High Tide Aug. 29, 2014

High Tide

Redondo Beach, CA Redondo Union High School August 29, 2014 Vol. XCV Edition 1

Stand tall. 1. El-Hasan and her family got shirts to support the people of Gaza. The part shown reads “There is no eid when every day is a martyr #Palestineresists.” 2.El-Hasan hugs her second cousin’s good bye.

“I just met her this summer but she’s such a sweety and calls me her older sister and I’ve talked to her nearly every day since,” El-Hasan said. 3. The view off ElHasan’s grandmother’s old house in Beit Iba, Palestine. “Beit Iba is a super tiny village so everything there is really really old and no one lives in the house anymore but they use it for get togethers and such because the family all lives nearby,” she said.

1.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF YASMEEN EL-HASAN

Standing with resistance Yasmeen El-Hasan reflects on living in an occupied territory while visiting her family in Palestine for four weeks this summer

by Yasmeen El-Hasan

2.

His shirt was blue. It was was a deep blue, the same color as the sparkling eyes of my young cousin as she proudly recited to me a poem of Palestinian nationalism. His eyes were different. His eyes were black. They did not sparkle and there was no glisten. It seemed as if he had never smiled, never laughed, never loved. His eyes were filled with hatred. These same eyes glare at me in my nightmares still, well over a month since I have seen them and less than two weeks since I have returned from my trip to Palestine. And yet the eyes haunt me still.

These eyes belong to an Israeli soldier, one who is stationed at the Jordanian-Israeli border, the one which all Palestinians must cross to enter the West Bank because they are not allowed access to the airport in Tel Aviv. Since I hold a dual citizenship and am both an American and Palestinian citizen, this is how I returned to my home on July 23.

Looking back, I find it funny that it was not the gun strapped to his chest that frightened me. It wasn’t the dozens of other armed soldiers who milled around, not even the many vehicles with large guns on top aimed at myself and the other Palestinians. No, what frightened me was his eyes. And when they stared into mine, I thought for sure that I was going to die. I thought his eyes were the last thing that I would ever see. I thought he was going to kill me.

My mother, brother and sister were with me, but 3.

[continued on p. 9]

page 2

news

Teacher tenure disputed

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

by Kayla Nicholls

Teacher tenure has existed since the early nineteen hundreds, but it is now being called unconstitutional due to the Vergara v. California case. A group of nine students brought their case, claiming that their education was suffering due to teachers that they felt were “bad”. They were supported

by Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., part of the program Students Matter. The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs stating that the current tenure was harmful to low income students and that it interfered with students’ right to quality education.

As a result of this case, it is now easier to dismiss low-performing teachers. The Los Angeles Superior Court says that effective teachers have nothing to worry about and the California Teachers Association will still review every teacher extensively before they are fired. Despite these assurances, some teachers disagree with the ruling, including teachers Timothy Baumgartner and Kim Akhavan.

“I disagree with the judge’s ruling in the Vergara case,” Baumgartner said. “There are ways that public education can be improved, but vilifying teachers is not one of them. For one thing, the ruling does nothing to rectify the poverty that so severely impacts the ability to learn for so many students.”

He feels that this ruling blames teachers without effectively combating the greater problem.

“It is much easier to blame teachers than

to stop the growth of the gap between the haves and the have nots or to bolster the disappearing middle class,” Baumgartner said.

Although he disagrees with the ruling, he understands the students’ complaints.

“I empathize with the student plaintiffs to some degree,” Baumgartner said “No student wants to see their favorite teacher lose his or her job. But one of the teachers they complained about was a recent ‘Teacher of the Year.’ This shows that sometimes students do not always have the same point of view for what makes a teacher ‘good’ or ‘bad’ that adults do,” Baumgartner said.

Baumgartner also feels that the students

are being used by the person who supported the case.

“I also feel that the students were being used by the rich person who bankrolled the case. His unstated long-term goal is to weaken teachers unions and ultimately find a way for private businesses and corporations to take a big slice of the education budget for themselves by privatizing much of education,” Baumgartner said. “His strategy, and that of others like him, is to bad-mouth education and claim the system is broken when in fact the historical data shows that more students are completing more schooling than ever before.”

Akhavan also understands the students’

position, but she disagrees with the final ruling.

“Although I understand the attack on teacher tenure, I feel it is misguided,” Akhavan said. “If schools were properly and consistently funded, administrators would not be spread so thin that they couldn’t follow proper evaluation protocols to terminate lousy teachers.”

Akhavan feels the court case is not necessary because firing teachers is possible as is.

“Firing a bad teacher can be difficult, but it’s certainly not impossible when the right steps are taken at the right time,” Akhavan said.

According to a 2011 Survey of 2,600 Americans...

49%

Oppose Teacher Tenure

However, among teachers...

53%

Oppose Teacher Tenure

20% 32%

Support Teacher Tenure

Support Teacher Tenure INFORMATION COURTESY OF PROCON.ORG

AES “Harbor Village Plan” to revitilize waterfront

by Stella Gianoukakis

The power plant, owned by the company AES, Applied Energy Services, has existed in Redondo Beach for over 100 years. A plan to remove the plant has recently been presented.

Mayor Steve Aspel supports the plan and wants to revitalize the harbor. If it is implemented, it will be about 10 years before the project is complete.

“I see it as a win-win,” Aspel said. “Long before I was ever involved in Redondo Beach politics, they have been talking about getting rid of that power plant. AES came to us with this new plan of 600 residences and 85,000 square feet of mixed use and restaurants. In addition, the initiative calls for zoning for a 250 room hotel. No Time Shares would be allowed. It is a pretty good idea and the only guaranteed way I know of to get rid of the power plant.”

In the past, another plan that did not end up working had been contrived with the same ultimate goal of removing the power plant.

“About 14 years ago the city came up with this idea called ‘the Heart of the City,’” Aspel said. “There would be about 3,000 condos and retail, but it was way too big and the citizens did not appreciate it. The city council at the time pulled the idea

because of that.”

In order for the new plan to be implemented, AES has to get about 7,000 signatures from Redondo Beach citizens, then it will go on a ballot in March and will have to receive about 7,000 votes to pass.

AES has until 2020 to rebuild the plant.

They applied for a permit from the California Energy Commission to rebuild a smaller, more efficient plant, but then cancelled the application to uphold part of the new plan agreement. If the plan does not pass, AES can re-apply for a permit to build the smaller plant.

“AES owns the 56 acres. Their theory is if we allow them to build that many units, they can make enough money to tear down the current plant, build what they have to build, and then get their profit,” Aspel said.

According to Aspel, the power plant does not produce that much power, its technology is old, and it involves ocean-cooled water, which has recently been banned in California. However, he does believe there are pros and cons to removing it.

“The con to removing the plant would be if we needed the power, but I do not think we need it with all the new technology we have today. Though, there would be more traffic. The power plant is actually not a bad

Blackout. By 2020, the ocean will be more visable as AES takes down their power plant to put in the new Harbor Village, which will hopefully bring more beauty and capital to the seaside.

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

neighbor. It does not cause traffic,” Aspel said. “It sits dormant, but it is an eyesore.

The pro is getting rid of the pollution and an eyesore. The views from the houses on the hill would be restored as well.”

One of Aspel’s main goals in removing the plant is to revitalize the area for youth.

“It’ll upgrade our Harbor,” Aspel said. “My ultimate goal is to make the power plant go away and revitalize the pier. It is a problem that I did not put into perspective until my daughters told me that there is nothing here for young people to do.”

However, there are people who oppose

the plan.These people argue that AES is being given too many units to be build on.

According to Mayor Aspel, these people are very vocal and come to the meetings claiming to represent the citizen’s of Redondo Beach.

“In my opinion, a vast majority of the people would favor the plan. The majority never come to the meetings, though. No one bothers asking the young people why they do not go to the pier,” he said. “This is not a perfect idea, but for the first time in history, the citizens now have a real choice to make on the power plant.”

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

page 3

news

Technology improves the registration process

by Jason Rochlin

This year, Redondo Beach Unified School District has made the technological jump and gone digital for registration.

The process at RUHS was streamlined so the students didn’t have to carry papers around and drop them at different stations.

“This is what we asked for when we first got on the board. A paperless system,” School Board member Laura Emdee said.

“Being a parent of two students I could imagine the shared nightmare for families with more than one student.”

To implement a district wide rollout, there are many people working behind the scenes to be sure it goes smooth.

Assistant Principal Anthony Bridi gives kudos to the district Information Technology (IT) department for helping answer the many questions that came up in a timely fashion.

“We foresaw that a lot of parents would need that IT support helpline, and so the IT department was really prepared to take on those calls,” Bridi said. “Because we were able to set this up it was a very smooth transition, especially from what I’m hearing dis-

trict-wide.”

The IT support was especially helpful in creating parental accounts on Infinite Campus where they could register their student(s).

“It was generally well received by the parents, which is excellent because the parent feedback is very valuable. We want to make this an easy process,” Bridi said.

One of the only problems with the online registration process came from parents who didn’t know or didn’t have the capability to register ahead of time.

“We had a room with all the computers to register students which was excellent, as well as staff that was trained to give out the passwords. But once parents received the passwords there was an hour lag-time, so it wasn’t instantaneous,” Bridi said.

The passwords needed to be cycled through the district system, and that is what took the most time. After their portal accounts came up, parents could move onto the rest of registration.

Emdee also found that parent feedback was a good judge of the new program.

California

6

Proposal for making California six independently governed states to hit state ballot

by Nina Gomez

so for next year and beyond that, I think the process will be even smoother since they’ll know exactly what they need to do right when walking in,” Bridi said.

With the success of this year’s pilot program, the expectation is, as registration goes forward in the following years, there will be more items added onto the online registration process.

“It’s very user friendly going from year to year, even with more add ons. Of course, we’ll tweak whatever we need to, especially if we find that, for example, the people in IT might have some other things they want to tweak because they see different things than me or you,” Bridi said.

Ultimately, the success of the program is a result of the synergy from parents, administration and technology all working together.

“I’d say that without the solid Redondo team of administrators, counselors, teachers, and really the parent volunteers, this process wouldn’t have been as smooth,” Bridi said. “I’d like to thank all the parties involved for truly making it spectacular.”

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measure could be on the November 2016 state ballot.

“I know this is a hard thing for everybody to stomach,” Draper said of breaking up California. “The reason we are doing this for 2016 instead of 2014 is it takes time for people to understand why we need six states, why we need a better representative government.”

Despite Draper’s optimism, “Six Californias” has received a fair amount of backlash. A committee called OneCalifornia was recently formed to oppose the Six Californias ballot proposal and a Field Poll found that 59% of California voters oppose the state split.

Chairman for OneCalifornia, Steve Maviglio, doubts the breakup will happen, skeptical as to whether Congress would approve.

“Is Congress going to give California 10 more senators?” Maviglio asked in the Los Angeles Times.

One of the main issues with the measure is that Draper does not have a positive history with past measure proposals such as the 2000 failed ballot measure Draper spent $23 million on that would have provided government-funded vouchers to help children attend private schools.

A spokesman for California Governor Jerry Brown also recently raised questions about “Six Californias” due to issues regarding its validity.

“The proposal has a few practical challenges,” said Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Brown, in the Los Angeles Times.

SILICO

A venture capitalist who calls himself the “riskmaster” proposed an initiative in December of 2013 that would carve California into six independently governed states. The initiative came under fire after Tim Draper submitted the first batch of what will be 1.3 million petition signatures.

Draper is a multimillionaire from Silicon Valley who proposed the measure “Six Californias” after concluding that California is “ungovernable” in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

He believes California’s geographic size has led to a dysfunctional state government that has grown distant from the people and believes that a split is the best solution.

“When the people and their state are no longer in sync, large populations feel that they are not being represented and the state fails to provide the services that it promises, then we lose our democracy,” Draper said in a recent speech.

The six proposed “Californias” have been divided along county lines and named by Draper. The proposed states include Jefferson, Silicon Valley, Central, North, South and West California.

The 1.3 million petition signatures to be submitted are enough for the measure to qualify, although by August 26, 2014, only 1,137,803 signatures were reportedly submitted and only 66.89% of nearly half of the signatures were deemed valid. If about 807,615 valid signatures are submitted, the

“It really wasn’t until the voters passed Measure Q that we could make online registration a reality. I have only heard from the families that have loved it,” Emdee said. “So I am of the impression this system is a success.”

Bridi believes that not only was the online pilot a success by parental standards, but that it was a success in student participation, boasting 2,459 online enrollments by August 25th.

“As of that day, those that were currently enrolled in our system that were at school were 2,641. The difference there was basically students from other states, that were newly enrolled and new to Redondo, meaning they didn’t have an online password,” Bridi said. “That makes these really good numbers, phenomenal even.”

Because basic information like a student’s name, address and phone number are permanently in the system, registrations after this initial one will be even faster going forward, according to Bridi.

“I would say that the easiest thing now is that it’s been established. Year one is done,

W CA ES LI T F.

SOUTH CALIF.

page 4

opinion

Around Editorial: Redondo

What is your opinion of online registration? compiled by Nina Gomez and Vaidehi Ghandi

“

I think online registration was smooth and made things a lot easier.

”

Brigid Antonelli, 12

“

“

The students should be allowed to access the online registration.

”

“

Pedro Souto, 12

“

I would definitely recommend it considering how convenient it was.

” “

Salvatore Di Pietro, 11

My parents and I used online registration; it was easy to use and less stressful.

”

Brian Wong, 9

“

I’m fairly indifferent to which kind of registration they use.

Serenity Robb, 11

” “

It made things simpler; there wasn’t any hassle with paperwork.

Zachary Rounds, 12

“

My family was in Germany and it was difficult to register for school.

”

Anam Kahn, 11

”

Students complain all the time about teachers not doing their job, but sometimes, they actually have a point.

An LA Superior Court called the California teacher tenure laws unconstitutional this June. The California tenure ruling benefits students because it speeds up the process of firing low-performing teachers; allows newer,better teachers more job security; and improves student access to a quality education.

Nine students went to court claiming they all had at least one teacher who didn’t do his or her job, but could not be fired due to job security. As a result, the students said they did not receive a quality education.

According to USA Today, on average each year, only two California teachers are dismissed for “unsatisfactory performance” out of 275,000 teachers total. Under the current laws, tenured teachers’ dismissals cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and can take months or years to be approved.

Teachers shouldn’t worry about job security if they are doing their job effectively.

The California Teachers Association said that teachers undergo an extensive review process and the final decision to fire a teacher is made by an independent panel, which makes it difficult to fire teachers even without tenure.

One of the LA judge’s main points was that tenure affects students’ fundamental right to a quality education. As US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “Equal opportunities for learning must include equal

Teacher tenure does not serve students, should be struck down

opportunity to be taught by a great teacher.”

Tenure supporters say tenure is necessary to prevent teachers from being fired for personal or political reasons, but part of the Teachers Union’s tenets includes protecting teachers’ rights, which the Union should do.

Others argue that teachers are not the problem, as students who come from impoverished homes are put under so much stress already just trying to survive that they don’t have time to focus on school. Yet if underprivileged students had access to engaging teachers instead of cheaper, inexperienced teachers usually hired in minority or low-income communities, they would perhaps thrive.

Students’ success should be the educational system’s top priority, not teachers’ job security.

Editorial Board vote Teacher tenure should be amended/struck down

agree disagree

9 0

Mission Statement Our goals as a school newspaper and some of our policies, from the High Tide staff

High Tide, Redondo Union’s award-winning newspaper, has been making waves since 1917. We have received the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold and Silver Crown Awards for print and online and the National Scholastic Press Association’s Pacemaker, the holy grail of student publications.

We are a staff of more than 50 people working to create a newspaper that both informs and entertains. Our staff writes our stories and our editors design our pages, edit stories, manage our website or finalize our newspaper. The newspaper is entirely student-run with Mitch Ziegler as our adviser.

As a newspaper, we have policies that we will abide by. We will not stereotype or typecast; racism, sexism and discrimination towards any religion will not be tolerated. No mention of a person’s race, gender, sexuality or religion will be made unless it pertains to

the story.

The staff will not criticize without full research of the topic. These criticisms will be made with the highest integrity possible.

Direct insults, whining and unconstructive feedback will not be tolerated and will be given full retractions.

We will create an open environment for our students to give feedback, suggestions and commentary for our newspaper. Letters to the editor are strongly recommended to ensure receiving the maximum amount of feedback. We will also do our best to cover underrepresented groups.

We are dedicated to bringing a high quality newspaper that both entertains and informs our readers without bias, libel, misinformation or false accusations. We will dedicate all of our effort to providing correct information and the best possible newspaper for our readers.

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

Chris’

Corner English Dept. changes grading scale

by Chris Paludi This year the English department has introduced a new grading system, replacing the 1 through 9 grading scale with which most returning students are familiar with a 1-5 scale. Though Mr. Ammentorp has been using it in his English classes for years, this is the first year the system will be integrated into the English department as a whole.

The teachers who are adopting this policy hope that it will allow essays to be graded more holistically. A paper most teachers would agree on as a 3 in the new scale, for example, might be graded as a 4 or a 5 by different teachers using the old scale. Less room is left for subjectiveness and dissension between individual teachers, making the grading process more accessible and fairer for students.

A 1 through 5 grading scale will particularly benefit students on the lower tier of grades, according to the teachers in the English department. Psychologically, it seems much easier to rise from a 1 to a 3, rather than climb all the way from a 2 to a 6. The gap between letter grades in the old system seems much larger than in the new, making it mentally more manageable to traverse. The department hopes that climbing the mountain to success will be easier for students if the mountain seems shorter.

These modifications also reflect positively on the teachers. Changing their long-standing grading habits in the hopes that it will benefit their students, especially those struggling, demonstrates that the teachers are willing to fully live up to the responsibilities of their jobs.

When you’re done reading the issue, if you are not going to hang onto it, please either leave it in your classroom or recycle the paper.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH BIESCHKE

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

Letters to the Editor

page 5

opinion

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.

High Tide

staff

Editor in Chief: Allegra Peelor

Managing Editor: Alejandro Quevedo News Editor: Jason Rochlin Opinion Editor: Christopher Paludi Features Editors: Yasmeen El-Hasan; Vaidehi Gandhi; Caterina Hyneman; Shawn Mallen; Shaniya Markalanda; Amanda Shaw

Sports Editors: Nina Gomez; Sophie Maguy

Writing Editors: Stella Gianoukakis; Kayla Nicholls; Grace Zoerner

Photo Editors: Ted Cavus; Chandler Ross

Copy Editors: Joseph Blakely; Kira Bowen

Online Editors: Vivian Lam; Romy Moreno

Photographers: Dinah Aiad; Samantha

Bendall; Jennifer Blanco; Madison Brooks; Erin Czulewicz; Daniel Green; Janelle Howe; Lexi Kleen; Carla Macar; Masha Pescheryakova; Laua’e Schweitzer; Tyler Wunderli; Adam Yorke

Illustrators: Steven Bell-Nixon; Luma Wegman

Staff Writers: Dinah Aiad; Gianna

Aquilina; Samantha Bendall; Jennifer Blanco; Madison Brooks; Malek Chamas; Jason Clebowicz; Isabella Cordero; Erin Czulewicz; Kelly Dickinson; Micah Ezzes; Lizzie Fauver; Yasamin Fazeli; Jason Fong; Camille Gerson; Daniel Green; Ilene Guerrero; Zach Hatakeyama; Kayla Hiken; Jessica Johnson; Massa Kassab; Brittany Ketting; Jon Mallen; Marie Ona; Kaita Pannor; Sadie Pearson; Masha Pescheryakova; Samaya Rubio; Laua’e Schweitzer; Parker Scott; Mylene Silver; Ava Uema; Simrun Ursani; Tyler Wunderli; Adam Yorke High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

This is a wholly student-managed, designed, and written newspaper that focuses on school and community events.

High Tide is published by the journalism class at Redondo Union High School, One Sea Hawk Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

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

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

PHOTOS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT COURTESY OF ANNA FAUVER, MARCUS TORRES, ELENA BODKIN, SARAH COX AND JORDAN ABRAMS, JESSICA JOHNSON, AND ROMY MORENO.

by Alejandro Quevedo

Most RUHS students have heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge; many have done it. But how has this really helped the cause?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the spine and brain, gradually breaking down voluntary muscle movements and paralyzing the patient. This eventually leads to death. According to the ALS Association, ALS affects up to 30,000 Americans and typically strikes between ages 40 and 70. With prominent faces such as Stephen Hawking affected by the disease, it’s no surprise that there’s been a lot of support.

The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral over the summer, becoming a huge trend on Instagram and Facebook. With challenges posted every day, it consumed social media and received an enormous amount of coverage.

However, with the large amount of people who have done it and not donated, among students especially, it is commonly assume that the challenge is just a social ploy to impress one’s peers. “Quartz,” an online publication, calls it a form of “donorfocussed philanthropy,” and with most posts only showing students doing the challenge and not providing much, or sometimes any

information about ALS, it most certainly seems that way.

As of now, the ALS Association has received more than $94 million in donations, so the fact that most students don’t donate along with the challenge isn’t a big deal.

With that money, the foundation can do a lot of good through investments in research and care for patients affected by ALS and their families. All in all, the charity has been extremely successful and has more than accomplished its aim: raising money for ALS. Here’s where the perceived problem really lies: intention and judgement. While many people only do the challenge in response to friends nominating them without the intent of actually donating to the ALS Association, the cause has received enough media from the challenge to create a large population of donors to draw funds from. Many people don’t donate, but the large amount of coverage catches the attention of large donors or regular people who are more likely to donate, more than compensating for those that don’t donate. $94 million is a hard number to argue with in terms of success.

In terms of judgement, $94 million seems to many to be a disproportional amount of money for one disease. Some criticism is expressed of donors for donating only to the ALS Association, rather than other charities

Opinion:

The Six Californias proposal is a fallacy and will not pass

by Chris Paludi Whether you think it’s a good proposal, a poor one, or even a silly one, the “Six Californias” measure will be up for vote on the November 2016 ballot.

California, the most populous of the 50 states and home of the ninth-largest economy in the world, is in a recession. The state is in bad shape, and Sacramento is working tirelessly to turn the tide.

Tim Draper, a billionaire venture capitalist, has decided that working to cure an ailing California is not a mission that its people should continue with; instead, declaring California “ungovernable,” in Dec. 2013 he

issued a measure proposal that would split California into six smaller states - Jefferson, Northern California, Silicon Valley, Central California, West California, Southern California.

Novel idea. Splitting California into six smaller, more easily governable states will solve all of its problems.

Except that it won’t.

Splitting California into six wildly economically disparate states helps Silicon Valley, which would become the nation’s richest state, while Central California becomes its poorest. It’s an unfortunately familiar

that fund research for diseases that affect more people, like malaria or AIDS. As people normally only donate a small amount of money to charities, they are less likely to donate to other charities after donating for ALS research, if at all. But, the ALS Association should not receive flak for taking the lion’s share of these funds; they are doing what they have set out to do: raising funds for the disease they represent.

The impact of water use by ALS challenge is nearly negligible. According to The Wire, the Ice Bucket Challenge has only used 5 million gallons of water in three weeks compared to the 320 billion gallons Americans use per day, less than .01 percent of that number. However, while this almost negligible, California’s still in a drought, so it may not be the besst idea for SoCal residents.

This changes how charities will be viewed and performed in the future. Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times wrote that this kind of “fad” fundraising will eventually die off, leaving the cause without donors after a short period of time. While this appears to be true, if another charitable organization started taking advantage of social media in the same way the ALS Association has, they could see a lot more awareness spread about the disease of their focus, or at the very least an increase in the amount of donations.

theme: Many of the rich just want to get richer. Luckily, according to a Dec. 2013 Field Poll 59 percent of voters in California oppose this idea; even if it did pass, Congress would never sign off on legislation that would give California 10 more senators.

Instead of wasting time on a measure that won’t pass and on a billionaire who is destined to fail, on Nov. 4 California voters will be looking to the incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown, 75, in the run for his second consecutive term in office, and fourth overall.

Under Brown, California’s budget has stabilized, and what was a 27 billion dollar deficit upon his entry to office is now a 2.2 billion dollar surplus. Brown stands as a strong refutation of Draper’s assertion that California is “ungovernable.”

California may not be fixed yet, but it’s on its way. With Brown at the helm, the trend is sloping upwards. Draper’s proposal will contribute to jokes on California’s talk shows, but that’s about it.

page 6

features

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

Sieger struggles with narcolepsy

by Vivian Lam

Her hand was not near her face. She felt herself scratching her nose and she felt her eyes open, but she did not. She was frozen.

The terror set in for junior Anna Sieger as the most defining part of sleep paralysis appeared: the man at the foot of her bed.

Junior Anna Sieger coped with her sleep disorders for about a year before being officially diagnosed with narcolepsy last June.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by frequent and uncontrollable periods of deep sleep.

“I’m used to all the stuff narcolepsy throws at me by now. It’s very interesting actually, the research about the science behind it, something I’d never know if I didn’t have it,” Sieger said. “But don’t get me wrong, I would jump at the chance to be free of this.”

According to Sieger, a person without narcolepsy would have to go three days straight with zero sleep to feel as tired as a narcoleptic does on a daily basis.

“I’ve gotten so used to the feeling of sleepiness that a normal person’s tired- by this I mean yawning from sleepiness- is my energized and hyper,” she said.

At first, Sieger believed that she had developed insomnia because of the irregular sleeping habits. Then she started showing some symptoms associated with narcolepsy.

“I started to notice a weird thing happening to me whenever I laughed. My head would suddenly jerk forward like my neck couldn’t support it anymore and my knees started to give out,” she said. “The whole thing weirded me out, so I googled it. Turns out muscle weakness when feeling strong emotions is called cataplexy- the identifying symptom of narcolepsy.”

According to Sieger, she began exhibit-

ing new symptoms while the existing ones became more pronounced. For example, she experiences hypnagogic hallucinations, meaning that she experiences life-like dreams during the onset of sleeping.

“Every night without fail I would get in bed, turn on my side, and suddenly feel a cat rubbing against my side. I don’t own a cat and my neighbors don’t either,” Sieger said.

“I felt the purrs reverberating through it, the tail lightly swishing across my arm, and, out of the corner of my eye, I could see it licking its spotted paw. But it wasn’t real; the minute I made any movement, the cat would disappear.”

Another symptom of narcolepsy is sleep paralysis. According to Sieger, sleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious, but unable to move.

“It’s one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve had,” she said. “My biggest fear has always been losing the ability to make my own decisions; it’s kind of like claustrophobia in that I’m scared of being trapped but applied to my daily life and sleep paralysis does exactly that. It robs you of your ability to help yourself and get away.”

After spending a year with the symptoms of narcolepsy, Sieger picked up some new habits and ways to deal with her symptoms.

“When I wake up, I will jerk my whole body forward, to prevent sleep paralysis. At some point, I started sleeping with my eyes half open, probably left over from trying so hard to keep awake in class last year,” Sieger said. “I don’t trust anything I hear or see at night and I’ve banned my family from going in my room at night so as to spare myself the confusion of trying to figure out if our conversation the previous night was real or not.”

According to Sieger, she feels lucky that her family is supporting her.

“From the get go, my parents have struggled to find me some answers and never once did they assume I was just being an irresponsible teen for staying up late or write me off as lazy for sleeping in class,” Sieger said.

Sieger has learned that she has to accept and work hard to manage her narcolepsy.

“Just living a normal life without all this

extra hassle is such a blessing and that all people should appreciate that,” she said.

“And lastly I’ve learned that I am 100% responsible for how my life turns out and that I can’t blame my issues later on on my narcolepsy. You can’t judge someone on what happens to them but on what they do with what they have.”

PHOTO BY CHANDLER ROSS

What is Narcolepsy?

information from http://www.mayoclinic.org/

Definition: a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep

Symptoms: excessive daytime sleepiness, sudden loss of muscle tone, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, disruption of personal or professional life

Causes: unknown Treatment: stimulants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, Sodium oxybate (Xyrem)

Rounds brothers deal with mother’s cancer

by Joseph Blakely

Almost everyone knows someone with cancer. However, knowing someone with cancer is much different from living with a loved one who is fighting cancer. Senior Zachary Rounds, Junior Jared Rounds and seventh-grader Cole Rounds know this experience first-hand as their mother, MaryAnn Rounds, is waging war against cancer.

Ms. Rounds was diagnosed with breast cancer when it was in between stage one and stage two last year. When revealing the news to her three sons, she was “amazed” by their collective response.

“A cancer diagnosis of any kind is difficult because it takes a long time to get real answers about your prognosis,” Ms. Rounds said. “That waiting was agonizing for me, but for them they just seemed to know everything was going to be okay.”

Of course, there is the initial surprise that comes with hearing the news.

“When I found out I was shocked and terrified at first,” Zachary said. “Shocked because my mom was in such good shape and terrified because I was afraid of the worst possible outcome.”

The process to fight cancer comes with well-known physical ramifications.

“She is often very sick and it heartbreaking,” Zachary said. “Nothing is more painful for me than that. I have to be there for my mom.”

However, the pain from battling cancer was met with optimism from the boys. “[Jared] said ‘don’t worry mom, lots of moms get this’,” Ms. Rounds said. “He made me laugh, as usual. Zach and [Jared] are more like men than boys and I’m so proud of

their resolve and optimism.”

Since their mother’s diagnosis, they began to help her as much as possible. “ [I did] my chores around the house because it makes fighting cancer that much easier for my mom”, Zachary said.

He believes that he has learned how to be responsible and how to be a good son.

“Honestly this has helped me learn to become more of a man,” Zachary said. “It’s taught me to attempt to get things done and to not be as lazy.”

Currently, Ms. Rounds is now undergoing chemotherapy, which began in July and has one more session and about two months of radiation left.

“She had started chemotherapy right as I left for two weeks and she lost all of her hair while I was gone,” Zachary said. “It was hard

for me that I wasn’t able to be with her during that time. But right now I think I am handling this well.”

After Ms. Rounds tried to grow her hair out for years, she lost it “suddenly” to chemotherapy. Her family’s optimism, however, has helped her to persevere.

“She was upset at first but got over it almost instantly,” Jared said. “I barely notice it anymore and we joke about it a lot.”

Through all the pain and hardships of having the boys’ mother suffer through cancer, the Rounds family relied on each other to get through it, which strengthened their bonds.

“It is bringing our family together and that is a huge positive effect,” Zachary said.

“But I’m not saying this process is good, because it’s not. Cancer sucks.”

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

Eating Disorders information from http://www.mayoclinic.org/

Anorexia Nervosa

Definition: an eating dis-

order that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat Symptoms:extreme weight loss, fatigue, insomnia, fainting, dry skin, dehydration, refusal to eat, fear of gaining weight, irritability

Bulimia

Definition: an eating disorder that causes people to secretly binge and then purge, trying to get rid of the calproes in an unhealthy way

Symptoms: eating until the point of discomfort or pain, eating much more food in a binge episode than in a normal meal

Causes

The exact cause is unknown but possibilities include biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

features

Recovery

by Reema Saad

page 7

Senior Haley Castrillion went to rehabilitation and recovered from anorexia, bulimia, and depression

Anorexia, bulimia, drug abuse, self-harm, and attempted suicide. Senior Haley Castrillion kept telling herself to give up. A part of her insisted that she would not be able to recover, but Castrillion’s mind told her that she could. From January 9 to February 8, 2014, Castrillion volunteered to attend Center for Discovery in hopes to better her life.

The main source of Castrillion’s psychological problems was her father, who verbally abused her since she was ten years old.

“I didn’t have my dad in my life supporting me with school and my personal choices. He called me fat, ugly, and told me I was crazy.

He put his girlfriend before me and said he didn’t need me,” Castrillion said.

On top of the abuse, was also bullied since the seventh grade, which only made her feel worse. Rumors were spread about Castrillion on social media and many of her friends abandoned her.

“People spread rumors that I was a lesbian and posted stuff on Myspace and YouTube to not be my friend. I had no friends in school and I sat alone at lunch. I couldn’t walk home without getting called a lesbian and be told to go kill myself,” Castrillion said.

These insults and rumors caused Castrillion to begin to self-harm.

“I cut because I already hated my body and found myself ugly. I felt like scars and cuts wouldn’t make it any worse and it never hurt when I cut so I could easily take away the pain and just smile right after. I was miserable and thought cutting was an escape,”

Castrillion said.

The eating disorders she developed were caused by the same people, who convinced her that she was overweight.

“I stopped eating and made myself throw up because people called me fat, then I started seeing myself that way and believed it. I used to faint a lot too. I used to abuse pills, because I had them and I thought it was fun until I almost overdosed,” Castrillion said.

When Castrillion noticed that sooner or later her actions could become fatal, she volunteered to be admitted into rehabilitation. Her decision has altered her life and she realized that she does not need to harm herself in the ways that she used to.

“I realized nothing my dad said was true.

I’m not crazy, I just didn’t know how to solve my problems. I’m not fat and I am beautiful in my own way. I have coping skills to stop myself from cutting. It’s always going to be hard, but I know I’ve made mistakes and I’m learning from them,” Castrillion said.

She discovered that singing and writing lyrics for a song helped her cope.

“Music is the only reason I’m here. I love to sing. I sing a song based on the mood I’m feeling. If I’m happy I sing a happy song, if I’m sad I sing a sad song. Music is my life and without it I would still be harming myself,” Castrillion said.

The support she received from her mother, brother, and seniors Keely Brooks and Aleyah Strahle also helped Castrillion

throughout the entire process. She even met her boyfriend Lucas Grant at Center for Discovery, who helped her when she had panic attacks.

“My family visited me every weekend on Sundays for three hours. Both my best friends came and just told me how they were going to be by my side when I get out. They are just there when I need to talk about my problems and when I cry they just hug me and tell me everything’s going to be okay,” Castrillion said.

Brooks would write to Castrillion frequently and visit whenever she could. She was there for her before and after she went to CFD. “I think she has improved so much from going to rehab because she hasn’t harmed herself in any way since she’s been back.

She’s also so much happier and doesn’t always seem to be upset with herself and she’s become a lot more confident with herself,’ Brooks said.

With the help from CFD, family, and friends, Castrillion has been able to stop cutting and has seen that there are countless reasons for her to continue her life.

“Of course my experience was difficult and stressful but I’m five months sober from cutting because of the amazing work this place did and the amazing people I met. I literally tried hanging myself, overdosing on pills, and cutting myself to death but I realized I have a lot in my life to live for,” Castrillion said.

themselves. If they feel like they can’t breath or are in pain, I tell them to stop and take a break,” she said.

She was required to sign up for a personal training class at SCROC before she was able to take a physical therapy class.

“I was nervous about being a trainer and training my teacher who was a bodybuilder,” she said. “As I got used to the people in my class I became more confident.”

She passed the class with an A and is now a certified trainer.

“My teacher said that I was a good trainer,” Frutos said. “In my last week, I trained my teacher and he said that he felt like he was being trained by his bodybuilding coach.”

While the lengthy process of SCROC made it difficult to balance other schoolwork, she does not regret signing up for it.

“It’s definitely worth it. It gives people a good idea of what college and the career will be like and it also gets people a job in that field. The teachers and learning processes are great. I don’t like how long the hours are, but it’s worth the time,” she said.

Frutos struggled with managing her time between school and her training.

“It took time away from homework and studying, which I needed for second semester because it was more challenging [than the first semester],” she said.

Frutos continues to take SCROC this year, and also signed up for a physiology class.

“I look forward to learning how to be a physical therapy aide,” she said.

Frutos searches for a job as a personal trainer.

“I’m hoping after my summer job that I can get a real one,” she said. “If I am able to get a job from what I learn from SCROC, I will be able to pay for my college tuition.”

According to Frutos, trying to get a job during the school year will be a difficult.

“I’ll try to work on the weekends so my job won’t affect my school and SCROC for the first semester,” she said. “Second semester I think it might affect me more, especially when the senior project comes up, because l second semester is harder.”

Frutos already helps out a friend who requires physical therapy.

“I’ve gone to her physical therapy session and she said that I was a better aide than the actual aide they had,” she said.

Get fit. Frutos aids a student in training.

Frutos strives to be personal trainer

by Reema Saad

Thinking her soccer injury was only a mere bruise, it turned out to be even more serious and with the problem worsening two years later, she was in need of therapy.

Having experienced physical therapy due to her hip problem, senior Elizabeth Frutos aspires to become a physical therapist herself.

“Afer seeing my therapist, it seemed like a fun and helpful career,” Frutos said. “I’ve always liked helping people medically because my mom wanted to be a nurse.”

Frutos believes that there are both mental and physical aspects involved in becoming a therapist.

“Mentally, you need to be calm or else the client might get nervous with the movement of their joints that were just in so much pain. I’m always calm when others are scared so that I can try to calm them down,” she said. “Physically, you need to be able to move their body when they are in pain.”

Since she is “terrified” of needles, Frutos would prefer being a physical therapist rather than a doctor or nurse.

“When it comes to training, I’m tough but fair. I always tell the person I’m training that they need to do their best but to not hurt

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

page 8

The D.C. Lifestyle Colton Williams worked as a page for a senator

by Chandler Ross With an interest in politics and an opportunity to see D.C. and politics at a national level, senior Colton Williams went to Washington, D.C. to work as a page for the senior senator for Utah. Working as a page for Senator Orrin G. Hatch included a variety of differet tasks, including setting up the chamber for meetings.

“As a page I basically worked as a utility to the Senate,” Williams said. “I didn’t necessarily have a set role, but most of the work consisted of delivering packages and letters to different senate offices, preparing the Senate Chamber for sessions, running vote tallies to different places in the capitol, and sitting in the chamber during sessions to provide any other necessary help.”

Williams chose to become a page for multiple reasons, including his desire to see the East Coast.

“I decided to try this out because I really wanted to see what D.C. and politics at the national level are all about,” he said. “It provided a perfect opportunity to go back East.

I had never been on the East Coast before, and for me to have a taste of independence in my daily life.”

When he left, Williams had did not know what to expect, but afterwards he felt that he learned a lot from it.

“In D.C., all of the pages learned that we, as 16 year old kids, were capable of doing much more than what the rest of the world

expects of us,” he said. “I, personally, learned what being a salaried worker is like, not really having a set number of hours to work each day, and the sting of seeing a pay stub before and after taxes.”

According to Williams, handling the long hours and work required of a page was not easy.

“Being a page was difficult due to the demand of daily life, but the experiences, memories, and new discoveries made it worth the difficulty,” Williams said.

One thing that made the 5 month long experience less difficult was the other 16 and 17 year olds who were also working as pages in D.C. “I made a ton of friends while I was in D.C,” he said. “We, as pages, had to basically do everything together so it would have been a very difficult time for all of us if we didn’t find some common ground and become friends.”

According to Williams, one of the “most enlightening” parts of the trip was seeing the different views others had.

“It was great to be surrounded by people with the same interest in politics as myself,” he said. “Even though we didn’t see eye to eye on every issue that came up, it was great to evaluate multiple perspectives on the topic.”

While he missed his family, Williams thought of D.C. as a second home.

Restless runner

Amber Gore compares life in Redondo to Nigeria

by Shaniya Markalanda When going on vacation, one would expect to do some of your favorite activities, however for senior Amber Gore, she could not do one of the most important activities she loves, running.

Gore traveled to Nigeria with her family members during the last three weeks of July to see other family members that they had not seen in over seven years.

“I have a lot of family back there because my mom is one of nine children. Half our family stays back there, and we make it a point to try to see each other once a year, at a minimum. Either they’ll come out here or we’ll go out there and we haven’t been back there in seven years, so we thought it was time for a vacation,” Gore said.

It was not the trip Gore was imagining, however.

“It wasn’t the vacation that I was expecting because you know when you think vacation, you’re going to go out and see a lot of different things, but because of the terrorism back there and the kidnapping of the hundreds of school girls, Nigeria was pretty

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

features

much on lock down. It was more of a staycation,” Gore said.

Furthermore, it was difficult for Gore to find resources in order to continue training for cross country.

“I was limited to treadmills and ellipticals, which were very hard to find, only in the city,” Gore said.

As for why she couldn’t run in Nigeria, Gore claims it to be the unsafe activities occurring.

“It’s not really safe to be out unprotected because of the terrorism. I wouldn’t really say Nigeria is at the point of a Civil War, but there is a group of rebels that are going around, bombing big commercial centers, like malls and buildings. Not all of them have been caught, so they’re still scheming around. So, just really avoiding big, public places, which would be like the only safe place to go running because there are a lot people around and no one could swipe up on the road and snatch you,” Gore said.

In terms of not being able to run, Gore did feel a little sad over the situation she had

“The toughest part was probably not being able to see my new baby brother, who was born while I was out there,” he said. “But after some time, I began to see D.C. as a second home. It would have been difficult to make it through the program if I didn’t think that way.”

Although he missed his family, Williams believes that this experience was “fun, memorable, educational” and has helped him “significantly” by giving him beneficial skills.

“I am currently an intern for State Senator Ted Lieu and I believe that being a page

is what got me that position,” he said. “It has prepared me for the professional working environment. I don’t necessarily want to go into politics right away, but it has taught me how to work with others and to make the best of sometimes difficult situations.”

According to Williams, he would like become a page again, but he considers it a “one time thing.”

“I already miss the friends I have made and the D.C. lifestyle,” he said. “I hope that one day I can find my way back there and relive the great memories I have taken back with me.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLTON WILLIAMS

Leading the youth. Williams listens to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speak. been in.

“I felt a little restless not being able to run because running is such a big part of my life.

I’m used to running every day for a couple of hours, sometimes twice a day. It’s one thing not to run, but not to be able to, it’s a different mindset,” Gore said.

Gore’s mother, Theodora, had some concerns for her family’s safety because of what had been happening in Nigeria, but knew they were in safe hands with their family.

“I had some worries, but I also knew that

“notIt’stoonerun,thing but

not to be able to run, it’s a different mindset.

-Amber Gore

”

my family would keep us safe, and as long as we avoided going to crowded public places, we would be safe,” Theodora said.

Ultimately, Gore got a lot out of her experience in Nigeria by seeing a different side of life.

“Experiencing other parts of the world and getting to see how the other half lives

because the entire world doesn’t look like Redondo Beach. Everyone thinks of Nigeria as this underdeveloped country that doesn’t have electricity, housing or anything, but that’s a misconception because they have everything we have in the city, just a little bit less. Just seeing how their culture, how they go about their customs, and their daily activities, versus like how we do ours. It was a cultural experience,” Gore said.

The most important part, though Gore got out of her trip was seeing and reuniting with her family.

“I would say reconnecting with my family that I haven’t seen in seven years. My cousins are growing, I have one cousin my age, and another one a year younger, and they’re growing up, and I’m growing up, so it’s good to reestablish those ties. Seven years ago we were into Barbies, and now we have different interests, so I was worried maybe our interests wouldn’t coincide,” Gore said.

At first, Gore had a hard time not being able to train.

After she stopped worrying about the training, though she thought the trip to be much “better”.

“It was enviable and I just had to let it go and when I did, I think I was able to enjoy the trip a little bit better, not having that hanging doubt over my head,” Gore said.

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

page 9

features

No End in Sight

Yasmeen El-Hasan recounts the IsraeliPalestinian conflict through her personal perspective after visiting her family in Palestine

1.

[cont. from cover] another soldier ordered them to remain silent. It was me to whom they were talking.

They demanded to go through my phone, and I obliged. I was too scared to say no, scared that they might hurt my family in order to get me to cooperate.

I took a picture of the soldier with the eyes. I thought I had done so discreetly, but they saw. There is an unspoken rule that we are not allowed to take pictures or any sort of evidence of what is happening, or else.

Eventually, my American citizenship saved me from that experience. They did not find the picture, and I did not present my Palestinian passport to them.

I am ashamed of that experience. I did not stand up for myself. And later, after we left, I deleted the picture. I am most ashamed of that. I listened to them, even after I got away. I was safe, which is so much more than most Palestinians can say, and yet I listened to them. I deleted the photo even though they did not find it. I was scared. I took the easy way out that other Palestinians do not have. What would have happened if he had found the picture, knowing that I am Palestinian, I do not know. But I am ashamed that I was not brave enough to find out.

I spent most of my visit in Ya’bad, the Palestinian village where my mother grew up and where most of her family still lives.

The soldiers came often. They were always there, whether we heard them or not. I am no longer startled by the sound of gunshots.

The kids think that they’re fireworks. Whenever there’s a loud boom of a gun, the kids giggle and yell “fireworks!” in Arabic. No one corrects them.

After a few days, I was not scared for myself. I was just angry. I still am angry. I am angry at them for killing my family, my friends

2. and my people. I’m angry that I had to watch it happen. I’m angry that I could not do anything about it. I’m angry at them for stealing my home. I’m angry at them for destroying my life. I am enraged that the world is silent.

And what was I to do, if they came for me? What could I do? If I defended myself I’d be labeled a terrorist. If I did not, I would be a coward and a disappointment to myself. Either way I would have almost certainly died.

What would I have to defend myself with, if the time came? If it did, I would defend myself and my home and my family and I will not go down without a fight. I will not sit by and let it happen. I will not be silent. I will fight.

One night, there were a lot of soldiers at our gate. All were armed, followed by armed trucks. We turned off the lights, locked the doors, and remained silent. Then the gunshots started, followed by screams. Some of my young cousins cried. The rest did not say anything. It was nothing new for them.

My uncle and I went up to the roof to watch. I saw four Palestinians who were walking down the street hiding behind trash cans. I watched the soldiers shoot at them.

I watched the four men throw rocks in attempt to defend themselves.

I watched a man fall.

Later, I watched two men come back and carry him away.

I don’t know whether he was dead or alive.

I cried.

Another night, I was having trouble sleeping. It was about four in the morning when I heard it. If I didn’t know better I would have thought it was a bomb or a fighter plane, but as it grew louder and closer, I ruled that out too. Everyone was asleep. I was alone. I thought I was going to die.

I didn’t sleep that night.

3.

PHOTOs COURTESY OF YASMEEN EL-HASAN

Family matters. 1. El-Hasan with her grandmother, mother, and sibilings 2. The view off of the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah 3. El-Hasan with her sister and four of her cousins wearing shirts to support Gaza. The front reads in Arabic “We are all Gaza”.

All I hope for now is peace, an end to the fighting, and an end to the death and the hurt on both sides. Every human life taken is a tragedy. I fear the conflict will not end in my lifetime, or even in the next generation. I fear that Palestine will be completely taken and cease to exist. I fear that the few areas that still stand will be destroyed. I fear that next time I come, I will no longer recognize my home.

I fear there will be no trace of the first tree I ever climbed, the concrete steps that I once foolishly rode a skateboard down, the small grove that I used to run away to when bad news came, the playground where my cousins and I would play until dark, the little market where we would buy popsicles when the weather became unbearable, the trees that we would inspect every morning for ripe fruits, the road down a hill near our house that always felt like a roller coaster, the rich smell of coffee as we walked down the streets, the loud Arabic music that was constantly playing in the background, and the strong sense of community that I always felt. I fear that the parts of my life that I have lived there will become but a memory. I fear

that my family and friends will have to continue their struggle to survive. But mostly, I fear that they may not survive.

My time in Palestine was not a vacation.

Rather, my life in America is a vacation. Redondo Beach, the South Bay, California, the United States, the entire Western world is a bubble.

All of my troubles, everything I’ve ever cried about that meant the world to me at the time, are not real. In America, I do not feel. I thought I knew pain and I thought I knew fear and I thought I knew despair. In reality, I didn’t know anything. I still don’t, but I have a better idea.

Most importantly, I now know strength.

I will never have the might quite as strong as that of the Palestinian people, but I know what true strength is. I have seen bravery and courage beyond all belief. I have seen perseverance and resilience that I did not think existed. How can one carry on when their home is demolished and their entire family killed? I don’t know. I hope I never have to. But I met people who do. And somehow, they still stand.

The least I can do is stand with them.

page 10

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

sports

With new staff comes new standards New water polo coach Murin sets higher expectations for upcoming season

by Sophie Maguy

Marco Polo. Junior Spencer Malone-White blocks a goal during a game last season.

The boys water polo team has a promising season set out for them this fall. With a new coaching staff, the team is ready to take out their competitors and play well not only in Bay League, but in CIF. “We are going to strive to win every single game we play. Of course we would like to knock off Mira Costa and Palos Verdes and Peninsula, so we are gearing up for that,” Coach Chris Murin said. “Our league is going to be important and we are probably going to be a team this year that improves with every game. We hope that we get some good

matches in before league play starts.”

Captain Senior Perry Corkos agrees that the team has much potential that can be harnessed into a number of wins this season.

“Our strengths are in our transition game, our defense, and in our driving offense.

I think we can get second in Bay League, sweep our matches with Palos Verdes and get in to CIF playoffs,” Corkos said.

Coach Murin taught and coached in the PV School District for 15 years- both at Peninsula and Palos Verdes. He intends to use his experience in coaching to bring the RUHS

PHOTO BY TED CAVUS

program to a new level.

“The system I am putting these boys in can take years to learn so I am trying to do it in a short amount of time. I was hired very late in the summer in the last week of the summer program so theoretically we missed a large chunk of summer. Trying to institute everything in a short amount of time is a difficult task but the guys are doing a great job,” Murin said.

The team is already hard at work trying to improve their game to meet the high standards that Coach Murin set.

“I have high expectations and we have a lot of work to do to achieve those. The two things that we’ve been working on are counter attacks and important plays. Those are the areas that we have been concentrating on and we still have to work on the fundamentals of offense and defense to be ready for this season,” he said.

Corkos agrees that there is room for improvement on defense and finding ways for the entire team to contribute offensively. As captain he intends to set an inspiring lead for the rest of the team.

“I intend to lead the team this season and set a good example by working hard and encouraging my teammates, while also making sure to keep them level-headed and ensure that they make smart decisions,” he said.

Murin is mostly anticipating having the hard practice work pay off in the competition that awaits.

“I am most looking forward to the competition and I like being with the boys. It’s good group of guys and as long as we stick together and continue to learn, we will go far. So, however far these guys want to go, we can make that happen,” he said.

Corkos eagerly awaits the matches this fall and hopes that RUHS crowds will come to support them at every home game.

“I’d like have a great home crowd for our games, so if people aren’t doing anything after school then come down to the pool and watch your friends play some water polo.”

Cross country goes the distance

by Romy Moreno

With there season coming to a start, the runners from Cross Country reflect on last season and share what they are expecting for this year.

“Last season we did not have very high expectations for ourselves, compared to previous years,” senior Amber Gore said.

“Only because our team was very new with transfers and a lot of girls moving up from junior varsity.”

The girls’ team was able to finish third in state despite the adjustments.

“We were really able to come together at the end,” senior Nicole Pederson said.

According to the girls’, they were able to finish third in state last year and are expecting to do even better this year.

“Last season it took us a while to completely get the flow with each other,” Gore said. “But since we have our entire team returning, we’re able to get ride of the time spent trying to figure each other out and leave more time to focus on being the best we can be, as a team.”

Pederson also believes that because the entire team is returning, they have a better idea of what they are going to be capable of

throughout the season.

“This season we are definitely progressing at a much faster rate,” Gore said. “No doubt we’ll do even better this year.”

Gore also shared that everyone on the team is on a similar skill level and they all share the same amount of passion for the sport.

“Since we all are similar it definitely helps up mentally and attributes to the entire teams score,” Gore said.

According to the runners, they are not too concerned with there upcoming meet on Saturday Sept. 6.

“Our upcoming match is going to be more of an indicator to show us where our teams at,” senior Carlos Suarez said.

Because the boys team only consists of one returner, Suarez, they are counting on this match to give them an idea on where they need to improve.

“Especially with me being the only returner it has forced so many to step up and give it all they got,” Suarez said.

Even with the minor setback, the entire program still thinks the boys team will go far.

“With the boys’ this year it’s a wildcard,” Gore said. “Even though they don’t have as much experience as Carlos, I think their passion will take them far.”

According to the boys, other schools do not expect much from them this year, but they still have high expectations for themselves.

“I have really high expectations for the team especially because we are coming into the season as the underdogs,” Suarez said.

Since the boys are coming in as the “underdogs” the program is eager to see what they will bring to the table.

“I’m excited to see how the boys end up doing because they have all been so dedicated and have been putting in so much hard work,” Pederson said.

With all factors pertaining to how the teams will perform aside, the seniors in the program especially, are ready and anxious for the season to start.

“I’m so excited for this season because I’m a senior along with many others which means it’s our last season to achieve the most we possibly can and we are all hoping for the best,” Pederson said.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE

Just keep kicking. Senior Anevay Hiehle runs in a Bay League meet at Palos Verdes last season.

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

page 11

sports

Out with the old, in with the new

by Jason Fong

Last Friday, boys football played Loyola High School in a scrimmage, and played “well” due to their new form of offense, the 21 Personnel.

According to receiver Preston Faecher, the team started the season off with a “high level of intensity and effort” as the new offense allowed the team to play successfully.

“The new offense worked very well. We were able to get a good push off the line and move the ball in chunks down the field.

However, we still have a few mistakes that we need to correct.” Faecher said.

The 21 Personnel offense combines a downhill running offense, in which the running back rushes the ball straight toward the opposing team’s defensive line, with play action pass plays, where the quarterback fakes a handoff, and then looks to pass to an open receiver or other players once the run has stopped.

Additionally, this offense allows the team to replace two Receivers with a full back and tight end.

“The new offense also increases our extra blocking abilities”, Sophomore Marcel Myers said.

According to Marcel Myers, RUHS’ team is mostly underclassmen, but they are pre-

2.

1.

Touchdown. 1. A running back

breaks the last defender’s tackle as he scores a touchdown. 2. A linebacker tackles a Loyola running back and stops him for a short gain. 3. A cornerback reaches out to grab the Loyola player, helped by Cedric Muzik. Photos

by Kamila Aouragh.

pared for the upcoming season.

“The team is young, but most of us had varsity experience already. We are prepared for whatever the other teams will throw at us.” Myers said.

He believes that several key players that “will make an impact on our team” include Guy Alford, Amir Crear, Preston Faecher, De’Aaron Williams, Salesi Fifita, Ryan Armalin, and Jerome Jackson.

Myers insists that despite the fact that a new mix of players makes up the team, their chemistry is strong.

“The new players really fit in well, as we consider everyone on the team as a part of our brotherhood. The whole team does everything together, and everyone helps each other out.” Myers said.

According to sophomore Dallas Branch, the team has set some new goals for this season , especially for their next away game this coming Friday at North Torrance High School.

“This year, we really want to take first in league, and win our CIF,” Branch said.

Faecher is confident in the team’s ability to succeed and achieve their goals.

“I believe that we will do great things this season.” Feacher said.

3.

Tennis looks forward to upcoming season

by Caterina Hyneman Despite injuries and the loss of last year’s seniors, the girls tennis team has a “fresh” lineup and is ready to kick off their season with their first match next week.

“I think the team is feeling pretty confident with a new lineup,” senior Katherine Chang said. “The atmosphere is very welcoming but still competitive. Everyone’s still trying to get to know each other since the team consists of lots of new people.”

Although the loss of last year’s seniors was tough for the team, there are many “promising” freshmen ready to step up.

“I’m really looking forward to this season because it looks like we’re gonna have a bunch of freshmen on varsity who are all pretty strong. We have three solid singles players and newcomers who are experienced because they play outside of school,” senior Allegra Peelor said.

While there are planned team bondings to come, the girls have already formed bonds during practice “Well, there’s a lot of new people on the team this year, but I already feel like I’m close to them. Everyone’s really friendly although it can get very serious and competitive at

times,” senior Cameron Gonzalez said.

The veteran players are counting on their younger teammates to carry the team, especially through injuries.

“Last year, Emily Zargham got shoulder surgery and we didn’t think she would be able to play this season, but it turns out that she can play. I was really happy to hear that because she’s a really strong player and brings great experience and strength to the team. She can’t really serve because of her shoulder but she will be a good addition to doubles,” Peelor said.

“I’m feeling great considering the surgery that I had in late May,” Zargham said.

“I’m playing well and so is everyone else on the team. I’m confident that my teammates will carry the team in case of further injury.

There are a bunch of talented players.”

The team is preparing for their first game of the season against Lynwood on Sept. 8.

“This is our first time playing Lynwood so we don’t really know what their team is like, but we are confident that we will win,” senior Cameron Gonzalez said. “Each person is really motivated to win individually so that our team can win as a whole.”

PHOTO BY DEBORAH CHANG

Serving up the right stuff. Junior Alyssa Grijalva hits a forehand in a match against Torrance last season. The team won the pre-season match. “We had a pretty good season last year, but I think we can do even better this year,” senior Allegra Peelor said. “Palos Verdes lost basically all their team because they graduated and we have a bunch of really good freshmen this year.”

page 12

High Tide | Aug. 29, 2014

sports

Spiking to success The girls volleyball team spent the summer conditioning, in hopes of having a successful season

by Amanda Shaw The girls volleyball team hopes to put their summer skills to work on the court and turn their Bay League championship from last season into a state championship this season.

“The season went really well last year,” senior Hayes Honea said. “We won Bay League, which was awesome. We did fall a little short in the playoffs, so this year we’re hoping to get farther in CIF, hopefully get to the finals, and hopefully move on and win state. All of the seniors are especially motivated because it’s their senior year, and we want to win.”

With an abundance of senior players stepping up to lead the team, the girls are confident in the power they have on the court.

“We have a lot of power in the front row, because Abril Bustamante and Yaasmeen BedartGhani are very tall and very accomplished front row players,” Honea said. “Abril’s going to USC and Yaasmeen’s going to University of Texas at Austin, which is amazing, so we’ll have a lot of power there, and we have a strong back row as well.”

To earn a spot on the court, the girls have been training and polishing their skills in preparation for the upcoming season.

“Over the summer we have a camp that starts in the end of July,” Honea said. “We work out in the gym, and we do a bunch of drills. It’s a really competitive environment, everybody’s fighting for a spot on the court, but it’s also really fun.

Then we have a nice big break, and then we come back the week before school starts. Last week we did double days to get in shape and to really practice a lot before our season.”

Not only has the team been preparing for the season by practicing hard, they have been putting their skills to the test against other teams.

“We had a mini tournament last Thursday to prepare by playing other schools. We played Long Beach Poly, Harvard Westlake, and North Alamitos High School. It went really well,” Honea said.

While the girls have been working together on the court all summer long, they have also been bonding off the court.

“We had another tournament up in Oxnard the first day of August, and we drove up there all together,” Honea said. “That was kind of team bonding, sitting in a car with the team for three hours. We talk a lot, and usually sing songs, and have fun.”

The team has taken advantage of the summer to focus on and work towards their goals, and establish what they want to accomplish with the upcoming season.

“If all goes as planned, we have the potential to win it all this year,” senior Abril Bustamante said.

“We are working for Bay League championships, but most importantly CIF championships along with a state title.”

After training and preparing over the summer, the girls hope to prove themselves on the court in their upcoming first game.

“I think the first game this year is against Orange Lutheran at home,” Honea said. “In the first game we just hope to show the other team what we’ve been working on in practice and how we can bring what we’ve been working on in practice to the court.”

1.

Smash. 1. Senior Abril Bustamante jumps with her hand up in place, ready to spike the ball, in a game against Millikan last season. 2. Senior Hayes Honea prepares to bump the ball in an away game against Palos Verdes.

Photos by Matt Mardesich.

2.

Seeking revenge

After losing last year, girls golf hopes to beat West in the upcoming tournament

by Jason Clebowicz

PHOTO BY MATT MARDESICH

Ree-venge. Senior Robynn Ree putts during a match last season. The girls golf team is playing in a tournament this weekend to kick off their season. “We have to be mentally prepared,” senior Mamika Toyoshina said. “i have such reliable teammates, so i don’t feel as nervous; instead I feel at ease. We just need to mentally prepare.”

The girls golf team is preparing to compete in the first tournament of the season, and avenge the loss to West last year.

The tournament will be held Sept. 2 at Alondra Golf course, the home course for both West and RUHS. Other teams competing include Peninsula, Palos Verdes, Santa Monica and South.

Between both the RUHS JV and varsity girls golf team, there are only 16 players.

For varsity member senior Jeffery, the small number of players has provided an opportunity to get to know her teammates and learn to relax while playing the game.

“We have a relatively small team, which gives us a chance to get to know each other very well,” Jeffery said. “We spend a lot of time out on the course, and being surrounded by friends makes the game fun. We try to

incorporate that into our tournament play, and take the pressure off ourselves to perform better. It’s something I think will work great for us in the future.”

According to senior Mamika Toyoshima, the upcoming tournament is about much more than just winning. It is a chance to amend past failures and start on the right foot.

“Last year this tournament was extremely tough for our team,” Toyoshima said. “We didn’t take our competition seriously, and we let West, a team we usually beat, win against us. This year the goal is to avenge that loss and make sure that collectively we come together to win the tournament. Beyond that, my expectations include an opportunity to win Bay League.”