The Crusader February 2023

Ting turns back time with memorable return to Riordan

By Angelina Ning ’23

After months of planning and coordination, Rich Ting ’98 returned to the Riordan campus on Feb. 6. During his visit, he spoke about his cherished memories at Riordan, but also gave life advice.

Many students from different cultural backgrounds and clubs came to see him. As Ting spoke, he reconnected with a few of his classmates, teachers, and teammates. He also recalled his time at Riordan as being his best, after transferring senior year.

“Rich mentioned that he laughed so much when he was at Riordan. It really touched me. As an educator, what he said reminded me that not only am I a supporter of students’ academics, but also a cheerleader for their daily lives,” said Yin Shan Yang, modern language teacher and Asian Student Association club moderator.

In regards to his acting career, he said he was inspired through

the film classes that the school provided.

“We started with VHS,” laughed Ting.

After kick-starting the basics of film and television from Riordan’s DV art class, Ting was

able to land a career in NBC after college. This was a catalyst to the start of his acting career.

“I learned that he graduated the same year as Mr. Zumbado, or should I say big Juan…,” said Emma Lee ’25, an ASA member.

Ting mentioned that during his football career at Riordan, he was able to meet many great people such as Dean of Students Juan Zumbado ’98 and Counselor David Lin ’99.

“You guys should really feel lucky you all have such passionate teachers and coaches,” said Ting. Other classmates and teachers who came to hear him speak included Jeff Isola ’98, Michael Vezzali-Pascual ’88, and Ottilie Valverde.

Before going to their practice, members of the football team listened to his talk.

Weeks later, Charles Chu ’24 said, “One thing I may want to ask him about is how to expand as a person beyond being a football player, despite the label.”

During his talk, Ting advised students to listen to their teachers and coaches, saying, “I love being coached, I’m still being coached.” He added, “It’s amazing what confidence can do.”

Band leads Lunar New Year Parade to welcome Year of the Rabbit

By Joseph Zuloaga ’23

The loud chants of A-R-H-S. The light, crisp rain falling on the pristine purple marching uniforms. Red firecrackers punctuating the celebrations.

The sound of “Comin’ Alive” along Geary Street added to the extra dose of Riordan spirit at this year’s SF Chinese New Year Parade on Feb. 4, with alumnus actor Rich Ting ’98 serving as the Grand Marshal, and the ARHS Crusader Marching Band & Color Guard officially opening the parade and serenading the crowd in Downtown San Francisco.

The Riordan Band returned to the parade for the first time since 2020. Director of Bands Kyle Hildebrant said, “It felt good to be back to the sense of normalcy we once had before.”

Being the biggest parade in San Francisco and the second largest in California, Associate Director of Bands Lance Ohnmeiss commented on how the Band and Color Guard get coverage across the state, being televised on KTVU.

“The Band has participated in

the parade for 20 plus years, taking part in a big tradition not only for the city, but for Riordan to participate in, as it is the biggest community reach outs we have,” Hildebrant added.

All of the band members had unique experiences playing in the parade.

Flutist Ella Torrea ’25 enjoyed “getting the support from the crowd, seeing and hearing them cheer us on.”

Drum Major Jameson Datoc ’23 stated, “Even though it was short, it was sweet as it was amazing to see a lot of happy people lining the streets. We felt great being a part of the city and living in the moment.”

“Growing up going to the parade was something, but being in it was truly something else,” Color Guard Captain Diane Lai ’24 said. She compared the energy levels to the Italian Heritage Parade and St. Patrick’s Day Parade combined.

Grand Marshal Rich Ting ’98 said it was honor for him to be elected Grand Marshal of the Chinese New Year Parade. “It was even a bigger honor to lead the [Riordan Band] down Market Street to the opening of the parade…in Union Square. To have my high school band playing

and marching behind me was the ultimate highlight of the night.”

He continued, “They made me feel like a king with the best entourage anyone could wish for behind me. I never once thought I would have the opportunity to not only be the grand marshal, but to also be able to shine a light on my high school that I am so proud to have graduated from.”

Ohnmeiss stated, “[Having Rich Ting] as grand marshal from Riordan was instrumental

in showing how much of a melting pot Riordan is and how important it is to the Chinese-American and Asian-American community.”

Hildebrant said, “Since we hadn’t done the parade for a couple of years, to have the opportunity to be in the front was pretty awesome.”

This parade holds special meaning, as it allowed for the Riordan spirit to be vividly present in one of the biggest cultural traditions in San Francisco.

Photo by Joseph Zuloaga ’23

Photo provided by Joseph Zuloaga ’23

The Crusader Marching Band charges up Stockton Street during the parade.

Schoolmates Jeff Isola ’98, Nate Simon ’99, David Lin ’99, and Rich Ting ’98 reunited earlier this month when Ting visited Riordan to speak to students.

The Crusader

Archbishop Riordan High School

As gun violence continues, we ask: How many more?

The Crusader Staff Editorial

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, a 72-year-old gunman named Huu Can Tran opened fire on Star Ballroom Dance Studio located in Monterey Park and killed 11 Asian Americans while wounding nine others.

Two days later, a 66-year-old gunman named Chunlin Zhao opened fire on two mushroom farms located in Half Moon Bay and killed seven people while wounding one other.

On Valentine’s Day eve, a 43-year-old gunman named Anthony Dwayne McRae opened fire on Michigan State University and killed three people while wounding five others.

Two days later, a gunman opened fire on an El Paso shopping mall and killed one person while injuring three others. At press time, two suspects were arrested.

Another two days later, a 52-yearold gunman named Richard Dale Crum opened fire in a shooting rampage located in Tate County, Mississippi and killed six people including his ex-wife.

When The Crusader was

planning stories for this issue, we were only meant to write an article about the two California shootings that tore apart the Asian American community during a holiday meant to symbolize luck and joy for Asian cultures.

It is a testament to America’s gun problem that another three shootings were carried out while editing that finished article, as we scramble to update our story while impacted communities scramble for justice.

We’re now two months into 2023, and there have been more than 70 mass shootings within those days. Research from the Gun Violence Archive shows that the number of mass shootings has gone up significantly in recent years. In fact, the last three years have yielded more than 600 mass shootings. That’s nearly two a day on average.

We are in a place where gun violence is simply normal, to the point where most mass shootings (and that’s just the mass shootings, defined by the

Gun Violence Archive as a shooting many people) aren’t even covered. It’s standard. Routine. Another one. What’s new?

America has officially run out of words to comment on this devastating problem. Consolation rings empty, especially when the phrases are familiar. The words “sick and tired” or “enough is enough” have been repeated verbatim thousands of times. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

After each shooting inevitably comes calls for gun control and inevitably comes the defensive claim of the Second Amendment. While the Second Amendment certainly makes sense given the context of when the Bill of Rights was written, in our modern society a “well regulated militia” is not nearly as necessary. As gun owners squawk about the right to bear arms, students are wondering about the right to not get shot in school.

Gun violence took the lives of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde (as well as the countless

ones before them). This was the impetus for Congress to finally pass a gun control bill that, according to Pew Research Center, nearly 80 percent of Americans don’t believe will achieve much. It is truly indicative of America that this bill is hailed as “historic.”

If it takes that many deaths for Congress to take a tiny step towards gun control, then America is faced with the question: How many more?

How many more people have to die for Congress to pass truly comprehensive gun regulation?

How many more communities have to be destroyed for politicians to care?

How many more families have to buy a kid-sized coffin for their child?

How many more “thoughts and prayers?”

With the NRA funneling tens of millions of dollars to Congress; with gun sales skyrocketing after mass shootings; with 20 percent of Congress confirming gun ownership, the answer is clear:

A whole lot more.

Mission Statement for the Archbishop Riordan High School Newspaper

The mission of The Crusader is to inform, educate and entertain the readers—students, teachers, parents, members of the community—about issues that affect the students as well as citizens of San Francisco and the nation. We hope to instill a sense of understanding, responsibility, and curiosity in our readers that results in an eagerness to learn more about their peers and the world around them.

Sports Features Editor

Hoorain Farooq ’25

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Talia Bumanglag ’24

Environment Editor

Mario Perez de Leon ’24

Religion Editor

Alex Robinson ’23

175 Frida Kahlo Way

San Francisco, CA 94112

RCrusaderNews.com

RCrusaderNews@riordanhs.org

Editor-in-Chief

Joseph Zuloaga ’23

Opinion Editor

Naomi Lin ’24

Campus News Editors

Eddie Ramos ’23

Julien Untalan ’24

Local & State News Editor

Sophie Bucker ’24

National & World News Editor

Angela Jia ’25

Boys Sports Editor

Don Tsang ’23

Girls Sports Editor

Addison Hwang ’24

Health Editor

Katelyn Leong ’25

Science Editor

Normay Arriola ’24

Technology Editor

Julian Johnson ’25

Features Editors

Angelina Ning ’23

Areeshah Farooq ’23

Food Review Editor

Nathan Loeffler Malatesta ’23

Copy Editor Ryan Lee ’24

Photo Editor

Jameson Datoc ’23

Graphic Artists

Vee Chen ’25

Kai Murguz ’25

Reporters and Photographers

Jake Beeman ’24

Cash Bolos ’23

India Bowles ’23

Jaecee Cantiller ’24

Gianluca Carboni ’24

Anthony Chan ’24

Jessica Cheung ’26

Griffin Doeff ’25

Caitlin Dowd ’25

Emma Gruzman ’25

Ishaan Gupta ’26

Catherine Hansen ’25

Sandra Halverson ’23

Miranda Hernandez ’24

Rachel Kavanagh ’24

Daniella Lainez ’26

Mason Lum ’25

Edward Macdonald ’23

Exchange Editors

Melissa Chiao ’25

Makayla Fong ’25

Taylor Tran ’25

Reporters and Photographers

Matteo Matteucci ’24

Ceejae Minell de Lumen ’24

Hazel Nagata-Rampata ’26

Nico Navarro ’24

Nick Nye ’25

Aiden Pavon ’25

Sean Reyes ’25

Nicolo Ricci ’24

Joeliyn Rizzo ’25

Xianna Romprey ’23

Michael Schulz ’23

Julian Serrano ’24

Aliana Urdaneta-Rodas ’25

Ethan Vargas ’23

Marina Viray ’23

Zion Wells ’23

Marvin Wong ’25

Bo Wyatt ’24

Julia Yamsuan ’25

Adviser

Susan Sutton, MJE

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editors will be accepted with the same deadlines as ads. These letters may come from students, staff, parents, board members, or other members of the community. The Crusader reserves the right to edit the letter for grammatical and spelling errors, as well as length, but not content unless it includes foul language, plagiarized material, or libelous content. If the claims or assertions are incorrect, The Crusader reserves the right to refuse publication of the letter.

Affirmative action fails to address root problems

Riordan Roundtable Spartan Spear

individuals with their backgrounds in consideration rather than solely on their qualifications can also create harmful stereotypes that suggest they are under-qualified because their acceptance or hire was not purely based on merit. Thus, it furthers the resentment and bigotry minorities so frequently encounter.

By Naomi Lin ’24

Affirmative action refers to the act or policy of intentionally choosing individuals from historically marginalized or discriminated groups in an effort to combat discrimination.

It has existed since the 19th century and was first used in the context of civil rights by former President John F. Kennedy in Executive Order 10925, which stated, “The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”

In theory, this novel method of favoring individuals from historically marginalized groups appears highly beneficial; it opens pathways that were previously inaccessible, increases diversity, and ensures that the viewpoints and talents of individuals of different backgrounds are taken into consideration.

However, giving preferential treatment to minorities can exclude those of another background who are equally, if not more qualified. Likewise, admitting or hiring

If the objective of affirmative action is to encourage diversity and combat discrimination, it should first examine the underlying issues within society, such as poverty and insufficient education for those in impoverished areas.

Furthermore, instead of primarily implementing affirmative action at the college and workforce level, education institutions should ensure that all students receive the same baseline education through enrichment programs in preschool, before a learning gap forms. To solve this predicament, the federal government should increase funding for education so that schools nationwide offer the same high quality education, thereby eliminating the need for affirmative action.

All in all, affirmative action policies, while well-intentioned, are not effective enough to solve the issue of discrimination. Rather than favoring individuals of certain backgrounds, hoping it diversifies the education system and workforce and caters success to individuals of marginalized backgrounds, the government should address the underlying issues that create the need for affirmative action to begin with.

By Keiko Casserly ’23

Despite several challenges against it since its original inception, affirmative action — the practice of race-conscious admissions — has been asserted as constitutional and necessary by the courts. However, with the current Supreme Court, likely the most conservative Supreme Court the country has seen in the past century according to The Republican Party Committee, there is uncertainty around this current practice. As the times progress, the question of affirmative action’s necessity often arises. While this method of reserving spaces in universities, especially private institutions, was deeply, deeply necessary at the time of affirmative action’s implementation, the line between its positive and negative outcomes has now become murky. It is undeniable that the practice yields good results in providing access to excellent post-secondary education for minority students. In fact, while the University of California system remains diverse, this is arguably due to the diversity of the state itself, and since these universities’ discontinuation of the affirmative

acrion practice in the 1970s, they have been unable to serve minorities in the way they once did. For instance, they have been unable to admit as many African American students as they did while using affirmative action admissions policies.

It is important to acknowledge, however, that affirmative action inherently will diminish the already depleting respect that these students will receive in a racist society. As people of color, myself included, there is a constant need to prove ourselves to others, to prove that we deserve to be here just as much as our peers. While affirmative action serves to “level the playing field,” it is also frequently used as leverage against us, some sort of “proof” that our admissions into particular schools — our achievements — were nothing short of a lucky break, an act of pity, or the need to meet a quota. In helping, it is simultaneously hindering us by creating yet another wall we have to climb over.

Furthermore, by focusing on race alone, affirmative actions often fail to account for economic barriers. Historically, the American minority population has been isolated in urban communities and perpetually kept in low income communities. As our definitions of diversity and the playing field itself begin to shift, it may be time for affirmative action, as it is relates to race, to broaden its scope. Perhaps, rather than focusing on race alone, a focus on elevating minority students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds may prove to be more effective.

Crumbling Bay Area infrastructure in need of repair

By Sophie Bücker ’24

Before the most recent storms, those in the San Francisco Bay Area have been blessed with clear skies filled with the radiance of the winter sun. It would have been difficult for someone visiting the Bay Area to envision the typhoons that shook the area to its core merely a few weeks ago.

Yet, many across the Bay Area continued to feel their devastation long after the storms dispersed. For weeks after the atmospheric rivers that swept through the Bay, power outages disrupted the lives of residents.

According to Riley Robertson ’24, a lifelong Bay Area resident, “The storms cut power to local traffic lights and streetlights, which meant driving in intersections and streets in South San Francisco and parts of Daly City was hazardous for days after the storms ended.”

He also expressed concerns about the quality of PG&E’s equipment and service throughout the storms, saying that it “has been borderline terrible.”

The quality of PG&E’s equipment is unsurprising; according to a report by Filsinger Energy Partners, the average age of PG&E’s power substation equipment is 60 years — 20 years older than the industry average — and just 10 years shy of the average age of failure.

This problem isn’t limited to substation equipment. Much of PG&E’s equipment is over 50 years old, with nearly half of it continuing to operate despite exceeding the industry age of failure.

Furthermore, the aging PG&E equipment has allegedly sparked wildfires that ravaged our state, causing billions of

dollars in damages and taking hundreds of lives.

Meanwhile, Bay Area residents continue to pay an exorbitant sum for this service. In the first quarter of 2022, PG&E made over 4.6 billion dollars in revenue — an increase of over 22 percent from the same period in 2021.

Yet rarely does the money that PG&E squeezes out of Bay Area residents end up being used to serve them. As reported by Grist, PG&E has let go of thousands of maintenance workers responsible for ensuring that vegetation stays clear of power lines and repairing equipment, likely spelling concern for the upcoming wildfire season. While the storms of the last month were nowhere near as severe as the wildfires the Bay has experienced, they serve as a reminder that this is an issue

that must be tackled if the Bay Area wants to provide a quality standard of living for its residents.

According to Kurt Osmer, the Civil Engineering and Architecture teacher, “We need people thinking creatively… We need to rethink the ways we distribute power as a whole.”

Instead of keeping electrical lines above ground, where they are prone to sparking wildfires and disruption from inclement weather, we could relocate them underground. With new technologies, like cables that expand with movement, we can limit the damage that earthquakes could cause to an underground power grid.

Ultimately, the time is ripe for the Bay Area to overhaul its power grid — for a future where stormy skies don’t spell discomfort and danger for its residents.

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Incongruent design prevents home track & field meets

By Cash Bolos ’23

One of the grandest renovations in recent Riordan history is the field, named after the Mayer Family, completed in mid-2019.

The field gives Riordan students the ability to practice many sports, from baseball to football, track and field, cross country, and soccer. Along with this, other teams can use it for conditioning and practices, as well as students playing football and other games during lunch in addition to the House Game events on the field, like soccer.

Within the past two years, activities have been more normal and sports have returned, leading students to begin to compete and practice like before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Riordan has had no home track and field meets since 2019.

According to students who run track, the field is not constructed as needed; instead of being oval shaped, it is more square or circular, creating different start and finish points during races, where they would start at one point and end at a meter ahead or behind.

President Tim Reardon said,

“Because our athletic field was designed to accommodate football, soccer, as well as baseball, the track that orbits the field runs longer than a standard track.

He followed up with, “The only way to make it fit regulation would require us to eliminate the baseball field.”

Reardon also said, “Since the original designers didn’t have the square footage for a separate football/soccer field and a baseball field, they chose to sacrifice the regulation track to allow more teams to use the field.”

Senior runner Luke Grogan said, “Our track is designed faultily. It is more of a rectangle shape than an oval, and it also is not leveled, meaning that it is uneven in some areas.”

Coach Benny Willers ’08, who is a current cross country coach and former Riordan athlete said, “A standard track is 400 meters. This track is 405 meters and almost shaped like an octagon. The reason for this being that it was designed around a baseball field. Traditional tracks are usually designed primarily around football/soccer fields.”

Grogan said, “During track season we aren’t able to hold any

meets because of that fact.”

Coach Willers said, “Because it’s not a standard sized track, league reps don’t feel the need to hold league meets here.”

Reardon said, “I believe we can only use the straight aways during meets, which means that we cannot have a full meet on our campus.”

And, “Lastly, is it different to run on because of the different curve and straight distances compared to a regulation track? Yes. That’s what prevents us from running the 400 and other such events.”

Grogan said, “It is definitely a bit different than standard regulation tracks that other schools may have. Sometimes going around the turn closest to the school you overstep because it feels like there is a sudden drop there. It definitely took some time to get used to.”

Despite the irregularities with the track, the Track and Field Team has been successful in the past, with several runners qualifying for CCS, and they hope to have more in this upcoming season, which began last week with the Cal All-Comers Meet.

Search for The Grail ends with revival of lit mag

By India Bowles ’23

Archbishop Riordan’s Literary magazine, The Grail, will be revived from pre-Covid times in April.

The bounce back comes three years after the last issue was published online in 2020 and four years after the last printed issue in 2019.

Michael Vezzali-Pascual ’88, The Grail moderator, hopes to oversee a platform that will allow students to “develop their writing skills and create a culture of excellence around writing and creative expression.”

He emphasized the importance of The Grail being a printed, paper book. The sharing of art

and literature reminds us of the “transformative power of human curiosity and imaginative thinking, one that can never be replaced by AI or bots.”

Vezzali looks forward to seeing The Grail flourish with “talented students who are willing to take huge risks and make themselves vulnerable at the highest levels of creative engagement.”

Catherine Hansen ’25 said she is interested in publishing short stories in The Grail because it would give her “a sense of accomplishment” and take advantage of an opportunity that not many students have access to.

Nataly Neves ’23 said she may

find The Grail to be a “safe space” to express her creativity. “Photography is one of my passions and having the opportunity to share it with others would be a dream come true.”

Crusaders will once again have the opportunity to unleash their creativity in The Grail.

Submissions are due March 31, with directions on how to submit work to be announced in R-Time.

Community mourns loss of lifelong fan

By Katelyn Leong ’25

On Nov. 18, 2022, the Riordan family lost a proud Crusader, Lou Segale, a member of the class of 1961, who died at the age of 79 due to complications with cancer.

Segale supported and volunteered at various athletic events, established the Segale Family Scholarship, and was the recipient of the Chaminade Award at his alma mater. His education continued at the University of San Francisco (class of ’65) and he went on to have a career in education, teaching mathematics for 36 years, mostly at Raoul

Wallenberg Traditional High

School.

An avid supporter of Riordan athletics, and the school as a whole, he attended all of the Riordan volleyball games this season and all of the Riordan basketball games for decades.

Co-Athletic Director Bob Greene said, “It’s not a hyperbole to say that Lou Segale was one of the best people I have ever known and certainly one of the great constants of Riordan Athletics over the past 50 years.”

He added, “If there were more people like Lou this world would

be a much better place. He meant so much to all of us in the athletic department and we will miss him greatly.”

Members of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team and Boys Varsity Basketball attended Segale’s funeral service on Dec. 7 at St. Paul’s Church, where he was a life-long member.

Head Varsity volleyball Coach Jen Curtin said, “He was a constant presence and supporter, helping out the Athletic Department with set up or clean up, too.”

Curtin continued, “It was an absolute delight to see him at all

of our matches, and I used to love saying hi and checking in with him.”

He will be greatly missed by the Riordan community, and though his passing left a hole in the hearts of his fellow Crusaders, Lou Segale has also left an indelible mark on the school.

“Lou was introverted, humble, supportive, and enthusiastic about sports and the Riordan community,” Curtin said. “There was no one else like him in his dedication and commitment to our community, and I do not think we’ll see anyone like him again.”

Photo by Joseph Zuloaga ’23 via drone

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

The track’s unique rectangular feature gives each turn a sharper bend.

Past issues of The Grail, pre-COVID period: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

Bay Bridge Lights may go down in the city

By Hoorain Farooq ’25

The glittering lights on the Bay Bridge, a treasure to the Bay Area, could possibly disappear forever on March 5, unless funds are raised to cover the $11 million cost for the reconstruction of the lights.

Because of the severe weather conditions and vibrations from cars driving on the Bay Bridge, the technology used for the Bay Bridge Lights is falling apart at a fast rate. In many areas across the bridge, the lights have started to dim.

The only way to rescue the Bay Lights is through replacing them with newer and more durable lights.

To many Bay Area residents, the Bay Bridge Lights hold great value in the form of special memories.

When they were installed 10 years ago, they were supposed to be temporary, but were so popular that the City decided to make them a permanent fixture.

Hayley Tran ’25 said, “There’s been so many fun times just looking at the lights from afar,

or driving on the bridge with my family and admiring them, so it will be sad to see them gone.”

The lights are expected to be shut down in a few weeks, leaving many hoping for a replacement.

Ben Davis, the founder of Illuminate, and the person who came up with the original idea of installing the Bay Lights, has an idea to repair the fading lights. He plans to install a custom LED

system, and draw up a 10 year maintenance contract for the upkeep of the new lights.

Davis hopes — and needs — to raise $11 million in order to install new lights across the Bay Bridge.

As of Jan. 11, he had raised just over $1 million for his fund, far short of the goal as the deadline looms.

The new installation would include the lights on not

just the North cables, but the South cables as well, making them newly visible to areas such as southern parts of San Francisco, Oakland, and Alameda. The new lights would be longer lasting and brighter than ever before. If Illuminate receives $10 million more, the Bay Bridge will be twinkling with lights again by Labor Day weekend.

Bipartisan bill builds bridges to retrofit SF landmark

By Taylor Tran ’25

The most famous tourist attraction of the Bay Area, which has served the state for almost 86 years, recently received $400 million for a renovation project.

The Golden Gate Bridge has been a staple of not only San Francisco, but California as well, with thousands of cars using it every day. The iconic bridge is due for a renovation after several decades of use.

An ongoing retrofit for this landmark has been in the works since 1997, almost a decade after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Remarkably, the earthquake did not cause damage to the span, but it effectively worried officials about the outcome of the bridge if another earthquake of that magnitude or greater were to hit. After this, phase 1 was initiated, in which the Marin side of the bridge was retrofitted. Phase 2 and phase 3a of the project, which modernized the San Francisco side, and ensured that the bridge would not collapse in a quake, began in 2001 and ended in 2014.

These past phases led to the current and final phase—phase 3b, in which engineers plan to strengthen the foundations and make other modifications to ensure the bridge’s durability during earthquakes.

Engineering teacher Frank Torrano believes that the bridge needs to be retrofitted,

saying, “I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a good idea to do that [retrofit]. Do it when we can, not when we have to.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the bridge is currently in good condition, but if a renovation doesn’t come soon, it will continue to deteriorate and be in poor condition in as little as three years.

Kurt Osmer, another resident engineering instructor, predicts that the construction will “probably… start real soon.”

In total, phase 3b will take

six years to complete — just in time to stop the bridge from further deterioration. As Osmer put it, “This is the perfect time to do it.”

The massive grant for this project was issued on Dec. 29, 2022, by the Department of Transportation’s Bridge Investment Program. This grant was made possible by the infrastructure bill that was signed by President Joseph Biden in late 2021, which provided large grants for the retrofitting of structures to keep them sturdy against any issues, and

ensuring that the bill for this project would not fall solely on regional taxpayers.

Since this phase of the project is said to cost more than all the other phases combined, Osmer believes the infrastructure bill’s timing was perfect.

The Golden Gate Bridge’s construction will continue to be a work in progress, but as Juliana Murguz ’25 stated, “The years and money poured into this project will lead to a stable and safe landmark, which is worth the wait.”

Photo by Joseph Zuloaga ’23

Photo by Joseph Zuloaga ’23

The Bay Bridge lights shine throughout the night, but may be dimmed next month if funding does not come through.

The Golden Gate Bridge will be retrofitted thanks to a $400 million grant from the Department of Transportation.

Barbara Walters, first female anchor of network news, dies at 93

By Addison Hwang ’24

Famously known as the first female co-host of a major news program, Barbara Jill Walters died at the age of 93 on Dec. 30, 2022 in Manhattan, New York while surrounded by family and friends.

She is regarded as one of the most famous broadcast journalists and interviewers.

Walters was born on Sept. 25, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts to her parents, Lou and Dena Walters.

She attended Miami Beach Senior High School and went on to get her bachelor’s degree in English from Sarah Lawrence College.

She then quickly began her career as a writer and producer on the Today show and eventually was the first woman to co-host the Today show, and first female cohost of a major news program in the U.S.

Student journalist Naomi Lin ’24 said, “I like how unapologetic

she was. She was inspiring because women tend to be perceived as more emotional so changing those stereotypes is very encouraging for the future of female journalists.”

Subsequently, she moved onto hosting ABC’s 20/20 for 25 years,

until creating her own daytime talk show, The View, where she interviewed people of differing generations, backgrounds, and views.

Throughout her career, which spanned more than 60 years, Walters created some of the most

important interviews. Her intimacy and thoroughness were aspects that made those interviews unique.

Walters was known for asking the questions no one else would because they were perceived as impolite or hard to ask.

“She really paved the way for lots of young female journalists and she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind,” said student journalist Deanie Cooper ’24.

Nonetheless, she always did so much research, it seemed as though she knew more about the interviewee than they knew about themselves.

She was good at listening, and rather than asking questions, she made the interviews feel like a conversation.

Walters was known for her hard work and competitiveness, but her legacy will undoubtedly affect all women journalists.

And as CNN put it, “She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women.”

McCarthy elected speaker after 15 votes amidst internal GOP tumult

By Joseph Zuloaga ’23

After four long days and 15 ballots, Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress.

When the new Congress convened in Washington at 12:00 p.m. on Jan. 3, it took them until 12:37 a.m. on Jan. 7 to elect a new Speaker. It was the longest Speaker election since before the Civil War.

Normally, the election of a House Speaker is a formality as the majority party would rally behind one person and unanimously elect them.

“It’s usually easy because they would want to show unity as a party,” commented AP Government instructor Jeff Isola ’98.

However, the 2022 midterm elections were an anomaly as there was no Republican “red wave.”

While they ended unified Democratic control of Congress, Democrats held control of the Senate and the GOP only obtained a slim six seat majority in the House.

Prior to Congress convening, Republican infighting was put on display with 31 GOP members opposing McCarthy’s candidacy for Speaker in internal party elections, due to McCarthy not being “conservative” or “radical” enough.

Nevertheless, he won a majority of his conference and became the GOP’s official nominee for Speaker.

On the House floor, as the first ballots rolled, it became

evident that a far right bloc of 20 Republicans would never vote for McCarthy. This included figures of the Freedom Caucus like Lauren Bobert and Matt Gaetz.

In the end–after some hard negotiations, big concessions, and even a near fist fight on the floor–14 of the 20 switched to McCarthy and six voted present, lowering the threshold needed for a majority to 215.

The final tally on the 15th ballot was McCarthy (R-CA) 216, Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) 212, and Present 6.

Bradley Campos ’23 stated, “It’s a shame how the GOP is being factionalized between the pro-Trump faction and status quo and how people in government–who run our country—act like literal children and want to fight.”

The Republican Party has shattered as one half wants to leave the Trump image while the other wants to embrace it.

“The future of the party leans on their next presidential nominee as [they] need a new populist candidate to unite the party once again,” added Bryan Santana ’23.

The new GOP majority set its sights on placing hard checks on the Biden administration, reviewing their actions on the border crisis, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and more.

They have also used their oversight power to scrutinize Biden over his mishandling of classified documents, while downplaying Trump’s mishandling of documents as well.

Chuck Todd called it two car

Last month, California Republican Kevin McCarthy had a hard time getting members of his own party to vote for him. After 15 votes, he was elected Speaker of the House through extensive negotiations.

wrecks: “One is an accident, the other is intentional.”

From Isola’s perspective, “We are using the lowest common denominator of what people can have a reaction to rather than what are the implications of it and in reality, probably not that much,

other than to get people ticked off with each other.”

It remains to be seen what Speaker McCarthy and the GOP will do until 2025, when a new Congress is sworn in.

Campos concluded, “It’ll be a miracle if anything passes.”

Graphic by Joseph Zuloaga ’23

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23 Joeliyn Rizzo ’25 prepares her presentation on the life of Barbara Walters.

Paleontologists unearth seven new dinosaur species

By Normay Arriola ’24

Dinosaurs wandered the earth hundreds of millions of years ago, but many discoveries have yet to be made.

Experts discover 50 new species of dinosaurs annually, from carnivores to herbivores.

Not only are new dinosaur species discovered, but also a deeper analysis of existing dinosaur fossils. In 2022, paleontologists discovered and identified seven new dinosaur species, such as the Guemesia ochoai and Meraxes giga, which were both found in Argentina.

These newly-discovered species each have distinct characteristics ranging from armored bodies to short-legged limbs to “armless” dinosaurs. A unique trait in one of the new dinosaurs is armored bodies, found in the Jakapil kaniukara.

The majority of these newly discovered dinosaurs were found in various locations in South America, including Argentina and Colombia. The rest were discovered in places such as Africa and Europe, specifically Germany. Although dinosaurs are known

for being the largest terrestrial animals, several of these new species were discovered to be small. The Guemesia ochoai is smaller than others of its own kind, spanning around 3 to 10 feet, and the Jakapil kaniukara is just 5 feet long. Science Instructor Michael O’Brien said,

“What I find really interesting is as you move through large periods of time, dinosaurs got evolutionary much smaller, which probably allowed them to have a greater biotic potential, which in other words means they can have more offspring either in cycles or more at one time.”

Although most of these dinosaurs were small, the Meraxes giga was revealed to be 36 feet long, which is as tall as a telephone pole, and weighing a whopping 9,000 pounds, equivalent to a hippopotamus.

At around the same length, the Thanatosdrakon amaru was discovered to have a wingspan of around 30 feet.

O’Brien said, “I think the new discoveries will keep continuing to increase. We’re just scratching the surface of what lived in prehistoric times.”

He added, “Right now we have species continually evolving on the larger evolutionary scale, especially in tropical rainforest areas.”

“So if that’s happening now, then our assumption could be that it was definitely happening in the past as well. We just haven’t found all of the species who lived at the time.”

2022 uncovered these seven new discoveries of dinosaurs, with unique traits and astonishing measurements. Who knows what the world will uncover next year?

Bee keepers buzzing over new vaccine

By Nico Navarro ’24

saying, “The question in my mind that is raised is if we are possibly creating an avenue for immunity or mutation and altering the genetic cycle of the bees rather than allowing them to naturally do that, but I think the trade off is good.”

It is possible that this vaccine may negatively affect honeybees and their ecosystems, however

some see the risk as worth the reward, as ignoring the population decline would be detrimental for humankind considering how important bees are to the environment.

“It’s a risk we have to take,” O’Brien said. “Better to protect these honeybees that are very important than to hold back and worry about the risk.”

On Jan. 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the use of the world’s first honeybee vaccine, developed by the Dalan Animal Health biotech company, bringing hope to struggling bee populations.

The vaccine, applied to the food source of beehives, aims to protect honeybees from a bacterial disease known as American Foulbrood. Along with threats of climate change, pesticides, air pollution, and various diseases, American Foulbrood is decimating honeybee populations.

Edward Macdonald ’23, a

beekeeper, said, “If your hive gets infected with Foulbrood, you have to kill all the bees and burn the hive, so obviously, the vaccine will be very helpful as it will mean that we won’t have to burn hives that are vaccinated.”

The benefits of the vaccine show promise. However, as with most developed vaccines, there is no way of knowing for sure what the long-term effects will be worldwide.

AP Environmental Science teacher Michael O’Brien supports the development of the vaccine, but urges scientists to be cautious,

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Photo by Carlos Papolio via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Edward Macdonald ’23 Bees, an important factor in the food production system, now have a vaccine.

Discovered in Argentina, the meat-eating Meraxes gigas, one of the seven new dinosaur species, is like the Tyrannosaurus rex: huge with tiny arms.

Despite recent storms, drought endures

By Griffin Doeff ’25

Record amounts of flooding have ravaged California in the last month, affecting hundreds of thousands of people statewide and costing what is estimated to be tens of billions of dollars in damages. Just a month prior, the state was in the midst of a severe drought that had been ongoing since 2020.

Many people find themselves confused in the wake of these increasingly volatile weather conditions, which have created a host of problems for people from all walks of life.

The effects of the weather have also been seen here at school, or perhaps more accurately, heard. In January, echoes of thunder boomed throughout the school, and at its height, were accompanied by a short shower of hail.

Flooding has been widespread both statewide and locally, with countless homes seeing varying degrees of flooding in the city, and numerous roads being

closed, making transit difficult.

As science teacher Colleen O’Rourke put it, “I felt like I was going out in an apocalypse scenario just to get to work.”

Conditions were so serious that O’Rourke said she kept a meter stick to measure potential water levels in case of flooding.

But why are these floods occurring? Aren’t we in a drought? These questions can be answered by climate change.

Riordan AP Environmental Science teacher Michael O’Brien ascribed much of the current weather to an “increased rate of greenhouse gas emissions with increasing population.”

O’Brien said, “My personal opinion is that we can expect more of this weather as a general trend with increasing severity and with increasing frequency.”

However, he does emphasize that the state of the current climate would be far worse if not for previous efforts to mitigate climate change.

In regards to the droughts, O’Brien clarified that California

has always cycled through seasonal droughts and wet seasons, but because of climate change, these have begun to occur with much more ferocity in shorter intervals. It is likely that after this rainy period, the state will cycle through another drought.

O’Brien also mentioned multiple solutions to remedy flooding, including resurrecting wetland

ecosystems to drain water run-off and creating rain gardens to catch and reuse rainwater.

If there is one takeaway from the floods and droughts, it's that residents now have even more onus to make change.

O’Brien concluded, “I don’t believe this is doomsday. The weather will turn around, but only if we continue the practices we are practicing now.”

St. Emydius Church blessed with grant for rain gardens

Parishioners pray collection of rainwater will save money while protecting the environment

By Mason Lum ’25

water bodies.

With the local effects of climate change intensifying and increasingly affecting San Francisco, every drop could help.

“Water capturing systems are great in cities because they reduce atmospheric temperature,” said Michael O’Brien, the AP Environmental Sciences teacher at Riordan. “They help cleanse the air, and manage water more sustainably.”

St. Emydius’ green infrastructure enhancements are designed to gather and manage runoff from almost an acre of paved surfaces, or close to 12,000 bathtubs of water.

The new furnishings will be

St. Emydius Church is set to build four rain gardens and an underground infiltration gallery that can hold up to 7,800 gallons of extra rainwater in 2023.

Rain gardens are an area in the landscape below street level that collects and soaks up rainwater from streets, roofs, and pavement.

When planted with greenery and flora, rain gardens provide a beautiful way to reduce water

runoff from the surrounding environment.

Unmanaged water runoff dirties the moment it hits the ground, picking up oils and chemicals from the road, and waste. During very large storms like the recent week-long rain in California, the sewer can be overwhelmed by stormwater runoff, and the untreated water discharges to nearby streams, rivers, and other

“Water capturing systems are great in cities because they reduce atmospheric temperature.”

- Michael O’Brien, AP Environmental Sciences teacher

completely provided at no cost through an $873,000 grant from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, according to Greenprint Partners, the green infrastructure engineering firm developing the project.

Although teeming with upside potential, there still is doubt of the effectiveness of this new green engineering.

“It seems like a waste of resources, but it’s not hurting anybody,” said AP Environmental Sciences student Colm Grieb ’24.

“We’ve had one bad week of rain in over a year and everyone is taking drastic measures to prepare for the next one that might not happen for a while.”

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

The recent storms added to depleted reservoirs, but did not end the drought.

Photo by Joseph Zuloaga ’23 St. Emydius Church will build rain gardens to reduce water runoff.

Rain gardens are designed to soak up and clean water where it lands.

Greenprint Partners

SZA soothes our souls with new album

By Talia Bumanglag ’24

After a five year drought, SZA released her highly anticipated sophomore album ‘SOS’ on Dec. 9, 2022 and since then it has rained success. ‘SOS’ has continued to climb the charts, break records, and earned SZA many of her first #1’s.

Solána Imani Rowe, better known as SZA, is an R&B singersongwriter raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. The singer has three EPs and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, but the credit to her success is from her debut album ‘Ctrl.’

Gabriel Llaguna ’24 commented on his love for the artist, saying, “I started listening to her in 2017. My cousin introduced me to her and I loved her music so I kept listening to her ever since.”

Late 2022 stirred lots of excitement for fans, as she had not released any full projects within the five years between albums and was teasing fans with the upcoming release. But once the album was announced, it opened the floodgates for fans and gave them a taste of heaven.

Drea Escamilla ’24

expressed her eagerness for her upcoming album, “As soon as one of her singles dropped I was getting really impatient, but before that there were a lot of other artists I listened to that continued releasing music between her break.”

This 23-track album debuted at #1 on the billboard 200, and has become the first album in history to chart 10 songs simultaneously on Billboard’s Hot 100 for seven weeks. It’s sold over one million units in the U.S, gave SZA her first #1 with ‘Kill Bill,’ and became certified gold within days of its initial release.

Among the multiple records it has broken, ‘SOS’ became the first R&B album by a female artist to spend its first four weeks on the Billboard 200 at #1 this century, since the legendary Janet Jackson’s ‘Janet’.

“I thought the album was really long, but I loved it and was excited because I really love ‘Shirt’,” Escamilla continued.

The five-year marination of this album was definitely worth the wait. The general sound of the album is almost completely different from ‘Ctrl,’ and is filled with melodic rap, hip-hop

ballads, and grunge bangers. The opening track ‘SOS’ immediately draws your attention with a quick-paced rap that is unlike anything else SZA has released. ‘Kill Bill’ has everyone around the world hooked, with its psychedelic melody that is almost addictive as she describes wanting to murder her ex, and pays tribute to the classic film it’s named after.

This sound continues before the album slows with ‘Love Language’ and ‘Blind’. Following, we get a shocking collaboration featuring Phoebe Bridgers on ‘Ghost in the Machine’ and a poppunk banger ‘F2F’. The album continues with its R&B sound, and ultimately ends with another fast paced rap in ‘Forgiveless.’

Llaguna described the feelings he felt while listening to the album, expressing, “I felt like I ascended into heaven and reached tranquility.”

SZA perfectly encapsulated the highs and lows of heartbreak, singing about mobbing, scheming, and looting, to preaching about the blessings and manifestations she prays will enter her life. Its broad sound made it the perfect album for all to enjoy.

Her unique formula in creating ‘SOS’ is vastly different, yet there are still many aspects that feel familiar and like a SZA album. Though ‘Ctrl’ was hard to top, this album completely changed the competition and has become another lyrically impactful and memorable album for the world to have.

Ant-Man, Wasp blip into mysteries of the Quantum Realm

By Melissa Chiao ’25

The suspenseful wait for director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is finally over as it entered theaters on Feb. 17.

The trailer left viewers in shock when it was revealed that Cassie, Scott Lang’s daughter, accidentally sent Lang, Hank Pym, Hope Pym, Janet van Dyne, along with herself to the mysterious Quantum Realm. With the announcement that the movie will discuss the long awaited topic of the realm, the audience was left astonished.

Not only will Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania be the kickoff Marvel movie for 2023, it is also the first movie of Phase 5 in the MCU. Many viewers have expressed excitement about the release of the movie, especially after the Loki series left viewers with a cliffhanger during its post credit scene.

Bobby Gutierrez ’25 said, “The creation of the third movie was a smart move by Marvel due to the fact that Ant-Man and the Wasp ended with Scott Lang in the Quantum Realm.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp, the movie that precedes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, left viewers with various emotions. This third installment has further complicated the MCU as we see it, diverging into the depths of the

the quantum realm’s complexity and how it affects the outside world.

Van Whipple, the Russi House Provincial and social science teacher at Archbishop Riordan, stated, “I hope this movie can bring some consistency to the multiverse concept that has slipped in some of the Disney+ content. The success of this new movie depends on how they can weave this movie into the multiverse and Quantum Realm.”

Sasha Ureta ’25 said, “It will be interesting to discover what Marvel believes is beyond the subatomic levels in the universe.”

The movie opens with a joyous Scott Lang moving through the motions of his new everyday life, and quickly trails into the Lang-Pym-Van Dyne family getting sucked into the undiscovered realm. As the group splits off, Janet Van Dyne is burdening a secret that no one knows, and eventually leads them into Kang the Conqueror’s clutches.

The mysterious demeanor Kang exhibits is chilling, as the audience realizes the real story behind Kang and his ways. The film strategically places Scott Lang in a sticky situation at the hands of Kang, and shows the real power he holds.

Unlike any other big threat the Avengers have faced, Kang has one weapon by his side: Time.

In the Loki series, fans learn that Kang and his variants discover each other and their respective universes, further advancing time technology, and also bringing war.

This unfound power is dissected deeper within this film, yet this is only a taste of what Kang can do.

As Phase 5 progresses, we will see more of how Kang’s initial creation of the TVA and universedetanglement was key in keeping the peace across universes.

The film contains two post-credit scenes that add to the mystery of the MCU’s fate, and teases the continuation of another Marvel series as well.

Now, with Marvel’s announcement of Phases 5 and 6, fans anxiously await to see how this movie will affect and lead to Loki Season Two, Avengers: Secret Wars, and Avengers: Kang Dynasty.

“I hope this movie can bring some consistency to the multiverse concept that has slipped in some of the Disney+ content. The success of this new movie depends on how they can weave this movie into the multiverse and Quantum Realm.”

Photo by Talia Bumanglag ’24

Photo by Talia Bumanglag ’24

-Van Whipple, Russi House Provincial and social science teacher

SZA posters appeared across the country prior to the debut of her much-anticipated album SOS.

Music of the night silenced as ‘Phantom of the Opera’ curtain closes

By Jessica Cheung ’26

After three and a half decades, the Broadway production The Phantom of the Opera is coming to a close. Fans from all over the world have been shocked by the sudden discontinuation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit show in March this year, as the 35th anniversary of its debut in 1988 was in January.

The Phantom of the Opera won seven Tony Awards that year, and is the longest running Broadway musical in history, with a grand total of 14,000 performances and almost 20 million tickets sold worldwide. I had the opportunity to see this show in person and experience the groundbreaking production on Broadway in New York City.

On Jan. 14, the home of The Phantom of the Opera, the Majestic Theatre, was packed with people. The production

starred

for the show

It is no surprise that The Phantom of the Opera surpassed my expectations completely. As a fan of orchestral music, I was blown away by the live

instrumental accompaniment, as well as the magnificent singing from the many sopranos. The effects felt like magic on the stage, with levitating candles, swinging chandeliers, and dazzling costumes that elevated every aspect of the show.

The scene that truly sparked my excitement was the boat ride with Christine and the Phantom, which, without exaggeration, felt like a somnium.

The iconic boat in motion on the misty sea floor seemed almost impossible to fathom—giving me a flashback to the time I worked backstage in Riordan’s school play, The Book of Will.

With solid acting and captivating execution of special effects, Webber’s imagination was brought to life with the production of The Phantom of the Opera, which remains one of the most treasured musicals today.

World War I classic novel debuts on screens in native German language

By Sophie Bücker ’24

For the majority of human history, war has been an honor to fight in, and a glory to die for. Yet the First World War transformed the world’s perception of war forever. In All Quiet on the Western Front, German author Erich Maria Remarque captures the essence of the post-war era.

The novel, borne out of Remarque’s own experiences on the battlefield, made its first screen debut in German this past October on Netflix.

All Quiet on the Western Front is currently nominated in nine different categories at this year’s Academy Awards, and is currently tied for the secondhighest number of nominations received by a non-English film ever.

The film starts off on the day of 17-year-old Paul Bäumer’s graduation. Goaded into forging his parents’ signatures on the army recruitment form by his friends, Bäumer and his naive friends enlist in the German Army, filled with the anticipation that they “will, in a few short weeks, finally march on Paris,” and bring honor to the “Kaiser, God, and the Fatherland.” Yet within hours of embarking to the Western Front, this spell is broken by the death of one of his friends, and the horrors of war quickly set in for the young Paul.

Like the 1930 adaptation, the 2022 remake had riveting cinematography. When Paul emerges over the edge of the trench, eyes scouring the fog for the enemy, you hold your breath and pray he doesn’t get shot. The costumes and set looked very accurate as well, taking the audience from the comfort of their

couches to the nightmare that was the Western Front.

However, from there out, the film diverges from the 1930 version. At times, it felt like this classic anti-war film lost some of its original message. Many of the fighting scenes portray the horror of war as a spectacle. When the Allied troops come in with their tanks and mustard gas, it feels more like a scene out of an action flick than a poignant reflection on the horrors of war.

The soundtrack also felt inappropriate at times, with the drum beats spoiling the somber tone that the book and film adaptations that have preceded the 2022 version were known for. I felt that they foreshadowed too much of the movie, taking away from the nervous anticipation that the soldiers in the trenches must have felt. While this approach works for movies like the Star Wars franchise, it detracts from the gravity that other versions of the film have commanded.

In addition, I felt that not enough time was spent lingering in the aftermath of the atrocities Paul and his fellow soldiers face. While the gory action scenes do serve to show the grisly reality of what the soldiers faced, the film does not follow up these scenes with enough on how the soldiers react to not only what they have faced, but also what they have done. This was the film’s biggest flaw. The film is meant to be an anti-war film. To me, it should have focused more on the effects that combat has on the human soul, rather than on brawls and battles.

Despite this, some changes felt true to the book’s message. The remake introduced

new storylines to the movie, switching from Paul’s perspective at the war front to Mattias Erzberger, the German official sent to negotiate the terms of the armistice between the Allies and Central Powers and to the perspective of the general leading Paul’s regiment.

It felt sickening to see the commanders in the midst of an opulent, candle-lit dinner naively yearn for the energy of their youth to experience the war firsthand while young soldiers were huddled in the trenches, caked with mud, anxiously awaiting the enemy’s next move.

I felt that these starkly contrasting scenes were the most powerful of all. They highlight the absurdity that war has always been based on the whims of those in power, who would rather sacrifice thousands of men than suffer a blow to their pride.

The most profound part of the film, however, was the ending. In this remake, Paul and his

regiment are commanded by their general to lead one last charge against the French. With just 15 minutes to go until the armistice comes into effect, Paul goes on a rampage, killing as many French soldiers as he can, his once innocent eyes devoid of the tenderness he had at the start of the film.

In that moment, it becomes clear that the sacrifices of the men were all in vain. Many died for nothing but a few feet of dirt that would never even belong to their countrymen. This ending also reminds viewers that behind the facade of every battle-hardened soldier is a real person.

As much as many in charge would rather we believe that casualties are just statistics, behind each death lie families in ruins. In the end, despite the flaws, this film’s message holds true. In times as fraught as these, it would do mankind well to never forget this story of the war that ended all others.

Photo by Jessica Cheung ’26

Emilie Kouatchou as Christine Daaé, making history as the first African American actress to portray this role as the main lead. She and her Phantom co-star, Ben Crawford, led the cast

Photo by Netflix

The Phantom of the Opera will have its final Broadway curtain call in March.

Erich Maria Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front was brought to life on Netflix in its original language, German, and is nominated for nine Academy Awards. While sometimes marketed as war novel, many see it as an anti-war story that depicts the horrors of war, thus advocating for peace.

ChatGPT revolutionizes communication

By Julian Johnson ’25

In the past month, the world has been taken by a storm in the form of a new software sensation.

ChatGPT, a chatbot that can answer questions and various prompts, has gained popularity due to its ability to seemingly create essays and answers out of thin air. All a user must do is type in their question, and ChatGPT creates the perfect response. But how does this really work?

Created by Sam Altman in late 2015, ChatGPT is a form of Artificial Intelligence called a chatbot, which is able to carry out conversation and dialog with an alarming human-like nature.

Using various technological techniques like Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) and large language models, ChatGPT is able to predict the next word in a user’s sentence and can even translate writing from one language to another.

While ChatGPT can be used to create notes and assist with slideshows, some have found a way to use the technology for harmful purposes. ChatGPT has many purposes besides writing essays and notes, including

writing code. Amateur cyber criminals and ransomware gangs may not require the previous technological skills and experience, with ChatGPT providing the automated code creation necessary for writing basic scripts.

This new wave of technology calls for evolution in not only the technological world, but also in all levels of education. Any student who is given access to a device has the capability to use ChatGPT to assist with their essays and assignments.

Jonathan Jeffers ’25 said, “ChatGPT is a helpful resource with a plethora of information, however, there is always room for harmful use.”

With such a wide variety of information available, teachers are concerned with the intentions of some students who may use ChatGPT to complete their assignments, thus creating “AI Plagarism.”

English teacher Mary Dalton said, “It’s a great resource for teachers, but for students, it’s not that helpful as we have plagiarism detection softwares like TurnItIn. com.”

Plagiarism is a violation of

Riordan’s Honor Code, and students who do so face academic and disciplinary consequences depending on the severity of the offense and number of incidents.

Although ChatGPT may seem untraceable, a college student has found a way to detect its use.

Edward Tian, a senior at Princeton University, has developed a bot that will alert a teacher or administrator if a student’s work has been created by ChatGPT. Tian calls his bot GPTZero.

“There’s so much chat hype going around. Is this and that written by AI? We as humans deserve to

know!” Tian wrote in a tweet. The bot detects ChatGPT’s work on two factors, perplexity, and burstiness. Tian’s bot compares the length of sentences or “burstiness,” which may be more uniform when written by ChatGPT, as humans usually create a range of short or longer sentences.

In addition, human-written sentences will contain phrases unfamiliar to the bot, whereas generated writing will seem familiar.

Crypto giant FTX collapses

By Anthony Chan ’24 Cryptocurrency,

bitcoin, and online currency: modern terms in today’s society. However, cryptocurrency is now faced with a catastrophic unveiling, after the subsequent arrest of Sam Bankman-Fried on Dec. 12, 2022 while in the Bahamas. Sam Bankman-Fried is the owner and CEO of FTX Trading, a company which facilitated crypto transactions and held crypto investors’ currency in a deposit.

He is accused of taking funds from the investors in FTX and placing it into a hedge-fund, as an attempt to gain double the revenue invested into the fund. The fund proved unsuccessful.

Brian Davis, math teacher, stated, “The fund lost the money and they could not pay them back,” adding, “FTX’s value dropped by 32 billion to zero and bankruptcy.”

After this huge economic downturn and declaration of bankruptcy by FTX on Nov. 11, Fried attempted to clear his name by hosting interviews and Q&A sessions on mainstream media.

Bankman-Fried stated to a New York Times journalist, “Clearly I made a lot of mistakes. There are things I would give anything to be able to do over again. I did not ever try to commit fraud on anyone.”

He then went to the Bahamas where he was arrested to be returned to the United States.

Bankman-Fried now faces charges of fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and campaign finance violations and a maximum sentence of 115 years in prison.

On Jan. 3, Fried pleaded not guilty to fraud and other charges. Two other accomplices have also been arrested in co-authoring the alleged scheme, which includes Fried’s girlfriend and owner of the hedge-fund, Caroline Ellison, and co-founder of FTX, Gary Wang. Both suspects pleaded guilty on Dec. 21, 2022 to wire fraud.

Immediate consequences are being felt. As Davis commented, “This caused declines in the Crypto markets as investors lost trust and faith in the market at large.”

Additionally, long term effects could be devastating for future forms of cryptocurrency, as Gianluca Carboni ’24 stated, “It will negatively affect a lot of the economy in the short term from the loss of wealth, but would benefit the economy in the long term and reduce energy consumption.”

He further observed, “Cryptocurrencies are speculative investments that will never replace modern digit currency because it is speculative.”

While the future is uncertain for young investors and the advancement of technology in online financial markets, Fried’s case is sure to establish a longlasting resonance in crypto.

Editor’s Note: This headline was written using ChatGPT.

Illustration by Vee Chen ’25 ChatGPT enables people to use artificial intelligence to create essays by feeding it a prompt, but can cause consequences for users when plagiarism is detected.

Strict on sesame

As the FDA tightens its rules on labeling food with sesame seeds, food manufacturers increase its use

By Caitlin Dowd ’25

Effective Jan. 1, 2023 the federal government is enforcing a law that requires factories to label foods containing the seed as well as products made in a location where sesame is used.

Sesame is now the ninth major allergy in the U.S., with 1.6 million people being allergic. Sesame hides in places one would not expect and causes sometimes deadly reactions if untreated. Sesame is found in some protein bars, ice creams and salad dressings.

Shayla Krogan ’25, a Lincoln High School student, recently tested allergic to sesame. She said, “It has been really hard finding food safe to eat. The labeling I have seen more recently has made grocery shopping much quicker.”

However, with the strict laws surrounding all the ingredients needing to be labeled, manufacturers now are finding it significantly cheaper to add

sesame to food already made in factories with sesame. This alternative is found to be much cheaper than keeping the sesamefree food safely away from sesame seeds during manufacturing and packaging.

As a result, there are fewer foods available than before for those with sesame allergies. Chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Chick-Fil-A are now adding sesame to foods they hadn’t in the past.

While legal, most do not approve of the ethics behind this. Kim Krogan, Shayla’s mom said, “We thought it would not be a huge change with Shayla being allergic to sesame, but recently more and more things have sesame added to them it has become really hard to find food to eat on the go.”

This law was put into place to help keep those affected by the allergy safe, but has now backfired because of economics.

Science teacher Colleen O’Rourke shared how this could

Insulin app aids diabetics

By Joeliyn Rizzo ’25

Insulin apps, which can be found on smartphones, are helpful tools that diabetics can use to stay healthy.

Some of the apps allow users to download their medical history and information to have the correct treatment and regimen for their type of diabetes. The application can also help track one’s blood sugar, glucose levels, and remind them when to take their insulin shot.

In 2022, the first diabetes app that was capable of giving an insulin shot was approved by the FDA. Diabetics now have direct access to an insulin shot from their smartphone.

Teacher Carol Pineda stated, “I think these apps will have significant benefits for individuals with diabetes. The most difficult decision may be to pick the most effective app given your needs and what type of diabetes you have: Type 1, Type 2 or gestational.”

Though it may be a difficult decision, the different insulin applications will allow the users to find the perfect fit for them, depending on their type of diabetes, and will give the user an effective way to tend to their needs.

Aliana Urdaneta-Rodas ’25 agreed with Pineda’s statement, saying, “This app could make a person more aware of how to treat

their bodies and motivate them to take care of their health.”

By having this application, diabetics can stay on track with their health by setting reminders and goals for themselves. This accessible resource will have a healthy impact on their lives and create a feeling of relief knowing that they have an app storing all of their information.

Biology teacher Jack Reardon added, “I think this app will be a very useful tool for diabetics. The more easily diabetics can check their blood sugar, the more peace of mind they can have in their daily life.”

have economic benefits.

“Many people I know who are she said. “If the items are clearly labeled, sesame-sensitive

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

The federal government recently implemented a guideline obligating factories to label all products containing sesame or made in the same place with sesame.

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23 Insulin apps can help diabetics record when to take their insulin.

Three deacons vow to serve Riordan community

By Ryan Lee ’24

The word deacon originates from the Greek word “diakonos,” which means to serve. Deacons are Roman Catholic men who are ordained as members of the Catholic clergy. Their purpose is to be of service.

Currently, Riordan has three deacons: Deacon Joe LeBlanc, Deacon Chris Mariano, and Deacon Iwan Soegiharto. Each of these deacons is of great service to the Riordan community, not only in their participation in Riordan’s church services, but also in their work in classrooms, clubs, and Campus Ministry.

Deacon Joe is a religious studies instructor, while Deacon Chris is a Campus Ministry associate who supports logistics, events, drives, and the LIFE, CORE, and Liturgy teams.

Deacon Chris stated, “We are in the process of creating an entry level team for the Soph/ Fresh divisions called SALT,” an opportunity to work with the three other teams.

Finally, Deacon Iwan works in Riordan’s finance office, but he

is also the co-moderator of the Chess Club and teaches chess at summer camp.

By Edward Ramos ’23

The Catholic Church is in the midst of a synod, a process where bishops from around the world convene to discuss various issues affecting the church. The current synod is focused on the topic of “synodality,” or how the church can be more collaborative and inclusive in its decision making.

Deacon Chris Mariano, a member of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and campus ministry, believes that the synod is not just for clergy, but is intended to gather input, creating dialogue between individuals of all backgrounds.

“What I believe the pope wanted is to get input from people, particularly the ladies,” he said.

The synod is focused on understanding why young people are leaving the church and whether they are being addressed in the right manner.

Emphasizing his point, Mariano stated, “It’s not just about clergy making decisions, but it’s also about input from the youth and ladies.”

Arthur Kazaryan ’23, a student at Archbishop Riordan High School, believes that the synod’s

Other than that, these three deacons assist the archbishop or priest during mass. They can also administer the sacrament of baptism, perform pastoral emphasis on hearing multiple perspectives is essential.

“I became a deacon because I want to serve God. God has given me everything, and it is time to return it to Him by serving Him”

visits for the sick, officiate in the Catholic marriage ceremony, and bless the rosary.

Deacon Iwan said, “I became a deacon because I want to serve God. God has given me everything, and it is time to return it to Him by serving Him.”

Bishops convene synod to discuss future of Catholic church

“Taking into account all perspectives only makes sense,” he said. “How else does the church know they are correct?”

Director of Campus Ministry at Archbishop Riordan, Alex Datoc ’87, recognizes that the synod is primarily meant for the parish community, and adds that the role for campus ministry is providing a space for students to serve in service, ministry, or liturgy.

He confirms that “Campus ministry can help you with some matters, but it does not replace a parish.”

As the synod continues, the hope is that it will help the church become more open and collaborative in its decisionmaking, with input from all members of the community, not just some.

“The only way that we can change the church is to be that change,” Mariano said.

The deacon concluded with a welcoming message, claiming, “The synod is trying to reach the people and say, hey, we’re here to listen.”

Photo by Joseph Zuloaga ’23 Deacons Joe LeBlanc, Iwan Soegiharto, and Chris Mariano serve during every Riordan Mass.

- Deacon Iwan Soegiharto

“The only way that we can change the church is to be that change.”

- Deacon Chris

Mariano

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23 CORE Team members Jose Lopez ’23 and Juan Jackson ’23 discuss the Ash Wednesday service with Riordan chaplain Fr. Greg Heidenblut.

Students lock in renewed mullet look

By Bo Wyatt ’24

The iconic mullet, called business-in-the-front, party-inthe-back, has been around for hundreds of years, and can be seen trending throughout different eras.

Although dating back to Ancient Greece, the mullet ascended to fame in the 1980s in America, and became a staple of pop culture. Having recently seen a resurgence in popularity, the mullet now is celebrated across the country through the USA Mullet Championship.

Starting in 2020 as the Michigan Mud Flap Contest, this national ranking of the best mullets is split into three age groups, child, teen and adult, and is determined based on the quality of cut, maintenance and overall appearance of who has the best mullet.

It attracts a variety of competitors, and has multiple divisions and awards, including a cash price of $2,500 for the adult winner.

The adult winner hasn’t been determined yet, and although within this competition, the traditional mullet is celebrated, a modernized, fashion-forward adaptation has emerged recently.

Shane Dillon ’25, who received a more traditional mullet from his friend said that the purpose is to look “Slick,” and his inspiration behind getting one

was “Most of my rugby team has one.”

Instead of the drastic difference in the front and back, the newer version has more of a gradual fade, and the proportions are easier for hairstylists to perfect. It elevates the style chic, allowing it to return to the media in the 21st century.

Gavin Maguire ’25, who sported a shorter mullet, stated the process was relatively easy,

and it’s “Not only for appearance, but also functionality.”

Overall, the mullet serves as imagery for American culture, and has grown to be a famous form of expression.

Sebastian Elsner ’23 said, “During 2020 my hair got really long and the hair near my ears really bugged me so I just got my hair cut there, and I got used to this so that’s why I have it today.”

In regards to the trend, he

said, “I do think they made a comeback, but I don’t think it will last much longer.”

Who has the best mullet? Scan the code to vote!

Little Libraries turn pages to new opportunities

By Gianluca Carboni ’24

Walking up to the green box, the door opens, revealing a plethora of people’s favorite or discarded books inside. Opening a book, the smell of old paper explodes while a new, unique, and unexpected story emerges from the ink. Above the door there is a silver plaque: Little Free Libraries.

The organization’s website states, “A Little Free Library is a free book-sharing box where anyone may take a book or share a book. They function on the honor system. You do not need to share a book in order to take one. If you take a book or two from a little library, try to bring some to share to that same library, or another in your area, when you can.”

English teacher Brian Kosewic ’16 said, “Little libraries offer fun, whimsical experiences.”

Kosewic added, “Little libraries offer opportunities for people to come into contact with books. Reading is one of the best and most rewarding ways we can engage with language, and language is probably the main

way that we as humans make sense of the world and ourselves.”

Steward of a little library, Tien Peng, said, “We opened the library because we have a lot of books to share with other

people.

“Little libraries feel like we are living in a nice little community and are a great way to find books that are not in a traditional library. A library is not the best

way of looking at little libraries; it is just a way of sharing books with people I don’t know.”

Owner of Liberia Pino bookstore Joseph Carboni said, “Little libraries are a good idea for promoting literacy and book reading in general, but they compete with my free used books inside my store that attract customers.”

Will Parker ’24 said, “Some of my favorite books I have found in little libraries. It is only after being tired from practice and school all day that I am overjoyed to stop and find a potential good read.

Kosewic responded, “I think a big part of being able to experience the world in a meaningful way is being open to surprise and being open to the unexpected and I think physical books offer that because when you go to a little library it doesn’t give you access to every little book ever, but it gives you access to 20 or 30 books that you might not have ever heard about otherwise, and that is something really special.”

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

Edward Ramos ’23, Antonio Evangelista ’23, and Sebastian Elsner ’23 all sport a version of the mullet hairstyle, which was popularized in 1980s, but has made a comeback in recent years for appearance and functionality.

Photo by Gianluca Carboni ’24 Little Libraries, like this one on Mangels Avenue, offers free books to anyone, and encourages people to leave a book for someone else.

World bids farewell to ‘O Rei’ of fútbol

By Daniella Lainez ’26

On Dec. 29, 2022 fútbol (futebol in Portuguese) legend, Pele, died.

He was born on Oct. 23, 1940, and while growing up in poverty, he first learned the game of football from his father, playing with a sock stuffed with newspaper, or a grapefruit.

Later, at the age of 15, he played for Santos, and at 16 he began to play for the national team. Playing forward, Pele had led Brazil to three FIFA World Cups, in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He won 26 trophies from playing for club teams and for Brazil.

Armando Castillo, World Languages Department Chair, said he was a “kid from the streets of Brazil with nothing. Through dedication and hard work, he was

able to elevate himself and the sport of fútbol while being humble

and living a calm life.”

Religion teacher and

sports fan Josuha Keeney said what fans can take away from Pele is that “hard work, determination are key for success. How to persevere through difficult times even in adversity, do not give up and use some of the skills and talents God has given you to achieve greatness.”

Soffi Para-Bautista ’26 stated, “Pele has impacted my life by setting a high example of what hard work means to me.”

Pele is a legend in the sport of fútbol by not only spreading the popularity of the sport in Brazil, but all over the world. He set a standard of what hard work and determination can look like, and will forever be the face of a sport known for perseverance and patience culminating in reaching goals.

Giants swing and miss on big hits

By Aiden Pavon ’25

At face value, the 2022-2023 offseason for the San Francisco Giants can be described in three words: heartbreaking, disappointing, and underwhelming.

Following a subpar .500 season, the club promised a big offseason of spending and shaping the future of the franchise. This, of course, would never come to fruition with the Giants swinging and missing out on two of baseball’s brightest stars.

Prior to the offseason starting, the Giants knew they had pits in the roster that they had to fill. One of these holes is the void that Giants all-time great catcher, Buster Posey, left when he retired. They were missing their headline player.

Going into the winter, the front office knew that this missing piece needed to be filled. They had their sights set on the 2022 AL MVP and home run champ, Aaron Judge. Judge was due for a huge

contract after betting on himself and declining a $213.5 million 7-year extension from the New York Yankees in April. He then set the AL record for home runs in a season and won the MVP award, making him the biggest free agent on the market. He re-signed with the Yankees for $360 million.

Then there was the promise of signing Carlos Correa. But, shortly before the press conference, the club postponed the meeting. This was due to an ankle issue that the platinum glover had on his physical, causing the front office to back out of the deal and effectively making Correa a free agent again.

The loss forced the club to pivot to other options in outfielders, Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto, along with pitchers Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea and Taylor Rogers — twin brother of Giants reliever, Tyler.

The off-season didn’t end up exactly as the Orange and Black had envisioned, but it still turned out solid in the shaping of

this franchise’s future.

In an interview with Riordan alumnus, Steven Rissotto ’20, long-time bench coach of the San Francisco Giants, Ron Wotus stated, “Well, you know spring is eternal — everybody is looking forward to get to spring training. One thing I’ve learned in all my years is we were never picked to be the best team in all the years

we went to the World Series. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. So right now, I think we’ve improved in certain areas. We’ve changed the mix a little bit.”

He added, “I think we’re going to have some fresh faces and some fresh attitudes in the clubhouse. It’s going to boil down to us now getting the most out of the players and getting it done.”

Division I dreams materialize for student athletes

By Ethan Vargas ’23

As the Class of 2023 prepares for graduation and completes college applications, some students, especially student athletes, dream of what it’s like getting into a Division I school.

Known to have the best college athletes, especially in popular sports like football and basketball, DI schools have big sports facilities. There are over 300 DI schools that cover a variety of sports from football to volleyball to baseball.

It’s not simple to move from high school sports to the DI level of college sports. On average, high school athletes can maybe have a

2-percent chance of playing their sport at the DI level. Having the opportunity to play DI can also differ depending on which sport they play.

One Riordan alumnus, Tom Harlan, had the opportunity to commit a DI college, Fresno State University, to play baseball.

But becoming a DI athlete has to start here at Riordan. Harlan believes, “the most important thing that Riordan has taught me through my four years was that discipline and structure were important. Not just in college, but in life.”

Zion Wells ’23 recently signed to a DI school, Davidson.

“I’ve always aspired to play sports on the college level, but to get the chance to play at the DI level is unreal.”

Photo By Agência Brasil via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

Photo By Nick Nye ’25 Zion Wells ’23, Zachary Jones ’23, and Isiah Chala ’23 smile as they sign to their next schools: Davidson College, UC Davis, and Fresno State.

To all those who strive to one day play a sport at the DI level, it all starts in the classroom.

Pele, a world-renown legend in the game of fútbol, died in December, leaving behind decades worth of highlight reels and legions of fans.

The Giants flirted with a few big names, but failed to sign them.

Girls basketball finishes season ranked #1 in CCS Division IV

By Areeshah Farooq ’23

The third year of the girls’ basketball season at Riordan high school has come to an end as they spent the year “battling with every team [they came against],” stated Jeselle Santos ’24.

As the captain of the girls’ varsity basketball team, she goes on to say she “sees the team succeeding and giving every team a fight.”

Win or lose, the girls maintained a positive outlook on their experiences.

One fan, English teacher Kim Loder, said, “I was extremely impressed by their grit and determination. Even when they were down points, they encouraged and motivated each other.”

Along with an uplifting attitude, a value the team upholds is “to always have the next play mentality and always hold each

By

The supportive communication and competitive atmosphere the team has developed this season displays a strong sense of bonding both on and off the court.

Additionally, this season, the first junior varsity was introduced due to more girls being interested in becoming part of Riordan’s basketball program.

“I really see this team making it to state because this year’s group of freshmen and sophomores are the hardestworking young ladies I’ve met. I have no doubt in my mind that we will give Riordan another banner for the gym,” Santos added.

With the addition of athletes to the varsity team, the girls are ready to take it to the next level in the future. Through teamwork and dedication, the team’s passionate about making it to the WCAL next season.

Girls soccer heads through hardworking season

By Nathan Loeffler Malatesta ’23

The 2022-2023 girls’ soccer season at Riordan has ended. This was their second season of play since Riordan became co-ed.

Although having a rough season of 2-13 during the first season of regulation, the team grew a lot mentally and physically throughout it, with one of their wins being at the end of the season with a 6-0 blowout win against Oceana High School.

When speaking with India Bowles ’23 at the beginning of the season, the second-year cocaptain of the team, she spoke on that growth, saying, “Last season of girls varsity soccer everything was new. We all tried our best but we were faced with some really tough competition. But playing those hard teams led us to grow a lot both mentally and physically and we developed a really hardworking team atmosphere.”

She also stated her goals for the season: “We really have an athletic and hardworking team, already better than last year, so I hope everyone enjoys the season, and we win and lose together, as a team, and compete for having a better record than last year.”

Many of the players on varsity are returning players. This gives the team experience as they understand the teams they are up against.

Being part of such a young program, Junior Jazmin Gamez stated, “Although last year did not go the way we planned, I know for sure this year the players and coaches have so much ahead for this year’s soccer program as we have worked so hard during the offseason.”

Now that the season is over, the team did definitely see improvements. With a final record

of 5-10-3, the team is definitely on an upward trend. This gives the school community something to be optimistic about as there is no

doubt that the work they put in will pay off, the team will continue to develop their skills during the off season, and come back even stronger next year.

Wrestling team proves to be masters of the mat

By Miranda Hernandez ’24

Hearing the word “wrestling” conjures images of takedowns and other physical engagements, but there’s so much more to wrestling than that.

“The wrestling team just completed their first FULL season since COVID! We began the wrestling season with zero returning varsity wrestlers and finished our season with 23 boys and 9 girls earning their Varsity block,” said Coach Jack Schindler.

“The men’s varsity team went to seven wrestling tournaments, and the girls went to six. A team highlight was a 39-34 victory over SHC,” he added.

Jose Aguilar ’23 and Mark

Balestier ’23 finished in 3rd place in the WCAL.

“The women’s program fought hard to capture the first WCAL Women’s Championship banner and finished in 2nd place,” Schindler said.

In addition, 16 wrestlers qualified for the CCS regional meet. Four girls finished in the top 8 in their weight class in CCS Masters.

The winners were Aaron Peaks ’25, Andrea Aguilar ’24, Marcella Fabre ’23, Jose Aguilar ’23, Katie McGoldrick ’26, Hana Wadlow

Please see “Wrestling”

on page 19

Julia Yamsuan ’25

Aaliyah Dias ’23, Varsity shooting guard, pulls up with a jumpshot, contributing to the win against Maria Carillo, as Kona Dacoscos ’25 waits for a rebound.

Photo by Tina Syer India Bowles ’23, midfielder, kicks the ball aiming for the goal as Samantha Rengifo ’24 runs to assist in the Senior Day game against College Prep.

Photo by Taylor Tran ’25

Aaron Peakes ’25 swivels to a pin on senior night against the Bellarmine Bells.

other down when adversity comes along. This year we really built a family spirit,” emphasized Santos.

Boys basketball blazes through WCAL, awaits CIF tournament

By Don Tsang ’23

With the blow of the final whistle, the Archbishop Riordan players celebrated the delightful outcome they have worked so hard for, knowing their hard work paid off.

The Varsity basketball team gathered on the court and celebrated as they defeated Sacred Heart Cathedral by 66-54 on Feb. 14 to clinch WCAL Champion title.

Head Coach Joseph Curtin ’01 responded to their victory by saying “This is something we have working on all season, and hopefully we can get into the CCS championship. We want to make a good run in the state championship. No matter what division they put us in, we’ll try our best.”

With a lot of new faces and a recent roster change to the team, gifted freshmen Andrew Hilman ’26 from Cameroon and Alex

Kuminga ’26 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo joined the squad and helped the team to accomplish their objectives.

“I’m feeling great as my teammates and coach bring me a sense of belonging to the team and take care of me a lot. They

didn’t care about my age and I feel great that I can help the team,” Hilman said.

Moreover, the returning players — Zachary Jones ’23, Jasir Rencher ’25, Achilles Woodson ’23, and Christian Wise ’23 — all took an important role in building

up the team’s chemistry and leadership roles to guide the team in competing in one of the most competitive leagues in the United States.

“It has been tough for me as my back injury is hurting me a lot. But I am grateful that I can help the team to win and I believe we have to trust our coaches, trust our system and play as a team. Everything will fall into place if we work together,” Wise explained.

With the chemistry and confidence of the team, Riordan fought through the playoff games. The team fell to Sacred Heart Cathedral on Feb. 17 by a score of 49-58, defeated Menlo-Atherton on Feb. 20 56-53, and Sacred Heart Prep on Feb. 22 61-44, in the final CCS game of the year.

At press time, the team now awaits Selection Sunday for their seeding in the CIF state playoffs.

Boys soccer wraps up season with heads held high

By Catherine Hansen ’25

With spring around the corner, the 2022-2023 boys soccer season came to a close.

Throughout the season, both JV and Varsity teams were tested by challenging opponents. The Varsity team did not have much success this season with a record of 0-15-1, but in the face of loss, their pride and spirit for soccer shined through.

During the season, the players were able to build a foundation and come together as a team.

According to Seamus Lucey, Assistant coach for both JV and Varsity, the team has stayed strong and continued to progress throughout the season.

“I mean it’s tough when you’re down 6-0 in the first half and you’re just like ‘What do I say to these guys?’ But they’ve got a good attitude, they keep working and they never give up,” he said.

The tough losses this season did not lack experience. The obstacles faced and the growth of the team made an impact outside of the sport and in the school community. “I’m in the RSP Department so

I only deal with RSP kids so it’s cool expanding the school and seeing them walk around in class like ‘Hey coach’ so that’s another dimension outside of the actual soccer field.”

The JV team had a successful run during the offseason with a 4-1-1 record, and they ended with a 11-7-3 record in their league. Noah Latterman ’25 said, “We’ve gotten more chemistry and we want to win more.”

The JV boys surpassed last year’s overall record of 2-14-3. Despite that, the team is far from finished in regards to improvements.

“We have a lot more progress to make if we want to be a good team but we are on the way,’’ said JV member Alton Thoroughgood ’25. This season, both teams exhibited fighting spirit as they powered through on and off the field.

“Seeing the JV and seeing varsity play makes me really proud of how far they’ve come and how much work they’ve put in,” said Lucey. “They just never give up. They are a good group of guys, there are no egos, everyone works for the team.”

18

’25, Sandra Halverson ’23, and Fredrica Michalchuk ’26.

Numerous people have been impacted by wrestling, including Andrea Aguilar, Halverson, and Coach Schindler.

Archbishop Riordan High School is a community where strong bonds are made. Coach Schindler said, “My whole family went to Sacred Heart but I wanted to go to Riordan. Sacred Heart was my home but I always had my eye on Riordan.”

Many consider wrestling to be the hardest sport because it

requires a combination of physical strength, speed, and mental toughness. In the aspect of physical and mental demand, the workouts surpass all the other sports. However, the difficulty of the sport doesn’t stop a person but encourages them to continue.

Halverson said, “I love wrestling because of how rewarding the hard work is. Practices are tough and it’s constant cardio but it’s so rewarding once you get on the mat and see that your hard work is paying off.”

Despite the challenge it has, wrestling brings people closer together as a family and impacts

many lives.

Andrea Aguilar ’24 started wrestling her second year of high school and has continued to compete ever since.

She said, “My brother and his team motivated me to join the wrestling program because I saw how close and caring everyone was to each other.”

Aguilar added, “I see myself wrestling next year because it helped me be more confident talking to new people and making new friends. But most importantly, I’ll be someone who people can look up to and make them want to give wrestling their

all.”

Some people are intimidated to start a sport like wrestling because of how intense it is. However, wrestling is a sport that can be taught when entering the program.

Halverson said, “You need to know how to play volleyball, and basketball to be able to be on the team, but for wrestling I was able to join the team without knowing a single thing.”

Wrestling opens a whole new world that they never knew could happen. Halverson stated, “My only regret about wrestling is not joining earlier.”

Photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

Photo by Marvin Wong ’25

Andrew Hilman ’26 battles for the basket, helping the team get the victory on the home court against Menlo-Atherton in their second CCS playoff game.

Antonio Olvera ’23 prepares to make a move against a SHP player this season.

“Wrestling,” continued from page

Pinning down perfect poké bowls

One of my favorite places to get poké in San Francisco is I’a Poké. I’a Poké is located in the Fillmore district of San Francisco near Japantown.

I’a Poké is known for its poké bowls and serves a variety of house-special bowls, alongside the ability to create your own poké bowl. I would also recommend trying the Sushiritos from I’a Poké, and their salad bowls, which are like poké bowls but instead of rice, it’s salad.

Walking into I’a Poké, I was greeted by friendly workers and a cozy environment. I ordered a poké bowl with salmon, crab, and rice with furikake on top. My poké

I’a Poké

bowl was made in front of me very quickly, and I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious the poké tasted and how fresh it was.

My poké bowl was around $13, and the portion was decently sized for the price. The fish tasted fresh, the rice tasted delicious, and the crab was pleasantly spicy. Altogether, this made for a great meal.

I would recommend eating at I’a Poké and not only trying their poké bowls, but also their salad bowls and Sushirittos. I’a Poké has affordable prices, excellent quality, and most importantly, tastiness. It’s definitely worth trying!

Poké Bowl

Poké Bowl is a restaurant on Ocean Avenue, very close to Riordan, and one somewhat renowned within the area for the immense quality of its food.

We recently went to this establishment; a small, white, and gray minimalistic sort of building requiring no pomp or frivolity to sell its esteemed food.

Upon walking in, a few feet from the counter is a table with two or three stacks of paper resembling forms, on which are presented a great many options of ingredients, a great many sauces, meats, vegetables, toppings, and kinds of rice, from which one has to choose to put in the bowl.

Of these, we chose a bowl of salmon, spiced tuna, seaweed, pickled ginger, and many toppings and sauces. After filling out our order and a short wait, we received our meal, a pretty sizable bowl, and went to find a spot to eat it.

Da Poké Man

Da Poké Man is a hole-inthe-wall-on-wheels, a food truck, that serves fresh, spicy, and savory poké dishes all across the Bay Area. They are also notably found in Oracle Park in section 112 near the Promenade during SF Giants games and other special events.

I found Da Poké Man’s truck at a Polynesian event in South San Francisco and decided to go with their go-to #1 seller and customer favorite: Spicy Ahi poké ballpark nacho style.

The dish consists of fresh Ahi tuna made with traditional Hawaiian spices on top of nacho chips smothered with special mayo-based spicy sauce.

The service was rapid; I was in and out. The moment I paid, 30 seconds later, I got my fresh fish.

What I loved the most about Da Poké Man is that they let the fish do the talking, not any of the toppings.

As I ate the dish, I was immersed in the freshness of the Ahi fish, as if it was the first catch of the day. What came next was the mayo-based spicy sauce that erupted with flavor like an active volcano.

Finally, the crunchiness of the nacho chips was an unexpected match with the poké, which surged my taste buds like a mighty tidal wave.

Da Poké Man is a matchless choice when looking for poké in the Bay Area. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for fresh fish because it’s a taste that brings you to Hawaii.

The bowl contained a many colors; the various ingredients, immensely pleasing to the eye,

stood out in their arrangement. One is at first nearly overwhelmed, unsure of which parcel of the veritable banquet laid forth presents the most agreeable image.

Upon eating the bowl, we found it to be a most excellent meal. The salmon and tuna were of a nearly buttery consistency, with a sauce most agreeable in its savory and spiced, nearly smoky flavor. The seaweed possessed a stout crunchiness which greatly furthered the pleasant texture of the dish, and the toppings added more variance to the taste and texture of the meal.

Finally, the pickled ginger, a most agreeable and recommendable choice, provided an exceptionally refreshing sour sweetness rounding out the many tastes of such a great dish.

Poké Bowl is a restaurant reasonably convenient in its location and, given its quality as an establishment, a quite sincerely recommendable choice for a good meal.

I’a Poké’s bowl of salmon, crab, and rice with furikake on top.

Review and photo by Jameson Datoc ’23

Review and photo by Jake Beeman ’24 and Nicolo Ricci ’24

A bowl of salmon, spiced tuna, seaweed, ginger with toppings and sauces.

Review and photo by Sandra Halverson ’23

Da Poké Man’s spicy Ahi poke bowl, ballpark nacho style, consists of fresh Ahi with traditional spices and nacho chips.