High Tide: March 8, 2013 Edition

HIGH

TIDE March 8, 2013 // Vol. XCIII // Edition 11 Redondo Beach, CA // Redondo Union High School

COMING HOME

CHAMPIONS

by Caitlin Cochran and Jene Price

No one expected them to win after ending last season 2-8 in league and with a loss in the first round of playoffs, but the boys’ basketball team was able to achieve a success that surpassed even their own expectations.

“I didn’t think we would go undefeated [in league] and win the CIF championship. I always told everyone we would because that’s what we were all saying, but I never truly believed it,” junior Ian Fox said.

According to Fox, the boys had a rough preseason with a record of 7-8 after a close loss to Bishop Montgomery, which is ranked fourth in California and eighteenth nationally, 60-58. [continued on p.20]

p6-7//

Students review the free art tours at Terranea Resort.

p11-12//

Get a look behind the scenes at “Grease”.

p16-17 //

Boys’ tennis defeated Torrance, 15-3.

Memorial Field has Grand Reopening and Ensberg’s, Davison’s numbers are retired

Photos of the week

by Andrew Czuzak

Candle Lighting PHOTOS BY VITORIA MAGNO

by Karissa Taylor Family and friends gathered on the night of March 3 to mourn the death of senior Arianna Panaifo, who passed away last Friday afternoon after a five year battle with bone cancer.

Panaifo’s friends and family came to pay their respect by lighting candles and sharing some memories of Panaifo. Among the crowd was Panaifo’s friend Bill Raj, who believes the candle lighting was the best way for some people to pay their respect.

“Certain people don’t like going to funer-

als, so [the candle lighting] would give them a chance to say goodbye. Plus, in a way, Arianna was always a positive light in everyone’s lives,” Raj said.

According to Raj, the candle lighting was a success due to how many people came under such short notice.

“I think in the short amount of time that we had it was successful. The family really appreciated it, and it helped some people, such as her mother, receive some closure,” Raj said.

Club Sign Up Day PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

R.U. Involved? Juniors Bubba Robinson and Chris Escalante show off their Rubik’s Cubes to potential members at the second sign up. Despite complications, ASB member Moiz Ansari thought Club Sign Up Day went well. “There was a miscommunication between maintanence and ASB. They didn’t know they were supposed to bring tables. Once requested them and we actually did the Club Sign Up Day, it went pretty smoothly,” Ansari said.

2 HIGH TIDE . NEWS

62 years. 62 years of baseball. 62 years of tears and triumphs. After 62 years, Memorial Field has finally been renovated and rededicated.

“Memorial Field was originally dedicated to those lost in World War II,” Principal Nicole Wesley said. “When we rededicated it, I still felt it was very relevant. We have a lot of alumni in the military.”

Wesley, who spoke at the rededication, also thanked the community for their contributions, including Wells Fargo Community Bank, which donated $27,000 dollars, and the citizens of Redondo Beach, who passed Measure C. “I think the [renovation and] rededication of Memorial Field is special. Baseball has always been ultra important in the RUHS community,” Wesley said. “We have a lot of alumni who live in Redondo and created a lot of memories on this field who come back to support us.”

Athletic Director Andy Saltzman believes the renovation was long overdue. “[While] I wouldn’t call the field rundown [before the renovation], it needed a face lift. I don’t remember the last time it was redone,” Saltzman said.

One of the things RUHS did not exchange was the grass for turf.

“While we did put new sod in the field, we wanted to keep the grass. I think it’s more traditional for baseball and I wouldn’t

want a turf field,” Saltzman said.

Saltzman believes that the improvement in facilities for the whole athletics program has led to an increase in the level of students’ performance this year.

“The stadiums are state of the art. I think athletes recognize this and are taking it a bit more seriously this year,” Saltzman said.

One of the other events at the Grand Reopening of Memorial Field was the retiring of Scott Davison and Morgan Ensberg’s numbers, two alumni who played in the major leagues.

“When I played, it was a standing room only and people would be lined up against the outfield wall. Now it’s an honor to have my number on that wall,” Davison said.

According to Wesley, most of the people who attend baseball games now are either friends or family of current players, rather than community members.

“Part of the problem is that the community has shifted. More families don’t have children in our city compared to the 50’s, 60’s, even 10 years ago,” Wesley said.

“On the other hand, it would probably be a good idea for us to reach out to community members to come [to games].”

Wesley believes that the baseball program’s strong support will ultimately help them achieve their goal of more spectators.

“The fact that the [baseball program’s] centennial is coming up in 2015 and that they’re already planning for it says a lot about how dedicated they are,” Wesley said.

Graham, Blome organize Denim Drive to help provide insulation for Habitat for Humanity

by Hana Ghanim

Those jeans that have been sitting at the bottom of your closet for years could be used to insulate new houses. ASB hosted a Denim Drive organized by Awareness Commissioners senior Noelle Graham and junior Kayley Blome.

The denim they collected will be sent to Cotton: From Blue To Green and converted into UltraTouch Cotton Fiber Insulation.

The insulation will be donated to Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for the less fortunate (cottonfrombluetogreen.org).

“We are always looking for ways to help, whether it’s within the school or helping big associations,” Blome said.

Graham discovered the opportunity while researching charities. She and Blome believed the idea to be simple yet different. “[We] really wanted to find a way to host a charity drive that didn’t consist of just collecting money,” Graham said.

The drive, which took place from Feb. 25 to March 1, was successful, according to both Graham and Blome. They collected around 50 articles of denim.

“I am very proud of myself, [Blome] and

the school as a whole for participating in this event,” Graham said. “We have never done a Denim Drive before so it was hard to tell how people would respond to it, but I was pleasantly surprised at the large amount of denim we got.”

According to Blome, she and Graham organized the drive almost entirely on their own and the reaction they received from the students was generally positive.

“Past events did not have very much participation. This was the most participation we got so far,” Blome said.

“I feel good about our accomplishments because even if we did not get a [lot] of denim, we got a good amount, and we are still helping and making a difference.“ They hope participation in the Denim Drive will progress in the future.

“I would love to see this event continue.

It is a really great cause,” Graham said.

Blome is appreciative of all the students who put effort into getting involved.

“I feel good about the students’ participation,” she said. “I know it is a pain to bring extra baggage to school and the fact that the students [did] makes me happy because they want to help.”

Dodgeball Tournament

2.

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

1.

PHOTO BY DIANA LUNA

Stop, drop, and dodge. 1. Senior Giovanni Partida, member of O.Y.B. throws the ball. O.Y.B moved on to the finals. 2. Seniors Branden Castillo and Derek Levchenko, members of Curry Fury, throw the ball against senior Josh Rotweiller, member of O.Y.B. 3. Juniors Davey Thomas and Ahmad Kabbani celebrate after their team, Junior Reserve, advanced to the finals. The last game will be held tomorrow.

3.

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

Robotics offers Chu, Golden a home away from home

by Kira Bowen

PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE

Transformers. Sophomore Luke Meyers works on the robot during one of Beach Cities Robotics weekly practices.

Some may fear robots taking over the world, but for members of Beach Cities Robotics, robots are taking over their lives.

For the L.A. Regional Competition on March 21, Beach Cities Robotics is building a robot called Eris that shoots frisbees at about 15 feet per second with an infrared camera to track targets.

“We spend so much time together, almost 250 hours, and they are like my second family, away from my actual family,” sophomore Matthew Chu said.

Robotics not only helps students socially, but it is also helpful academically. “[Robotics] helps with colleges too.

[Because of robotics] I feel like I’m ahead

of other students going into engineering because I already know some of the software.

I know how to machine, I know how to work with metal, [and] I know design concepts,” captain Chris Golden said.

According to Golden, Robotics is perfect for anyone willing to put in the effort and has a passion for engineering and robotics. “[Most people don’t know] how great of a program it is,” Golden said. “You don’t need [good grades]. We try to teach you as much as we can, and if you show up, we will try to give you a job that fits you, and we try to utilize everyone’s strengths.”

Another part Golden enjoys about robotics is the aspect of trials and errors and learning from his mistakes.

“We have errors and complications all

the time, and that’s the whole fun of this program. We’ll design something, and it will completely not work at all and between competitions we try to redesign it as best as we can,” Golden said.

For Chu, the joy of robotics lies in the engineering and uniqueness of each robot.

“We all fulfill the same task, but there are so many different ways of doing it, and it’s just amazing how many different methods other teams come up with,” Chu said.

With their combined efforts, they believe they have a good chance of advancing past regionals.

“I think Eris has a good chance to win the competition,” Chu said. “We can overpower most robots and allow us to push them and make them crash into areas on the field.”

Administration offers incentives to increase participation for RBEF’s annual donor drive

by Andrew Czuzak

For the same cost of a cup of coffee morning, RUHS families can help support public education.

RBEF (Redondo Beach Educational Foundation), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing supplemental funds for enrichment programs in RBUSD, has started their annual donor drive.

“We strive to fund programs that are deemed essential for a high quality education that [wouldn’t exist] due to lack of state or federal government funding,” Danielle

Allphin, Executive Director of RBEF, said.

Last year RBEF awarded RUHS seven out of twelve grants, totalling up to $26,500. Some of the grants awarded this year included digital cameras, laptops, Safe School Ambassadors, and response clickers. “[Last year we awarded $90,000] and, we’ve done all this with only about 20 percent of RBUSD families contributing,” Allphin said. “We can do [so much more] with better participation from our school communities.”

According to Principal Nicole Wesley, only one percent of families gave to RBEF

last year. This year, she hopes to increase RUHS’s family participation to ten percent.

“In the past, RBEF has been very good to RUHS and granted us most of our grants, but RBEF has given more to RUHS than RUHS has donated to RBEF,” Wesley said.

Part of Wesley’s motivation to increase participation is that RBEF grants additional money to the top five schools and the school that increases their participation most from the previous year. “[If we win this money,] I have pledged it all to the PTSA. It’s the most equitable way to divide it, and they have more flexibility

[than I do] when it comes time to spend it,” Wesley said.

Wesley hopes to change participation this year by offering a series of incentives unique to RUHS. The prizes, which include a week long trip to Lake Arrowhead, were all donated by RUHS families.

“We hope this especially appeals to students, so they can say to their parents, ‘Hey did you donate, I could win some cool stuff,’ Wesley said. “Even though the kids aren’t donating, it’s important to get them involved, so they get their parents to donate.”

3 HIGH TIDE . NEWS

AROUND REDONDO

by Vicky Artaza & Zoe Ezzes

How should the community do more to help support the school? helping with “ By fundraisers and cleaning up the campus.

— Mackenzie JeffEry, 10

”

going to games “ By and preformances

ILLUSTRATION BY COOPER LOVANO

Does RBEF deserve donations given the funds that the district already receives from bonds and taxes?

to bring in the cash flow so the school can buy nice things.

— Hannah Bentti, 12

”

“

EDITORIAL What we think

The community should give us money so we can keep all our classes.

— Elijah Williams, 9

”

community “ The should donate

money to buy better textbooks and paper. — David Wing, 9

”

should give “ They money to schools

to help get supplies for students who need them.

— Madison East, 10

should focus “ They more money on

”

teachers’ salaries instead of all the construction.

— Alanah Roman, 10

” PHOTOS BY VICKY ARTAZA

4 HIGH TIDE . OPINION

Tax increases should not deter the community from donating to RBEF. Despite the fact that the school district recieves much funding from the government in the form of grants, it is not enough to combat budget cuts so the community must choose to step in and help out.

Band rooms devoid of music, athletic fields stripped of their players, and crippled education programs are what many schools across California would be reduced to without the support of their community. In the face of severe budget cuts, community members need to unite to sustain the many valuable programs offered by our public schools.

More than $18 billion has been cut from education since 2008 (LA Times), reducing the amount of state budget spent per student by $1,105 (cbpp.org). Under these circumstances, it falls into community hands to help fund education. Involvement from parents and community-wide programs have been vital to keeping extracurriculars and core classes funded in the face of California state budget cuts.

Many extracurricular activities around RUHS, such as the Robotics Team, Band and Dance Guard, as well as every sport, are all funded to some extent by the families of students involved. Without the community’s involvement, these much valued pro-

6

Believe that the community needs to do more to help fund the schools as government funding is not sufficient.

By the numbers editorial staff vote

grams would have fallen victim to budget cuts and been lost.

Through community programs like the Redondo Beach Education Foundation (RBEF) donor drive, departments at RUHS such as Art, Science, Math, and Foreign Language have received STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) grants. This year, with only 20 percent of district families contributing, RUHS has received seven of the 30 grants, which gives $26,500 to the school for much needed supplements like calculators, field trips, and even enough cameras to meet the needs of all art students.

If this small amount of contributors were able to provide this much to our school, which is only a small portion of RBUSD, think of the benefits the district could gain if even more families donated.

Of all the contributing families, RUHS had less than 2 percent of its families donate. With more families contributing, school funding for extracurriculars and needed courses will increase.

RBEF even provides valuable incentives to donate: the school with the highest percentage of donors will receive an additional $5,000 grant. The second place school

4

Believe the community shouldn’t need to donate considering the recent tax increase and bonds the school recieves.

will also receive a $4,000 grant; the third, $3,000; the fourth, $2,000; and the fifth, $1,000. These extra funds could be used for a variety of purposes. The money would go towards everything from sports teams’ athletic costs to providing new textbooks for our students.

Some argue that after the voluntary tax hikes of Measures Q, C and E the community shouldn’t be expected to give any additional money towards our schools.

However, an investment in our students’ education further enriches the community by creating more capable adults who in turn will enrich and provide for our communities in the future, essentially making it an investment in ourselves.

In the end, donations are voluntary, so those who do not wish to pay more are not obligated to.

Parents who help pay for their students’ extracurricular activities and donate to community programs like the RBEF donor drive actively help push the community towards a more productive future. Because it is voluntary to donate, those who are against it can simply not participate. By investing in our students, we are ultimately investing in our future.

to the

Editor If you have an opinion about one of the articles, we welcome letters to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com.

We reserve the right to edit them for content, grammar, and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed.

High Tide

Staff

Editor-in-Chief: Julia Tran Managing Editor: Emma Uriarte Writing Director: Tricia Light Design Director: Taylor Ballard Sports Director: Tatiana Celentano News Editor: Andrew Czuzak Opinion Editor: Mannal Haddad Health Editor: Cedric Hyon Features Editors: Taylor Brightwell; Shivaani Gandhi; Kylie Martin; Haley Meyers Sports Editors: Allegra Peelor, Alejandro Quevedo Entertainment Editor: Haley Meyers Photo Editors: Vitoria Magno-Baptista; Diana Luna Copy Editors: Hana Ghanim; Ilana LaGraff; Navikka Dasz Cartoonist: Cooper Lovano Online Editors: Vivian Lam; Kayla Maanum; LeAnn Maanum Staff Writers: Victoria Artaza; Alina Bieschke; Joseph Bieschke; Jewell Black; Kira Bowen; Kolbie Brightwell; Ted Cavus; Deborah Chang; Edwin Chavez; Caitlin Cochran; Yasmeen El-Hasan; Micah Ezzes; Zoe Ezzes; Anna Fauver; Stella Gianoukakis; Nageena Hamraz; Natalie Hardiman; Katie Hill; Haris Khan; Chance King; Angela Kim; Justin Lee; Daniel Loveland; Shawn Mallen; Nicholas McCarthy; Romy Moreno; Alida Newson; Kayla Nicholls; Susan Nieves; Rachael Orford; Lindsey Pannor; Cameron Paulson; Jene Price; Jason Rochlin; Shelby Salerno; Beth Shallon; Laura Smith; Cole Stecyk; Savannah Stern; Karissa Taylor; Claire Tisius; Grace Zoerner Adviser: Mitch Ziegler The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a high-quality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

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

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

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

Jason Rochlin

PRO:

CON:

Jerry Brown’s proposal would fix the problem of poorer and immigrant communities’ school districts being severely disadvantaged.

Jerry Brown’s new policy unfairly takes money out of the community and from important educational funding.

It has been tough for education in California the past couple of years. Budget shortfalls have been making it difficult just to fund education. But in November of 2012, the voters of California passed new taxes to help fund our schools. Now that the budgets are in better shape, Governor Brown wants to address what he believes are problems with the system.

During his State of the State address this year, the governor talked about the conditions of our current educational funding and how it doesn’t address those in our society with the greatest needs, such as the poor and immigrant communities. These groups often need additional support to be successful, such as more language classes for non-native English speakers.

In the current system, money for schools is raised through property and income taxes and then distributed proportionally based on the number of students in the district and how often they attend school.

Governor Brown is proposing that the distribution of education funds should change so that the money given to each district by the state would depend not only on the number of students in the district, but also on how many poor and immigrant families are in the district receiving funds.

Funds will also be distributed based on the number of English language learners, as well as those on the free or reduced lunch program in the district. Brown’s goal is to try and provide “opportunities that people have in other places as a way to balance some of life’s chances.”

The Governor is also planning to eliminate dozens of rules that school districts must currently abide by to receive state dollars, including a mandate to limit class size that was suspended in the budget crisis of the past few years but is set to resume by 2015. The Public Policy Institute of California says 40 percent of every dollar sent to schools in our state are only allowed to be spent on these mandates.

Governor Brown’s proposal will improve the chances of those Californians that face the greatest challenges towards their future success. The better our city’s education is, the more likely children will be able to improve their lives and get better jobs, escaping the cycle of poverty and improving their communities.

By moving who controls how school funds are allocated from the central authority in Sacramento back to the districts and schools, the administrators and teachers will best be able to address the challenges specific to their communities.

The passage of Proposition 30 last year is providing the additional funding for education that can allow us to make these types of swooping changes. That is good for the economy and good for all our futures.

Chance King

Over the past few years, California has experienced crippling cuts to education that have caused class sizes to increase substantially and many teachers to lose their jobs. Governor Brown believes his new system of school funding will solve the money dilemma, but his plan only serves to filter money away from the community and important educational programs.

This new system, called the “categorized” system by Governor Brown, is almost a complete revision of the state’s previous funding plan, which directly funded schools using the collected taxes from the school’s districts.

Brown’s new plan would accumulate all the money scattered across various educational programs into a large cash grant. The control of this money would then be given to local educators to be spent on the programs and areas which the community thinks need it the most.

In theory, the program provides for a much fairer and more even distribution of money all across California and provides much needed funding to schools in lower-income communities. However, the new plan leaves room for programs to be forgotten by educators, and may lead to the loss of facets in the educational system.

Among the programs threatened are adult education, specialized education, and education for special needs children. Although the new system provides money to areas needing reform, it has the potential to sweep these programs completely under the rug. Loss of funding to these programs would cause teacher layoffs and would hurt curriculum.

The new plan also does not provide guidelines as to what the educators can spend the grant money on. Without strict instruction or restrictions, there is no guarantee that educators will spend the grant money on students, rehiring teachers, or any of the other affected areas of the education system. Without clear-cut guidelines, the educators have free reign of what they spend the money on, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the funds will go to benefitting students.

The plan also takes away from individual communities’ control, such as Redondo’s, ability to use its money to fund schools in their district. The current plan’s focus on district funded education allows parents and teachers to see exactly where their tax dollars are going, something that will be lost after Brown’s changes. Additionally, the current plan centers more around the individual and allows schools to be funded by their respective communities.

In a time where educational funding is spread thin, Governor Brown’s plan is attempting to thin it even further. The lack of regulation and disregard for important educational programs, prove this plan to be a very flawed endeavor. In his quest to save the education system, Governor Brown has forgotten about the students.

ILLUSTRATION BY COOPER LOVANO

Letters

5 HIGH TIDE . OPINION

Preview

GRAPHIC BY JENN DOUNG

by Grace Zoerner

The red velvet of the curtain slices through the air, so full of excitement and anticipation that its energy is almost palpable. The lights, the music, and the low hum of voices mix into a medley that intoxicates the actors.

Ever since last December, students involved in the spring musical “Grease” have been working hard to assure the performance’s success.

“The play is definitely going to be good. We’ve added a lot of twists and spins to the plot that usually aren’t in ‘Grease,’ and that’s going to make it stand out,” freshman Serenity Robb as Sandy, said. “There are a lot of added touches people are not going to expect.”

Director Justin Baldridge wants these additions to the typical “Grease” performance to develop a depth he feels is missing.

“I’m trying to give the show a more positive message than it was originally intended to have, and I want to tackle some of the bigger issues of the show,” Baldridge said. “Typically, it is done as a cheesy high school show, but there are some serious issues addressed in the show that I try to bring to the surface.”

In order to accomplish this, Baldridge and his actors have focused on fully developing every character.

“A lot of the scenes are played more dramatically, and are not as comedic. We try to think about the home life of each character and why they behave the way they do,” Baldridge said. “The actors are bringing choices to the stage that are adding depth to even the smaller, more minor characters.”

Realizing the significance of this, Robb says she is trying to give Sandy’s character as much depth as she “possibly can.”

“I don’t want Sandy to come across as shallow,” Robb said. “I want her to be someone the audience can connect to and like.”

Junior Chris Millet, the stage manager of the production, has witnessed all of the cast members bring this same involvement onstage.

“Everyone has contributed to the show. There is no individual that stands out. The cast is a unit,” Millett said.

“They work hard to achieve their goal – to have a fantastic production. And that is completed by hard work through the rehearsal process.”

Robb agrees with this; according to her, working in rehearsals with the other actors is “such a blast.”

“Everyone has lots of energy. All of the actors are really dedicated, and they have brought an unbelievable amount of energy to rehearsals,” Robb said. “It’s so much fun to work with them, because we are all giving it our best every day.”

Robb said that Baldridge’s directing and instruction, however, is the main reason that the production will flow smoothly.

Baldridge emphasizes that to ensure such flow, each of the individual aspects of the performance must merge together.

6 HIGH TIDE . ENTERTAINMENT

“Grease” cast gets on their groove. 1. Freshman Alec Johnson as Kinicke (in the foreground), along with the remaining cast and crew work together to paint set. 2. As junior Abby Attig struts on the platform along with other Pink Ladies, Mr. Baldridge sets the stage for “Freddy My Love”. 3. Again, Mr. Baldridge directs the Pink Ladies in for “Freddy My Love”.

4. Junior Chris Millet helps Baldrige take roll at the beginning of rehearsal. 5. Vocal Coach Matt Capurro reviews the song, “Magic Changes”, with the cast.

PHOTOS BY JENNY OETZELL

“Mr. Baldridge is fantastic. Off the charts. Superb,” Robb said. “I have grown more as an actress with him in a year than I have in my ten years of performing.”

Millett also believes that the success of the play will be largely based on Baldridge’s passion and dedication towards the final product.

“Mr. Baldridge is a phenomenal director. He puts the most time and energy in the production,” Millett said. “He spends over 25 hours a week on the production doing important things like planning, directing, and coordinating.”

As an actress, Robb is also able to admire Baldridge’s strong connection to his cast. She feels his deep involvement in the production is what makes it come together.

“Mr. B. goes into so much depth with everything, and he actually teaches you. He doesn’t tell you to do something; he teaches you how to do it, so later you can make

those decisions for yourself,” Robb said.

Baldridge himself describes his job as director as tying all elements of the production together. Most importantly, he emphasizes “communicating [these elements] to the audience.” He is hoping many students will come to be a part of this. “‘Grease’ is a show people are familiar with, but I really want them to come because the stage show is so much different than the movie,” Baldridge said. “Yes, there are similarities, but the structure of them is completely different, and there are songs in the show that aren’t in the movie. It’s good exposure.”

Overall, everyone involved in “Grease” believes the show will be a success.

“I’m really excited for the production. Everything is coming together,” Robb said.

Picturesque peninsula.

This view of the peninsula from Terranea’s trail shows the iconic view that is featured in many of the tour’s pieces. The Resort even offers painting lessons from this very spot.

Art review

PHOTOS BY CAMERON PAULSON

Paintings of the peninsula Terranea Resort hosts free admission walking tours open to both guests and the public that feature the Portuguese bend art colony

by Kayla Nicholls

Palos Verdes is known for its gorgeous view, beautiful developments, and luxurious houses. Its art is no exception.

Hidden amidst countless villas and beachfront houses exquisite works of art are debuted in an unlikely location--a popular resort. Terranea Resort and the Portuguese Bend Colony supply locals and international visitors with a unique and enjoyable experience of art.

While most of the art featured at Terranea Resort is not created locally, it almost always depicts scenes and subjects that play important roles in Palos Verdes and Terranea. Multiple artists come and create masterpieces specifically for Terranea. Some artists, like Mark Lunning and Gif Ewing,

Terranea’s tour guide, Sorin Michalski, shares his favorites.

create series of paintings or photographs for Terranea and its picturesque location.

Gif Ewing’s “Long Point” is a favorite of mine as it masterfully captures the scenery that epitomizes Palos Verdes. This piece exhibits the water that cascades on the rocky cliffs surrounding the peninsula.

Ewing printed his pictures in black and white, allowing the full impact of the image to come through. His work equates to that of Ansel Adams, and his personalization causes his art to be that much more impactful to Southern California residents’ who are familiar with the seaside.

“Two Pelicans” by Holly Gray also brilliantly captures the essence of Terranea. The two pelicans represent the species that was once plentiful in the Palos Verdes area.

The pesticide known as DDT, however, caused them to die off. This celebration of their resurgence, which began after DDT was banned in 1962, is elegantly crafted using a unique form of watercolor, known as gouache, amplifies the level and depth of color.

In addition to conventional works, Terranea displays an array of unique works that show off their economic side as well.

Ana Maria Hernando’s “A Small Mountain of Doubts in my Jungle Nights” is a multi-media piece that transfixes all viewers, including me. A large California Poppy provides the focal point among a collage of recycled materials. The use of recyclable products depicts the desire of the natural, environmentally-friendly place that Terranea strives to be.

Another stunning and unique piece is “Arapaima” by Geoffrey Ridge. A large and monochromatic fish is applied to a copperplate using ink. It is then pressed onto rolls of paper to transmit the design. The intricacy and details stand out and show how time-consuming such a brilliant piece of art

must have been.

“Aprapaima” stands out among the vibrant and landscape-oriented pieces as an intricate, dark fish that I count a favorite of mine.

The unique and meaningful pieces, despite their beauty, are not the only stars of the show. A classic piece, titled “Arachne”

by Ron Trujillo, is my favorite of the day.

“Arachne,” meaning spider in Greek, captures an exquisite looking angel’s trumpet flower. The flower droops and forms a spider shape, hence the name. Despite its insect inspiration, its detail oriented, classic look captured my eye and heart with only one glance.

Every piece selected to be displayed in Terranea has unique subjects and mediums that expertly show off the lovely scenery of Palos Verdes.

I would highly recommend visiting it as the art satisfies those who appreciate modern, classic, contemporary and everything in between. Tours run every Saturday at four in the afternoon, and they are worth every minute of the commute.

ARACHNE

LONG POINT

POINTE VICENTE

TERRANEA SUNRISE

Ron Trujillo

Gif Ewing

Rick Humphrey

Nick Carlson

“ I am really drawn to this

“

“

“

I like how, as an artist, Trujillo chooses to paint in the way that people see things naturally, so it’s nice how the flowers appear so real. ”

style. This black-and-white series takes on an abstract quality as a close-up picture printed at such a large scale. ”

I teach plain air art classes at Terranea, and this piece is a great example of the plain air look [or the painting in open air method] to show to students. ”

I love the intense colors and the fact that it is really sharp looking. It has great aesthetics. It is technological, but still contemporary. ”

PHOTOS BY CAMERON PAULSON

7 HIGH TIDE . ENTERTAINMENT

Just breathe.

What can I do to help myself?

What does marijuana do?

compiled by Angela Kim

Smoking tobacco kills thousands of people every year. Although the number of deaths have decreased, people still insist on drug and tobacco use. Here’s how to keep your lungs healthy and or what chars your lungs.

Exercise. Exercising causes the lungs to work harder, in a good way. During exercise the lungs will use more oxygen and make more carbon dioxide. With continued exercise and training, the lungs will adapt and make breathing more efficient; the body will needless oxygen to do the same exercise.

Marijuana smokers may experience the same side effects as cigarette/ tobacco smokers, such as the persistent cough and mucus buildup.

Habitual and continuous smoking of marijuana also increases the chance of lung diseases.

Marijuana may, like tobacco, also obstruct air passages.

Continuous smoking, therefore, sometimes causes breathlessness.

But marijuana smoking unlike tobacco smoking does not show any demonstrable proof of damage to the lungs.

Marijuana smoke is inhaled more deeply into the lungs and preserved longer than tobacco smoke.

You can quit cold turkey or wean off an addiction one day at a time.

Write down reasons why you want to quit and use that as motivation to quit.

Take quitting one day at a time.

Get professional help by either talking to your physician or an expert on quitting or by getting professional help by visiting these free websites smokefree.gov, women. smokefree.gov, teen.smokefree.gov or contacting the free helpline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

What should I eat?

Eat foods rich in vitamin D, a nutrient beneficial to the lungs. Foods like fish are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit the entire body including the lungs.

Eat foods rich in vitamin C and A, like carrots. Vitamin A is also vital to the lungs, while vitamin C helps the lungs heal and prevent lung disorders. Such foods with vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, and lemons.

Eat berries, which are abundant in phyotchemical reservatol which prohibits stress known to cause diseases like lung cancer.

Eat apples and tomatoes which were found to help with wheezing associated with smoking.

Illustrations by Joseph Bieshke

8 HIGH TIDE . HEALTH

What does smoking do?

Smoke passes through the trachea windpipe into the bronchial tubes and the alveoli, an air cell in the lungs. Tar begins to collect in the tubes and the nicotine strangulates blood vessels.

Chemicals like hydrogen cyanide can sometimes be found in cigarettes.

Regular smoking may permanently damage the cilium, which are tiny hairs on the nasal passages and lungs that work with mucus to remove the contaminants from smoking.

With damaged cilium, lungs have trouble removing the mucus, resulting in secreted excess mucus and toxins, and a chronic cough, sometimes called smoker’s cough.

Continuous smoking also may cause chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease, a disease where the constricted lungs are unable to efficiently allow the passage of air.

A damaged cilia also hightens the risk of bronchitis for the smoker.

Sometimes the damaged cilium cells are replaced by cells that can become cancerous over time, leading to lung cancer.

Smoking inflicts permanent damage to the air sacs.

Malki copes with asthma difficulties and frustrations

by Yasmeen El-Hassan

He coughs and wheezes along the side of the track, yearning to join the other runners as he waits for his breath to even out.

Freshman Ghattas Malki’s recently acquired asthma affects his performance during track.

“It makes me so frustrated when I’m not feeling well enough to run. I’m really passionate about running, but now I have to be more conscious about my distance and speed. I can’t push myself as much as I’d like,” Malki said.

Malki is specifically diagnosed with cough variant asthma, a type of asthma that’s main symptom is chronic, non-productive coughing. It causes him to have “violent” dry coughing fits many times an hour and occasional wheezing, which gets in the way of his running.

“A lot of times when I run, I’ll start coughing and have to stop because if I don’t, it’ll just get worse. It’s really annoying. I hate that I can’t just continuously run, because it’s a lot harder to keep my pace when I have to keep stopping in the middle of running,” Malki said.

Malki’s doctor prescribed him two medicines, Budesonide and Albuterol Sulfate,

to treat his asthma. He takes Budesonide, which prevents asthma attacks, twice a day and Albuterol Sulfate, used to break up mucus in the lungs to stop coughs, four times a day through a nebulizer and inhaler.

“It takes 30 minutes every morning and night, which means waking up earlier and sleeping later. That’s definitely really annoying,” Malki said.

Malki had to cease running for one week and is now gradually building his distance back up.

“I’m ready to get back to running hard. I love running and really can’t wait until I’m back where I used to be,” Malki said.

Malki sat out of multiple races and his speed decreased significantly on account of his asthma.

“I’m somewhat disappointed in myself for not going as fast as usual, but I just remind myself that I’ll hopefully be back to normal soon,” Malki said.

His teammate and friend Harrison Fox is concerned about the effects that the asthma will have on Malki’s running.

“Ever since Ghattas got asthma, he’s been struggling on the runs and having a hard time breathing. Hopefully this is just a temporary thing because he’s usually a really good runner,” Fox said.

However, Fox believes that Malki will

Bravo continues sports despite asthma

by Kolbie Brightwell

She races through the wind, not wanting to stop. She paces herself even though her asthma makes it harder to breathe. Despite her condition, freshman Brittany Bravo continues to actively play sports.

Diagnosed with asthma at age two, Bravo remains active by playing soccer and running for cross country and track.

Bravo carries an inhaler with her daily and works through her lack of breath. She hopes that she will eventually grow out of her asthma.

“I’ve always just tried to push through.

Sometimes it affects me a lot, and l’ll have to take my inhaler or take a break,” Bravo said.

Bravo believes her determination comes from one of her greatest fears.

“My greatest fear is not being the best I can be or messing up,” Bravo said. According to her friend Megan Cassidy, Bravo’s determination is shown in everything she does, whether in academics or athletics.

“Brittany always puts forth the extra effort; she never does the bare minimum. She always has the determination to go through with something; even if she doesn’t want to do it, she will no matter what,” Cassidy said.

Bravo has been playing soccer since she was five and has been running track and cross country since the beginning of the school year.

“My obstacle in sports is having asthma but I always push through.” Bravo said.

Bravo’s asthma can also become a problem when she is sick because her lungs become very clogged. “[When I’m running] I won’t be able to breathe as well as I normally can, so I can’t perform to my fullest potential. I have always tried not to let having asthma stop me no matter what,” Bravo said. “I have never stopped, I just slow down.”

Bravo refuses to let her asthma keep her from doing the things she loves.

“She will always take her own personal time to do what’s necessary, whether it be practicing sports or studying an extra hour. She will always do what is necessary which is a quality I think many people nowadays lack.

I greatly admire her determination,” Cassidy said. “and it makes me aspire to do the same.

Just keep running. “I always want to be one of the best and not make a mistake, so in sports I’m always afraid my asthma might cause me to not perform as well as I could.”

eventually fully recover.

“I think that he can push through it, even though it has definitely affected him in running. We all really want him back on the team. It would be great to have him running again,” Fox said.

Malki hopes that he will eventually grow out of his asthma, but understands that there is a chance that it will always be a part of him.

“I’m a little worried that my asthma will get worse instead of better, and that I won’t be able to run as much. But I’m trying not

to dwell on the negatives. For now, I’m just focusing on recovery,” Malki said.

1.

Trackin’ along. 1.

Freshman Ghattis Malki starts another run. 2.

Malki finishing a run.

3. Malki starts practice despite difficulty.

2.

3.

Menker overcomes asthma’s “roadblocks”

by Susan Nieves

Students face obstacles daily, some more serious than others. Junior Paul Menker, for example, has had to deal with overcoming asthma in order to continue playing the tuba in the school’s marching band.

That bass. Junior Paul Menker plays first tuba for the band. Menker started band his on clarinet, but decided to help the band by playing tuba. “I really sucked at clarinet, so I thought that I might as well suck at something I’m needed in,” he said.

“[Asthma] hasn’t made it impossible to play,” Menker said. “It has become [hard] especially when there are a lot of allergens in the air. I feel out of breath a lot.”

Although Menker believes that his asthma has not seriously hindered his ability to play, it has caused difficulties when he has had to march and play at the same time.

“I’ve never had a serious problem with marching [until] this year. I’ve been having trouble getting enough air for a long phrase.

This made it challenging to play at the necessary volume for a long time.” Menker said.

According to Menker, phrasing or holding one’s breath to play a note, has been the most challenging to deal with.

“I get out of breath [and] it’s hard to reach the end of a note sometimes,” Menker said. “I’m forced to drop out and take more deep breaths than I should.”

Menker has not had an asthma attack since he was four. Since then, he was put on asthma medication. Menker practices breathing exercises and uses an inhaler as a precaution, even though he states he is not at risk for an attack anymore. “[My asthma] is more of a roadblock than a danger,” Menker said.

Fellow band member Mackenzie Thomas claims that Menker has handled his asthma well.

“I see asthma as just an obstacle to overcome,” Menker said. “[It is] not a serious disadvantage of any sort.”

9 HIGH TIDE . HEALTH

Let’s get tech-y

by Nageena Hamraz

Theater manager and technical director Erin Morgan ties together all the technical elements of sound, lighting, scene and scenery to make the show successful and run smoothly.

“Sound and lighting are very specialized disciplines, and it takes a lot of experience to be able to do them well,” Morgan said. “I teach the students who are going to be running it for the show how to do these things because they don’t have the experience to just step in and run it themselves. I am sort of their mentor to lead them along.”

According to Morgan, these technical elements can add to the emotional impact and the success of a show when they’re done well.

On the other hand, mistakes can also take away from the performance.

“If we turn off the lights at the wrong time or if we cut somebody’s mic in the middle of their song, it would detract from the performance,” Morgan said.

“We are sort of the fifth wheel to the production, or the extra character.”

BEHIND the SCENES

1.

Collette proud of drama’s success

by Navikka Dasz and Ilana LaGraff

From writing plays to directing them, assistant director Paul Collette has watched the drama program grow into the “phenomenal” program it is today.

Collette was the drama teacher from 1981 to 2002, but after a bad fall that forced him to take a leave of

10 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

disability, Collette stopped teaching. He later came back to help director and current drama teacher Justin Baldrige.

“I learned how good Baldridge was by subbing his classes, and I started working with him on the shows two years ago,” he said. “I did Christmas shows for him, and last year I got to direct one of the shows that I wrote: a national award winner, ‘Toy Camp.”

All together, Collette has had 12 plays published, some of which are performed nationwide, but for now, he has his efforts focused on the drama department’s productions. “[As the assistant director,] I look for things that Baldrige has overlooked. I do whatever he asks me to do,” he said. “More acting choices and more acting can get done. Baldrige is in charge of everything, so anything I can help take off his plate,

I try to help with.”

According to Collette, he is lucky to be working with Baldrige, who he feels has built the program up to what it is today.

“Baldrige is phenomenal. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to this drama department. I love working with him. And I love that he’s put people around him who are phenomenal, too,” he said.

Collette believes the other members of the program are also integral to making the show its best.

“Valerie Casey and Matt Capurro, the choreographer and vocal coach, are unbelievable and phenomenal.

And the students who end up being stage managers, like Chris Millet; you couldn’t ask for better people,” he said.

Senior stage crew member Hannah Bentti thinks that Collette is also worthy of praise.

“He brings a lot to the table. He always has new ideas and makes everything run more efficiantly and always is very encouraging,” Bentti said. “I only have nice things to say

about him.”

Collette also feels fortunate to be part of the drama program because of the students.

“I love the kids here. They are so respectful and dedicated. That’s a dream situation to come into,” Collette said. “They’re so nice; they know I have a bad back, so they bring in a comfy chair for me to sit on during rehearsals and then they take it out for me when we’re done.”

He is impressed with how much the program has grown and attributes this growth to Baldridge and the students.

“The cast keeps getting better every year. It’s like they know, and they want to be better than the cast before them, which is what you want to do in every theater: keep building,” he said.

Collette is excited for the future of the drama department.

“As long as Baldrige wants me, I’ll stay with the program,” he said. “For me, I’m just happy to be volunteering my time here. I’m doing it because I enjoy the kids.”

Lights.

Camera.

Action. 1.

A view under the stage while the cast rehearses.

2. The parts of cast are given direction about set construction.

3. Senior Max Foster paints part of the scene.

The show must go on

Tuning the crew

by Nageena Hamraz

by Ted Cavus

Every note is practiced and repeated until the harmonizing voices are worthy of a standing ovation.

Musical director Matt Capurro teaches the music, makes sure the harmonies are “solid,” and finds the musical “intricacies,” but despite all he does, he doesn’t think his role is vital.

“With this cast, and Baldridge in particular, I don’t think this show would have

been that much of a disaster without me. Baldridge is very solid on music also,” Capurro said.

Senior and cast member Noelle Graham disagrees and thinks he’s a very important to the program.

“If we’re having trouble with any of the songs, we can always go to him, and he’ll help us out,” Graham said. “He’s always ready to help us learn. He can make us do magical things with our voices.”

According to Capurro, the talent within the cast has made his life easier, and he looks forward to returning in the future.

“As long as I’m brought back, I will continue working on shows,” he said.

Stage manager and junior Chris Millett provides practical and organizational support to the director, actors, designers, stage crew and technicians throughout the production process.

“I am in charge of many aspects of the production.

During an actual performance, the stage manager calls lighting, sound, rail, set and prop cues. The cues are the special effects of the show,” he said. “A show is incomplete without these aspects.”

As stage manager, Millett has the opportunity of “watching the production come to life.”

“Being able to watch

the cast develop themselves as the character they are playing is exceptionally indescribable and absolutely my favorite part,” Millet said.

Besides watching the cast grow, he can also “watch the crew create special effects that can enhance the production even more.”

According to Millett, seeing both these aspects of the production put together is astonishing.

Millett is currently the vice president of Drama Club and the Theatre Arts Program and is considering running for president.

He is very “passionate” about theater, and he plans on continuing

ALL PHOTOS BY JENNY OETZELL

his work in the theater program.

“To me, theater isn’t just a hobby or organization; it is a way of life,” Millett said. “You find new ways to express yourself through theater.”

11 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

Sm

Fuzzy friends ith

volved by volunteering with Cheer for Children every winter and collecting toys and stuffed animals from students to donate.

“I thought it was a great organization to work with because it’s doing good for local kids and families who need the help,” Van Swearingen said. “Families who maybe wouldn’t get a lot are now going to be taken care of.”

According to Van Billiard, there are other charities in which people can donate stuffed animals to. The organization Loving Hugs gives stuffed animals to children in war-torn cities around the world and SAFE gives them to children during emergency situations such as fires, abuse, accidents, etc.

“People can help others even by donating items to a local Goodwill, Red Cross, or center for women and children,” Van Swearingen said.

Van Swearingen believes that donating has a positive effect on not only the receiver but the giver, too.

“Donating shows people who have a lot the value of connecting to others and helping them,” Van Swearingen said.

“Meanwhile, those receiving are getting things they normally wouldn’t be able to have.”

Van Billiard has the shares a similar outlook.

“When I donate I realize that there are people who aren’t as lucky as me. It helps me remember not to take things for granted and to be thankful for the privileges that I have,” VanBillard said.

PH OT OS

BY

DI AN AL UN A

by La ura

T h e y’r e probably sitting in a box somewhere or tucked away in the closet with dust covering what used to be soft plush or cotton.

Those stuffed animals may be a keepsake from childhood, but they still have the potential of being someone else’s new friend.

Junior Kelly Van Billiard donates her gently used stuffed animals at her church, Center for Spiritual Living. The church collects the toys every February and donates them to a local children’s hospital.

“When you donate you get this feeling of usefulness because you know that you just did something good for someone else,” Van Billiard said.

Van Billiard finds comfort in donating her used stuffed animals because she feels altruistic knowing that her unwanted possessions are bringing joy to others who are less fortunate.

“Many children that have been through tough times or who have illnesses feel lonely and may not have toys to play with, and I feel better knowing my stuffed animals are bringing them companionship and hope,” Van Billiard said.

Van Billiard also sees another advantage to donating that helps not only other people but also the earth.

“Donating is a great alternative to tossing old toys in the garbage because there’s already so much trash and pollution on Earth that it only makes sense to give your stuffed animals to someone who can still find use in them,” Van Billiard said.

History teacher Keith Van Swearingen also sees the benefits of donating and gets in-

Junior Kelly Vanbilliard donates her childhood toys to charity.

ILLUSTRATION

BY COOPER LOVANO

12 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

Passion for policing

Freshman D’Mitri Williams volunteers at TPD and hopes to join the police force.

by Stella Gianoukakis

Somebody call 9-1-1.

1. Freshman D’Mitri Williams stands with an LAPD officer at the volunteer program he has attended since last year.

2. Though he is not old enough to drive, Williams enjoys lounging in the cop cars.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF D’MITRI WILLIAMS

He wipes the sweat from his face and continues to run.

Next, he is told to do sit ups, push-ups, and squats. All the hard work is worth it for freshman D’Mitri Williams, who is passionate about police work and trains and volunteers at the TPD (Torrance Police Dept.).

Williams just recently switched to the TPD from the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Dept.) because it is a shorter commute. Every Thursday and Saturday since January of last year, Williams spends hours training and working out at the LAPD. After a few months, he graduated from the Saturday program.

“I like working out and exercising to stay in shape. I like the self-discipline that is taught from the program and that I have gained from doing this,” Williams said.

According to Williams, his passion for police work was not just sparked last year. His mother, Joyce Williams, also recognized his early interest in helping others.

“When D’Mitri was younger, I noticed that he had an abundance of empathy for others. I have always admired this quality in him,” Joyce Williams said.

Williams’ cousin, who is a police officer, was the person who inspired and introduced him to police work.

“I admire [my cousin] because he started from the bottom and spent so much time helping people. It took him a lot of time to get from P-1 (police officer 1) to Lieutenant/ Watch Commander for the Newton Division,” Williams said.

According to Williams, aside from the admiration he has for his cousin, he has always respected and looked up to police officers for the work that they do. “[Police officers] do so much and can go home knowing that they have done something good. I want to come home

to my family every day knowing that I have done something good and done my job well,” Williams said.

Williams gets the opportunity to help others by attending details, which are volunteer events having to do with police work. He once attended an event where he helped with crowd control.

“It can be tricky to do crowd control because everything can be going great, but it only takes one person to change that and for things to get out of control,” Williams said.

According to Williams, he enjoys the thrill he gets from helping other people.

“It is fun and the fact that I can help kids in L.A. is the best part. They do not have what we have here,” Williams said. “It is great to help people, especially those who you see are heading down the wrong path.”

His parents have always been very proud of him and support his dreams.

“D’Mitri lives and breaths LAPD,” Joyce Williams said.

“He is thoughtful, responsible, respectful and appreciates what others do for him. He takes pride in being a LAPD Cadet and it shows when he puts on his uniform. I can see him light up every time he wears it. I couldn’t ask for a better son, cadet, friend, and student. I will always support D’Mitri as he strives to be an LAPD Officer. I have no doubt that he will honor and serve the city that he will eventually become a part of.”

With the support and encouragement of his parents, Williams continues to pursue his dreams. Even though Williams recently switched from training at the LAPD to the TPD, he continues to help others and volunteer at as many events as he can.

“Your self-confidence is boosted when you help others. You get a leadership feeling and a rush of excitement. I can improve their lives,” Williams said.

Hoopes and brother adopted from Russia

by Natalie Hardiman

As an orphan, sophomore Nastiya Hoopes survived with little food, shelter, and clothing. Her life changed when she was adopted from Russia at age five. “[Getting adopted] is such a positive experience because it is a very unique and special situation,” she said. “However, it can be negative because it makes you think about why you were even put up for adoption.”

Although she has mixed feelings about being adopted, Hoopes is grateful for the opportunities she has gotten since moving to America.

“Having lived in Russia, I am very grateful for what I have today, and I feel very fortunate to live in such a wealthy area,” she said. “Everything I have here I don’t take for granted, and I am very thankful.”

Hoopes was adopted with her younger brother Valerei Hoopes from Kaliningrad, Russia.

“I feel protective of my brother because we’ve been together our entire lives, and I do not want anything to happen to him since he is the only real family I have,” she said.

Hoopes not only feels connected to her brother, but with her adoptive father, David Hoopes, as well.

“Being adopted makes me value my family more because I am really thankful to have such a great dad who was willing to go out of his way to take a new child into his home,” she said. “It means a lot knowing that he cared enough to create a better life for my brother and me.”

Although Hoopes has a strong bond with her father, she would still like to meet her biological parents someday.

“I want to be able to learn more about my family history,” Hoopes said.

David Hoopes supports his daughter’s decision, but he is worried that the meeting will not go well.

“Orphans have to deal with abandonment issues, and the truth is, many biological parents don’t want anything to do with the children they left,” he said. “I think it is very healthy to know as much as you can about your biological parents, but you might not like what you find.”

David Hoopes decided to adopt since he and his sister were both adopted themselves.

“An adoption agency persuaded me that it was a good idea [to adopt from Russia] because single men could adopt and I could see the children in pictures and videos before I went over there,” he said.

Hoopes wants to continue this tradition by adopting a child herself someday.

“Adopting a child of my own would be really cool just because I would be helping a child in need as well as passing the tradition down,” she said.

She would especially love to adopt a child from Russia, except a ban on Americans adopting Russian orphans that went into effect on Jan. 1 may stop her.

“I feel very unsure and confused about the ban because I don’t understand why the [Russian Government] would not let millions of children that are starving come to America,

be healthier and get a better education,” she said. “I believe that every child should grow up in a healthy community and staying in an orphanage or in the cold streets is not a great option.”

Overall, Hoopes is proud of being adopted and thinks it has changed her life for the better.

“Being adopted has changed my outlook on life in so many ways. I try not to take things for granted as much and instead I try to be thankful for every little thing I am given that I would probably not have had in the Russian orphanage,” she said.

Russian adoption bill A closer look

1. The bill was signed into affect Jan. 1 by President Vladimir Putin, banning Americans from adopting Russian children.

2. The law also calls for the closure of non-governmental organizations receiving American funding if their activities are classified as political.

3. The move is part of a response to a U.S. law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators.

Compiled from http://www.huffingtonpost.com

13 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

Double life

Freshman Samantha Young juggles school with her part time work as an actress and model.

by Deborah Chang

Her heartbeat accelerates as she swims in the pool, avoiding eye contact with the strange woman peering over the fence. Saying her lines along with a specific gesture and motion, freshman Samantha Young warns her friends to get out of the pool. Scene. Young has just filmed a scene in the episode ‘Bittersweet’ for the show CSI. Young lives a double life of a normal student and a parttime actress and model. She has been in various TV shows such as CSI and Workaholics.

“The fun part about being in these shows is meeting celebrities,” Young said. “I always thought they were so different from us, but they are actually very normal and easy to talk to.”

Young enjoys the experience acting has to offer through all the hard work and time she spends on it. According to Young, acting is a serious job that requires much focus and dedication, but she finds entertainment in the filming process through the countless retakes.

“There was a scene where we had to throw a smoothie at this guy. We did more than 20 re-takes and the guy would have to change into fresh clothes and get a smoothie thrown at him each time. It was really funny,” Young said.

Young first started acting through an audition advertised at a mall. At 10 years old, Young competed against 300 other auditioners for a spot in Gary Spatz the Playground acting school.

The audition gave a commercial for the auditioner to perform in front of all 300 people.

“It was e x tremel y scary a t first, doing a commercial in

14 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

1.

Young talent. 1.

Freshman Samantha Young is on the set of Comedy Central’s Workaholics. 2. Young poses in the wind for one of her headshots. 3.

Young stands with CSI actress Jorja Fox who plays Sara Sidle on CSI.

2.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAMANTHA YOUNG

front of the company and 300 people,” Young said. “But I just focused and after the eliminations it got down to two people: me and another girl, and we both got accepted into the school.”

Young graduated from Gary Spatz the Playground after two years and got signed to LA talent/ LA models after graduating from middle school. From there, Young began her modeling career.

“I love to model and act for fun. The fact that I got these opportunities is crazy because I’m a completely normal girl who goes to a public school just like everyone else,” Young said.

New to the acting and modeling career, Young tries to balance her work with school each day.

“I would get calls after school saying I had an audition booked at five that day,” Young said. “So right after school I would get home, change and get ready for auditions.”

Young puts school work before her acting and modeling work despite all the lines and scenes she must memorize.

“I get frustrated a lot because there are situations when I have a test tomorrow, but I also have to memorize my lines for my audition the same day of my test,” Young said. “School always comes first. I put acting and modeling second because it is more of my back bone.”

Young places modeling as her third priority; first and second being school and acting. She is signed with the company LA talent/ LA models which helps connect her to commercials and advertisements. She has appeared in commercials and photos for Burlington Coat Factory, H&M and Target. Although both jobs involve media, Young experiences the differences in each of them.

“For modeling you don’t have to memorize any lines or say anything, but you have to act in the pictures by pretending you love the product even if you don’t,” Young said. “You have control over your emotions in acting but not in modeling.”

By pursuing modeling along with acting, Young hopes to get and expand her connections in the media business.

“Modeling helps open more doors for me,” Young said.

3.

“It’s a way of publicity because someone will see me acting in a show then see me modeling for Target.”

Young’s main supporters, her family and friends, remind and encourage her to work hard and stand by her side throughout her career.

“My family supports me in everything I do and the choices I make,” Young said. “There are times when I don’t want to act anymore because it is so time consuming, but my friends know me better than I do and encourage me to never quit.”

One of Young’s main supporters is her mother, Mrs. Young. Mrs. Young witnesses her daughter become more mature and confident as she acts and models more frequently.

“Samantha became more open to communicating with people she doesn’t know,” Mrs. Young said. “Her mind became more mature because of all the work she has to do; acting and modeling are actual jobs that takes a lot of time, patience, and courage.”

Mrs. Young also watches Young grow through hard work and develop a greater passion for acting.

“I feel so proud that acting has turned into her dream and that she worked really hard toward it,” Mrs. Young said.

Young plans to continue her acting and modeling career in the future. She is thankful that she has this opportunity to work with so many actors and celebrities, meet various people and experience the world of acting and modeling.

“It was a one-in-a-million chance that I got this opportunity,” Young said. “I still find it crazy that acting and modeling are large parts of my life.”

Long-term effects

Senior Joe Catsavas discusses the permanent effects he sustained from a concussion he received in football.

by Karissa Taylor

ELL ETZ YO NN E J BY TO PHO

1.

Two words: apples and bubbles.

When given a set of five words to memorize, he could not remember these two words and was immediately diagnosed with a concussion.

Senior Joe Catsavas was diagnosed with a major concussion his sophomore year after being repeatedly hit while playing football and was later diagnosed with brain damage, something he would have for the rest of his life.

“When I had my concussion, I just felt dumb. I was sensitive to light and sound. It was very hard for me to focus during school because I couldn’t think straight with all the side effects,” Catsavas said. “I was very forgetful and could barely do my homework or classwork.”

With all of the sensitivities of his concussion, Catsavas had to take many precautions. He was not allowed to go to football practice for a week and when he was allowed to go to practice, he stood on the sidelines wearing hats, sunglasses and earplugs.

“Having to take all of those precautions made me extremely sad. When I was out [on the sidelines], it wasn’t even like football anymore. I had to sit down during the game and stay out of the sun in order to be able to just be with my team,” Catsavas said.

Despite all the precautions he had to take for his concussion, Catsavas believes the worst part for him was that he could not be out on the field with his teammates.

“Not being able to be on the field was horrifying and the fact that I couldn’t be playing along with my teammates was terrible,” Catsavas said. “We had all worked so hard together in order to get where we were, and once I got

“ Ever

since my concussion, I’m not as quick-witted as I was before, and I have had some short-term memory loss.

–JOE CATSAVAS ”

hurt, I no longer felt like [ I was working hard.]”

According to teammate Chad Simonek, the team was also affected by Catsavas’ concussion.

While the team was affected by the injury, Simonek believes that it had a more serious impact on Catsavas.

“Joe was a big part of our team, not only figuratively but literally as well. He was one of our better players, and it was a huge loss,” Simonek

said. “But it was harder on Joe than it was on the team because he had trained so hard to hard to be ready for the season.”

During his time on the sidelines, Catsavas was still optimistic and appreciated the time spent with his team.

“The fact that I could still be with them and watch the game, even though I had to take precautions, made the whole time blow by,” Catsavas said. “At least I could still have that camaraderie that we had built with each other by staying with them on the sidelines and helping whenever they or the coaches needed me.”

While Catsavas was only on the sidelines for four weeks, he still feels the long-term effects two years later because he was diagnosed as having permanent brain damage.

“Ever since my concussion I have not been as quick witted as I was before, and I have some short-term memory loss,” Catsavas said.

Despite the problems Catsavas has faced he is very optimistic and believes that his brain damage has taught him to be appreciative and to never give up, even during hard times.

“Having short-term memory loss and not being as smart as I used to be has taught me that now I need to apply myself more and more to keep up with my grades and be sure I’m doing well in school,” Catsavas said. “I was thankful it was minor. It taught me that things will happen but you need to persevere.”

CONCUSSIONS

BY THE NUMBERS

. Fewer than 10 percent of sport-relat-

ed concussions involve a loss of consciousness.

. Headache (85 percent) and Dizziness Seeing stars. 1. Senior Joe Catsavas runs onto the field before the game against Mira Costa. 2. Catsavas blocks two defenders in a game at Penninsula.

URA ONEM ELL Y MITCH Y B O PHOT

.

(70-80 percent) are most commonly reported symptoms immediately following concussions for injured athletes.

An estimated 47 percent of athletes do not report feeling any symptoms after a concussive blow.

. A professional football player will receive an estimated 900 to 1,500 blows to the head during a season.

. The

impact speed of a professional boxer’s punch is 20 mph.

. The impact speed of a football player tackling a stationary player is 25 mph.

. The impact speed of a soccer ball being headed by a player is 70 mph.

http://www.concussiontreatment.com/concussionfacts.html#sfaq9

2.

15 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

MINDGAMES

athlete of the issue: ray malazo

As a four-year varsity player, senior Ray Malazo is, according to coach John Burke, one of the best and mentally tough boys’ golf players, setting a good example for the younger players on the team. Malazo has high hopes for this season individually and for the team.

by Shawn Mallen

On and off the course, senior Ray Malazo is a “true leader” to the golf team. Whether it be welcoming new golfers to the team or shooting one under par, he helps the golf team in any way he can.

“He can brighten basically anyone’s day,” sophomore Garrett Stribling said. “That aspect of him is great. As far as his golfing goes, he’s a great golfer; one of the best on the team.”

A lot of the younger golfers on the team “look up to him.”

Malazo jokes around with the team when it’s appropriate, and focuses them when they need to mentally prepare for a competition. Specifically, he motivates players

PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL

16 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS

who are new to the team the most, according to coach John Burke.

“Ray seems to have a really big spark, especially in the offseason with new players,” Burke said. “He made them feel at home. The newer players made a really easy transition from JV to varsity because of him.”

Malazo does the best he can to help newer players make this transition so that they can be successful during the season, according to Stribling.

“I try to get the players to become the best they can be,” Malazo said. “I try to get them pumped up to play so that they have the mentality needed to play well.”

Right before competitions, Malazo tries to focus his team and himself.

“So many things can go wrong in golf,” Malazo said. “If you’re not focused enough, you’re already going to perform badly. Even the little things can mess you up. That’s why you need to be really focused.”

Because it’s his senior year, Malazo has been focusing on his game as much as possible. According to Stribling, whenever he goes to the driving range, he sees Malazo there most of the time. He has a “beautiful swing” that has been made even better through “sheer dedication.”

Another strength of his is his mental game. According to Burke, Malazo has improved the most in this over the years. In an individual sport like golf, mental stability is key.

“His mental game has really become better,” Stribling said. “I think now he can just blow off a bad shot like it was nothing and just move on. In a mental sport like golf, that’s really crucial to success.”

Last Friday, Malazo showcased his improvement in the team’s match against Bishop, shooting under par with a 35, his best of the season. Malazo’s score was second in the competition, only to his teammate Lawrence Ree, who shot a 34.

“I was just in the zone on Friday,” Malazo said.

“Plus, I was playing with a great teammate and friend, Lawrence, who makes me play better.”

Although Malazo has many accolades, including being on varsity all four years of high school and being named to second team Bay League, he hopes to accomplish bigger goals this season. He wants his team to place in the top three and hopes to make first team Bay League. To accomplish this, he will practice harder and be more positive. He just has to “not think too much about his swing” and “stay relaxed.”

“As a freshman, he was already really good, so he didn’t have much room for improvement. However, Ray realizes that this is his last year to play golf for his school and he wants to go out with a bang,” Burke said.

Boys’ v-ball falls short to Mater Dei

by Cole Stecyk

After a “tough” battle, the boys’ volleyball team lost to Mater Dei on Tuesday 20-25, 20-25, 21-25.

“I think we did okay. We just need to keep our heads in bad situations,” sophomore Nathan Rice said. “When we have the mental strength to play as good in bad situations as we do in good situations, we’ll be unstoppable.”

Senior Nick Williamson believes that in the future, the team needs to build up their energy on the court in order to beat “tough” competitors like Mater Dei. “Today we didn’t play like a team. We lacked the core energy that we usually have and I think that cost us a lot of points. We had ups and downs and let our mistakes get to us,” Williamson said. “Overall, I think that once we grasp that core energy and have it every single game, we are dangerous and can beat a lot of teams.”

Williamson is “excited” for the team’s upcoming tournament, Best of the West, in San Diego.

“We are definitely fired up and looking forward to the tournament,” Williamson said. “We just have to stay focused and bring our A-game to every match.”

PHOTO BY MITCHELL YONEMURA

Half baked. Senior Ryan Baker begins to spike in game against Mater Dei last Tuesday as junior Louis Richard approaches. The boys lost to Mater Dei in three sets 20-25, 20-25, 21-25.

Girls’ lax beats Peninsula

by Anna Fauver

PHOTO BY PETER TRAN

Field’s field. Senior Emily Field runs down the field on a transition in a game against Peninsula on Wednesday. The team won by four points and looks forward to a successful season.

Boys’ tennis crushes Torrance

by Lindsey Pannor

Still undefeated, the boys’ tennis team beat Torrance High School 15-3 yesterday, winning every match except the three against Torrance’s top singles player.

The boys did “exceptionally” well, adding another win to their current season record of 7-0.

“I was definitely expecting a closer match with Torrance,” coach Jessica Seibert said.

“The fact that [the match] turned out how it did really reinforced the fact that the team is doing so well.”

With every doubles team sweeping all three of their matches, the boys were able to defeat the Torrance competitors, according to number one singles player and senior Derek Levchenko, because of the opposing team’s lack of competitive play.

“I train everyday,” Levchenko said, “and some of the guys I competed against only

play for high school. [Unlike Torrance], Pablo Trevino and myself play competitively and in tournaments, which was definitely a contributing factor. Their team is just not serious enough about tennis.”

As a whole, the team has proven “very” strong this year, with a “solid” doubles game and a “great” singles lineup with three tournament players, according tocoach Jessica Seibert.

“The entire team played extremely well [yesterday]; we didn’t lose any matches except for those few, and I think we all did our best,” Trevino said.

Seibert agrees that the team played well yesterday, and says that they are currently working towards trying to keep their undefeated record going into Bay League matches.

“We’re doing really well, and just trying to get as much play in as we can before we start [Bay] League matches,” Seibert said.

The game was close, but in the last ten minutes, the girls’ lacrosse team pulled ahead and beat previously undefeated Peninsula 11-7 on Wednesday.

This was the first league game for the team, which is trying to defend Bay League Championship title.

“For our first league game, I thought we played really strong,” senior Emily Field said.

According to senior Allison Kotzbach, the girls were feeling mixed emotions before the game and it took while to overcome them.

“It took some time to get in the groove, but overall we had a good game,” Kotzbach said.

Head coach Tom Borgia disagrees with Kotzbach and thinks that the girls started off the game well.

“We started fast today but got careless and had a lot of turnovers,” he said. “It was a really rough game but we played hard the entire game.”

Senior Heather Czech believes that although the girls had a good game, they still have room to improve in the season.

“We really need to work on our communication and on making smarter shots and setting the ball on attack,” Czech said.

During the season, the team will work on fixing these things and meeting their goals.

“My goal is to fight to win every game,” Kotzbach said. “Also, I think I speak for the whole team when I say we want to be Bay League champions for the fifth year in a row.”

Czech thinks that it is too early to tell for sure whether their goal of being Bay League Champions is reachable or not, but she believes that the team definitely has a chance.

“I hope we can reach our goals, but we have a lot of other good teams we have not played yet,” she said.

The girls will participate in the Orange County shootout this weekend, and their next Bay League game will be away against Mira Costa on Wednesday, March 13.

2.

PHOTOS BY DIANA LUNA

Tearing up Torrance. 1. Senior Derek Levchenko hits a backhand in against El Segundo. 2. Sophomore Brett Ishihara serves.

1.

Softball to play Bishop today

Track succeeds in first meet

by Caitlin Cochran

by Daniel Loveland

Although the softball team had a rocky start and had lost all three games in their first tournament, they won their last game against South and are confident going into the game tonight against Bishop.

“After beating South we are pretty excited for the upcoming games,” junior Katrina Cohen said.

They will play Bishop Montgomery today and are pretty confident since Bishop’s record is 0-2 and RUHS is 1-3. They have the advantage of momentum after the South win, while Bishop just lost.

“I’m confident that we will perform well coming off a comeback win against South and taking that winning momentum into the game on Friday,” sophomore Bre Miskimen said.

According to coach Jennifer Dessert, the team just needs to maintain focus and work hard.

“I feel that our next game is going to be another step in moving towards our goal of hitting better and staying focused the whole game,” Dessert said.

Despite the 86-degree weather at Citrus College, the track team ran their hardest at the Bishop Amat Relays, with the girls placing first.

“Redondo did really well in all the relays. Even though we did not win the meet, we still won a majority of the races,” sophomore Amber Gore said. “Our times for the relays weren’t great but we took into consideration the heat and bad air quality up at Citrus College.”

According to Gore, he meet was also a good skill-tester for the runners and gave them an idea of where they wanted to be, because the meet took place before the start of the season.

“I hope that this meet will serve as an example of how we want the rest of the season to go,” Gore said.

Overall, this meet boosted the team’s confidence and gave them a better focus for their next meets.

“I think that the upcoming meets will go really well,” senior Kayla Ferron said.

17 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS

Success in failure

Boys’ lacrosse takes their 8-4 loss to Oak Park on Monday in stride.

by Micah Ezzes

Photo by peter tran

Lax rats. Junior Harrison Faecher evades a Loyola player during the first game of the season last Friday. They won the game 10-6, beating Loyola for the first time in the team’s history. Their next game is against Mira Costa next Wednesday.

Despite the outcome of the game, the boys’ lacrosse team is keeping its head high after an 8-4 loss to Oak Park last Monday.

Senior Robert Swartwout believes that the team went in with the right mindset and is proud of how they played as a whole.

“We weren’t too cocky, but at the same time we weren’t completely discouraged,” he said. “[Despite the outcome], we played really well.”

Senior Harrison Faecher is also proud of the way that the team played.

“We knew going in that it would be a tough game,” he said. “Holding them to only eight goals is a success in our eyes.”

Despite the pride the team has in its result against Oaks, Swartwout says that there is room to improve.

“We need to work on clearing the ball from the defensive half up to the offensive players,” he said. “We also need to practice our defensive sets, and how to transition into other defensive setups [to match the opposing team’s offense].”

Faecher agrees that the team has areas it needs to focus on.

“Learning to be more patient on offense is going to be key [throughout the season],” he said.

Boys’ golf drives to the finish After defeating West, the team looks forward to their match against Costa.

by Alina Bieschke

Photo by cameron paulson

Top shot. Sophomore Garret Stribling drives the ball during the golf team’s match this Tuesday against West.

18 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS

The boys’ golf team defeated West Torrance 196-226 at home on Mar. 5.

“I really enjoy our course because it has beautiful ocean views and challenging layouts on almost every hole,” sophomore Garrett Stribling said.

While the team did well on their home course, Stribling noticed areas in their performance needing adjustment.

“We have trouble staying focused throughout the entire round of golf,” he said. “It’s important that we have a strong mental game to ensure the lowest score possible.”

On the contrary, Stribling believes the team concentrated better and played more consistently in their second game on Mar. 7 against West Torrance, where Redondo won 190-203.

In addition to more focus, West Torrance’s golf course was a factor in Redondo’s victory. “[West Torrance’s] course is more straight forward and plays much easier,” Stribling said.

There is still room for improvement, according to Stribling, and it will be needed in Redondo’s next matches against Mira Costa next week at home on Mar. 12 and away on Mar. 14.

“Costa has always been a powerhouse in the Bay League and will be very difficult to beat; however, if everyone on our team has a solid round, we can defeat them,” Stribling said.

On the other hand, Swartwout is very happy with the way the team played.

“Given the circumstances, we did a great job,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone is going to feel too bad about losing that game.”

The “circumstances” under which the team has been playing have caused problems, according to Swartwout. The team roster consists of only 15 players, a low number considering that there are ten players on the field at a time.

“It’s not that we haven’t been recruiting,” Swartwout said “We don’t have the full roster. It’s hard to get full practices going with only 15 players there, and it’s going to be a problem [throughout the year].”

It is because of the shortage of players, however, that Swartwout is so proud of the way the team has played so far this season. The win last week against Loyola was the team’s first win over them in recent history and Oak Park has always been a highly-ranked opponent.

“It’s a great feeling, coming out and playing the way we have been, even with a limited roster,” he said. “We’ve proven ourselves able to play well against good teams.”

The team’s next game is against Mira Costa next Wednesday. Faecher believes the team will be up for the challenge.

“We have a full week to prepare for the game against Costa,” he said, “and I know that we will come ready to play.”

Baseball beats South Torrance 7-5

by Jené Price

The boys’ baseball team start off their season and play in the first tournament with a record so far of 2-1 beating St.Bernard and Narbonne and losing to South Torrance.

“Going into the tournament we were excited to start the season,” senior Jacob Wagner said. “We want to start strong and get stronger throughout the season.”

The boys played South Torrance last Friday and lost 7-5 to start off the El Segundo Tournament. “[The loss] sparked a fire in the team and we wanted to come back stronger and ready for our next game,” senior Rio Turner said.

The next game against St.Bernard they did exactly that. With a score of 11-1 the team was able to pitch well in that game with senior Josh Rottweiler pitching the first four innings and senior Jared Foshe and junior James Zimmerman sharing the rest.

“Our offense and our pitching did amazing. I just let them hit the ball and trusted our defense,” Foshe said.

This tournament is important for the boys because it sets the tone for the rest of the season so they hope they do well finishing off the tournament this weekend.

“It is very important for us to do well because its the start of the season and if we lose we have a lot of slack to pick up before league starts in April,” senior Bren Galbasin said.

The boys have high expectations for every game going into the rest of the season.

“We expect to win every game we go into,” Turner said.

Victory dance Dance Guard performed succesfully in their competition at West.

by Beth Shallon

Dance Guard placed first with their prop and medium lyrical dances, and second with their small lyrical, jazz, and extra small during their competition at West on March 2.

Their character routine scored 78.67 and pom scored 77.67. Small lyrical scored 84.67, 0.66 from first place, jazz scored 82.00, and extra small scored 81.00. The prop routine received a score of 82.33 and medium lyrical received a score of 84.00.

“Everyone was really focused at this competition and it was clear that they pushed themselves really hard to perform at their best despite the schedule due to the competition running ahead of time and it payed off,” junior Julliana Kadel said.

For the jazz dance, the girls worked on the execution of jumps, turns, and tricks; for the prop routine they worked on the synchronization and the use of jump ropes.

Junior Ashlee Jo Blackman has seen the im-

provement of the prop dance over time.

“Prop, which is our jump rope routine, improved a lot; we cleaned every move and really worked on the technique of the jumping and the dance moves we do,” Blackman said As the team works to improve, they also need to rework some of their routines for dancers that have other obligations.

“We need to rework our character routine for the next two competitions because we will be missing featured dancers to commitments for the musical so that is going to be the priority this week,” Slemmons said.

Besides the group dances, some of the girls were also entered in the solo category.

Kara Buettgenbach placed fourth in 12th grade dance and Bailey Phillips placed fifth in 10th grade dance. Phillips was 0.33 from fourth. Xinxi Li was also entered in 12th grade dance, but did not place.

“Performance wise, it was the best all three have done their solos. I knew it from

1.

2.

Photos courtesy of Kiana Sakamoto

Dance off. 1. Sophomore Sarah Lange dances during the team’s competition at West last Saturday. 2. The team performs during one of their group sets. 3. Dance guard poses with their trophies.

3.

Friday morning’s run throughs when they nailed all their stuff that it would be a good day,” Slemmons said.

The soloists will continue to practice.

Each routine will be broken down to help fix the individual errors.

“No routine is perfect yet so it’s a matter of getting every dancer to hit the same tim-

Swim competes in their second unofficial meet

Girls’ Basketball loses 64-47 to Ridgecrest

by Alina Bieschke

by Romy Moreno

In the second unofficial meet of the season at least one swimmer of RUHS finished with a great time in all of the events.

“It is great to win but my main focus is on the swimmers times and to make sure they are improving for later on in the season when their times actually matter,” head coach Mark Rubke said.

Even with finishing first in the freestyle (event eight), sophomore Jack Bradford was not impressed with his performance.

“This definitely was not the best I could do but I plan to keep working hard in the beginning of the season and have it end up paying off in the end,” Bradford said.

Returning CIF finalist, Elle Inscore also felt the same even with finishing first in 100 Butterfly.

“I feel as I did really bad, I know I can do a lot better but I have been practicing really hard in BCS (Beach Cities Swim Team) and I’m just tired from all of the training,” sophomore Inscore said.

Juniors Davy Thomas and Jonathon Ortiz placed first and second in the 50 freestyle but are both hoping to improve throughout the rest of the season.

ing and continue to work harder on technical elements to keep improving them,” Slemmons said. “Timing isn’t as big of an issue now, but it’s small individual errors that need to be fixed.”

Their next competition is Saturday March 9 at Glen A Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights.

Photos by laura smith

Rejected. 1,2. The swim team competed in their second unofficial meet yesterday against El Segundo and Chadwick. The meet was not scored, but the team believes they did very well.

“I did alright but I’m not getting the times I’m striving towards, so I’m hoping to progress and do better later on in the season,” Ortiz said.

However, according to the boys, Thomas and Ortiz, they believe that overall the meet went “swimmingly”.

“Even though I’m not too pleased with how I swam in some of the events I still think we did swimmingly (great) in this meet,” Thomas said.

Sophomore Lani McMillen was pleased with taking the second spot in the 100 freestyle.

Despite a heartbreaking loss in the CIF semifinals, the girls’ basketball team got a chance to compete in the state championships on Wednesday.

After a hard fought game, they lost 64-47 against Ridgeview, ending their 2012-13 season.

“It was a very sad atmosphere because there are no more games. We went into locker room and talked about the game, and knowing that our season is over, the seniors took it to heart,” sophomore Amiete Nyingifa said.

Normally only the finalists of the CIF playoffs advance to the state championships; this year however, CIF changed the rules to allow semifinalists compete as well.

“Our coaches knew [about the qualification during our CIF semifinals] but didn’t want to tell us so we could focus on our game,” Nyingifa said.

The girls received the news soon after their game.

“Some of the seniors started to cry because they now had a second chance to play another game and win championship,” Nyingifa said.

With the team’s collective surprise came determination, according to junior Natalie Sisto.

“We definitely deserved the opportunity because of how hard we worked in pre-season,” Sisto said.

Their determination was not enough to win the game. but the team still looks back positively on their season and is grateful for the chance they got.

“We gave it our all, and I’m very happy with my team and how far we’ve gotten,” Nyingifa said.

19 HIGH TIDE . SPORTS

Shooting to win. 1.Senior Derek Biale takes a contested shot. 2. Senior Darrian Touchstone shoots against Westlake. 3. Junior Ian Fox beats the Westlake defender and lays the ball in.

[continued from front] “That game brought us together and everyone had each others back. It turned us into more of a family than a team,” Fox said.

According to senior Darrien Touchstone, although the loss was tough, it led to a great season.

“After the Bishop game, coach Morris said, ‘I promise we will never lose again,’ and we haven’t,” Touchstone said.

After preseason, the boys began to feel more confident going into league and had their hearts set on being Bay League Champions.

“I was pretty confident going into league after our last pre-season game because I knew the competition wouldn’t be as tough,” senior Chris Henderson said. “I expected to win league and be able to beat Leuzinger.”

Going into CIF playoffs, however, the team began to feel a little more pressure knowing they had to win or their season would be over.

“It was more games we knew we had to win and we knew the competition would be tougher,” Touchstone said.

The team worked to prepare for these games, mentally and physically, with the help of Coach Morris.

“There are different factors for every game that can help a team be motivated,” Morris said.

“My job as a coach is to get my team to play its hardest and compete, and the desired results will come if we just worry about what we need to do together as a team.”

Going into the CIF championship game, the plan was the same as it had been all season: focus on defense.

“When the new coach came in, he told us we were going to be a defensive team and defensive wins championships,” senior Derek Biale said.

The game was close with back-to-back scoring and Westlake tying the game 52-52 with 6:08 left on the clock. Using their pressure defense, the team was able to get a couple of steals

20 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES

and fouls, helping them win the CIF championships.

“It didn’t even feel real at first,” Henderson said. “It really started to click that we won after everybody started talking about it.”

The boys felt good that all of their hard work finally paid off.

“I just thought about all of the hard beach practice and how it finally paid off,” junior Lejend Vega said. “It was a good feeling to win; we worked hard for it [and] we deserve it.”

This is Morris’ second CIF championship win in a row and his third in the last four seasons.

“Winning back-to-back CIF championships is a very good feeling,” Morris said. “But I feel better for the young men on my team who set out to accomplish a goal, put the necessary time and work in, and then see it come true. That’s the most pleasurable aspect of winning this year.”

The boys look forward to what’s to come, having won their first game in state playoffs on Wednesday.

“I feel confident going into state knowing we are a high seed and we could be the first team ever in Redondo history to win a state playoff,” Touchstone said.

The support from everyone, including the coach, helped the team get as far as they did.

“We just want to thank everyone who supported and who continues to support the team.

We couldn’t have done it without them,” Fox said.

Morris is proud of the boys’ efforts this season and gives credit to every member of the team for going out and making their goal a reality.

“Everyone has provided a contribution that has helped us to accomplish such a special goal,” Morris said. “We all tend to give credit to the guys who play the most minutes, but our team is only as strong as the last man; everyone sacrificed for the greater good of the team.”

Final .. score

“

68-63

“

It felt like everything that I worked for was worth it. From the day I started playing club basketball, all the hours of practice and all the hours of hard work led up to that moment. It was the happiest day of my life.

— DEREK BIALE, SHOOTING GUARD

It felt exciting that we finally won a championship after a long time because Redondo’s past few teams were pretty good and then there was us. It was just kind of a shock that we won it.

— SEBASTIAN LINDNER, CENTER

”

” “

We didn’t want to disapppoint oint the people that came to watch us play. We wanted to put on a show, and that’s what we did. We brought the championship home.

— JEREMMIAH HEADLEY, FORWARD

”

COMPILED BY NAGEENA HAMRAZ - PHOTOS BY MITCHELL YONEMURA