February 2023: Volume 7 Issue 5

PORTOLA PILOT

Teacher of the Year

Social studies department chair Jon Resendez was announced Irvine Unifed School District 2022-23 High School Teacher of the Year on Feb. 8, becoming the frst Portola High teacher to win the award. Superintendent Terry Walker, assistant superintendent Cassie Parham, select IUSD board members and Portola High staf congratulated Resendez on campus for his passion and commitment to teaching.

Beyond Resendez’s contributions to his school, he was also selected for his work in leading the yearly Sacramento advocacy trip and mentoring teacher candidates and colleagues in the social sciences, according to IUSD.org.

“It feels good to be able to represent Portola at that level, and to be the frst is a special thing,” Resendez said. “I don’t have a lot of words for it. It’s sort of surreal.”

Colleagues submitted Resendez for award consideration by completing a nomination and short application, which a selection board of various teachers and district members proceeded to review, according to principal John Pehrson.

“I value their support and respect above everything else, so the nomination is actually the honor,” Resendez said. “It’s really incredible to have so many people in your corner — it’s an indescribable feeling.”

Resendez’s active involvement at Portola High spans across eight years, from 2015, before the school opened, to now, according to Pehrson.

“Not only did he help make the decisions, but he lives it every day in his classroom, and he really practices what he believes and preaches,” Pehrson said.

“Also just leadership-wise, he’s impacted sodational thing that we have on campus, he’s been an integral part of putting together.”

Resendez said that he credits each of his students and colleagues for shaping him into the teacher he is and allowing him the opportunity to receive the award.

“The thing that I enjoyed most was how obvious his passion for his job is,” senior Rhea Sheth said. “His focus has always been on the students and on -

ly wants to make the experience for every single student as enriching as possible, and that just makes a really big diference.”

Resendez said his award has put himented educators and learn from them as well. He is currently preparing to apply for the 2024 Orange County Teacher of the Year award with applications due Feb. 24 and nalists announced in April, according to Resendez.

Parmin Zamani Photo Editor

Senior Nick Nieto creates Stray Apparel see page 03

Choir implements new recording equipment see page 05

Baseball wins season opener see page 09

Graphic by Arshia Sista

Photos Courtesy of John Pehrson

ree new Spanish courses to be o ered next school year

Parmin Zamani Photo Editor

Advanced Spanish for Patient Care, Spanish for Spanish Speakers

1 and Spanish for Spanish Speakers

2 are set to be ofered on campus starting in the 2023-24 school year. Designed by Spanish teachers Otto Lopez, Grace Maginn and Brian Salgado, the courses will serve as an opportunity for advanced and native Spanish speakers to pursue diferent pathways for their Spanish language education, according to Maginn.

Spanish for Spanish Speakers

1 and 2 are for students who speak Spanish at home, building upon their previous knowledge of Spanish by expanding into deeper comprehension and more academic language, according to Lopez. Salgado said that he wanted to create a space to challenge learners on

more complex Spanish concepts after noticing many fuent students in his beginner Spanish classes.

“It’s a class to give students that are native speakers a place to belong, a place to be and a place where they can share their culture,” Lopez said. “I’m really excited to learn from each other and build community in the class.”

Students who have completed their Spanish 1 and 2 prerequisites and are interested in entering the feld of medicine can choose to take Advanced Spanish for Patient Care. The curriculum focuses on teaching students the vocabulary and speaking skills necessary to interact with patients in Spanish.

“If anything, the course would really focus on those conversational skills,” Maginn said. “So, being able to express empathy and show compassion, I think, are some of the most fundamental skills that stu-

dents would take away, regardless of if they’re going to continue on to the medical profession or not.”

Lopez and Salgado are in the process of searching for current and incoming students who speak Spanish at home to let them know about the new Spanish for Spanish Speakers course and promote it to them.

“At home, you don’t really talk about complex issues, sometimes with their parents, sometimes it’s very surface level things,” Salgado said. “When I took this class in high school, it really helped me personally in learning new vocabulary, learning things that I wouldn’t learn from my parents, but that I needed in an academic setting.”

The courses are currently in the process of getting approved by the Irvine Unifed School District with the fnal decision coming at the beginning of March, according to Lopez.

Administration to implement new course sign-up system in

Michael Sun Staf Writer

Administration will pilot a new schedule sign-up system in March with the aim to improve the traditional system that has been used in previous school years, according to assistant principal Jen Ochsner.

Instead of signing up for classes through one-on-one conferences with advisement teachers, students will confrm their schedules for the 2023-24 school year through individual conferences with each of their current teachers during class. The new policy intends for students’ schedules and course rigor to refect a more accurate representation of students’ academic abilities, according to Ochsner.

“A big part of it is we want teachers to have a way to talk to students to make sure that they’re in the right class,” Ochsner said. “Whereas when a student’s asking an advisement

March

teacher, the advisement teacher may not teach that subject and doesn’t always know the best advice to give.”

Many staff members, despite having to hold more conferences, find the new system to better reflect teachers’ knowledge of students’ capabilities in various subjects.

“ We want teachers to have a way to talk to students to make sure that they’re in the right class.”

- Jen Ochsner assistant principal

“Do I know anything about math classes? No,” economics and psychology teacher Kathryn Beechinor said.

“Even though I’m going to be calling students in and out of the class, I know [who] to recommend for social studies because I know social studies. I know my whole department, the structure and elective pathways.”

Some students prefer the original conference schedule, since advisement teachers who have had the same students for multiple years may know them better. Junior Brian Son said that students’ grades are a sufcient indicator of how well students are doing in subject areas.

“I was able to go in-depth and have longer conversations with my advisement teacher, Mrs. Martasian, about which courses I should take and questions I had in mind,” Son said. “She gave good advice on which courses I should take next year after hearing which hobbies and subjects I enjoyed learning. Having smaller conversations with my teachers wouldn’t have the same efect, and I feel like it would limit which courses I can take for next year.”

Should the newly proposed signup policy result in positive results, administration will continue with this system in the following years as well.

Photo by Parmin Zamani

HASTA LUEGO. Spanish teacher Otto Lopez said he hopes to form a classroom where Spanish speakers feel at home. “It was very eye-opening,” Lopez said. “We all spoke Spanish at home, so we knew a lot of the lingo and colloquialisms, and we spoke like that, which in regular Spanish classes we won’t learn.”

DON’T FROM THIS APPAREL

Kayleen Kim & Arshia Sista Opinion Editor and Front Page Editor

Selecting a manufacturing company, scheduling pop-up events, checking stock numbers and developing a customer base are common problems new business owners face when launching their companies.

Senior Nick Nieto started his own clothing business, Stray Apparel (strayapparelco.com), in November 2022. Nieto said that the name of

from a desire to solve two problems: comfort and inclusivity, prompting him to make casual styles and unisex wear for his brand.

his clothing at the Lovers Market Pop-Up shop in San Diego on Feb. 4.

Nieto initially faced backlash from comments on social media and had trouble operating the brand while balancing schoolwork, yet continued to keep the business afoat.

“It’s just always been a dream of mine, you know?” Nieto said. “That’s what really interested me, the fact that I can make something that people would wear every day and that people would enjoy looking at and wearing.”

“I was never one to go out of my way to fnd clothes that look stylish, and I really liked to dress comfortably,” Nieto said. “That’s my biggest driving force with this brand. I want to make clothing that not only I enjoy, but I know so many people will genuinely enjoy.”

With the help of photographer and alumna Emily Pham, Nieto markets his brand on two social media platforms — TikTok and In stagram @ strayapparel co. Nieto sold

Nieto also struggled to fnd the right tools to maintain a successful business on the analytical side for Stray Apparel. The frst main problem Nieto encountered was committing to a manufacturing company.

“The process was days of going through websites trying to fnd someone who was local,” Nieto said. “I tried to fnd people with really good prices and then I could feel I could be with for the long run. And it just ended up being that lucky in between.”

Nieto ultimately decided to stick to Lucky Relabel Inc, where he met production lead Mikey

I want, but it’s still really difcult learning how to do everything,” Nieto said. “You don’t really learn anywhere how to start a business. It’s kind of something you end up learning on your own by yourself as you go along.”

Nieto has one primary design that is a part of his Moth to a Flame collection. This design features a moth shaped out of two human faces and hearts with shades of gray and pink. His collection is analogous to the unique connection be-

tween mammals and humans, according to Nieto. “I want to resonate with people who wear the shirt, so they can feel something when they buy the shirt, and they can wear it every day and be reminded of the meaning that is behind the clothes,” Nieto said. “I think that’s one of the best things about owning your business. You can make it whatever you want, and you just get to see the fruits of your labor become accomplished.”

Photo by Kayleen Kim

MOTH TO HUMAN. Senior Nick Nieto models a shirt from his first collection, Moth to a Flame. His website, strayapparelco.com, launched on Feb. 10, showcasing the clothing line.

Senior Nick Nieto creates his own apparel brand, Stray Apparel

Graphics by Dheeksha Bhima Reddy and Cara Chan

“

I think that’s one of the best things about owning your business. You can make it whatever you want, and you just get to see the fruits of your labor become accomplished.”

- Nick Nieto senior

Photos by Kayleen Kim and Graphic by Cara Chan

STRAY WITH STYLE. Senior Leyla Naqvi and junior Sebastian Nieto model the “Moth to a Flame” collection in two colors, brown and black, for the Stray Apparel website. Senior Nick Nieto’s business was the first of its kind to be created in his family, as none of his family has experience in business, according to Nick Nieto.

Arts and Entertainment

New recording equipment is ‘hear’

Instrumental and vocal music classes begin recording music for feedback and projects

Cara Chan Features Editor

As I am led into the choir room, vocal music teacher Adrian Rangel eagerly points to the microphones hanging from the ceiling. I can feel his enthusiasm as he excitedly tells me about some of the visual and performing arts department’s plans for the new recording equipment funded from an IPSF grant it received in 2022.

The main goal of this project — which was spearheaded by Rangel and instrumental music teachers Desmond Stevens and Kyle Traska — is to allow students to receive immediate feedback on their performance during rehearsals, according to Stevens.

“It makes you become a better musician,” senior

and Portola Singers member Shefali Sinha said. “If you listen to yourself and you hear the faws and you correct it yourself, it’s a lot better than just having the choir director tell you what mistakes you’re making. It helps you fne-tune yourself.”

The teachers ordered new microphones, speakers, mixers, cabling and monitors. The vocal and instrumental music classes began using the equipment last Tuesday.

“I think it’s going to be good for [students] to have that refective process of listening to themselves more regularly, so that they can be aware of their progress and what they need to work on,” Rangel said. “It’s also good for them to just have access to this equipment so that they can do these projects,

so that we’re not only doing live performance of music, but also learning the recording process and also learning what it’s like to be a recording artist.”

The cables run through the walls connecting to microphones on the ceil-

ings, enabling ensembles to record in classrooms during rehearsals and play it back via computer, according to Rangel.

“I’ve been waiting for this day when we built this school,” Stevens said. “This was part of the vi-

sion that we had for every classroom, but because of the way construction and budgets work, it didn’t happen immediately. So the fact that we were able to get this grant and make it happen, makes me super, super happy.”

Scriptwriting. Storyboarding. Staging. These are just a few tasks senior Sissy Wynn must tackle when crafting her short flms.

Although Wynn ofcially began creating flms in her junior year, she has created short flms and skits with friends and family ever since she was young. The creative and technical aspects of flmmaking have allowed Wynn to fully utilize her unique skill set.

“With directing and short flms, there’s a lot of creativity, but it’s also very technical,” Wynn said. “There’s a lot of opportu-

nities to bring diferent people into one space and create something that’s bigger than ourselves.”

Wynn’s most recent independently created flm, “The Prodigy,” follows a talented pianist who struggles to fnd self-worth. Many of her flms are refections of her own experiences, with “The Prodigy” drawing upon her feelings of loneliness when she struggled to ft in with various high school groups.

“With my flm, I wanted to show how it felt to be talented at something, but still have other people that don’t see you as the real you,” Wynn said. “I had to learn that the only thing that matters is yourself when it comes to your art.”

However, flmmaking is not a one-person show

— Wynn has incorporated the voices of other students within her productions through the use of actors and post-production crew that allow her to fully achieve her creative vision. She has also honed her skills throughout her years in school, according to senior Clarissa Roman, who played the unnamed main character in “The Prodigy.”

“Seeing her improvement all the way to college applications is a big deal, and I’m really proud of where she’s come as a flmmaker,” Roman said. “I think she makes really a unique take on not only script writing, but her flming style is really cool.”

Wynn has also refned her flmmaking skills in Intermediate Video Pro-

duction class, where she has shown herself as a passionate and creative director, according to visual and performing arts teacher Tina Murphy.

“She’s excellent with working with actors, and directing, and she has extremely good vision and creativity,” Murphy said. “I just recently watched her short flm, and she spent a lot of extra time outside of school, creating something that was memorable and had some meaning to it. She always does projects that make a diference.”

In the future, Wynn said she is looking forward to exploring her

passions for directing by going to college and being involved in various flm productions in order to gain better organizational and technical skills.

“I feel like there aren’t opportunities that I get, so I have to make those opportunities for myself,” Wynn said. “I struggle with getting everything done, but I have to remember that at the end of the day, I want to do this.”

Mia Jong & Sonia Wang

Photo Editor and Staf Writer

Photo Courtesy of Sissy Wynn and Graphic by Mia Jong and Sonia Wang LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION. Senior Sissy Wynn said she hopes to improve her organization skills to refine her techniques. “I’m a very sporadic, creative person, and I think that’s great,” Wynn said.

Photo by Cara Chan

RECORDING IN PROGRESS. Portola Singers rate their rehearsal of “Bonk’ abaphandle” by Michael Barrett and Mbuso Ndlovu with their fingers after listening to a recording of it. Studio recording projects and producing an album from the choir are some of the plans for the recording equipment.

Through the lens: meet senior Sissy Wynn, the student flmmaker behind “The Prodigy”

Graphic by Shaina Taebi

Teenage Love

Meet four couples who found their

Celine Lee & Tara Vatandoust Co-Editor-in-Chief and Arts and Entertainment Editor

The Godetts

TAKING A BREAK. Shelley Godett and Craig Godett enjoy a family trip in Maui, Hawaii. Now that they have two kids, the Godett family enjoys vacationing at the beach to unwind, according to Shelley Godett.

Math teacher Shelley Godett met her now-husband Craig Godett when the two were still in high school, working together at a local market. This relationship has helped provide the two with a healthy support system over the years.

“We are our biggest cheerleaders,” Shelley Godett said. “So if there’s maybe a time in our lives where things aren’t working out, or we have an obstacle, we just kind of work through it together

The Godetts stem from similar backgrounds, which helped the two relate to each other. Both of them grew up with divorced parents and one elder sibling.

“I guess we really just kind of grew up together,” Craig Godett said. “We were 17, and now we’re not 17, and this is our second house we’ve owned together, and we have two kids, and so all those life changes together happened over

The Arredondos

Erin Arredondo and Dominic Arre dondo make a trip to Santa Barbara in June of 2021 to celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary. The couple has been together for 28 years, according to Erin Arredondo.

Science teacher Erin Arredondo and her husband Dominic Arredondo have always maintained a consistent presence in each other’s lives. After they met on a summer swim team, the duo started dating Erin Arredondo’s freshman year and are now married with three kids, according to Dominic Arredondo.

“He was a year older than me,” Erin Arredondo said. “So I remember when you graduated, I was like, ‘It’s alright. If you want to break up, I get it; you’re going to college. I’m gonna be here.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh, no, we should stay to-

Although the two dated ten years before getting married, the memories of their wedding were worth the wait, according to Erin Arredondo.

“I came across an old love letter that I wrote to Erin, and so [my brother] was my best man during the wedding,” Dominic Arredondo said. “And during his speech, he was quoting diferent lines of that love letter; that was probably the highlight of the night.”

Photo Courtesy of Shelley Goddett

Love Stories

their special someone in high school

Emma & Liam

BEING SUPPORTIVE. Mc

Guane celebrates with Amakasu at her girls’ water polo senior recognition ceremony, held on Jan. 17. “She tries to do the best that she can in everything from academics to water polo,” McGuane said. “She’s really passionate and strives for perfection.”

Both water polo players, avid readers and Japanese, seniors Emma Amakasu and Liam McGuane found immediate compatibility after meeting in their freshman year Spanish class. The two developed a well-matched friendship of a year-and-a-half, which then fourished into a romantic relationship of two years and counting.

“We’ve created this positive environment to help push ourselves, which I don’t think I would be able to attain by myself,” McGuane said. “But since she’s there supporting me, and I’m there supporting her, we’re able to become an even better version of ourselves.”

But even with their strong connection and similarities, the two learned to show acceptance towards each other in their individual diferences, according to Amakasu.

“We don’t have to have the exact same values or opinions for it to work out,” Amakasu said. “We don’t have to agree on everything. It’s okay if we disagree. As

long as we’re disagreeing with each other respectfully, we’re still listening to one another.”

Janice & Gilberto

MAKING MEMORIES.

Kim holds a unicorn stuffed animal — now kept as one of her most prized possessions — that Aguilar won for her at the annual Orange County summer fair on Aug. 10, 2022.

Seniors Gilberto Aguilar and Janice Kim were freshmen when they met at an In-N-Out that they went to with mutual friends after a Forthcoming dance. Now, in their last year of high school, the pair celebrated their third year together just last month.

“It doesn’t feel like three years because he’s my best friend,” Kim said. “You would think that there are so many people in the world who are good-hearted, but actually, I’ve come to fnd it’s very hard to fnd someone as genuine as Gil.”

Kim said the biggest lesson she has taken from dating Aguilar is to let loose more and take life less seriously. On the other hand, Aguilar said that Kim has taught him to be respectful and kind to everyone.

“Janice has been patient, understanding and thoughtful,” Aguilar said. “This relationship has made me a better person, and I’ve grown to learn many things, and for that, I want to thank Janice.”

PORTOLA PILOT

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Dheeksha Bhima Reddy

Celine Lee

News Editor

Tyler Kim

Features Editor

Cara Chan

Arts and Entertainment Editor

Tara Vatandoust

Opinion Editor

Kayleen Kim

Sports Editor

Arnav Chandan

Front Page Editor

Arshia Sista

Centerspread Editor

Shaina Taebi

Back Page Editor

Sidra Asif

Social Media Team

Sidra Asif

Have you ever felt the need to chase the illustrious end goal of college prestige?

For many students in Irvine’s competitive, high-achieving bubble, this is unfortunately the case. Developing tunnel vision for acceptance to high-ranking institutions, students have devoted great effort into crafting the “perfect” college application, while neglecting time for their passions, hobbies and interests.

Sta Editorial: Students should pursue passions over padding resumes

As a result, it is imperative that students distinguish their passions and pursue what they are genuinely interested in, since cultivating passion provides far more benefits than fabricating interests, according to a new report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

College competitiveness has increased in recent years. The University of California, Irvine’s acceptance rate has dropped more than 15 percent in the last eight years, according to the UCI admissions website. With UCI being one of the most applied colleges among Portola High students, according to Naviance, the desire to take on extracurriculars simply for the sake of getting into college has grown tremendously, according to PBS.

When students dedicate themselves to activities for the sake of creating impressive college applications, their lives are more likely to be consumed by schoolwork and other academic responsibilities, which in turn leads to a higher risk of depression and mental burnout, according to the LA Times.

“When junior year came around, I started taking far more rigorous courses and really just tried to do well in all of them and started taking on far more

projects than I could handle,” senior Michael Yi said. “The reward at the end wasn’t worth all the stress and all the toll it took on my mental health.”

To start cultivating their passions, students should first evaluate their current lifestyles and norms. Ask: “Do I take on an excessive amount of activities simply for the sake of college?”

If the answer is a yes, proceed to identify what you are interested in. This process can include asking questions like: What do I do in my free time? What is an activity I enjoyed doing recently that made me lose track of time? What are some social causes I deeply care about? What have I done to relieve this stress?

These questions aim to identify students’ genuine interests, which they can hopefully pursue in the form of extracurricular activities.

For example, a student who enjoys playing basketball for leisure may find satisfaction in working with youth at a basketball training camp. Not only are they dedicating time to an activity they enjoy, but they are also likely to feel rewarded for meeting new people and supporting their community.

The advantage of following this mindset is that in the process of pursuing your passions, these activities can translate into a more authentic college

resume. Furthermore, students will be able to find a school that best fits their needs and aspirations by submitting an honest curated portfolio.

“The applications that stand out to me are students who share their essays and make me feel excited about what they’re excited about,” counselor and UC admissions reader Ryan Itchon said. “That’s as clear as day when I read their profiles or read their essays. Everything aligns with their activities and awards and what they love to do.”

Some may argue that external factors, such as desire for prestige or parental pressure, may prohibit students from selecting the extracurricular activities or paths they want to pursue. Eighty-six percent of high school students self-reported that they feel parental and societal pressure to pursue a four-year degree, according to Inside Higher Ed.

However, there is support available for all students who choose to pursue their passions. During the 2016–17 school year, 98 percent of public high school districts in America offered Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs to students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. These easily accessible programs provide students with various ways to submerge themselves and gain experience in their desired careers and interests.

Exploring your own passion is an integral component to the development of not only professional success but also personal well-being and satisfaction.

Students may find that chasing superficiality often dilutes their personal life with unrealistic expectations, while taking a genuine approach with college applications leads to ambition and success.

Skyller Liu

Elise Ngo

Business Team

Cara Chan

Arnav Chandan

Madeline Chung

Photo Editors

Maitri Allani

Mia Jong

Gwyneth Yung

Parmin Zamani

Staff Writers

Claire Chan

Hannah Ko

Jana Malek

Aditi Salunkhe

Ruhi Samudra

Michael Sun

Maya Tedini

Sonia Wang

Adviser

Brianna Rapp portolapilot@gmail.com @portolapilot on Instagram (949) 936-8326 1001 Cadence, Irvine, CA 92618

Mission: To provide authentic, engaging news representing the culture of Portola High School. The Portola Pilot is a forum for student ideas, in accordance with Ed. Code 48907.

Views expressed in the Portola Pilot do not necessarily represent opinions of the PHS administration or the Irvine Unified School District. Advertisements do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper.

The Portola Pilot encourages students and staff to write a letter to the editor. These can be placed in Brianna Rapp’s mailbox, emailed to portolapilot@gmail.com or left in the comment box below stories on portolapilot.com.

Cartoon by Mia Jong

e power of ve

The girls on varsity wrestling — freshmen Aneeka Bhatia and Andria Peregrin, sophomore Samira Khan, junior Isabella Lugo and senior Adrianna Isabel Machado — ended their season on a high note at league fnals on Feb. 3 at Beckman High. Bhatia and Peregrin

placed fourth in the 116 and 106 weight classes, respectively, while Lugo and Machado placed third in the 120 and 138 weight classes, respectively.

The Bulldogs prepared themselves for success on the mat through months of rigorous practice involving intense conditioning and strength training, according to head wrestling coach George Mares.

“You have to be coming into wrestling with the

mindset that you need to be really tough, and it’s not going to be easy at all,” Mares said. “Hopefully in a few years, we get to that point where it just makes our program even stronger and puts us on the map…I think having the girls be involved— even if they just started— I think it’s really good.”

As the winter sports season winds down, the varsity wrestling girls refect on their competi-

Baseball opens the season with a ‘full swing’

Ruhi Samudra Staf Writer

Baseball (2-1) won its season opener 13-5 in the first game of a double-header match against Paramount High at the stadium on Feb. 11. The next game is at home on Feb. 23 against Sage Hill High at 3 p.m.

Second to bat, first baseman and senior Lucas Marinelli was able to send the baseball flying over the fence in the game’s first home run. Outfielder and senior Nick Sanchez, center fielder and junior Michael Shen and Marinelli all followed the up on the momentum set by the Bulldogs’ first two points and were able to bat an additional two runs each.

The consistent runs

along with the Bulldogs’ base-stealing agility put them ahead of the Pirates 8-1 going into the second inning.

“Everyone was hyped up, and it felt great,” left fielder and junior Rider Cooper said. “There was so much energy, and it’s really what we needed to start off the game.”

The Bulldogs struggled offensively during the middle portion of the game with pop-ups that gave the Pirates’ fielders the ability to force quick ends to the innings. Senior and pitcher Sam Hawley-Browder and the fielders pressured the Pirates in the same way, preventing runs through double plays like they practiced, according to head coach Bryan Resnick.

“It is something

tions and achievements, according to Lugo. Lugo, in particular, applied her prior Jiu-Jitsu experience to wrestling matches and persevered through the challenges of the sport.

“[Wrestling has] really taught me that even under the most difcult and stressful situations and circumstances, to just still think clearly and remember what I’ve learned and the ways I’ve trained and just to apply that to my matches,” Lugo said. “Despite all the challenges that are part of the sport, for me, it’s really fun and rewarding to practice and to compete.”

“There may be pressure, or whatever, but at the end of the day, it’s just a fun experience and a few months of your life. This sport isn’t meant to put you in a box, just here to challenge you.”

- Adrianna Isabel Machado senior

The girls formed a strong support system to guide them through challenging times while wrestling, according to Machado.

“Being one of the few

girls, I just feel pretty powerful,” Peregrin said. “All the girls are here to just help you out. It’s a sport where you want to dominate each other — get on top of each other — but overall, the [girls] always want to just help you out with drills, and they give you lots of motivation, which is helpful.”

Within their close-knit community, the varsity wrestling girls are focusing on next year’s competition season. Khan said that she is setting goals to gain new skills and strives to push past her limits.

“Next year, since there’s a lot of growth in my weight class, I’d like to go up and build a lot more muscle,” Khan said. “If I become stronger for my next season, I can hopefully go to CIF and maybe place there.”

Wrestling is a challenging sport, as athletes are forced to compete on the individual level, and it demands asignifcant amount of mental strength, according to Bhatia.

“There may be pressure, but at the end of the day, it’s just a fun experience and a few months of your life,” Machado said. “This sport isn’t meant to put you in a box, just here to challenge you.”

when you score a lot of runs and you just stop; it gives the other team breathing room to think that they can come back,” Resnick said. “What we’re trying to teach these guys is to just keep going and be greedy, because you don’t want to give the other team any hope.”

Although the Pirates managed to secure a run in their last play of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs were able to challenge that by hitting consistent line drives and pressuring the opponents’ fielders, eventually causing them to bobble the baseball multiple times in a single pitch.

In the weeks leading up to the game, off-season scrimmages were an excellent opportu -

nity for the Bulldogs to try out some of the new strategies they focused on during practices, according to senior and outfielder Caden Wu.

“Our coach has always said that we’re not the biggest and best

team in the league, but we need to just do what we can to win,” Wu said.

“They have emphasized that one — we need to talk more, and two — we just need to bring more energy to the game and be more focused.”

Aditi Salunkhe & Arshia Sista

Staf Writer and Front Page Editor

Photo Courtesy of Emily Pham

HITTING THE MAT. Junior Isabella Lugo wrestles against Northwood High in a dual match before league finals. There were a total of seven members on the varisty wrestling team who qualified for CIF playoffs.

BASES LOADED. Third baseman and junior Tristan Nguyen steps up to bat in sixth inning, scoring another run-batted-in for the team.

Photo by Ruhi Samudra

e ve varsity girls and their journey to CIF playo s

The ‘win’ter sports season: A recap of every CIF qualifying sport

MAKING A SPLASH. For the first time in school history, girls’ water polo reached CIF semifinals on Feb. 15, where the Bulldogs faced a loss 5-7 against Marlborough High.

FLYING HIGH. Competition cheer placed first in the Novice Varsity Show Cheer category at the United Spirit Association competition on Jan. 21. This placement qualified them for the national cheer competition, which will take place Feb. 24-26.

UNDEFEATED. Girls’ soccer won its CIF Division 3 quarterfinals match 1-0 against Mayfield High on Feb. 14 and will play in the CIF semifinals on Feb. 17. The team went undefeated in league with an overall record of 5-0.

SHOT ON TARGET. Boys’ soccer played its first CIF match on Feb. 12, facing a difficult loss 1-3 against San Gorgonio High. The team placed second in the Pacific Coast League with a record of 3-1-3.

SWISH. Girls’ basketball played its CIF Division 2 quarterfinal match against Mark Keppel High on Feb. 15, facing a close 4660 loss. This achievement marked the first time in school history that girls’ basketball has advanced to the quarterfinal round of CIF.

MOVING FORWARD. Boys’ basketball lost its first CIF Division 2 playoff game 52-64 against Pacifica Christian High on Feb. 8. The varsity team of 15 players is currently composed of 11 seniors, forcing the team to look ahead toward new talent in the upcoming years, according to head coach Brian Smith.

PINNED TO THE MAT. Seven wrestling athletes qualified for the CIF individual playoffs, which took place on Feb. 10. Although the Bulldogs were largely successful throughout the season, they were unable to place in CIF.

Photo by Madeline Chung

Photo Courtesy of Chris Bank

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Chen

Photo Courtesy of Emily Pham

Photo by Maitri Allani

Photo Courtesy of Cesar Flores

Photo by Maya Tedini

social studies teacher kathryn beechinor brings ranch stories from california’s central valley

Tyler Kim & Michael Sun News Editor and

Writer

A cereal-loving blind goat named Mammy, a shrill crow, hairy tarantulas, two dozen baby calves and lizards that squirt blood out of their eyes. ough these animals may seem strange to the average Irvine resident, they are just a few of the many loving pets that social studies teacher Kathryn Beechinor helped raise growing up in rural Bakers eld, California.

Beechinor frequently visited and helped out on her family’s eponymous Beechinor Cattle Feeding Co., which her great-grandfather founded in the early 1940s. Whether this took the form of her feeding the animals, bringing them into the barn when it rained or reading stories to them when they were sick, Beechinor fondly recalls her childhood being surrounded by animals.

But Beechinor’s unique background is not news to the students who have taken her AP Economics class, as she o en ties in anecdotes and examples from her childhood on a ranch — which she stresses is di erent from a farm — to her lessons.

“When we’re talking about factors of production, we’re talking about agriculture, and I’ve had other students wwho’ve had

no idea where these things come from,” Beechinor said. “I want to continue to have that as part of my identity but share my identity with you as I’m learning about your identities and growing. I think it’s good reciprocal practices that we’re giving to each other.”

Aside from providing her with a wealth of stories to use as educational fodder, Beechinor said that growing up on a ranch also taught her empathy and compassion, qualities she actively applies and cultivates in class.

“If I want my animals to thrive at home, I’m going to spend time with them, or I’m going to make sure that I’m caring for them in the best possible way,” Beechinor said. “And it’s the same for my students. I want them to thrive when they come into my classroom, so I’m going to be caring for them and about them and making sure that I’m present for them.”

Beechinor also said she hopes to use her voice in class to distinguish her family’s small ranching business from some of the negative cultural perceptions held toward the beef industry.

“One misconception is that there’s not a lot of love or caring in this indus-

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try,” Beechinor said. “[When] you walk into a grocery store, the backstory of how that got there tends to not even be a thought. And if it is a thought it’s probably like, ‘they had a horrible life.’ is is totally true for some industries, but for ours, they were roaming on thousands of acres of land. We knew them by names. Some of them we’ve had for many years. We’ve even brought some of them into our homes to care for them when they’re sick.”

While Beechinor has no intentions to take over her parents’ ranching business, she aspires to extend their agricultural legacy by encouraging her students to love and respect both nature and their peers.

“A really big part of the agriculture community is that when your neighbor needs something, they’re the rst person that you turn to,” Beechinor said. “ ey’ll be there to help you gather the cattle or to help you move them to a di erent pasture. Whatever it might be, your neighbor is your biggest supporter, and so to be a neighbor comes with great responsibility. So you’re gonna step into that space, be open to learn, but be ready to give help as well.”

Bank: Bakersfield Cow Dairy Farm Horse Ranch

ROOTS. While social studies teacher Kathryn Beechinor currently teaches AP Psychology and AP Economics, her original major in college was business, a choice that Beechinor attributes to growing up in Bakersfield, California.

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Photo Courtesies of Jill Beechinor