THE
PEARL POST
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
6649 Balboa Blvd., Lake Balboa, CA 91406
Volume 8
Issue 1
Students SATisfied with new test format? Page 7
www.thepearlpost.com
@ThePearlPost
@ThePearlPost
The Pearl Post
@dpmhsmedia
News 2
The Pearl Post
Sept. 15, 2016
Test scores on the rise Alice Curran
Staff Writer
Results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test showed an increase in scores compared to last year. The CAASPP, also known as “Smarter Balanced,” were taken by third through eighth graders and eleventh graders throughout California schools earlier this spring. The test results were Aug. 24. Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District improved by 4 percent in math and 6 percent in English. However, only 29 percent of LAUSD students who took the test met standards in math, and 39 percent in English. However, at Daniel Pearl Magnet, 30 percent of the students met or exceeded standards in math while 73 percent met or exceeded standards in English. The score summaries reveal how much schools are preparing students in those subjects, as well as how LAUSD students compared to students in other California schools. “The start of Common Core standards started relatively soon, in comparison to the testing on those standards, so most of the students that took the SBAC hadn’t been exposed to the standards so I’m not surprised. I think that if it continues over the years going forward I would be concerned,” Principal Deb Smith said. Overall, magnet schools in LAUSD did better than other schools throughout California. There was also a significant difference between the scores of English speakers and learners. Even in magnet schools that performed relatively well, English learners scored the lowest, due to lack of familiarity with the English language. Regardless of the increase in this year’s test results, all California schools need to work to prepare all students more, in order to see a higher percent of students meeting and exceeding standards.
Photo by April Serrano Senior Gera Pminenov waits to park in the Daniel Pearl Magnet High School parking lot. Students say that parking this year is easier than last because there are fewer student drivers.
Parking permits no longer required Elsie Morales
W
Copy Editor
ith fewer students driving to school and parking in the school’s parking lot, parking permits aren’t necessary. Many high schools require students to show proof of a valid driver’s license and car insurance to be able to drive to school like Northridge Academy High School. There, students have to fill out an application in order to be able to park in their parking and provide their license number and the name of their insurance. “I think it would be helpful (having parking permits),” senior Arianna Aguayo said. “It would help preserve the parking spots because sometime it gets pretty
hectic.” Toward the end of the year, students and staff needed a parking permit in order to park at the school due to nearby schools and facilities parking in Daniel Pearl Magnet High School’s (DPMHS) parking lot. For student drivers this year, having parking permits isn’t necessary for DPMHS. “I don’t think it’s necessary anymore,” senior Gera Pminenov said. “I mean we have plenty of parking now that last year’s class is gone.” There has also been a decrease in teens driving because of the costs, as reported by the article “Are teen drivers less dangerous or just driving less?” by CBS News. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, one third of the
teens they interviewed that didn’t have a license said that it was due to money. Teens that live in homes with incomes of less that $20,000, only 25 percent get licensed, while teens that live in households that earn more than $100,000 a year, only 75 percent get licensed. With less students driving to school and none of the drivers from neighboring schools and offices parking in the school’s parking lot, there isn’t a need for any parking permits. “I think part of it is that our parking lot is so tiny and we pretty much know who is coming and going,” Principal Deb Smith said. “We don’t know that if kids that are driving a car are licensed or have insurance. (It is) something that I will look into.”
Ex-school aide Garcia receives three years probation Jessica Salguero
Entertainment Editor
Former Daniel Pearl Magnet High School employee Daniel Garcia pleaded no contest last month to one count of sexual misconduct.
Daniel Garcia, a former special education assistant, received three years probation after he entered on Aug. 25 a no contest plea to one charge of sexual misconduct with a minor. Garcia was originally supposed to appear on trial on May 5 for three charges that allegedly occurred on Nov. 26, 2014 with a student from Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. He posted bail on May 10 for $100,000. According to documents from The Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles, he was charged with one count of California penal code section 289(H) which states that “Any person who participates in an act of sexual penetration with another person who is under 18 years of age shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison or in a county jail for a period of not more than one year.” He was also charged with the penal code section 647.6(A)(1) which states that “Every person who annoys or molests any child under 18 years of age shall be punished by a fine not exceeding
five thousand dollars ($5,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.” However, both of the previously mentioned charges were dropped and Garcia was only convicted of the penal code 261.5(C) which states that “Any person who engages in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is more than three years younger than the perpetrator is guilty of either a misdemeanor or a felony, and shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year.” These arrangements were part of his no contest plea that he declared before his preliminary hearing which led to him never officially going on trial. “In exchange for a no contest plea, the other two charges were dropped,” District Attorney Ricardo Santiago said. Garcia served eight days in Los Angeles County Jail but they were not part of his sentencing. Garcia’s official sentencing granted him three years of formal probation and no fees. It isn’t known whether or not Garcia will have to register as a sex offender.
Sept. 15, 2016
The Pearl Post
Opinion 3
Editorial
Welcoming a new year with a new design The 2016-2017 school year for The Pearl Post marks a beginning of a new era for the paper. With new staff members, photographers and editors, The Pearl Post team has already started the new year on a high mark. As for the paper as a whole, we’re working extra hard to keep our publication up to par with award-winning papers around the country. This being said, we’ve changed our layout and style of the very newspaper you are holding. It’s our goal as the editorial board to work diligently to publish every issue with very little errors and many visuals to make reading the paper more enjoyable. For us, this means that we need to be strict with our deadlines and set a basic uniform layout for our pages. Who knows, maybe this year The Pearl Post will be up for a Pacemaker award as well as our online publication. With very few returning photographers and writers, the new staff has jumped into their new positions and shown enthusiasm for doing multiple jobs that are crucial to the integrity of the paper. We are working hard to share the stories they write and are important to the students and the community around us. We are hopeful that by the end of the semester we will be an entirely new publication that will appeal to our readers not only at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School but also to readers in other
Media bias misleading public’s view Michael Chidbachian Staff Writer
Photo by Brandon Tapia Online Editor-in-Chief Tahra Hunter and Editor-in-Chief Rebekah Spector write about their expectations for the redesign of the newspaper. schools around the country. Our goal is to be the publication that others look to as reference. For our news website, we hope to continue updating it at least three times a week. With exclusive content, interactive polls, well-thought-out videos and telling photographs, our goal is to get more traffic directed to the website. With more online content there will be more social media coverage, so be sure to follow @ThePearlPost on social media.
We plan to continue contributing to The Los Angeles Times High School Insider and this year we will contribute videos to PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs and The Global Student Square website. Enormous struggles are certainly heading our way but with our new and talented staff we, as a team, will overcome these obstacles together and achieve the goals we set for ourselves and more.
The Staff Editor-in-Chief ≈ Rebekah Spector Online Editor-in-Chief ≈ Tahra Hunter Managing Editor ≈ Kyrah Hunter Opinion Editor ≈ Cristina Jercan Entertainment Editor ≈ Jessica Salguero Feature Editor ≈ Nallely Delara Sport Editor ≈ Winter Rawson Social Media Editor ≈ Kirsten Cintigo New Media Editor ≈ Maia Hito Copy Editor ≈ Elsie Morales Cartoonist ≈ Danielle Valenzuela Photography Editor ≈ Juliette Tafoya Assistant Photography Editor ≈ Brandon Tapia Staff Writers ≈ Rachel Bullock, Michael Chidbachian, Alice Curran, Steven Guzman, Amanda Jimenez, Eva Kaganovsky, Michelle Kaganovsky, Ani Kocharyan, Sergio Payeras, Angeltia Rivera, Julia Torres, Anthony Weatherspoon Photographers ≈ April Serrano Adviser Adriana Chavira
As election day comes closer, people have begun to gain interest on what’s happening and who should become the next president. However, this is becoming an issue since information is purposely taken out of context to favor one side or to attack the other. This is terrible as not only does it misinform people on important topics, but it can lead them into voting for a president who can cause misfortune for many families and potentially harm the country. One of the most famous networks that are known to do this is Fox News. Almost every news segment has reporters who constantly favor people from the Republican Party and bash on Democrats, especially Hillary Clinton. For all viewers of their shows, it is obvious that they rarely say anything positive about Democrats. With the elections coming soon, people will be voting and if they don’t see the whole story, then they can be making a mistake in who they’re voting for. Jesse Watters, a reporter who works at Fox, frequently goes on the streets and interviews people on hot topics that are debated nonstop. For the full story go to The Pearl Post website.
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 newspaper strives to inform and educate students and faculty on events affecting Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. The thought 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 Boards, 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 submitted to Ms. Chavira’s mailbox in the main office, in Room 22 or emailed to thepearlpost@gmail.com. The newspaper is published monthly and is the official campus newspaper of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. The newspaper is also posted online at http://www.thepearlpost.com. Free copies are distributed to magnet students, teachers and staff. The school is located at 6649 Balboa Blvd., Lake Balboa, CA 91604-5529.
Special Reports 4
The Pearl Post
The Unspoken Taboo:
- Illustration by Danielle Valenzuela
Plagiarism becomes a problem in academic community
Kyrah Hunter
S
Sept. 15, 2016
Managing Editor
ophmore Anais Weinstock is one of few that understands the gist of plagiarism but can’t envision an end to it. “It’s really easy,” Weinstock said. “No one can really stop you. It happens so quick.” People only hear about plagiarism when an important figure is caught plagiarizing, such as the Republican Convention where Melania Trump plagiarized lines from Michelle Obama’s speech from 2008. But the fact is, plagiarism isn’t exactly a hot topic among people which, makes it more of a problem. Part of the reason for this is that high school is where students are expected to prepare for their adult lives. Students who are caught plagiarizing on an assignment are commonly given a fail, which in retrospect is like getting com-
munity service for robbing a bank. However, despite risking their grade, students still take the leap instead of producing their own work. There a few reasons why students subject themselves to plagiarism, part of it because it gives them an easy way out. One of the reasons why students plagiarize is the misinformation, if any information, about plagiarism. “I don’t think a lot of people know what plagiarizing is,” English teacher Ron Baer said. “They think it’s okay to steal a couple lines.” For all those new to the issue, to plagiarize means to steal or pass off the ideas or words of another as their own, instead of giving an attribution. The fact is, plagiarism is pretty easy to stumble into. Even changing a few words from the original counts as plagiarism. What makes plagiarizing such a silent problem is how incredibly easy it is to do it. “It’s an easy way out,” Baer said. “Just like the way how you can never stop cheating. A lot of people would do anything to save their grade.” Especially with the technology people have today, with just a simple click you can copy the entire Shakespeare play of “Romeo and Juliet,” leaving no real thought process of what could happen if a person does plagiarize.
Another reason students plagiarize in their academics is the universal trait found in teenagers: Laziness. The internet makes plagiarizing so easy for teens, calling for less energy than creating something on their own. There’s also times where students believe that their work isn’t as up to par as they wish it would be. Some students fall under the pressure that they need to produce good work all the time or they need this one assignment to save them from failing the class. “I really think people do (plagiarism) because they don’t see any other
“It’s really easy. No one can really stop you. It happens so quick.” Sophomore Anais Weinstock way,” Principal Deb Smith said. “People feel incapable to do what they asked.” Another culprit of student plagiarism is students not knowing how to correctly cite, quote or paraphrase information they use in their work. Technology also plays a role in the prevention of plagiarism. With platforms like Turnitin. com or Paper Rater, teachers and professors can immediately fish out any plagiarizer in a matter of seconds. With more use of websites and softwares like these, students will assess the immense risk of plagiarizing and avoid it all together.
“If I think of it as enough of a problem for a company like TurnItIn to create a platform like Turnitin, then I would say it’s a problem,” Smith said. Suspension for plagiarism is more commonly found at the college level where if students are caught plagiarizing, they are sent home for the semester. Students could finally catch a break from the hectic schedule that is college life or they could be losing by the hour from missing classes. Again, it’s based on who you ask. “I think there needs to be a consequence but part of that needs to be a teaching moment,” Smith said. Turnitin.com is popularly used in education thanks to its ability to catch plagiarism. The site works with students signing up for their courses where they turn their essays in digitally. Their work goes through a process where Turnitin compares the sentences to other works found within book or on the internet. From the system’s finding, the site produces a percentage of how much is plagiarized. Plagiarism isn’t really talked about, making the issue seem less important than other things in school. But if plagiarism isn’t taken seriously, it will become more of a problem until the prevention of it is meaningless. “People have to learn how to be original, how to be creative,” junior Te’Inah Ortiz said. “You have to show the seriousness in it because a lot of people don’t take it serious.”
Not everyone’s perfect: Famous people caught plagiarizing
Plagiarism seems as if it is something only people with lack of confidence or knowledge do however, even the most l people find themselves committing plagiarism. Here’s a list of famous people who’ve been caught plagiarizing (All photo credit to Creativecommons.com)
T.S Eliot A renowned poet and voice of the 20th century, Eliot wrote a piece named “The Wasteland,” telling the horrors of war. This poem put him on the map, only, the poem isn’t entirely his. Eliot stole the majority of the poem “Waste Land,” written by the less known poet, Madison Cawein among many other famous names such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and many others.
Vice President Joe Biden In 1988, Biden a presidential candidate but his problem with taking other’s work for his own hindered his seemingly inevitable win for the democratic nomination. The problem came up in the when Biden took many similar lines from UK Labor Party politician Neil Kinnock’s speech in 1987. The speeches were nearly identical and ultimately cost Biden the race for presidency.
Johnny Cash An idoled country singer and multiple Grammy winner, Cash is famous for many hit songs, one of being “Folsom Prison Blues.” However, Cash hit song wasn’t really his at all. Cash explicitly took lines from Gordon Jenkins similarly named song, “Crescent City Blues,” in which Cash would changes parts of the lyrics or just keep them the same. Cash was sued by Jenkins but settled with $75,000.
Sept. 15, 2016
The Pearl Post
Speicial Reports 5
Photo by Creativecommons.org Melania Trump and Republican President candidate Donald Trump have been in the news for numerous reasons mostly around Donald’s speeches but never never before was Melania more relevant due to her plagiarism.
Melania Trump’s lack of punishment for plagiarism sends students wrong message Juliette Tafoya
Staff Writer
When Melania Trump spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, many remembered the Democratic National Convention in 2009 when Michelle Obama gave a speech that was strangely similar to Trump’s, igniting a news storm. In my view, Melania Trump should be punished for taking almost the same words from the First Lady. Of course, she would have to pay a fine for copyright issues, but she has enough money to pay for it with no problems. Unfortunately, there is no state or federal law that makes copying someone’s language an illegal crime, just an “academic crime.” Only 6 percent of Trump’s speech was copied from Michelle Obama. That’s about 63 words from the First Lady’s speech she made back when current President Barack Obama accepted the nomination. If it was law, Melania Trump should be sent to federal prison for copying one of the most powerful leaders in this country. However, because of different claims of who technically wrote the speech, people would beg to differ. The speech Melania Trump read was not technically
written by Trump. Although she claimed that she wrote almost all of her speech by herself with “little help,” the majority of it was written by a speech writer for her husbands presidential campaign. “I believe someone sabotaged her speech,” freshman Arrayah Lacy said. However, as a student about to go into college, I think this is not particularly fair to me and any other students that she receives no punishment. In school, the minute we plagiarize or cite something wrong, it’s an instant fail. And in college it’s even worse. Students can be suspended. As people of the United States, we own up to our responsibilities and mistakes legally and morally. The American public would think that because of this scandal, it would hinder Donald Trump since his wife did not own up to her huge error. But, as usual, leaders of the Republican party tried to convince the public that it was a ‘mistake’. But really, the majority of the time when leaders defend someone, it’s to save their own party’s back. However, this has not been the first time American leaders have copied from other works. Whenever someone in politics plagiarizes, it’s usually to help make a point. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, one of Don-
ald Trump’s former rivals for the Republican nomination, copied sources like SocialismSucks.net and others in his book, “America the Beautiful.” Even the sitting leaders of our country have their fair share of scandals in plagiarism. President Barack Obama was accused of “borrowing” legal terminology from the former governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick. Vice President Joe Biden had to drop out of his presidential race back in 1988 because he took large pieces of text from leader Neil Kinnock in a paper he wrote when Biden was back in law school. “Trump is the political leader, of course she won’t get in trouble. Melania is his wife, not a politician,” sophomore Brayan Herrera said. If some politicians can get away with plagiarizing then why are students punished for the smallest of offences? Though people like Melania Trump who plagiarize spare themselves from punishments, their mistake leaves a trail of criticism repeated on them for years to come. “If we get punished for plagiarizing someone and plagiarism gets on our personal records, we will be questioned on credibility for the rest of our lives,” senior Andrea Escamilla said.
Pearl Voice: Why do people plagarize?
Photos by JulietteTafoya
“I believe people plagiarize because they’re lazy and they want to take credit for other people’s work.”
Sophomore Nixia Bravo
“People plagiarize so they don’t do as much work. It’s just faster.”
Sophomore Andres Perkins
“I think people plagiarize because they can’t come up with any original ideas.”
Freshman Crystal Martinez
“People plagiarize because it’s easy.”
Senior Erica Mallari
Entertainment 6
The Pearl Post
Sept. 15, 2016
universal terror IN LA Steven Guzman
Screenshot by Kirsten Cintigo Andrea Russett discusses popular teen topics in her videos.
YouTuber of the month Kirsten Cintigo
Social Media Editor
Andrea Russett is more than your average high school dropout. Russett, 21, is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and moved to California when she got her taste with creating content online when she made a video to enter a Justin Bieber meet and greet and contest. The video got over a 1,000 views and helped launch Russett to where she is today. Since the contest, she has constantly uploaded videos weekly which voice her opinions, bring light to charities she is happy to be apart ofand even does comedy videos to reach out to viewers. For the full story go the Pearl Post website.
Staff Writer
Universal Studios annual Halloween Horror Nights opens Sept. 16 for the 2016 year and fans are screaming. With a new terrifying lineup of mazes, fans are naming this year the best year in Horror Nights history. The lineup includes: The Exorcist, Halloween 2, Freddy VS Jason, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Krampus and American Horror Story. “I’m really scared for Texas Chainsaw Massacre” says sophomore Blanca Osorio, “I hate chainsaws.” For people who are going for the first time, mazes are the main attractions of the event. Aside from the mazes there are also the scarezones,Terror Tram, The Walking Dead Attraction and the returning show of the Jabbawockezz. Scarezones are multiple areas around the park where scare actors are waiting to scare you, each scarezone with a different theme. This year however has a twist, every scarezone will be themed The Purge: Election Year. The Terror Tram is a horrific journey, where you are taken to the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot. You must make
your way through the back lot in order to escape. As with scarezones, the Terror Tram t h e m e changes every year, this years being “Eli Roth presents Terror Tram”. This Terror Tram will include terrifying clowns and mimes. Terror Tram line closes at 11:15 p.m. on Thursdays a n d Sundays and 11:45p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Halloween Night. The Walking Dead attraction which opened this summer will also be open to the Halloween Horror Nights audience. The Jabbawockezz made their first appearance to Halloween Horror Nights last year in their soldout shows and became the highest paid attraction at Halloween Horror Nights last year. They are returning to Hollywood with an
all-new, exclusive live show for 2016. Photo by Flickr
Ticket Information The General Admission Online (saves $30): $59, After 2p.m. Day/Night Combo: $89, Front of the Line: $159 Frequent Fear Pass (up to 15 nights): $149.
Women starting to dominate big screen in reboots Rachel Bullock Staff Writer
With a recent release of “Ghostbusters” and “Ocean’s 8” on the way, Hollywood seems to be creating a trend of recasting movies to have a main cast of female leads. The genderbending that these movies are trying to achieve has not had a good start. The new “Ghostbusters” has been under critical fire from all sides, more so by the public audience than by critics. Critics find the unique rendition of the popular classic to be somewhat entertaining while the public either adores the humorous film or finds a way to bash it for one reason or another. “A strong female lead who does not provide controversial subjects and applies well to the job they are looking for should be cast for movies,” freshman Samuel Torres replied. He also mentioned that Hollywood looks for the embodiment of the character they are casting. That means that a seasoned actress would be best for a role in movies that will follow these trends. “Ocean’s 8” is taking this approach by casting Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Helena Bonham Carter as their main characters. As “Ocean’s 8” is the remake of a remake, the loose translation of the original (“Ocean’s 11”) will be apparent. However, as long as the cast does a good job, it seems as if people don’t care as much as they make it seem as shown on the IMDb message boards.
Photo by Flickr The cast of the female reboot of “Ghostbusters” from left to right: Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones It seems as though, because of the criticism recasts are receiving, the trend is not what it seems. The trend is not genderbending. It stirs up enough conversation, but when it boils down to it, recasts are fine as long as they don’t become tiring. Movies should be able to be fresh, new, exciting and all the while remain entertaining as well as relevant to the culture it is being released into. One possible trend that could be more successful and less controversial is to have more female leads in more original movies. They can be based on books, but it’s about not having to change the dynamics of the characters based off of the
gender as recasts may feel the need to do. Take a look at the novel “Annihilation” by Jeff Vandermeer, for example. It’s a sci-fi thriller that centers around a group of four scientists, all of whom are women. There has been casting and Natalie Portman is set to star as the biologist (the book’s narrator), according to IMDb (internet movie database). Not only is the director taking into account the experience she has, but he doesn’t have to change the dynamics of the plot based on gender the way that these recast movies feel the need to in order to appease their audiences. These trends are fair and completely justified ideas. It seems, as this is a very
diverse country, that it can be considered overdue especially considering how prominent movements like feminism are and how they can so easily influence the movie industries as they are now. Check out The Pearl Post website for additional stories including: • New diverse heroes by Julia Torres • Upcoming movies by Michelle Kaganovsky • YouTube restrictions by Kirtsen Cintigo • Justice League: flop or blockbuster? by Liliya Miroshnychenko
Sept. 15, 2016
The Pearl Post
Features 7
Revised SAT: Difficult vocabulary College Corner SATs now words are out; Critical thinking is in optional? Eva Kaganovsky
Anthony Weatherspoon
Staff Writer
Senior Joanne Taborda has mixed feelings regarding the substantial changes in the new SAT. “I feel like the new format is much easier because the English portion is more straightforward with the new SAT,” said senior Joanne Taborda. The new SAT was administered for the first time in March 2016 and many seniors will be taking it this fall. The redesigned SAT is now broken down into three sections: evidence based reading and writing, math and an optional essay. “The College Board’s mission is to support college and career readiness and success for all students and to make sure that those who are prepared take full advantage of the opportunities they have earned,” said Jaslee Carayol, the Associate Director of Media Relations for The College Board, which administers the exam. The new content of the SAT draws from the national Common Core standards. Students are required to dig deeper into texts and formulate their own analysis. “Now when students take the SAT, they can focus on showing their strengths, not tricks or strategies,” Carayol said. “Eliminating these false barriers means more students will have an opportunity to put their best foot forward on the SAT.” The new math section gives students 80 minutes to solve 58 questions consisting of multiple choice and grid-ins and is
Staff Writer
Photo by Brandon Tapia A group of students study in the school library for the updated SAT, which some students have mixed feelings about. further divided into two sections: Math Test-Calculator and Math Test-No Calculator. If students decide to take the optional essay portion of the SAT, they are given 50 minutes to provide an analysis of a given text. The University of California system requires the essay while Cal States do not.
“Take this test seriously. Studying the week before is not enough,” said Linda Zimring, the volunteer college counselor at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. “This is a high stakes test meaning that a lot rides on this score. Also consider taking the ACT. It is a completely different kind of test and some students score higher on it.”
Earlier this year, Harvard University released a report proposing to make major changes to their admissions process. Among the many changes proposed in the report, Harvard suggests that schools should be “clearly describing to applicants how much these tests actually count and how they are considered in the admissions process,” as stated on the Jan. 20, 2016 report “Turning the Tide Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admissions,” published on Harvard’s website. This report from Harvard was endorsed by over 80 colleges and universities around the country including Princeton University, Yale University, and Dartmouth College. The school wants their students to excel in academics, but also to have an impact in their communities. Harvard makes it clear that they envision an admissions process that allows for the student’s character to be the basis of their admission, rather than a test score. “It needs to simultaneously reward those who demonstrate true citizenship, deflate undue academic performance pressure and redefine achievement so that it is both more meaningful and helps level the playing field for economically diverse students,” according to the report. Any of the changes proposed in Harvard’s report may not be put into effect until years from now, if at all.
Pearl Post staff wins 2 prestigious LA Press Club awards Kyrah Hunter Managing Editor
Former Editor-in-chief Ilana Gale, Editor-in-Chief Rebekah Spector and Managing Editor Kyrah Hunter sat nervously in their seats as they waited through the many awards in the high school category of the Los Angeles Press Club. In a blink of an eye, the students rushed out of their seats to accept their award for Best High School Newspaper to later on in the night be rewarded a second award for Best Spot News in their article, “LAUSD bomb threat that closed all schools was not credible.” The event took place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles on June 26 and welcomed many honorable faces in the world of journalism. Faces such as CEO of National Public Radio Jarl Mohn, environmental activist Erin Brockovich, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut and California-born journalist Jason Rezaian. For the second year in a row, The
Photo from Deb Smith (From left to right) Judea Pearl, father of journalist Daniel Pearl, Managing Editor Kyrah Hunter, Editor-in-chief Rebekah Spector, former Editor-in-Chief Ilana Gale, Principal Deb Smith and journalist Patt Morrison pose for a picture as the editors accept their two awards at the Los Angeles Press Clubs awards in June.
Pearl Post was named Best High School Newspaper, winning against Beverly Hills High School. Gale, Spector and Hunter also took away a big win with first place in Best Spot News Writing for their article “LAUSD bomb threat that closed all schools was not credible” from Dec. 15, 2015. The article is the product of several staff members’ hard work during a time of high alert and uncertainty. The article won over college students coming from California State University of Northridge (CSUN), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University Long Beach, which were also competing in the Spot News category. After the student awards were given, the night went on to give the President’s Award, the newly named Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award, named after the late Los Angeles City Councilman and former president of the Club, the Daniel Pearl Award and Joseph M. Quinn Award for lifetime achievement.
Sports 8
The Pearl Post
Sept. 15, 2016
Boys water polo prepares for upcoming season Amanda Jimenez Staff Writer The Birmingham Community Charter High School’s (BCCHS) boys water polo team starts their season rough after not placing in a Camarillo tournament last week. The team has lost a lot of their senior players from last year and has an abundance of starting sophomores and juniors. Training rigorously to build up stamina, the team is looking forward to the rest of the season. “We lost a lot of good players so we are in stress mode,” varsity player Shayn Gaft said. Practice is every day from 2 to 5 p.m. and consists of shooting, passing and swimming drills, as well as scrimmages to increase accuracy and speed. Next week, the team plans to include the weight room in their daily routine. After losing to Palisades Charter High School last year at the City Section Championships, the team is planning on redeeming themselves this season. They are also anticipating playing against their unofficial rival Granada Hills Charter High School. “I’m looking forward to playoffs because we didn’t win last year,” varsity player Benjamin Sanchez said. Varsity’s next game will be against Cleveland High School at 3 p.m. on Sept. 19. Playoffs will start the week of Oct. 31.
Photo by Julia Torres Sophomore Zachary Gephart-Canada prepares to throw the ball across the pool to a teammate during a game last week against Eagle Rock High School. On Sept. 14, BCCHS won 16-4 against Taft Charter High School.
Athlete of the Month:
Senior Genesis Ocampo Michael Chidbachian Staff Writer
Photo by Emily Rodriguez As senior Genesis Ocampo draws back her bow, she aims the first arrow at the target at Woodley Park Archery Range.
As senior Genesis Ocampo draws her bow, she takes one last breath before she shoots her arrow at the target. For almost a year, Ocampo has been practicing her archery skills at the Woodley Park Archery Range twice a week. “I always liked the thought of archery, and I heard of the archery range and decided to check it out,” Ocampo said. “Everyone there has been really helpful in order to make me a better archer.” Shooting four hours a week, Ocampo takes a calculated shot each time she lets an arrow fly, and her hard work has paid off. Ocampo managed to perform an impressive stunt that many archers have never accomplished. On that day, she made the “Robin Hood” shot, which is when the archer’s current arrow strikes through a previous one already in the target. “I couldn’t believe I actually made a shot like that,” Ocampo said. “It’s something out of movies.” Alongside archery, Ocampo is also on Birmingham Community Charter High School’s (BCCHS) varsity water polo team. Practicing ev-
ery day after school, Ocampo feels prepared for the upcoming scrimmage with Temple City High School. While many students prefer to stick to one sport, Ocampo strives for that second one. Even with two sports, she takes on two AP classes, maintaining her 3.4 G.P.A. “I feel really relieved after because I put all my emotions into it,” Ocampo said. “Water polo and archery both help me relax after a long day.” Archery has even aided as a bonding factor between Ocampo and her friends, serving as a new activity they all participate in. “Even though I’m still fairly new in the grand scheme of things, I feel like archery has had such a huge impact in my life,” Ocampo said. Although she is unsure of her future, she hopes that she will have an opportunity to continue archery and water polo. For now, Ocampo will still be in the two sports as long as she can before she graduates and goes to college. “I’ll probably try to find a range near my school during college. I’ll play water polo through senior year and perhaps in college,” Ocampo said.