VOL. XXXIX ISSUE 8 MAY 24, 2019
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL www.pvphsnews.com
THE WRONG WAY TO PROM Racist promposal poster sparks controversy OPINION PAGE 4
LGBTQ PLUS
A WORK OF HEART
GET SERVED
PLUS and LGBTQ+ club collaborate for ribbon week
Students express creativity through various art forms
Boys’ volleyball wins CIF and earns state title
NEWS PAGE 2
FOCUS PAGES 6-7
SPORTS PAGE 10
PLUS and LGBTQ+ United Lead Pride/Yellow Ribbon Week
news
A COLORFUL COLLABORATION
Amanda kalaydjian
From March 25-29, the LGBTQ+ United club and student leadership group Peer Leaders Uniting Students (PLUS) worked together for the first time in Peninsula history by combining Pride Week with Yellow Ribbon Week. Pride Week is now a worldwide tradition that is dedicated to celebrating individuals from all walks of life and their self acceptance, as well as their achievements and legal rights. PLUS previously dedicated Yellow Ribbon Week specifically to promote students’ mental and physical health and a safe environment. During this particular week, PLUS and LGBTQ+ United strived to reduce students’ stress levels and planned activities on campus. At the beginning of the week, students signed pledges and participated in an anti-stress festival in the amphitheater. Later during the week, games were held in the gym and Peninsula graduate Alex Gray, a professional surfer and motivational speaker gave a speech about overcoming adversity and handling stress in a positive
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manner. Students were also encouraged to dress in yellow or rainbow-colored clothing during the week in support of the event. PLUS adviser Patrick Daley expressed how he felt when he was presented with the idea of working with
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of the campus come together for the betterment of the entire Panther community, [so] when the idea was originally presented, I was eager to work with the club.” At Peninsula, PLUS is in charge
Yellow Ribbon Week is all about anti-bullying and overall health. We thought it would be a cool idea to try something new while sticking to the theme of promoting a healthy school climate. - JUNIOR Adrianne tung
the LGBTQ+ United club. “I have always been a proponent of collaborative projects,” Daley said. ”I always feel good when two sectors
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Yaseen el-magharbel
of organizing Yellow Ribbon Week. Throughout the year, PLUS also plans monthly forums for students to interact and express their feelings with their
peers. These forums serve as nonjudgemental environments where students can speak their minds and discuss ways to improve Peninsula. Junior and PLUS member Adrianne Tung stated that she could not wait to start working with LGBTQ+ United and thought that it was a great idea to combine the two events. Because different groups of people that identify within the LGBTQ+ community find representation in the pride flag, the club hung an assortment of pride flags off of the second floor balconies across campus. In addition, PLUS tied yellow ribbons around trees across campus to symbolize being drug free and mentally healthy. “We thought it would be a cool idea to try something new while sticking to the theme of promoting a healthy school climate,” Tung said. President of LGBTQ+ United, junior Aidan Jasanis, worked with PLUS to coordinate the week’s events. “In the end it was truly moving,” Jasanis said. “It was [touching] to see all of the staff on campus come [to] support our event.”
Caitlyn Lee According to a USA Today-California Network analysis released last month, the Palos Verdes (PV) community, along with nine other regions in the state, was listed as having inadequate wildfire evacuation routes, making PV susceptible to greater damages in the event of a fire. In 2018, a campfire started in Butte County, California resulted in the death of 85 civilians in the town of Paradise, an event determined to be one of the most detrimental fires in California history. Despite the fire’s location at 485 miles away, Peninsula students were able to recall seeing ash falling on campus. The devastation of the Paradise fire brought media attention to areas with the similar issue of outdated evacuation systems such as the PV community and concerns Peninsula students attending school in the community. The Peninsula campus is located in the heart of the PV community and has over 2,426 students. The campus’ main entrances both lead to the intersection between two larger streets, Silver Spur and Hawthorne Boulevard. Due to the small number of roads relative to the population of PV, there are few evacuation routes available to its students, which affects the students’ ability to evade any potential fire. Out of the 1.1 million housing units statewide, a common trend was seen throughout a large number of California
homes. They are more likely to burn because they do not meet recent fire-resistant standards. According to Archinect, a site specializing in architecture, California state codes mandate that newly built housing must meet building codes designed to prevent them from catching on fire. The new codes require homes to be built with fire safety precautions such as interior sprinklers, fire resistant roofs and sidings, decks and patios made of non-flammable materials and heatresistant windows. Unlike Paradise, which is located in a woody area, the Palos Verdes Peninsula is home to many potentially flammable plant species. Derrick Ho, freshman Marissa Ho’s father and Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) firefighter, advised Peninsula students and staff to cooperate with firefighters to maintain good fire safety practices. “Residents should comply with the brush clearance standards put forth by LACFD,” Ho said. “It allows the chance for firefighters to defend homes in case of an aggressive brush fire.” Throughout the school year, arranged escape routes are practiced in simulated drills in the hypothetical case of a fire. The main procedure for a fire on campus is to evacuate its students from the site. In accordance with the school’s online agenda, all teachers and staff members are expected to individually review the Emergency Disaster Preparedness Plan
at the start of the school year and are expected to explain the procedures to their students. Junior Chrislyn Tseng believes that when teachers discuss a classrooms’ emergency plan in advance, students feel more prepared. “It would be beneficial to the safety of everyone to know how to evacuate from every classroom they are regularly in and not just the one [in which a] drill takes place,” Tseng said. “It is hard to imagine that we only will ever need to know how to evacuate from our third period classrooms.” The recent media concern for fire safety has also reached PVPUSD staff and administration. On May 8, PVPUSD Associate Superintendent Doctor Keith Butler attended a meeting with Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Cheryl Dawson to review the district’s emergency drill policies. With approval from the PVPUSD Board of Education, the district has worked to increase their safety precautions by installing a new emergency communication system on all campuses over last summer and implementing full campus evacuations. In the case of a fire with more long-term damage, classes may be moved to other PVPUSD campuses. “[Being in a hazardous area] is certainly [worthy] of concern,” Butler said. “[Changes] would depend on the extent of possible damage. We want our students and staff to work in safe environments.”
news
RECENT FIRES CAST DOUBT ON PALOS VERDES FIRE SAFETY
helen huang / the pen
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27118 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Nina Li Emily McGinn MANAGING EDITOR Alison Kim DESIGN EDITOR Connor Tumelty Alex Yoo NEWS EDITOR: Olin Osborne III WRITERS: Amira Belhedi Tiffany Cha Yaseen El-Magharbel Caitlyn Lee OPINION EDITOR: Liana Korotzer WRITERS: Fiona Andersons Josh Kim Saffy Laurio Alexandra Perez Imogene Tomicic FOCUS EDITORS: Rianne Aguas Asumi Shuda WRITERS: Keila Bara Brianna Cho Kaitlyn Ho Minji Jeun Osame Osayande Fiona Yang STUDENT LIFE EDITORS: Chris Guanzing Ana Willoughby WRITERS: Jacci Engler Helen Huang Kristen Lu James O’Dea Christine Youn SPORTS EDITOR: Anne Lee WRITERS: Jacey Gibaldi Mitchell Lin Tilly Safavian Aidan Sun Casey Syal GRAPHICS Josh Kim Rachel Liu BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Elana Ho Lina Kugaya ADVISER Jaymee Johnson “The Pen” is the student newspaper produced by the advanced journalism students of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. It is published eight times per year. Advertising inquiries may be directed to Advertising Manager Elana Ho at (310) 377- 4888 ext. 652. The Pen editors appreciate Letters to the Editor, which are accepted up to one week before publication. You may submit them to H52 or to Jaymee Johnson’s mailbox. Copyright © 2018 Cover Design by Christopher Chien Minji Jeun
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OUR DISTRICT SHOULD NOT CHARGE STUDENTS FOR FEMININE PRODUCTS Editorial Staff Education or hygiene? In our modern society, a student may be pressured to choose between the two. From April 8-16, Peninsula’s Service Learning Leadership (SLL) operated a drive that collected feminine hygiene products donated to students’ English classes. The flyers, posted on bathroom stalls around campus, included an appalling statistic that one in five American students miss out on educational opportunities due to their lack of access to feminine products. This fact contributed to the drive’s overall purpose to raise awareness for the consequences of overpricing feminine products. For this cause, Peninsula expressed support through its publicization of the drive through the school bulletin and other announcements. However, the school ironically continues to charge 25 cents per sanitary product. If we as a school are battling the inaccessibility of sanitary products for females due to its high prices, we must ensure that we are demonstrating our support for this cause through our actions. According to Cision PRWeb, the escalating competition within the industry resulted in the cost of sanitary products to rise. In addition, due to product innovations to improve quality, companies began to make their products to be more convenient and trustworthy, surging prices. This, in turn, affects our school budget and how they are allocating its funds. According to Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District’s (PVPUSD) budget report, PVPUSD designates a fixed
portion of their budget to respective aspects of its schools. The report states that only five percent of the budget goes to supplies and other materials including feminine products. This insufficient amount implies that with the district’s limited budget and increasing prices of hygiene products, PVPUSD can only afford to give away so many free feminine items. In fact, until recently, school nurse Wendy Keller had to personally purchase these products to supply our student body. If we as a school desire to support feminine hygiene, our district should be the source of this supply, not our school nurse. Presently, due to Assembly Bill 10, Title I California public schools, or educational establishments in lower-income communities, are supplied with free feminine products in their respective districts. However, Peninsula is not a Title I school, meaning that we do not qualify to receive these products and are not compensated by the state for such costs. This situation prompted our student body to begin purchasing these products, limiting our access to them. Nevertheless, the socioeconomic status of the school does not suppress the reality that these materials are needed for a woman’s menstruation. Despite attempts to justify the burdening cost of feminine products, women should not pay the excessive amount of $7 for such a necessity, as menstruation is a bodily function that cannot be controlled. According to National Public Radio, in 40 out of the 50 states, including California, items such as food and medicine are deemed necessities and are given tax exemption. Because feminine products do not coincide with states’ tax code exemption requirements, a tax is maintained.
Although menstruation is a bodily function that requires sanitary products, a tax on these items is still standing. Despite it still being a recurrent issue in society, progress is being made regarding the reduction of feminine hygiene product prices. Countries around the world, including the United States, are beginning to remove taxes from such commodities. Many people are now becoming aware of the repercussions of overpriced sanitary products. We are beginning to see the prevalence of this issue with SLL’s drive that not only collects pads, tampons and liners, but also symbolizes a movement of women supporting the monetary freedom of a simple product that they cannot live without. To battle this financial strain on students, Peninsula should further focus its budget on necessities to a student’s health and hygiene, including sanitary products. It is imperative that the school covers this basis of necessity with their budget before allocating their funds to other aspects of the school like. Lack of education limits a student’s potential. In society today, schools need to demonstrate that we should not have to prioritize our educational opportunities over something we cannot control. JOSH KIM / The Pen
THE PEN PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL
RACIST PROMPOSAL RESULTS IN A DEMAND FOR CHANGE Fiona Andersons and Olin Osborne III During the week of May 13, the Palos Verdes community was immersed in controversy as an image of a racist promposal surfaced. Against the white of a posterboard read, ‘[You] are racist, but I would give anything for you to go with me to prom,’ and spelled out in black bolded letters was the N-word. According to the Los Angeles Times, social media was soon flooded with reactions to the incident when a Twitter post surfaced depicting the two students laughing behind their promposal poster. Many of the responses on social media were directed toward both the students themselves and the high school they attended, Palos Verdes High School (PVHS), urging the school to not only punish the students involved, but to also take action and combat racism in their school environment. While there were some steps taken by the school against the controversy, a minuscule punishment and an unsuitable reaction to the issue by the PVHS administration highlights the need for a drastic shift in the way that the community handles racism. A wave of activism was sparked by the event, as students from across the district took up an active role in condemning the promposal and forming the Palos Verdes (PV) Students
Against Racism (PVSAR). The PV community has to work together to ensure that the black community feels safe, supported, welcomed and represented and that students understand the true gravity of racism. The PVHS administration’s response to this promposal was disappointing. It illustrates the hill’s larger issue regarding racism: ignorance. For instance, on May 14, when the PVHS administration gave their initial comments on the promposal through an email to all PVHS students and parents, and the use of the N-word was described as ‘a slang-term’. This word choice within their statement was a blatant minimization of what is clearly defined and considered as one of the most offensive racial slurs in the English language. Additionally, it highlights how it took public criticism for the school to realize their mistake, instead of proactively avoiding such a situation by admitting that the N-word is a racial slur. “Personally, I felt targeted,” PVHS sophomore Ife Ibraheem said. “I simply felt belittled and small because of my skin color which is something that I cannot change and should not feel like I have to. I hope that we can be more cognizant of our words and actions.” The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) needs to encourage awareness about racial stigmas, stereotypes
and history within its curriculum and policies in order to react properly to these situations. Without this step, the situation will continue to escalate. “This is not a isolated incident, nor the first racist incident in PV, and we need to unite as a community to show that it is not acceptable for things like this to happen,” senior and Black Student Union President Zoe Doan said. “It does not end here. We need to push for [district] policies that [incorporate] the black experience in a predominantly white area like PV in every aspect of our education.” We need to train our teachers about how to handle racist situations in their classrooms to ensure that lessons are culturally relevant and aware of the experiences their students of color have. This means encouraging more professional development days on how race affects the classroom and what is considered racist. An effective strategy to combat racism in PV will only be one that involves both the teachers and students in its development and implementation. “One thing we have to consider is that ignorance is not the same as racism,” senior Sarah Espiritu said. “Targeting someone on social media and calling them racist is not going to solve the problem when they considered it a ‘joke’.”
opinion
FIGHTING BACK Alleged local assault places an importance on bullying awareness Alex Perez On March 22, 18-year-olds Alexander Bell-Wilson and Korey Streeter were filmed on a mobile phone assaulting an 18-year-old boy with autism in the parking structure of the Promenade on the Peninsula mall, according to National Broadcasting Company (NBC) News. The two boys allegedly beat the teenager and mocked him by forcing him to take off his clothes. According to KTLA5, the defendants were arraigned on May 9. If Streeter and Wilson are convicted as charged, they could each face a maximum of five years in state prison. After the attack, protesters began to stand in front of the school with a petition for a full jury for the trial of Wilson and Streeter and carried signs expressing anti-bullying sentiments. Although the investigation of the incident is currently ongoing, it sparked numerous debates on whether or not schools do a sufficient job at educating students about bullying and autism. Rather than annual assemblies, the district must take further action in raising awareness by instilling stronger repercussions for bullying and classroom discussions on how to prevent abuse against other students. While many may sympathize with the protesters’ cause, some feel that the protests are ineffective due to how easily they can be overlooked due to their small numbers. “I personally do not think that the protests in front of the school are effective because most people just drive or walk by them without a second thought,” junior Sam Jongkind said. “I think a better approach would be for someone to come speak to the school [directly] because that way, [it] would [create] a more personal connection with students.” Questions have also arose regarding the atmosphere of Peninsula and whether or not it had anything to do with fostering this attack. Junior Nabeel Khan is among those who believe that the school should not be blamed for the alleged assault. “I feel that this incident does not have much to do with Peninsula and its curriculum, [but] it stems from the central problems [of] the two individuals’ lives,” Khan said. “I can only hope that people will show more empathy and be kinder to their peers, regardless of who they are or what their background is.”
Although some students believe that the incident had nothing to do with Peninsula, research by Psychology Today shows that one of the leading causes of bullying outside of school is the fact that many teachers do not follow through with punishments for bullies. Because of this, bullies are more likely to feel like they will not have to face consequences and will therefore continue with their behavior unless stopped by schools. Therefore, contradictory to some student’s beliefs, Peninsula plays an integral role in preventing bullying like the kind seen in the alleged assault. The assault itself also sparked discussion about the ways schools could better inform their students on how to prevent bullying-related incidents and spread autism awareness. Because the victim is autistic, protesters have also made signs with the symbols for autism awareness. While there are a handful of antibullying programs, the district has not yet instilled mandatory assemblies for the disability awareness programs. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) currently has several programs that are meant to combat bullying, such as student centers, which are equipped with therapists and annual activities such as Breaking Down the Walls, through which students are able to bond through various guided activities. While these programs are effective in the brief moments that they are being used, they do not seem to have a long-lasting impact. A study by University of Texas at Austin revealed that anti-bullying programs prove to be less effective in students past the eighth grade. Therefore, PVPUSD should instill more anti-bullying programs such as Breaking Down the Walls in elementary and middle schools. For high school students, the district should provide more consistent information through class discussions on bullying and how to counter it by informing students on how to deal
with bullying if they happen to witness it. According to the Stop Bullying Now Foundation, in order to interfere and stop bullying, bystanders should distract the bully and offer the victim an escape or alert nearby adults if they witness an attack. Bystanders like those who were present in the mall assault could “make or break” situations like this, and schools often overlook the importance of teaching students what to do when witnessing an attack. Had the bystanders intervened in the proper way, by calling the police for help or intervening, the attack could have been mitigated. Apart from increased attention toward bullying and autism, the protesters are also calling for a full jury trial in the prosecution of Wilson and Streeter with no plea bargains. Therefore, no agreements would be made between the prosecution and defense on a more lenient sentence for either of the boys. Regardless of the details behind the assault, any attack on another human being should be punishable by more than simply getting off with community service or a slap on the wrist, which would happen if plea bargains were allowed on the trial. “I think because the attack was so extreme, there should definitely be a full jury,” junior Liam Drew said. “Plea bargains should not be an option at this point, regardless of what started the altercation between the parties involved.” Ultimately, this incident has brought many issues to light, such as the need for more bullying and autism awareness programs. While there is still not much information on what led to the attack, the severity of the assault should be enough to make the crime punishable. Wilson and Streeter should be convicted as they are being charged, and this incident should be made an example to prevent further bullying altercations in the future.
JOSH KIM / THE PEN
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ANTHONY NUBER WINS FIRST PLACE IN JOST JACCI ENGLER
ENS PHOTO CONTEST
by another photo that simply pictured and his doubts disappeared after the someone sitting behind a laptop. He On April 24, the yearbook and results arrived. expanded on that image’s message, memorabilia company Jostens announ “[Anthony Nuber] has been ced pulling the frame back to create more the 2019 winners for the Jostens Pho inte rested in these sorts of personal to space for books and homework in the Contest . Among the winners, junior challenges since he was old enough image. Taken from a birds-eye view , the to walk.” Ray Nuber said Anthony Nuber received first place . “The idea for subject of the photograph is junior Nao of having to work hard for his photo called “A Late Night Stud what ying,” Norizuki, who is depicted layin g in bed, you want always grab submitted under the category “Stu bed Ant hony’s dent asleep and surrounded by textbooks, Life.” His photo will be displayed in attention. Photography is the form the binders, a backpack , headphones, a School of Visual Arts (SVA) Chelsea of artistic expression that seems to water bot tle, an empty bowl and an Gallery in New York City from Oct suit him best , given his tendency to . open laptop. 11-13 and published in the 2020 Jost grav itate toward [challenges].” ens As Norizuki was posing for Look Book. As a land scape photographer, the photo, he was falling asleep, From his time in Ridgecrest one of the obstacles he struggled unintentionally making the picture Intermediate School’s video news with during this process was finding more realistic. Norizuki wanted to program to Peninsula’s photograph suffi cient funds to buy more gear. y help a friend but ended up being able course, Anthony Nuber has always This strengthened his ability to take been to relate to the photo, as stre ss is a aware of the impact photography has pictures with a very basic setup. prominent factor in his school life. had on his life. However, his photogr Although he was able to overcome aphy “I chose to be apar t of this photo career did not truly begin until he bou this financial issue, he finds it to be a ght because [Anthony Nuber and I] help a Nikon d5200 camera and became recurring problem and hopes it will each other out with photoshoots, and familiar with the Digital Photograph not affect future projects. He plans y I learn a lot from him,” Norizuki said . teacher, James Stiles, and the course to continue photography throughout he “I think the photo speaks to so man y taught. Stiles emailed Anthony Nub his life as a hobby, and looks forward er people, and that is probably one of the to gaining more experience about the contest and encouraged s from it. him to reasons why it won in its cate gory.” enter a day before the deadline, beli “I would not be the least bit eving Anthony Nuber’s father Ray Nuber his photos showed potential to win surprised if his talent resurfaces . saw Anthony Nuber struggle with the “‘[Through] ‘A Late Night Studying year s from now as a unique element ,’ technical aspects of taking the photo, I wanted to show [the reality of] the of a larger endeavor in his personal such as positioning and lighting, and excessive effort and time that [studen or professional life,” Ray Nuber said ts] expressed uncertainty in his son . ’s have to put into school,” Anthony Nub “Cr eativity tends to emerge and er ability to win. When the final pho to said. then appear to go dormant only to was captured, though, he was taken Anthony Nuber’s idea was inspired reappear later in some unsuspecting aback at the lighting and detail with in, and unrelated project .”
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FOCUS ITION HIB EX CS MI RA CE IN E AC PL ST FIR NS WI EW DR IA EL SOPHOMORE AM at the beginning
“[When] I met Drew of the year, it was very clear that she had OSAME OSAYANDE an innate talent in ceramics that I do not On April 15, freshman Amelia Drew see much in younger students,” Nyman a orni Calif hern Sout 2019 the ded atten said. “The sculpture that she entered the at n bitio Exhi mic Cera ol Scho High into the competition is very beautiful and and Art mic Cera of eum Mus rican Ame impressive for someone her age, and I 10th and ninth the in place first won love the juxtaposition of the uncooked ided prov n bitio exhi The ion. divis e grad clay of the body and the glazed surfaces case show to ity rtun oppo an Drew of the flowers.” her abilities and allowed her to While Meade did not have Drew experience working in a creative, open in his classes, he was able to observe atmosphere with other emerging high Drew’s work in Nyman’s four th period school artists. Drew was mentored Ceramics 1 class. Once he did, he shared by Drawing and Painting, Ceramics, the same views as Nyman regarding AP Studio Art and AP Studio Art 2D Drew’s potential as an artist, admiring teacher Jamie Nyman in her Ceramics Drew’s technique. 1 class. Drew’s piece was a clay “[Drew] has the right work ethic and sculpture of a human torso with glazed focus for ceramics, which helped her clay flowers wrapped around the make such a difficult sculpture,” Meade shoulders. said. “Her sculpture was really fantastic; “I made the sculpture by taking it showcased her very physical style raw clay and forming it into a body of sculpting. She did a very good job shape using my hands,” Drew said. “[I] shaping the body and made great choices finished by making, [baking and placing on which glazes and colors to use on the the] clay flowers on the clay body. I piece.” enjoy ceramics because of the way Throughout the year, Drew displayed , avor ende tic artis As a mentor for Drew’s that you are able to shape and form her enthusiasm for ceramics, leaving a an used the skills she obtained from past the clay and get a physical object at the Nym positive impressison on both Nyman and experiences to guide Drew as she created end.” Meade. Drew enjoyed the competition her sculpture. Nyman’s ceramic sculpture Drew started making ceramic and her success in it. the technique lessons helped Drew choose sculptures this year after joining “It felt good to win a big competition use type, proportions and colors she would Nyman’s Ceramics 1 class. Drew and get recognition for my artwork,” clay to create her sculpture. Aside from the originally made her sculpture for Drew said. “It was a great experience flowers inspired by Nyman, ever ything was Nyman’s class, but decided to submit overall.” ted by Drew. her artwork to the competition when crea she learned about it through AP Studio Art le and Ceramics teacher James Meade. Whi ugh thro her ed both Meade and Nyman help on the process, Nyman was the main inspirati the put her ed for Drew’s sculpture and help piece together. “Nyman helped me find the shape for the figure and showed me a lot of different ” flower [figures] I could make with the clay, Drew said.
HER SCULPTURE WAS REALLY FANTASTIC; IT SHOWCASED HER VERY PHYSICAL STYLE OF SCULPTING. -CERAMICS TEACHER JAMES MEADE
Alex Yoo / the pen
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Sophomore Rachel Hong places first in the 2019 Water is Life Student Art Contest
JACCI ENGLER
“The message behind my painting and the overall theme of the competition is that without water, there would be no life or nature on earth,” Hong said. “Water is our mother and cares for us all.” Hong’s mother Jamie Hong knew her daughter’s artistic ability and believed in her talent. Jamie Hong loved the theme of Rachel
On April 22, the West Basin Municipal Water District announced the winners of the 2019 Water is Life Student Art Contest which was held in honor of Water Conservation Month. Every year the West Basin Municipal Water District gives students from third to 12th grade the opportunity to submit their own art pieces that represent the topic of water conservation to help the THE MESSAGE BEHIND MY PAINTING AND environment. Sophomore Rachel Hong THE OVERALL THEME OF THE COMPETITION IS won first place in the high school age division. Along with the recognition of THAT WITHOUT WATER, THERE WOULD BE NO placing first, Hong received an iPad as the LIFE OR NATURE ON EARTH. grand prize of the art contest. Hong originally heard about the -SOPHOMORE RACHEL HONG competition through Alissa Park and Justin Yeom, her painting teachers from Hong’s painting and had never seen anything Seoul Arts Academy in Torrance. Park and like it before. She was thrilled when she Yeom believed Hong had an original idea heard that Rachel Hong won a category in the that could possibly win her first place in the competition. contest. Hong submitted a piece titled ‘Water “I was so proud when I found out [Rachel] is the Mother of Life,’ an acrylic painting of a won, since she worked so hard on her woman and her children representing different artwork, which paid off in the end,” Jamie aspects of nature, such as mixed fruits and Hong said. “I was an art major in college, so art flowers.
is in her blood. I really hope she carries [her love for] art throughout her life.” Rachel Hong’s father Steven Hong thought that this contest was a good opportunity for Rachel Hong to demonstrate her creativity. Steven Hong said that he was amazed by the way Rachel Hong expressed water conservation in a way that parents, especially mothers, could relate to. Steven Hong hoped that his daughter would place, but he was not expecting her to win first place. “I was really surprised and felt very proud of her,” Steven Hong said. “[Rachel] winning [further showed her talent in] art. I hope she continues to enjoy expressing herself through art.” Rachel Hong personally did not think she would win. She was waiting for an Uber in Boston, Massachusetts when she received an email notifying her of the contest winners. Rachel Hong’s success in the contest inspired her to continue with her art, and she plans to participate in future contests. “I am really glad I competed, and I am happy with the unexpected outcome,” Rachel Hong said. “It was stressful to get [my piece] done on time, but it all turned out great in the end.”
connor tumelty / the pen
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student life
MAKING A SPLASHtitle IN THE ART INDUSTRY
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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Boys’ volleyball wins state title jacey gibaldi Peninsula’s varsity boys’ volleyball team swept through this year’s season all the way to the Division III CIF Southern Section Finals (CIF-SS) for the first time in school history. The CIF-SS final game was held at Cerritos College on May 11 against Quartz Hill and the varsity boys won, with scores of 18-25, 25-18, 25-12 and 27-25. This pushed the team to state regionals where they played against the other top Division II teams in California. Senior and captain Akin Akinwumi believes that the team came a long way since their last season. Last year, they did not make it to finals for CIF and had some team bonding issues, which mostly consisted of people not working together. However, by the time this year’s playoffs were starting, everyone was brought closer together when they realized that working together would get them much farther in volleyball. “It is amazing to [have seen] the volleyball program come this far,” Akinwumi said. “[From] my freshman year [until] now, we [really grew], and I feel such a big sense of accomplishment.” Junior and captain Clarke Godbold believes that this season had its ups and downs. He believes that because of the help of his coaches, teammates and training, he and the rest of team were able to be promoted
to a higher division. In preparation for state finals, they trained more intensely by playing simulated games where the team played as if they were competing against other teams. The team’s competition at state regionals consisted of three games. The first game was on May 14 against Windward High and the scores were 25-22, 25-16 and 25-21. The second game was on May 16 against Mt.
players [since] they have graduated,” Godbold said. “But an abundance of younger players stepped up and made strides in their game, helping us make it as far as regionals and it could not feel [better].” Senior and captain Elijah Riley voiced that the coaches were ecstatic that the boys won and were able to advance further to state regionals. Riley explains that making it this far means that the team made huge improvements in their performance. He also believes that at the beginning of the season the team was not performing well, but by the time playoffs came around, their team chemistry was a lot better and the team was much more skilled. “This year, we have had a tremendous amount of talent,” Riley said. “Watching our coaches reactions to the wins was a feeling we have never felt before, and it was an incredible end to the season.”
IT IS AMAZING TO [HAVE SEEN] THE VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM COME THIS FAR. -SENIOR AND CAPTAIN AKIN AKINWUMI Carmel High and the scores were 25-8, 25-22, 22-25 and 25-19. The third and final game on May 18 was against Oak Park, the scores being 22-25, 25-23, 17-25 and 19-25. The team ended up losing this last game however, they still earned a state finalist title. “This year [was] much different from last year because this season, we [did] not have as many club
Rachel Liu/The Pen
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Casey Syal Junior and girls’ varsity tennis team captain Koko Makrygiannis started a nonprofit called Sharing the Love: Team Tennis in December 2017. This charity focuses on donating tennis equipment to South Bay high school tennis teams. She was inspired to create this organization while playing in a doubles match against a team from Inglewood High School (IHS) in the Bay League Individual Finals. “I noticed that they were playing with broken rackets and sneakers,” Makrygiannis said. “[I] could tell they loved the sport. [However], they did not have the [right] equipment to play. I decided to collect rackets, balls, bags, tennis nets and even a camera to donate to their high school team.” After visiting one of IHS’s practices to interview some of the players and conduct a survey on what equipment the players needed the most, Makrygiannis started a drive at her local tennis club, the Jack Kramer Club. There, she asked members if they had any tennis equipment that they would be willing to donate, which she then gave to IHS’s team. “The donations [definitely] helped our players,” IHS varsity head tennis coach Luke Arong said. “Our players were so proud that they had new rackets and other gear like tennis bags and balls. Such items inspired them to practice more and to play better during matches.” Additionally, Makrygiannis set up a fitness and technical clinic for the IHS players at the Jack Kramer Club where they could work out with professional coaches as well as players from both the Palos Verdes High School and Peninsula teams. IHS alumni Patanin Tamklang, who was a senior on the IHS team when the program started, expressed his gratitude towards Makrygiannis and the program she started.
“I appreciate that the organization gave us the opportunity to improve and [to] continue tennis,” Tamklang said. “I could see some of my team members starting to love tennis [even more] due to this experience.” So far, Makrygiannis donated over 120 rackets and 300 new tennis balls to school programs like IHS’s who may not be able to afford the equipment themselves. She also has plans to expand the organization; she is forming partnerships with tennis manufacturers and school districts to help grow the charity’s impact. For example, Makrygiannis partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to donate kits to each tennis team. The kits consist of 12 re-gripped and re-strung rackets, a case of tennis balls, sunscreen and a coach’s manual. The manual helps coaches learn basic tennis techniques, as many coaches in the LAUSD are teachers who have volunteered to coach on the side. “[Playing with] Inglewood taught me to appreciate the opportunities I have, such as access to an amazing coaching staff, a beautiful club and great equipment,” Makrygiannis said. “Tennis is an expensive sport, and I believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to pursue the game they love.”
sports
JUNIOR STARTS TENNIS CHARITY
TENNIS IS AN EXPENSIVE SPORT, AND I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE THE GAME THEY LOVE. -JUNIOR KOKO MAKRYGIANNIS
rachel liu / the pen Koko Makrygiannis amanda kalaydjian
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