features 4
Ramaan Ebrahimi puts musical talents to use DJing local events
opinion 10
Trump's attack on education is a calculated attack on truth, equality, and informed democracy
Boys and girls track participates in the Arcadia Invitational tournament sports 14
by Khloee Tange
The theater department experienced live theater up close on their journey to New York. The group attended shows, toured theaters and took workshops with professional Broadway actors. Through subway rides and standing ovations, the group discovered a deeper passion for their craft.
Reflecting on the experience, junior Carly Robbins enjoyed the adventure.
“Seeing all the different shows that were on Broadway was an amazing opportunity for the whole theater team. Being able to experience the iconic New York vibe was also so fun to finally see,” Robbins said. “We got to ride the subways, see the Statue of Liberty and we met a lot of the actors after their performances.”
The group, including freshman Cody Dulmage, experienced award-winning productions and even got a sneak peak at new shows.
“We had the opportunity and privilege to see four Broadway productions, three musicals and one play. One of the musicals we saw just won best musical last year at the Tony awards,” Dulmage said. “The play that we saw was also still in previews so it hasn't even opened yet, but we got to see it.”
In addition to watching top-tier performances such as “The Outsiders,” “Stranger
by Valentina Masoni
The AP African American History (APAFAM) class took an inaugural trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, over spring break. Chaperoned by APAFAM and AP U.S. History (APUSH) teacher Amber Keller, French teacher Cynthia Graffio and school board president Raymur Flinn, the group left on April 6 for a four-day trip.
The idea originated because the class of 2025 missed out on traveling to DC in the eighth grade due to COVID. Last school year, students discussed planning a trip after the APUSH exam, but it never materialized. A lot of those APUSH students returned to do APAFAM, and they began discussing the trip at the beginning of the school year, originally planning on traveling to Africa.
“Africa was looking way too expensive, so we decided to keep it a U.S. city,” Keller said. “The students chose New Orleans because it focuses on enslaved people’s lives on the plantations and jazz music, which tie in to what we learn in the class. Plus, I’ve been to New Orleans a few times, and it’s one of my favorite cities.”
The process of fundraising was “a lot of trial and error” according to Keller. They held a bake sale, a couple of dineins and
Things: The First Shadow” and “The Great Gatsby,” the group gained insight into the professional theater world.
“We were able to meet with actors that are currently on Broadway and we got to take workshops with them,” Dulmage said. “We learned a little bit about their profession and what their career is like, it was amazing how we got to sing and dance with Broadway actors.”
Students workshopped their skills with professional actors and tech crew. These lessons helped the students grow as performers and gave them new tools to enhance future shows.
“We definitely learned a lot of new skills. They were mainly built on existing skills, but we were also introduced to new things,” Robbins said. “We can incorporate these new techniques in our future productions as well, so we can either be better at something or learn something new.”
Along with gaining valuable perspectives from the Broadway actors, the team left with a hopeful mindset.
“During workshops, we heard advice from the actors,” Dulmage said. “Hearing their stories on how they started out like us, joining theater in high school and now performing professionally gave me a lot of motivation to strive to be my best.”
Being surrounded by professionals who once stood in their shoes made the dream
two ice skating fundraisers. Keller aims to do the trip through the district as opposed to doing it through a tour company next year, to save money by planning it on her own.
“We could have promoted the fundraising better,” senior Bella Martinez said. “In the beginning of the year, kids were more motivated to fundraise and that motivation dropped off [a little] as the year went on. But all of our meals were covered and overall we made good profit.”
Keller believes that the trip is an opportunity to deepen and strengthen the students’ understanding of the APAFAM curriculum. The class will be starting their final projects upon returning from break, and visiting New Orleans will “add to their knowledge” according to Keller.
“I visited Evergreen Plantation years ago with my family, and it enhanced my teaching seeing everything I talk about throughout the year in person,” Keller said. “To see the slave quarters and where it all happens [has an effect on you]. I’ve incorporated a lot of what I learned from visiting the plantation in my teaching in APUSH.”
The Evergreen Plantation has been closed to the public for years, but Keller reached out to explain the class and see if she could bring the students, and got a private tour arranged. The group also visited the Whitney Plantation and took a dinner
of performing on Broadway feel more attainable. That sense of inspiration and excitement was heightened by the ambience of New York City.
“Something about the New York atmosphere is very energetic. It gets you going but it's a lot more entertaining and fun when everyone else is having fun around you. You could tell that everyone was filled with excitement and energy and ready to go through the day,” Dulmage said.
That joy the team shared strengthened the bond between the team members.
“Throughout the whole trip, I could tell that everyone was enjoying their time here. Everyone always had a smile on their face and it brought us all together. We didn't really know each other all that well, but by the end of the trip, it felt like we had always been friends,” Dulmage said.
Through a week of shared experiences, the group's teamwork naturally strengthened. That connection was solidified by a message from an actor, who reminded them that theater demands courage, commitment and talent.
“I remember distinctly one of the Boadway actors talking about how this is a job, you come here to not only have fun but to work and it takes a lot of courage to get up on any stage and perform and you all have that talent here,” Dulmage said. “That will definitely stick with all of us.”
cruise on the Mississippi River.
“A lot of the information we learned is the majority of what makes up the AP exam. But it’s also very relevant to our [modern society] because people may think that the effects of slavery are non-existent, but effects of it are prominent in the system today,” Martinez said. “It was very interesting to learn about, and knowledge is power.”
The trip was a “learning experience” and a “lot of fun” according to Martinez. Keller hopes this trip is the first of many.
“I want to make this trip a tradition, and I’ll stick with New Orleans because it’s a city [I’m familiar with],” Keller said. “[My goal] is to build this class into a program that stands out at Redondo. It gives ethnic studies credits for college, and it’s an amazing class that I want to continue building on, and I foresee getting bigger and bigger.”
1. Students enjoy New York City streets.
2. Sophomore Samantha Pressey and senior Yasmeen Ford pose with stuffed animals.
3. Juniors Megan Caceros, Em Tran and Palani Richmond enjoy a ferry ride.
4. New York City skyline.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUHS THEATRE ARTS
5. Senior Jalene White-Short explores Whitney Plantation.
6. Bourbon Street.
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW VITT
7. Senior Matthew Vitt feeds a donkey at Whitney Plantation.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW VITT
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by Melissa Pilato
In the hopes of fostering a love for their cultures and ancestry, the Latino Hispanic Heritage Club and Filipino Culture Club collaborated to host a school supply drive to donate to underpriviledged schools in Los Angeles and the Philippines in honor of Cesar Chavez week. For one week, teachers across campus put up donation bins in their classrooms to show their support, marking this the first ever school-wide event commemorating Chavez’s civil rights activism.
Growing up with a lack of Hispanic and Latino representation in the RBUSD school district, junior and founder of the Latino Hispanic Heritage Club Kamila Gomez felt that organizing this fundraiser was an important step in breaking through ethnic boundaries.
“We decided to hold this drive because we think that education is very important. Most of our supplies are going to underprivileged schools in LA that don’t have the supplies that they need,” Gomez said. “I wish that more people were educated about Chavez and the things that he did, since the Latino community here is very big. Next year will be our first time getting school off for Cesar Chavez Day in comparison to the whole LA Unified School District. The fact that we haven’t had a day off for Chavez, who is a Mexican American icon to me and to many others is crazy.”
respect for the entire Mexican American community here in California. Chavez also helped the Filipinos that were immigrating here and working on farms,” Gomez said.
Similarly to Gomez, senior and Filipino Culture Club President Leah Mori has observed a lack of knowledge about Filipino heritage amongst her peers.
“In class we don't talk about Filipino
ty,” Mori said.
Mori’s desire to educate RUHS students about her background and provide education to those in need in the Philippines inspired her to join forces with Gomez. Additionally, she felt that understanding more about Chavez’s legacy and his work with Filipinos was another learning moment for herself.
selves as young kids,” Mori said.
Since announcing their fundraiser, the two presidents have observed a rush of appreciation from peers and staff alike, motivating them to work harder towards assembling service events in the future.
“I got an email from the advisor and it said, ‘On behalf of the National Chinese Honor Society we would like to donate $200 worth of supplies.’ That was the morning after we had posted the fliers, so that was really cool of them to do that and to open a door for us to collaborate with them in the future. I'm grateful for them because we didn't ask them to, and they just did that out of the kindness of their hearts,” Mori said.
Although the Civil Rights Movement is discussed in history classes, Gomez notes that few know about the significant impact Chavez had on not only Mexican American farmers, but the entire agriculture laborer community.
“The Civil Rights Movement inspired Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to start protesting against how Mexican Americans were being treated on farms in order to gain
culture, or culture in general. [Filipino Culture Club] is a fun environment where people can educate themselves a little bit every week. As president, I not only have to lead a group of kids every week, but I also have to educate myself on the stuff that I'm teaching them about. It's both a teaching lesson and an opportunity for me to express my leadership skills, my voice and my identi-
“A lot of children in the Philippines are struggling with poverty, and a big part of Filipino culture is that we're very hard working, which I feel is born in the classroom. We thought that providing materials to help children succeed, whether in the states or all the way in the Philippines, would be a great way for us to be able to give back and for them to express them-
As Gomez and Mori navigate their second year of club leadership, they recognize that cultivating a sense of community where they can openly advocate for their beliefs is important. Through the power of teamwork, they have begun to see this dream take shape, providing them with more hope for the future of their clubs.
“Growing up, I would get embarrassed whenever my parents would talk to me in Spanish in front of my friends, and I got really excited if I found out somebody else at school was Hispanic. Then I got to high school and I thought, ‘You know what? I really wish that I had a place where I could go and feel represented,’” Gomez said. “My favorite part about being president is knowing that I'm able to give back to people who may have felt the same way growing up, and are now in this place where there’s so much more opportunity for acceptance when it comes to being Latino or Hispanic.”
Students share the causes for which they advocate for
by Sanaya Bhatt
I advocate for the health and well-being of my peers. I work to raise awareness about health issues and ensure that young people have a voice in decisions that are important to their well-being. I especially work on mental health, substance use, prevention and access to health care and one of my goals is to help create a healthier community.
-Rohan Ramac, freshman
Something I’m passionate about is preserving a school-life balance and encouraging other people to also preserve it for themselves, too. I work hard in school, but I also am passionate about spending time with friends and doing extra activities at school to make it more fun and create more memories.
-Justin Tang, sophomore
A cause that I fight for is the plastic pollution crisis. I am a youth ambassador for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and I work with other people in the field on projects to decrease the amount of waste in our ocean. At school, we’re also working on adding more composting and recycling bins, as well as better signage, to help increase sorting compliance and take pressure off of local landfills.
-Malea Stassi, junior
I advocate for Palestinian and humanitarian rights. I’m the president and founder of the Arab Culture Club, and I’m Palestinian myself, so the human rights and safety of all Palestinians is important to me. I spread awareness through my club and participate in protests for peace, both locally and when I visit my own family in Palestine.
-Yara El-Hasan, senior
PHOTOS BY KATHAN MALLYA
by Isabella Nguyen
he start of freshman Ramaan
TEbrahimi’s passion for DJing be gan with the digging through his electronic closet at 9 years old. In search of batteries, he stumbled across a DJ controller from around 1990 belonging to his father, Sep Ebrahimi.
“He showed me some of the more basic and simple steps of how to transition from one song to another, and that’s where it first started,” Ebrahimi said. “It was a cool idea, of mixing one track with another track. That’s what sped up into me being a DJ.”
Over time, Ebrahimi steadily improved his DJing, picking up new tricks, like how to read the crowd and what songs to choose based on the audience. His first pro fessional DJ gig was at a Persian New Gala, hosted by the biggest corporation of Persian culture in California. Despite the large crowd, Ebrahim did not have any anxiety performing.
“The thing is, because I’ve DJed at smaller gatherings before for free, I was already used to it, and I had no nervousness. I went and did it, came out, got paid. That was easy for me,” Ebrahimi said.
Ebrahimi continued picking up gigs, turning his skill at DJing into a
something that Sep Ebrahimi is extremely proud of.
“I see in his eyes how passionate he is
brought several well-known DJs together to perform.
and how much he loves to entertain people. When I see him on the podium, and I see him at the center of the stage, I enjoy [it] ten times more,” Sep Ebrahimi said.
“When you see your kids succeed in anything in life, it’s 100 times more pleasurable for you as a parent.”
From then on, Ebrahimi continued to hone his DJ skills, with the goal of DJing at one of the major clubs in Las Vegas— specifically, at the Wynn Hotel—which has
“I was DJing at a birthday last year when I met the CEO of Excess Nightclub, Encore Beach Club, where Marshmallow, Calvin Harris, all the top guys [perform]. They get 400,000 a night for DJing at these major clubs,” Ebrahimi said. “That’s where I met him, and he told me [to] start creating [my] own music, which I’ve been doing, and I already have three songs that I’ve made.”
Currently, Ebrahimi is working on publishing his songs on music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
“If that works, then it should be possible for me to DJ at one of the big [electronic dance] festivals, like in Belgium, Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas or Tomorrowland Brazil. One of those big festivals that the top DJs perform at,” Ebrahimi said.
Whenever Ebrahimi performs, his love for DJing is on full display through his high energy and lively performance.
“He gets in front of those people, and he starts jumping up and down behind the booth and gets everybody excited,” Sep Ebrahimi said. “That energy is so contagious. It’s so hard not to get excited and get on the dance floor.”
by Aashka Bhuptani
For junior Lauren Medrano, the UCLA Cinematography Intensive wasn’t just a one-week camp, but a chance to immerse herself in the craft of visual storytelling. The intensive allowed her the opportunity to interact with industry professionals and equally passionate peers. Between long shoot days and lessons, Medrano found the confirmation that film is more than just a hobby; it is a part of who she is.
“From a really young age, I was always super interested in storytelling. I really enjoyed reading, and I've always preferred history, which I believe really corresponds with filmmaking, because the whole point of filmmaking is to tell a story,” Medrano said.
As she got older, Medrano realized her love for cinema and films was more than just watching them. Beginning with small snippets on iMovie, she grew her passion for cinematography and is now inspiring others to create their own short films through her club at RUHS.
brings so many people together.”
Medrano hopes to emulate the same sense of learning and community that she found at programs like SOCAPA and the UCLA Cinematography Intensive through her leadership in the Short Film Club. While she developed a wide range of skills
But Medrano wasn’t navigating the intense week of filmmaking on her own. Fellow high school filmmaker Ivy Lynden, her roommate during the program at UCLA, had a front-row seat to Medrano’s growth both on and off set.
“My initial impression of Lauren was that she was super outgoing, bubbly and friendly. We immediately became friends, to the point where everyone at the camp thought that we had already known each other going into the camp.” Lynden said.
“I am the president and co-founder of the Short Film club, and the idea is that we're going to get together and make a short film club as a group,” Medrano said, “I really enjoy hearing everyone's ideas because stories are definitely something that
across both camps, the interactive experience at UCLA stood out to her the most.
“At the UCLA camp that I went to, we were working with these massive lights that they use in the industry, and so I definitely developed the skill set on lighting, specifically because cinematography has so much to do with that,” Medrano said.
The instant connection with her roommate is only one example of the way that Medrano builds community through film. Looking ahead, she hopes to continue sharing and exploring the sense of purpose and passion
she gets through film with other students who might be curious about filmmaking but are unsure where to start.
“Film is one of the most popular art forms, in my opinion. We live in the South Bay, and we're exposed to a lot of people with different backgrounds,” Medrano said.
“By watching films, you can learn about people from the other side of the world, and you can learn about their stories. So I believe that film is so important because it changes people's perspective on life, as well as their empathy for others, which I think is something the world definitely needs more of.”
Medrano hopes to turn her experience and passion into real-world opportunities, even if the next steps aren’t always easy to reach.
“I hope to one day work in the industry. My goal is to try to get an internship this summer and study film in college just to get more experience, so I can prepare myself to be a part of the industry,” Medrano said. “Whether it's the business side, or if it's the actual production side of filmmaking, it’s something that I want to do going forward.”
by Hayden McMahon
Competing on an injured leg in a location far from home wasn’t the ideal circumstance going into the Pan-American Championship for Taekwondo, but junior Keegan Zarefsky persevered, competing with Team USA just last week against nations across the Western Hemisphere.
Once he officially qualified for the championship in January, Zarefsky trained multiple hours each day, including conditioning and running. According to Zarefsky, this was difficult to balance with school.
“The past few weeks, it was just, go, go, go. I often found myself having to do homework between our sessions on the weekends and in the car,” Zarefsky said.
Just before leaving for the competition in Queretaro, Mexico, Zarefsky unfortunately injured his calf muscle, forcing him to stop training and recover. While this was a challenge, 13 years of experience and months of preparation for this specific event allowed him to push through the lapse in preparation.
“Once I get to any competition venue, my main focus is on acclimating to the area and the altitude, so it wasn’t too horrible to miss a week of practice as well,” Zarefsky said. “I still felt prepared, which was probably because of muscle memory.”
Keeping in mind how stressful this level of commitment can be, Keegan’s mother, Cattaliya Snider, has always found it best to separate home life from Taekwondo.
“For us parents, it was important that Keegan remain in school. A lot of athletes at this level are homeschooled, giving them more flexibility to travel, but we found it important to help him keep that balance with a life outside of Taekwondo,” Snider said. “Providing him with home-cooked meals and doing our best to have him feel his life wasn't only about Taekwondo and that he could have other interests. Our hope was that it would, even though he was working hard, make sure it was still fun.”
Not only are such high pressure events a mental challenge for the athlete, but for their parents as well.
“It’s never about if he wins or loses for us, and our goal is to be there to support him, hope he tries his best and feel like he learned something from the experience,” Snider said.
According to Zarefsky, the Pan American Championship is a cutthroat competition. Similar to the increase in altitude Zarefsky endured in Queretaro, an increase in chaos and stress can seriously impact an athlete's performance.
“This was definitely a more tough and serious competition, compared to competitions here in the U.S., which are usually a lot less stressful. With smaller and more local competitions, there is less going on and it is easier to focus, whereas at the big competitions, you’re up against the best of the best,” Zarefsky said.
Zarefsky is no stranger to “chaotic” events, however, as he has competed in the World Championships, won the 2022 Pan American Championships, and nearly medaled at the U.S. Open Championships. When competing in the 2022 and 2024 Championships, Zarefsky went with a few of his teammates from home, but this year, he was the only one on Team USA from his studio.
“Once I got to know the team, it ended up being really fun,” Zarefsky said. “After a team USA practice, we all had dinner together at the hotel and we got to bond and get to know each other. We made a bunch of good memories and it was a great experience overall.”
Mconnects to his culture and religion as a volunteer at a monastery
by Kate Lanzdorf
editating, junior Balakumar Muttulingam uses a monk’s techniques to calm his mind and relax. He learned to do this at a monastery in Kauai, Hawaii where he has voluntered once a year since 2014. Whether he goes during winter or summer break, he brings selfless energy into his everyday school life, bringing him closer to his culture and religion.
“Whenever I go to the monastery, it helps to ground me,” Muttulingam said. “When I come to school, everything is crazy. But [at the monastery], I get to live more simply.”
Working at the monastery is hard, the grunt work is mostly reserved for the volunteers. Having enough time in the day for both rituals of worship, called pujas, and the working aspect means waking up early each morning. His mother, Amanda Muttulingam, appreciates her son’s drive.
“What I admire about his volunteering is that it is a very structured and disciplined environment,”
Amanda Muttulingam said. “He wakes up at 4 a.m., has to get ready and bike over to the temple. It’s a very long, structured day, and I’m just impressed that he would choose to go back time and time again.”
be used for the pujas later, and getting to see the fruits of my labor is really rewarding.”
The monastery puts a great effort into the construction of temples and places of worship. Muttulingam’s contribution to this directly impacts him and the community.
Muttulingam focuses on smaller tasks at the monastery to help the monks’ jobs move smoothly, such as agriculture and construction. There are several greenhouses and gardens that he works in, and there is always a task at hand.
“If I can help do the busy work like cutting or printing things out, I’ll do it. Then [the monks] can focus on important things, like the logistics of running a monastery,” Muttulingam said. “I enjoy being helpful. They have gardens and greenhouses, and I can pick fruit. Picking fruit and flowers to
“[The monks] are building a new temple,” Muttulingam said. “They’ve been working on it for 20 years, so there is a lot of construction work to be done there.
Along with working, I pray and meditate, which is a nice bonus.
When I go there, I’m essentially living like a monk.”
Muttulingam has volunteered here since he was 9-years-old, first feeling the spark on a religious pilgrimage with his family. He has grown closer to Hinduism through his volunteer work.
“Volunteering is a way to connect to my culture and religion,” Muttulingam said. “There are temples here in California that I
go to, but the whole monastery experience is different. The entire area is religiously focused.”
Muttulingam chooses to dedicate a few weeks to volunteering each year, but recently went alone for the first time. He stayed for a month, making it the most rewarding trip to date. Being there longer allowed him to finish his projects, fully immersing himself in the experience.
“It made him feel independent, and then he was able to go and connect with the monks, live with them, do service and pray. It was all-encompassing. He enjoyed having that experience independently,” Amanda Muttulingam said.
Staying with the monks has taught Muttulingam to quiet his mind, and learn to carry these qualities into his regular life. The technique the monks taught him is called “sadhana.”
“It’s a very traditional monastery, so he doesn’t just learn the different practices of Hinduism, he learns why, and how it helps change your mind. He’s learning how to quiet his mind, feel grounded and feel connected,” Amanda Muttulingam said. “If he has a problem in his life, he’s able to think back and use the teachings that he’s learned to solve his problems. I don’t think that’s very common at his age, so it’s been helpful for him and our family.”
High school is often a high-stress environment that requires an adaptive skill set. But Muttulingam has taken the opportunity to apply all that he has learned from the monastery to his school and outside life.
“It’s really nice to be able to go there, and not just work, but meditate,” Muttulingam said. “The whole atmosphere is relaxing, and it is a nice reset from life.”
3. Helping the monks relocate supplies with their tractor. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BALAKUMAR MUTTULINGAM
by Allison Sutton
Junior Zoey Schmidt stood on the soccer field, poised in front of the goal, watching the opposing team advance towards her from across the field. Sensing opportunity, an opposing player in possession of the ball ran towards the goalie box, dodging other players as she went, and reared back her leg to kick towards the net.
But instead of making impact with the ball, her leg hit something else.
Schmidt’s head.
“I had tunnel vision and every thing was black… People’s voices and [the] sounds around me were muffled, and I was zoning out,” Schmidt said.
As of April 6, Schmidt has been concussed for an entire year as a result of re-injury. As both an AP student and athlete on the girls soccer, flag football and track and field teams, Schmidt’s head injury continues to impact her on a daily basis and has altered her former routine.
“She hasn’t been able to actu ally participate in any sports for the last year. The recovery pro cess has been slow and grad ual,” Schmidt’s mother, Re nee Schmidt, said. “Zoey was cleared in early October but got re-concussed a couple of weeks later when her head was whiplashed into the side window [of her friend's car] after her friend drove through a pothole.”
Being reinjured was
painful and frustrating for Schmidt. Having a head injury not only makes it virtually impossible for her to perform her best athletically, but it also makes completing everyday activities much more strenuous.
“Simple things, such as thinking or even speaking, became challenging,”
High footballschool has the highest concussion rate, upmaking 11.2% per 10,000 concussed athletes
AcademyAmerican Pediatricsof
Schmidt said. “It just feels like a constant fog is over me, and I often zone out and disconnect from my surroundings.”
Aside from forcing her to sit on the sidelines during games, Schmidt’s concussion also makes it extremely difficult to keep up with the rigorous coursework she once had little trouble completing.
After her head injury, she was unable to take the 2024 AP exams and fell behind in her classes. Keeping up in school remains a challenge for Schmidt this year, due to constant pain, tiredness and concentration difficul-
“The most frustrating part about being concussed is not being able to do things I used to be able to and not being able to perform at the same level. It’s difficult having to continue my responsibilities while still
being expected to complete the same quantity and quality [of work] as everyone else, despite the brain injury,” Schmidt said. Another pillar of Schmidt’s support system is her family. Her mother has played a crucial role in Schmidt’s recovery process. Not only does she drive her to and from countless doctors' appointments, but she also consistently makes an effort to provide Schmidt with emotional support and reassurance at times when her pain and frustration are overwhelming.
88% of athletes before college experience academic difficulties postconcussion
- Children's National Health System
“Her head hurts most of the time, and I think she has learned to live with it for the most part, but if she overdoes it, it takes time to recover and get back to a place where life is manageable again,” Renee Schmidt said. “I support her by reminding her to take it easy, to really pay attention to how she feels, and to recognize when she’s getting to a place where she’s going to feel bad.”
Despite head injuries being quite common among athletes, many people, as Schmidt has discovered, don’t truly understand what they entail. In response to this, Schmidt plans to advocate for awareness surrounding head injuries through her Girl Scout Gold Award project. She hopes to cultivate a better understanding of concussions by teaching people about the
more hidden symptoms, as well as ways in which they can better empathize with and assist people who are struggling with brain injuries.
Concussion rates for female athletes are higher than male athletes in high school sports.
- National Library of Medicine
“I want to create a type of assembly or seminar to bring more awareness to concussions so people can learn what they really are and more about the recovery process,” Schmidt said.
According to Schmidt, everybody knows that concussions are painful and disorienting, but other side effects, including difficulty concentrating and a garbled thought process, continue to be frequently underestimated and misunderstood.
“I wish people would understand that concussions are a special type of injury because you can’t see them physically, like a cast on a broken arm, but they’re still just as difficult to manage because there’s so much going on inside,” Schmidt said. “Many of my doctors have called concussions a ‘snowflake injury’ because each one is different.”
by Samantha Kim
In painting, flipbooking or coloring, Kassie Simons, student teacher for Art 1, Art 2 and AP Art teacher Michelle Andrade, is working towards becoming a full time art teacher. Since the beginning of second semester, Simons teaches as part of her post-baccalaureate program. When deciding where to gain her teaching experience, she was influenced by her previous ties to RUHS.
“Redondo is my alma mater. I was taking classes at Cal State Long Beach, and they told me to go find a school and student-teach. I love Redondo, and I know Mrs. Andrade, and I decided it would be perfect,” Simons said.
Before beginning to teach high schoolers, Simons, since she was young, was drawn to teaching in an unconventional manner.
“In elementary and middle school, I was so jealous of the teachers being able to eat food in class and so I always joked saying ‘I’m going to be a teacher so I can eat whenever I want,’” Simons said.
Also while she was in primary and secondary school, Simons began developing a passion for art inside and outside of school.
“My parents signed me up for this art [class] in Palos Verdes. I would go every Saturday and would learn chalk pastels, oil pastels, watercolor and acrylic painting. I continued that until I was a junior in high school. I also took art in Adams Middle School and took art for four years here” Simons said.
Though Simons’ passion for art led her to wanting to become an artist, she was concerned over its lack of stability. For example, lacking children’s insurance, which she had in her family growing up, was a concern of hers, along with the fact that freelance artists are confined to “waiting for work to come to [them].” Simons found
that, in being a teacher, she has that stability and along with that, flexibility.
“I don’t know if I’m going to have kids yet, but just having insurance and that sort of security when you don’t really get it as a freelance artist, I was looking at that as my backbone. Also, I don't have to be a teacher if I don’t want to be. When I finish my credential, I’ll have that, [which] I’m interested in, but if I ever wanted to drop the career, I still have it and can go back to it,” Simons said.
Simons, creating her own lessons now, keeps her students and the upcoming art show at the forefront of her mind, while still allowing for an interesting experience.
“The next project is going to be an impressionist painting and we’re going to be building 3D cardboard frames to go with that. Mrs. Andrade and I worked together to figure out what students could actually do within a month because we wanted to be all done and ready for the art show. [In creating that, I was] thinking about what’s easy but hard enough to have people finish and learn something new,” Simons said.
For junior Kaylee Blas, who is in Simons’ fifth period Art 1 class, Simons’ projects are fun and unique, also sparking nostalgia for her.
“Right now, we’re doing a flipbook, which is really interesting, because I’ve never heard of an art classroom making flipbooks, so I really enjoy that because when I was younger I would always make flipbooks. I liked how she added that on because that’s not really in the normal criteria,” Blas said.
Apart from her projects engaging her students, Simons herself also bonds with her students and is intentional about doing so, finding that being a student teacher allows her to uniquely do this.
“When I give my whole introduction, I preface the class by letting all of my students know that I’m still a student, just in case there’s any bumps in the road, but I also feel that it breaks the wall between the authority figure and the students,” Simons said.
Looking back on her student teaching experience so far, Simons finds that skills like “time management, organization and communication” have improved, but specifically found most value in the communication skills she has gained.
“Because you need to know how to talk to people and need to know the way that everybody’s different and the way they communicate [is too], you can’t take things a certain way. You have to move forward and use your customer service skills and confidence to get your point across but also break down the boundary to help the other
person get their point across,” Simons said. In addition to sharpening her teaching skills, Simons has found that she is able to “just make things,” which has been her favorite part of the job.
“Because of school, I neglected my own art practice because other things like papers and completing a degree were more important. But sitting down and making teacher samples for the students to reference is super fun,” Simons said. “At first it was really intimidating, but it’s become more fun trying to think of new and interesting ways to do things that will keep me entertained but also the students entertained.”
by Maria Gaggiano
Breaking Redondo’s track and field record for both the 100 and 200 meter sprints, senior Journey Cole emerges as California’s number one ranked sprinter. Despite this success, Cole wasn’t always confident she would do well in California. Moving back from Washington, where she spent the past two years, Cole knew she’d face new challenges having faster girls to compete with.
“I’m usually so hard on myself. If I don’t run a good 50 meters at practice, I immediately want to be done. Of course, I still do it, but I’ve struggled a lot with the negative talk. Even at track meets, a mental challenge is avoiding the thinking of ‘She’s really fast, so I know I’m not going to beat her’ because I don’t want to be preparing to lose,” Cole said.
now, at almost 18, I was finally able to fix it,” Cole said. “Everybody likes to say, ‘Don’t think too much,’ especially when you’re sprinting. But thinking is what you have to do most. If it wasn’t for me thinking in my races, I wouldn’t be able to correct my form.”
Cole said.
For Cole, balancing life with being California’s number one sprinter hasn’t been much different to her previous years of running.
Senior Hailey Gavin-Wences has felt the positive impact that Cole has brought to the team. When experiencing her own troubles during races, Cole offered her the encouragement she needed to keep pushing forward.
“She has supported me through both the physical and mental challenges of track. Some people may think of it as just running, but it takes a toll on your mental side too,” Gavin-Wences said. “She’s helped me understand that there will be meets where I do absolutely amazing and others where I won’t get the outcome I want, and that’s okay. I need to use those races to help drive me to PR in the next one, using it to my advantage.”
In order to stay focused on her running, Cole has emphasized running for herself rather than others’ expectations. Her efforts are driven by focusing on doing the best she can.
girls, I knew everybody was looking for me, I had a college coach there too. In my head, I got so nervous that there were all these big competition girls and I ended up doing horrible, worst race of the season, all because I was lacking a good mentality. Being positive is such an important thing to me because without it, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now,” Cole said.
Cole’s hard work and balance with life has inspired Gavin-Wences to be intentional about the way she trains through this track season.
“Seeing how hard she pushes herself but also focuses on staying healthy has all motivated me to do the same,” Gavin-Wences said. ”I want to work hard and keep getting better but I’ve grown to understand that if my body’s telling me I shouldn’t run, then I know to listen and give it the break it needs.”
In between races, Cole transitions through different drills, speed work and endurance workouts to help her keep improving her times and fix her running form.
“It took me nine years to find the right technique. I’ve been told I’m leaning forward too much, back too much, and just
“I’m very humble about it. I don’t like to tell people unless they ask about it. For me, it isn’t about the fact that I’m number one. It’s just the fact that I was able to run that time after being held back for so long, knowing that I could run faster but not seeing those results come in. I’m really proud of myself because I know I’m supposed to be running that fast. I could be California’s number 15 and still be happy if it meant reaching the times that I’ve worked for,”
“Even with reaching my times, I still feel the need to keep pushing for more because I want to see consistency. If I only hit those times once, there’s no point. I’m already committed to a college [North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University] and I’m so blessed for that experience, but my coaches want me to also try out for the U20, so that might be a goal in the future. As of right now, I just want to have fun with my running and not put too much pressure on it,” Cole said.
Mental preparation has been crucial for Cole, seeing how it affected her at the Nike Indoor Nationals, where she felt she performed poorly due to the mental pressure and giving in to the negative thoughts.
“I was supposed to be one of the top
As a freshman, Cole was inspired by her former teammate, Eve Divinity, (class of 2022). One of Divinity’s last messages to Cole before graduating was asking her to break her PRs [personal records] that were also the school records. Similarly, Cole has passed on her own bits of knowledge to her younger teammates, wanting them to be successful as well.
“The main advice I have to give is to have fun. At the end of the day, it’s a sport. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, don’t let anyone’s expectations mess you up, and put the negative thoughts away,” Cole said. “Yes, you’re supposed to take it seriously, but enjoy the process. Take care of yourself and have fun. That’s what track’s about.”
Evan Brutscher reflects on his record breaking 200-meter individual medley and his future in swim by Priya Ramcharan
Before a race, junior Evan Brutscher just stares at the water. His mind is calm: he’s not looking at the people next to him, only focusing on his own performance. His focus in and out of the pool has carried him far; from breaking records to his ambition in STEM, he attributes his success to the support of his parents.
“[I started swimming] because my mom wanted me to be comfortable in the water,” Brutscher said. “I joined the club team when I was eight, and then that's when I started competitively swimming. I’ve been on Beach Cities Swimming for 10 years now.”
Throughout his athletic career, Brutscher has “never even thought about quitting."
“The motivation of getting faster is really [strong] for me. I've become really close with my teammates on my club team, so it's just fun to go to practice,” Brutscher said.
Brutscher, with his training, has a natural advantage in the water with his height, 6 feet 3 inches. Taller swimmers have more surface area for propulsion, and the longer torso helps with maintaining better body position, which gives Brutscher a speciality in breaststroke and 50-meter-freestyle. At a Wilson Invite meet his freshman year, Brutscher broke the 200 IM medley record.
“It was one of the final races of the meet, and I swam the freestyle leg in the relay. We got sub 1:40. I still remember Trent, one of the senior captains, cheering me on. That really motivated me to swim my best,” Brutscher said.
Success, to Brutscher, isn’t just about proving something or beating records. To him, success is about doing your personal best, and that requires focus.
“Before my races, I'm focusing on my own race plan. I just stare at the water and try to block everything else that I'm think ing out of my mind and really just focus on a few keywords,” Brutscher said. “I’m just thinking about how many sub kicks I'm gonna do, or how many strokes I'm gonna do for each lap.”
His focus, en grained by his par ents, has guided him through ventures in school and in swimming. The support from his family has caused him to continuously improve.
Before my races, I'm focusing on my own race plan. I just stare at the water and try to block everything else that I'm thinking out of my mind and really just focus on a few keywords.
EVAN BRUTSCHER
“My mom always told me to never give up, even when I was slower when I was little and trying to get faster at swimming. I've improved a lot,” Brutscher said. “And my dad has gone with me to every single trav el championship meet ever since I
Brutscher excels in the academic sphere, which is even noted by his friend and varsity swimmer, junior Bennett Sootkoos.
“[Brutscher] is just innately smart. He’s disciplined, and it doesn’t even look like he’s trying,” Sootkoos said. Brutscher “puts in the work” to balance his academics with his athletics. His schedule is filled with swim meets and tests in his AP classes.
Sootkoos agrees that the swim schedule is demanding, but Brutscher never fails
“He’s disciplined. Every time I go to the gym or practice, he's always there,” Sootkoos said. “He always has a good attitude about it, too.”
Brutscher plans to study in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field at a college in California to further his passion for physics. However, he doesn’t see himself continuing to swim competitively either in college or professionally.
“I want to focus on studying,” Brutscher said. “But I will definitely swim recreationally. I think swimming will always be a part of my life.”
Students affected by deportation are turning to activism, advocacy and campus organizing to protect their communities and enact change
by Claudia Turner
Scrolling through post after post on Instagram of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raiding workplaces, homes and schools, anonymous senior Jordan sighed and powered off her phone, turning back to her English homework. She had no idea that the fear she was feeling from seeing videos of families being torn apart was about to be magnified tenfold–minutes later, Jordan’s mother, a birthright American citizen, would break the news to her and her sister that their father, an immigrant, had been deported.
“The news that he was gone just got blurted out, no big announcement or anything. My mom told me my dad was in Mexico, and that we probably wouldn’t see him for a while,” Jordan said. “I knew he had gotten into it with an ex-girlfriend and was in jail for a minor assault charge, but I had no idea he’d been deported. Even though he’d never really been a part of my life, hearing that he’d been taken away was still devastating.”
The struggles of life as an immigrant
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 53.3 million immigrants living in the United States as of January, 2025. Anonymous sophomore Kelsey is one of them, having moved to the U.S. from Russia when she was just 9 years old.
“My mom got married to a new man, and told me that we were going to move to America to be with him,” Kelsey said. “We left behind our entire family, and since I didn't really know English, I had to wait until the second semester to join school with everyone else. It was a very lonely start [to her time in America].”
Kelsey was too young to remember much of the legal process her family took to obtain an immigrant visa. However, the struggle to obtain permission to leave the country is something that “made an impact”on her childhood, as it took nearly two years before she could legally visit Russia.
“Getting here was actually surprisingly easy,” Kelsey said. “But getting a visa from [the U.S. embassy in Russia] was awful. We couldn’t visit our family, and it felt like we were trapped in America.”
Student coordinator for her college’s Immigrant Justice Center and journalism major Ally, anonymous, has a more complicated immigration story. After coming to the U.S. from Belize at the age of five without documentation, Ally was rejected after applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) three times. Because she failed to receive DACA protection, Ally has been living at risk for deportation for most of her childhood and adult life.
“I’ve had some pretty difficult discussions about ICE with my partner, who is a legal citizen. He told me that if I was to get deported, he would go with me,” Ally said. “Having his reassurance that he’d be there for me, even though he doesn’t have to, makes me feel resilient, even when I’m fearing for the future.”
Heightened fears under a new administration
Making good on his campaign promises, on Jan. 20, newly elected President Donald Trump signed 34 executive orders, 10 of them related to immigration. These orders included the slashing of programs like CBP One (a mobile app developed by Customs and Border Protection to help asylum seekers), the border being designated a military priority and suspension of refugee admissions. Though these actions were justified as necessary to remove “violent transnational criminals,” government data obtained by ProPublica showed that less than half of the immigrants detained from Jan. 20 to Feb. 2 had criminal convictions, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by politically
active students like Jordan.
“Seeing these deportations of innocent people is horrible and heartbreaking. There’s no reason that we should be kicking out our farmers, our contractors and our construction workers,” Jordan said. “These people have built this country, and we’re treating them like animals.”
According to National Public Radio (NPR), an American public broadcasting organization, 5,500 children were separated from their parents during Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2020. The “zero tolerance” border policies aren’t just cause for concern for undocumented immigrants—the American Immigration Council reports that 4.4 million children who are U.S. citizens have undocumented parents and are at risk for separation.
“I’ve seen people being round up everywhere. It doesn't matter if they're at a family event, with their kids or at work,” Jordan said. “Because the arrests have been so violent and publicized, it’s impossible for any immigrant to feel safe. I know my friends with immigrant parents are feeling the stress.”
Ally comments that she has seen “a visible increase” in anti-immigrant sentiment on social media since the 2024 election. These hate campaigns have led to false rhetoric about certain immigrant groups becoming widespread, such as the 2024 hoax that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating residents’ pets. This rumor was propagated by public figures such as J.D. Vance and Elon Musk on the social media platform, X, and eventually led to dozens of reported bomb threats being called in across Springfield—real consequences for the spreading of false narratives.
“After I graduate, I want to use my training as a journalist to tell the real stories of the undocumented community. I’m tired of going into the comments of a YouTube video and seeing people repeating the same tired narratives,” Ally said. “We are a very diverse community. Not all immigrants fit into one box [...] even if the media sometimes makes it seem that way.”
When thinking about what deportation would mean for her life, Kelsey has to consider the raging Russo-Ukraine war she
would be returning to. Despite her legal status, every new deportation raid still “causes some worry.”
“I’m not even that scared for myself, though if something did happen to me, I would be devastated,” Kelsey said. “I have a friend who immigrated here from Ukraine. She’s already been stressed lately, and I can’t imagine what would happen if she was deported to [such a war-torn country].”
What can we do to protect our immigrant communities?
With threats of deportation comes a lot of fear and anxiety for immigrant communities, especially for student immigrants who must reside in the U.S. for an extended period of time to complete their degrees. A study done by the Public Policy Institute of California reports that foreign-born students comprise 18 percent of undergraduate and 27 percent of graduate and professional school students in the state. This demographic includes Ally herself, who recently took to her school newspaper to express her concerns with the administration’s handling of ICE on campus.
“To be honest, I was a little bit nervous about writing a critique of our admin. But when the story came out, I actually got an email from our Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice asking what they could do to help,” Ally said. “They were interested in doing a workshop, but I told them that it couldn’t just be a one time thing. We need long lasting protections for our students so they can feel safe coming to class again.”
Jordan emphasizes protest as a means of vocalizing her support for the immigrants in her life. Even though she considers certain events like the anti-immigration crackdowns protest that occurred on Feb. 11, which blocked the 405 highway as “going overboard,” she still believes the first amendment is the most important tool pro-immigrant activists have.
“I taught some friends about the history of colonization in Mexico, and the concept of nobody being illegal on stolen land,” Jordan said. “And yeah, at protests it can be really scary when there's a bunch of big men and riot shields trying to hunt you down after you’ve built a life here. But you need to remember that you have a constitutional right to freedom of speech, and that your voice has power.”
After I graduate, I want to use my training as a journalist to tell the real stories of the undocu- mented community. [...] We are a very diverse community. Not all immigrants fit into one box.
ALLY
The news that he was gone just got blurted out, no big announcement or anything [...] Even though he'd never really been a part of my life, hearing that he'd been taken away was still devastating.
JORDAN SENIOR
Student coordinator of her college's Immigrant Justice Center and journalism major
Thereare53.3million theimmigrantslivingin UnitedStatesasofJanuary,2025. U.S.INFORMATIONFROMTHE CENSUSBUREAU
As immigration policies shift, green card holders and immigrants face uncertainty, and experts highlight challenges of navigating enforcement measures
by Deeksha Prasad
When anonymous sophomore Ami sat down to talk with her parents about the changes happening in the country, she walked away from the conversation feeling frightened. It was weird, she thought, to be scared to speak her mind knowing she could be taken away for it. Since his inauguration in January, President Donald J. Trump passed 34 executive orders (as of April 15) and revived many of his old policies, with immigration regulations and enforcement experiencing shifts.
Ami immigrated to the U.S. from Asia in elementary school, due to her parents wanting to give her “more op portunities.” As a green card holder, Ami is subject to the enforcement of newer immigration laws.
“I haven’t [seen the] threat in daily life yet, but I feel a lot more vulnerable,” Ami said. “I’m really confused and scared because I don’t know much about the law. I don’t know what can take away my rights. [I’m scared] for what kinds of things can get my green card revoked.”
Director and co-founder of the Loyola Immi grant Justice Clinic, Marissa Montes, is an im migrant, as well. Having come to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 2-years-old and later becoming a citizen, Montes started doing immigrant rights work when she was Ami’s age.
“It was my experience, and more than anything my parents’, that motivated me to do this work as a way of honoring them and the community that has helped form who I am,” Montes said.
According to Montes, while Congress creates immigration laws, the power to enforce them lies with the executive. Montes sheds light on earlier immigration policy, starting with Trump’s actions in his first term.
“When Trump first entered office, he said that he was going to create a program called the Migrant Protection Protocol, also known as ‘remain in Mex ico,’ in which he was forcing asylum seekers (people who flee their countries because they fear persecution on the basis of race, religion, political views, etc.) to remain in Mexico during the duration of their asylum proceedings in the U.S.,” Montes said.
Kids who were brought here by their parents, who have lived here and don’t know anyone where their parents are from are now back there,” Liam said.
According to Montes, in the interior of the country, the Trump administration has made safe spaces such as churches, hospitals and schools targets for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
“I heard a story the other day about a couple from Colombia who had been living here for 30 years, and they got deported. I thought to myself, 30 years,” Liam said. “Do you know how much you‘ve contributed to society, to tax-
and they’re damned if they don’t,” Montes said. “Migrants don’t have the right to an attorney at the cost of the government in immigration proceedings. They can have an attorney if they can pay or if they can find a free one, like me. But the reality is that the need outweighs the resources that are available. So most migrants go unrepresented. They’re unaware of their rights and how to identify if they qualify for any sort of relief, and are more likely to get deported.”
At the clinic, Montes advocates for people to document themselves, hosting citizen workshops and educating on the importance of passports.
After Biden came into the White House, there was a “bottleneck” of migrants stuck in Mexico, according to Montes. This led to the creation of the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection). One application, which, though still a “remain in Mexico” policy, allowed asylum seekers to make an appointment in the U.S. However, both the Migrant Protection Protocols and CBP One application “impeded” on the rights delegated to asylum seekers under the Refugee Act of 1980, which established rules for refugee resettlement into the U.S.
“When Trump came into office [again], he canceled [the CBP One] application, leaving migrants who had an appointment stuck in Mexico. He’s now sealed the border by saying there is an alien invasion, and has completely blocked off the right for asylum seekers to seek asylum,” Montes said. “The only people allowed to enter the U.S. are those with visas, green cards and citizenship.”
When anonymous RUHS parent Liam came to the U.S. in 1985, he was not part of an “alien invasion.” Rather, his family was fleeing a civil war in West Africa. Liam was only 17. Though Liam stayed in the country illegally on a visitor’s visa before eventually obtaining his citizenship, he was safer then than he might’ve been now, as Montes points out that since Trump’s inauguration, there has been an increase in people being targeted and removed.
“It’s horrible, some of the stories I’ve heard in the past few days—people who’ve been granted asylum because they're running away from the same things that I was running from, and they’re being sent back to those countries.
You have constitutional rights:
don’t want you here.’ And then you lose everything. Say you came into the U.S. as an adult, and you’ve been here 30 years—so you’re almost 60, and now it’s ‘see you later, goodbye.’ That’s like telling your grandparent, ‘We’re done with you. Go live somewhere else.’”
Currently, any person arrested is now subject to detainment, Montes informs. This differs from an older policy known as “catch and release,” in which if a “low-risk” undocumented immigrant was found, with no criminal record, they would be let go—though still placed in removal proceedings to see a judge and fight their case.
“California is considered a sanctuary state. That doesn’t mean that raids don’t happen in California. Immigration law is federal law, but the state doesn’t have to enforce it,” Montes said. “It’s really California's way of saying, ‘Federal government, you do your job, but you can’t use our state resources to identify undocumented folks, because that is not our job.’”
One method currently used to catch migrants and detain them is the Alien Registration Act, under which non-citizens are legally required to register themselves with the government. Not registering can result in a $5,000 fee and 30 days in jail, only to then be subject to removal. When migrants do get the chance to go to court, Montes explains that people face pressure to “sign their own deportation orders,” and skip the court step altogether.
“It’s really hard as an attorney to advise people on what they should do, because they’re damned if they do register
• DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door.
• DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent.
• DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer.
• If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly.
• GIVE THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. If you are inside of your home, show the card through the window or slide it under the door.
“Part of the citizenship campaign we’re doing [at the clinic] is [encouraging] people who are longtime green card holders to become citizens and U.S. citizens to ensure they have proper documentation of their identity,” Montes said. “That is particularly important for the children of undocumented parents, because the Trump administration has said it will be starting to deport families.” Trump’s first administration included a “zero tolerance policy” referring all illegal migrants to the Department of Justice for prosecution, resulting in thousands of children separated from their families at the border, according to the American Bar Association. In June of 2018, Trump passed Executive Order 13841, “Affording Congress an Opportunity To Address Family Separation,” which stopped family separation but did not address the reunification of families. Human Rights Watch reports that six years after the end of Trump’s first term, as many as 1,360 children are still unaccounted for.
“It’s horrible for any parent to be separated from their child. And it’s horrible for a child to be separated from their parents,” Liam said. “I have three kids, and they’re all teenagers now, but I know for a fact that, in the first 10 years of their lives, if they had to be separated from me, they would not know what to do with themselves. Those are the most formative years for any child, and the only people that they know and look up to are their parents.”
Montes advises against behaviors such as “casual” drug use for migrants, as despite weed being legal in California, it is still illegal federally and can result in deportation. This is just one of many precautions she warns migrants to take. “Make sure you are careful with what you’re saying on your social media regarding your political opinion, especially anything criticizing the Trump administration. Do nothing that would put you on their radar. When you’re not a citizen, don’t place yourself in those risky situations. This administration is grabbing onto anything to remove people from the U.S.”
The 1790 Naturalization Act established the country’s first uniform naturalization rule. The Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 was the first attempt at regulating immigration across racial lines. The 1921 Emergency Quota Act was Congress’ first attempt to regulate immigration using nationality based quotas. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 allowed 2.7 million illegal immigrants to become lawful permanent residents. ICE was created in 2002 with the Homeland Security Act. Throughout the course of American history, evolving legislation reflects the persistent role of immigration in politics.
“There’s always been a stigma about immigrants and immigration, so [this sentiment against them] isn’t anything new, but I also don’t think Trump’s policies are super popular in the U.S.,” Liam said. “It’s just that the people with the loudest voices right now are screaming, and people seem to be listening to them.”
Usted tiene derechos constitucionales:
• NO ABRA LA PUERTA si un agente de inmigración llama a la puerta.
• NO RESPONDA NINGUNA PREGUNTA de un agente de inmigración si intenta hablar con usted. Tiene derecho a guardar silencio.
• NO FIRME NADA sin consultar primero con un abogado. Tiene derecho a hablar con un abogado.
• Si está fuera de su casa, pregunte al agente si puede irse y, si le dicen que sí, váyase con calma.
• ENTREGUE ESTA TARJETA AL AGENTE. Si está dentro de su casa, muestre la tarjeta por la ventana o pásela por debajo de la puerta.
Trump’s attack on education is a calculated attack on truth, equality and informed Democracy
by Priya Ramcharan
“The most effective way to destroy people is to obliterate their own understanding of their history.” It’s been seven years since I first read the novel “1984” by George Orwell, the author of the aforementioned quote. That book has been on my mind ever since – but, as I grow up in this period in American history – I feel as if Orwell was writing specifically to prepare our generation for the coming years. The United States is morphing into a fascist state as Trump attacks DEI, the Department of Education, and pulls money from schools and research. But what strikes me is the lack of subtlety: Trump is attacking our very arsenals of defense– our respect, our education, our critical thinking, and information. In every war that he wages against a culture or an institution - he is showing us what threatens his grim vision for the future of America – he’s showing us exactly how we can challenge him. This is where our role as students brings us to the frontlines of the fight: it is absolutely crucial that students take their education seriously under a leader who harvests the ignorant for his personal gain. He knows it better than anyone, there is no greater threat to Trump than an educated American.
Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the dismantling of the Department of Education, labeling it as “government overreach.” But, if government overreach was a real concern, it would make more sense to fight for women’s rights to bodily autonomy or working to separate corporate influence from politics. Instead, the president is targeting education—under the false pretense of combatting a “misguided curriculum”— even though, as the BBC notes, the Department of Education doesn’t even dictate curriculum. That power lies with states and local governments. What the Department does do is administer Pell Grants, manage student loan programs, and fund resources for low-income students and students with disabilities. An attack on education is part of a broader, strategic assault on low-income Americans, disabled Americans, immigrants, people of color, women, and anyone who exists outside the wealthy elite.
Republicans have long advocated for abolishing the Department of Education under the guise of “states' rights.” But that raises the question: a state's right to do what, exactly? To rewrite history? To minimize the brutality of America’s past? To reassert control over the narratives we teach, and to re-entrench systems of oppression?
TTrump’s real aim isn’t bureaucratic reform—it’s cultural erasure. His administration has accused the Department of indoctrinating students with DEI initiatives and “woke” values, effectively attempting to roll back decades of anti-discrimination protections secured during the Civil Rights Movement. This isn’t just a political strategy; it’s a larger crusade to suppress historically marginalized communities. For centuries, people of color, women, and other marginalized groups were told they couldn’t succeed because of their identities. Now that these groups are finally empowered to reclaim and celebrate those identities, their self-respect is being reframed as a threat.
He knows it better than anyone, there is no greater threat to Trump than an educated American. “
But DEI isn’t just a culture– DEI programs give working women maternity leave, builds ramps for wheelchairs in workplaces and cities, as well as offers therapy for people dealing with trauma or sexual harassment in the work or school. But no – if people realized that culture wars are useless and that intelligent policy making is the way to raise the standard of living (a much more pressing issue), Trump would not be in power. Trump and his friends are the top one percent of “earners," and the only way he can control the other 99 percent is by keeping them distracted by their hate and ignorance. Statistically speaking, the 99 percent should have more power than the 1 percent. But as long as the masses are steeped in debt, anxiety, frustration, culture wars, and the fallacy of their own success, the billionaire elite will be safe in their exploitation.
In destroying a culture of equality and freedom, Trump attacks the main vessel of education: language. He shamelessly uses Orwellian tactics to censor federally funded research. Recently Trump released a list of banned words that include words like “gender," “science-based," “accessible," “privilege," “birth," “clean energy," and a chilling “anti-racism." There are a total of 110, and counting, words with which many Americans themselves identify. Trump is not a president for the American people, and if you still believe he is, just wait until your name is on the list.
The word “woke,” which by definition means an awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination, is able to be weaponized by the right simply because their base has forgotten US history. They have forgotten the patterns of the past and the dark memories that reverberate through our towns and cities: how hatred and anti-diversity sentiment led to the KKK and Nazi ideology. By attacking wokeness and DEI, they are attacking equality, freedom, education, and the very bedrock of our nation, reverting us back centuries. The truth is that at its core, Trump is capitalizing on the very worst of our country. He exploits the angst of young men, the addiction economy, and demagoguing the left while harvesting the hate he provokes.
But the strategy of defense is clear: Trump is defunding colleges– so go to a college and study everything you can. Trump is defunding NPR – so listen to all the NPR shows you can get your hands on. The best thing you can do is to study the history he censors, go to colleges he threatens, read the books he bans, and become his enemy. Then you’ll know you are one of the good guys.
by Emery Min
he German word "sprachgefühl" literally meaning “language feeling,” can be roughly translated to describe a person’s intuitive knack for language and natural eloquence. It has no exact English equivalent, and its precise meaning can only be approximated by those of us who don’t speak the language.
Language, in all forms, is our prime method of communication. Regardless of whether you’re reading, speaking, writing or listening, language is being used to convey information. And although each language has its own set of rules and cultural nuances, all serve essentially the same purpose—languages are tools that we use to understand one another. Even “dead languages,” those that are no longer commonly spoken or used, are studied to gain a better understanding of mankind’s past. Never taking the opportunity to learn or become fluent in another language—as the majority of monolingual Americans haven’t—is like limiting yourself to a single wrench in your toolbox. You might be able to get most jobs done and brute force some others, but not with the same amount of ease or depth of understanding that even just one other screwdriver in your arsenal could help provide.
Learning a second language often comes easiest when we’re young, due to our brain’s high plasticity and increased ability to form neural connections. But according to a report from 2017 by the nonprofit American Councils for International Education, only 20 percent of students in grades K-12 take foreign language classes. At RUHS, taking a foreign language class isn’t required, although the two year study requirement to be eligible for both the University of California and the California State University systems does encourage students to study another language, at least for a couple of years. However, in many of these cases, students are more focused on simply passing this requirement or earning the Seal of Biliteracy than they are on achieving fluency and learning another language. With these goals in mind, it’s likely that students won’t continue to learn or maintain their skill level at whatever language they’ve chosen and will eventually forget most of their knowledge.
I first started learning Spanish in kindergarten through enrollment in the dual immersion program, and was taught almost entirely in Spanish for the rest of elementary school. Now, I have 11 years of experience with the language and would consider myself bilingual. Aside from being useful for travel and functioning as a party trick for those who don’t expect it, speaking Spanish—or any second language, really—has a myri- ad of benefits. Knowing another language has the ability to
provide you with a community, as you’re able to understand others who speak the language at a base level which then allows for other connections to be formed. A language barrier is often what prevents people from different cultures from being able to initiate connections or engage in conversation, and learning another language can be helpful to expand your perspective and learn about different cultures. Being bilingual has also been shown to have benefits in the workplace, as a study by the University of Guelph estimated that bilingual workers may earn around 6.6 percent more than their monolingual counterparts, and a writer for The Economist estimated that bilingual individuals may earn roughly an additional $67,000 throughout their lifetime. Another survey con-
ducted by American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in 2019 found that nine out of 10 employers relied on bilingual employees, and over half expected to see an increase in demand for bilingual employees.
Language also carries important cultural significance. The names of dishes and traditions are often in the language of the culture to which they belong. Historically, certain languages have also been suppressed in tandem with the oppression of different cultures and peoples. Examples of linguistic imperialism include Spanish conquistadors colonizing South America, leading Spanish to eventually become the dominant language there, and Great Britain’s similar colonization of North America, where English was introduced and has since become the main language spoken on the continent. Consequently, many Native American languages have gone extinct and others are still endangered today. Languages like Chamacoco, Lolak and Rama have also been classified as critically endangered by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization and are close to being extinct. While a language going extinct might not always be indicative of a culture dying out, a major facet of the culture being lost severs a connection that we have to the past. Despite all of its benefits, it’s true that learning a language can be tedious and difficult at times. According to the Foreign Service Institute, becoming proficient in another language takes hundreds or even thousands of hours of dedicated study, and the learning process is unlikely to follow a linear path, which has the potential to be discouraging. I used to cry almost daily when I first started kindergarten because I couldn’t understand anything my teacher was saying—although my being five also could have had something to do with it. Learning the various grammar rules and how to conjugate verbs, memorizing characters and new alphabets— these tasks can be boring (unless that’s your particular cup of tea). But learning a language is developing a skill, one that requires practice—a language. My advice would be to consider yourself lucky if you do have the resources and take advantage of it, or, as they say in Latin, carpe diem.
by Leyla Evenson
When did it become normal to get home from school and scroll on TikTok for four hours before dinner and (hopefully) a shower? I’m sick of it. Trust me, I understand school pressures and having homework 24/7, but I also partake in my various interests at every available opportunity. Of course I fall victim to the Instagram reels trap occasionally, but making an active effort to reduce the amount of times I succumb is a choice I make, and my question is, why isn’t that normal?
We’ve all heard the usual snooty “my screen time is under an hour” semi-accusation pierce the air, but is it seen as just as high and mighty to spend time doing things other than watching TikTok videos? Despite how this attitude comes across, it's evidence of a large problem facing teens today. According to the Center for Disease Control and Protection, over half of all teenagers spend four hours or more on their screens every day. That might not sound like a lot to some desensitized brains, but that's over half of the amount of time you spend in school on screens. Every day.
We have a chron where reading for enjoying school negative thing, or least perceived that way. Watch ing your peers score high on tests is a source of anger and repulsion instead of envy. I’m not saying you should constant ly compare yourself to oth ers, but academ ic excellence should be a good thing and some
could strive for.
Being disinterested in the world around you should not be a considered a flex
As per usual, I blame social media. Well, in part. I know that most of us have seen the “nonchalant” trend on TikTok, which glorifies not caring about literally anything. It is these types of trends and the general time suck that is social media that has contributed to this sudden stigma around being interested in something. Either it's too weird, or boring, or basic or you care too much. Let’s circle back to one of those: basic. Remember how back in the early days of TikTok, there was nothing more socially horrendous than participating in certain clothing trends because you would be “basic,” but if you didn't participate, you were weird? I feel like the major issue presented here is the rejection of people who are different from ourselves, turning up our noses instead of being open and accepting. We’ve seen this happen over and over again with specific groups of people interested in something and that interest being called “weird” by the greater social media landscape, leading to that group becoming digitally outcast. Teenage girls are most often the targets of this phenomenon, but that's a
ment passers” is to care the least about anything—to be the most nonchalant person in the room. This mentality bleeds into areas outside of social media as well, like into school. I don’t remember when the transition from everyone does their homework to missing assignments, failing tests and skipping class being a “flex” occurred, but I certainly don't appreciate it (small concession: if this is you and you are genuinely struggling, please seek help, you are not the subject of this opinion). I miss when academic excellence was the pinnacle of achievement all year round, not just during the season of seniors getting their college decisions. It should be a 24/7, 305 day (I gave you two months off for summer break) thing to care about, but that’s just not cool anymore. Not too long ago, Rory Gilmore, Elle Woods and Hermione Granger were the role models everyone wanted to emulate, but instead we’ve found ourselves in the polar opposite: where “bedrotting” [spending an excessive amount of time in bed] is normal, and reading for fun is some kind of devilry.
Here's the deal: I wish I could convince everyone that school matters, but that's just not realistic. So here's what I offer instead. Care about something. Have a passion and save time to participate in it because your phone will not miss you. Trying new things and not immediately being good at them needs to be the norm. When I talk to people, I want them to have something, just because there is such a shortage of people who will live and die for some activity that they enjoy. Stop judging people and start reflecting: if you can’t talk nonstop about some subject for a minimum of seven minutes, maybe you need to make a change.
Worrisome shifts in Gen Z culture see teens excusing hate speech as a rejection of "political correctness"
by Kat Otey
Listen. With the rapid swing popular culture has made towards conservatism smacking most of us in the gut–emotionally, culturally, financially–the fact that people are saying the R slur again might not seem like the biggest issue we should address. There’s a time and place for it: for theory, for “I told you so” retrospectives, for etymological study–and there’s another very valid place for putting aside the details and the TikTok trends in favor of concrete, real-world change and action. While I can not stress how crucial the latter is, what I’m going to address here is the former.
There’s no singular explanation for why the world is how it is right now. But what is for sure is that it’s been going pretty badly for a while. Something I heard a lot from adults growing up was “your generation is going to be the one to fix things. Gen Z is going to fix all of the mistakes our generation made.” And for a while, especially in the earlier 2020s, Gen Z was seen by most as the “politically sensitive” generation. Informed, generally pro-social justice, most likely to cancel a celebrity for saying slurs—especially in a primarily liberal area like Redondo. And, due to the rapid development of technology that has characterized the way our generation has grown up, the feeling of constant surveillance has been deeply ingrained into us. Walking on eggshells—say the right things, be a “good” feminist or ally or liberal, and persecute those who don’t conform to that ideal. Heavy on the word “conform,” as conformity is traditionally associated with conservatism, not liberalism. For a progressive movement to be so heavily focused on conformity is the first warning sign for what it’s turned into. The almost puritanical attitudes that became very normalized ultimately end up pushing many people fur-
ther to the right once they inevitably display themselves as human beings rather than an ideal—whether that ideal is being pushed on them by their peers, by social media or by other forms of rigid expectations.
Which pipeline takes you towards more socially conservative views differs, but there are a few major examples. The most overt one is what’s sometimes called the “altright pipeline,” which mostly refers to the withdrawal of young men from the “normal” world into a community of older men who push traditional beliefs about gender as the solution to all of these boys’ problems. Also called “blackpilling,” these podcasts, content creators and occasionally offline influences posit that the cognitive and emotional dissonance that the vast majority of young people in current times suffer from (National Library of Medicine) isn’t because of the failings of late stage capitalism or the unattainable idea of masculinity that society pushes onto men, but actually, it’s because of “wokeness.”
Along with this rhetoric comes a large dose of misogyny and asocial behavior that disconnects young men from the rest of the world–from reality. Of course, with that rejection of progressive societal norms comes the casual use of slurs.
But surely that won’t happen to you. You don’t get “alpha male” podcasts on your "for you" page. In fact, you consume mostly apolitical content. You don’t even really care about politics. Right?
Maybe you’ve heard of some of these trends. The "clean girl" aesthetic. People asking “what are the girlies wearing this summer?” Tradwife content. An increase in posts, usually by cis, liberal women, using the word twink. “I’m/ you’re so bigback.” Have you ever said something like “I’m literally just a girl”? Or maybe “I want to live in an aesthetic cottage, far away from everyone else.”
Bad news.
Obviously, it can’t be said that everything surrounding all of those trends is a warning sign for conservatism. I’m not trying to scream doomsday in your ear. But, we can hold space for both enjoying things and recognizing their larger implications.
Rapidfire analysis: “what are the girlies wearing this summer" equals loss of personal style. Search for stability through conformity to rigorous societal norms equals
conservatism. Tradwife content and content that embraces “girly” stereotypes equals you’re tired of working with seemingly no reward and well, you can always just stay home and be a woman and be dependent on a man; this equals conservatism. Posts with repackaged bigotry—the word “bigback” is literally just fat shaming but is dismissed as “TikTok slang” and therefore it’s “not that deep.” But social media has become so integrated with reality that a lot of what starts as internet slang gets incorporated into mainstream vernacular.
A 2013 study by Kennon-Green Co, among others, found that when a word is deemed socially unacceptable— because it’s demeaning to a certain group—a new word will arise to take its place, to say the “silent part” out loud. Like how “females” used to have a neutral, scientific connotation, but now because it’s less socially acceptable for men to say “b–ch” (although they will anyway), the term is being used in a derogatory way and has now taken on a negative connotation.
And why are straight people online using the word twink so much? Especially variations on “that evil twink.” Did I laugh a little the first time? Sure. But by the 10th time? It feels a little bit like you just want to say the f-slur but you haven’t quite committed to it yet.
Ultimately, because the puritanical neoliberalist culture that has been the norm has coincided with a period of social, economic and personal hardship, many have started to shy away from being decent people. Obviously, as I pointed out above, I don’t believe this hypervigilant, performative culture of 2010s and early 2020s “liberal” culture was ever going to lead to tangible social progress, but that’s not because I don’t agree with the core tenants of it. I believe in being kind to people. I believe in building community instead of polarizing and alienating people around us, whether for being too “woke” or “not woke enough.”
For all the talk I’ve done about warning signs and pipelines and etymology, fear-based hyperindividualism and hatred can only gain traction when we stop building community with one another. People only turn to hatred when they feel isolated. While it may seem too simple, one of the most important things you can do for those around you is to educate instead of isolate, to be kind and unapologetically yourself.
by Daniella Gross
I’m no food guru, but I do enjoy a trending dish here and there. But, trends are trends for a reason. They come, and they go. At the end of the day, the most important factors to trending foods rely on a few key categories, in my humble opinion. First, the taste. This includes variety, texture, and how enjoyable the product is. Second is expense. If a product is expensive, is it really worth its price? Third is health. Some trending foods have numerous health benefits while others have numerous drawbacks. Finally, the overall value. This sums up the lasting importance of the product.
Side note: I’m sorry I didn’t review Dubai chocolate. I couldn’t find a version I wasn’t allergic to.
I’ve seen people who drink five matcha lattes every day, no exaggeration. Whether it be through word of mouth or simply social media, matcha has gained a significant amount of attention recently, even though its origins date back to the 1100s in Japan.
The allure online and in the younger generation not only comes from the aesthetic but also from its signature taste profile. The grassy, slightly bitter and nutty flavor of the concentrated green tea is refreshing and bolder than most teas. Matcha in cafes today is typically served as a latte with sweet additives to offset the bitter kick. I find matcha is especially delicious because it pairs well with many flavors. My favorite combination is rose and matcha because the floral notes balance the grassy bitterness. Therefore in the taste category, matcha receives a 9/10, though I know not all enjoy its bold taste.
In terms of expense, however, matcha is one of the most expensive teas for a few reasons. Firstly, the way the tea is processed is laborious and exacting, and most matcha powders online sell anywhere from $6$1,000. The price ultimately depends on what kind of matcha you purchase. Ceremonial-grade matcha is the kind you drink, whereas culinary matcha is the kind you cook or bake with. The difference is found in the time the buds of the plant are harvested. That makes matcha lattes around $4-$8, depending on the type of powder used and the additional ingredients such as oat milk or syrups. Overall, matcha is a pricey purchase, though I feel that the benefits outweigh its costs. So I would score it a 4/10 in the price department.
One of the reasons matcha is a food fad is because it comes with numerous health benefits. In moderation, the tea offers high levels of antioxidants, making it a dietary supplement with possible cancer-fighting
properties and a reduction of stress and anxiety, according to Britannica. Though the caffeine in matcha is lower than caffeine in coffee, it is absorbed slower than coffee, resulting in less jittery and spastic energy levels. In the health category, matcha would receive an 8/10, because although by itself it has a multitude of healthy properties, it is often consumed with copious amounts of sugar.
Last up is the overall value. Even though it looks pretty, matcha wasn’t made to look cute on Instagram posts.
Its cultural importance goes back hundreds of years. Ceremonial matcha was used by Zen Monks to exercise devotion and honor the beauty found in the otherwise flawed world. Many who pick up matcha in a coffee shop today aren’t fully aware of its origins or historical value. Though it most certainly should still be enjoyed by all, it has become another culturally diminished custom that we so often forget to appreciate. Matcha is a healthy caffeine option with a real traditional value that will last a lifetime.
The first time I tried boba was in seventh grade, and before then I had never heard of it. My friend took me to It's Boba Time, a boba cafe chain, and I instantly fell in love. The chewy, sweet, and herbal combination had me hooked. Boba in itself represents innovation and cultural exchange. Now I know what you’re thinking— boba has been a trend for quite some time. But as of recently, the number of local boba shops has only continued to rise. CBS news reported a 50% increase in boba cafes across the U.S. and boba itself has significantly impacted business and trade.
Originally conceived in Taiwan, the drink consists of sugary, chewy tapioca pearls with a large variety of tea options. One of the most popular choices is tiger milk tea, which is essentially brown sugar milk with boba pearls. Because of the large range of options that boba offers, such as the addition of cheese foam or lychee jelly toppings that complement the wide variety of tea flavors, boba receives a high score in flavor. A personal favorite is jasmine milk tea with boba pearls because the floral, milky, and slightly bitter tea pairs well with the sweet bubble pearls. The texture, how ever, can be off-putting for some because the tapioca pearls have an almost slimy and tough consistency. Hence, my scoring in flavor would be a 8/10.
Here comes that category that tanks the score: price range. While I enjoy the many types of boba that cafes offer with toppings and substitute milk and such, it often adds to the price of the individual drink. Boba in the U.S. ranges from $3-$10 for a single drink, and the tapioca pearls online can go from an average price of around $3-$92. So the bulk of the price really comes down to what you add to the drink itself. This is somewhat unaffordable to the average teenager, and for this reason, I deem the price a 6/10: not outrageous, but not the cheapest purchase.
Now, am I aware that you can adjust the sweetness level for boba? Yes, of course. But most boba on average contains 3860 grams of sugar for a 16-ounce serving according to the National Institutes of Health. Boba is most definitely a sweet treat. Unlike matcha, there aren’t any real health benefits of drinking boba, unless
you order a boba with matcha. In the health category, I would have to place boba at a low 3/10.
Similar to matcha, boba is another food fad that falls under the umbrella of Asian foods that have been adopted in the United States. Unlike matcha, however, there is no real cul tural tradition tied to the drink, though its impact on the U.S. economy has been large. According to Global Edge, “in 2022, the global bubble tea market size was valued at 2.75 billion USD, and is expected to register a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 8.9% from 2023 to 2030; experts predict it will reach 6.2 billion USD by 2032.” With this data, the overall value of boba transcends other fac tors as its impact will continue to grow and have lasting economic impacts.
Personally, I am an açaí enjoyer. What is not to love? Acai first took the U.S. by storm in the early 2000s, though the berry that grows on palm trees has been harvested by Brazilians for centuries, possibly even millennia.
Açaí berries, before being processed, have a unique flavor that is bitter, robust and earthy, tasting most similar to blackberries. Once processed, the berries are made into a fine powder or puree, which in the U.S. is most often made into frozen açaí bowls or various packaged açaí products that can be added to smoothies and yogurts. The taste of açaí is refreshing in bowl form, especially during the summer, topped with fresh fruits and granola. In addition to the unique, fruity flavor with chocolatey undertones, the topping options are endless, making açaí customizable to
impressive, the products they come in aren’t as outstanding. I feel that a 9/10 for the berry itself is well deserved, though açaí bowls themselves would score a bit lower on the health scale.
Açaí as a whole has such a rich background in the Amazon forests from which it came. The Indigenous communities of Amapá have been using açaí as food, medicine, and material for thousands of years and are now exploring possibilities of economic benefit from the resource as it climbs in popularity. According to The Nature Conservancy, villagers in Açaízal are looking into proper environmental management to aid increased productivity. As a whole, though the demands for increased açaí production are a challenge for villagers to meet, the health benefits and local economic impacts of açaí elevate the overall
bowl. So though the berries
by Aaliyah Roberson
In a genre often defined by devastation and despair, “Warfare” takes an unexpected turn on a traumatic event, exploring the nuances of war and proving that even in the darkest of trenches, there is hope worth fighting for.
“Warfare” is one of the most immersive, fascinating concepts in movie-making today. The film begins in Iraq following a surveillance operation gone awry as Ray Mendoza (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) and his team are ambushed on a mission. If this idea isn’t already intriguing, the story is directly based on the memories of war veterans who lived through it. The film’s director, Ray Mendoza, a US Navy SEAL and Hollywood military adviser, partnered with Alex Garland (“Civil War,” “28 Years Later”) to bring the story to life. Now, for context, many activists have prematurely labeled the film as war propaganda, therefore refusing to see the film. However, I went into this film with a completely open mind and was pleasantly surprised, as I believe it was truly one of the most realistic depictions of a wartime film today.
As a child of veterans, and coming from a family of service, I was always fascinated by the stories told through wartime films. It can be difficult to stray away from biased narratives or romanticizing the plot for entertainment. I was genuinely grateful this movie was the opposite. From the start it was clear the story wouldn’t be full of exaggerated moments but an attempt at accurately retelling a lived experience.
I knew the movie was going to be good from its opening scene. A group of rowdy, fresh-faced men listening to Eric Prydz's "Call On Me," whipping their hair around and dancing together. It would’ve been heart-warming to see the development of camaraderie if the harsh truths of war hadn’t immediately shattered it. I’d never seen a more drastic shift in tone, not only
on the screen but in the audience of my theater. We all went from giggling at the youthful foolishness of the men watching a music video to still silence, holding our breaths as a platoon of hardened, stoic soldiers occupied a family home by force. This film kept my eyes entranced, unable to comprehend the reality behind the action. While the film did aid in showcasing the humanity behind the soldiers caught in
the reality of those impacted on the opposing side. The movie didn’t romanticize or fictionalize the story, it merely stuck to the facts of the memories of how everything went down, leading to a more authentic depiction of military warfare.
When I watch films, I love to be enticed by the cinematography and world-building often created by the scale of the production. “Warfare” was able to construct a
the crossfire of war, it didn’t sugarcoat the deadly actions of its victors. Two families' homes were forcefully taken with the intention to establish a strategic vantage point, as they were held in a bedroom without the ability to leave. They were living their lives just as the SEALs were doing their jobs.
“Warfare” leads audiences to question who truly wins in war and the morality of the fight. While it focused heavily on the suffering of the American soldiers, it also showed
painful world in actuality through incredibly painstaking shots and production design. They brought in those who actually lived through the events, including Mendoza, to get the choreography and motions of the fight right. From the complex angles of the shots (wide pans and tracking shots) to the use of surveillance footage, it truly felt like I was simultaneously empathizing with the victims of war and dissociating with the horrors at the same time.
There were many fantastic performances throughout the film as it held a star-studded cast including Will Poulter (Erik), Cosmo Jarvis (Elliot), Kit Connor (Tommy), Joseph Quinn (Sam) and Charles Melton (Jake). This group embodied the definition of a compelling platoon of soldiers with their emotional performances and sharp execution of choreography. Their relationships with each other throughout the film were the perfect representation of the camaraderie that originates in traumatic events. I appreciated how these characters added depth to the story through complex plot points. One of the most heart-warming stories to come out of the film was that they all got matching tattoos with the words “Call On Me.” This is not only the only song featured in the movie, but also an important lesson they all learned through the experience.
I cannot even begin to express my love for the special effects work the film featured. While my skin crawled watching the disastrous explosions and hearing the ricochet of gunshots in surround sound cinema, that is what made the film real. It was impossible to turn away from the screen because of how tangible everything felt. From the destruction of the streets to the prosthetics of the injuries, I knew special effects would only highlight these tensions more and make “Warfare” memorable.
“Warfare” is a highlight in the war film genre today. I would definitely suggest watching the movie to anyone who desires engrossing characters, an experience from a first-hand account of someone who lived through war, or simply wants to view a concept of heartstopping proportions, because it will change the way you see the world and those around you.
Coachella increasingly highlights the growing disconnect among music
by Kat Otey
Although the first Coachella was held in 1999 with headliners like Rage Against the Machine and Tool, the Indio Valley Country Club where it is held first hosted Pearl Jam in 1993, who performed there to escape Ticketmaster’s price gouging. I don’t need to point out the irony of then versus now.
I won’t pretend to be in on the “ins” of what’s hot with the Coachella crowd— you’re more likely to find me at Warped Tour, or in a pitch black dive bar venue with a crowd of thirty people and a band that sucks. If that gives some perspective. But I do love a good music festival, a band that plays at levels that threaten my eardrums and a rave night out (this is me preemptively shutting down the “so you hate fun” accusations).
But even if I was a fan of the artists playing Coachella this year, it sounds, quite frankly, miserable. Especially this year, there’s a very small subsection of people who liked Coachella—more or less regular people who spent on the lower end, likely pooled money with their friends, and went in knowing that it was a music festival, not a five star hotel. This is the five percent chunk. The other 95 percent is made up of mostly influencers, some unlucky or potentially inexperienced normies who did go and a whole lot of people who didn’t. Everyone has an opinion on it. Everyone wants to hate on that one guy’s “Classic Coachella Cowboy Vintage” tent setup. I would also like to hate on Coachella, but I’ll start with the positive aspects.
Coachella was born as a multi-genre music festival, designed to bring fans of all different genres together. While I do agree that the list leans “Top 40,” it does admittedly feature a range of artists both from year to year and within each festival.
Some quick thoughts: Benson Boone, your strange clothing choices, feminist literature white guy hairstyle and respect for hit 80s rock band Queen have intrigued me. Clairo and Bernie Sanders, you are a power duo I did not see coming but that I can respect. Lady Gaga, I would have to de nounce myself as a queer before I said any thing negative about you. Green Day, the latter sentence also applies. Charli XCX… you were definitely there.
Don’t get me wrong: I love to listen to “Brat” on my grandparent’s CD player, but you will NEVER catch me defending that “Miss Should Be Headliner” sash. I’m sor ry, Miss XCX, but Green Day (the headlin er the night she performed) have had an unquestionably significant impact on the rock, punk and pop scenes for over twen ty years. Billie Joe Armstrong is an icon for people across genres, and that’s not even to mention the political statements of their music and messaging. While you could argue that “Brat” was both culturally and politically significant in the past year, and of course that Charli has had some hits outside Brat, widespread recognition is relatively recent and her presentation has a very different vibe. It’s a very cool, fun and great vibe (please don’t come to my house), but doesn’t quite measure up to Green Day as a whole. Not that they have to be compared—they’re very different artists. But in a genre-mixing festival like Coachella, in which artists are pitted against another in
terms of overall relevancy, it’s not just for my personal opinion that Green Day comes out on top.
Speaking of controversial clothing piec
2008, bringing back hot recession era trends like micro shorts and… rebranded Ozempic… for some reason.
Overall, what has made people hate
influencers. I think this is partially because the vibe this year seemed to be a nostalgia for “classic” (2014 to 2017-ish) Coachella fashion, with big boots, layered outfits and statement jewelry—although, if we could avoid bringing back culturally appropriated Native American pieces, that would be great. The nostalgia isn’t just for the outfits but for the real (or imagined) way we picture the 2010s as an era free from the constant advertising, influencer posting and microtrends. Today, everyone is trying to stand out in the same way, and the fact that half the first weekend crowd is a walking brand deal—usually for some genuinely useless beauty product—definitely doesn’t help. Instead of 2015, we’ve regressed into
news of stock market crashes and human rights abuses feels blatantly nauseating. Where the draw of influencers at music festivals used to be fans’ ability to live vicariously through them, it’s just not possible for most people to disconnect anymore. The gap between “us” and “them” is so wide in the real world that people are becoming self aware of and disengaging from parasocial behaviors. There are brand deals in our escapism. “Brat summer” is over, which means it’s time to go from cocaine skinny to Ozempic skinny. Seriously. Why are we bringing back Ozempic? What is going on. I don’t know, maybe it’s not that deep. Can’t wait for next year.
The stands are packed with people, and you know in the back of your mind that there's probably another additional few thousand people just on TV watching. Also the meet [has] all the top runners in the nation wanting to prove themselves, [which] creates that high ball of pressure.”
MARIO MONTOYA FRESHMAN
by Sam Schwartz
Arcadia has a reputation of being
cially when focusing up. Because when you're warming up, you want to get your body hot, and limber up your muscles, so that you're not stiff and you can race to your full potential,” Pascua said. “During the warm up, you have to keep drinking a bunch of water, electrolytes, making sure you're hydrated. And assessing how much stuff you should do during the warm up.
Montoya was selected to race in the 1600 meter along with 11 of the top freshmen and sophomores in the nation, though he didn't PR the Arcadia experience was great according to Montoya.
“I was just coming off of the plane from Hawaii for spring break, so I didn't really run the time I wanted to run. But I'm still glad that I went out there and was able to do it. You know, it was fun being in that race, and it's good practice to always run when you're tired and be able to push yourself at all times,” Montoya said.
Running the 800 meter, Pascua didn’t perform as well as he wanted; however, he’s looking at it in a brighter light.
“Whenever I race I [try to] have a growth mindset, rather than looking at it negatively. Instead of saying ‘Oh, I did bad’ I will say, ‘Here's where I can improve’, and I'll put that into my races for next time,”
Overall Redondo performed well at Arcadia according to Pascua because some runners achieved new PR’s.
“Journey Cole got [second] in the 100 meter Invitational with an 11.36, which is
insane, especially for high school. She's one of the top girls in the [nation] for the 100 meter,” Pascua said “Adam [Divinity] also did great getting a small PR. A bunch of the distance runners did well. Andrew Shamberg also had some breakout races, running the 4x1600, which is a relay, and then the DMR, having some good legs,”
Stepping on the same track as the best runners in the world today brings a special feeling to the place according to Montoya.
“Running in the footsteps of like Noah Lyles and all the great athletes that have run there, it kind of builds into that atmosphere with it being so competitive. And even this year there's five high school runners that have already broken four minutes in the mile [1600 meter]. So it does make it a really stacked atmosphere,” Montoya said. “You wait all season, and you've been hearing about the meet since September, and especially as a freshman, you know you're going in and you're super excited for it. And being in the footsteps of all those great athletes, it just adds on to that kind of prestige and reward that you get from being there.”
by Kate Brucia
The seniors walked through the tunnel of cheerleaders, arm in arm with the families who had supported them throughout their whole lives - but the night was only just beginning. After the senior night celebration, boys lacrosse faced off against Crean Lutheran in their last game of the season, and the last game for the eight seniors, including midfielder Marc Maden. Despite a loss of 13-4, the team cherished the significance of the night.
“It was the last time I ever played for Redondo [...] and Senior Night was definitely fun,” Maden said. “It was fun to play with all my teammates, and be with the younger guys and my seniors one last time.”
Going into the game on Thursday, the team didn’t feel optimistic considering Crean Lutheran’s 15-3 winning record, compared to Redondo’s record of 3-10. According to senior attacker Tyson McEveety, they were determined to give it their all nonetheless, even despite an injury.
“I have a sprained ankle right now, but I was playing because I want to give it my all and just leave it all out on the field. Nothing to lose. No regrets after
the game,” McEveety said.
“Knowing Crean is top 30 in the state, there was a good chance we weren't going to win this game. So we kind of just give it our all, play to land goals and play to the final whistle. Crean is a good team. They were respectful guys.”
Crean Lutheran’s dominance established itself right out the gate in the first quarter, scoring 6 goals against Redondo which was an early lead that Crean was able to maintain throughout the rest of the game. Redondo missed several shots, missing a chance to catch up.
“We could have been a lot closer if we made those shots and showed them off. It would have been a close game, and then I think it kind of fell out of our hands to the second quarter,” Maden said. “It's definitely harder to play when you're down
like that. We just couldn't really get the momentum back ever.”
In the second quarter, the boys managed to get back in the game with a goal scored by McEveety assisted by Maden that took place with just seconds left in the first half, ending with Crean in the lead 8-1.
“It was the first goal. It definitely felt good to get on the board because Marc got to assist. It felt good to know that I wasn't gonna finish the game with no points. That was great, especially to get the crowd going a little bit,” McEveety said.
Redondo used this new energy in the second half of the game, scoring one goal in the third quarter while Crean scored three to make the score 11-2. Early in the fourth quarter, Maden scored another goal.
“In the third quarter, it was back and forth. We scored one more time and got a few more points on the board. We were starting to play more
loose,” McEveety said. “The fourth quarter was really just play for your seniors. Don't give up, even though you’re probably not winning the game.”
With just about 40 seconds left in the game, junior Jack Pressey scored the final goal, a play McEveety deemed a stand out moment.
“For the goal at the end of the game , he put his body on the line,” McEveety said. “He got crushed on the crease, but still showed out one minute left in the game, showing up for the seniors.”
Reflecting on the season, both McEveety and Maden felt “pride” for their team and the effort they put in, as well as gratitude for the bonds formed throughout years of playing together.
“We've had a fun season, even though we haven't done great. I think we're just happy to have one more chance to go play together,” Maden said. “Record-wise, I think [this year] is the same record we've had the last two years. It's all different, but this year was definitely special to be a senior and to play with the guys that I came in with.”
by Meara Fay and Priya Ramcharan
For U.S. immigrants, the assimilation process can take years and even generations; the National Institute of Health (NIH) pinpoints the process as taking as many as 20 years. Adapting to Western culture, norms and dealing with nativist reactions while also attempting to find success and preserve their original culture can be traumatic and stressful.
However, recent political and social tensions have made it increasingly difficult for immigrants and their children to feel at home in the U.S. The stress that comes with the possibility of deportation has massively impacted many immigrants and their families, including RUHS students. For senior Daniel Arredondo, Trump’s recent deportations and rhetoric regarding immigration have created a scary climate for him and his family—especially his grandparents, who lived in Mexico and have lived 50 years in the U.S. on a green card and acquired their citizenship this month.
“My grandmother and I saw the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Chicago on TV, and we got scared that could happen to her. So I helped her get her citizenship, translated the documents for her and helped her study for the test," Arredondo said.
Arredondo remembers it being a stressful time for him and his family as they scrambled to get permanent citizenship. He was mobilized by his grandparents’ experiences with immigration to attend some of the immigration protests in LA.
“[At the riots] I got to talk to a couple of people and hear their stories,” Arredondo said. “One person said her parents were undocumented, and when they got older, they had no health benefits and were forced to go back. They couldn't even be buried here, so they had to fly him back to Mexico.”
Immigrants, undocumented or documented, face many challenges in achieving basic human rights in the U.S.. Arredondo compared his own experiences with those stories and felt “very grateful” for his situation. Arredondo channels his personal passion for immigration and Mexican culture through art.
“Recently I did a painting on the protests to show our culture, and I painted one of the Mexican and American flags intertwined to spread awareness about the issue of immigration,” Arredondo said. “I want people to know that these [immigrants] are just people trying to survive and make a living in a different country. They shouldn’t be targeted because they just want to make a living like the rest of us.”
migration, I did not show up to any of my classes for a week or two. I couldn't. I would sit in one teacher’s class and sob, and I was nauseous all the time,” Maria said. “I’ve always had anxiety and depression, but every time the topic of immigration or ICE comes up, I get instant panic attacks. I just start crying and won't talk to anybody.”
Feeling anxious is the case for many children of immigrants, as noted by Maria.
“Since they’re children, they don't really know what the feeling [of anxiety] is, and they don't know what to do or how to cope with it, and so it puts them in a really vulnerable spot,” Maria said. “It's sad that kids [including myself] are taught from a
U.S. immigrants and their children face chronic stress, fear and trauma due to harsh immigration policies and social stigma
“My mom made sure that every time I talk about our family, I say that they got their papers because [deportation] is a big risk, and it's definitely scary because if someone knows that you are Hispanic, or an immigrant, or have immigrant family members, they automatically look at you very differently,” Maria said.
Maria worries about deportation because of how it would impact her through the loss of her family and how it would hurt her deported family members.
“My grandparents, they're very sweet, they’d never hurt a fly, have no criminal record, and with their age, they wouldn't survive in a condition like [a detention center]
‘Am I not wanted here? Do people hate us? What do [these policies] say about me?’ Some of them even think, ‘I was born here. Am I going to get deported, even though I was born here?’ It is dark times, it's really sad, and I think the stress level is really high.”
Unlike many people who experience occasional stress, according to Maldonado-Enriquez, immigrants and their families often experience prolonged, chronic stress, which is more severe and can lead to long-lasting impacts, both mentally and physically.
“When that stress hormone is activated permanently, there are all kinds of side effects that can happen. [Immigrants are] being constantly traumatized with this fear, and that living in that fear is traumatizing,” Maldonado-Enriquez said. “It causes anything from inability to function correctly, do well in school, etcetera, to even stunting children’s growth just because they’re under such enormous amounts of stress. Definitely, the effects can be permanent.”
One anonymous student, Maria, has experienced firsthand the negative psychological and physiological impacts of being a child of immigrants. Most of Maria’s family is from Mexico, including her grandparents, who are undocumented.
“Honestly, my family never talked about [deportation or ICE] when I was a kid. I remember learning about it for the first time when Trump became president, and that's about it. We never really talked about it. I just remember that since I was a little kid, I’ve always lived in fear that [deportation] is going to happen to my family.”
Maria’s fear of family members’ deportation has only increased in the past year, following Trump’s re-election in Nov.. This increased fear has impacted Maria’s personal life as well as school performance.
“I remember when Trump became president again, and he started his war on im-
young age to avoid eye contact with police, and if they ask you any questions, do not respond, or if you see a stranger come up to your window, duck and pretend like no one’s home. It's unfortunate that we, as little kids, have to be taught this.”
The constant fear of deportation causes suspicion to permeate Maria’s relationships, stemming from early lessons from childhood.
“For a while, I wasn't able to be around anybody because you don't really know what other people's views on [immigration] are, and unless you know the person and their beliefs, you see everybody as a threat,” Maria said.
Immigration was a top issue in last year’s presidential election, with multiple campaigns blaming immigrants for crime. According to Maria, this known division has caused her to hide her identity to protect herself and their family.
at all,” Maria said. “These detention centers are such gross conditions and the things that happen there are scary. I'm scared for them. I think if I went, I'd be scared, but I'd rather have me go than them.”
According to NPR, after Trump’s inauguration, the threat of deportation has elevated to a threat of imprisonment.
Manhattan Beach Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Irma Maldonado-Enriquez, a child of Mexican immigrants, has noticed her clients’ increased stress within her private practice following President Donald Trump’s re-election in Nov. 2024.
“Multiple clients that I saw during the week of the election, when Trump won, they actually cried in session. They cried. And it was my clients of color especially, because they run the biggest risk of being affected, even just seeing the racism from [the president],” Maldonado-Enriquez said. “They experience this sadness because they think,
According to Maldonado-Enriquez, for immigrant students and their families, interruptions to everyday tasks at home and school may occur. According to UCLA's policy brief, children of “unauthorized immigrants” between the ages of six and 16 are 14 percent more likely to repeat a grade, while those aged 14 to 17 are 18 percent more likely to drop out of school altogether. This pattern entrenches immigrant families in a generational struggle. However, Maldonado-Enriquez says teachers and responsible adults can mitigate harm.
“The stress of deportation absolutely interferes with students' learning. Education-wise, this is a great opportunity for teachers to rise in this moment through little, simple things, like being a little more affectionate, kind, and telling students it's okay or that they understand. It's the little, simple things that show your humanness to your students, and it will drastically change their lives. And since you're doing that, you're also going to [positively impact] students who have no issues with documentation and white students.”
Maldonado-Enriquez emphasizes the importance of making the classroom a safe space for students of all citizenship and immigration statuses.
“It's important that [students] know that their school is safe, because a lot of schools are actually turning in children and families, and so if your classroom or school is not one of those, [students will] know that they're safe there, and that'll make a world of difference for them,” Maldonado-Enriquez said.
Both Arrendondo and Maria, along with many other students, living with the effects of immigration, can feel like a victim of misconceptions.
“As a country, we need to stop letting one bad person ruin our view on all immigrants. People underestimate how important immigrants are to America,” Maria said. “Immigrants are definitely the hardest-working people ever. By the time [policy makers] realize that, it's going to be too late.”