High Tide: Oct. 26, 2023

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The pressure and hypercompetition of college applications shapes high school culture and stigmatizes alternative pathways

high tide

October 26, 2023 Vol. CIV Edition 3 Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA

2 news

5 features

PTSA hosted their annual Community Classic Car Show, connecting history and community

Alina Rashidfarokhi interns at Beach Cities Health District to gain experience in the medical field

PHOTO BY ROMI RISS

15 sports Football defeats Santa Monica, 28-7, in their last league game www.ruhsmedia.com

@ruhsmedia

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news Wheels Keep on Turning PTSA hosted the Annual Community Classic Car Show, with Alumni House collaboration

by Isabella Kohler

high tide

staff editors-in-chief Lucy Davis Ethan Lerner Romi Riss

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A

fter a three year hiatus, the RUHS PTSA Annual Community Classic Car Show has once again bridged the gap between the past and the present, connecting students and alumni with the history of their community.

Alumna and PTSA member Amanda Cartee assisted in planning the event when it was first being established in 2015, and again this year for its grand comeback on Oct. 14, 2023. The car show was one of PTSA’s “giving back" events.

“We did it not to raise money, but as a community gathering. We didn't want to lose money, but we were okay if we didn't make a dime. It ended up making money [anyways] because people from the community and alumni came,” Cartee said.

The RUHS PTSA displayed a variety of classic cars, trucks and motorcycles submitted by community members of the South Bay to be judged and bid on in the parking lot beside the auditorium.

The Alumni House was also open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on the day of the car show. Cars have always been an integral part of RUHS society, according to the school Archivist and Historian Terri Martinez, who runs the Alumni House. Martinez was able to access 60 pages of pictures of car involvement on campus dating all the way back to 1923 using the searchable Pilot database.

“The Alumni House for me has three purposes: [engaging] the present with history, linking the two together and [being] a place for people to come to access material that they may have never seen be-

fore. Cars have always been a central part of coming to this school and of our community. So many people and so many cars have passed through here and that is all an important part of our history,” Martinez said.

The RUHS Auto Club displayed a 1955 Chevy Bel Air at the show, donated by the family of senior Brady Batacan, the club’s vice president.

“My uncle had planned out that me and him were going to work on it together, get it back up and running but when my grandmother inherited the car, she decided to donate it to the auto club so that we could all learn about it. We think that's probably what my uncle would have wanted to happen,” Batacan said.

The club frequently brings in guest speakers during their meetings to discuss the future of cars and how the club’s members can get involved in the industry. “[In the 2021-2022 school year], we brought in the Hot Wheels team and they brought in a bunch of cars that Hot Wheels were based off of. They talked about how they brought car culture into Hot Wheels and what you could do being a car person or car enthusiast going into a field, such as marketing or product development, or design,” Batacan said.

The club, which meets Fridays

during lunch in room 200B, spreads the knowledge of car maintenance where senior Artin Fazeli, club president, shares his appreciation for the traditionality and nostalgia of old cars.

“I love the simplicity of old cars. Cars now just have so much technology that goes into them while with old cars, everything is easily replaceable. I also feel like older cars just have more personality. A lot of cars now kind of look the same but old cars all have their own individual looks,” Fazeli said.

The members of the Auto Club and the Alumni House share an appreciation for the history of Redondo Union High School that lives on through the artifacts on display at the car show and the Alumni House as well as in the pathways throughout the school that have been walked on by generation after generation.

“There’s this whole concept of the Sea Hawk family and that everybody here is a family no matter what, and it is so true because generations of people have walked the same paths and they’ve been brought together by this school,” Martinez said.

“This place, if you make it that way, is a real home, and what a beautiful home.”

2 1. A 1955 Chevy Bel Air, donated to the RUHS Auto Club by Brady Batacan's family.

2. Left to right: 1952 Chevy Fleetline, 1950 Chevy Bel Air, 1952 Chevy Fleetline, and 1965 Impala.

PHOTOS BY ARTIN FAZELI

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AROUND Redondo Students and staff share their experiences with college applications

by Stavyah Naveen

PHOTO COURTESY OF CRISTINA BISHOP

PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK

online managers Cristina Couch Stavyah Naveen sports manager Ethan Chi news editors Summer Puterbaugh Victor Simoes features editors Ethan Chi Daniella Gross Marley Van Pelt opinion editors Ariya Anvari Meara Fay entertainment editors Scarlett Mische Claudia Turner sports editors Ava Anzivino Malina Young writing & copy editors Calvin Bonn Scarlett Kindt Isabella Kohler CaraMia Leal Kat Otey Aaliyah Roberson online editors Lauren Choy Rena Felde Yasmeen Ford Valentina Masoni Kat Otey Deeksha Prasad Amina Raïss Priya Ramcharan Sam Schwartz Simra Zargar staff writers Delilah Aguilar Sanaya Bhatt Jameson Boddy Kate Brucia London Carbone Veda Celestial Carson Chi Jayla Dorbor Celeste Ernau Leyla Evenson Safi Hamilton-Torres

Kate Jacoby Marlena Lipan Kayli Mai Mia Nishimura Leah Rodriguez Payton Rothluebbers Athena Saadzoi Katarina Sapina Nathaniel Wellen

photographers Dalilah Almeida Abi Bierwiler Karis Bruno Mia Cielak Caitlyn Cisneros Price Currier Cate Hempstead

photographers Percy McGuinn Jai McKinney Dylan Moore Kayla Ongun Talia Pattishall Sascha Perdue Catherine Wong

PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK

Q: What are some common emotional responses you see from students, in regards to the college applications process?

Q: In what ways does the college process expand your views on your education and high school experiences?

Q: How did applying to college affect you as a student already committed to a college for sports?

“[The college applications process] is definitely stressful. I think there's a lot of pressure for students to have the perfect essay, the perfect test score, and to get into a ‘good school.’ But I also think this is an exciting time for students because students are planning [their] futures and this experience is a big part of it.”

- Cristina Bishop, Nest counselor

“I think [college applications] are a time for internal reflection. I feel like I have made a lot of progress over the last few years, and it's fun to see how far I've come. Besides reflecting on my accomplishments, I am also kind of forced to reflect on my privileges, like the availability of many AP classes at school that allowed me to come this far.”

- Camilla Brennan, 12

“For me particularly, [the college applications process] was a lot to deal with in my junior year when colleges would contact me and I would have to talk to coaches all the time. [After that] I just needed to pick one school, and their applications weren’t as difficult; it was a whole different process.”

- Ella Zimmerman (committed to University of Portland for basketball), 12

adviser Kerri Eastham distribution manager Nicolas Tomsio illustrators Lola Diehl Scarlett Mische Carter Choi Cristina Couch

news 3

high tide oct. 26, 2023 1

Making a Splash

Local water festival promotes conservation through interactive activities

by Simra Zargar

A

river of families flowed into the 24th annual Water Festival, met with big water droplet inflatables, Spin the Wheel and a Giant Jenga set – just a few of the activities presented.

Hosted by the West Basin Municipality on Oct. 14 outside the Edward C. Water Recycling Facility, attendees enjoyed games, face painting booths, kids’ costume contests and educational booths highlighting the importance of water conservation.

Sophomore Kathleen Pham, junior Vice President of the Surfrider Club, manned the Surfrider booth, along with sophomore President Madeleine Harmon and Surfrider Treasurer and Teach and Test Coordinator, Mary Simun, to educate attendees about their mission: ensuring water conservation and safety so everyone can enjoy the waters. The booth offered educational brochures, lists of ocean friendly restaurants, tips on improving gar- Environmental experts educate participants about local water availlability and conservation methods. dens to help conserve water, native PHOTO BY DYLAN MOORE wildflower seeds that are new to make their own plants, inspiring the public conservation.

California and small prizes like Carto plant more, while others offered visuals “On Saturday we had an art school abiner clips and pencils.

“To educate the kids, we had them to help them learn about water processes draw a lot of water themed designs on the pledge to do something to either help the and water conservancy to increase public entrance. We opted to have kids decorate the front of the entrance, which was great environment or conserve water,” Pham awareness and action.

“A couple of the booths had this whole and I think kids enjoyed seeing the artists said. “A verbal pledge, like, ‘I pledge to conserve, by taking shorter showers, or ‘I diagram of water, and it was very interest- perform their work,” Miranda said. “I think pledge to eat green and not eat meat for a ing to learn how it moves through cities. booths get kids engaged, so even if kids When you trash on the street then it rains, don't remember [the information], at least couple of days of the week.’”

Mel Miranda, a Public Information Spe- it all goes into the ocean. But if you throw they remember the prizes they got so they cialist at the West Basin Municipal Water your trash away, properly in the trash cans, can look back and say ‘Hey, I got this well District, recalled each booth including ex- it will not go toward the ocean. And it was from the Water Harvest festival from this perts promoting environmental causes. cool to see it on the diagram, because the booth.’”

Orchestrating the celebration, accordOrganizations such as Surfrider, Heal the water would move through the streets and Bay, Roundhouse Aquarium, Wildwoods into the ocean or either into the landfill ing to Miranda, began back in May. It inLA, South Bay Parkland Conservancy and where it could probably be disposed of,” cluded sourcing for vendors, finding space availability, designing all the graphics and UC Master Gardeners (UMC) were present Pham said.

Booths handed out goodies such as can- advertising. Being at the booth to help proto educate families about water conservancy in engaging ways. According to Mi- dy, prizes, plushies and stationary items to mote Surfrider has helped Harmon further randa, the UMC booth allowed people to incentivize and excite children about water promote environmental causes.

“I brought Surfrider into our friend group. I've also asked people if they want to come to beach cleanups. I'd help advertise through Instagram by always reposting when there is water testing. At the booth, I also explained to everyone what Surfrider does because it's really good to educate people around me and spread it as far as I can,” Harmon said.

With over 1,154 people present, Miranda and Pham both agree the event was an educational and fun success.

“I found that everyone was very eager to be educated and spread this information. I noticed that many families were asking how they could further learn about the organization. The whole fair was very educational and it opened

“

Educating our community can hopefully influence others around the world.

Kathleen Pham Sophomore

them up to more resources,” Pham said.

With climate change and water scarcity being a global issue, Pham believes it is crucial in order to improve not only the environment and water quality, but human safety as well.

“Being near the beach, the water is a crucial part of all our lives. Publicizing reports of water quality keeps swimmers and surfers safe from diseases and improves policies around pollution and waste produced by local power plants,” Pham said.

“I love going to the beach in any place my family travels and educating our community can hopefully influence others around the world.”

SCROC's open house allows students to share benefits of diverse programs

by Calvin Bonn

H

ighlighting everything from cosmetology to dental assistant courses, Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) hosted its first open house of the fall on Oct. 18. Guided tours of the campus provided visitors the opportunity to talk with students enrolled in SCROC’s wide range of career training programs.

Senior Aya Robb attended the event and was impressed by the student ambassadors that introduced each course pathway, a new addition to this year’s open house.

“I thought it was a better connection [with the programs] since I actually know these people so seeing them in a position where they were pushing for their future is actually really cool,” Robb said. “It was a lot more fun to see the whole room and everything that they have for you there.

When you take a class, you're kind of just assuming what is going to happen in the class but they actually show you what you could possibly be doing.”

Already interested in the physical therapy and kinesiology pathway, after learning that many of the courses end with certifications that are required in the real workplace, Robb saw the “potential” in registering for the free courses.

“All the classes seem super interesting, but I don't want to just take classes to take classes. I want to work towards [a goal] to further my education with the class that could help you get a job in the future,” Robb said.

Ana Briseno, the SCROC career guidance specialist for Redondo and Torrance schools, also felt that the student am-

bassadors did a great job of advertising the benefits of their respective programs during the open house.

“I feel like the students actually physically showing them the materials that they use and explaining what they do know was very helpful,” Briseno said. “The students that were in my group really liked hearing that experience from students. I had students saying that they were expecting something completely different and they were surprised at how they really enjoyed it.”

Briseno explained that the introduction to these courses provided during the event was meant to show the tangible skills taught during the class and emphasized that SCROC graduates are often hired upon completion of certain courses with prospects for advancement.

“Some of the programs that we offer are entry level so [if] what we offer isn't exactly where they want to be, for example, dental assisting, but they want to be a dental hygienist or dentist, our programs could prepare them and kind of get a foot in [the door] to what their interest is,” Briseno said.

Adrian Rodriguez, the public information officer for SCROC, agrees that SCROC gives students a “leg up” in the workforce, regardless of the field, since it shows students’ “ambition and determination.”

“SCROC is the closest thing you can get to being in the workplace. We have simulated structures, we have simulated medical exam rooms, we have externships out in

1. Amelia Maher applies makeup in the cosmetology room, where students have access to makeup and hair styling tools for practice.

2. Cosmetology students display their skills to particiapnts on models.

PHOTOS BY CATE HEMPSTEAD

the field,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like a lot of students see it as a classroom, but it's not just a classroom. It's more of an industry replica. [Our programs] will definitely give you a clearer vision of the field you want to go into.”

Rodriguez says that all the planning that went into this open house to incorporate student presenters was “definitely worth it,” and hopes to expand the interactive component for the guests in the future.

“We did have events in the past where you would come and get your air filled in your tires or, for cosmetology, you'd get your nails filed. So I think in the future, we will try to create some more interactive stations just to further enhance that feeling that these are the real industry skills we're learning.”

Registration is open for SCROC’s next open house on Monday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.

For those who can’t make it, private tours of the facilities are also offered, and most courses (except for a November class on Adobe Illustrator) begin in February. Robb “definitely” encourages other Redondo students to go to this next event, while Rodriguez says that students as young as eighth grade should join for more information to help make the decision to enroll in classes.

“It allows [prospective students] to just see a more in depth view of SCROC through the eyes of our students who've been through the program,” Rodriguez said.

“There's some things that you can't explain that have such magical powers that are just so special, so unique and so impactful that you need to be there in person to see it. For me, that's what our open houses are. You need to be there to see it.”

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features

The building tiles of culture

Co-founders, Tortorelli and Lu, reconnect to their roots with the creation of the Mahjong Club

by Malina Young

A

dventuring through their grandmother’s room, the hot pink briefcase introduced sophomore Kay Tortorelli to the world of American Mah Jongg. The pink Mah Jongg set, given to their grandmother as a gift when she underwent chemotherapy for her breast cancer, laid untouched since she last played with her friends. From there, Tortorelli discovered their newfound love for the historical game. “[Playing Mah Jongg] is important to me because I know it meant so much to my grandmother; she didn’t play anymore with her friends, so I felt like I was picking up where she left off,” Tortorelli said.

A s of this year, Tor-

torelli founded the Mahjong club with her friend, sophomore Kiora Lu, as a way to unite a community of students who love the game and want to teach others. Tortorelli and Lu organize their club by blending the variations of American Mah Jongg and traditional Chinese Mahjong. Attendees can choose which game they want to compete in. Due to the lack of sets, many compete through online games.

“I thought we wouldn’t get that many signatures, but we filled up three pages at Club Rush,” Tortorelli said. “I was so happy there were a variety of kids. Some had experience, and some kids wanted to learn.”

With 144 tiles in the Chinese Mahjong set and 152 in the American Mah Jongg set, the strategic games immensely differ. In American Mah Jongg, players will make their hands with the National Mah Jongg League’s playing card, which is updated with new hands every year, and the game includes the element of jokers, which Chinese Mahjong lacks. However, Chinese Mahjong’s arsenal of animal tiles “compensates” for the joker in American Mah Jongg and is key to unlocking different combinations, according to

the website, Ohmymahjong.

“Mahjong allows people to branch out and explore the culture, especially with Chinese Mahjong. The club is a nice way for everyone to experience the game while being inclusive,” Lu said.

Every Wednesday at lunch, room 403 serves as the place to play these two games.

For Lu, Chinese Mahjong reflects her childhood when her aunts and uncles would flood her garage every Saturday to compete in friendly games.

“I originally got into Mahjong because my aunts and uncles would play in the garage every Saturday. When I was younger, I thought, ‘What’s going on in there?’

From there, I was introduced to the game by them,” Lu said.

However, Lu had only learned a little and wanted to rehabilitate her fascination for the game by building a club at Redondo so that she can “reconnect” with her love for Mahjong and connect with her family in a new way. Hoping to collide a community with the past and future of Mah Jongg players, Tortorelli and Lu approached the club's opening with hopefulness and lightheartedness, wanting to spread their love and knowledge of the game.

“It hasn’t just helped me bond with my family, but it also has helped me bond with my friends,” Tortorelli said. “I’ve had days where I’ll invite my friend over, and we just pull out a card table, pull up four chairs, and just play Mah Jongg. It’s a really nice experience.”

For the founders, American Mah Jongg and Chinese Mahjong have helped the two form strong relationships and strengthen the ones they have at home.

“American Mah Jongg helped my grandma open up to me. You can’t ask grandparents about their past and stuff like that because they don’t respond in deep, thoughtful ways,” Tortorelli said.

“But when we’re playing Mah Jongg, it’s different. I don’t k n o w how to explain it, but it’s really fun.”

Tortorelli (left) and Lu (right) play American Mah Jongg together.

PHOTO BY SASCHA PERDUE

Stiveson and Miller commit to college and reflect on their time in high school

by Scarlett Kindt

C

ommitting early to colleges for sports presents distinct advantages, but it comes with its set of challenges. Many students commit early and senior Nate Stiveson is one of them, committing to Stanford University on a baseball scholarship.

“When I was younger, I knew Stanford as a football team that I rooted for on Saturdays, but as I got older, I learned more about how prestigious the school is while still being highly competitive in sports,” Stiveson said. “This was appealing to me because I want to maintain high academics while still playing baseball at a high level.”

Stiveson has had support and help from both his parents throughout his high school experience and in his decision to commit to a college.

“My dad’s always been there for me

1. Miller playing volleyball. PHOTO BY DAN DURAN 2. Mackenzie Miller. PHOTO COURTSEY OF MILLER

sports-wise, and my mom for the academic side of it,” Stiveson said. “I’ve also been thankful to have great coaches and teammates who also helped make [participating in] high school sports a great experience.”

Juggling both varsity football and varsity baseball at school, Stiveson has learned the necessity of managing his sports and academics.

“Despite having a fairly rigorous schedule in school, I have found balance by understanding their importance. I often sacrifice free time hanging out with friends to finish school work or get in time at the field,” Stiveson said. “I’m more dedicated to sports, so I’ll miss out on some things, but that's part of the price you have to pay when you’re dedicated to your passion.”

Stiveson has experienced pressure to succeed, which caused him to have “high-expectations” of himself. Adding to that pressure, Stiveson took seven Advanced Placement classes throughout high school, 1 making it “more challenging to balance both sports and academics.”

“My sophomore season of baseball was a tough year for me, and 2 you have to reflect on it,” Stiveson said.

“You have to make sure you’re dedicated because those things are going to happen time and time again, and your passion has to be there in order for you to get through it.”

W h i l e Stiveson feels

“nervous” and “stressed” going forward inforced her love of volleyball, and Miller into college, he is also “excited” for the new didn't back down. opportunities available at Stanford.

“I had mono, broke my foot and then “There are a lot of unknowns going into had a knee injury, so I had to take off all college such as leaving home, finding new summer. [These setbacks] help you realfriends, settling into classes and sports,” ize how much you love the sport and how Stiveson said. “But, I am excited to go to important it is. It made me stronger and I Stanford and start my college journey. The knew I’d get over it,” Miller said. excitement outweighs anything else, and I Miller’s parents are her biggest support am looking forward to it.” system as they “give [her] every opportuSenior Mackenzie Miller, at the end of nity possible and support [her] throughout her sophomore year, also committed early all [her] decisions.” Her parents aren’t the to college on a scholarship to the Universi- only support she has as her friends to lean ty of Southern California (USC) for beach on and help her through the process. volleyball.

“My [dedication to volleyball] doesn’t “At first I saw it as a big relief, but it is affect my friendships because almost all [also] the official start to your path ahead. my friends do volleyball and are taking the Once committing, you have to work 10 same path as me. It’s great to be able to times as hard to earn a spot as one of the relate and know that there are people gotop players at your school,” Miller said. ing through the same things as me,” MillMiller didn’t follow the traditional high er said. “Volleyball comes first, but I make school path as she has had to attend four time for myself to still be a kid and to get different high schools leading the best highschool experience I can have.” up to her graduation. In her junior year, she chose online schooling but returned to in-person classes for her senior year, seeking the rest of her 3 full high school experience.

“I wish I would have moved out here sooner, but I was too scared to leave my friends and make a big change.

[However], this was the best decision 4 I’ve made and it's so much better here because the people are welcoming and the coaches are elite,” Miller said.

When faced with 3. Nate Stiveson.

4. Stiveson at bat last season. obstacles, they only rePHOTOS COURTSEY OF STIVESON

features 5

high tide oct. 26, 2023

Answering the call

I

to a passion

Alina Rashidfarokhi interns at Beach Cities Health District to gain experience in the medical field

by Daniella Gross

nteracting with the public and putting a smile on people's faces is not only sophomore Alina Rashidfarokhi’s job at the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) front desk, but it is also something that brings her joy. Rashidfarokhi has always had an interest in science, and the volunteer position additionally enables her to connect with her own medical history.

Rashidfarokhi had been diagnosed at birth with Leber Congenital Amaurosis, an “inherited retinal degenerative disease characterized by reduced vision” in which there is a “lack of visual responsiveness and unusual roving eye movements,” according to Harvard Medical School. Rashidfaroki doesn't let it stop her however, logging over 20 hours at BCHD every Wednesday since August. As a volunteer, her job is to accept deliveries, direct guests, greet the public, answer questions and take phone calls.

“People who ignore me [when I say hello] might not be having a great day or could be busy, but I still think it is important to show them that they are noticed, which is why interactions are important,” Rashidfarokhi said. “Sometimes people will be

Rashidfarokhi answers calls while on the job.

PHOTO BY DANIELLA GROSS

shocked and very grateful. It seems to make their day.”

The simple things, such as small conversations, are something Rashidfarokhi has had to have an understanding with and has also had to learn as she goes. At first talking to “random strangers” felt unnatural, as it was an environment away from familiar faces and school environments, but with time and practice has become a learning opportunity.

“It is eye-opening to see different people in different states. You have to learn to be patient and also learn to understand. People in charge of deliveries might be impatient because they are in a hurry, so I have to remind myself to remain calm and collected," Rashidfarokhi said.

Seeing people of all ages coming in for various health reasons, Rashidfarokhi has encountered some situations that initially came as “surprising and difficult.”

“Once someone came in and they were having urgent medical problems. The other volunteer and I had to direct them to safety. I knew there were doctors close by, so I brought the patient up to where the trained adult and manager [offices] were,” Rashidfarokhi said. “I was a little in shock because it’s not something that usually happens, but I knew what to do.”

While feeling confident in accommodating guests and en-

gaging in conversation, some aspects are a challenge as Rashidfarokhi had to learn how to live with limited vision, adjusting to her surroundings along the way, and with that came the idea that “that other people wouldn’t think about [her life] regularly.

“There are a lot of small things, for example, I have to imagine scenarios where someone brings in a delivery and is rude because I can’t read the small font,” Rashidfarokhi said, “So I always have to tell whoever I’m working with that I am visually impaired, and it often has a big impact on what I’m doing, however, it’s important that my managers are aware.”

Despite Rashidfarokhi’s challenges, Leila Baghkhani, her mother, is “incredibly impressed” by Rashidfarokhi’s determination and successes.

“I am very excited for her, even though sometimes I feel that she is challenged. But she loves challenges and her community, friends and volunteers,” Baghkhani said.

“Her disability of vision does not stop her, and she’s ready for anything. She has that personality where she doesnt let obstacles stop her.”

With her “independent” personality, Rashidfarokhi found the BCHD volunteering job all on her own, according to Baghkhani. Looking forward, Rashidfarokhi will soon start a volunteering position at Torrance Memorial Emergency Room. This will give her more of a hands- on and interactive experience with patients who are in need of immediate medical care.

“I wish her luck in her future career and personal goals. She’s on the right path, and that’s what makes me proud of her, her caring personality,” Baghkhani said.

“Before BCHD, Alina helped a lot with her sick grandfather, which was the start. From there, her love for science also motivated her to get involved and get into a hospital

setting.”

Knowing her Rashidfarokhi work towards where she can more human intions, and somethat revolves the medical field, ing theTorrance Memorial volunteer position an “amaz-

ing” opportunity. “ T h e position will give me more insight into a hospital dynamic, because I’ve been in and out of hospitals numerous times for my own h e a l t h issues,” Rashidfarokhi said, “So being on the other side of it will open doors into the medical field for me, and lead to a bright future.”

Rosenbaum's journey in robotics influences his future career

A

dvanced technology that may seem worlds away can be seen through the work of dedicated students, such as senior Peter Rosenbaum, a student whose initial curiosity in robotics bred a lifelong passion.

“I didn’t wake up one day with an interest in robotics,” Rosenbaum said. “I would test out different robots I saw at [my father’s] work. I found them fascinating, and I would lose track of time when I controlled them.”

Ever since his youth, Rosenbaum felt compelled to study machinery, observing the different designs and functions of common appliances. He would often break household items just to examine and repair them, a habit he still can’t break today.

“It’s a really good way to introduce yourself to the world of robotics,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s oddly comforting to know how everything works. Something about it just clicks for me. It also helps me think of new ideas for designs.”

Rosenbaum’s childhood interest motivated him to participate in the Lego Robotics program throughout elementary and middle school. While he appreciated the experience and knowledge he gained, he found the RUHS program far more “supportive.”

“Luckily, the [previous] programs didn’t discourage me from joining robotics in high school. The environment here is so much more welcoming. I love all the people, the mentors and the students because they’re so helpful,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s such a cool experience. Everyone’s trying to build complex machines that will have a larger impact outside school.”

Rosenbaum claims his immersion into

the program has prompted an intellectual and emotional transformation. Assigned to constructing robotic parts, he adjusted to using a CNC router (machinery used to carve out shapes and robotic parts) and a CAD software (used for 3D modeling.) “[The program] is difficult to learn at first. Once I got the hang of it, it was easy to operate from day to day. I still don’t think I’ve mastered [coding], and it might take me a while to get there,” Rosenbaum said.

“I watch tutorials and practice design at home. Robotics looks hard at first, but all it takes is some dedication.”

Participating in robotics can be a “time-consuming” affair, according to Rosenbaum. He commits nearly 10 hours

each week to robotics, not including his tutorials and coding practice that takes place at home.

“Even though it takes a lot of time, robotics is always the highlight of my day. I enjoy seeing the robot come together and progress over time,” Rosenbaum said. “Robotics has definitely improved my mental health. It’s [refreshing] to be surrounded by a supportive community. It’s the perfect way to end the day.”

On top of his involvement in the robotics field, Rosenbaum also enjoys studying astronomy. He frequently monitors the movements of different planets and satellites through websites, such as NASA, and has taken El Camino courses on the sub-

Rosenbaum works on a project for robotics. PHOTO COURTSEY OF ROSENBAUM

disability, wants to a job h a v e teracthing around mak-

PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK

by Summer Puterbaugh

ject. When pursuing these two separate interests, Rosenbaum’s found that they were “strikingly similar.”

“I like looking at what’s going on in space because it’s interesting to see the capabilities of robots and how far robotics can go,” Rosenbaum said. “We wouldn’t be able to see all of this [space activity] without first using the programs and techniques we learn in robotics.”

According to fellow robotics teammate, senior Griffin Galimi, Rosenbaum has improved over his four years on the team.

Alongside receiving the title of Most Valuable Player of the team last year, Rosenbaum stands as the only member to learn how to use CNC and now conducts workshops for other students.

“He’s become a teacher to us. He’s really open to learning and he’s so committed to robotics,” Galimi said. “He represents our team well because he’s so cooperative and open-minded.”

Galimi attests to one of Rosenbaum’s “most remarkable” achievements: the construction of a 125-pound robot made completely of metal.

“Peter really comes through for us at crunch time. The team values him so much.

We’ve all been able to get so much closer to him through robotics,” Galimi said.

Aiming to become an engineer, Rosenbaum drives to major in mechanical engineering and finds related internships. “[Robotics] is a lifelong interest,” Rosenbaum said. “I want to see more robots in the future. I want to see how far we can take them to make something great. There’s so much more to robotics than people think and I want to help show people that.”

6

features Cafeteria staff and volunteers share their vital position at Redondo Union

Entertaining the community, students volunteer at the library's Halloween event

by Victor Simoes

T

he cafeteria workers at RUHS make sure that students are eating right and treated right every day. Along with serving meals, the staff at Redondo’s cafeteria are an integral part of the community.

Margarita Espinosa, the site manager for Redondo Union, is responsible for planning meals, ordering ingredients, organizing teams and coordinating operations. For Espinosa, the keys to successfully executing her job are planning ahead, focusing on “excellent service” and providing a comfortable environment for her staff, some of whom have been on her team for 20 years.

“I have a good group, and I can rely on my staff–not just one, but my entire staff,” Espinosa said. “I have a wonderful team right now. [Working together for so long is] good because we get to know each other.

You get to know their personalities.”

At the district level, Director of Child Nutrition and Purchasing Jillian Navarro was inspired to enter her career to introduce good nutrition to students and develop healthy habits. To her, school meals can be important as they are the first meal of the day for students, or most of their meals, and something “they look forward to.”

“Students learn better when they have food in their bellies; they can concentrate when they’re fed. Good nutrition goes hand in hand with learning,” Navarro said.

Meeting student demand can bring its own challenges, both day-to-day and long term. Predicting what students want each day can be “a guessing game” according to Child Nutrition Site Assistant Lisa Medina, and kitchen staff are always looking for ways to provide what students want while meeting nutrition guidelines.

“With our line of work, we're here to serve the students. We want them to come in, so we're going to give the best service we can, and we also want to give them what they want. We appreciate suggestions, ideas, and when we have new menu items, we want them to succeed,” Navarro said.

“Seeing [a positive] reaction to an idea is what fuels us.”

Navarro and the kitchen staff are looking into more food made from scratch over prepackaged options. There are ideas for in-house chicken fajitas, burritos, pasta dishes and possibly using the grill, which they hope to explore further as they return to pre-pandemic staff levels.

Navarro emphasizes that she especially appreciates hearing feedback about the content of lunches, but among the whole team, there seems to be a strong agreement that the most validating thing to hear was a simple “thank you.”

“When you're working so hard, to be acknowledged and for someone to use their manners with you and just say those two words, 'thank you,’ it makes you feel like 'Oh, good. I don't mind doing this every day,’” Medina said. “We treat them like they're our own children, so I think that we get that respect in turn.”

For the kitchen staff, serving students doesn’t just mean providing meals, but also providing the support they need to study and grow.

“In talking with these ladies, you really get to see how much they truly care about what they do. They serve these students like they're their own children,” Navarro said. “They really truly care about not only their jobs, but who they're serving and they care and they look forward to seeing the students come in every day. They really do.”

by Ariya Anvari

F

rom a mad scientist’s lab to pumpkin patches, the haunted library offered a free Halloween event for all ages. Leading up to the event, student volunteers created the haunted library, dedicating time after school to setting up areas and creating different props and

“

Part of it is having a sense of community, and just getting to spend time with other people and meet new people. It was a big thing.

NYLA ALVERSON SOPHOMORE

masks.

3 Sophomore Nyla Alverson is one of the many students who worked this event on October 14th and has been part of the teen advisory council at the library since the beginning of her freshman year.

“I wasn't planning on doing it long term.

I was just going to show up for the first few meetings, but then it was really fun. It's very rewarding, you get good college credit for volunteer hours, but there's a lot of other benefits, too, like gaining experience and working [in an] environment where you are collaborating with other people because we have to work together to come up with stuff,” Alverson said.

Alverson also volunteers because she enjoys work- ing with kids, which she attributes to her time spent caring for her younger brother. This connection made her perfect to work this event, since a lot of the content the students crafted was catered to younger kids.

“Sometimes it can be a little stressful, but I think having to take care of my little brother and do all this stuff for him is definitely a big part of why I do library volunteering,” Alverson said.

As the main crowd for the event were elementary schoolers, those working the haunted house did not have to worry about making the exhibit “intensely” scary. Junior Simi Singh, one of the staff members noted that the event being free entry helped for parents who may have had to leave early if their kid was too scared.

“You never know how a child is going to react until you bring them to this sort of event sometimes. It's better for them to find out if they're not ready for scary environments at this kind of event rather than one you have to pay a bunch of money for so we got a lot of positive feedback from parents and kids,” Singh said.

There were other benefits to the haunted library being free entry as some holiday events can be extremely expensive, with events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party costing $99-$189 for children alone. “[The library’s resources are] definitely really important because a lot of people take it for granted, and they don't think about it. But a lot of people don't have spaces where they can just feel safe and comfortable,” Alverson said. “Not everyone has the money to go to all these big fun events.

So it's just really important to provide for people who we might not even think about because they d o n ' t have the same opportunities that most peo- p l e would.”

The library itself

1

4

being a community space allowed it to be a place Alverson could make more friends at when volunteering.

“Part of it is having a sense of community and just getting to spend time with other people and meet new people. It was a big thing. I started volunteering there. I actually met new people and made new friends with people I hadn't even talked to before,” Alverson said.

As the library could not buy all of the props and supplies, student volunteers made many of them by themselves. The volunteers made 2 masks for those who jumped out of the maze and even made a wall with eeire writing on it as an homage to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Singh noted that allowing student volunteers to have creative projects may have made it more “fun” for them.

“You need to balance your life with all the other demands on your mind. [With] all the worries that you have with schoolwork and the other demands on your time.

It's fun to have an outlet to express your creativity and get to have some fun. Also, it's a nice way to provide something for the community because you're providing a service to the kids,” Singh said.

The haunted library was planned by the staff in July: Singh in particular was inspired by another library holding the event and suggested it. The students started working on it in September. Not everything planned was able to be accomplished as some volunteers didn’t end up showing up, and it was difficult for volunteers to make time for the haunted library due to academic responsibilities.

“I was just stressed and trying to run around at the last minute. It was very stressful. But I also felt really proud in the end when we were actually able to get it done because I did not think we were gonna do that,” Alverson said. “Before I hoped that it was going to be good enough for all the people going. After we finished cleaning up the huge mess, [I thought] it was a fun experience, getting to spend time with my friends and getting to work with the kids.”

2

1. Senior Ava Grace Bree and senior Naomi Cardenas facilitate the cauldron activity during the haunted library.

2. Junior Izzy Champagne helping to set up the haunted library before entry 3. Sophomore Delaney Ferreo getting ready to scare the next batch of kids.

4. Children pass through the spooky tunnel to participate in the event .

features 7

high tide oct. 26, 2023

Balancing

I

ACT

Gymnast Presley Ryan teaches a younger generation of students at her nationally acclaimed gym

by London Carbone

n an intense moment, standing on the gym floor, all she has to do is stick the landing. That moment of stress turning to the glow of achievement is what freshman Presley Ryan lives for as she dedicates hours a day to her love of gymnastics. Practicing 2:45 to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, Ryan balances gymnastics with school and even finds time to coach younger children’s recreational classes at her gym.

Ryan’s love for gymnastics stems from joining the sport at the age of five within programs similar to the one she coaches.

She has since advanced and thrived within the program with the help of her coaches and teammates, competing for the very first time at six years old.

“Gymnastics makes you disciplined, any sport will in its own way. It taught me how to be a better person, how to work with people, manage my time, and all these life skills that some people might not realize you need,” Ryan said. “My team and my coaches always support me and make for a fun time outside of school and other stresses in my life. I get to go have fun with them and be myself and do whatever I want.”

Staying with the sport enables Ryan to stay connected through challenges and setbacks. At 13, Ryan injured her back, causing her to leave her gym for almost five months. Through the help of her coaches and family she stayed positive throughout her recovery.

“In general, injuries are the hardest. It always seems like such a big setback to gymnasts and all athletes. It's difficult to come back and still have motivation to keep going, but

2

that's when the coaches and teammates come in handy. They're always helping you through, supporting and celebrating every little thing that happens,” Presley said. “I thought that my life was over when I got injured because I was out for so long that I didn't want to keep going, but as soon as I came back to that first practice, I knew that I wanted to stay.”

Staying connected the sport alstill feel mopassionate rejoining.

During the prime

w i t h lowed her to tivated and when

When you have an injury, especially as a teenager, it can be hard to maintain motivation to keep going when you're limited to what you can do,” Zuniga said. “It was really important for her to continue with coaching because it kept her in the gym and kept her eyes on the sport itself and her teammates.”

Once Ryan picked up the sport again after recovery, her teammate, junior Kaila Natividad witnessed her growth. Knowing each other since they were young, she's seen her accomplish so much, despite her setbacks.

“When she came back, she was more determined than ever to get her skills and be able to compete that season. Even if it wasn't in all the events, she pushed through and was able to compete. It was amazing to see from my perspective,” Natividad said. “ After taking so long off, your body, your mind, and your love for the sport changes. With all of that, she was still able

1 to come back and love the o f her injury, she started coaching with a program called Flight School Gymnastic. Her bar coach, Katrina Zuniga, admired her dedication to the sport and to the kids Ryan coached.

“It was really important for her to continue staying involved in the sport.

Gymnastics is particularly hard because it's all year round, there's no downtime.

sport.”

Ryan’s talent and drive will soon be featured in a documentary that will be filmed

by Refinery 29. The documentary itself is about “working women,” and focused on Ryan’s coach and former UCLA gymnast, Grace Kramer, who included Ryan in the documentary as a way to demonstrate her life as an instructor.

“I've had other [accomplishments], but being in the documentary is one of my biggest achievements, [especially] because I want to do college gymnastics,” Ryan said.

“It was something completely different than I imagined myself doing at this time so it was an amazing experience.”

Going into the future, taking into account her many achievements and ability

“

Gymnastics makes you disciplined, any sport will in its own way. It taught me how to be a better person, how to work with people, manage my time, and all these life skills that some people might not realize you need PRESLEY RYAN FRESHMAN

to persevere and grow, Ryan wants to continue with gymnastics for the rest of her life.

“I always see big college gymnastics competitions on TV, and they always look so much fun and it’s something I want to do. I still want to keep gymnastics in my life, whether it's coaching, volunteering, or being part of a program,” Ryan said. “[My achievements] make me feel like I know I can do something that I once thought was impossible. One minute I can think my life is over, and then the next I'm doing something amazing.”

1. Ryan mid-stunt on beams.

2. The camera crew for the documentary filming Ryan. ALL PHOTOS COURTSEY OF PRESLEY RYAN

James Latimore composed video game soundtrack to be streamed on Twitch

by Deeksha Prasad

D

rawing inspiration from myriad styles and soundtracks, junior James Latimore developed an original soundtrack for a work-in-progress video game. Latimore is currently a member of Jazz A and Wind Ensemble, and he is passionate about both playing and composing music.

Latimore is working with a fellow Twitch streamer named GameBoyNikolai, who is developing a game called “The Shifting Cavern.”

The two talked about the game for s o m e t i m e before Latim o r e offered to compose the music, an idea that the streamer took him up on. “[The music] has a similar style and genre to the game ‘Undertale,’ as well as the game ‘Enter the Dungeon.’ It

has an electronic [feel], but it still keeps aspects of a jungle vibe,” Latimore said. “It's a hard thing, to convey different feelings in the music, which is why I take inspiration from many of the games that I’ve played.”

The “jungle vibe” Latimore details comes from a combination of different sounds that attempt to capture the energy of a jungle, which Latimore describes as “very lush and deep.” He accomplishes this by using heavy background percussion and then layering various sounds to create a soundwall. He also emulates the variety of colors found in a jungle through changes in octave and pitch throughout the music. “ T h e Shifting Cavern” itself, according to Latimore, utilizes the idea of “Stardew V a l ley,” i n which players explore and fight monsters to move onto each new level of the cave.

Each level becomes progres1 sively more diffi-

cult, with tougher monsters and different strategies, items, and puzzle-solving required to advance. According to Latimore, the ability to progress within the game will be “akin to ‘The Legend of Zelda,’” a popular action RPG game. “[Latimore] was very excited when telling me about [the game],” said sophomore Sama Bonn, a good 2 friend of Latimore’s. “He told me that his friend had asked him to compose music for the game; and everytime we talked about it, he sounded increasingly more excited about [the music he was developing for] it.”

Latimore and Bonn met last year through Jazz B and connected quickly, both playing the trombone. For the game, Latimore composed separate themes for different aspects of “Shifting Caverns,” and Bonn witnessed his progress as he developed his musical piece, “It’s pretty much all in an electronic style,” Bonn said. “He’s considering using trombone for one of the themes, but mostly he’s been doing it on his keyboard and his computer.”

Latimore uses various tools such as noteflight.com, BandLab and Soundtrap to help him compose music.

“I start by listening to my references for what I’m doing to get ideas. Once I have an idea, I will go to write it down on Noteflight. com or play it directly into Soundtrap on my keyboard. I’ll create a countermelody to back up the main melody, and start to harmonize,” Latimore said.

According to Bonn, Latimore’s vision includes a heavy, intense percussion for the boss theme. The NPC theme is slower and more “jazzy,” while the main theme is a more Zelda-inspired track that, according to Latimore, is meant to give the player the feeling that they are “the chosen hero,” with an “epic” chord progression.

“I’ve grown as a musician, as I’ve been playing trombone since the fifth grade, and I still, to this day, plan to go into music education or music performance,” Latimore said. “With that, I’ve gotten a lot more interested in music theory specifically. Those things, hand in hand, have contributed to my music career and composition.”

1. James Latimore playing the trombone and listening on his headset. PHOTO BY SASCHA PERDUE 2. Main graphic for Twitch streamer GameBoyNikolai's video game "The Shifting Cavern" PHOTO COURTESY OF GAMEBOYNIKOLAI

8 in-focus

oct. 26, 2023 high tide

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Mounting pressure to build "the best" college application negatively impacts students' social lives and image of self-worth

by Scarlett Mische and Marley Van Pelt

“

Balancing everything feels like that one analogy where you're a server with all the plates, but you’re now on roller skates and upside down.”

Along with writing their own novel and being the president of Tri-M, a national music honors society, junior Elle Cowan balances eight periods filled with AP classes, marching band, wind ensemble, Yearbook and play production. With the ever-present idea of college hanging over the shoulders of students, Cowan has found a way to escape this through writing, in which they “get into a headspace where college doesn’t exist for a while.” This allows for a better mindset in which to tackle their rigorous course load.

“You get used to a certain level of functioning once you are as academically crazy as possible,” Cowan said. “It feels like you're always in a competition with everybody around you, and if you're doing one point worse than the top person in the class, you're failing.”

Cowan comes from a family filled with Ivy League alumni, and the mindset that “college is necessary for success” is prevalent in their school-related decisions. This generational pressure is something that Cowan feels especially because they are setting the standard for their younger siblings. “[The college admissions process] has always been a problem, and I don't think it's going to be one that we can fix because of how ingrained the academic grind is in society,” Cowan said. “I genuinely don't think that people are going to be able to unwire their brains that way because of how much of an influence the thought of college revolves around everything.”

Preparing for college, junior Amelia Leto works at Handel’s, takes four AP classes, is the president of the Rubik’s Cube Club and is in play production for the winter play, “Lost Girl.” Taking this workload into account, Leto echoes Cowan’s sentiment that college plays a significant role in everyday life.

“Unfortunately, I do base my worthiness on my grades. I really don’t want to, but I feel like colleges emphasize your grades so much that they sort of become the most important thing in your life. So, when I fail to achieve at the academic level that I want to, it’s almost like I’ve failed in life because they are held up to the same standard in my mind,” Leto said.

In order to live up to her self-imposed academic expectations, Leto has had to limit her social life or “fun activities” to only once or twice a week.

“Sometimes I do feel I’ve had to give up experiences that I could have had with my friends. For instance, on weekends, I’ll be studying or doing homework when I could be spending time with them,” Leto said.

“There are several instances where I’ve had to turn down plans because I have too little time in a day, and I don’t want to be stressed out.”

On top of having to sacrifice parts of her social life, Leto chose academically rigorous courses over elective courses that may

not look as competitive in the view of college applications.

“There are so many interesting classes that our school has to offer, like culinary, ceramics and study of film, but I’m not able to take those classes because of how much I prioritize my harder classes,” Leto said. “In that way, I’m missing out on genuinely being able to enjoy the classes I take without a looming sense of pressure being over me.”

Although Leto prioritizes her academic load, this year she has expanded her range of courses to include her interests outside of her core classes.

“So many people are focused on getting into a good college and taking all of the hard APs that they lose sight of the purpose of education and of high school. Students are so focused on the future that they miss out on the present,” Leto said. “I’m guilty of that, too, but I’m trying my best to do more things that I will enjoy, such as theater, and to not lose that enjoyment to the pressure of college applications.”

Just as Leto has found an interest in theater, senior Diego DiPasquo has committed to theater and Science Olympiad throughout his high school career and understands the complexity of college expectations as he is undergoing the application process.

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So many people are focused on getting into a good college and taking all of the hard APs that they lose sight of the purpose of education and high school.

Students are so focused on the future that they miss out on the present.

AMELIA LETO JUNIOR “I know a lot of people who don't have any clue what they want to do, but will refuse to go to El Camino, and I'm included in this. El Camino is free, and you get to change your major as much as you want and learn all of the things that you could learn in a college that costs $50,000 a year,” DiPasquo said. “There’s a stigma surrounding colleges, [a status around] going to a college because it's so prestigious, or knocking on a college because it's not as [renowned]. In the end, you're getting a good education.”

This stigma is one that has led DiPasquo to feel as if his college applications “do not have enough.”

“I even now regret not volunteering as much or not joining as many volunteer clubs as I could. I forgot to do CSF my first half of high school, so I couldn't do it. I re-

gret that, too,” DiPasquo said. “There are a lot of regrets, and I feel like [there are] people [who] have just the smallest bit of an edge on me, but it's such a close race that it feels like even the smallest bit of an edge could really make a huge difference.”

Modern World History and AP Psychology teacher Samantha Marcon, has, through her own experiences, as well as those of her students, seen the nuances which the college application process entails.

“It’s difficult when you’re applying [to college] because in everything you do, you are put into a box. You have to be creative in some way, but it’s difficult when [colleges] are looking for such specific [applicants], especially if you’re applying to Ivy Leagues,” Marcon said. “The Ivies want to see a high GPA and high test scores. However, they also want to see leadership skills, so I find that a lot of kids will create clubs, which is good, but they are doing it because they want to look like a leader instead of actually wanting to be a leader.”

This “unhealthy environment” that stems from college applications leads to the suppression of some student’s genuine interests, as they don’t believe their interests will be “good enough” for college.

“There’s a theory of multiple intelligences by Howard Gardener, which basically explains that everybody has their own strengths. Some people are mathematically inclined, some are musically inclined and I think that, as teachers, we could use things like ‘project based learning’ or creating different lessons based on a kid's intelligence in order to show what each student is capable of individually,” Marcon said.

As students evolve throughout their school career, the fact that they may not “be the best” at everything leads to feelings of unworthiness and a reliance on test scores to reassure themselves.

“We have these perceptions of how smart we are growing up, and they tend to stay with us from the time we’re in elementary school until we’re in high school,” Marcon said. “Once you actually are in college, you start to realize that you are not your test scores. You are not the school you went to. You are not the school that you did not get into. You are your own person, and you’re intelligent in multiple ways.”

Marcon’s sentiment as to the individuality of students and their capabilities is echoed by Leto, as she believes that students should find their own worth through means other than school.

“Prioritize mental well-being over college. The classes you take and the choices you make now aren’t going to determine the rest of your life," Leto said. "You’re still going to have a good life and get into a good college, even if that college isn’t the most elite one. What matters is how hard you work later in life, so try not to stress too much right now.”

WIDGET ILLUSTRATION BY LUCY DAVIS NOTES APP ILLUSTRATION BY LUCY DAVIS

high tide oct. 26, 2023

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in-focus 9

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Students overloaded with coursework and extracurriculars resort to academic dishonesty to acheive high grades

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ttempting to prepare for her AP European History exam the next morning, anonymous sophomore Maria sat down at her desk at 1 a.m., stared at her chemistry homework and then the blinking cursor on her unfinished Google document, marking where she needed to continue her English essay, while hearing her parents yell at her about getting everything done.

“I am not asking for pity or anything, but when can [someone] catch a break?”

Maria said.

For many students, this is when cheating becomes a viable option.

Whether glancing at notes during tests, sharing answers or using artificial intelligence (AI) to write essays, academic cheating has always been common in high schoo.

Students often feel motivated to cheat because they are chasing good grades, which causes teachers to respond with new tactics for preventing and catching cheating. However, to eliminate cheating, both students and teachers agree that grades shouldn’t be the focus of academic life, and tests should not solely be memory-based. Anonymous junior Maria shares that she finds herself cheating in classes she dislikes.

“I find it hard to gather the motivation to try when I just don’t see where it is going. Especially when I am not going to major in [a certain subject],” Maria said.

A jaded student body has been a major factor contributing to academic cheating and dishonesty in high school. An anonymous poll at American high schools done

by Dr. Donald Mccabe of Rutgers University in 2015 showed that up to 95% of high schoolers admitted to cheating in some capacity. In a poll of 151 RUHS students, 66% of them admitted to cheating via notes, shared answers, or AI. Catching students who cheat can be “frustrating,” said Psychology and Modern World History teacher Keith Van Swearingen.

“I have seen teachers lose respect for their students who cheat. However, because cheating is indicative of other personal problems, it isn’t fair to do so. Instead, I try to do things like have my students put up their phones and walk around during tests to avoid students from even cheating,” Van Swearingen said.

Teachers want the students to absorb the curriculum, but students often have separate ambitions, whether it be college or work. As reflected in oft-criticized standardized tests, a lot of public schooling is reciting facts and formulas. Though memorization is an important skill, an investigation by The Atlantic shows that memorization and call-and-response learning limits the benefits of education and can foster cheating. If a student just has to know a formula sheet, it would be a lot easier for the student to lose interest and cheat than if the student had to genuinely digest the information for the test and apply it.

Anonymous junior Chloe feels pressure to get into a competitive college in order to cement a successful professional future.

Chloe has ambitions of going into academia and wants to build a strong résumé. This causes her to budget her time by cheating

by Priya Ramcharan on tests.

“I have to play the game. I can’t expect to get a 100 on every test but that’s what's needed to get into college and to make my parents happy. I don’t have the mental bandwidth for that sometimes. Pulling up a cheat sheet or copying answers on homework is my best bet, if I want to live a normal life and succeed,” Chloe said.

Chloe explains that she knows it is ethically wrong, but at the end of the day she wants a good grade.

“It really is all about the grade, for me.

Someone can rant to me all they want about that ‘cheaters only hurt themselves’ trash but that's not even true if I get the ‘A,’” Chloe said.

Contrastingly, anonymous sophomore Trevor believes cheating is “never fair.”

“First of all, it's not really fair to other students if you got an advantage and they actually worked for it.

I would just feel like an awful person if I cheated. It would be hard to be proud of myself when I get good grades if I just cheated,” Trevor said.

However, Trevor admits that in a choice between a truthful failure and a high score through cheating, he chooses the high score.

“I want to say that the right thing to do is take the ‘F’. Because it is, but it is going to hurt me in more ways than cheating will. I’d feel bad, but man I need to get into a college and keep my GPA up. Hopefully, I am never in that situation,” Trevor said.

There is merit to this experience, the median high school GPA for University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is 4.58. With the stress of heavy course loads, sports, extracurriculars, family and personal life, and also needing to sleep, eat and breathe, these high numbers can be out of reach for most.

Maria cheated on a math test sophomore year: she made a sheet to refer to during the test, but was caught by her teacher.

“I could tell [my teacher] had lost respect for me. [They] didn’t really talk to me or call on me after that. It was funny that [they] actually graded my work harder after that. It felt like an attack, just a really bad time. I felt bad for sure, but I knew if I told my teacher the circumstances I was under [they] wouldn’t buy it,” Chloe said.

When students crumble from pressure or time constraints, they should in theory be able to get extensions and accommodations from their teachers. This might lower the likelihood of cheating. However, Trevor believes that if teachers would help students with grades, the pressure would be released.

“I have some really great teachers. [They are] really kind and caring teachers that I have love in my heart for, but most of them don’t really give a hoot about me. I would only ever cheat if I was on the edge of a grade, and if the teacher would just round the grade I wouldn’t have to cheat. But alas, I have never in my life met a teacher who rounds. And that makes it easier and more enticing for me to cheat,” Trevor said.

Van Swearingen believes that students are pushed to cheat because they are fixated on their grades, which he sees as destructive.

“When you focus everything on the grades, then people leave your class and they don't know what your class was about.

All they know how to do is type something into Chat GPT. They don't know anything about cognition or mental illness or the French Revolution. They don't know why the French Revolution is a big deal. And it is a big deal. Because what if it happens

“

teacher Anthony Magani, have both seen cheating in their classrooms with the utilization of artificial intelligence.

“I can confirm that AI has been used to write essays in my classroom,” Magani said. “The English department is trying to come up with new ways to regulate the use of [AI].”

However, Magani does not see AI as the source of the cheating and can see the benefits of it in the classroom. “ I like to use AI to fill in gaps that I'm not seeing. I think it's a benefit because I can tell [Chat GPT] to write me a good thesis statement or revise one, so I can't say it wouldn't be a benefit to students either. It's just the abuse of AI that’s the hardest part. And because it's so new, it's going to be abused more and more. I think we can kind of balance it out as days go by, but we're just not there yet,” Magani said.

To limit the amount of cheating, teachers have transitioned to more in-class timed activities, so students have to produce fully fleshed work during a class period. Van Swearingen believes that these activities evaluate the ability of a student more than at-home essays and open book tests.

“I want my students to be able to debate a side of an argument, advocate for someone or something or do whatever I ask in short amounts of time. I know in the real world your boss is not gonna say, ‘You have 45 minutes to write me an essay,’ but your boss might say, ‘Hey, there's a project we're working on. We need to figure out how to solve it. You've got to come up with the answer, and I need it quick,’” Van Swearingen said.

Even if a student thinks that a class is not worth their time, the skills around studying, managing time and academic honesty will help them in the long run.

“Life is a test. The difference for someone who excels is that they put in the work.

You can’t cheat your way through life,” Van Swearingen said.

The choices we make every day determine our success in the real world, not just what happens in the classroom. Though the urge to cheat is more enticing than ever, the decision can quickly turn into a slippery slope. “[Since] 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago, it is always getting faster and easier to cheat. But what happens when you have to know the information for real and you can't cheat? What's going to happen to you during an in-class writing assignment where there are no resources except for just you, pencil and paper and that's it?

That’s what life is. It’s not supposed to be scary, [but] that’s the point of a good education, to get you ready,” Van Swearingen said.

I have to play the game. I can't expect to get a 100% on every test, but that's what's needed to get into college and make my parents happy. I don't have the mental bandwidth for that sometimes.

CHLOE SOPHOMORE

again?” Van Swearingen said.

This zoomed-out perspective offers some solace for students, who are often sucked into their lives and fixations on grades. Chloe clarifies that school shouldn’t be all grades, but students should enjoy their classes.

“If kids just chose classes they really thought were cool, they wouldn’t have to cheat because they would be excited to study and have fun. I care about history, that matters to me and I love it. But, I would cheat in math to maintain my GPA without wasting my time on a class I don’t like,” Chloe said.

Van Swearingen remembers when he was in high school, he cheated on a math test.

In hindsight, he acknowledged, it would have been simpler to just take the time to study instead of writing the cheat sheet. He can imagine the pressure students are under, and their stress about grades.

“I don't want them to fail. I want to work with somebody to get them to pass my class and learn something,” Van Swearingen said. “A failing grade raises a red flag, so now I can work with the student to grow.

But if they cheat and get an ‘A,’ we will never know if there is a problem. It will fly under the radar and would hurt the student in the long run.”

Van Swearingen, along with English

TEXT ILLUSTRATION BY LUCY DAVIS

10

opinion

This is my meal: I call it girl dinner Girls should be able to enjoy trends without judgement

G

by Kat Otey

irl dinner, in case you’ve missed one recent trend of many, is pretty much any meal, as long as it’s low effort, personal, and a little strange.

Mac and cheese in a wine glass is girl dinner. A charcuterie board that’s just bread and cheese on a plate is girl dinner.

Takeout and Trader Joe’s ice cream is girl dinner.

It’s the most recent iteration in the feminization of everyday topics and occurrences. Along with “girl dinner,” we have girl finance/girl economics, girl math and girl time. Before that, there were phrases like girlboss and girl power and hot girl summer, spawned during the 2000s-2010s wave of pop feminism (think watered down, marketable, consumer-focused, and overall more beneficial to corporations than to actual women). These overused phrases have clung like leeches to the vocabulary of feminism and femininity.

Even now, stores are marketing their foods as “girl dinners,” trying to a e s -

1.

theticize and capitalize off of something that doesn’t belong to them. So it makes sense that the initial reaction to yet another “girl” label would be one of suspicion--despite any possible good intentions, a large section of criticism of even the healthiest girl dinners occurs just because they have “girl” in the name.

But looking at girl dinner, the question at the forefront of my mind asks “when was the last time a young woman, or any woman, was allowed to enjoy something without getting criticized for it?”

Trends are JUST trends. We can argue about the largescale way that consumerism is driving our society into a downward spiral, or how the state of the world has become so complicated and messy that we all have to live in a certain level of delusion in order to feel content. And I can acknowledge that there are valid criticisms and imperfections in every movement, especially those spawned on social media. But it feels as if there is a sort of impossible standard that comes with enjoying something as a young woman. On the individual, day to day level, it’s not fair to be constantly scrutinizing the things that make us happy.

Girl dinner, after all, is dinner for you or for me- dinner for one. Capitalism and idealism aren’t invited. As long as we’re not hurting ourselves or anyone else, there’s no harm in trying to find a little joy in the way we live and the things we do. Girl dinner is fun. It’s lighthearted, it reminds us that we’re not alone in our struggles to eat the right thing or the healthy thing or the ideal thing all of the time. If we must take a deeper look at it, it’s a statement that we can be feminine without being “ideal.” We are failing at being women just because we eat some silly meals that don’t look like a plate from a what-I-eat-in-a-day influencer video.

Girl finance? It’s just funny. It’s just us laughing at our own experiences of spending a fifty dollar gift card in one go because gift cards aren’t real money. It’s us realizing that, hey, maybe a lot of us see a fifty dollar dress but we’ll wear it five times in the next month so really it’s only

ten dollars. It’s not about good vs bad financial decisions, just like girl dinner isn’t about healthy vs unhealthy meals.

Overall, it’s inconsequential if I think that

a n y thing under five dollars is basically free, or that for dinner tonight I’ll make myself marshm a l lows, pizza and a fizzy pink drink. But I’ll have fun doing it.

And that’s what these trends, videos, sayings and ideas are about. They’re about trying to enjoy our lives in a world that can be 2. incredibly anti-women and anti-happiness as a whole. They’re about laughing at the way ALL PHOTOS BY SASCHA PERDUE we think and act, and feeling connected when we see that we sometimes think the same way, and that there’s nothing wrong with us.

With the downfall of pop feminism must also come the downfall of allowing consumerism, misogyny, and dissent to turn imperfect feminism into something that we’ll grow to hate. Even “girl power,” which we now see as cringey and overused, was once coined by the radical feminist punk band, Bikini Kill and was beloved by manyuntil it became synonymous with climbing the corporate ladder and burnout-inducing workloads and impossible standards. It’s not feminism to follow that example and make “girl dinner” synonymous with negative body image and unhealthy habits--the very things it was created to combat.

1. Cereal, pumpkin seeds, string cheese, hummus and rainbow sprikles in a bowl.

2. An orange fizzy drink in a martini glass

Personal success is more important than "beating" others but rather for the success of myself.

Having ambitions fueled by competition between peers n second grade, my math teach- rather than actual academics is fine in second grade. Hower ranked the whole class based ever, as we start choosing harder and more future-drivon our test scores. She en classes, the focus needs to be on individual sucwould call each name starting cess and not other people. Especially in capitalistic from the highest score and line economies, which are built on the competition of us up sequentially. It was a ritual of mine for her to business and innovation, the competitive streak call my name first and to be w as the highest scoris an important character trait for success. Most er, however one day, she called my name second. schools run off of profits or college degrees There was a freckled eight-year-old boy who which creates an incentive for a high-performdid better than me on the test, and it drove ing student body. This leads schools to foster an me crazy. I grew to genuinely hate this ranenvironment of cut-throat competition to boost dom child every time he scored a point highproductivity. Schools almost use their students er, raised his hand first, and even ran faster. as pawns for competition and pit them against When my name was finally called first again, each other. It can destroy a person, because I stood up brimming with pride. I had my what happens when a student is in a classroom fix of jokes and indulged my little superiority filled with freckled kids, that they can’t beat? complex, so much so that he started to cry. PeerIf they treat it as a constant personal rivalry, it to-peer competition has been a part of my life as hinders the success of students because peer early as elementary school, and it has never left. competition is not the real goal, the goal is However, this type of competition to personally grow. This personal pushes kids to succeed off of the competition drives students in comparison of another, rather healthier ways rather than than the growth of oneself. fixating on comparison.

Schools use competiTo quote the famous tion as a means of driving writer and film producer students. Research from Lorne Michaels regardthe American Heriing cut-throat environtage School shows that ments, “If you're the competition can drive smartest person in the physical effort, attenroom, you're in the 1. Junior Elli Baluyut tion spans, and learnwrong room.” One ing. The social motivation of should not be content with becompeting against one's p e e r s ing “number one” or being the best, can challenge a student to w o r k we must constantly be growing. harder in school because t h e r e Being the best compared to anis always someone doing 2. Junior Marlie Cornwell b e t t e r other is not 3. Sophomore Elisabeth Sluk the goal. This fixation than you. on being the smartest person in the room traps us in a race The “freckled boy” who was doing better than me has of superiority where we can’t grow or learn. More practistayed in my life, showing up as new people. This relation- cally, it encourages students to take easier classes and be in ship drives me so crazy that it pushes me to do better each “wrong rooms” so they can be the best. This fear of failure, time. However, these academic rivalries often force stu- which according to the National Society of High School dents to get attached to the literal kid they compete against Scholars is a major contributor to academic downfall. It more so than the idea of progress and the material being holds students back from reaching their full potential. learned. I shouldn’t be motivated by the failure of another, Compartmentalizing the “rivalry” and the “academic”

by Priya Ramcharan

I

parts is important to retain the benefits of competition.

This distance between the two ensures one’s mental sanity while still being a competitive, and progressive student.

I often think about how messed up it was for my second-grade teacher to rank us like that. When teachers pit students against each other, they put way more pressure on students than there needs to be. Especially with awards like Valedictorian, students work themselves like dogs for these awards and not for their authentic passion. Success, for me at least, feels sweeter when you enjoy it for yourself rather than to beat someone or get a plaque.

It’s been a long time since second grade, and it's time school became less about “who’s smarter than who” and more about each student's individual growth curve. Freckled boys come and go, but we should always be competing against ourselves because that’s the person who will stay with us whether we claim first place or fall behind the rank.

letters to the

editor

The High Tide encourages greater input of perspectives from both students and staff. If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com We reserve the right to edit for content, grammar and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed. Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest opinions are also accepted.

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If you have a story to share, a unique outlook on something, or a personal opinion, fill out the form linked at the QR code.

opinion 11

high tide oct. 26, 2023

It's not just

Black and White

Affirmative action is important to address historical injustices and promote equal opportunities for marginalized groups

by Yasmeen Ford

“

Why must you make everything With this logic comes a new implication: the about race?” An ignorant question lasting impact of historical injustices like I’m destined to hear whenever slavery and the Jim Crow laws on people I dare to mention the racial injustices of color, especially Black individuals. surrounding America’s complex society. According to Heather O’Connell, a Rice After I mentally roll my eyes, I prepare University graduate whose research for the backlash that is about to come my centers on understanding racial inequality way. Here's the thing: race is ingrained in and poverty in the U.S., “Private school every aspect of our lives, whether we want enrollment is greater in counties where to acknowledge it or not. Deeply woven slaves were more heavily concentrated into the fabric of our nation's history, in 1860, thereby leaving Black students racism is the foundation upon which overrepresented in public schools.” It’s America stands, built upon the sweat and obvious that slavery had detrimental sacrifice of marginalized groups whose effects on the enslaved population. What’s stories have too often been overshadowed, absurd is its lasting connection with or suppressed, by the White-washed African Americans today. spotlight of American history.

As a woman of color, Of course, with education, my race is such a race comes hand-inprominent part hand. A reluctant of my identity. topic of debate is It’s the affirmative action, first thing a tool aimed people 50% of U.S. adults disto increase notice as diversity in both I walk approved of selective the workplace into a colleges considering and higher room— race and ethnicity in education by t h e admissions decisions placing favor t h i n g (Pew Research Center, on certain that sets groups, typically me apart 2023) those that from my are considered majorityunderrepresented.

W h i t e Affirmative action has neighborhood taken over a multitude of Redondo of news headlines after the Beach. While I have recent Supreme Court ruling on immense pride for my June 29, declaring that race will no longer culture and ethnicity, it also serves be a deciding factor in college admissions. as a weight that restricts my every move However, for some people, affirmative and is a constant reminder that I’ll never action can be seen as an unfair advantage, be viewed the same way or have the same placing applicants of color in a higher opportunities as my White friends. Taking regard than their “unworthy” White peers. my background into account, affirmative

action could have alleviated this weight, at SAT prep courses, tutoring and least before it was abolished last June. high socioeconomic status often play a For those against affirmative action, prominent role in both grades and test its existence allows the presumption scores. Surprisingly, these factors aren’t that people of color hold any position deemed nearly as controversial as the of note simply due to aspect of race. How their race rather than could all these their credentials and facets additionally rationalizes their absence affecting college of selection regarding Affirmative action, in a c c e p t a n c e a promotion or college the United States, is an rates not be as admission. prevalent as the Regardless, affirmative active effort to improve one so many deem action is not about employment or educainsignificant? disregarding merit, but I’ll sum it up rather acknowledging tional opportunities for for you: their that the concept of merit members of minority abundance is itself has been tainted directly correlated groups and for women. by historical injustices with White people. and biases. By ensuring According to that the selection INFORMATION FROM the American process considers the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA Psychological diverse backgrounds and Association, experiences of applicants, minority racial affirmative action seeks to correct this groups are more likely to experience imbalance rather than causing further multidimensional poverty than their disparity, promoting a level playing field White counterparts (Reeves, Rodrigue, for all incoming college students and job & Kneebone, 2016). Essentially, with a applicants. higher socioeconomic status comes greater In the '60s and '70s, the Chicago Police opportunities, contributing to the overall Department faced both legal and public societal advantages of White privilege. scrutiny for not promoting Black police While the shackles of oppression and officers to the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant historical injustices were freed from the or Commander. As a result, my grandfather arms and legs of people of color, their gradually advanced to these positions, immense weight is still felt centuries later. thriving in his first promotion as Sergeant, Let’s face it: removing affirmative action and eventually excelling in his position as removes the chance for equal opportunities, Police Commander in the Chicago suburb and instead encourages systematic barriers. of Englewood. Without affirmative action, Affirmative action is not a head start for my grandfather would have remained in minorities in the marathon of college the lower ranks of the officer hierarchy, not applications; it's the crucial hand that lifts because he lacked the qualifications needed them to the starting line, guaranteeing they for promotion, but because he would be have an equal opportunity to join the race overlooked solely due to being Black. of the admissions process.

editorial: sweatshirt season

by High Tide Editorial Board

T

here is an invisible box that most Redondo Union students get to click on college applications: Yes, I am privileged. Between the lines of our activities lists, transcripts and college essays, there are counselors, workshops, books and English teachers that held our hands as we built the best versions of ourselves on paper.

Our goal in writing this issue is not to complain about the hardships of attaining higher education, but to acknowledge the toll it takes on students who elect to apply to university in a hypercompetitive culture and explore the socialemotional effects of that culture on those who choose not to pursue a degree. The American secondary school system is engineered as a stepping stone between grade school and college: from the moment we are freshmen, adults ask, “Do you have any idea where you want to go?”

“What are you thinking of studying?”

Among students, the college sweatshirt is a phenomenon that declares status and promise.

Originally a reference from the comedy film “Animal House,” the term evolved to encompass colleges whose merchandise everyone wears but few actually attend. To wear an Ivy League sweatshirt is to wear prestige. To actually earn one as an undergraduate is a game of drinking Celsius, curing cancer, working two jobs, being enrolled in five AP classes every year and finding the mental capacity to stay awake just enough to get by.

It’s exhausting. For some of us, at least.

On the other side of the lunch table are the students who know they have a different path: those who have to listen to university hopefuls rant about their latest standardized test score—still not high enough—when they would much rather know a car engine inside out. Every driver needs their oil changed eventually, and

when that time comes, years of auto experience supersedes a diploma.

There are also those who go home after the last bell to take care of loved ones, the stress of their homework and tests taking second priority to medical needs and financial support.

Georgetown asks their applicants, What does education mean to you? Every student—regardless of their path after high school— has a different answer. Education means empathy, opportunity, understanding, collaboration, freedom. But for many of us, it also means two a.m. tears, saying no to football games and a halfhearted rejection of the memories we always hoped we’d make during these four years.

It is ironic to invoke one of the nation’s top schools in an acknowledgment about privilege, we know. But no matter what living situation RUHS students wake up with and come home to, they walk into a campus full of support.

One flight up from our academic counselors’ offices is the Nest, a space dedicated to college prep and student readiness. We have professionals just an email away who understand what we need in order for us to find our best fit. For some, that means hanging an Ivy League pennant on the wall in June; for others, that means planning to forgo the rigor and expense of four-year schools right after graduation and transition to El Camino, the local community college.

We have the gift of the South Bay Promise: those who qualify receive free tuition at El Camino for the first two years, and if we choose, an opportunity to transfer to one of the coveted University of California schools. It’s a gift that not all of us choose to accept, but those who do, despite local stigma, are just as ready to take on the world.

It’s sweatshirt season, Sea Hawks.

Take care of yourselves.

entertainment

12

ERAS ON SCREEN: A SWIFT SENSATION "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" is a captivating concert film that offers fans an immersive experience with impressive performances and a chance to relive or discover the magic of the tour.

by Meara Fay

F

riendship bracelets, sequins, cowboy boots, inside jokes and screaming fangirls: if you’re looking for an elaborate concert, Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” is the place to be. And luckily for commonwealth Swifties—or anyone who couldn’t afford the stadium tickets averaging a price of $3,801, according to Pitchfork— Swift released a film adaptation of the concert available in theaters worldwide.

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” released on Oct. 13, offers Swifties and prospecting fans a front-row seat to the religious experience of Swift’s most successful tour. AMC Theatres released a statement on Oct. 5, revealing that the film had sold over 100 million dollars in presale tickets, surpassing AMC’s U.S. record for the highest ticket sales revenue in a single day. Showing in 8,500 theaters and 100 countries through AMC alone, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” opens accessibility for fans who may not have had the opportunity to attend the concert in person due to financial or geographical constraints.

As if the ticket sales themselves didn’t gross enough revenue, select AMC theaters also sold “Eras Tour” branded popcorn buckets, soda cups, tote bags and light sticks. And per crazy Swiftie style, fans sold the buckets for over $200 online, despite their being priced at $20 in theaters.

This resale of used food containers only shows a glimpse into the realm of Swiftdom, and how die-hard many fans are for Swift’s persona and brand.

Many Swifties saw the film as either a chance to relive their “Eras Tour” era or to experience it for the first time by recreating the same atmosphere. Fans were encouraged to trade bracelets, stand up and sing along in theaters, giving them a taste of what the actual tour was like.

The movie started off with an overhead view of SoFi Stadium, where the movie was filmed and also where I attended “ T h e E r a s Tour” o n A u gust 8 .

T h e tour being filmed at the same location I saw it made the movie all the more special and sentimental.

However, the film’s front-row view of the show was incomparable to my nosebleed seats, only 5 rows from the top of the stadium.

I had the time of my life at “The Eras Tour”—and to quote S w i f t , “ L o n g live all the magic we made”— but after watching the film in theaters I realized

how many minuscule components I had missed from the audience. The whole concert atmosphere was so immersive and overwhelming that I wasn’t exactly examining every little bit of Swift’s performance. But upon second watch, the movie allowed me to pay more attention to detail and fully digest the show in all of its glory.

The primary group that the movie excelled at highlighting was the show’s dancers. From my original, nose-

moving pieces prompted me to develop an especially strong appreciation for everyone behind the scenes– whether they were costume designers, choreographers or stage technicians.

My favorite era remained constant in both the live and film versions of the show: “Reputation.”

Swift truly becomes an actress whenever she taps into “Reputation’s” dark side, and her emotion can be felt through every move she makes and every word she sings. The technicalities of “Reputation” were also some of my favorites throughout the show.

“Delicate,” a song off of “Reputation” and a constant on the setlist, had one of my favorite visuals of the show from both the stadium and the cinema.

It’s obvious how much effort and precise calculation was put into the presentation of this song. Since the song title is “Delicate,” each time Taylor said an important line in the song, she would step on the stage, and it would appear to shatter underneath her. By the end of the song, the entire stage was covered in cracks. This effect entirely encapsulated the audience, as you could see it from anywhere in the crowd, but the movie allowed me to see the precision in the performance. Taylor and her team somehow made sure that each step directly matched each crack, and close-up the execution was flawless.

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” also featured frequent shots of fans in the crowd singing and dancing. The clips helped give a glimpse into the overall culture of “The Eras Tour,” and showcased fans' different outfits and moods brought to the concert.

Seeing and hearing audience members singing along and reacting to each song personified the movie by connecting theater-goers to the attendees of the actual show.

The only two criticisms I have of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” contradict each other. As a long-time Swiftie, I was eager to see all of the songs from the show played again in the film, but as a regular movPHOTOS VIA TAYLORSWIFT.COM iegoer, I felt that the 165 minute showtime was far bleed view of the show, Swift’s 14 backup dancers looked too long, especially for a concert film. One hundred sixty like tiny dots on a giant stage. But in the theater I found five minutes is long enough that as an audience member, myself mesmerized by their incredible talent. The dancers you are bound to run out of your drink, eat all of your popadded so much to the movie for me and truly took the show corn and maybe even have to leave to go to the bathroom. from a concert to a performance. And from the standpoint I don’t think that any movie should be nearly three hours of a dancer, their choreography was insanely difficult and long, but for Taylor, I stayed. Was it painful? Yes. Did my well executed. Swift’s performance was also very impres- back hurt after sitting in a theater seat for 3 hours? Yes. Do sive for a newbie, especially the way in which she was able I regret it? No. to perfectly harmonize with her dancers in a synchronized, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” shows viewers different smooth way. angles—literally and figuratively—of the show, and is a The film was able to showcase the amount of effort that perfect way to allow all fans to experience “The Eras Tour” was put into each moment of the show. I was shocked by without breaking the bank. No matter if you’re a Swiftie or the number of costume changes done by both Swift and not, Swift’s incredibly impressive performance throughout her dancers. And not only did Swift have a different outfit the 3-hour film is something that can be admired by anyand guitar for each era of the show, but each era had its one, and possibly even convert you to Swiftdom. own stylistically decorated microphone. Seeing all these

entertainment 13

high tide oct. 26, 2023 1. Choy's annotated copy of "Know My Name" PHOTO BY SASCHA PERDUE 2. Hocus Pocus Poster VIA WALT DISNEY PICTURES Carrie Poster VIA RED BANK FILMS

Know Her Name

2. Halloween Poster VIA COMPASS INTERNATIONAL PICTURES Hush Poster VIA BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS Coraline Poster VIA LAIKA

by Lauren Choy

Miller's vulnerable and revealing memoir illuminates the struggles faced by sexual assault victims seeking justice in America.

V

1

ictim. Emily Doe. “‘Unconscious served. She didn’t expect people to take his intoxicated woman.’” Chanel side. Rather than taking the time to heal, Miller. All names that belong to Miller was forced to recall every detail of one person, yet the character behind each that January night and was told to never slip up, and leave room for possible misinname drastically differs. terpretation. Her words were Focused on the years shaped into a script to justify following a sexual assault (SA) incident, Chanel Mill- Factoring in unreport- Brock's actions. Her fragile naïvety posed as a weakness er’s memoir titled “Know ed rapes, only about and something that was maMy Name” walks readers 6% of rapists will ever nipulated by Brock’s attorthrough every mental, physneys in order to force the guilt ical and legal obstacle she spend a day in jail. onto her instead of Brock. faced. While attending a FROM Reading about her expeStanford fraternity party INFORMATION CENTRAL MN SEXUAL ASSAULT rience, I am shocked at the with her younger sister as a college graduate, Miller was found uncon- formidable tasks asked of Miller and the scious with 19-year-old Brock Turner on unimaginable pain she felt when people top of her. While in court for the incident, shifted the blame to her. Before she reMiller’s words are not only manipulat- leased her victim statement, Miller fell into ed and used against her, but her sense of a rabbit hole of reading hate comment after naïvety and optimism is crushed as people hate comment as the trial was being publiquickly take the side of Brock because he cized. Numerous people said she could’ve is male. With a 7,137-word victim state- just said no; that she could’ve stopped him; ment reflecting Miller’s raw and vulnerable that it was her fault for getting that drunk in emotions at the time of the trial, her piece the first place. Society tends to immediately helped amplify the “#MeToo” movement of favor the male perspective over a woman’s and seeing how the general public reacted millions of SA survivors circling the globe.

The most eye-opening part of reading supports this. How could someone see a SA this novel was not only the description of trial and immediately blame the victim? Do the SA incident, but also all the implica- people just overlook the fact that he took tions that followed. Even after being vic- advantage of her while she was in a state timized and taken advantage of, Miller is of extreme vulnerability? The memoir not forced to fight numerous legal battles as only was an interesting read, but it was also if the incident itself wasn’t traumatizing a book that made me sit back and really enough. Personally, before reading this analyze how current society functions. I memoir, I wasn’t well informed on SA in- found Miller’s first-handed, realistic expecidents from a legal standpoint. I found rience to be extremely informative of the Miller's initial optimistic view before going truth behind society’s cruelty.

Not only did the memoir inform, but into court striking. She didn’t expect that it would take over a year for justice to be Miller’s writing style is extremely compel-

ling and kept making me turn page after Name” defies those limits and truly had me page. From her analogies to her foreshad- crying as I flipped each page.

Another aspect I love is the message beowing, the way she wrote was just beautiful. As she continues on her healing jour- hind the creation. It wasn’t just a memoir ney, Miller (2019) writes on how in the to tell people how unfair SA incidents play near future, “Each time will not require out in the real world– it was Miller reclaiman entire production, a spilling, a sweating ing her name. As the case gained media forehead, a mess to clean up, sopping pa- attention, Miller made the decision to reper towels. It will just be a part of my life, main under the “golden shield” of an anonevery day lighter to lift,” (p. 323). There are ymous name in order to protect her loved so many mundane ways to express the idea ones and protect herself from the backlash of moving onto life outside of court. Yet, as well. The identity of Chanel Miller was Miller vividly describes the importance of only seen by a select few during this process, and oftentimes the Emily how her life can finally reDoe identity bled into Chanel’s turn to normalcy. This one personal life. Reading a spiral incident affected every part of her identity, even to the Brock Turner received of hate comments had its negative effect on Chanel’s sense of point where she had two six months in prison self-worth and ultimately had contrasting identities: one after being convicted her questioning everything. hidden and one only in the with three charges of Through this memoir, Miller public eye. She mentions felony sexual assault. finally combines her two idenlater that during the writing He ended up only process, the most difficult serving three of those tities and emerges out of Emily Doe. I love how this is a sign of goal was to make people six months. His senhealing and a way to take back imagine. How to make peo- tencer, Judge Persky, ple feel the emotions she was recalled by county what she lost. As said in her victim statement:“You took felt, the trauma she went voters in June 2018. away my worth, my privacy, through and the healing she INFORMATION FROM my energy, my time, my safety, eventually experienced. Not THE NEW YORKER my intimacy, my confidence, only did Miller check off this goal, she blew it out of the water. It’s so my own voice, until today.” Miller finally difficult for a memoirist to make a reader shares her unseen burden by expressing fully empathize with them through purely her once-silenced voice in her memoir of words, especially when the reader has no unsaid emotions and experiences.

I genuinely have never advocated for prior experience or knowledge of the topic. In my case, not only have I never gone someone to read a book more than I have through something to this extent, I think with “Know My Name.” This book opened it’s mentally impossible to fully understand my eyes to something I was never well edthe impact of this type of incident without ucated on, so please let this memoir open having gone through it. But “Know My your eyes, too.

Entertainment editor Amina Raïss reviews her favorite scary movies as Halloween approaches by Amina Raïss 2

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f all the seasons, fall is one of my favorites. I love the cool snap in the air, pumpkin spice anything and Halloween. From spooky decorations to deciding what costume to wear, Halloween is arguably one of my favorite holidays. When 2 I was younger, my family tradition has always been early evening Trick or Treating followed by late evening scary movie time. The older I’ve gotten, the more scary our movie choices have become.

I’ve compiled a list of my all-time favorite Halloween-themed movies that everyone can enjoy. Whether you can’t handle thrillers or love them, you’re sure to find something you can watch."Hocus Pocus"- This cult classic probably shows up on every Halloween movie list. Appropriate for all ages, this fantasy

comedy features three 17th-century witches resurrected on Halloween night to exact a little revenge. Although the intended audience likely isn’t high schoolers, it is still a perfect option if you want to go to bed without nightmares but still want the Halloween feel.

"Coraline-" I remember watching this movie with my sibling almost every day for a solid month. Based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, this is the story of a young girl living in a dark fantasy world. Although animated, the movie conjures up all the whimsy of a child's imagination with vivid detail.

Get lost in Coraline’s world and prepare for the ride of your life. It's funny, scary, and action packed.

"Carrie"- Another cult classic, I probably watched this movie when I was a little too young. Initially released in 1976 and based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, this movie has stood the test of the time. The original rendition is, in my opinion, better than the 2013 remake. It tells the story of high school senior Carrie White, aptly nicknamed “Creepy Carrie” by her fellow classmates. Raised by a religious fanatic single mother, Carrie is a loner who discovers that she has the power of mental telepathy. The movie is everything a scary movie should be: a strange lead character, eerie musical score, mean tormentors, and a spectacularly combustible ending.

"Insidious"- I watched this movie for the first time, literally covered in blan-

kets like a burrito, watching through clenched eyes. This movie is, for lack of a better word, scary. Any movie that involves a big house, unexplained noises, a comatose child, and a demonic presence sets the stage well for fright. The premise of the movie is a tad complicated, but is part of the BLUMHOUSE-produced cadre of excellent scary movies. The plot is engaging and thankfully punctuated by a few lighthearted moments to give the viewer a little relief from the darkness. Ending on a cliffhanger, the movie begets several sequels.

The original, however, is my favorite.

"Hush"- Another BLUMHOUSE-produced thriller, Hush is a decidedly quiet movie with a big impact. The lead character Maddie, is deaf and mute and living alone in a cabin in the woods. Her sensory and geographic isolation is an eerie backdrop for a classic stalker movie. The villain is a crossbow-wielding maniac intent on getting inside her sanctuary and hurting her.

Maddie however uses her deafness as a tool to turn the tables and take the upper hand.

This movie lets us “hear” from both Maddie and the stalker's perspective. It is frightful but ultimately triumphant.

"Halloween"- This is definitely the Goliath of the entire Halloween-themed movie genre. The original (and best) was released in 1978 on a shoestring budget. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie, the movie focuses on the stalking of Laurie by madman Michael Myers. In his pursuit, Michael Myers

is the ultimate villain possessing superhuman strength, his face concealed by a hockey mask. He is a silent, brooding presence, the cause of more jump scares than seem humanly possible. Remarkably, the gore in this movie is minimal but the psychological thrills are more than enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. In fact, I find this movie more scary than the many sequels that follow. The mind, it seems, can scare you more than an endless loop of bloody killings. This movie is a must during the Halloween season. You’ll definitely sleep with your blinds closed and doors locked after watching it.

And there you have it, six great options for you and your friends to watch this season. Whether you prefer the tamer or terrifying ones, there's a film that will surely put you in the Halloween spirit.

Retraction from Issue 2

In the issue published Oct. 5, Abby Zimmerman's (16) and Taylor Boice's (9) jersey are incorrectly swapped on the cover. On page 7, freshman Gianna Grabher is misgraded and Franco Aulet's name is misspelled. On page 11, Addy Benefield's and Abby Zimmerman's names are misspelled. On page 12, Abigail Bierwiler's name is misspelled.

14

sports Girls varsity golf loses in a qualifier, putting an end to their season

by Cristina Couch

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ith the continuation of their season reliant on the swing of their clubs, girls varsity golf competed in the Bay League finals on Oct. 17. Falling a few points short of placing within the top six to qualify for CIF, the team ended their season with senior captain Ashlyn Fischer and junior Jalene White-Short tying at eighth place.

“Even though I didn't make the top six, I think making it at top eight is still impressive, and it gives me even more hope for next year,” White-Short said.

The Long Beach course environment was foreign to the three players who qualified to play; the many lakes and sand traps on the course required them to adjust their usual drives and swings. The most detrimental factor influencing a tournament's dynamics, however, stems from the player’s assigned group.

“I really enjoyed playing with my group.

Sometimes in golf you can get a mixture of girls who tend to be more competitive and [are] mean about it and other times you're going to be lucky and have girls that you can make friendships with, and when you see them again in next year's tournaments or matches, it's a bonding [experience],” White-Short said.

Despite the tournament marking the first CIF qualifying round for White-Short and the last high school game for Fischer, the emotions that came with a close match final were bittersweet for both players. The game was a “good last tournament” to finish the season, according to Fischer.

“I'm okay with [how we placed]. I definitely think I could have done better. I can say that every time though. There were a couple of holes that I really could have done better on, but that's just how golf goes,” Fischer said.

Enduring the mental demands that coincided with playing high stake games has become easier throughout the years of being exposed to it, according to Fischer and White-Short. “[Golf is] pretty lonely, so you have to make a mindset for yourself. If you're not confident in your own self, you're not going to play well. Since you don't have your teammates to back you up, you need to believe in each other in the beginning and hope that sticks,” Fischer said.

Girls and boys golf coach John Burke tries to compensate for isolation students feel while playing by supporting each player to the best of his ability.

“I'm only allowed to talk to the girls in between holes, so after they put off the green, and they're walking to the next tee is the only time [I can talk to them]. If I see a girl who just had a bad hole, I'll try to encourage her. If I see someone who's playing really well, I'll tell her to keep going," Burke said.

Although the tournament reinforced recurring principles of adapting to specific courses and performance mentality, it also provided valuable takeaways for future matches, according to Burke. “[The girls] learned a lot about playing an 18 hole because their matches are only nine holes, and they're only a couple of hours. They learned about endurance and pacing yourself, getting plenty of rest and that playing twice as long is exhausting mentally as well as physically,” Burke said.

Although Fischer is leaving the program, she leaves with high hopes for its future and reflects on her time in the sport.

“I've been doing this for so long I just have to always remember that it is just a sport, and that no matter what, nobody is going to be mad at me, so there's no reason for me to be mad at myself, " Fischer said.

Flagging Down First

Girls flag football falls short to Peninsula, but comes up with a win against Palos Verdes to win Bay League

by Aaliyah Roberson

1

A

fter two exciting games plays by forcing incomplete passes by manof flag-pulling and touch to-man coverage. The game continued as down-scoring, Redondo’s girls Penn was able to score, once again taking flag football team closed out their season the lead (18-14) after the defense was able on Thurs, Oct. 19 as to stop a two-point they played a douconversion from ble header against the ten yard line.

Peninsula (Penn) “Our energy and Palos Verdes It feels really good to was low, and plays (PV) High School weren't getting exlosing one game, pave the way for future ecuted as they were 30-27, and winning girls who want to play flag supposed to be [in another, 42-0. the first half]. I feel The girls had football in high school. like we did play just won their to them [at It's an exciting experience down first Bay League first] since we had Championship and and a once in a lifetime the mindset that were “confident” we had already won going into the opportunity. the Bay League, first game against so we were a bit Penn, according to KAYA AGUIRRE tense,” junior quarsophomore Zoey JUNIOR terback Kaya AguSchmidt. Schmidt, irre said. who plays linebackAguirre led er on the team, was the offense in the inspired watching offense in the gamea- second half, moving the ball d y gainst Penn. namically to the sidelines and “We have an extremely strong presence up the field. After a shuttle [on offense] this year,” Schmidt said. “Be- pass to take back the lead, Reing able to watch them compete as well dondo led going into the last as they did from the sidelines was seven minutes of the game 20electric.”

18. She noted the shift in energy being “a The team fought in lot higher” as the team felt more “relaxed”. their first game against As the game began to reach its final minPenn, going into the utes, both teams scored once again making second half down the score 27-24 due to Aguirre throwing a by a touchdart pass to junior Jadyn Simmons to gain down. As the lead in the endzone. Simmons, who t h e y plays wide receiver, notes the feeling on the moved sideline as the defense took the field once down again. the field, “We try our best to keep everyone they were hype because the team feeds off the able to get energy we provide. It can be frusinto the end trating when we see something 2 zone with a pass defense [wise] that needs under pressure to be fixed and we still want to taking the lead support them,” Simmons said. on a one point “ H a v ing a close game like conversion, that is fun, but it was definitely 14-12.

This stressful to watch the win depend on began the early the defense because we knew we toe to toe battle to win couldn’t do anything else [on oft h e game. fense] to get ahead.”

They played with Although the team their eyes tracking the did lose in the final ball and almost had many s e c onds of the game, interceptions throughout f a l l i n g to Penn with a the drive. They broke up many final score of 30-27, Simmons

“

notes it felt “great” to compete as, scoring wise, they kept the game close.

Redondo went into their second game against PV with “high energy,” according to Schmidt. This time the team was able to get up by a few touchdowns–including a rushing score from Aguirre– a n d the defense was solid going into the first half, blocking passes and pulling flags.

Redondo ended up winn i n g 42-0 a s they prevente d PV from scoring in the entire game.

“Ending this season with a win was amazing and our team worked really hard to get it,” Simmons said.

“I’m extremel y happy with how w e played 3 this season and it makes me even more excited for next year.”

At the season's end, Aguirre values the experiences off the field as much as the action on the field.

“The sideline celebrations are what I am going to carry most. This is the first year we actually did something like that and that just really brought out [our] character,” Aguirre said. “It feels really good to pave the way for future girls who want to play flag football in highschool. It’s an exciting experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

1. Junior quarterback Kaya Aguirre defends herself against her opponent.

2. Senior wide receiver Kayla Roe runs the ball.

3. Junior defensive back Syndel Murillo runs to defend a Peninsula player.

PHOTOS 1-3 BY TALIA PATTISHALL

sports 15

high tide oct. 26, 2023

Football defeats Santa Monica, 28-7, in their last league game

by Ava Anzivino

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ollowing the loss against Palos Verdes, boys varsity football sought to redeem themselves for their last home game of the regular season against Santa Monica. With the support of the pink-filled stands, and the determination to improve their Bay League standing, the Sea Hawks finished the night with an exciting win and a final score of 28-7.

With the absence of their starting quarterback, junior Niko London, due to a concussion, Redondo was unsure how they’d perform, especially after they’d lost confidence in themselves just the week before.

“We got slaughtered [last week]. There’s nothing to it. But this week was a winnable game. We came in here without a quarterback, so odds were against us, but in the end, we were able to pull through,” sophomore wide receiver Bo Ausmus said.

While the win was a collective effort,

Ryan Fernandez blocks SAMO's OLB. PHOTO BY SASCHA PERDUE

In the END ZONE

. OLB junior Luke Sufnar, Luke Sufnar, DT Colin DTLamoureux junior Colinand Lamoureux OLB Carson and Cox OLBattempt senior Carson to tackle CoxSAMO's attempt QB. to PHOTO tackle SAMO's

BY SASCHA QB. PHOTO PERDUE

BY SASCHA PERDUE

the performance from Redondo’s standin quarterback, junior Cadence Turner, stole the show. Turner, who usually plays as a wide receiver or defensive back, had no previous experience as a quarterback.

However, Turner proved to be multifaceted and was able to execute any play that his coaches threw at him. “[Turner as a quarterback] felt different.

He’s a guy who runs the ball a lot, more runs at heart. So we had a new play design this week, I mean we didn’t have a real quarterback, we had to change it up. But he was throwing dimes, and no one saw it coming. He just balled out,” Ausmus said.

The Sea Hawks got off to a quick start with a 25-yard touchdown by Ausmus, becoming the start of the team’s unstoppable offensive drive that night.

“I saw the corner step out, and I saw Bo, knew that I should give him a chance. He’s been putting in the work, so I put it up, and it came down on him for that touchdown,” Turner said.

Ending the first quarter at 7-0, the Sea Hawks geared up for what would

be a very strong game both defensively and offensively. Only letting Santa Monica score once early in the second quarter, Redondo defense showed their usual consistency on the field, getting an excessive amount of interceptions and sacks.

“Our defense played amazing, we had a lot of turnovers. After last week’s game, we came in hungry on Monday, and we put in the work and it showed,” Turner said.

The second quarter continued to showcase Turner’s ability to move the ball, as he got on a big run for the second touchdown of the game.

“I just followed my blockers and broke a few tackles, kept my head down, ran hard, soon enough, I was in the end zone,” Turner said.

Not long after, Turner threw another ball to Ausmus, making a 34-yard connection, concluding the first half with a score of 21-7.

“It was my first varsity game with two touchdowns. It felt great. That play felt particularly good, especially with all my boys [offensive players] behind me, it was a fun

night,” Ausmus said.

The third quarter was all about keeping the ball moving, and with their intense determination, the team was able to maintain coverage on defense, and attain a fourth and final touchdown made by senior tight end Charlie Stober.

“We came out in the second half with a huge kick return from Ausmus. That kept the momentum up. They kept biting the run, so we threw it over on top of them, and it worked for the rest of the game,” Turner said.

The fourth quarter consisted of a strong defensive performance from Redondo, ensuring that Santa Monica couldn’t score, securing the win, with a final score of 28-7.

The Sea Hawks will play their final game of the regular season on the road against Mira Costa tomorrow.

“We’re all hungry for a win," Turner said. "They’ve beaten us the last few years, and we’re ready to put in the work and practice. We’re going to be ready for Friday.”

Boys water polo falls in a nail-biter match against Mira Costa, 12-8 by Ethan Chi

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oming off a 13-6 win against Peninsula, boys water polo took a trip up north to battle it out against their rivals, Mira Costa. While Costa had the home pool advantage, the boys gave the Mustangs a run for their money, according to freshman Will Hendrickson, keeping it a single point game for most of the first half.

Redondo’s quick dribbling and blanketing coverage made this rivalry match the closest it has been in years, finishing with a final score 12-8, Mira Costa, on Oct. 17.

Although Redondo fell to Costa, they made the most of the first quarter, getting the early jump on Costa with a 2-1 lead for Redondo. For sophomore AJ Waldfogel, the close first five minutes intensified the team's focus. “ T h r e e minutes in, we were still holding our own with them. We got to a point where everyone understood we can win this game, and we're on their level and can compete with this good team, who haven't been beaten in a long time,” said Waldfogel.

Redondo’s insatiable drive provided for a competitive and well executed first quarter that easily shocked Costa’s defense, according to Hendrickson. However, the game took a slight turn when Redondo had back to back five meter penalties called

against them, resulting in Costa stealing a two point lead at the end of the first quarter.

“It was unfortunate we had two unlucky calls that we didn't really agree with, but they happened, so we ended 3-1 in the first quarter, which is still way better than we thought we're going to do,” Hendrickson said.

The boys kept the same energy going into the second quarter, starting off hot with two early goals. These early goals can be attributed to the boy's fast pace, driving up the pool quickly and maintaining mobility while treading.

Set Miles McDaniel shoots the ball

“A lot of PHOTO BY CAITLYN CISNEROS times, what stopped us in the past was that we were very stagnant, frozen, and weren't moving against Costa. This time, we knew we couldn't do that because of how strong the players were. So, constant movement and constant swimming was the key. Even though we were very tired, we knew we had to keep pushing through. In the end, I felt

like we were able to outlast them and were With something to prove and a repuable to move for longer, and to me, that is tation to uphold, the boys swam into the what really broke down their defense in the third quarter with confidence. However, second quarter,” Hendrickson said.

Redondo’s determination was confronted In terms of goals scored, the second by Costa’s newfound mentality, as their quarter was tight. Unlike Costa, the boy’s head was back in the game, according to defense just wouldn't let Waldfogel. Early on, Costa up, according to Hendrickwidened the gap, scoring two son. Redondo’s defense back to back goals. With Rein the second quarter was dondo’s defense frazzled, the constantly shutting down Most importantly though, boys knew Costa had picked potential goals and dili- we wanted to show evup the pace, as Hendrickson gently trying to counter. noted. erybody that we're a “Once that clock hit strong team and we're “I think a big thing is that zero, we were gone. We not to be messed with. endurance caught up to us. were at the other side of We got tired in the third quarthe pool and trying to take WILL HENDRICKSON ter and it finally clicked for possession. That reaction FRESHMAN Costa that this is not the same and that quickness kept Redondo team they thought us in the game, and I feel they were gonna play. They like Costa wasn't ready started to pick it up and for that. Overall, they were slower than we caught us off guard,” Hendrickson said. were, and that allowed a lot of opportuniBy the fourth quarter, it was difficult ties because of how hungry we were,” Hen- to maintain this level of energy according drickson said. to Hendrickson, and Redondo was visibly That same determination is what kept fatigued. Unfortunately, Costa was able the two teams going shot for shot in the end to rack up a few goals towards the end of of the second quarter, ending the first half the fourth, and prevented Redondo from treading by a mere one point behind Costa. closing the gap, leaving the game at 12-8.

Even though Redondo was the clear under- However, even though Redondo had lost, dog against Costa, the boys had delivered according to Hendrickson, the boys had a historic performance against the first in accomplished what they set out to do and bay, with a score of 6-5 by half-time. hope to continue proving their ability.

“Costa always underestimates us no “Next year, we're hoping to keep a matter what, just because we're the un- strong core of guys,” Hendrickson said. “I derdog. So, we wanted to prove we weren’t want to also build chemistry and improve the same team as years past. At this point as a group, so that for future seasons we'll we had just won a string of games, and we do amazing things and let everyone know want to keep the streak alive. Most impor- we are capable of greatness and maybe tantly though, we wanted to show every- even beat Costa next time.” body that we're a strong team and we're not to be messed with,” Hendrickson said.

“

oct. 26, 2023 high tide

16 in-focus

Students embrace diverse career paths beyond traditional collegiate education

by Rena Felde

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ne size does not fit all. Despite it also teaches skills not regularly found in the nationwide Common Core school.

State Standards claiming to “Trade school allows you to explore all prepare students for college and career, of your passions at the same time,” junior some argue that high school is still too col- and cosmetologist-in-training Natalie Griflege-oriented. fin said. “It’s a really wonderful opportu“I was never into [school]. I was never nity to get the classes for free and to start taking the best classes. I never had the goal building up my portfolio and skills early.” of getting into a good college,” senior and Felix says he hasn’t considered college aspiring electrician Cruz as an option since Felix said. “[College] freshman year. Inwasn’t my main focus. I spired by his mom’s knew that and I felt like friends who work as that the whole time. I electricians or similar feel like I’m more suited You can work up to CTE jobs, he is taking to the trades and doing the top and get such a SCROC’s Residential hands-on work.”

Wiring course.

Considering that high-paying job if you “I’ve gotten judg70% of California’s put in the work and ment from peers high school graduates [for not wanting to enroll in college within keep leveling up your attend college], but 12 months of graduat- rank. It's so worth it in my family gets it. My ing, according to the mom wanted me to Public Policy Institute the end to put in the go to college, but she of California, the push knows it’s probably time and effort and for college-readiness better for me that I is reasonable. But for stick with it. don’t. My dad likes students such as Felix, it. My grandparents who simply don’t have love it,” Felix said. the desire or need to at- CRUZ FELIX “Every older person tend college in order to SENIOR I talk to is supportive achieve their goals, alsaying, ‘That’s amazternative pathways such ing,’ but none of the as vocational education kids do. They’re just may better suit them. like, ‘What are you doing?’”

A popular Career Technical Education Despite the judgment, Felix feels reas(CTE) school, commonly known as trade sured by the financial benefits of having a school, for RUHS students is the Southern CTE and working right away.

California Regional Occupational Center “You can work up to the top and get such (SCROC). Its popularity can be attribut- a high-paying job if you put in the work and ed not only to the fact that its courses are keep leveling up your rank,” Felix said. “It’s offered for free to high schoolers, but that so worth it in the end to put in the time and

“

Senior Cruz Felix strips the insulation from the copper wire in an electrical box. PHOTO COURTESY OF CRUZ FELIX

Junior Kathleen Balaban is guided by her instrucutor while giving practice breathes with a bag valve mask to a dummy. PHOTO COURTESY OF RUTV

effort and to stick with it.”

Similarly for junior Ian Vega, the financial benefits are an alluring reason to pursue blue collar work right out of high school.

“I’ve been riding dirt bikes and racing cars ever since I was little so that made me want to work on my own stuff and keep it cheaper than having to pay someone else to do it,” he said.

Vega wants to finish all four modules of SCROC’s welding course during high school, take the automotive classes and eventually become a mechanic for his own auto shop.

Like both Felix and Vega, senior Sophie Pichay says she is “not really big on the college lifestyle,” and instead wants to attend flight school to become a commercial pilot.

She originally wanted to be a genetic counselor before realizing her true passion after taking a discovery flight. “[Genetic counseling requires] a lot of schooling, and it’s not as interesting to me because it’s just sitting in an office or lab,” Pichay said. “I think being a pilot is so much more interesting because it’s a new view every time. It’s exciting and you get travel benefits.”

Though aviation is beyond the typical pathways promoted by high schools, Pichay credits a college counselor she spoke with last year for connecting her with the organization Women in Aviation International. Upon graduating, she plans to attend a flight school, practice flying for 1500 hours and hopefully receive her commercial pilot license in less than a year.

“I am going to have a career pretty fast because pilots are in demand, so I’ll already be paying off debt soon,” Pichay said.

Debt remains a large determining factor when deciding on a college, so even for students that want to attend college post-graduation, a vocational education can still prove to be helpful.

Junior Sadie Simmons, who hopes to become an anesthesiologist or surgeon,

took the Emergency Medical/First Responder course during the second semester of last year. After completing the semester-long course, she is now first responder certified to work at a concert, Disneyland, as a sports medic—the list goes on.

Next year, when Simmons turns 18 and is eligible to enroll in SCROC’s Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course, she hopes to use her certification to work parttime and gain experience in the medical field while studying in college.

“Even if I’m not able to be hired as an EMT, since the certification is free and I'm committing my time to it, it’s worth it because it will look good on college or medical school applications,” Simmons said. “It gives me more experience.”

Like Simmons, Griffin plans to use her future cosmetology license as a means of paying for higher education through side gigs while also being a college student.

Originally signing up for the course to professionalize her makeup and hair techniques for both personal use and when working with actors in RUHS theatre productions, the course ended up serving a larger purpose, too. Griffin aspires to be a pediatric nurse practitioner, but the cost of medical school is often high. She says the cosmetology industry pays well because the hours are long and the work is physically demanding.

“The plan was to use my cosmetology license to get a job in college, work in some salons, on TV sets and movie sets, and have my money, so I won’t have a lot of student debt,” Griffin said.

Regardless of the paths taken after high school, they can lead to rewarding futures as a career or in everyday life.

“Most guys come out of college not knowing how to change a lightbulb, work behind a switch, cut wood or measure,” Felix said. “They’ll have to hire a guy when they’re older to come fix their lighting, and if I can do that myself and work on my own house, that’s a big win.”