1. education
2. school

Volume 2, Issue 7
The Anchor
Port of Los Angeles High School
San Pedro, Calif.
April 20, 2015
Girls softball has positive attitude as season progresses
By Kassandra Albarran
Staff Writer
Recently, the POLAHS softball girls went to Las
Vegas to compete in a tournament during Spring
Break in which the girls received 2nd place.
The girls then went on to win seven out of eight
games with their only loss being against Cathedral
Catholic High School, with the score of 8-0 on Saturday, April 4.
POLAHS softball went against Dorsey at Dorsey high school on Thursday, March 26 the game
ended 17-0 showing that the softball girls are consecutively bringing home victories.
On Saturday, March 7 POLAHS softball played
two games against San Fernando High School and
Birmingham High School in the Lincoln Tournament at San Fernando High School. The girls beat
San Fernando with a score of 9-4 but weren’t successful against Birmingham with a score of 1-5.
During the days of March 17-21, the girls played
a total of seven consecutive games. Out of those
seven games, the girls only lost one game against
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (Peninsula)
on Wednesday, March 18. The game against Peninsula was close, but Peninsula took home the victory ending the game 5-3.
On Monday, March 23 the girls brought home
another victory against Fremont High School at
Leland Park. The score was was 16-0.
The game that stood out the most for the girls
was on Tuesday, March 17 in which the girls
decimated Crenshaw High school at Leland Park
scoring 21 points in a 21-0 game.
The girls went against Edison High School
twice at Leland Park on Saturday, March 14 in
which the girls brought home two victories. The
first game ended with the score of 6-5, and the
second game ended with a score of 10-6.
The girls also brought home a win against
West Torrance High School on Friday, March 13.
The score was 6-3.
“Our games are not that competitive,” said senior Adriana Vargas. “There were not many chal-
IN THIS ISSUE
lenges that we had to face. I hope to win another
ring this year since this is my last year playing
baseball.”
Teachers union pg. 2
Popping the question
about prom pg. 4
The connections between school and
social media pg. 5
The race to see “Furious 7” pg. 9
Boys baseball comback pg. 11
Fidel Gomez/ The Anchor
Senior Briana Valencia get herself readd to take a
swing at an incomming ball.
COMPASS
Bottle Free Club act as green ambassadors to LA schools
By Amelia Samuelu
Staff Writer
On March 25, the outreach committee of POLAHS Bottle Free club gave
a presentation at Sun View
High School in Los Angeles. The Outreach Committee is in charge of spreading
awareness in POLAHS and
the surrounding community
to encourage everyone to go
green and get rid of single
use bottles.
Seniors Lucy Rickard,
Robert Del Rio and Daniel Rubio, as well as freshman Carly
Havenick presented to the
school. While presenting, they
helped inform the viewers of
the negative effects of using
single use plastic water bottles.
“I believe the school will
be leaning towards making a
club because they have an Environmental teacher similar to
Ms. Bruhnke who is very active,” said Del Rio. “They have
Amelia Samuelu/ The Anchor
Seniors Lucy Rickard and Robet Del Rio answering
questions regarding Bottle Free club.
already made a community
garden.”
Sun View High School specializes in teaching students
with learning disabilities, and
as a result of this the audience
size was very small and the
presenters were able to connect with the audience in a
more focused manner to help
them understand the consequences of water bottles and
help them brainstorm ways to
help become sustainable.
Since this was the second time the club presented,
it went much smoother than
the first. While a few mistakes
were made, those slips served
as a type of comic relief to ease
the tensions in the room.
“I feel that the presentations were okay. The first group
was tired because it was early
in the morning,” said Del Rio.
“But by the second group, the
kids were much more responsive and were actually really
shocked to learn how the bottle industry negatively affects
them.”
The outreach committee
also had its first presentation
on Feb. 13 at Alliance Alice M.
Baxter College-Ready High
School (Baxter High) in front
of 150 freshman students.
“It started with a few phone
calls and emails, but I wasn’t
getting any responses,” said
Del Rio. “So the next step was
to actually go to the school
and talk with administration.
Luckily for me, their principal
Mr. Carr was really nice and
took the club with open arms.”
Del Rio presented with a
group of students that included senior Dulce Gutierrez and
club President Rickard.
“It was really important to
me to be able to spread our
resolution to other schools because they could make a huge
difference too,” said Rickard.
With the help of Alliance’s
student body, the Vice Principal of Baxter High, Burgandie
Montoya would like the school
to start a Bottle Free club.
The Bottle Free club plans to
set up multiple presentations in
the future and will continue to
work with Sun View and Baxter
to help them form their own
clubs.
“I think it would be really
good, and I think it’s awesome
that you guys[POLAHS] have
that at your campus, especially
because it was not easy to do,”
said Montoya.
The Bottle Free club plans to
set up multiple presentations in
the future and will continue to
work with Sun View and Baxter+ to help them form their
own clubs.
POLAHS board comes under criticism
By Aldo Andrade
Staff Editor
On April 15, the Board
of Trustees met in the MPR
for their monthly meeting. During the public
comment sections, teachers and parents sought
answers regarding the recent retirement of Executive Director Jim Cross.
Following the public
comment, there was a motion to add an agenda item
to the next board meeting
by POPS President and
Board member Kathy
Daley that would have put
the removal of Jayme Wilson as Board president to
a vote. The motion did not
pass due to a draw, four
being opposed and four in
favor, with two abstentions
for the motion. Wilson
announced
the official retirement of
Executive Director James
Cross that will take effect
April 30, as a result of a
decision made in closed
session during the Executive Meeting on April 7.
Maritimes
2
Clubs
3
The Growl
4
Editorial
5
Features
6
Comics
7
Health
8
Entertainment
9
Dear Petey
10
Sports
11
Sports
12
Amelia Samuelu/ The Anchor
Baxter students listen to Bottle Free
presentation.
David Carter/ The Anchor
Board President Jayme Wilson reads out his personal statements to the board which praised Executive Director Jim Cross accompliments at the school. This was quickly
met by cries of dissatisfaction from the crowd calling for a removal of Wilson from the Board.
“I would like to thank
him for nearly 15 years
of leadership and service to our school,” said
Wilson in a personal
statement he made regarding the retirement.
POLAHS teachers, who
joined United Teachers
Los Angeles (UTLA) last
semester, presented their
key points for negotiation
with the Board of Trustees
and Principal Tom Scotti.
Spanish
teachers
Rachel Bruhnke and
Maria Marin read the
union’s “sunshining” letter to the Board, fulfilling the requirement of
the Educational Employee Relations Act.
“[UTLA
submitted
topics for negotiation]
with the goal of working
cooperatively with POLAHS to reach a comprehensive
collective
bargaining
agreement
that will not only sup-
port the dedicated and
committed teaching but
also further the mission
of POLAHS to provide
a quality education for
students,” said Bruhnke.
The topics of negotiation included retention
of
professional
staff and job security.
“We are united teachers,” said Bruhnke. “We
are very happy because
this has been a long process, and we are all meet-
ing more than ever and
learning a lot and feeling
very proud of our school.”
Development Director
Erin Loveridge also announced that POLAHS
has amassed $225,000 in
scholarships for graduates.
$50,000 was donated from
individual donors, while
the friends of history
teacher Kevin Yourman,
Andrea and Blake Brown,
donated $175,000 for five
seniors and five college
freshmen alums, that will
be payable over four years.
“It is inspiring,” said
Loveridge. “It’s amazing, and it’s why we
do
this
campaign.”
The next scheduled
Board meeting will be
on May 6 preceding the
“State of the School” address to be given by
Scotti at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel at 6:30 p.m.
Maritimes
POLAHS teachers union gears up for collective bargaining
Page 2
Volume 2, Issue 7
By Jazmin Maya
Staff Writer
POLAHS teachers have created a teachers union in an effort to address concerns teachers
have. The union is currently deciding the key issues that need to be addressed when bargaining
with Principal Tom Scotti. The union was created in response to Scott’s resignation last October,
as teachers wanted to safeguard their voice on campus. Scotti returned to POLAHS on Nov. 10.
According to the letter addressed to Board of Trustees President Jayme Wilson and Principal
Scotti, key issues include: job security, evaluation, salary, and grievance processes among others.
The letter was “sunshined” legally under the Educational Employment Relations Act on April 15
at the Board meeting.
“[We want the school] to give us a little bit more safety, or more security, more employment
security, and we want to get rid of the ‘at-will contract’ and we want to be able to have a contract
in which a teacher feels more secure being here at POLAHS,” said Spanish teacher and collectivebargaining committee member Maria Marin.
The current “at-will contract” allows the school to be able to fire any faculty member at any
time in the school year.
“I believe that having a union will empower us, not only as teachers, but as individuals,” said
Spanish teacher Irene Atristain. “A union, for me, gives me a sense of job security and peace of
mind knowing that if, at any point, there is an injustice being done against me the union will be
there to support me.”
The union is made up of two committees: the bargaining committee and the support committee. The bargaining committee consists of Marin, English teacher Jennifer Kelly, Government and
Economics teacher Allison Norman, Lead Math Teacher Donald Ormsby, Physical Education and
Sociology teacher Lincoln Walden-Schultz, Chemistry teacher Karen Wang and counselor Martin
Zarate. The support committee is made up of Art Department Chair Lindsey Barfield, Spanish
teacher Rachel Bruhnke, History of the Port teacher Sean Collins, Lead Science Teacher Tim Dikdan, math teacher Cheryl Gray, counselor Erick Gutierrez and Lead History Teacher Mary Jane
Liverpool.
All of these teachers have been meeting and working together to try come up with solutions to
their identified concerns.
“It’s a good thing, it makes us have a voice, it makes us stay united, and makes us fight for the
students rights,” said Zarate.
Despite a majority of teachers being in favor of forming the union, not all teachers signed the
union petition in October. When the bargaining process is completed and union contracts are
signed, all teachers will be official union members of United Teachers Los Angeles.
Whale a’hoy: Whale watching in Redondo
By Nohemi Morales
Staff Writer
Whale watching season, or more specifically, gray whale season,
at Redondo Beach starts Dec. 27 and lasts until the end of April.
Whales are always present on the coast of Los Angeles. Anyone can
go any day of the week at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm for two to three
hours at a time to watch these creatures in their natural habitat.
“Whale watching is when you go out on boats that know how to
treat the whales respectfully and keep the right distance and provide the public an opportunity to see whales in their natural environment in the wildlife,” said whale expert Mary Renick.
Not only do participants see whales and other wildlife during
this boat ride but, according to whale watching guide Irene Kurata, passengers are informed by the guides about whales and other
aquatic life that reside in the water.
“We provide education to the passengers as well to hopefully enrich the whale watching experience,” said Kurata.
Many people who go whale watching find the experience fun.
“It was my first time going [whale watching]. It was fun,” said
whale watching attendee Jode Mach. “We got to see dolphins and
whales.”
Not all people like whale watching because many people tend to
get seasick.
Kurata recommends that people who get seasick easily should
take motion sickness pills the night before so they enjoy their time
whale watching.
First Thursday: Urban festival
By Brandy Martinez
Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Lisa Cranshaw of Cranshaw Photography
Gray whale breaching off of the Pacific coast, astonishing whale watchers who are feet away.
On Thursday, April 1, San Pedro held its monthly festival event on Truck and many others.
Sixth, Seventh and Mesa Streets. This event is held every first Thursday of
Because this festival is only once a month, these vendors are known for
every month.
having great deals on their merchandise and food.
Being a popular social gathering, many come as
Some vendors are also known for having a large variety
first timers while others are veterans to the event.
of food and specialty foods. Some include; grilled cheese,
“I don’t really like to stay very long. In fact I come
sushi, lobster, ice cream, potato on a stick and barbecue.
especially for The Grilled Cheese Truck,” said San
For consumers, such as Dona Eldridge, it was their first
Pedro local Christina Sanchez.
time going.
People began to gather at 5 o’clock to these streets
“This is my first time and I came here for the lobster
and enjoy the many vendors, shops, restaurants and
truck,” said Eldridge.
art galleries provided for the community. Many well
As the night winded down at this festival, crowds grew
known venues at the event included the popular
bigger and became livelier.
Happy Diner and the recently opened Hojas Cafe.
Music was playing on all streets followed by chatter and
Other restaurants included Think Cafe, Philie B’s
laughter.
and Porky’s BBQ.
“Besides coming for the food, we love to come to just
Stores participating at the community festival inhang out with our friends,” stated friends Maria Lopez and
cluded Badfish Clothing Company and Records,
Amelia Samuelu /The Anchor Ruth Arroyo.
Lanta Salon and Our Creations. For those who Junior Omar Bojorquez purchasing a grilled cheese
First Thursday is truly an event worth attending, if you
from the Grilled Cheese Truck at First Thursday.
prefer to enjoy roaming the streets and eating,
are interested in great food and music, and want to enjoy
there were many available food trucks such as the
time with loved ones.
Grilled Cheese Truck, Nom Nom Truck, Lobster Truck, Waffles A Liege
The next First Thursday festival will be on May 7.
Clubs
Page 3
Volume 2, Issue 7
Performing Arts club is to perform
“Wicked” in May
By Sophie Duran
Staff Writer
The Performing Arts club will make an appearance at this year’s Elective Night on May 5 from
5 to 7 p.m. The club plans on performing a cut
from the musical “Wicked,” a story about a young
girl who grows up to become the wicked Witch
of the West. Club members have been practicing for this school event with much anticipation.
“The writer did a good job incorporating everything into an eight to ten minute
skit, especially since ‘Wicked’ is about a two
hour play,” said sophomore Dominique Wade.
The skit the club is using was cut down due to
the fact that Elective Night is only a couple
hours long itself, but the club seems to have
little to no trouble getting around that obstacle.
“If we have a plan or a program currently
in the works, we practice for that and we assign roles. We talk about how we can make
each other better,” said freshman Samantha Kittell when asked about the way the club practices for their upcoming shows, including for
their performance for Elective Night in May.
“We all want to be in some sort of art in the future and I think this is one step closer,” said Wade.
Most, if not all, of the members in the Performing Arts club joined the club because they already
had a passion for exactly what the club does.
“Performing this skit with support from classmates and parents would be a step forward for
them,” said senior James Scognamillo “I was really
into Marching Band when I was in middle school,
but they didn’t really have that here, so I started to
do theater with my friends and I got really into it.”
“The students seem very excited. I haven’t
seen any rehearsals, but everyone seems very
excited about the idea,” said drama teacher and club moderator Michael Aspinwall.
The club either meets Thursdays at lunch
and after school and/or on Saturdays in Aspinwall’s room or College Counselor and Cheer
coach Angelica Velasquez’ room on campus.
Interacting with the community
By Austin Labador
Staff Writer
Promoting tolerance for all
Samuel Gardner
Staff Writer
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
is a place where gay and straight
students can be together in peace
and can present tolerance to the
prejudices about homosexuality. Members band together to
support others who are gay, lesbian or bisexual in the school,
and as straight students to show
their support on homosexuality.
“GSA stands for Gay Straight
Alliance and it was founded to
bring together advocates that
wanted to spread correct info
and help people with problems
that are similar to your own,”
said junior Co-President Evelyn
Ibarra. “GSA is not just for students that are gay or lesbian, it’s
for students who support equality.”
Although the club is in support of gay and straight coexistence and tolerance, there is another way GSA benefits the school.
“GSA is a club where students learn to tolerate many confrontations they face, especially
about homosexuality. It helps
students with topics like racism,
bullying and sexism that haunt
them,” said club moderator and
math teacher Elspeth Carden.
GSA helps students learn that
they are not alone in their struggles in life and that there are other
students who could help them.
“Tolerance is important for
adolescents to learn, in order to
accept all and promote a more
peaceful and encouraging society,” said sophomore Vice President Destiny Sambrano. “This
will allow for an increase in individuality and self-expression.
This will result in a brighter
and better world for everyone.”
“Tolerance allows for individuals to confront a debate
or argument in a peaceful and
more understanding way. Tolerance builds a more respectable and peaceful character that
can accept and compensate a
situation in a mature and honorable manner,” said Sambrano.
GSA meets in Carden’s room
every Tuesday during lunch.
Forget sodas, have a salad
By Austin Labador
Staff Writer
Kyara Galloway/ The Anchor
Senior Dulce Gutierrez and sophomore Fred Buhat discuss the new service hours that are planned for the club.
Interact club is based on community service, and it encourages students to volunteer
more in the local community and at school.
In this club, students discuss the various ways
that they can make a difference within the
school and community. Interact club has organized many events to raise funds and help
the community, such as Pennies for Patients.
Recently, the club has raised money to donate
to low income families in the community. They
did this by collecting unwrapped or new toys.
They also held a literacy program on 15th Street.
The club talks about potential events in
the community, like the Holiday Drive. Science teacher and club moderator Katelyn
Childers also suggest fundraisers like Pennies for Patients to help anyone in need.
Interact is different from the Community Service club because it is connected to
the Rotary club, an adult community service organization. The Interact club collaborates with them on community projects.
“I joined the club as a sophomore, and I have just
stuck with it ever since,” said senior Dulce Gutierrez.
“The club sounds like a pretty good idea, since
you already need community service hours to
graduate,” said freshman Jessica Rose. “Interact
Club would be appealing to students that are behind on service hours, and they can join this club to
earn more hours for the graduation requirement.”
“Interact club seems interesting, since it helps
local communities,” said senior Gustavo Martinez.
Interact club meets on Thursdays at lunch
in Room 105, and is moderated by Childers.
POLAHS students receive 10% off
Healthy Eating club was
formed this semester to find better alternatives to the unhealthy
foods eaten at school, such as
cookies and chips. In this club,
students meet and discuss different ways to maintain their
health and they eat healthy foods
during some club meetings.
The club members each had
their own reason for joining,
whether it was for sports or to
maintain a healthier lifestyle.
“I decided to join Healthy
Eating club because I thought it
would be cool to learn healthy
tips and find out the benefits
of eating healthier,” said senior Carlos Gutierrez when
asked why he joined the club.
“I joined the club because I
am concerned about the health
options of the food that we are
eating,” said senior Julius Page.
“I wasn’t satisfied with
my health, and I also want-
ed to try and live longer,”
said senior Eric Vasquez.
The members of the club actively try to maintain a healthy
diet, although it is difficult since
unhealthy food is everywhere.
“I was inspired to start eating
healthy because I wanted to start
losing weight, and it makes me feel
better overall,” said Gutierrez. “I
make sure I eat a higher amount of
healthier foods, desserts less of the
time, and work out. It is very hard
to keep eating healthy because
unhealthy food is everywhere.”
“I wanted to be healthy as a
national known athlete,” said
Page. “I maintain my health by
eating less junk food, and eating more salads. It is very hard
to maintain a healthy diet, because I love cookies and chips.”
Healthy Eating club meets
on Thursdays at lunch in Room
207 and is moderated by English teacher Brian Emerson.
Christian Sanchez/ The Anchor
Senior Carlos Gutierrez and sophomore Brennda Ramirez discuss the reasons
why they joined the club and chose to become healthier.
The Growl
Page 4
Volume 2, Issue 7
Public acts of affection
By Maya Brown
Staff Writer
Prom proposals are public acts of kindness. They are how someone
lets another know they care about them, and are sensitive towards their
feelings. Prom proposals are especially sentimental around those who really
care. When they are done, they also display the creative ability of the person
who has enough guts to do it. Men and women both want to be engaged and excited. Prom
proposals are like wedding proposals. They should be done in public
where family and friends can share the experience. It is the scenery
and a huge teddy bear that makes him or her want to say yes, not
the effort behind it. To go public with a proposal means to show the
world how special that one person is. Some people may see public
proposals as embarrassing, but it’s probably because they have not
experienced the thrill of someone asking them to prom publicly.
Prom is supposed to be a magical day in everyone’s life, and in order
to start the whole experience off well, people should show their date
the respect they deserve by making that day one of the best days of
their lives.
One of the down sides to public proposals is rejection, but rejection is nothing to be scared of. The word “no” cannot physically hurt anyone. It should only
give someone the courage to be stronger and better. Confidence is the key to
being an indestructible prom date.
Sincerity and neatness have been two things that people lack in proposals.
They forget to focus on the real reason they are asking this person to prom.
People want to hear why and how much they are wanted and needed. The best
way to go about asking someone to prom is by using what they like to make
them feel at home, or more comfortable.
People want to be able to tell an amazing story about how they were asked
to prom, and that will not happen if they are asked to prom privately and monotonously. Prom proposals are risky, but they are also worth it.
POLAHS students
expressing their views on
this issue’s topic
Private promposals
By Leah Becerra
Staff Writer
Imagine sitting in your history class and all of a sudden your friend
Jake comes through the door with a hand-full of balloons and a big, red
rose bouquet of flowers. Following right after him are some football team
members with white t-shirts and Sharpie marks that say “Maya, will you go to
prom with me?” Cue the ‘awes’ from the audience. Of course your immediate ‘yes’ is expected, but what if you don’t want to go with him?
Who is the promposal really for?
Before we can answer, what is a “promposal”? It is a proposal
from one person asking another person to prom. Some people see
promposals as an opportunity to ask their crush to a date. Others
see promposals as an opportunity to make one specific person feel
very special. Oh, you think they want the person they are asking to
feel special? I meant the person asking wants to seem special.
What better way to get everyone’s attention at school than a
extravagant, over-the-top promposal. It’s even better to catch on it
film and post it on YouTube so that kids who are homeschooled can
see it. It’s easy to see that promposals are less about who’s asking who and more
about how a person’s being asked. As Linda Holmes so cleverly put it in her
article “Ahem: Asking Someone To The Prom Is Not A ‘Proposal’” On NPR.
org, “it [promposals] can take on a sense of being external rather than internal,
performative rather than intimate.”
Promposals should be private. When proposals are private, they are more
personal. This lets the person know that they are being asked to prom because it
would be the pleasure of that person asking. Perhaps the best type of promposals do not include marching bands, a flashmob, the school’s intercom nor a billion balloons. Some people are quick to assume that a simple invitation to prom
is boring. In reality, there is a lot that comes with a simple invitation. There is
genuine romance and charm in a private promposal.
“SHOULD SOMEONE BE ASKED
PUBLICALLY OR PRIVATELY?”
“Publically.
It
shows more affection of how many
people can see
the love you both
have and [its a]
better chance for
them to say yes.”
“It depends on the
person because
they can be shy
or the other person might want to
reject them or say
no.”
“It depends on
how you feel personally about asking them and how
the person you
are asking will respond.”
“I think the best
way to ask a girl
to prom is publically, so everyone
sees how cute a
guy can be”
Anika Gibbs
10th Grade
Sofia Morales
12th Grade
Jelani Bethune
12th Grade
Cynthia Angel
11th Grade
Julissa Ayala/The Anchor
Julissa Ayala/The Anchor
Julissa Ayala/The Anchor
Julissa Ayala/The Anchor
Editorial
The Anchor Staff
Editoral Board
Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor
David Carter
Clubs and Entertainment Editor
Jesus Zamora
The Growl. Editorial and Health Editor
Mika Verner
Features and Maritimes Editor
Aldo Andrade
Comics and Advice Editor
Ashley Anderson
Business Managers
Norma Mancha
Andrea Sanchez
Staff Writers
Kassandra Albarran
Julissa Ayala
Leah Becerra
Maya Brown
Sophie Duran
Samantha Franco
Samuel Gardner
Kiara Henry
Stephanie Holland
Jessica Jones
Austin Labador
Deyanira Lozano
Brandy Martinez
Jazmin Maya
Nohemi Morales
Alicia Moser
Melissa Navarro
Vania Patino
Ariana Quihuiz
Ximena Ruiz
Amelia Samuelu
Malia Street
Hannah Smith
Shannon Webb
Joseph Worthinton
Mary Worthington
Staff Photographers
Ashley Ardiaz
Dexter Dizon
Jose Frausto
Jaelene Galaz
Kyara Galloway
Fidel Gomez
Julianna Jaime
Luis Lozano
Christian Sanchez
Richard Velez
Melissa Yanes
Staff Artists
Chloe Baltazar
Natalie Leon
Ivan Marin
Lori Quijano
Jose Zamora
Augustin Zamrano
Advisers
Rachael LopezLavalle
Allison Norman
The Anchor Student Editorial Board Ethics Policy
As the student newspaper of Port of Los Angeles
High School, The Anchor is a source of authentic news
as well as a forum for student opinion and expression.
All content is determined by its student journalists. Its
purpose is to inform the POLAHS community and to
express the views of its staff.
Page 5
Volume 2, Issue 7
SOCIAL MEDIA ABUSE
What can schools do to regulate
student social media?
Editorial Board/The Anchor
In early 2013, 18 year-old Wesley Teague posted on “Twitter” saying, “ ‘Heights U’ is equivalent to WSU’s football team.”
Teague, a student at Heights High School, offended many people, comparing Heights High’s team to Wichita State University’s
non-existent team. School officials claimed it had caused “a negative reaction from many students, including threats of fights in the
school” and “caused a major disruption to the school day.” The school decided to suspend Teague for the remainder of the school year
and barred him from attending a track meet and a senior convocation to give a speech.
Although Senior Class President and student athlete Teague was later allowed to attend his convocation, Teague did violate cyberbullying rules in the high school’s student conduct code, which poses a strong question: Should schools be able to regulate student’s
social media activity and, if so, what are the limits?
As America dives into the
Technology and Information Age,
internet access and the emergence of internet in everyday life
becomes the norm in society.
Undoubtedly, the youth becomes
the most familiar with this new device, learning how to use new technologies rapidly and finding various
uses for the internet. Social media
realms soon become a commonality. However, who is there to guide
these new users on social media
sites, when a majority of adults are
unaccustomed to many of these online platforms? The lack of assistance
to these users presents a problem:
young users are not being educated
on what is “right” or “wrong” on
the internet, nor given any advice
to follow while surfing the web. This
issue leads to dangers and risks for
the user, as well as abuse towards
other users, through cyberbullying.
POLAHS Director of Operations
Roger
Cosgrove
agrees
with
this
concept.
“Psychologically, people at a
certain age don’t have the ability to filter that [negativity] out
and know not to do that [cyberbullying],” said Cosgrove in
an interview with The Anchor.
When students are using the
internet incorrectly to harass other
students, what role can a school take?
The fundamental principle of
“freedom of speech” legally limits the
school on what actions it can take,
as students can protect their words
on the internet. Although adults are
able to protect themselves by taking legal action against an abuser,
students are left with little to no direct opportunities, either financial
or legally, to take action. So when
students are involved, the POLAHS
attempts to take a certain degree of
responsibility for actions involving cyber abuse between students.
At a school, one of the educators’
responsibilities is to create a safe
environment for their students. As
social media gets out of control, the
schools should be able to set freedom of speech aside to protect its
students and teach the abuser correct
ways of managing their behavior.
“You [as a school official] must
take a position that freedom of
speech reigns until it is abused,”
Cosgrove said. “When the fundamental principle is abused or used
inappropriately, you have to protect the person that is being impacted if they are a non-adult. You
have to provide freedom of speech
up to a point, in my opinion.”
Schools should address any accounts of cyberbullying, calling in
assumed students and discussing
the issue privately, as well as give
them a punishment if the harassment of others continues. This will
teach students and lead them down
the right path, after making the mistake of harassing others, and will
potentially prevent a future incident.
Among the array of actions
schools can take to potentially avoid
the problem of cyberbullying, the
best one would be to give them the
guidance they need, on internet use.
Annual programs or workshops
addressing the uses, risks, and effects of sources on the internet.
This would not only teach students
vital information and advice they
need, but it would also protect students and perhaps gradually spread
to shift the negative connotation
of the internet as a scary and unknown place to a technology of
practicability and advantage. This
would also start the cycle of teaching important principles to the next
generation, as students pass it on
and schools continue to renew programs to match recent technologies.
For now, the school avoids mishaps on the internet by setting students limits on technologies and
restricting access to certain sites.
This restricts students from attempting to take inappropriate actions on
the internet within school grounds.
Social media regulation within
the education system still continues
to be a controversial topic today.
The newspaper staff has made every effort to ensure
the accuracy and objectivity of its news. Signed opinion
columns reflect the opinion of the writer. Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Anchor’s
student editorial board. Opinions do not necessarily
reflect the views of the student body, faculty, administration, or Board of Trustees.
The Anchor is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and adheres to its Code of Ethics
for high school journalists. The advisers are held to the
Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of
Ethics.
Contact us!
The Anchor appreciates hearing from
its readers at
[email protected].
If you would like to advertise in The
Anchor, please contact us at
[email protected].
Ashley Anderson/The Anchor
Page 6
Volume 2, Issue 7
Student Spotlight:
Riley Beres
By Amelia Samuelu
Staff Writer
Senior Riley Beres recently visited Washington, D.C. to meet President
Barack Obama for dedicating a significant amount of time and effort towards bettering her community. She was granted the Prudential Spirit of
Community Award, an award granted to only 1% of the U.S population,
for a short film she made called “A Sockumentary.”
Beres is a member of the National Honors Society. NHS is an organization that honors students who excel in leadership, scholarship, character and service. As a member, Beres is obligated to have a community
project, and so she chose to assemble a team for the United Way Homewalk. She and her colleagues raised a significant amount of money as well
as socks for the homeless. Because her team was productive and had the
most recruits within the week before the walk, she was awarded a prize,
which she later gave to POLAHS.
During her sophomore year, Beres made a full length documentary
about homelessness in the Los Angeles area titled “Hope For Our Own:
An LA Story.”
Screened in Feb. 2013 at the Warner Grand, it revealed the growing
problem of homelessness and how it affects the community. This film,
which was Beres’s first directing, took her about a year to compete.
The second short she made, which was about three minutes, was
called “A Sockumentary” discussing the importance of her non-profit
organization. This film was the one that sent Beres on her way to Washington to meet the president.
Beres just recently made a new film entitled “Double Turnover.” It is
a 14 minute noir that is planned to be screened at various film festivals.
“Other than those, I have produced, written and directed a couple of
web series episodes,” said Beres. “I’ve also directed, written and filmed
multiple films and sketches for [POLAHS] Advanced Drama. They are all
difficult to make,” added Beres. “But it gets easier as I go.”
Along with being a
young cinematographer,
Beres is also an academic
scholar. Her cumulative
GPA is 4.125. Since the beginning of her high school
career, she has constantly
taken honors and AP
classes, and every semester Beres has been on the
Principal’s Honor Roll.
Her favorite class,
among those she has taken, is AP British Literature
because of the content it
deals with. Beres likes to
read literature, and has
found that her English
Photo courtesy of Riley Beres class this year has openedRiley Beres, along with fellow cinematographers, her up to the real world
listening intently to a conference in Washington, more so than her previous
D.C.
classes.
Beres attributes much of her success to her family, who constantly
pushes her to be her best.
“I think my parents have raised me to make sure that I was achieving
my highest,” said Beres. “I believe that if you have good grades, you can
do anything in life.”
While at POLAHS, Beres has connected with many of the teachers
and staff, often viewing them as mentors and friends. The teacher she
has especially connected with is Michael Aspinwall, her Advanced Drama
teacher.
Riley believes that not only has he encouraged her to do things that
she enjoys, but he is like her mentor.
“No one I know works harder that Riley. No one I know cares more
than Riley,” said Aspinwall. “But what impresses me most about her is that
at age 17, she understands that she has a gift, and she knows that she can
use her gift to make the world around her a better place.”
Though her academic load is very rigorous, Beres does find time to
spend with her friends.
“I think Riley has been really successful at balancing her social life,
academic life and her work life,” said senior Jorge Anaya. “I greatly admire
her for everything she does and I feel lucky to call her my friend.”
Through all of her hard work, Beres has been accepted into CSU
Northridge and CSU Long Beach so far this year. Although not her primary pick for college, she plans on attending Northridge in the upcoming
fall semester.
“Northridge was not my goal school, but I believe everything happens for a reason,” Beres said. “I think not getting into my top school has
actually been a better thing for me.”
Ultimately, Beres is excited to travel onto the next stage of her life.
She believes that being at POLAHS has facilitated her success as a young
adult, and she is sad to leave the school. Beres acknowledges that POLAHS is a school that has a supportive staff that knows how to help her
in her endeavours.
“I don’t believe I would have been able to achieve half the stuff I did if
I went anywhere else,” said Beres. “Everyone is just so supportive here and
they make everything really accessible.”
Hojas and Starbucks
Features
Chocolate chunk vs. Double Chocolate Chip Frapuccinos
Reviewer: Vania Patino
Staff Writer
Reviewer: Malia Street
Staff Writer
For years Starbucks has been the top
choice for drinks among POLAHS students. However, recently Hojas has been in
the mouth of everyone.
Hojas is a new tea house that has students talking. So what is the hype about?
With their new location a couple minutes
away from our school, it has become much
more convenient than walking a mile away
for Starbucks.
“I prefer Hojas because I can’t drink coffee so Hojas has a larger variety of teas,” said
junior Amber Eddings.
Despite the new obsession over Hojas,
many of our students remain loyal to Starbucks.
“I like Starbucks better, because its closer to my house and it’s also cheaper. But I
do like how close Hojas is to school even
though I only like a single one of their
drinks,” said freshman Ariana Garcia with
an Hojas drink in her hand.
The student body’s opinion is very diverse. Some prefer Starbucks, while others
say they can not get enough of Hojas.
In order to decide which one I prefered, I
had the Chocolate Chunk Frapuccino from
Hojas and compared it to the Double Chocolate Chip Frapuccino from Starbucks.
In my opinion, they were both delicious.
However, the one from Hojas just seemed
like a “ripped off ” version of the one from
Starbucks. It tasted like a homemade chocolate milkshake, and if I’m going to pay for
a drink, I would rather have the classic fresh
Starbucks taste.
The Starbucks one had just the right
amount of chocolate as opposed to the Hojas one, which I could not finish due to its
strong chocolate flavor. In addition, I also
like how Starbucks has individual chocolate chips served with it. The texture of the
drink itself definitely demonstrates a higher
quality than Hojas, which again reminds
me of a homemade milkshake made with
cheap chocolate. I would definitely have
both again, but I would not pay for the
Chocolate Chunk.
Overall, if I had them both in front of me
I would not hesitate to pick up the Double
Chocolate Chip Starbucks and run.
Starbucks is on 438 S. Gaffey St. and Hojas is on 222 W. 6th St.
Although Starbucks and Hojas both have
chocolate drinks, they are very different
from one another. I do not favor a drink because I like them both. They both have qualities that I absolutely love, and they both have
the things that downgrade the drink.
Starbucks has more chunks of chocolate
in it which I love. With every sip that I took,
I did not have just a chocolate shake, I had
chocolate chunks which I find very ironic
because Hojas had named their chocolate
drink the “chocolate chunk.”
But Hojas, on the other hand, was a more
blended drink. One thing I loved so much
was that Hojas made their drink more chocolatey than Starbuck’s drink. Hojas drink is
filled from top to bottom with chocolate,
which gives the drink more sweetness.
Overall, if I was forced to choose between
the two drinks, I would choose Hojas. I love
chocolate, and I love that Hojas supplies me
with a whole lot of it.
Jaelene Galaz/The Anchor
POLAHS students Kimberly Sleeis and
Mckayla Campos enjoying their usual coffee drinks: a vanilla iced coffee and Masala from Hojas after school.
A breath of fresh air: Spring break
By Vania Patino
Staff Writer
The second week of rest and relaxation avail- sun this Spring Break. He went hiking and visited
able to students, since winter break finally arrived the beach.
on March 28. Spring break,
Many POLAHS students
a time to sleep in and take
celebrate Easter. Some spend
a break from all the tedious
it by gathering with their relaschool work. How do the
tives and enjoying the Easter
students at POLAH spend
egg hunts. However, other stutheir spring break?
dents such as junior Kimberly
Many people including
Santamaria do not.
students have traditions for
“I have a tradition of not
this time of the year. Many
celebrating Easter every spring
of these include disconbreak, and I just hang out with
necting from screens and
friends,” said Santamaria.
taking a moment to enjoy
Other students had sports
fresh air.
and activities which kept them
Senior Greg Cox said
productive, such as junior
he used this break to just
Paul Castaneda.
sleep in and take a break.
“I had a game almost every
Some of our students
day for varsity baseball and
enjoyed the sunny Califoralso had practice,” said Casnia weather by exploring
taneda.
Photo Courtesy of Gabriel Melgarejo
the outdoors.
With Spring Break gone,
“I went to Knotts with The path taken by POLAHS studentt Ga- now it is time to eagerly await
my friends and I went to briel Melgarejo during a stroll down the summer break.
the beach,” said sophomore coast of the Pacific over spring break.
Lizeth Chavez.
Junior Gabriel Melgarejo also basked in the
Comics
Page 7
Volume 2, Issue 7
Lori Quijano /The Anchor
Lori Quijano /The Anchor
Jose Zamora /The Anchor
Talents Collide Two separate musical talents can come together to form one beautiful
symphony...or a terrible one. Sometimes practice for the talent show just gets too intense.
Natalie Leon /The Anchor
Chloe Balthazar /The Anchor
Health
Page 8
Volume 2, Issue 7
Austism awareness at POLAHS
By Melissa Navarro and
Samantha Franco
Staff Writers
Is it true that people can eat their way to
gorgeous locks? Do you want a thicker mane? Add these nutritious super foods to a diet to watch hair transform! Not only will
it make hair glow, but skin, eyes, and nails too. According to Lipstick.
com, eating plenty of fish is a must. The omega 3 and fatty acids will
prevent hair loss, hydrate your scalp and create stronger hair follicles.
Try adding fish like salmon, shrimp and oysters to your diet.
Some healthy hair habits from Glamour Magazine include
letting hair air dry, putting down the blow dryer and giving your
hair a little vacation from the heat once in a while. If hot tools are
necessary, opt for ceramic features on flat irons, which diminish
the potential for hair to be damaged and add healthy shine to your
hair. Use heat protectant on hair. Wet hair is defenseless against
hot tools. If you hear sizzling, back off! Try adding a heat protectant spray like Garnier Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector mist
($4.50, Walgreens.com).
Mix up your style. Don’t repeat ponytail placement because
it increases the risk of breakage. Also, use gentle fabric bands on
your hair, and toss out those tight elastic bands. When you’re
brushing your hair, use wide tooth combs to reduce risk of
snagging hair. Try spritzing some oil to ends before working out
knots on wet hair. The natural oils in your hair are actually very
healthy for our hair. If you have thicker hair that doesn’t get too
oily, try washing hair every other day.
Try DIY (do it yourself) recipes to save money. All of those
hair products we put in our hair can really build up and get
“gunky.” Try a more gentle natural solutions to healthy hair. Fekkai Salon hairstylist Stephanie Henriquez, as cited on SheKnwos.
com, suggests adding a few ounces of apple cider vinegar to
your shampoo to break down residue, bringing back hairs natural
shine. Try making your own hair mask to repair the damage done
to your locks this summer from all those days at the beach, and
in the damaging chlorine of swimming pools. Coconut oil not
only smells delicious, but is a great lightweight moisturizer for
your strands. Just combine two parts coconut oil and one part
olive oil, and work the mixture to hair. Then, focusing on the
ends, wrap your hair in a bun and let it stand for 15 minutes, then
rinse in the shower and shampoo and condition as usual. Another
fun mask is the banana hair mask; the potassium in the banana
strengthens and fixes damaged hair. Mash the banana in a bag or a
blender, then apply it to your hair and leave for 15 to 20 minutes, followed by shampoo and conditioner to rinse out in the shower, unless
you want to be stuck with chunks of banana in your hair all day.
Follow these tips for healthy and good looking hair!
Running shoes: what’s the hype with them?
By Deyanira Lozano
Staff Writer
Converse, sandals, boots or any other good looking
type of footwear are not always the most beneficial type
of shoes to run in. They can not only potentially harm
the feet, but in addition to that, the ankle and leg as
well. Running shoes, additionally given the name of
“athletic shoes,” may not always be fashionable or
popular, but they ensure runners’ health and safety
whilst running much more efficiently than flat
shoes that do not provide any comfort when
pressure is added on the feet.
According to FitDay.com, running shoes keep the feet balanced, give
stability and aid motion control,
and give flexibility for wherever it is needed on the
foot. Edie Grace of
Livestrong.com says
that they diminish the amount of
injuries usually risked
when wearing shoes with flat soles. This is due to the fact that
the shoes have
cushioning and an arch making
sure
footsteps are steady and weight
is supported. They give off the
feeling of comfort while
running, making it more
enjoyable. They can be
used pretty much anywhere, but are more
likely to be worn when
doing sports, hiking,
walking and the most
common, running.
FitDay.com states that proper running shoes are beneficial when excersizing
if runners or atheletes want to avoid blisters
and be more comfortable when completing
workouts. Investing in atheltic shoes is highly recommended.
Autism is a disorder that is more common in today’s society. According to the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders (NIND), Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) is four to five times more likely to
occur to boys than girls. Yet, ASD can
happen in any social group and at any age
range. Although ASD has a more increased
chance of spreading genetically, researchers
have not linked any environmental causes
to it.
NIND also states that the symptoms
of Autism can be detected at an early age,
but NIND suggests consulting a professional if concern rises. Early age symptoms
include loss of social skills, unresponsive-
Mika Verner/The Anchor
The t-shirt design, created by 9th grader Christine Messner, for POLAHS Austism Awareness
fundraiser.
ness to name, excessive lining up of toys
and objects and more. Future symptoms
include an inability to interact or sustain
a conversation with others, abnormal
focussing abilities, inflexibility to tortine or
schedules.
POLAHS is participating in the Autism
Awareness Walk that takes place on Saturday April 18th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. POLAHS Special Education Coordinator Joni Ferrari, expressed her thoughts
in the upcoming event.
“I think you know it’s just an event
that we were looking for so that all of our
parents and our families and our students
could participate in something, and being
the special education department, you
know we wanted to show the experience
with other people and get more people
involved so they understand what our parents and families are going through [with]
our students with Autism,” said Ferrari
Ferrari also ensures that students can
contribute to Autism Awareness Month
with certain activities.
“If people want to gain knowledge, I
think that that’s the best thing to do: gain
knowledge about what autism is, how it
affects people, the research and the data
on it,” said Ferrai. “The color [for Autism
Awareness month] is blue, so people just
wearing blue and I think that just talking
about it with other people and just participating [are ways to contribute].”
Although no cure has developed to
stop ASD, organizations, communities and
individuals continue to spread awareness
about the disease.
Entertainment
Mumford and Sons
create “Wilder Minds”
By Hannah Smith
Staff Writer
Marcus Mumford and his
band, Mumford and Sons, are
well on their way to the release
of their newest album “Wilder
Minds.” “Wilder Minds” will be
the folk and rock band’s third
album released since their start
in 2007. The band was formed
in London, England by Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Ted
Dwane, and Winston Marshall.
They decided to give their band
the name of Mumford and Sons
to portray the feeling of a family between the band members.
It was announced on Jan. 14,
that “Wilder Minds” will be released on May 4 with their single
Believe being released on March 9.
The latest album brings a new
sound to the traditionally folk
oriented band. They strived for
this by changing from their producer, Markus Dravs, to work
with
producer James Ford.
Mumford and Sons went
on a hiatus in the two years between “Babel” and the announcement of “Wilder Minds.” Ben
Lovett, the band’s keyboardist,
told New Music Express (NME)
about producing the album
with Ford, who also produced
for Arctic Monkeys and HIAM.
“We felt a need for change,”
Page 9
Volume 2, Issue 7
The 2015 MTV Movie Awards
Race to see it
By Stephanie Holland
Staff Writer
By Shannon Webb
Staff Writer
“Furious 7” is a hit at the box
office. Ian Shaw, Owen Shaw’s
older brother, goes looking for
answers at the police station for
who killed his brother to defend
his honor, but things escalade
when Shaw kills Han and destroys
Dominic Toretto’s home. Watch
the original gang take on the
Special Forces assassin and new
frontier together one last time.
“This time it ain’t just about
being fast” (Vin Diesel) because
they’ll need to recruit help from
the military in order to defeat Ian
Shaw. The group flies out of a military plane in their own personal
cars on their way to find Ian Shaw.
Watch the two power houses Letty and Ronda Rousey fight it out
in an intense match. Some other
celebrities that play minor roles
include Iggy Azalea and T-Pain.
See Vin Diesel’s character,
Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker’s character, Bryan O’Conner
defy the laws of physics as they
crash through three skyscrapers
in an epic car scene. The final fight
scene is between Ian and Dominic as they finish things once and
for all. The film pays a special and
memorable tribute to one of its
memorable co-stars, the late Paul
Walker. In the last five minutes of
the film, they do a recap of all the
films he has starred in throughout the franchise. They show
clips of his most famous scenes
from the Fast and the Furious.
According to ComingSoon.
net, from April 10 to April 12
“Furious 7” brought an estimated
$60.6 million to the box office. In
a recent interviews conducted on
March 30, Tyrese Gibson, actor
who plays Roman, explains how
there have been rumors about a
spinoff series between his character Roman and Chris Chris
“Ludacris” Bridges’ character, Tej.
“Furious 7” is a must-see movie.
Fans recognize their favorite films and actors
Photo Courtesy of www.zap2it.com
The cast of The Avengers present their co-star Robert Downey Jr. with one of MTV’s Lifetime Achievement awards.
The 24th Annual MTV Movie Awards, held on April 12 at
the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, celebrated the year’s cinematic excellence. The host Amy
Schumer, best known for her “Inside Amy Schumer” comedy central sketch show, began the award
show with a parody of “Boyhood” imagining her future, and
pondering life. She went on to
share a scene with the stars from
“Pitch Perfect,” “Divergent” and
“The Fault in Our Stars” where
Schumer pokes fun at the message of the movies through her
signature use of obscene humor.
Even through all of the ridiculous moments of the show, there
were also many emotional moments, including Vin Diesel’ s
heart felt tribute to his friend and
“Furious 7” co-star Paul Walker.
John Green shed a tear from
“Fault in Our Stars” actress Shane
Woodleys acceptance speech for
Best Female Performance where
she thanked Green for his original source of talent and material.
Woodley was also awarded the
Trailblazer award. Some other
Awards of the night were given to
Dylan O’Brien for winning Best
Hero Award for his role in the
MTV drama series “Teen Wolf ”.
“The Fault in Our Stars” was
the popular film of the night,
winning awards for Movie of
The Year, Best Kiss (Ansel Elgort and Shane Woodley) and
Best Female Performance (Shane
Woodley). Another Favorite was
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1” taking awards
for Best Musical Moment and
Best On-Screen Transformation. Robert Downey Jr. was also
awarded with the Generation
Award, a lifetime achievement
award from MTV, which was
presented to him by his fellow
cast members of “The Avengers.”
Charli XCX, Ty Dolla $ign
and Tinashe performed their
new pop-rap hit “Drop that Kitty” and had the crowd purring.
Other performances included
Fall Out Boy and Fetty Wap.
Rebel Wilson shocked many
in her outfit in which she dressed
as a Victoria’s Secret model, wings
and all, to introduce a short clip
from the “Pitch Perfect Cappella
Comedy Sequel.” Kevin Hart won
the Comedic Genius award for
his performance in “Ride Along”
and was joined on stage by his
children to accept the award.
Overall the Award Show
was a hit or miss for many but
the stars did shine on their
special night of recognition.
Photo Courtesy of abcnews.go.com
Marcus Mumford recieves the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2013.
said Lovett to NME. “Not from
Markus [Dravs], but he was so
closely attached to those first
two records that as we had
taken that time off, we wanted
to try doing something new.”
The third album’s new
sound is described by Lovett
as a “natural departure.”
Mumford and Sons’ past albums include “Sigh No More”
(2009) and “Babel” (2012). “Sigh
No More” peaked at number two
on the UK Album Chart and
“Babel” at number one along
with winning the Brit Award
for Best British Group of 2013.
Mumford and Sons will go
on tour for their latest album in
early June this year. The tour
will be titled “The Gentlemen
of the Road Stopover Tour.”
Photo courtesy of www.cinemablend.com
“Furious 7” takes the viewer on “one
last ride” with Dominic Torreto and
Bryan O’Conner.
POLAHS got
talent
By Samuel Gardner
Staff Writer
On March 9 students participated in the annual talent show
at the Warner Grand auditorium.
The auditorium was filled with
students and parents who cheered
on the student performers.
“It was fun and it was cool
to see all of the talent we
have in this school that most
people didn’t know about,”
said junior Joelle Demonte who attended the event.
The talent show had performances from many alumni
who did their best on stage.
“It was interesting. I’ve performed in front of people before,
but never at school,” said senior
James Scognamillo who sang
with sophomore Joey Larrondo
in a duet to the song “Agony.”
This was the first act of the night.
“All of the performances
were really good and fun to
watch, but my favorite performance was Gabby Paras,
Ronnel Mangubat, and Sarah
Banuelos who performed the
song ‘Riptide’,” said Demonte.
“The crowd” almost threw
us off, but it was good. I was
very calm until the moment I
sat down. The crowd made me
nervous at the start, but when
we started singing, it went away,”
said junior Gabby Paras, another
performer in the talent show.
“The act gets better each
year. They show what they can
do. They want to better themselves,” said Paras, who has participated in the annual talent
show for the last three years.
Dear Petey
Page 10
Volume 2, Issue 7
“ ... I really like him, like
more than a friend, but I do
not know whether or not I
should tell him ... ”
“I have told him countless
times that it is over now between the two of us and that
I’m done with him ... ”
“In what ways does climate
change actually affect me?”
Dear Petey,
My best friend and I have known each other for a good
five years, since the beginning of middle school. He has always been there for me, listened to my problems and gavin
me the greatest advice. I have only realized recently that I
really like him, like more than a friend, but I do not know
whether or not I should tell him and how I would even do
such a thing. What do you think is a good way to tell if
he feels the same why I feel about him? I really value the
friendship we have right now, and I don’t know if jeopardizing it will be worth it in the end. Do you think I should
tell him how I feel? How can I do that?
Sincerley,
Scared and Crushing
Dear Petey,
I have had problems lately in my relationship. Well,
now it is a past relationship. My boyfriend and I were together for about 7 months. The time we spent together was
definitely not “bad”, but I really just could not imagine a
future with this guy, so I ended up breaking up with him.
My problem is that he keeps acting cool, like everything is
fine, and like we never broke up. I have told him countless
times that it is over now between the two of us and that I
am done with him, but he completely ignores whatever I
say. I have already moved on, so how can I help him do the
same? Can you give me any advice on how to get him to
finally move on and leave me alone for once?
Sincerely,
Tired and Annoyed
Dear Petey,
Recently, I have developed an interest in the environment and the things we can do to help protect it. Every
time I go on the internet I see articles about the environment and how we need to conserve water and watch out
for greenhouse gases. The articles always have a similar
message: we need to change our ways now. In what ways
does climate change actually affect me? And what can I do
to help stop environmental change?
Sincerely,
Environmental Eye
Dear Scared and Crushing,
I suggest you tell no one who you like, especially if
it is your best friend that you like! I once liked my best
friend, but it didn’t end up working out. She had such a
kind personality that I mistook it for feelings for me. Try
not to make my same mistake I made! A good tip would
be to pay attention to how he talks to you and looks at
you. If he looks at you like any of his other friends, he
might not feel the same way. Personally, I think you
should keep it to yourself since you are really good
friends with him. But, if you do build up the guts to tell
him how you feel, then you should explain to him slowly over time by sending him cute emojis on messenger
(the kissy face and the blushing emoji are some personal
favorites of mine) or something that’s small but to that
same effect. I think telling him right away may be too
risky. The decision, however, is completely up to you. I
really hope it does work out for you!
Best wishes,
Petey
Dear Tired and Annoyed,
That is a terrible situation to be in; my condolences
go to you. I was in a situation a couple years ago myself.
Sally the Shark could not get enough of my cool personality and charisma! She adored me, but I eventually
ended things between us. I saw her everywhere and she
would not leave my alone. It was the worst! The only advice I could give you is to try to divert his attention to
someone else. Maybe you could introduce him to a cool
new activity or maybe even a new girl. Another option
would be to make yourself unavailable to him. I’m not
advising you to rush into a relationship or anything, but
maybe he keeps bothering you is because he thinks you
may possibly still have feelings for him or something. If
it was obvious you liked someone else or you were in a
relationship, he would definitely leave you alone. Good
luck!
Good luck,
Petey
Dear Environmental Eye,
Believe it or not, all of the problems you listed do affect you (and me!) on an individualistic level. For example, water conservation. California is in a severe drought.
It’s the worst we’ve seen in decades. Already, one million
Californians do not have consistent access to clean water. So it is all of our jobs to try to reduce the amount
of water we use so that we all can have some water to
drink. You can do a lot to conserve water, though! Take
shorter showers, or only water plants when necessary.
The greenhouse gas problems also affect you personally,
though not to the extent that water shortages do. Greenhouse gases are responsible for the global warming that
is slowly (but surely) affecting our planet. With the ever-rising amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere,
the average temperature of Earth is rising everyday. But,
with your help (and everybody else’s), we can stop this
from happening. Try to change your energy usage habits. Use a power saving mode when you use your TV or
computer and try to reduce the brightness on both. With
your help, you can help the environment and slow down
climate change, like melting glaciers. and save my home!
Hoping for the best,
Petey
Have any questions? Need advice?
Contact Petey at
[email protected]
or submit to the Dear Petey advice box at the front desk, and
your questions could be answered
in the next issue of The Anchor!
Sports
Bad start of a new
season for junior
varsity baseball
By Kassandra Albarran
Staff Writer
POLAHS junior varsity baseball team has come to an unfortunate start to their season. They
have yet to bring make victories
in the season. The boys lost three
consecutive non league games so
far.
On Wednesday, March 25
the boys went against their rival,
Mary Star of the Sea High School
Julianna Jamie/ The Anchor
Freshman Nicholas Skrumbis prepares for a what could be a good
pitch during the game.
(Mary Star), at Fromhold Field.
Sophomore Esteban Jaime
was in the moment during the
game, as soon as the ball swept
away from his hand, Mary Star
went in to exercise control over
the ball. The ball made its way
to center field, but the boys’ defense stumbled and Mary Star
capitalized the field and scored a
run. The boys defense struck out
quickly throughout the innings.
The junior varsity team was
trounced by their opponent, St.
Anthony High School, on Saturday, March 21 at Clark Field. The
boys were given the mercy rule,
which ended the game at the 5th
inning with the final score being
10-0.
On Friday, March 11 the boys
went against South Gate High
School at South Gate’s campus
but again did not bring home a
victory. The final score was 12-1.
Coach Joseph Vega believes
the junior varsity are almost
ready for varsity since they have
improved.
“So far we made a lot of improvement,” said Vega. “We have
a lot of guys that haven’t played
much, but they are looking a lot
better.”
Vega’s only hope is to be able
to get the the junior varsity team
ready for varsity in the near future.
“My goals for every season for
JV is to get the guys ready for
the next level,” said Vega. “So my
hope is that they learn the small
things about the game that apply
to the varsity level. We are half
way through the season, and yes,
we had many obstacles. We had
a lot of players that didn’t have
any experience in key positions
which kept the game flow from
going. But overall they learned a
lot in the first few games so we
are looking a lot better.”
Page 11
Volume 2, Issue 7
Varsity baseball aims
for a comeback
By Ariana Quihuiz
win our league and diStaff Writer
vision. My goal is to be
Boys varsity baseball had
the best player in the
a tough start to their season
league.”
in March. In their first two
“We just got to hit
games of the month, on March
harder,
that’s it. If we
6, against Mary Star of the Sea,
can
get
in the field,
and March 7, against Palos
we’re
going
to win the
Verdes Peninsula. The boys
game,
”
said
Vasquez.
lost both games with scores of
Win or lose, the
13-0 and 5-0 respectively.
main
goal for both the
However, their loss was
Julianna
Jamie/
The
Anchor
team
and their coach
quickly followed with a
Senior Ricardo Vasquez making a pitch during the is to win league and
win on March 16, leading
boys’ game against Bright Star on March 23.
have a good run at
the game by a total of nine
Despite another loss on March
playoffs.
points, attaining a score of 11-1
28 against Rancho Dominguez
“They
need
to hit the ball
in a game against Animo Jackie
with a score of 8-0, on March 30, harder, that’s it. Pitch well, play
Robinson High School.
in one of the last games of the good defense, and hit the ball
A setback occured on March
month against Sherman Oaks harder,” said coach Brian Emer20 during a game against Rancho
Center for Enriched Studies, the son.
Dominguez in which the boys
boys won scoring 18 points in a
“With our recent losses I hope
lost by a mere two points, ending
18-4 game.
this
team can come back and win
with a score of 6-4.
Despite the recent losses, the these tough games. I also hope we
On March 23, in their game
boys say they are very optimistic can win another championship,
against Bright Star, the boys won
about the future of their season but we have to take it one game at
with a landslide score of 19-0. Six
and know the improvements that a time before we can think about
of their hits came in during the
they need to make to win.
that,” said junior Paul Castaneda.
second inning, with assistance by
“We just didn’t play to our full
“We’ve won league three years
senior Jonathan Contreras hitpotential,” said senior Jonathan in a row, that is the number one
ting a double hit, bringing in two
Contreras, who commented on goal. The league is what matruns for the team. Senior Ricardo
improvements and goals for the ters, consider all the other games
Vasquez pitched for the first three
season. “This season I hope for tune-ups,” said Emerson.
innings, keeping the opposing
our team to get another ring and
team from making any hits.
Julianna Jamie/ The Anchor
Senior Matthew Sparks slides his way towards third base and reaches it before the Bright Star third baseman can even
catch the ball.
POLAH bear spotlight
Fidel Gomez/ The Anchor
Junior Vanessa Munoz pitches the
ball in the direction of her oppnent
during one of the girls games.
Ashley Ardaiz/ The Anchor
The junior varsty volleyball team
put up thier best effort to get the
ball over the net.
Jose Frausto/ The Anchor
Junior Dennis Constanza passes
the ball into his place for the rest of
his team to assist him in getting the
ball over the net.
Boys volleyball start the season with an undefeated record
By Kiara Henry
Staff Writer
POLAHS boys varsity and junior varsity volleyball both won on
Monday, March 23 against James
A. Foshay Learning Center (Foshay). The varsity team’s away conference match against Foshay by a
score of 3-1.
The boys lost the first round 2521, caused by a lack of communication, according to players.
“We didn’t cover the tip as well
as we should have, but I feel we
passed very well,” said junior Andrew Walker.
“We
didn’t
communicate
enough, which threw the flow of
our game off,” said senior Julius
Page.
By the second round, the boys
got back in sync in the game and
had good communication on the
court.
At the beginning of the second set the boys lead 7-2, which
caused their opponents, Foshay, to
immediately call a timeout. Senior
Amra Brucelas made spikes including Page, who made blocks. The boys
lead 13-3, which Foshay had to force
another timeout. The boys ended up
winning 24-17.
“I feel we played together and
communicated to each other
more than we normally do, which
made us win this game,” said Page.
During the third set, the boys
continued playing well and won
the set 25-21 and the fourth set
25-17.
The varsity boys are currently
undefeated, having two wins and
no losses in the league.
The junior varsity volleyball
team also won their game against
Foshay.
During the first round the
boys started off with a four point
lead and ended up building momentum for the boys to finish the
first set 25-21.
By the second set the boys
Jose Frausto/ The Anchor started slow but won the set 25Senior Julius Page attempts to spite the 22.
ball over the net while the rest of his
By the third set the boys had
teammates move to support him.
a good start with a six point lead
of 6 making the score 9-4. However
the boys made many mistakes, and
Foshay was able to tie the game 1414, with one more point to be made
in order to win the game. The boys
stayed strong and ended up winning
the set by just one point bringing
home another victory to their team
and the school.
The boys are now 1-2 in the
league.
“I felt we did good, but all we need
is more communication,” said freshman Marc Jaramillo.
“I felt we did good, but I feel we
could have beat them with more
points, but overall I’m happy that we
won our game,” said freshman Nehemiah Pele.
Both volleyball teams encourage their fans and fellow POLAHS
students to come support and bring
their school spirit to their home
games at Peck Park.
Page 12
Volume 2, Issue 7
Sports