The Pearl Post November 2020 news magazine

Daniel Pearl Magnet High School 6649 Balboa Blvd., Lake Balboa, CA 91406

www.thepearlpost.com

The impact of distance learning

See page 5

@ThePearlPost

@ThePearlPost

The Pearl Post

The Pearl Post

Volume 12 Issue 2

November 2020

In this issue...

1 Cover Design by Jhonny Gonzalez and Branden Gerson

3-5 News Apex, Edgenuity courses / Low enrollment / Mental health during distance learning

Reports 6-7 Special Virtual learning all semester / Returning to in-person learning opinion

8-9

Opinion

Importance of mask use / Editorial

10-11 Features Virtual contact during quarantine / ASL Club 12-13 14-15

Entertainment

“Shawn Mendes: In Wonder” preview / Fall shows listicle / Black Friday must-haves

Tech/Sports

App of the month: Among Us / LAUSD sports training resumes

16 Back cover

Letter from the Editor

As we settled into this completely virtual learning semester this month, the difficult impacts of remote learning have become much more prominent. This is why we decided to aim our focus on the impact of distance learning on Daniel Pearl Magnet High School students.

We covered both the emotional and academic impact as well as student opinion on returning back to in-person learning. While brainstorming, we decided that we wanted to incorporate both photography and artistic elements for this issue’s cover, which is something we hadn’t done before. Staff writer Branden Gerson photographed himself working on his laptop. After that, the photo was handed over to Presitge Yearbook Editor Jhonny Gonzalez.

Our goal with the cover was to

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depict multiple aspects of what students are worried about. We decided that short phrases and words would be the best to showcase that. For both the Special Reports and the News coverage, we also conducted another poll in November that focused on the impact of distance learning. It also included questions regarding student opinion on returning to campus. The entire school had the opportunity to take this survey and we received 71 responses.

With COVID-19 cases increasing across the country, our staff’s ability to work together despite the virtual nature has strengthened our publication. We hope produce a strong magazine each month regardless of these continuous circumstances.

-Itzel Luna

The Pearl Post | November 2020

THE PEARL POST Print Editor-in-Chief Itzel Luna Online Editor-in-Chief Parampreet Aulakh Managing Editor Alliana Samonte Features Editor Valeria Luquin Opinion Editor Daniela Rangel Entertainment Editor Sara Marquez Sports/Tech Editor Casey Wanatick Social Media Editor Delilah Brumer New Media Editor-in-Chief Harlow Frank New Media Editors Valery Barrera, Shannon Sullivan Photo Editor Maribella Ambrosio, Mahali Sanchez Copy Editors Cassia Ramelb, Chareena Pascua, C.J Gorospe, Jhonny Gonzalez, Jonathan Spahr Staff Writers/ Photographers Antonio Bedon, Delilah Brumer, Emily Flores, Branden Gerson, Evan Gleason, Gabrielle Lashley, Nancy Medrano, Jessica Melkonyan, Nathalie Miranda, Mario Ronquillo Adviser Adriana Chavira 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 monthly and is the official campus newspaper of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. The magazine is also posted online at http://www.thepearlpost.com.

Students struggle with online Edgenuity, Apex Learning classes

By Delilah Brumer

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everal students are taking online classes this year that involve minimal teacher guidance, including sophomore Giselle Khalil. She is enrolled in World and Regional Geography class through the platform Edgenuity, during the period she would usually play lacrosse.

“It tends to get stressful when it comes to keeping up with Edgenuity,” Khalil said. “There are some weeks when my other main classes are giving lots of work at the same time and I (fall) very behind on Edgenuity.”

Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) students in a variety of grades are experiencing the rewards and difficulties of taking online, primarily asynchronous classes.

These classes are using platforms such as Edgenuity and Apex Learning, which provide tests

and assignments virtually. They also The class consists of nine seniors grade students’ work automatically. With- scattered throughout periods three and out these platforms, DPMHS would be four. unable to provide these classes at all.

“Because we have just started the “Apex is being used because we course, I don’t feel prepared at all so far do not have enough students to fill up (for the AP exam),” senior AP Calculus an AP Calculus class,” DPMHS counselor student Kevin Castro Valencia said. “I am Martina Torres said. “We use Apex to help looking forward to learn.” provide AP Calculus to those students Math teacher Lori Seo is the mentor who are ready for it. Edgenuity is a for the AP Calculus class, but she does decision that the not grade stuteacher makes. dent work.

The teacher has Althe option to use though she Edgenuity or to does not give instruction teach the themselves.” students any DPMHS material, she math teacher tries to make Tuan “Duke” sure they sucHuynh is usceed in the ing Edgenucourse and do ity for 95% well on the of his AP exam in students’ the Spring. grades “We in his chose Apex Giselle Khalil Algebra because Apex 1 and Geometry classes. has a virtual teacher,” Seo said. “Although “The videos are easy these students are in my class, they to understand,” Duke said. actually have a teacher that helps them “The quizzes and tests are virtually. I don’t teach them calculus. I’m doable. (However,) I would the mentor and I’m the one who overmuch rather be back in sees their progress.” class where I can engage This unprecedented year has with students face to brought many challenges to students face. There’s no subtaking online classes, including the lack stitute for personal of in-person support. Students are frusinteraction.” trated but are trying to make the best of The Advanced the situation.

Placement (AP) Calcu“I’ve been trying to tutor AP Calculus AB class is using Apex lus (students) in my free time,” Seo said.

Learning.

“Although having another Zoom session is a little bit rough, I’ve been trying to do a once a week Zoom session where I can check in on them to see how they’re doing. The more help the merrier.”

“

It tends to get very stressful... My other classes are giving me lots of work at the same time and I fall very behind on Edgenuity.

”

Instagram: @delilah_rose2004

News | November 2020

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School enrollment decreases during virtual learning school year

By Mario Ronquillo s the 2020-21 school year kicked off virtually in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, school administration has increased its recruiting efforts in response to this year’s low enrollment.

“I think a lot of it has to deal with COVID,”Counselor Martina Torres said. “A lot of students don’t want to do online work with a regular high school.”

The student enrollment at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) decreased to 251 students from 317 students last school year. DPMHS plans to continue to recruit students through Meet-the-Magnet Zoom sessions to increase the enrollment. Due to the low enrollment, DPMHS did not hire a new Spanish teacher to replace Marta Rodriguez, who transferred to a different campus at the beginning of this school year. This means that a teaching position has been lost.

“When we lost our Spanish teacher, that meant I could only offer fewer selections of Spanish classes,” Torres said.

“I ended up having to change a lot of schedules in August in order to accommodate the loss of a teacher.”

Virtual Meet-the-Magnet sessions are usually organized by middle schools and attended by parents of eighth graders. They invite multiple high schools, who then present to the middle school students. According to Magnet Coordinator Leah Pevar, these middle schools send her an email invitation and she always tries to attend. During these sessions, Pevar presents a slide presentation that highlights important facts about DPMHS. She also shares a video about the school featuring students in leadership, music, broadcast, yearbook and news magazine.

“I think we have one of the best videos for (our) school program, so I think the parents are very impressed when

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Graphic by Itzel Luna DPMHS enrollment has been decreasing since the 2015-16 school year. During the 2020-21 academic school year, enrollment decreased to 251 students, which is down from 317 students during the 2019-20 school year.

they see our video,” Pevar said. “I feel like they are excited to see what the students are doing and what they are capable of creating. I want to create that buzz that this is the school you should want your child to attend.”

Pevar plans to increase enrollment for next school year by working with the new Principal Armen Petrossian.

Petrossian has been assisting Pevar with the Meet-The-Magnet Nights since they sometimes have to present to multiple schools at the same time. Pevar also said that Petrossian speaks five different

The Pearl Post | November 2020

languages, which allows him to communicate with parents who might not understand or speak English. Torres hopes that Petrossian’s experience with middle school students will also help them come up with new ideas to recruit eighth grade students.

“I hope to attract students by helping them understand that we are a good school and that we can prepare them for college,” Torres said.

Instagram: @marioz214

Students’ mental health, grades takes a toll during distance learning

By Jessica Melkonyan s academics continue through virtual learning platforms, students aim to control their mental health that alters their everyday lives.

“My mental health has not been impacted very positively,” sophomore Giselle Khalil said. “It is harder to stay focused and to get things done. It gets overwhelming.”

Since all of the Los Angeles Unified School District schools will conduct the entire fall semester virtually, students have been trying to be more aware of their mental health because of work overload and lack of physical friendship interactions. Coming to the end of the fall semester, students’ have been receiving a plethora of work with timely deadlines from teachers and this creates a state of stress for the virtual learners.

“Distance learning has impacted my mental health just by making me a lot more anxious about my grades,” junior Rochelle Polushkin said. “I find myself constantly worrying about deadlines because I also forget them a lot.”

Daniel Pearl Magnet High School psychiatric social worker JoAnne Tuell explains that the issues students go through on a daily basis are intensified by the increased amount of screen time, isolation and the overwhelming work stress. Not only has Tuell had her regulars coming in and therapeutically speaking with her but she’s had new-comers knocking on her virtual door as well.

“I’m seeing almost a feeling of being defeated,” Tuell said. “Sort of a depression that I did not see as much before.”

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Alongside the upperclassmen’s feelings of anxiety and loneliness, this year’s freshmen class experience a different degree of pressure. They don’t get to undergo the traditional form of high school life. Unable to walk the hallways and have real in-class lessons, it makes it hard to unwind and take your mind off of the pressure.

“Not seeing my classmates, not feeling the highschool life (triggers me the most),” freshman Haya Abushah said. “I want to see my friends. I don’t want to be

all alone at home and on-screen all day.”

Mental health is an important aspect of one’s self-awareness, especially for students who are studying during this pandemic period. The inability to keep up with class and homework causes immense stress due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of due dates can be easily forgotten. Although, students are finding methods to relieve stress after long days of Zoom class meetings, so they could escape from their every day reality.

“Sometimes I watch my favorite movie or show to feel better,” Abushah said. “Also, whenever I go outside for fresh air, all of a sudden I feel happier and calmer.”

Four months into the fall semester, Abushah has been practicing more extensive care for her mental health because it’s what gets her through the day. Being self-aware of their mental health is a bonus for students because their understand of the significance of their mentality.

“I went through a character development,” Abushah said. “Distance learning has impacted me a lot, by becoming a better person and understanding myself more.”

It’s been a grueling experience for students this fall semester. With school stress and heightened anxiety, Tuell advises students to use creativity, online social skills and deep breathing exercises to release feelings and built up pressure that’s fogging up their mental health. In any case, if students do feel the need to speak to a professional, Tuell encourages them to get in touch with her and connect through counselling. Every student deserves to have an outlet where they could maintain their mental health.

“It’s normal to feel overwhelmed or stressed right now,” Tuell said. “Reach out for help, there are lots of resources available.”

If you would like to reach out to Tuell, call 818-925-8062 Instagram: @sh.jeess

In November, 71 DPMHS students responded to an online survey about the academic and mental distance learning and returning to school in person.

News | November 2020

5

LAUSD says ‘No’ this semester

Date to return back to campus is still up in the air.

By Nathalie Miranda emoving desks from classrooms, overstocking on different cleaning products and putting stickers on the floors to distance students from each other are some of the things Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) is doing to prepare for the return to campus.

“We’re getting the schools ready in case the superintendent suddenly says that kids will be coming back,” DPMHS Principal Armen Petrossian said. “But there are a lot of unknown things right now. We’re preparing in every way we know how.”

At the moment, Los Angeles Unified District (LAUSD) hopes to return to school by January at the earliest. However, it depends on how Los Angeles County is doing in terms of the amount of COVID-19 cases. Regardless of when students are actually sent back to school, the district is going to do everything in their power to guarantee safety of their students and staff.

In the beginning of October, LAUSD Superintendent Austen Beautner shared the amount of cases in the county are still too high to be returning to school this semester. Beutner stated students will return as soon as the health conditions allow it. The district will have mandatory COVID-19 testing for all its students, staff and student’s family members, which is expected to reduce the risk

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of exposure. LAUSD will soon be giving parents a survey on their thoughts on the possibility of their child being sent back to school.

“Figuring out how to bring students back to schools and keeping them there in the safest way possible, will be our toughest challenge yet,” Beutner said in an KNBC article.

According to Petrossian and the Plant Manager Michael Loukatos, classrooms and facilities will be cleaned electrostatically on a daily basis. DPMHS is unique in the fact that there is only one major hallway. To ensure a safe environment, hand sanitizing stations will be dispersed throughout the hallway.

The district knows that they will need to change the way students get lunch but that hasn’t been decided either.

Petrossian believes that the chances of having any social interaction during the school day between students is very low. Right now, students are not able to socialize face to face because of COVID-19 but if they were sent back to school, the district is expected to limit these interactions while on campus as much as possible.

“Socializing is an important part of someone’s high school experience,” senior Jackie Prava said. “I have friends that are probably going to be leaving the state next year and I’m sad that I can’t see Item 4 23.6%

80.3% of students prefer in-person

Other worries 23.6%

Item 1 21.8%

Falling behind academically 33.8%

3 No worries 5.6% %

learning rather than distance learning.

Scared of getting infected and risk at infecting others 78.9%

them face-to-face.”

The plans for transportation for students are undecided at the moment.

They still need to decide how many students will be allowed on the buses and how frequently they should sanitize the seats.

“I look forward to the day we can go back to school,” guidance counselor Martina Torres said. “Our students really need to have in-person instruction as soon as possible.”

While planning for a hopeful return, the district has a goal of opening some schools to in-person tutoring. However, DPMHS will have tutoring sessions for all academic classes through Zoom.

“That’s the million dollar question: is going back to school safe?” Petrossian said. “This is the first time something like this has happened. There could be things that we haven’t even thought of doing.”

Instagram: @nathalie61313

"Require everyone to wear masks."

"Better ventilation"

"Wait until January 2021"

"LAUSD must provide continual testing, mask mandates, daily sanitization of all surfaces and reduced class sizes to promote social distancing."

"I'm not sure, as long as Covid- 19 is "Place heavy sanitation still here I don't protocols, give want to risk it." teachers shields"

A total of 71 students, staff and teachers took an online survey to capture how safe and ready they are to return back to school.

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The Pearl Post | November 2020

Opinion

Health before reopening schools

LAUSD should not focus on opening schools back up when COVID-19 cases are on the rise once again.

By Delilah Brumer

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nly a week after Los Alamitos High School in Orange County reopened, a student tested positive for COVID-19, according to Spectrum News 1. This is happening across the country as high schools rush to reopen, risking the lives of students, school staff and families.

Los Angeles Unified School District should not reopen schools until next semester at the earliest. In a statement on Nov. 2, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said, “it will not be possible for schools to reopen this semester.” If LAUSD schools open too soon, there is the possibility of either infecting people at the school with COVID-19 or having to shut down again. This would be catastrophic.

According to the Washington Post, the United States reached a total of nine million COVID-19 infections on Oct. 30.

On a local level, Los Angeles County averaged 1,351 new COVID-19 cases and 11.9 new COVID-19 deaths per day during the week of Oct. 26, according to the Los Angeles Times. These numbers indicate that reopening schools soon would be very risky.

Besides safety concerns, another issue is the chance that if LAUSD schools reopen too soon, they will have to shut down again. For example, several high schools in Illinois reopened then closed down again, according to The Chicago Tribune.

New Trier High School, one of these schools, reverted to distance learning after only being open for five days.

Timing is also important to consider

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Cartoon by Shannon Sullivan LAUSD schools plan to re-open as early as January 2021. With the rise of COVID-19 cases, schools should not focus on opening back up, rather they focus on students who are dealing negatively with distance learning.

when deciding whether or not to reopen schools. Returning to school in January, at the start of the next semester, might still be dangerous. While waiting until January makes much more sense from both a scheduling and a safety perspective, it may still be too soon.

Those who are pushing for LAUSD to reopen schools quickly are mostly parents concerned about their students falling behind in their learning. Many parents of LAUSD students believe that the education their children receive “this year will not be sufficient,” according to Los Angeles Daily News. These are valid

The solution to students falling behind is to not reopen LAUSD schools when it is unsafe.

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concerns, especially considering that the distance learning school day is significantly shorter than the traditional LAUSD school day and each class period only has two instructional days per week.

The solution to students falling behind is not to reopen LAUSD schools when it is unsafe. By providing additional support to teachers and students through tutoring, advisory periods, distributing internet hotspots and more, the district can and has assisted students in staying on track with schoolwork.

The distance learning situation isn’t ideal and students are dealing with the consequences. Re-opening schools in the near future would be far worse. The health and safety of LAUSD schools’ communities need to be the priority and that means waiting to reopen until next semester.

Instagram: @delilah_rose2004

Special Reports| November 2020

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Masks, staying in save lives D

By Gabrielle Lashley aily coronavirus cases are on the rise and many Americans haven’t been taking the precautions they need to keep them and their family members safe. It is time people start taking this pandemic seriously and recognize the danger we are in.

Coronavirus cases are at the highest they’ve ever been in the U.S and some Americans still don’t seem to see the danger in not taking precautions to stay safe. As of Nov. 3, we’ve reached 300,000 just in Los Angeles County alone. There are several reasons why you should wear a mask, but many people seem to be ignoring the main one: to stop the spread of COVID-19.

According to an article released by Health.com, wearing a mask can reduce viral transmissions of the coronavirus by up to 70%. According to another article released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, if the 88% of people who usually wear masks rose to 95%, it could save nearly 100,000 lives from now until January 2021. People still refuse to acknowledge the importance of wearing a mask, even after more than 200,000 Americans have died from this virus.

Thousands of lives can be saved by you doing the bare minimum and simply wearing protection.

Besides not wearing a mask, just going out to eat, to parties, to unnecessary trips and to general social gatherings, other than the people you live with, can be very harmful. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(C.D.C), you are automatically at higher risk of getting coronavirus, or spreading it for that matter, if you travel.

The same applies to social gatherings and restaurants. Being around a large number of people for an extended amount of time will put you and the people around you at risk of getting infected.

The least you can do is wear a mask at all times and wash your hands.

Taking precautions such as social distancing, wearing facial protection, and avoiding unnecessary outings are very

Cartoon by Gabrielle Lashley As COVID-19 cases in California, especially in Los Angeles County, rise, taking precautions such as wearing a mask, social distancing and avoiding unnecessary gatherings are crucial.

helpful to prevent the spread of COVID-19. An article released by Health.com states that wearing a mask reduces viral transmission and prevents asymptomatic spread. In another article released by The University of Texas MD Anderson, it was reported that COVID-19 cases heavily reduced when social distancing policies were established. For example, new cases reduced by 65% in 46 states after said policies were put in place. Despite this, cases are rising again. There is a simple solution to reducing coronavirus cases throughout the U.S and that is being aware of what you and others are at risk of and taking precautions accordingly.

It is not as difficult as many people are making it out to be.

Though it is understandable to want to go outside after being quarantined for nearly nine months now, it is not understandable to claim that wearing a mask is a risk to one’s health when you simply don’t want to wear one. According to an article by The New York Times, some

8 The Pearl Post | November 2020

people who do not wish to wear masks have been going as far as buying fraudulent cards that claim the holder is not required to wear a mask due to health reasons. The cards, unsurprisingly, are fake.

Some believe that mask mandates are harmful, a violation of human rights and that wearing them is a political stand-point. Wearing a mask during a global pandemic should never be seen as a political statement. It is not a matter of politics. It is a matter of public safety that an unreasonable amount of people are not taking it seriously.

There’s a very straightforward solution to reducing the number of COVID-19 cases: wear a mask at all times when outside of a safe, enclosed environment. Avoid social gatherings with those who are not included in your home unit and do not go on any trips, for your safety and those around you. It’s as simple as that.

Instagram @yogabbygabby_l

Editorial

Outdated Electoral College interferes with U.S. elections, voters’ voices

T

hough the outcome of the Nov. 3 presidential election wasn’t immediately clear, one thing is: regardless of the winner of the election, the country still must undergo long-overdue change.

The American political system, though categorized as a democracy, is heavily flawed, oppressive and favorable for the powerful few. Through undemocratic methods of voter suppression, the people are routinely silenced and the votes of the most vulnerable communities are discarded. Additionally, institutions such as the Electoral College ensure that the best interest of the few is protected by using ineffective methods of weighing votes that don’t account for population and difference in voting among state residents, rendering many votes virtually insignificant.

We live in a country that prides itself on its power as a globally recognized democracy representative of its peoples’ best interests and well-being.

However, the systems that are ingrained into the political fabric of the country and consistently upheld despite their increasingly apparent flaws exist only to suppress the voices of the people. No argument can be made that the 538 votes of the Electoral College are genuinely representative of more than 146 million Americans who voted in the 2020 election according to FactCheck.org.

The U.S. is the only country whose democracy is based on a system like the Electoral College and others go by a popular vote, where the winner is the candidate with the most votes. In past elections, like the 2016 election, this country has seen presidents who, despite losing the popular vote, were elected because of their win in the Electoral College. This means when voters cast their ballots they’re not voting for the president, they’re voting for who their state will vote for.

In elections, this leads to voters waiting on the uncertain votes of their electorates rather than the consensus of the people. This highly undemocratic and outdated system serves as a buffer between the people and direct democracy and ensures that the vote of the people is not the deciding factor for their leader.

It also leads to delays in election results due to uncertain elector votes, this made even more visible in the Nov. 3 election, where counting was already slowed by the influx of mail-in ballots.

The people should decide who they are governed by, not an outdated system created by men who didn’t believe the people could control their own democracy. This system was never meant to be long-standing for the future of the country, it was merely a blueprint to begin with. This unfair and unrepresenta-

tive system is so heavily ingrained in the elections that there is no way to lessen its power without abolishing it entirely.

This system must be eradicated if the voices and votes of the people are to be of any importance in elections.

Because of the hold this system has over elections, this is not change that can be voted in; it must be brought about through powerful legislation.

Cartoon by Shannon Sullivan Record numbers of Americans cast their ballots for the 2020 presidential elections. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many voted by mail, dropping off their ballots at community drop boxes.

Opinion | November 2020

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Photo by Diego Hernandez Juniors Diego Hernandez and Allison Puc use Instagram Video Chat to communicate.

Photo by Kelly Stewart Senior Kelly Stewart uses Group FaceTime to keep in touch with friends Nadia Montiel and Emily Flores.

Photo by Monica Gonzalez Freshman Monica Gonzalez Group FaceTimes with her sister junior Danielle Gonzalez and a long-time friend.

Connection Check: Students keep communication alive via video chat

By Jessica Melkonyan

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n some cases, calling someone may not be the best method because you never know if that person will answer. Junior Diego Hernandez feels that texting is his most reliable source recently.

“All I can really do is message some of my friends,” Hernandez said. “I’m kind of lost on what they’re doing at the moment, as much as I want to know.”

A large part of Hernandez’s social life was meeting new people, whether it was a brief interaction or a long-term friendship. Ever since the strike of the pandemic, this has been a difficult task for Hernandez.

“I can’t find someone in the halls (like before), so it’s been kind of constant (communication),” Hernandez said. “I (liked) knowing that any day I (could) meet anyone and (with) the pandemic, (I) lost that.”

10 Features | November 2020

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ometimes texting is not enough to satisfy your social needs. Senior Kelly Stewart shares how she stays connected during the social distancing era.

“Me and my friends occasionally do Group FaceTime,” Stewart said. “We try to stay connected with each other.”

It’s a hassle trying to keep in touch with friends. Given the fact that the only in-person communication you get is with the same people every day, friendships are an ultimate substitution to this.

“You don’t really see people unless it’s the people that you live with, which (can) get annoying,” Stewart said.

Despite the urge to physically be with friends, Stewart wouldn’t agree to a safe plan to hang out with friends.

“Although we all want to go outside, it may not be too safe,” Stewart said.

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reshman Monica Gonzalez talks about her struggles with the lack of communication as she's entered the new school year virtually and without familiar faces.

"I haven't really been able to talk to a lot of people, especially as a freshman," Gonzalez said. "You don’t really get to make new friends."

Gonzalez feels that all this purely virtual communication is strange. Given the fact that she can't have an alternative to interact with peers, she claims she would take the opportunity to reconcile with her friends.

"If you do it safely and make sure to be careful," Gonzalez said. " Yeah, I would (go out with my friends)."

Instagram: @sh.jeess

Club Corner: Spreading awareness one sign at a time Club

By Nathalie Miranda he new American Sign Language Club (ASL) gives students the opportunity to learn a beautiful language with friends as well as spreading awareness for the deaf and hard-of hearing community.

“I think it’s important for students to learn ASL,” club President Maribella Ambrosio and photo editor for The Pearl Post said. “If someone who uses ASL ever comes to Daniel Pearl (Magnet High School), we should want to make them feel included.”

The club meets every Wednesday during lunch over Zoom. It is led by senior Ambrosio and is supervised by math teacher Lori Seo. A slideshow is shown during the meetings that shows the different signs. The club just finished learning the ABCs and the numbers. They just started learning the signs for different family members last week.

The main goal of ASL Club is to learn ASL and to spread awareness about the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

While the club didn’t start until after National ASL Day on April 15, the club does have plans of holding some kind of event on that day. What they will do is still undecided.

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Photo by Maribella Ambrosio American Sign Language (ASL) Club learns how to sign different words during their meeting on Oct. 28.

“I’ve run into some deaf and hard-ofhearing people and I think it’d be nice to communicate more broadly with them,” junior Lauren Mills said. “The club is really fun (and) the people there are really friendly.”

Not only is the club a fun way to meet with friends and learn a new language, but it’s also a way to educate yourself a bit more on people with hearing disabilities. The disabled community faces difficulties abled bodied people would’ve never thought about.

By learning ASL, you can lessen deaf and hard-of-hearing people’s difficulties, even if it’s just by a little.

The club was originally going to be a crochet club but president Gonzalez decided to change it. Now, there will be students prepared to sign to someone who needs it on campus. And while there is no pressure in becoming fluent and the club is more for students to just have fun, it will still be helpful information in the future.

“I think it’s important for us to be prepared if we ever meet someone who is deaf or hard-of-hearing,” Ambrosio said. “Disabled people should be treated the same as everyone else.”

Instagram: @nathalie61313

Features | November 2020

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Binge-worthy shows to watch during Thanksgiving break

By Jair Sanchez

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ith Thanksgiving break coming up, there is a week off from school. Finally! A break from the school work and a week to relax before finals and the holiday season.

So, if you aren’t watching a Thanksgiving or Christmas classic while staying at home this year, here are some amazing shows. that are worth a watch. Be warned, they’re all extremely bingeable.

You will find yourself finishing these before the break is over!

Starring Reese Witherspoon and Zoe Kravitz, this series follows a young single mother played by Shailene Woodley.

After moving to a charming beach town in Monterey, California, she starts to make a couple friends with the other moms around town and slowly tries to adjust.

As the show progresses, we uncover the stress and trauma she undergoes being a single-mom and figuring out the town.

The show twists and turns from her mysterious son to an unsolved murder that leaves even the mothers shocked.

Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington are the main characters of this eight-episode Hulu Original. The series takes place in the mid 1990’s in Shaker

Photo by IMDB Streaming devices like Hulu and FX have released shows like “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Russian Doll” to keep you at the edge of your seat, dying to know more. These are perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving break.

Heights, Ohio. Following a rich white family and a low-income African-American single mother of one, the single mother and her daughter start spending time with the other family more resulting in some tension that leads to drama in their town. The daughter wants to be around the other family more, but the mother warns her that they are no good.

Exploring topics such as white privilege, racism and motherhood will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for more.

“Russian Doll,” streaming on Netflix, follows a woman named Nadia celebrating her 36th birthday with her friends who throw her a party. However she dies and wakes up in the bathroom at her party… over and over again. Each night seems very similar but always different from the last. It’s too good not to watch all at once, making you really question...

What dimension are you living in?

Instagram: @jairrsanchez

Black Friday/Cyber Monday must-haves

By Gabrielle Lashley lack Friday and Cyber Monday are coming and that means the deals are too. It’s time to take advantage of the early sales and grab a few of these items before they run out.

Everybody needs a good pair of headphones and this Black Friday will definitely deliver! Beats headphones have gone on sale from their everyday $350 cost to a steal of $175. You can either order them at Target.com, with free shipping before Nov. 10, or buy them in store.

Next up are Sony’s wireless, noise cancelling headphones that have gone on sale to $88 from $112. They are available for order at BestBuy.com. If you’re looking for

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a cheaper option, JBL Tune on-ear, noise cancelling headphones have gone on sale from $50 to $30 and are available at Target.com Insulated water bottles are great to keep your water cold for long periods of time and are very useful. Who wouldn’t want to take the opportunity to buy one for cheap this Black Friday? For now the Contigo Stainless Steel Water Bottle is on sale for $18 from its usual $20, available at Target.com. Rated 5-stars on Amazon.com, the Tekaya Stainless Steel Water Bottle is on sale for $21.20 from its usual price of $28. Tahoe Trails Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, available at

The Pearl Post | November 2020

Amazon.com, has gone on sale for %20 0ff, putting it at a price of $12.

The Nintendo Switch has become incredibly popular in the last year, but what’s the Switch without its games?

Grab the games Super Mario Odyssey, on sale for $45, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, on sale for $56.25, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, on sale for $50 this Black Friday. The Nintendo Switch itself is not, at least not yet on sale. For now, if you already have a Switch, and none of these games, take the chance to grab them this Black Friday.

Instagram: @yogabbygabby_l

In wonder of what is to come for Shawn Mendes’ documentary

By Valery Barrera

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aving been in the music industry since the age of 15, canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes reveals what it’s like to be a popstar in his upcoming documentary “Shawn Mendes in Wonder.”

Experiencing hardships over the course of his self-titled tour, this documentary films the highest and lowests moments of his life. Speaking on topics such as relationships and what it’s like to be in the music industry, Mendes expresses his gratitude for all that he’s been through because it shaped him into the person he is today. The film is set to be released Nov. 23 on Netflix.

From singing in the comfort of his own bedroom to selling out arenas around the world, Mendes uncovers what it’s like dealing with the anxieties growing up in the public eye and his rise to fame.

His new single “Wonder” will be the first on the track list in his upcoming album “Wonder” releasing on Dec. 4.

Preaching the message that everyone must work to be the greatest version of themselves Mendes adds that he’s just a guy that loves music.

“This isn’t a story of a famous

Photo by Netflix Singer song-writer Shawn Mendes gives us insight into the limelight and takes us on what his life began as and what it has become in his documentary coming to Netflix on Nov. 23.

musician, this is a story of a guy growing up,” the 22-year-old narrated in the documentary trailer.

Pushing himself to the absolute core since the very beginning, the singer comes to terms with his limits in the turning point of the film.

With a look at never before seen footage, there’s a look of “wonder” in Mendes’ eyes as he maintains the perseverance of chasing his dreams.

“No one is born legendary, if you really want to be amazing at what

you do, you just need to start and practice really hard,” Mendes said in a Youtube video where he reacts to the trailer.

Though the film revolves around Mendes and his life, the story goes beyond “how amazing it is to be a popstar,” and expands on the vulnerability of it all.

Instagram: @valeerryy

Entertainment | November 2020

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App of the Month:

There is an Imposter Among Us

Viral iPhone game Among Us soars to popularity

By Antonio Bedon mong Us has ravished kids and teens alike and they can’t get enough of the game. It’s earned a place on almost everyone’s iPhone.

Among Us was released for two years before it blew up this fall. Luckily for the developers, the game was picked up

by Twitch and YouTube streamers which helped the game surge to popularity.

After watching their favorite streamers and YouTubers play Among Us, everyone jumped to their Discord servers and started to play. Once the public got a taste for Among Us, they were hooked and couldn’t stop.

Among Us is a multiplayer game where each character is a crew member aboard a spaceship and they need to complete certain tasks for the general well being of the ship. These tasks can range from emptying the trash chute to shooting lasers at asteroids.

But what’s the catch? There’s an imposter among the crew.

Each game has an imposter and

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the imposter’s sole job is to kill each crew member without being seen. The imposter has to eliminate every crew member until there is just one left and the game is over. Once a body has been found, all the members meet and try to explain their innocence while accusing others of being t h e impostor.

At the end of the discussion phase, everyone is allowed to vote for one player whom they believe to be the imposter. The player with the most votes gets kicked off the spaceship and is sent into the abyss.

If a crew member is voted off and they are not the imposter, the real imposter becomes one step closer to winning the game. If the crew members vote out the Impostor, then the crewmembers win the game.

Among Us is cross play and available for download for free on the Google Play store and the App Store. It is also available for purchase from Steam for PC and MAC download.

Among Us’ growing popularity is no surprise. It’s a genius interactive game where friends turn on one another for the greater good of the ship. Among Us is full of lying, deceit and action. It is a mustplay game.

Instagram: @lif3ofpablo

Tips and tricks to fix lagging internet

By Antonio Bedon veryone experiences laggy internet.

With parents and students still working and learning at home, many people are experiencing internet-related issues. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to fix some problems you might run into.

First you’re going to want to find out what the problem is, whether it’s your computer, phone or wifi router. One way to do this is go to measurementlab, which will run an internet diagnostic test for free. You can complete this test on any device that’s connected to the wifi server you want to test, then on the righthand side click the blue button that says “Run an NDT Test.” This test will tell your

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internet to upload and download speed.

If your wifi’s upload speed is slower than 6 mb/s (megabytes per second) and the download speed is slower than 25 mb/s then the problem might lie within the wifi router.

One quick and easy solution to fix your router is to reset it. Resetting the router will turn your wifi off completely until you turn it back on. To reset the router, all you need to do is unplug it, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in.

If none of these tips have worked or you don’t have internet at home LAUSD has worked with multiple companies to make it easy for students to access free in-

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ternet through companies like Spectrum and Comcast. To access any of these go to the Spectrum or Comcast websites or call this number (844) 488-8395. On top of working with Spectrum and Comcast LAUSD has also purchased a mass amount of WiFi hotspots and Chromebooks to pass out to students to assist them in connecting to their education.

No matter what the problem is, everyone has to deal with slow internet Thankfully there are resources available to fix or upgrade your internet connection.

Instagram: @lif3ofpablo

Athletes begin workouts with high hopes for spring

By Emily Flores

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chools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will allow student-athletes began socially distanced conditioning workouts on Nov. 9.

“I’m very excited to return to practice and see how everyone’s been doing,” sophomore and varsity volleyball player Naamah Silcott said. “At the same time, I’m hoping it is not premature since America did have a spike in cases two or three days ago.”

Athletes and coaches are very excited that some sports will be back out on the court or the field starting practice/ conditioning. It’s challenging for coaches not to teach athletes new skills and practice for the incoming games without any equipment in order to stay safe during this pandemic. Still, they have to follow those guidelines so everyone can be safe and try not to get close to each other like they usually do when they’re practicing.

“I would feel safe as long as everyone has been tested recently and wearing masks during practices for the most part, which can be difficult,” sophomore and girls basketball player Kennedy Fayton said. “But I think everyone can do it.”

In all sports, coaches and athletes will follow the health requirements and stay at least 6-8 feet apart until the pandemic slows down. That’s when coaches and athletes can get closer together while talking as a team close to each oth-

Photo is provided by Naamah Silcott Sophomore and varsity volleyball player Naamah Silcott strengthens her volleyball skills as she prepares to return to practice. She, along, with her teammates, are excited to finally return to practice.

er. Birmingham Community Charter High School began practices last month but has not been allowing Daniel Pearl Magnet High School students to participate in conditioning because LAUSD hasn’t allowed its student-athletes to work out on campus until Nov. 9. Only conditioning is allowed until the district has made decisions for athletes to start practicing with equipment. For athletes to do a sport, they have to fill out an athletics packet; they are ineligible to play if they don’t fill it out.

“I feel safe,” Birmingham Community Charter High School JV/Varsity football coach Dario Avila said. “I know our school has a good plan for reopening athletics and I know that our students will take the safety measures seriously because we will have to shut down otherwise. Our coaches and students want to be out here and will do whatever we need to do to keep practicing.”

All the coaches hope that the requirements don’t change too much where it can affect the athlete’s practices

and preparation for games.

“We are allowed to practice on campus but only outdoors and physically distanced and follow all other local health guidelines to have an outdoor practice, which only consists of conditioning without any equipment,” BCCHS volleyball head coach LeAnne Bennett-Riley said.

Some coaches are disappointed that this fall semester is when some sports are supposed to start and some sports are supposed to be finishing up their season.

Football usually begins in August and ends in November, depending on how far they go to win the CIF championship.

“The thing that changed is we can’t do anything right now outside of that, not sure what will happen during the season,” BCCHS baseball head coach Matt Mowry said. “When we first come back, we will not throw or use baseballs in any way.

It will only be conditioning and things where we don’t use the same equipment or get us closer than 6- 8 ft apart.”

Instagram: @smalls2203

Tech/Sports| November 2020

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Student Photography Spotlight About the Photographer Amelia Sanchez is currently a senior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. She has been a part of Birmingham Community Charter High School’s swim and water polo team since her freshman year and has won many awards like the MVP award. She is also currently the team captain. Due to the coronavirus, she has not been able to practice since school shut down. Sanchez is also active within the school community. She participates in Meet-the-Magnet nights and helps with the Class of 2021 fundraising.

Behind the Photo Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Austin Buetner announced on Nov. 2 that the district will allow on-campus sports training to start on Nov. 9. All students and coaches must provide a negative coronavirus test result before attending practice. On Oct. 9, LAUSD started offering free COVID-19 testing for teachers, staff, students and their families to collect information about cases within LAUSD communities. This photo was taken at San Fernando Middle School on Nov. 6. Testing sites are located throughout the district. To book an appointment, go to https://achieve.lausd.net/covidtestingappt.

Submit your best photos with a brief description to thepearlpost@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in the next issue of the The Pearl Post news magazine.