against larger schools with more athletes competing.

“We are small but very mighty, and it definitely gives us a lot of confidence,” she said. “And it gives other kids who are coming up into the high school confidence that we have one of the best programs in the state.”

Knight attributes her motivation to succeed to her natural competitive drive as well as the trust she has with her teammates.

“Even if I do not have a strong day on the track individually, I always want to do my best for my relay and my team,” she said. “Having such a supportive team around you makes all the pain worth it and it also helps you to push past the pain.”

But this past year, Knight and the track team, as well as the whole Beachwood community, lost a beloved member.

Abby Bendis’s passing hit the Beachwood community like a wrecking ball, but Knight is using that feeling as motivation to succeed this track season.

“What motivates me now is still my team, but also the loss of a teammate in December,” Knight said. “It has been pretty hard for us this season, but we rely on and support each other to get through it and not only run for ourselves but run for Abby too.”

Knight’s determination is on display in the classroom as well. She has taken a full load of honors and AP classes.

“I met Mia freshman year in Mrs. Mathews’ study hall, and I told her that not very many African American and Latina women take AP physics… so then she made it her goal to take that course,” physics teacher Michael Lerner said.

Her sophomore English teacher Todd Butler reflected on what he saw when Knight was in his class.

“Determination, pride and humility [are what make her successful],” Butler said.

Butler admires her constant drive for self-improvement.

“I’m honored to have been able to teach her, and I appreciate her drive and her great sense of self to become a successful individual,” he said.

In September of her senior year, Knight declared her intention to take her talents to the collegiate level, accepting a scholarship to run track at an Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania.

Knight explained what it was like to be such a heavy track recruit and making her decision to attend the University of Pennsylvania.

“The recruitment process took two different paths: the traditional NCAA D1 process, and then the Ivy League process,” she said. “In the Ivy League Conference, I was being recruited by Brown, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.”

Unlike other Division 1 schools, Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships. Additionally, their admissions offices will not green light recruitment unless academic standards are met.

“For Penn, I had to submit my college application before my official visit, which was at the end of September,” Knight said. “I am a very decisive person, so following my visit to Brown I submitted my application to Upenn, visited the next week and committed.”

“I was [also] being recruited by the University of Michigan, Notre Dame and Georgetown University,” she said.

“However, after unofficial visits to various schools, I felt Upenn was the best choice academically and athletically… for me.”

After almost four years of running track at BHS and setting the bar for future Beachwood BHS runners, Knight says her favorite memory would have to be winning the 4×100 relay her sophomore year and then repeating it the following year and winning the state title.

But Knight’s teammates have kept her going by providing constant support.

“My best memories are being with my teammates every day and essentially all day on the weekends,” Knight said. “Coming back from a weekend meet and dancing in the parking lot with them, or when we go out for team dinners, those are always the best times, and I will definitely miss them when I leave.”

At publication, Knight has qualified to compete at the Regional meet in the 100 and 200, as well as the 4×100 relay. The meet will be at Austintown Fitch High School beginning on Thursday, May 24.

This year’s OHSAA Track & Field State Meet will be held at OSU’s Jesse Owens stadium on June 1 and 2. Knight’s full tally of high school medals will not be known until then.

Before this year’s postseason even got underway, Knight had already earned 17 medals from indoor and outdoor track.

Photo by Elizabeth Metz

Before this year’s postseason even got underway, Knight had already earned 17 medals from indoor and outdoor track.

Photo by Elizabeth Metz

Track Team Headed to Regionals, Aiming For Another State Run Reporting by Allonda Watkins and Vivian Li After placing as district runner-ups, the BHS track team will compete at Regionals on Thursday, May 24 and Saturday, May 26 at Austintown Fitch High School.

The athletes who qualified for regionals include sophomore Maddie Alexander (100 hurdles and high jump), junior Ashaunti Griffin (long jump), senior Mia Knight (100 and 200), freshman Elizabeth Metz (shot put), sophomore Ashley Perryman

(long jump), senior Leah Roter (3,200), sophomore Langston Gaines-Smith (400), sophomore Christian Mayfield (long jump) and a 4x100 relay consisting of senior Cayla Jeff, Perryman, Alexander and Knight.

This year’s OHSAA Track & Field State Meet will be held at OSU’s Jesse Owens stadium on June 1 and 2.

According to Team Captain Knight, postseason requires a shift in training.

“Before we really focused

The athletes qualifying for regionals include sophomore Maddie Alexander (100 hurdles and high jump), junior Ashaunti Griffin (long jump), senior Mia Knight (100 and 200), freshman Elizabeth Metz (shot put), sophomore Ashley Perryman (long jump), senior Leah Roter (3,200), sophomore Langston Gaines-Smith (400), sophomore Christian Mayfield (long jump) and a 4x100 relay consisting of senior Cayla Jeff, Perryman, Alexander and Knight. on conditioning and heavy speed endurance, but now we only do a little speed endurance and really try to work on pure speed and the technical things,” she said.

Knight believes that over the years she has become stronger mentally, rather than physically.

“In terms of training,

I can push past the hard workouts and the pain to do what I have to do. I try to push myself whether I’m working out by myself or with my team,” Knight said.

“This sport is where you have to be okay with being in pain during a race or in practice because eventually it will be worth it,” she

added.

Alexander believes she has greatly improved in her events since last year, and that she has a better chance at getting her individual events to states.

“If I do what I’m capable of doing, I shouldn’t have any trouble getting to Jesse Owens,” she said.

Perryman, who claimed

first in long jump at Districts, will be competing at Regionals for the first time this year.

“I’ve definitely gotten faster as far as the long jump … I’ve gotten a lot faster than I was last year, and that’s helping me to get farther,” Perryman said.

Sports

THE BEACHCOMBER

11

Bison Softball Defeats Warrensville 13-0 in First Playoff Game

By Allonda Watkins and Carrington Peavy Staff Writers The Bison softball team won their first playoff game on Monday, May 7, routing the Warrensville Heights Tigers 13-0.

The Bison had multiple great hits from sophomore captain Carly Petty, senior pitcher Ann Weaver and others, with a well-pitched game from Weaver.

Senior captain Nathalie Conn reflected on the game against the Tigers.

“Warrensville made lots of errors,” she said.

“Of course we had our mistakes too, but it was nice to win the game especially after not having a good record.”

This is Conn’s second year playing softball.

“This is the first time in

a long time we made it to a sectionals game, and it was exciting,” she said.

On Tuesday May 8th, the Bison played their second sectionals game against the #2 seeded team Wellington Dukes.

In the first two innings, the Lady Bison held their ground, keeping the score 0-0, considering they were missing a teammate who happened to be a starter. But then Wellington gained momentum, defeating the Bison 10-0.

Conn is happy with how the season ended, even though this is her last year.

“We definitely had a better record than last year, and we beat Orange twice,” she said. “We meshed better as a team, and we had a team dinner, which was fun.

This is the first time

“[The playoff win] showed the improvement of the team because we were working really hard this season, so it felt like an accomplishment.”

-sophomore captain Miranda Luxenburg in recent years that the team has won a playoff game.

“It showed the improvement of the team because we were working really hard this season, so it felt like an accomplishment,” sophomore captain Miranda Luxenburg said.

No ‘I’ in ‘Team’ One thing that was clear this season is that the teammates supported one another: they cheered from behind the fence, fingers intertwined with the openings of the metal as they screamed encour-

agement for their teammates.

Each successful play sent teammates into a frenzy. And that sense of support, whether they won or lost, each player knowing that the team has her back, provides a strong sense of belonging and family.

Sophomore Captain Carly Petti has been a strong leader on the team. She scored a home run against West Geauga. She’s played softball most of her life, and she notes that no team is successful without trust.

“I’ve grown to love

the game, and my teammates and coaches and I feel that the team this year is like a family, and I wouldn’t want to trade the experience for anything,” Petty said. “I’ve learned not everyone responds to the same leadership style, and we have had our ups and downs, but I’ve come to the understanding that making everyone feel comfortable and safe within a team is essential to success in softball.”

Freshman Aislin Keenan stays focused when she’s up to bat and has good speed around the

bases. While she is new to Beachwood, she has enjoyed being a member of the team.

“I love my team. Everyone gets along and games, whether home or away, are extremely fun,” Keenan said.

Freshman Emily May is an aggressive player. She has played both softball and baseball for three years. She feels that the girls are like her second family.

“Softball gives me a sense of confidence in myself and my athletic abilities,” May said. “The team is more like a family than a group of girls and you come to trust and depend on each other. You come together to achieve a common goal.”

Even post-season, the girls still keep in touch and look forward to playing summer ball with each other.

Underclassmen Step Up To Fill Ranks of Girls Lacrosse Team

By Vivian Li News Editor This year’s lacrosse team is in a rebuilding year.

The majority of the team consists of new players and freshmen, but in spite of the limitations of being a new team, the girls have worked hard to improve.

“Every single day at the end of practice we’re better than we were at the start of practice,” JV captain Lena Leland said. “There’s just so much growth every single second there on the field.”

Varsity captain Abbey Brewer thinks that the freshmen make a huge difference.

“They’re extremely determined, and they pick up the game so fast,” she said.

“There’s a lot of strong talent on both teams, and we’ve all been working together to teach the new players and develop the returners,” varsity captain Lily Steiger added.

Assistant Coach Jennifer Cutler is optimistic that the team will continue to grow.

“If this is our new year, then in two or three years, we’ll be able to compete better with the schools in our conference,” Cutler said.

This year is Cutler’s first time coaching the girls lacrosse team.

“I have a lot of the girls in class, so it’s fun to get to know them outside of an academic setting,” Cutler said. “I look forward to practice each day.”

Strengths of the team include dedication and hard work, which has led to notable improvement throughout the season.

“Our defense has been pretty strong this year; everyone has really been stepping up, both on Varsity and JV,” Steiger said.

“We’ve been working really hard this season on being aggressive and believing in ourselves, which I think has helped our performance a lot,” she added.

Besides improving technique, the girls have

also maintained a positive attitude.

“I think that a lot of us have fallen in practice, but we just keep a smile on our face and laugh it off,” Leland said. “That’s really helped us stay strong both mentally and physically because [lacrosse] is a physically demanding sport, and it’s hard to keep up with unless you stay positive.”

Building a positive team environment was one of Brewer’s goals for this year.

“Last year there was a lot of negativity, so creating a safe and positive environment in addition to people working hard and wanting to get better at the sport is really important to us,” she said.

Cutler has seen the girls support one another this year.

“The team works really together,” she said.

“They all get along and love to have a good time.”

“I’m really proud of how much the whole team cares about each other, both on and off

“We’ve been working really hard this season on being aggressive and believing in ourselves,” team captain Lily Steiger said. Photo by Vivian Li the field,” Steiger added.

As a result of more new members and parent involvement, the team has gained more attention.

“That’s really exciting—to see the community start to recognize the hard work that goes

into playing lacrosse,” Cutler said.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better this year, and the people who’ve come to our games have also mentioned that our team is a lot more entertaining to watch, and that we’ve made

improvements,” Brewer said.

“I think the [underclassmen] are really strong and … they’re going to keep the program going,” she added. “It’s just going to grow from here.”

Riley Strikes Out 10 Against Orange Joe Spero Staff Writer The baseball team is in a rebuilding year with only three returning starters and a new coaching staff.

Senior pitcher Chris Riley had an outstanding game against Orange on April 23 with 10 strikeouts.

In spite of Riley’s performance, the Bison sadly lost, as they were not able to turn it on offensively, achieving only 3 hits and 0 runs.

The final score was 1-0.

Nick Garofoli, the Lions shortstop, hit a hard ground ball. The play ended in a Bison error and spoiling Riley’s pitching shut out. The Orange runner on second base scored, to take the 1-0 lead.

Top left: Senior Chris Riley has been a strong leader on the baseball team this year.

Photos by Joe Spero

Movin’ On Up! With over 50 articles between them, this group of students has contributed mightily to the Beachcomber over the past few years. We appreciate their commitment to providing a strong voice for the BHS student body.

Photos by Alex Shupp Q&A by Prerna Mukherjee & Vivian Li

Editor-in-Chief Jinle Zhu What are you studying in college?

Physics, maybe aerospace engineering [at Dartmouth] What has life in Beachwood taught you?

I think you should really value your friends... the importance of friends and your relationships with your fellow students and teachers.

What’s the most influential article you’ve ever written?

I’d like to say that it was my editorial arguing that the school should pay for AP testing article because I did a lot of reporting and research for it.

What was your favorite part of being on the Beachcomber?

I liked holding all the different positions.

Online Editor-in-Chief Max Alter What is one thing you loved about high school and one thing you didn’t like?

I really liked the small community. It enables you to bounce back and forth between different cliques… I didn’t like competition, [which is the result of] such a strong curriculum.

What are you studying in college?

Accounting at OSU What has life in Beachwood taught you?

It’s okay to go out of your comfort zone What’s the most influential article you’ve ever written?

Snow day editorial

Sports Editor Ben Connor What are your life goals?

Find something that I’m passionate about and have fun with it. That’s really the overall plan… Another life goal is, it doesn’t matter where.. But I want to be in a movie.

What are you studying in college?

Communications What has life in Beachwood taught you?

The world is a lot bigger than Beachwood. It got me ready to open myself up to the world and to new experiences... to meet new people.

What’s the most influential article you’ve ever written?

I wrote an article about Chief Wahoo, I didn’t take a stance … but I like to think that I brought up an important question.