Winter Issue 2022

Photo by Marc Danny

Story by Raina Bae and Fahim Rahman Photos by Julia Kremenetsky

This year, West Ranch is giving students the opportunity to receive free tutoring after school through the Academic Intervention Program. Usually lasting about one to two hours, the program assists many students in completing their homework as well as understanding the overall subject.

Intervention is a way for students to receive additional support from teachers, outside of regular class time, in order to reinforce topics students may be having a hard time understanding. The program provides extra help in a variety of subjects including ceramics, English, fine arts, math, science, social studies, and Spanish to help students.

Ms. Watanabe, West Ranch’s librarian, who also helps run the English intervention, explains how the after-school program works. “Intervention is very casual. You look up what subjects the teachers are helping you with, you go into their classroom, or in this case with me, it’s the library, and you can work on whatever you need and get some guided help from the teachers.”

Mrs. Watanabe explained that all West Ranch students are able to attend the program without any advance registration.

Teachers can answer any questions the students have in detail and the casual feel of intervention makes it easy to ask for assistance.

Ms. McCormick, a math teacher at West Ranch explained that the structure of intervention “is more like study hall. People bring what work they have to work on or any tests they have to finish.” Unlike a normal classroom setting, students are free to work on anything they are stuck on and get extra help from the teachers for each subject.

Not only does intervention give the students support from the teachers, but classmates help one another out as well. The positive environment this program brings to the table allows everyone to learn and benefit from each other.

Rori Fanning, a junior at West Ranch, describes her experience: “[Ms. McCormick] helped me one-on-one with understanding the problems and solutions better, and my peers have pushed me through and made me more confident in math.”

Although some students may be hesitant to ask for help, Ms. McCormick ensures that students know that intervention is a welcoming environment, regardless of their level of understanding on the subject. “We have people here with a lot of different levels of math, and we usually have people here tutoring, too, so everyone that shows up needs math help.”

Cats, if you need extra help, make sure to check out the Academic Intervention Program! If you need more information about the intervention schedule, make sure to check out the West Ranch website or ask your teacher.

“[Ms. McCormick] helped me one-onone, and my peers have pushed me through and made me more confident in math.”

- Rori Fanning

Story and photos by Claire Chang and Stephanie Khoury

What is better than a truck? A food truck. What the Truck is an event organized by What’s Up SCV, a Santa Clarita event organization located in front of Higher Vision Church in Valencia. The event features a variety of foods every Thursday and takes place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. This all-age, dog-friendly event features upbeat music, giveaway opportunities and a vast seating area. The Paw Print tried an assortment of meals, desserts and snacks in hopes of helping embellish any future eating plans.

Meal choices at the event range from pastas to Korean dumplings to intriguing lobster dishes. The weekly variety of dining options results from a rotational system and gives diners frequent opportunities to try new or familiar foods.

Lobster quesadillas and Connecticut rolls are a few of many meal options from Cousin’s Maine Lobster, a national family-founded food chain. Both pair nicely with a strawberry horchata and lemonade from Tamales Express, an SCV Mexican restaurant in Newhall. The quesadilla had a generous portion of lobster and remained warm and gooey for a long period of time.

The Connecticut roll had an ample amount of butter which accentuated the flavor of the lobster and the ratio of bread to lobster was a good balance of flavors. Both dishes paired well with the drinks from Tamales Express the horchata was the classic rice-based drink with a zest of strawberry, while the strawberry lemonade had a sweet, refreshing strawberry flavor without tasting artificial. The drinks were refreshing and a substantial size, making them worth purchasing. The truck employees provided great service with a friendly attitude as well.

If you have always wanted to try a certain deep-fried pastry from a favorite childhood movie about a princess and a frog, the Paw Print tasted it first for you! Beignet Box, originating from New Orleans, Louisiana, offers a selection of warm and cold beverages to eat with their beignets. Beignets from this truck can be eaten on their own or with a nutella dip for an extra charge. The beignets were fluffy on the inside and just slightly crispy on the outside. Each beignet is topped off with powdered sugar, closely resembling a fresh, warm powdered donut.

Lastly, the Paw Print tried desserts from Moom Maam Thai Gelato, the restaurant first emerged in Los Angeles, but now Santa Clarita residents can see it as a food truck through the What The Truck event. The truck truck offers 10 atypical gelato choices to excite your taste buds and accompanying beverages, including options like the espresso cold brew and chrysanthemum tea for those who want to quench their thirst. One flavor of gelato can be served in a cup, or up to two flavors can be served with the toppings of coconut sticky rice, coconut and a gluten-free waffle. The creaminess and large portioning makes the pricier gelato worth it to your wallet.

What the Truck includes an array of different trucks to try, giving patrons a fun and different experience each time. This makes it a perfect place to hang out with friends and family. Sue O, a junior who attended this event with family, mentioned, “The place had good variety and employees were working hard throughout the event to create a bright atmosphere for guests.” What the Truck is a great way to make the most of a Thursday evening.

Students Who Work

At West Ranch, students are held to high academic standards as educational success is of utmost importance. Because of this students often juggle school work, clubs, extracurricular activities and sports. Additionally, Seniors have to focus on the stressful and time-consuming college application process. Even with all of this, some students also manage to work part-time jobs.

Story by Fiona Hardy, Eric Hwang, and Esther Pack; Photos by Esther Pack

“I work for the City of Santa Clarita as a lifeguard. Since we get assigned to different pools each season so i don’t have a specific answer for that. As life guards there’s a lot of tasks to do. We have to keep the pool clean, including the pool deck and the bathroom. We also have to do chemical checks of the water hourly so it’s safe for patrons to swim in. There’s a WSI certificate you can get by taking a class to teach children how to swim, which i did over the sum mer. If I wasn’t teaching, I was on tower watching the patrons in the water, in case there was an accident. During the week, I go to school, and after school I finish my homework and attend extra curriculars. I requested my job to only put me on for weekends so school and work don’t really clash. “

Nadia Pourshamir

“I work at Ubatuba. For work, I have to prepare and serve açaí bowls, smoothies, and empanadas. I also have to make sure the store is clean at all times, restock items as we run low, and prepare the fruit. Initially it was hard to balance ev erything, but by planning out my days out ahead of time and keeping myself organized with a planner, I’ve been able to manage my time. Immediately af ter my schedule is released for the week, I write it down in my planner. Then, depending on the days I work, I decide when I need to spend more time on my schoolwork so that I can make up for the time I spend at work. After that, I schedule any other activities around that. By delegating my time appropriately and prioritizing schoolwork, I have been able to stay on track.”

Jonathan Dolce

“I work at Jersey Mike’s. There’s a lot of different things that I do. Some of which include slicing meat for making the sandwiches and putting the toppings on, or being in charge of the grill and prepping for the next day and cleaning. The main thing [to balance school, extracurriculars, and my job] is to be organized and try to have a set time and schedule for my activities and work. That way I can allocate the other time for the other things that I do with my life. I would say it definitely gets really hard to balance work and my school life, especially since it’s college app season right now. That adds more time that I have to use to my already busy schedule. It definitely gets tricky, but the best thing I can do is to stay energized and power through.”

When did you become friends and how?

S: “Prenatal.”

H: “We had been in the district for a long time together, and we had heard about each other for a while. I used to hang out with him in the core, and I thought [Mr. Stanich] had a really good sense of humor. For a science teacher, he had a pretty good sense of humor.”

What, if anything, do you guys do outside of school?

S: “Well, we’ve played music, at least once or maybe twice. He plays guitar. I’m learning guitar; I play drums. We did a run, once. We’ve been to some trivia nights.

I’ve gone to a few swim meets.”

H: “We’ve planned lots of things. We planned a mountain climbing trip up to El Capitan. Right? We planned a trip to Texas. We planned a trip to Canada. We planned a trip to Disneyland.”

S: “We mostly plan things.”

H: “Yeah. And the good thing is, there’s that hope that one day we’ll actually do that. Because, y’know, once you plan things out and it happens, you’re so disappointed, because it didn’t happen the way you wanted it to. We have the hope that it’s going to be something really spectacular when it happens. What was the Ted Lasso thing? He said,“it’s the hope that kills you.” Do you remember that one?”

S: “No.”

H: “No? It’s something from Ted Lasso. But he said we can’t live without hope, so. That’s good. So the fact that we plan stuff out is better than actually doing it.”

How has your first impression of the other changed?

H: “My impression of this guy just gets better and better. He’s like a great calculus problem. The more often you think about it, the more you appreciate how wonderful it is.”

S: “It’s been nice to get to know his more serious and tender side, rather than just the joking persona he shows.”

Story by Jaeeun Park, Reya Mehta and Kimberly Ayson

Photos by Jaeeun Park

Read full story here:

How does working with your best friend affect your work life?

P: “It makes the experience one billion percent better.”

O: “I think in our friendship, the biggest thing is that we find time. We call each other outside of work a lot, and we make time outside of work to go and hang out, things like that.”

P: “—And we’ve gone on trips together, like with our families, and our husbands; it’s definitely evolved through the years. Everybody needs a work BFF, but I feel like it’s gone from just a work BFF to an outside-ofwork BFF. We live very different lifestyles outside of school, but yet she’s my best friend. We’re able to put aside any of those types of differences and just be able to hold onto the friendship part of it.”

How does working with your best friend affect your work life?

B: “It helps, because this is my first year working as an actual teacher, and having Ms. Frame as my roommate and friend, basically family at this point, has been very helpful because anytime I have an issue with something, she comes and helps and gives advice, or I just get to vent to her and she understands.”

What is your favorite part about the other?

B: “My favorite part is Ms. Frame’s ability to listen to all of my problems. I think that she has been incredibly patient and overall a good friend. I think one of the things that really bonded me to Ms. Frame was when I was graduating high school. I was going through a lot. Ms. Frame’s support was wonderful, and she’s just always in my corner, rooting for me, so usually when I’m in my darkest times, she’s someone I can turn to. And that’s why she’s family.”

F: “I mean it’s kind of the same thing—just the idea that he trusts me, you know?”

BEHIND THE SCENES

OF SPECIALTY ELECTIVES

W R T V

A Z Z

Story by Features Team

Photos by Esther Pack, Andrew Kang, and Jasmine Wongphatarakul

West Ranch fosters an environment that allows students to grow personally and academically by providing a variety of classes to explore. Aside from The Paw Print, West Ranch has a few other specialty electives, including West Ranch TV, Studio A Jazz band, ASB and Yearbook. The Paw Print had the opportunity to

programs.

West Ranch TV, or WRTV, is West Ranch’s very own student-run news station. Students in the program work to deliver a variety of video segments that range from school and local news to trending topics in pop culture, studentproduced short films and more.

WRTV is broadcast every morning through the videosharing platform Youtube, where a live show is shared to students after the first class of the day except Wednesdays. Students meet in the WRTV classroom, where they are assigned various roles. Members of the program collaborate to brainstorm new content, edit segments and practice for upcoming shows. After proper preparation, they return to the recording studio to set up their equipment and go live on the air.

West Ranch senior Kaitlin Mendoza described her typical day in WRTV. “For me, I usually go into the classroom first to check out what’s going on, and then I go into the studio to turn everything on and get ready for the show.” In filmmaking and broadcast journalism, the ability to work well as a team is critical. “Everyone’s working together as a family to produce the best shows,” Mendoza concluded.

Mrs. Overdevest, WRTV advisor and the video production teacher, explained, “There is so much you don’t see. The

biggest part is that all the content you see — everything you see in WRTV — the kids make. The students write it, they film it, they edit it.”

One of the most overlooked aspects of being a part of the WRTV crew is the ability to be independent. Junior Ryan Oh described his favorite aspect of the program, “You can be creative. Mrs. Overdevest allows you to record wherever you want, whenever you want. I think being creative allows for more excitement.”

Mendoza expressed that her experience in the program has been very positive. “[WRTV] is safe, fun, but a little stressful sometimes because we do have the pressure of doing our shows live and people are watching,” she said. “But, I feel like that’s what really bonds everyone in the program together. It’s an indescribable experience.”

The student body at West Ranch relies on WRTV to stay informed on relevant information in both local and school matters. To the students of West Ranch, WRTV is an entertaining morning news program, but to the members working behind the scenes, it’s a community that empowers students to explore their creative side and develop practical skills necessary for the film industry.

Every morning, the West Ranch band room fills with music from every era of jazz. Studio A Jazz Band plays a variety of songs, from music commissioned by professional musicians to jazz renditions of songs by The Beatles. Jazz gathers every morning during zero period to playand prepare for their upcoming concerts and performances.

Mr. Leff, West Ranch’s Jazz director, described a typical class period of Studio A Jazz. “I always make sure to start with our warm up for about five to ten minutes,” Leff said. “Then, we will sight-read a piece for five minutes. Afterwards, we will do about two to four pieces for our concert, depending on where we are in the rehearsal process.”

Jazz holds a total of four school-sponsored concerts: two each semester. Throughout the year, the Studio A Jazz Band also participates in several jazz festivals and competitions outside of school.

West Ranch junior and trombone player Anderson Vo explained his favorite part is the performances, “The feeling after the performance is the best.”

Senior bass player Quinn Sims commented that he enjoys performing the songs commissioned by musicians, “Mr. Leff hires musicians to write pieces for us and we get to perform those. Also, if a student wants to write their own

[music], they can.”

Studio A Jazz Band allows students to have artistic freedom as they are involved in a collaborative and creative process during rehearsal. Students give their input on the pieces presented to them by both the composers and Mr. Leff.

“The cool thing about jazz music is the improvisation. There are a lot more opportunities for changing things up as opposed to a piece by Beethoven because you don’t want to change Beethoven,” Mr. Leff said.

As a group, Studio A Jazz Band collaborates with composers and Mr. Leff to create their own, unique sound for each concert.

“When we go over the pieces for our concert, we go through different tunes and decide what we want to play,” Sims explained.

Practicing music early in the morning every day has created a bond between the band, “We get a lot done, we get to work and we are focused on rehearsal, but I think the students and I have this great relationship where we can have fun doing it,” Mr. Leff emphasized. “I mean we’re playing music every day. What’s better than that?”

explore the inner workings of these

ASB, or the Associated Student Body, is behind planning all of the fun events at West Ranch, including spirit days, rallies, dances and other school-sponsored activities to ensure a memorable school year. However, many students often do not realize all of the work that goes on behind the scenes.

Mrs. Priske, ASB advisor for the past five years, commented on the work that goes unnoticed. “A lot of people think that it is so fun in ASB since they ‘just do rallies,’ but there is so much behind-the-scenes stuff, the grunt work.”

Everyone in ASB contributes a large portion of time before and after school for various tasks, including setting up rallies, decorating the school and going to many different events. ASB President, Siddharth Sudan, explained that he typically spends about one to two hours per day outside of school working on ASB related tasks, whether it be meeting with the executive board, planning events or attending a monthly meeting with the district.

Josh Kim, ASB executive secretary, described a typical class period in ASB. “Siddharth starts and runs the meeting, and then each person on E-board does their role, while I write minutes.” As an E-board member, Sudan also has to meet with ASB’s committees at every meeting and survey them to ensure that they are aware of their tasks and responsibilities. With a set agenda and organized roles, ASB is off to do any tasks they are given depending on the upcoming school events planned.

While ASB students sacrifice a lot of their time to coordinate school events, the relationships fostered make it worth it in the end.

Adrian Morales, a junior in the athletics commission expressed that although ASB has him balancing school and other extracurriculars, he finds joy in ASB through “hanging out with the other members and contributing to the school.”

Sudan added that ASB gave him the opportunity to improve his community. “I feel that in ASB I’m trying as hard as I can to give back to people who need something. For example, we did our competitive fundraiser for breast cancer, and we have more things of the sort planned for the rest of the school year.”

ASB’s influence and impact is well known to even other staff members, who have noticed the importance of ASB on campus and to the students.

West Ranch Principal Mr. Fisher voiced his thoughts on ASB’s integral role within the student culture at West Ranch. “I enjoy the fact that they represent [the students] and that you have the ability to talk to your friends there because you voted for them. It’s a really good opportunity for everyone to come together under that one group.”

ASB has curated a united collective of students with a mission reaching from West Ranch activities to uplifting the students and community around them.

YEARBOOK

With the overwhelming amount of students who purchase yearbooks at the end of the year, West Ranch’s yearbook elective, or The Pride, keeps a tight schedule. Yearbook staff members utilize their photography and design skills to enhance every page of the book to create lasting memories for all Wildcats. The process of creating a yearbook requires members to work with one another to achieve a cohesive and memorable outcome given the quick deadline.

Yearbook advisor, Ms. Kornfeld expressed that in the yearbook-making process, it is important for “students [to] successfully communicate with each other even when those communications can be challenging.” She went on to add, “Occasionally, there are conflicts and I see students pause and think about the best way to engage with one another and that makes me really happy because those are skills that will last longer and will always be used in their futures.”

Senior and yearbook editor-in-chief Drea Brink shared how the collaborative environment runs. “You have to know how other people feel about your ideas and openly accept criticism. Everyone has the same goal — to make the best yearbook, so we all have to take criticism in a positive manner.”

As an elective that promotes creative expression, much

of the work done in The Pride is a product of cooperation, which allows students to bounce ideas off of one another. Yearbook member and senior Eshel Ahmad described the classroom environment of the elective as “very friendly, very collaborative and everyone helps each other. It is a very small and cozy community, as there are only around twenty people.”

Not only do members of The Pride collaborate to brainstorm ideas, but they also have to bring those ideas to life by editing photos, gathering interviews and creating layouts. With all of these duties simultaneously in progress, students often find themselves with a lot on their plates. Ahmad added, “Towards the beginning, there’s not much to do because you have to wait for interviews or picture opportunities, but when you get closer to the deadline you have to edit pictures [and] finalize interviews and pages, so it gets more hectic.”

At West Ranch, The Pride plays a vital role in the preservation of memories that students will undoubtedly look back on in the future. While the final product is a professionally produced yearbook, it must be acknowledged that a lot goes on behind the scenes for such quality to be achieved. West Ranch junior and Yearbook member Taylor Borkowski expressed, “As long as everyone puts in the work, it will run smoothly.”

West Ranch is home to many passionate students who pursue their own creativity in a number of different ways. Junior ClariCe Kim, in particular, turned her passion for art and community service into a non-profit sticker business.

Ten months ago, Kim decided to take account of the free time she had at home and integrated her love for art into a greater cause. Inspired by a West Ranch alumni, Emily Chang, who started a jewelry business to support victims of domestic violence, she started her sticker business — “Stick With It” — to help children in hospitals and bring happiness to those who might need it.

Despite the challenges, Kim enjoys the fulfillment of helping out her community.

“Stick With It is a non-profit organization where I hope to partner with educational foundations, children’s organizations and family shelters to convert digital and hand-drawn art made by kids into custom stickers that I send back for free,” Kim explained.

She also loves receiving pictures of her stickers with the kids, expressing that they make all the challenges worth it in the end.

Kim hopes her business can generate more revenue so she can continue to work on these projects and expand her business into a bigger and well known organization. She has future plans to create an instagram account where she can also

Behind the scenes, there are many challenges encountered in running a small business. Kim described her biggest challenge being materials and expenses. As a nonprofit business, she depends on her personal funding for the supplies. She must also work to balance school and her business. She draws whenever she can in her free time and does everything else, including the sticker making process and shipping, on weekends, in order to keep her weekdays available for school and the work that comes with it.

With the different challenges of running her small business, Kim is looking to recruit volunteers to help with tasks including communications, shipping or designing stickers with digital art.

just post regularly on a more accessible platform.

Customers can communicate with Clarice Kim by sending in an email directly from her website. There, custom stickers of personal designs or pre-made designs are available for purchase. The proceeds are used to create more stickers, which Kim plans to donate to local children’s organizations “to bring a little more happiness” to anyone in need. The stickers on her website are typically $3 to $6 with sticker sheets, individual

stickers and customizable stickers available.

Wildcats, if you are interested in purchasing some beautiful stickers while making a child smile, or even want to help out and volunteer, visit and contact Clarice Kim on

“It not only Allows me to express myself CreAtively through Art, but I CAn Also Contribute thAt to A greAter CAuse or greAter good,” Kim expressed.

SWEATER

Story by Isabella Truong and Anika Sachdeva

Photos by Esther Pack

To prepare for the chill that hoodie season brings, The Paw Print has compiled the differences between different types of sweaters.

JACKET

Another popular piece of clothing used to keep people warm in cold weather is a jacket. Many confuse coats for jackets because of their similarities. However, coats are long and heavy, whereas jackets are short and light. Typically, jackets are long-sleeved, containing a zipper with a hardier material. They can be made of a variety of materials, from leather to denim. Jackets are perfect for a chilly day due to the lightness and coziness it provides. For those that are hot and cold throughout the day, a jacket is perfect due to its diversity.

SWEATER CREWNECK

A great option for those who love the idea of wearing a sweatshirt without the hood is a crewneck. This item of clothing consists of a rounded neckline that is often worn with layers. Crewnecks are popular for the relaxed fit that provides comfort and warmth similar to a sweatshirt. while also being lighter than the hoodie. Often, they are worn neatly with a collared button-down shirt. It presents a well-kept look while also being comfortable and warm. For those wanting to look presentable on a cold day, this type of look is very effective.

COAT

Especially during the fall season, coats are a must have for those days of unexpected gusts of wind or chilly mornings. Although coats are in many ways a jacket, the sturdier material of wool or cashmere classifies it as formal wear rather than casual. For example, one would throw a coat over their outfit if they have a job interview or wish to fit into the Upper East Side of New York. Of course, coats come in a variety of styles, including the peacoat, trench coat and blazer.

Pictured: Ava Magana

Pictured: Caroline Dolce

“One of my favorite parts about cooler weather is getTing the chance to wear baggy clothes. I love huge clothing and find it so comfy.”

“My favorite thing about sweather weather and fall fashion is that there are a lot more opportunities to experiment, layer, and find new ways to style.”

WEATHER

WEATHER

HOODIE

During the fall, sweatshirts are very common among students. They not only provide warmth, but comfort as well. The hood in the back of the sweatshirt provides protection from rain, and the pocket in the front allows room for storage of small items. Sweatshirts are very diverse as they can be worn with many articles of clothing or accessories, are extremely practical and can be covered in designs such as unique graphics or interesting expressions and phrases. Although the sweatshirt’s original purpose is providing warmth during exercise, over the years it has become very fashionable casual wear. If planned properly, sweatshirts can be perfect to wear on a lazy day while looking presentable.

SHACKET

There are many misconceptions on what a shacket is. Technically speaking, there are two definitions of the shacket. The first definition describes the cross between a shirt and a jacket. For example, a flannel could be worn as both outerwear but also a layering piece. It’s generally not a heavy piece of clothing like coats are, but instead allows for the user to explore layering. On the other hand, a shacket can also be classified as a sherpa jacket, a cross between a jacket and the fuzzy material known as sherpa.

CARDIGAN

The recent popularity of cardigans and sweaters is attributed to Taylor Swift’s song “cardigan” from her album “folklore” and the revival of “Gilmore Girls.”

A cardigan is a thicker version of a long sleeve shirt, usually fastened together by a series of buttons. Similarly, a sweater is a mix of a pullover and a cardigan, usually softer and heartier, but equally as lightweight. Both are the epitome of winter and fall fashion, as they are usually crocheted, allowing for warmth to be emitted while also being perfect to throw on over an outfit and snuggle up in the corner of a coffee shop.

Pictured: Luke Kim

Pictured: Ava Hernandez

“My favorite thing about fall fashion is that you’re able to layer a lot more pieces than you would in summer since its not as hot, but the temperature isn’t too cold.”

With Thanksgiving approaching, many Wildcat families are preparing to gather on the big day, inviting family and friends and thinking about what food to make. Many families have their own traditions, filled with special activities planned for Thanksgiving every year. The Paw Print interviewed a few Wildcats to learn about their exciting Thanksgiving traditions.

The student body here at West Ranch is full of diversity and vibrancy, which leads to an abundance of different traditions that are celebrated by Wildcats. Whether it be watching movies or having a huge feast, Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to spend time with loved ones and reflect on the past as well as the present. Mrs. Brosche echoed this sentiment with a message to everyone who is a part of the Wildcat family: “Happy Thanksgiving, and I am so grateful to teach at West Ranch with the best students and staff in the world.”

In light of the limited availability of restaurants open on Thanksgiving day, West Ranch freshman Kendall Gustin keeps up her family tradition of going to McDonald’s every year. “Every Thanksgiving, my cousins and I go for a hike and then we go to McDonalds because every other restaurant is closed for lunch,” Gustin explained.

For Gustin, the concept of going to McDonald’s is something she’s done for “as long as [she] can remember.” Going to McDonald’s brings the Gustin family a sense of ease and comfort; as Gustin explained, “We’ve just done it every year, so we always know what we are going to do on Thanksgiving day.” This stability and routine allow the holiday to be centered more around spending time with loved ones rather than worrying over lunch.

Laughter is especially common during this trip to McDonald’s, since Gustin finds that “it is funny that we have to go to McDonald’s on a holiday.” The annual trip to McDonald’s makes Gustin’s Thanksgiving season memorable not only because of the amusing nature of getting fast food on the day of feasting, but also due to the fact that her family gets to share the fun experience together.

Story and Photos by Minjun Kim and Alice Xie Graphics by Noor Baber

For West Ranch junior Ritta Hajjar, Thanksgiving means watching movies with family. “We like watching ‘Charlie Brown,’ and we always end up watching ‘Mamma Mia.’” Although she also celebrates the holiday by eating turkey, Hajjar noted that her family has been watching “Mamma Mia” for as long as she can remember. “Since I was born, I’ve been singing ABBA,” Hajjar said in reference to the band whose music “Mamma Mia” is based off of.

Thanksgiving is meant to promote family time, and the Hajjar family does this by gathering annually to rewatch a classic favorite. To Hajjar, this Thanksgiving tradition proves to be a memorable experience every year. “It’s one of the only times my whole family sits together and does something together because we don’t do that a lot. It’s just good food, good movies, every time,” she explained.

As a part of the Wildcat family in addition to her own personal family, Mrs. Brosche — a math teacher at West Ranch — celebrates Thanksgiving in two different ways. Regarding her own family, Mrs. Brosche explained that “we do the traditional Thanksgiving celebrations like gathering family and eat lots of yummy food. We also like to go around the table and everyone says something they’re thankful for.”

For her family, Mrs. Brosche’s Thanksgiving tradition centers around practicing gratitude: “We try to practice gratitude often, but sometimes things get in the way and we get busy or stressed and we don’t always realize how good we do have it. [Thanksgiving]’s significant because it makes us sit down and focus on what’s going right and what we have to be thankful for.”

In terms of the Wildcat family, there is one big tradition that staff celebrate. “As a school tradition our school does something called the faculty feast, which is usually the week before Thanksgiving, and they have a big turkey dinner in the library, and I love doing that because it’s nice and warm and festive and everyone’s excited and happy and it’s kind of fun to commune with our colleagues,” Mrs. Brosche said. To her, a big part of the holidays is starting off the new year with a good mindset, because “starting off in a positive light just makes things a lot brighter.”

Every Thanksgiving, West Ranch senior Bryce Blaugrund looks forward to spending quality time with his family, as most of us do during Thanksgiving. However, his family adds a twist. Dedicating this time of the year to visiting amusement parks and feasting at a nearby restaurant, the Blaugrund family is truly brought closer together.

“This tradition brings my family closer and allows me to eat good food at least once a year. Also, it gives me a chance to look forward to meaningful family memories toward the end of the year.” For Blaugrund, Thanksgiving is a day to look forward to, a day to get closer to his family, not to mention the delicious feast.

“In addition to enjoying a thrilling amusement park, I am able to give thanks to my family and spend quality time with them during the fall season.”

secret seasonal spots

Story and photos by A&E Team and Jasmine Wongphatarakul

With the holiday season quickly approaching and the weather getting colder, it is a great time to try out new seasonal menus or go shopping for the new season. Santa Clarita offers a variety of places for all ages. The Paw Print visited a few unique local spots ranging from coffee shops, thrift stores, and trails. Here are five exciting places to visit this season:

TEA GARDENS

Hidden in a small shopping center on Bouquet Canyon Road, Tea Elle C Garden Cafe, or Tea Gardens, is the definition of a secret hot spot. From their scrumptious finger foods like mini sandwiches and scones, and their diverse brunch menu, Tea Gardens’ aesthetic looks to be straight from a Pinterest board.

South Fork River Trail

Hidden behind many of the well-known areas in Santa Clarita is the South Fork River Trail. With a paved road running along what used to be a large river in our valley, it stretches a wide distance, passing residential and shopping areas. You may spot familiar stores like HomeGoods and Barnes & Noble while exercising.

Candle corner

Candle Corner, a hidden gem in Santa Clarita, offers a unique experience where guests can personalize their own candles and scents. Guests can choose from a variety of fragrances such as balsam fir, sweater weather, and vanilla wood to create their own customized candle.

Runway Fashion

Runway Fashion is a thrift store located in Valencia. The store offers a variety of items including footwear, accessories and a wide selection of clothing for men and women all at an affordable price. Great for winter, sweaters of all sizes and colors are displayed on the racks as well as jeans, scarves and jackets.

Honu coffee

In Old Town Newhall, Honu Coffee mixes elements of Hawaiian aesthetics with a cozy coffee shop, while offering a wide selection of drinks for every palate. Creative beverage names like the “Tsunami” latte and the logo of a turtle with a coffee bean shell make Honu a very unique spot.

Story by Colin Park and Patrick Grant

Photos by Marc Danny

Over the course of Foothill League history, Hart, Canyon, Saugus, and Valencia have all experienced long dynasties. But for the first time in league history, West Ranch will be adding their name to the long list of champions. Before the season even started, West Ranch had already generated excitement from last year. Coming off a solid 8-4 record, they had checked a lot off their bucket list. Last year’s team beat their rival Valencia for the first time in school history, and quarterback Ryan Staub had taken a big step to become one of the best signal callers in the league. But after a 34-14 postseason loss at Lawndale, the team knew there was more potential to be unlocked. With the 2022 preseason coming into view, West Ranch retained most of their starting lineup from the season prior, and were more eager than ever to bring home a League Championship.

However, the Wildcats faced an early challenge. Their preseason schedule pitted them against St. Francis, Buena, and St. Paul, all three of those teams had advanced to the postseason the year prior. In the past, West Ranch wouldn’t have been ready to face such fierce competition so early on, but this year was different — they were ready.

To prepare for league competition, “[the team] have had summer practices every day during break and lunch meetings where we watch film and go over what we need to know the week of the game”defensive end Gabriel Rojas explained. ”We also have practices every day after school where we work to get better as a team,” West Ranch was triumphant through their tough preseason and entered conference play 4-0. The first victim on the Foothill League list was Canyon, who the Wildcats easily dispatched for a 45-0 shutout victory.

Now 5-0, West Ranch’s next competition would be against Saugus, who was circled on the schedule, because they were coming off their league title last year. But with the help of their defense, the Wildcats would emerge to a 23-6 lead by half time, boosting their confidence for the second half. In the second half, wide receiver Chaz Hilst would lead the team with three more touchdowns, which was more than enough to shock the defending league champs, 43-6.

After dismantling Saugus, West Ranch would now face what was one of the closest games they had been in so far. From beginning to end, both Hart and West Ranch would be neck and neck, both teams playing tremendous defense. With a minute to go in the game, Hart would recover a fumble on their own 25-yard line, giving them a chance to tie or even win the game. Fortunately, the Wildcats survived and ended the Indians’ spirited comeback. The clock expired with a Wildcat victory, 20-14

Now momentum was on their side, and West Ranch moved onto their biggest rival, the Valencia Vikings. Known as an arch enemy to West Ranch in almost every sport, this game was important not only for the players, but for the entire student

body as well. In the beginning, the Cats came out blazing with a 13-0 run in the first quarter. Throughout the rest of the game, both teams would struggle to put points up on the board. However, with the help of their linebackers Brady Van Bennekum and Connor Reyes, the Wildcats squeezed away with a victory, 23-16.

“Beating Valencia over the past two years will definitely be one of my favorite memories” senior linebacker Connor Reyes. “[I think] our team bonding on and off the field will definitely help us against future teams.”

In their big win, wide receiver Collin Tons credited the offensive line, describing them as “A strong point for us. Led by seniors Griffin Nibarger at left tackle, Max Johnson at center, Trevor Probert at right guard, and SMU commit Sean Scott at right tackle, they helped the team pull it out on offense. ”

Nearing the end of the season, West Ranch now hoped to stay undefeated against their next opponent, Golden Valley. This matchup was a breeze to the Wildcats as they would finish the game 35-7 with most of their receivers scoring touchdown passes.

Now in their final league game, the Wildcats would dominate Castaic High School on both sides of the ball, finishing this game 63-6. At the end of the game, players stormed the field in celebration of an undefeated season (10-0).

Head Coach Varner expressed after the win against Castaic that the championship “Feels great! [I’ve]been head coach for 11 years for schools like West Ranch and Canyon, and I’ll definitely take tonight to enjoy it and take it in.”

Sophomore running back Luke Deperno also conveyed similar feelings to Coach Varner. “It feels great to have my first league title, especially because it’s my first year on varsity as a sophomore,” he said.

The rest of the West Ranch offense couldn’t stop smiling either. Chaz Hilst, who leads the wide receiver stats in nearly every metric, expressed what the accomplishment meant to him. “It feels amazing. We have worked so hard and wanted this for so long, it feels so great to come back my senior year and have it done.”

Speaking of seniors, West Ranch quarterback Ryan Staub weighed in on the victory. “It’s been our plan since the beginning, and it feels really good,” Staub said confidently.

The Wildcats clicked on all facets of the game during the season, and were rewarded with an undefeated, Foothill League winning, 10-0 streak. The players always had the work ethic and ability to ring the victory bell by season’s end, but it was the teamwork and chemistry that pushed them over the edge. Now the team hopes to carry their success through the playoffs and win the California Interscholastic Federation, CIF, title. Go Wildcats!

If you’ve been at West Ranch for a while, you know of the chaos that is the parking lot after school — people rushing off campus, cars honking, and the general pandemonium that comes with teenagers trying to operate cars.

It is, quite frankly, terrifying.

I took my permit test halfway through my junior year, and I was horrified by the idea of seeing someone I knew while learning to drive. I dreaded looking out the window to see a familiar face while sitting in the certified Student Driver car. It was irrational, of course, and my fear was never realized — or if it was, I was far too busy trying to make sure I didn’t press the accelerator instead of the brake to notice.

West Ranch senior Caden Lee explained why she also held off on taking her permit test: “I was scared of the thing everyone is scared of — crashing. And it was so much easier to get a ride from my parents, so I just kept pushing it back.”

Learning to drive later is becoming an increasing trend. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the number of 16-year-olds with licenses in the U.S. has fallen from nearly 48% in 1984 to less than 26% in 2018.

“I got my license the day after I turned 16,” AP Psychology teacher and football coach Mr. Varner said. “There’s not as much of a sense of urgency to drive that I’m seeing today, and it’s bizarre, for people my age.”

So what’s changed?

Technology, for starters. “When I was that age,” Mr. Varner explained, “most people only had a landline, and if you called and somebody else was on it, it was busy — you couldn’t talk to that person.”

High schoolers today don’t need to combat the horror that is a landline from the 1980s; we can send a text. There’s no need to drive over to someone’s house to hang out; we have FaceTime. The urgency to earn our ticket to freedom just isn’t there anymore.

“Between cell phones and social media, people are in touch so much that I don’t think they crave as much

physical interaction,” Mr. Varner expanded. “And I’m sure the pandemic didn’t help with that.”

Laws have changed as well. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws have become stricter, introducing night regulations and passenger restrictions.

Mrs. Brosche described what the process was like for her: “When I got my license, I didn’t have the same restrictions

that they do now. We could drive people right away. I remember getting my license and going to pick up my boyfriend.”

Many students opt to wait until they are 18, which exempts them from needing a Driver’s Education certificate. Until then, they can survive on rides from parents and, if they need to, Uber-ing wherever they need to go.

Maybe driving isn’t as necessary for human contact as it was thirty years ago, but it still means independence, or maybe it just means the freedom to leave an appointment without sitting in the waiting room for your parents to pick you up.

Learning to drive shouldn’t be intimidating. For any Wildcats taking their permit or behind-the-wheel test soon, good luck!

Story and Photos by Reya Mehta

Scroll.

She looks so good with ginger hair…maybe I should try it. Scroll.

Ugh, platinum looked great too. Wait, was this a wig? Scroll.

Her body is incredible, but all the comments are saying they can see the body filter flickering. I don’t really see it.

Maybe they’re just jealous?

Story and Photos by Clarissa Zuo

than done, and won’t that lead to more self-obsession? If everyone loved themselves, we’d still be consumed with thoughts of our appearance, only the ideal we’re now trying to meet is turned inward.

At that thought, I usually swipe up, exiting Instagram. How could I ever know how much of the beauty of celebrities and influencers is real and how much is falsified?

But even as I accept that I can’t know for sure what parts are real, it is a given that at least some of it is fake—and that’s affecting high school students.

In a 2012 study published in Sage Journals on youth in Singapore, researchers found that a constant visual diet of edited bodies drove adolescents to change their lifestyle to become skinnier, primarily girls, and muscular, primarily boys. This consumption was correlated with body dissatisfaction in the adolescent subjects.

Every minute on social media, we’re blasted with dozens of perfect bodies, alabaster teeth and voluminous heads of hair. This experience isn’t just limited to women either; men often feel the pressure to become more muscular. Since freshman year, I’ve known many male friends that will spend countless hours at the gym and drink raw egg smoothies to up their protein consumption.

In another Sage Journals study, researchers found that exposure to social media photos of idealized bodies caused Australian adolescents to pursue tanning. In contrast, teenagers that stayed off social media showed a lower level of internalization of the tanned ideal. The study ultimately recommended that future information campaigns against skin cancer should take into consideration the major role social media plays.

It’s clear that the internet is affecting young people’s perception of themselves, often leading to unhealthy consequences. The easy advice is to say, “Get off your phone.” While I’m sure that is what many parents want, the words are unconvincing given how many students remain on social media. What about the common refrain “love yourself”? Again, easier said

Self-indifference allows us to be scrawny, pimply-faced and insufficient. We are small and life is so large. This is where the recognition that celebrity beauty relies on more resources, photoshop and surgery comes in. While I could try to love myself, as long as I thought so obsessively about my appearance, selfhatred would only be one bad day away. Only when I remember that disparities between my appearance and that of celebrities is due to the difference in resources, do I realize that it simply isn’t a fair consideration. Only then can I let go.

I recently deleted Instagram, more so in order to be more efficient, to be honest. But it did come with the unexpected realization that what kept me on social media was not interest in what my near2,000 distant contacts that I was following were doing, but rather that these 2,000 people following me envied me. If I wished to stop envying others, I also had to stop showing off myself. I could not have one without the other. I had to commit to indifference.

Story by Noor Baber

At this point in my senior year, most of my high school career has been completely overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the pandemic began, school days have been the same — starting my day before sunrise and running through classes at lightning speed while trying to take care of myself amid the craziness of the world.

For the past three years, there has been another constant in my routine — scrolling through the news, trying to make sense of everything. My feed is regularly overflowing with bad news, and the headlines are always the same. I see yet another mass shooting at a school — innocent children dead.

I read about the effects of climate change, and the floods in my family’s home country that have killed so many. I watch as politics becomes more polarized, and hatred and intolerance divides people all across the world. The list goes on and on.

As a teenager, I can’t help but feel helpless for what is happening around me. And statistically, I’m not the only one who has been experiencing this.

In fact, according to the Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit medical center, this phenomenon known as doomscrolling has become especially prevalent during the pandemic.

Simply put, doomscrolling is when one tends to excessively scroll through bad news, even though it may be extremely discouraging and troublesome to read.

As explained by the National Institute of Health, there is one main reason we do this — our desire to stay informed.

Humans are wired to worry about our surroundings, and it is natural to want to stay prepared. However, this has become dangerous, especially as many try to stay constantly updated on the crises in the world. As a cycle, doomscrolling can often spiral out of control and have serious consequences on physical and mental health.

According to a study published in the scientific journal Health Communication, people often doomscroll to feel in control of a situation. However, reading negative headlines obsessively can take a toll on both mental and physical health, leading to increased anxiety, stress and depression. Falling into this vicious cycle puts the brain in a state of high alert, as the world seemingly becomes more dangerous — it almost becomes a form of addiction, leading to a constant state of preoccupation and interference with daily life.

Especially today, for younger generations like mine, it seems like everything our world is facing is an existential threat.

As Gen Z’ers, we were born into a world that has been ravaged by countless social problems — economic crises, decades-long wars, the rise of inequality and corruption, a once in a century pandemic and probably most significantly, climate change.

Every day, it feels less and less likely that our future world will even be able to function, and it often feels as if society is teetering on the edge of collapse.

Personally, I know how dangerous doomscrolling can be. All throughout quarantine, I had fallen into the same vicious cycle — every day, I urgently checked my news for any hope of updates, feeling overwhelmed while desperately searching for a sense of clarity.

Reading the news always resulted in the same desperation, and I was never able to find that clarification, especially as it seemed like things were getting worse every day. In the end, this began to take an effect on my health, and I became more anxious, irritable and hopeless.

Thankfully, this didn’t go on for long before I noticed how it affected me. I knew I had to change my habits so I could stop cycling into the despair that I had felt for so long.

I just made one change in my routine — I started to tune out more negative headlines, and I began reading about the positive news.

I read about how the country has progressed on gun control, and I watch so many people coming together to peacefully protest and demand greater change.

I see how neighbors have united through so many crises to help each other and their community, as well as support each other.

I read about all the huge leaps science has made in the past several years — discovering more about COVID-19, finding solutions to climate change and curing rare conditions, like cancer.

I see that even though it feels like the world is becoming more divided, there is still a lot we all agree on, and humanity has been able to take some significant steps because of this. Science has proven time and time again that reading positive headlines like these can lead to a boost in overall health.

In fact, according to the Washington Post, reading positive news can increase happiness and emotional strength.

When we think of good news, there are two categories — lighthearted content (like cute animal videos!) or constructive content (reporting that focuses on solutions to a problem, and looking to the future).

Both of these aspects play a role in breaking a cycle of negative news. Feel-good stories can lead to an immediate boost in happiness. They can empower readers with optimism, hope and self-advocacy — essentially, it can give a reader hope that the problems of the world are manageable, and can be solved. The constructive stories can broaden perspectives and encourage readers to take action, while reminding an audience that the world isn’t all bad, and progress is being made.

I noticed, over time, that making this simple change in my routine had a significant impact on my mindset, too.

After months of anxious pessimism and bitterness, I began to grow cautiously optimistic about the state of our world today. I spent less of my time thinking about the bad things happening, and each day, I practiced gratitude for the small, feel-good moments.

Of course, I’m not saying that we should all bury our heads in the sand, and ignore everything happening around us. But it’s incredibly important to maintain a delicate balance, and stay informed without falling into constant despair.

So, having gone through such an experience, I would leave you all with this last piece of advice: if you’re struggling today to feel optimistic about the future and the state of our world, look for the happy things and focus on the feel-good moments that can uplift and motivate you. Although it may seem like the news is filled with daunting, overwhelming headlines, looking for the little positives can help build a happy, healthy lifestyle.