High Tide: Feb. 16, 2017

HIGH TIDE

Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA February 16, 2017 Vol. XCVII Edition 10

Completing the puzzle Picking up the pieces.

“Americans are just like normal people, after all. My dad’s an engineer and my mom’s a doctor, and they both contribute to society and are no different than a normal person,” Hayati said. “I think they make up the whole point of American and making up its morals of giving everyone an equal opportunity.” ILLUSTRATION BY ADRIAN CRACIUN

Inside:

pg. 2

pg. 9

Maddie Brooks and her friends hold an art and film show to showcase their own artwork

Jens Brandt has lived in many foreign countries throughout his life

pgs. 12 & 13 Students with families in Iran and Syria can no longer see them due to the “Muslim Ban”

page 2

news

High Tide

Bring the ruckess.

1. Senior Milad Goodarzi makes a run during a game.

After a video of one of their games got posted online, Ahmed was able to get enough students to form a team, coached by his father.

2. The boys hope to go for the SoCal Sate Champs, looking to work their hardest in training in order to score a victory over Mira Costa.

PHOTOS BY JARRAH MAY

1.

Ruck ‘n’ roll

Ahmad organizes new official rugby team

by Lauren Kim RUHS now has an official rugby team thanks to the efforts of captain Shuaib Ahmad, junior. Previously, a student’s uncle coached rugby, but when the student graduated, the coach also left and “the sport died in the school.”

Ahmad has been playing rugby since a young age due to his dad’s love for the sport.

“My dad is from Fiji and rugby is the national sport. When he moved here there was nowhere for him to play. One day he just introduced me to it, so I’ve been playing since I was eight years old,” Ahmad said. “Ever since then, rugby has been a part of my life.”

Ahmad and his father decided to make the rugby team here because of its rising popularity.

“We want to the get the team going because it’s the fastest growing sport in America, along with lacrosse. So we wanted to get a team at Redondo since it’s such a big school,” Ahmad said.

Despite the popularity, finding players for the team was somewhat difficult for Ahmad.

“The team from Redondo has been built ground up. It was kind of a struggle. On the

first day, we started off with a whole bunch of freshmen. I used to play football, so I know most of the guys on the team so I’ve been talking to them trying to get them out,” Ahmad said.

However, according to Ahmad, more people wanted to join after one of their games was put online.

“We had one game up on YouTube and after that everyone started watching and they were like ‘woah you can play rugby’ and ‘I want to play’ so we got a bunch of guys to join,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad says that he did not decide to take initiative to start the team until recently for various timing reasons.

“My dad did not really think of the idea before because he was busy, but now he has time to come out and coach the team,” Ahmad said. “My dad, Coach Duke Dulgarian, the coach from Costa, and Paul Breen, who was the coach at St. John Bosco, pitched a plan maybe last year but it didn’t really come into hand until this year.”

Shah, Ahmad’s father and the coach of the rugby team, says that the school was not

very helpful when he and his son were trying to start the team.

“We’ve been approaching the school for the past three years and this is the first year they’ve let us do it,” Shah said. “We just need more involvement, more involvement; from the school in particular. This year the school was not very cooperative. We should have made announcements earlier than just a week before the start of the program, it would have helped to get more players. “ Ahmad also plays club rugby on the team LA Rugby and believes that the differences between club and high school are almost nonexistent.

“There’s no difference really, they’re both really competitive, it’s just that I guess you could say club is open to more colleges because more coaches are looking through club,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad has high aspirations for the team next year and hopes to beat rival Mira Costa.

“Next year the team will be bigger and

2.

better. We’re hoping to go for the SoCal State Champs, mainly because Mira Costa is the reigning SoCal State Champs, and next year their team will not be as good as it has been,” Ahmad said. “Most of the guys that play at LA Rugby are at Costa, ere we only have three or four players and had to teach everyone else from scratch.”

Shah believes that rugby is much more than just a game.

“Rugby is not just about going and playing. It’s a sport where it builds character, it build comradery amongst players, amongst teams, and other teams,” Shah said. “So you’re able to make friends for life. So we’re not there just to teach them to just play the game, but we teach them to be a complete person.”

Feb. 16, 2017

page 3

news

District reaps benefits of the past installation of solar panels

by Grace McGonigle As RUHS’s solar panels pass the end of their second year of use, the financial and environmental impact have been very beneficial.

“I think it’s incredible how much we’ve saved, but what I would say is equally amazing, is what we’ve done in terms of the environment. So many times, especially in the finance arena, what we’re looking at is what we have done financially, but also there’s the value of the equivalent of how many cars we’ve taken off the road and our carbon reduction has had on the overall environment.

It makes you sort of wonder, ‘what if everyone did this?,’” Assistant Superintendent of Business Janet Redella said.

Construction on the panels began in April 2015, but took about a year to be brought completely online.

“We began construction early in 2015, so one by one the schools were brought up to speed. Once they were fully commissioned,

everything had to be fully operating, but when you first bring the panels online, it takes a while to get everything properly sequenced,” Redella said.

During their first year of use, the solar panels saved around $881,000, but have now saved around $1,600,000.

“Not all the panels were fully operational, so I believe that’s why savings were so high.

The following year, we reached $706,000 and that was a fully operational twelve months,” Redella said.

However, the initial cost for the solar panels was approximately $8,000,000, so it will take a few years to save up an equivalent to the cost.

“We did get some money back from the state under proposition 39 that we took advantage of, so we saved 1.6 million and we’re projected to continue that $700,000 savings for the next few years,” Redella said.

Another positive effect of the solar pan-

els, as stated by Johnbee Buencamino, Asset Manager of Partners For Many Generations, is its multiple uses.

“When you install it, solar panels can have a dual purpose. If you have a windmill, I think the purpose of the windmill is to generate clean electricity, and it does that, but a solar project can generate clean energy and can also be a carport or shade structure depending on which way you set it up,” Buencamino said.

The panels have also greatly reduced the school’s carbon footprint and done the equivalent of taking over 1,000 cars off the road.

“Our carbon offset since we put up the panels has been 47,598 pounds of carbon.

That’s the equivalent of taking 1,659 cars off the road, or powering 1,084 houses, and that’s amazing, but to me that’s a statistic. I really enjoy going out and seeing what that’s done to the environment, ” Redella said.

Although solar power might not seem as useful as certain other types of renewable energy, Buencamino thinks it’s up to par.

“It compares well. If you’re speaking purely on efficiency, a solar system might not be as efficient as a wind turbine, but it’s more predictable. When the sun’s out you know it’s going to produce well,” Buencamino said.

According to Redella, the value of solar panels is priceless which helps inspire stedents.

“The other value to this that you can’t put a price on, is that the solar panels have created such an interest in the students, that I think our students are becoming even more environmentally conscious than people from neighboring districts because they live in it, they see them everyday,” Redella said. “They can feel it, they can touch it, they see the solar panels, and I always wonder what impact it’s going to have on the workforce of tomorrow.”

Everyday, RUHS’s solar panels...

produce

remove

60

cars from the road

1,710 lbs.

of carbon offset

and power

39

houses

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High Tide

opinion

Editorial

Paving the way In the 80 year tradition of the Sadie Hawkins, some have viewed the dance skeptically. The dance, upon deeper analysis, may not seem to be as progressive a tradition as it appears on the surface. By labeling the Sadie’s specifically as a “girls ask boys” dance, it may make the concept seem atypical—that all other dances must be categorized by boys asking girls.

The Sadie Hawkins dance originated from the publishing of Al Capp’s Lil Abner Comic strip that pictured all the unmarried women of the town of Dogpatch lined up at a starting line on Sadie Hawkins Day, ready to chase the eligible men in the town .

Though the concerns regarding the categorization of Sadie’s by the gender that asks their partner to the dance, the very obvious, but nonetheless important, progressive aspect of Sadie Hawkins cannot be forgotten. It is a twist on tradition that empowers women.

Sadie Hawkins Day was meant by Al Capp in his 1937 comic strip as an illustration of the power of women despite societal norms and should continue being viewed in this light.

The Sadie Hawkins dance should not be considered offensive or seen as a declaration that a girl needs special permission to ask a boy to a dance, but rather as an opportunity for her to explore a deviation from the stereotype. And the experience should not end on the date of the dance. Having experienced the reversed gender roles should allow girls to feel that they can in fact do this on any of the 364 other days of the year.

In many other facets of society, women are oppressed, told that they cannot do what men can, treated as if they are less than their male counterpart. The Sadie Hawkins dance, however, challenges these absurd notions. It serves not as a restriction on a girl, allowing her only to ask a boy out on this date, but rather as a symbol that she too can initiate a proposal to a dance, to be the first one to show interest in a relationship.

The tradition of the male asking the female to dances and on dates is still dominant in society, and with the media’s encouragement of this longstanding tradition it seems unlikely that this societal expectation will quickly dissipate.

It is, however, important to recognize that events like the Sadie Hawkins dance, which encourage girls to feel comfortable challenging the status quo, serve as an important step in instilling young women with confidence.

Reversed gender expectations should not be limited to Feb. 11, 2017 but encouraged consistently. It is unrealistic and frankly unnecessary to discourage the tradition of boys asking girls to dances, but perfectly acceptable to make our way towards a society in which two traditions can equally coexist.

Sadie Hawkins dance allows girls to break gender role stereotypes

ILLUSTRATION BY LULU WEGMAN

Yes

4

Editorial Board vote

Sadie’s, instead of limiting female lead, encourages females to deviate from the norm of boys asking girls to school dances.

No

3

Feb. 16, 2017

page 5

opinion

All lives matter*

Letters to the

Editor

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

staff

Editors-in-Chief: Caterina Hyneman; Shaniya Markalanda Online Editor-in-Chief: Reema Saad Opinion Editor: Dina Ghanim News Editors: Ben Brill; Jon Mallen Features Editors: Reem Chamas; Miri-am Farah; Lizzie Fauver; Summer Saad; Adam Yorke; Kylie Yorke Sports Editors: Mia Berger; Luke Peter-son Senior Editors: Yasamin Fazeli; Amanda Shaw Photo Editor: Jarrah May; Eden Millan Copy Editors: Davina Nguyen; Marie Ona Social Media Editor: Justin Pioletti Illustrators: Lulu Wegman Staff Writers: Brian Adler; Analise Asaro; Maryam Bacaloni; Brittany Baker; Aman-da Ban; Mia Berger; Tessa Biscaldi; Malek Chamas; Michael TengKai Chang; Alex-ander Dang; Whayden Dhamcho; Kayvon Elahihaghighi; Yasmine Elahihaghighi; Martha Farah; Sarah Flannery; Daphnie Fulton; Camille Grace; Maya Groark; Kelly Harraka; Kayla Hiken; Kylee Kal-lick; Lauren Kim; Julian Kimura; Shy-anne Landers; Grace McGonigle; Austin Nunis; Hayley O’Connor-Rigby; Daniel Parhizi; William Pournamdari; Julian Quevado; Rubab Quraishi; Batia Rotsh-tein; Keana Sterling; Nadia Stodder; An-gie Tait; Benjamin Yepez; Erika Zlatkin Photographers: Cass Anderson; Matthew Davidson; Hiroki Goto; Kaitlyn Katay-ame; Anne-Elyse Peterson; Danielle Ses-tak; Michael Yoon This is a wholly student-managed, de-signed, and written newspaper that fo-cuses on the school and community.

Signed commentaries and editorial car-toons represent the opinions of the staff writer or cartoonist.

*Unless you’re Black, Muslim, Latino, LGBT, etc.

The Muslim ban and wall on Mexican border betray American ideals Dina Ghanim It seems that the 10+ years of mandatory history classes have taught U.S. society virtually nothing about the true danger of repeating America’s darkest historical moments. Exclusion and discrimination in this nation is recurring, dividing the country and alienating groups of people from society.

This time, however, we say no in the face of injustice. The Muslim ban and wall on the Mexican border are ultimately fueled by hatred and cowardly defended through talk of national security, and we should not stand for their values nor be silent about their potential consequences.

Only ten day into his presidency, President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting the flow of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries and banned the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely. He also reaffirmed his previous implications of building a wall on the Mexican border.

The constitutionality of these laws is questionable but their humanity is not.

While President Trump started his campaign on the basis of hate speech, he consummated it through his actions in his early presidency.

People, no doubt initially skeptical of his willingness to pursue his plans during

his campaign, must now face the fact that his identity was not misinterpreted by people merely hoping to tarnish his image.

His early actions in the presidency have proved him as xenophobic, prejudice, and Islamophobic as rumor has set.

The same rhetoric being used against Muslims—foreigners and Americans alike—has been used for hate and fearmongering in context of many Americans before our time. The Italians, the Jews, the Japanese, and the Latinos have been vilified in their own times, but it seems to teach us nothing.

The “enemies of the decade,” as I like to describe it, are depicted as dangerous and threats to society. They are seemingly incapable of assimilating with American customs, and they hold a deep hatred for Americans.

But how incompatible is this depiction with the reality of the average immigrant?

Well, extremely so.

Incidentally, the victims of corrupt governments and radicalist groups, the ones seeking to escape tyranny and war, are the very ones criminalized by our democracy.

The people who dream of this country and all its opportunities are denied the Ameri-

can Dream for the actions of bad seeds.

Similarly, the country hopes to utilize a wall on the Mexican border to secure our safety and wealth while our world history clearly points to the fact that, beyond securing borders, walls stand in the way of human coexistence.

The words engraved on the Statue of Liberty must be reminded of in a time like this.

So, to Mexico and Iraq, to Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, “give us your tired and poor, your huddled masses. “ Ultimately, I thought the country would never come to this. But it seems we are not done moving in the direction of prejudice.

This ban seems to be just a first step towards many more discriminatory practices. In only 10 days, Trump did the unthinkable, and no doubt about it: he will not cease in his efforts without our discontent vocalized. Expect our resistance.

There are those who supported Trump for his prejudice, but for those of you who supported him despite his bigotry, you need realize that he upheld his campaign promises. With that being said, we cannot normalize outrageous policies that marginalize entire groups of people, who quite frankly make America stronger together.

Time to rethink:

Mathletes v. Athletes

Mathletes v. Athletes strengthens steoreotypes surrounding “jocks” and “nerds” Amanda Shaw Costa Mathletes vs. Redondo Athletes Day was meant to heighten school spirit for the Costa-Redondo rivalry in a lighthearted way. However, along with Costa Nerd Day, a long-standing tradition at the beginning of the school year during football season, this type of spirit day is unfair to the people who are mathletes, the people who are passionate about the “nerdier” subjects, such as math and science, or even those who simply enjoy working hard in school.

By dressing up as mathletes or nerds as a way of ridiculing our rivals, we are sending the message to students that being athletic is much more important than being intelligent, and that those who enjoy being a mathlete or doing well in school are viewed as inferior.

With an increasing demand for jobs in the STEM fields, we should encourage students to pursue interests in math and science rather than singling them out for being passion-

ate about stereotypically “nerdy” or “geeky” subjects.

Even in movies and television shows for decades, intelligent people, particularly those interested in math or science, are portrayed as awkward and unpopular, while the stereotypical football player and cheerleader are revered as a the standard for what everyone should aspire to be. But it is time for the quarterback and mathletes to receive the same level of respect and credit for their abilities.

The average professional athlete often make hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the average scientist or mathematician, a truth that seems illogical in the face the types of skills and professions our society is currently lacking in. And while altering or getting rid of this type of spirit day clearly, this societal norm won’t necessarily be affected, it is the job of a school to create

a space for students to comfortably pursue their interests without fear of shame or embarrassment.

After all, it is not going to be the next Tom Brady that’s going to cure cancer or engineer the technology to send humans to Mars, but the next Marie Curie or Nikola Tesla.

This is not to invalidate the hard work and achievements of athletes or to say that their passions are less valuable than those of mathematicians and scientists, because they are. But we do not need another day to celebrate athletes—that day is every day.

The attention and praise we as a society shower upon athletes need to be redirected to the people that are building the technological and medical future. It is time to raise up the mathematicians and scientists and engineers and doctors of the younger generations, rather than discouraging them with exclusionary spirit days.

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High Tide

features

Easy, breezy, beautiful

Mahina Armijo works towards being a professional makeup artist

by Maryam Bacaloni What started out as a young girl watching her mom put makeup on turned into a passion for the fine arts of cosmetology. Senior Mahina Armijo expresses her artistic ability through lipsticks and eyeshadows.

“At a young age, I would always look up to my mom for makeup advice, and she was one of the reasons I got really into it,” said Armijo. “She would do people’s makeup for events or Halloween and I really liked it and watched her do it, and I would just practice all the time.”

She spends her days watching YouTube makeup tutorials and practicing the necessary skills to be as good as her role models.

“I love watching videos on how to do makeup and it inspires me to grow as an aspiring makeup artist. I have a lot of people I look up to such as Carli Bybel, NikkieTutorials and Jeffree Star,” Armijo said.

Although Armijo does not formally run a business, she has friends and followers on instagram lining up to get their makeup done by her. “[Armijo] has so many people who contact her all the time for her to do their makeup,” senior Jessica Sanchez said. “She’s done my makeup many times and I love it everytime she does it.”

Taking into account the hardships and competitiveness of going into a career pertaining to cosmetics, Armijo is determined to pursue a cosmetics career to accomplish her lifelong dream to become a pro makeup artist.

“I am going to El Camino and I’m doing the cosmetology program they have for next year,” Armijo said. “I think it will be fun going to the cosmetology program.

I’m not really that nervous about it although it’s very hard to make it big in the cosmetology world, but I’m more excited to try new things. You’ve got to have a lot of skill to be known, so lots of practice is needed.”

Sanchez, as well as all of Armijo’s

friends, believes Armijo has what it takes to be America’s next top makeup artist.

“She has the potential to go professional because she has been doing makeup ever since she was thirteen. She watches videos on how to do them to improve her skills. She does makeup on many people which is practice for her, and her customers always come back which shows that she’s doing a great job,” Sanchez said. “She practices on herself almost every day to see her abilities and the outcome of her work. Mahina is great at what she does and I know in the long run she wants to make it professionally, and I strong-

ly believe she can accomplish that with her talent.”

With over 7,000 followers on her makeup Instagram account, she was given the chance to promote many small companies.

“I promote this company called Luna Queen Cosmetics on Instagram. They are a small company who were looking for promoters who had around 3,000 or higher followers to help people hear about their company. I direct messaged them and they said that I could be a promoter,” Armijo said.

Armijo also wants to collaborate with multimillion dollar cosmetic companies and become known.

“I definitely want to work with companies like Benefit, Tarte and Anastasia Beverly Hills. They usually collaborate with famous Instagram makeup artists or famous YouTubers which I would want to do also,” Armijo said.

She remembers being fascinated by models and wanting to be like them because they seem so glamorous all the time.

“I wanted to model or do something along the lines of that because I wanted to wear makeup all the time. I just became better at doing makeup from practice and I was like, ‘okay, hey, I could actually be good at this,’” Armijo said.

Armijo’s cosmetic capability doesn’t end here. She wishes to eventually branch out and make a name for herself.

“I hope to possibly have a business in the future or be sponsored by a big makeup comBlushing beauty. Senior pany. I Mahina Armijo practices applying would makeup in order to become a makeup jump artist. She will be attending El Camino during the fall in order to pursue her a t dream. PHOTO BY JARRAH MAY a n y chance to make my own makeup and have my own brand,” Armijo said. “But who knows what the future holds.”

Feb. 16, 2017

Change of heart. Junior Emma

Golub researches heart calcification. She hopes her experience in LA BioMed will help her get a career in the medical field.

PHOTO BY REEM CHAMAS

page 7

features

The heart of the matter Junior Emma Golub researches at LA BioMed

by Samaya Rubio

J

unior Emma Golub has been interning with the LA BioMed program for three months as a regular intern, volunteering six hours a week to research calcification of the heart and spine with the rest of the researchers who work under Dr. Matthew Budoff.

Golub takes care to learn the anatomy of the heart and the spine before she looks at CT scans of those areas. She calculates the bone density of the spine and the densities of certain tissues of the heart. This allows for her to identify if there is a heightened level of calcium which can lead to a buildup of

calcium, called calcification.

Golub then communicates her findings to the other researchers who then inform the patients of the health risks of their condition.

She works on a portion of Dr. Budoff’s cardiology research project by calculating the densities of the bones and identifying spaces where the calcification process has begun by looking at spaces where the CT Scan is discolored. She learned a lot about cardiology from asking questions from the other researchers, ranging from professionals to teenagers like herself.

“The researchers are very open to questions, and when I have just one simple question, they go into depth and explain the works behind it. It’s fascinating to listen to them. There is so much brain power sitting right next to you [in the lab],” Golub said.

In the process of studying cardiology and

calcification, she has also learned the importance of communication skills in the work place.

“I also learned how the real workspace works,” Golub said. “It’s a wonderful learning environment.”

Golub learned about this opportunity through her sister, Ilana, who had worked on the same project a few years prior.

“My sister [has been my inspiration] because she always works hard in everything she does, and she inspires me to do the same,” Golub said.

Ilana had a similar experience with Golub working with the CT Scans. Ilana worked on the earlier stages of the project and her findings helped shape the research project into what it is today.

“You could literally see the effect of various medications on plaque and stenosis [according to Mayo Clinic, stenosis is the narrowing of the open spaces in the spine, which can lead to pressure on the nerves of the spine] , and observe how hearts of the same age group compare to each other,” Ilana said.

Ilana has seen Golub mature throughout the years, which she believes is an important component in her work with LA BioMed. “She now has another responsibility to add to her list. She has people who rely on her to complete scans and who might fall behind if she doesn’t,” Ilana said. ”Maybe the most valuable thing she’s gotten to learn out of all of this is the chance to ‘learn outside

the textbook’ and is finally able to apply concepts she’s learned in bio and basic anatomy classes to the actual workforce.”

The two found about the LA BioMed program from an acquaintance of the family who had worked on the project and told the girls about it. Golub became “interested in it” and decided to apply for one of the positions on staff.

She sent her resume, consisting of many clubs and activities, as well as her previous job working at a sailing camp. Although they only hire a few teenagers, Golub was hired as a regular worker in the cardiology department.

In addition to listening to the researchers she is directly working with, she has been able to hear Dr. Budoff speak when he gives lectures to his coworkers in the room next door to where Golub works.

“Sometimes lectures go on in the room next door. They usually leave the door open, so I can occasionally listen to their discussions. Dr.Matthew Budoff sometimes lectures, and I can listen to the cases he describes,” Golub said.

Golub plans to continue her studies in the biomedical field throughout college and and would “definitely” like to learn more about cardiology.

“It’s really amazing,” Golub said. “It’s a wonderful environment and the people are very nice and it’s a really unique experience, and I would recommend it to others.”

Senior Mason Ramos works for K&P Productions

by Marie Ona

He’s the life of the party. Senior Mason Ramos works for K&P Productions, which is a company that has been entertaining corporate events for Six Flags Magic Mountain for many years.

“These special events celebrate the people who work for Six Flags,” Ramos said.

The company provides a DJ for its parties. One of Ramos’s jobs is to assist the DJ by picking out the CD’s.

“I’d watch the DJ do his thing and play with the controllers. I would supply him with the music and sort the CD’s,” Ramos said.

“I’ve learned to adjust the speakers, test to see how loud they are, learn to be compatible with the speakers and the headphones and how to play the music.”

Ramos also sets up and hosts interactive games that the company provides including potato sack races, water balloon tosses and

hoola hoops.

“I set up the games that people could play to win free tickets to the park. I’d help set up equipment,” Ramos said. “At the end, we give out awards to people who won the games.

We’d have first and second place badges.”

According to Ramos, work is stressful during events that hold a large number of people, however, he still enjoys it. One perk of working at K&P Productions is free food.

“We can have up to 10,000 people. We have to maintain all those people who want to play games or eat. It’s always very fun but customers can be mean and rude. That’s not fun, but [we] can’t argue with them,” Ramos said. “The best part about working there is the all-you-can-eat buffet because the food at the park is so expensive.”

Ramos is neighbors with his employer and also owner of K&P Productions, Ken

Pierce. He bonded with Pierce through music interests which eventually landed him the job at his company.

“I first saw him play the guitar and the drums, and thought it was cool because I played the drums too. Then I saw he had a DJ booth and I told him I wanted to try it. He saw that I was really into it and he offered me the job for his company,” Ramos said.

Because Ramos handles the CD’s for the DJ, Ramos became well informed about different genres of music.

“I’ve learned all the names of most music.

Before, I’d have problems naming music, but once I started to DJ I learned the names of songs and of singers and also a lot about the singers themselves,” Ramos said.

Working at K&P Productions and being around many people taught Ramos many important skills he believes are necessary in

the work force.

“I’ve learned a lot about customer service and interacting with people, engagement and completing tasks. We always have to be organized with the games and make sure there aren’t any messes,” Ramos said.

“I learned listening skills because my boss would tell me over the microphone to hand out this, hand out that and I couldn’t zone out or else it creates delays.”

According to Ramos, time management is important to have for maintaining a good relationship with one’s employer.

“Managing your time is really important because if you can’t make it to work and you let your boss know last minute that’s a problem becauses he’s going to have to know who’s going to take you shift. You got to let your boss know when or if you’re going to make it to work,” Ramos said.

page 8

High Tide

features

Thinking outside the box As a freelance graphic designer, Cunningham wishes to work with Nike or Adidas in the future

1.

Just do it. 1. Junior Sean Cunningham 2.

3.

captures an image of the lanterns in Chinatown. 2. Additionally, Cunningham chooses to take a photo of a store in Chinatown. 3. In his free time, Cunningham enjoys designing Nike advertisements, like the one above, and he photoshopped it on a street billboard. PHOTOS COURTESY SEAN CUNNINGHAM

by Whayden Dhamcho Junior Sean Cunningham, a graphic designer, enjoys creating advertisements and logos as a hobby and for companies that he works with.

According to Cunningham, graphic design is a broad spectrum of things including 3-D modeling, branding and identity, social media work, such as Twitter, handles and apparel designs.

“I do branding, which is creating the identity for the companys or clients that I get, and I also do advertisements, but not filming,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham enjoys graphic design because of the freedom he gets, the experimentation and the learning process.

“I love graphic design because I am able to be as creative as possible and not be forced to do things,” Cunningham said. “[I love] being able to be on my own path, have my own style and be able to put a creative spin on it.”

Creating a graphic design or advertisement varies in time based on its complexity, and clients for these designs do not come constantly. Recently, Cunningham is working with a client to design logos for their Facebook page and products.

“High-end advertisements usually take around three hours, depends on how big

they want it, and how much detail and work they want to be put into it,” Cunningham said, “So, they just come here and there.”

When faced with challenges, Cunningham has looked towards his friends for motivation and inspiration to keep designing.

“Artists hit these blocks, and it’s hard to get past them, especially when you are an artist that lacks in motivation,” Cunningham said, “I have just talk to a lot of my friends, and they have lifted me up and helped me get through it.”

For Cunningham, graphic design has also been an escape from reality.

“When I’m in a bad mood, I hop on my laptop and start doing designs, just something short and fun and just to get out of that hole,” said Cunningham.

Since there were no classes for graphic design at the time, Cunningham has taught himself through YouTube videos.

“I just started using Photoshop, learning all the tools they had and experimenting with everything,” Cunningham said, “Then, I started enjoying being really creative, having my own opinion on everything and displaying it through graphic design is fun.”

As well as doing graphic art and design, Cunningham has recently been experimenting with photography.

“Most of my friends are into photography, so I just decided to try it out. I’m already into art, so it’ll be really cool to put my own perspective into it,” Cunningham said.

A partner in photography and friend of Cunningham, sophomore Reese Bradley believes that Cunningham has improved in photography and graphic design over the years.

“I’ve seen his style change from more complex to a simple, stylistic and moody [style],” Bradley said.

Bradley has noticed how photography and graphic design complement each other.

“Photography takes an ‘eye,’ and I believe graphic design has helped him out. Even just taking pictures of trees, he has an eye for a certain style that he likes. While others may just see a tree, he might see the condensation on the leaves or a specific water droplet on a tree that he likes,” Bradley said.

Cunningham tries not to limit his photography on a single thing, but instead is open to different types of photography.

“I like travelling and finding cool things that I have interests in,” Cunningham said.

“My friend and I have also travelled to the abandoned LA Zoo to take photos of the graffiti, and run down places, so that’s what I have my interests in.”

Despite his experience with Adobe Photoshop, Cunningham still strives to learn new things to improve his skills with graphic design.

“I want to learn how to do motion graphics and web design, and learn how to code for HTML,” Cunningham said.

Initially, Cunningham wanted to pursue a career as a freelance graphic designer, but now wants to work with large companies such as Nike and Adidas.

“I feel like being assigned to a company would be a lot better because there are more benefits. Plus, I like working with other people more than by myself,” Cunningham said.

Without a college degree in graphic design, Cunningham believes he has been viewed by companies as “inexperienced,” and, at the moment, only gets offers from “small” companies. However, Cunningham still wishes to pursue it and believes graphic design will provide him with many opportunities in the future.

“I really want to make an actual career out of it,” Cunningham said, “I want to go to college to get a degree in graphic design and web design. I really didn’t have a goal at the start, but now I am striving to become a better graphic artist.”

Feb. 16, 2017

features

page 9

Broadening horizons Brandt recounts his experiences living in various countries

by Julian Quevedo Throughout his life, Principal Jens Brandt has lived in Germany, Egypt, Brazil and the United States. He was able to travel to these places due to his father’s work in international education.

“It really opened up my mind to what it’s like to live outside the United States and have a more global perspective,” Brandt said.

“I think it’s a good thing for everyone to experience that. Whether it’s traveling or living overseas, it really helps with being more open minded and more progressive in terms of the way you think and the way you act.”

Brandt first moved to Egypt when he was five years old, and his father had gotten a job as the superintendent of Cairo American College.

Although born in Bad Schwartau, Germany, Brandt more clearly remembers the years of his youth spent in Cairo, Egypt where he had many adventures.

“Egypt, I loved,” Brandt said. “We would go out to the desert, dig for mummy beads and find ancient sharks’ teeth. I often described it being like a little wannabe Indiana Jones. I remember vividly my grandfather came to visit from the United States, and we actually found a mummy. It was amazing, and we brought it back to a museum in Cairo.”

Living internationally also taught Brandt to have an open mind when it comes to people of different cultural backgrounds.

“I really appreciate that because I think it helps me to be a person that sees all people as the same,” Brandt said. “We should, as the cliché goes, be judged by the merits of our character, not as who we are on the outside.”

Through his travels, Brandt learned to be aware of social cues, people’s cultural expectations and adjust to his own environment, which made him more adaptable as a person.

“It’s also taught me to, in many ways, be a chameleon, in terms of adapting to one’s environment,” Brandt said.

1.

As a result of living in different nations, Brandt was also exposed to the hardships experienced by those who lived in poverty.

“I was exposed, when living in places like Egypt and Brazil, to poverty that we can’t even imagine here in the United States,” Brandt said. “People literally living in boxes with tin roofs. In Egypt, there was very deplorable living conditions, yet, at the same time, there were people who are perseverant, people who are happy and people that find the joys in life.”

Brandt belives he was “really lucky” as a young man because of how his childhood prepared him for the real world.

“I got to experience life at a much earlier age, and it prepared me for college and beyond,” Brandt said. “You tend to mature a lot more quickly when you live overseas just because everything is presented to you at a much earlier age.”

One conflict that Brandt encountered was adapting to life in Brazil, where he did not speak the native language of Portuguese at

Born raised.

first.

“I think one challenge would be being a chameleon,” Brandt said. “I initially was in shock. I was overwhelmed by the breadth of the city.”

Brandt overcame this language barrier through his passion for soccer, which eventually allowed him to make friends in Brazil.

“Slowly but surely, I made Brazilian friends,” Brandt said. “The one thing that I carried with me throughout my young life was playing soccer. Soccer has an international language to it. You don’t need to be able to speak a particular language to get out there on the field.”

In addition to moving to a new country, Brandt also found it difficult to leave the various places he lived in.

“Of course when you form those friendships and relationships, it’s very hard to pick up and go,” Brandt said. “I certainly left some best friends in each one of those locations.”

Brandt has a “closely knit” relationship with his parents who helped him endure the

various challenges of traveling.

“They were big fans when it came to sports,” Brandt said. “They were at every single game, cheering me on, as crazy as they were. That was always appreciated. We were always going on trips together and exploring. My dad and I, to this day, remain very close with regards to soccer and talking about education.”

According to Brandt, his high school friends have recently started a Facebook page in order to collect as many of the alumni as possible.

“Social media has helped in terms of reuniting,” Brandt said. “It’s fun to see where people are at in the world, their family life, and what kind of profession they went into.”

In regards to his life, Brandt would “do it all over again” because of his positive experiences.

“The more we get to experience other cultures, other languages and other backgrounds, the better we can understand not only each other, but ourselves,” Brandt said.

and

1. Principal Jens Brandt is riding a horse in Egypt. “We would go snorkeling out in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and see all kinds of amazing fish, even sharks. We would go horseback riding out in the desert. It was just like one big adventure.” 2.

Sitting on the shores of a beach in Brazil, Brandt looks ahead at the ocean in front of him. 3. Brandt (bottom center) was a goalie for a soccer team in Brazil. PHO2.

TOS COURTESY OF JENS BRANDT

3.

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center

High Tide

Fractured family:

Trump’s Ghazvin

by Erika Zlatkin and Sarah Flannery The moment that they found out their opportunity to visit their relatives in the Middle East had been postponed, their families were devastated by the news.

“My family in Iran can’t come to visit me because of the new ban,” junior Tina Hayati said.

“My uncle has a ten year old son who we were hoping could visit us in the summer to take him to Disneyland and super fun places. But now with the ban, he can’t get a visa so we can’t see him.”

Hayati was born in Iran and settled in the United States with her her parents, sister, and uncle’s family when she was two. She still has many relatives in Iran.

On Jan. 30, thousands of Middle Easterners from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan were blocked from entering the United States in an executive order passed by Donald Trump in an effort to prevent radical islamic

terrorists from entering the country.

“My grandma was supposed to come beginning of March, but at this point our family doesn’t know if we will be able to see her at all this year,” junior Catrina Kassab, a friend of Hayati, said. “It’s been ten years since I have seen her, and now I’m scared that this duration will be even longer.”

As a result of Trump’s new executive order, there have been rumors

that countries such as Iran will retaliate and ban America’s citizens from traveling to their country. If this is put into place, Hayati won’t be able to visit her family.

“I think the ban should be revoked entirely because to come to this country and get a green card, there are already so many existing limitations,” Hayati said. “For example, to come to this country, my uncle nearly waited ten years to get a green card.”

Freshman Leila Ghazvini’s aunt in the United States on a visa from Iran, and her

“

family fears that she could be kicked out at any time. Her 15 year old cousin is also restricted from traveling back and forth to Iran often, so he very rarely is able to see his father.

“Thankfully, most of my family has green cards, but there are people in my [family] who can’t see tons of their family. Being able to see and visit your family is a super important connection that people don’t get to make because of religion,” Ghazvini said.

Hayati often feels more “targeted” by the media due to her culture and heritage.

“Nowadays it’s harder to say where you’re from because when I say Iran, my origins are looked down upon,” Hayati said. “When people look at the news and are fed the information that Iranians are banned from entering this country, they assume a negative connotation with them.”

Hayati believes that the news mainly reports negative and “prejudice” information about Middle Eastern cultures, when in actuality Hayati be-

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Stars and stripes. Junoirs Catrina Hassab and Tina Hayati are cloaked in the American flag,. “This is the land of the free. Making a law that takes a big chunk of the melting pot out of the equation is unfair. We can’t choose who’s allowed to be free and who isn’t,” freshman Leila Ghazvini said. PHOTOS BY JARRAH MAY AND CELINE OH

Feb. 16, 2017

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center

s “Muslim Ban” prevents Tina Hayati, Catrina Kassab and Leila ni from being visited by family from Iran and Syria

e come here to see their y or [because they] better opportunities. grants come here for a r life and it’s hard to do while being treated like e worse than others.

ves Iranians are simply “normal people.”

“People have a general negative connotan towards Muslims in the Middle East beuse the news feeds them this information d they can’t help it,” Hayati said. “They might t even try to be racist but often times, they’re ade to believe that we are a danger or threat them.”

According to Ghazvini, her family came to merica for new opportunities, not to make yone feel unsafe.

“A lot of people come here to see their famior want better opportunities. All immigrants me here for a better life and it’s hard to do at while being treated like they’re worse than hers.” Ghazvini said, “Whether or not we nt to admit to it, we kind of always have this dar on Muslims that just isn’t right.”

Hayati believes that the public can be easily ayed to believe what is said on television and e hopes for people to rely on other sources to tain information regarding the Middle East.

“The only positive thing that comes out of s ban is the awareness that it’s drawing,” ayati said. “The ban is allowing people to reze that not everyone from the Middle East bad and it’s encouraging people to actually arch up what these countries are.”

Hayati believes that people can make more curate conclusions on what they know rather an what they are “made to believe” so that ey can realize that there are “bigger” probms in the United States than terrorism.

“Even being from a Middle Eastern country esn’t make everyone a Muslim,” Hayati said. m not religious, but these laws group everye in that region to be Muslim so everyone n associate them to be threatening, in a way.”

Kassab feels as though the ban on Middle stern immigration to America is more per-

The banning of the “Muslim Ban” Jan. 27 Trump signs executive order stopping Iraqi, Syrian, Iranian, Lybian, Somalian, Sudanese and Yemeni citizens from entering the country for 90 days.

Jan. 28

”

sonal than limiting the flow of terrorism to the United States.

“This feels like an attack on the Muslim and Middle Eastern culture as opposed to the American government actually trying to prevent an attack,” Kassab said. “I feel like because they chose countries that are mostly Muslim and don’t benefit American companies financially, these countries became an easier target, racially speaking.”

Kassab and Hayati believe that being from the Middle East has made them feel more “victimized” and “stereotyped” falsely by many groups of people.

“My family is panicking because although we are Christian, we have the word Syrian all over us,” Kassab said. “It’s a label we can’t take off and now we are getting punished for it.”

Ultimately, Hayati believes that if people were to educate themselves on Middle Eastern cultures such as the Iranian culture and researched Muslim values, they would be able to draft positive support in favor of lifting revoking the ban.

“I’m hoping that the Supreme Court will realize that this ban is unconstitutional and that it discriminates against Muslims,” Hayati said.

“And I’m hoping that this situation with people standing up to fight for their rights and becoming more involved to bring justice to this act.”

Hayati believes immigration is essential to America to not only promote diversity, but also “freedom” to dictate their own future.

“The ban, even if its intentions are to protect the United States, is ultimately unfair,” Hayati said. “This country is mainly based around immigration. Our country’s whole point is to give everyone an equal opportunity here and to not make Muslims look like the enemy, when realistically, we’ve been victimized at this point.”

Citizens take to airports across the country to protest the ban.

Jan. 28 & 29 Judges in New York and Massachussets issue temporary restraining order on the ban.

Jan. 30 Senate Republicans stop Democrats’ attempts to create a bill that would reserve the order.

Jan. 30 Trump fires Attorney General Sally Yates for declining to defend the travel ban.

Feb. 2 Trump eases restrictions for green card holders.

Feb. 3 Federal judge rules to block the executive order across the country.

Feb. 9 The Ninth Court of Appeals upholds the lower court decision to not reinstate the ban.

page 12

High Tide

features

Leyna Duong connects with her culture through Kendo

by Austin Nunis For senior Leyna Duong, having to answer the question, “what sport do you play?” takes some explaining.

“Kendo is a very traditional Japanese martial arts,” Duong said. “There’s a lot of strict rules like bowing, when to look up, when to look down, when to move, how to put on the uniforms, and I think that’s kind of what I love about it.”

Unlike traditional martial arts where sparring is hand to hand, those who train in Kendo, fight using weapons.

“We use an extension called a Shinai, and that’s basically a bamboo sword. In practice we use wooden sticks but in official practices and matches we use the Shinai,” Duong said.

Duong first became interested in Kendo in eighth grade, when her mom urged her to start playing a sport and eventually dropped her off at a dojo in Palos Verdes.

“It was very intimidating because most of the students that were already enrolled in that class were already very immersed in the culture and tradition of Kendo, and I was super ignorant to all of that,” Duong said.

Duong was also skeptical that her ethnicity and skill would set her even further apart from other students.

“I’m not Japanese, and most of the students there were, so that was a distinguishing factor between me and everyone else,” Duong said. “I was also worried about messing up, but they were very patient with me. And I’m a pretty fast learner so I think I got the hang of it pretty quickly.”

In season, Duong practices every weekday, durring the mornings before school or right after school. But despite the fact that the practice hours are sometimes “inconvenient”, she enjoys them.

“We have two types of practices. We have what we call ‘official practices’ for when we practice putting on the uniforms and do the whole process of going into a spar, and then we have the other practice where it’s mainly conditioning and weightlifting. And we also have some days where we just sit and listen to these little history lessons, and I think that’s really cool.”

The list of things Duong loves about Kendo doesn’t end there.

“Other than the fact it keeps me fit, I love how unique it is compared to tradi-

Men Stance. The parts

of a traditional Kendo uniform. ILLUSTRATION

BY LULU WEGMAN

Keigoki Shinai

Do

Kote

Tare

Hakama

tional sports and even martial arts. It’s wrong of me to say that it’s better than any other sport, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t unique,” Duong said. “And I also love it for how much it places emphasis on the Japanese culture.”

Though Kendo is typically an individual sport, Duong still made valuable friendships.

“With Kendo I think my social horizon definitely expanded. Kendo’s a very individual sport, a very one-on-one sport, but even with that it still emphasizes being part of a team,” Duong said.

“I learned how to talk to people and how to communicate with people.”

During winter and spring, Duong and her friends compete against other dojos in the county. Until then, they spar with local dojos to train. In order to be eligible to compete, students must undergo a testing-like process.

“The process is fairly easy. There are teachers that observe you and when they get to know you they decide whether or not you’re going to compete, but you have to go through the process no matter what. It’s pretty simple, you basically spar and they evaluate you,” Duong said.

Though she loved her years in Kendo, Duong will not be continuing the sport once she starts college.

“Kendo was definitely a good part of my life, I loved it a lot. But when senior year started I found myself being more and more inactive. It does take up a lot of my time, and it was easier to manage freshman and sophomore and even junior year,” Duong said. “Regretfully, I don’t think I’m going to continue into college, which sucks because there are a lot of adult kendo teams that compete.”

After competing in Kendo, being exposed to Japanese culture and crafting valuable friendships, Duong thinks that an important thing she learned was to “not to take everything so seriously”.

“When I first started sparring and competing, it was always about winning and being the best,” Duong said.

“I thought it was so serious and was gonna determine the rest of my life, which is crazy. I learned that if you lose you get up, you keep going, and it’s okay. It’s also okay to lose and it’s okay to be upset that you lose, but don’t let it bring you down.”

Feb. 16, 2017

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features

Row, row, row your boat. 1. Penn’s rowing team

during a competition. 2. “It’s just a challenging sport. But, I mean I wouldn’t quit for anything,” Roebuck said. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON PENN AND SATCHEL ROEBUCK

1.

Paddling out

2.

Freshmen Penn and Roebuck compete in girls and boys rowing

by Alexander Dang One hundred percent of all the strength and energy one has is put into a five to seven minute race, all to claim the title of winner.

Freshmen Satchel Roebuck and Cameron Penn both compete varsity level in rowing, from ages 14 to 18. They both started about two years ago. Penn started because her neighbor did it, and Satchel was influenced by his cousin.

According to Roebuck, rowing is considered to be one of the most physically demanding sports, but it is also a ‘very mental sport’ as well.

“It’s way more mental than physical. During a race it’s really mental, but even during practice it’s a lot like that. If you even want to give up during a piece at practice, rather than actually committing to it, you definitely won’t do as well as in races,” Penn said.

Because it is so mentally demanding, the two have to come up with a way to keep calm and focused before a race, to prevent anxiety from taking over which would keep them from performing well in their rowing race.

“I personally am the absolute worst at preparing for anything. So, I have a tendency to just try and shut off my brain until the race and then take all that anxiety and fear and channel that into my rowing race,” Roebuck said.

Having to mentally prepare for the race is a different

experience for all, and it all depends on how they handle the stress, Penn believes.

“Some people like to meditate before a race, they have to go calm themselves and breathe while others will dance around before a race. It kind of just depends which side you’re on. I go for more calming experience though,” Penn said.

Even though the mental aspect of rowing is important in the sport, the physical aspect is also hard to train for, according to Penn. Sometimes, the physical part of the sport can be ‘so demanding’, that the two sometimes debate on whether they should quit or not.

“After I race, I either pass out or throw up, sometimes even both. You get about three quarters of the way through [with the race] and the urge to quit is just so beyond any urge to do anything else. And then after you finish, you just kind of hit the wall and don’t remember the rest,” Roebuck said.

Penn and Roebuck both agree that they want to continue with the sport through high school, even though it takes up most of their time throughout the week.

“There isn’t really a career [in rowing] unless you can go to the Olympics. All of my work and effort goes into rowing though. Five days a week, way too many hours a week. It’s

basically like there’s school, sleep, rowing and a social life, but you can only do three of them,” Roebuck said.

Even with all the demanding physical and mental training, over 12 and a half hours in the span of five days, they still find a way to create life-long bonds with their fellow teammates.

“Rowing takes everything you have, but it’s still really enjoyable because of your team and the competitions. You have to really rely on [your team] for everything so you become really close with them,” Penn said.

The bonds among their team has helped place the girls in fourth at regionals, and the boys fifth at regionals, which took place on May 6th to 8th in Folsom California.

“Competing is definitely nerve racking, but being around your team and having seven other people that you can rely on definitely makes competing better, and less nerve racking. It’s for sure a scary experience though,” Roebuck said.

All the stress, anxiety, time and strength put into rowing is ‘definitely hard,’ but through it all, they do not plan on giving up rowing.

“Rowing takes up so much energy and so much time. It’s just such a challenging sport, but I mean, I wouldn’t quit for anything. I love this. It sucks sometimes, but I love it,” Roebuck said.

page 14

On display:

by Amanda Ban

Junior Maddie Brooks dedicates her free time to creating and sharing art with her friends. Brooks and PVHS student Jo Edmison held an art show at Brooks’ house on Feb. 4 showcasing the work of various high school students from the South Bay. Brooks and Edmison created a short film entitled “Ophidian.” Ophidian is defined as, “relating to or denoting snakes.”

“The reason that we made the movie about snakes was to represent how girls can be like snakes. Often times there are people who will backstab you and you don’t see it coming. We used snakes to symbolize how teenage girls can attack their ‘friends’ behind their backs,” Edmison said.

The show also featured artwork by highschool students Griffin Mactavish and Adam Lazarus, as well as films by Jo Edmison, Sarah Fairbrother, Kylie Kozar, Ian Norris, Kai Nakkim, Ian Irish, Finn Sanders, Fiona Kane and Sage Strusser. The art pieces were displayed and the films were shown on a projector. “[Adam and Griffin] brought their drawings and some poetry.

It created a real l y cool atmosphere.

Adam and Griffin were passing a notepad around and one of them would draw and then someone else would draw something; by the end of the night they had a whole page of art from different people.”

Nakkim does not have very much experience in filmmaking but was “inspired to create something” when he heard about the event.

2.

1.

High Tide

features

“I showed a film about bodysurfing that my friend Ian and I made. It was just kind of a goofy film. People don’t really take bodysurfing seriously it’s usually just more for fun, so it’s a film about that,” Nakkim said.“It was just for fun. We like to bodysurf and we always film it but we never really do anything with the footage, so when we heard about Maddie’s show and thought ‘why don’t we put a film together?’ It sounded really fun.”

Most of the people who attended the show were friends of Brooks and Edmison’s.

“It was mostly advertised by word of mouth at first. We made a few preview videos and put them on instagram,” Brooks said. “As we told more people I got more excited. We ended up with a pretty decent sized grou.”

Her interest in art has allowed Brooks to meet and share ideas with new people.

“I’ve always had an interest in photography and art. I started having 3. an interest in films so I made a couple and thought it would be really cool to get a bunch of people

Brooks and Edmison hold an art and film show

together and show our work,” Brooks said.

Brooks learned a lot about photography and filmmaking while working on the project with Edmison.

“Jo is a really talented photographer that taught and teaches me a lot of what I know,” Brooks said. “We played around with the lighting a lot to get cool shots, and we did stop motion photography. It was all pictures strung together. Every shot is a photograph and i think that makes it really special.”

N a k k i m

4.

Amalgam of Art. Junior Maddie Brooks and friend Jo Edmison’s art and film show was heald as a way to showcase their friend’s and other talented teenager’s art, and inculded a wide variety of styles and techniques. 1. PVHS senior Griffin Mactavish’s painting of buildings with a setting sun was one of the many pieces featured in the show.. 2. In a photo by Edmison, Brooks poses for a shot in her own film OPHIDIAN, which was one of nine films shown. 3. A Koi fish collage was part of one of the many works by junior Kai Nakkim, who is homeschooled. 4. Another work by Mactavish, this Native American portrait was part of a series of similar works. 5. A series of stars are a part of PVHS junior Adam Lazarus’ creative abstract style. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MADDIE BROOKS.

thought that the show provided a “unique” environment and allowed people to “come together” in an “interesting” way.

“I think it was a really cool idea. I know hosting all of those people was a lot of work but it went really well. I think everyone had a good time. I think it accomplished what she wanted; it brought people together and let them enjoy each other’s work,” Nakkim said.

Although Brooks does not have an interest in being an actress, she starred in Ophidian.

“I was in it mostly because it was easier that way. We had an idea of what we wanted so Jo and I were both in it because we wanted to make sure that we conveyed the idea that we had in our heads,” Brooks said.

To Brooks, it is “important” that kids find ways to express themselves and are able to share their work with others.

“I didn’t know how many people were also making films and art until I started telling people about [the show]. It made me realize how many people from different schools were interested in the same things. It was exciting to meet people t h a t h a v e the same interests as me that I didn’t know were out there,” 5.

Brooks said.

Feb. 16, 2017

page 15

features

e n O

by

o ne

On Fleek. Sophomore Kayla Ortiz, who regularly gets her eyebrows threaded by Ripley, looks into the camera before getting her brows “touched up”. “I started doing Kayla’s eyebrows around November,” Ripley said. “Thread-

ing is a fairly simple process. You tie the thread into a circle and then hold it between your fingers on either side. Then you just twist it a couple times so it looks like an hour glass and as you move across the hairs, you open and close either side of the hourglass, catching and pulling out individual hairs. PHOTO BY JARRAH MAY .

Kate Ripley and Dona Ly thread and wax eyebrows

by Nicole Dani While Senior Donna Ly and Sophomore Kate Ripley became inspired to learn the art of waxing and threading eyebrows in different ways, they both have taken up a new passion and have become skilled in the intricate practice.

After visiting famous brow artist Kelly Baker’s salon, senior Donna Ly was inspired to start waxing eyebrows, practicing on her friends and family and helping at another salon.

“I’ve become really passionate about it, the more I learn and the more I practice the more I fall in love with it,” Ly said.

Ly started looking on instagram pages centered around eyebrows and began training with her eyebrow stylist. She has waxed eyebrows for about two months, and her cli-

ents consist of friends and family.

“It’s fun meeting the clients, they come from all different parts of life and it’s so interesting,” Ly said. “It’s eye opening because I’m not exposed to that whole part of life. It’s crazy how much I can connect with them.”

Sophomore Kate Ripley, who also works with eyebrows, started threading out of enjoyment. She began doing it because it gave her a sense of peace and made other people happy.

“I started learning how to thread over the summer and just practiced on myself and I actually started off doing one of my friends boyfriend’s eyebrows, I also started to do girl’s eyebrows on the volleyball team and it escalated and people just started asking me to do their brows”

Along with the enjoyment of practicing, Ripley also loved the way threading made other people feel. She felt as if getting your eyebrows threaded gave people confidence and a way to feel more beautiful.

“I like doing it because people get so happy and love how they look, and I love when people feel beautiful,” Ripley said. “Besides making people feel awesome, I like threading because I find it really soothing. That might seem weird to people but that’s the whole reason I started doing it.”

Ripley began threading eyebrows over the summer when she learned how to on WikiHow.com.

“I was inspired by a few brow artists who post their videos on instagram and I love watching the videos- I find it really relaxing.

So I said ‘Hey, I already know how to tweeze brows, I can totally do this.” Ripley said.

Although Ripley enjoys threading as a hobby, she doesn’t see herself doing it as a serious profession.

“I really enjoy doing eyebrows and makeup but I can’t really see it as a profession for myself. I want to be a teacher, and threading just really isn’t my priority right now” On the other hand, Ly takes it more seriously and hopes to be her bosses “apprentice”. She works for them, gets paid, and if she’s ready, takes a state board test to get a license “I’m not sure if i’m capable of doing that but if I am I will definitely take the opportunity. If not, I’ll probably just go to school and get my license,” Ly said.

Jaland Green interns at All Sports Medicine byBrittany Baker In efforts to gain experience in the field he wants to pursue as a career in the future, senior Jaland Green interns at All Sports Medical Services along side his sister Mikayla.

All Sports Medical Services is based in the Orange County area and works along other health care practitioners providing basic first aid to help prevention and treatment of acute and chronic injuries during athletic sporting events.

Green adapted quickly to the tasks the internship entailed.

“I feel like it came natural once I got the hang of it. I run on the court and assist players that get injured on the court and try to get them back in the game as soon as possible. So i’ll wrap it up, give them ice and have them do stretches to try to get them back in the game,” Green said.

“We go to high schools for all different sporting events. This year we did football for the first time at Inglewood High School,” Green said.

According to Green All Sports Medical

Services main goal is expansion of the program.

“We have around 20 interns and about half are in high school and the other half are in college. Those in college are looking to expand where they go, we have some that are continuing in San Francisco and Washington DC, my boss is looking to expand all over the US,” Green said.

Treating the internship as he would a job, Green’s position as team manager for the boys varsity basketball team is influenced as well.

“Being team manager for the team is an advantage since I can help the team if they are in need,” Green said.

Green has been acquiring experience with his skills treating injured athletes as often as he can by staying involved with the school.

“I was helping June over the summer wrapping and icing players for practices,” Green said.

According to Green, his first day at the internship was not what he expected.

“My boss, Ree Browne, left me alone a the trainer’s table while she went to the bathroom. At this point she hasn’t taught me anything and a kid goes up for a rebound and came down and dislocated his ankle,” Green said.

Green was unprepared for the situation, but tried his best to offer his assistance.

“Everyone yelling ‘trainer, trainer, trainer’ but I didn’t react to it because I didn’t consider myself a trainer at that point. So I ran over to the court without any supplies and they were asking me what I was going to do,” Green said. “I told them I was going to get my boss but they were upset and insisted that we couldn’t leave him on the court. But my boss came back shortly after and we assisted the player.”

Green’s sister, sophomore Mikayla Green, was the first to get the internship and recommended him for the position.

“Working with my little sister is really cool since we both want to pursue a career in a health profession. Working with her and motivating each other is really comfortable,”

Green said.

Green took the opportunity after he did research and decided sports medicine was what he wanted to do.

“My siblings and I play a lot of sports so I wanted to go into something having to do with that and now it has been two years since I started the internship,” Green said.

The program teaches interns to be professional and receive a hands on experience in the medical field.

“The whole staff is really great, they teach us functions of the body and generally getting to know the body well. We mostly use medical words while working and she puts us in situations where we have to react fast to prevent anything serious from happening to our patients,” Green said.

Green plans to continue his involvement with sports medicine while in college.

“I want to be a primary care sports physician or an orthopedic surgeon with an emphasis on sports medicine. While I’m in undergrad I want to do athletic training. Ultimately I want to be a doctor so I’m planning to go to med school,” Green said.

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sports

Girls soccer comes second in Bay League

So close, yet so far

by Angie Tait

Juke Jam. Sophomore Page Sullivan dodges a Bishop Montgomery player as she goes to

After a loss against Mira Costa girls soccer finsihed second in Bay League, girls soccer is further preparing for their upcoming games after moving on to CIF. “During the Costa game, it took us a while to warm up.

We didn’t play with urgency during the first half, and then when were down 2-1 in the second half, we were struggling to score a tying goal,” captain Jesse Loren, senior said. “When we finally tied the game, the referee gave Costa a penalty kick, which I think was a bad call on their part, that allowed Costa to get up 3-2, and we weren’t able to come back.”

The team ended with a League score of 7-2-2 and an overall score of 22-4-3, which allowed them to be ranked 64th nationally, and 27th in

California.

“Against Costa, I think we were still down and upset from the loss on senior night against Palos Verdes, and didn’t come out as strong as we usually do. Eventually we got back into the game to tie it at 2-2, but the unfortunate penalty kick gave them the win,” captain Madi Kennel, senior said.

Despite the unexpected loss, the girls are still proud of the successful results, based on solid practice regimes and enduring team chemistry.

“I’m not going to lie, not winning Bay League is really disappointing as we had the expectation to win and we all believe we deserved it.

Our team still has amazing team chemistry and talent we just has some unfortunate referee calls and need to tighten up our defense which is what we are working on in practice,” Kennel said.

With the first round of CIF com-

ing up, the team is using their shortfalls to motivate themselves for the championship.

“We trained hard last week and we are going pretty light this week to hopefully stay injury-free. We had two hard games last week against Costa and Palos Verdes so we were pretty beat up so we needed rest this week. But we’ve been preparing for CIF all year, and we knew this year was going to be our best year yet, so our record definitely shows that,” Loren said.

The team will play their first CIF game home Feb. 16 at 5pm against University, a team from Irvine with an overall score of 13-7-2.

“We have very high expectations for CIF and believe we can win if we just tighten up the defense and start strong in every game,” Kennel said.

“Once we correct these mistakes there is nothing this team can’t do, and we will not be happy with anything but a CIF title.”

the center of the field to look for a pass towards the goal. PHOTO BY JESSICA CAVARRIA

Palos Verdes Redondo

Standings:

Mira Costa Inglewood

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Penninsula

5th

Final Bay League Rankings

School Name: (Win-Lose-Tie:) Morningside

6th

1. Palos Verdes: (9-0-1) 2. Redondo: (7-2-2) 3. Mira Costa: (6-4-1)

4. Inglewood (1-6-1) 5. Peninsula: (0-4-2) 6. Morningside: (0-7-1)

Wrestling advances onto the first round of CIF

by Tessa Biscaldi Wrestling is moving on to CIF this Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18 in Temecula after competing in Bay League Finals this past Thursday where they wrestled against Mira Costa, Peninsula, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills High Schools.

Freshman Vincent Reyes and junior Nick Webb both came away with second place wins and sophomore Tristan Kirkpatrick and senior Matt Davidson both placed in third during the match.

This week the four boys who placed in Bay League are training to prepare themselves for CIFs this weekend by training with other wrestlers that are similar in size and weight.

“I expected this outcome for the season this year because we had a similar one last year. Both this year and last, we had a couple guys go to CIFs, although this year we had one more person who was able to qualify,”

Davidson said. “The real surprise was how the freshmen stepped up and competed well this year.”

Going into CIF, Davidson has his sights set on his end goal for this season, which will be his last time wrestling in high school and for Redondo.

“I want to win a couple matches at CIF and my ultimate goal would be to place in the top 8, which would qualify me to go to Masters, which is really hard tournament for all of the wrestlers in the southern half of California in the level above CIFs,” Davidson said. “I have high hopes for this weekend and

Take down. Senior Jason Fong pins his opponent to the matt during an away tournament on Jan. 28.

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHAVARRIA

the other boys going to CIFs worked really hard as well and they deserve this.”

Webb also believes the team will do well this is weekend.

“I believe we can do well at CIF,” Webb sai. “There are certainly some of us who can place at CIF and continue to Masters.”

Looking back on the wrestling season, both Davidson and Webb believe that the freshmen on the team were one of their strengths.

“We were a very young team this season, with most of our wrestlers being freshmen,” Webb said. “We did really well and were honorable opponents throughout the season.”

The wrestlers who are going on to CIF are hopeful about their results during the match and are looking forwards to their performances next year.

“I’m very optimistic as far as how we will perform as a team next year,” Webb said.

Feb. 16, 2017

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sports

Gi

h n t s e o e i r p C h a m a f CI F olo wins o d P r n u es Wate League o and first r W rl

by Justin Pioletti

Winning feels good. Girls Water Polo celebrates together after an exciting victory against rivals Mira Costa High School. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMILLE GRACE.

S

weeping their first round of CIF, girls water polo defeated Hillcrest high school 16-3, leading the way to quarterfinals this Saturday, Feb. 18.

“We played really well as a team and utilizing our drop defense in the game really helped us out,” senior Ardyn Wallo said.

“Our aggression is what got us through, and continued throughout the whole game.”

The girls unanimously agree their driving motivation played a pivotal role in their success and collectively put their best foot forward before each game, no matter the team.

“We came into this game thinking no matter who they are, we have to play our 110 percent,” freshman Julia Janov said. “We communicated really well, and played really

well as a team.”

According to head coach Shelby Haroldson, communication and persistence is tough to maintain, yet the girls have achieved it through team unity.

“All the girls on varsity are really strong, and our good team unity has helped keep our season going,” Shelby said. “Team dynamic wise, the girls all really get along.

Also, there is a lot of exceptional athletic talent throughout the team which has really helped us.”

Finishing Bay League undefeated and placing first in a Bay League tournament for the first time in Redondo history, the girls are in route for the longest season Redondo has ever faced. Motivation is key at a time like this, according to Shelby, yet the girls definitely have what it takes.

“We have such a long season, and now that we have two more weeks of intense games, it’s important not to lose motivation,” Shelby said. “No matter what, it’s also important to take one game at a time, because any team could come out of nowhere and make a big upset.”

As expected from any team, Redondo has faced moments where success seemed unlikely. In their final game against Palos Verdes, the girls were down 2-5, yet came back in the third quarter.

“Just the fact that we came back in that game really shows how strong we are when we put our mind to it,” senior Sophie Maguy said. “We all play for each other, and that really helps.”

Despite all obstacles, their bond has brought the girls to where they stand today, according to Maguy, and CIF will be won by any means necessary.

“I feel like our team is really just sixteen best friends,” Maguy said. “There will be problems outside the pool, but once we get in we become teammates, and success is our only option.”

Winners at last

Boys soccer are Bay League Champions

by Kayvon Elahihaghighi

One small pass for Seahawks, One giant kick for Seahawk nation. Sophomore Noah Ristovski goes to kick the ball pass a Mira Costa player during Bay League Finals.

PHOTO BY KYRA PACIFICA

They scored the first goal in the last 10 minutes only for Costa to equalize minutes later. A win meant they were Bay League champs, a tie crowned their rivals Mira Costa. Time was almost up, they had a last minute corner kick, probably the last kick of the game, and their last chance to make history.

“I have been on varsity since I was a freshmen, failing to win Bay League every year, but to win it for the first time in Redondo’s history, as captain, was the greatest way to finally win it,” junior Alvin Perez said.

Redondo took the lead only for Costa equalize from a corner kick minutes later.

“Losing the lead wasn’t a positive, but I wasn’t worried. I had a feeling in my gut, I knew we were going to win,” Perez said.

In the last play of the game, Redondo was awarded a corner kick in which captain Damian Sanchez, junior played a lofted pass to his fellow captain, Perez, who headed the ball into the back of the Mira Costa goal, winning the game.

“I couldn’t stop smiling, it felt good because it was the winning goal but it felt even better because I was the captain. I felt like a leader,” Perez said.

Redondo took the title from last years champions Palos Verdes, who had Bay League consecutively for the past decade.

“Taking the Bay League title away from P.V. is probably the best thing that’s happened in my high school career, especially because I have teammates on P.V. so it’s personal,” Perez said.

Both captains credit each player’s lack of ego as the reason for their success this season.

“The team’s before us definitely had the talent but we had the right attitude. Last year’s team was one of the most talented groups of players but a lot of them didn’t take it seriously. This year we had less talent but had the right attitude and it work for us,” Sanchez said.

At the beginning of the season Redondo hoped to win Bay League. After accomplishing their original goal, the captains are now confident that they can make it past the first round of CIF, which will be accomplishing their second goal of the season.

“Our goal is still to get past the first round, that has not changed. Winning Bay League certainly made us more confident that we can do so, but it’s important that we keep working hard and not relax,” Sanchez said.

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High Tide

sports

1.

2.

Sixteen teams with the same dream

Boys basketball defeats Costa, advances to playoffs

by Patrick Cochran

Coming off of a 26 point victory against Mira Costa, boys basketball finished the regular season undefeated in Bay League and will now play in the Open Division playoffs starting on Friday with the first playoff game against Roosevelt High School.

The bracket Redondo was placed in contains sixteen teams, meaning Redondo has to win four games to win the tournament, which contain many teams ranked in the top spots in the nation, including Mater Dei ranked third in the nation, Bishop Montgomery ranked at eleventh and Chino Hills at number one. Senior Ryse Williams, captain, feels well prepared going into the playoffs.

“It is definitely the toughest competition, but as a team we want to play the toughest competition. We are prepared for it, this is what we have been preparing for all year, this is what all of the practice and work leads up to, were prepared for it,” Williams said.

Open division is structured differently than regular CIF playoffs. If the competition ends up beating Redondo, then by the rules of the format Redondo would still be able to play for the state championship.

“You’re guaranteed two games, once you lose you go to a constellation bracket and play for that championship.

At that point CIF is over, then you play for state in what3. ever division you are placed in, which for us would most likely be division one,” Williams said.

Rise to the top. 1. The RUHS team huddles up pre-game. 2. Junior ZejiWilliams is completely focused on winning the open ah Lovett drives to the hoop to lob it in against Mira Costa on February 9. division bracket and is not even concerned with division 3. Lovett again drives past Mira Costa defenders to roll the ball in on Redondo’s was to a 76-50 win. PHOTOS BY KYRA PACIFIC AND MATTHEW YONEMURA. one.

“I don’t even know who is in that bracket, but we should win that, we should win that easily. If we can win our games in open division we can beat any team in division one.”

Being the team leader and team captain, there is a lot of pressure on Williams to perform at a high level, all of the other players look up to him and rely on him to carry the team.

“Of course there is a lot of pressure, I am the captain and our team leader, there are a lot of eyes on me but of course I’m ready for it. I have good guys to support me, I know there is a lot of pressure but I don’t really feel the pressure that much,” Williams said.

Senior Night for the team was last Thursday, Feb. 9. before the game against Costa. The boys were “pumped up” for the game and wanted to beat Costa by a large margin, eventually succeeding by beating their rivals 76-50.

For Williams, this will be his final year at Redondo Union and he is eager to win a state championship. He has been a leader at Redondo Union for four years and will next year be attending LMU to play under former RUHS head coach Reggie Morris.

“We came out ready to play and ready to beat them.

We wanted to pile up as many points on them, as we could because last game we let them stay in the game and they were talking about how they could have beat us, for a while. We really wanted to go out and make a statement and that’s what we did; the whole game we never let up,” Williams said.

Feb. 16, 2017

page 19

sports

Ripping it. Sophomore Nathaniel Harris competes against Mira Costa at Hermosa Beach Pier. PHOTO BY AUSTIN NUNIS.

Balance of power: Surf ties Costa at 84

by Camille Grace Redondo surf team tied for the Bay League title with a score of 84-84 against Mira Costa on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

“The team really stepped it up and took control of the contest from the very first heat of the morning. The lower class men surfed like upper class men in the line up and took control in the heats against some of Mira Costa’s best surfers,” senior captain Tate Curran said.

To prepare for the contest, RUHS used

their previous competition against Palos Verdes as a way to improve on their mistakes and train against a harder team.

“The best practice we had was the contest against PV where all the surfers had a very good opportunity to see what it’s like to surf against a higher caliber surf team. We were able to learn from our mistakes,” Curran said.

Going into the contest, everyone knew they had to focus and perform well as they were hoping for a shot at the title.

“Our surf coach Duncan Avery let everyone know that this contest was the most important one of the year and would decide whether we were Bay League Champions.

Everyone knew they had to perform well,” senior captain Kyle Beatty said.

Despite not having the ideal surfing conditions, senior captain Hali Honea and the rest of RUHS was very happy with the tie.

“Considering the waves were very small and difficult to ride, I think we still gave it our

all. There were a couple of controversial heat scores, but we’re just very happy to be co-Bay League Champions,” Honea said.

As this was a great end to an overall successful season, Curran reflects on what the surf program has given him.

“The camaraderie with all my teammates is something I will never forget. The very best part of surfing on the Redondo team is being able to surf with your best friends and be in class at the same time,” Curran said.

page 20

High Tide

features

A family divided

Tehrani worried that his family could not return from their visit to Iran

by Danny Parhizi

For confidentiality, the source is referred to as Reza Tehrani.

The President’s executive order to halt immigration from seven muslim majority countries has had unwarranted effects on many people.

Reza Tehrani’s found himself torn apart from his mother who was detained and deported back into Iran, when she was waiting for her connection flight in Istanbul, Turkey.

Tehrani’s mother flew over to Iran to be with family, and after six months she decided to come back; however the travel ban delayed her a few days.

“I haven’t seen my mom in a long time so I got really frustrated and upset, because we all thought that we would have to wait three more months to see each other,” Tehrani said.

At first, when the executive order was passed, Tehrani did not think that it would affect his mother’s return plans.

“I was not really worried about the travel ban because I thought it would only prevent

illegal immigrants, but it turns out that was not the case,” Tehrani said.

Tehrani and his parents moved to the U.S. when he was in sixth grade, and they have been living here ever since. They are legal residents and are one year away from becoming U.S. citizens, so when the executive order was issued, Tehrani didn’t think that it would prevent legal residents from coming.

“We did not think that the executive order would ban legal residents so that’s why my mom didn’t come back sooner,” Tehrani said. “We were all just really surprised that something like this happened.”

Tehrani initially found out his mother could not come back, when she was at the airport in Turkey waiting for their connecting flight. As she was changing flights she was told that no one from Iran is allowed in the U.S. and that she must return to Iran.

“She flew to Turkey but when she got there the travel ban became active and she got sent back to Iran,” Tehrani said. “I was

sad to see that my mother was treated as though she was a criminals.”

Luckily for Tehrani, the federal court temporarily overturned the travel ban and his mom was allowed to come back.

“Thankfully my mother didn’t have to wait three months,” Tehrani said. “When the federal judge blocked the executive order my mom took advantage of it and came back immediately.”

When the news reached Tehrani that his mother was coming back, he went down to LAX and took precautions to find out if his mom was going to be deported back when she landed. To his amazement Tehrani saw many protestors outside of the airport.

“I didn’t take any part in the protesting but I was surprised to see the amount of people that showed up to support this cause,” Tehrani said.

According to Tehrani’s mother, Mrs. Tehrani, the most difficult part about this whole thing was not being with her son.

“All I could think about is that I’m going

to be away from my son for even longer, which made me very upset because I haven’t seen him in many months,” Mrs. Tehrani said. “I was in Iran during the election so I didn’t think that Donald Trump was actually going to sign something that wouldn’t allow legal residents to come.”

Currently Tehrani’s mother is back in the U.S., and she does not have plans to travel back to Iran until she gets her citizenship first, in order to avoid any troubles in the future.

“Because my mother has to travel back and forth she is just going to have to wait until she gets her citizenship next year, so that she can go back and forth without worrying if she can’t come back,” Tehrani said.

Even though Tehrani has been living in the U.S. for a few years now, he has completely changed his perspective on the way he and his family travels without citizenship.

“I’m all for protecting America, but if someone has a green card or visa to be here, well they have it for a reason,” Tehrani said.

Feuerstein hopes to become registered diver

by Davina Nguyen It’s common for people to have a heightened appreciation for the beauty of the tropics and relaxing sea excursions after visiting an island. For senior Sasha Feuerstein, however, her admiration has extended beyond mere appreciation, leading her to be on her way to becoming a registered scuba diver.

Having visited the Cayman Islands every winter break for years, it makes sense for her and her family to become registered scuba divers, according to Feuerstein.

“We take many vacations in the Cayman Islands, and there are so many people there who are certified, so we decided do it too,” Feuerstein said.

Feuerstein’s love for animals, both on land and especially underwater, is another reason she decided to become a scuba diver, as she would be able to interact with the sea life.

“I honestly decided to scuba dive because I wanted to see fish, turtles, and stingrays up close. It’s such a foreign environment which makes it so exciting,” Feuerstein said.

One of Feuerstein’s favorite activities when visiting the Cayman Islands is snorkeling, as it doesn’t require having to be registered to do so. However, she reasons that engaging in the same thing every year may begin to feel tiresome, and going beyond snorkeling becomes much more appealing. “The deeper you go, the cooler the sights,” is her mantra.

“As much as I love snorkeling, I’ve been doing it for a while and it seems like such a touristy thing for do in my opinion, especially after going to Cayman so often and seeing snorkeling as a very popular activity,” Feuerstein said.

Under the sea.

“I was snorkeling and diving at different sites, like shipwreck on Seven Mile Beach and under a pier at Rum point on the north side of the island,” PHOTO COURTESY OF SASHA FEUERSTEIN

Throughout her experiences snorkeling, Feuerstein believes that the event that kickstarted her ambitions to become a scuba diver was her experience visiting the remains of a ship.

“My favorite memory would be snorkeling to a shipwreck a couple of years ago. We obviously didn’t go inside, but the entire scene looked so surreal, as if I were in a dream,” Feuerstein said. “After that, I was very motivated to start scuba diving so I can discover more.”

Feuerstein admits that the tedious process of becoming a registered scuba diver is why she and her family hasn’t started sooner.

“In order to be certified, you have to do practice dives with an instructor, be able to stay underwater for certain amounts of time, and do well to get certified,” Feuerstein said. “It’s a lot of work and we weren’t exactly willing to do it while on vacation.”

Feuerstein believes that she is at an advantage, not only because she is a talented snorkeler, but also because of her swimming ability.

“Swimming skills are important because you have to know how to tread or swim long distances.

While you’re practicing, you usually do confined dives first, then open water dives,” Feuerstein said.

Feuerstein and her family aims to become registered scuba divers the winter break after her high school graduation, when she believes she will have more time dedicating to training and explore more of the underwater beauty.

“I’m really curious to see even more sea life and the environment, so I want to be able to go deeper,” Feuerstein said.