PVP-PANORAMA No. 198 • 02/11/17

PANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula

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No. 198 • February 11, 2017

SPRING SPORTS OPENS HOT Transitions

• The winter sports of basketball and soccer are beginning to merge with the giant spring sports calendar.

PVBA playoffs are in action along with the spring seasons of girls’ softball and Pony League baseball.

This is the last week of Bay League action for high school winter sports with CIF playoffs and Little League baseball on the horizon.

Rock N Roll . . . The Peninsula girls’ softball league held Opening Day ceromonies last week at Cornerstone School.

Sea Kings vs. Panthers . . . Once the rain clears the final PV vs. PEN Surfing . . . rivalry games of the winter sports season can take place.

Service

'Assisteens’ Work For Service

Volunteers help the local environment by cleaning pollution from the shoreline.

See Page 10

Palos Verdes High freshman Charlie Winkworth wins his heat against the Panthers.

PVBA

The Iron Curtain

Most divisions have entered the playoff season with finals two weeks away.

See Page 22

Sports

Ridgecrest vs. Adams

Soccer and basketball rivalry matches scheduled for this week.

See Pages 21-22

Last Shot . . . The basketball season has entered the final period for Bay League games.

Robotics

Miraleste Host Tournament

26 middle school teams competed at the VEX Robotics Tournament last week See Pages 16-21

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Club Soccer

FRAM Girls Keep On Winning . . . The FRAM Hernandez girls’ 07 soccer team is moving on to round of 16s in Coast Soccer League action.

John H. Trotter,

DDS, MS Orthodontics

Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics

1706 South Elena Ave. Suite D Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (Located in the Riviera Village)

(310) 373-0093 Find us at TrotterOrthodontics.com or on Facebook at Trotter Orthodontics

Charting a path to Growth J D Factors helps companies meet their ever-increasing cash flow demands, enabling them to run their businesses successfully. www.jdfactors.com 500 Silver Spur Road, Suite 306 Palos Verdes Peninsula

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Girls Open Spring Sports Season

Softball

• The Palos Verdes Peninsula Girls’ Softball League officially opened the spring sports season with its Opening Day parade at Cornerstone School last week.

Peninsula softball teams gathered at Highridge Park early in the morning to decorate team trucks and prepare for the trip to Cornerstone school.

Escorted by L.A. County Sheriff

patrol cars, the parade of decorated trucks filled with softball girls moved down Highridge, crossed Hawthorne went down Grayslake and turned into the Cornerstone school parking lot.

The teams then conducted the Parade of Teams and were introduced infront of family and friends PVPGSL fast-pitch softball will continue on the weekends at Cornerstone School through the first week of May.

Early Morning At Highridge Park . . . Softball teams gather at Highridge Park to decorate their team trucks before heading down to Cornerstone School.

Pitch Perfect . . . Peninsula softball teams are set for another great season.

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PANORAMA Celebrating Peninsula Families Active In Sports, Science and the Arts.

Set For The Parade Of Teams . . . After riding in the parade from Highridge Park to Cornerstone School, teams get ready to walk down to the main field with their team banner while being introduced to family and friends.

On Staff Sebastian Atashi Avalon Doherty Alexis Ferguson Sammy Funk Chiara Grimes Katie Hageman Nina Li Michael Liu Jenna McFarland Joey Moussalli Dean Porter Frankie Reid Marco Robles Noah Rowe Heather Schubert Lily Shah Asumi Shuda Jana Wallace Publisher/Editor: Tom Combs Copy Editors: Sue Demerjian,

Winton Combs Cartoonist: Jack Dickason

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We publish 21 times during the calendar year every other Saturday unless otherwise noted.

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First Pitches Of The Season . . . Past and present Cornerstone School

Principals Jody Pastell and Michele Marcus throw out the ceremonial first pitch to open the spring softball season at Cornerstone School.

Blue Smurfs Return . . . The Blue Smurfs are ready for a great season after another great Opening Day.

Publisher shall not be liable for errors or damages for errors in advertising except up to the actual cost of space occupied by the item appearing in error. Totally Cool Publishing L.L.C. reserves the right to approve or reject any and all copy and assumes no responsibility for errors not of its making. This newspaper cannot be responsible for the return of unsolicited news releases or photographs.

Copyright Totally Cool Publishing 2017. All rights reserved.

In Memory of Jolene Combs Jesse Lou Givens Palos Verdes Peninsula

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Sports, Science and the Arts Plus Much Much More . . .

One More Picture, Until The Next One . . . Softball teams gather for a league picture during Opening Day.

The Next Edition On Feb. 25

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High School Girls Here To Support . . . Members of the Peninsula and Palos Verdes high girls’ softball teams were at Opening Day ceremonies as team coaches and volunteers to help the day go smoothly.

Peninsula Softball Teams Begin 2017 Season . . . Teams gather with family and friends before marching down to the field during Opening Day ceremonies at Cornerstone School last week.

Ready To Compete . . . The Pink Dolphins have a great set of coaches and Rock N Roll . . . The Red Rockers have the look to match their game and will are well prepared to have a championship season.

be a force this season.

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Rain Puts Everything On Shaky Ground

Weather

• Schedules and muddy hillsides cannot be trusted during the wet winter months on the Peninsula.

By Lily Shah When it rains in California, it pours.

The state has experienced more rainy day this winter than in the recent past, bringing relief to the drought-plagued area but playing havoc with school sports schedules.

In parts of northern California, the drought is considered to be essentially over, and Southern California has been removed from the extreme drought list.

What does this wet weather mean for a hill prone to landslides, such as the Palos Verdes Peninsula?

Schools such as Peninsula High School must be extra vigilant in watching for land movement because its tennis courts and baseball field are located on the side of a hill.

Rainy days will also effect the game schedules of many school teams. While basketball continues to run on a normal schedule, sports such as soccer, baseball and water polo will possibly have to reschedule games.

This will extend the seasons of a few sports, as most games are rescheduled to the last part of the season.

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Finish Up Before The Next Rainstorm . . . The Peninsula High baseball team is working hard at getting its field and bleachers ready for the upcoming baseball season.

February 11, 2017

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PV vs. PEN = Friend vs. Friend

Soccer

• Varsity high school soccer players juggle teammates and competitors through the years.

By Jenna McFarland It is no secret that the high school soccer teams are filled with girls who have played together since they could walk. As a result, many friendships and bonds have been formed between players all over the Hill.

Even though these girls have been teammates for years on AYSO and club teams, all of that changes when high school comes around. Teammates, cur-

rent and past, part ways to play for their own respective schools for the winter season, eventually coming head-tohead in Bay League.

Playing against a teammate is a weird feeling. The loyalty felt from years of playing on the same teams conflicts with the loyalty each girl feels for her high school, which will be replaced again with loyalty to her club team once high school season is over.

As a result, high school games are more intense and have higher energy, as the girls compete against teammates they know well both on and off the field. The games are very personal and highly competitive, with more

What Are They Smirking About . . . There are many things that go on during a Palos Verdes vs. Peninsula rivalry game that may or may not have anything to do with sports or school.

people watching and noticing if a mistake is made, since they are often playing against people who know the ins and outs of their game.

Said PVHS varsity player Izzy Carr, “It gets so competitive just because you have seen each other already play and you know all of their tricks.”

This sentiment was reiterated by Peninsula varsity soccer player Olivia Mathiesen. “Even though it’s weird being on different teams, it’s really fun playing against club teammates during high school because I know exactly how they play,” said Mathiesen.

There are also personal quarrels and arguments, adding passion and excitement to the games.

Both the PV and Peninsula girls soccer programs are incredible. Peninsula has won Bay League many years in the past and is always a contender for the prize. PV has won Bay League the past three years, and they went on to win CIF last year.

The Hill is always a powerhouse in Bay League, producing two of the best teams in the area. Considering the relatively small population of Palos Verdes, the amount of talent on the Hill is incredible. However, although the teams perform well, winning is not what the players on both teams value most.

Peninsula’s Mathiesen said, “I think our team has bonded more than other years I’ve played, and we’ve had so much fun together.”

From PV, the love for the team was reiterated by Carr. “I absolutely love everyone on the team. It’s like a family,” she said.

Although a fierce rivalry exists between the two talented teams, the teams have many similarities, including their love for their team, which is part of what makes the face-off such a great

game.

As a result of the immense talent on both teams, the PV-Pen soccer game is an exciting one each year, pitting former teammates against each other in what is always a good match-up.

This year, it was a good game between the two games, with PV winning, 2-1, then going on to win the Bay League. It’s always a fun game for the players, too, because they enjoy the competition that arises from playing against their friends.

In recent years, with the rise of club soccer and traveling far away for games, teammates facing off has not been limited to just on the Hill. There are now teammates to be found facing off on teams from all over the South Bay, such as Redondo, South and Mira Costa. These rivalries between friends make the high school games fun to watch, with funny and exciting moments between the rivals who were previously teammates.

Final Rivalry Match . . . The Palos Verdes and Peninsula girls’ varsity soccer teams meet for the final time at Peninsula High Thursday.

Palos Verdes Peninsula

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High School "Tryouts" Are For Real

Teen Pressure

• Making the team at the high school level is not guaranteed.

By Michael Liu Youth team sports have played a significant role in the Palos Verdes culture for years. From a young age, sports have had a huge influence on the thousands of children who play competitive sports on the Hill.

Parents enroll their children in Little League, AYSO, PVBA, and so on in hopes of discovering which sport their child has the passion and knack for.

Team responsibilities can take hostage the lives of parents and children. Seven a.m. practices and Saturday morning games. Slices of oranges.

Repeat.

Parents and children endure years of practices and games with one common goal—playing on a high school athletic team. Trying out for a high school team is often stressful and confusing. It may be the first time for many in which “making the team” is not guaranteed.

Adding to the pressure is the belief that excelling in high school sports is the gateway for a college scholarship, and even admission.

As admission to elite colleges and universities has become more competitive with each passing year, the Hill has seen a trend where the “athlete scholars” are the ones gaining entrance to the hallowed halls of Stanford, Harvard and the like.

Playing on a high school team also influences a student’s social life since students naturally make friends with ones they spend so much time with on the practice field, in the gym or in the swimming pool.

With so much emphasis on making a high school sport team, it’s important

for a student to know what coaches are looking for.

One of the most important characteristics a coach looks at in a potential player is character. Loyalty, unselfishness and enthusiasm are just a few traits that coaches believe are necessary to be a good teammate. Good chemistry between teammates is essential for victories.

championships are at stake.

Nonetheless, a benched athlete still needs to continue to show up for training and work hard. As PVHS varsity girls’ soccer Coach Jack Gidney said, “Those who have the mental discipline to adapt to tactical changes are always very successful in our program.”

Many students believe that playing club is necessary to make the cut for a

Another necessary trait to earn a coveted spot on a high school team is hard work. Some people may believe that natural talent is more important than hard work.

However, as coach Duarte explained, “Hard work is more important to me every day of the week. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Everyone Makes The Team In Little League . . . The pressure of success or failure in the eyes of your peers begins at a young age and only grows through the teen years.

According to Palso Verdes High’s varsity baseball coach Derrek Duarte, “I’m looking at character and the ability to be a good teammate. We do not need selfish or timid players because we know that we are only as strong as our weakest link.”

Another key trait for players to possess is a flexible mind set. Student athletes need to accept the fact that they will not play every minute of every game. The philosophy of “everyone plays” doesn’t hold true when CIF

high school team. In reality, this is not a hard and fast rule.

In fact, many coaches at Palos Verdes High School do not believe that students need club experience to be selected for a team. However, any type of experience is recommended before joining a high school sport.

Coach Duarte also said, “I don’t really care about where a player played or what travel ball team he played for.

I care about the kind of player they are now. If the player can play, he can play.”

Part Of The Process . . . Peninsula youth athletes go through mandatory “skills exhibitions” for all major sports and leagues beginning around the 4th grade - a process that gets them prepared for high school sports.

Even though an incoming student athlete may not be a natural, through hours of hard work and dedication, he or she can land a spot on a team.

According to PVHS varsity girls’ softball coach Pat Fresch, “With hard work and some talent, my job as a coach is to teach you how to play the game better. I always have a spot for that type of athlete.”

Finally, maintaining school grades is extremely important to compete on any high school team. Athletes must maintain a certain GPA to stay on a team.

A student’s ability to demonstrate success in a classroom shows the coaches the student’s ability to also be successful on the field. “Ultimately, all students are here for school first, so grades are important,” said Coach Fresch.

High school sports are the next major step in a child’s athletic journey.

If student athletes embody the characteristics stated above, they will have a greater chance of achieving their dreams of playing sports for their high school team.

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Time For Your Own Checking Account Life Lessons • Young adulthood offers unique challenges for those not taught how to handle the basic needs.

By Michael Liu High school. It’s great at teaching students how to solve math problems and to analyze the language of Shakespeare. But, 15 years down the line, how much will being able to recite a list of the first 44 American presidents really help you?

Our education system focuses a lot on academics, but is severely lacking in teaching real-life skills. How many high school students will go to college ready to cook for themselves, manage their own money, or live away from the protection of their parents?

High school may pride itself on equipping students with great study skills, but it still sends students off unprepared to face the harsh realities of life outside of the classroom.

One of the most important skills that has been lost in our society is commu-

nicating face to face. With the birth of social media, the need for face-to-face interaction has diminished. Now children are able to communicate with their friends and family without even opening their mouths.

However, the ability to converse with family members, friends, bosses, coworkers, etc. requires certain formalities that can only be acquired through observation and practice.

Instead of focusing on essay and test-taking skills, schools should be placing emphasis on discussions and presentations. Allowing students to express their ideas will give them the ability to converse with confidence.

Students also miss out on learning to live independently.

While living on a diet of cup-of-noodles and surrounded by dirty laundry and unpaid bills is considered a riteof-passage for college students, does it have to be?

With no health classes and only two years of physical education, schools cannot expect their students to maintain healthy lifestyles on their own (hence the freshman 15).

Nor can they expect students to know what to do with the sudden freedom after 12 years of following a rigid structure.

As a child, the hassle with handling money and taxes is dealt with by parents. However, the moment a child be-

gins to live independently, these problems immediately become a reality.

Without basic knowledge of how to manage money responsibly and balance a checkbook, painful and costly mistakes are bound to happen.

If schools are responsible for making sure students are well-versed in English, history, science and math, shouldn’t they also be responsible for teaching students simple money-management skills?

There are many areas in which high schools can improve on to equip students with fundamental life skills.

To implement these important skills, schools should introduce classes such as home-ec, auto shop, wood shop and accounting.

In order to fully develop a wellrounded, confident student, high schools need to stop focusing just on the academic side.

'Assisteens' Care About Commitment

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Service

• The future is bright with these Assisteens volunteers.

Assisteens, an auxiliary of Assistance League San Pedro‐South Bay, is a nationally recognized program. It encourages and provides philanthropic volunteer opportunities for exceptional teens in 7th-12th grades.

The organization’s goals are to develop a sense of community responsibility, self-reliance, personal responsibility, and leadership skills.

Following the motto of “Caring and Commitment in Action,” Assisteens participate in a variety of valuable philanthropic works in the community and support the philanthropic projects of the Assistance League of San PedroSouth Bay. Assisteens is a certifying organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. If you are interested, please email: assisteensmembershipsp@gmail. com.

— email reports

'Assisteens' At Pediatric Therapy Network Halloween Event . . .

Presidential Award Recipients . . . Along with the honor of presidential recognition, recipients received a personalized certificate, an official pin and a congratulatory letter from The President of the United States.

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Sea Kings Face Panthers On The Surf

Surfing

• Palos Verdes and Peninsula high surf teams battle at Torrance beach.

By Sebastian Atashi The Sea Kings and Panthers added another chapter to their storied rivalry, this time in the water, as they faced off in boys’ and girls’ surf competitions.

Palos Verdes and Peninsula met on a brisk morning two Thursdays ago, when the cold temperatures looked to play a factor. They battled it out in the Men’s Shortboard and Longboard, Women’s Shortboard and Longboard, and also Bodyboard.

The Kings of the Sea took first place

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Stay On Board . . . PV’s Savannah Scriven wins first place in the girls’ Shortboard heat against PEN.

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Bodyboarders Find An Opening . . . Palos Verdes’ Chad Brown looks to cut back during the bodyboard heat against Peninsula High.

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Sea Kings Rule The Waves . . . Sophomore Rodney Buck takes first place in the Bodyboard heat for Palos Verdes High.

February 11, 2017

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Local Surfers Compete . . . Continued from Page 13

in every heat, winning, 108-60. Leading the Sea Kings was Rodney Buck, a sophomore who won a heat in the Longboard, Shortboard and Bodyboard, an amazing feat.

Sophomore Briggs Peus, senior Nick Wapner and freshman Charlie Winkworth all added first-place finishes for the Kings.

On the girls’ side, the Kings were led by sophomore Emma Anderson, who finished second in the Shortboard, and first in the Longboard.

The Kings were also propelled by the likes of freshman Savannah Scriven, who finished first in the Short-

board. Scriven was also a part of the PV state-title winning cross country team.

Senior Perrie Kaminskas added to the Sea Kings’ dominance with a third place finish in the Girls’ Longboard.

Peninsula was led by the brother duo of senior Ranger Woodland and sophomore Patrick Woodland, along with junior Adam Lazarus.

Lazarus picked up two third-place finishes in the Longboard and Shortboard. Ranger Woodland rode his way to a third-place finish in the Bodyboard, and added a fifth-place finish in the Men’s shortboard for the Panthers.

Patrick Woodland earned a fifthplace finish for Peninsula in the Body-

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board, as well. For the Lady Panthers, they were led by Isabel Frandsen’s second-place finish in the girl’s Longboard.

Skye Perranoski also contributed for the Panthers, finishing third in the Girls’ shortboard, while teammates Frandsen and senior Cami Masuda finished in fourth place and sixth place, respectively.

The win was the Kings’ second win in league play, moving them to 2-0. The disappointing loss for the Panthers was their fourth in as many tries.

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Marauders Take On VEX Robotics STEM

• Miraleste Intermediate School embraces STEM with highly successful robotics program.

Miraleste Robotics Finish As Tournament Champions . . .

The Miraleste Intermediate School VEX robotics teams participated in the Starstruck Tournament. Team 7035M won the Robot Skills Challenge and earned the Design Award. They were also part of a three-team alliance that finished the day as Tournament Champions. This secured the team a spot in the State VEX Tournament in March. Team Members are: Coach/Mentor Campbell Nimick, Andrew Sinsioco, Kosei Chetanna, Tyler Ewald, Caleb Stam and Conor Gorsuch.

By Michael Liu It seems that every few weeks there is news about the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and how it is essential for students to be proficient in these fields in order to compete in the real world.

One school that is helping to prepare its students for a world of STEM is Miraleste Intermediate School. MIS offers a robotics program that brings STEM to life.

Instead of students just reading textbooks and listening to lectures, the MIS robotics program provides an outlet for students to learn about STEM in an exciting and engaging manner.

Since this program started five years ago, it has continued to grow under the guidance of the MIS STEM teacher, Campbell Nimick. Currently, 26 stu-

Building The Future . . . Middle

school students are making STEM courses more popular every year. dents are enrolled, learning how to construct and program a robot to perform specific tasks.

Starting last September, the robotics program has been meeting at lunch three times a week. In addition,

. . . Continued from Page 18

Score Points With Stars And Cubes . . .

VEX Robotics change the games and design parameters of the robots every year so students are faced with another set of challenges from the previous year.

Marauders Take The Lead . . . Miraleste teachers, parents and students were on hand to answer questions and help out whenever the could.

Solid Build . . . The award-winning robots that Miraleste middle school students design, build and compete in tournaments throughout the area.

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Robots Take Over Miraleste School

STEM

• Miraleste middle school studdents attack STEM programs with robots.

By Nina Li As the field of technology becomes more prominent in today’s society, schools begin to implement more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into their curriculums.

One of these middle schools is Miraleste, which held its second VEX Robotics competition, Feb. 4, at which 26 teams from various middle schools gathered to compete against each other for around six hours.

Many PVPUSD board members came to watch the competition and share their thoughts on the program.

“To me, the science and engineering piece is a huge part,” said Linda Reid, vice president of the school district board.

“It is critical thinking skills; it is figuring things out individually, but it is also about all the other things. It is the leadership opportunities, the travel opportunities, and interactions with students from other schools. To me, that is what you get out of it, teamwork, Reid said

Photo by Avalon Doherty

Day-Long Robot Battles . . . The action was fast and furious at the Miraleste gym last weekend with 26 teams from all over Southern California competing at the VEX Robotics tournament “Starstruck.”

Please continue on Next Page . . .

One Last Adjustment . . .

The Miraleste teams were well-prepared for the competiton.

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MIS Taking The Lead With STEM Robotics

Working With Robots . . . After months of hard work, the four teams at Miraleste put their machines to the test in competitive tournaments.

Robotics Bring Out The Stars . . . School board members Malcolm Sharp, Anthony Collatos and Linda Reid join the staff of Panorama at the VEX Robotics tournament at the Miraleste gym last week.

. . . Continued from Previous Page The board has been discussing how to get students, especially girls, to become more involved in robotics and technology. The main problem is making time during the day.

The school day is filled with classes and extra-curricular activities that hinder students’ ability to join these programs.

However, these classes begin in elementary school and continue to high school, making the district very STEM oriented, which could attract more students to join.

The Miraleste team 7035T consists of all girls who are very engaged in these competitions. Sophia Poa, Marian Calderon, Lillian Imley, Hannah Holden, Megan Jenkins and Simone Ivanov make up the team and enjoy it thoroughly.

Many Miraleste students take STEM classes and robotics, exposing them to the technology that may lead them to participate in the VEX program.

“The Miraleste campus is pushing to find a way to have more girls join the program,” said VEX Director Campbell Nimick.

“Girls tend to opt out of these programs for multiple reasons, and we want to show them that there is a lot of steps involved here and they could be part of it too,” said Nimick.

Nimick started the middle schoolonly competition after going to other events across Los Angeles. He realized most of the competitors were a mixture of middle and high school students who had much more experience. He wanted to offer an event at Miraleste that would bring teams from many different places that would compete against others around the same age range.

Schools come from many places

such as Manhattan Beach and Simi Valley to compete in the Miraleste event.

The Lancer’s team from Simi Valley Junior High/High School drove an hour to participate.

“Seeing an interest in students when they practice at school, learning the design process and getting used to getting though problems they encounter are all parts of STEM,” said Jake Mittel, team mentor. “It is not just homework, it is something they are genuinely interested in.”

There are many benefits to joining a program such as VEX. The main focus, besides the technological part, is teamwork. Students work with each other to build a robot and then meet with other students to compete.

“If you look around, there is a tremendous amount of working together involved,” Malcolm Sharp said. “The four C’s of 21st Century learning are collaboration, cooperation, creativity and communication, which are all involved in these types of competitions.”

Many of the referees at the competition were high school VEX/STEM members who volunteered to referee the competition. The referees make sure the fields are set up correctly and the students are following rules and not playing rough.

“During the time I was in middle school, I was actually in the first VEX team for Miraleste,” referee Rashel Calderon-Sanchez said. “I just had a love for the robotics team, and I always like to help out with the events, “ he said.

Many students, after participating in middle school robotics programs, graduate into high school programs, like Calderon-Sanchez did.

“I believe that automation and robotics is going to change the world that we live in at a very rapid pace,” Nimick said. “I want to expose my students to the opportunities that are going to appear out there, and help them prepare for them.”

Technology, robotics, science, engineering and all the programs correlating to these subjects are quickly growing in popularity as people become more interested in making things to solve technological problems.

“The thing I want for every student in the district is to feel the atmosphere and energy [during the competition], not just an event on a Saturday, but throughout their school career,” Sharp said.

February 11, 2017

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MIS Team Adapts To Win

. . . Continued from Page 17 the students meet after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and even on Sundays to work on their project. All the engineering and programming is done by the students under the guidance of Nimick. In the beginning, the group divides into four teams to brainstorm and determine the best way of accomplishing the assigned task.

According to eighth grader Tyler Ewald, “A difficult time was when we had a lot of different ideas and it was hard to decide which one to use. We overcame it by using a design matrix to rank them from best idea to worst.”

After over a 100 hours of hard work and dedication on their projects, the teams were ready to show off their inventions in competitions.

On Feb. 4, the four teams had the privilege of representing Miraleste in the VEX Super Starstruck Competition.

Each year, VEX Robotics hosts many competitions around the world with different challenges.

The challenge for the February

PVBA In Playoff Mode . . .

PVBA playoff action is underway with games set for the next two weekend and finals set for Feb. 26.

competition was called Starstruck.

Starstruck is played on a 12’x12’ square field with a fence in the middle. Two teams—“red” and “blue”— compete in matches consisting of a 15 second autonomous period and a one minute and 45 second drivercontrolled play.

The object of the game is to earn more points than the opposing team by using a motorized claw to pick up and throw stars and cubes in specific areas of the field. As time runs out, one robot from each team has the opportunity to climb a pole in their back corner on their side to gain bonus points.

At the end, the judges add up the points and declare a winner. At the competition, the goal is to go through eight qualifying rounds. The top eight teams get to pick two more teams, forming a three team alliance. Next, the top two teams out of these eight qualify for the finals The robotics program at MIS is not only a great place to apply one’s knowledge of STEM in real life situa-

tions it is also a place students to develop life skills.

As captain and team programmer Karl Velazquez explained, “This robotics program will change you. It is great for the long run. It will teach you

how to communicate well on a team and how to manage your time. It really helps you know what it feels like to be part of a team and how to value your teammates.”

PV Storm Battle To Championship Match . . . Palos Verdes AYSO PV Storm captured 2nd place out of 15

teams in the girls’ U12 top flight at the Corona Pony Express Tournament. Pictured from the left, front row: Catherine Christen, Kendall Oda, Roya Khaleeli, Alicia Tavera, Zora Haasnoot. Back row: coach Kieran Callanan, Aishling Callanan, Brynne Snaguski, Lexi Wetzel, Nani Vierra-Lambert and Teresa Turbide.

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Final Home Game And Senior Night . . . The old Big Daddy Nikon camera guy wishes he could attend every senior night at both Peninsula and Palos Verdes high schools. We’ve been watching all of you - basketball and soccer since the 4th Grade. PV Dynamo and PV United live!

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Raiders Rule The Court . . .

Ridgecrest took on Adams middle school last week and picked basketball and soccer victories. The South Bay League will continue winter sports action this week and next.

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February 11, 2017

Not A Big Sport In Kansas . . .

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Boy and girl high school surfers from Palos Verdes and Peninsula took to the waves a week ago to compete in a sport rarely seen west of the 405 Freeway. The two schools located high above the Palos Verdes cliffs used the waters off Redondo Beach for the contest. The Sea Kings did a little better in the water (makes sense) than the Panthers this time.