Lights, Camera, Action!
Pages 4 and 5
Wilson High School Loudspeaker
4400 E. Tenth St., Long Beach, CA 90804
Vol. 92, Issue 4 December 20, 2017
Christmas Parade spreads holiday cheer This year’s parade Grand Marshal was Tony Azevedo, five-time Editor-in-Chief U.S. Olympic water polo playBelmont Shore welcomed the er, silver medalist, team captain beginning of the holiday season, of the U.S. Olympic Water Polo on Saturday, Dec 2, with the 35th Team and Wilson Classical High Annual Belmont Shore Christmas School alumnus. Parade. Aside from Azevedo’s Wilson With over 100 entries, includ- representation, the Bruin Family ing schools from all around the was seen throughout the parade. Long Beach Unified School Dis- Wilson Cross Country, Wilson trict, participating in the parade Golf, and Wilson spirit groups and thousands of Long Beach res- (including Bruinettes, Marching idents lined up and down Second Band, Drumline, and Cheer) all Street, the event was a huge suc- participated in the annual parade. cess, as always. “The Christmas Principals, Blazer and Moraga, parade brings together so much also drove through the parade of Long Beach, showing our love in a classic blue Ford Mustang for this community and each oth- with the mascots in the back seat. er’s indiWoody, vidualities Wi l m a , and talents,” and Wilbur explained came preASB mempared for ber, Taizin the holiday Barnhardt. festivities The pawearing rade was Santa hats put on by and winter The Belscarves. mont Shore “It’s great Business to see the -Camden Sweeney Long Beach Association Varsity Cheerleader c o m m u (BSBA) and presented nity come by the Port of Long Beach. The together to celebrate the holitheme this year was “Christmas in day season,” explained Camden Paradise” and floats were judged Sweeney, a Varsity Cheerleader based on three separate cate- who walked in the parade for Wilgories. The float winners were: son. “It’s really a fun time of the Deep Blue for spectator appeal, year.” The Belmont Shore ChristWesterly School for execution mas Parade always attracts large of theme, and Long Beach Pride crowds and will continue to be for originality of design. Traffic a great event for the community. Management also received an Long Beach truly seems to love honorable mention. the holiday season. Sarah Patton
Varsity Cheerleaders dance down Second Street in the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade.
The mascots ride through the parade with the help of Dr. Blazer and Mr. Moraga.
“It’s great to see the Long Beach community come together to celebrate the holiday season.”
Japanese students visit Wilson on a school trip Sam inthapanti Editor-in-Chief
As per tradition, Wilson ASB hosted a visiting group of Japanese students for a jam-packed day of touring, dancing, and bonding. The select students and faculty from Meisai High School and Fukuoka Girls Academy were paired up with ASB members in order to provide the students with a cultural contrast to that of their own. “I was able to overcome the language barrier through commonalities me and my Japanese visitor had,” stated Jodie Pontino, ASB treasurer. “We both liked basketball and couldn’t dance, so I was able to shoot hoops with him, and I taught him how to whip!” “It was great! Everyone was so kind and I loved the rally!” Stated Kana, a Fukuoka resident. Traditional Japanese schools stand in stark contrast to Wilson. As described by Ms. To, Shimada,
and Hattori (Fukuoka Vice Principal and teachers, respectively), Traditional Japanese schools have much stricter uniformity of school attire and shorter classes. Also, their schools oftentimes lack school mascots and colors, much unlike Wilson which we pride ourselves on.
“It was great! Everyone was so kind and I loved the rally!”
-Kana
Japanese Student
The Japanese students were able to tour several of Wilson’s classes, including Mr. Pepek’s Chemistry class- complete with a demonstration of floating fireballs. “As an adult having traveled to Russia, Central America, and other countries, I always try
to spend time in classrooms. It was great having the students see what our education system is like, and to have them take those ideas back to their classrooms.” Some of Pepek’s students also connected with their visitors by playing ping pong together, videos of which can be found on twitter @ wilsonpingpong. When the students finished touring classes and playing games in the media center, a celebration was held in the gym; complete with Korean pop music and ice cream. “Touring Japanese students around Wilson is a super fun experience. Not only do you learn little things about their culture and vice versa, but you make a friend from halfway across the world,” stated Louise Bainco, ASB Leadership Representative. “Even after the event, you stay connected through social media, so it’s really, really, really amazing.” Hopefully this Bruin tradition will carry on next year.
Sam inthapanti
Saki, a Japanese visitor, shows off her dance moves at lunch.
OPINION
Wilson High School Loudspeaker
Page 2
Creepy Christmas Carols: Point and Counterpoint Jenn Theng
Reporter Frank Loesser’s “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” is a Christmas song that I feel is a very odd song. The way the singers had sang the song was very pleasant, and came off as a swell song but it was not really a very good song. You would assume it is a sweet song, but if you pay attention more to the lyrics, the male singer is saying how the woman should be staying since it is cold outside. But what is a little bit off-putting is when in the woman sings, “Say, what’s in this drink?” Many listeners can draw conclusions about this statement. One of those may be that the male singer had put a date-rape drug in her drink. Even though the female part does sound as though she is having a great time, she can be just trying to sound as if everything is fine in order to escape the situation. Like have you ever been in a situation where you are uncomfortable but you are trying to seem as you aren’t to get easier out of it. That could be what the female part could be doing. Being presumably fine, but really you are scared or in worry.
It seems as the male part just wants to have her for himself even though the female part includes “My sister will be suspicious… Gosh your lips look delicious... My brother will be there at the door... Waves upon a tropical shore… My maiden aunt’s mind is vicious… Gosh your lips are delicious”. He isn’t paying attention to anything the female part is saying but instead he is just in awed on how this girls lips is like. Wouldn’t that be pretty suspicious? Instead caring about maybe like “I don’t want to cause trouble at home, so I’ll take her home”, he just thinks of what he wants to do with her. Another alarming lyric is when she states she should be home with her parents. Could it be that she is underage? “My mother will start to worry… Beautiful, what’s your hurry… My father will be pacing the floor...” Though I know the song is meant to sound joyous and cute. I would still consider it to be odd. I know that the guy who wrote this song, Frank Loesser, meant no harm when writing it, but to a modern ear, it can be interpreted differently. I will say I do enjoy listening to it now and then; it’s a catchy song! I just personally think that it could have been better worded, so that people wouldn’t get easily to offended by it. If Mr. Loesser had switched some sayings in the songs, maybe it would have resolved the problem of people not liking it.
one who doesn’t really want to leave, but feels as though she should. In 1944 when the song was written, it was not socially acceptable for unmarried women to stay the night at an unrelated man’s house; Reporter she’s trying to extend her stay as long as possible. The line that has caused the most As soon as the clock strikes midnight alarm with people recently is: “Say, the last Thursday of November, you can what’s in this drink?” which is sung by bet that Christmas music begins playing the female. People cried out that he had nonstop until December twenty-fifth. One slipped something into her drink, that she of my personal favorites that’s popular is was given some kind of date rape drug. the classic “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” In They seem to forget, however, that she recent years, however, there have been asked him a few lines before to pour her discrepancies about the song’s meaning. another drink, without specifying what Many people have begun calling the song drink she wanted (“But maybe just a half “creepy” and accused the man in the song a drink more”). Without having specified of date raping the woman. I, however, the drink she wanted, she was surprised one hundred percent disagree with this by the drink choice the man gave her, as view. it was probably mixed. If you go even a First of all, the person who makes this little farther back, there is solid evidence argument obviously doesn’t know the that she does want to stay, despite the history of the song. The song was written excuses she’s trying to tell herself to go. by Frank Loesser, who wrote it as a cute She sings “So really I’d better scurry,” duet to sing with his wife at parties. His and then her next line is “But maybe just wife viewed it as “their song,” and the a half a drink more.” couple loved performing it together. So So there is no reason to be alarmed the the song was very obviously not written next time you hear the song “Baby It’s with any malicious or unsavory intent; Cold Outside” on the radio. It’s a sweet, it was a love ballad. Not to mention that romantic Christmas ballad, and people throughout the countless recordings of should stop trying to dirty a song that’s the song, the female never sounds forced innocent. or unhappy; she sounds coy, like some-
Daniela Benassini
Ugly Christmas sweaters remain a holiday tradition Hillary Valles
Reporter Ugly Christmas sweaters have always been an iconic tradition throughout the Winter Holidays. It’s one of the most essential choices of attire for the Christmas spirit. However, some may disagree with the choice of ugly sweaters plainly because of the “ugly” part of the sweater. Let’s face it, when you look for ugly Christmas sweaters, you don’t actually look for the ugliest knitted garment that you can find at the thrift store. You look for the sweater with the Nordic pattern or the one with the pop-up, red nose, reindeer. The real goal is to look festive while also showing off a cute, proper
look that doesn’t seem like you planned it out days before. On the other hand, if you do enjoy the “ugly” part of ugly Christmas sweaters, such as myself, then there are little to no limits to what you wear. Every winter, I dedicate myself to find the best Christmas sweater. Year after year, I find a new sweater to top the sweater from the year before. As my mom says, “They just get uglier and uglier every year.” I personally don’t mind an ugly sweater as long as it is comfortable to wear. They can always be dressed up with fuzzy, warm socks, boots and the classic Santa hat. When it comes to Christmas attire, however, I look for specifics. I seek out the janky-looking sweaters that are of good quality, mainly for the reason that they will last me a while. I also look for sweaters that are a size bigger, because to me, oversized sweaters are the best way to
LOUDSPEAKER STAFF VOLUME 92, ISSUE 4
Yearbook Consultant Melvin Kem Photo Editor Steven Nickens Special Thanks Ms. Fekjar Mrs. Fields Mr. Steinhauser Katherine Erickson
Adviser Mrs. Combs Editors-in-Chief Sarah Patton Samantha Inthapanti Features Editors Amber Eusebio Madelyn Connolly
Reporters Melanie Rodriguez Jenn Theng Kayliana Hryze Skye McNeal Lucas Cabeza Lily Payne Rachel Garcia Hillary Valles Daniela Benassini
stay both cool and warm. My friends, on the other hand, think otherwise. They buy the expensive and pretty sweaters at Nordstrom Rack and wear it once a year, where I wear them all yearround. Over the years, I have collected a few holiday-spirited sweatshirts. I continue to wear them even if it is not during “sweater weather.” One of my favorite sweaters that I own, is my DIY (do it yourself) turtleneck. It is a gray, lightweight turtleneck with a colorful Christmas tree made of pipe cleaners and buttons. Despite it looking like a preschoolers art project, it’s 4400 East Tenth Street, Long Beach, CA 90804 ABOUT US - Published eight times a year, the student newspaper of Wilson High School is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents. EDITORIALS - Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board. Editorials are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in public forum be constructed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.
special in its own way because I made it myself,
with the spirit of the holidays. Homemade sweatshirts are the best, because it’s like no other sweater out there. Besides, it’s always entertaining seeing others adorable creations. The purpose of ugly Christmas sweaters is to share the winter spirit, and look either formal and festive, or moderately silly and cute. I have even seen Ugly Jewish sweaters to fit their customs. It’s just another way to express the holiday joy and share some spirit. Wearing holiday sweaters has to be one of the best traditions during the season, so why wouldn’t you want to participate in the ugly sweater trend?
JENN THENG
ADVERTISING - Except as clearly implied by the advertising party or otherwise specifically stated, advertisements in the Loudspeaker are inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by Wilson High School. Advertisements printed in the Loudspeaker are not to be constructed as a written or implied sponsorship, endorsement, or investigation of their respective commercial sponsors or ventures. SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep up with Bruin news, activities, and athletics on social media, with:
@woodyatlbwilson on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editorials are welcome and will be published as space allows. Letters must be signed, although the staff may withhold the name on request. Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in public forum be constructed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed. These letters could and should be anywhere from comments on the page; to how we are doing; to what you would like to hear, or opinions on different subjects. We will accept letters at the Loudspeaker office in room 410.
Wilson High School Loudspeaker
NEWS
Get involved and earn Gold W’s Amber Eusebio Editor
Recently, students have been more encouraged to earn Gold W points than ever before. This is most likely due to the fact that they are much easier to obtain this year than in previous school years. Gold W’s are an incentive that any student can receive for participating in extracurricular activities such as clubs, spirit groups, sports, and ASB. You can also be awarded Gold W points for attending any of the school-sponsored events that are held every month, including music performances, sports games, PTSA and Site Based Decision Making meetings. Students who earn at least 170 points by their senior year are awarded with “bling,” or medallions, at graduation. Before, Gold W’s were only awarded at the end of each semester, but this year they have changed it so that you can earn points monthly. Students who picked up their monthly Gold W sheets for December were also given a “12 Days of Winter+1” scavenger hunt to complete as a way to earn extra Gold W’s for the month. Erin Fekjar, Activities
Director, said, “We decided to do the scavenger hunt this month as a fun opportunity for Bruins to get more involved on campus and also to spread a little holiday cheer.” From Dec. 4 to Dec. 20, there was a different event or activity every day that students could participate in to earn points, ranging from 1 point to 5 points. Students who chose to partake in this scavenger hunt had the opportunity to earn up to 30 extra Gold W’s in total. The events took place at lunch and most of them were held in a teacher’s room, such as writing postcards to U.S. troops in Ms. Swain’s room, solving a Holiday Carol puzzle in Ms. Lawrence’s room, and writing kindness cards in Ms. Fields’ room. On one of the days, students took “Christmas card pictures” with science teachers Mr. Gunnison, Mr. Pepek, and Mr. O’Brien. Other activities included picking up 5 pieces of trash around campus, doing volunteer work for at least 2 hours, doing a Random Act of Kindness in the community or on campus, and a dance party hosted by Mr. Hollister and Ms. Gonzalez. Students who participated in the School Wide Secret
Mr. Gunnison, O’Brien, and Pepek all pose for a festive picture. Gift Exchange and toy drive for Long Beach Memorial Children’s Hospital also had the opportunity to earn Gold W points. On the
last day of the scavenger hunt, students who bring a mug for Hot Cocoa Day will earn an extra point for their scavenger hunt.
Red Cross Club hosts blood drive
Willing and eligible Bruins donated blood for a good cause Rachel Garcia Reporter
The Red Cross Blood Drive returned to Wilson on Friday, December 1. It took place in the Media Center all thanks to the Red Cross Club. The process begins when a Red Cross Representative comes and works to help set up and provide guidelines on how to donate blood, and these representatives also work to help determine how many donors can be expected and how you could recruit students to donate, they provide equipment and supplies as well as set-up the provided space, and they confidentially screen those willing to donate and collect these donations. By donating blood you are ensuring that blood is on the shelf for those who truly need it, and with just one donation you could save more than one life. Types of donations you have the option to choose from includes Blood or Whole-Blood donations, Platelet donation, a Power Red donation, or a Plasma donation. Then there are types of donations which depends on who is donating, which includes an Autologous and a Directed donations The secretary and temporary president of the club is senior, Jessica Roberts, who began the day by going to classes and providing call-slips to teachers on behalf of the students who signed
Students in the Red Cross Club volunteered their time to help out at the blood drive. up to donate. These students were then pulled out of class and taken to the Media Center where the students were given a packet, providing information about the procedure, that they had to read. After the fact, students were escorted to private rooms where blood was collected (to test the iron percentage) and they were also questioned in order to make sure that they were eligible donors. If eligible the students were then taken to lie down and get their blood drawn, “It’s not that
bad. It’s not even worse than getting a shot and it’s over in a second,” claims Jessica Roberts, senior and secretary of Red Cross Club. About one pint and a few tubes of blood were collected from each student, and after the procedure was finished students had the chance to visit the ‘Happy Hour Table’ which consisted of drinks and snacks for those who needed to level themselves. “I felt a little loopy as they were taking my blood,” said junior, Michelle
Thomas. If you didn’t get the chance to donate this year, no need to worry, there will be another blood drive here at Wilson around springtime. If you ever feel nervous or scared about donating blood, then just try to remember that it really isn’t as bad as it seems. But take some words of advice from Junior, Isabella Duran, “You shouldn’t let anyone peer-pressure you into donating blood if you aren’t 100% comfortable with it.”
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Media Center Update The Media Center is more than just a quiet place for students to study, get assignments done, and check out books. It is also home to many book-related events that take place during the school year, such as the book fair. Twice a year, the Media Center hosts a book fair to help raise money for new library books and to also give students an opportunity to purchase books for their own personal collection. The December book fair was conveniently close to the holidays, which meant students could also purchase books with the intent of gifting it to other people. The first book fair of the year was held during the week of Dec. 11 to Dec. 15. The book fair was sponsored by Mrs. Nelson’s Book Fair Company, a company that provides book fairs for preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, private/religious schools, and teacher conferences. “The Media Center offers the book fair to promote literacy and to put books in students’ hands,” Lia Ladas, Teacher-Librarian, notes. Ladas becomes animated as she remarks how she organizes the book fair with the goal of “keeping books alive,” in mind. Some teachers signed up to bring their classes, but most of the foot traffic came from students who came by on their own time during at nutrition, lunch, or after school. The book fair was a great opportunity for students to be exposed to many genres of books, including: fiction, nonfiction, classics, new releases, and books-to-film adaptations. Some of the most popular books sold at the book fair were Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and Everything by Nicola Yoon. There were also a variety of other things being sold at the book fair, such as pens, pencils, bookmarks, and science kits. This event brought a sense of nostalgia to students who haven’t been to a book fair since elementary school. Supporting the book fair helps our library because the library receives credit to buy books based on the number of books that were sold. Also, Ms. Ladas noted that she pays attention to what books are popular so that they can buy it for the library. If you weren’t able to attend the book fair this month, there will be another one in the spring during the week of Open House.
DANCE
Wilson High School Loudspeaker
All levels of the dance department come together to perform for the first dance after intermission.
Advanced dancers surround Olivia Bradford (9) and highlight her talents
Gracefully, levels 5-6, 7-8, and advanced all partake in an impressive pointe dance.
Focused and serious, Intermediate dance 7-8 pose along side each othe
LIGHTS, CAME Madelyn Connolly Editor
Jaylen Millls (12) takes the stage alone during his intricate solo dance.
Woodrow Wilson High School takes immense pride in their elaborate dance department. There are six levels of the dance program at the school. The department produces a show toward the end of each semester consisting of several dances. Over 300 students participated in the 2017 Winter Dance Show. These students spent the entire first four months of the school year practicing and preparing for this show. At the show, each level of dance gets an opportunity to showcase their talent on stage. Seniors from advanced dance audition in the beginning of the year to become a student director for the show. Two dancers are chosen each show as directors and run the stage. Elise
Beck and Destiny Doty were chosen as the two student directors for the 2017 Winter performance. “The show is always a special part of the year for people in the dance department, Elise Beck said. “It’s a time when people can see what we are capable of and what being a dancer means. With a dance department as big as the one at Wilson so many people Stu have so many different things to showcase. I had the amazing opportunity of being a director this semester and saw dancers talents in class and
“It’s a when p can see we are of.
SHOW
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Intermediate 5-6 dance to popular songs during a hip-hop style dance.
s as she poses for the audience.
er during a dramatic dance at the Carpenter Center.
Showing off their skill, advanced dance amazes the audience with a tremendous amount of turns.
ERA, ACTION
then brought to the stage.� Mrs. Cleary and Mrs. Mohr, with the help of outside choreographers and former dancers, put lots of hard work and time into each show. Students are also given the chance to audition to be a student choreographer in the show, creating a dance to a song that he/she chooses. For the first show of each -Elise Beck year, seniors udent Director get the chance to dance on stage with their loved ones. Each senior student in the dance department gets to choose a loved one to learn a dance with and per-
a time people e what capable ...�
form it on stage together during the show. It is very special because the loved ones take time out of their week to go and learn the choreography and practice before the show. This dance takes place before the finale, not only adding a feeling of love to the show but also a sense of humor. Due to the renovations at the Wilson auditorium, the shows have been taking place at the Carpenter Center, located on the California State University of Long Beach Campus. Although the size of the Carpenter Center is larger than the school auditorium, the dance department still manages to sell out a Thursday and Friday night show each semester. The dance department dedicates their valued time to make this show entertaining for the audience and never fails.
For the first time, beginning dance performs two dances in the show.
Wilson High School Loudspeaker
FEATURE
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Holocaust survivor shares her story Melanie rodriguez Reporter
Gerarda Seifer, a Holocaust survivor, appeared as a guest speaker at Wilson on Monday, Dec. 11. The Holocaust, which took place during World War II, was a genocide that resulted in the death of approximately six million Jews. Seifer, a resident of Long Beach, has three children who have attended Wilson. At the presentation, Seifer discussed her early life. Born and raised in the city of Przemysl, Poland, she had lived a comfortable and simple life with her parents as an only child. She explained that in her day they did not have any washing machines, dryers, television, refrigerators, or cellphones. Her daily life had consisted of going to school, walking, and reading. In school, they had focused a lot on the study of Jewish history. She continued discussing the
start of World War II. Her father said goodbye to the family and planned to go east, away from the Germans, but later returned that day because the people from their town had convinced him that he is a good man that no one would hurt him, and he believed it. When the war had started, school was put on hold and the Jewish were not allowed to use public transportation. Jews over the age of 13 were required to wear arm bands on their arms. She recalled that Adolf Hitler started with the Polish Jews and sent them out of Germany. Germans started coming to her town two weeks later, spying and walking through the town. Hitler had a major effect on Poland, signing a pact with Joseph Stalin which gave the east part of Poland to him and that territory had become occupied by the Russians. Over time, a lot of people began moving into the town from the West, running from Hitler.
Later, her father was forced to go into hiding. He hid with her uncle in a building that contained cellars. Seifer, her aunt, and her mother did not go into hiding because they felt that the women were safe. They then returned and the family moved and went on to live in Lwow. Germans announced that Jews had to live in the ghettos, which were surrounded by a wall with a barbed wire. They were gathered and taken away on the trains. A neighbor had agreed to provide shelter for Mrs. Seifer, per request of her father. She had stayed in a cellar for six weeks with no bed, only a box to sit on with a candlelight. Eventually, she returned to where her father was hiding with other people, but did not see her mother. Her father explained to her that her cousin ran back to the ghettos and her mother went with him, where the Nazis then took them. Her father
English teacher Ms. Fields with guest speaker and Holocaust survivor, Gerarda Seifer. tried to bribe the Nazi soldier, but they were still taken away. She never found out exactly what had happened to her mother, and says, “It is something I try to not think about.” She was sent to live with a farmer and work for them. Her father was then taken by the Nazi soldiers for assissting in the hiding of Jews. She never saw him again, and does not know exactly
what happened to him either. Eventually, she left the family that took care of her and left to England where Jewish orphans were being taken to by a Rabbi. She became a nurse after completing her degree, and moved to America where she met her husband. They moved to Long Beach and have been living here since 1956.
dusted the top layer with a sugary egg wash for extra flavor and to add a golden color to the crust.
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
The Taste Test I took both pies to my neighbors to get an unbiased opinion of the pies. It appears the winner of the two pies was the Key Lime Pie. It might have won due to the Graham Cracker Crust I made myself.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
What is your New Make your own holiday pies in the comfort of your own home Year’s Resolution? LUCAS Cabeza
“Eating healthier next year is a huge priority to me. If I eat healthier foods early on in 2018, I will feel motivated to do it for the rest of the year.” -Roy Werbse Junior
“It would be really cool to see my band, Strawberry Army, grow in 2018. All the hard work we’ve done would finally pay off.” -Zoe Infante Sophomore
“In 2018, I want to do better in school. It would be nice to finally see straight A’s on my report card.” -Angel Chang Freshman
“Because I failed this year, my New Year’s Resolution for 2018 is to drink one cup of coffee every single day.” -Emily Baker Senior
Reporter
Many people have great feasts around the holidays. One of the best parts about these feasts are the various desserts that are served. My specialty is making pumpkin pie, but this year I decided to try my luck with other pies to see if I would like them. I decided to make a key lime pie and a blueberry pie. I selected the pies as an alternative to pumpkin pie because I wanted to expand my cooking horizon, and I hoped other people would also enjoy the pies as well. The Key Lime Pie I made my own graham cracker crust for the key lime pie by crushing graham crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, adding some butter, and then molding them together in a glass pie pan. Then, I mixed together the condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice (with a hint of lemon juice) and lime rind. I was not so sure about using sour cream in pie, but it actually tasted pretty good. I also added green food coloring to the mix for appearance. After that, I heated the pie in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes. The Blueberry Pie To make the blueberry pie, I had to boil the blueberries and sugar in a saucepan. Then, I added nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon zest to the mix. A tip before you add the cornstarch is to use extra water. I poured the mixture into the crust. I baked the pie in the oven for 40 minutes. We also
Directions:
2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rid. Mix well and pour into a graham cracker crust. 3. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes until tinhy pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN THE PIE! 4. Chill pie in fridge thoroughly before serving. If desired, garnish with lime slices and whipped cream Homemade Graham Cracker Crust Recipe Ingredients:
Lucas showing off his pies. Now you can enjoy the taste test winner in your own home. Simply make it yourself with the recipe I found on allrecipes.com: Key Lime Pie Recipe Ingredients: 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust 3 cups sweetened condensed milk ½ cup sour cream ¾ cup key lime juice (lemon juice optional for additional flavor)
1 ½ Finely ground Graham Cracker Crumbs ⅓ cup of cane sugar 6 tablespoons melted butter ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon Directions: 1. Mix Graham Cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine and cinnamon until well blended. Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate 2. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7 minutes. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, chill for 1 hour.
FEATURE
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Don’t let Net Neutrality confuse you Samantha Inthapanti
Editor-in-Chief After months of partisan speculation as to the fate of Net Neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially voted to repeal it. Last Thursday’s 3-2 vote has ignited both outrage and confusion among the younger demographic. As perpetual Internet users, the loss of Net Neutrality certainly affects us, but not in the way that many believe. For fellow teenagers, much of our beliefs about Net Neutrality has been based on tweets and memes rather than legitimate and credible sources. Since the vote, there has been endless talk about having to pay extra for Snapchat, or not being able to access Netflix. However, the repeal of Net
Neutrality is more complex than its appearance at surface level, and will have little immediate effect on us consumers for the time being. To begin with, in the simplest of terms, Net Neutrality protected and enforced three main principles of web equality; Internet service providers were not allowed to block lawful sites or apps, slow down browsing speed for particular sites or services due to the content being provided, or prioritize sponsored sites from content providers. Prior to 2015, these regulations did not exist. During Barack Obama’s presidency, Net Neutrality regulations were passed to combat such activities, most notably, with Comcast for discriminating against usage of BitTorrent, a legal streaming service. The Associated Press described the interferences as such: “If it were a telephone conversation, it would be like the operator breaking into the conversation,
telling each talker in the voice of the other: ‘Sorry, I have to hang up. Goodbye.’” It’s easy to say that the enforcement of Net Neutrality benefits the everyday consumer, however, Net Neutrality has its fair share of setbacks. By repealing Net Neutrality, questionable content will be stopped in its tracks. Illegal streaming and pirating is readily available for consumers to take advantage of, however, if service providers had the authority to slow down browsing speed on these sites, consumers will be discouraged from using them. Additionally, the collective fear of being charged higher prices for social media or being blocked from certain sites is ungrounded as service providers are unlikely to initially do so. For example, if Verizon made an executive decision to slow traffic on Skype, users would flee to another provider like AT&T or T-Mobile. Therefore, service providers will be at
How much do you really know about Hanukkah? Sarah Patton Editor-in-Chief
As Hanukkah concludes, it may come as a surprise that some people still don’t really know what Hanukkah exactly is. In brief, Hanukkah is a holiday observed by Jewish people. The purpose of it is to commemorate the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Hanukk a h , a l s o known as “the Festival of Lights,” occurs in the wintertime and is eight days long. It is celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers, and fried foods. Hanukkah commemorates events that occurred over 2000 years ago. In the second century BCE, the Holy Land, otherwise known as Israel, was ruled by the Seleucids (a group of people derived from Syrian and Greek origin). They tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs as opposed to what they had already been observing. Against all odds, a tiny army of
faithful Jews, called the Maccabees, defeated one of the largest and strongest armies at the time. The Maccabees drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of God. Their victory was the first miracle. When the victorious Maccabees entered the temple i n
hopes
of rekin-
dling the light of the Temple’s Menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had accidentally been left behind by the Greeks.
The cruse contained just enough olive oil to allow the light of the menorah to keep burning for only one day. The second miracle came when they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days, until new oil could be prepared. To acknowledge and commemorate these miracles, Hanukkah was created. Hanukkah is observed partly by the nightly menorah lighting. Menorahs contain n i n e candle slots, one of which is the shamash. T h e shamash is the candle used to light the other eight candles. On the first night, only one candle is to be lit by the shamash. On the second night, an additional one is lit. By the eighth night of Hanukkah, all eight candles should be lit. Special blessings are also recited before the lighting of the menorah. On the Jewish calendar, Hanukkah starts on the eve of the 25 day in the month “Kislev” and continues on for eight days. For the civil calendar, Hanukkah almost always coincides with the month of December.
a standstill out of a fear of losing customers over a bad business model. On the other hand, arguments still stand about the unconstitutional nature of repealing Net Neutrality. Free speech and innovation is readily expressed through blogs and social media, and the threat of removing such easy accessibility removes platforms for consumers and entrepreneurs to extend their voices. On a larger scale, Net Neutrality ensures that Internet providers are classified as utility providers (as the Internet is essential in our modern society), meaning that all services available regardless of how they are used, similar to water or electricity utilities. It would be outrageous for companies to charge more for taking showers than flushing the toilet, so can therefore be argued that service providers should not be allowed to charge more for Amazon than any other online retailer.
The state of the Internet isn’t exactly clear. It’s unwise to assume that Net Neutrality will be gone forever, as 83% of consumers disapprove of the repeal and several states, including California, are suing the FCC in order to maintain equal Internet space. Additionally, New York Senator Charles Schumer is calling upon the Congressional Review Act in hopes of reversing the vote. In the meantime Bruins, do not fret that you’ll have to pay more money for your next Twitter rant or Snapchat Selfie. Instead, use the advice of your teachers and research what the loss of Net Neutrality really means. Look at sources from both sides of the argument by utilizing a variety of sources. More importantly, if you find that the FCC has made a grave mistake, find your voice and let your representatives know how you feel.
CLUB CORNER HAIR BRAIDING CLUB The Hair Braiding Club meets on Wednesdays in room 522. The club’s president is Ashlyn Nourth. It was founded in the beginning of October. She said that she made the club originally for Mr. Pepek, who wanted to learn how to braid his daughter’s hair. However, the club has grown to be even more than just that. Ashlyn said that it’s also a great place to just hang out and interact with people. “ [It’s a] great opportunity to learn how to do hair,” club member Jessica Gutierrez said. The club teaches people how to do many different braids including the classic fishtail, the French and the Dutch. At the beginning of the club, Ashlyn will first demonstrate how to do the braid and then walk around helping out if needed. So if you want to learn how to do hair, just hang with friends,or meet new people, you can always stop by The Hair Braiding Club. ELLEN CLUB The Ellen Club is a community service club that meets every Wednesday in room 167. Here they make sure to help our community the best they can, whenever they can. One way they did this is by organizing the shoe drive to help some of the families who lost many possessions in the recent disasters. They also plan on going to “his little feet” soon to help out by cleaning the donated shoes. The club also has big plans for the near future. The president of the club, Cindy Sahagon, and the vice president organized a “5-day Give Away” based on Ellen DeGeneres’s 12-day Give Away which will happen sometime next week. In the Give Away they will write letters to the children in the hospital and the elderly, then pass out two surprise Give Aways. ART CLUB The Art Club meets every other Friday in room 307. On Friday the 8th they did blind conjuring. Blind conjuring is when you have to stare at an object you want to draw then try to draw it the best you can without looking. You don’t have to be an expert at drawing to join this club. However it could be good practice if you couldn’t get an art class or just wanted to try something new. “We [also] sometimes watch documentaries on different artist and do potlucks,” club member Brynn Anderson said. Though the club has been around for about 10 years, the club is planning on doing more this year—including but not limited to a field trip to the prestigious Museum of Latin American Art.” If you want your club to be featured in the next issue of the Loudspeaker, please contact Skye McNeal via School Loop or stop by room 410 during 7th period.