Rachael Garner

Senior Jackie Duan advertises Key Club, which recieved 301 total sign-ups during Club Rush on Tuesday and Wednesday. 70 other clubs also participated. See Page 8 for more coverage.

By Kea Hudson Staff Writer

Representatives from 71 clubs set up tables and banners for Club Rush during lunch this Tuesday and Wednesday. Crowds of students moved between post-ers and mascots to sign up for various student groups.

The event featured numer-ous clubs reinstated from previ-ous years. Veterans such as Key Club and the Red Cross Club received 301 and 366 signups, respectively.

“We’re just trying to get as many people to join as possible and spread the word about our club,” said Red Cross president

Jessica Ng. “We do a lot of com-munity service and help people in need.”

Not all of the clubs were service-based. Club interests spanned from feminism to origami.

Students founded 19 new clubs this year, including junior Tabitha Genato’s Yoga Club.

“Basically, we’re going to hold yoga sessions, hopefully ev-ery Wednesday, in Mr. Whitney’s classroom. And we’re hoping he’s going to instruct us, but we’re still working on convincing him,” said Genato.

The event served as an introduction to student life for freshmen and new students.

“Club Rush is a great way for freshmen and new students to find their spot in this school,” said freshman Ari Louie. “It makes me feel very welcome.”

Commissioner of Clubs Michael Chang spent weeks or-ganizing the event and was im-pressed by the outcome.

“I think the cool thing about Club Rush this year is that despite there being less clubs than last year, there was still a ton of energy and excitement,” said Chang. “It isn’t easy to stand in the sun, talk to as many students as possible, and to just be ener-getic. I really admire how all the club representatives were able to do that.”

Club Rush captivates Tiger Patio

Math CST scores fall

By Jason Wang Business Manager

The 2012 South Pasadena High School mathematics CST scores dropped significantly from 2011 in three of five sec-tions. California Standards Tests are distributed annually by the State Board of Education as part of a process that ranks schools, districts, and counties based on academic achieve-ment.

In comparison to the 2011 CST results, Algebra II scores fell by 26.1 points to a combined grade-level average of 386.7. Algebra I scores decreased by 21.5 points from 349.2 in 2011 to 327.7 in 2012. The General Mathematics average dropped from 354.2 to 338.3.

Math teachers have be-gun meeting with Math Coach Ms Janet Bryson to discuss ar-eas where students need further preparation. The department has made creating a course cur-

See “CST Scores” on Page 2

By David Yang Staff Writer

The eighth annual Cruz’n for Roses Car Show raised ap-proximately $15,000 to $18,000 in revenue, according to the Event Site Chairman James Jontz. The local event, held on

Rachael Garner

Car show held to benefit Rose Committee

September 16 on Mission Street, served as a fundraiser for the 2013 South Pasadena Rose Pa-rade float.

“The streets were packed the entire time, so all the ven-dors had a really great day,” said Jontz.

Over 100 classic cars were on display at the Cruz’n for Roses Clean Air Car Show last weekend on Mission Street.

Seniors Ambar Velasco and Gabby Gladding review Rose Court rules.

Anastasia Velicescu

Senior girls try out for 2013 Rose Court

By Kelsey Hess Senior Staff Writer

The first out of four rounds of the 2013 Rose Court auditions was held on September 15 at the Wrigley Mansion. Over one thou-sand South Pasadena High School seniors and other women aged 16 to 21 from the Pasadena area tried out for one of seven positions on the Court, which presides over the annual Tournament of Roses.

The girls were each allot-ted fifteen seconds to explain why they wanted to be a princess or the queen of the Court.

“Trying out for the Rose Court was unique, unlike any-thing I have experienced in the past,” said senior Jackie Duan. “I thought I wasn’t going to be ner-vous because I knew it was only a fifteen second tryout, but I was still overwhelmed while stand-ing in front of the committee members.”

After their auditions, hope-fuls toured the Wrigley Mansion and were professionally photo-graphed. The girls also received two complimentary tickets to the annual Royal Ball, a semi-formal dance solely available to Rose Court applicants.

The 200 Rose Court appli-cants who qualified for the quarter-final round were notified Wednes-day afternoon.

Several SPHS girls were selected to advance to the next

round, including senior Harley Jennings.

“Whether or not to try out was never even a question for me. The first round was all about pre-senting yourself well: smiling, good posture, eye contact, etc,” said Jennings. “This next round is nerve-racking. My fingers are crossed to make it even further, but I’m really happy to even have made it this far.”

Quarterfinals will begin to-morrow at the Pasadena Tourna-ment House at 1:45 P.M. and last approximately one hour. The ten-manner panel will interview each applicant and approximately 75 girls will progress to the semifinal round.

Lai named new girls varsity basketball coach

By Madison Amido Staff Writer

Tammy Lai has replaced Rich Kitagawa as the girls varsity basketball coach.

Coach Lai is a South Pasa-dena alumna, teaches physical education at South Pasadena Middle School, and has served as both the boys frosh/soph coach and varsity assistant coach.

“She played basketball here in South Pasadena, she’s got a tradition for it, and she has been involved with the program for many years,” said former SPHS athletic director Mr. Ralph Punaro.

Senior captain Wen Zeng is looking forward to working with Lai and has high expectations for their season.

“[Lai] was my middle school coach, and she was on the coaching staff last year. I’m really glad she took the position

and I think she’ll make a great head coach,” said Zeng. “I think the team will make the transition quickly as it’s someone we are quite familiar with.”

Punaro declined to com-ment on why Kitagawa will no longer be the girls coach, but he did confirm that Kitagawa’s term with the basketball program has concluded.

“[Kitagawa] would have to give that explanation. All we can say is that a change has been made,” said Punaro.

According to Punaro, a search is being conducted for a new junior varsity coach but at the moment the position re-mains unfilled. Lai is working with the varsity girls basketball team to prepare for its upcoming season.

The girls began practicing during the first week of Septem-ber for the new season with Lai as their head coach.

See “Car Show” on Page 2

2 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012 News

News Around Campus

The Class of 2016 is hosting a fundraiser at Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt today through Sunday. Fliers are available in the SAC Room. Menchie’s will return 20% of each purchase to the freshman class to help fund vari-ous events throughout the year. “I hope to see many students there, and hopefully they will be encouraged to participate in more school activities later on,” said freshman president James Song. /Remeny White

403 students attended the Icebreaker Dance last Friday night in the gym.

By Emily Markese Staff Writer

ASB hosted the annual Icebreaker Dance following the first home football game of the season on September 14 in the gym. The event served as a fundraiser for the senior class. 403 students purchased tickets sold for $3 SAC and $5 non-SAC.

“[Icebreaker] was defi-nitely better this year than it has been in previous years. More people showed up to dance than usual,” said junior Michael Mendenhall. “The one downside was that all of the extra people made it really hot and uncomfortable inside

the gym.”A dance area was set up

in the practice gym from 9:30 to 11:30 P.M. The main gym featured the movie Despicable Me projected on the walls, a photo booth with an array of props, multiple ping-pong tables, and several games of Twister.

“The dance was truly amazing this year. I especially liked the various ping-pong tables scattered throughout the practice gym, as it added something interesting, extra, and different from the norm,” said sophomore Hanna Crowley.

Senior Vice President Jessica Ng manned the photo

booth throughout the night and was impressed by its popularity.

“There was a wider variety of fun props to take pictures with this year, which made everything more excit-ing. There was a really good crowd throughout the night,” said Ng.

The other ASB mem-bers were also pleased with the dance’s attendance and overall success.

“We are all very happy because it was a really good fundraiser for future senior events. It will really help us out a lot later in the year,” said senior class treasurer Evelyn Faung.

Icebreaker regains popularity

Sophia Arriola

Students audition for The Importance of Being Earnest

By Shine Cho Staff Writer

Auditions were held for the fall play The Impor-tance of Being Earnest on September 13 and 14 in the Little Theater. Twenty stu-dents read scenes from the play to try out for one of the nine available roles.

“There were a lot of wonderful people at the auditions,” said Advanced Drama member junior Ruby Muller. “It was nice to see that more students, especially boys, were inter-ested in being a part of the play this year.”

The play is set in upper-class nineteenth cen-

tury England and includes four female and five male characters.

Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, the two main characters, both assume a second identity as a man named “Ernest” while away from home so they can act freely.

South Pasadena High School Drama Di-rector Daniel Enright de-scribes the play as a satire of the traditional British elite. The play was not only chosen for the hu-mor, but for the variety of other elements and styles it incorporates.

“The story involves a good balance of male

and female characters,” said Enright. “There is so much going on within. It is very different from last year’s winter production, Bus Stop, so it will be very interesting to cast,” said Enright.

The cast list will be finalized by next week. Performances of The Im-portance of Being Earnest are tentatively set for Decem-ber 6-8, 14, and 15.

“As a freshman, I was especially excited to try out for the fall play this year. I’m anticipating the perfor-mance of this production as I’m sure it will be fan-tastic,” said freshman Jake Swayze.

Juniors Ruby Muller and Sophie Negrini prepare to audition for a part in the fall play, ”The Importance of Being Earnest”.

Rachael Garner

By Shine ChoStaff Writer

The South Pasadena Board of Education discussed the timeline for renewing the Measure S parcel tax during a meeting on September 18. District Superintendent Joel Sha-piro presided over the debate on how to ensure that the tax is placed on the 2013 spring ballot.

South Pasadena passed a four-year parcel tax in 2009. Since then, the measure has provided ap-proximately $2 million dollars of education funding annually. The money is used to maintain small class sizes, provide funding for vari-ous media programs, and reduce South Pasadena Unified School Dis-trict layoffs.

The measure also provides art and drama teachers for South Pasa-dena elementary schools, library as-sistants for the middle school, and teachers and counselors for the high school. A portion of the funding is also used to uphold 20:1 student-

Board of Education plans for Measure S

teacher ratio in freshmen English classes at South Pasadena High School.

“We’re one of the few districts in Los Angeles who work to main-tain small class sizes. We hope to keep it this way,” said Shapiro.

The tax is set to expire in June 2013. Due to low state funding, the SPUSD Board of Education aims

From “Car Show” on Page 1

SPHS math teacher Mr. Garrett Schorr speaks in front of the School Board about Measure S, which expires in June of 2013.

to renew the tax and will determine the amount mandated per parcel by mid-December. If the taxpayers are required to pay more than they did in 2009, the district may reduce some of the programs funded by the measure.

Two-thirds of the South Pasa-dena voters must approve the tax during the spring mail-in election in order for it to be renewed.

Siria Medina

The show featured hundreds of various hot rod pre-70’s era cars. The majority of the entries were originally manufactured in the 60’s.

This year’s car show was presented in conjunction with the Clean-Air and Green-Living Car Show and Expo. The expo was organized by the city to raise awareness about carbon emis-sions and featured an assortment of environmentally friendly cars.

South Pasadena’s Emer-gency Services Department also took advantage of the publicity by hosting a public safety aware-ness fair further down the street.

“The show had a very family-friendly atmosphere, and there were a lot of kids around enjoying the cars and the snow cones,” said senior Emily Joe. “It was the type of event that you went to after a bite to eat, so it was very easy-going and fun. Although the heat was a bit over-whelming, I think the car show was an overall success.”

By Jenny Wang Staff Writer

The Advanced Placement Statistics class was canceled at the beginning of the school year due to low student enrollment. Thirty-three students registered for AP Statistics at the beginning of last year, but the 2011-2012 school year ended with only nineteen students on the roster.The AP class was replaced with an additional regular statistics class.

“We want a balanced stu-dent enrollment between classes [of a subject],” said Principal Ms Janet Anderson. “We do not have a concrete enrollment minimum, but with regards to AP Statistics, there was a minimum requirement in the twenties.”

The students who planned to take AP Statistics this year were placed in regular statistics. Many were dissatisfied with the change.

“I am extremely angry. I thought [AP statistics] would be a good alternative to AP Calculus BC because it is just as challenging. Without it I will be forced to take a class I’m either not interested in or not challenged by,” said junior Kathy Lui.

Former AP Statistics teacher Ms Gigi Leung hopes to see the course reinstated.

“Students are more interested [in the class] than they seemed to be last year,” said Leung. “I think that with more time, data can tell if the course is a favorable option among students.”

AP Statistics canceled due to low enrollment

From “CST scores” on Page 1

all material tested on the CST its top priority.

“The teachers will follow both course content standards and the standards of mathemati-cal practice, which teaches stu-dents to think critically,” said Bryson. “Teachers will also fo-cus on creating strategies based on the data we have.”

Test scores in other sub-jects improved variably. Chem-istry scores increased from an average of 367.8 to 372.9 and the average biology score rose nearly 14 points. Both World History and US History scores improved slightly and Language Arts scores remained consis-tent, increasing by 1.2 points on average.

The administration intends to analyze CST scores closely in the coming weeks in order to pinpoint the strengths and weak-nesses of the high school’s aca-demic program at large.

“We will continuously set higher goals,” said Assistant Principal Ginger Merritt. “We need to target areas that need improvement and focus on being growth-oriented.”

3Friday, September 21, 2012 - TigerNews

By Kira GabrielStaff Writer

New Social Studies and English teacher Mr. Oliver Valcor-za founded a South Pasadena High School Academic Decathlon team. Academic Decathlon is a knowl-edge-based team contest in which students compete in ten events against schools from across the nation.

The team is comprised of nine students divided into three sub-groups of three students based on GPA: the Honors cat-egory consists of students with a 3.75-4.0, the Scholastic category is made up of students with a 3.0-3.74, and the Varsity category for students with a 0.0-2.99.

Nine SPHS students will be chosen in November through a se-ries of teacher recommendations, interviews, essays, and perfor-mances at county scrimmages, ac-cording to Valcorza. Any interest-ed student may join the research crew and help the nine-member group prepare for competitions.

“I’m looking for students who are motivated, committed, and willing to work hard toward a common goal,” said Valcorza. “I’d prefer to work with a student who may not be as talented, but will-ing to work hard and learn than a student who is extremely talented, but lazy. Talents and abilities can

be taught, but drive and passion cannot.”

During practice, the team focuses on one of the ten topic categories by taking notes and watching videos. The ten catego-ries include art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, math, music, science, social sci-ence, and speech.

“We are all so excited to show other schools exactly how smart and intellectually diverse SPHS is. Our goal this year is to make it to the State Champi-onships,” said sophomore Leia Balliett.

The first Academic Decath-lon competition will take place in January.

Academic Decathlon program comes to SPHS

Mr. Oliver Valcorza started an Academic Decathlon team.

Sophia Arriola

City council unanimously votes to suspend King Spa business license

The city council voted to suspend King Spa’s business license for fifteen days during the September 19 meeting.

Rachael Garner

By Madison AmidoStaff Writer

The South Pasadena City Council unanimously voted to suspend King Spa Massage’s business license for fifteen days on Wednesday in response to charges of prostitution made in January. The suspension will go into effect on November 1.

The council chose to sus-pend instead of revoke the busi-ness license. A massage tech-nician and King Spa’s former owner Mengdong Wang were both arrested on January 27, 2012 for soliciting prostitution and disorderly housing.

Ownership switched from Wang to Shunhua Yan in March. An officer testified that Yan was not present at King Spa the day of January 27 and Yan said that she was unaware of the illegal activity occurring at the massage parlor.

The council spent a sig-nificant amount of time discuss-ing whether or not Yan knew of the business’ past when she purchased it. Members of the council debated whether or not she should face the punishment illicit acitivty under Wang’s ownership.

Councilmember Robert Joe was convinced that Yan had

to have some form of knowl-edge of King Spa’s background, while Councilmember Marina Khubesrian believed there was room for reasonable doubt.

“I didn’t hear any real evi-dence that indicated that she did have any type of prior knowledge or had known the previous owner or that something had happened at the spa,” said Khubesrian.

The council established a list of case findings and facts that they believed to be true be-fore reaching a final decision. The members were able to agree that an act of prostitution oc-curred on January 27, 2012, the business had an unlicensed mas-

sage technician, the ownership changed from Wang to Yan, and Yan was not present at King Spa on January 27.

After initially disagreeing on the length of the suspension, the council reached a compro-mise to suspend King Spa’s busi-ness license for fifteen days.

“I think that having a sus-pension of the license does cer-tainly have some consequences; however, it doesn’t perhaps put the entire burden of punishment on Ms Yan,” said Khubesrian.

An official resolution will be returned to the council for a vote at the regularly scheduled October 3 city council meeting.

Boo to the school dress code. If this weather doesn’t call for public nudity, we don’t

know what does.

Bravo to Mitt Romney for stating he won’t be president of 47% of the country. Our

estimate was closer to one-hundred, but con-fidence is the key to success.

Boo to Nick O’Brien for taking the mic from Hebs at the SAC Assembly.

#givemikethemic

B ravo to the Modesty Club for turning away potential members at Club Rush.

We’re sure the Socialist Club would love to have them.

Boo to the freshmen that were arrested at the football game for achieving only at-

tempted public nudity. Btdubs, the modesty club doesn’t want you.

Engaging new teachers Staff Editorial

Schools pay a premium for every teacher they hire. There are funds that must be spent on the hiring process, disturbances to staff unity and educational consistency, all with the quality of any fresh teacher being a crapshoot. Although new teachers can be valuable assets that bring the cutting edge of education to our school, teacher turnover is disruptive to the school environment.However, the hiring process is a necessary evil.

Because the administration spends countless hours researching and hiring new staff members, the prudent course of action is to implement supportive measures that would smooth the transition and give new teachers an incentive to remain on staff.

One way to energize new teachers and encourage them to stay is to give them a larger say in their course load. The current system places new teachers in vacant teaching positions after the more senior staff members are assigned to preferred classes. This places new teachers in classes that they may not have interest in or be comfortable teaching.

Instead of using new teachers as fillers for miscellaneous classes, why not let them

select courses that take full advantage of their particular skill sets? Giving new teachers the opportunity to select some of their classes would ensure that they do not feel under-stimulated or overworked during their first years at South Pasadena High School. The chance to teach classes that are tuned to their personal interests and play to their strengths would offset some of the transitional jolt for new teachers, creating a better overall quality of education for students.

Another way to expedite the integration of new teachers onto the staff is to further encourage that senior teachers share their materials with new teachers. The Beginning Teachers Support and Assessment program currently pairs new teachers with the senior faculty members, but its effectiveness is limited due to the fact that not all new teachers participate. The standardization of the curriculum would reassure students and share the tried-and-true practices of veterans as well as the innovative teaching methods of fresh teachers.

New teachers are a valuable resource that comes at a cost. Having just acquired eight, SPHS must strive to be supportive in integrating them into the school.

Detail-oriented view on life

By Sofi GoodeEditor-in-Chief

This year’s SAC Assembly was surprisingly entertaining. For once, no one booed, there were shockingly few groans, and at one point—though many had to see it to believe it—there was laughter.

But what made that assembly dif-ferent? It had all the attributes of the classic first assembly of the year: open-ing video teasing the new commission-ers, introduction of new teachers, fall sports captains, pep, a dance from ASB, “The SAC Room, and, of course, the shameless and pointless promotion of the card itself.

The structure was exactly the same; it was the details of this assembly- the scripts of the videos, the one-liners, and the quality of the Commissioner General’s dancing—that made it special.

Such are our lives in high school. Each year is structured exactly the same, but it’s the details that define these years in our memories.

Sometimes these details may seem trivial. After all, will anyone remem-ber Commissioner of Assemblies Nick O’Brien’s first bad joke of the year? Probably not.

But imagine life without these subtleties, and it becomes a blur of rep-etition. Without details, we fail to no-tice the extraordinary circumstances in which we live.

It is not every day that a fellow student receives international recogni-tion for her talent in water polo. Not every person grows up in a town visited by famous authors, and the majority of the world does not have the freedom to express their opinion in print.

These are the details into which Tiger delves ever deeper. We strive to discover more, share more, and bring you the details that shape our lives at the high school and community levels. De-tails created by you, reported by us, and constructed, considered, and preserved in your memory.

Emily Dickinson once said, “For-ever is composed of nows.” Our job and our great joy as your 2012-2013 Tiger Newspaper staff is to inform you of the details of now.

Rachael Lee

Opinion Yeah Boi

In the modern American system, the central purpose of high school has become preparing students for college. Yet as seniors begin their applications, many realize that there has been precious little done to help them understand the task.

Freshmen and sopho-mores are walked through Naviance programs and as-signments that have the po-tential to be genuinely useful in the college selection process.

Clearing up college applicationsBy Pooja VyasStaff Writer

However, most of these tasks are never followed up on, and students are left wondering ex-actly what their Myers-Briggs In-dicator means. These personality tests, career profiles, and practice resumes could be incredibly helpful to students trying to figure out what they want to do, but the counselors never explain how to apply these tools.

As juniors, students are expected to write their personal statements, fill out the common application, and complete several college-related forms. They spend hours essentially filling out a col-lege application, but never receive

any feedback on their finished work. The purpose of this project should be to help students under-stand how to properly fill out their applications and provide them with feedback to improve their personal statements. Yet once it is turned in, the work is seldom mentioned again.

Instead of merely requiring students to go through the motions of this process, the counselors should follow up with one-on-one advice and criticism. A more personalized guidance system that begins fresh-man year would drastically de-crease the stress and uncertainty

of applications. The assignments and

programs already in place would suddenly gain the follow-up and completeness necessary to ful-fill their intended purpose: pre-paring students for the college application process.

Applying to college is ex-tremely strenuous, and the current preparation system does too little in the earlier years and overwhelms both counselors and students in the final months. Personal atten-tion and feedback throughout high school would go a long way towards minimizing stress during the ap-plication process.

Opinion4 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

Editor-in-ChiefSofi Goode

Managing EditorJessica Moog

NewsRemeny White, Editor

OpinionNatalie McLain, Editor

FeatureRhian Moore, Editor

SportsChristian Miyamae, Co-editor

Clem Witherall, Co-editor

Copy EditorsAmber Laird, Shyam Senthilkumar, and Heather

Vaughan

Photography Rachael Garner, Editor

PhotographersSophia Arriola, Siria Medina, Anastasia Velicescu,

Matthew Winkel

Senior Staff WriterKelsey Hess

Staff WritersMadison Amido, Petra Barbu, Shine Cho, Matt De-Fulgentiis, Andrés García, Kira Gabriel, Kea Hudson, Brandon Kim, Andrew Shults, Sarah Stukan, Pooja Vyas, Jason Wang, Jenny Wang, Jordan Xiao, David

Yang

Tiger Online WritersKaren Hsueh, Rachel Newhall, Talia Wun-Young

Tiger Online IllustratorsEvan Davis and Amanda Stewart

Staff IllustratorsRachael Lee and Annie Lu

ManagersMarcy Kuo, Ads

Jason Wang, Business

WebmasterMichael Xu

Faculty AdvisorMike Hogan

Tiger is produced by the advanced journalism newspaper class at South Pasadena High School, 1401 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030. Layout and photo imaging are completed on-site. Printed by American/Foothill Publishing Co., Inc., Tujunga, CA.

Signed articles appearing in Tiger represent the writer’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, student body, faculty or administration of SPHS.

Contact the publications office at (626) 441-5820 ext. 2615 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. for advertising rates and subscriptions. Tiger welcomes articles, letters or rebuttals for publication in the print and online editions. All letters must be signed and verifiable, but names will be withheld upon request.

Tiger is a forum for student free speech, in compliance with California Ed Code 48907.

The TigerEstablishEd 1913

CSPA Gold Medalist 2005CSPA Gold Medalist 2006CSPA Gold Medalist 2009CSPA Gold Medalist 2010CSPA Gold Medalist 2011

A lesson in capturing all of the details

and subtleties of your high school experience.

By Hannah RipsSPHS Senior

Neither the New York Times nor the New York Post made a single mention of September 11 on their front pages. “The Today Show” planned to run a memorial on its station, but opted to play an interview of Kris Kardashian rant-ing about her implants rather than observe a moment of silence. This ridiculousness might be expected from the media, but what does it say about South Pasadena High School that not a single mention was made of 9/11?

I’d like to ask a question to the administration of South Pasade-na High School—why was there no mention of 9/11? To be frank, the lack of recognition is offensive. Not only was there no mention of the event itself, but there was no men-tion of South Pasadena’s very own

that were lost that day. For example, Sue Hanson, a 1984 graduate from South Pasadena High School, was killed on Flight 175 en-route to Los Angeles with her husband and their two year old daughter.

Our history teachers are con-stantly reminding us that the past must not be forgotten. In our social science classes we are reintroduced to the same material every year. By high school, all of the events we had been studying were so prevalent in my mind that I couldn’t fathom the world forgetting. How could anyone forget the Holocaust? The Vietnam War? September 11?

Yet I didn’t even have to graduate before my school decided to completely skip out on remem-bering 9/11. It’s heartbreaking. The classes of 2013 and 2014 will be the last group of students at the high school that actively experienced and remember that fateful day.

For the class of 2013, it was our last opportunity to share our perspectives with our peers and our teachers, and recall what it was like for us as five and four year olds. And although it was eleven years ago, September 11, 2001 still feels like yesterday.

September 11, 2012 serves as a lesson in why we learn history, and why we must constantly remember the events of yesterday. We have wit-nessed the progression of history in front of our own eyes. We students, not even having reached the age of twenty, have seen a historical event change the course of the world, and we have seen it fade.

This experience is proof that people forget, no matter how devas-tating the event was. And as we’ve learned, history repeats itself.

We are responsible for edu-cating the future generations. You and I, we must not forget.

By Jenny WangStaff Writer

Ninety-eight percent of American Internet users use social networks. As social media takes on an increasingly significant role in the lives of students, it becomes harder to ignore the growing list of benefits to utilizing social media as a tool in classrooms.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter have become part of daily rou-tine for teenagers. Accord-ing to a survey, thirteen to seventeen year olds that usually spend two hours on the Internet daily use 80 percent of that time on social networking sites.

Since teenagers to-day are dedicating so much of their time to these sites, i t ’s a waste not to use their interest for academic purposes.

In fact, students are already using Facebook tools for learning purposes on their own time—they’re compiling and sharing knowl-edge in online study groups.

With a teacher’s in-volvement, these groups have the potential to turn into virtual classrooms. This benefits both students and teachers, as helpful multimedia guides like videos and tutorials can be posted to enhance the understanding of a topic, and allow the teacher to teach at a more efficient pace in school.

The best part of social media is that most networks and applications are free and highly accessible through almost any electronic device.

Free applications like Skype allow teachers to bring guest speakers into their classrooms without their actual presence.

Additionally, incorporating social

media into daily lesson plans would draw students into the lectures. Simply adding YouTube or Twitter to lesson plans makes learning become more relatable and ap-pealing than the traditional PowerPoint.

Finally, having students learn how to use social media for educational purposes prepares them for future jobs.

Companies today are embracing social media and many publicize job openings through these sites. By teaching

students how to use social media sites as career tools, teachers can instill in teens important life skills, like using a Linke-dIn profile to increase their employment prospects.

As present and coming generations increasingly depend upon social media, change is inevitable.

The world has already adapted to embrace social media, as should educa-tion. It’s only practical that schools em-brace the need for change and start to fully embrace the benefits of social media as an educational tool.

By Shine ChoStaff Writer

Social media is a thriving aspect of our generation. From hashtags to mobile uploads, social media has been completely integrated into our lives over the past decade. And although our society has largely adapted to and embraced this new lifestyle, it should not encroach on the classroom environment.

S o c i a l n e t w o r k i n g s i t e s a r e remarkably popular among students. They serve as valuable tools in terms of staying connected outside of school, and even uniting geographically separated friends and family. However, these sites are only a distraction when used in class. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter divert the attention of students away from curriculum and towards socialization. Such access can be easily abused, and utilizing the websites for solely educational purposes can quickly turn into mindless web surfing.

A common argument in favor of

using networking websites as educational tools is their development of student familiarity with various tools that they may one day utilize in the workforce. Most occupations, after all, call for some kind of virtual interaction. Collaboration via Facebook or GoogleDocs might help students learn technology skills, but at they same time, it discourages face-to-face communication. Students are exposed less and less to real-life social interaction

and miss the valuable ski l l s they can at tain from them. After being subjected to largely virtual communication, students may not be able to engage in a real conversation or form eloquent thoughts and sentences.

High school does not only exist to educate s tudents, but a l so to teach them impor tant life skills for careers and relationships. Face-to-f a c e c o m mu n i c a t i o n a l l o w s s t u d e n t s t o physically interact and c o nv e r s e w i t h e a c h o t h e r i n w a y s t h a t e-mails and LinkedIn profiles do not. A school environment is one of social interaction and

active communication that can’t be emulated in virtual conversations. These communication skills are absolutely essentially in college and job interviews, not to mention everyday workplace activities.

While social media has become necessary for students to stay connected, it is a distraction in the classroom: not only a distraction from curriculum, but a distraction from properly acquiring necessary social ski l ls. By ignoring what a face-to-face school environment actually provides, students miss out on the opportunity to exercise vital skills.

Maintaining face-to-face contact

Opinion 5Friday, September 21, 2012 - Tiger

Annie Lu

Annie Lu

Technology as an educational tool

By Amber LairdCopy Editor

A glance around campus on a hot day will almost always reveal an abundance of dress code violations, particularly in the form of “short shorts.” Official dress code policy states that shorts must cover “a hand’s width below the bottom of the buttocks.” Skirts must “extend half of the length between the hips and the knees.” Needless to say, the majority of the time, these rules aren’t followed.

The cause of the discrep-ancy between the official policy and what is actually worn at school is debatable, but a strong argument could be made that the dress code isn’t practical, especially for girls.

Hot weather means girls will wear shorts. Shorts made for

girls, as is the current style, are rarely ever long enough to be com-pliant with the dress code. This es-sentially narrows down the female wardrobe to two choices: violate the dress code, or wear a com-pletely different style, one that reaches at least the knees. Find-ing something in the middle is almost impos-sible.

“ S t u -d e n t s a n d parents have reported that finding dress code-appropriate shorts is very difficult,” said South Pasadena High School counselor Marilyn Garcia.

It appears generally under-

stood that the policy is impracti-cal, yet the school continues to enforce it.

“For an educational institu-tion,” said Principal Janet Ander-son, “you should be concentrating

on studies…[so] students should be dressing ap-propriately mod-estly.”

If short shorts distract students from their studies, then it seems like high kicks in even shorter

skirts would be doubly distracting. The dress code supposedly applies to all school functions, including football games and assemblies, but no one seems concerned that pep

uniforms don’t extend anywhere near “half of the length between the hips and the knees.”

Perhaps it is because the skirts don’t actually detract from an educational environment. Neither do short shorts. Short shorts are so ingrained into our society that seeing them in a school setting isn’t at all noteworthy.

There are occasionally fla-grant violations, with some shorts not even reaching “the bottom of the buttocks,” but the dress code needs to be modified to distinguish between these particular instances and the type of shorts available for purchase.

It’s time for a dress code adjustment. Not a radical change, but something that no longer crimi-nalizes almost every pair of shorts available for girls to wear.

By Petra BarbuStaff Writer

The first few days of a new school year are crucial. Students need this time to ease back into a rhythm and establish relation-ships with their new teachers; teachers use it to learn names, assign groups, and go over class essentials.

Yet every year this time is squandered by constant scheduling changes. If schedules were mailed home with registration packets and a counselor booth was set up on registration day for making changes, the entire process of get-ting students into the right classes would be streamlined.

The most frustrating issue for students is being placed in the wrong class. Whether it’s a lower level, one they’ve already taken, or simply a subject in which they have no interest, it’s a struggle for stu-dents to appear engaged in a class

when they intend to transfer out. Teachers and other students carry the brunt of this disinterest as the class slows down to accommodate those who don’t intend to stay.

However, the problems don’t end when the student transfers out. Most teachers jump right into the course material with first day tests and assignments, and if a student transfers into a class a few days into the year, he or she is already behind.

Teachers and students alike are then forced to give up lunches and late starts to make up tests and turn in homework. Project or class groups established at the beginning of the year are disrupted as the cast of the class changes.

In addition to the student and teacher inconvenience, sched-uling conf licts overwhelm the counselors. They are overrun by frustrated students and can’t focus on anything other than schedules for the first weeks of school.

The new method would work in a simple step-by-step process, eliminating stress by breaking the system down.

First, students’ initial sched-ules would be mailed home with registration packets so that any concerns could be emailed to coun-selors. The counselors could then look over said changes and send out updated schedules. To complete the process, multiple booths could be set up on registration day, each addressing specific scheduling is-sues (i.e. adding classes, switching periods, turning in home study forms, etc). The week and a half before classes start could then be used by counselors to input and finalize changes, rather than saving such an arduous task for the first few weeks of school.

Putting students in the right classes is the simplest principle of education, and implementing a new system would make starting school just as simple.

6 Opinion Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

By Kelsey HessSenior Staff Writer

It has become obvious over the last several months that the integrity of the presidential election has dropped substantially. Most media discussion of campaign development centers on frivolous games of “he said, she said.” The significance of the issues is lost in politicians’ determination to dissect every pause and punctuation mark, looking for spots of potential fabricated weakness or ma-levolence. What was once supposed to be a system of centralized issues and non-biased debates has de-volved into a game of wordplay and mudslinging.

On July 13, President Obama delivered a speech in Roanoke, Virginia.

“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges,” Obama said. “If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

The second half of that quote was removed from its context and so overly publicized by the Republican Party that it adopted “We built it!” as a cheer at its convention. Obama did not imply that small businesses do not work hard or that they have lesser roles in society, but that it is because of big businesses, American infrastructure, and outside influences that smaller businesses are able to thrive.

But the Republican Party was not seeking to interpret or understand the meaning behind Obama’s speech as a whole. They were looking for key phrases, small subtleties: the tools, not to debate or counter, but to spread bad press.

Political party supporters on both the right and left have been rightfully accused of cross-ing ethical lines in the past few weeks. What is respectable is no longer a concern, the truth is but a long-past formality, and the spirit and interest of politics have moved away from the things that truly matter in a candidate.

Simplifying scheduling issues

Shorts made for girls, as is the

current style, are rarely ever long enough to be

compliant with the dress code.

Dress code is unrealistic and unevenly enforced

Annie Lu

Students weigh in...School administration has recently issued strong reminders to students via the Tiger Dispatch, e-blasts,

and phone messages about the school’s long-standing dress code policy. Of particular concern is the clause stating that shorts must cover “a hand’s width below the bottom of the buttocks.”

STUDENT VOICE:

“As long as it covers everything, it should be fine. There shouldn’t be one rule for everyone, because everybody is different, and the hand rule simply doesn’t apply for most people.” -Jenny Luo, sophomore

I do believe that the dress code is somewhat reasonable, since I always see girls wearing shorts with their backsides hanging out. But I do not agree with the strict enforcement, because it is difficult to find shorts in stores that meet those standards. -Karen Lee, senior

“The dress code is simple enough to follow; it really shouldn’t be a problem.” -Thomas Kutzer, junior

“I think that people should be allowed to express themselves freely, especially in the way that they dress. ” -Laura Mendenhall, freshman

“I think that we’re old enough at this point to make our own decisions and be responsible for our own clothing.” -Audrey DeGenova, sophomore

7Opinion Friday, September 21 - Tiger

Evelyn Faung, Grade 12

Although Tiger Links does give freshmen and new students a base of people that they can approach with questions, it does not provide them with the strong friendships that are needed to ease them into the new school system. By strong friendships, I mean people who they can contact at any time, people that they can feel comfortable attending school events with. Sometimes I see new students roaming around during brunch and lunch, with no one to really meet up with, so I believe that more can be done to make them feel more welcomed. An idea could be a class out-ing and splitting up existent groups so that individuals would be more congenial to the new students, instead of grouping to themselves.

Arian Nazarian, Grade 9

I, as a freshman myself, think that SPHS is doing a great overall job of making new students feel welcome. Tiger Links at orientation allowed students get to some new people in their groups and showed them around so that the fresh-man didn’t feel lost. The SAC Assembly really brought the school together and entertained everyone. This made new students feel more at home because they get to see that SPHS is a fun and welcoming environment. The teachers at SPHS are doing a fine job as well.

A few people have mentioned that some new students wander around with no one to hang out with during lunch/brunch. But that isn’t something the school can control, as long as the school provides a welcoming environment, students will eventually find people they enjoy spending time with.Overall, SPHS is a wonderful place that has done a lot to help everyone feel wel-come and at home. The existing student body has done an outstanding job.

Ai Maguire, Grade 10

I think the SAC assembly really helps with the freshman feeling comfortable. They can have fun, it’s not too serious, they can laugh, and it also tells them about the SAC card. Teachers are also pretty good at explaining what you have to do to do well in your classes, and how the system works. Freshman and returnees as well are all able to come into the high school comfortably and know that they all can have fun together for the entire year.

Jeffrey Xiong, Grade 11

The school has stepped it up this year. As a member of Tiger Links, I can at-test to our effort in helping incoming students successfully transition into high school. Freshman orientation, the pool party, and the tour served as a

fun and awkward way to break the ice, and make them feel, if not at home, at least less nervous. Not only that, but SPHS itself is already welcoming. Our assemblies and activities further bring us together as a campus, whether we are teacher or student, old or new. So, to all the new students, it’s going to be a long four years, but don’t be afraid. Join sports, join clubs, and you’ll meet many new friends and shape your high school experience for the better. It’s not perfect. It’s high school, so there are bound to be cliques and complaints at first. However, the school has done a great job so far, and we should be proud to call ourselves Tigers.

Austin Chee, Grade 12

Tiger Links is a good way for new students to become acclimated to the school. Activities with seniors and juniors who are already experienced with high school would be fun, especially with people as outgoing as Ryan Stone. In addition, it helps humanize the upper-classmen and make them feel less like intimidating beasts and more like real people who are fun to hang out with. The freshman pool party with a good deal of upperclassmen ASB certainly helps as well. However, the way teach-ers are treated tends to be more based on what students they have, as well as

how they teach, but in general, most students tend to make their teachers feel welcome at South Pasadena, and from what I have seen, much of the staff also helps make new staff members feel welcome at South Pasadena.

Nayad Salim, Grade 10

I think that committees like Tiger Links help new students integrate to SPHS. The current teachers & students also make the incoming teachers feel wel-come. Although Tiger Links helps fresh-man & new students start out getting familiar with the school, they should follow up to make sure new students are doing great.

Vesta Javaheri, Grade 12

My situation may be different because I knew older students who were already at the high school, but I really didn’t think the transition was that daunting. It always seemed like high school was the same thing as middle school, only your grades matter more. Again, other people may feel differently because I already had a group of friends at the high school as well as having an older brother who could assure me that it wasn’t that bad, but I really wasn’t that freaked out about the high school.

Tiger Newspaper Asks:With the start of each school year comes renewed attempts to integrate new students and teachers into the SPHS system. From your

experiences and observations, do you think that activities and committees such as Tiger Links and the SAC assemblies actually help new stu-

dents and faculty to acclimate to the high school? Do you think students and teachers make incoming teachers and students feel welcome and

comfortable? Or do you think there is something the school or student body could be doing better to include newcomers?

By Andrés GarcíaStaff Writer

Among the many changes that have been introduced this year, the redesigned school website has perhaps been the innovation most criticized by students and teachers at South Pasadena High School.

Students and teachers alike have complained about the lack of aesthetic appeal; the dull orange and rudimen-tary design are hardly inviting. In addi-tion, many students had trouble initially navigating the web-s i te and teachers were frantic when it seemed that all of their information stored on the old website had disap-peared in the trans-fer.

However, the website does not ex-ist to be visually pleasing. According to SPUSD Technology Director Gen Naydo, the district was paying about $16,000 a year to Edlio, the company that hosted SPUSD’s previous websites. Since other web hosts offered prices that were as much as 50% cheaper, it became unreasonable to continue with Edlio’s contract. After investigating the websites used by other districts, School Loop was selected as the new web host last spring.

By switching hosts, SPUSD will save $4,000 per year. About $3,000 of the savings was spent on a webinar held

over the summer to familiarize teachers with the new site and on consultants hired to move all the previous web pages to School Loop. Next year, the district expects to save $8,000.

In the future, SPHS has the option to integrate the school website with the already established student information system, which would allow students to check their grades on the school website instead of going through Aeries sepa-rately. School Loop is also beta testing an online student assessment system

that will allow teachers to determine more acutely if a student needs help in a specific subject.

Though the new website lacks the simplic-ity, design, and straight-forward structure of its predecessor, the district is saving significant mon-ey under the new School Loop contract. With bud-get cuts affecting SPUSD

so severely, this saving is essential. Stu-dents need to look past the website’s new design and understand that the district is making necessary cuts to preserve the students’ educational experience.

“We need to accept the website for what it is, and move forward with it,” said SPHS webmaster Don Wielenga.

The school website was not meant to impress with stunning graphics and elaborate layouts. Its sole purpose is to communicate information, and it now does so at a lesser cost with more op-portunities for future convenience.

New website favors functionality over aesthetics

Rachael Lee

By Kira Gabriel Staff Writer

The Federal Reserve estimates that American citizens had over 2.5 billion dollars in outstanding credit debt as of July 2012. Per-sonal debt continues to rise rapidly and most Americans lack adequate knowledge about budgeting their personal finances.

Basic financial tasks such as managing a budget and filing taxes are eventually required of every citizen of this country, yet many high school students have never heard of balancing a checkbook, much less a financial portfolio. Managing personal finances is a necessary life skill that is completely ignored in public schools, a disastrous oversight. There is a simple, though costly, solution: a nationwide, required finance class.

At South Pasadena High School, fi-nance is already offered as a yearlong course. During the first semester students learn how to handle problems that they immediately face after leaving high school—loans, saving accounts, and credit—as well as financial strategies they will use throughout their lives,

such as 401K accounts and other long-term investments. In the second semester students apply what they have learned in financial competitions.

Instead of the current optional yearlong class, a semester-long finance class should be an “A-G” graduation requirement to prepare students to be fiscally responsible adults.

Instituting this requirement beginning with the class of 2015 would ensure that the change would not endanger any student’s graduation. Though it would be costly to school systems nation-wide, poorly managed personal finance contributes to the current economic slump. In order to return to a stable American economy, the country must invest in the financial education of the next generation.

A required finance class would ensure that all students, regardless of their future careers, are prepared to handle their roles in the economy by being financially responsible. Learning as teenagers to balance a budget, pay bills and taxes in a timely manner, and invest in their futures will put the next generation at an advantage and help America climb down its mountain of personal debt.

Investing in financial proficiency

Students need to look past the website’s design and understand that the district is mak-ing cuts to preserve students’ educational experience.

8 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

The Red Cross club is one of the largest service clubs on cam-pus. These students host events such as trick or treating for cans, Red Hand Day, and Relay for Life. They work with a variety of organizations and groups, and strive to give back to their community.

“I’ve met a lot of new people [through Red Cross] and I’ve become a lot more aware of my community and my surround-ings. I’ve gotten a lot of community service opprotunities that I never would have done by myself and it’s really rewarding.” -Club President Jessica Ng, 12 CLUB

Red Cross

The Martial Arts club is new on campus this year. This talented, dedicated group of students aims to bring awareness to the sport and teach self-defense and patience to students.

“We teach that martial arts aren’t just about ninjas, but also a beautiful art form.” -Club President Diane Kim, 12

“We’re going to be doing demos, practice, and learning about other forms of martial arts. I practice martial arts on my own time and want to become involved in it at school.” -Pearl Lai, 10

Martial arts

Most club strive to help students find additional activties, but the Meditation Club focuses on helping its members decom-press. A group of students will be gathering in Ms Huynh’s room every Wednesday at lunch to clear their minds for fifteen minutes.

“I’ve been meditating every week at my temple for a long time. For students, especially junior year, there’s a lot of work, and one of the benefits of meditation is that it reduces stress and allows you to concentrate better in school.” -Club President Nathan Pokpongkiat, 11

Meditation

This unique new club focuses exclusively onLegos®. Over the course of the year, the members intend to hold building com-petitions with their sister club at Temple City High School and Lego socials with students from the local elementary schools.

“Over the summer I worked at a camp at the kids seemed to really enjoy playing with Legos®. My friend at Temple City and I decided to start service clubs focusing on them. We hope to spread and enhance creativity in the school and the community brick by brick.” -Club President Arthur Puu, 11

Brick By Brick

Club Rush

9 Friday, September 21, 2012 - Tiger

RUSH

Club rush makes me proud to be a part of a student body

that’s so involved. It’s inspiring.-Commissioner General Will Jones

Club Rush

Page by Rachael Garner Photos by Tiger photographersReporting by Brandom Kim, Sarah Stukan, and Andrew Shults

Feature10 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

Feature Out and AboutThere is still one male role open in the school’s fall play, The Importance of Being Er-nest. If you’re interested in playing a reverend, be sure to contact drama director Mr. Daniel Enright for an audition. /Rhian Moore

Fourteen SPHS students won awards at this year’s Los Angeles County Fair. Their works were submitted to the fair’s art competition, “America’s Kids,” and will be on display in Expo Hall 10 for the duration of the fair.

Mike Hogan

Band and Colorguard

prep for “Unstoppable”

By Brandon KimStaff Writer

Anyone within a three-block radius of the high school in the evenings can hear the up-tempo music of a field show as the South Pasadena High School March-ing Band and Colorguard prepare for their season.

The band, a quirky assortment of wind and per-cussion players, and colorguard, a talented cast of flag and rifle dancers, perform during assemblies and the halftime shows of varsity football games in addition to their competitive season.

Twenty-four newcomers have joined band this school year, including twenty freshmen. The musicians kicked off the season with two weeks of eight-hour-long summer “band camp,” where new and veteran band members practiced and memorized music, drills, and visuals for their field show.

“The newcomers are very motivated and have a good attitude. I think it will be a good year,” said senior drum major Derek Wang.

Wang will be conducting the band in several per-formances with assistant drum major junior Henry Sue.

The colorguard competes alongside the march-ing band throughout the year and participates in com-petitions of its own in the spring.

“We have a really strong team this year, because there are lots of returnees,” said senior colorguard cap-tain Moises Aguirre.

Band requires up to thirty hours a week of its participants and is known as one of the most de-manding activities at SPHS. The incredible dedi-cation is reflected in this year’s aptly named field show, “Unstoppable.”

“Everyone is very enthusiastic about the upcom-ing marching season,” said band director Mr. Howard Crawford. “The field show will be exciting and have lots of visuals.”

Marching band and colorguard are currently set to participate in five competitions this season, in-cluding ones at Riverside City College and in Fres-no. They start off the season at Ayala High School on October 22.

By Jordan XiaoStaff Writer

South Pasadena High School contin-ued its success in the “America’s Kids” art competition at the 2012 Los Angeles County Fair, winning awards in multiple competitive categories.

Fourteen students took a total of sixteen titles in woodworking, communication de-sign, digital graphics, and screen printing. First place awards were taken in all subjects except communication design.

Awards were given based on the Danish System of group judging, mean-ing identical awards could be given to

multiple contestants.Senior Vesta Javaheri won the Sweep-

stakes Award with her submission of an ash wood coffee table with a marble top.

“I made a coffee table to replace my grandmother’s because hers is falling apart,” said Javaheri.

Sophomore Alec English received a first place ribbon for his mahogany chess board at the county fair. He also made a baseball bat that won First Place in the CA State Fair in July.

“I really wanted to make a chessboard that has a frame,” English said. “I bought a set of wooden pieces; now I’m going to play chess on it.”

All awarded works are currently being displayed in Expo Hall 10 at the fair.

“It’s an honor to have students par-ticipate [in] and win the county fair,” said woodshop teacher Mr. Bruce Jessen.

SPHS students take prizes at L.A. County Fair

Wood1st place Sweepstakes: Vesta Javaheri1st place Sweepstakes: Natalie Song1st place: Alec EnglishHonorable Mention: Alec English

Communication Design2nd place: Jeffrey Xiong2nd place: Vijay Nachiappan3rd place: Paul Song

Digital Graphics1st place: Moises Aquirre1st place: Raul Huang Lui2nd place: Karissa Coluso2nd Place: Patricia San Pedro3rd Place: Jeffrey XiongScreen Printing

1st place: Isaac Lee2nd place: Jimmy Don2nd place: Kevin Kusayanagi2nd place: Kevin Ryu

SPHS Winners at the 2012 L.A. County Fair

Personality Profile: Wendy TsaiBy Jenny WangStaff Writer

For many people, making a good impression may prove to be a challenge. Senior Wendy Tsai, with her vibrant disposition and in-fectious smile, has the strenuous process of first impressions down to an art.

“I would call myself a ‘micaw-ber,’ which is someone who is eter-nally optimistic,” said Tsai.

Her optimism has taken her far; this summer Tsai was one of only forty students admitted into a summer electrical engineering pro-gram at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For three weeks Tsai stayed in a dormitory with other girls from all around the country, taking college-level courses and doing real-world research.

“I also fell in love with electri-cal engineering and coding, and I’m sure that that’s what I want to major in now,” said Tsai.

Math and computer science are not her only strengths. Tsai also has a

talent for writing. She is a two-time winner of National Novel Writing Month, a competition in which con-testants take on the task of complet-ing a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. Winners receive a free copy of their finished novels as well as discounts on writing materials.

Tsai has self-published two novels, both of which were NaNoW-riMo entries. Norman is a story about a girl in a futuristic society who rises to overthrow the upper class. Headfirst, written last year, is a realistic fiction novel about a college diver’s struggles with his family and himself as he journeys to the Olympics.

While most people would in-stantly list this as well as their other academic and athletic achievements when asked about their talents, Tsai just proudly proclaims her ability to make “killer” brownies.

Despite juggling rigorous academics with time-consuming extracurricular activities such as band and varsity Virtual Business, Tsai believes that she is just as nor-

mal as any other high school kid with a sweet tooth and a passion for film. For Tsai, watching mov-ies is not only a relaxing pastime but also what reinforces the close-knit bond between her and her fam-ily—every week they have a family movie night.

Tsai also has close ties with another family: the SPHS march-ing band. As the clarinet section leader, four-year band member, and band president, Tsai is essen-tially the mother figure. She takes new band members under her wing, guiding them through band life and mentoring them in music and marching skills.

“I really appreciate how even when she’s overwhelmed with things to do, [Wendy] always finds time to help me with my ques-tions and needs,” said friend and assistant section leader, junior Roy Lee.

Whether you’re looking for a tutor or just someone to talk to, Tsai is both easily approachable and insanely qualified.

Both of Tsai’s NaNoWriMo competition novels, Norman and Headfirst, are available for purchase on Amazon.

Sophia Arriola

Feature 11Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

Personality Profile: Raymond GilmartinBy Petra BarbuStaff Writer

Freshman Raymond Gilmartin is involved in everything from a rigorous academic program to an intense relation-ship with a sports team. Despite being 4’11”, Gilmartin towers above his peers in nearly everything he takes on; there’s practically nothing he won’t try.

Yet Gilmartin is exception-ally humble about his many achieve-ments. It took him half an hour to admit that he is a finalist for the Broad-Com MASTERS Competition, in which he single-handedly built a wind tunnel for his experiment involving spoilers on SUVs.

Gilmartin shrugged when asked about the youth competition, which

takes innovative science projects to a national level. As a finalist he will be going to Washington, D.C. at the end of the month to showcase his work and compete for the $25,000 Samueli Foundation Award.

“It’s really not a big deal. I built a six-foot-long tunnel. Then I went to NASA, where they had a 125-foot-wide and eight-mile-long tunnel,” said Gilmartin.

This modest humor is his trade-mark, and his smile broadens as the con-versation turns to school.

Gilmartin manages to keep stress of being a high school student at bay with a multitude of interests outside school.

He is on the cross country team and currently attends the Colburn School

of Performing Arts to play violin for one of the youth orchestras.

The secret to his success is that he genuinely enjoys everything he does. Gilmartin is particularly excited about physics, a class he’s been waiting to take since middle school.

“The word that I associate with Raymond is enthusiastic. He’s always eager to learn,” said science teacher Mr. Dean Papadakis.

Transcending all of his other inter-ests is Gilmartin’s love of cars, and he tries to incorporate this into his work. He’s a self-proclaimed car addict and subscribes to many automobile magazines, includ-ing “Car and Driver” and “Top Gear.” He looks forward to having his own car one day.

“High school definitely hasn’t been scary, but it’s a bit unnerving, though, to see students actually drive away. It really puts things in perspective,” said Gilmartin.

Cars may serve as a reminder of the long road he has ahead, but Gilmar-tin is still embracing his years left as a kid.

He quoted The Secret Life of Bees as his personal motto and said, “You’re going to have to live past fourteen if you want to have a personal philosophy.”

“But,” he added, “If I had to have a philosophy, it would be to try to do everything, but know that you can’t.” Gilmartin, however, seems to be have no problem doing it all.

Library kicks off concert seriesBy Jordan XiaoStaff Writer

The South Pasadena Public Library kicked off its seventeenth annual Restoration Concert series last Sunday with a performance from the Pantoum Trio in the Community Room. The Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library will host a monthly con-cert for residents until May, giving local music fans op-portunities to enjoy classical music.

Musicians per-forming throughout the year include sax-ophonist Pete Christ-lieb, pianist Robert Thies, and the Fiato Quartet. Several of these per-formers return annually, including the New Hol-lywood String Quartet, which is now entering its sixth season.

“Musicians like the idea that we reach out to seniors, teenagers, and all ages in between,” said concert committee co-chair Kay Rosser, one of the original committee members who founded the event in 1996.

Proceeds from the eight concerts will go to-wards renovating the library’s Community Room. The Friends of the Library have already purchased a nine-foot grand piano with funds raised through the Restoration Concerts.

Map from outline-world-map.com

Sisters Isabel and Madeline Chin worked with the Ameri-can Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad (AYUDA) program in Ecuador. Within the three-week program, the sisters worked as counselors for children with Type 1 Dia-betes. “Isabel was interested in the program because she also has Type 1 Diabetes, and I have always been in-terested in traveling abroad,” said Madeline Chin.

Wen Zeng was one of just twenty selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in mechanical engineering at the Women’s Technology Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Students in the four-week summer camp took math and science courses, worked on projects (including a crane-building competition), and went on field trips to various engineering related companies, such as Kiva Systems, which produces warehouse robots.

Will Rygg may have just had the summer of a lifetime. The senior spent his time on a cruise ship visiting Greece, Turkey, and Sweden, and went back to spend an extra day in Athens and Istanbul. He then spent ten days in Stockholm, Sweden. “Stockholm was my favorite,” said Rygg. “I got to do a lot of boating, clubbing, and [seeing] the city.”

Betty Soibel immersed herself in the culture of Israel for the Diller Teen Fellows, a leadership program for Jewish teens. Soibel and her peers attended seven-hour classes every day, explored the Tel Aviv, Israel, and attended congress for a week of seminars and debates on the five pillars of Judaism. The program included an exchange in which Soibel lived with a family from Israel.

Taylor Altice and a group of 32 others spent fourteen days in Davao del Norte, Philippines working with the Ata-Manobo tribe. They distributed over $10,000 worth of medical supplies to the villagers. In addition, the orga-nization is devoted to fighting for the human rights, land, and education of Ata-Manobo and other tribes. “It’s a problem that needs to be fixed. It’s not a Filipino problem; it’s a world problem,” said Altice.Text: Kea Hudson, Emily Markese, Jenny

Wang, Sarah Stukan, and Kelsey HessPhotos: Tiger photographers

Most students think of the seventy days of summer vacation as a time for lazily sleeping in. Take a look at six students who did the opposite and traveled to all four corners of the globe to fill their summers with volunteering and learning.

Restoration Concert Series

everything to know about the

Where: South Pasadena Public Library Community RoomWhen: Once a month

Price: $18 per concert, $88 for a season pass

Want more information? Call (626) 799-6333 or visit friend-sofsopaslibrary.org/concerts.htm

Gilmartin’s interest in cars translates into other aspects of his life, including his award-winning science project for BroadCom MASTERS.

Siria Medina

Feature12 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

Beacon is polished but does not spark

By Sarah StukanStaff Writer

Two Door Cinema Club’s long-awaited second al-bum Beacon presents its listeners with a more polished set list than its first album, Tourist History. However, despite its professional sound, the album lacks the per-sonal feel of its predecessor.

Tourist History revolved around a unique fusion of excitable pop with bursts of punk rhythm and nervy, scrappy energy that made the band a hit. Beacon simply doesn’t pack the same emotional punch.

The seamless transition of sound and style be-tween the two albums is sure to please die-hard fans looking for an add-on to Tourist History.

Two Door Cinema Club has further refined its electro pop style, filling Beacon with pleasingly intricate harmonies and clever chord changes.

Tracks like “Handshake,” while not particular-ly distinctive, are great examples of the band’s bright dance-rock. These songs have an upbeat feeling and a personal touch that make them enjoyable, if not particularly remarkable.

On the other hand, attempts at hard rock such as “Someday” lack the signature light-heartedness at which Two Door Cinema Club excels. The sound is weighed down and the combination of heavy guitar and soothing vocals creates a feeling of unauthentic and exaggerated emotion.

The band fares much better sticking to its signa-ture electro-guitar pop, which is brilliantly demonstrat-ed in the track “Sleep Along.” Bittersweet, almost eerie lyrics such as “He sleeps alone; he needs no army where he’s heading, ‘cause he knows that they’re just ghosts” are penned to a punchy beat and make the song an instant classic.

Although each individual song sounds cre-ative and well refined, the album as a whole is disappointingly monotonous. The songs lack di-versity, leaving listeners bored only a few tracks into the album.

Stylistically, Beacon is a musical plateau for Two Door Cinema Club. The streamlined melodies show that although there is nothing overtly wrong with the album, the band didn’t produce the same spark that made its first album so successful.

By Kea Hudson and Emily MarkeseTiger Staff

The Harry Potter franchise formally ended over a year ago with the release of its final movie. But for those of us who refuse to believe that J.K. Rowling’s magic will ever truly end, we can visit Whimsic Al-ley: a downtown Los Angeles store completely dedicated to all things Harry Potter.

From the outside, Whimsic Al-ley appears modest and fairly small. But upon entering we were instantly captivated by the store’s enchanting interior. The ornately decorated corri-dor is modeled after Diagon Alley and

lined with small-scale buildings filled to the brim with Potter merchandise.

The store is stocked with every-thing from Hogwarts uniforms and elegant hats to movie posters and an impressive selection of wands.

One room is full of a terrific assortment of wizard fare, including butterbeer, dragon eggs, and choco-late frogs complete with collectable wizard cards.

In the back of the store is an impressive banquet room known as the “Great Hall.” It can be booked for birthdays and tea parties and hosts the “Wizard Camp for (so-called) Grown-ups,” the store’s an-nual multi-day social event for adult Potter fanatics.

Although the merchandise is definitely on the expensive side, we couldn’t resist purchasing some gear of our own. We bought an “I Love Ron Weasley” bumper sticker, a Dark Mark tattoo, and several boxes of Ber-tie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (we later had the pleasure of tasting the im-pressively inedible “rotten egg” and “vomit” flavors).

To those who decide to visit Whimsic Alley, be forewarned—

shoppers are bound to be among the most passionate Potterheads you will ever meet. One girl walked up to us, flourished a wand, muttered “Mermi-fy!” and asked if we got a fishy taste in our mouths.

The staff is friendly and en-thusiastic, the merchandise is fun and unique, and the store is teeming with magic. Whimsic Alley is like the Room of Requirement for Potter fans: ordinary on the outside, but filled with everything you could ever want.

Photos by Rachael Garner

10 Years is relatable and humorous

By Petra BarbuStaff Writer

It’s nearly impossible to imagine what the members of your graduating class will be like in ten years. Director Jamie Linden attempts to do just that in his latest film, 10 Years, where he expertly pieces to-gether relatable moments, big-name actors, and a lighthearted energy throughout the

film. 10 Years features an all-star cast with an indie movie soft-edge feel, and shines as a witty com-edy with a sensitive side.

Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Max Minghella, and Kate Mara, to name a few, play a group of friends reunited at their ten-year high school reunion. Everyone is ex-actly the same as they were in high school even though their lives have diverged from the “expected.”

Midnight concessions evolve into midnight confessions as friendships are re-affirmed, and they all discover that though they have moved on to the adult world with grown-up problems, none of them have quite grown up.

The movie covers several interlaced stories but manages to stay continuous, pro-viding ample time for each plotline. Each moment contributes to the shared story, told through embarrassing photographs, ro-manticized memories, and even a handheld camera montage.

The consistently witty dialogue and the hilarious antics of the night keep the

film from becoming cheesy or corny. The actors are believable and relatable, and the characters feel naturally connected.

10 Years gained energy as a result of a great relationship between the cast and crew. Behind-the-scenes footage and media interaction have made it clear that the on-screen chemistry is authentic.

“I went to high school with [Scott Porter], and the film is loosely based on our 10 year anniversary. It was great work-ing with everyone. Channing is the best producer I’ve ever had,” said Linden, who attended the premiere along with members of the cast.

At one point during the movie, the undisputed “queen” of the high school (Lynn Collins) admits that things don’t always go as planned, and longs for the glow she had in high school. 10 Years has managed to capture this glow with naïveté and authenticity.

Linden artfully weaves together sto-ries of adults who haven’t grown up.

insidemovies.ew.com

Audrey Toth

Ellie Kemperfrom The Office

Pop Culturethis month in

30 days of free musical perfor-mances that you can stream on

your iPhone or on iTunes

technologytell.com

2.5/5

Tiger explores the lesser known parts of the greater

Los Angeles area.

Catch the Emmys on September 23

4.5/5

Looper (9/28) Pitch Perfect (9/28) The Paperboy (10/5)

Muse: The 2nd Law (9/28) Matt and Kim: L:ightning (9/28) Ellie Goulding: Halcyon (10/5)

filmsalbums

There’s always that one person who reminds you of somebody else. Agree? Disagree? Have a suggestion for a future Look-Alike?

Let us know.

Siria Medina

Illustration by Rachael Lee

Feature 13Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

By Kelsey HessSenior Staff Writer

4/5

The average robot movie follows a very simple plot: either the robots or the hu-mans are fighting for world dominance. However, in the enchantingly simple and omi-nous Robot & Frank, a man and his robot form an unusu-al, futuristic relationship.

Frank, a seventy-year-old cynic, is a retired jewelry thief who lives alone in the outskirts of New York City and struggles with Alzheim-er’s disease. His son, Hunter, lives five hours away in the city and feels morally obli-gated to visit his increasingly detached and lonely father every weekend.

In an attempt to han-

dle his father’s needs and reduce his own stress, Hunter purchases a robot for his father. Though intended to serve as Frank’s caretaker, butler, and servant, the bot builds a charming compan-ionship with his owner. Frank is reinvigorated by the com-pany, and slowly transforms into a spunky, energetic man.

The plot moves continu-ously and maintains a charm-ing sense of humor. Though simple, the movie is well writ-ten and avoids predictability. It easily entertains without requiring much thought or processing on the part of the viewer.

Although the film has its sentimental moments, Robot & Frank is in no way a feel-good family film. The story is composed of progressively worse catastrophes, some of them with heartbreaking and

emotional consequences.Despite a simple yet dark

story, the actors shine in their roles. Frank Langella perfectly portrays the un-predictable old man strug-gling to stay youthful. His performance is surprisingly compelling, given that most of his interaction is with a robot, but his complex back-ground makes it difficult to relate to him.

Hunter (James Marsden) is a far more reachable char-acter, though his harrowed attitude is occasionally over-done. Together, their dys-functional family dynamic is hauntingly realistic.

A straight-forward plot, brilliant characters, and a simple charm combine in Ro-bot & Frank to prove that there is no age gap for emotional growth – whether it be thanks to family, friends, or robots.

Robot & Frank: a tale of a unique friendship

Fashion: Autumn BloomBy Talia Wun-YoungStaff Writer

Although the weather has stayed consistently warm these first few weeks of school, the fall and winter seasons are coming up. The runways are filled with dozens of unique, stand-out fall pieces in light of New York

Fashion Week 2012. Autumn is quickly approaching, bringing with it a menagerie of lace, flirty textures, and earthy tones.

T h e prime color palette for this season consists

of natural colors such as olive, rust, and toned neutrals. These earthy col-ors can play into several fall outfits and create a laid-back but sophisticat-ed look. Maroon and mustard are also huge this season, and, when paired together, develop a very whimsical and medieval style.

Slouchy oversized sweaters and military jackets are key pieces to look forward to in the coming season, and can easily be matched with maxi skirts, leggings, or high-waisted jeans. Look for these in fast-fashion boutiques such as Forever 21 as well as vintage

inspired chains like Urban Outfitters. “I love big, comfy sweaters.

They look great paired with jeans,” said sopho-more Camryn Bukowski.

In f in i ty scarves, com-bat boots, and oxfords throw in a bit of ex-tra flair into an outfit. These simple additions put an edgy twist on an oth-erwise basic ensemble.

If you’re looking to invest in a long-lasting and trendy pair of boots, Steve Madden has an incredibly vast selection of intricately designed chic boots.

“This fall I’m really looking for-ward to wearing scarves and boots,” said junior Annie Kim. “I think boots are a great statement piece to an outfit.”

Fall is full of excit-ing textures, colors, and a c c e s s o r i e s . This season is all about tak-ing risks and experimenting with your per-sonal style.

Like this comic? View it in full color at tigernewspaper.com.

Photos by Anastasia Velicescu

SPHS Counselor

Craziest Student Story:“I had a student from another district that had a strange phobia of quick-sand. He was very afraid that he was going to die in quick-sand. So he’d have to come in and I’d have to talk him through this fear of falling into quick-sand. I remember pulling out a map and locating points with quick-sand and [telling] him there aren’t any nearby.”

Subject: Spanish 1Former District of Employment: Magnolia Science Academy (a private middle school)Favorite Dessert: Chocolate cheesecakeCraziest Student Story: Nothing crazy has happened yet.Preferred Way to Die: “To go to sleep and not wake up. I don’t want to know that I’m dying.Childhood Dream Job: “I wanted to be a Spanish teacher; I guess I got my dream job!”What would you be for Color Day: A piñata

Subjects: Social studies, economics, and US historyFormer District of Employment: Los Angeles UnifiedFavorite Dessert: “My favorite dessert…oh my gosh…there are too many; I definitely have a sweet tooth.”Childhood Dream Job: Drama film directorColor Day Outfit: Punk rocker

Craziest Student Story: “Since I used to work at South Cen-tral, there are too many to share.”Preferred Way to Die: “In my sleep; I just don’t want to wake up.”

14 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012 New Faculty and Staff

Maricela Fuentes Ginger Merritt

Tracy

“I [am] excited about integrating positive practices and ideas that the new staff could bring to our organization. Having selected such stellar individuals as our new hires, already they are bringing innovations that we can incorporate.” - Principal Janet Anderson

New InspirationSouth Pasadena High School is home to thirteen new faculty and staff members this year. Some are new teachers, some new administra-

tors, and some are staff members that we may not interact with on a daily basis, but who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Regardless of their title, every one of these new hires brings a new outlook and personality to SPHS.

The school welcomes Philip Bliss, Alice Camacho-Espinoza, Aron Cavanaugh, Jamie Deedler, Trang Huynh, Tracy Ishimaru, Angelica Madrigal, Garrett Schorr, Ian Merrick, Ginger Merritt, Suzie Wong, and Mark Zalin into our school this year. In addition,

Rouzanna Berberian, Sandy Bishop, Lisa Greenhouse, and Tasha Wahl have returned from leaves of absence. Welcome to SPHS!

Athletic Director

Zalin has more than 30 years of experience coaching and working with high school athletics. Former District of Employment: Various districts in Monterey, CAChildhood Dream Job: “I wanted to be a professional football or baseball player. I used to play, but not profes-sionally.”Favorite Dessert: “Do I have to say just one? I like cake, ice cream, pie, and cookies and candy, etc.”

Assistant Principal of Instruction

Former District of Employment: Los Angeles County Office of EducationChildhood Dream Job: 18-wheeler truck driver Craziest Student Story: One of Ms Merritt’s students explained a physics trajectory concept by using the Kennedy assassination as an example.Preferred Way to Die: While sleeping peacefullyFavorite Dessert: Lemon barsColor Day Outfit: A slice of pizza to make up a whole pizza with her friends.

SPHS and SPMS Intervention Counselor

Former District of Employment: “I was at the middle school last year. Before that I was working in the Temple City District. That’s where I learned everything I know.”Favorite Dessert: Frozen yogurtPreferred way to die: “I’d prefer to die calmly.”Childhood dream job: “I wanted to be a fashion buyer or a clothes buyer.”Color Day Outfit: “Oh, I can’t tell you. It’s a secret among us counselors.”

Reporting by Shine Cho, Jason Wang, Madison Amido, Shyam Senthilkumar

Photos by Rachael Garner, Anastasia Velicescu, Matt Winkel

Page by Sofi Goode

SandraKoeper

Trang Huynh

Mark Zalin

Former District of Employment:Crenshaw Arts/Tech Charter HighFavorite Dessert: Ice cream cookie sandwichesCraziest Student Story:“I actually do have one, but it’s too inap-propriate for viewers.”

Subjects: Freshman English, Honors World History, and Academic DecathlonFavorite Dessert: “Everything. Honestly I have a gigantic sweet tooth. I love Serendipity. But my ultimate favorite is French macaroons.”Craziest Student Story: “I had one student who tried to set the 8th grade bathroom on fire.” Districts of Former Employment: San Marino Unified and Azusa UnifiedChildhood Dream Job: DoctorColor Day Outfit: “I can’t discuss that, it’s top secret.”

Subjects: Applied Math, Algebra B, GeometryFormer District of Employment: Vista Unified

Craziest Student Story: One of Mr. Merrick’s students was arrested after threatening to slash his tires. Preferred Way to Die: While doing something fun at an old age, like skydiving at age 80.Favorite Dessert: Muddy Buddies (Chex cereal with peanut butter and chocolate)Childhood Dream Job: Dinosaur hunterColor Day Outfit: Hobbes from Calvin & Hobbes

15Friday, September 21, 2012 - TigerNew Faculty and Staff

Ian Merrick

Subjects: Algebra B and Advanced AlgebraFavorite Dessert: Crème bruléePreferred Way to Die: Quickly in a warm oceanChildhood Dream Job: Professional soccer playerColor Day Outfit: It will be a surprise.

Former District of Employment: Gilroy UnifiedCraziest Student Story: One twin tried to take a

test for the other twin.Garrett Schorr

Subjects: Geometry and Math PrepFormer District of Employment: Los Angeles UnifiedChildhood Dream Job: Astronaut (and he still wants to go to space)Color Day Outfit: The math department has some top-secret plans. “I cannot divulge that. But I’ve got the beard to be a pirate!”Preferred Way to Die: Shoved out an airlock.Favorite Dessert: Yozen Frogurt (a froyo chain)

Philip Bliss

Oliver Valcorza

Social Studies teacher Mr. Oliver Valcorza leads his class in a discussion about Enlightenment thinkers.

Ishimaru

Preferred way to die:“I’d like to die in my sleep. Or maybe out of an airplane. Like maybe jump-ing out of an airplane without any parachute.”Favorite Dessert: Crème brulée Childhood dream job: VeterinarianColor Day Outfit: It’s a secret.

Jamie Deedler

Preferred way to die:“I want it to be short and sweet. And before I’m fifty. I want to die young.”Childhood dream job:Teacher or rocket sci-entistColor Day Outfit:“I don’t know yet. I’m not a big costume per-son.”

16 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012 Cell Phone Policy

“If a cell phone goes off, my students know to bring their phone up to my desk. The student will get a referral and can pick up their phone at 3:00 from Student Services. This rule applies to my own cell phone as well. My students are respectful and generally abide by the policy. I don’t really have a big policy violation problem.” -Mr. Sean Regan, History

Administration

“A lot of teachers won’t give you a referral on the first offense, but some teachers do. There’s this imbalance of the rule being used and I find that unfair.” –Jenny Luo, sophomore

7:57- Arrive on campus, check phone for time before speed walking into class.

9:25- Check time and text Mom during class: “Forgot my outline- can you e-mail it to me?!”

9:47- Send text from library: “Thanks Mom!” Check twitter.

“The current cell phone policy is always a work in progress. As needed, we have responded to the times and current issues. Last year it was modified to allow teachers to let their students use cell phones in class for instructional purposes. Especially in ELD classes, where students have Google translate on their phones, they can use this within the lesson.... If a phone is confiscated because of use, that is never a reason to look through it. It’s not our policy...We don’t have the time. In a case of plagiarism, cheating, or campus safety, if something could endanger students and staff, we have the right.” -Mr. Terrance Dunn, Assistant Principal of Student Services

“This is my fourth year collecting cell phones [before class starts] and it has worked beautifully so far—no one complains. If a phone vibrates, the student feels compelled to check it. I wanted to remove the temptation. I always tell my students the vibrations of a phone are like the call of the sirens in The Odyssey.” -Ms Kim Kadletz, English

“Cheating is a big concern for me, especially with the ease with which you can take pictures of things, like tests. I believe administration should be allowed to search through phones only if they have a reasonable suspicion that someone is in danger.” -Mr. Joshua Whitney, Foreign Language

10:06- Turn on iPod while reading text-book in study hall. Check out new Dada Life music video on YouTube with your friend.

11:49- Quickly check phone for notifica-tions during lunch.

12:35- Read text in class from coach: “Practice can-celled today. Varsity tomor-row at 4:15.”

2:05- Text friend from in front of gym: “Where are you?! Jamba runnnn!”

Timeline- Ever wonder how an average student risks breaking policy to use their phone?

· Public“Students are allowed to use their phones as they please in between classes. The official policy might prohibit cell phone use during school, but I, along with the major-ity of Poly students, keep my phone on my desk during class. Most stu-dents are respectful enough to not text while the teacher is talking. People sometimes give presenta-tions with notes on their iPhone as well.”

-Evie Zavidow, Polytechnic senior

“Our cell phone policy is you can use your phone during break/lunch but not during passing periods, although they’re not very strict about that. In the classroom, if the teacher sees it one time it’s a warning, the second time they take it away. Teachers do enforce the rules in their classes, but differently. Kids use them all the time to check grades and to do homework during lunch.”

-Kimya Khoshnan, San Marino senior

“After I had my phone taken on a first offense, they sent home a referral. I think that response is a bit dramatic and wasteful. When my phone was taken in study hall, I was told, ‘I don’t negotiate with students.’ I don’t think that shows a lot of respect, and neither does the policy.” –Angelise Slifkin, senior

Do you think the current cell phone policy is doing a good job of preventing phone use?

Survey says...Tiger conducted a recent online survey on SPHS cell phone use and policy opinions. Here are the results:

35.4%

64.6%

Yes No

13.3%

86.7%

Yes No Rank the following activities based on how, and if, you use your phone during school hours:

Other schools speak· Private

Do you think the current cell phone policy is fair?

Student VoicesWhat is your preferred method of communication

using your cell phone?

70.7%

29.3%

Legislation·State law hands the power of cell phone policy to school districts, who in turn leave it up to each school to set their own policy.

· Employees who take possession of any personal property of a student have the responsibility to ensure that the property is placed in a properly secured location.

· A reasonable suspicion search of a phone must be (1) justified at its incep-tion and (2) reasonably related in to the original search.

· This power extends to the contents of a student’s celluar device.

·Unlike law enforcement, school author-ities do not need probable cause or a war-rant to search through students’ things- only “reasonable suspicion.”

Teachers’ thoughts

As another school year begins, students are struggling to comply with cell phone pol-icy at SPHS. Tiger looks at the facts and figures behind the controversial regulation.

Checking the time29%

Texting/calling parents

24%

Checking social media15%

Playing games11%

Texting/calling friends21%

1:15- Use phone to look up transla-tion of Spanish word. Enter newly announced unit test date into phone calendar.

Sports 17Friday, September 21, 2012 - Tiger

Jessica ArroyoBy Amber LairdCopy Editor

On campus, Jessica Arroyo appears to be a laid-back senior enjoying her last year at South Pasadena High School, but when she’s on the court, she is a committed volleyball player who brings unexpected intensity to the game.

Arroyo has been playing volleyball for South Pasadena schools since seventh grade. She has also played on a club team and traveled around the country, includ-ing to Nevada, Arizona, and Indiana, for competitions.

For now, though, her focus is on her own South Pas team. She is the setter, or as teammate Claire Kieffer-Wright puts it, “our quarterback.” This means Arroyo touches the ball every time it comes on the Tigers’ side of the court, putting it in place for her teammates. The setter is crucial to a team’s success, and Arroyo’s natural talent and years

of experience mean she is up to the challenge.“You have to stay positive, or it will

show on the court,” said Arroyo.Arroyo’s position also means she is a

team leader, which is especially important in a sport that requires such teamwork and communication. Arroyo takes control when the situation demands it, which leads to some constructive yelling from time to time.

“I’m meaner when I’m playing vol-leyball,” Arroyo said.

However, her teammates clearly re-spect her though. They understand that it’s only for the betterment of the team. Off the court, she’s nothing but kind and caring towards her teammates and friends.

Teammate Ella Hardy said, “She truly cares about each of us individually.”

Arroyo has tried a number of other sports, but she has really found her niche in volleyball.

“She…[puts] her heart into the game,” said Hardy.

Anastasia Velisescu

By Pooja VyasStaff Writer

With 153 yards receiving, 32 tack-les, and one touchdown all from the first three games of the season, senior strong safety Bryan Bednarski credits his suc-cess as a football player to pure dedica-tion, hardwork, and competitive drive.

“If you get knocked down in football you have to hit back. There’s always going to be bigger players than yourself, so you have to be determined to compete,” said Bednarski.

Despite Bednarski’s motivation to push himself beyond his own limits, he is decidedly a team player. He served as team captain in the first game of the season and proved his natural ability as a leader and teammate.

“Bryan comes to practice moti-vated every single day, and he’s always pushing the team to give their best,” said teammate Nathan Lee. “He’s always the one to bring players up when things are down, and he has all the qualities you want in a leader.”

With former star quarterback and South Pasadena alumnus Conor Bednar-ski as his older brother, Bryan Bednarski has always been determined to find his own path as a player and individual.

“I don’t feel any pressure from my peers to live up to the legacy left behind by my big brother. I take it as a compli-ment to what he has done when he is mentioned or I’m called ‘Conor,’” said Bednarski. “But I’m making my own

path through high school and life and I plan on doing what I want, for myself and no one else.”

Bednarski is looking forward to potentially playing football in college as a walk-on. Although his top academic choices, University of Notre Dame and Vanderbuilt University, both have major Division I football programs, Bednarski has decided to pursue academics as his first priority.

“[Bednarski] brings intagibles to field: a lot of energy and a lot of excit-ment,” said head football coach Martin Konrad. “He is one of the guys that us coaches lean on.”

Bednarksi scored a touchdown in the first quarter of the Tigers’ 39-6 win over Glendale last Friday.

Bryan Bednarski

Rachael Garner

Senior team captain Jessica Arroyo hopes to lead the Tigers to the Rio Hondo League title.

Sports18 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2013

By Shyam SenthilkumarCopy Editor

The girls varsity tennis team lost to Temple City High School yesterday in a close contest that ended in a 6-12 defeat. This loss in their first match of league play leaves the Tigers with a 2-5 record.

South Pas number one singles Symona Stans domi-nated two of her three sets 6-2, 6-1, but lost the third. However, facing the Rams’ imposing lineup, the Tigers were unable to win any other singles sets.

The girls fared better in doubles play, winning four of the nine possible matches. The team of junior captain Jennifer Orr and sophomore Katherine Shinno won two of their sets 6-2 and 7-5.

“We struggled a lot in the first round. By the third round we started getting some points back. We need to stop being so tense. If we can come with more in the future I think we have a fair chance of making CIF,” said Orr.

Head coach Jim Asher was dis-appointed by the loss, but is determined not to linger in the defeat.

“We had our chances. We could have won this game. Our number one doubles team had a match point in one of their sets and lost it. But the bottom line is that we couldn’t convert in singles,” said Asher.

The Tigers’ struggles have been due in part to lineup changes. With pre-season play coming to an end, Coach Jim Asher aims to set the lineups soon.

The team suffered another dis-appointing loss against Burbank High

School on October 10. The Bulldogs dominated throughout and earned a 15-3 victory over the visiting Tigers.

The dramatic scoreline didn’t fully represent the Tigers’ efforts. South Pas received strong play yet again from Stans, who won two of her three sets by scores of 6-3 and 7-6.

The sole doubles point came from the number one pair of An Le and Sarah Choi, who won their third set 7-6 to take their series.

“Burbank is a really good team. We struggled in singles and doubles. They were simply the better team. But I am happy with the way the girls played,” said Asher.

Despite their struggles against Burbank, junior captain Karinna Loo remains optimistic about the season.

“We still need to work on our game and figure out some set doubles combinations, but it’s looking good and we’re looking forward to a great season,” said Loo.

The Tigers play Crescenta Val-ley High School next Monday at home.

Girls tennis strives to improve after shaky pre-season

Sophia Arriola

Sophomore Amy Chong drives the ball down the fareway in a match against the Gabrielino High School Eagles on Tuesday.

Girls golf starts strong in league play

By Sarah StukanStaff Writer

The South Pasadena varsity girls golf team improved their record to 6-1 with a win against Gabrielino High School yesterday. The girls shot their season best in the second match of a double header, fin-ishing 209-234. Sophomore co-captain Ka-tie Rosenberg led the team with a 34 shot performance and sophomore Amy Chong finished with a close 37.

“We have a very strong team this year. Based on how we played pre-season, I feel like we are going to do fine this year,” said Chong. “Playing our hardest and having fun are going to be key to a great season.”

The team earned its third league victory of the year on Tuesday with their first game of the Gabrielino match-up, taking the Eagles 212-231in the match.

“We played really well during

our last match against Gabrielino, so we have high hopes for the future. Based on our performance we expect to go un-defeated this season and play in CIF,” said Rosenberg.

The top scores included Rosenberg’s 37 and junior Marcy Kuo’s 41. Fellow ju-nior Megan Srisutham shot a 42 and sopho-more Alyssa Carlos trailed closely behind with a score of 44. Sophomore Amy Chong rounded out the top five with a 48.

The Tigers’ first two league match-es of the season were held last Tuesday and Thursday, September 11 and 13, each against Buckley High School. Both matches concluded in automatic wins for South Pas when the opposition forfeited due to a lack of players. Buckley opted to still play full matches despite their team’s deficiency.

South Pas’s 237 points total in the second match included Rosenberg’s 40, Chong’s 48, Kuo’s 45, Srisutham’s 50, and

Carlos’s 54. The team braved the 104-de-gree valley heat and managed to finish the round of 18 holes.

The first match’s totals were unde-termined due to Buckley’s player deficit.

Despite losing five key seniors to graduation, the Tigers have continued to excel with their young team. Led by soph-omores Rosenberg and Chong, the team consists of four sophomores, one junior, and one senior.

“[The girls] fit well; they are very amiable people, and they support each other well: as an old coach, I like to see that,” said head coach Richard Goto. “The seniors we lost were class, but we will get there. [Katie Rosenberg] has been ridiculous. She went to CIF finals individ-ually, and we’re surprised by Marcy Kuo. She’s been playing consistently well.”

South Pas hopes to continue its success on Tuesday in a game against Mayfield.

Boys XC excels at WoodbridgeBy David YangStaff Writer

The South Pasadena High School varsity boys cross country team exceeded expectations at the Wood-bridge Invitational sweep-stakes race last Saturday. All seven of the team’s run-ners who participated in the race ran a sub-seventeen minute time.

Junior Joshua Wilson came in first for the SPHS team with a time of 15:14 and placed 48th out of 154 runners.

Wilson was followed by senior Paul Messana, who broke the finish line at 15:28 and placed 65th overall.

“Woodbridge is the foundation for the rest of the season,” said Messana. “The times we run there establish a standard on which we con-tinue to improve.”

Tyler Gershman and Blake Benevides complet-ed the race with times of 16:39 and 16:40 and came in at 142nd and 143rd, respectively.

Junior Thomas Steele completed the Tigers’ scoring five and set a personal record of 16:45 in his first varsity race. Steele placed 144th.

“Some of the guys re-ally headed out really fast, so it was a new experience alto-gether,” said head coach Pat-rick McGrail. “Varsity really

adapted well.”The race drew the best

runners from multiple geo-graphic regions, including teams who typically par-ticipate in more competitive divisions.

Despite the loss of sev-eral core runners to gradua-tion and the tough competi-tion, the team performed strongly and ranked 19th overall.

The boys varsity team’s next race will be on Sep-tember 22 at the Dana Hills Invitational, held at Dana Hills High School.

“Based on the results of this race, the season looks like it’s going to be pretty amazing,” said Steele.

Nationally ranked freshman Symona Stans drives the ball down the line for a forehand winnner against Alhambra.

By Jason WangBusiness Manager

The girls varsity cross country team competed at the annual Woodbridge In-vitational on Friday, Sep-tember 14. The race began at 8:15 P.M. through a three-mile flat course over grass and dirt.

Senior captains Anika Renken and Jessica Hitch-cock led the Tigers, placing 18th and 97th respectively. Renken ran an impressive race with a time of 18:32. Hitchcock finished with a time of 20:17, only half a minute behind her personal record.

“We worked really hard and we could have done

a lot better, but the race was a great starting point for the season,” said Hitchcock.

State-ranked runner Helena Van Loan was the sole qualifier for the girls’ sweepstakes race the next day. Van Loan fell mid-race due to a calf injury, but re-markebly still managed to place 37th out of more than 200 runners with a sub-18 minute time.

“In the beginning of the race, I was in a good posi-tion,” said Van Loan. “It got harder to keep my position due to my calf, and I ended up finishing at 17:56.”

Sophomore Katherine Uriarte and freshmen Emily Ye ran notable races in their first varsity meet. Ye ran a

time of 20:35, placing 3rd on the team and 112th overall.

Over all, the varsity girls ranked 15th out of 40 teams in the race.

“We reached our ex-pectations. The invitational is always a good indicator of how the season will go. The results will also give us a sol-id understanding of what we should do to prepare for the rest of the season,” said head coach Patrick McGrail.

This season, the Ti-gers will compete in only two league races, including league finals, as opposed to the traditional three. Both meets will be held at Lacey Park in San Marino.

The Tigers next com-pete at the Dana Hills Invita-

Girls cross country meets expectations

9/17SPHS

v. Burbank15-3 L

Anastasia Velicescu

Photos by Rachael Garner

South Pas wins its first three matches

AnikaRenken

PaulMessana

JessicaHitchcock

3 mile PR: 15:09 minutes

3 mile PR: 18:15 minutes

3 mile PR: 19:38 minutes

9/20SPHS

v. Temple City 12-6 L

Sports 19Friday, September 21, 2012 - Tiger

By Heather VaughanCopy Editor

The South Pasadena boys water polo team fell to the Palos Verdes Sea Kings on Wednesday in a match that ended in a 15-8 loss for the Tigers. This was the Tigers’ first defeat in regulation play this season, bring-ing their record to 2-1.

Throughout the game, the boys were unable to surpass Palos Verdes’s lead. The Tigers were behind 3-1 at the end of the first quarter and 7-3 at halftime. They fell even farther behind during the third quarter, as the Sea Kings kept an 11-5 lead, and then closed the game 15-8. Despite forcing a total of twelve ejections, South Pas was only able to mark goals during two of these instances.

Junior Adrian Suarez was the top scor-er of the game, making six of eight goals and drawing nearly half of the team’s ejections.

“Our main problem was six on fives,” said Suarez. “We took shots we didn’t need to take.”

Suarez further remarked that this is one of the Tigers’ main weaknesses and they have been focusing on it at practice.

The boys also participated in a tourna-ment at Los Altos High School last weekend and captured fifth place out of 25 teams. The Tigers’ first two games were both successes; they defeated John Bosco High School 16-7 in their first match, and went on to win their game against Los Altos 16-9. However, the boys fared less well on their second day of play, losing to La Serna High School 9-3 and then to Polytechnic 9-8 in overtime. They came back at the end of the day to triumph over Flintridge Preparatory 9-8.

In regulation play, the Tigers’ record remains a strong 2-1. In the last several weeks, they earned victories against Bur-roughs High School and Peninsula High School. Their matchup with the Burroughs Indians was a narrow success that ended in an 8-6 win for the Tigers. Goals by Suarez and junior Pierce Deamer as well as senior

Wyatt Bukowski turned a close game into a solid win for South Pas.

The team’s second game, against Pen-insula was also a close match. The boys were unable to gain a lead throughout the first half, ending the second period in a tie. They entered the fourth period with a 2-point lead, which they quickly lost. The teams were tied with a minute left of play when a quick shot by junior Cameron Lee sealed the game and

secured the Tigers a 10-9 victory.The Tigers will face Burbank High

School September 26 at Burbank. Their first league is on October 4 against San Marino at home.

“I feel good about league,” said as-sistant coach Michael Gonzales. “These guys can’t get discouraged. We’re definitely a sound team, the guys just need to work on patience and faith in each other.”

Water polo struggles

Siria Medina

Junior Adrian Suarez makes a shot on goal in a scrimmage during Tuesday’s practice. The boys play their next game on September 26 at Burbank High School and will begin league play on October 4 against San Marino at home.

Matt Winkel Matt Winkel Sophia ArriolaMatt Winkel

Looks to improve teamwork before league

Mr. Zalin grew up in Southern California, where he attended Birming-ham High School. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, Zalin became a high school athletics coach. He has been in the profes-sion for more than 30 years and is experienced in baseball, volleyball, water polo, and football. One of Zalin’s top coaching experiences was winning the CIF championship with Harvard-Westlake High School in 1991.

He was also part of the elite development staff for the men’s United States Volleyball Association. There, Zalin held tryouts throughout the country and traveled to Canada, Russia, and Mexico to compete.

Zalin is currently teaching health at SPHS, but plans to make his focus the athletic department as a whole.

“First and foremost, my attention is on directing athletics. Coaching re-quires more attention to the athletes, and being an athletic director requires a lot of time to run a successful program. Perhaps in the future I will coach again, but my focus is purely on directing the athletic program.” ~Andres Garcia

New Face of the South

Pas Athletics Department:

Mark Zalin

“He has been helpful with transitioning us to our new basket-ball coach. Mr. Zalin has been approachable, very friendly and easy to talk to. I think he’s a good addition to the SPHS community.” -Junior Caitlin Chan

“[Mr. Zalin] has many of the qualities that made Mr. Punaro’s time [at SPHS] so special. Mr. Zalin comes to us with vast experience and great sensibility with regards to high school athletics.” -Principal Janet Anderson

WillRenken

PierceDeamer

WyattBukowski

AdrianSuarez

9/19SPHS

v. Palos Verdes 15-8 L

9/15SPHS

v. Flintridge 9-8 W

“I think Mr. Zalin is a great fit for the school, and I think his track

record is great. He brings a lot of motivation to the athletics program

as a fresh face in the department.”

-Senior Michael Heberlien

Sophia Arriola

Anastasia Velisescu

Anastasia Velisescu

Rachael Garner

Rachael Garner

Second-Team All-League Goalkeeper

Scored team-high 86 goals

in 2012.

Senior Team Captain

Second- Team All-League Set Guard

“I enjoy watching student athletes having success and finding out

that they can do things they thought they couldn’t do.”

-Athletic Director Mark Zalin

Sports20 Tiger - Friday, September 21, 2012

Senior fullback Nick Fong takes the ball down the field for a touchdown during the home game against Glendale. Rachael Garner

Sports

ByMathew DefulgentisStaff Writer

The South Pasadena girls volleyball team suffered a frustrating defeat at the hands of Pacific Christian with a score of 2-0 on Saturday, September 15. The game marked the end of their run in the Arcadia Invitational Tournament.

The Tigers lost both the first and second set by an identical 26-14 score to the Seawolves. Despite the tough loss, the girls’ felt they had improved against Pacific Christian compared to years past.

“Last year we played them and lost very badly. It was a lot different this year,” said junior captain Claire Kieffer-Wright. “It’s good to see that we’ve gotten better and that we’re continuing to improve.”

South Pas got off to a solid start in the tournament. Before their third-round elimination, the Tigers beat Lancaster in two straight sets with identical scores of 25-15.

The Tigers’ head coach, Ben Diaz, was proud of the squad’s overall effort in

the tournament. “There’s nothing too bad you can

say. We stayed strong and put out a strong fight the whole way,” said Diaz. “We’re not worried about the loss, we played our game. They were just a very good team.”

The girls came into Saturday’s games with confidence after victories over Rosemead High School and Polytechnic in three straight sets last Thursday and Tuesday.

The Tigers will play their first league game against the La Cañada Spartans on September 27. This will be an important match for the Tigers who hope to earn the title of league champs this year. The Spartans won the Rio Hondo champion-ship last year and South Pas came in a close second.

“We are going to need to work on going all out every point and sacrificing our bodies to do whatever it takes to get the win,” said Kieffer-Wright. “We have to come out with a lot of energy, trust our training, and just do all our jobs.”

Junior Samantha Figueroa smashes the ball on Sept. 13 against Rosemead.

Matt Winkel

High expectations for girls volleyball

There is a notion in sports that when it comes down to the wire, winning should be ev-erything. But to what extent are some professional teams willing to risk the connection with fans for the victories?

Traditionally, baseball fans have been known for their unconditional love and support of their team no matter the circumstances. The Los Angeles Dodgers was an organization known for having fans that enjoyed watching an amateur come up through their system and prosper as a player. Fans would build a seemingly unbreakable bond with these players.

Recently, however, there have been a few uncharacteristic changes that seem to have dimin-ished these feelings among Dodger fans and in the baseball world at large. Nowadays, fans never know who is going to be in the lineup on any given day, and they seem to expect that.

On August 27 of last month, the Dodgers made their biggest trade deal in franchise history, acquiring $250 million in player contracts from the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers received the three best players on the Red Sox in an attempt to create a new, winning Dodger team. Almost all teams get a hold of numerous players by the trad-ing deadline, but an exchange like this is unheard of. Just before those acquisitions, the team also grabbed the all-star center fielder Shane Victorino and starting pitcher Joe Blanton from the Phil-lies, in addition to the all-star short stop Ramirez from the Marlins. Clearly, money is no object for the new Dodger management. However, all of these funds don’t seem to be making much of a difference. The Dodgers’ record since the Boston purchases is a dismal 8-13.

More worrisome than the Dodger’s recent results is what these kinds of business tactics could mean for the game of baseball as a whole. True fans should not be concerned solely by the out-come after nine innings, but rather the team that played all nine. It’s about all the things that can’t be bought, but still matter in sports – attachment, continuity, identity, and loyalty.

At the end of the day, what is the fan root-ing for? The team colors? The name on the back of the jersey? The acquisition of new players has diminished a team’s ability to connect with their fans as well as their number of victories.

Changing fanbase values

Matt DeFulgentiis

Speaking of Sports

Upcoming Games: Friday 9/21: Football v. Alhambra

Tuesday9/25:GirlsGolf @Mayfield

Thursday 9/27: Girls Volleyball v. La Cañada

Girls tennis strives to improve.

Anastasia Velicescu

Mixed results for waterpolo in preseason

Siria Medina

[inside]

page 19

page 18

By Andrew ShultzStaff Writer

After a disappointing loss to Hoover High School on September 7, the South Pasadena High School varsity football team was looking to bounce back with a big win in their first home game of the year against Glendale High School. The Tigers beat the Nitros 39-7, leaning on a charged offense and solid defense.

South Pas running backs Rudy Murillo and Nathan Lee were the main contributors to the win; both were able to break through Glendale’s linemen and score a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback David Madrid was

also able to connect with Bryan Bednarski in the end zone for a first-half touchdown. In the fourth quarter, receiver Hector Fernandez added a TD with less than ten minutes left on the clock.

“We attacked them and kept them on their toes, we had them guessing the whole game,” said Madrid.

However, in South Pasa-dena’s previous game, the Tigers were upset 33-28. Hoover kept the lead for the majority of the game thanks to running back Jesse Pina, who completed all five of the Tornado’s touch-downs.

Despite the loss, the team remains firmly optimistic.

“Things are moving along nicely. We have been banged up the last two weeks, but are getting better. If we can stay healthy, we’ll compete for a league title,” said head coach Martin Konrad.

As league play approach-es, the Tigers hold a 2-1-0 re-cord. They look to improve on last year’s third place finish, which ended their season one game out of contention for playoffs.

Senior running back Lee,

strong safety Bednardski, and quarterback Madrid hope to spark the Tigers’ offense and carry the team to CIF.

“We have the potential to possibly win league,” said senior fullback Nick Fong, “It’s just a matter of us staying focused and knowing what we need to do.”

The Tigers take on the Alhambra Moors tonight at 7:00 on Roosevelt Field. Last year South Pasadena beat Alhambra, and the team hopes for a third preseason win tonight.

8/31SPHS

v. San Gabriel 49-40 W

9/7SPHS

v. Hoover28-33 L

9/14SPHS

v. Glendale39-7 W

9/11SPHS

v. Polytech-nic

3-0 W

9/13SPHS

v. Rose-mead3-0 W

9/15SPHS v. Pacific

Christian2-0 L

Football set for successful regular season