High Tide: Oct. 2, 2015

IGH H

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA Oct. 2, 2015 Vol. XCVI Edition 3

TIDE

Just keep ’ n i g n i w S

Junior Alexandra Hickey and senior Serenity Robb take swing dancing classes at Rusty’s Rythm Club PHOTO BY SANDER FINK

Inside

pg. 5

pg. 10

pg. 12

Column: Ben Carson comments are hypocritical

English teacher Kerri Eastham hikes 32 miles of the John Muir Trail

Athlete of the issue: TaylorBeaudoin, cross country runner

page 2

News and Briefs

High Tide

news

ASB hosts first spirit battle

Spirit Battle and Back to School Night School spirit. 1. “Par-

ents can learn about the standards, the syllabus, the expectations, the policies, and the outcomes of their students’ courses,” Principal Nicole Wesley said. 2.

“So far, spirit battles have made people basically wear their class colors. I think that’s a big impact, to make people actually appreciate the class colors a little bit more,” Daniel Ferradas said.

by Malek Chamas

1

PHOTO 1 BY GISELA PEDROZA AND PHOTO 2 BY KAREN SHINGU

2

On Friday, Sept. 25, ASB held its first spirit battle of the school year at lunch in the Student Union. The seniors emerged victorious with 90 points. The juniors came in second with 80 points, followed by the sophomores and then the freshmen who had 60 and 50 points, respectively.

According to ASB President Daniel Ferradas, the purpose of spirit battles is to help students “get involved” more than they normally do. He believes that this spirit battle was a good starting point. The four classes competed in “Hoop Pass,” where teams of each grade all line up holding hands, and attempt to get hula hoops across the line without unlinking arms.

“There was a pretty good turnout for our first spirit battle, and a lot of spirit,” Ferradas said. “Throughout the day, I saw that every grade went wild with their colors.”

Ferradas encourages students who are interested in spirit battles to attend class council meetings in order to get involved.

“Spirit battles are valuable because they help raise spirit for students on campus,” Ferradas said. “Look forward to more spirit battles, and if you’d like to participate in them, go to class council every week, Wednesdays for every class except freshmen, which are on Tuesday.”

Parents meet teachers at back to school night

by Malek Chamas

Parents were invited to visit the campus during Back to School Night on Sept. 30, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

According to Principal Nicole Wesley, Back to School Night gives parents the opportunity to learn about their students’ daily experiences on campus. Parents went to each of their students’ classes for ten minutes.

“Back to School Night is the first opportunity for parents to meet their students’ teachers and to hear about the courses that they are taking,” Wesley said. “It is really a positive way for parents to experience what their student is going to experience during the course of the school day.”

Wesley also feels that Back to School Night serves as an opportunity for parents to communicate with the school.

“We hope that we can partner with parents in trying to support and guide students,” Wesley said. “Parents should be a part of that process.”

Ant infestations due to warm weather

by Kelly Harraka

IL S LU TR I AT ON BY LU LU W EG M AN

Having your aunt come to visit is a week full of cheek pinches, while having the ants come to visit is a locker full of black dots swarming your unfinished sandwich. Just as your mom would say about your unexpected company, RUHS administration says to “wait it out.”

“We are hoping things will cool down within the next couple of weeks and that will eliminate the ant problem,” Assistant Principal Jens Brandt said.

Because ants are cold-blooded, their activity levels rise with the heat. With no rain to drown them, they are not ready to move out just because students have moved back in.

As a result of the ant infestation, the school has taken measures to get rid of the ants.

“We do a spray here and there, but we try and limit that because too much of it is unhealthy for students,” Brandt said. “We’ve had a professional service come out twice and spray over the weekends so that it airs out.”

The worst problems are usually during

the summer months, but because of the drought, the ants have lingered more than

usual and certain classrooms have suffered more than others.

“The 800’s and 200’s buildings have definitely seen their fair share of ants,” Brandt said. “We’ve told students not to leave food out and to throw away their trash.”

Overall, the ant problem does not have administration worried because it happens annually.

“It’s the same thing that happened last October, too. We just need to be patient and have students use common sense about leaving food out,” Brandt said.

Despite the amount of ants, custodial services believe that last year’s ants problem was worse.

“Lots of kids had food in their lockers last year. But [now] there isn’t as much food in the lockers and classrooms are kept fairly clean so it’s not as bad,” Janitor Devin Green said. “Once it starts to cool down the ants will definitely start to go away.”

With cooler weather approaching, the ants should not be a problem for much longer.

“I know it’s frustrating for everyone but it’s just something we have to deal with,” Brandt said.

Oct. 2, 2015

page 3

news

Online APES has plan to reduce plastic waste textbooks

by Malek Chamas

The sight of students struggling under the weight of their textbooks has become common in the halls of RBUSD schools. But due to the adoption of online textbooks, this may soon disappear.

The RBUSD Board of Education, in conjunction with the Information Technology Department, has decided to largely abandon printed math textbooks in favor of online math textbooks accessible via students’ Chromebooks this school year. Each math class will still be supplied with a limited number of printed textbooks to be used in the event that some students are unable to access their online textbooks.

“Right now, most have about two, in case students forget their Chromebooks,” Assistant Principal Jens Brandt said. “We are working with the math department, and our district office, to figure out an appropriate number.”

Currently, students have printed copies for textbooks in all other subjects. Due to their high costs, new textbook adoptions for all subjects are not simultaneous. However, RBUSD will gradually continue the transition into online textbooks, and according to Brandt, they will replace “the vast majority” of the district’s printed textbooks in three to four years.

“The math adoption was over $1 million, and up next we have a language arts adoption. After that, we will have a science adoption, and then finally social studies,” Brandt said. “In each one of those upcoming adoptions, we will put together a committee of teachers, principals, and people in the district office. And we look at various publishers who are transitioning into the digital world and making much of their content available online.”

Online textbooks are expected to be more interactive for students than printed textbooks.

“Some online textbooks have video links, and the students can annotate and write comments as they go along,” Principal Nicole Wesley said. “Online capabilities are why they are advantageous.”

Some students are currently having trouble logging into and accessing their online math textbooks, causing the district to reach out to the publisher. Despite these problems, Brandt believes that the quality of online textbooks will grow with time.

“These products are going improve due to competition. It is a free market, and that they are going to be pushed out if they do not have the best product. We have to be patient in the meantime,” Brandt said. “We are working to ensure that the online textbooks are working well so students do not face any obstacles with connectivity or logging in. We appreciate everyone’s flexibility.”

Catching the waste. Volunteers at the beach cleanup dive into the ocean to collect plastic waste and other debri.

PHOTO BYKAREN SHINGU

by Stella Gianoukakis The AP Environmental Science (APES) department has taken on the challenge to reduce plastic waste in the ocean. Its project has three main parts. The first is raising student and community awareness.

“APES students put their classroom learning to work to make a difference in the world. Plastic pollution is one of many challenges facing our local environment but one which every individual has the power to positively change,” APES teacher Gillian Moberg said.

The first step is to educate students, then get them involved. Nearly 70 students from this year’s APES classes attended the International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 19, where

a total of 548,450 pounds of trash, much of it plastic debris, was removed by volunteers.

Last year, the APES class installed a drought resistant rain garden on campus to capture stormwater runoff and reduce the amount of pollutants into the storm drain.

The garden provides a permeable surface for water to infiltrate and recharge the groundwater below, but also serves to collect plastic and other debris that would otherwise flow into storm drains and out to the local beaches. This year’s class will design interpretive signs to educate the student body about the benefits of the garden stormwater capture.

“The best thing about the rain garden is

that it was a collaborative student effort, with selecting plants, prepping the soil and hand watering for the first few months.

It became a growing legacy for APES students,” Moberg said.

Step two involves reducing the disposable water bottles used on campus, thus decreasing the amount of plastic used. The goal is to provide each RUHS student with a free, metal water bottle.

Current APES students will share their plan with the school board on Oct. 27 and they hope to present at the Algalita Foundation’s International Youth Summit in Long Beach next spring to garner interest from the community.

Ziegler named Distinguished Adviser

by Ben Brill

PHOTO BY SANDER FINK

Spreading wisdom. Ziegler and four members of the High Tide editorial board discuss content for the newspaper on deadline night.

Since 1991, Journalism Adviser Mitch Ziegler has been striving to oversee the production of the High Tide and to coach students to create the best newspaper possible.

24 years later, he is being awarded for his efforts by being named “Distinguished Adviser” by the DOW Jones News Fund. Ziegler feels that his position as Journalism Adviser is different from the roles of other teachers.

“One reason I like teaching journalism is that I feel like more of a coach than I am a teacher, which means we are all working to-

wards the same goal,” Ziegler said. “In journalism, you are writing to satisfy the rest of the school, and it is in both of our interests for you to write something intelligent and engaging.”

The school’s publication, which has won the High School Newspaper Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is a fully student-run production, according to Ziegler.

“I love it when my students truly take ownership of the newspaper and take charge, and that means I have done my job,”

Ziegler said.

Members of the newspaper staff appreciate the freedom that Ziegler gives them.

According to senior and Writing Editor Kayla Nicholls, the independent nature Ziegler provides creates more opportunities to advance.

“He puts a lot of time in the program. A lot of it is behind the scenes and you would not really know it, but the time and the effort that he puts into helping us create the paper is really where he shines,” Nicholls said.

“He is pretty hands-off, so we really have the opportunity to grow and do all of this ourselves.”

Along with enhancing the student’s newspaper, Nicholls believes Ziegler is able to create an environment of warmth and compassion among the staff.

“He fosters a sense of community between the staff because everyone here is comfortable with everyone else. Whether you intended to be close to people or not, you just are. He does a good job of breaking the ice,” Nicholls said.

Ziegler trains his students to not only write well journalistically, but also to view the world and life from a new perspective through their writing.

“I want students to look at the world critically, intellectually, analytically. I want them to question what they are told,” Ziegler said.

page 4

High Tide

opinion

Around Redondo Not broke, but please fix it Is Link Crew effective?

Compiled by Carmen Hamm Photos by Megan Contreras

“

I think it’s effective because it familiarizes the new students with the school.

-Arden Townsend, 12

”

“

I’m not really sure what Link Crew is.

”

-Noah Ristovski, 9

“

I think they help with directions, but they don’t come to you.

”

-Emma Hodges, 9

“

It’s a cute idea.

”

-Sharon Joseph, 11

“

It’s effective because they’re all around tehe school if kids need help.

”

-Aaliyah Carter, 10

“

I think that Link Crew is definitely helping our school, and they do support our freshmen.

”

-Anthony Duping de St. Cyr, 11

“

It’s cool, you’re free to talk to people and you’re not scared.

”

-Elvis Patten, 9

While Link Crew is valuable, its flaws are increasingly evident as freshmen classes grow

Editorial

It’s 8 o’clock. The

gym doors open, cheers and pump-up music fill the air, and the freshman class is greeted by two lines of beaming, high-energy upperclassmen highfiving them in an enthusiastic welcome to RUHS. But it’s all downhill from there. Within 20 minutes of the gym being seven rows up in the stands won’t be able to even hear what’s being said on the microphone.

Link Crew, while it is a valuable resource for freshmen, ultimately falls short of its full potential. This is caused by a variety of factors, all of which are fixable by shaking up the long-established way it’s run.

It’s appropriate to begin with Freshmen Orientation, for although it is just one aspect of what Link Crew does on campus, it is unquestionably its main event and biggest responsibility. This day, while a worthy and reasonably successful experience, has fundamental flaws that prevent it from being all it could be.

An initial problem that’s easy to diagnose from within the crowd is that the students are in the gym for far too long. Although most are paying attention at the start, inevitably, and despite their best efforts, Link Leaders lose the attention of most freshmen.

The gym’s poor speaker system is an obvious issue. From halfway up the seats, it’s nearly impossible to hear the words spoken into the microphone, and rather than fall into mass silence while straining to listen, freshmen past a certain level in the stands pull out their phones, engage in side conversations, or sit and stare into space. Fixing the speakers to actually reach all the way up to all the new students is the first step towards engaging the incoming freshmen more effectively.

Link Crew is not seasonal — after Orientation, it is still active. Throughout the year, Link Crew fundraises; provides some student mentors; and in an especially inspired promotion, provides birthday cards for every freshman.

However, its events are less than popular, even amongst the freshmen for whom the events are thrown. Turnout at these functions has been notoriously low, hurting the reputation of Link Crew and inviting varied jokes at the organization’s expense.

In fact, even the freshmen who do go to these events sometimes either leave early or even decide not to come again, writing off Link Crew and missing out on the great things that it can and does do for them.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALINA BIESCHKE

Editorial Board vote

Link Crew needs to redesign how it approaches both Freshmen Orientation and its yearlong program.

agree

7

Ultimately, a hard look in the mirror needs to be taken, feedback from current Link Leaders and freshmen needs to be sought, and change needs to be made. The quickly rising numbers of freshmen means that it will be increasingly difficult to provide the same or better level of service to those who need it, especially if its already existing flaws are not fixed before the sheer size of classes coming on the horizon creates more problems than ever for the organization.

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hightideruhs

disagree

0

If Link Crew is to not only fix itself but also to grow as an organization, it’s not just fixed speakers that they’ll need: they must allow and encourage student Link Leaders to provide reflection, feedback, and internal recommendations for change, as while they know the program’s strengths, they also privately recognize its weaknesses. If these steps are taken, the resulting progress initiated by the students’ analysis will enable Link Crew to be better than ever before.

Oct. 2, 2015

Letters to the

Editor

staff

Editors in Chief: Yasmeen El-Hasan; Stella Gianoukakis

Managing Editor: Vaidehi Gandhi News Editor: Malek Chamas Opinion Editor: Christopher Paludi Features Editors: Lizzie Fauver; Zach

Hatakeyama; Caterina Hyneman; Jon Mallen; Shaniya Markalanda; Samaya Rubio; Reema Saad;

Sports Editors: Jessica Johnson; Adam Yorke

Design Editors: Shawn Mallen; Grace Zoerner

Writing Editors: Kayla Nicholls; Amanda

Shaw

PHOTOS BY TED CAVUS AND SAM BENDALL

Maybe it’s our fault

If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com.

We reserve the right to edit them for content, grammar, and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed. Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest opinions are also accepted.

High Tide

page 5

opinion

Rally attendance and school spirit cannot be manufactured by ASB Micah Ezzes Another year, another rally. But this time, things were different: people had the option of attending the rally, held at lunch.

Anyone can guess what happened next: hardly anyone showed up.

The problem with school spirit is a problem that has plagued ASB and the administrative staff for years. As such, this is not a new problem. However, as strange as it may sound, making the rallies mandatory, with its weird schedule and all, would actually encourage student participation, or at least publicize the notion.

First of all, I’ll confess: I walked by the rally with nothing more than a second glance, and in general, I don’t enjoy the rallies, mandatory or not. However, what about the people who do? Having lunch rallies does nothing to cater to these people, mainly because everyone is spending their lunch time, you know, eating lunch.

Beyond that, though, giving the students an option—to go or not to go — essentially

dissuades students from going at all. It’s like when your teacher assigns homework such as studying or reading; the majority of the class will interpret that as having no homework. Similarly, students will come up with other things to do other than go to the rally.

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with that, I suppose, but perhaps some of those students who don’t go are students who would have actually enjoyed the rally.

Maybe participating in rallies ignites a spark in a student, and he or she will never know about it. Granted, I don’t expect some sort of epiphany to happen to every student at a rally, but if the rally can inspire just one person to get involved and be spirited, isn’t that a success?

Giving the students an option isn’t really giving them an option — it’s telling them that they can ignore the rally. Honestly, I don’t know what it will take to get the majority of the student body excited about being a Seahawk, but at the very least, forcing

students to attend the rallies gets the message out there. ASB allowing the rally to be optional was basically a shot in the foot.

I guess the bigger message here is that the student body should be more open— minded. ASB can only do so much to get students pumped, but their efforts are futile considering the general apathy of the student body. Students don’t care, and they don’t want to care. Maybe some people just don’t like the school. Maybe some people feel that they don’t fit in with the ASB, school—spirited crowd. In any case, it seems pretty clear that students are conscientiously ignoring the rallies.

These various factors — between apathetic students and optional attendance spell a recipe for disaster. As such, I believe the rally was a failure. It’s easy to point the finger solely at ASB, but perhaps this is a good time for self—reflection as well. Maybe the rallies aren’t fun because we don’t make them fun.

Photo Editor: Ted Cavus Copy Editors: Micah Ezzes; Carmen Hamm

Online Editors: Romy Moreno; Mylene Silver

Photographers: Syd Alli; Samantha

Bendall; Angel Blanquel; Megan Contreras; Elise DiPaola; Sander Fink; Hiroki Goto; Ilene Guerrero; Anam Khan; Serena Maanum; Austin Nunis; Gisela Pedroza; Justin Pioletti; Faith Petrie; Laua’e Schweitzer; Keiko Shingu; Angie Tait; Nita Villas; Karen Vuong; Ania Webb

Illustrators: Alina Bieschke; Luma Wegman

Staff Writers: Gianna Aquilina; Brittany Baker; Mia Berger; Ben Brill; Reem Chamas; Jasmine Dube; Micah Ezzes; Miriam Farah; Yasamin Fazeli; Jason Fong; Dina Ghanim; Kelly Harraka; Patrick Henry; Kayla Hiken; Shyanne Landers; Gerika Macalino; Eden Millan; Micky Munns; Davina Nguyen; Hayley O’Connor-Rigby; Luke Peterson; Samaya Rubio; Summer Saad; Simrun Ursani; Lulu Wegman; Tyler Wunderli; Kylie Yorke; Erika Zlatkin This is a wholly student-managed, designed, and written newspaper that focuses on school and community events.

Signed commentaries and editorial cartoons represent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist and in no way reflect the opinions of the rest of the staff.

Unfit to be president

Ben Carson’s intolerance is blatantly hypocritical

Yasmeen El-Hasan If a person whose religion contradicts the Constitution shouldn’t be president, then Ben Carson shouldn’t be president.

The Republican candidate for president stated in an interview with “Meet the Press” that he would “absolutely not agree with” a Muslim president. Islam is, according to Carson, “inconsistent with the values and principles of America.”

Many Muslim literalists advocate for some pretty scary stuff. But so do their counterparts in other religions, including Christianity and Judaism. So why are we not applying this principle to them as well?

Carson, a Seventh-day Adventist, said himself that “Adventism believes the entirety of the Bible.”

Does that mean he believes in Deuteronomy 22, which states that if a man rapes a virgin, he must give her father 50 shekels

and marry her? Or any of the other customs unacceptable to modern society?

I doubt it.

But by his logic, people whose religions are based on any of the holy books should be required to make a public statement of disavowal for each controversial statement that they hold — including him.

Americans have been debating the question of whether religion matters for a public officer since before even becoming Americans. Among the debates over the functionality of the Constitution was the argument over religious requirements to serve office.

The framers of the Constitution rejected these views as opposite to one of the main principles upon which the United States was founded: religious liberty.

The American take on government, according to Federalist James Iredell, “set an

example to mankind that a man might be of different religious sentiments from our own without being a bad member of society.”

Carson didn’t seem to get the memo.

As someone who promotes the disenfranchisement of a religious minority in America, he should remember that he himself is part of a religious minority. There are 18 million Seventh-day Adventists in America. There may come a day when Carson and his fellow Adventists are set upon by people holding the same intolerant attitude that he directs against Muslims today.

Article VI, paragraph three of the Constitution reads that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

It seems that it’s Carson whose views are inconsistent with the values and principles of America.

page 6

features

High Tide

Drop and give me public high school

Sophomore Nick Miesse attended military school in eighth-ninth grade

by Samaya Rubio He chose this life. He chose the hard work. He chose to live with his fellow cadets. Sophomore Nick Miesse was enrolled as a cadet in the Army and Naval Academy for eighth and ninth grade.

“It was really different [from public school]. You get to know everyone very well,” Miesse said. “I made really good friends since [the whole school] only had around 300 kids each year.”

Along with the size of the school, Miesse also wore an army uniform to class every day and lived in a dorm with 30 to 40 other boys.

“The atmosphere was much more relaxed while in the room with lower ranking cadets.

We were friends so I’d be lying if I [said] we were robots around each other,” Miesse said.

The curriculum was also very different, according to Miesse. Cadets stood outside and were not allowed to move during the military reviews, tests to show “military strength and discipline.” These required cadets to stand still for one hour and a half periods without moving.

“Many cadets didn’t drink enough water or eat enough food. If you lock your knees it cuts blood circulation and some faint. I fainted during two military reviews, which

was not uncommon. If you did faint, officers in the back took you to the aid station to drink water and lie down,” Miesse said.

According to Miesse, approximately ten cadets dropped out of formation or fainted during the review due to the “hot, itchy, overall uncomfortable” uniform, but staff responded accordingly.

“On cool days it was very easy to go without water, but on the hot days, some platoon sergeants were assigned to bring water from the aid station to their companies,” Miesse said. “The faculty was really awesome, the teachers and the Residential Life Officers Commandant were all very helpful in making cadets as successful as possible.”

While Miesse attended Army and Naval Academy, he had three roommates. According to Miesse, he got along with all of them, and continues to keep in touch.

“It had it’s ups and downs. I had a roommate from China who spoke English poorly, but we were good friends,” Miesse said. “It was frustrating at times. Often we had to try to explain things to each other three to four times before the other found out what we were saying, but we worked with it and made really good friends.”

Miesse believes that military school is not for everyone, but after being influenced by his father he decided to try it out.

“My father wanted me to go because I didn’t like my old school and often had low grades. I wanted to go and didn’t at the same time,” Miesse said. “I thought it would be a good experience and also wanted to try something new, but on the other hand, I was leaving all my friends and everyone else back home and was quite afraid of the idea of a military academy.”

Although he enjoyed his first year at the Army and Naval Academy, the program began to “change for the worst” so he went back to public school.

“If the school was the way it was my first year, then I would want to go back,” Miesse said. “The general retired and we got a new general, and the Commandant was switched, but neither of the new guys led the school. The entire school schedule changed.”

Despite the negative changes, Miesse feels that the Army and Naval Academy was a beneficial experience.

“I see myself as more mature. I learned my limits,” Miesse said. “It’s hard to picture myself before going there.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NICK MIESSE

Atten-hut! Miesse poses in full uniform for

his school picture. “You stand as still as possible; the most we moved during the review was when commanded to change stance,” Miesse said. “Or during the pass and review where the companies march off the Parade line.”

Oct. 2, 2015

features

page 7

Wood worked Sophomore Kolby Holdsworth designs skateboards from recycled wood

by Gianna Aquilina From what would be trash emerges a new creation. From what would be old wood emerges a fresh, new product. Sophomore Kolby Holdsworth shapes creations such as skateboards and handplanes from recycled wood.

Holdsworth shaped his first board when he was home alone one day.

“My parents were gone one day and I was really bored and I found some old skateboards,” Holdsworth said. “I thought I could use the old decks to make a handplane so I started to shape it.”

From that point on, Holdsworth decided to only use recycled wood to make handplanes and skateboards.

“Recycling plays a big role in everything I do. Before I go buy a new surfboard or handplane I think about where everything came from and all the harm it has caused to the environment,” Holdsworth said. “It really does damage nature. Nature is very important to me because it gives us so many resources and materials and I know that we have to give back.”

For Holdsworth, making those first

boards was a learning experience filled with many mistakes.

“I taught myself how to make the boards so they weren’t the best in the beginning. It was really just trial and error until I finally got it,” Holdsworth said.

Holdsworth is almost always working on a new board, and is always looking for some new wood to shape.

“As well as finding recycled wood from random places, I also go to lumber yards and pick some surprisingly good quality resources from the recycled wood there. They have all these different kinds of wood that were found in places where they were going to be wasted. Now we can buy the wood and not waste it,” Holdsworth said.

Among those he finds, Holdsworth’s favorite woods include Douglas Fir and Walnut because they are lighter compared to other woods and are easier to shape.

Holdsworth starts the shaping process by cutting the outline of the board. He then uses a Japanese block planer to curve the sides until they are smooth.

“ T h e shaping process takes a full day, so that is usually what I do on the weekends, or really whenever I have free time,” he said.

After shaping Holdsworth waterproofs the board by applying linseed oil. He prefers linseed oil because it brings out the color in the wood.

“I like the linseed oil because it gives the board a great color and just has this sweet smell to it,” Holdsworth said.

Holdsworth doesn’t mind the time and effort it takes to make the hand planes, simply because he loves to make them.

“I like making boards because it is something that keeps me busy. I love the water and riding the board is really fun and another thing I can do in the water,” he said “Kolby always has a big smile on his face no matter what he is doing. He loves to shape the boards and always has a positive attitude,” junior Frank Volk, Holdsworth’s good friend said.

Spending time with his friends and making his boards is what makes the experience fun for Holdsworth.

“I’m doing it just because One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 1. Holdsworth poses with one of his recently created handI love doing it. I don’t care planes. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELISE DIPAOLA 2. Holdsworth works on designing and shaping a new surfboard of his own deabout making any money. sign. “It’s coming along pretty good,” Holdsworth said. “I’m happy with the design and I think it’s gonna ride pretty good I care about doing what I in the water.” PHOTO COURTESY OF KOLBY HOLDSWORTH love and making sure I’m

1 doing a good job,” he said.

Holdsworth has gotten support from his friends for his hobby ever since he first started.

“I think it’s great that he has found something he enjoys and loves doing. It puts a smile on his face every time he finishes something he has been working on for hours or even days,” Volk said.

Holdsworth, along with working on boards alone, likes to have friends over to help him in making shapes and designs.

“If I have leftover wood, I will usually invite some friends over, and we will just hang out and shape boards all day,” Holdsworth said. “It’s fun because it’s not wasting wood and it’s something people don’t typically do for fun.”

When Holdsworth and his bunch are together making boards, there’s bound to be some memories and good times, he says.

“One of the first things Kolby shaped was a skateboard that he really loved. One day we went on a surf trip to Malibu and we ended up running over it with the car,” Volk said. “Kolby just started laughing, and said it was okay.”

For Holdsworth and friends, it’s all about having a good time and doing what they love.

“I love seeing my friends faces when they are shaping the board and it’s starting to come together. Their entire face will light up and it makes me happy to see them enjoy something that I enjoy doing a lot,” Holdsworth said. “You just can’t beat that feeling.”

page 8

High Tide

features

Swingin’

Oct. 2, 2015

features

T

Along

he room is filled with colorful, twirling skirts, partners improvising to the beat of the live swing music, and people cheerfully watching the dancers take the floor.

Junior Alexandra Hickey and senior Serenity Robb enjoy swing dancing at Rusty’s Rhythm Club. They like being “transported into another era.”

“I have a wonderful time. It’s just so fun to dress up and dance the night away with a bunch of different partners, and I’ve always loved dancing, especially the culture and the aesthetic of swing dancing,” Robb said. “It’s very light and jubilant and you just can’t help but smile.”

According to Hickey, Rusty’s does a great job of creating an environment that replicates the swing era, such as by asking the dancers to put their phones away while they dance.

“One of the band leaders commented that it was so strange to be in an alternate universe where the handheld devices are other people’s hands. It’s just such uplifting music. There’s such cool people, a good, fun, clean environment. It’s also a great exercise. I’m sure anyone can find something they enjoy about the swing era,” Hickey said.

Both Robb and Hickey appreciate the social aspect to swing dancing.

“It’s not as rigorous or structured as other types of dances or dance classes.

Especially with the social dances, it’s great to go out, dress up, and dance with a bunch of different people. You never know what you’re going to get with a new partner,” Robb said. “Every person has different style of dance and it keeps you on your feet because you never know what they’re going to lead you into next.”

Swing dancing has given Robb and Hickey the opportunity to meet interesting people they would have never otherwise met. From dancing with college students to Bill Nye, Robb and Hickey love gaining a new experience each time and seeing the “happy and familiar faces.”

“I’ll keep in touch with some of the regulars I get to know at Rusty’s or the people I met when I went to Camp Hollywood, which was a big swing convention with people gathered from eleven countries around the world,” Hickey said.

Hickey also appreciates the socializing involved with the dances because it helps relieve some of her social anxiety.

Junior Alexandra Hickey and senior Serenity Robb go social swing dancing

by Yasi Fazeli

2

3

5

4

4

1

Getting into the swing of it. 1. Hickey and her partner pose wearing 60’s

style outfits they often wear to go swing dancing. “The fashion is so much fun,” Hickey said. “The dresses spin out so much, and the guys wear slacks and suspenders or big pompadours.” 2 & 3. Hickey’s partner spins her under his arm, completing a basic swing move called an underarm turn. 4. Hickey dances in the Biltmore Hotel while her partner plays the piano. 5. Robb twirls in one of her homemade skirts, which she and her mother sew together. “They’re fun and fast to make, and prove to be excellent to twirl around in,” she said. “When a guy spins me out or I’m dancing a faster paced song, my skirt flows and swishes all around me, and I always feel super light, breezy and fun.”

PHOTOS BY SANDER FINK

page 9

“[Swing dancing] has definitely helped me socially. Before, I was not a social butterfly and I had a lot of social anxiety,” Hickey said. “Swing dancing is so fun and natural and easy and it’s such a cool era with uplifting music. By the nature of swing dancing, it’s very social, so you essentially dance with random people. That helps a lot. I’m not ‘cured’, but it definitely has helped.”

One of Hickey’s favorite things about swing dancing is that it brings back the etiquette of the era.

“The guys lead on and off the dance floor. I think there’s just more common respect for other people and therefore more respect for yourself,” Hickey said.

Though both Hickey and Robb love swing dancing, they differ in their levels of commitment to the dance. Robb tries to dance at Rusty’s or Disneyland whenever she can and feels that it does not interfere with her school work at all.

“It doesn’t take time out of my school work and whenever I go down there I have a great time,” Robb said.

“Swing dancing is just really fun especially when they have themed dances.

My favorite so far was a 60s themed dance we had recently. Just having everyone dressed from that era around you and the live music playing is great.”

Hickey sets swing dancing high on her list of priorities which pushes her to finish her other tasks quickly.

“It definitely is difficult to manage dancing with schoolwork. Sometimes I have to not go, but it’s also a motivator for me to get my stuff done. It’s very important to me because it’s so much fun and beneficial in so many ways,” Hickey said.

Hickey thinks that swing dancing will be a part of her future for a long time.

“I’m planning on studying medicine, so I think in college it will be a big stress reliever. Maybe even at some point between high school and college, I can participate in European swing dancing competitions,” Hickey said.

Robb agrees that she will use her swing dancing skills in the future and that it will be very helpful.

“I’ve been in shows before with swing dancing portions and now that I’m learning more and getting better, if I’m in a show, it’ll be helpful,” Robb said.

“I can definitely see this as something I continue to do in the future especially because some of the people there are in their sixties. I’m getting better and better and just can’t wait to be really good.”

High Tide

page 10

features

Trailblazer

PHOTO COURTESY OF KERRI EASTHAM

The wild, wild east. Eastham begins her 32 mile hike in Red’s Meadow, near Mammoth. “I loved being completely unplugged, that was the greatest part for me,” she said.

Eastham hikes 32 miles of the John Muir Trail

by Zach Hatakeyama For English teacher Kerri Eastham, the swollen ankles from dehydration and sore shoulders from a heavy backpack are just part of the experience.

Over the summer, Eastham hiked a portion of the John Muir Trail in Northern California with a friend from high school and her two sisters-in-law.

“The whole trail is 220 miles, and I did around 32 miles of it. It took us four days to finish, so we were going pretty slowly. We were only doing eight miles a day,” Eastham said.

In order to successfully hike the portion of the trail, Eastham had to train for several months.

“It was amazing and difficult. I hadn’t done a lot of training with weight in my backpack. I had done plenty of hikes but I never put enough weight in my pack. My pack weighed 32 pounds, which actually is pretty light but day after day it starts to weigh down on you when you’re going up and down mountains,” she said. “A lot of it came in trying to prepare not only physically but also logistically. There was a lot of preparation needed to plan just getting to our hikeing spot.”

The John Muir Trail is a long distance trail running through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It recently gained notoriety when “Wild”, a novel written by Cheryl Strayed about her 220 mile journey, hit number one on the New York Times Bestseller list.

“My experience wasn’t anything like [Strayed]’s because she was alone and she was trying to overcome some personal demons. I was having a great time,” Eastham said. “We saw lakes where it was like a mirror. It was so beautiful, if you look at a picture of one of them and turn it upside down, it would look like the same image.”

In addition to planning the logistics of the hike, Eastham also had to plan what went into her backpack, including a sleeping bag, a water filter, a rain jacket, first aid, topographical maps, her phone as a camera, and a bear container.

“Hikers pay attention to how much everything weighs. The lighter the equipment is, the more expensive it is so you’re faced with a cost versus weight issue. I weighed everything and chose deliberately what went into my bag,” Eastham said.

Out of everything in her pack, Eastham believes that the bear container was most important due to the chance of an attack.

“You set up your tent and you have to set up your kitchen 50 yards away just so if you spill something, it’s away from your tent.

One night I spilled an entire pack of seasoning on my clothes, so I had to change and leave the clothes with the food,” Eastham said.

Despite the fear of bear attacks, Eastham felt safe during her hike.

“You talk to people about doing this and they say ‘it’s so scary, I would never do that,’ but I didn’t feel scared at all. I was chicken to leave my tent at night but I didn’t feel scared during the day at all,” she said.

Although she enjoyed her time on the trip, Eastham still faced some challenges.

“As far as the group dynamic, it was interesting because you have to spread out a little bit for safety reasons, but especially for women you want to be able to see each other,” she said. “[Some of] the hardest obstacles I faced were probably clearing mountain passes and not being able to stop when my blisters were hurting.”

Amy Bornkamp, a friend of Eastham who experienced the trail with the group faced challenges as well.

“The hardest obstacle I faced was the change in altitude. I live in Chicago which is listed at 589 feet above sea level. We started our hike at 7,500 feet,” Bornkamp said.

“There was a lot of up and down sections to the trail each day so I found myself routinely out of breath. As the days passed, I learned how my body would react to the ups and downs and could better pace myself for the full day of hiking.”

Despite the obstacles, Bornkamp enjoyed hiking the trail with Eastham.

“The greatest part of the trail was the sheer beauty of the high sierra wilderness and that I could experience it with one of my best friends, Mrs. Eastham. I have trav-

eled to some amazing places all around the world, but nothing could compare to spending the week outdoors and carrying everything you needed for the adventure with you on your back,” Bornkamp said.

At the end of her trip, Eastham stopped at a hikers resort: a “haven” for hikers along the way.

“The last night we stopped at a hiker’s resort, meaning they had hot food and showers. Suddenly that becomes exciting because we ate dehydrated food the entire time and rolled in looking like death,” Eastham said.

While on the trail, Eastham learned about the other hikers along the way.

“There’s a real sense of community.” she said. “At the resort they make a big bonfire with all backpackers. We sat down and talked about the crazy stories and everything they saw. It’s cool because everyone is swapping stories. There were a group of three teenagers there who had just graduated high school and they were doing the whole thing themselves at eighteen. It was really fun to talk to them because I had so much respect for what they were doing.”

“I have decided to hike the entire trail but in sections. This summer I am going to hike into Yosemite and my daughter wants to join.

I kind of thought my husband would shut that down right away but he said he trusted me and that was a great message,” she said.

“Immediately after the hike, I already started talking about the trip with the people I went on it with about what we could do the next time and what we could do differently.”

Oct. 2, 2015

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features

How to save a life

Hamada and Bird compete for Redondo Beach lifeguard positions

by Lizzie Fauver He clears his mind of everything, focused only on his pace and his stroke, trying not to think about everyone around him. He ignores the advice to sprint to the first buoy, but trusts himself to swim at a steadier pace. As he approaches the buoy, his stomach begins to ache, but he pushes aside any thoughts of the pain as he continues to swim. Despite the agony, it is the distance alone that poses a challenge. Finally, he reaches the end, and he finds out he finished 18th out of 200.

“I was pretty pumped when I got my popsicle stick and it said 18. Seeing that everybody else placed so well and made it really gave me a sense of relief,” senior Sean Hamada said.

Training since August, Hamada recently tried out to become a Redondo Beach lifeguard, for which he had to compete in a mile swim and go through an interview process.

“The tryout was not as bad as people hyped it up to be. I knew I was very well prepared in both the swim and interview aspect thanks to all my years as a Junior Guard (JG) and the two as a Cadet,” Hamada said.

Along with Hamada, senior Blaze Bird also took part in the tryouts.

“I was not very nervous until we left the staging area and walked the mile down the beach to the starting line,” Bird said. “Once we hit the water, all of my nerves were amplified ten times. I used positive self talk to push myself faster than I thought I could go.”

Although both boys felt “well-prepared,” Hamada was still anxious going into the tryout.

“The night before, I couldn’t fall asleep until midnight and on the morning of, there were a million thoughts rushing through my

PHOTO COURTESY OF SEAN HAMADA

Halfway there. Hamada and Joaquin Vargas celebrate getting a step closer to becoming lifegaurds.

head. When I got to Dockweiler State Beach, it really hit me,” Hamada said.

When he first saw the other 200 swimmers, what stood out to Hamada most was the majority of adults also trying out.

“What really intimidated me was the thought of going up against adults that were five, ten years older than me, many of

whom were college swimmers and water polo players,” Hamada said.

Unlike Hamada, Bird believes the most surprising thing was not, if fact, the physical aspect of the tryout.

“It was actually more of a mental competition for me,” Bird said. “I had been mentally preparing for something a lot worse than it

actually was.”

Despite his apprehension going into the tryout, finishing 18th in the mile long swim eased Hamada’s nerves.

“I was ecstatic not only that I made the top 70, but that I also performed so well.

Eighteenth place was nothing to be mad about,” Hamada said. “It really boosted my confidence going into the interview, so I was really happy.”

The first 70 swimmers went to the interviews.

“I expected that they were gonna take at least 90 people for interviews but instead, they only took the top 70. Once I got into the groove of things, I realized the swim wasn’t that hard,” Hamada said.

According to Bird, the key to being one of the top swimmers was maintaining positive self- reinforcement throughout the race.

“Throughout the entire race, I was focusing on pushing myself as hard as possible to come in the top 65 and get a popsicle stick,” Bird said.

Hamada swam the course weekly and went to the beach every day after school preparing for the swim to succeed.

“I knew that with my performance on the swim and as long as my interview was solid, I was probably going to get in,” Hamada said.

“Also, I know that being a cadet really boosts me because it represents years of experience in ocean lifesaving.”

For Hamada, being a lifeguard will be an enjoyable hobby and benefit him as a person at the same time.

“I think that it will show me how to be a more compassionate and aware person,” Hamada said. It’ll help me prioritize things and teach me to stay more alert.”

Radding brings Speech and Debate to RUHS

by Jason Fong

As she heard her speech flow freely, then freshman, now sophomore Angel Radding felt as if she had already graduated and reached the top of the business world.

“Right after my speech, it really felt like I had accomplished something important. I was really proud that I’d spoken well. It felt like the first step in my life towards becoming an adult. Wearing a suit and discussing issues professionally made me feel like I had made a career for myself,” Radding said.

Last year, Radding was a member of Arroyo High School’s Speech and Debate team, ranked ninth nationally. This year, she started a speech and debate team at RUHS. “In debate, you basically get to argue your own points and opinions on current events,” Radding said.

According to Radding, being involved

with the Speech and Debate program has helped he prepare for college.

“It prepares you for a lot of different careers. It builds the ability to express yourself in front of other people in college. Developing this skill takes time. It’s really a process that you have to work at,” Radding said.

Spending hours memorizing speeches and working with her teammates, Radding grew close with her teammates.

“You develop a family bond with these people. After spending hours after competitions and in long bus rides together, your teammates become your best friends, who you share everything with. And for us, that bond doesn’t break when members leave for college. That’s what we’re trying to build here at Redondo,” Radding said Speech and Debate also provides a wel-

come distraction from Raddling’s life.

“Speech and debate became my escape from the world. It felt like I had a family away from home. I could create a new world while I was acting and really make the script come to life,” Radding said.

In addition to the sense of camaraderie, the biggest draw of Speech and Debate for Radding was the opportunity it gave her to speak her mind, which she hopes to provide for students.

“You really get to use your own voice. It was a safe place for me to express my weird, quirky side and be rewarded for it. High schoolers are very limited in the ways that we can voice our own opinions, so Speech and Debate gives us a place to do that. You’re almost forced to voice your own opinions on an issue, not someone else’s that you’ve

copied or have been told,” Radding said.

Club President and senior Luke Lezhansky, who mainly “provides opportunities for the team to develop their oratory skills”, agreed with Radding, stating that the main value of the club was in the ability that it gives students to freely express themselves.

“For me, debate is more than just a club.

It’s an art form that gives everyone the skills and confidence to go through life speaking up for their personal beliefs and defending the values that they hold dear. It teaches students how to construct valid arguments and can give them the personal strength to convey them to an audience,” Lezhansky said.

For more information on Redondo’s new Speech and Debate program led by Radding, visit room 702 on Tuesdays.

page 12

Power play Boys water polo hopes to continue being strong competitors throughout the season

High Tide

sports

1

by Justin Pioletti With the season now in full motion, the boys beat Peninsula 11-9, setting the stage for Bay League finals.

“I’d say we’ve done well,” freshman Alex Wrightsman said. “From what I’ve heard about the team last year, we’re in a much better position than they were.”

Because the team has been a strong competitor early in the season there is a lot of pressure to continue their winning streak.

“When we first began in the season, our team did way better than we thought we would, so we set the bar high for ourselves,” Wrightsman said.

Instead of cracking under the pressure, the boys plan on using it as their driving motivation.

“The pressure Coach Murin puts on us inspires us to get better and do what we can in order to play,” junior Ikaika Napohaku said. ”That just comes out of a great coach and somebody who will make sacrifices for the best of the team.”

According to Napohaku, the team’s motivation is on account of the tactics which

PHOTOS BY LLENE GUERRERO

2 Pool Party. 1. Senior Spencer Malon-White

blocks a shot against Peninsula. 2. Senior Mikey Montelongo makes a pass to his teammate in the game against Penninsula. 3. Senior Mikey Montelongo maintains possesion against two Penninsula defenders.

3 Murin has reinforced.

“Considering Murin is a second-year coach, he’s got the program running up a lot better than the previous coach had,” Napohaku said. “He’s really good at keeping us on our toes. I think he’s made each game a much more mental preparation, which I really like.”

Despite these advances, the team feels that the match against Peninsula revealed that they still need to improve.

“We just need to improve on overall awareness,“ Napohaku said, ”If a teammate’s going to make a play, it’s important they act quickly rather than holding the ball for 20

seconds and wasting time.”

Wrightsman has similar thoughts.

“On offense, we still don’t know what our teammates are doing. If we run a play, and someone isn’t paying attention, they will most likely mess up,” Wrightsman said, “This is entirely due to the fact that the team needs to work on field awareness.”

The boys are preparing for the upcoming game against Palos Verdes. According to Napohaku, the match is a determining factor for whether the team brings home the gold.

“We’ve been going over plays to get the most use out of them and know when and

how to use them in different situations,” Napohaku said.

Despite the challenges the team endures, Wrightsman believes their confidence perseveres, and they face each game with total determination.

“Last year, it seemed like the team was just a group of random players in the water, and even though they were good, the connection wasn’t enough to win Bay League or get into CIF” Wrightsman said. “This year, it’s obvious that there is a common team desire and perseverance, and that alone can get us to dominate Palos Verdes and hopefully Mira Costa.”

Kings of the court Boys beach volleyball gets ready for a tournament this weekend

by Mylene Silver The undefeated boys beach volleyball team trounced one of their main Bay League rivals, Palos Verdes, last Saturday with a score of 21-17 and 21-15.

“It felt amazing. [Palos Verdes] has great talent and it felt great to sweep them,” senior Lucas Lossone said.

According to Lossone, communicating with teammates and paying attention to their opponent’s movements during matches is pivotal.

“Beach volleyball is a physically and men-

tally demanding sport, so communication with my teammates is crucial. My partner Logan Glave and I can practically read each other’s minds during matches; knowing exactly where we both will be certain times in certain plays,” Lossone said.

Glave, a junior, has no doubt that the team is prepared to take on and beat Mira Costa and Notre Dame at Dockweiler State Beach this weekend.

However, continuous practice is only part of the strategy to succeed in tourna-

ments and ensure the best performance possible.

“Always resting and conserving energy is also a great strategy. Playing smart and predicting what your opponent will do next is crucial,” Lossone said.

Notre Dame and Mira Costa are two teams they have been studying the strategies of and are optimistic about beating.

“We played them a couple weeks ago, so we know what their tendencies are. I believe that we can beat them using the same

strategy,” Glave said.

Lossone believes that RUHS has a strong chance of placing second behind Mira Costa.

The team will be missing three starters this match due to SAT testing.

“Missing three players will effect the team drastically, but our backup squad can step it up and fill in for our missing players. I am confident that we will have a chance of placing in the tournament,” Lossone said.

Lossone’s confidence in the team grows as the playoffs draw near.

Oct. 2, 2015

sports

Killin’ it

page 13

Girls’ volleyball prepares for the Nike tournament this weekend

by Davina Nguyen This upcoming weekend the girls’ volleyball team will be in Phoenix, Arizona participating in the 2015 NIKE Tournament of Champions, which will be their first nationwide tournament since the Iolani Tournament in Hawaii over the summer.

“I think our team will do well, there’s going to be good competition and we haven’t had a challenging game so far since the Hawaii tournament, and we’ve been practicing hard and getting better so we should do quite well in this tournament, if not at least make it to the finals,” senior Norene Iosia said.

Acknowledging that the team hasn’t been playing such “competitive schools” since the academic year has began, senior Kacey Baker believes the girls have expressed excitement over the upcoming matches.

“It’s been a long time since we had good competition that we’re ready to embrace any competition that comes our way,” senior Liana Marin said. “It takes just as much focus to play an easy team as it does to play a harder team so being put in that situation is always a test of our discipline and mental toughness.”

Iosia also feels that the easier games they have played so far have increased theircon-

fidence and ball control.

“I have a lot of confidence in us because even when we play other opponents and don’t know what they’re capable of, we just stick to the game plan and try to pull through,” she said. “The plan is having good ball control, serving the areas that coach Chaffins wants, and just having the hitters put the ball away.”

The recent injury of a major offensive player, freshman Kyla Doig, has raised the question of whether the team can sustain their consistency.

“We just have to push ourselves and see if we can play with the same competitiveness without her,” Baker said.

Iosia agrees that in order to win the team needs to rely on the other middles.

“Our other two middles have been working hard so I don’t think our rhythm and spirit will be thrown off,” Iosia said.

Despite this obstacle, the team continues to be self assured that the outcome of the tournament will end up victorious.

“All we have to do for the tournament is to just be confident. I think when we have it we play out of our minds,” Iosia said. “And so I think if we’re confident, we can’t be stopped, and we will definitely be having fun.”

1

Just hit it!

PHOTOS BY KAREN VUONG

1. Senior Norene Iosia spikes the ball against Marymount. The girls are hoping to be strong competitors at the tournament.

Girls tennis struggles against Peninsula

by Angie Tait

PHOTO BY LAUE’AE SCHWEITEZER

Ace. Senior Alyssa Grijalva hits a forehand in her singles match against Penninsula.

With no games lost so far this season, the girls’ are preparing for more difficult matches, including multiple Bay League matches this upcoming week.

The girls had an 18-0 sweep against South Torrance on Tuesday, and lost 8-10 to Peninsula on Thursday.

With the loss against Peninsula breaking their undefeated record, the team will continue to work on the weaknesses they have come to terms with throughout this season.

“We can definitely work on strengthening our doubles teams. We already have great players, but we just aren’t that connected with each other yet,” senior Emily Zargham said.

Coach Jessica Seibert had similar thoughts.

“With the teams in our league that we’re about to face, they have a lot of power, and a lot of strategy behind them. We’re trying to work on being more aggressive against them... because that’s where we’re going to

win matches,” Seibert said.

Teammates had similar thoughts, agreeing that the girls could all work on their movement and offense.

“Our players haven’t really grasped the concept that you can move up to the net, we don’t want them to fear the ball; the ball should fear us,” senior Alyssa Grijalva said.

The team has been very confident in their working together to improve, both on and off of the court.

“I see an improvement just as the doubles teams become a little more meshed together. They’re learning to gel together; they’re learning to work together as a team rather than being individuals, and I think that always helps doubles strategy,” Seibert said.

On top of doubles development, Zargham sees “strong potential” in the team when they are fully concentrated on the game and give thier full effort.

“When the team is focused, they play extremely well,” Zargham said, “I think the en-

tire team really knows how to close off the matches.”

According to Seibert, the team has also been “incredibly supportive,” considering the number of girls.

“It’s very rare to get a team of 16 girls, and have that many girls together that don’t have any issues. They’re here to cheer each other on and help each other get better, and there’s no attitude; there’s nothing that’s holding them back from getting better,” Seibert said.

With the first full week of October filling their game schedule, the girls see the Monday match against North Torrance as an easy “practice match.”

“We don’t expect [North Torrance] to be that tough of a match. That’s something that I scheduled to really work on as a warm-up for us. Getting to the week, we have some league matches, so North is more of a game to get us into that match mentality,” Seibert said.

page 14

High Tide

sports

Tee time

Athlete of the Issue: Taylor Beaudoin

Girls Golf plays in Burbank tourney

by Mia Berger

Twinning. Senior twin sisters

The last stretch

Taylor Beaudoin (right) and Nicole Beaudoin (left) climb an early hill at the Woodbridge Invitational on Sept. 19.

PHOTO BY ELISE DIPAOLA

Taylor Beaudoin reflects on her four years running track and cross country with her sister

by Amanda Shaw “1...2...3...4…,” Senior Taylor Beaudoin counts in her head as she rounds the curve of the track to begin the third and final mile of the race, surrounded by her teammates and filled with desire to finish first.

“As you go along you find different techniques while you’re running, whether it’s lowering your hands or swinging your arms more. Physically, you can get in shape and you can run, and anybody could do that. But I think the mental aspect is the hardest part,” Taylor said. “There are mental tricks you figure out. For me, singing in my head helps or counting. I count up to 60 and then I start over. I always think of it as minutes, and I try counting slower than a minute so that once a minute does go by by my counting, it’s been longer than a minute.”

Before a race, Taylor adopts a completely different demeanor.

“Taylor’s a very outgoing person, but before a race she gets a lot more serious. She’s more focused. After the race, she’s wild again, a crazy person,” Taylor’s sister, Senior Nicole Beaudoin said.

Although Taylor is very serious about her running and doing well in races, she and her

teammates always find ways to have fun amidst the hard work.

“She and Anevay used to do this prerace dance. They looked like complete idiots when they did it, not going to lie, but it was really funny. They did it in front of everyone on the starting line,” Nicole said.

Taylor feels that getting closer as a team greatly improves race results because each individual is more “inspired” to work hard for their teammates. Cross country will sometimes spends months preparing for certain meets.

“Every week, we do workouts and our long runs to prepare for a race, but the day of the race, we just eat a good breakfast, and the night before get a good night’s sleep, that kind of stuff. The day before we only run three miles to freshen up our legs,” Taylor said. “Before races I don’t like eating a lot because I get nervous. I do oatmeal in the morning and a banana. After a race, I eat everything. We do this one meet, and it goes super late at night and we all get back at 12 so we go out to Denny’s and get all you can eat pancakes.”

Beginning cross country as a way to stay

in shape for soccer, Nicole and Taylor have been running partners since freshman year, and Taylor feels that running with her sister “pushes her to become a better runner.”

“I’ve seen her get a lot more confident.

Freshman year you’re just thrown into everything, and it’s really overwhelming. Now she’s a lot more confident. She’s a really great leader with everyone on the team,” Nicole said.

As a senior, this will be Taylor’s last year running high school track or cross country, although she reflects fondly on her individual and team achievements within the past few years.

“At the end of every season you look back and you’re pretty proud of how far you’ve all come as a team. My favorite memory would be back at the state meets we went to the past couple of years. Those have always been extremely fun and a great accomplishment to make it that far,” Taylor said.

Taylor hopes to still be able to run competitively in the future.

“I definitely want to stick with running at least through college and see where it goes from there.”

Moving on to their second tournament of the season, selected players from the girls golf team played at the Burbank tournament yesterday.

“It definitely was more competitive. Most of the time these games are individual so it’s all or nothing,” senior Carlin Liang said.

Four varsity girls participated in the tournament: Liang, with a score of 51; Marie-Victoria Baker, with a score of 52; Corliss Liang, with a score of 58; and in her first varsity tournament, Samaya Rubio, with a score of 65.

“I just want [Samaya] to play to the best of her ability. I usually tell people is if you make a mistake or have a bad ball, it isn’t going to be what you expected. So it’s easy to become frustrated, but when we’re frustrated it affects everything including our game,” Liang said.

On Tuesday Oct. 6, the team will play a league game against Palos Verdes.

“I’ve only played with [PV] maybe twice because our league changes all the time, so we don’t have any real relationship with them,” Liang said.

Even though Redondo is not familiar with PV, the team remains realistic about the match.

“We are in a really hard league, way harder than any other league. PV is usually pretty good,” said coach John Burke.

Liang had similar thoughts.

“They share the same course as Peninsula and it is the most challenging course in our league. It’s the second time around in our league so I’m really looking for us to improve our scores. I’m not looking for a win, I just hope that we do better than last time now that our team knows how the course goes,” Liang said.

Before the game last Tuesday on Sept. 24, the new varsity players had never played on the PV Country Club course as it is at a private club.

“We play PV and Peninsula at the PV private course. The girls are not allowed to go there and practice so the only time they play there are the matches twice a year,” Burke said.

The team is not focused on winning as much as they are focused on helping the new varsity players improve their game.

“We lost 7 senior girls and moved four girls up from the JV that are only sophomores and a junior, so this is a building year,” said Burke. “ I will say that it’s a really nice group of girls this year. I like it alot.”

Oct. 2, 2015

sports

First down

Redondo focuses on rivalries after suffering their first loss this season to Mission Viejo

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3 PHOTOS BY TED CAVUS AND MATT YONEMURA

Down but not out. 1. Senior Warren Jackson completes a 15-yard catch to give Redondo their

first touchdown to tie the game 7-7 in the first quarter. 2.Sophomore runningback Jermar Jefferson makes a run to the outside for a 7-yard run and a new set of downs while shedding a Mission Viejo linebacker. 3. Senior Jerone Jackson and junior Daniel Zimmerman wrap up the Mission Viejo running back for a 5-yard loss on the play.

by Romy Moreno With their first loss this season now behind them, the boys unanimously agree that a bye week is exactly what they need. “[This bye week] will give us a good break physically so we can recover from minor injuries and give us time to focus mentally on our assignments,” junior Warren Jackson said. “When we come back we’ll be ready to get back on the field fresh and eager.”

Head coach Matt Ballard has similar thoughts.

“It’s always good to have a rest after a long five weeks,” Ballard said. “Mission Viejo is a physical team so it’s good to be able to get healed and rested and regroup a little bit.”

After this week, the team will face off against Inglewood high school on Oct. 9 for their Bay League opener.

“It should be a good game. I think we’ll come out strong, especially because we played very well against them last year and this year we have an even stronger team with more returners,” senior Jay Jackson said. “Our running and passing game is better because we have a stronger receiver group and a quarterback who will be able to get the ball to them, which should really help us out.”

Ballard believes that the team has to continue their preparations after the bye week ends. “[Inglewood’s] record isn’t great, but you don’t take anything for granted in high school football. As a team we just have to prepare and focus on what we do, especially for the next three weeks, and to make sure that we are on point and we consolidate what we do well,” Ballard said. “We want to make sure that we have a concise offensive identity and a balanced running attack while spreading the ball around to our playmakers.”

According to the boys, their biggest competition will come later in the season against Palos Verdes and Mira Costa, who are said to “both have well rounded teams, with quality coaches and solid lineman.”

“Both are good teams and have a good football history,” senior Jacob Silvera said.

“It seems like one of these schools always comes out as Bay League champs so we are going to have to work hard and play great to beat both of these teams.”

One aspect the team mentioned that they need to work hard on is their effort on a day-to-day basis.

“I think we get lazy at practice sometimes and don’t give a full effort and that shows in games,” Silvera said. “If we give that full effort in practice, the games just take care of themselves and become easier because of how good our coaches are and how athletic we are.”

The team also agrees that their last game against Mission Viejo has taught them a lot for these upcoming league games.

“We didn’t capitalize on a few good opportunities, then fatigue hit us, and since a

page 15 lot of our players do play both ways it was a matter of attrition by third and fourth quarter,” Ballard said. “Offensively, the line struggled, but they’ve been doing well and our skill players have been making the big plays. We just need to get the ball out to them more often and mix it up by spreading the ball around into more guys’ hands and letting them play in the space giving them the opportunity to make plays.”

A key component the boys plan to focus on is their offensive game in preparation for their “challenging” games against PV and Costa.

“PV is always a good team, they have a great coach who gets them to play really hard and tackle greatly,” Silvera said. “They haven’t lost bay league for about four years and winning CIF last year gives them momentum into this season.”

According to Ballard, “Palos Verdes is a downhill running team and they’re going to try to do just that; run us over and control the ball.”

“We always come short to PV and last year they were able to outsmart us,” Jay said. “But now we’re going to make sure that we’re prepared for everything by studying more film and watching previous games.”

The team also believes that Costa will be just as much of a challenge as PV. “Costa has a lot of kids on the team which is an advantage because it gives them depth, and they also have a pretty good amount of size,” Silvera said.

In addition to their depth, “they have a powerful quarterback who is also going to be a physical kid,” according to Ballard.

“Rotating in more and having more control of the ball on offense longer will definitely help our game,” Ballard said. “Conditioning and making sure that our second strings can do as good a job or as close to as good of a job as our first strings is important.”

Aside from their offensive game, the players unanimously agree that with the “excellent” performances their defense has been displaying, they have a great chance at defeating both of these teams.

“Our defense has been making solid plays and we have great tacklers,” Ballard said.

Silvera has similar beliefs.

“I think our defense has been amazing through the season so far. They play hard, make plays, and hit hard. At times they kind of carry us,” Silvera said.

Overall the boys are striving to “redeem” themselves throughout the remainder of the season.

“Now we know what losing feels like; the feeling that we let our school down, that we didn’t work hard enough and it’s something we do not want to feel again,” Jackson said.

The boys hope that those feelings will not resurface during the course of their season and have an idea on what they have to do in order to make that happen.

“If we work hard and listen to our coaches it will all take care of itself and turn out how we want it to in the end,” Silvera said.

page 16

High Tide

news

Carson’s comments on Muslims angers students

Land of opportunity. Republican

PHOTO BY ALLEN J. SCHABEN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

by Reema Saad On Sept. 20, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he does not believe Islam is consistent with the Constitution and therefore would not advocate for a Muslim president.

His comments angered many of the three million American Muslims, including students at RUHS. The following Monday evening, Carson told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that he would support a Muslim presidential candidate under one condition: he or she denounces the Islamic tenets. Islam includes following the principles of Sharia law, the legal system derived from the Quran and Hadith.

“If someone has a Muslim background and they’re willing to reject those tenets and to accept the way of life that we have and clearly will swear to place our Constitution above their religion ... I would then be quite willing to support them,” Carson said.

One criticism of Carson’s remarks came from Huma Abedin, an aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Abedin, a Muslim herself, took to Twitter in backlash where she stated: “You can be a proud American, a proud Muslim, and still proudly serve this great country. Pride versus prejudice.”

After hearing about the controversy, junior Yoseph Ghazal, an American Muslim, shared his beliefs.

“Everyone knows what Sharia law is, but they don’t know what’s actually in it. All

they hear is cutting off hands and things like that. The president doesn’t have the power to change the law in the first place,” Ghazal said. “Even in Islam it says you must abide by the nation’s law that you’re living in anyway, so you can’t force Sharia law.”

In terms of Islamic faith, Ghazal said that an American Muslim can believe in both the Constitution and Sharia law without renouncing his or her faith. A Muslim can abide by a non-Muslim country’s laws without breaking Sharia law. Ghazal explained that the purpose of Sharia law is to ensure orderly conduct in public and should not be seen simply as “cutting off hands.”

“The president can’t enforce [Sharia law] here, so I don’t know why people are scared it’s going to happen. What people don’t know about Sharia law is that you need four witnesses before you can accuse someone of breaking a law,” Ghazal said.

Alongside Ghazal, junior Dina Ghanim believes it is not likely that a Muslim president would use ideas of Sharia law to jeopardize values of the Constitution.

“I think it was very ignorant to think that America would drastically change with a Muslim president. There are misconceptions about Sharia law and misconceptions about violence and how we’ll start killing people in the streets. It’s not gonna happen,” Ghanim said.

According to Ghazal, citizens are forgetting that one of the ideas the U.S. was built

on is separation of church and state. Faith should not be a factor in voting for an effective president, she says.

“This is more of a secularized society and I don’t think that religion should have to do with who the president should be; it should be his policies. A good president should be able to think about what the American people want, not his own personal interests,” Ghazal said.

Junior Lana Momani urges Americans to become educated on Islam before creating prejudices about the religion or its followers.

“I think that it’s a really dumb comment to make. Just because one leader is Muslim doesn’t mean they can counteract anything in the Constitution, and it does not mean they’re radical,” Momani said. “They should be asking questions out of curiosity instead of assuming things.”

Ghazal believes media has the power to take Carson’s message to influence the opinion of other Americans.

“The media doesn’t show anything good.

They only show what’s bad. What people are really interested in is the bad. It can be used to spread lies and propaganda about us too.

No one actually cares to research about what’s good about [Islam],” Ghazal said.

“What those people don’t understand is terrorist organizations aren’t following the real Islam.”

Along with the media, Ghanim believes

presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks to supporters at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. During an interview with “Meet the Press”, he stated that he would “absolutely not agree with” a Muslim president. “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” he said. “Congress is a different story, but it depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are, just like it depends on what anybody else is.”

Carson making these comments acts as a voice for people who support him for his opinion. Carson gained $1 million dollars in donations within 24 hours after making claims about electing a Muslim president (cnn.com).

“I think it’s stupid that whenever someone says something like this they only gain popularity,” Ghanim said. “It scares me a lot because it tells me that these are the things people are not willing to say. People in power are saying it for them, and they’re reacting positively to them.”

Another aspect that was “shocking” to Ghanim is the idea that Carson belongs to a minority group himself.

“Decades ago, people were saying the same thing about black people but then, Obama was elected. Someone from a minority group comes out and says the same thing about Muslims, another minority group. It was totally ignorant,” Ghanim said.

According to Ghanim, electing a Muslim president would have more positive results than negative.

“It would be good in that it would bring a lot of representation to minority groups because Muslims are not only Arab,” Ghanim said. “There would be so many eased tensions in the Middle East; we could form better friendships with the Middle East and avoid some huge wars and issues. Islam promotes peace, so there would be more peace.”