January Issue 2017

PLEASE RISE FOR OUR NATIONAL

RISE OF A NEW ERROR LAGUNA BLANCA SCHOOL SANTA BARBARA, CA

JAN. 6, 2017

VOL. XXIII ISSUE 2

From the Editors Dear Readers, Happy New Year! Our staff chose Artificial Intelligence as the theme for the January issue after a suggestion from our faculty adviser and the staff discussions which followed. A highlight of this issue’s production was the whole staff coming to the Sunday work party, even those who were sick or who had literally just returned from the East Coast. By working together, we wrote in-depth stories ranging from the realities of rape culture to the stresses of applying to college. We hope that you all have a fantastic year and that you even will follow through with your New Year’s resolutions. We hope to follow our resolutions as a staff and to keep working hard and collaboratively on this magazine.

— the Editors-in-Chief

We hope to use this space to cover events, interviews and topics of interest in greater depth. Our creative team of photographers, artists and writers strive to capture the voice of the students and tell their stories in a compelling way.

The Fourth Estate is an open forum created for and by journalism students of Laguna Blanca Upper School.

Our staff seeks to be a platform for creative expression and to report on events and ideas of importance to our readers.

The Fourth Estate welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and must be no longer than 400 words.

Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and/or taste. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate reserves the right to reject advertising.

Opinions expressed in this publication reflect the perspectives of the staff.

The Fourth Estate publishes four issues per year with a senior insert in the last issue.

We mail issues to subscribers and advertisers and exchange papers with high school journalism classes across the country.

When factual errors occur, we will correct the errors in the next issue.

The Fourth Estate accepts print advertising in either black and white or color. Contact Amanda Skinner at thefourthestatelbs@gmail.com for advertising and/or subscriptions.

Visit us online for daily updates: www.thefourthestate.net. “Follow” us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook.

This is the second issue, and 23rd volume (published on Jan. 6) of the Laguna Blanca School, 4125 Paloma Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93110, newsmagazine, The Fourth Estate. Contacts are available at tmchale@lagunablanca.org, (805) 687-2461 x317 or www.thefourthestate.net. Laguna Blanca School has an EK through 12 student population of approximately 375, with 100 in the Lower School, 110 Middle School and 165 in the Upper School, and a faculty population of approximately 60. The Fourth Estate is an 8.5 by 11 newsmagazine, created on Apple computers with Adobe InDesign CS6, using Helvetica Neue and Adobe Garamond Pro font families and printed on glossy paper by aPrintis, free for students and $30 for a yearly subscription. The magazine is distributed to all Upper School students through the school’s advisory program and sent by mail to subscribers, with 600 copies printed per issue. We are associated with NSPA, CSPA and JEA.

the STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Aura Carlson Rose Houglet FACULTY ADVISOR Trish McHale, MJE BUSINESS EDITOR Amanda Skinner COPY EDITORS Mathew Goldsholl Jackson Hurley WEBSITE EDITOR Sydney Edgecomb PHOTO EDITORS Carina Tedesco Caylin Zimmerman CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sonya Kotler NEWS & MANAGING EDITOR Jack Stein FEATURE EDITORS Carina Tedesco Caylin Zimmerman A&E EDITOR Kendall White OP-ED EDITOR Kailea Hieshima SPORTS EDITOR Kelly Bickett LIFESTYLE EDITOR Fiona Flynn

REPORTERS Jules Bernard Julia Fay Hunter Hawkins Natasha Heyer Clara Hillis Sydney Hlavaty Ava Morouse Luke Smillie Peter Smith

In This Issue NEWS 4 Club News 5 Making Connections 7 Cupcake Competition FEATURE 8 Apple Watch Cheating 10-11 Spilling the Genes 12-13 Faculty Profile 14-15 Dual Dreaming 16-17 Rape Culture 18 Illustrated Interview 19 Holiday Traditions

THE COVER PHOTO: CARINA w GRAPHIC: SONYA KOTLER Senior Henry Farrell

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 20 More than Music 21 Picnic Preview 22-23 All Too Familiar

46

THEME 25 Stance of the Staff 26-27 A.I. Pros & Cons

LIFESTYLE 44-45 But, No Pressure 46 Food Critiques

OPINION-EDITORIAL 28-29 Skimp on Shrimp 30 Gender Mutual 31 Misogyny & Trump 32-33 Do You Have a Boyfriend?

34-35 In the Name of Success 36-37 College Pressures 38 Fallout of the Election SPORTS 39 Over the Edge 40-41 Sideline Season 42 Alumni Soccer Game 43 Driven to Dance

42 32 14 04

20

Clubs Lending T a Helping Hand

Global Fund for Women

he president and vice president of the new club are freshmen Kiki Tolles and Julia Guglielmo.

“We are trying to help the women in Haiti who were greatly affected by Hurricane Matthew. We held a T-shirt design competition and the winning design was put on T-shirts that we will sell for $17 as Christmas gifts. The money we earn from selling T-shirts will go towards helping women in Haiti,” Guglielmo said.

BY KELLY BICKETT Laguna’s students have dedicated their time to giving a helping hand not only to our local communities but also to communities abroad.

D

PHOTO: DELENE BLISS

S

PHOTO: KELLY BICKETT

Direct Relief

irect Relief Club presidents juniors Julia and Sophia Fay have been making a change in Haiti children’s lives. Hurricane Matthew hit the country hard earlier this year. Hundreds of schools and homes were destroyed. After the hurricane, the Direct Relief Club united with other Direct Relief Clubs at the public high schools to raise money. “We are doing a campus-wide change drive in order to raise money to fund a school nurse in Haiti. Last year, all the high school clubs in Santa Barbara raised $30,000 from a flower drive, a change drive and an antique sale. This year our goal is $35,000.”

Some members volunteered at the antique sale at Earl Warren Show Grounds by helping package items and sell bags.

Storyteller

ophomore Reagan Williams, president of the Storyteller Club, a therapeutic preschool for homeless kids, along with club members have been working hard. In October, the club raised enough money to send all kids to the Pumpkin Patch. “We had a fall-themed bake sale and raised over $170,” Williams said. She has future plains to go even further “For the holiday season we have already purchased Advent calendars for all of the kids and are planning to sponsor three families. By sponsoring the families we will all contribute to make sure we get them all the items on their Christmas wish list.” Some of the members from the club plan to volunteer at the Storyteller Holiday Party.

Haitian Kids from the Haiti School, the Direct Relief Club is helping

FROM LEFT: Junior Roth Yin, Matt Struckmeyer, junior Miles McGovern and freshman Natalie McCaffery prepare to plant lettuce plants.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY: KIRA FAY

F

PHOTO: TARA BROUCQSAULT

NEWS

SNAPSHOT: Julia Guglielmo and Kiki Tolles hold the flyer announcing the winner of the T-shirt poster

4

Farm Club

arm Club members are busy planting gardens and taking the first steps in creating an environmental stewardship and sustainability program and being good stewards of the Earth.

Members of the club created gardens on campus. “One is in the middle school, and one is up near the Spanish room in order to get direct sunlight. We have planted lettuce, bok choy, kale and Swiss chard in the middle school garden bed. The crops are going to be harvested in January, and we will prepare the crops and wash them to sell them to students during lunch,” said freshman club member Natalie McCaffery.

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Making Connections Through Leadership

W

hen Henry Farrell entered the UCSB Global Leadership Connection last fall, little did he know he was going to receive the top

BY AURA CARLSON male award and be selected as one of two Santa Barbara Male Youth Leaders of the Year. “I was really surprised [to win] because there were so many other qualified people in the room,” Farrell said.

Last year’s juniors Farrell, Clara Hillis, Grace MacNeil, Maddy Nicholson and Zaira Paredes participated in UCSB’s Global Leadership ConnecRESTING ON THE LEDGE: Global Leadership Connection Youth Leaders of the Year rest tion: a scholarship and awards under the tree in front of the National Gallery of Art after touring the museum. program honoring outstanding high school juniors who Chodorow “was super tidy and clean,” Mengele,” Farrell said. maintain a high scholastic average and have qualities Farrell hopes his “roommate in The GLC group toured the monuments demonstrated leadership ability both in college is like.” Because the group was so and memorials of the National Mall at school and in the community. small — only 15 people — a large portion night, such as the Washington MonuStudents participating wrote essays about of the trip was spent getting to know fellow ment, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Thomas leadership, were interviewed, and particparticipants and talking about leadership.

Jefferson, Lincoln and Martin Luther King ipated in group activities. These activities “It’s good to meet people because it is a Jr. Memorials. Visiting the monuments was were all taken into account in choosing the good social skill to have going into college,” one of Farrell’s favorite parts of the trip. “I top two male and top two female students Farrell said. loved the monuments at night because how to go to an all-expense paid week-long trip The kids were “different from Laguna peaceful it was without all the tourists and to Washington, DC funded by the Busch people,” Farrell said; many of them went to you could appreciate the enormity and soak family. public school and “a lot of them were only up more of the history.” As well as visiting In receiving the top male Youth Leader able to go [to DC] because it was free. Zac the National Mall, the Capitol Building, award, Farrell joined 14 other senior leaders [Scornavacco] was working two jobs and Georgetown University and the Pentagon, from other parts of the country — Illinois, another girl was just taking out her student participants met with one of President Iowa, San Diego and Santa Barbara. loans at Cornell — it was different vibes.”

Barack Obama’s attorneys Jason Green.

After the trip, the particMeeting with Green was another one ipants have kept in contact, of Farrell’s favorite parts of the trip. Green “I learned how convoluted everyespecially through a group talked about how stressful it is working in thing in Washington is, and that chat in which Scornavacco the White House, but at the same time, how sends the occasional ‘fact of nice and hard working Obama was during inspired me to want to run for the day’ video. his presidency. president when I turn 35.”

“Zac is a marvelous Farrell believes that he is a leader of the — Henry Farrell individual,” Farrell said, “Santa Barbara Community,” and after “He lives in Torrey Pines going on this trip, Farrell says he “learned San Diego, is a really how convoluted everything in Washington Most participants came from public involved ASB president, and on top of that, is, and that inspired [him] to [want to] run schools but a few, such as Farrell, attend works two jobs. His twin sister is going to for president when [he] turns 35.” private schools.

Stanford for lacrosse and his dream school is Participants stayed in the Hamilton also Harvard. Zac is really smart and has a Hotel and were led by Carol Harder and her similar sense of style — a really good sense daughter, Allie Harder. This program, along of style.” with teaching leadership, is an opportunity Other than getting to know each other for students to make long-lasting connecand discussing leadership, the group got to tions and get a hint of the college experiknow the city. They “went to every museence of having a roommate. um you could think of in the area,” Farrell Farrell’s roommate was Aiden Chodorow said, such as the Smithsonian Air and Space from San Diego, CA. “He’s had a perfect LET’S TALK ETHICS: At the GeorgeMuseum and the Holocaust Museum. score on just about every test there is, has town University campus, students Visiting the Holocaust Museum was worked an internship at his dad’s investment especially meaningful to Chodorow, whose gather around a professor to talk banking firm, plays soccer, and is a concert about ethics. “grandmother was a Holocaust survivor guitarist,” Farrell said. As a roommate, who had a sister who was taken by Doctor PHOTOS PROVIDED BY: HENRY FARRELL

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5

NEWS

Batters Up: JOURNALISM vs. YEARBOOK

BY CARINA TEDESCO PHOTO: CARINA TEDESCO GRAPHIC: SONYA KOTLER

The dreams of many high school and middle school students and teachers were fulfilled during our lunch period on Thurs. Dec.8; they walked outside at lunchtime to a table with 96 free homemade cupcakes. But there was a catch. In order to enjoy a cupcake, a student or teacher had to rate it 1-5 on taste, appearance and creativity.

Little did these judges know, the Journalism and Yearbook classes were in a heated head-to-head cupcake battle.

The team captains for Team Journalism were Amanda Skinner and Kendall White.

These talented bakers carried the team against Team Yearbook’s captains, Clare Ogle and Kathryn Norris.

When reflecting on the competition, Amanda said, “It was really cool to see how creative everyone could be in the kitchen. Both Team Yearbook and Team Journalism did really great!” Here is how the results turned out.

JOURNALISM

YEARBOOK

Taste: 4.3 Appearance: 4.5 Creativity: 3.9 TOTAL:

Taste: 3.8 Appearance: 4.0 Creativity: 3.7

4.2

TOTAL:

Kathryn Norris — Yearbook Co-Team Captain

Amanda Skinner — Journalism Co-Team Captain

YEARBOOK

3.8

JOURNALISM

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JOURNALISM

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JOURNALISM

YEARBOOK

NEWS

I

f 20 years ago a student had suggested that cheating with a watch was possible, their peers and the world would have scoffed. But, ladies and gentlemen, this hypothetical has become a reality.

Though cheating has been around since the beginning of formal education and scholarly pursuits, the act of cheating is now, literally, right at our fingertips; thanks to the introduction of the smart watch.

Apple originally pitched the smart watch as a tool used for in-

Many professors are unaware of how simple it is to get an “A” on a test without studying, using the Apple Watch.

College students have proven their capability of cheating using the Apple watch, which has led to several universities in the United Kingdom, like University of New South Wales, London’s City University and La Trobe University issuing a statement prohibiting students from wearing watches of any kind in exam halls and during test-taking.

In the near future, American universities, such as MIT, will be taking steps toward the same ultimate goal.

This issue has not proven itself to be especially prevalent yet in high schools — at least not in our Laguna community.

“I have not heard of any issue here. It’s definitely something that you’ve brought to my attention, so I’m happy to think about it… I know that when cell phones first arrived, that was a concern because, ‘Were [students] going to copy pictures of notes, or email questions on the test?’… so that’s why we have a no-phone-during-tests policy here at Laguna,” said Head of Upper School Lolli Lucas, when asked about her understanding of the potential issue.

Apple watches have led the race in a new genre of technology and a whole new way to cheat.

Now, our lives–our phones– remain in close proximity at all times. With features relating to every aspect of our lives, the iWatch has proven itself to encompass all of the glory of the iPhone, within eye sight and easy reach.

The age-old theory has been proven true, once again: students have discovered how to cheat on exams, using a tool that has become attainable and easy to send answers back and forth– but now, only with the click of a button.

The Next Wave of Cheating

BY AVA MOROUSE

GRAPHICS: CARINA TEDESCO

creased convenience in the busy lifestyle of the average millennial — specifically in health, fitness and communication.

The watch offers easily accessible apps such as messages, phone and calendar, in addition to several health and workout apps geared to monitor one’s heart rate, distance and calories.

More companies are starting to dip their toes into the smartwatch market, some of the more well-known being Microsoft, Toshiba, Sony, and Samsung.

But as these smartwatches become more and more attainable, so does the ability to cheat on exams — a growing problem that has revealed itself over the past two years.

Students have discovered various ways to share exam answers, while, at the same time, managing to evade the eyes of (seemingly) watchful test proctors.

FEATURE

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THE FOURTH ESTATE

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Genes are hard to understand. They are so hard to understand that scientists still don’t know everything about them. They are still tr Once you understand the basics of how genes and cells are organized, you can begin to understand why we are who we are, why we a genetics andcells, the environment Oneand can inherit enesisare hard to understand.

So hardcells. to understand that can be red this – our body composed of 50 trillion These cells blood skin cells, asorinfluences. nerve cells, withina fast all of these cell or slow metabolism from his or her parents, but diet and exercise scientists still don’t even know how large a role they play in Genes areinfluencing what tellwho the we cellare.how to function as well as what traits to express. The genes inside these cells are part of a small molecule Do our inherited genes or our environment still plays an important role. Even if one has a relatively good metabhas four different bases – adenine, thymine, therefore our genetic code, which tak olism,spell that out quickand digestion of fooddetermine can be counteracted by eating have more of an effect on our behavior and cytosine, personality?guanine Once you– which species have different ofgenes chromosomes, but the human hasand two setsexercising, of 23 chromosomes – unhealthy. one set from each parent. W poorly rarely resulting in being understand the numbers basics of how and cells are organized, you can body Appearance can also be viewed in a similar way.

Of course, the begin to understand why we are who we are. tion in the coding in our genetic code. inherited traits such as eye color and skin tone will most as likely notcells divide What we do know is this – our body is composed of 50 trillion When you are born, in the one cell in which the sperm found the egg lies your two sets of 23 chromosomes, and your change, but things such as height, just like metabolism, could also cells. Every single one contains a nucleus, holding a complete set of to each new cell, leading humans to end up having half of our mother’s genes and half of our father’s genes. Alleles are the variant for be counteracted by the environment and the way you treat yourself. our genes. recessive alleles.

Dominant ones are stronger and always show if they are whereas ones are parents weakerdidn’t and only show if Anotherpresent appearance examplerecessive is acne. Even if your Genes are what tell the cell how to function as well as what traits you don’ttohave freckles.

Other traits include brown unattached earlobes,ofcurly hair, and dim have much eyes, acne indark their hair, teenage years, your probability having express.

The genes insidedominant cells are composed of a smallwidow’s molecule peak, the same acne experience could be counteracted by a sugary diet and called deoxyribonucleic acid, also known as DNA. Along with sugar trait is determined by how many copies of that allele are in the population. BLANK # OF STUDENTS POLLED AT LAGUNA HAVE lack of face washing. and phosphates, this double stranded molecule has four different

This genetic makeup, or genotype, is expressed visibly through our phenotype: observable traits resulting from interaction be The most controversial observable trait is behavior. Scientists are bases — adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine — which spell out The mostand observable traits are metabolism, appearance (eye color, hair color, or height), and behavior. therefore determine our genetic code, which takes part in deter- continuously arguing whether the majority influence on behavior is Metabolism anweexemplary traitmolecules that shows thecontaining balancing between genetics and the genes environment being anBorder influence. determined by inherited or the environment. collies, One can inh mining is who are. These long of DNA genes tively good that quick digestion of food can be counteracted by eating poorly andDNA rarely exercising, resulting for example, have coded in their hearing behaviors, so, even ifin being un are metabolism, organized into chromosomes. a dog has never been in contact with a sheep, the dog could a likely not Different species have different numbers of chromosomes, but the Appearance can also be viewed in a similar way. Of course the inherited traits such as eye color and skin tone willhave most tendency or inherent urge to collect pillows. human body has two sets of 23 chromosomes — one set from each you treat yourself. If your parents are on the shorter side as well as your grandparents, you will probably not be the tallest person in y Now, if we compare border collies to people, humans also parent. What differentiates us from one another is SNPS or single students polled share similar height patterns to that of their parentshave when their parents were young and BLANK PERCENT of stude these inherent behaviors, morals, and instincts encoded in our nucleotide polymorphisms, which is, to put it simply, a variation in The most controversial observable trait is behavior.

Scientists are continuously arguing among one another whether genes. For example, when a six-year-old trips and starts bleeding,the majority o the coding in our genetic code. even if a dog hasthe never been in contact a sheep, the dog c what oftenwith happens is When winning the child is fine and sperm finds the egg and Now, if we compare the Border Collies to people, hum tearless until he orisshe cell bleeding, forms, there,what inside falls, and one starts often happens the child is fi sees the blood on his or that cell, lie your two sets trained toofbe scared of things such as blood and death — so her knee. Then come the 23 chromosomes, and as child is instinctively frightened by the tears. sight and loss of it. your cells divide to make But behavior haschromosomes more depth than just human instinc Throughout human more, your history, we’ve been also multiply, leading huskills, and interests. Studies have shown that intelligence is trained to be scared ofand way of b end up having half HERE butmans alsotohave shown the environment things such as blood and of their mother’s genes and QUOTE ABOUT HER OPINION. ” The same idea applies to death — so even if the half of their father’s genes. likely also be athletic on account your active environm child hasoftheoretically Alleles are the variant “knack” for physical PUTbeen BUZZFEED never exposed to EXAMPLE form of a givenactivity. gene and blood or told that losing it is bad, the child is instinctively frightdifferent alleles are what determine your different observable traits. both being raised in an environment where that kind of in ened by the sight and loss of it.

There are dominant alleles and recessive alleles.

Dominant ones are PERCENT of students polled at Laguna share interests in ________, ________, _________, and ________ with their parents.

But behavior has more depth than just instinct; the behavior stronger and always show if they are present whereas recessive ones

“MS. RICHARD QUOTE”, concluding sentence based on quote!! trait can include things such as intelligence, disposition, skills, and are weaker and only show if both recessive alleles are present.

G

Spilling the GENES

For example, freckles are a dominant trait (F), so if you have Ff or FF, you will have freckles, but if you have ff, you will not have freckles.

Other dominant traits include widow’s peak, brown eyes, dark hair, unattached earlobes, curly hair, and dimples. But, don’t let the word “dominant” confuse you. Dominant traits are not necessarily more common. The commonality of a trait is determined by how many copies of that allele are in the population.

Of the 130 middle school to upper students polled, the majority have dominant traits in unattached ear lobes (66 percent), lack of dimples (74 percent) and darker hair color (60 percent). However, there were also some majorities in recessive traits: lack of a widow’s peak (76 percent), lack of freckles (54 percent), blue and green eyes (61 percent) and straight hair (52 percent).

Our genetic makeup, or genotype, is expressed visibly through our phenotype: observable traits resulting from interaction between genes and the environment. Both the genotype and phenotype work together to give people individual characteristics. The most observable traits are metabolism, appearance (eye color, hair color, or height), and behavior.

Metabolism is an exemplary trait that shows the balance between

FEATURE

interests. These are the things scientists, psychologists, and philosophers are continuously having debates over. In the mid-20th century, it was believed that behaviorism could only be understood in terms of environmental factors. However as time has gone on and more research been done, we’ve found that genes do indeed have an effect on our behavior. In fact, according to Eric Turkheimer in his research of Nature-Nurture, “the more genetically-related people are, the more similar they are — for everything: height, weight, intelligence, personality, mental illness, etc.” So we do know that both the environment and inherited genes have an effect on who we are, it is just the extent to which each of them play.

The behavioral idea applies to skills and interests. For example, if you are part of an athletic family, you will most likely have a “knack” for physical activity on account of both your athletic environment and your inherited traits. The 130 students polled shared the following interests with their parents: science and math (37 percent), humanities (26 percent), music (48 percent), sports (58 percent), acting (16 percent) and art (35 percent).

When asked the question of whether our behavior is more influenced by our environment or by our inherited genes, 16 percent of students polled thought inherited traits are more influential, 30 per-

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ill trying to figure out INFORMATION//STUDIES DONE → WILL TALK TO MS. RICHARD MORE ABOUT. we are different from everyone around us, and why we may not even share some of our traits with our parents. What we do know is thecontaining environment99.9% and 54 of percent thought the influence clearlywhich see the contain influentialaimpact of thegenes. environment on behavior. e cells lies cent the thought nucleus, genes, and the mitochondria few more is equal. On the one hand, there is a minority of students polled Another student said, “How you grow up changes the way you cule called(16%) deoxyribonucleic acid, also known as DNA. Along with containing sugar and phosphates, this double stranded molecule who think that inherited genes have the most influential view the world. A homeless person in Bangladesh will behave differh takes part in determining who we are.

These long molecules of DNA containing arekids.” organized into chromosomes. Different role on behavior. One student argues, “In twin studies, they found ently than Donaldgenes Trump’s nt. What differentiates ourselves from one another is SNPS or single nucleotide polymorphisms, which is, to put it said, simply, a variathat even when the twins [are] separated at birth they still shared One of the 54% of students in favor of equal influence

the same intelligence, personality, and behavior traits.” They think “Although the environment — social class/status, place, school, that regardless of the environment, the inherited traits determine weather and friends — shapes themother type of people we become, vide to make more, your chromosomes also divide. Random members of each pair (from your and from your the father) move behavior most. environment we live in cannot be the only factor that affects our nt form of a On given gene and different alleles are what determine yourbehavior; differentif we observable traits. There are dominant alleles and the other hand, 30 percent believe the environment has get physical attributes passed down genetically, then ow if boththe aremost present.

For example, freckles are a dominant trait (F), so if you have even Ff, you will have freckles, if you have ff, influence. Many who believe the environment is more this also must be true for behavioral attributes.

Therefore, but although dimples. But, don’tthink let the wordgenes “dominant” you.more Dominant traits are not and necessarily The commonality of a influential inherited determineconfuse physical traits than the environment genes maymore not becommon. exactly 50/50 in determinbehavioral ones.

“The person you are and the person you become, ing what a person is like, everyone must derive some of their social HAVE ATTACHED EARS, FRECKLES, CURLY HAIR, ETC. depends on where you are and who you’re surrounded by — genes attributes from both.” on between genes and the environment. Both the genotype and phenotype work together to give people individual characteristics. play a seemingly small factor; most of its affects are physical appearMany who believe it is equal influence think of the two — inance, and not character traits,” one student said. herited genes and environment — building up on each other. One n inherit good or bad metabolisms from hisareoradopted her parents, but diet student and exercise still plays an important Even if one has a relaAnother student who has friends who also reasoned, said, “Everyone has basic personalitiesrole. but the environment ng unhealthy “[Myand/or friends]overweight. share many of these qualities with their parents, prov- we grow up in adds to it or changes it.” ing that it was their but environment — notastheir genetics thatmetabolism, made Science instructor Staci Richard comments on environment the Nature vs. and way not change dramatically, things such height, just—like could also be counteracted by the them [who] they are.”

Nurture question saying, “Since we began to understand the basis n in your class. However, with enough nutrition and vitamins one could rise a little bit higher than expected. BLANK PERCENT of For students who aren’t adopted, it is hard to differentiate for genetics. I think that in most cases our combination of genes tudents polled don’t share their height patterns with their parents. predisposes us for certain (personality) traits but then the environbetween the more influential factor because the genes that you inrity of it isherited determined byfrom genetics or thewho environment. forand example have coded in their DNA of hearing so, are coming the parents raised you and,Border therefore,collies ment our experiences determine the specifics how thatbehaviors, trait dog couldcreated have ayour tendency or inherent urge who to collect pillows. environment.

With students are adopted, one can develops in each individual person.”

humans also have these inherent behaviors, morals, and instincts encoded in our genes. For example, when a six year old trips,

BY AURA is fine and tearless until he orCARLSON she sees the blood on his or her knee. Then come the tears. Throughout human history, we’ve been GRAPHIC: SONYA KOTLER — so even if the child has theoretically never been exposed to blood or told that losing it is bad, the

26%

76%

stinct; the behavior trait can include things such as intelligence, disposition, of students haveFOUND nce is inherited PUT STUDY RESULTS OF 2 CHROMOSOMES darker of being raised also affect intelligence.

“STACIhair.

RICHARD ies to skillsof — students if you are part of an athletic family, you will most DON’T have traits onment and your inherited making you have more of a widow’s peak.

PLE OLYMPIC THING HERE. If your family is has a “knack” for science and math, you probably will too from of information is promoted and if your family has a preference toward a political party, you will probably agree with them. BLANK

61%

66%

46%

26%

of students have blue or green eyes.

of students DON’T have attached ear lobes.

of students have freckles.

THE FOURTH ESTATE

of students have dimples.

11

FEATURE

AN INTERVIEW WITH ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING COORDINATOR

BY CLARA HILLIS // PHOTOS: CARINA TEDESCO

FEATURE

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FEATURE

T

hinking in several languages est très difficile. However, that is not actually how I (along with most people who speak two or more languages fluently) think and dream. Being an international student, one of the first things people ask me is “What language do you think in?” or “Do you dream in English or in French?” While the answer is different for each bilingual, some ways of switching from language to language are more common than others.

According to Frontier of Psychology, “Fluent bilinguals seem to have both languages active at all times, whether both languages are

What Language Do You Think In? Dream In? consciously being used or not.”

Distinguished Penn State Professor of Psychology, Linguistics and Women’s Studies Judith F. Kroll said, “Not only is bilingualism not bad for you, it may be really good. When you’re switching languages all the time, it strengthens your mental muscle, and your executive function becomes enhanced.”

While some bilinguals, often people who learned the second language later in life, favor one language over the other, a study for Psychological Science by the Association for Psychological Science “raise[d] the possibility that [some] bilinguals can perceive speech like a native speaker in both languages,” according to lead author Kalim Gonzales.

For Laguna sophomore Sherlock Jian, who moved to America from Fuzhou, China this year but has been learning English since third grade, Chinese is still his primary language of thoughts and dreams. Though he now thinks in English “a little more” since he moved to an English-dominated environment, most of his dreaming and thinking is still done in Chinese.

“When purely for understanding [like reading], I translate the English into Chinese in my head. But in a conversation that moves pretty fast, I try to think only in English without translating,” Jian said.

On the other hand, some students, often those who have lived in

FEATURE

America for longer, use both or all of their languages equally. For example, junior Sonya Kotler, who spent eight years in St. Petersburg, Russia and then moved to America in her fifth grade year, uses both her Russian and English for different situations.

“I started learning English at home when I was about two, but I didn’t speak it very well, [and] I only knew simple words like dog or cat. I started actually learning it when I was ten, which is when I moved here,” Kotler said.

Two years after moving, Kotler’s thinking switched from only Russian to a mixture of Russian and English, which is when she felt that she “was becoming fluent in the language too.”

Kotler not only talks but also thinks in her two languages, depending on the situation. “During weekdays I would say that I spend about eight hours speaking English and the rest Russian, because I speak Russian at home, [and my thinking] also depends on the situation. If I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family or Russian-speaking people, then I tend to think in Russian, but if I am at school or doing homework, then I usually think in English,” she said.

She adds that, “When I am doing math homework, I count in English, but if I am just counting randomly, I usually count in Russian. I also feel like expressing emotion is easier for me if I do it in Russian.”

According to Psychology Today, a study by Nicole Wicha and her colleagues in San Antonio, Texas, 22 Spanish-English bilinguals showed “The advantage for the language of instruction [when counting], but [it] also showed that some individuals responded faster in the language they used regularly and not in the language in which they initially learned basic math.”

Junior Helen Yang, who moved to America three years ago from Shanghai, China, said, “I always count in Chinese, but I think in different languages when I am around different people — when I’m around [my Chinese-speaking friends], I definitely think in Chinese, but when I’m talking to [my English-speaking friends], I think in English.”

In terms of dreaming, international students often explain the same kinds of situations — the dream’s language will be based on the environment in which they are in. Yang said, “If I am with English-speaking people, I dream in English, but my dreams are usually in Chinese.”

Dreaming in two languages is a common experience among bilinguals. Spanish Instructor and World Language Department Chair Arturo Flores, who grew up in Mexico and moved to the U.S. when he was 24, said, “It depends on what I’m dreaming about—I could have a dream that is taking place in a Spanish-speaking country or in Mexico or a dream related to a certain time in Mexico or family and friend, but I could also have

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a dream about things that are happening in the United States or an English-speaking country, and that dream would be in English.”

Kotler agreed: “It’s the same; I’m still thinking about school, homework and friends, then it’s in English, and if it’s a during break, then it’s usually in Russian.” Sometimes, however, Kotler said that her dreams are a mixture of both languages, again depending on who she is around.

Occasionally, bilingual students will experience dreams in which they talk to only-English-speaking people in their native languages, but Kotler said that for her, they always “Respond in English.”

Whether they think in English, their native language, or both, bilingual students agree that the question of thoughts and dreams is often asked. So next time someone asks us, “What language do you think and dream in?”, we can just stop for a second and say, “I’ll think about it” or “J’y penserai.”

Dual Dreaming

BY ROSE HOUGLET

GRAPHICS: SONYA KO

TLER

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FEATURE

The Realities of Rape Culture

BY JULIA FAY & CAYLIN ZIMMERMAN

R

GRAPHIC: CAYLIN ZIMMERMAN & JULIA FAY

ape culture is not necessarily the act of rape itself, it is all the cases, men don’t have to adhere to these standards. Many men don’t jokes, music, advertisements, laws, imagery and media that understand the fear that many women experience on a daily basis, make rape seem inevitable. such as when walking to their car alone at night or being without It’s all around us and most of the time goes unnoticed because of friends at a party. just how normalized it has become in our society, in part through It’s also using the word “rape” as a way to describe something bad the hundreds of lyrics in popular songs that use language that that has happened to you, such as, “I got raped by that test.” It’s the openly talks about rape as a neutral or even positive thing. fact that our society has turned a horrific act into simply “locker “When people talk about rape as being normal, it eventually room talk.” desensitizes people to how serious of an issue it really is. People In our society, most young people listen to music almost daily, are less likely to speak or act out on rape because of that provided by different platforms such as SoundCloud, Spotify, and desensitization,” AP Psychology instructor Meghan Roarty said. iTunes. The amount of music we have access to is endless, allowing It has become so normal, in fact, that our president-elect has artists to reach a sizable amount of the population with their songs blatantly made jokes and comments about rape, including, “and portraying different messages. when you’re a star they let you do it, you can do anything … grab While Katy Perry may talk about empowering women through them by the p****. You can do anything.” the use of lyrics such as, “I am the champion, and you’re gonna It’s a huge problem in our country because rape is an hear me roar,” other artists such as American Rapper and incredibly serious issue that should never be made entrepreneur Rick Ross say things like, “Put molly all into something even remotely normal. in her champagne, she ain’t even know it, I took According to the National Institute of her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even Justice and Centers for Disease Control know it.” and Prevention, every two minutes an Messages promoting date rape like these of students reported American is sexually assaulted, and the are heard by young boys across the globe listening to music that majority of rape victims experience and come from some of the top ranked portrays women as major trauma after the event. singers in the music industry. “objects.”

Many of the victims obtain various When entertainers you idolize and sexually transmitted diseases, become aspire to be sell millions of songs that pregnant and are prone to PTSD and brag about the drugging and raping of other mental health issues. Research women, there is a good chance you will has proven that the trauma provoked by both listen to and be influenced by the of students agree that rape makes the victims 3.4 times more songs and their lyrics. media promote rape in likely to use marijuana and six times more According to a study done in 2006 by the our society. likely to use cocaine.

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, According to the Justice Department data for 70 percent of students ages 15-25 who listened the past five years, of every 100 rapes, as many as to music “daily or almost daily” listened to rap and 54 are not reported, and only three rapists spend a day in hip-hop. prison.

When that data was compared with the students’ answers about This means that 97 of 100 rapists walk free, with no punishment alcohol, drugs and violence, the survey found that “substance use whatsoever. It’s an overwhelming statistic to comprehend at first, and aggressive behaviors among young people were significantly but perhaps there is a reason it happens so often with little-to-no associated to certain genres of popular music,” which were mainly punishment. rap, reggae, rock, and techno. Of the 74 students surveyed at It’s because rape is not always seen as a violent crime, and is rather Laguna Blanca, grades 9-12, roughly 70 percent said that the music looked at with the “boys will be boys” perspective, that time and they listen to “often portrays women as objects.” time again has gotten rapists off the hook for their actions.

Rape culture is especially prevalent in college, particularly Rape culture perpetuates the idea that only certain types of people fraternities where rape cases are constantly overlooked or made out rape, and only certain types of people get raped. It’s the idea that by to be less severe than they are. wearing revealing clothes, women are practically “asking for it.”

Laguna alum Hannah White, a sophomore at the University Throughout a woman’s life she is told things like: what to wear, of Colorado, Boulder, says “[Colleges] definitely have a history of how to wear it, how much to drink, what to drink, where to walk, ‘letting [rape cases] slide’ or actively making sure they are difficult whom to trust, what to do and where to do it. Whereas, in most to report, and the process is extremely emotional and drawn out

65% 57%

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sometimes. Reporting sexual assault at universities is so incredibly hard, it is ridiculous.”

An infamous example of this would be the Stanford rape case, where a former Stanford swimmer, Brock Turner, was given a far shorter sentence than what was proposed after he brutally raped an unconscious woman. Prosecutors asked that Turner be sentenced six years in prison, but he only received six months, outraging thousands of people.

By not punishing rape offenders, a clear message is being sent to the entire country that portrays rape as not being serious, and, therefore, does not need to be treated with any concern.

The young minds of the people in this country have grown up watching TV that degrades females and congratulates men on their sexual endeavors.

Some of the most popular TV shows, including “Family Guy,” “New Girl,” and “How I Met Your Mother” blatantly disrespect women in a completely inappropriate way.

In an episode of “Family Guy” titled “Quagmire’s Mom,” one of the main characters has sex with an underage woman. He ends up getting no punishment because his mom “saves the day” by having sex with the judge of his case.

The episode ends with the main character,

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Peter Griffin, saying, “Aww Quagmire got away with it and learned nothing.” Quagmire’s entire identity in the show is based on his perverted comments and sexual encounters with women, whom he never sees a second time.

Television like this can be accessed by all ages and is extremely popular. The use of laugh tracks played behind these kinds of jokes make the viewer feel that the joke is funny and acceptable.

Every day we experience or unconsciously contribute to the misogynistic language of rape culture, the objectification of women’s bodies and the glorification of sexual violence, which ultimately creates a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.

Of the 59 students surveyed aged 14 through 18, 24 had never come across the term “rape culture” and couldn’t clearly identify it.

Education about the topic of what contributes to normalizing rape in our society, such as using sexually explicit jokes, genderbased violence in television and movies, and refusing to take rape accusations seriously, is especially needed as we have become desensitized from the reality of how truly brutal rape is.

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FEATURE

THE ILLUSTRATED INTERVIEW SULLIVAN MONTGOMERY ISRAEL - STUDENT

Where do you come from?

My family is from Greece and Poland and Hungary.

Who is your favorite fictional character?

If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?

What is your favorite thing about Laguna?

Our beautiful campus!

What is your ideal meal?

What are your favorite things to do?

What is the coolest thing in the world?

Who inspires you?

Prince Myshkin.

What is your spirit animal?

A dog or a vinegaroon.

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My family.

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Y A D I L O S H N O I T I D A TR

R HEYE

TLER

KO NYA O S : S

PHIC

GRA

— Sulaiman Bah and Abdul Fatta Koroma

A TASH A N “I put my shoes out the night before. When I wake LIS &

A HIL

LAR

BY C

“The family stays together and eats traditional foods, [like] fried rice. People do charity, like giving food to people who have less...and praying together in a big field or stadium. This past time, after the prayer, we played a soccer game. It was a fun game, and the Christians played the Muslims. It was a tie.”

up, first thing in the morning, we go to our shoes, and Saint Nick has put a bunch of little treats in there. Traditionally ,I get a pig, or fuzzy socks and some German knick-knacks.”

— Tiffany Yabsley

“I usually go to family parties and light fireworks and use poppers, and we say goodbye to the previous year, as we take pictures in a photo booth. My family enjoys drinking champagne, but none for me of course. It’s the whole nine yards.”

— Sam Stegall

“I get together with my aunt on my mom’s side and some cousins, and we have a big Christmas feast – with even more food than we have at Thanksgiving. We have tamales and pozole, apple salad, pumpkin pie, really any Mexican food you can think of. The tamales are a really big tradition within my family.

We break into an assembly line: my dad rinses out the corn husk, someone else spreads the masa onto the corn husk, and someone else adds the meat, while someone else adds the sauce, and another person wraps them up and puts them in the pot – it takes forever!

My dad always says that if you make Mexican food while you’re mad, it won’t taste as good as when you’re making it when happy.”

— Zaira Paredes-Villegas

“I remember when I was young, maybe four or five, I actually had Chinese New Year in the countryside. When you go to the countryside, there are small houses and neighbors who know each other. You’re kind of a big family. Maybe you’re not really related, but the whole village, you all know each other, so you gather together.

They have dances, like traditional dance and traditional songs, and they just celebrate together, rather than in the city [where there are] just small families. They share maybe a whole pig and [make] maybe 10 dishes for their whole village. So the village would have a 100 tables and every table has maybe 10people, and they just eat together and celebrate together.”

— Yunlong “Roth” Yin

“One thing I think is unique about my family is we like to collect menorahs, so every year we usually get a new one. Every night when I decorate the Hanukkah table, we take out the 20 menorahs that my parents have collected over their marriage and set them all out.

It’s really cool because some of them we haven’t used in a while, and we pick out which one we’re going to use each year.

We try to make them not normal. We have some pretty cool ones, like a train. We have one that’s a couple eating and the candles are coming out of the table.

They’re all pretty unique. We have one that looks like a keyboard and the letters of ‘Hanukkah’ have the candles coming out of them. That’s one thing we do that’s special I think.”

— Sully Israel

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FEATURE

More than Music

BY HUNTER HAWKINS

PHOTOS: TARA BROUCQSAULT

JAZZY : plays Junior Ja the s axop son Bar hone nick .

MAKING MUSIC: Following the annual Jogathon, members of the stage band perform.

B

and members experience more than just playing music in a group, they learn life lessons and improve professional abilities—all while having a blast and making new friends. Nerdy stereotypes aside, school band members develop leadership, teamwork skills and confidence.

In a typical class, students “start off by setting up equipment to practice, then practice the songs that students voted for, and then, after we go over the songs a couple times, students give each other feedback for each time we run it through and put away our equipment,” sophomore Katherine Perez said.

HARM “We spend a great deal of time working through the music that the students O Leme NIZING: J nominate.

I believe that it is important for students to have ownership of the music u r phon e sings i nior Ca they play,” music teacher Jillian Honorof said. n m e at t he W to the m ila Laguna’s two band electives play slightly different roles. High School Band is more ic inter Conc roof a training course for those who want to be in Stage Band. “The Stage Band is for ert. those students that are dedicated to music, who want to challenge themselves. They perform much more than High School Band, and they are expected to be the musical leaders on campus. They perform outside the LBS community and they compete,”Honorof said. This year, 13 students are in the Stage Band and 5 students are in the High School Band.

What should a student who wants to join High School Band or Stage Band expect?

“Students who are thinking about joining Stage Band should want to be pushed and should be willing to dedicate a good amount of time to the class. They are asked to learn a lot more music, and to perform much more often. If a student wants to play music and just have fun, I would encourage them to think about HS Band, not that Stage Band is not fun, it is just more SHRED work,” Honorof said.

D O’Do ING: Ju Stage Band abounds with opportunities for students to learn how to respectfully work well n n i onsta nell plays or Aida with others and to take responsibility for preparation, practice and performance in out of school n ge. the g uitar as well as in school venues, such as SOhO. Why should a student want to join? “I enrolled in this elective because it gave me the chance to have a time in my day where I get to do something I love,” said Perez, new to the High School Band this year. “I appreciate the fact that I get to be in control of what I learn.” Something Perez has learned from the class is, “to be more confident and to free myself from stress throughout the day.” The classes are places of learning as well as camaraderie. “I would say our class is a nice group of friends who can work with each other and help one another when in need.”

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PHOTO: CARINA TEDESCO

“Picnic” Preview

BY KENDALL WHITE

“This is going to be the best play we’ve done in years,” said junior Jackson Hurley about “Picnic.”

“Real” is the one word director Dana Caldwell chose to describe “Picnic,” a threeact play by William Inge, originally performed on Broadway in 1953 and adapted into a movie in 1955. Nominated for six Academy Awards, “Picnic” follows the lives of several conventional Americans in a small town in Kansas.

“It is the perfect balance of comedy and drama,” junior cast member Camila Lemere said.

On the morning of a small town Labor Day picnic Hal Carter (Hurley), comes into town looking for work from his old college friend Alan Seymour (senior Mathew Goldsholl). Hal quickly gains the attention of everyone in town, especially the women, stirring up lots of drama.

The many women in the play include Flo Owens (senior Zuley Lewis), her younger tomboy daughter Millie (senior Joan Curran), her older and gorgeous daughter Madge (senior Fiona Flynn), her neighbor Mrs. Potts (junior Annabelle Finefrock), and her boarder Rosemary (Lemere), who’s trapped in an desperate romance with Howard Bevans (senior Travis Smillie). Madge, the town beauty, is extremely attracted to Hal, yet is already dating Alan, a less exciting but more stable and realistic man, and so she ultimately has to choose

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between the two. A dramatic, hilarious and attention worthy story then unfolds on stage.

“The storyline is one filled with lots of hilarious and odd interactions, but also plenty of beautiful, heartwarming moments,” Lemere said.

When asked why she chose this play, director Dana Caldwell said, “I was looking for a drama that had really strong female roles. Having roles of substance for my students is so important, and this is a show that is really driven by some incredible woman.

Their relationships with each other, supporting each other, helping each other -- there’s something in that that’s really inspiring and really important.”

“The stuff they are going through is hard, but there’s also this wonderful humor. It’s a day in the life of these character where both nothing happens and then so much happens.”

Caldwell adds, “The biggest challenge is that all of these students are playing characters that are nothing like themselves, and yet there is something in all of these interactions and all of these relationships and people that we can find a bit of ourselves in, and the students are doing an incredible job at it.”

“Picnic” will run from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21 in Spaulding Auditorium.

“Everyone should come watch ‘Picnic’ because of its great characters and awesome cast. We’ve put a lot of work into this fun-loving production,” Lemere said.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

All Too Familiar: Nostalgia in the

Entertainment Industry

T

echnology-wise, the world is continually looking at what lies ahead. But within the entertainment stratosphere, the masses seem to be looking behind, back at where man has already tread. The past seems to be repeating itself — whether it be through music or movie plots that seem eerily similar to those released decades ago.

Musically-evoked nostalgia proves itself to be immensely powerful and transportive.

Songs from a certain time in our lives provoke all the feelings that surrounded us at that time; for better or for worse.

Every song contains patterns of notes, and, whether we realize it or not, one of the hardest things to do is to fabricate an original tune without any outside influence. Whether the song has the slightest influence or a whole verse of pre-created content, the music industry is taking advantage of music’s ability to create these moments of memories through music.

Even as one who does not consider themselves an “artist” in any way, coming up with an original melody is extremely difficult, and resemblance to some existing song is almost inevitable.

The question facing artists and listeners globally proves itself to be: is anything really original anymore? Current artists are taking advantage of this sensation, and incorporating elements of music’s past and using them in their own content; such as re-vamping a familiar melody, or using the backbeat of a vintage tune. But is it even their own if it is based on other artists’ work?

Due to this recent trend, music artists of all genres are facing lawsuits due to their music

sounding much-too-similar to songs released long ago.

Sam Smith, a British singer-songwriter with a smooth, brooding voice and a knack for emotional ballads, was questioned after the release of his 2014 ballad, “Stay With Me,” which sounds suspiciously similar to Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” (1989).

After a lawsuit and a closed-door court case, Petty was awarded 12.5 percent of royalties earned from Smith’s Grammy-winning track due to the similarities between the songs. Though Petty was understanding and said, “...these things can happen.” Smith’s representatives adamantly claimed that it was all “coincidence.”

So where do we, as listeners, as well as the multitude of content-creating artists, draw the line? When is a song no longer original?

To what point within the foggy haze that composes the creative spectrum of music creation is an artist allowed to borrow inspiration from their fellow creators?

This controversial question is emerging more prominently in the entertainment industry and culture recently, and an answer is yet to be found.

Mark Ronson, Grammy-winning music producer, bases his music career off of “sampling”, a process in which he uses past tracks and revamps them into new creations, almost indistinguishable from the original songs. He demonstrated this talent during a 2014 Ted Talk. Ronson sat down with NPR in 2013, where he was asked about his music philosophy and his feelings toward originality and personal creativity in terms of his place in the music industry.

When asked if he thought that any piece of music could be called “original,” he responded that it would be hard to not compare any piece of music released to another, it’s inevitable. But he believes that progressive music is progressive, and can be even more interesting to listen to and to create. Not only does he stand by his positive stance on music sampling, he supports its ability to completely transform a song and to bring it back to life as something completely new, even though the song itself isn’t new in the beginning of the process.

The environment in which one lives and exists influences; whether we like it or not.

Everything around us somehow affects our life and our actions, and this applies to music as much as it does with anything else. And whether or not artists make that influence noticeable is either a conscious decision or an unavoidable mistake.

Nostalgia is a feeling experienced universally; it is an unavoidable, serendipitous reminder of memories and experiences connected and hidden within the depths of our brain, lured out by once-familiar tunes and melodies. And as the world continues to turn, the songs we all once knew and loved will emerge once again, seemingly different, maybe, but undeniably the same.

Tune in to Musical Plagarism

BY AVA MOROUSE // GRAPHICS: AVA MOROUSE

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Cinema: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

N

othing beats the good old days. When people hear that phrase, “the good old days,” they’re flooded with memories: childhood, growing up, the formative era of youth.

All of the best times of their lives were lived out in the past, and, for adults, it’s a past that they’d give anything to go back to. The world is a lot more complicated these days, and if there’s one thing that people hate, it’s complexity. If there’s another, it’s change.

It’s this desperation to hold onto the past, the golden age of our youth, that the entertainment has seized upon shamelessly.

Amidst the monsoon of reboots, remakes, rehashes and retreads that has flooded our theaters, few films stand above the rest, while many trickle through the grating of the public consciousness and dribble into the sewers of movie purgatory.

Yet film companies keep making them.

Any given weekend theaters are chock full of movies that are pulled straight from mom and pop’s childhood. This year alone has brought us “Ben Hur,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Jungle Book” and many others.

Oftentimes these movies have mediocre reviews, some are even critically panned, but people continue to flock to cinemas in droves. They hand over their money to see a movie that they’ve already seen, just so that they can relive the past for a few hours.

A recent concept to hit the movie industry is the idea of a multi-year franchise. History’s highest grossing movie franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has based its entire marketing plan on the draw of comics written 10, 20, 70 years ago. And if you listen to the numbers, it’s working.

The lowest-grossing movie in the MCU, 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk,” grossed over $263 million worldwide.

The world has changed a lot over the past thirty years, and some people are still trying to forget about that change.

The majority of moviegoers are in their mid twenties to late thirties, and these children of the eighties and early nineties go to the movies to hold onto any last shreds of the past that they can.

While they do, the movie industry is changing to reflect that. The idea of original content is no longer as appealing as it once was.

For example, take Quentin Tarantino.

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Tarantino was one of the most visionary filmmakers of the 1990s and 2000s, and the creator of legendary films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill.”

He pushed the limits of cinematic possibility, and he did it with style. His newest movie, “The Hateful Eight,” released last December, is different: instead of something bold and new, it is an homage to the westerns of the past.

He even went so far as to shoot in 70mm film, a format famously used in movies such as “Lawrence of Arabia,” which is considered archaic compared to today’s digital and 35mm.

The movie, unlike many of Tarantino’s other, much more original movies, is three hours and seven minutes of pure throwback.

It could’ve been stolen straight out of the days of the spaghetti western.

Television is going in the same direction: backwards. “Stranger Things,” released as a Netflix original and exclusive earlier this year, was a national phenomenon. It perfectly recreates the 1980s science fiction books and movies of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg.

It managed to capture the vibe of the era perfectly, from the well-placed retro cereal box to the main characters’ bicycles to the color profile of the footage itself.

Critics and viewers loved “Stranger Things.” It garnered a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that compiles movie reviews from all of the major critics.

That score, however, is a testament to the quality, not the originality.

No matter how good they make “Stranger Things,” that does nothing to change the fact that it’s a rehash of the 80s, entertaining or not.

Entertainment, in some ways, has changed a lot over the past decades. Visual effects have improved, blockbuster budgets have increased and studios’ movie schedules have gotten fuller and fuller.

In other ways, however, not much has changed at all. Filmmakers seem content continuing to churn out cash cows that echo, or

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BY JACK STEIN

GRAPHIC: JACK STEIN

sometimes even directly copy, the classic entertainment that their viewers grew up with.

It’s all perfectly legal… but is it morally right?

Movies and TV govern our lives. The shows and films that we watch daily tell us what to buy, how to think and who we should be.

We have a seemingly constant onslaught of entertainment, and the creators of this entertainment seem to take quantity over quality more often than not.

When an increasing number of critical failures have made hundreds of millions of dollars, it throws the entire methodology of movie critique into question.

Should movies be judged for how artful they are, or should they be judged for their quality and originality?

Or should they be judged by how they make you feel content and secure in the happy blanket of the past? It is the moviegoers’ choice, and, for the sake of the film industry, one would hope that they make the right one.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

GRAPHIC: SONYA KOTLER

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

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stance of the staff I

n recent years, it has become apparent that machines are growing smarter, which most of the staff agrees could be a problem in the future. The ultimate aim for Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is to create machines that can eventually solve problems and achieve goals as well as if not better than humans can. Researchers say that, hopefully, these machines will soon be able to learn and apply information just as well as us. Here’s the problem: we don’t know exactly how advanced these machines can become and how they will affect our economy. And there’s just one more thing: robots are creepy. These machines will likely be able to access personal documents, information and, pay close attention children, internet history.

There are some benefits to having artificially intelligent beings, though. Machines, unlike humans, can be programmed and created for a specific job. This allows them to excel at their given jobs without making mistakes, and, if something does go wrong in the process, Artificial Intelligence will allow them to adapt their systems according to their environment.

Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence will allow machines to take over jobs like those in business, in accounting and even in the government — jobs that, previously, could have been done only by humans, and complete said jobs with greater accuracy and speed.

Unfortunately, if we allow machines to dominate these fields, as well as those with lower wages (such as factory jobs), the need for employee’s skills will be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, and the unemployment rates will skyrocket. The disparity between the upper and lower classes will also increase due to such success of business owners at the expense of unskilled jobs.

In addition, the staff (with the exception of two members) agrees that we should not be making robots that are supposed to be humans. In other words, do not give robots emotions. Giving feelings to machines opens the door to anger, resentment and even war. And we all know how that story ends.

The two members who disagree argue that, without feelings, it will be harder for the machines to have the compassion needed to prevent war. But why would you need to end a war if one doesn’t even start in the first place?

Moreover, the question arises: is it really necessary to give machines emotions? Emotions physically present themselves through facial expressions, tonal inflections, pulse, gestures, and perspiration. And if the machines can already function as well as, if not better, than humans, what’s the point?

Luckily for us, experts agree that, as of right now, there’s no possible way that machines could be programmed to have real, human feelings, so, for now anyway, we shouldn’t fret about a hypothetical massacre by machines just yet.

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

ARTIFICIAL PROS

BY MATHEW GOLDSHOLL

A

rtificial intelligence (A.I.) could enable machines to do many of the jobs that we detest and that cause us harm. Machines possessing this intelligence may one day also possess perfect memory, emotions and deduction skills greater than we can imagine.

These machines might also be able to connect the dots between certain bits in their plethora of information in order to, for example, find the cure to cancer or create a masterpiece of art or music.

Composing, such as the music of Beethoven, is often rooted in its imperfections — as perfect depictions of a subject are difficult for humans to connect to — and thus, works that possess slight flaws are more relatable to humans.

With the advent of new technology, one can expect to see major changes in employment rates. However, when jobs are eliminated because of technological advancement, new markets are created, and more labor is required. The United States has more advanced technology than ever before, and our unemployment rate is currently below 5 percent.

If quality and access are increased, why would we steal such a great luxury from the people of not just the country, of not just the planet, but of humanity’s future?

I hate that people will be put out of jobs. I hate that uncertainty will plague so many. But I think the boundless possibilities, even potential miracles, of A.I. outweigh the problems that it will create.

We need A.I. to combat the corruption that has always been present in civilization.

But now, with such powerful means of destroying humanity already available, and with more doomsday devices coming close to fruition — along with the fact that even a simple mistake, which is unavoidable, can trigger any of these devices and bring about Armageddon — could humans need someone or something more responsible to take charge?

It’s as if we’re all in a big car, and we finally notice that the car is being driven by a toddler, so we decide to take that toddler out of the driver’s seat and replace him with a race car driver so we don’t crash, burn and die.

If artificial intelligence advances to the level of super intelligent, it might figure out how to teach humans the greater truths of life, which, at this point, we struggle to comprehend. With genetic modification of living cells created to increase the power of humans in all of their endeavors, we can begin to process information on the levels of A.S.I. Therefore, we may invent political and economic systems that allow us to go beyond requiring unsatisfactory jobs.

We may go beyond the financial enslavement generated by the current institutions of flawed Homo sapiens.

Perhaps in the future, far or near, artificial intelligence will move humans to a stage of history in which everyone is satisfied to the fullest degree possible.

Is this a fantasy or is this is the future?

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INTELLIGENCE CONS

BY PETER SMITH

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ith the advancements of A.I., the potential for job loss will be astronomical—not only will basic manufacturing jobs be lost, but also most jobs requiring manual labor.

Why train and pay an orchestra to perform Beethoven when A.I. can do it just as, if not more, beautifully? Why pay a secretary or a researcher when A.I. can do all those jobs with more efficiency than humans?

With an ever increasing loss of jobs, the economy will tank. Fewer jobs mean less spending, and we all know how that turns out.

If markets crash due to A.I., less money goes into the pockets of individuals who need it, and more money goes to rich businessmen who are running factories with automation. The wage gap will increase, and the work force will struggle.

Is the factory worker who has worked at a Ford manufacturing plant his or her entire life, and who has been replaced by a robot, supposed to automatically become a tech genius? No. That worker will be considered unemployable, and stay out of work.

If a person doesn’t have the skills necessary to become a programmer or a supervisor, he or she won’t be able to go to another factory, because that too will have been taken over by machines.

Machines are the workers of the future, and humans are the workers of the past, but if world governments put a cap on factory automation, the bleeding of jobs will be clotted. Frankly, it is ridiculous to let faceless automations doom the working class when there are so many other, simpler measures that could control the loss of jobs.

As A.I. gets more advanced, more and more jobs will become obsolete. When, and if, A.I. begins to program itself, what of the programmers? And what if these super-intelligent machines decide that humans are unnecessary?

What then? Does humanity simply fade out? Does it become a backdrop in history? Or is it destroyed completely?

Humans need to preserve their jobs and their dignity, and the only way to do that is to put a cap on the spread of A.I. automation that could steal jobs. A.I. should be limited to working in research and with doctors to create cures for diseases instead of stealing jobs.

Do we want a machine that is made up of a bundle of computational algorithms tell us what life is or is not? A.I. is not human; it is simply a bunch of logic algorithms.

When Elon Musk, business magnate, investor, engineer, and inventor, was asked about the potential of A.I. advancing to something that could be detrimental to humanity, he said, “Then it will have a very bad effect. If its [function] is just something like getting rid of e-mail spam and it determines that best way of getting rid of spam is getting rid of humans…”

It’s simple logic: you don’t treat the symptoms, and you treat the cold.

Are you prepared to let this happen?

GRAPHICS: JACK STEIN

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SKIMP ON SHRIMP

BY JULES BERNARD

GRAPHICS: JULES BERNARD

It’s a warm, sunny afternoon and you’re touring the aisles at Whole Foods.

You scan for the perfect thing to make for your dinner party. You pick up some garlic, parsley, and lemons to season your meal before it is dipped in cocktail sauce.

Then, you wait in line and purchase one pound of shrimp. Unbeknownst to you, that one pound of shrimp cost much more than the $13.99 you paid.

FARMED SHRIMP hrimp farming is a major cause of environmental degradation. 95 percent of all shrimp consumed is farm raised.

Shrimp farming is conducted in small pools of water hollowed out from nutrient rich mangrove stands. Mangroves are trees with large roots that grow out of the ocean on shallow sand banks. To have a large pond for shrimp, the mangroves must be stripped from the area. The mangroves’ twisting roots provide shelter and nutrients for wild shrimp and other aquatic animals.

In Thailand, the third largest global shrimp exporter, farmers are seeing the effects of their stripping. When the mangroves were torn out, the locals who relied on catching wild sea animals for food and profit found themselves with a problem.

But diminishing populations and destroyed habitats don’t affect only fishermen.

The mangroves, besides being nurseries for fish, provide a buffer for local villages against

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flooding. In the 2004 tsunami, coastal areas with thriving mangrove populations experienced less damage than communities that had destroyed their groves.

HEALTH RISKS Another problem with shrimp farming, is that areas with mangrove stands are only nutrient rich because of the mangroves. When the mangroves are removed, the process of filtering water and pumping nutrients and oxygen back into the soil has to be simulated by fertilizers and antibiotics.

Shrimp catch diseases much more easily in isolated ponds. Because of this, farmed shrimp pose certain health risks to us.

Farmed shrimp is often grown in developing countries where antibiotics are not regulated.

Some of the chemicals used in these ponds include Organophosphates, Malachite Green, and Rotenone. All three of these chemicals have been proven to negatively affect humans.

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According to the Mt. Sinai Journal of Medicine, Organophosphates, used for shrimp disease treatment, are linked to toxicity in pregnant women, and Malachite Green, used as an anti-fungal on shrimp eggs, has been shown to create cancerous tumors on mice.

Rotenone is used to in shrimp farming to kill off the existing fish in the human made ponds. Besides killing fish, Rotenone can create Parkinson’s symptoms in mice, and, when inhaled by humans, causes respiratory paralysis.

The FDA found that 25 percent of shrimp contain illegal medications.

In addition, Ready-to-Eat shrimp, because of all the medications introduced in shrimp ponds, have 162 separate varieties of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Shrimp cleaning processes are also extremely unsanitary. According to Food & Water Watch, shrimp is responsible for 26 to 35 percent of all rejected imported seafood.

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Student Voices Junior Sasha Hsu Prior to reading Skimp on Shrimp, my knowledge on the consequences of shrimp farming was quite basic, and I did not understand many of the externalities that arrive with the process.

Personally, I enjoy eating shrimp, but now that I understand how detrimental it is to the environment (more specifically a rare wonder of the world like the mangroves) my view on eating shrimp has been altered.

Hopefully, in the future, a new form of shrimp farming that is less harmful to the environment can make eating shrimp fine, but for now, it is important to hold and share the knowledge of these dangers because, in the simplest form, if you eat shrimp, you are supporting the farming and, more importantly, the destruction of an ecosystem that is responsible for the health of nature and many species, including humans.

In developing countries, shrimp is either left to sit in unregulated temperatures or frozen in contaminated water, both of which expose the shrimp to bacterial contamination.

The factories used to clean shrimp, are often dirty. There are reports of a shrimp cleaning facility in Vietnam with floors littered with garbage and flies and insects buzzing all around.

The FDA rejected 1,380 loads of seafood from Vietnam alone in the past nine years.

WILD-CAUGHT SHRIMP You must be thinking, “Then I’ll just buy the wild-caught shrimp that Whole Foods offers.”

But wild-caught shrimp is the largest known source of bycatch, which is the name coined to represent the billions of animals, unwanted or unsellable, wasted during the fishing for a different species.

According to the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations, shrimp is responsible for 35 percent of global com-

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mercial bycatch.

And, in agreement with these statistics, Seafood Watch states that for the pound of shrimp you bought, up to six pounds of bycatch were caught as well. That’s six pounds of turtles, dolphins and baby whales dying for just one pound of shrimp.

Maybe to you shrimp is so important that you don’t care, but keep this in mind: Oceana found through DNA testing that 25 percent of shrimp labeled “wild-caught” were in fact farm raised.

No matter how you look at it, eating shrimp is just plain old bad: bad for you, bad for your dinner party guests, bad for the environment, and bad for the fish in the sea. For some people shrimp is an important staple, but we all have to take a step back from the seafood counter and choose not to buy the pound of shrimp. It’s not a matter of political views, it’s a mater of health: personal and planetary.

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Sophomore Alex Koke Before this article, I didn’t have much knowledge about the shrimp farming industry.

I wasn’t aware of the effects it has on the environment and the ecosystems of the ocean.

This article has given me knowledge on the subject and I am now conscious of the grave effects shrimp farming has. It makes me think twice about where my shrimp comes from and whether or not I should consume it.

This is a dilemma that will not be easy to solve but hopefully the fish farming industry will realize the damage it is causing to the environment and try to change its harmful ways.

OPINION-EDITORIAL

GENDER MUTUAL

BY CLARA HILLIS

Examining the benefits of non-gendered bathrooms

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ith the LGBTQ+ community now receiving more advocacy door?” Bernstein has to ask. than ever, in both the media and the Supreme Court, the This vulnerability that Bernstein and any student who identifies country has been progressively normalizing acceptance. Laguna with qualities different from those of their birth sex experiences Blanca is following suit, and, this year, three gender is the exact reason why Laguna must keep working neutral bathrooms have been added to campus. toward becoming a thoroughly accepting place.

These bathrooms are another step toward greatThis year, Bernstein and sophomore Athena er tolerance and inclusivity within the Laguna Boyle founded the Queerly Beloved club for community: they provide a safe and comfortable students who either identify as LGBTQ+ or wish space for those who identify outside the gender to show their support. There are also “Safe Space” binary. stickers on classroom windows to remind If a student does not conform to one all students that Laguna will not tolerate of the two conventional genders, or if a discrimination. student is questioning their gender, they English teacher Ashley Tidey agrees: should not be forced to use a bathroom “It takes a lot of courage to put this that is assigned exclusively to a single club together,” Tidey said. “In the 80 sex. years of Laguna Blanca’s history, there A gender-neutral bathroom prohas been no such club that allows kids vides any student who might identia space to think about gender and fy as trans, gender fluid, etc. with a sexuality.” place that is non-discriminating and While the school has made several private. unprecedented efforts, there is still But not everyone is fully on board room for improvement. “Respect their with having these bathrooms. “I think pronouns,” Boyle said, in reference to it’s unreasonable [that] we need to ways Laguna can progress, “because I know devote multiple bathrooms on campus some teachers don’t use their real pronouns, and for [sic] something that only affects one that can be very alienating.” individual,” one student said.

However, we should keep in mind that a However, a student with a situation like gender neutral bathroom is exactly that — a freshman Rae Bernstein’s necessitates this sort of bathroom. For all intents and purposes, it is a space on campus. single-stall restroom for anyone to use. True, As a teenager who identifies as non-binary and these bathrooms were previously male-only, but prefers the pronouns they/them, having a gender they can only accommodate one person at a neutral school bathroom — one that does not time anyway. force them to fall under the label of Is converting a few bathrooms not strictly “male” or “female” — can be worth it to help ensure comfort for greatly comforting.

“In the 80 years of Laguna Blan- every member of our community?

“You can go in there and not get fact, most people come to Laguna ca’s history, there has been no forInthis weird looks, like, ‘Is that a boy or very reason: the benefit of a such club that allows kids a small school is that students can get the a girl?’” Bernstein said. “Because there’s no one else in there.” space to think about gender and individual attention they need.

Bernstein reports being harassed Whether you feel that a gender neusexuality.” in public-gendered bathrooms and tral bathroom on campus affects you facing this fear every time they enter or not, the imperative thing is that we – Ashley Tidey one. “Do I look masculine enough all recognize and accept its importance today to go into the men’s bathroom to some people. “I think people just without getting beat up? Do I look feminine enough to go into the need to know that maybe there are some things that they just won’t women’s bathroom without getting yelled at and pushed out the understand,” Bernstein reminds us. “Which is okay.”

GRAPHIC: CLARA HILLIS

OPINION-EDITORIAL

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n a perfect world, all men and women are created equal. In a perfect world, bigotry and misogyny are not celebrated. In a perfect world, nobody is called “fat,” “ugly,” “nasty” or “disgusting.” Women are not objectified and demeaned. Sexual assault is not ignored.

Everybody, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, gender, etc., is treated equally.

But we don’t live in a perfect world.

We live in a world where the orange face of sexism has been elected as the 45th president of the United States of America.

And I’m not proud to be a part of it.

“Nobody has more respect for women than I do; nobody,” said President-Elect Donald Trump (a.k.a. orange-cabbage-patch kid, annoying orange, excessively spray-tanned troll, etc.) at the third and final presidential debate.

No offense, Mr. Cabbage, but I don’t think that’s true.

In fact, throughout his many, many years on this earth, Trump has criticized, objectified and even assaulted women on countless occasions. This sexism is also strongly reflected in his policies, with National Public Radio predicting that women may very likely be forced to pay more for health care than men.

Over both the course of this election and before, our favorite annoying orange has proven to be, like I said, extremely sexist.

He has attacked, belittled and insulted multiple women, calling them “fat pigs,” “dogs,” “slobs” and “disgusting animals.”

At least he hires women in his companies, right?

Well think again, because, according to previous female employees, he, despite their being in positions of power, constantly made comments “designed to make [the women] feel small,” calling them “hon,” “dear” and, in one case, “honey bunch.”

In addition, he is obsessed with women’s bodies — even in the workplace — insulting some while putting others on pedestals.

For Barbara Res, previous Trump Tower construction manager, these insults became apparent after she had recently gained some weight. “You like your candy,” he told her.

On another occasion, when a visitor was in the office, Res recalls Trump’s requesting a more beautiful woman to take lunch orders.

“He wanted the people in that room to think that all the women who worked for

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him were beautiful,” Res said to the New York Times. It is clear that, for Trump, women are just trophies to either show off or throw out.

Like I said, not a perfect world.

Rape is not a joke. It’s not something that can be looked over or forgotten. But shouldn’t that be obvious?

Apparently not, because the American people have elected a possible sex offender to be our 45th leader.

That’s right; in recent months, multiple women have come forward, claiming that ‘the Donald’

has sexually assaulted them,

either by “forcibly kissing” or physically groping them.

Many former teen pageant contestants also said that Trump, on many occasions, sauntered into their dressing rooms (while they were either partially dressed or fully naked) without invitation.

I guess it’s worth it to mention that he denied all of these allegations.

However, footage of a 2005 conversation with Billy Bush, in which he brags about sexually assaulting women, has recently emerged. “I just start kissing them … I don’t even wait,” Trump said in the recording,

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“when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”

I can’t imagine anyone respecting woman more than you, Mr. President-Elect.

By electing this excessively spray-tanned troll as our next president, we have shown the women of this country that we don’t really care about them. We have shown them that it is okay for people to insult them, to invade their privacy, and to touch them inappropriately. The Declaration of Independence states that all men, meaning

BY KAILEA HIESHIMA

all members of the human race, are created equal, but, right now, that’s not the case.

A world where Donald Trump is president is a world where sexism and sexual assault is acceptable.

And that’s not a world I want to live in.

OPINION-EDITORIAL

DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND? There’s more to me than my relationship status.

BY FIONA FLYNN

E

ach year, you reconnect with family members to open gifts, gorge on feasts and create new memories for the bittersweet holidays.

You make sure to look your best and prepare to answer all the questions your relatives and family friends will ask. “How is school going?” “What colleges are you looking at?” “Anything new in your life?”

You attempt to answer these question the best you can in order to appear like you’ve really got your life together.

However, since I was around 15, I’ve been asked about one thing an overwhelming number of times: “So, do you have a boyfriend?”

Every time I see an old family friend or relative, this is what they are most curious about.

At first, it was just an annoying question. But as time went on, and the question became more frequent, I became frustrated and wondered why something so trivial was more important than my other achievements.

Why was this always the first thing they wanted to know?

Ignore the fact that I just landed a leading role in the school play. And forget that I’m a starter for the varsity tennis team.

Oh, and that whole part about how I’m applying to college—boring!

Instead ask me about my relationship status because that’s the most important thing in my life. Right?

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Then, I have to reply with an awkward “No” or an “I’m just not that type of girl,” followed by an uncomfortable silence.

It’s not like I’m desperately running around looking for a boyfriend. Being single is my choice.

As a high school senior in the midst of applying to colleges, I have much more substantial priorities than finding someone to rub my feet at night, although I wouldn’t complain.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think being in a relationship is a bad thing, and I’m not saying that I’m going to be single forever.

However, I do despise the fact that somehow in this modern, ever-progressive world, my accomplishments continue to be overlooked in favor of my relationship status.

Senior Grace MacNeil shares my frustrations and feels as though adults shouldn’t be so focused on her love life.

“Instead of asking me questions about how I’m doing in school or how my extracurriculars are going, my extended family thinks the most pressing conversation topic is my relationship status, which honestly makes me feel worthless.”

This isn’t just a problem for the average

female either. Women in the media are constantly bombarded with questions about their dating lives.

Whether it’s who they’re dating or why they aren’t, the public always seems to be more interested in female celebrities’ relationship statuses than their upcoming projects.

When women like Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence and Rihanna shut

“Whether or not I have a boyfriend shouldn’t be of importance, and it certainly shouldn’t define me.”

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down these questions in interviews, they are scorned for being “rude” or “ill-mannered.”

Whether or not I have a boyfriend shouldn’t be of importance, and it certainly shouldn’t define me.

It’s extremely disappointing when, time and time again, I have to answer the same mundane question.

I’m not unhappy or concerned with my singleness. So please stop asking me about my dating life because, for the time being, I’m single, accomplished, and dancing to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” all on my own.

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Hannah Miller

PHOTO: FIONA FLYNN

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merica is an achievement culture that measures educational success by virtue of standardized tests, AP courses, and GPAs. It takes what makes a person special and unique, and turns these qualities into a number to be scrutinized.

Growing up is a race to the finish line, and along the way people are measured, judged and compared all by the same yardstick of standardized testing.

Our society compartmentalizes people, taking away their individuality and sense of self. Religion, government and corporations all insist on conformity to a singular materialistic ideal, and promote the idea that there exists only one path to the one definition of success. This homogeneous construct in our society holds people back from being able to think for themselves.

The problem with an achievement culture originates from people being obsessed with success defined entirely by material wealth and perfection. We win a silver medal and are disappointed because it’s not gold. Too many measure success only by someone’s income and look at success as a far-off picture rather than something in the present.

Even small children are not immune to the pressures set by our society. For instance, when I was little, I skipped preschool and went sailing around the world with my parents.

When I got back to school, the teachers told my parents that I was behind and that they were worried I wouldn’t be able to catch up with the other kids in my grade. Meanwhile, I had had the opportunity to travel around the world and see cultures and people that very few five-year olds get to see; and yet, when I started kindergarten I was told at the age of five I was behind purely because of my grades.

The fact that you can be behind in something at that age is questionable. In the Bronx, for example, on Feb. 17, 2000, a 10-year-old hung himself, his homework lying at his feet and a suicide note left for his sister. The note said he was sorry for his bad grades and his poor report card.

Grades shouldn’t exist for a 10-year-old. At that age, children should be focusing on learning to think, building character and developing empathy as they begin to understand the world in all its wonder. They should learn about and enjoy life without the pressure or the need to succeed and achieve.

Without the pressure to hit a number that is set to judge and define you.

Too many Americans have a preconceived notion of what their life has to be because of this achievement culture. They are brought up with this ideology that there are already steps

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laid out for them to attain success and that, to get to where they want to be in life, they have to follow these steps.

When you finish college and are looking for a job, the number one thing that employers look for is someone who has character, who is a critical thinker and who is unique. Under the standard American education system, there is little opportunity for someone to discover what makes them unique and talented. This proves just how ironic it is that people spend their whole lives sacrificing present happiness for limited future returns and goals.

Schools should teach kids to think for themselves and to be caring and giving members of our society.

Instead, lots of students are brought up being taught that within our culture there is only one definition of a successful person and that they need to do everything with perfection so as to excel in this numbers game. There is no attempt to recognize individuality.

People are blindly driven to achieve without asking why and are fixed on an unattainable goal of success.

Nothing is ever enough. Happiness is fleeting because you are trying to achieve success at all costs. Happiness, arguably one the most important things in life, is measured by your latest test score.

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People give up present happiness to achieve future success, but their sacrifices in the end get them nowhere.

In fact their efforts inhibit their development into interesting and intellectual human beings. In this race to success, people take life for granted and neglect their friendships and relationships.

They ignore love and empathy and focus instead on their work and nothing else.

As life progresses, these people will wake up and realize their potential to live is gone.

They will see how overrated the system of pressure within our society is and how they never enjoyed their limited time on this earth.

Especially here at Laguna Blanca, a hyper-competitive school where kids are obsessed with the idea of success and all that it entails, people lose track of what’s important.

The idea that you get through high school with good grades, get into a good college and spend the next four to six years of your life doing more school, finish the grueling college experience, become a lawyer or a doctor and finally start your path to being successful is an archaic and outdated way to live your life.

Too many people are so set on this one path to gain popularity and wealth that they forget to stop and enjoy life. Let’s say after going through all of this, dedicating your entire life to school and tests and

essays, and nothing else, you get cancer and have two months left to live. What now?

You have been obsessed with the future your entire life. So focused on what’s next, on doing well that you never stopped to enjoy your accomplishments and live in the moment. You were never satisfied unless everything you did was perfect.

Your very identity and sense of self was based off of your work ethic, your grades, what college you went to, what law firm you were working at and all for what? What was the purpose of your life?

Since the 50s, the American dream has been defined as a white picket fence lifestyle, where everyone has the quintessential symbols of success, a brand new car and a paycheck with six figures.

The American dream has become the American nightmare because it’s no longer achievable. Less than one percent of the country has the promise of the American dream; the rest have been left in the dust. So what is the point of this achievement culture. The rich get richer and the poor stay poor.

Now this isn’t to say not to have goals for your life or not to strive to do well. But at a certain point we have to let go and accept that we can’t control everything. Achievement-driven millennials are on a quest to achieve without even understanding what they want from this world and who they want to truly become.

The idea of control in our lives is a fallacy. For example, once you have sent off your college apps, there is nothing more you can do; the admissions process is now in the hands of the college itself. You have done everything you can.

To stress out over whether or not you will get in isn’t worth it. It’s not in your control. People should take this idea and use it in their daily lives. Horrific and unfair things happen in this world and to be obsessed with this ironic definition of success can lead only to self-destruction. In fact, many people to try to deal with how stressed and pressured they are in their own lives, turn to alcohol and drugs as an escape.

They get high to escape their mind-numbing and repetitive lives and to trick themselves into thinking they are in control.

All people have to do is step back, relax and get on with their life happily. People have to stop trying to control everything.

We need to be proud of what makes us special and unique, not just what is on our resume. We need to be more cognizant of how to “achieve” a state of grace as opposed to a state of wealth.

BY LUKE SMILLIE

PHOTO: CARINA TEDESCO

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

College & Irrational Fears

BY SYDNEY HLAVATY

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hy is getting into college this daunting thing that looms before every high schooler? To answer this question, we interviewed Latin teacher and Academic Services Director Rose Steeber.

“It’s like a new competition. You know, people used to compete with model cars or their lawns or their houses, and now they’re competing with where their kids get into college.”

College is both a touchy subject and the root of many conversations among high school students. Some are excited, some nervous, some skeptical — skeptical because the standards for getting into fairly decent colleges are rising higher and higher every year.

Why is that?

Most kids think that they have to take every AP class available, take three languages and get perfect SAT or ACT scores to even get accepted to a limited number of colleges deemed impressive by society.

But why is this the norm?

Should students really be overloading themselves just for the sake of having specialty classes lined up on the transcripts they give to colleges?

“They try to get into as many AP’s as they possibly can or Honors classes, and then they have a load that they can’t maintain. So the students I speak to will opt for taking 4 AP classes and getting 3s on all of their exams and maybe a B in there too, in a final grade, rather than taking 2 [AP classes] and getting fives [on their exams],” Steeber said. “Kids are too busy trying to pad their transcripts and not concentrating on what their passion might be and trying to gear their course of study towards that passion.”

Passion takes time to find. Unfortunately, for students nowadays, they have no time to find that passion because they are too busy keeping up with the homework.

“It doesn’t make any sense. And so that’s contributing to the stress right, because now the stress isn’t about the ultimate goal of getting into college, the stress is the day-to-day struggle.

Keeping up with the homework, keeping up with the reading. It’s horrible — kids aren’t sleeping because they have to keep up with this stuff.

And so, that’s the biggest

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problem I’m seeing.”

How does the world expect students to have a 4.0 GPA, get at least 8 hours of sleep, have time to stay healthy and to partake in the “high school experience,” when they are so overloaded that they can hardly spare the time to eat dinner with their family?

“I think that we need to work more with parents to try to help them understand the kind of stress the kids are under. What hasn’t been addressed is whether the stress is warranted or needed — or even rational — because a lot of what prompts the stress are irrational fears. Do students really think that if they get a B they’re not going to get into college? Do parents really think that if their kids don’t get into an Ivy League [college], they’ve failed? I think that it’s become a consumer culture rather than a culture bent around learning.”

Fortunately, people are trying to change this. Stanford University created a program called Challenge Success: Overloaded and Underprepared, started by Denise Pope to help stop the increase in teen suicides.

Before the program began, Pope and her team found out that stress and anxiety bred by school led to a rise in suicides.

The Challenge Success program aims to take the stress off kids in school and return the academic environment to one of learning.

“Challenge Success is a whole different perspective looking at what success means. What they are trying to do is ask us educators, students and parents to challenge our definition of success. What is success? All A’s? Is it getting into Stanford?” Steeber said. “It is a program that incorporates and tries to educate teachers, parents and students on redefining what we value in education and taking a look at decreasing the stress levels in our teens.”

Steeber said that kids shouldn’t be thinking “okay, where can I make the most money,” but instead, “Okay, my interest is music, who has the best music program.”

Kids spend so much time worrying about irrational fears that they unintentionally breed irrational stresses that weigh them down daily.

“So now, you get these ideas that if you don’t get a certain amount on your SAT, you’re not going to go to college, or if you don’t get at least a B in calculus, you’re not going to go to college.” Steeber said.

So how do we change this?

Challenge Success is just one program searching for answers.

There are hundreds more­­—teachers, students and parents—who are striving to eliminate stress completely.

Instead of freaking out the next time a B shows up on your report card or that AP class you wanted is unavailable, take a moment to breathe.

“So we have to figure out how to educate parents, teachers, students on not to be so concerned about where they are getting in, and more concerned about the learning process and just assume they are going to get in some place that is going to be a good fit.”

GRAPHIC: JACK STEIN

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t a private and privileged school like Laguna Blanca, the linger“It’s an impossible project, and it’s fraught with error and bias. ing pressure of college decisions and acceptances begins early, Also, you the seed, with incomplete knowledge of yourself as a increasing exponentially as time goes on. plant, are being asked to write as if you were already the plant,” Such pressure flows from a number of faucets, among them the Hawkins said. myth that a prestigious Ivy League or other selective school is autoThe student’s real control is in the writing of the application itself, matically better and best — that your ability to pass the seemingchoice of college, and what the student does with this incredible ly impenetrable wall of judgment by admission officials and SAT gift of education — regardless of its fame. With this scores is the ultimate evaluation of your total success in life. control, students must know their options and However real this idea seems, and however constantly we put their energy into focusing on how are reminded of it (as if it were real), it is still mythical. to get the best from their college As leaders of innovation and art have taught us in the experience. After all, the past, we are more than the college we go to — or don’t go only person to reap to. the consequences of “In America, we attach great significance to brands, the college process is the and the more prestigious the brand, the more value student. we attach to being associated with that brand — it’s a When writing an

BY H rare person who doesn’t feel this way,” said Laguna’s application, Hawkins says, UNT College councilor Matt Struckmeyer.

“The best you can do is just ER H AWK This is where the problem begins — if our be yourself!” Your writing is INS mindset is setting us up for unnecessary stress, a chance to tell the university self-doubt and unhappiness, why should we mainwhy you want to attend at all — tain it? “try to take joy in your writing The college application process is already one and use it to express yourself, and get of the most stressful events in a student’s life. excited about every option Savina Hawkins, a ‘16 Stanford graduate you are applying to.” views the process of application as When finding a flawed from the beginning. “First college, it is imperative off, you’re expected to clearly that the college chosen is articulate who you are, which the right fit for the student and really, is impossible given the student alone. Whether the college is how young you are at one of the eight well known Ivy Leagues, or that time. Secondly, is a barely-known private college in the the person who middle of nowhere. Struckmeyer says, reads that articu“A great place to start is by honing in lation is supposed on the type of college that best suits a to somehow know person’s learning style and goals.” exactly what your If one knows how he or she learns future holds based best, what he or she wants to learn, chooson that subjective ing a college should not be stressful. It articulation, like the should be liberating and exciting. “To sorting hat from ‘Harry Potter.’” me, the most valuable part of an educaGRAPHIC: HUNTER HAWKINS “The people who judge your tion is extremely simple: to learn how to admission are looking at you, just be in this world,” Hawkins says. a seed, and are trying to picture The point of attending school is to learn and to experiyou as a fully blossomed plant,” ence. Govern your decisions not by what society seems to Hawkins said. want you to do or be, but with what you want your own An 18 to 19-year-old is not experience to be. likely to know exactly what their As a college-decision-survivor and graduate, Hawkins future holds, or who they want to says, “Learning how to “be” is not about the teachers, or be. If the students themselves have the wealth, or the status of the school that surrounds you, no clue of their future, why on earth would a complete stranger, but, instead, the depth and capacities of your own heart and who just happens to work for a university, know? mind, which, presumably, will follow you wherever you go.”­ The truth is, the application process is a guessing game that ultiYou, the seed, are not and do not have to be a plant yet — in fact, mately does not determine your success, let alone your self-worth. you go to college to help become a plant. Let life take you there.

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

TRUMPOCALYPSE TRUMPOCALYPSE TRUMPOCALYPSE TRUMPOCALYPSE TRUMPOCALYPSE TRUMPOCALYPSE

BY JACK STEIN

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ince the beginning of time, humanity has awaited its judgment day. We speak of it in hushed tones, in rumors sheltered under the rippling shadows cast by the labyrinthine alleyways of the deepest recesses of human fear and disbelief.

The Bible, needless to say, fables of a day of judgment in which Jesus, the son of God, will “judge the living and the dead.”

Cultures and systems of belief the world over fear an end of the world, from the Mayan apocalypse in the year 2012 to the Jewish “end of days.”

This belief, the study and prediction of all that is or will be, is known as eschatology.

Eschatological events are usually seen as an Armageddon that rocks the foundations of the world as we know it, a raging mass destruction filled with the fires of hell and the screaming of the damned.

We forget that cataclysm can come in disguise. The eschaton that has fallen before us lies behind a mask, hidden underneath a grinning facade of buffoonery and half truths of an angry charlatan.

A man who stood before the nation to spread indisputable lies, used the tactic of fear-mongering, hate-mongering, to achieve his goals. We laughed for a while. A long while, actually.

The inability of the American people to take a threat seriously until it is knocking on their door, really until it has knocked down the door and burst into their home has led us down dark paths before, but we have always righted ourselves.

OPINION-EDITORIAL

This time, we can’t be so sure.

We looked upon the Republican nominee as a laughable blip on the radar of the public conscious.

We watched in awe as he seemingly tanked not only his reputation, but his entire party and the ideals that it stood for.

We laughed him all the way up the steps to the White House, and didn’t realize until he was comfortably watching us from the Oval Office.

He didn’t knock our door down— we held it open for him.

We have to accept the actions of our country. “Well, I voted for Hillary” is just an excuse, a flimsy wall that we put up to try and shift some of the blame away from ourselves.

This kind of shifting of blame is exactly the reason that the presidential election ended up where it was.

Citizens continually passed the responsibility down the social ladder until the fate of the election rested in the hands of the middle

“If you take anything from these words, let it be that we cannot allow President Donald Trump to break us apart. ” class. It wasn’t until too late that we remembered that the American middle class is a broken dream that fell to the ground years ago.

The buck stops with us. We cannot blame those who didn’t vote, we cannot blame those who chose to protest vote, we cannot blame those who voted for who we see as the “wrong” candidate.

The Republican Party did not win the election. The upper class did not win the election. Even the President Elect did not win the election.

The election was won by those who lurk in the muck and mire, watching and waiting for the American decline that we have ushered in.

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The winning candidate isn’t the object or the cause of the great American fall that we experienced in September. We are.

The social rift that was exacerbated by the shrieking chaos and fluttering lies that we watched with blissful ignorance is to blame.

We are face to face with the greatest crisis of identity in a century and a half. We spend our time with the people we agree with as we slowly ostracize those we don’t.

The problem isn’t what political side you stand on; it’s the fact that sides exist at all.

This election cycle, every word and action of hate and intolerance that has been uttered or undertaken in the past decade, has torn the United States apart at the seams.

We should not be fighting against Donald Trump. Recounts and electoral loopholes are not only improbable, but they will also pull the country apart even further.

Protests will become more and more violent, and the people protesting the hate and violence in the White House will soon become exactly those whom they fight and protest against.

If you take anything from these words, let it be that we cannot allow President Donald Trump to break us apart.

He may try, his administration may try, and his supporters may try, but remember that in the end, we all want the same thing: we want to be safe.

Protest and speak out against the small things, the injustices that live around us, but do not let them overcome us.

In the big picture, we need to support our president on the big things, because he, whether you think he deserves it or not, has been given an immense responsibility.

We need to make sure that regardless of how we disagree with every one of his policies and beliefs, we help him hold that responsibility.

Please, in the name of the survival of our country and the people in it, hold on to the few things that can still unite us all, and uphold those values with all your strength. In these days when we face our ultimate test, our eschaton, they may be all we have left.

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OVER THE EDGE

BY SYDNEY HLAVATY

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back to the city.

“I just love the creativity that snowboarding brings, your expression on the mountain by way of just picking and choosing your lines, your expression with freestyle terrain parks,” Evans said. “All of that just allows you to be present, be in the moment, and enjoy what you do.”

When asked if he ever thought he would stop snowboarding, Evans responded immediately with absolute certainty: “Never. I’m going to snowboard until I physically can’t.”

Some people might not understand the feeling that pushes thrill seekers to jump over that edge. Evans pointed out that he feels more connected to himself when he rides.

“The feeling that I get while snowboarding really is, it’s like a point of clarity right so, for me, it provides a space for me to really just focus on one thing, and that’s snowboarding. So being present, and being completely focused on my sport, really is the feeling that I get. It’s completely tuning out everything and just being at one with the snow, with my board, with the environment.”

After going pro for a few years, Evans was featured in videos, comepeted and rode at Mammoth Mountain whenever he could.

“I just love the sport because of the freedom that it gives me to express myself on the mountain. It’s physically challenging, it’s mentally challenging, it’s stimulating, and it’s exciting. I mean what more can you ask for? It just keeps you coming back for more, and

ome people don’t understand the ‘thrill’of thrill seeking. They cry that it’s stupid, risky, etc. They would much rather stay at home with a cup of coffee than sky dive or participate in snow sports. On the flip side, a few spend their entire lives searching for this rush of blood and energy.

But what exactly is this ‘thrill?’

All are in the search of adrenaline ­— a hormone that increases the rates of blood circulation, breathing, carbohydrate metabolism and muscle exertion. It’s the body’s fight or flight response.

Outback Snowboarding Filmmaker Travis Rice said, “Sometimes the riskiest endeavors reap the richest rewards.”

Rice is the star and creator of three thrill-seeking outback snowboarding movies: “That’s It, That’s All,” “The Art of Flight” and “The Fourth Phase.” In each one, Rice reaches further and further for a taste of thrill that he loves.

Venturing out into the Sierra Nevadas, many of these “adrenaline junkies” find their high at qpopular ski resort Mammoth Mountain.

“It’s physically challenging, it’s mentally “It’s exciting, it’s fast. [You get] the feeling of gochallenging, it’s stimulating, and it’s exing downhill,” said 34-year-old snowboarder Jamie “JME” Bayer, describing the feeling she gets when citing. It just keeps you coming back for she’s on the mountain. “When you’re in the air, more, and allows you near endless opporyou get [that] rush of falling down back onto snow.

[You] get hurt, you [feel] the rush of pain.” tunities to express yourself.”

Before Bayer got her job at Mammoth Moun— Chuck Evans tain, she was an avid rider who traveled all over North America looking for new slopes to hit. She has been a passionate snowboarder for 22 years, and on skis since she was one. Bayer says that now that she lives and allows you near endless opportunities to express yourself.”

Maybe it’s different for each sport, or maybe it isn’t. In the end, works at Mammoth, she gets to ride about one-hundred plus days, both Bayer and Evans said that they just feel “in the moment” and and she loves it. “excited.” For some, those words and feelings will mean nothing, Bayer’s friend, 31-year-old Charles “Chuck” Evans, was a Mambut to others, it’s their drug. But, like most drug addicts, they can’t moth regular as well — he lived in the village below Mammoth go very long without it.

Mountain for five years, and rode almost everyday before moving

PHOTO: SYDNEY HLAVATY

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SPORTS

A Season on the Sidelines

BY JULIA FAY & ROSE HOUGLET

PHOTOS: CAYLIN ZIMMERMAN & ROSE HOUGLET

Abby Corpuz (Transfer Ineligibility)

Matt Park (Transfer Ineligibility) Sport: Lacrosse Length of participation: I have played lacrosse for four years.

Reason for ineligibility: Although the appeal hasn’t come back yet, we are pretty sure that I am not eligible to play lacrosse because I transferred schools. I made an appeal, though, because I would still like to play but I do not believe that it will be granted.

Duration of sit out period: I am not eligible to play lacrosse for the rest of high school.

How you stayed involved: I have been able to stay involved as I still play club lacrosse.

Hardest Part: I am sad about not being able to play lacrosse because I love the game, and I will miss out on the opportunity to play on a school team and actually contribute. But not being able to play at school doesn’t affect me too much because I still play club very regularly.

Impact of ineligibility: Due to a shortage of players, we might not be able to have a team because I am sidelined. I would like to play a different sport in college than I would play at school, but not being able to play has shut that door for me.

Sport: Volleyball Length of participation: 9 years Reason for ineligibility: I switched schools too late during the season to play.

Duration of sit out period: This whole school volleyball season and next school volleyball season until Sept. 7.

How you stayed involved: At such a small, community-oriented school like Laguna, it’s not hard to stay involved. Team dinners, lunches and breakfasts especially helped, as well as long car rides.

Hardest part: It was hard to watch my close friends play a sport that I’ve been playing my entire life, but it was also very insightful. I learned a lot watching my teammates play tough competitors.

Impact of ineligibility: It didn’t impact me negatively at all. I loved traveling and watching my teammates play and supporting them. As long as I could practice, I was happy.

Looking forward to: Playing with my teammates. I’ve known most of them for several years, and we’ve played on countless club teams together. It’ll be great to finally play with them again.

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With Laguna’s requirement of one sports season per year, most high school students participate in the Owls’ athletic program. However, some students are prohibited from playing due to injuries or California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) transfer and eligibility rules.

Some of the most common causes for ineligibility include turning 19 after June 15 of that year, participating in more than eight semesters of athletics or transferring from a school in which one participated in sports for more than 15 days without a valid change of address. For first-time transfer students, a sit-out period applies for a number of days established by CIF. Not following these rules can result in the forfeiture of contests for that school. For injuries, students are often required to follow a doctor’s advice or know their own limits to ensure that they won’t get injured further. To better understand the effects of being ineligible to play, we talked to students about their seasons on the sidelines:

Clare Ogle (Knee Injury)

Travis Smillie (Knee Injury) Sport: Football Length of Participation: This was my first year playing football.

Injury: I had a stress fracture that circled my entire knee.

Duration of sit out period: I was out for ten weeks (from the week of my injury to my first game back).

How you stayed involved: I went to every practice and game and tried to learn as much as possible while I was gone. This helped me tremendously when I was finally able to return.

Hardest part: Like I said, it wasn’t a good time. But when I was finally able to play it made it all worth it. I felt I was more motivated in games than I had been before the injury; I wanted to prove that I could play after the injury.

Impact of injury: I still went to all the practices. It wasn’t fun, but it was great seeing the team improve and only made me more motivated to get back as soon as possible.

Looking forward to: I hope to be able to play in college, either intramural or club. I think sports are a great way to get involved with your school and community, and as a freshman again next year, it would be cool to be able to get to know people at whatever school I attend through sports.

Sport: Soccer Length of Participation: I have been playing since I was eight years old.

Injury: I tore my MCL, and three months later found out I had also torn my meniscus (both in my left knee).

Duration of sit out period: Right now I have been out for about eight months, but by the time I am completely recovered I will have been out for almost a year or more.

How you stayed involved: I try to go to all of the practices, and right now I can at least warm up with the team and, hopefully, will be able to practice fully by the end of the season. Although I don’t think I will be able to play in any games this season, I am definitely going to be at all of the games cheering my teammates on.

Hardest Part: It’s really frustrating to sit on the side and watch your team play because you know you could do specific things to help or improve your skills whether it be in a game or in practice.

It’s hard because you know you are doing the right thing by not pushing your injury and possibly hurting it more, but you want to play so badly — it’s really frustrating.

Looking forward to: Just being able to play in games, because those are the times when I really get to challenge myself and play defense, which is what I love to do.

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SPORTS

The Alumni Soccer Game

BY KELLY BICKETT

A GATHERING OF ATHLETES: Alumni and current students gather on the playing field for a post-game photo.

PHOTO: JAY FARBMAN

FIGHT FOR THE BALL: Mason Farrell and freshman Fatta Koroma fight for the ball.

PHOTOS: CINDY GUGLIELMO

PLAYERS PREPARE: Alumni return to campus for the annual soccer competition.

OFFENSIVE PLAY: Junior Ethan Tyng dribbling the ball.

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AT THE READY: Freshmen Vincent Vestergaard, coach Gof Boyoko, freshman Julia Guglielmo, sophomore Alex Koke, coach Davis and junior Clare Ogle prepare to sub for the student team.

very year, Laguna alumni and current students take to the soccer pitch in an alumni versus current students soccer game. This traditional event is for many alumni a much-anticipated part of Thanksgiving break.

Current student players form one team while the alumni fill up the other in a competitive, fun and often hilarious game where everyone gets to let loose.

This year the majority of the alumni were recent graduates, while a few graduated over 20 years ago.

Freshman Julia Guglielmo said that this year one of the funniest parts of the game was that “the man who played goalie was a little over 60, and every time that someone approached him to shoot, he yelled, ‘Don’t shoot! Don’t do it!’ It was so funny. Everyone would break down laughing when he yelled it at the top of his lungs.”

The game means a lot to the players. “It’s a good time when you get to play a great sport while socializing with generations of excited people that attended and loved Laguna,” junior Ethan Tyng said.

The games bring the past and the present together to remember how great Laguna’s close community really is,” Guglielmo said. “It was such a fun experience to play the alumni team. To see familiar faces and then others, whom I have never seen before, showed me how tight the Laguna community stays in years past graduation.”

Senior Henry Farrell’s father, Mason Farrell, who has been playing on the alumni team for over 25 years, commented on the alumni game as something he really looks forward to. “Before joining the [Laguna] board, it was my one time a year to reconnect with the

SPORTS

PHOTO: JAY FARBMAN

school… see old friends and meet new ones. The game has evolved from a chance to play against a bunch of kids I don’t know to playing alongside and against kids who I have come to know well over the years. It has become part of our family’s Thanksgiving tradition.”

The game is followed by a picnic lunch where the players and fans get to chat about their lives and share memories from Laguna.

“I met alums who had just graduated last year and alumni who had graduated at least 40 years ago,” Guglielmo said. “All of them had the same positive and grateful attitude to be welcomed back to the Laguna environment. One of the alumni I met was John Adams, who graduated from the class of 1970.”

Regarding Adams, FarFootball: Qualified in Division 1 rell said, “It’s remarkable Eight-Man Football playoffs, lost first that he is able to move round at Faith Baptist. like he does. We trade off Volleyball: Qualified in Division 6 as goalie and then run playoffs, lost in Semifinals to Woodin the field when we are crest Christian. Also qualified for Difeeling it.” vision 3 State Tournament, lost second Due to the event round to Woodcrest Christian. being so casual, there is Cross-Country: Girls team qualified no record of past scores; for the team playoffs. Aura Carlson however, this year the was named Condor League Champicurrent students won the on. Henry Farrell and Clay Rodgers game 5-4. qualified as individuals.

Girls Tennis: Did not qualify for CIF playoffs.

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Fall Sports Overview

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Driven to Dance

BY NATASHA HEYER

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Mia Humberd-Hilf

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Sophie Henderson Clara Hillis

“I dance by myself in a studio. I’ve been dancing since I was two. I started with ballet, then moved on to jazz and contemporary and modern, then I did African dance, and Bollywood and Broadway.

Dancers have a unique ability to know their bodies really well, better than any other athlete. You have to take care of your body because you have to move it in ways that no one else really does and in ways that are sort of unnatural; so it kind of allows you to know your body and know what you can do and what your limits are.

Everyone says dancing is an easy sport or not a sport, but it’s so difficult, and it takes so much muscle, energy, and power that very few people can actually do it. It deserves more credit than it gets.”

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“I do ballet and everything about my ballet school is very classical.

Our hair has to be in buns, we wear point shoes and tutus for performances. Dancing has definitely given me more tenacity. It has taken me a really long time to get to where I am now, but it feels really good knowing that I have worked hard for every solo I have received. I do four performances a year: “The Nutcracker,” a small gala, a full-length classical ballet in the spring and a summer intensive workshop performance.

Zuley Lewis

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“I have been dancing for about 12 years. I mostly dance ballet and some contemporary, but I have also taken a couple of classes in tap, hip hop, lyrical, jazz, ballroom, and musical theatre.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned from dance is discipline. You also have to learn how to be friendly towards your competitors and friends when you might not get the role you wanted.

It is tough because every dancer is usually competing for the same role and usually only one or two of them actually get it.

I have learned how to be happy for my best friends when things don’t work out how I had wanted.”

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DANCING

ance is a way for people to express their creativity and to be in touch with their bodies. For students who decide to opt out of Laguna’s traditional sports, dance is a popular option for them to pursue outside of school as an independent sport.

Dance requires dedication, motivation and commitment. Freshman Mia Humberd-Hilf, sophomore Sophie Henderson, senior Clara Hillis and senior Zuley Lewis are dancers who have chosen a wide range of styles that have led to their success both locally and nationally.

“I have been ballroom dancing for seven years. I do it for five to six days a week.

Partners change but I often compete with my teacher; however in competitions, only the student is being judged.

Ballroom dancing helps with determination and teaches hard-work because it takes a long time to get to certain levels and certain competitions because you have to qualify.

I have qualified for nationals and for the World Ballroom Dance Championships.”

EN POINTE: Sophomore Sophie Henderson (above) practices at the barre. Senior Clara Hillis (right) performs as the lead in a ballet called “La Sylphide.”

PHOTO: CLARA HILLIS

SPORTS

“But, No Pressure”

BY CARINA TEDESCO PHOTO: CARINA TEDESCO

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etween grades, drinking, drugs, relationships and college admission, high school pressures feel like the physical pressures we learn about in the physics classroom — those which pile a large force upon us, making us, at times, feel crushed under the pressure.

The worst part: each said pressure contains webs of subcategories, and each said subcategory contains webs of sub-subcategories.

Just inside the web of relationship pressures lie tensions between partners regarding sex, sexting, “PDA,” the list goes on.

Surely, the most famous of these is sex — the one viewed by those who are naive to high school relationships as the only relevant pressure. It has been widely talked about for generations, yet its true complexity is seldom understood.

Despite common thought, sex in high school raises many more issues than just the obvious, tangible ones like pregnancy and STDs. For girls, having sex in high school often corresponds with the label of “slut.” On the other hand, girls putting sex off are often called “prude” in return for their efforts of resisting pressures.

For high school boys, not having sex can be seen as embarrassing, dorky or unaccomplished. Not surprisingly, these labels are often times strong enough pressures to persuade teens to act against their beliefs.

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Having sex in high school also raises the question of who should be told. Whether you tell your friends, your parents or keep it to yourself, this is a dilemma shared by all.

As with many other aspects of being a high school student in the 21st century, new technologies have evolved new pressures — one of which is sexting. Sexting has been so commonly talked about in recent years that many high school students think it is the norm.

This can lead to teens thinking that they need to do it, since they think that everyone else is.

Another pressure, specific to high school, is whether or not one should show affection at school. Some partners think that it is okay to kiss, hug or hold hands at school, whereas others don’t, and this is where the tensions rise.

Although some are uncomfortable with showing affection in public, their resistance may be viewed by their partners as a disconnect or uninterest, leading to arguments and the pressure to “compromise,” by giving in against one’s beliefs.

Dean of Students and Football Coach Shane Lopes gave his insight on high school relationships. Between working with high schoolers every day and being married to his “high school sweetheart,” he could reasonably be considered an expert on the topic.

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When asked what he thinks is the hardest part of a high school relationship, Lopes said, “Actually, it became most challenging in college. That was the most challenging part of our relationship because geographically we moved away, and college is a time where there are so many more distractions and opportunities to grow as an individual that, as a byproduct, naturally push people away from each other.”

As high school comes to an end and the sight of college begins to appear, there is always one question asked by the outsiders of a given high school relationship: “Are you two planning on staying together?”

This yes or no question requires layers upon layers of consideration before a response can be solidified. A couple must consider how often they will be able to talk, how often they will see each other, and what boundaries they will have (while still necessarily worrying about what the other is doing.)

Some couples may choose to take this route, knowing its implications, while others choose to face the inevitable heartbreak head on. If they choose the first, a couple will most likely go through the guilt of feeling as though they are tying down their partner and, ultimately, feel the pressure to stay in their relationship because of

THE FOURTH ESTATE

the sacrifices both were forced to make.

The aftermath of this decision is typically most drastic in a mixedgrade relationship. When one partner is left in his or her high school bubble while the other is “out experiencing the world,” it more often than not leads to conflict.

Two students who are experiencing this challenge are junior Kelly Bickett and senior Melissa Silva, who recently decided to continue a relationship with their high-school boyfriends after their graduations last year.

When asked how she made the decision, Kelly said, “It was definitely a life-changing decision. I feel like my long distance relationship has changed the actions or decisions I make now. The reason why we chose to stay in a relationship is because we felt like being together is better than being apart. I love him too much to let him go.”

Similarly, Melissa Silva said, “Darwin and I decided to stay together after he left for college because since we love and care about each other so much, it seemed absurd to end what we have. As cheesy as this sounds, distance does mean nothing when someone means so much.”

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LIFESTYLE

3 1 1 2

BY SONYA KOTLER & AMANDA SKINNER PHOTO: SONYA KOTLER

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t’s 2017, and everyone seems to be obsessed with their health, but that doesn’t stop anyone from hating vegetables. You know those green things that you usually cook, hoping to somehow burn out the flavor, but they always, no matter how many times you tell yourself they’re good for you, taste terrible? Yeah, those. Recently, however the game has changed and, with the sudden appearance of juiceries, people seem to have changed their minds. And I guess it helps that they come in super-cute, Instagram-ready bottles. Seriously, who hasn’t posted a photo of themselves with a pressed juice?

Pressed Juicery

651 Paseo Nuevo Green is the new black. It is good for everyone. Just like your little black dress, Pressed Juicery’s Greens 2 will make you feel and look great. Made with the perfect balance of sweet and savory, Greens 2 revitalizes, reinvigorates and refreshes any palate. Who could have thought that eating healthy would taste so good and be so addicting. Citrus 2 is even better than lemonade. It has even more of the perfectly refreshing sweetly sour flavor that everyone loves. Pressed Juicery’s Citrus 2 is the ideal thirst quencher — great for after a workout, or on a hot day.

No one really thinks of great, stimulating flavor when you think of pressed juices, but in the case of this juicery the flavors are truly spectacular. “According to our customers we have the best flavors, and we use a cold press process that makes the most nutrient dense juice on the market.”

Ah Juice

432 E Haley St. This juicery is perfect for the hardcore juice enthusiast who will love the healthy juices packed with superfoods like beets, ginger, or even dandelion. This juicery is committed to creating juices that are both healthy and sustainable.

Juice Ranch

33 Parker Way Those of you who are too cool for mainstream juiceries will love the offbeat, authentic, yogi-filled Juice Ranch. Their juices somehow manage to be both incredibly delicious and healthy, a quality that reflects their fresh ingredients.

LIFESTYLE

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@fourthestatelbs Laguna Blanca School

GRAPHIC: LUISA CAMERON