November 5, 2010

B4-B5: Sophomore Shavani Ghandi practices traditional Indian dance.

B2-B3: Sophomore Elizabeth de la Torre backpacks as a hobbie.

P8: Junior John Portis attacks the goal in yesterday’s game vs. Costa

High Tide

Redondo Beach, CA Redondo Union High School

Nov. 5, 2010 vol.

edition 4

]www.hightideonline.org ]

The BIG

Tease

LMXXIV

IB Program to be considered despite objections

Later this afternoon, olympian Jason Lezak will swim at the grand opening of the new aquatics center, but the pool will not be open to students for a few weeks.

by Laney Burke

1.

Although the grand opening of the new aquatics center will be held this afternoon, the pool will not be able to be used for a few weeks.

by Anacristina Gonzalez

2.

3.

4.

Breaking the surfce. 1. Although the pool looks finished, students are not able to swim in it. 2. The construction around the pool makes the area unsafe for students to swim. 3. The new pool has a handicapp ramp installed. 4. The gym is still under construction.

Swimmers see the mountains of dirt and the piles of plywood on the busy construction site, wondering when they will be able to swim in their new pool.

The highly anticipated grand opening ceremonies of the new aquatics center and gym will be this afternoon. However, the pool is not ready to be used quite yet.

The pool has been plastered and filled, but it will not be in use for a few weeks due to the progress of the gym.

Another issue is that there is no entry to the pool without walking through a construction zone. The date on which the pool will be open has not yet been set.

“I’m hoping that soon after [the ceremony] our girls water polo team will be able to go in there and start their training,” Assistant Principal John Newman said.

This new facility will feature a 16 lane heated pool with a zero-entry ramp designed for wheelchair access

and people with disabilities. The new small gym will have a locker room, a dance room with sprung floors, a PE classroom, and a fitness room equipped with aerobic fitness equipment.

Varsity swimmer, senior Jonathan Diaz, is disappointed with the slowed progress of the pool but is happy to be able to use it before he leaves Redondo.

“I’m just glad I get to swim in it before I graduate,” Diaz said.

Boys water polo coach, Mark Rubke, is very anxious to begin training his swimmers in the new pool. He feels that practicing at Mira Costa has been both difficult and time consuming and he is relieved to get back to a more normal routine.

“I’m very excited about being back home for our practices and competitions. [The pool] has a tremendous amount of potential to promote and advance aquatics among the students and our school district,” Rubke said.

Tardy sweeps enacted to improve attendance, keep students on track

by Danny Garzon

It’s 7:55. The bell rings. The doors click shut. The tardy sweep has begun.

Tardy sweeps have been brought back in order improve overall attendance, according to Assistant Principal Erin Simon.

Although Simon acknowledges that attendance is not too bad, she says that there is always room for improvement.

“We are really pressing to get kids in class and more importantly, in class on time,” she said.

Junior Vivian Nguyen feels that tardy sweep are unnecessary.

“Most students are not late all the time.

Maybe it’s that one time they are late that

they get in trouble for,” Nguyen said.

Consequences for being caught range from parent phone calls and detention to recommendation for review by the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

Tardy sweeps will take place weekly and may occur during any class period. Simon says that this is necessary in order to find troubled students.

“We are trying to be a bit more productive in how we catch kids, especially our ninth and tenth graders, who are falling through the cracks,” she said.

She says that tardy students are not always caught and reprimanded, and that they are rarely sent to SARB. “We want to be able to immediately

know which students had the most tardies and how we can help them,” Simon said.

As for student’s responses, Simon feels that, overall, students will benefit from the sweeps.

“It will prevent students from hindering the classroom environment,” she said.

When kids come in late, it interrupts the teaching environment and the flow of the class,” she said.

Nguyen disagrees, saying that tardy sweeps are not the right way to go.

“I am rarely late to class. If for any reason I were late, I wouldn’t like it if I got in trouble for it. The administration needs a different approach to this problem,” Nguyen said.

Tardy Sweep Policy

1st and 2nd: Students will get a warning.

3rd and 4th: An administrator will contact a parent/guardian.

5th and 6th:Student will get an afterschool detention; Letter to home.

7th and 8th: Student will get afterschool detention for two days or a one week suspended parking privileges; Letter sent home.

9th and 10th: Loss of school activities; Two week suspended parking privileges; Letter sent home to parent/guardian; SARB referral.

11th: Loss of two school activities; Loss of parking privileges for rest of semester; Letter sent home to parent/guardian.

For the past three years, the school district has been considering implementing an International Baccalaureate (IB) program, but it wasn’t until last year that the district began the application process.

The IB program is a worldwide program with special classes that can be used for college credit, much like the AP program. But with IB, each student is required to take six courses in order to receive the IB diploma.

“IB is not necessarily better than AP,” Assistant Principal Amy Golden said. “It’s just different. Just because we have one does not mean we can’t have the other.”

The IB program allows for students to take both AP and IB classes, but the IB program includes a global, standard curriculum, that is more focused on writing, and community service.

“It’s a well known and well renowned program,” Golden said.

Students will have open access to IB classes, but, according to Golden, there will be “recommended requirements.”

“The program may be stressful for students who want to do everything,” Golden said. “Like with AP, kids may try to take on too much.”

In addition to a complex application process, which includes two parts (Part A that determines candidacy of the school and Part B in which an IB team will visit the school and checks the school’s courses, teachers and facilities), the IB program requires IB training for teachers. These workshops are an estimated $700 per teacher.

A few teachers, including visual arts teacher Amanda Roth, AP United States history teacher Phil Comito, and Chemistry teacher Linda Dillard, have undergone IB teacher training.

Roth attended an IB workshop a few weeks ago and is now looking forward to the program.

“From the art point of view, but not necessarily for other subjects, I am so for IB,” Roth said. “It will make students stronger and more prepared for art in college.”

Other teachers are upset that the district is implementing the IB program. According to AP Calculus teacher Tim Baumgartner, the money used to fund the program could be used more effectively for struggling students.

“Over the past few years, the two-year algebra program has been eliminated, students are forced to learn at a faster pace, and classes are larger and have clusters of Special Ed students,” he said. “If they want to spend money on programs, they should spend it to help the lower levels.”

Spanish teacher Cynthia Leathers agrees.

“We should be having positive programs for the middle students who aren’t in AP classes but are still looking for jobs; I’d love to see our school pursue a program that offers something different from AP.” Golden feels that other programs will not be affected if IB is brought to the school.

“We are doing Action Learning and promoting iPass [a math intervention program],” Golden said. “We are putting money in every place we need it.”

Baumgartner believes that the program excludes average students.

“The IB program is designed for elite students,” Baumgartner said.

Golden disagrees. The IB program will be accessible to all students because it offers a range of courses including art and music programs.

“The IB program is not just for the brightest of the bright,” she said.

While the costs of the IB program are high—about $100,000 for the first year— Golden believes that the cost is worth the benefits.

The IB program would attract students from all over the South Bay, according to Golden, because it would be the only IB program in the South Bay. “We’ve been told the district has the money [to run the program]. So why not [implement it]?” Golden said.

The program would begin in 2013 at the earliest, but disagreement over the IB program may continue for years.

Opinion

2

p.

]Nov. 5, 2010]

Tardy sweeps are counterproductive The ear-piercing bell reverberates through the nearly empty school. “Attention: Lock your doors. Do NOT let anyone in,” the omnipotent voice announces through the speakers. The huddled masses remain inside of their cozy classrooms, only a wall separating them from the chaos

by Dylan Futrell outside. They have forgotten the few stragglers remaining outside, whoever they are, for their fates are sealed.

This is not an air raid. This is not martial law. This is not a zombie outbreak. This is a tardy sweep.

The now-weekly tardy sweeps provide more problems than solutions, failing to target the intended students.

The main targets of these sweeps are students who are repeatedly and consistently late. However, students who are late almost every day most likely do not care about the consequences, hence their disregard for school rules.

While showing up late can, in some cases, disturb the learning environment, the looming threat of punishment is not enough to get students to maintain a timely schedule.

Students without intrinsic motivation to go to class will only learn to avoid being swept instead of coming to class on time.

Administration stresses that tardy sweeps will improve attendance, but students who realize they are

caught in a tardy sweep would rather leave school and not go to class at all than face punishment.

So, if frequently tardy students are unaffected by sweeps, who is? Students who honestly make an effort to arrive to class on time, and are late to class by chance.

“While showing up late can, in some cases, distub the learning environment, the looming threat of punishment is not enough to get students to maintain a timely schedule.”

more than two U’s is placed on the no-go list.

Excluding repeat offenders from school events and clubs like CSF, combined with drawing the ire of teachers, is punishment enough.

In addition, the punishments for tardies are backwards and counter-productive to actually arriving at school on time. After being caught for the sixth time, students get their parking privileges revoked for a week, and for longer with each subsequent sweep.

The reasoning behind this is sound, as parking is

a privilege, but forcing students who drive to school to park further away from their classes is absurd if the goal is to promote student punctuality.

Speaking as a student who is frequently late to class and well acquainted with the consequences of such behavior, tardy sweeps have not impacted my schedule.

Frankly, I feel for the unlucky students who must suffer and miss class time due to an inane and misguided attempt to change behavior like mine. That would be my only motivation to change.

Computer science would benefit future

These unlucky students are rarely late, and have legitimate reasons for being so. Yet they are herded into the cafeteria and forced to miss up to 15 minutes of precious class time idly waiting for their detention slips.

Even prompt students going to the bathroom without hall passes are grouped in, as they are unable to prove their timeliness.

If only there was some way we can punish those who are consistently late for class, without arbitrarily penalizing normally punctual students who happen to be caught in the cross fires.

Except, it already exists. Four or more tardies in a class elicits a U in citizenship, and any student with

New Congress will prevent progress Two years ago, we embarked on a road toward change. But last Tuesday, we balked. We froze.

Fear, impatience, and amnesia got the best of us.

By voting for the “Tea Party” and the Republicans, we collectively ruined our chances at invoking meaningful, long-lasting,

by Austin Pritzkat change.

We elected Barack Obama and a Democratic majority in 2008 to bring us the reform that we craved. We were tired of the failed policies of the Bush Administration and the Republicans — we wanted something new.

But when the campaign ended and the yard signs went away, the financial crisis didn’t. The problems that Obama and the Democrats vowed to solve during their campaigns stayed past the Election Day. Obama had mountains of problems to solve. He had to be Superman, but he needed bipartisan support and a willing electorate — he lacked both.

From day one, he received no Republican support.

When Obama passed the stimulus to save the faltering economy, Republicans opposed him and they offered few alternatives, if any.

When Obama moved forward with the broadest health care reform since Medicare, Republicans opposed him. When Obama passed the most sweeping financial regulatory reform since the Great Depression, Republicans opposed him.

Every step he took to solve our complex problems, he met opposition. The “Tea Party” spent its time attacking the President and his solutions instead of helping improve our country by providing real suggestions.

In order to solve our problems, we need pragmatic, creative solutions. But

we also need patience.

Health care reform was not going to be a quick fix.

The economy is not going to get better overnight. And the rest of our nation’s problems cannot be solved with a silver bullet.

The public let their anxiety about the economy cloud their vision and their memory.

They forget about the fact that Obama wasn’t in the White House when the economic bubble initially burst.

They forget that he inherited the nation’s problems when he was inaugurated — he didn’t create them.

Instead of seeing the Republicans for the obstructionists that they are, voters let themselves be hoodwinked into thinking that they were actually helping the country.

Voters are scared about the future of our country and they are impatient about the progress of change, but electing the politicians who have opposed the only solutions to our problems is a mistake.

I’m not saying that all of the Democrats’ answers have been perfect, but at least they have been trying, which is more than the Republicans can say.

Republicans will have to learn what it’s like to govern instead of opposing any and all attempts at reform.

We need to use the next two years to work together and avoid policy gridlock. Change is still possible, but it will just come at a slower pace.

Everyone knows it. Our economy has gone down the drain. Unemployment is at its highest since the Great Depression. To help prepare current and future students in the increasingly competitive job market, we need to introduce more computer science-relatby Kelsey Chung ed courses in high school.

According to CNN.money.com, the fastest growing job is a network systems and data communications analyst, which requires a bachelors degree in computer science or computer engineering. Out of the ten fastest growing jobs listed, five of those are directly related to computer science or software engineering majors. According to CNBC.com, the top ten college degrees in most demand include computer engineering, information sciences and systems, and computer science.

Colleges and universities have already reported that enrollment in computer science and engineering programs has increased rapidly. Stanford University reported the number of students declaring themselves as computer science majors has risen 40% since last year.

So what exactly is computer science? Computer science is a study of structure and theories of information and computation, including the properties of different software. Computer science is used to help study existing software and develop new ones.

Due to the poor economy, college graduates are having a harder time finding jobs. In an economy where even well-qualified and experienced adults cannot find jobs, it makes sense to prepare current and future students beyond just preparing for

college. By exposing students to computer science early on, our students will have an advantage over the millions of other college students without these classes.

Besides the addition of computer science, the education system also needs to expand and strengthen science and technology courses. Currently, United States’ mathematics and science education from kindergarten to 12th grade is ranked 48th in the world. The decreasing standards threaten not only our competitiveness with other countries, but also our own economy. Without an education that competes globally, employers may start to seek more qualified workers outside of the U.S. In order for the students to compete in the workforce, we need to provide the education and promote science and technology courses. One way to start would be to add Advanced Placement Computer Science, which emphasizes the development of problem solving and algorithm skills, as well as the study of data structures.

Already, local organizations are working to expand science based courses. Recently, UCLA received a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to advance computer science instruction in high schools. The Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program at El Camino Community College is funding our Intro to Engineering course. Yet, even though we have offered Intro to Engineering course for the past five years, hardly anyone knows about it.

The computer science course won’t be for everyone, and it doesn’t guarantee a high paying career, but if we provide more computer science courses, more students will have the chance to have a leg up globally in the fastest growing field.

Opinion

3

p.

]Nov. 5, 2010]

Around

Dylan’s

Redondo

Discourse On

”Should the district implement the IB Progam in addition to APs?”

Being Late

“No, because it would be too expensive and no one would enroll in it.”

12th

— Spencer

Kimbro

“There is nothing wrong with the idea, but I wouldn’t take it.”

12th

— Jeremy Solarzano

“Yeah, IB is way more indepth about everything and not so broad.”

Pro A

11th

­— Kye Birrie

“Sure. I’m in an AP class right now and it’s kind of easy.”

10th

­ Andrew —

Baldwin

“I don’t think it’s necessary.

School is hard enough as it is.”

9th

— Priscilla Vargas

“Yes, because it’d make it easier to get into colleges.”

9th

­ Giovanni —

Ramirez

High Tide

]staff]

Editor-in-Chief: Austin Pritzkat Managing Editors: Sophia Lykke, Julia Uriarte Editor of Design: Molly Simon News Editor: Kaitee Scheyer Opinion Editors: Josh Hillsburg, Christina Mehranbod Features Editors: Dylan Futrell, Kelsey Chung; Meglyn Huber; Ashley Pournamdari, Alison Peet-Lukes, Madeline Perrault Sports Editors: Adam Ammentorp, Jessica Cascio Photo Editor: Jonathan Martin Copy Editors: Shannon Bowman, Olivia Loveland; Melissa Rosero; Joy Ohiomoba Cartoonists: Josh Hillsburg, Molly Simon Online Editor: Brianna Egan Staff Writers: Vanessa Alarcon, Sammie Avalos, Taylor Ballard, Matthew Brancoli, Loren Brown, Laney Burke, Kimberly Chapman, Zachary Commins, Alexis CurtisOlson, Ciara Diaz, Camille Duong, Kaelee Epstein, Gianna Esposito, Daniel Garzon, Allie Goldberg, Anachristina Gonzalez, Michelle Hough, Bethany Kawa, David Kawa, Casey Lovano, Anthony Leong, Trisha Light, Cammille Mitchell, Melissa Rosero, Allison Salazar, Derek Sarno, Joanie Schneider, Alex Shea, Jessi Shipley, Laura Shodall, Annica Stitch, Shayna Stuart, Emma Uriarte, Alyssa Wolf, Zachary Zent Adviser: Mitch Ziegler The High Tide dedicates itself to producing a highquality publication that both informs and entertains the entire student body.

This newspaper 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.

Advertising is $7.50 per column inch, $6.00 if paid in advance. For information call (310)798-8665 ext. 2210.

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

Con

Prestige: Is the IB Program worth the added cost and rigor?

merican schools consistently fall behind in important subjects, especially math. Is our school system really doing all it can to help its students?

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year program offered to students between the ages of 16 and 19.

by Alex Curtis The IB program, like the Advanced Placement program (AP), offers challenging courses to those students that wish to take them. The IB program guarantees a student internationally accepted qualification for entry into college worldwide.

Unlike the AP program, the IB program requires students to take all six of their classes at the IB level in order to receive an IB diploma, providing a broader education.

The program requires that students take classes in each of six areas: language, second language, humanities, experimental science, math or computer science, and the arts.

Because students are required to take a wide range of advanced classes, they become well rounded.

An IB diploma is recognized in 75 countries and at over 2000 universities for a good reason: those that make it through the program have proven they are motivated, diligent, and willing to spend extra time improving in subjects they are not as strong in.

Both the AP and IB programs offer a means of measuring the rigor of curriculum from state to state or, in IB’s case, country from country. The difference between the programs would then be the range of their acceptance and the overall quality of the system.

Since the IB program is internationally recognized, it’s range of acceptance is wider. A greater number and variety of higher education school recognize IB classes. The quality of the content that is taught is vastly different between the two.

While AP courses are taught more clearly, IB classes are more rigorous. AP classes are most likely clear because the individual teachers must create their own method for teaching, since the teacher guide itself is at points rather unclear.

It is possible, then, that our current AP teachers would make outstanding IB teachers. If teachers taught IB courses incorporating their own methods, as they have with AP, while students would be more than well equipped for college and life after college.

The programs themselves may seem to have as many cons as pros, but our school could easily reverse the cons of the IB program by incorporating past knowledge. That is how progress works: building upon old foundations with new knowledge.

It is the responsibility of a country as influential in the world as our own to accept ideas from other countries and at least give them a try.

A

s students feel pressure to enroll in advanced classes and participate in extracurricular activities to gain a competitive edge in the game known as the college admissions process, school districts are competing for superior test scores and offering the most challenging courses.

by Zac Commins In response, IB is coming to RBUSD. The IB Diploma Programme is a rigorous, twoyear curriculum for high school juniors and seniors to receive an internationally recognized diploma.

Although IB provides students with challenging courses and the opportunity to earn an internationally respected degree, implementing this program proves too costly to students, teachers, and the district.

At last week’s Board of Education meeting, a group of RUHS teachers, Donna Pattillo, Linda Dillard, Tim Baumgartner, Sarah Robinson, and Anita Stoddard, representing the Redondo Beach Teachers Association (RBTA) presented their concerns with the district’s application to the IB program, including the lack of conversation between the district and teachers.

“We acknowledge that IB may be a great program for some schools, but we have serious concerns about whether RUHS is one of them. We won’t really know until we do the research,” they said.

Since IB students are required to take six IB courses each year, this program limits student participation in extracurricular activities and elective classes, such as ASB, media arts, yearbook, journalism, ROTC, band, drama, and sports, that are key pieces in a college admission decision.

Although IB is more rigorous than Advanced Placement (AP) courses, most American universities weigh AP and IB tracks equally. Even the Harvard Office of Admissions states, “We are most interested in how well applicants have taken of available resources.” Unless a student wants to attend a foreign university straight out of high school, the IB is a cost that does not garner much of a reward.

The RBTA representatives pointed out the contradiction between IB and the need for programs for middle and lowrange students. “Since our last WASC visit a few years ago... we have spent most of our faculty meeting and staff development time...to look at these issues. How exactly does IB fit in with our WASC recommendations?” they said.

After paying tens of thousands of dollars in application fees, an annual membership fee, teacher training, supervisors of IB activities, IB textbooks, and IB test fees, the district may be placed in an even deeper financial hole in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

It is important to provide students the best possible curriculum but IB is too costly due to its actual effects on students, teachers, and the district.

In an unexpected twist, pool construction is finishing late. Months past its projected completion, we are still here, sitting, waiting to dip our feet in modern, aquatic bliss.

As of press, the pool itself is entirely finished.

However, the surrounding gym remains under construction, rendering the pristine center unusable for the foreseeable future.

While it’s refreshing that administration will make no pretensions regarding the pool’s usability during today’s “Grand Opening” spectacle, it’s equally unfortunate that our teams are not able to use the pool when they need it.

In particular, fate has spat in the face of the boys’ water polo team, who, after being displaced to Mira Costa’s pool, end their season just before the center’s completion.

While their complaints are valid, construction is not an exact art. Deadlines, while they seem final, are anything but.

And as history proves, nothing worthwhile arrives on time. Ever.

The world’s greatest works were hardly punctual. Leonardo DaVinci, one of the greatest artists and thinkers of our time, didn’t rush his work.

For years, his magnum opus, the Mona Lisa, sat in his studio, collecting dust, until he was finally inspired to pick it up and finish.

“As history proves, nothing worthwhile arrives on time. Ever.”

The result was one of the most enduring works of the modern age.

DaVinci exemplified the age-old saying “It’ll be done when it’s done,” a philosophy that our construction team, and myself, proudly adopt.

Throughout my academic career, I have thrived off of procrastination. However, my untimeliness is not a product of physical limitations, nor is it shrouding any sort of profound genius.

My procrastination is entirely a product of my laziness.

My inability to commit to an idea and finish work in a timely fashion has been the source of many mediocre homework assignments and projects, if they get finished at all.

But, still, I hold that philosophy dear to my heart. I prefer to take an extremely long time to accomplish something decent than haphazardly throw together something mediocre.

The school and construction team would rather build a well-designed, high-quality center that will last for ages, as opposed to quickly piling together a poorly made facility.

These facilities will last for generations, and there should be no rush if the quality of the buildings are at stake.

Who cares if they missed a few deadlines — [Dear Josh: This is all I’ve written so far. I know tomorrow is deadline night, and there’s no excuse for this type of behavior. I’ve spent hours trying to write something decent, but I have so much homework and I can’t put it off any longer. I know I’m screwing you over, but you can’t rush these types of things. It’ll get done eventually... right? -Dylan]

Mock Election Results Governor Jerry Brown (D) Meg Whitman (R) Carlos Alvarez (P&F) Laura Wells (G) Chelene Nightingale (I) Dale F. Ogden (L)

Propositions 44% 17% 16% 14% 6% 3%

Senator Barbara Boxer (D) Carly Fiorina (R) Duane Roberts (G) Gail K. Lightfoot (L) Marsha Feinland (P&F) Edward C. Noonan (I)

Prop 19 Yes: 60% No: 40% Prop 20 Yes: 53% No: 47% Prop 21 Yes: 50% No: 50%

49% 19% 16% 9% 4% 3%

Prop 22 Yes: 77% No: 23% Prop 23 Yes: 58% No: 42%

Prop 24 Yes: 52% No: 48% Prop 25 Yes: 51% No: 49% Prop 26 Yes: 66% No: 34% Prop 27 Yes: 48% No: 52%

Compiled by teacher Shannon Rodriguez from a survey of 534 government students

Features

4

p.

]Nov. 5, 2010 ]

Sokolsky appreciates life because of father’s death

Student is optimistic despite lack of support from parents

by Tatiana Celentano

by Cameron Paulson

A problematic dad has made it hard but not unbearable. A bulimic sister has made it frustrating but not unendurable. A sick mom has made it challenging but not impossible. It’s a daily challenge to fight, to one day win it all. It’s a constant hurdle on the race to the end.

At thirteen, Katie* expected to enter her teenage years full of new experiences and discoveries, instead she was forced to take on the responsibility of taking care of a household.

Katie’s mother, Sandra* was injured at work, which was the beginning of a range of problems, including a brain tumor, staff infection and countless surgeries. She has been out of work for three years now.

“It’s hard to say when she will get better, everyday is something new,” Katie said.

Sandra is handicapped from doing a lot of tasks around the house, leaving Katie to do the dishes, laundry, cleaning, and preparing meals.

“If anything gets done around the house, I do it,” Katie said.

She feels this experience has brought herself and Sandra further apart.

“I sometimes resent her. She took away my childhood. I can’t always do what I want because I have to think of her first,” Katie said. “I always try to remind myself not to blame her though. She is loosing her life, I’m only loosing a part of mine.”

Their family helps a significant amount financially and emotionally. They visit as often as they can, but they have their own responsibilities to deal with. Most of Sandra’s time is spent alone.

“I just want her to go back to normal. I can tell she is lonely, but she puts on a front and acts like she is emotionally fine. She has lost her light,” Katie said.

Katie often has to skip school to drive her mom to doctor’s appointments and sometimes to keep her company on bad days.

“It effects my grades in a negative way.

I am already stressed out with water polo, school and home. I can’t worry about being behind on top of that, it’s hard enough to keep up,” she said.

Katie’s dad George is rarely around, and is someone she knows she cannot trust.

George has been married and divorced four times, all ending because he was caught with a mistress , all of whom he eventually married.

“I worry that he will never be satisfied,” Katie said. “He has dug his grave.”

Katie has made the effort for sixteen

“I realized a long time ago I can’t rely on him.

With him I’m prepared to be let down. I don’t let him hurt me anymore,” — Katie said years to call her dad. They would have talks that would temporarily mend the problems and he would promise to help more financially and visit more, but it would only last a week.

“I realized a long time ago I can’t rely on him. With him I’m prepared to be let down.

I don’t let him hurt me anymore,” she said.

For three years Katie went to therapy to try to understand her father and figure out what she was doing wrong that created the distance between them.

“Therapy helped me realize that I can’t control him, I can only control what I do,” Katie said. “It was never my fault and I can’t do anything about it.”

She has always considered telling her dad how she really feels but also knows that it is a lost cause at this point. “[If I could tell my dad anything I would tell him] you’re the most selfish person. You have no regard for anyone or anything. You disgust me,” she said.

Brianna has never been able to establish a concrete relationship with their dad and suffers emotionally from it.

“I try to live life the best I can and take whatever life throws at me,” Katie said.

“I won’t ever take anything for granted again.”

The aterisk (*) in the story indicates that the name of a speaker has been changed to protect his/her identity.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SILVIA WILLIAMSON

Bonds Are Not Broken. The Williamson family on vacation before Cody’s death. After the accident, the family has worked hard to stay strong despite their tragic loss. (From top left to right: Cody, mother Silvia, father Bill. Bottom left to right: siblings Kristina, Joshua, and Nicholas.)

Williamson Family struggles to recover after

by Michelle Hough

“The last thing he said to me before he left was ‘I’m getting pizza, I’ll see you in a while.’ Who would have known that was the last time that I would ever talk to my son?”

Silvia Williamson said.

The death of Silvia Williamson’s son, Cody Williamson, has crippled her and her family’s life forever. Her other son, sophomore Nick Williamson, thinks that moving past the loss has showed him the importance of family. Silvia and her husband, however, still struggle with the pain.

Cody was hit by a motorcycle on Aviation St. He was flung 70 feet, and was brain dead on impact. When Silvia first got the call, she had no idea just how severe the situation was.

“I remember being afraid, but I never thought it would be fatal. At the hospital, it slowly began to hit the family that the situation was dire. My husband looked at me and said, ‘This is really bad.’ And that’s when it hit me, that it was a bad, bad accident. I remember the doctor saying [early the next morning] ‘There’ s nothing we can do, it’s okay to let him go.’ We could have kept him alive but Cody wouldn’t have wanted to be a vegetable, and that’s when it hit me. This is real,” Silvia said.

According to Nick seeing his mother at the hospital was the most difficult part.

“My mom was just holding his hand and rocking back and forth hysterically crying.

We were all trying to comfort her because

we knew she had the greatest pain. She was just staring at him and she kept saying ‘ Why, why?’ It hurt me to see her like that, I didn’t now what would happen, I felt like I had to help her,” Nick said.

After the accident, Silvia was just going through the motions of life, automatic, and simply existing as an empty shell.

“The next days and weeks and months I was in a daze. I remember walking and not knowing where I was going. I was alive and everyone else was living, but [I wasn’t].

I don’t believe it…even now, when I think about him, I think, ‘Was he really a real person? Was he really here? It’s been so long, It’s so surreal,’” Silvia said.

Moving past the hurt was the hardest part of accepting the loss. Nick still struggles at times with the grief.

“It took a couple months until I was not sad, but there are random moments that bring back all the memories. I get angry and depressed. It took my mom at least half a year to [move out of intense grief ] and certain times she would get into her state of depression and lay in bed all day like the couple weeks after he died,” Nick said.

Silvia agrees that their bond as a family was strengthened at the beginning, but thinks that family still remains as strong as it was before the death.

“I think it [made us stronger as a family] in the beginning. But, my kids not did not grieve [the way adults do]. Kids that age don’t have the chemistry to grieve. Nicky was connected to me for a year, he was my boy.

But, it’s life again, for them. They are moving on with life, but for my husband and I [it is different.],” Silvia said.

Nick thinks that his family has been able to change the way they look at their loss.

“I feel like we have changed our outlook on it. We don’t see it as we have lost our bother. He is in such a great place now and we want to just take each day because each day is one step closer to seeing him again,” Nick said.

The loss has taught Silvia to not be afraid of what awaits on the other side.

“I’m not afraid to do die now. I used to be afraid before, because I would leave my children and family behind, but now I don’t think about it as much. If I died it would actually be kind of a blessing, and I know that that pulls at the other children, but I’ m not afraid anymore because I know there’s someone on the other side waiting for me,” Silvia said.

The Williamson family will head to Cody’s resting place on November 17th to commemorate his life on his birth date. They hope to be joined by all who loved him as they try to ease the pain that is still in their hearts.

“I think there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to get well, because then you feel guilty.

So I’m okay with this because when I cry, I think about Cody, and I feel closer to him.

Because when I’m not crying and I’m not thinking about him, he’s not in my head.

My biggest fear is that he will be forgotten,” Silvia said.

She saw his smiling face everyday.

She knew he was there to talk to at anytime. She thought he would always be there when suddenly, he was gone in an instant.

Sophomore Vanessa Sokolsky lost her father, Phillip Sokolsky, to a massive heart attack on March 22, 2009.

“My mom started screaming and my sister ran and jumped on him and I just froze thinking he’s not dead,” Sokolsky said.

Sokolsky’s life was permanently altered. She had not only lost her father, but her friend and mentor as well.

“It’s really hard knowing that I can’t walk in and see him and that he can’t be here to see my successes,” Sokolsky said.

Siblings Phillip, Yvonne, Shawn, Vanessa and their mother Nohemi have had to deal with the death of their father and husband together as a family.

“We all try to support each other but we don’t really know how to do it,” Sokolsky said. “I think the way we approach things could be better than [they are] now and we need to deal with our dads death in a more mature way.”

According to Sokolsky, her relationship with her mom was weak when her dad was alive but after his death, their relationship has improved.

“I’m getting along better with my mom now,” Sokolsky said. “I realize she’s the only thing I have and we try our hardest to get along.”

Although Sokolsky’s whole family was affected by the death, she thinks it has affected her the most.

“My grades went down increasingly and there was a period where I didn’t care about anything,” Sokolsky said.

Even though her father’s death first had a traumatic effect, his death also instilled a “drive” that helped Sokolsky become more motivated to succeed in everyday life. She has become more appreciative of what she has and tries to live life to the fullest.

“His death affected my outlook on life and taught me to appreciate what you have because it could be gone in a second,” Sokolsky said.

As the days pass, Sokolsky will always remember her father as the most “caring and helpful” person she’s ever known.

“If I could say something to him now I’d tell him I love him and he was a great parent and he’s the most inspiring person I’ve ever met,” Sokolsky said.

“I’d tell him he’s influenced me a lot with his words of wisdom and he was a good person all around and a great doctor. I’d tell him I lost an amazing father.”

Determination helps Salerno adjust to living with a new family

by Anthony Leong

Amidst divorce, stepbrothers in rehab, and a lifetime of family drama, senior Tyler Salerno still finds success as drum major at the head of a very different family: marching band.

Salerno’s house in Michigan burned down when he was two, and his family moved to California when he was four. His parents divorced when he was twelve, and his father remarried two years later.

Salerno currently lives with his father, stepmother, sister, and stepsister. According to Salerno, living with a new family was a tough change.

“We got thrown into a house together-

after knowing each other for two months.

That was a big adjustment,” Salerno said.

“We had very different families with almost nothing in common.”

Tyler’s stepmother, Jen Salerno, feels the change was positive.

“I think both sides were very tolerant of each other,” she said.

In spite of this, Mrs. Salerno still feels it was a difficult process.

“It was hard because we had very diverse, very different families. But you could tell they were trying because they wanted to make it work,” she said.

Mrs. Salerno believes Tyler has been able to find success because of his focus and com-

mitment.

“Tyler’s always been focused on his goals,” she said. “Complete commitment and focus.”

According to Mrs. Salerno, Tyler demonstrated this commitment in his persistance to learning to play the piano.

“He wanted to learn piano so he relentlessly persevered, expanding his knowledge about the piano,” she said.

At first, Salerno lived with the two sons of his new stepmother. The older brother, Alex, has severe bipolar disorder, and both Alex and his brother Austin have been to rehabilitation centers. “[Austin] totaled my car and brought a

knife to school,” he said. “So yeah, it was rough sometimes.”

In spite of this, Salerno tries to look on the bright side.

“I’ve learned to tolerate people better,” he said. “At first [family drama] was impossible to deal with. Now it’s sort of calmed down.”

According to Mrs. Salerno, when the two families first moved in together, there was chaos in the household. She believes Tyler was able achieve success as a drum major in spite of this.

“It’s complete commitment and passion for his music,” she said. “It’s amazing to me that Tyler could focus in that kind of chaos.”

Slater finds outlets to cope with a tough family situation

by Joanie Schneider

Sitting in a daze in the back of the classroom, Natalie Ruth Slater dreads the last bell that poses the question of where to go next. From looking at her, she is not her true self. Natalie’s tough living situation has been a problem she has been dealing with her whole life.

“It’s just my mom and I living together but she isn’t home much. I’m not really home either, but if she is home we fight about anything

and everything,” Slater said.

When Slater and her mother argue, she feels trapped and in need of an escape.

“My outlet used to be sports but when I stopped playing, I turned to [pain pills] which was the worst thing I could have done,” Slater said.

After realizing she should not use pain pills as an outlet, Slater focused her energy on more positive things that have rewarding outcomes.

However, sometimes it is difficult for her to overcome the obstacles that are thrown in her

path.

“Thankfully now I don’t really use [pain pills] like I used to. My outlet is my job, school, and remembering I’m getting far away from here next fall,” she said.

Slater is not legally emancipated, but has considered it.

“I’m turning 18 in August but I’m trying to leave for college early and start during the summer,” she said.

Slater is aware of her weaknesses and is trying to prevent any further harm to herself by

making cautious decisions.

“I have a very addictive personality and can almost get addicted to anything I do,” Slater said.

Through her struggles, she has come to a realization that it is important to be happy and healthy.

“I used to be really pessimistic about life but now I know I can’t take for granted the things that make me smile and laugh. Life is something to cherish I’m just really glad I’m still here living and enjoying it,” Slater said

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Royer moves in with grandparents after being affected by the recession

by Cammille Mitchell

As the last of the boxes were packed into the moving van, senior Alexiana Royer took a final look around the house. Although she was coming back eventually, it was still a sad goodbye.

Due to economic hardship, Royer and her family had to move into her grandparents house and rent out their own home with the intention to return one day when they are more financially stable.

Despite the advantages to living with relatives such as saving money, there is still emotional distress within the household.

“My grandmother is a very negative person and there are a lot of bad energies in the house from a lot of bad stuff that’s happened here,” Royer said. “Our family has gotten more stressed, we all fight more and we really just need to leave. It’s always negative even when we try to be positive.”

Although Royer’s stepfather works for a popular car dealership, her family has still experiences setbacks from the recession.

“We knew we had to move when the recession began and wasn’t getting any better, car sales had gone down and the real estate business was getting worse,” Royer said.

Since both of her parents are in the sales industry, the recession hit them hard. Other family members and friends were also greatly affected according to Royer’s mother Marlo Quillin.

“Our family’s retirement funds have been drained and businesses have folded. The entire family has made significant changes,” Quillin said.

Although the family has experienced financial stress, they are planning on moving back home in the near future. Royer is especially anxious about moving back into what she considers home.

“I love my house. It’s in the most convenient place possible and I’m excited to move back.”

Royer said.

Aside from facing the financial struggle the economy has introduced, they also face one at home with their grandmother’s condition.

“She is confused very easily at this point. She has a nurse during the day and sleeps the majority of the time. But, she would like to live to 100.”

Quillin said.

As the Royers’ have adjusted into their new home, they have been welcomed by neighbors and have become apart of a new community. “[Moving] has enabled us to rent out our house and not have to sell it and move elsewhere.

And we’ve been able to make new friends in Hermosa and become locals here as well,” Quillin said.

They hope to be able to move back into their previous home this upcoming summer.

“The economy is getting better so my grandma could go into a home and the real estate business is [getting] better so my mom could make some more money,” Royer said.

Through it all, the family maintains their positivity and is grateful for what they have.

“Even though it has affected us, I still don’t think it’s as bad as other people’s problems, so I think we are lucky,” she said.

Argueta commutes to school after having to move to Hawthorne

The

of Weight the

World

by Alyssa Sanchez

Life changes in a second.

After the economic downturn of 2008, students and their families were forced to cut back. Athletes stopped extra practices; families uprooted and found new homes.

These are their stories.

Death of a loved one causes economic instability for Tran

by Julie Tran

Death, debt, and depression are not new to me. In less than two years, I experienced first hand what it meant to live in the “toughest economic times since the Great Depression.”

My family and I moved to Redondo Beach from Atlanta, Georgia in January 2009 for soon-to-beFirst Person nonexistent business opportunities.

Three months later my dad became critically ill from long-term hypertension, which led to liver and kidney failure, multiple aneurysms and strokes, and blood clotting.

At only 13, I was responsible for giving my dad the 14 different types of medications he was required to take daily.

Meanwhile, I was diagnosed with clinical depression.

My dad passed away in June of the same year, leaving my family with no means of support. By then, my mom already lost her job from taking so many personal days off for hospital visits and funeral arrangements.

My depression worsened severely. I was depressed every day, all day, and my family’s financial troubles only made it worse.

There was a void in me that I always felt the need to fill.

For my family, the bills became over-

whelming. We were living off our savings, and even that wasn’t enough. We’ve had to borrow from relatives and take out loans from the bank. Just last month, we had to sell our Prius to pay off debts we incurred.

All of our money was going into auto and life insurance, the monthly car payments, our apartment, and utility bills.

We didn’t have enough money to buy groceries.

“I brought my walls down so hard that I hurt the ones who loved me the most. That was my wake up call.”

—Julie Tran Thankfully, one of our neighbors was kind enough to help us out and has been for almost a year now.

For me, it wasn’t the bills alone that were overwhelming. It was the anxiety. I wasn’t expressing my grief properly because I was so worried about where our next meal was coming from.

My grief and depression manifested themselves in different aspects of my life.

I doubted my faith in God; my grades were on the end of two extremes; I argued with my mom and brothers unrelentingly; I cried at inappropriate times.

The worst thing I did was distance myself emotionally from people. I brought my walls down so hard that I hurt the ones who loved me the most. That was my wake up call.

It wasn’t until my mom told me, “It’s not your time to worry about money.

We’re doing the best we can with what we have, and that‘s all that matters for now,” that I actually stopped the pity party in its tracks.

I realized that no matter how bad the situation got, there were always going to be people who had it ten, even 100, times worse than I did.

I may have felt like I was being forced to grow up faster than my peers and that I couldn’t relate to anyone anymore, but I realized that there was nothing I could do except control my attitude and get my priorities straight.

Charles Swindoll once said, “Attitude, to me, is more important than the facts.”

The fact of the matter is, and as far as I’m concerned, everyone has their crosses to bear and this one just happens to be mine.

I firmly believe that as long as I have my friends, family, and faith, I’ll float on okay.

Dahrens must pay for all basketball expenses himself earning responsibility

by Bethany Kawa

While most athletes don’t worry about the financial aspect of their sport, Gabe Dahrens, senior, must work to pay for his expenses.

Dahrens works three hours a day, twice a week, building and framing art canvases for his dad. He does this all for the love of basketball.

Unlike most athletes, Dahrens must pay for everything basketball related, from gear to camp fees.

“So far, I’ve paid $350 for a summer camp, $110 for transportation, plus additional fees for tournaments, trips, and advertisement,” he said.

Dahrens’ parents could not afford to pay for basketball, so they left the responsibility of earning money up to him.

“My parents told me that because basketball was something extra that I wanted to do, I would have to work to pay for it,” he said.

Despite all of the work he would have to do, Dahrens kept at it due to his love of the sport.

“Gabe continues to play basketball because he likes the team and it’s a good extracurricular activity,” teammate Michael Yonemura said.

Dahrens started playing basketball his

freshman year and got a scholarship from his school back in Oregon. He was given team basketball shoes, so his mother only had to pay $50 to cover the expenses for the entire season.

During his sophomore year, however, since he was too young to get a job, he had to find a way to pay off the expenses. He got help from his relatives who were willing to support him and give him money every so often.

When Dahrens turned 16, he got his first job at Dairy Queen, earning $8.50 an hour, working 5 hours a day, three to four days a week. All the money he earned, he saved for basketball.

“It got really hard to juggle both working and playing a sport, but I have always pushed through it. I have never quit anything because I couldn’t afford it. I have always managed to go through with it,” he said.

Many friends feel Dahrens is pushed extremely hard to work and pay his own way.

“His parents are tough on him and they make him do a lot of work around the house on top of everything else,” Yonemura said. “His parents don’t really let him go out, but he goes to football games and stuff.”

Dahrens appreciates the work ethic

his parents have instilled in him and feels it has been a positive asset to his life so far.

“I think it helps me learn responsi-

bilities. My parents don’t want to give everything to me, and they think that I can work for it and put in the effort,” he said.

The recession has offered many challenges and is affecting the homes of most students at Redondo. To some the recession means not being able to eat out at nice restaurants every weekend or less money in their pockets, but to senior Giselle Argueta it meant having to move from her home in Redondo Beach to Hawthorne.

Argueta moved to Hawthorne because her mom gave birth to a baby girl and their apartment in Redondo Beach was getting too expensive and was not big enough for her growing family.

Since moving to a bigger apartment in Redondo Beach would only mean spending more money on rent, her family decided to move to a bigger, nicer, and less expensive home in Hawthorne.

In order to finish her final year of high school at Redondo, Argueta had to apply for a permit, which she was granted.

The move still affects her and there are moments when she feels saddened, especially when she passes by her old neighborhood on her way to school.

“It just reminds me of the old times that I had [when I lived in Redondo] and walked home with friends after school and after football games,” Argueta said.

Even though Argueta has had some adjustment time from the time she moved, she still finds herself upset.

‘I really liked living in Redondo and living a few blocks away from school made my life much easier and there were a lot more activities to do,” she said.

The biggest change in Argueta’s life is that she now lives far away from school, her friends, and the beach.

Before, she was able to wake up at seven in the morning, get ready, and walk to and from school. Now she wakes up much earlier and has to deal with the added stress it puts on her parents.

Since Argueta also attends SCROC and cannot afford a car, her parents need to figure out a way to get her to and from wherever she needs to go. Sometimes, this ends in an argument between her parents.

Since school is a priority for Argueta, her parents deal with the fact that they need to make the commute to Redondo Beach but when it comes to visiting friends, her parents are more reluctant to driving her places.

“If I want to go to the football games or hangout with my friends I have to find a ride because my parents do not like to waste their gas,” she said.

Even though there is more stress in her family, Argueta wants to finish high school in Redondo Beach and graduate with all of her friends.

Argueta knows that she has less than a year to deal with the stress of living far away from school, her parents arguments, and financial issues.

Just because the economy gave her and her family more obstacles to overcome, Argueta feels she has remained the same happy person that she was in the beginning.

“I have a fixed smile on my face and there is nothing I can do about that. I may have new changes in my life but at the end of the day not being close to school and the beach are really the only differences,” she said.

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Someone n a e to l on

Middo passes the ball onto other kids

by Shannon Bowman

She walks onto the field, lugging equipment, exhausted after eight hours of school, two hours of soccer drills and an intense workout at the gym. A group of excited kids greet her and she suddenly finds the energy to herd them into a group and begin practice. For the next two hours, junior Erinn Middo is no longer a student–she’s a coach.

Middo coaches young children through the Impact Goalkeeper Academy. This is her first year coaching professionally, but she volunteered to be involved in the program in past years. She is excited to have her own group to teach for the first time.

“I’m really stepping up this year,” she said.

Middo is drawn to helping people, especially children, and was inspired by her own coaches to get involved in the program.

“After watching my coaches, I wanted to give that experience to other kids,” she said.

Joe Velazco, Middo’s goalie coach since she was nine, started Impact to help teach kids soccer techniques.

He feels Middo is a great addition to the staff.

“Erinn has a lot of experience goal keeping,” Velazco said. “She also has the natural ability to teach.”

Middo typically coaches kids ages seven through eleven every Friday and helps them perfect techniques.

She talks to the kids about their games and how they can improve.

She also drills them in practices.

However, teaching and watching over twenty children can be exhausting, according to Middo.

“The hardest part is probably keeping them focused,” she said.

Although keeping up with younger kids is hard, Velazco feels Middo does a great job.

“She’s very patient and observant,” he said. “She knows what it takes to be a good goalkeeper.”

As the only coach in her teens, Middo felt a lot of parents were initially unsure if she could effectively coach their children. But according to Middo, the parents eventually warmed up to her.

“When they saw I knew what I was doing, they knew I could [coach],” she said. “Now, I think they really appreciate what I do.”

Velazco has gotten a lot of positive feedback on Middo’s coaching.

“The parents really like Erinn.

She teaches well and really pushes the kids,” he said.

Appreciation is one of the biggest rewards for Middo, whether it’s from the kids, the parents, or the other coaches.

“Seeing the kids so happy to see me really makes me smile,” she said.

Middo loves to watch the improvement in her players, especially when she sees them use techniques she has taught.

“The dad of one of my kids told me how he didn’t get scored on once in his last game,” she said. “He used what I taught him and it made me so proud.”

The best part to Middo is being a big part of her kids’ lives.

“This one little girl told me she wanted to be just like me when she got older,” she said. “They all really look up to me and I’m glad I have this opportunity to guide them in their love of soccer.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ERINN MIDDO

Block and pass. Junior Erinn Middo plays as goalie. She hopes to apply the techniques she learns on the field when coaching.

Irving is an only child with three “sisters”

Students share their experiences serving as mentors. Whether through, sports or volunteer work, they have found a way to give back to their communities.

by Emma Uriarte

Students go back to middle school as coaches

by Sammie Avalos

Many aspire to make a difference, but believe that they must go great lengths to do so. While volunteering at a local organization is valued, many are not aware of the differences they can make in their own backyards. Juniors Jesse Conner and Austin Bowen are volunteer coaches for the Adams Middle School girls’ volleyball team.

For the past three weeks they have taught two teams of 6th and 7th grade girls, preparing them for future games against their middle school rivals.

“At first we didn’t know how to coach because we were used to just playing,” Bowen said. “But as time went on, we were slowly being able to coach these girls better, and the team has drastically improved since their first practice.”

Conner and Bowen begin each practice with drills, such as repetitive serving and passing exercises.

These new coaches use what they have been taught by their past coaches to better improve the skills of their teams.

“I find myself giving the same advice that my coaches gave to me,” Conner said.

Bowen and Conner were offered the coaching positions by the teams’ supervisors Teri Reutgen and Timothy Okain.

“I try to keep in touch with the kids who have left Adams so that they can come back and share their high school experiences with the middle school kids,” Okain said.

Although Conner and Bowen are still teens themselves, Reutgen and Okain have no doubt that they can handle this adult responsibility.

“We have the confidence that even if they aren’t supervised, they’re doing the right thing,” Reutgen said.

According to Reutgen, Conner and Bowen seem to possess an authority over the volleyball players that differentiates from that of an adult coach.

“They listen to them because they’re closer to their age.” Reutgen said. “They seem to idolize them.”

The girls on both volleyball teams appreciate Bowen and Conner coaching them.

“They make volleyball even more fun,” seventh grader Mckay Gillette said. “They always have positive things to say and they don’t get mad if you do something wrong.”

As well as being the coaches of these middle school girls’ athletic after school activities, they have also helped a team member make a club volleyball team outside of school.

“They encouraged my serving. What they’ve taught the team helped me make my club team,” sixth grader Jordan Bellany said.

The Adams Middle School staff members find Bowen and Conner to be very positive and dedicated role models for the young girls’ volleyball team.

“Middle school athletes can see the dedication and commitment Jesse and Austin have because they’re at every practice and every game,” Okain said. “They could have been doing anything else they wanted, but they choose to be here at Adams volunteering their time.”

As well as impacting the middle school students

volleyball-oriented lives, Bowen and Conner have also learned a lot through being mentors.

“When I watch our team play, I’m reminded of when I first started playing volleyball and I feel like I am getting better myself just by watching from the sidelines,” Conner said.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JESSICA BOWEN

Group huddle. Junior Jesse Conner coaches the Adams Middle School B team in a game yesterday. Conner and junior Austin Bowen both coach the volleyball team.

Epstein teaches kids to dance to their own beat

by Victoria Balding

The dancers file into practice and sit down to put on their shoes. When senior Kaelee Epstein enters that room the girls all run over to give her a hug and hear about her week.

Epstein sets a positive example as a role model and a dancer. Epstein volunteers to teach girls of all ages on her dance team to perfect their routines and techniques, but she also strives to set a positive example.

“During the summer my friend and I are the only ones teaching. The girls look up to us and recognize independence,” Epstein said.

During the summer Epstein runs the dance team with a friend and earns a salary doing so, but she also volunteers and takes time out of the day, during the year, to teach.

“I love teaching the other dancers and helping them with their routines. It’s such a great feeling,” she said.

Epstein feels that the dance team is a good influence for young girls.

“All of the girls on our team are required to maintain good grades and stay out of trouble,” Epstein said. “In the past members who could not keep up their grades and were bad influ-

ences were asked to leave the team.”

Epstein’s dance instructor, Dawn Gnadt, feels that Epstein’s influence is a vital component to the team.

“Kaelee helps give the girls confidence, she not only helps with dancing but also homework and issues the girls are dealing with that they may be too embarrassed to talk about with anyone else,” Gnadt said.

Gnadt believes that the most important thing Epstein teaches the girls is that it’s okay to be different and stand out.

“The girls like Kaelee because she’s got the piercings and looks unique. At first glance, she may seem a little intimidating, but as soon as you talk to her you can see she is the sweetest nicest person you could ever have the privilege of knowing,” Gnadt said. “She shows that it’s what’s on the inside that counts” One of the dancers, Camryn Finkinbeiner, believes that Epstein has helped teacher her to speak her mind.

“Kaelee’s never afraid to say what she thinks or offer advice, because of her I now feel more comfortable with giving suggestions,” Finkin-

beiner said.

According to Finkinbeiner, Epstein is the most talented dancer on the team.

“I really hope that someday I can be like her, not just as a dancer, but also as a person,” Finkinbeiner said.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KAELEE EPSTEIN

Tip toes and pirouettes. Epstein takes a group photo with the rest of her dance team members.

As a prominent member of her team, her coach believes she is qualified to mentor other dancers.

Sophomore Kara Buettgenbach listens to her big sister, senior Savannah Irving, give her advice. She takes it to heart and sets her mind to improve on her weaknesses. But they are not blood related: Irving and Buettgenbach go home as only children. They are a dance guard “family” of big sisters and little sisters, helping out each other with weaknesses and improving each other’s strengths.

Irving has a total of three “little sisters” and helps them not only on the dance floor, but off it as well.

“My girls text me if they need anything and I check in with them to make sure everything is okay and to see if they need [something],” she said. “The idea was to give the newer girls someone to look to for anything, not just dance guard related but for school.”

At practices they spend “family” time together to improve their dancing and to become closer as a team.

“I think [the girls] look forward to have a little family time. Sometimes we will split up into families at practices so that we can look at the little sisters and tell them what they aren’t doing correctly,” Irving said.

Irving is Buettgenbach’s “big sister.” Although they don’t consider each other best friends, Buettgenbach thinks they still have a good relationship.

“She always helps me with the choreography that I’m confused with or with the things I don’t notice I’m doing wrong,” Buettgenbach said. “I also know that if I ever need someone to help me with school or give me advice, I can always turn to her.”

Irving has made a bond with all of her “little sisters” and stays in touch regularly.

“I have a close relationship with my girls. I’m really glad to be their big sister,” Irving said.

Their coach introduced the idea of having big and little sisters on Dance Guard, and everyone met it with approval. “[Our coach] was in a sorority and they had [sisters], so she thought it would be a good and fun new thing for all of us,” Irving said.

Irving feels like the mentor system has made it easier for the younger girls to cope with extracurricular activities and school.

“It really gives the younger girls a person to look up to and someone who has been through everything multiple times,” she said.

Buettgenbach also feels like her older sister is someone that she can look up to as a mentor.

“I know that when I’m stressed with school work and events, I [can] look to my sister as an example to the fact that it is possible for me to survive,” Buettgenbach said. “I know that if she can get through it, so can I.” This is Irving’s last year in Dance Guard and she does not want to leave the team in disarray, so she plans to keep in touch with her girls after she graduates. She thinks the family system will help keep Dance Guard together.

“My goal is to set them up for success for next year when I have to leave the team and go to college,” she said.

Buettgenbach feels like the family system has helped to keep Dance guard close friends with one another.

“All of Dance Guard’s members are closer than just team mates,” Buettgenbach said, “and that’s what makes us stronger when we are together.”

The family structure not only makes the team stronger, but Irving thinks it will be beneficial to Dance Guard’s future.

“I think that helping the younger girls will help shape the team for years to come,” she said.

Sports

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]Nov. %5, 2010]

Under Pressure

Dykstras live to practice

by Kimberly Chapman

With more and more responsibilities piling up on high school students, athletes feel the pressure from family, teammates, and within.

by Jessi Shipley

For some “star” athletes the hype is too much. Some athletes crack under pressure, but for Junior Ryan Spiwak the pressure is what keeps him going.

Spiwak started his first varsity football game his freshman year because of injuries on the varsity level.

“I was really nervous about what was going to happen that week. From then on I was able to keep my starting spot and I played the rest of my freshmen year on varsity,” Spiwak said.

The coaches were impressed with Spiwak and decided to promote him to first string middle linebacker.

“There is always pressure from coaches in any sport, so naturally my coaches expect me to play my role well on the team. My coaches just want me to reach my full potential and have fun while doing it,” he said.

Spiwak builds off the pressure he is under.

“I find that I am able to feed off of their pressure. It helps me get better,” he said.

His coaches are not the only people who encourage him to be better. Spiwak gets support form his parents as well.

“My dad has always been a football lover but even through all this hype, he just wants me to be happy and give a complete effort into what I’m doing,” Spiwak said. “My mom has also been there for me no matter what. She helps me be the best player and person I can be through all of her love and support,” he said.

Although Spiwak has playing football at the next level in mind, he is not too focused on getting recruited.

“I’ve always had the thought of playing college football in my mind but I don’t like to think about the future too much. My main concern is what’s happening to me now,” he said.

While Spiwak plays with a focus on the present, senior John Miller is a little more concerned about attending college and playing college football.

“I see football as my way to college and that’s a lot of pressure because, to be honest, I’m not the best student,” Miller said.

“But at the same time I can’t ignore school.

If I don’t have the grades, then I can’t play in college.”

Because Miller is a two way starter, he feels like there’s a lot of pressure on him to do well and make a difference on the team.

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH IRNVING

Conference Call. Junior Ryan Spiwak answers questions after a game against Millikan. Spiwak has received a lot of attention this year for his play.

“There are really high expectations because I’m a returning starter and a senior and am a big part of the offensive and defensive plan every week,” Miller said. “And for me to not play, there are a lot of changes that have to be made.”

Even though there is “intense” pressure on him to do well, he enjoys it. Miller is proud of the fact that he is an important asset to the team.

“I feel there’s a lot of pressure being a senior and ‘star’ type player but honestly, I like it. That’s the fun part,” he said.

Both Miller and Spiwak turn the pressure they feel from into a way of getting better and training themselves.

“In the end, pressure is a good thing,” Miller said. “I use it to push myself and to show that I have the potential to play at the college level.”

Taylor excels on and off court despite hectic lifestyle

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH IRVING

Pushing. Senior Elle Taylor goes for a ball in a match against Peninsula. Taylor pushes herself to the limit on and off the court, according to friends and family.

by Allie Goldberg

She gathers her things quickly, and races to the car. With tears in her eyes and frustration etched on her face, senior Elle Taylor prepares herself for a long talk about the match she has just lost.

Elle is different from other athletes, in the sense that all of her pressure comes from within.

“My family does a good job of staying positive. I’m just very critical about performing my personal best every single day. I don’t settle for anything less,” she said.

Elle has a specific method to saying sane.

She plays tennis everyday, while maintain-

ing an overall GPA of 4.42.

“I live my life with two different mind sets. I have an academic mindset and a tennis mindset. When I’m on the court all of my focus is on the match; when I’m off the court my main focus is on academics and studying,” she said.

According to her mother, Deborah Taylor, Elle puts a lot of pressure on herself to be the best that she can be.

“Her schedule is pretty rough. We try to keep the diet pretty balanced, maintain a positive attitude, meditate, and pray,” she said.

Although Elle’s doesn’t lose much, she explains that each loss comes hard.

“As a family we usually talk about the chances that I had, or when I didn’t convert,” she said. “It usually becomes a shoulda, coulda, woulda, situation, where there’s nothing I can do.”

Elle had dedicated her life to tennis, as she plays seven days week and throughout the summer.

“I started tournament tennis when I was eight, and I started traveling hard-core when I turned twelve,” she said.

According to Elle, the tournaments occupy most of her time, leaving little time for a social life.

“After a long week of school, I wake up on Saturday mornings,” she said. “Usually I start my first match at about eight a.m., and get done at about seven. Then I have more matches on Sunday.”

Contrary to popular belief, Elle does not feel pressure to compete with her older sister and alumna Della Taylor.

“We have our different strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “I just accept who I am as a person.”

Elle competes nationally as well as in the Bay League.

“I am under a lot of stress. I feel pressured to maintain my national and sectional rankings, on top of everything else,” she said.

Elle explained that Bay League is just as high pressure as her tournament play.

“Now that I’m a senior, its kind of a loselose situation. If I win, that’s what was expected, but if I lose it’s a major upset,” she said.

According to Elle, losing leaves a “bitter taste in her mouth.”

“I hate to lose,” she said. “One time my friend beat me in a school wide ping pong tournament in 7th grade. After that, I prac-

ticed a lot and killed her the next year.”

Along with her competitive spirit, Taylor explains that she really loves what she does.

“Tennis has really given me a lot of opportunities. I got to travel and meet a lot of new and interesting people,” she said.

“Also, I will be attending the United States Military at West Point Academy next year to play tennis.”

According to teammate Christie Goodman, Taylor is always encouraging her other teammates.

“She always seems to show a positive attitude and tells the girls to not be nervous and just to play their best,” she said.

Goodman also describes Taylor as extremely competitive.

“She’s definitely a fighter,” Goodman said. “It’s not pretty when Elle loses.”

According to Deborah, Elle has been diligent her whole life.

“She works hard every day of the week.

On top of that, Elle just recently missed her first day of school since Kindergarten, due to a recruiting trip to MIT,” she said.

Deborah believes that Elle’s important qualities include “focus and tenacity.”

“Elle is very driven and self motivated. I haven’t had to do much,” she said.

Elle has received national championship titles in the 12, 14, and 16 age groups.

“We spent a lot of time and energy in lessons and travels. The ultimate goal was to get a college scholarship,” Deborah said.

Elle explains that she is constantly aware of performing to her full potential in every aspect of her life.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best that I can. I only accept the best, and I don’t settle for anything less,” she said. “As for school, I shoot for As. That’s the goal.”

After a tough two hour practice most girls on Varsity volleyball are relieved to go home, but sophomore Skylar Dykstra and senior Lara Dykstra inspire others by pushing themselves to practice for an extra hour.

The girls work mainly on their passing and serving after practice.

“We’re two of the three primary passers and we always feel like we can do more,” Lara said. “If we can’t pass then everything falls apart.”

Coach Chaffins agrees with the girls. To the casual observer passing is not the glory play, but in reality, the actual nuts and bolts of the game are passing, according to Chaffins.

Chaffins believes that the extra practice the girls do helps the team overall in practice and in games.

“They cause the team to be more motivated,” he said. “Also, when they speak it gives them more credibility because their

“The extra touch of the ball is always going to make a difference.”

–– Skylar Dykstra teammates know how hard they work.”

Because of the girl’s dedication, they have inspired other team mates to stay after some practices as well.

“We love it when other’s stay after but we don’t make them,” Lara said.

Teammate Blake O’Brien, senior, believes other teammates stay after with them because they want to push themselves harder as well.

“When the team sees them staying after it makes the rest of the team want to stay after too,” she said.

The girls try to stay after every practice to further perfect their skills.

“The extra touch of the ball is always going to make a difference,” Skylar said.

Their motivation for putting in the extra hours outside of practice comes from their love of winning and hatred for losing, but most of all they do it for their team and to help them beat Costa.

According to the girls after loosing to Costa it was a bitter loss that made them feel like they have a greater obligation to practice harder and longer.

“If you lose and you have practice the next day you’re going to have a whole new perspective and its just going to make you try harder,” Skylar said.

The girl’s older brother and sister’s teams both beat Costa when they played for Redondo and the girls wish to follow in their footsteps.

O’Brien does not believe that the girl’s siblings have put pressure on them in any way.

“They don’t show it at all, they just really want to become better athletes,” she said.

Chaffins believes that the girl’s family is hardworking as well and are a main reason why the girls have an amazing work ethic.

Chaffins wishes there were more athletes out there that would work as hard as these girls do. He describes their work ethic as rare and something that he does not see very often.

“Because of the time that they put in, they are phenomenal players but most of all leaders,” he said.

Slipping through the cracks Girls’ Cross Country lost their final league meet yesterday against Mira Costa after being undefeated in league.

by Olivia Loveland

PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS

Trekking. Senior Tyler Caracoza pushes up a hill at the PV course. He finished fifth overall.

The Redondo girls let the Bay League Championship slip through their fingers yesterday at the final league meet at the Palos Verdes course.

The PV course is considered to be one of the hardest cross country courses in California by Dye-Stat Cal’s “toughest course list.” Combined with temperatures reaching the 90s, Redondo found it a difficult meet to compete in.

Redondo had strong efforts from sophomore Cara Ulizio and junior Rachel Bush who finished second and third overall respectively, but Mira Costa still managed

to “break up the pack,” leading to a “disappointing” outcome, according to coach Julie Ferron.

At Bay League finals, the girls placed second with 35 points to Mira Costa’s 27.

Even though the Redondo girls won the first two league meets, Bay League Finals counts twice as much.

In the result of a tie, the team that wins finals wins it all.

The girls’ team was unable to successfully “execute” the plan coach Bob Leetch and Ferron had laid out, which according Ferron was the reason for their loss.

“It’s just too bad that today had to be a day that didn’t go as planned because they are still an incredible super talented group of girls that are going to come back even stronger at CIF even after this disappointing meet,” Ferron said.

Regardless of past meets, the team plans on using this loss as “motivation” for the CIF meet next Saturday, according to senior Kelly Ryan.

They will probably meet Mira Costa again in the

CIF-SS finals as well as the Division II State Championship meet since both teams are ranked at the top of the state rankings.

Due to consecutive wins all season and the girls’ powerful work ethic, Ferron is sure of success in CIF. “You have to shake off the loss. We are in incredible shape. We are ready to compete at the CIF and state level,” she said. “We are going to come back very strong.

When you can rise from a loss and do well, it really shows strength and a depth of character.”

Despite the girls’ setback, the boys’ team improved to get third at league finals.

“Today we ran decent and reached our goal of getting 3rd and going to CIF. If we run better hopefully we can make it to CIF finals,” sophomore Evan Malone-White said.

There were strong efforts made by junior Tyler Caracoza who took fifth and senior Dezhan Bland in 12th.

“That was the hardest race I’ve ever run and hopefully we will make it past CIF prelims,” Bland said.

Sports

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]Nov. 5, 2010]

REDEMPTION.

Let the real games begin

Girls’ volleyball swept Mira Costa last night to tie for title of Bay League Champions.

by Kimberly Chapman and Zachary Zent

“We had such great rhythm and we just kept rolling with it.”

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH IRVING

Reverse. Senior Kem Richards runs behind the blocking of juniors Ryan Spiwak and Nick Pope for a 20 yard gain in last Friday’s game against Leuzinger.

The next two weeks, football heads into the climax of their season, playing Palos Verdes and Mira Costa for a chance at the Bay League title.

by Matthew Brancolini

After defeating Leuzinger, 28-6, last Friday, the team will play its Homecoming game against Palos Verdes tonight. The team is 3-0 going into homecoming.

Although the team is perfect in Bay League play this year and only two Bay League games remain, Palos Verdes will undoubtedly be its most challenging league opponent to date according to coach Gene Simon.

“Palos Verdes is going to force us to play our best game of the season. Our guys are trying hard and making plays but we’re still making too many errors,” Simon said.

In order to minimize the number of mistakes, the team has been working on raising its intensity during practice.

“We have been taking each rep more seriously during practice,” junior Hunter Bradshaw said. “In every game, except Serra, we’ve come out flat and been a second half team. Against Palos Verdes, we need to put it all together and control the first and the second half.”

The team has also been focusing on executing its offense more effectively according to senior wide receiver Brandon Engel.

“We still don’t play as well as we need to on offense. We need to play as hard and fast as we can if we want to be competitive against the better teams,” Engel said.

The defense has been solid all season but a few minor adjustments are being made in order to prepare for Palos Verdes’ offense, according to senior Drew Wright.

“For defensive backs, we’ve been working on our drops and pass coverage because their receivers run deep routes,” Wright said.

Overall the team is really focused on

They did it in three. into their gym and sweeping them. It feels like our work has The girls volleyball team beat Mira Costa, 25-11, 25-17, finally paid off,” Dykstra said.

25-14, for the first time since the 2006 CIF finals.

With this victory, the team will now be seeded higher than “This is a big win that will go down in history,” junior Tif- Costa going into CIF. fany Morales said.

“We expect good things from playoffs but we will have our According to coach Tommy Chaffins, this is the first time work cut out for us,” Chaffins said. in the team’s history that they have won a Bay League final.

Coach Chaffins believes that Redondo is one of eight teams “This was an exciting game for our girls, our community, that have a good chance of winning the CIF championship. and our fans,” Chaffins said.

“Whoever gets hot and a lucky bounce here and there will Chaffins credits the win to the team’s hard practices and win,” Chaffins said. to their captains, senior Blake O’Brien, senior Lara Dykstra, Although Coach Chaffins does not know who they will and junior Tiffany Morales, for their play until this Sunday, he wants his outstanding leadership. team to have the chance to play Long The team took a different approach Beach Poly again after losing to them in their second opportunity at playing earlier this week.

Costa. According to Morales, the team According to junior Tiffany Momade sure that they studied Costa’s rales, the team is feeling good about tendencies and maintained focus on how they will play in the CIF play–– Blake O'Brien their side. offs.

“Chaffins always make sure we have a next play focus no “I think we’re confident but not overconfident, we still matter what the score is,” Morales said. go into practice hard and make sure that we’re getting better According to O’Brien, the team came in with a different after every point in a game,” she said. mind-set and knew what they had to do to get the win.

Morales hopes for the team to improve from last year, “We had such great rhythm and we just kept rolling with when the team only reached the second round of CIF. it,” O’Brien said.

“We have high expectations for this year and I think we The game was especially important to the seniors who can definitely improve from last year,” Morales said. have not defeated Costa in their high school careers until last According to Chaffins, he is thankful to have such a “phenight, according to Dykstra. nomenal” team.

“It feels amazing. Obviously, I have lost to them every sin“I’m fortunate to be coaching a group of hard-working, gle game since freshman year and it feels even sweeter coming selfless teammates,” Chaffins said.

playing with enthusiasm, while still remaining disciplined according to Simon.

“Our guys are pumped,” Simon said, “We’re looking for maximum satisfaction and we’re going to have to have a great reserve of energy, especially in the fourth quarter. Most importantly football is a game of discipline. Whichever team has the most discipline will prevail.”

Simon hopes that the Homecoming festivities will help energize the team.

“We have a lot of pride and if you have pride, this sure is the night it should all come out,” he said.

Most of the focus on maintaining the team’s intensity is motivated by last week’s lackluster win against an inferior opponent according to Wright.

“As a team we came out flat last week but we finished strong,” said Wright. “Most importantly, last week’s win got us into the playoffs.”

Wright had a huge performance last week, according to Simon. He had a twenty-five yard touchdown run and a forty-five yard punt return for a touchdown.

The receivers, in particular, feel that their play needs to improve.

“Last week we were shaky on our routes and blocking. We receivers have to step up.

If we can block during the whole play, we should get more big plays,” Bradshaw said.

“We shut them down defensively but our offense was about a five out of ten.”

The team’s future success ultimately comes down to how focused it is going into its final few games.

“We need to play with intensity throughout the whole game, start to finish,” Engel said. “If we can do this, we’ll be in good shape for our remaining Bay league games.”

Sweet victory. (left to right) Seniors Nicole White, Blake O’Brien, sophomore Hannah Mosebar, and senior Lara Dykstra celebrate their redemption victory against Costa last night.

The Core Four Water polo’s four starting seniors bond through lack of home facilities for two years.

PHOTO BY JONATHAN MARTIN

On attack. Senior Jake Kirchner shoots in yesterday’s game against Costa. each other, in and away from the pool.

“If we need rides to practice, or if someone’s about to do something stupid, or forgot their lunch money, we’re always there to help,” Ortiz said.

According to the ‘Core Four,’ the entire season served as a team bonding session.

“There is no doubt we’ve grown closer,” Peak said.

“We’re practically brothers.”

PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS

Dezhan the Issue Bland

Athlete of

by Taylor Ballord

by Julie Tran and Alex Shea

For two seasons, the boys’ water polo team played in unfamiliar aquatic centers, used foreign lockers, and lacked a home. However, the team found that friendship was the consistency they could count on.

Construction forced the boys’ water polo team to use Mira Costa’s aquatic facilities for the past three years.

“Costa does have a large pool, the kind most high schools have now, so it was good for conditioning,” senior captain Jake Kirchner said. “Also, there’s no shallow end, so it’s constant conditioning, even when we aren’t swimming or scrimmaging.”

The team operated on ever-shifting practice schedules and, at times, went days without practice.

“Sometimes we could only have one practice per week,” Kirchner said. “It really hurts our development as a team.”

Kirchner believes that if they had more practices during the season, they could have won more close games.

“It’s a sacrifice we’ve had to make to be a part of the team, but we don’t regret it at all,” senior Andy Danryd said.

Seniors Danryd, Kirchner, Alec Ortiz, and Ethan Peak—who call themselves the ‘Core Four’— are disappointed that they will never play a legitimate game at Redondo’s new pool, but believe that the lack of a home pool during the season has brought the team together.

“We all know what [the] others are thinking, which helps us anticipate and make good passes,” Kirchner said.

According to Ortiz, they are always looking out for

PHOTO BY JAKE COLLINS

Lil’ Wayne playing on his iPod, his heart pumping faster than usual, and his hands shaking with excitement. This is senior Dezhan Bland‘s routine right before a race. This is how you will find him before he gives his all to hopefully get one step closer to his dreams of being a professional runner and making it to the Olympics.

“I have always wanted to run in the Olympics after I watched the 2004 Summer games.

I would like to have a chance to race against the fastest people in the world. I want to become a professional runner because I can get paid a lot of money for doing something I like, competing against the best,” Bland said.

While the sprinter‘s first year has been dedicated to getting faster, it did not come easy. He was not the best when he first started but gradually Bland has worked his way up to one of the top spots on the male cross country team.

“To see how far Dezhan has come in such a short amount of time, by his own doing, has been an inspiration to me as a person and as a coach. Being exposed to Dezhan has made me a better coach and a much better person,” Bob Leetch said.

Bland’s dedication to achieving his goal has shaped him into the fourth fastest runner in the South Bay. It has also helped him hone his strength.

“Whenever I train, and the workout is hard

for me, I push myself to the limits because stressing my body in workouts will make me stronger and faster when it’s time to race,” Bland said.

His strength has stretched past sports and into the classroom as well.

“It made me mentally and physically stronger because you have to focus so long in the races,” Bland said.

His strength, physically and mentally, has led to the achievement of many goals leaving Bland wanting more.

“We always talk about making the ceiling the new floor. Reaching your goals and using that as your ladder to new heights. He has embraced that philosophy as well as anyone I have coached. If he continues that pattern in the coming track season and college, look out,” Bob Leetch said.

PHOTO BY ALEX SHEA

SORE FEET SWEAT BLOOD LOVE OF PAINFEAR APPREHENSION

LEFT FOOT, RIGHT FOOT

I N J U R Y PASSION

ADRENALINE TEARS SWEAT THE DANCE STRENGTH D E D I C AT I O N PRIDE

NERVES TEARS BLOOD BLOOD PRACTICEFEAR ADRENALINE SWEAT PAIN PASSION PRIDESWEAT I N J U R Y

I N J U RY

APPREHENSION SWEAT STRENGTH

PRACTICE APPREHENSION

PAIN COMPETITION

LEFT FOOT, RIGHT FOOT

The blood, sweat and tears. The pain, devotion, and perserverance.

Hours of dedication, all in preparation for one exhilariting moment. This is dance, an important part of many student’s lives.00000 [See B8, B4 and B5 for more stories]

I O N SWEAT D E D I C AT I N J U RY

CONCENTRATION

ADRENALINE

A

the November 5th, 2010 Features Magazine

STRENGTH

SORE FEET FEAR nchor

LEFT PRIDE FOOT, RIGHT TEARS FOOT PASSION

PAIN

b.

2

Nov. 5, 2010

ANIMALS OUTDOORS OF THE

Bradshaw finds peace in fishing

by Julie Tran

Hunter Bradshaw’s passions lie on the end of two extremes­­- peace and restlessness.

Starting varsity football receiver, Bradshaw is generally characterized by his slightly impatient, assertive disposition. It comes as a surprise to many that he is willing to slow down and be patient for his second love: fishing.

Exhausted after a strenuous day of practice, Bradshaw wishes he was anywhere but the football field. In fact, the ideal place would be Alaska.

“I love Alaska. It never gets dark there in the summer so I can fish the full 24-hours for halibut, salmon, and trout,” he said. “It’s unbelievably peaceful and relaxing, but the most unexpected things have happened during my fishing trips.”

Some of these instances include when he witnessed a man fall into the freezing cold Situk River. Bradshaw quickly responded and assisted in saving him from death by hypothermia.

According to Bradshaw, although football and fishing both require sudden action

and quick reflexes like these, it takes as much effort, if not more, t o reel in a single fish as it does to play football.

“It’s really tiring. I’ve caught 6-feet halibut that have taken me over an hour to reel in,” Bradshaw said The amount of effort fishing requires fuels Bradshaw’s passion for the sport. Nothing can match the satisfaction he experiences from fishing, not even football.

“The catch is in no way comparable to that of a slot receiver,” Bradshaw said. “The sense of accomplishment is infinitely greater when catching fish.”

According to Bradshaw, a substantial amount of patience and self-reliance are vital for this type of accomplishment.

“In football, you’re dependent on your team mates. But in fishing, you have to rely on yourself and consistent techniques,” he said. “When I’ve caught sixteen salmon and my friend Max has only caught two, I feel like a champion.”

Bennet uses hunting to bond with his family

by Camille Duong

It’s finally dark and someone shines a light into the bush to attract the rabbit’s attention. Junior Cameron Bennett and his brother post out in the back of the pickup truck. A rabbit comes out from the bush as he takes his sawed off shotgun and shoots at the rabbit. Within a few seconds, the animal is dead.

Cameron and his brothers go hunting everytime they go to their family reunion in Utah.

Cameron’s father, Cris Bennett, does not have the problem with hunting. He feels comfortable when they are in a controlled situation.

“Going out at night and hunting rabbits on the fields, with the adults, is as safe as

can be,” Cris said.

According to Cameron, the rabbits they hunt tend to eat the hay on his cousins farm and can multiply fast. They go hunting at night because that is when the rabbits are out.

“Why we hunt is not for food, but more pest control,” he said.

According to Cameron, he does not have a problem killing jackrabbits.

“If you don’t kill them, then you lose money [from the farm],” he said.

When they go hunting they usually try to kill in the first shot, but if not they try to end the misery as quickly as possible, according to Bennett.

“I know this may sound a little sick, but it is a little hard to finish them off because they let out this ear piercing cry,” he said.

“It is disturbing for the normal person, but

Reel 'em in. Hunter Bradshaw tries to pull in a catch in Yukutak, Alaska.

I can handle it.”

According to Cameron he gets a thrill in hunting that he cannot find anywhere else.

“Its really thrilling because it is kind of eerie being out in barren land, pitch black, with my cousin’s country music blaring from the car, trying to look for rabbits,” Cameron said.

Not only is hunting a thrilling experience and a way to keep unwanted pests off their uncle’s land, but it is a way to bond for the Bennett family.

“I’m really competitive with my brothers, so

we would always be seeing who could get the rabbit in less shots and stuff like that,” Cameron said. “We joked and had a good time and it’s always really fun.”

According to Cris hunting has been a different and great experience for himself and his three sons.

“It has become a kind of right of passage from being a child and becoming a man when you are old enough to go out with the adults in the pickup at night to shoot rabbits,” Cris said.

Nov. 5, 2010

A

b.

LONG WAY

Kassel and Schlueter test their limits by rockclimbing

DOWN

by Alyssa Wolfe

by Olivia Loveland

For sophomore Elizabeth de la Torre, hiking Mt. Whitney means starting the ascent from Whitney Portal at about midnight. With only the stars and head lamps lit to guide her, she and one or more enthusiasts hassle up a winding trail carefully selecting their steps to avoid falling on slippery rocks.

Along the trail she will see occasional head lamps appearing and disappearing throughout the night’s darkened forest. About every 1 to 3 hours her group will run into worn-out hungry backpackers heading the opposite direction towards the portal, ending their multi-day trips including: boy scouts, parents and their rugged older children, elders as old as seventy, and couples.

According to de la Torre, night is where only the toughest and more seasoned hikers are, unless a rookie ventured too far from the portal.

“This kind of hike is a personal test,” said de la Torre.

To keep up with de la Torre means carrying a 20 to 25 pound backpack from an elevation of 8,360 feet along the 22 mile round trip on Mt. Whitney.

In de la Torre’s group are fam-

PHOTOS CURTESY OF ELIZABETH DE LA TORRE

ily, friends, and two guides to help them along on their first 7-day backpacking trip up the 14,494 foot mountain.

As the sun comes up the group reaches the 6 mile mark reaches the last water source, Trail Camp Lake, located 12,000 feet above sea level.

From there, they start the 97 switch backs to Trail Crest where the hikers can see the westerly Sequoia National Park Region, several small lakes, and portions of the John Muir Trail.

“The final few miles are the most challenging. Along the way hikers coming from the westerly side and those that camped nearby are converging along the narrowing rocky trail to the top,” she said.

At the top of the summit hikers from around the world stop to take pictures as they discuss their ascents in multiple languages.

After making a phone call or two, de la Torre prepares to jog down the trail. The sixteen hour hike will end at the Whitney portal.

“Most hikers reach the top, sign the registry book, and admire the views, but a few don’t make it,” she said.

1.

3

Beneath the fatigue lies a feeling of accomplishment a n d satisfaction that makes the strenuous ascent more than worthwhile,” she said.

De la Torre started backpacking when she was nine years old, and has since hiked Yosemite’s Half Dome summit (18.3 mi) 13 times and Mt. Whitney (22 mi) five times.

According to de la torre, backpacking and trail running in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains are fulfilling adventures that takes her away from the urban life and brings her face-to-face with the same wilderness that inspired John Muir over a century ago.

“Ansel Adams photographed these snow capped regions, but it’s people like Jon Muir and I who have seen it firsthand,” said de la Torre. “Next year I hope to try the 211 mile John Muir Trail to celebrate my sixteenth birthday.”

2.

Top of the World. De la Torre and her friend at the top of Mt. Whitney. She has been hiking mountains ever since she was nine.

They scramble up the rocks, carefully testing each rock to make sure it can support their body weight. They pull themselves from one rock to another slowly going higher and higher. The objective is simple: get to the top of the cliff.

To senior Bridgett Kassel, the thrill is in the result.

“The basic thing is to look at the view and what surrounds you and where you live and how beautiful things are,” Kassel said.

Junior Laura Schluteter enjoys the climb itself, more. In fact, she enjoys it so much that she goes most Sundays after church.

“The first time I was pretty nervous but, after I was done I wanted to do it again because the excitement of getting up high and not having any ropes hold you was so fun,” she said.

According to Kassel, though it is only a 20-40 minute work out, it still works the body and takes lots of concentration. You also must trust and rely on the people you climb with to help you through it.

“It is scary because you have to take big jumps from one side of the rock to another side and there is nothing in the middle so you have to trust someone else to help you cross rocks,” she said.

According to Schlueter, when she first went in 4th grade she got nervous when she saw what she would have to climb. A man from her church, Jack Talarico, who she refers to as her ‘second dad’ took her on the trip.

“I knew he would never let anything happen to me, so I was kind of brave enough to do it,” she said.

Schlueter and Talarico later took Kassel with them when Kassel was in 7th grade.

“Jack is very out there. He does anything,” Kassel said. “I was kind of nervous about going. It was the older girls that used to go, but we were the first ones of our age group because everyone was too scared to go.”

As the girls went into high school more girls started going with them so Kassel and Schlueter had to become more independent in order to keep up with them.

During Schlueter’s freshman year she climbed ahead of a group of four new girls on a cliff steeper than any other she had climbed.

As she reached the top she grabbed at a branch that broke and fell about forty feet.

“I was praying the whole time, just hoping that God would save my life and not let it end here,” she said.

Schlueter and the people she was with ended up getting air lifted out by a helicopter and she was not seriously injured as she managed to grab a hold of some weeds which saved her.

“We are more careful now. We do not climb as steep of cliffs and we are more careful to check that rocks can support our weight by wiggling them around,” she said. “It is worth the risk, and now we are more safe.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MOLLY SIMON

b.4 Passion field. Sophomore Cameron Paulson and Jeff Ewing compete at the Showstoppers National Dance Competition.

It all comes down to the last beat

Paulson loses her dance partner of six years. She learns the values of friendship and respect through their final performance.

Lying on the ground, she looks up at her partner as the soft, lyrical melody of the music fills her ears and the theater.

In him she sees a partner, a friend, and a brother. Her heart pumps not from excitement or nerves like the times before, but from the effort of trying to hold back her tears. She does not think about the steps or her timing, the height of her jumps or the length of her lines. All she can think is, “This is the last time.”

Sophomore Cameron Paulson competed with partner Jeff Ewing in a lyrical dance duet at Showstoppers National Dance Competition. Because Ewing was moving away to North Carolina, the dance was especially emotional for Paulson.

“It felt so much different from every other time,” she said. “As soon as his foot hit the stage, I knew that this was the last time I was dancing with him.”

As they danced, Paulson

looked back on all of their times together.

“Normally I don’t think much. I think of putting one foot in front of the other. But this time I thought about all the falls we had, the wins and the losses. And that I was thankful to have him throughout all those years,” she said.

Paulson found that her sadness about losing Ewing helped her performance of the routine. In the dance she and Ewing are in love but Paulson has died. The dance depicts Paulson’s coming back to life and the lovers’ last moments together.

“At the end he finally comes to peace with the thought of me being gone,” Paulson said.

“It fit with our situation perfectly.”

In fact, Paulson’s and Ewing’s coach and choreographer — Jeff’s mother Becky Ewing — choreographed the duet as a “fictional story based on loss,” specifically Paulson’s and Ewing’s loss of each other.

“They had always been very good friends and they were very sad that it was their last duet. It’s about them saying goodbye,” Mrs. Ewing said.

However, unlike Jeff’s character in the

routine, Cameron has not been able to fully accept Jeff’s absence.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be at peace with him being gone because he was such a big part of my life,” she said. “But no matter what, I know he’ll always be there. And I take peace in mind knowing that he’s not too far away.”

As soon as the dance was over, they walked off stage and cried while hugging each other.

“My dance coach — Jeff’s mom — came up to us and said ‘You did it.’ We both knew that this was our moment together that everyone would remember,” she said.

Paulson and Ewing danced together from the age of nine when Mrs. Ewing discovered the partnership.

“In a group they both matched technically and I just decided to put them together in a dance,” Mrs. Ewing said. “And it just kind of naturally happened from there.”

Over their six years together, the duo developed a strong bond as partners and as friends. Paulson even thinks of Ewing as family, saying he is like a “brother” to her.

Together, Paulson and Ewing performed several duets and placed in every competition.

But when the awards ceremony at the Showstoppers’ Competition started, Paulson didn’t care what place they received.

“Normally I’m waiting and eager to know what I got, but I knew that I performed the best that I could with Jeff. And that’s all that mattered to me,” she said.

When their names weren’t called for the first few places, Paulson knew it was a good sign.

“It went from fourth to third to second and we both just looked at each other—we knew we had won,” she said.

Despite having won the year before, Paulson said that this win was “so much more rewarding” after such an emotional performance.

“It was a feeling I couldn’t describe. I was almost numb,” she said. “But then when it hit me, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I knew that over all those years I had accomplished what I wanted to with the right person.”

Taking the traditional route Classical Indian dance helps Gandhi appreciate her culture

by Tricia Light

A dancer with dyed hands and feet, an elaborate headset, and a brightly colored costume stands center stage. Rhythmic music begins as a scene of Hindu mythology unfolds.

Sophomore Shivaani Gandhi studies Bharanthanatyam, a classical dance steeped in Indian culture.

“My dance is something that I am really proud of. It sets me apart,” Gandhi said.

“How many people can say they do Indian classical dance?”

One of the distinguishing features of Bharathanatyam is its connection to Gandhi’s Indian heritage and Hindu religion.

“Every dance that we learn has some sort of religious story behind it,” she said. “A part of Bharathanatyam is honoring the Gods through dance.”

According to Gandhi, the difficulty of Bharathanatyam is the combination of unique hand and eye movements, intricate footwork, and drama.

“You need to be graceful with the upper half of your body while doing all of these crazy things with your feet,” she said. “You need to have intense facial expressions while trying to not burst out laughing. It’s almost

like acting.”

As dance became her focus, Gandhi had to sacrifice some of her other interests.

“Between school and dance it sometimes feels as though I have no time to do anything else,” she said.

Recently, Gandhi performed in her Natya Arangetram, or dance graduation, where dancer’s debut their years of study.

“It is almost as important as a wedding for a dance. I had family come all the way from India,” she said.

Despite her extensive preparations, Gandhi was “the most nervous [she had] ever been” leading up to the performance.

“When you are going to perform you need to be perfect. The pressure adds to the physical challenge of having to go through a 10 minute dance,” she said.

Sophomore Mannal Haddad, Gandhi’s best friend, saw how important this debut was for her friend.

“She was really worried and thinking about nothing else,” she said. “I was really worried myself, but then the show started and she was amazing. Her hard work definitely paid off.”

Sophomore Navea Dasz attended the performance and was also impressed.

“Her dancing was unlike anything I’d ever seen but very beautiful. The costumes and the music added to the exotic dances,” Dasz said.

Dance is an important part of Gandhi’s identity, according to Haddad.

“I can tell she is in her element, all alone on stage in a crazy costume doing her thing,” she said. “It really completes her personality. She’s always out there doing something totally unique.”

Despite the difficulty and struggles, Gandhi is glad she pursued Bharathanatyam as far as she did.

“It was really hard sometimes, but it made me appreciate my Indian culture,” she said. “It boosts my confidence because once you are on stage you know you can do something. You look out into the audience and know that everyone is Photo courtesy of Shivaani Gandhi there watching and supporting you.”

Love Power

Failure

by Gianna Esposito All photos courtesy of Cameron Paulson.

b. 5

Nov. 5, 2010

All on the

ine L

Anxiety

Emotion

Pa s s i o n

D e d i c at i o n

Ad r e n a l i n e

A c c e p ta n c e

E x h i l i r at i o n

Going beyond the norm

by Annica Stitch

Sweat dripping down his face, he dances to the beat of the music as the crowd of people surrounding him cheer and scream. Senior Justin Yang has been learning to dance like the G-Style dance crew, the crew that founded popping, since last year.

The G-Style values techniques and sets guidelines for how they believe popping should be done.

Popping is an umbrella term that pertains to styles including robot, waving, and boogaloo.

“I want to separate myself from the commercial crowd of dancers.

I’m not hating on other dancers who do other styles, but that is just not for me. I simply like the way a G-Style gets down,” Yang said.

Unlike many dancers, Yang doesn’t take conventional lessons. Instead, he prefers to dance at Homeland in Long Beach, where dancers learn through “battles”.

“Dance classes involve a teacher teaching a class what to do, and that restricts dancers from being individuals. I stay away from classes,” Yang said.

After seeing a clip of dancer, Madd Chad, Yang was inspired to pursue dance. Since seeing that video, Yang has taught himself the foundation of popping and continues to develop his own style. “[At Homeland we] don’t do poser looking moves. We don’t do jumps and spins or any moves you’ll see on So You Think You Can Dance.” Yang said.

According to Yang, he spends every Monday practicing because he enjoys it.

“It’s just like any other hobby of mine. There is always a huge room for improvement with everything I do,” he said.

Yang, who had his art featured on websites, dances as another way to express himself.

“Dance appeals to me as an artist because I can be creative with music, and not just traditional mediums like pencil, paper, etcetera,” Yang said.

p.

6

Nov. 5, 2010

Thibodeaux challenges himself as a hacker

by Vanessa Alarcon

He waits and watches the computer screen intently for the result. He stays focused and hopeful. He continues reconfiguring the program to search for the password. After pouring all of his concentration into the task, he is successful: He has his dad’s wifi password.

Senior Justin Thibodeaux considers hacking into his dad’s wifi password to be the most impressive hack he has done.

“I had to put [a lot of effort] into it to try to get everything to work right because it was way over my head,” Thibodeaux said.

He considers every hacking task that he completes practice for his future career. Thibodeaux wants to be an ethical hacker, a person that any company hires to test their network and file systems to make sure that private information cannot become public.

“I like challenging my mind to think logically to solve the security puzzles,” he said.

Thibodeaux already knows how to perform some hacking. For example, he can acquire some online passwords and usernames.

One specific task he can perform is to “trick” people into giving him their Facebook password and username by using a Facebook phisher. He creates a website and makes it look like a Facebook page and places a link to the webpage somewhere on

facebook.

He does not use the passwords, however. He only uses the phisher on computers with permission from the owner to learn how they work and the different techniques he can use.

Thibodeaux can perform a variety of tasks if he has tools, such as programs that help crack passwords.

Thibodeaux has used his skills to help

“It angers me how people think hackers are malicious people. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Hackers are good people and help with bettering techology.”

—JustinThibodeaux friends that are locked out of their computers by reseting their passwords or by helping them make their computers compatible with certain games or programs.

Senior Rick Kodani is one friend that Thibodeaux has helped. Thibodeaux recoded a part of the Linux operating system to run a non-Linux program.

“I have a feeling that [Justin] will be very sucessful with it,” Kodani said.

From his experience with hacking, Thi-

bodeaux has learned about his own computer security.

“There is absolutely no way to completely protect your computer,” Thibodeaux said.

Thibodeaux says that hacking is not just breaking into people’s computers. He goes by the definition given by Eric Raymond in the New Hacker’s Dictionary, which says that a hacker is a “clever programmer” that enjoys learning about programming and programs enthusiastically.

“It angers me how people think hackers are malicious people. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Hackers are good people and help with bettering technology,” Thibodeaux said.

Eric Raymond is one of Thibodeaux’s idols as well as Richard Stallman, who founded the open source movement. The open source movement discloses codes to the public which helps Thibodeaux have access to tools that help him hack.

“I believe software should be entirely open source so anyone and everyone can edit and adjust and contribute,” Thibodeaux said.

Thibodeaux only uses the hacking for learning and helping people and thinks that it is important to keep hacking ethical.

“I have no reason to be unethical. Doing it ethically gives me a real reason to do something that I enjoy,” Thibodeaux said.

p.

Nov. 5, 2010

7

Collingwood teaches himself to code

by Laura Shodall

It’s just past 11 p.m. and junior Logan Collingwood is staring into a computer screen, mumbling an incoherent string of symbols and words, wishing for sleep. He sighs and decides to quit while he’s ahead, knowing he’ll be doing the exact same thing the next night.

Collingwood is on his way to fulfilling his dream of being a web entrepreneur and teaching himself how to code.

“It was so difficult, and is still very difficult,” he said. “I get frustrated every five minutes. But to me, it’s so worth it.”

Collingwood realized his goal of being a web entrepreneur a year ago, and as a result, dedicates at least five hours every night to coding.

“While some people spend their time practicing sports, playing an instrument, or watching TV, I write code. It’s a rather interesting thing to do, and it helps prepare me for life after college,” he said.

According to Collingwood, taking the initiative to learn on his own is “gratifying”.

“I am very, very happy doing what I do.

While sometimes having no one to go to for

help is extremely irritating, it also allows me to be entirely self dependent,” he said. “It’s all that much more gratifying knowing that I have learned everything just by expanding my own mind, and have been able to learn so much solely by putting my singular mind to the task.”

Collingwood’s father, who is an enterprise technical specialist, is proud of his son’s accomplishments.

“Logan has made a lot of progress the last year or so. He started by observing and understanding the concepts of how computer programs, or code, works,” he said, “Like many people, he started copying existing code and then modifying it for purposes that interest him. Many intermediate programmers never get past this stage, but Logan has.”

In the past year, Collingwood has single handily designed a layout for his blog and an original theme for Tumblr.

“It took a lot of time and effort, but producing original work is gratifying” he said. “I know what I want my page to look like via a visual representation in my mind, and I’m forced to translate my image into lines of text.”

Collingwood strives to attend UC Berk-

ley or Stanford, and hopes that his designs will be recognized by prospective designers.

“Athletes get scouted for performing well, young entrepreneurs who create useful applications are recognized for their work,” he said, “I want to be one of those young entrepreneurs.”

Because his knowledge of design and coding is entirely self taught, Collingwood says that it has taught him self reliance.

“I truly believe that these skills are applicable in day to day life,” he said, “It’s cool to look back on what I’ve made and claim it as my own.”

According to Collingwood, the long hours of “strenuous” work will ultimately allow him to better himself in college and help him reach his life’s goal.

“I aspire to be like many young web entrepreneurs, such as Kevin Rose, Anthony Casalena, David Karp, and Isaac Stone,” he said, “These people have all had that ‘million dollar idea’.

This is my ultimate goal.

All that’s missing is my idea.”

Engineering classes prepare students for future

by Tricia Light

Tech Talk HTML is the acrynom for Hypertext Markup Language, which is a tag-based ASCII language used to create pages on the web.

An application is any software program, such as a word processor, that users use to do work on a computer.

A firewall is a set of related programs that protect the resources of a private network from users from other networks.

A network is a group of computers or devices, connected together for the exchange of data and sharing of resources.

An IP adress is a string of four numbers separated by periods used to represent a computer on the Internet.

Students sit down, the out their notebooks and start sketching ­— but this isn’t art class. The Introduction to Engineering class gives students the foundation they need to pursue a career in engineering.

“It teaches you what it really means to be an engineer,” senior Aaron Phillips said.

Despite the positive potential, some students are frustrated by the amount of work the class requires.

“It’s a lot of sketching and planning before you actually do something,” Phillips said.

A large amount of class time is spent on reviewing vocabulary and other bookwork.

“I wish the class was less structured and more hands on and creative,” sophomore CJ Bissett said.

However Bissett, who took the class last year, feels that the class was beneficial as a whole.

“While the class isn’t ideal, I’m glad we have it,” Bissett said. “It is definitely something students are interested in.”

According to Bissett, some of the more practical elements of the class include instruction on the different fields of engineering and classes necessary to enter the field.

“I like the idea of the class. It points students in the direction of being engineers,”

“[The class] teaches you what it really means to be an engineer.”

— Aaron Phillips he said.

Engineering interests Bissett because he wants to be creative and build things.

“I always wanted to be a builder, but now that I’m in high school engineering sounds like a better fit for me,” he said.

Senior Jon Fitzhugh is currently enrolled in the class and finds it interesting.

“I can see where the criticism is coming from, but we haven’t learned the things we need to do actual design,” Fitzhugh said.

“You need a solid foundation before moving ahead.”

He enrolled in the class in order to gain experience for his career.

“I plan to go into game design. I hope that the 3D design the class covers will be helpful in my career,” he said.

Exposure to different careers is the primary advantage of the class according to Fitzhugh.

“I think that is what electives should do.

They should give you experience in several fields,” he said. “Why waste all the money and go to college to study something you aren’t in to?”

However, he feels that there are improvements to be made.

“Personally, I would like to see a more advanced engineering program more focused on 3D design and a variety of computer programs,” Fitzhugh said.

Overall, he feels that the class is a valuable part of our school’s curriculum.

“I definitely think it is a beneficial class.

Even if what you learn from it is that you don’t want to be an engineer it is a good class to take,” he said.

b.

8

November 5th, 2010

Pascual dances to express faith through choreography

by Allison Salazar

Her hands start shaking, her stomach churns, she feels the audience staring at her, but as she looks toward her pastor, his reassuring nod gives her the confidence to begin dancing in front of her church.

Sophomore Vivian Pascual expresses her faith by choreographing dances and skits that incorporate religious messages, and has learned to overcome her stage fright through them.

“I have no idea why I have major stage fright. But when I am dancing I am in my own world, it’s truly my escape from reality. I get excited and eager to go on stage,” she said.

Pascual came up with the idea to bring dance performances to her church during February and talked to her pastor to get his approval. She choreographed and taught it to eight of her friends, and performed it on Easter.

It was a big hit since no one had ever done something like it at out church be-

fore,” she said.

Junior Andrea Martinez also performs skits and dances for her church in addition to participating on the salsa team. She is a member of The Rock, a youth group that works with Trinity Arts, a performing arts ministry. The dances she performs are for different occasions that take place at her church.

“These dances are to open the eyes of the teens, and to inspire them to let God teach them the way of life,” Martinez said.

Martinez has learned to listen to others, and include her peers in more productions so that no one is left out.

“I’ve learned a lot by participating in Trinity Arts but mainly that everything we do is for the grace of God,” she said. “I love the feeling I get when all of us are out on stage showing everyone how hard we work and how beautiful it all turns out.”

Like Pascual she also experiences stage fright before she performs but feels that

once she is dancing her nerves go away.

“When I step out on the stage my heart pounds so hard I swear the whole audience can hear it. No matter what I always feel nervous in the beginning but once I’m out there I do what I have to do and I give it my all,” she said.

In addition to designing choreographies for her church, Pascual is a member of the hip hop and salsa team. Although it can be overwhelming, she notes that the choreographies she designs for her church help give her ideas for the ones she does at school.

“There have been ups and downs but I have learned from my mistakes. My assertive side has helped me gain the respect from my peers,” she said.

The dances Pascual performs at her church have positive lessons that focus on religious concepts. In one of her “play dances” Jesus saves a teenage girl that almost dies from driving under the influ-

ence.

“My favorite part of performing is seeing the impact it has on people,” she said.

“What makes me happy is that I know what I’m doing at my church has a purpose. Through my choreographies I can share my faith which is the reason for my passion.”

Pascual also helps younger students by being a positive role model. She teaches Sunday school from 6 to 11 p.m. and wants to create choreographies for the younger students to learn.

“My parents adore seeing me serve God in this way,” she said.

Martinez also finds joy in choreographing and performing the dances and skits because she believes she is making a difference.

“Doing them makes me happy because I know I am doing them for a good reason,” she said. “I love seeing the smiles on everybody’s face when we go on.”

Hwang finds friendship through Future Shock dance troupe

by Allison Salazar

The music reverberates through the room, and the light centers in on sophomore Jenna Hwang. Her nerves subside and a sense of excitement takes over. This is her moment to do the thing she loves the most: dance.

“The adrenaline rush is the best part. I love feeling excited; the butterflies in my stomach, the excitement of the crowd, and the happiness everyone [on the team] shows by doing what they love makes me happy,” she said.

Hwang is a member of Future Shock LA, a dance program for teens ages 1318 that is directed by Culture Shock LA. The dancers are trained in performing and studying urban dance styles, however they must audition in order to be a part of the program. “We are a troupe of individuals, who through the power of music and dance, cultivate self-worth, dignity and respect for all people,” according to the Culture Shock LA website.

The team practices every Sunday from

2:30 until 6:30 p.m. and Hwang believes that spending time together has affected them positively by creating a close bond between the dancers. “[Future Shock] is filled with warm loving people who care and are committed to dance and everyone else on the team,” she said. “The reason I get through everyday of the week, is to go to practice to see everyone and dance.”

Eddie Flores, junior and teammate, also believes the program creates a comfortable atmosphere for the dancers to practice.

“In Future Shock you really train to get better. [The program] also does community outreach events to inspire other people and I really admire that,” he said.

“We are a big family that loves to come together and share our experiences with each other and others.”

Flores has also gained some positive lessons by participating in Future Shock.

“It teaches me how to be a better person and to be nice and humble to people

because [the program] does not accept any negative behavior”.

Junior Alex Almaraz, the president of hip hop club and a member of the salsa team, has been participating in Future Shock since his sophomore year. He believes the program focuses on being patient and helping other dancers in order to avoid conflict.

“We all respect each other. No one should be getting yelled at if they are not getting the choreography down. We all mess up sometimes,” he said. “If you need help [the artistic directors] will help you get it and they won’t give up on you.”

In addition to learning the history of dance to have a true understanding of the movements, he believes the most important thing is to enjoy dancing.

“Just having fun, feeling the energy from the crowd, and going out and having a good time are what it’s all about.

It doesn’t matter if you mess up. All you need is to try your best,” Almaraz said.

Being a part of Future Shock has helped Hwang learn about the importance of discipline, motivation, time management, multitasking, and about giving others a glimpse of who she is through her performances.

“My personality definitely shows during the choreographies. That’s the main point in dancing; to connect with the music and express yourself by portraying it through movement,” she said.

Although Hwang uses dance to help release the tension and stress she experiences throughout the week, she wants to continue doing it for the rest of her life.

She plans to join an entertainment company in Korea called JYP, or the company YG Family.

“It’s like my own drug, I can’t stop doing it because it’s amazing,” she said.

“When I’m dancing, I feel free. Dancing is definitely one of my passions and I would love to continue living my life as a dancer.”