High Tide: Dec. 14, 2023

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PHOTOs BY ROMI RISS

December 14, 2023 Vol. CIV Edition 5 Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA

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THE TIES The Japanese red string myth says that at birth, two people who are destined to meet are connected by thread

THAT BIND US

2 news

Student bringing firearm to campus prompts lockdown

5 features

Soryn Preston competes for Team USA in international paddboarding competitions

12 entertainment

"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" is a worthy addition to the Hunger Games cinematic universe

Students navigate the complexities of romantic, sexual and platonic relationships as cultural norms for communication and commitment change

www.ruhsmedia.com

@ruhsmedia

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news

Two Days, Two Guns

Students bringing firearms to campus prompts lockdown

by Kat Otey

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t 10:32 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 5th, a school lockdown was ordered. Few other details initially shared: some classrooms turned lights off, closed blinds, and barricaded doors. Others continued business as usual: lectures continued and science labs carried out.

Regardless of the execution of lockdown procedures in student’s classrooms, all were left with little official information during the majority of the period.

“I only found out through word of mouth and our parents getting emails,” said freshman Violet Allison. “The student body was not informed. The teachers never told us what we should have known.”

Many students instead gathered information from text chains with parents and friends, which came faster but with higher potential for inaccuracy.

“There's this balance of sweeping the campus with our RBPD during the lockdown, the level of communication, and now the release of possible students from school with the most accurate information we have at that time to decrease and de-escalate,” said Principal Anthony Bridi.

When an anonymous student took a

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video of the student who was detained being walked off of campus, it had spread throughout the student body within the next few minutes. A classmate of the filmer describes seeing the video pop up in a group chat barely two minutes after it was taken.

Others, however, could not send or receive any information at all.

“My teacher wasn't letting us grab our phones, so it was hard to stay informed.

We just didn’t know what was going on,” junior Jordan Jacobson said. "I feel like we should have at least been able to grab our phones from the phone pocket to know what was going on. I had my parents texting me ‘what's going on, are you okay?’ and I couldn't even answer them.”

Although many students continued to send messages throughout the lockdown, it is a part of the school lockdown procedure for students to stay off of their phones due to safety concerns.

“My focus in that period of time is on the safety of our campus as a whole,” said Bridi in response to the varied procedures that actually occurred within student’s different classrooms. “We have to react in real time.”

In part because of this lack of immediate details beyond a student-circulated rumor mill, screenshots, videos and Instagram stories, students’ emotional experiences while in lockdown varied.

“Someone started banging on our door with no words from the outside, and we don't know if it was the kid with the gun or it was a prank, but no one spoke and that was when we realized that this was a real thing and not a drill,” Allison said. “People got really scared and started crying.”

At that point, however, the student had been detained and never knocked on doors.

Some parents, like students, believed that some of the confusion and chaos could have been avoided if the RUHS administration had given parents more information about the incident the day before

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staff editors-in-chief Lucy Davis Ethan Lerner Romi Riss online managers Cristina Couch Stavyah Naveen sports manager Ethan Chi

(although no confirmation of connection between the two has been officially released).

“I just wish the school was a little bit more organized and had notified the parents yesterday of the incident to begin with, maybe would have given the students a day off just to regroup themselves,” parent Shin-Shin Lee said. “I think the school could have put the kids in danger by allowing them back on campus today without finishing off whatever investigation they needed to do.”

Following the “rapid succession of two potential shooters,” as parent Nicholas Kozis described it, the administration did close the school on Wednesday in order to complete this investigation and keep students safe. Even before this, some students planned to stay home out of fear for their safety, which was heightened by the spread of unconfirmed information about the incident and the possibility of another occuring the next day.

“I saw these screenshots, [and] I texted my mom, 'I can't go to school tomorrow, even if it’s fake,’” said Mertz. “This is too much. There's too many things happening.”

1. Senior Lauren Storey awaits release from the campus. PHOTO BY SASCHA PERDUE 2. Students line up to present parent pick-up slips.

PHOTO BY DYLAN MOORE

Salsa Club hosts dance class fundraiser at Woman's Club

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by Katarina Sapina alsa Club held its annual fundrais- up for it with their energy.” these is to raise funds for the scholarship er at the Women’s Club program they have. of Redondo Beach. The “As treasurer I am able event lasted from 5-8 p.m. on to help people raise monDec. 1, and taught people of all ey, because some people different levels of experience and have to buy uniforms and age groups about salsa dancing costumes. Sometimes we and culture. raise enough money that According to Salsa Club treapeople who can’t afford surer, junior Morgan Robertson, it can still perform based the fundraiser was a “good opon the scholarship proportunity” to raise money for the gram,” Robertson said. club because the Women’s Club Robertson, who is a “good location with a lot of joined Salsa Club last space.” About 60 participants year, decided to take the were in attendance. club seriously after she Ash Agustin, an RUHS gradjoined because all the uate, claimed her favorite part of members were so “nice the event was reliving memories and welcoming.” Her as someone who used to be in and the club’s expectathe Salsa Club during high school tions were met this year and now occasionally goes back compared to the previous to the events.

Salsa members guide participants through various salsa moves. PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK years.

“My favorite part of the night “We could teach anyAnother RUHS graduate, Marco Foster, body who wanted to learn to salsa dance,” was seeing old friends from the club and seeing the way they’ve matured and taken stated that he felt the people leading the Robertson said. “It was an overall fun experesponsibility [in the club]. It’s been nice dancing lesson made it very inclusive to ev- rience for Salsa Club because people were to see them grow and evolve,” Agustin said. eryone as someone who was not formerly able to bring in their friends and family to Junior Zara Schwar, a member of the in Salsa Club and had no experience with experience the club and the atmosphere.”

Salsa Club cabinet, stated that the dancing salsa dancing.

Robertson’s favorite part about doing “I thought Calvin [Bonn] and Kamer- these fundraising events is introducing her itself wasn’t perfect, but the effort and enon [Asgharzadeh] were amazing. They ex- friends outside of Salsa into that part of her ergy created by leaders made up for it.

“With a leader and follower, you both plained everything in a very clear way that life. guide each other and help each other out if was easy to follow and went over each step “I got to salsa dance with some friends one of you feels nervous,” Schwar said. “All a couple of times, which was nice,” Foster that don’t have time to do this every week, year, the presidents have been helping out said. “There’s a lot of ways for your person- but they were able to experience the salsa. as best as they can and trying to make Salsa ality to shine through while dancing.”

I enjoyed the dancing and spending time As the club treasurer, Robertson shared with my friends,” Robertson said.

Club more fun for people who are new to it and are frustrated by the new moves. They that the reason they hold fundraisers bemiss some things here and there but make sides raising money to host events like

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 Emily steckler 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

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

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high tide dec. 14, 2023

Where's Wendy?

In theatre's production of "Lost Girl," the protagonist searches for her place in life after returning from Neverland

by Mia Nishimura

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pening with an original student-written song, glowing blue-lagoon lanterns, and a nostalgic frame of a childhood room, the RUHS theatre department unveiled “Lost Girl” with a flutter of whispers across the auditorium.

In her first play and first show as a lead, senior Adison Miller played the role of Wendy Darling, along with a “supportive theatre department.”

“Seeing the cast and crew shine on and off stage was really incredible to witness and be a part of. The end was a really sweet send off for not only Wendy as a character, but my acting career as a whole since I’m not planning to pursue theatre in college.

Being a part of my last play with this group was really special for me,” Miller said.

The play follows a melancholy Wendy, who came back from Neverland and now struggles to move on after saying goodbye to Peter Pan. Miller hopes that the audience takes away its messages on explores mother-daughter relationships, coming of age, friendships, and heartbreak that Miller wanted the audience to take away.

“We were hoping to show the audience that it’s okay to grow up and move on. A lot of the time, if you get stuck in the past, the present and future can just pass by you. I also thought it’s important to support others when they’re going through tough times and to be there for one another,” Miller said.

After the theatre department took a trip to see several productions from the Peter Pan universe such as “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” Melissa Staab, the theatre director, decided to tell the epilogue of the classic story with her cast and crew.

“I read the first five pages and I was already hooked. I thought it was really unique and different from anything we’ve ever done before,” Staab said.

Starting rehearsals the very next day after concluding Sweeney Todd, the cast and crew quickly changed gears and entered Wendy’s world. The group worked for six

Wendy (Adison Miller) describes her experience in Neverland to the detective (Finn McGonigle) as actors pantomine in the background. PHOTO COURTESY OF RUHS THEATRE ARTS MARKETING TEAM

weeks with the actors running lines, the shop crew sawing wood and the lighting and prop designers experimenting with the set, all interacting with the different areas of the theatre.

Led by the shop foreman, junior Alaka’i Jellings, the shop crew created all the visible set pieces such as the bed and the window where Wendy and Peter first met.

“You have to change your plans to match what the director [Staab] wants for her vision, be able to take feedback and be flexible on what’s best for the show, the creative vision of the set designer and the director,” Jellings said. “It’s really the director and set designer’s visions. I’m the guy who has to go to them and say, ‘This is how we’re actually going to do it in real life.’”

The original song that opened “Lost Girl,” "Closure," was written and sung by sophomore Allison Sutton, who also played the role of Wendy’s mother.

“I read a script of the play over the summer, and I connected with the characters.

pretty difficult,” Miller said.

The crew worked to engage the audience with Wendy’s heart by combining the fairytale mood of Peter Pan with a modern twist on this play. With different models and ideas included in the play, the director and set designer collaborated with the crew to bring their illusions to life.

“We used the lanterns as a tool to make the audience feel immersed in magic and the world of Neverland, and for Wendy, so much of [her story] is holding onto the past. A big inspiration for me was making the nursery feel like it could be in any time period. It almost felt timeless,” Staab said.

With a significantly smaller cast than usual of only 14 cast members and 44 crew members, a “stronger community” and “special” bonds were created throughout the entire production, according to Miller.

“Everyone really pulled their weight and I think it really paid off,” Miller said.

“From the set to the lighting to the cast, every single person was essential to making the show happen and I think it turned out really beautifully.”

I used the storyline to guide the song as well as my own life experiences to help me portray emotions within the lyrics,” Sutton said.

To perform the show as candidly as possible, the cast and crew drew inspiration from different shows from the Peter Pan universe, studying the characters and scenes alongside Staab, Associate Director Meagan Chew and senior Assistant Director Diego DiPasquo.

“The difficult part is that there really aren’t any stories about what happens to Wendy after she gets back from Neverland, so trying to fig- Junior Suriyana Sukha (left) and freshman Alessia Isetta (right) of hair and ure out how she would makeup crew organize contents of the theater storage, home to thousands of act upon her return was costumes, wigs and set pieces. PHOTO COURTESY OF RUHS THEATRE ARTS

AROUND Redondo Twins compare and contrast their connection with other relationships

by Marlena Lipan

Q: What is a misconception or generalization about twins, and is there any truth to it?

A: A lot of people say that we are both the exact same person. It's just kind of ignorant, and you wouldn't say that to siblings. Obviously, we’re two different people. I think it’s just because when you see people that look the same, you assume everything about them is the same, but your identity is not what you look like.

It’s who you are on the inside.

-Basha Choudhury, 12

Q: What is the best thing about being a twin?

A: I had a little buddy to be born alongside me. I didn’t have to go through all the trauma by myself.

I got to have a friend to be born with. We both took our first steps with each other and cried with each other.

We keep each other strong.

-Charlie Choudhury, 12

PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK

Q: What do you love about being a twin?

A: I guess it’s like having a built-in therapist in a way. They know you the best, so they know what to say to try and help you out. We just experience everything and go through it together.

- Emily Bergant, 9

Q: How is the support you would receive from a twin different from another person in your life?

A: You always have someone with you to go through any experience.

Whether you’re feeling sad, or happy, they’re always there to be with you the whole time. You know them the best, so they always know how to support you. It feels better than some of your other friends, because literally, you’ve known each other since you were born, so you just have that automatic bond.

- Olivia Bergant, 9

PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK

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features

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

Champions League baseball program facilitates interaction between the baseball team and student-athletes with special needs.

by Delilah Aguilar

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hile in season, various RUHS students volunteer every other Sunday to assist in an hourlong baseball game for players of all ages with health conditions or impairments.

Father-son duo Chris McCauley and junior Matthew McCauley founded the program with the help of Redondo Sunset, Redondo Beach’s Pony League, which divisions by age groups accessible to players ages 4-14.

McCauley has played baseball since he was 4-years-old, and aspires to make baseball easily accessible to all children.

“My dad used to be Volunteering President of Redondo Sunset; I noticed a lack of opportunities for players with disabilities and wanted to change that. I pitched the idea to my dad, and we made it happen,” said McCauley.

After Chris McCauley reached out to Redondo Sunset, he acquired field time, allowing him and Matthew McCauley to or-

ganize the program.

As a player for the RUHS baseball team, McCauley found most volunteers to be his teammates, while also recruiting fellow Sea Hawks, such as his friend, junior Tyson McEveety. “[Volenteering for the program] feels like a good thing to do. A childhood friend of mine participates in the league, so it feels especially great to be doing it for him,” said McEveety.

The format of a Champions game is most similar to that of “The Sandlot.” No one keeps score, allowing each player to get their chance to run the bases. All players have a designated volunteer to guide them through the field and cheer them on, but for the most part, “they’re doing their own thing,” according to McEveety.

Mceveety who has been volunteering for over a year, regularly assists these games and has formed strong connec-

Quinn Ortadeveici teaches

tions with a handful of both players and volunteers.

“It brightens my day seeing everyone having fun and coming together for a good cause,” said McEveety Robin Hawkey, the father of 14-year-old Piper Hawkey, believes he found the program through a parent site and brought Piper to play her first season this year, fully intending to return in the spring.

“When I first read about it, I loved it.

Anything you can do to help enrich the lives of special needs kids is so important.

I think it’s extremely beneficial for both my daughter and the community,” said Hawkey.

The program has been running for three years despite being delayed by COVID-19.

McCauley highly encourages students to volunteer by contacting sunsetchampions@yahoo.com to strengthen the program and assist in its further development.

“Sometimes we are short on volunteers, and that’s inconve-

nient. We would eventually like to expand the program, and we need help to do that.

The first two years, it was generally the same crowd of players, but this year, we have been seeing a lot of new faces,” said McCauley.

The Champions accept players of all ages and abilities. Players frequently exchange high-fives and uplifting words in the dugout, doing their part to ensure no one feels left out.

“Piper loves it and looks forward to it every week; it’s all she talks about. I think [the program] is great, all these kids are great. It takes a lot of courage for these high schoolers to come out and dedicate some of their time to help special needs kids and make their lives a little better,” said Hawkey.

1. Sophomore Bennett Compratt helps his buddy at the plate.

2. Junior Matthew McCauley congratulates his buddy.

3. Sophomore Lucas Alvear guides his buddy to the plate.

students through Islam Club

by Payton Rothluebbers

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ophomore Quinn Ortadeveci is breaking down barriers and creating cultural understanding through the Islam Club. The club, created

1 to eliminate stereotypes that surround Islam, has quickly grown into a positive environment where open-minded people of all backgrounds meet to learn. “[When I teach people about Islam,] I try to put it in a way that’s easy to learn about because it’s important for people to understand. I try to give them a greater sense of what Islam means and what it stands for,”

Ortadeveci said.

The club secretary, sophomore Cade Leonard, attends each meeting with the dedication of supporting his friend. He attests that anybody on campus is welcome to join the meetings to promote learning about Islam.

“Usually it’s about seventeen people who attend. I’m happy with it, especially for being a new club. Sometimes we offer food or desserts because it’s what kids want, and that brings attention to the club. When more people go, it allows them to experience what we’re learning,” Leonard said.

Through the club, Ortadeveci teaches many diverse peers about Islam. He explains that the club has “multiple Jewish people and multiple Catholic people; it’s a lot of everything.” Sophomore Cyrus Chepnik, who is a part of the Islam Club, is able to see outside of his own religion and gain insight about a different culture

by attending each week.

“I’m Jewish, and I’m part of the Islam Club, and obviously those religions have very different views and beliefs. I like learning how it’s similar and how it’s different. [By being in the club,] I’ve learned a lot about [the] culture,” Chepnik said.

As well as reaching out to people of all different backgrounds, Ortadeveci strengthens his connection to his own culture through his club. Growing up, his family primarily embraced their Dutch side, and he didn’t strongly connect with every part of his heritage until later on.

“I’m half Turkish, but I never really knew anything about it.

I feel like the whole culture isn’t really talked about in America. I thought it would be nice to embrace it, and when I really started looking into it, I found it [to be] really interesting. I thought it would be a good idea to spread what I was learning with other people,” Ortadeveci said.

His dedication to the Islam Club shows that he is not ashamed of his cultural identity despite the stereotypes that surround it. By embracing his culture, he sets an example for everyone around him and encourages them to do the same.

“When most people think of Islam, they have very negative connotations.

I went to Turkey two years ago, and being there opened up my eyes and changed my entire perspective on it,” Ortadeveci said.

“Before I went, I had some negative connotations with the whole concept of Islam.

When I saw that it’s an interesting and positive thing, I thought it was important to show other people that.”

Ortadeveci holds club meetings primarily to teach about the beauty of Islam and create new opinions that squash negative stereotypes. However, his club exists also to spread the message that understanding different perspectives is important.

“People who go [to Islam Club meetings] can appreciate other cultures, even if it’s not their own. They can see that they’re not the center of everything,” Chepnik said.

“There’s so much happening in the world and there’s so much more out there to learn about, even by going to a club.”

1. Sophomore Quinn Ortadeveci instructs the Islam Club at the front of the class.

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high tide dec. 14, 2023

WELL-ROUNDED

Junior Taylor Kakuk's work with many important volunteering programs leads her to discover her love for community service helping out

by Kate Brucia

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he pressure to build impressive college applications motivates many high-schoolers to pursue volunteer work. In junior Taylor Kakuk’s case, community service allowed her to discover a program and people she loves. Taylor is president of her group belonging to the Lion’s Heart organization, a program that organizes volunteer groups around the nation.

“It's been amazing for her. I've noticed her seeking out her own volunteer op-

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portunities too, or when they present opportunities to her, she's very forthcoming to sign up for them,” Taylor’s mom and Lion’s Heart adult leader, Marita Kakuk said.

“She's really just enjoying it and has had some fun experiences.”

When Taylor joined Lion’s Heart as a freshman, one of her goals was to be accepted into the University of Michigan, which her older sister already attends.

“Getting into Michigan is what I really want to do. I'm always thinking that I just need to get through this year, and maybe it'll be rewarding,” Taylor said.

In addition to Lion’s Heart, Taylor also works part-time and participates in Link Crew, Key Club and plays soccer. Due to all of these extracurriculars, she is “always stressed.”

“It's a lot, especially because I work in the Riviera.

I don't really have any free time on weekends. I'm always doing something, but it always works out so that I have time to rest and complete all my homework,” Taylor said.

Currently, Taylor is working t o -

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“

The best part of being a volunteer is seeing the smiles on people's faces after helping them. It means a lot to me when I see how important it is.”

TAYLOR KAKUK JUNIOR

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1. Photo by Redondo Lion's Heart Chapter 2.

Photo by national Key Club society 3. Photo by Redondo Union Link Crew club

wards a Lion’s Heart award that members earn by completing 100 hours of service.

So far, she has done 72 hours. She’s tried out many types of volunteering, including working with the Friendship Foundation, organizing drives for a women’s shelter, and babysitting foster kids and orphans.

Taylor says her favorite type of service is babysitting, because she’s been able to form a special connection with a girl that she watches.

“Every time she sees me, she comes to give me a hug, and I'm always hanging out with her,” Taylor said. “She’s always in a great mood and super happy to be there.”

Despite being one of her favorite types of volunteering, Taylor finds working with kids to be one of the toughest jobs.

“The biggest challenge [of volunteering] is if I'm working with children, it might be more difficult. Some kids don't look up to or even like older kids. They're ‘too cool’, or just shy. It's kind of hard to work with them and figure out a strategy to talk to them,” Taylor said.

Taylor is able to translate the interpersonal skills she uses with children to her job as president. Her role is to plan and prepare for meetings, organize volunteer opportunities for the group, and lead the meetings. She works with a vice president, treasurer, and historian to keep everything running smoothly. In order to become president, Taylor was voted in by the other members of her group.

“I like being able to give opportunities to volunteer to people [in my group] and organize events and meetings together,” Taylor said. “[My motivation was] college applications, but I also wanted to do it because I like being more involved.”

Marita Kakuk believes Taylor is a good fit for the job of president, admiring her “commitment.”

“I would describe her as very smart and motivated academically. She's also very kind and very loyal,” Kakuk said.

“She's willing to take on new roles and try new things.”

Despite originally joining Lion’s Heart for college purposes, Taylor now appreciates the selfless side of community service.

“The best part of being a volunteer is seeing the smiles on people's faces after helping them,” Taylor said. “It means a lot to me when I see how important it is.”

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dec. 14, 2023 high tide

Soryn to

VICTORY 1

by Jameson Boddy

Soryn Preston participates in local and national competitive paddleboarding races

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he cool salty water sprinkles across the smooth surface of the board as freshman Soryn Preston hears the sound of the horn. She pushes through the water with nothing but the paddle to keep her going. Every thought in her mind washes away with each stroke— now it is just her and the water.

Ever since Preston was given her first race board for her seventh birthday, she could “not stop” paddling. Now, Preston is the only one in her family still paddleboarding, but without her dad and uncle, who taught the sport, she wouldn’t be as inspired to paddle as she is today.

“I’ve always been surrounded by [paddleboarding] and inspired by going to races and watching my family race,” Preston said.

“It's almost like I’m carrying out something that [my family] started in a way and made it my own version.”

Sharing paddleboarding experiences with her family has given Preston an extra special meaning to the recreational sport.

Preston’s younger half-sister, Willow, enjoys paddling with Preston or watching her compete when she isn't busy with soccer.

“Sometimes I’ll plop [Willow] on the front of my board and make her sit there.

We talk and paddle around the bay, and she really loves it,” Preston said. “My dad would put me on the front of his board [when I was young]. He would drip the water on my head from the paddle, and I do the same kind of things to her.”

For Preston, training as much as possible is essential for a successful race.

Whether it’s paddling multiple times a week, going to the gym in her free time, or surfing with Redondo’s surf team, every non-school-occupied hour of the day is filled with preparation.

“Going to the gym is really good because I’m working a lot of muscles outside the water that I didn’t know would benefit me in the water [...] I run a lot of mornings before school.

I’ll

try to run six or seven miles,” Preston said.

Preston’s coach, Mike Eisert, is a “huge help” when it comes to training and racing.

He assists her in making schedules and helps her stay on top of school work or paddleboarding.

“I assist [Preston] in planning, both long-term as well as short-term of training schedules and racing schedules,” Eisert said. “[Training] is a lot of work, and it’s totally worth it when you find an athlete that is self-motivated and has discipline like [Preston] does. It is always enjoyable with a young athlete like [Preston] to see her show up every year to a big race.”

Eisert has been training Preston on and off for the past seven years, and they have shared countless memories from paddling weekly together to Eisert seeing Preston’s hard work pay off after a hard race.

“Seeing [Preston] win her first World Championship medal a couple of years ago was surely the icing on the cake,” Eisert said. “The sweetest thing about that and how much [Preston] appreciates what people do for her is that she gifted that first medal to me.”

Eisert has also helped her manage her countless sponsors. In return for sponsoring her, Preston must promote them in any way she can so the company benefits from her sponsorships. Her sponsors like SIC Maui, Quick Blade Paddles and On It Pro, give her equipment and or money and their goal is to get return of investment (ROI) on her so the companies can make the most amount of money.

Preston promotes companies by keeping very active on social media, so not only current sponsors but also potential sponsors can see what she needs, where she is and what she is doing.

“I try to maintain the [sponsors] I have, and if I get other offers from other companies, or I see other companies that I know are better, I look towards them and talk to them,” Preston said. “I communicate with [the potential

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sponsors] and I communicate with the sponsor I currently have and I work out which company ends up having a better deal or what company has better equipment that I like.”

In the future, Preston hopes to apply the lessons she has learned in paddleboarding to another job position if paddling doesn’t work out. From communication to self-accountability, Preston has prepared for whichever career path she decides to follow.

“There is a lot more to the sport than

is doing.

“I have to be super chill [during competition days] and remind myself I can let it out later. When I’m just with family I’m able to let out all my sadness, anger, happiness, wanting to cheer and cry,” Preston said.

In France, Preston also made sure to “enjoy the moment” because there were famous paddle boarders from all over the world that she was overjoyed to meet and hang out with.

“There are other people [on Team

3 actually doing it. There is branding and making yourself a business. My Instagram handle is @Super_Soryn, and it sounds super cringy, but I’ve made that a business for myself. I'm coming out with shirts and making it my own brand,” Preston said.

Preston made Team USA and traveled to France at the end of September going into October. She met and became acquainted with many other paddleboarders from all over the world and learned more about what paddleboarding looks like in other countries.

“There was one guy who was a few months younger than me [...] but I was the youngest as far as sub-racing,” Preston said. “I definitely wasn’t more intimidated by any means. It was more of a motivation because I knew I belonged [at competitions]. I knew I was going to be okay because I knew what I was doing [...] I still compete in the under 18 division but I compete with people who are 16 to 18.

When I go to open which is all divisions, I’m competing with every age. It is definitely nerve racking.”

Before big events like Team USA competitions, Preston has “an amazing reputation for throwing up.” This is when Preston reminds herself that she is good enough, and she knows what she

USA], so every day you go down, you are supporting your teammates,” Preston said.

“We have team dinners at night. We have Team USA photo shoots during the day.

When it is race day [I am] making sure to focus on [myself] and keeping [my] nutrition straight.”

Preston hopes to continue paddleboarding after high school, eventually attending a European university due to the large paddleboarding community there.

“I’m the biggest procrastinator you will ever meet, but I don’t procrastinate when it comes to paddling. [Paddling] keeps me very motivated, and it calms me down.

Sometimes I get mad over little things, and then I’ll go paddle, and I'll be over it,” Preston said. “[Paddleboarding] is such a happy place for me because I’m able to go and escape so many problems I have in my life.

I’m able to push everything away that's in my mind.”

1. Preston at the USA SUP 2023 Championships 2. Preston (center) at the start line at Dana Point Harbour Hoot 2023 3. Preston making a "Hustle Turn" at the Harbour Hoot 4. Preston crossing a buoy with a seal at Dana Point ALL PHOTOS BY JAMES KAO @jameskaofoto

features 7

high tide dec. 14, 2023

Producing a success I

by Kate Jacoby

t’s early in the morning, and a caramel frappuccino sits on the edge of a table where senior McConaughey Curto plans her work as RUTV’s Executive Producer. Her responsibilities include leading the weekly Monday morning meeting, going over upcoming events and making sure that the anchors are in the studio finishing their scripts for recording day.

“Recording day is chaotic in a good way.

There’s so many memories and jokes,” Curto said. “We collect some of the bloopers and make a blooper reel at the end of the year and show it to the class. It may be stressful, but everybody has a good time.”

According to Curto, she originally joined RUTV last school year as an anchor due to her “lively personality,” which she credits to her time spent in the theater department. Her interest in signing up for the class also came through watching the broadcasts during her sophomore year and her desire to contribute to informing students about the school’s latest events.

“Photography and videography has been a hobby of mine since sixth grade. It was what I picked up as a young kid,” Curto said. “It was something I enjoyed because my sister’s boyfriend at the time was a huge photographer, and I bonded with him over it.”

With the help of her sister’s boyfriend, now husband, Curto learned the basics of a camera she received as a gift for Christmas. He assisted Curto in “getting used to the equipment,” and from there, Curto’s interest in multimedia sparked. She went from an anchor on camera to the Executive Producer that works behind the scenes, ensuring that the broadcast runs smoothly. She came into the role through the decision of RUTV’s advisor, Mr. Sheehey, and last year’s team of executives and directors.

“They would look for people who are interested in broadcasting. I was going out filming sports all the time, and I was helping people edit their packages,” Curto said. I was

putting most of my time and effort into it, and they liked the leadership aspects I have.”

Now in this new position, Curto has to guide the crew in the right direction and continue to build RUTV’s legacy. She works alongside other executives such as Executive Editor, senior Matthew Herman. According to Herman, he and Curto “work out everything together,” and if one of them is busy with a task, the other will lend a helping hand, especially when stress is high and dead-

McConaughey Curto steps into her role as RUTV Executive Producer with the goal of creating a stronger broadcast program

lines are in sight.

“She can easily take control of any situation,” Herman said. “She’s taught me how to take my time and think about things from a second perspective. She puts her thoughts out there without being disrespectful and she’s a good leader.”

Curto knows that it’s “not just [her] on [her] own,” but there are the struggles that come with filling in the role of past RUTV seniors.

“The most stressful part has been getting back

All the editors together for the first broadcast of the year. In order from left to right: Junior Grace Carroll, and seniors Charlotte Reis, McConaughey Curto, Catherine Wong and junior Matthew Herman. PHOTO COURTSEY OF MCCONAUGHEY CURTO

into the swing of things. Each year you lose the seniors, the people with the most experience. It can be hard to get back into it without their guidance and knowledge of the past,” Curto said. “Filling in those shoes from the previous years has been difficult.

I think the more that time goes on and the more we gain from those experiences of [going through] issues and working through them throughout the year, it gets better and better.”

At first, Curto recalled RUTV having a rough start to the year due to brushing off the rust that is “summer break.” After the end of this year’s first quarter though, Curto then saw the new RUTV crew members ready to “jump back into action.” after finishing training. Seeing everything come together and taking part in the program’s success is what drives Curto to do her job to the best of her ability. “[The crew] sees her less as a teacher and more as a friend,” Herman said. “She’s a happy person, her character brings a better [energy] to the studio. There’s more of a relationship connection rather than a boss telling people to do something. ” Taking on this role, Cutro acknowledged that there are “a lot of intricate parts when it comes to RUTV” and hopes for each member to have a contribution to the overall production.

“There’s multiple jobs and roles and you have to learn how to work with all of them in order to create that bigger broadcast,” Curto said. “A big part of leadership is making sure that after you leave, you have to pass that leadership to someone else so they’re prepared and ready to continue and succeed.”

Students participating in the SOAR Eco-Innovation Academy learn life lessons that help them understand business sustainability by Jayla Dorbor

A

s the effects of climate change start to plague our planet, some students decide to rise to the oc-

casion and learn how they can make our planet greener.

SOAR Eco-Innovation Academy is a leadership program created by Grades of Green to help students learn how businesses can become more sustainable. Juniors Ava Warman and Petra Napier decided to join the program for their interest in helping the community and to help them prepare for college.

“I hope I’ll become more aware of the impact that these businesses have on our community and how I can help the community in a positive way,” Napier said.

Warman originally heard about the SOAR program from her math teacher, Daniel Prinkey, SOAR students on their first tour on AltaSea Marine Campus building robots with and decided it cameras to see under the water. PHOTO COURTSEY OF AVA WARMAN would be fun to fill

out an application. Warman, interested in biology, thought this would be a good opportunity to expand her knowledge since the program works with companies in that field.

“I hope that throughout this program I get more knowledge on how some businesses are more sustainable than others and become more aware of what businesses I’m supporting and how they are impacting the environment,” Warman said. “I can then improve my own knowledge and make a difference in that way.”

Napier expresses a passion for helping the environment through sustainability not only in companies, but also through researching ways she can impact the environment on her own.

“It’s important to protect our environment, we’re going to be living here for a long time, so we want to make sure it’s a healthy and safe place to live for the generations to come as well,” Napier said.

The program’s goal is to help the students collaborate to create better environmental standards for companies. In doing so, they provide students with opportunities to tour and volunteer at different businesses to learn about levels of sustainability.

“My friend Amina and I did a TEDx volunteer trip a couple weeks ago. We just sorted through trash, but it’s cool to go to these events that you normally wouldn’t be able to go to and to see it from a volunteer perspective,” Warman said.

Recently, students in the program (including Napier) got the opportunity to at-

tend another tour at Sofi Stadium to learn about the company Beyond Meat.

“I learned about how meat impacts our health and the environment and how it’s not just a world issue, but also a personal issue,” Napier said. “I will definitely be more aware when it comes to choosing meat. I'll still eat meat but if there's an option to have an alternative choice like Beyond Meat, then I'll choose that. Before the tour, I wouldn't have considered that an option.”

Through touring these companies, students have learned more about how businesses operate and have grown "a new respect" for those that commit to increasing their sustainability.

“I have more appreciation now for companies that do support the environment because now I can really understand from a different perspective that they’ve taken some extra steps to really make a difference and try to improve environments and corporations as a whole,” Warman said.

The program has helped Warman look at businesses closer and observe how much they are benefiting the environment. She has learned how she can do her part and help others to make our community more environmentally safe.

“Everybody needs to do their part, everybody needs to protect the environment with climate change,” Warman said. “I’m hoping that I can become more knowledgeable about the environment and be able to help people I know and do my part to make my community more environmentally safe.”

in-

8 high tide dec. 14, 2023

HERES THE SITUATION-

High school "situationships" unravel the complexities of casual relationships, talking stages and mixed signals by Ethan Chi

A

high school “situationship”. been times where I was bored in the talking Meet the parents? No, that’s stage and I wanted to talk to other people.” too serious. Be committed? No, Situationships are already difficult to it’s nothing exclusive. Is it something? navigate, but Sally notes as a queer girl, No. Is it nothing? No. Simple enough, some of her partners have struggled to right? Definitely no. draw the line between All of these questions exploration of their allow unlabeled “situsexual identity and ationships” or “talking genuine feelings for stages,” which are phases Sometimes, there's another girl. in between friends and “With girls, the romantic partners, to points where I feel reason why talking cause confused feelings lonely and I just want stages don't work and mixed signals. For out is because a lot sophomore Jamie*, the someone to talk to of girls I know say inescapable talking stage that isn't a girl or just they're bisexual, but is less of a pre-relationthey're not really biship formality and more my friend. It feels sexual, they're just of a toxic cycle. experimenting. When good to know that “People just use the don't really like someone cares about they term ‘talking’ as a way it, they break it off, of not being exclusive. me. and that really hurts.

I feel like everything is Not only that, but I constantly going back feel like it is a waste JAMIE and forth on deciding of time, and makes ANONYMOUS SOPHOMORE on what you want, and me think to myself if it ends up in a lot of girls they ever really wantgetting played, including ed to be with me,” myself. It's really frustrating because a Sally said. lot of guys don't want the pressure or the In addition to unclear feelings, accordlevel of commitment required for a rela- ing to Sally, the want for a physical relationship, and it’s really emotionally dam- tionship prompts some girls to rush into a aging,” Jamie said. talking stage without actually taking time Despite its reputation for emotional to get to know one another. This hook up toil, a survey of 141 RUHS students shows mentality leads to short term comthat 78 percent said they had been in a mitment a n d talking stage. Students reasoned that even often though situationships can be confusing, feeling wanted elicits a type of comfort only a relationship, even a talking stage, can satisfy.

The Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior claims high schoolers cling to romantic validation because “adolescent attachment is enhanced by cognitive, social, and emotional developmental changes during the teenage years.” With teens being more prone to intense attachment, a “situationship” can become less of a casual fling and more of a person you depend on for affection.

“Sometimes there's points where I feel lonely, and I just want someone to talk to that isn't a girl or just my friend. It feels good to know that someone cares about c o n me, or that someone wants to be there for flates romantic feelings me,” Jamie said. “When [my talking stage with physical interests. and I] broke up I didn’t go to school the “The whole reason why hookup culture next day because I felt like I had just lost never works out is because you need to get my best friend,” Jamie said. to know someone before hooking up with For most students like Jamie, the them, and the way the culture is right now, close bond of a situationship makes for a people just want to get into a talking stage hurtful and disappointing fall out. Junior then have sex,” Sally said.

Sally* has been on both ends of that late Even though Sally and others like her night text. With this experience, she notes have been disappointed by the unclear the unofficial talking stage intentions talking stages facilitate, her excan result in cheating perience has helped her be more clear and mixed feelings. in her current relation“There's so ship. many temp“I was talking tations. with my girlThere friend, and I a r e asked s o her i f

“

78%* of RUHS

students feel they've been in a situationship or talking stages

DID I CATCH FEELINGS?

many other people out there, and since it’s not a real relationship; I think sometimes people feel entitled to talk to other people. But it’s so confusing, because a talking stage is the gray area between a relationship and not a relationship, so it’s hard to tell what is ok and what is not,” Sally said. “There have

she had ever been in a relationship with another girl and she told me ‘I haven't had a real girlfriend, but I have had experience liking another girl, and I know I like girls.’ I think that's why I felt more safe and secure this time around,” Sally said. “I’m glad that I was able to make

those mistakes early on, so that in my current relationship I can communicate better.”

With more access to social media, rushed talking stages like the ones Sally experienced in the past, have become more prevalent in our generation. A poll, which surveyed 141 RUHS students, concluded more than half began talking stages on Snapchat. As sophomore Brent* notes, social media platforms have made meeting people more accessible and talking stages more impersonal.

“I feel like everyone used to call each other 50 years ago, but I think now that texting is more the move, everyone gets to know each other without hearing their voice or without meeting in person,” Brent said. “I think it also used to take longer for people to get to know each other, but with texting, people can talk on Snapchat after two weeks and suddenly be in a talking stage.”

Snapchat is able to facilitate these rushed relationships. According to Dr. Maria Baratta, a licensed clinical social worker, “couples that rush into a relationship often lack the foundation to be successful.”

These short term and ineffective relationships can lead to a slew of failed talking stages, normalizing low commitment among teens.

While uncommitted situationships are at times normalized in teenage culture, the intense judgment and lack of fulfillment that comes with being involved in many talking stages is stigmatizing, according to Jamie.

“I feel like sometimes people view me negatively because I’ve talked to a lot of guys, it just makes me feel lower of myself. It makes me not want to find someone. Then it also sucks because when I try to find someone they know in the back of their head, ‘Oh, I could just get with her and she wouldn't care because she's done this so many times,’” Jamie said.

To contrast, junior Jason* has had a positive experience with his past talking stages. To Jason, when done right, a talking stage is just a period of time where two people get to know each other, and it is natural for things to either advance into a relationship or fizzle out.

“When you're able to get to know them better, that gives you better time to decide whether or not you want to be more than just friends with this person. I think it strengthens the future commitment,” Jason said. “I think people are either misdefining a talking stage, or maybe they're getting too attached too fast, or trying to rush into things. So I feel when a talking stage ends, you have a right to

be disappointed, but you don't have a right to be mad.”

Though Jason has had a positive experience with the talking stage, everyone is just trying to figure out how to date as a teenager without getting hurt.

“I wish I could tell freshman year me to set a standard for yourself and to know what you want and what you want the outcome to be, because if you have a high enough standard, and you know what you do, and what you don't like, then you shouldn't change yourself or your standards for someone else,” Jamie said. “If you notice that red flag in someone then you need to call it off, even though it might hurt. It's better to know yourself and know your worth than to put up with people’s nonsense.”

*All student names ha preserve a

dec. 14, 2023 high tide 9

-focus

-SHIP

Friends with benefits relationships can be casual but also indicate

by Meara Fay struggles with long-term commitment

“

In the beginning, you think it will turn into a relationship. But then at some point, you realize that sex is all you’re there for, and it's not going anywhere.”

Sophomore Jules*, straight, was 14 when she had her first experience with friends with benefits. Described by Oxford Languages as “a friend with whom one has an occasional and casual sexual relationship,” the idea of friends with benefits has become a long-standing phenomenon within pop culture and high school students alike. Jules’s experience began when she and her male friend wanted to elevate their relationship but weren’t sure exactly how.

“We started by going on a typical first date. But after that, it became this t h i n g

ave been changed to anonymity

where we went to each other's houses and did things people in a relationship would do, but without him committing,” Jules said. “It was more of the physical aspect of a relationship rather than the emotional.”

According to Jules, she was looking for a typical relationship while unaware that her friend was strictly seeking physical intimacy.

After finding out that their intentions didn’t match, Jules continued seeing him but no longer with the same “spark.”

“I felt like it was going somewhere for a long time, and then at some point, something just clicked that I was being used,” Jules said. “I think a lot of people try to stick it out because they think they're gonna make it into a relationship. But for a lot of other people that's not their goal, so the relationships end up being one-sided.”

Although Jules was voluntarily friends with benefits, she claims that the experience proved hurtful because she felt she was being taken advantage of.

“It ruined my con-

LGBTQ+ people at Redondo, so the dating pool is a lot smaller which limits my options for finding someone I would want to start a rela-

to senior Sage, bisexual, who met her past friend with benefits on a club sports team.

Sage and her teammate were friends with benefits for six months before returning to a regular friendship.

“Seeing her [sexually] was confusing. I didn’t know if I liked her or if I just liked doing things with her, and she felt the same way, so we talked about that,” Sage said. “We couldn't figure out if we liked each other enough to date or just to keep being friends with benefits, which made our relationship complicated.”

Being friends with benefits for Sage was even more confusing than for most, as she was questioning her sexuality and used her being friends with benefits as an experimental period.

After some introspection, Sage realized that she was starting to fall in love with her friend.

“We would have practice or a game, tions h i p and I would be super excited to see her. with,” Josh I thought I really liked her. I felt like she said.

“And hookup liked me. But she didn’t like me; she liked culture is such a getting with me,” Sage said. big thing in the Because Sage and her friend weren’t in gay community; a committed relationship, they were able it makes being to learn each other’s personalities and friends with ben- dynamics without the fear of a breakup, efits even which Sage expressed that she valued.

“The way I am in relationships versus the way she is in relationships, and our personalities in general, did not align at all. It wouldn’t have worked out to be in a relationship with her,” Sage said. “Of course, I would’ve been with her if I could, but we couldn’t.”

After months of intimacy with each other, Sage and her friend agreed to stop being friends with benefits as they decided it was “the mature thing to do.”

“We were both searching for something deeper than what we could give to each other and realized we were just using each other as a filler in the meantime,” Sage said.

Sage agrees with Jules that being friends with benefits is “somewhat of an epidemic” at Redondo, as more people are interested in non-committed, strictly sexumore n o r - al relationships. malized.”

“Out of all my friends at Redondo, I can Josh had his first experience with friends probably think of three that are in a serious with benefits at 15 when he and his long- relationship. Everyone else is caught up time friend wanted to experiment in order in situationships or friends with benefits to explore their identities further. Through because there’s such a big fear of commitbeing friends with benement,” Jules said. fits, Josh was able to gain Disregarding its sexual experience withpopularity, Sage still out adherence. worries that naive“I knew the person be- Out of all of my friends te about the conforehand, so I was comsequences of being at Redondo, I can fortable doing [sexual friends with benefits things] with them,” Josh probably think of three can lead to emotionsaid. al damage. Although that are in a serious Despite being able to Sage enjoyed her exavoid “catching feelings,” relationship. Everyperience, she recogJosh speculates that his that the type of one else is caught up nizes experience being friends relationship isn’t for with benefits at such a in situationships or everyone. young age caused him to “Friends with friends with benefits develop an unhealthy rebenefits gives a false lationship with intimacy because there's such perception of what and came with damaging a relationship is and a big fear of commitconsequences. how to build a mean“Being friends with ment. ingful connection with benefits makes people someone,” Sage said. rushed into the physical “Unless you’re able to JULES aspects of relationships completely emotionANONYMOUS SOPHOMORE ally detach yourself, and love,” Josh said. “It can make certain experidon’t do it because ences feel transactional you’re just going to and not based off feelend up hurt.” ings.”

Brain graphic, heart graphic, thought bubble graphic Josh was able to remain friends with and arrow graphic all via Flaticon his friend with benefits afterward, similar

No WAy, we're just friends.

f i dence because, in the end, they aren’t there for you as a person, just for what you can give to them,” Jules said.

According to Jules, most of her female friends are looking for longterm relationships but have a hard time finding people willing to commit. Jules acknowledges that she is not alone in her experiences, stating that “having friends with benefits is very common at Redondo.”

“I think a lot of people either don't want the commitment or want to have their options open. It's an easy way out of having to commit to a relationship while still getting the benefits,” Jules said.

Junior Josh, gay, agrees with Jules’ claims about the lack of commitment at Redondo, especially within his experiences in the LGBTQ+ community.

“There's a limited amount o f

53%* of RUHS

students say their situationships started on Snapchat

“

10

opinion A survivor's guide to having a mom

Miscommunication often strains mother-daughter relationships

by Deeksha Prasad

I

Teenage girls run away from their mothers in an attempt to find themselves outside of the scope of the world they already know. Mothers and daughters are parallels; a mother sees in her daughter potential for all she could've been, while a daughter sees the potential for all she could be. I no longer idealize my mother the way I used to. I don’t want to be her—I want to be me, and part of that includes anything but her. It isn’t out of spite for my mom; it’s out of the desperate need to be a fully complete and unique individual. The drive for individuality can be interpreted as a hatred for the woman who raised us, and inevitably more and more conflict stews.

My mom doesn’t get my world. She tries to, but she doesn’t understand. And as much as I’d like to indoctrinate her into my mind, occupied with academic stresses and friend politics and my outfits for the week and all other things that are so beautifully high-school—it’s nearly

fight with my mom about twice a week. Of all our fights in the last month alone, I can only partially remember what two of them were about. The rest are blank in my mind.

The mother-daughter relationship is, without a doubt, complicated. It feels as though one minute you’re best friends, and the next, you’re fighting constantly. Rarely is there an in-between. A world where we never quarrel and just live blissfully, without conflict, is a fantastical concept. There’s always something to be argued about—my room being messy, my grades, my choice of clothing—the list goes on.

According to Stanford Medicine, past the age of 13 an adolescent's brain stops paying as much attention to their mother’s voice and instead on the voices of various unfamiliar things. As teens, we enter a period where we try to discover and refine our individual identity. Our worldview and priorities shift dramatically. The more we try to become the people we want to be, the more we stray away from our roots.

“The Runaway Bunny,” a classic picture book and a personal staple of my childhood, starts with this paragraph: "Once, there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. So he said to his mother, 'I am running away.'

'If you run "The Runaway Bunny," a children's book about mother-child relationships. away,' said his PHOTO BY ARIYA ANVARI mother, 'I will impossible, and there’s nothing I can do about that. run after you. For you are my little bunny.'”

Recently, I had one of the worst weeks of my life. I was And despite the fact that this is a children's novel about swamped with schoolwork, my stress levels were through rabbits, I have never seen something that more perfectly the roof, and caffeine was proving itself to be a rather exdescribes the complexities of mother and daughter.

pensive resource to acquire. One night, I fell asleep on top of my homework without having even broken its surface.

At around 1 in the morning, my mom came to check on me, knowing that I was supposed to be studying that night.

She woke me up and told me that I was doing too much—unnecessarily stressing myself out with classes that ate up all of my time. She was concerned I was compromising my health. She lectured me about taking classes she’d told me not to, and I took it as her telling me that I wasn’t good enough to keep up with the work that I’d willingly signed up for.

I screamed at her. She screamed at me. Ten minutes later, she came into my room, sat on my bed, and apologized. I apologized, too, then burst into tears, my stress finally leaking out of me. My mom hugged me and let me cry—and then she made me the best cup of coffee I’d ever drank in my life.

She’ll never fully understand me. She still doesn’t get why we argue over things like my workload—my point of view is incomprehensible. Even the conversations about our fights lead to more fights, and the rift between us seems ever-growing.

But in those moments when she holds me as I cry, I know it doesn’t matter whether she understands every emotion I have or experience I undergo. She is my pillar during my roughest times. Once I’ve emerged from the tumultuous years of my teens, she will be waiting for me on the other side, with a hug and a smile and a warm cup of coffee, and that is all I will ever need. My mom is my best friend, and she will continue to be that for me for the rest of my life.

editorial: invisible string

by High Tide Editorial Board The Japanese have a myth laced with fate: they believe that at birth, every person has an invisible red string that ties them with another person they are destined to meet. For better or for worse, say the gods, two people are meant to change each other.

High school complicates the journey of these threads. We try to tie strings of our own, connecting ourselves with family, friends, and romantic interests, weaving ourselves into a web of different colors that pull us in every direction. Some ties stay strong.

Others fray over time—maybe, if we ignore the damage, it’ll fix itself—and when it does unravel, there is nothing that can be done to mend it. It takes the tugging, crossing, pulling and breaking of these strings to find who the universe intended us to meet.

The rise of digital communication and social media have transformed the way that the world communicates with each other and, on a closer level, how young people communicate among themselves.

More and more, our generation’s connections come with a “no-strings-attached” agreement. The “situationship” was so termed in 2017 by Carina Hsieh to identify the gray area of romantic relationships: the no-man’s

land that we walk on unsteadily because we don’t know where one personal boundary ends and the other begins, or what each landmark means. “Friends with benefits” are two people who have a strictly platonic relationship but participate in physical intimacy; while this is not a new dynamic, teenagers are joining a demographic historically associated with the 20-35 age range.

This new progression is harmful. This expansion of gray area harms communication and relationships: the life skills of clear communication and respecting boundaries are never built, and genuine affection and connection are diminished by “talking stages” where Snapchats and texting replace coffee dates and dinner.

As we make ourselves comfortable in the gray area between relationships, we leave fundamental interpersonal skills undeveloped. Never defining a relationship status might make someone “comfortable,” but it hides the fact that they cannot be honest with themselves or others about their feelings. It can also be a mechanism to avoid truthful and straightforward conversation, which, while awkward, are a crucial element of healthy relationships of any kind. Clarity of understanding is clarity of mind.

Undefined boundaries also skip some of the most enjoyable parts of a young relationship: developing a connection with one’s partner. A snap streak is not

a quantifier of how well you know someone—forget making it to your “best friends” list, let’s go on a drive and get ice cream while talking about our interests.

Normalizing genuine connection (and a little bit of actual romance) sets us up for healthy dating in the future, even if it isn’t with the person you initially expected.

Young people today are more comfortable without labels than with them, or making new labels for dynamics that exist outside of the traditional platonic and romantic expectations. We’ve got a name for every shade in the gray area between dating and not dating. We’re afraid of committing to people we care about, but we can’t be without people—their content, their company, their correspondence. We walk a tightrope between personal independence and chronic codependence. The fall from romance is, for lack of a better term, sad. and the breakdown of communication hurts us in the long run.

As a generation, it’s up to us to work towards dismantling our newly-developed idea of how the dating process looks–replace texting and snapping with dates. Meet up for coffee. If you want a classic 90s rom-com kind of love, make it yourself. No one is stopping you but you.

It’s worth the extra effort. We just have to believe it

opinion 11

high tide dec. 14, 2023

Crash and BURN Being self-destructive can also lead to the destruction of your relationships

by Kat Otey

F

or some reason, so many of us–including me–tend to believe that suffering makes us better people, or that sacrifice makes us better friends.

At the very least, we might believe that the effects of self-sabotage remain right there within yourself. But they don't.

Self-sabotage can feel “better” than whatever pain is being inflicted by outside sources because it’s something that is within our control. We can’t control the amount of homework a teacher gives us, but we can control how late we stay up doing it. We work through the entire night because we are convinced that it is an act of rebellion to meet expectations, despite the pain that it takes to do so. A bad grade is out of your control, but a night without sleep is within your control. It makes sense, allegedly, to favor the night without sleep again and again—and it’s far easier said than done to stop.

In fact, part of what makes this cycle of treating yourself badly while remaining in otherwise healthy friendships and relationships, is the disconnect between “saying” and “doing.” Of course, we know that the hypercompetitive nature of our college system is toxic. Of course, we know that selfcare and self-love are incredibly important factors in our mental and physical health.

We tell our friends that they shouldn’t doubt themselves so much, that academics aren’t more important than our mental health and that it’s okay to make mistakes.

Not us, though. Hypothetically, those things are all true. But I have an exam tomorrow, I have a project due at midnight, and I don’t have time for the self-care that I would tell a friend to prioritize.

This disconnect between how we treat

ourselves and how we treat people who care about us makes would-be comforting affirmations incredibly hypocritical. Not only is this hypocrisy hurting your relationships, it can be harmful.

I have been told that I absolutely have to go to sleep by a person who I knew planned to stay up even longer; I wasn’t reassured.

I felt lazy. God forbid I go to sleep. We are told that college isn’t everything. But we are told this by people who we know have sacrificed hours upon hours to study, who complain to us about classes that they never had to take and actively despise, who “went to sleep at 5 a.m. this morning, then got up an hour later. But it’s fine.”

I have been told that I shouldn’t skip meals. Of course I shouldn’t–it’s unhealthy and prevents your body from functioning. Yet I often eat lunch surrounded by people who “forgot lunch,” or “will eat later.” There’s enough indirect pressure in the general cultural attitude towards food without seeing that same pressure directly reflected in the people around us every day.

It doesn’t matter how different you think you are: The way that you view and treat yourself will reflect on the people around you. It will make them feel horribly about themselves, and eventually grow into an unhealthy relationship that both of you associate with bitterness, jealousy and self-hatred. And I say this not to guilt trip anyone, or to discredit anyone struggling to a point at which trying to be healthier is not yet even an option, but rather because some-

times we all need a reality check on our self-perception and a objective world view.

But again, that is easier said than done.

The culmination of all of these complicated feelings, the thing I might struggle with the most, is the fear that I am stuck in this view of myself. That being healthy and living a successful life are two opposite ends of a spectrum—and that I have to pick one place on that spectrum and stick to it.

But that’s just not true. It’s ridiculous, actually. As ridiculous as all the hypocritical things that we say. We are not stagnant throughout our lives, just as we are not stagnant

within our relationships. Change is actually one of the most important factors in said relationships—especially in friendships, and in your relationship with yourself.

Wake up earlier. Go to bed earlier. Make yourself breakfast every day for a week. Put snacks in your backpack one day. Pack a full lunch the next day. Drink all of your water.

Go for a walk. Sit outside. Do nothing. Sit down and do nothing and have no regrets.

Cry for three hours. Drive a half an hour to see your friends. Go to therapy. Talk about your problems, then face them. Make the same mistake, then forgive yourself. Drink tea with too much sugar. Make a purchase that you used to think was irresponsible but now you know it isn’t: it makes you happy.

Clean your bed, wash your sheets, take a shower.

Compliment people. Compliment yourself.

What do you love?

What do you care about? Who do you care about?

Take care of yourself, only then can you take care of them.

PHOTO BY Mia Cielak.

Rushed intimacy can ruin high school relationships

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by Ava Anzivino

’m sure we’ve all heard of “the bas- ishing–or even introducing–skills like senes of dating.” Are they talking about sitivity to your partner’s feelings, working baseball? Certainly not. Now that towards mutuality between one another, it’s “cuffing season,” teenage relationships communicating and committing. However, have arisen all around us, and for many, it’s necessary to acknowledge who you’re navigating the inner workings of those re- engaging in this intimacy with, which is lationships can become stressful. If we’re where foundation becomes key. all so stressed out, why are we treating Far too many times I’ve seen relationphysical intimacy as if we’re actually run- ships fail because they’re built purely off ning bases? of physical attraction and hormones. A What I’ve come to realize about high now-traditional “talking stage,” meaning schoolers is that we’re normalizing rushing starting a relationship as friends, assures at the physical aspects of our relationships. least one thing: you might actually like who In some ways, teenagers can make sex you’re dating. This is what people miss out some sort of sport—a competitive sport at on when they commit to relationships simthat. It has turned into a race within friend ply because they want the physical benefits; groups to become the most it’s more risky to bank sexually experienced, to apon attraction. Attraction pear more mature or cool fades, but character is because you’ve advanced to permanent. see that side of your partner. Attraction fades, Even then, a strong This puts a hot spotlight on but character is foundation isn’t all you people in relationships to need to reach this lev“get busy,” although some permanent. el of companionship might not feel comfortwith your partner. It’s a able, instigating poor deci- AVA ANZIVINO trust in one another that sion-making. Those types of can only be developed SOPHOMORE decisions and pressures can through time and exbe detrimental to not only periences that you face the relationship itself but also the individ- together, which is why pacing is crucial to uals in it. young relationships. To me, the best way Sex and intimacy is an integral part of to go about a new relationship is to take adolescent psychological development, it slow, and build trust with your partner contrary to the controversial reputation it so that they’re satisfied emotionally before has. If everything isn’t correctly timed, it taking any big physical steps. can have drastic negative effects on personOftentimes, if it’s not being taken slowal growth. According to Dr. Carol Franz, a ly, one partner feels as though they’re being professor at the Psychiatry Center at UC used by the other just to say they’ve had the San Diego, intimacy unlocks the final tran- experience. This can instill a lack of trust sition into adulthood. It works towards pol- not only in that relationship, but in other

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relationships to come, reaffirming Franz’s need to sexually advance because it will research about the ideals we obtain from “put them ahead” of their peers, it actually intimacy. Not only does it contribute to a lessens the chances of maturity as it stunts lack of trust, but it can also cause guilt or each partner’s ability to cultivate skills in resentment as partners strive to become trust, commitment and communication— sexual equals. If one partner isn’t holding all of which being things that will eventualup their end of the bargain, they might feel ly compromise the relationship. But we all unhappy with themselves for not meeting know that relationships are trial and error, their significant other’s needs while the and whether or not it works out, you’re goother partner in return becomes unsatis- ing to take something out of it in the end. fied. Pressure like this could end up hasten- So run those bases like you’re Aaron Judge ing the pace, which may push boundaries if you must, just slap on the phrase: “It was and cause discomfort in the relationship. for the plot!”

I’m dodging the prudish allegations as I’m writing this, and I really don’t mean to be discouraging–or cold–when I say we should all be taking it slow. It’s all up to one’s personal preferences on how they want to show their affection The High Tide encourages greater input of perand commitment to someone, spectives from both students and staff. If you have which will differ across the an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be board. However, biological sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com anthropologist Dr. Helen FishWe reserve the right to edit for content, gramer says in a New York Times mar and space constraints. Letters must be signed interview that a slow-paced and are not guaranteed to be printed. Please keep relationship does not discourletters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest age sex, but actually adds more opinions are also accepted. value to it, disproving the idea that people who want to take it slow are “no fun” or puritanical. Taking it slow shows the The High Tide aims to share care they have for their signifithe voices of a wider swath of cant other, as they want to prethe RUHS student population, serve their relationship whilst beyond just our staff members. also creating a build-up that If you have a story to share, a will make intimacy more prounique outlook on something, found rather than lustful. or a personal opinion, fill out When couples feel the the form linked at the QR code.

letters to the

editor voice column

entertainment "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" is a worthy addition to the "Hunger Games" cinematic universe

SNOW

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LANDS ON TOP

the fictional country of Panem. The movie tells the story of the power struggle between the Capitol and the surrounding 12

by Amina Raiss Districts. The Capitol is the power center of o say that I am a fan of “The Hun- Panem, the victor in the war with the surger Games” movies and book rounding districts. As punishment to the series would be a massive under- Districts for their collective uprising, the statement. I’ve loved The Hunger Games leaders of the Capitol created the Hunger for as long as I can remember. I read all Games. These televised “games” are meant the books in middle school and watched to discourage any further attempts at rethe movies immediately thereafter. So of bellion. The Capitol selects two random course, when Suzanne Collins released young tributes from each District, forced the prequel “A Ballad of Songbirds and to compete to the death. During the 74th Snakes,” I immediately bought myself a Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peecopy. The story lays the groundwork for ta Mellark are the tributes from District 12 The Hunger Games and begin the downfall of the Games and trilogy by introthe Capitol. ducing the origin The prequel introduces 18-year-old Costory of Corioriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), an ambitious lanus Snow, the social climber who is concealing his famifuture president ly's fall from grace. Snow is determined to of Panem. I was win the coveted Plinth prize, whose monvery excited to etary reward will immediately restore his see the movie family to the upper crust. Concurrently, version of the we learn that the previously popular prequel, so, Hunger Games has lost its luster. The it was with ambitious Snow decides to use the much anticHunger Games as a vehicle to further ipation that his agenda by suggesting ways to inI went to the crease the Games’ popularity and movie theater support. To this end, the Capitol on Thanksofficials assign each member of the giving weekgraduating class to a tribute. Snow end with my is paired with Lucy Gray Baird (Ralittle brother chel Zegler) from District 12. in tow.

This was one of the best movFor the ies I’ve seen in a long time. I love reader not dystopian films and miss them in familiar with today's media. While I always enthe Hunger joy rom-coms or thrillers, dystoGames stopian films are very nostalgic and ryline, the dysnever disappoint. It was amaztopian tale is ing being transported to Panem 1 set far in the and while I missed Katniss and future, in Peeta, this new cast created

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equally lovable and hateable characters. Even though the film was 2 hours and 38 minutes, I would’ve gladly sat in the theater for another hour. The film was captivating in every way, from the chemistry with the cast to the camera work. I loved the casting of the other tributes, despite the little screen time they got, several managed to portray such raw emotion and I felt connected to them. The little details the actors added to their roles made them so much more real and reminded the audience that these aren’t just Lucy Gray's opponents, but victims of the Capitol as well. Dimitri Abold, who played the District 11 male tribute Reaper, did a brilliant job in all of his moments, but my favorite would have to be when he tears down the Capitol flag after his District partner dies.

The scene was so moving and was the part of the movie that stuck with me the most.

I also enjoyed the cinematography, as the camera work amplified whatever emotion the viewer was supposed to be feeling.

Whether it be anticipation or joy, the camera angles and movement only added to the incredible performance by the actors. One of my favorite scenes was when Snow and Lucy Gray first entered the arena and the camera pans out behind them, making the two look much smaller in comparison to the arena.

Though incredibly well-done, in an effort to condense the story, many details were simply omitted or presented with little to no nuance. It didn’t give a reason for the viewers to despise Snow, how we’re supposed to. Yes, he was clearly the villain but the books made him so much worse than was shown in the movie. Because of

2 PHOTOS 1 & 2 VIA THEMOCKINGJAY.COM

this, it was easier for viewers to fall in love with the character, when in reality he’s supposed to be a horrible person, even in his youth. Per the title, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,'' I appreciated the songs (ballads) in the movie. Rachel Zegler has a beautiful voice that perfectly encapsulates Lucy Gray's character. However, since many vital character-building moments were cut out of the movie, some of the time could’ve been used to include these scenes.

Despite these criticisms, I would still recommend the movie. The overall storyline is engaging and well-told. The cinematography is captivating and transports the viewer into a dystopian world. The filmmakers were able to seamlessly give this prequel the aesthetic of the original Hunger Games movies.

"The Lovely Bones" tells a heartbreaking yet neccesary tale of tragedy and grief

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by Daniella Gross s I read, my body is consumed with the sudden urge to get up and throw my book against the wall with a fiery rage. The beautiful words of Alice Sebold written from the perspective of a young murder and rape victim are simply too compelling. The malevolent horrors in Sebold's novel, “The Lovely Bones,” are not those of scary monsters that hide under your bed at night, but those of demented neighbors that live two doors down.

Originally published in 2002, Sebold's novel begins on Dec. 6, 1973, when 14-yearold Susie Salmon is violently raped and murdered by her unassuming neighbor Mr. Harvey. Harvey proceeds to dispose of all the evidence, all of which takes place within the first chapter. Though the content is twisted and tragic, there is so much more to the story than a chilling and disgusting murder. After Susie passed on, she reached the In-Between. This is a safe haven in between the living and the dead, though she refers to it as “her heaven.” From this new home surrounded by other wandering souls, Susie must watch her family and friends grapple with the immense loss and mystery of her disappearance. Only she knows what happened, and Mr. Harvey is very careful at covering his tracks and creating a meticulous alibi. Though this aspect was certainly mysterious and engaging, what I found to be the most memorable about this book was the fascinating insight into grief.

Each one of Susie's devastated family members represents a different stage of

grieving, and in the end, they all come to terms with her death in their own way.

Susie's mother Abigail Salmon comes to resent and ignore her remaining children and she grows distant from her husband, representing guilt and shock. On the opposite spectrum, Jack Salmon, Susie's father, is a kind and determined man who can’t let go of Susie, representing anger and bargaining. I appreciated how Sebold didn’t follow the typical gender roles of father and mother, as Jack stayed to take care of his children and followed his “fatherly instincts.” Portraying the mother as an impulsive and rash parent was a fresh component.

Susie's younger sister Lindsey is a fascinating character. She is the one who stands like a pillar amid the chaos. Lindsey represents denial and sadness, as she thinks of her sister most in solitude. I found this to be relatable as many high school students such as myself often take on burdens of the family under times of pressure. I loved how Lindsey acted as a gateway for Susie to have second-hand experiences of teenage trends or romance because often, we take these liberties for granted, not expecting that growing up could have that much value.

Although there was a lot done right in expressing the character's grief, Sebold's take on the afterlife isn’t particularly fresh or unique. When she first arrives, Susie is met with a life-like simulation of her school. Her heaven is filled with familiar scents, puppies, and teen magazines. It

raises the question; is that all that awaits us after we die? Is there nothing more to heaven? I felt that there wasn’t enough depth, and this factor fell short for me. This is why Sebold's basic conception of heaven made the spotlight on character development so prominent.

There is also one chapter in this book that I found to be unnecessary and embarrassing. It is when Susie returns to Earth in her former friend Ruth's body and can spend one last night with her previous love interest, Ray Singh, after Ruth consents to Susie inhabiting her body- it was a little… awkward to read.

Though it was strange, it is in a sense poetic that she is redefining her relationship with men, and reclaiming what Mr. Harvey took from her. She was reclaiming her body, reclaiming her rights, which is so powerful to the message of sexual assault.

This novel as a whole brings sexual assault and murder of young children to the forefront, something any parent will try to push away. This growing concern often goes unnoticed, and Sebold emphasizes the unlikeliness of the victim receiving justice.

Though some might find the content too mature and depressing, this novel broke me with a beautiful story of innocence and loss, especially because Susie is a year younger than I am, it makes it feel more real.

In my opinion, if a book doesn’t make you cry at least once, it isn’t a good book. It isn’t paranormal horror that scares me after this book. It is men.

The true intentions of humans are terrifying, and "The Lovely Bones" is unapologetic and raw, thick with sentiments and truth. When I read the first chapter, I felt itchy and flushed, restless with the urgent need for a shower with the hopes of washing away the chilling and gut-wrenching acts of Mr. Harvey. As Sebold writes, “Horror on earth is real and it is every day. It is like a flower or like the sun; it cannot be contained-” a truth found to be painfully evident.

PHOTO VIA GOODREADS

entertainment 13

high tide dec. 15, 2023

by Scarlett Mische

Entertainment editor Scarlett Mische examines and ranks her favorite brands of potato chips in search of the perfect salty snack

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love salt. Maybe it’s because salt at least add a ranking of it, for the benefit really is a superior seasoning, or of those who don’t like oil. When rating maybe it’s just because I have an oiliness, the higher the number, the less iron deficiency: who knows? What I am oily.

N o w , on to my actual certain of is that salt will forever be a priof six difmary factor when deciding on the best ranking potato chip. And, considering that I’m ferent about to embark on a mission to do just that, I figure that mentioning my affinity to salt is essential.

So, other than salt being an important potato chip factor, I would say that the second most important 6) Pringles aspect of potato chips is crunchiness.

Salt: 7.5/10 If my potato chips aren’t crunchy, then Crunchiness: 6.5/10 brands something is very wrong with them.

Density: 7.5/10 of potato chips, The crunchiness of a chip could even outweigh the saltiness if it is truly crunchy.

Texture: 5/10 ranked from worst And, by truly crunchy, I mean that it’s Oiliness: 9.5/10 to best. (Also, a small disclaimer is not chewy and yet breaks almost instantly in your mouth, similarly to eating in- that when actually ranking them, I did credibly toasted toast. I like my toast al- not calculate the score for “oiliness” into most brittle, which is exactly how I like their overall scores because it isn’t somemy chips. thing I would hold against the chip.)

In a way, density is just a part of Trust me, I’m as surprised as you are that “crunchiness;” however, I feel that it is Pringles has ranked last. Objectively, I important enough that it like Pringles. They’re by no means my still deserves favorite chip, but the fact that its own rankthey ranked last wasn’t what I was expecting. Then again, ing. I like my I’m not sure what exactly I did chips to be airy expect. The issue with Pringles and not dense. is that fundamentally, they’re As I said, this bland, and although they may have does play into an initial crunch, the crunchiness 4) Kettle they quickbecause generally, denser chips are ly become Salt: 8.5/10 less crunchy and chewy.

Crunchiness: 10/10 more chewy, but I honestly Density: 7.5/10 think that both that isn’t always Texture: 9/10 the case, such as my salt and Oiliness: 6.5/10 crunchiness in the case of Rufscores were fles, which is why pretty generous towards Pringdensity gets its own category. les, especially when considering In terms of how how much better some of these I will be rating other chips are. Though, I do density, the think it is important to mention higher the number, the less dense it is. t h a t Pringles get a bonus point for their Density, saltiness and crunchiness are shape, which stacks nicely, allowing for definitely the most important compo- unique cylindrical packaging. Another nents of a chip; however, I also feel that notable aspect of Pringles would be the chip something that more chip brands should fact that it was the least oily really work towards is creating unique of all the chips I textures. Texture is important in the tried, and so sense that it is a nice addition to a chip, if that even if it doesn’t change my fundamental is imopinion of a chip. It can be a nice added bonus, such as with the crinkle on a Ruffles or the bumpiness on a Kettles, however not essential.

Now, if I’m being entirely honest, I personally would stop judging a chip af- p o r t ter texture. However, I know that this is ant to you, then maybe not always the case for others, and so I spring for some Pringles. will be judging oiliness. Although the oilI love Ruffles so much, and the fact iness of a chip honestly doesn’t matter to that they are this far down on the list is to no fault of their own, rather that they simme personally, I know that the feeling of grease can ply couldn’t compare to more above be annoying, and so average chips. Honestly, where I figured that I they really lost points should for me would be density.

Ruffles, Trador Joe's Potato Chips, Kettles, Lays, Cape Cod Kettle Chips, Pringles and Scarlett Mische and Daniella Gross holding a variety of potato chips.

They are just a much denser chip, hence they don’t break as quickly when you bite into them. They are still crunchy though, which once again adds to my surprise at the fact that they are ranked at fifth place.

And while they are unfortunately ranked lower due to not being airy enough, they are still a very salty chip, which to me is incredibly important, so if you like salt, I would recommend trying Ruffles. But, more importantly than any other aspect of Ruffles is that they go well with french onion dip. Because they go well with french onion dip, I feel obligated to give them an extra point, b e c a u s e what would t h e world b e with-

sides to these chips would be that they are a bit denser than I would normally like a chip to be, and they are rather oily.

But overall, I actually think that Kettle chips are deserving of the #4 spot on this list and are a good choice of snack.

One of the most popular potato chips: Trader Joe’s Classic Potato Chip. I’m not going to lie, I was fully expecting to find this chip to be average, but that was certainly not the case. This chip was exemplary, and I found almost every aspect of it to be enjoyable. The only issue with these chips was that, although they had a nice initial crunch, they quickly became chewy. And something that I didn’t find to be an issue, but that might be annoying for certain people is that the Trader Joe’s chips are rather oily. Although there are some minor drawbacks, this chip overall is worth purchasing.

A brand of chip that I actually 2) Cape Cod tried for the first time around Salt: 9.75/10 a week ago, yet still one of Crunchiness: 10/10 the best potato chips ever: Density: 9.75/10 Cape Cod’s kettle cooked poTexture: 10/10 tato chips. They may be filled with oil, but more importantly, Oiliness: 6/10 they’re the most crunchy chips out onion dip? I’ve ever had. Although other chips on I think it this list do have a crunchiness rankwould be ing of 10/10, think of Cape Cod chips an even as being closer to an 11/10. These chips s a d d e r have a nice texture and a relatively light world then the one we have now, density, which combined makes for an hence Ruffles get an extra point for being amazingly crunchy chip, with an almost inherently associated with french onion perfect amount of salt (of course I’d still dip in my mind. prefer more salt, Kettle chips. I honestly didn’t but that’s think that kettle chips a minoriwould make it this far up ty opinin my ranking. To be fair, ion).

If I’ve never really viewed you value potato chips from a critical crunchiness vantage point until recently, over saltiness, but if someone had I would definitely asked if I would 5) Ruffles say that these chips rank Kettle chips are the way to go because their crunch is Salt: 9/10 as fourth on simply perfect. Overall, this chip without Crunchiness: 8/10 a potato chip a doubt is entitled to its space on this list.

Density: 5/10 ranking list, And at number one, we have Lay’s.

I would most Texture: 9/10 I knew before even ranking these chips likely have re- Oiliness: 7.5/10 that no chips’ saltiness could compare to sponded “no.”

Lay’s, and so, I also knew from the beHowever, now that I a m ginning which chip would be taking the ranking chips, I’ve realized number one spot. As you might have that Kettles have a lot more noticed, no other chip on this list has a going for them than people 10/10 in the salt category, and that is begive them credit for. They’re cause I compared all of their salt levels to insanely crunchy, have a Lay’s. I know that they are a rather basic nice texture, potato chip choice, and that for people and, al- who don’t like too much salt, Lay’s are 3) Trader Joes t h o u g h probably the bane of their existence, but they’re a in my eyes, no other chip could possibly Salt: 9.5/10 Crunchiness: 8.5/10 tiny bit truly compete. They are crunchy, airy, bland, have a stereotypical potato-chip texture Density: 10/10 t h e y s t i l l to them, and above all, they are so salty. h a v e Texture: 9/10 The only foreseeable drawback to Lay’s is a fair Oiliness: 6/10 that they are definitely the most oily chip amount on this list, so if that is an issue I of salt. The would probably recommend only real looking into a less oily chip. downBut, because oiliness isn’t a real concern to me, Lay’s top the charts when it comes to being a potato chip.

1) Lay’s Salt: 10/10 Crunchiness: 10/10 Density: 10/10 Texture: 9.75/10 Oiliness: 5/10

14

sports

GAME 3

1

2

GONE

4

SOUTH

5

6

Boys soccer falls short 2-1 in a competitive match up against South

by Victor Simoes

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n a tense contest with tight backand-forths, boys soccer played hard but lost to South High School, 2-1.

The game opened with a play by junior attacking midfielder Finn Ailiff and senior attacking mid Aiden O’Brien, bringing the ball close to South’s goal and probing the tight defense for opportunities. South soon claimed possession of the ball, but it did not last for long as senior center back Jeremy Beauchamp was able to boot the ball back into play, keeping Redondo on the offense.

“We started strong. We were connecting passes and knocking around, but honestly, we need to be much more direct and much more attack-focused if we want to win games,” senior right back Austin Flippo said.

Ailiff soon got another chance at the goal, as a punt cleared it far past South’s defenses and put the ball straight into his domain. The pace carried towards the goal, but may have carried the ball too far, as the pressure of the play translated into a kick that shot through the air but missed the goal.

“We definitely looked very dangerous attacking. There were a couple moments where we had a really good chance, really good combination from our wingers and our strikers. Just one more moment of quality and we could be a really good team,” Flippo said.

Later, Ailiff was able to play the ball through to junior striker Owen Hancock who then dummied the ball, handing the ball temporarily to junior left winger Danniell Bueno who then crossed it back, setting up Hancock to make an opportunistic header that was another near score.

When the chance arose for senior striker Joseph Guerra to make a break, South’s defense was quick on his tail as he advanced forwards. With both teams reacting quick-

ly, the ball wavered in the penalty area and got caught between defensive and offensive forces, stalling the play and ending the first half.

“The first half we were all ready for it.

We knew they were a good team coming into it. Everybody was locked in and everybody just knew they had to give it their all,” Hancock said.

Heading into the second half, both teams were still thirsty to place the first point on the scoreboard. A corner kick by South was thankfully met by a crowded goal, but Redondo dodged a bullet as a rebound shot nearly blazed into the goal anyways.

With 23 minutes left, a freekick by South from barely outside the penalty box sent the ball strolling into the goal, marking the first point of the game and a jump in the intensity as the players saw what it would take to win.

“Our team as a whole just needs to respond quicker. We shouldn't just start trying once we get scored on, that has to be an immediate [attitude] from the beginning of the game,” Hancock said.

7

When the game resumed, Flippo and Hancock rescued the ball from Redondo’s half and handed it to junior center back Jett Panis and Bueno who pressed hard

against South’s defense. South, however, was soon back within Redondo’s half, and with a quick succession of rebounds off Redondo’s goal scored their second point, within two minutes of their first goal.

“The two goals were a lapse of focus in the backline, and that's gonna happen, which means we need to score goals earlier.

It comes from both the defensive mistakes and attacking mistakes together as a team,” Flippo said.

The pressure from the back-to-back goals boosted Redondo as senior center back Riley Hernandez booted the ball forwards, bringing it under Bueno’s direction.

As the offensive raced forwards, Hancock was able to recover the ball as it drifted to the sidelines, but the moment's delay gave South’s defense the chance to catch up and halt the play.

“Offensively, we had a lot of good moments that stood out. Those are just going to get better with time and we hope to capitalize on those going forward.

Our chances have been going up,” senior center mid Gabe Giusti said.

Then, as South threatened to score a third goal, Flippo reacted quickly, kicking the ball out of bounds, and granting the rest of defense the ability to set up and end South’s move.

“Our goal as a team is always to have possession on the ball and be the better team in possession, but in a game where we're getting hard pressed a lot

8

we have to go more in behind and be more ready for that and work on our tactics,” Giusti said.

With the ball coming into junior right winger Gavin Hancock’s possession, he launched a fast break that advanced the ball further to senior striker Kaleb Moore who made a shot, but the kick stuck close to the ground and was blocked by South’s goalie.

Nearing the end of the game, O’brien passed forwards the ball to Owen Hancock who was able to chest it past South’s defense and get a shot offthat grazed the goalie’s hands as it made it into the net.

“You just have to make runs and get yourself in good spots. That's my philosophy. You need to focus on shooting and finishing because the runs will come, actually focusing on the final piece [is what matters],” Owen Hancock said.

With the insight from their fourth game and second loss, the team looks forward to better chances and improving as they head into Bay League. “[Opportunities] come and we have a lot of good moments, we just need to capitalize more on those,” Giusti said. “[Even] if [goals] go through, if we can keep ourselves compact defensively and limit those errors, then we'll continue to get better.”

1. Seniors Gabriel Giusti, Aiden O'Brien, and Riley getting ready to defend against South's strikers.

2. Riley Hernandez covers one of South's strikers as he makes a run for the goal.

3. Defender Aiden O'Brien passing the ball to Redondo's midfielders.

4. Redondo making a run for a potential final goal.

5. Senior Austin Flippo running to retrieve the ball from South's strikers.

6. Aiden O'Brien tries to kick the ball out of South's possession.

7. Senior Jamie Vasquez trying to maintain possession.

8. Austin Flippo assesses the play before making .

PHOTOS 1-6 BY SASCHA PERDUE PHOTOS 7-8 BY DYLAN MOORE

sports 15

high tide dec. 14, 2023

Girls waterpolo won 2 of 3 games in the Villapark tournament

by Malina Young

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fter placing second in the twoday Saddleback tournament the weekend before, falling to Marlborough 9-8 in the championship match, the girls water polo team made their way south to compete in the three-day Villapark tournament at Huntington Beach High School Dec. 7-9.

According to senior Kiley Pierce, the team was “nervous” heading into the tournament since the girls had not practiced together since Monday and were placed against Long Beach Wilson, a strong team they were unfamiliar with. The girls fell to Wilson 16-3, scoring goals towards the end by getting their set players to the center to post up to be open, allowing their defense to drop in on LB Wilson so the three girls at the top could move in and score.

“We had a pretty good defense, but they were a tougher team than we were used to playing, so it was kind of a shock. I think it [this game] helped us get back into the water and get the muscle memory back.

We struggled to work together on offense because they would just shut us down because they had really strong girls, so we couldn't really get the ball moving around,” senior Skylar Rothschild said.

The girls ended Thursday with a win in a back-and-forth game against Cathedral Catholic, 9-6. According to Pierce, the team did well talking when someone was open or needed help on defense, which opened them to a lot of counterattacks, allowing them to grab a lead in the end.

“We take a little bit of time to warm up in the game, so in the first few quarters, we could always be playing better offense or taking better shots. In the third and fourth quarters, we could see how this team [Cathedral] plays, and we can play better. Also, because of our conditioning during preseason, we could continue to swim fast and get the ball throughout the four quarters,” Pierce said.

On Friday, the girls competed against Mount Carmel; inopportunely, Carmel scored a 4-0 in the first quarter, and unable to recover, the girls lost 8-5. According to Pierce, the team was underprepared to defend against the strong and physical sun devils.

“We weren’t communicating much, which led to some of the girls [Carmel] being open. It was a Friday night after a long day of school, so our energy died down at the end of the game, which led us to make mistakes on defense, allowing them to get open easily. However, we tried to move the ball around more, which led us to get more passes and shots off,” Rothschild said.

On Saturday, the girls played in a nail-bitter game against Valhalla High School, and fell short 7-8, Valhalla scoring the winning goal in the last quarter. Valhalla’s ability to steal forced the girls to make adjustments and move frequently. Pierce notes that Valhalla’s defense pressured the team into making many passing mistakes.

“At the moment, it’s like, ‘I just need to get rid of this ball because they’re going to steal it otherwise.’ So making sure that we’re making good passes is something we can work on; it was a close game, and we should have beat them,” Pierce said.

The team ended their tournament run with a win against Yucaipa, 12-10. The team shut down their set, which allowed them a good draw and forced Yucaipa to shoot from the outside. Pierce notes that their communication was vital, allowing them to adapt to Yucaipa’s unique lineup.

“We went into the game thinking we weren't going to do that well because we had heard rumors all day that they beat a really good team, so we were a little nervous and doubted our abilities. I think we all kind of stepped up once we got in the game. It was fun to see everyone do well on defense and scoring,” Rothschild said.

The girls cross country team and Adam Divinity qualified and competed in DI CIF State Championship in Fresno

by London Carbone

R

unning three miles on various courses, competing in 10 meets this season, waiting to find out their points and times—cross country runners have prepared for it all. In this year's CIF state championship, the entire girls varsity team qualified, in tenth place out of the ten to make it to state. Junior Adam Divinity qualified as an individual along with 230 others.

Qualifying for state requires the team or individual to place in the top 10 in the division.

Each individual's running time affects each other because the main goal is to end with 2. as few points as possible. The faster the athlete runs, the less points the team receives. Both the girls and boys teams competed in CIF prelims on Nov. 14; the girls placed first with 56 points and Divinity placed second overall with a time of 15.15 (second fastest time in each overall heat) qualifying them for CIF finals. On Nov. 18 the girls and Divinity competed in CIF finals, the girls placed seventh with 207 points and Divinity placed second, qualifying them for CIF State.

On Nov. 25 the girls and Divinity made their way to Fresno, to compete in the DI CIF State Championship, the girls placed twelfth p l a c e with 286 points, and Divinity placed 103 out of 182 boys.

Prelims were hosted at the Mt. Sac regular course in Walnut. This year the boys team did not qualify, but it gave Divinity the opportunity to compete as an individual runner.

3.

“Going into

prelims, I talked with Coach Bob [Redondo’s head cross country coach] and Kiersten, his wife, because she's really good with the course. She told me the big difference that I had to change from Mt. Sac Invitational to prelims is that I needed really good positioning at the start, because that's really when the race unfolds. I followed her steps, I got out really hard and was within the top three at the first mile mark. You gotta get out really hard for this one and just maintain your position during t h e race,” Divinity said.

Going into CIF finals the 1.

2. team had to prepare for a completely different course than intended. Although the finals were planned to be hosted at the familiar Mt. Sac in Walnut course, due to the weather, officials made the decision to move the race onto their rain course. These are often more flat and adapted so that the runners aren’t as susceptible to injury. “[For finals my coach and his friend] told me it's on the line here, that I needed to work for my team and myself or I won’t make it to state. That was the mentality going in it, I had to flip that switch and get going,” Divinity said.

Cross country is Divinity’s secondary sport to track, but during this season it became more impactful to him because of the way it helped him realize his talent.

“With all the work I put in the offseason, getting to state was a heartfelt moment for me. At first I didn’t like cross country and now in my second year doing it I'm going to state all by myself,” Divinity said. “Making state showed me that I’m where I’m supposed to be at this level with all these fast kids and it opened my eyes to a potential that I never thought I had.”

The girls had some of these same realization and confidence boosters, however, because they qualified as a team they had to rely on each other that much more.

Through prelims and finals senior Lauren Strazzeri, who placed fourteenth in prelims, eighty fourth in finals, 135th in state, worked with her team and pushed herself for them.

“For CIF prelims, we made it like a business trip. We know where we're at as a team and individually, so it was really that we needed to do our best on that given day,” said Strazzeri. “[For finals] going into it, I believe in my team. Even though I didn't have the best race, I knew the girls

1. could pull through. All of our hard work came to play at the right moment and even if some of us didn't have the best race of our lives, we put our best foot forward in it, and raced and fought to the finish and that's what it's all about.”

Every race gives a chance for reflection and for senior Lyla Fedio, she saw state as a way to improve herself. “[At state], I felt mentally there. I got out pretty fast and with the lead pack and I kept my head up and kept pushing forward.

I could have worked on not falling back as much as I did,” said Fedio.

“

Making it to state meant a lot to the girls because that was like our primary goal that was the pinnacle of what we wanted to do this season,

what we wanted to accomplish.

LAUREN STRAZZERI SENIOR According to Strazzeri, this experience is impactful because it’s her last highschool season with her team and she was able to see all their potential.

“Making it to state meant a lot to the girls because that was like our primary goal that was the pinnacle of what we wanted to do this season, what we wanted to accomplish,” said Strazzeri. “We reached the heights that we wanted to, and I think that we got to showcase that we are good enough for state and we are a better team than last year. We've grown as a team, we've matured as a team and it was an exciting experience to showcase all of our talents.”

Running in state prepares these athletes for their future careers in running as all three of these athletes have motivation to continue into college. They’ve learned to work for each other and themselves and how to improve.

“My goal for the future is to keep enjoying the sport because sometimes it's hard to keep your motivation going. I need to keep on grinding, and working hard and loving what I do. As long as I keep loving to run I'll be fine in the future,” said Strazzeri.

1. Adam Divnity competes in Bay League Meet No. 1.

PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK 2. The girls cross country team prepares to compete at the CIF State Championship in Fresno. PHOTO COURTESY OF LYLA FEDIO 3. Lauren Strazzeri competes in the Mt. Sac Invitational. PHOTO BY MIA CIELAK

in-focus 16

high tide dec. 14, 2022

BROKEN

TIES

1

Why are friendship breakups difficult?

by Romi Riss

The friendship often ends abrubtly or unnoticeably by drifting apart.

2

It often ends on bad terms or no discussed terms at all.

3

Friends often hold mismatched expections for what the friendship means.

4

Friendships, unlike romantic relationships, often begin with the expectation it will "last forever," or at least last many years.

5

It often comes with an unexpected grieving period, while in romantic breakups it is expected and often more spoken about.

6

Friends are built on trust and often make up a part of one's identity.

Friendship Facts

According to a 2015 Pew Research Study,

68%

of teen social media user have experiences drama on social media among their friends.

26%

of all teens have had a conflict with their friends over something that happened online or over text messages.

“Teens, Technology, and Friendship.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. Aug. 6, 2015, https://www.pewresearch.org/ internet/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/.

PHOTOS BY DYLAN MOORE

Students struggle to cope with friendship breakups caused by emotional burden, loss of trust and conflicts

by Stavyah Naveen and Marley Van Pelt

T

hree types of friends exist: friends for a reason, friends for a season and friends for a lifetime.

Junior Sadie Simmons and a close friend of 10 years experienced the “straining” ordeal that is the termination of a friendship. According to Simmons, the two shared a tight-knit bond, with her friend spending almost every weekend at Simmons’ house. Simmons attributes the end of their friendship to her friend’s untruthfulnesslying and addiction problems, which caused her friend to push Simmons out of her life completely.

“It broke my heart,” Simmons said. “I considered her my sister and we were always each other's number one.

I never gave up on her because her friendship meant so much to me. But with all her mental health issues, she found it easier to take things out on me and break things off completely.”

Fellow Redondo students also attribute their discontinued friendships to the common thread of mental health issues. According to anonymous junior Maria, her friend of four years listened to all the problems Maria went through but would claim the stories as her own.

“She wanted attention,” Maria said. “My parents sometimes had really bad issues, and right after I told my friend about them, the very same day, people started telling me the exact same story I told her, but saying that it was [my friend’s] her parents.

She would take my personal problems, my personal stories, and make them about herself.”

Sophomore Anaiah Fowlkes experienced a similar situation concerning the falsified circulation of information, only that her friend started to make rumors that affected Fowlkes’ romantic relationship. Fowlkes and her friend met in kindergarten and were friends for nine years up until eighth grade.

At the beginning of eighth grade, Fowlkes began to date a guy, but her friend started accusing him of sexually assaulting her. After the accu-

sations escalated, she came to realize that the rumors her friend created weren’t true.

“She kept going around making rumors, and really bad ones,” Fowlkes said. “It came to the point where she was ruining our relationship.

We were going to break up with each other after only enjoying three weeks of the relationship.”

Marriage and Family Therapist Cinnamon Howard understands this perspective, frequently attributing friend breakups to the betrayal of an individual, intentional or not.

“If the person who [instigated] the betrayal is not willing to acknowledge it or do whatever is necessary to repair the relationship, this is often the biggest cause for friend breakups,” Howard said. “People grow mentally, psychologically and emotionally in different ways, and sometimes we outgrow each other.”

A common factor that either increases the likelihood of friend breakups or worsens

“

I didn’t just lose my friend, but also her parents. They were people that I really loved and it hurt to not be able to also be around them, just because she and I stopped talking.

MARIA ANONYMOUS JUNIOR

it is the presence of parental attachments in friendships.

Simmons credits a key rift in her friendship to a “lack of communication” that was influenced by a dispute between her own parents and

her friend's parents.

“When our parents got into a fight, we had stopped talking simply because we just didn't really have the ability to communicate,” Simmons said. “[My friend] got a new phone and then I couldn't figure out what the number was. In that time of not communicating, she went through a lot of mental health issues and developed a lot of bad habits that led to our friendship ending.”

Maria’s relationship with her friend’s parents worsened the effect of their breakup, where their split actually hurt Maria more because it distanced her from her friend’s parents, with whom she had developed a close relationship.

“We went on vacations together. Her parents paid for me to go to the Virgin Islands,” Maria said. “I didn’t just lose my friend, but also her parents. They were people that I really loved and it hurt to not be able to also be around them, just because she and I stopped talking.”

Howard provides an insight into how such an experience can cause a shift in who a student is as an individual.

“High school students are in a really specific developmental stage where their identities are forming,” Howard said. “The shift from being a child to being an adult and friendships formed during this stage really inform who you are and who you're going to become as an adult.

When we [emotionally] lose a friend or an individual during that stage, this loss can actually shift the person's identity.”

Friend breakups often result in the loss of not only one friend but multiple other friends who share any connection to the experience. Maria also experienced the loss of a string of other friends, as an effect of what was meant to be just one friend breakup.

“I blocked her, and then all of my friends who were also her friends stopped talking to me,” Maria said. “They were closer with her, and I don't even know what she told them, but I lost a bunch of friends over our [fight].”

After losing her friend group, Maria started to lean into other connections and

“

Do your best to embrace the loss of those friends and emotions that come with it. Get support from other friends, and maybe a counselor or a therapist, if necessary. Do your best to get out of your comfort zone and create new connections.

CINNAMON HOWARD MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST

met people who “helped [her] see that normal friends wouldn’t treat [her] that way.”

Fowlkes also learned this same lesson when she lost other close friends as a result of her first friendship collapsing.

“I told everybody that if they believed her, they should leave right now,” Fowlkes said. “My boyfriend stayed, and a few of my other friends stayed. It was then that I learned who were my friends and who weren't.”

When going through these experiences, Howard offers advice on how to move forward and heal from the trauma these friend breakups may trigger and how to navigate future relationships.

“Do your best to embrace the loss of those friends and emotions that come with it,” Howard said. “Get support from other friends, and maybe a counselor or a therapist, if necessary. Do your best to get out of your comfort zone and create new connections.”