The Pearl Post October 2023

Rise of AI fuels spread

of misinformation See pages 8-9

Volume 15, Issue 1 • October 2023 • Daniel Pearl Magnet High School • Lake Balboa, CA

2 The Pearl Post | October 2023

Satenik Ayrapetyan

Content

Features Editor

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Print Editor-in-Chief Alan Ruiz Online Editor-in-Chief Rikka Dimalanta Managing Editor

Alexa Garay

COVER - Design by Kristin Intal

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NEWS - Index/Student and teacher reaction to schedule change/Patron Ad

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OPINION - Start-of-year editorial/AI and art

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SPORTS - Female wrestlers/Tobias Bechdholdt football trip to Texas/Athletes of the month

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SPECIAL REPORTS - AI and misinformation/Effect of AI on journalism

Staff Writers / Photographers

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Serena Elkins, Alia Galvan, Donovan Ochoa, Aiden Lia, Jasmine McNair, Nemesi Morales, Vanessa Morales, Emma Rosenberg, Francesca Sisk andYusuf Syed

FEATURES - Science teacher Hughes in a band/Club Corner: Sharks 4 Christ/Prestige Yearbook ads

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FEATURES/ENTERTAINMENT - Book Nook: Dystopian novels/Spider-Man 2 video game review

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ENTERTAINMENT - Horror Movies/Which monster are you?

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BACK COVER - Photo Essay: Homecoming Dance

Opinion Editor Isaac Herrera Entertainment Editor Sophie Ortega Sports Editor Maggie Simonyan Visual Editor Kristin Intal Digital Media Editor Andre Arcilla

Copy Editors Alysa Basmadzhyan, Desiree Spurkel and Jazmine Valerio The Pearl Post is an open forum for student expression as allowed by California Education Codes 48907 and 48950, committed to excellence in reporting, writing and photography.

The magazine strives to inform and educate students and faculty on events affecting Daniel Pearl Magnet High School.

Thoughts and opinions published in these pages are the work of journalism students and do not represent the position of DPMHS, its administrators or the Los Angeles Unified School District.

An unsigned editorial is the opinion of the Editorial Board, which is comprised of the Editor-in-Chief and the editors. Signed opinions in The Pearl Post reflect the views of the authors. A signed cartoon reflects the view of the cartoonist.

The Pearl Post welcomes letters to the editor. They should be 250 words or less and may be edited for length. Letters with profanity and obscenity will not be printed.

Unsigned or anonymous letters will not be published. Letters may be emailed to thepearlpost@gmail.com.

The magazine is published bimonthly and is the official campus newsmagazine of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School.

The magazine is also posted online at http://www.thepearlpost.com.

FOLLOW @THEPEARLPOST

Letter from the editor field of journalism. full school year to learn Our staff wanted their courses’ material to also highlight the before the AP exams points of view of in May. In our first printed Although our issue, we focus on the dan- students and teachgers of artificial intelligence ers halfway through staff of 20 is divided (AI) and points of view on the first semester of across three periods, the school’s new schedule. this year’s schedule we are determined to change. Each school prioritize communicaMany worry about day now includes six tion and team bonding AI’s potential to replace 60-minute periods as vital factors in the humans in the workforce and an added nutri- continued productivity and in the art industry.

Other concerns we wanted tion break. Students of our publication. to cover revolve around AI’s taking Advanced role in the spread of misin- Placement (AP) formation, especially in the courses now have a

Alan Ruiz Editor-in-Chief

New year brings new schedule

News | Alan Ruiz 3

By Alia Galvan @canvas_alia27

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tudents like senior Jose Becerra have enjoyed the perks of the new six-period schedule, including the addition of a 13-minute break after period two.

“I love the break,” Becerra said. “I’ve been needing it since last year.”

For the previous two school years, the school was on a 4x4 schedule, which included four classes per semester and no nutrition. However, at the end of last school year, the Local School Leadership Council voted to switch back to a sixperiod schedule for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. With the JAZMINE VALERIO | THE PEARL POST change, classes now last 60 minutes inSenior David Antonio prepares to paint a mask with an ancient African empire-based design on Sept. 6 in AP stead of 90 minutes and run for the whole African American Studies The course is a new AP class in its first year at the school. school year rather than for one semester. better, the change of classes and the “I don’t have to stay in a class for an hour and a half now,” senior Daniel Hernan- change of scenery.”

With a new schedule consisting dez said. “It’s super easy, super chill now.” of six periods, students are now facing With the 4x4 schedule, classes were dismissed at 3:25 p.m. With the new sched- more homework than in the previous two years. On the other hand, year-long ule, school ends at 3:38 p.m.

“I know that we need a longer sched- classes allow students taking Advanced ule but I just want to be home early,” junior Placement (AP) classes more preparation time before the AP exams in May. Leeron Nakash said. “Like I don’t want to Students have the opportunity to learn get home at four.” their curriculum more thoroughly and Sophomore Mose Judge, who was ALIA GALVAN | THE PEARL POST gradually throughout the year. on the 4x4 schedule during his first year “I feel (this is) better than semester Juniors Jennie Lopez and Isaac Herrera participate in a of high school, is adjusting to the shift to speed dating project in AP United States History that classes, especially for AP classes,” English allows students to learn about historical figures. year-long classes. teacher Christopher McAdamis said.

“I really don’t like that classes are multiple choice sections, just more time to “We have the whole year to practice year-long because I like when there are spend with people. It was a good switch.” essays, give feedback, work on the changes,” Judge said. “Last semester was

4 The Pearl Post | October 2023

JENNY MARQUEZ | THE PEARL POST Print Editor-in-Chief Alan Ruiz and Online Editor-in-Chief Rikka Dimalanta look forward to making quality content and lasting memories with The Pearl Post staff this year.

Editorial

Energized staff, engaging content

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ne month into the new school year, we are already looking ahead to the timely, accurate and relevant content The Pearl Post staff will produce this year.

Among the new changes of the 2023-2024 school year is the return to a six-period schedule. The shift has allowed our staff to increase to 23 enthusiastic student journalists, our largest staff since the return to in-person learning in 2021.

On the other hand, six periods in one school day means shorter 60-minute periods compared to the 90-minute periods of the 4×4 schedule. Our goal is to utilize every minute to the best of our ability through efficient communication and responsible time management.

Our primary concern is the morale of those on staff. One of our main goals is that each staff member feels valued and appreciated for the work they submit for the publication. It is our strong belief that if staff members are dignified, the productivity of the publication will increase

and the environment of the newsroom will brighten. We will reach this goal by consistently respecting the views and efforts of our fellow staff members while regularly scheduling staff meetings during lunchtime to form strong bonds with all on staff.

We are also resolved to meet the high bar set by past staffs. During the 65th Los Angeles Press Club SoCal Journalism Awards gala on June 25, The Pearl Post received third place awards in Best High School News Website and Best High School Newspaper for our June 2022 print issue. Two current editors are finalists in the Blog and Multimedia News Story categories of the National Scholastic Press Association Individual Awards for content produced this spring.

For the past two years, our staff has been effective in consistently brainstorming and producing online content despite our small numbers. This year, with an even stronger force, we hope to keep up that consistency with new web-

site content at least three days a week.

Another goal is to increase our audience engagement by redesigning our website with fresh visuals and styles. We hope to grab the attention of our audience by taking advantage of all the features available to us such as polls, infoboxes and more.

Continuing The Pearl Post’s trend of stellar content in the print department, we plan to produce at least four issues of our print newsmagazine. Implementing tips from summer design workshops, we will redesign aspects of the magazine to allow for greater usage of photos and infographics. We will also focus on designing magazine spreads to be creative and fun, drawing the attention of readers.

As we look forward to the rest of the school year, we are determined to meet our goals by working efficiently and productively. We are deeply committed to our roles as student journalists and will dedicate ourselves to producing some amazing content this year.

Opinion | Isaac Herrera 5

Opinion

Rise of AI ruins my artistic passions AI devalues the work of artists

By Kristin Intal

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s an artist, I spend hours on a single piece of artwork. The rise of machine-made art made in seconds, which is becoming common in art shops and advertising, is disheartening.

After Jason Allen’s image generated by artificial intelligence won a prize in the Colorado State Fair’s annual art competition in 2022, concerns over the ethics of AI-generated images grew. The U.S. District Court ruled that AI-generated images cannot be copyrighted as they were mainly produced by nonhumans. I believe that the protection of traditional artists’ work should expand, preventing databases from using artworks without the consent of the creator.

Since Harold Cohen’s first art exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1972, AI-produced art has significantly improved and gained traction, but I believe that this has begun to pose a problem in recent years. DALL-E and other AI software companies boast their ability to generate images from “prompts.” Softwares like Craiyon offer image generation services for free while others opt for paid services. Unlike Cohen’s first use of code to make artistic

The Pearl Voice Interviews & photos by Yusuf Syed

“I think it should be considered art. Although it was created by a machine, it still is a form of art.”

Senior David Antonio

KRISTIN INTAL | THE PEARL POST AI image generation creates images using data from previously-made art. The people who use AI image generation software often sell AI image-generated artwork without permission from the original artist.

pieces, these services allow almost everyone to make complex pieces with just a few words and clicks.

AI image-generation software is also trained using different artworks to improve the quality and realism of the images they generate. This is often done with millions of artworks without the consent of the artists. There is a clear difference between being the inspiration of someone’s work and placing

someone’s entire artwork into a dataset without their knowledge.

Prohibiting AI software from forcibly including images in their databases will stop the unfair usage of countless artworks. For as long as AI systems are allowed to use any image, artworks will continue to be repurposed without artist compensation. I refuse to call AI-generated images “art” until I can ensure another artist’s work was not stolen to create it.

“Do you think AI-generated art should be considered art?”

“I think no. It doesn’t have personality. It doesn’t have the artist’s touch.”

Junior Jesse Medrano

“In my opinion, it should be used as a learning tool instead and not really art.”

Sophomore Aischelle Baun

“I think so because it falls under the lines of art. It’s not created by someone. It’s still considered art.”

Freshman Andrea Rosemena

6 The Pearl Post | October 2023

Meet the girls on the mat Two girls break the sterotypes in wrestling.

By Jasmine McNair @jasmine.mcnairr

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or the first time, there are two girls on the wrestling team, each with their own unique path to the mat.

Junior Karissa Aguilar and freshman Farrah Marquez are two student athletes tackling the sport of wrestling on the Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) girls wrestling team.

Aguilar has been wrestling since she was in kindergarten and found her love for the sport early on. She experimented with different sports but soon realized that she liked wrestling the most.

“It’s definitely challenging, but if you really put your mind to

it, it’s worth it,” Aguilar said.

Unlike Aguilar, Marquez recently discovered her interest in this sport and is adjusting to her new teammates, drilling and practices. At first it wasn’t something she was completely interested in doing but when a friend recommended she try out for the sport, it ended up being something she liked.

More females are becoming more involved in what has been mostly known as a male-dominated sport. BCCHS has had a girls wrestling team for almost two decades and over the last few years, women wrestling has finally been

MAGGIE SIMONYAN | THE PEARL POST Junior Karissa Aguilar tackles an opponent during wrestling practice on Sep. 22 at BCCHS.

MAGGIE SIMONYAN | THE PEARL POST Freshman Farrah Marquez looks forward to being apart of the BCCHS JV girls wrestling team.

acknowledged and gained more popularity.

“Like I’ll get looks or sometimes people will make comments, but then you win and it kind of just makes you feel better about yourself and you feel

FRANCESCA SISK | THE PEARL POST Junior Karissa Aguilar expresses her passion through the BCCHS girls wrestling team.

proud that you did the same thing they did but better,” Marquez said.

Both student athletes agree that this isn’t the easiest sport to get into. They train often and have to adapt to many different

components inw order to succeed.

“It’s definitely challenging, but if you really put your mind to it, it’s worth it,” Aguilar said.

“It’s just doing what I love and you have to do what you love.”

Athlete of the Month: Diego Suarez Interview by Nemesi Morales

Q: What got you interested in cross country?

A: I ran since I was in middle school and then I quit practicing. I was stretching and trying to become faster.

ALYSA BASMADZHYAN | THE PEARL POST

Q: What is the most challenging part of cross country for you and what is your favorite part?

A: Try to pass two miles. My favorite part is seeing the places I run and walk in.

Q: What words do you have for others in cross country?

A: Try to improve yourself, even if you are losing and aren’t going up. Try to think of your family and improve yourself.

Sports | Maggie Simonyan 7

Quarterback Bechdholt takes Birmingham on a wild ride

By Serena Elkins @sunshineday2026

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obias Bechdholt, starting quarterback for the junior varsity Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) football team and third-string quarterback for the varsity team, traveled to Austin, Texas with his teammates for a game against Texas’ top 16th best high school football team.

The BCCHS varsity football team lost to Steele High School 49-7 at the Lehnhoff Stadium on Sept. 22.

Steele’s team ranks number 1 in San Antonio and number 16 in all of Texas. Friday night football games are a big deal in Texas and the size of their high school stadiums prove that.

“It was definitely bigger than any stadium that we play at,” sophomore Bechdholt said. “There were multiple bleachers on every side of the

stadium and they had a big band and a whole area for the band. It was different and you could tell that football was really a big thing over in Texas.”

Despite the loss, Bechdholt views the trip as a memorable experience.

“We went over there to do our thing and that’s what we did.

(But) not as good as we could have done,” he said. “Once you start warming up, it’s just playing football but in a different area.”

BCCHS is the first non-private high school to travel out of state for a football game in history, according to the website High School Fan Nation.

In the days before their game, they did some sightseeing, including exploring San Antonio and The Alamo. They also toured schools in Texas such as

MAGGIE SIMONYAN | THE PEARL POST Tobias Bechdholt, a junior varsity and varsity football player, returns to his coach during a game on Oct. 13. The BCCHS JV boys football team secured a victory against El Camino Real High School with a score of 48-8.

the University of Texas at Austin (UTA) and Texas Christian University (TCU).

“It was a really nice stadium and a beautiful campus and we interacted with some pretty

nice people,” Bechdholt said about the UTA campus.

Athlete of the Month: Genevieve Gonzales Interview by Yusuf Syed

SERENA ELKINS | THE PEARL POST

Q: What’s your favorite memory from playing volleyball?

A: My favorite memory was when we went to USC to watch a professional volleyball game and we all stayed out and got dinner together.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given to you about volleyball?

A: Have confidence in yourself and don’t get it in your head if you make any mistakes because we all make mistakes.

Q: How do you mentally and physically prepare for games?

A: Volleyball is a very mentally challenging sport but I try to hype myself up. I listen to music, I talk with my team, my coaches and we all just kind of hype each other up.

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The Pearl Post | October 2023

For artificial intelligence, class AI is changing the written world one click at a time.

By Donovan Ochoa @donovan_8a

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ideo production teacher Mark Middlebrook began integrating AI programs into his classroom last year, seeing it as an effective way to write and revise scripts.

This year, he has chosen to continue utilizing AI for different assignments and technology help.

“I assigned everyone to put ChatGPT on their phone because I want them to be able to access any technical data,” Middlebrook said. “I have so many different places to be in the classroom so that’s one of the first starts.

But actually, the true start was last year when we had to have a script.

We had a whole joint shoot where everyone was going to shoot the same script and so we created one on ChatGPT.” As AI advances, software like ChatGPT, Scite and Scholarly are becoming increasingly popular. The generative AI programs that are on the rise are classified as large language models or chatbots. They can rapidly process information and use it to create synthetic content. The immediate results generated

by these programs make it appeal to many.

However, it can lead to the spread of misinformation. Large language models have proven to make informationbased errors showing the software is not completely reliable and users can not depend on AI to constantly give factual information.

One example of misinformation from AI occurred in June 2023 when New York attorney Steven A. Schwartz was fined for citing fake court cases that he discovered using ChatGPT. Schwartz was defending his client Robert Mata. He cited several cases including Shaboon v. Egypt Air and Varghese v. China Southern Airlines that were fabricated by AI. After discovering this, Schwartz admitted to using ChatGPT to conduct his legal research.

“I did not comprehend that ChatGPT could fabricate cases,” Schwartz told Judge Castel according to a New York Times article. “I continued to be duped by ChatGPT. It’s embarrassing.”

According to a survey conducted by Forbes Advisor, 76% of consumers are worried

DONOVAN OCHOA | THE PEARL POST Senior Cynthia Rendon uses ChatGPT for an assignment in her first period video production class. used in video production class to help students write scripts due to it being a generative language.

about misinformation from AI services like ChatGPT, Google Bard and Bing Chat. The survey also showed that 54% of the people surveyed believe that

they can tell whether content was generated authentically or by a chatbot.

The usage of AI among students at Daniel Pearl Magnet

High School (DPMHS) is on the rise. According to a survey of 15 DPMHS students, 73% of them use ChatGPT. Only 13% of students said they used AI for

Special Reports | Satenik Ayrapetyan

is now in session The AI scoop

ChatGPT is an AI program

homework help and 66% of respondents believe that AI contributes to the spread of misinformation.

“I think AI contributed to misinformation

because it lacks the emotional aspect,” one respondent said. “It can easily spit things out without really knowing what it’s doing.”

Students like sophomore Jordan Vivano use AI programs like Dezco and ChatGPT for fun personal uses such as artwork. However, Viviano also uses ChatGPT when struggling with schoolwork.

Despite the risks, some students like Vivano prefer to use ChatGPT due to how fast it is.

“I just do quick fact-checks,” Viviano said. “I know Chat GPT isn’t 100% accurate all the time, so I don’t just take what it says immediately and run with it.

What I do is I take it and I’ll just do some quick research to be like ‘Is this really true?’”

To combat this rise of misinformation caused by AI, organizations like the News Literacy Project (NLP) have done work promoting AI awareness

and understanding to students and educators. A section of their website is dedicated to sharing news literacy in the age of AI with links to stories on how AI affects education, government and society perspectives, as well as general information on AI and what to look out for when it comes to avoiding misinformation.

“We think everyone just needs to understand that this technology is here and it’s already changing the information landscape,” said NLP’s Senior Director of Media Relations Christina Veiga. “There may be some benefits to it, and there may be some drawbacks. We need to understand what those are, and take the time to practice news literacy skills like checking multiple sources and pausing before we share just to make sure that we are consuming information that’s credible.”

In a survey of 15 students regarding artificial intelligience usage, 11 students said they use ChatGPT, a language-based generative chatbot.

One person said they use Grammarly, while three do not use any AI. Of the students that do use AI, four use it for fun, two use it for studying and two others use it for homework help.

Infographic by Satenik Ayrapeytan.

in journalism

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By Emma Rosenberg @emmar.18 I technology has become more advanced since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. This language-based chatbot allows users to produce content with their desired length, format and style in a matter of minutes.

The use of AI is nothing new, but has recently seen an increase in popularity because of its widespread accessibility. In the field of journalism, concerns are rising as to whether AI is a potential threat as this technology can filter through large amounts of data and replicate news content more efficiently. However, the technology is not completely there to take over the role of a journalist. AI often makes factual mistakes and lacks the human element of creativity and critical thinking.

That said, AI technology can sort and condense large amounts of information, meaning journalists could use it as a research tool. Some major companies such as Microsoft and Google have marketed their AI programs toward journalists.

“Google is testing a product that uses artificial intelligence technology to produce news stories, pitching it to news organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal’s owner, News Corp, according to three people familiar with the matter,” according to a July 19 article in the New York Times.

Some in the journalism community such as Francesco Marconi, a computational journalist and co-founder of the real-time information company AppliedXL, speculate that the relationship between journalists and AI will be one of collaboration. In a Reuters Institute article, Marconi states that, “The limitations of large language models such as GPT signal where journalistic innovation should be focused on – towards the development of event detection systems that can capture and compute real-time information.” He believes that the media should work with AI technology to create a new approach toward journalism.

According to an Aug. 1 article in New York Magazine, “An optimistic theory about tools like this is that they’ll simply make certain journalistic operations more productive, partially automating friction-filled processes, typing, transcription, maybe even puzzling over structure and freeing up resources to pursue, say, actual reporting.”

A

10 The Pearl Post | October 2023

Rockin’ out with Mr. Hughes

By Yusuf Syed @yusufos9

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ne day this summer, science teacher Timothy Hughes was scrolling through social media when he found a listing for a spot in a band. Since music is his passion, he took his chance.

“I joined the band toward the beginning of (this) summer,” said Hughes, who plays the bass guitar and writes lyrics. “I wasn’t in a band (last year). I would jam with people informally, just for fun.”

When Hughes was a kid, he started to get into music.

This was sparked by his father, who was in a band before Hughes was born and played bass in a band in the ‘80s. Classic rock and psychedelic rock are mainly the musical genres his dad played and that’s what Hughes eventually played in his band as well.

“Music is everything to me honestly,” Hughes said.

“Not a day goes by and I’m not listening to music, trying to make music, interacting with music in a creative way (or) interacting with music in an analytical way.”

Music is something that brings him a lot of happiness and occupies most of his headspace and thoughts.

Hughes most definitely puts his heart and soul into his music and that might rub off on the other members as well. Music has given him a lot of new ideas and ideolo-

gies about the world and the things around him.

“They’ve (his bandmates) helped me to develop ideologies around love and acceptance but also fighting for justice,” said Hughes, who plays psychedelic and indie rock. “I think musicians often have a really wonderful ideology and they share it in a way that I connect with really easily.”

His role as a bassist is to flesh out any of the band’s sound while being the backbone of the whole band along with drums. He also contributes with other roles such as backup vocals.

But Hughes does not just record music at home and stream it. He also performs it anywhere he can find. Basically any venue, area or whatever his band can get booked, they play.

“Anyone can make music now and that’s a good and bad thing,” Hughes said.

It means on one hand that anyone can publish anything with no boundaries or limitations but on the other hand, it means that it’s harder to break through as a new artist. That’s why it is key for Hughes’ band to perform live, so he can get a committed loyal audience.

“So the way that you get people listening to your stuff and committed to you is you create a loyal live audience. Then you got to take

PROVIDED BY TIMOTHY HUGHES | THE PEARL POST Science teacher Timothy Hughes decided to explore his passion for music over the summer by joining a band in which he plays psychedelic and indie rock music.

the music to the people,” said Hughes, who declined to have the name of his band published due to privacy reasons.

“You got to put it on new ears and you gotta make it accessible.”

Music is everything to Hughes and without it, he honestly would not have a purpose in his life, he said. It’s

helped him grow, create and love life even more.

“I kind of see music these days as one of the main purposes of my life,” Hughes said.

“I can’t exist if I’m not creating. I really do feel that way, that I have to be somebody who makes music. There’s no option.”

Features | Alexa Garay 11

Club Corner: Sharks 4 Christ Students explore spirituality in a new faith-based club.

By Emma Rosenberg @emmar.18

D

uring Sharks 4 Christ’s second meeting, senior David Antonio sang and played guitar for fellow students. Junior Genesis CuellarFigueroa also read aloud several verses from the Bible and led members in prayer.

Sharks 4 Christ president David Antonio encourages students to join the club since everyone is welcome and it is a place where people can connect with God.

“

EMMA ROSENBERG THE PEARL POST

I wanted to create a sort of community for those who are curious about Jesus, as well as making a safe space for those who are believers so they can find new friendships and fellowships with other people.

(Top photo) Sharks 4 Christ Club Vice President Genesis CuellarFigueroa engages with fellow club members during their meeting on Sept. 21. (Left) Club President David Antonio speaks to club members as Vice President Cuellar-Figueroa and Secretary Jeremy Melendez look on.

- Vice President Genesis Cuellar-Figueroa

“In my life I was lost and then I found Jesus,” Antonio said. “He was really a way for me to find peace and I wanted to bring that to Daniel Pearl (Magnet High School) and say that there is a club for people looking for hope.”

Sharks 4 Christ is the first Christian-faith based club on campus in over five years. The club provides a space for students to come together, listen to Bible verses, participate in prayer and express their spirituality through song. The club held its first meeting on Sept. 21 and continues to meet every Thursday during lunch.

“I wanted to create a sort of community for those who are curious about Jesus, as well as making a safe space for those who are believers so they can find new friendships and fellowships with other people,” Vice President Cuellar-Figueroa said.

“I wanted it to be a club where people are in unity and they can express and not be ashamed of what they

believe in.”

Club sponsor Tuan “Duke” Huynh sees Sharks 4 Christ as a positive outlet for students.

“Based on my impression, the goal is to have a common place where students can be social, get to know each other and talk about their beliefs,” Duke said.

Go to www.Jostens.com to order your book of memories today.

12 The Pearl Post | October 2023

Book Nook

Read into the future with these 6 dystopian novels

By Serena Elkins @sunshineday2026

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ystopian novels are my absolute favorite genre of books. It’s so important to read them because they all depict a destructive future for us if we don’t make changes in society. It’s even more interesting if the novel focuses on climate change and how its effects could change our future. Climate change is such an impactful issue in today’s society that we need to be aware of its future effects. Below are a few of my favorite dystopian novels that you might be interested in reading:

DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE “The Darkest Minds” was written by Alexandra Bracken and published in 2012.

DELACORTE PRESS “The Maze Runner” was written by James Dashner and published in 2009.

“The Darkest Minds” by Alexandra Bracken

“The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury

“The Darkest Minds” begins with a whole generation of children and teens sitting around in concentration camps due to holding one of five powers: increased intelligence, telekinesis, electricity, fire or telepathy.The government is scared and gathered all the children to forcibly get rid of their powers. Children all over begin to rebel against the government as they strive to escape and find their families again. Unlike other novels that depict romance and devastation in dramatic light, this novel shows a more realistic response in society.

Ray Bradbury is such an incredible dystopian and sci-fi author of the 1950s era. His stories inspired both young and old generations alike and gave them insight into our possible futures. This novel has a little over 200 pages of short stories describing different people and their journeys to Mars to escape a crumbling Earth.

Each chapter is a new story describing the many Mars missions after Earth is torn apart by climate change and war between 1999 to 2026. However, Mars is filled with Martians who aren’t ready to let their planet go.

DOUBLEDAY “The Martian Chronicles” was written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1950.

“Maze Runner” by James Dashner

“Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi

The first novel “The Maze Runner” was very fascinating and the story slowly became dark and incredible. The characters really grow with character development and you develop an emotional connection with them. This novel is a mystery that you try to understand, just like the characters in the story. As the series goes on, we discover a dystopian world and a climate change-induced disease. Each of the five books in the series is a new stage of information and horror into the life they’re leading and the life they’re heading into.

“Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi is by far my favorite dystopian novel I’ve read. It begins with an incredible trilogy and continues with an even better sequel trilogy. The novels are filled with unbelievable power and unexpected romance as the main character navigates the twists and turns of freedom that the reader falls in love with the story and the characters. If you’re going to read one dystopian series, I recommend this novel because it will take your mind, heart and soul on an emotional journey that you will never forget.

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS “Shatter Me” was written by Tahereh Mafi and published in 2011.

Features/Entertainment | Rikka Dimalanta

13

New Marvel Spider-Man video game sequel swings into October

By Jasmine McNair @jasmine.mcnairr

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arvel’s SpiderMan 2 is an action video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment that was released on Oct. 20. The trailer that was released on July 30 had SpiderMan lovers thrilled to be able to witness new characters like Miles Morales and the villain, Venom, who weren’t present in Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 game.

The PlayStation 5 exclusive video game has fans eager to see what new features and game mechanics are heading their way. In this new game, you will witness the adventures of Miles Morales and Peter Parker on a

mission to save New York while facing the ultimate test of strength, including the need to balance their lives as superheroes and regular citizens.

The video game goes into detail about how each superhero will experience change and personal growth.

The PS5 announcement highlights that Spider-Man 2 offers a new and enhanced gameplay experience with multiple improvements, distinguishing it from the first game that was released in 2018. Players can now transition between Miles Morales and Peter Parker, exploring their unique gadgets

INSOMNIAC GAMES Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was exclusively released on Oct. 20 for PlayStation 5. The game was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

and individual skills, all while enjoying the added excitement of free-roaming.

The creators of the video game also focused on other details like expanding locations that are visited throughout the game. Major locations that are mentioned

in comics are going to be represented for participants to explore all throughout the game.

Marvel’s SpiderMan 2 starts at $69.99 for the standard version and is available for purchase both digitally and physically.

The video game also

offers a Digital Deluxe Edition for $79.99 and a Collector’s Edition for $229.99 that offer extra features and additional game functions. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is available for purchase at Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon and the online PlayStation store.

6 dystopian novels to read during this cozy season Continued from page 12

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS “Under the Never Sky” was written by Veronica Rossi and published in 2012.

“Under the Never Sky” by Veronica Rossi

“The Cure” (“The Cure Chronicles”)

by K.A. Riley

This novel is a dystopian romance centered around human development in technology and how we’re separating ourselves from the real world. This novel was one that I found highly probable in the far future, aside from the powers all the Outsiders possess. It was darker than a lot of the other books I read because of its humanistic quality and you really connect with the characters.

Every person on their 17th birthday is given the opportunity to be given the cure and a place in society to move on from a life of squalor to one of privilege. On Ashen Spencer’s birthday, she is blindfolded and taken to the Arc, away from her younger brother, her barely alive mother and her only friend Rhys to begin a year of training to earn the cure to the disease known as The Blight.

KARILEYWRITES.ORG “The Cure” was written by K.A. Riley and published in 2021.

Hide under the covers with these horror movies The Pearl Post | October 2023

For this month, horror movies are in season. Check out these horror movies out now.

By Vanessa Morales @vane_m1110

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” Originally inspired by the video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (FNaF), this horror movie released on Oct. 27 follows Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), who is desperate for a job. He takes up a job as a night security guard in an abandoned restaurant called Freddy Fazebear’s Pizzeria. He is warned of the numerous cases of disappearing children in the restaurant during the ‘80s. In time, Schmidt realizes his job is not at all what he signed up for. This movie is rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images and language.

“The Exorcist: Believer” The horror film “The Exorcist: Believer,” which debuted on Oct. 6, continues the story of the 1973 movie “The Exorcist.” It follows the disappearance of Angela (Lidya Jewett) and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) after showing signs of demonic possession.

After finding them three days later, Angela’s father (Leslie Odom Jr.) questions how much they remember about what happened to them.

Angela’s father contacts an expert on demonic possession in hopes of saving the girls. This movie is rated R for violent content, disturbing images, language and sexual references.

IMDB | THE PEARL POST “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which is inspired by the popular video game, was released on Oct. 27.

IMDB | THE PEARL POST “The Exorcist: Believer” is a continuation of the 1973 movie “The Exorcist” and was released on Oct. 6.

IMDB | THE PEARL POST “The Elderly,” which features themes of growing old and paranormal activity, was released on Oct. 13.

IMDB | THE PEARL POST “When Evil Lurks” is an Argentinian movie that made its way to U.S. theaters on Oct. 6.

“The Elderly” “The Elderly,” which released on Oct. 13, is a horror film of Spanish origin that portrays the agonizing and despairing feeling of growing old. All of the elderly in Madrid, Spain, including Manuel (Zorion Eguileor), begin to go insane and develop dementia.

Manuel crumbles after his wife dies by suicide. His son Mario (Gustavo Salmerón) insists on caring for him along with the rest of the family. At this, an unhealthy amount of paranormal and supernatural activity begins to occur in the house, so much so that it becomes life or death. This movie’s rating is not available.

“When Evil Lurks” The Argentinian movie “When Evil Lurks” was released in English in U.S. theaters for the first time on Oct. 6. The horror film follows the story of brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodriguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomón) and the residents of their small town. They soon discover that there is an evil infected demon among them after stumbling upon it birthing “to evil itself.” In an attempt to prevent it from proceeding and in an effort to kill it, they intervene. Their intervention allows evil to be born. This movie’s rating is not available.

Entertainment | Sophie Ortega 15

Photo Essay: Homecoming Dance

SERENA ELKINS | THE PEARL POST Sophomores Sebastian Olfatmanesh and Abraam Grigorian dance together outside the MPR before the Homecoming Dance started on Oct. 6.

SERENA ELKINS | THE PEARL POST Seniors Alejandra Iniguez, Cheyanne Losino and Alysa Basmadzhyan clap during the announcement of Homecoming King in the MPR on Oct. 6.

SERENA ELKINS | THE PEARL POST Senior Leo Ordonez celebrates his title of Homecoming King on Oct. 6 during the school’s first Homecoming Dance in the MPR.

SERENA ELKINS | THE PEARL POST Senior Alejandra Iniguez dons a sash and crown after being announced as Homecoming Queen during the school’s first Homecoming Dance on Oct. 6.

Behind the photographs

About the photographer

Students attended Daniel Pearl Magnet High School’s first-ever Homecoming Dance on Oct. 6 in the MPR. The black-and-white themed event included live music, food, drinks, a photo booth and the announcement of the Homecoming King and Queen. The event, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 8, was organized in part by the leadership class and the Associated Student Body officers.

Serena Elkins is a staff writer and yearbook design editor in her sophomore year of high school. She is the sophomore Class President, Head of Membership in PTSA and Leadership Council Secretary. Outside of school, she enjoys painting, baking and archery. She is excited for her first year on The Pearl Post and Prestige Yearbook staff and for the opportunity to get to know all her fellow staff members while writing and taking photos.

Volume 15, Issue 1 • October 2023 • Daniel Pearl Magnet High School • Lake Balboa, CA