Volume 2, Issue 6
The Anchor
Port of Los Angeles High School
San Pedro, Calif.
POLAHS Board of Trustees discusses school
finances
By Aldo Andrade
Staff Editor
On March 4, the Board
of Trustees meeting was
held in the MPR with a
focus on school finances
and operations. Potential
litigation was addressed
durring closed session.
The financial structure of POLAHS was discussed. POLAHS LLC
has a balance of $932,000.
Matt Miller of the auditing firm Vavrinek, Trine,
Day & Co., LLP, which
completes the annual fiscal
year audit for the school
and has been doing so
for nine years, explained
the auditing process.
Principal Tom Scotti,
Business Affairs Lauren
Rackemann, Data and Records Coordinator Cheyenne Armstead and Special
Education lead teacher Joni
Ferrari will be attending
the annual charter school
conference in Sacramento
on March 16-19. They
will report to the board
following their return.
Interim Director of Operations Roger Cosgrove
discussed various issues
concerning the school
website, clocks and the
air conditioning system.
Within four months, there
have been two attacks
IN THIS ISSUE
Freshman lottery pg. 2
San Pedro pizza review pg. 6
To photoshop or not
to photoshop pg. 5
Madonna allbum pg.
9
Girls soccer pg. 11
COMPASS
The Board of Trustees listen during the last public comment session of the board meeting on March 4.
on the school’s website,
and a plan has been created to resolve the issues
through contracting with
an internet security company to address the issue.
Cosgrove also discussed
the school’s clocks, which
have been inaccurate for
several weeks. He stated
the master control had
begun to fail, and the issue should be resolved
in the next week. The air
conditioning system is
also receiving an upgrade.
As topics were discussed by the various
board members, the audience, made up of teachers, faculty and students,
were waiting to hear on
the anticipated litigation to POLAHS and the
potential discipline, dismissal or release of Executive Director James Cross.
After a one and a half
hour session with legal counsel, the board
Does POLAHS have a plan for the
measles?
announced that counsel will report back to
the board in two weeks.
The board will meet on
March 18 as a result.
Teachers were dissatisfied with the outcome of
the closed session and expressed it during the public comment portion of the
meeting following the reopen of the public session.
“It was pretty obvious
to us, who won and who
lost, we can tell by who
It is very important that most, if not
all, students receive the measles vaccine
to help prevent any possible outbreaks.
According to the CDC, “sustaining
high vaccination coverage among school
children is vital to prevent outbreaks
and avoid reestablishment of diseases
that have been eliminated in the United
States.”
The measles is a very contagious virus
that can be difficult to contain if people
are not vaccinated, especially at a school.
Recent outbreaks such as the Disneyland
outbreak in December 2014 have proven
this idea. So far, no students at POLAHS
have received the measles virus as POLAHS maintains its high vaccination records.
David Carter/ The Anchor
Maritimes
2
Clubs
3
The Growl
4
Editorial
5
Features
was grinning and who
6
wasn’t,” said lead math
Comics
7
teacher Donald Ormsby.
“Ultimately, I think
Health
8
most of you want to do
what’s best for the stuEntertainment
9
dents, but remember that
Dear Petey
10
you are setting a precedent
here at POLAHS on ethSports
11
ics,” art teacher Lindsey
Barfield said to the board
Sports
12
after it announced the
extension of the dession. making us be here, because we
“You are taking time away want to be here, yet everytime
from all of our families by we come nothing changes.”
Student spotlight: Sachi
Verner
By Amelia Samuelu
Staff Writer
Freshman Sachi Verner has
Due to recent outbreaks of the measles
proven herself to be an outvirus throughout the country, people may be
standing member of the POwondering if POLAHS has a plan for a reLAHS community. She is on
ported of measles plan amoung the student
the junior varsity volleyball
or staff.
team and is taking advanced
According to the California Department
courses that include AP Huof Public Health, school-aged children are reman Geography and Honors
quired to be vaccinated in the state of CaliforEnglish 9.
nia with an exception for medical conditions
As a member of the volor personal beliefs.
leyball team, Verner holds a
Principal Tom Scotti said that close to 100
position as an outside hitter,
percent of the students at POLAHS have rein which she blocks and hits
ceived the vaccine for the measles.
the ball on the front left side of
Data and Records Administrator, Cheythe court. Vener has now been
enne Armstead, does not keep records for the
playing volleyball for over four
measles. Armstead did say that only about 3
years. The junior varsity team
percent of the POLAHS population has not
was able to go undefeated this
received the Tdap vaccine, another vaccinaseason.
tion that is required in schools.
Verner’s academic tranAlthough most students attending have
script matches her sports rereceived the measles vaccine, the school is
cord.
still required to take precautions in the case
In the her first semester
of a measles outbreak. According to Scotti, if
alone, she earned a weighted
a student at POLAHS were to be diagnosed
grade point average of 4.3, a
with the measles virus or any other virus,
very difficult feat to accomthe hospital would inform the Centers for
plish. The classes she took
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and
include the two previously
the CDC would inform and guide the school
stated, Integrated Science, Gethrough the situation.
Photo courtesy of healthinternational.wordpress. ometry, Physical Education,
“The plan here,” said Scotti, “would be com
and Introduction to Art.
to isolate the origin of the outbreak, to dis- The CDC recommends that everyone receive
POLAHS’
Academic
seminate as much information to families the their vaccinations to reduce the risk of contract- Awards were held on Feb. 3
community and work with the guidance of ing viruses.
at the Warner Grand Thethe CDC or the county health office.”
By Jessica Jones
Staff Writer
March 9, 2015
atre. During the ceremony,
Verner received the department award for AP Human
Geography from Geography
teacher Minh Lee.
Department awards go
out to students who have
shown an excellent capability
in a certain field of study.
“I felt honored, and it
motivated me to keep doing
what I’m doing because I was
rewarded for my hard work. I
did not feel awkward walking
on that stage,” said Verner.
Verner believe she is able
to attain such good grades
because she has a goal in
mind: becoming a veterinarian. Verner has always aspired
to be a vet, and her compassion for animals has been a
prevalent part of her since
she was in elementary school.
“I’ve always had a love for
animals,” stated Verner. “So
ever since I was in middle
school I have wanted to be a
vet.”
Verner’s teachers are supportive of her and she in turn
appreciates them.
“Sachi is a very dedicated
student. Her work is always
completed on time, and
done to the best of her ability,” said English teacher
Jennifer Kelly. “She is kind
and respectful towards
others. Her sense of humor
is another positive attribute that helps make her a
model student.”
“She works hard. She
has a very good balance of
school and sport,” said Lee.
“That is something teachers can really respect.”
As for her future, Verner plans to work hard and
challenge herself.
Verner would like to
take more rigorous classes
in the future, especially
AP Environmental Science
and Photoshop, which she
believes will be an interesting, fun to learn, class with
excellent hands-on experience.
She looks forward to
her next three years here.
“I do like POLAHS as
a school,” said Verner. “I
like the community and
how the teachers teach the
classes.”
Maritimes
Page 2
Volume 2, Issue 6
POLAHS ninth annual student lottery
By Aldo Andrade
Staff Editor
Families hope the odds are in their favor
On Friday, Feb. 27, POLAHS held its annual student lottery for prospective students who hope to attend POLAHS this fall semester. The lottery was held in the MPR, and the lottery numbers were chosen
by Principal Tom Scotti, Vice Principal Felicia Ivie, and Interim Director of Operations Roger Cosgrove.
The MPR was full of students, parents and teachers in suspense waiting to know who the 190 students
accepted to the 2015-2016 school year would be and who would end up on the waitlist of 245 students.
The lottery began with a short presentation by Scotti and Principal of Alliance Alice M. Baxter CollegeReady High School Bobbie Carr.
Scotti emphasized that he was impressed with Baxter High, and he recommended that if students did
not enter POLAHS through the lottery, they should apply there.
“I was very impressed with the school,” said Scotti. “If you do not get into POLAHS through the lottery,
you have a great opportunity [to enroll in Baxter High].”
Carr emphasized his school’s philosophy and the fact that the school had 45 open slots left on their
roster.
After the presentation, Scotti chose the first number before leaving and entrusted Ivie and Cosgrove
with the rest of the lottery.
Ivie chose half of the numbers, while Data and Records Administrator Cheyenne Armstead and
Administrative Assistant Joseph Vega took record, before Cosgrove chose the final half of the numbers on
the waitlist.
Throughout the lottery, there were times of great joy
and great sadness from both parents and students.
“I’m excited and relieved. We are so glad that we don’t
have to do this again. It’s so stressful,” said incoming
freshman Emily Pena’s mother.
“I feel like there shouldn’t be a raffle. It should be based
off of academics,” said waitlisted-student George Fernandez. “If I don’t get in, I might go to Banning because they
have a new program called Maritime Scholars.”
This lottery makes some POLAHS students appreciate the fact that they can attend POLAHS without having
to go through the lottery again.
“I am so relieved because when I was accepted, I
was literally fighting tears of joy. I was unhappy at Pedro
High, and I was accepted after being on the waitlist for
three weeks,” said junior Marilyn Paiva.
Ximena Ruiz /The Anchor
By law, if one sibling is chosen out of twins and tripHopeful student and her mother waiting to hear
lets in the raffle, the others must be admitted as well.
whether or not her number would be chosen.
For the first time in POLAHS’ history, there was a set of
triplets who were all admitted and many siblings were accepted as well.
Celebration at the U.S.S. Iowa
By Brandy Martinez
Staff Writer
On Presidents’ Day, Feb. 16, the port held an event on the Battleship Iowa
to give tribute to all the fallen soldiers that fought on the ship, when it was
still active. The boat is known for having been in World War II, the Korean
War and the Cold War.
“It’s really cool and a great place to visit because it is so much fun and
interesting too,” said sophomore Brenda Lopez.
This historical ship was home to many soldiers, and on Monday they were
honored for fighting in times of great distress and making America proud.
There was a speech honoring these men, and the ship. Congresswoman
Janice Hahn, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilman Joe Buscaino, each
spoke words of remembrance and honor on behalf of the fallen soldiers.
”I think they’re really influential figures in our community, who can lead
the community in the right direction, and I think it’s nice that they said
something on behalf
of our fallen soldiers,”
said junior Omar Bojorquez.
Men of varying
ages also paid tribute
by portraying soldiers
and deceased presidents, while giving
facts to the younger
audience.
”That is pretty cool
Amelia Samuelu/The Anchor
because they are not getting paid to
do this, yet they are Person walking onboard the USS Iowa for the President’s Day celebration.
still doing it in order
to give information,”
said sophomore Mirriana Martinez regarding the volunteers.
After the speech there were a variety of booths. Some were of the local
businesses, and others dealt with the time period of World War II. There was
a shooting range where guests could shoot images of Benito Mussolini and
Adolf Hitler.
Besides the varying booths, there was also a photo booth placed before
the boat, that allowed guests to take pictures with Jeeps that were decorated
in the time period.
Angel’s Gate comes to POLAHS
By Jazmine Maya
Staff Writer
Every year, the Angel’s Gate Cultural Center comes to POLAHS to teach art
students in Lindsey Barfield’s Introduction to Art classes. This will be the sixth
year that they come and teach in Barfield’s classes.
This year, Angel’s Gate will be at POLAHS for eight weeks.
“It’s shorter this year because we didn’t get the grant,” said Barfield. “It
[Angel’s Gate program] is usually through a grant program and lasts 12 to 15
weeks.”
The students and the teacher agree that the Angel’s Gate experience is special and beneficial to the students.
“I think it’s great. It’s a new thing I haven’t done before, and the projects she
[Barfield] does for us are different than what I did in my other art class. I actually like it,” said freshman Genesis Alvarez.
“It’s a great experience for students to have more than one perspective in
their learning experience, so having someone else coming to talk to them and
teach them things that are possible in a different way is a beneficial thing,” said
Barfield.
Jayn Ghormley and Megan Rice are the two Angel’s Gate Cultural Center
representatives that come to POLAHS.
“Our [Ghormley and Rice] goals is to connect with students and bring them
into art, and help them realize the fact that they are an artist,” said Ghormley
“Everyone is an artist because art equals imagination and we all have that.”
After Angel’s Gate comes to POLAHS, students have the opportunity to
have their art showcased in the San Pedro community. There are different venues every year, and this year’s venue is in Croatian Cultural Center.
“It would be pretty cool if people could see what we do,” said freshman
Esmeralda Tayez.
“It’s special to actually have your art showcased,” said Alvarez.
Alvarez went on to say that pursuing art is something she would want to
do in the future.
Ghormley also shares a mutual affection of positivity with POLAHS.
“Port of Los Angeles High School is just exceptional, it’s exceptional in every subject,” said Ghormley. “My son went here. He was in the first graduating
class, so I am thrilled by this school,” she added.
“Teaching here is a real privilege. Going to the school is a privilege”, said
Ghormley.
Melissa Yanes /The Anchor
Angels Gate art Teacher Jayn Ghormely and freshman
Christopher Rodriguez giving each other a friendly art smile
while she instructs him.
Clubs
Page 3
Volume 2, Issue 6
Science Olympiad team challenge
themselves in intense competitions
By Sophie Duran
Staff Writer
Giving back to the community
By Austin Labador
Staff Writer
The Community Service Club is
for students who want to help the
community by donating their time
and energy through hard work. The
club’s mission is to contribute and
give back to the community through
acts of kindness and donations that
benefit people in the nearby area.
In February, the Community
Service Club started a new project
that benefit many young students by
educating them on a broad range of
subject matters, such as math, English, history and science. The club
partnered with Laundry Love Harbor
City, a group of people consisting of
diverse individuals that come together to help the poor and homeless, to
create a tutoring system for elementary and middle school students at the
King’s Laundromat in Harbor City.
The free tutoring will be available for elementary and middle
school students during Laundry
Love nights, every second and fourth
Thursday of each month, starting Feb. 12 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
“The reason I decided to make this
club was because I wanted to give back
to the community. When I was in high
school, I also participated in a community service club,” said sophomore
English teacher and club moderator
Peter Riehl, “Giving back to the community was something that my family
had done, and I felt that having one
here in POLAHS would be good for
both the school and the community.”
“I like to help people, and I also
like the thought of giving back to the
community,” 10th grade club member
Maria Echeverria said. “Giving back to
the community is great, and I also have
a fun time in the club, while making an
impact in the community.” “I think that this club is making positive impacts in the community,” said senior Julius Page.
Community Service Club meets in
room 202 every Wednesday at lunch.
Kyara Galloway/ The Anchor
Senior Adrian Padilla and junior Gabrielle Paras work on their project for the Science Olympiad competition.
The Science Olympiad team competed at the
Science Olympiad on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Occidental College. Once there, students got the opportunity to participate in several tests that challenged
their minds, and they were able to demonstrate the
projects they worked on to the judges at the event.
The Science Olympiad is an international organization focused around the improvement of
the quality of science education, increasing student interest in scientific topics and recognizing
extraordinary scientific achievements from both
students and teachers. The organization works to
accomplish these goals through classroom activities, research, training workshops and through
encouraging students with district, regional, state
and national tournaments. These tournaments
are rigorous competitions that consist of team
events in which students participating prepare
throughout the year. These tournaments and
challenges showcase the various science subjects
of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and
technology. In the tournament, students must
have knowledge of the various scientific concepts
and applications. Throughout the competition,
the event also features science and math demonstrations, activities and career counseling sessions
that are conducted by professors and scientists
“I’ve entered Experimental Designing
and Entomology,” said sophomore Nicholas Anaya Licea. The Science Olympiad
competitions have many different competi-
tions and tests students may participate in
with many different categories of science.
“My competition I’m competing in is called
Write It, Do It, and there really isn’t a way to
prepare for it because what they do is they give
you an object,” said junior Jaida Nabayan. “One
person writes, and the other person makes
the object. The person writing it gets put in a
room, and they give them an object to look at
and you can write notes on it and everything,
and then the other partner has to make it.
Build it. And you can’t really prepare for that.”
Students say these competitions are entertaining ways to test your knowledge
and ability to collaborate with others.
“It’s an ETV, energy transmission vehicle,
and basically we bought supplies from Home
Depot, and we built it after school and during President’s Day weekend,” said junior Gabrielle Paras when talking about the mechanism she and her partner, Joseph Worthington,
also a junior, used to compete. During their
meetings, they planned out their competition. There are harsh competitors in each event.
“The days following, I was inspired to learn
about different subjects,” said senior Adrian Padilla, “It’s really inspiring for anyone
who wants to succeed in the field of science.”
If you want to mollify your craving
for scientific inspiration, Science Olympiad may be exactly what you need.
Dueling at the Battle of the Banquets
By Austin Labador
Staff Writer
Christian Sanchez/ The Anchor
Keegan Tunaley duels with his opponent during the tournament.
POLAHS students receive 10% off
On March 5, Dueling Club hosted
their first tournament, The Battle
of the Banquets, and it ended when
Histrory of the Port teacher Sean
Collins became champion by winning the final match. During the
tournament, the club sold raffle tickets and food to the audience. The
tournament was held during lunch
on the blacktop. The club members
dueled in a bracket-style competition, with a final victor at the end.
Prior to the tournament, members of the Dueling Club prepared
and trained for the event. The students
strengthened,
re-created
their weapons, and also sparred
with each other for practice.
“Dueling feels like real-life sword
fighting. The sword -moves we do
makes me feel like an expert,” said
sophomore Juan Pablo Arteaga.
“I wanted to form the Dueling
Club because it’s a stress reliever, and
it shows the passionate skill that we all
have,” said club leader Nicholas Licea.
“Dueling is very fun. We
learn how to make weapons from
scratch and how to use them,” said
sophomore
D’artagnan
Lorica.
The Dueling Club is for students
who are interested in learning the
art of dueling and medieval melee
weaponry. Club members discuss
ancient weaponry and create model weapons from household supplies, which they then use to duel.
Dueling Club meets in room
220 every Thursday at lunch with
club moderator Donald Ormsby.
The Growl
Page 4
Volume 2, Issue 6
Graffiti: A form of expression
Graffiti is vandalism
By Maya Brown
By Shannon Webb
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Graffiti is more complex than people describe. According to Dictionary.com, grafMost people see graffiti as a way of expressing oneself, but it can be a gateway for
fiti is “markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched
more criminal activity and juvenile delinquency by leading the guilty down a bad
on a sidewalk, wall of a building or public restroom.” It is more than that!
path.
Most people that involve themselves in graffiti are trying to express how they feel
Even though it can turn a building or neighborhood from something dull and borand who they are. Vandalism is a destruction of property, and if people believe creing into a piece of artwork, without someone’s permission, this creative and abstract
ating beautiful art on a sidewalk or an unused building is “destruction,” so be it. If
form of expression is considered illegal. According to EvoGraffiti.Weebly.com, graffiti
someone were to destroy public property or paint on a person’s home without consent,
can illustrate some of the most bizarre yet “eye-popping images ever.” However, these
that is vandalism, but graffiti artists have invited themselves to paint on public propremarkable skills, if done illegally, can come at an expensive cost to fix. Just in the Los
erty and that is the difference between vandalism and graffiti. What an artist does can
Angeles County alone, there was an estimated $28 million spent for the removal of
bring vibrant color and structure to a community. Words have become meaningless
graffiti to prepare the community. Some graffiti work contains vulgar words and “inover the years, and this form of art has been used to motivate a more meaningful and
appropriate images” which can send bad messages to teens and young adults. Most
positive generation.
gangs “mark their territory” that can not only bring down a neighborhood’s mood, but
Lots of people use art to alleviate stress and to get their minds off of calamity
encourage a spike in crime rate. EvoGraffiti.Weebly.com’s statistics show that burglaries
in their lives, but some people use graffiti to promote
and assaults are more prominent in areas that have
gangs and develops a negative connotation. There are
more graffiti is visible to the public.
standards to graffiti. It is not just something people
British/Modern Literature teacher Brian Emdo carelessly. Each piece that is created by a devoted
erson briefly shared his opinion on graffiti.
artist is credited with a type of technique, style and
“It depends on the context of the work, like the
culture. Artists put their time and passion toward
graffiti on the freeway, I think that is vandalism,”
creating a piece of art that people will love.
said Emerson. “Even if their heart is in the right
Try looking deeper into what it is the artist wants
place, it’s still vandalism because it is destroying
the audience to see; it might mirror this generation
property.”
and what it will leave for the next, or maybe it is a
Senior Christian Avalos explained how there
portrait of him or herself. Whatever it is, it is more
are two different sides to the spectrum.
than what is visually seen; art is virtual and deep.
“Some graffiti can be pure art work and others
People do not realize how much graffiti has inspired
are just complete vandalism. In order to prevent
the world we live in. Clothing, home decor and jewgraffiti from becoming a larger issue, cities should
elry are all things that have used graffiti as a template.
Julissa Ayaya/The Anchor have more surveillance and harsher punishments
The same people who demote graffiti are also the ones
such as longer jail time,” said Avalos.
Graffiti seen in the ally by the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro.
who promote graffiti.
There is no middle ground point of view. GrafSome people, like some graffiti artist, devote their lives to representing a culture
fiti is vandalism based on its statistics and has a negative impact on teens and young
or way of life through art. They sometimes have a lot of pressure on themselves to be
adults.
original and flawless.
One POLAHS student
expressing her view on
this issue’s topic
“WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON GRAFFITI?”
“It depends how people see it. The artist, of course, will say it’s art. Others may say it may be tagging
and vandalism. I see it as art. I know how hard people work. They just want others to see it. A little
rebellion now and then isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes grafiti is used to show a meaning behind
it. People don’t always know the story behind the art. They judge just because it’s on public property.
Respect is a word. Love is a war. Style is a mission. Graffiti is a message. Now why can’t everyone see
that?”
Mika Verner/The Anchor
Christina (Toni) Carrillo
10th Grade
Editorial
The Anchor Staff
Editoral Board
Editor-in-Chief/
Sports Editor
David Carter
Clubs Editor
Jesus Zamora
The Growl, Editorial and Health Editor
Mika Verner
Entertainment Editor
Anthony Romero
Features and Mari-Times Editor
Aldo Andrade
Comics and Advice Editor
Ashley Anderson
Business Managers
Norma Mancha
Andrea Sanchez
Staff Writers
Kassandra Albarran
Julissa Ayala
Leah Becerra
Maya Brown
Sophie Duran
Samantha Franco
Kiara Henry
Stephanie Holland
Jessica Jones
Austin Labador
Deyanira Lozano
Brandy Martinez
Jazmin Maya
Nohemi Morales
Alicia Moser
Melissa Navarro
Vania Patino
Ariana Quihuiz
Ximena Ruiz
Amelia Samuelu
Malia Street
Hannah Smith
Shannon Webb
Joseph Worthinton
Mary Worthington
Danyai Young
Staff Photographers
Ashley Ardiaz
Julissa Ayala
Dexter Dizon
Leah-Hope Dool
Jose Frausto
Jaelene Galaz
Kyara Galloway
Fidel Gomez
Julianna Jaime
Luis Lozano
Christian Sanchez
Richard Velez
Melissa Yanes
Staff Artists
Chloe Baltazar
Natalie Leon
Ivan Marin
Lori Quijano
Jose Zamora
Augustin Zamrano
Advisers
Rachael LopezLavalle
Allison Norman
The Anchor Student Editorial Board Ethics Policy
As the student newspaper of Port of Los Angeles
High School, The Anchor is a source of authentic news
as well as a forum for student opinion and expression.
All content is determined by its student journalists. Its
purpose is to inform the POLAHS community and to
express the views of its staff.
The newspaper staff has made every effort to ensure
the accuracy and objectivity of its news. Signed opinion
columns reflect the opinion of the writer. Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Anchor’s
student editorial board. Opinions do not necessarily
reflect the views of the student body, faculty, administration, or Board of Trustees.
The Anchor is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and adheres to its Code of Ethics
for high school journalists. The advisers are held to the
Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of
Ethics.
Contact us!
The Anchor appreciates hearing from
its readers at
[email protected].
If you would like to advertise in The
Anchor, please contact us at
[email protected].
Page 5
Volume 2, Issue 6
PHOTOSHOP IN THE MEDIA
How photoshop negatively affects today’s society
Editorial Board/The Anchor
In an episode of the popular television show Ugly Betty, “The Box and the Bunny,” model Natalie Whitman (played by Sarah
Jones) is pressured into being photoshopped to meet the standards for a magazine called Mode. Wilhelmina Slater, played by
Vanessa Williams, an editor of the magazine pushes into being photoshopped saying, “You look normal. Wonderfully so... So
why not, with the help of modern technology, give yourself the opportunity to look as stunning as you possibly could?”
Early in our lives we are raised
with a standard of what is beautiful
and what is not. Even so, how do we
as a society define beauty? Is it what
we see in the mirror everyday, or is
what we see at the Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch stores, or on the
covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan?
In fact, models and celebrities have to
adhere to the same beauty standards
that we all see, and, if they are flawed,
there is always a computer to correct
those impurities and make them the
ideal person everybody wants to be.
Photoshopping in the media, including entertainment, advertising and
photojournalism, is damaging to society and should be against the policy
of most or all sources in the media.
But what is bad about photoshopping images for the purpose of advertisement and entertainment? Warped
images seen in magazines create impossible beauty expectations and perpetuate insecurities in both women
and men. Negative body image can
largely be attributed to the media’s portrayal of men and women, which can
be linked to depression, stress, anxiety,
eating disorders and other harmful
mental, physical and emotional issues.
Let’s take an example from the
media to further this point. In 2007,
country singer and actress Faith Hill
was put on the cover of the popular
American women’s magazine Redbook. In the cover photo (seen below)
Hill was obviously photoshopped,
with airbrushed skin, weight carved
off of her body, her back flattened
(taking out a few ribs), her front
arm thinned and stretched, her legs
smaller and thinner and the position of her back arm moved. This is
just one example of excessive photoshop, which often depicts models
and celebrities unnaturally thin, and
completely alters their appearance
to the point where it’s physically impossible to reach these beauty goals.
The use of modern technology in
today’s entertainment makes people
look perfect to a degree that it is not
realistic. This extreme editing affects
not only the model that is being photoshopped, but also those who watch,
read and follow these magazines and
television shows. It makes people
believe that what they are and who
they are will never be good enough
for society. It’s almost like a slap to
the face, but instead of the pain going away, it just stays there, hurting
those inflicted and getting worse.
The editing of photos, especially
in photojournalism where news photographers record world events and
politics, can also be considered breaking the ethics of journalism. Some
magazines, such as New York Times,
the Washington Post and USA Today,
have an anti-editing policy. Photos
in these magazines are not allowed
to be photoshopped, and if they are,
then the person who participated in
the editing and the photographer (if
they consented) have the potential to
be fired. In journalism, any type of
libel is unacceptable. Photoshopped
images have the potential to skew the
truth and can spread of detrimental
false rumors, rumors that have the
potential to destroy careers, spark
political unrest, and alter the truth.
Similar to articles, photos can be
skewed to portray real world events
to favor a certain person while striking down someone else. Photoshopping political images can a make
certain event seem more extreme or
less extreme, and sometimes can completely fabricate events. This is another
reason why extreme photoshopping
should be unacceptable in the media.
So again, what is beautiful? What
is our standard of perfection? Can
it even be attained? The answer really is no. We as a society constantly
feel that there are rules in which we
all must adhere to, but today beauty
isn’t one of them. Beauty is like artwork: it can’t be changed once it’s
done, and it can be interpreted in
many different ways. In reality, there
is no one true interpretation of beauty,
Courtesy of www.thebluething.com and society cannot objectively deThe image on the right is the original photo of singer Faith Hill from a photoshoot. The image termine what beauty truly is, espeon the left shows the result after photoshopped modifications were done on the original photo to cially when its perception of beauty
publish on the front cover of Redbook Magazigne.
is becoming increasingly impossible.
Features
Philie B’s Review
Page 6
Volume 2, Issue 6
By Vania
Patino,
Ximena
Ruiz and
Malia Street
Staff Writers
POLAHS seniors
are given the privilege to eat outside of campus
and they often
visit local pizzerias.
However what is the
best pizza place? Because
we are experts in the Art of
Eating, we decided to compare our near-by pizza places
located on 6th Street: Philly B’s
and Niko’s Pizzeria.
Niko’s Pizzeria Review
Reviewer 1:
Reviewer 2:
Niko’s definitely lived up to its expectations of having good pizza.
I waited more or less ten minutes for
my pizza, and when it came out, the pizza was freshly baked, the breading was
perfect, and it was neither too thick nor
too thin.
The cheese had slipped over the pizza
just a little bit, but it was melted to perfection. Another upside about Nikos, is
that their ranch is an original recipe.
Final Impression: It was delicious.
Next was Niko’s Pizzeria. I’m going to
be completely honest, I had high expectations for Niko’s. Why? Well, for starters,
the name of the place has Pizza in it.
I ordered a personal cheese pizza
because they didn’t have individual slices
like Philly B’s. I sat down and waited about
10 minutes, and then I got it. It was tiny
and pretty cute.
The amount of grease was almost as
much as Phily B’s slice. I liked the crust
because it had a hint of garlic. It wasn’t too
much or too little.
The pizza was cut up, so it was easy to
eat.
The tomato sauce, compared to Philly
Faculty Spotlight:
Paul Johnson
By Amelia Samuelu and Brandy Martinez
Staff Writers
As of second semester, Paul Johnson is the
newest member of the POLAHS family. He
works in the English Language Department
and focuses on helping students who are English Learners.
Johnson earned degrees in mathematics
and physical science from the University of
California Riverside, and later received his
Masters in Education and Counseling and
Guidance from California Lutheran University.
Originally a teacher in Oxnard, California, Johnson began his teaching career in the
field of science. After nine years, he decided to
move on to become an English counselor for
those who do not know English as their first
language.
Although Johnson is not a native Spanish
speaker, he did participate in the required foreign language classes during high school, but
to no avail. One of the more helpful ways he
learned to speak the language was by watching Spanish telenovelas on television.
“After a couple of weeks of watching it, I
was like, woah, getting really into it, and it
was really helping with my Spanish because
P
i
z
z
a,
p
i
z
z
a,
p
i
z
z
a!
Reviewer 1:
Phillie B’s is known for their discount exclusive for POLAHS students. Not only do they offer a discount, but they
have a meal that includes 2 slices of pizza and a drink for just
$5 .
Yes, the price is alluring, however, there was way too much
cheese and not enough sause.
The pizza was right out of the oven which I absolutely loved.
In contrast to other pizza places, you can see them making
your pizza on the spot, which is always nice.
The staff is great, employee Nick took our order and answered a couple questions regarding their pizza.
When asked what the most popular pizza was, he responded that it was the “In-N-Out”.
Although the staff is friendly and happy to help, the service
was mediocre. I think the prolonged service is due to the fact
that seniors eat there, during lunch as well.
Final Impression: Overall, if you like fresh food made right
out of the oven and your taste buds are fond of a cheesy pizza,
this is the place for you.
Reviewer 2:
When I got the pizza, it was warm and...well… looked like a
pizza. When I took the pizza out of the brown paper bag, the first
thing I saw was the amount of grease just sitting there.
I took a bite of it, and it was flavorless. As I mentioned before,
I am an expert, so I knew that the tomato sauce and cheese was
not the best.
Final Impression: Out of 10, I give Philly B’s a 2.5.
Reviewer 3:
In my opinion, I did not find Phillie B’s to be that good.
Although the price is great, if you want to have a nice, hot
pizza, you have to get there right as it comes right out the oven.
When you first walk in, you can see the pizza sitting in a glass
window, with no type of heat being applied to it.
That being said, my pizza was a bit on the cold side.
The pizza is also rather greasy, and the cheese tasted a little
stale.
Another thing that upset me was that the ranch tasted as
though it came straight out the bottle. I prefer an authentic
dressing that doesn’t taste store bought.
Final Impression: It was disgusting.
Reviewer 3:
B’s, was a thousand times better, it was so
fresh, one could have thought there was a
farmer cutting the tomatoes for you.
The cheese was not plastic. It was a
little too gooey for me, however. Once I
picked up a slice, I had cut the cheese with
my hands after the actual pizza was cut.
Resistant cheese… everyone loves that.
Final Impression: All in all, Niko’s gets
a 6 out of 10. It wasn’t the best pizza I have
ever tasted, but it’s certainly a pizza you
would want to take to a movie night at a
friend’s house.
you are seeing it as people are talking,” said
Johnson.
Johnson assures that any student can learn
to speak Spanish, or any other language for
that matter, it just takes perseverance.
“You just have to get over that fear of making mistakes,” said Johnson.
As a new employee at POLAHS, Johnson
has a number of goals he would like to achieve
during his time spent here. This includes
learning the methods other teachers use to
teach their students, furthering the English
Learner’s Program at POLAHS, starting a
speech and debate team, and ultimately getting to know the staff and students better.
Johnson would like to focus on developing
the English Learner Program through what he
calls the three R’s: Rigorous Academics, Relevant Curriculum and Communication, and
Relationships.
“I want to help implement English Language Development standards in tandem
with the Common Core State Standards,” said
Johnson.
“One of my [other] long term goals while
I’m here hopefully is to start a Speech and Debate Club,” said Johnson.
As someone who participated in such
clubs during his own high school career, as
well as at his previous job, Johnson would like
to implement such a thing at POLAHS. He
was a preliminary judge for the Junior Lion’s
Speech Contest, and he believes POLAHS has
the potential to do it.
Usually in the mornings, Johnson goes to
various English classes to observe the teaching strategies of his colleagues. He likes to
learn different methods of instruction that he
can utilize and also offer ways to improve to
other teachers.
“He is very helpful to me because there are
a lot of things I need to learn to teach English to kids that are learning themselves and
are not fluent,” said English teacher Ellis Song,
who is also a new resident to POLAHS.
“Mr. Johnson is a great addition to the faculty. He is really knowledgeable, enthusiastic
and has a great work ethics,” said fellow English teacher Linda Lindsey.
Johnson would like to get to know POLAHS on a personal level. While much of the
school community members know each other
and are comfortable, it is hard to make ties
when the school is so tight knit.
“My biggest challenge at this point is getting to know people. It’s my big hurdle,” said
Johnson. “I’m like the new kid at any school.
In time I just want to keep getting to know
people and become part of the school community.”
In his free time, Johnson enjoys studying
theology and philosophy, playing bass guitar
and playing fantasy football.
He has many friends in the area and
wanted to be out here rather than in Ventura
county.
Niko’s Pizza is known for combining
good food and the love of sports. This
place is popular, not only for its pizza,
but for its burgers, salads and pasta.
“I actually go there for the burgers,
and the service is really great,” said senior Kimberly Madrigal.
Most seniors go out to eat every single day during lunch.
Niko’s Pizza has a variety of plates
and fast service. This pizzeria is known
for its ranch dressing, so of course, I had
to try it. It didn’t quite meet my expectations, and I don’t get the hype.
Final Impression: It was very tasty,
but not as good as everyone says it is.
“That is a really good school; that is a great
school,” said Johnson’s local friends, when
learning he was becoming a staff member
here.
As for being chosen for faculty spotlight,
Johnson is ecstatic.
“I feel very honored and privileged. It is
nice just to be recognized and it is definitely
helping me with the idea of connecting with
staff and students,” Johnson said.
“POLAHS is a very successful school,”
Johnson said. “It’s been awesome. This a great
learning community: people all know each
other, people are very friendly, the students
have been very polite and very focused, and
they seem to have things they want to accomplish. I really like it.”
Amelia Samuelu/The Anchor
Paul Johnosn helping freshman Berenice
Romero with an English assignment in Linda
Lindsey’s classroom.
Comics
Page 7
Volume 2, Issue 6
Artwork By Jose Zamora/The Anchor
Artwork by Chloe Balthazar/The Anchor
Artwork by Natalie Leon/The Anchor
“What time is it?”
Artwork by Ashley Anderson/The Anchor
Artwork by Agustin Zamorano/The Anchor
Health
Page 8
Volume 2, Issue 6
By Melissa Navarro
and Samantha Franco
Staff Writers
A random
selection of 20
POLAHS students
from each of the four
grades were selected
to complete a survey
regarding their sleeping habits, such as their
hours of sleep on the
weekdays and weekends and what activities contribute to their
lack of sleep.
These
graphs
show
an estimated
number of students per
grade level based on the
random sample of these
80 students. The survery
indicates that the majority of students get
fewer sleeping hours
due to school related
activities and the use of
technology. Students
also generally get more
sleeping hours on
the weekends.
Technology affecting our sleep
By Deyanira Lozano
Staff Writer
Most of the population of teenagers are guilty of using
electronic devices before sleeping, whether it’s watching
their favorite television show, favorite game, messaging
a friend or going on a social network account. What is
not known is the damage it can potentially cause such
as insomnia and stress; it can even trigger depression.
According to an infographic by Big Brand Beds, when
using any electronic device, the screen usually gives off
a light that sends signals to the brain alerting it. It leaves
an energizes the brain, therefore sleep can potentially
be impossible.
Technology can perturb the sleeping patterns of the
people responsible of using it; it is most likely to harm
those under the age of 30. In a recent poll that Column
Five for Ramsen College conducted, it was concluded
that 67 percent of post-grad or college students, between the ages 19-27, are affected and 72-percent of
young adults, ranging amongst the ages of 13-18, are
inclined to have sleeping problems due to the use of devices before slumber.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, using
self-luminous display, even two hours before actually
going to sleep can stifle the melatonin levels, which is
important because it helps regulate the sleep cycle. It
makes individuals feel less tired than they actually are.
Televisions and video games aren’t recommended before sleep either; it is most likely to increase the heart
rate and lower the possibility of a proper Rapid Eye
Movement (REM) or dream sleep.
Entertainment
Poltergeist gets a
reboot
By Hannah Smith
Staff Writer
Poltergeist is a movie trilogy
about a family living on haunted
land. The first of the thriller trilogy, co-written by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper, originally came out on movie
theaters in 1982. It was recently
announced by 20th Century Fox
that the “reboot” of the original is
being made and will be released
in theaters.
“Legendary filmmaker Sam
Raimi and director Gil Kenan
reimagine and contemporize the
classic tale about a family whose
suburban home is invaded by angry spirits,” stated 20th Century
Fox in the movie’s plot summary
on imdb.com. “When the terrifying apparitions escalate their
attacks and take the youngest
daughter, the family must come
together to rescue her.”
The filmmakers are aware of
the pressure from the franchise’s
fans.
“Whenever someone approaches material that’s so beloved, there’s a reflexive reaction
to be worried.,” said the movie’s
director, Gil Kenan, to USA Today. “It’s a responsibility we take
very seriously. We’re working to
make a Poltergeist film that lives
up to the original’s legacy.”
The reboot is expected to be
released July 24 and is rated PG13. .
The 2015 Oscar’s red carpet fashion
The stars shine on this special night
By Stephanie Holland
Staff Writer
So many stars rocked the red pumps. J-Lo brought the Cinder- her white beaded dress made by
carpet on the most glamorous ella ball gown to the Oscars in a Azzedube Alaia that she paired
night of the year for the 2015 Os- nude Ellie Saab piece embellished with a red hair accessory to
cars held at the Dolcomplement
by Theatre on Feb.
the gloves,
22 in Hollywood.
definitely
Color was popular
earning her
on the red carpet, as
a spot on the
50 Shades of Grey
worst dressed
star Dakota Johnlist. Scarlett
son was 50 shades
Johansson
of hot draped in a
was a vision
gorgeous rich, red
in emerald
Saint Laurent gown
green, showwith a crystal knoting off her
ted shoulder strap,
killer
post
paired with Bally
baby
bod
shoes and bag and
in a curveForevermark diahugging
monds.
V-neck VerPhoto courtesy of www.vogue.com
America Ferrera
sace number
wore a Jenny Pack- Scarlett Johansson on the red carpet at the Oscars on Feb. 22, 2015.
with a bold
ham Pre-Fall 2015
matching
gown. The chiffon dress features with crystals to complement the statement necklace to complete
a plunging V neckline with a dra- sexy, plunging neckline.
the look. U.K. vocalist Rita Ora
matic ombre effect, cinched at the
Perhaps the most memorable wowed in an elegant satin strapwaist with an elegant silver pen- look of the night was worn by less fishtail gown with gold emdant, giving her a fairytale look. none other than actress Lupita bellishments by Marchesa. Her
Even though Emma Stone Nyongo who hit the red carpet in gown stood out from the simpler
didn’t win an Oscar, she looked a stunning Calvin Klein Collec- styles on the carpet Sunday night.
like one in a glamorous custom tion gown made entirely of white The showstopper of the night had
long-sleeve sheer Elie Saab Cou- pearls. White was the color of the to be Felicity Jones looking absoture gown, with chartreuse, se- night, but someone who didn’t lutely stunning in an Alexander
quined detailing, an open-back, get it right was Lady Gaga, mak- McQueen Collection gown with
and a slit up to “there”. She wore ing a bold statement in red shiny a detailed pearl boddess and a
matching chartreuse Christian gloves that made her look ready vintage Van Cleef jeweled clutch.
Louboutin ‘Gardnera’ peep-toe to wash dishes, clashing with
Page 9
Volume 2, Issue 6
Madonna’s new
album Rebels
By Alicia Moser
Staff Writer
March 10 marks the release
of Madonna’s 13th studio album,
Rebel Heart.
As the artist has remained musically dormant since the MDNA
World Tour in 2013, fans greatly
anticipate the release of her newest album.
Known featured artists on the
upcoming album include Nicki
Minaj, Chance the Rapper and
Mike Tyson, and co-producers
include Avicii, Kanye West and
Diplo.
In correspondence to the title,
themes of the album comprise
of listening to one’s heart and
rebellious behavior, elements
that emerged during Madonna’s
meetings with Avicii in production.
In Dec.2014, a total of 13
tracks from the un-released album were leaked, but with the
help of Avicii, West, Diplo, and
Robert Kondrk, VP of iTunes
content, Madonna was able to
turn the leak into a marketing
strategy.
iTunes was able to set up a
pre-order system that gave buyers six leaked songs in advance
and the rest of the album later,
sweetening the deal. These songs
include “Living for Love,” “Devil
Pray,” “Ghosttown,” “Unapologetic B*tch,” “Illuminati” and
“B*tch I’m Madonna.”
Dear Petey
“I want to share my work,
but I don’t want to be embarrassed if it isn’t as good
as the other things in the Lit
Journal.”
Page 10
Volume 2, Issue 6
“It’s hard for me to find
friends with similar interests...?”
Dear Petey,
I sometimes write to pass the time or to get ideas out of my
head. So when they announced that submissions to Literary Journal were open to anyone, I considered submitting,
but I was worried that my submissions wouldn’t be up to
the quality standards that the Lit Journal expects. I want
to share my work, but I don’t want to be embarrassed if it
isn’t as good as the other things in the Lit Journal. What
should I do?
Please help,
Worried Writier
Dear Petey,
Like most students in high school, I have found much difficulty in communicating with my parents. I try to finish
my homework as soon as I can. However, when I ask my
parents if I can go out and see a movie with friends, they
always say no. They say that I should stay home and study,
study, and study more. What is a good way to convince
them to let me go out more? Also, I am someone with... unusual interests. It is hard for me to find friends with similar
interests. I think it would be nice to find some people that
like the same things as me. Can you give me advice on how
to look for people that share the same interests and how I
can start being a friend of theirs?
Sincerly,
Interesting Individual
Dear Worried Writer,
Don’t worry one bit! Everyone is critical of their own
work. It’s human (and polar bear) nature. What you perceive as “imperfection,” others will see genius or originality. If you are still unsure about the quality of your
work, ask a friend what they think about it. They’ll give
you constructive criticism and you can use that to build
up your writing. Trust me, when I write advice to people
like you, I have to ask other polar bears (sometimes even
penguins) for their advice on how I can improve my
writing! With editing, your writing will become stronger and more impactful. If you’re still worried that your
writing is not good enough, ask your English teacher.
If you catch them during their tutoring hours and they
aren’t too busy, they will be happy to help you with your
submission. By now, you’ve gone through two checks of
your writing. It must be great! But, if you’re still worried
about what people think about your writing, when you
turn your submission in, you can ask for the Lit Journal
to feature your writing anonymously. I do hope that you
do submit your work. The Literary Journal will be better
for it!
Looking Forward to Your Submission,
Petey
Dear Interesting Individual,
I can understand the problem you are in right now.
My parents were always like that when I was in high
school, too! You can try to get your parents to be more
generous by letting them see your point of view and step
into your shoes. Let them be aware that you believe it
may be beneficial for you to take a break every once in
a while by going out with friends. It may be helpful to
reassure them that it will not negatively impact your
grades and that you will continue to keep working hard
in school.
Building friendships is difficult to give advice on because most friendships occur naturally. To find others
that like what you like, maybe you should start a conversation how you would naturally and then bring up the
thing topic of interest. If they like it too, great! If they
don’t, this process may be a bit awkward. If your interest
is really as unusual as you say it is, finding a friend with
the same interest will probably be difficult. However, if
you keep searching for that person, I’m sure you will find
them eventually because you can’t be the only person in
the world that likes it! I hope you find the friend you’re
looking for.
Sincerely,
“Why do freshmen run?”
Dear Petey,
Why do freshmen run?
Sincerly,
Curious and Confused
Dear Curious and Confused,
I honestly don’t believe that this question will ever
be answered. My reasonable side thinks that they don’t
want to be late to class because they are afraid of Ms.
Ivie’s wrath (just kidding, you’re cool Ms. Ivie). However
there are many possible answers to this question, and to
be honest it may be because they are so full of energy that
excessive amounts of adrenaline pump through their
veins and compel them to run in inappropriate situations. It could also be that the office building we have for
school gives them claustrophobia, so they want to run as
fast as they can to get away. Or maybe they’re running
because they’re in a new place, like hamsters run around
in a new cage. Or maybe they think that running will
make time will go by faster and possibly fix the clocks.
Or, as Mr. Scotti said, maybe they are trying to get to
their moms who are waiting for them in their minivans
to take them to McDonalds. But who knows? Either take
my word for it or ask a local freshman for more details.
Best of luck,
Petey
Have any questions? Need Advice?
Contact Petey at
theanchor@polahs.
net or submit to the
Dear Petey advice box at the front
desk, and your questions could be
answered in the next issue of The
Anchor!
Sports
Boys junior varsity
basketball end season in disapointment
By Kiara Henry
Staff Writer
POLAHS junior varsity basketball team tried to keep their
winning streak, but lost their final game on Feb. 13, ending their
season before CIF playoffs.
The junior varsity boys basketball team brought home another victory on Wednesday, Feb.
11 with a lead of five points, in a
59-54 game against Locke High
School. With their victory on
Wednesday, junior varsity improved to a 7-7 win for the season.
“I felt like we didn’t start off
too great in the start, but we didn’t
give up and pushed harder,” said
sophomore Austin Claypoole.
“We had very nice complete passes and did great protecting the
paint.”
The junior varsity team struggled during the first quarter of
Feb. 11, with Locke leading 129. With the help of sophomore
Christopher Williamson who
made five points the junior varsity team had a two point lead
over Locke.
By halftime the junior varsity
team were falling behind with a
score of 19-25, but caught up and
were only one point away when
sophomore Dante Di Costanzo
made a point to tie the game.
During the fourth quarter of
the game, the junior varsity team
lead 47-35. Though Locke caught
up 52-53, the men stayed strong
and won 59-54.
“Even though we had a slow
start, I feel we finished hard and
I’m happy we finally stopped
our losing streak,” said freshmen
Timothy Oloimooja. “Hopefully
we play as strong as we did today and beat our rivals Harbor
Teacher Prep Academy [HTPA].”
The junior varsity team did
not win their final game against
rival, HTPA Monarchs on Friday,
Feb. 13.
During the game, junior varsity started off strong with Oloimooja making the first three
point shot of the game. However,
the Monarchs began catching up
to the boys and by the second
quarter the Monarchs lead 27-21.
It was then that sophomore Jacob
Almazan made an outstanding
half court shot leaving the team
down by six, exciting the crowd.
The final score for the game
was 42-33 with a defeat for junior
varsity. They were not able to play
in the CIF this year. Junior varsity
tried to put in the effort to win it
all but didn’t succeed in the end.
To finish up the season, the team
won a total of 12 games.
“I feel happy the season is over
but somewhat disappointed because I feel our team could have
been played better and won more
games,” said Claypoole.
“I’m disappointed that we lost,
but all we could do is go harder
next season,” said Oloimooja.
Page 11
Volume 2, Issue 6
Girls soccer makes it to
finals once again
By Kassandra Albaran
Staff Writer
said coach Javier Torres. “We won end of the day.”
league again and the girls were play“This game[HTPA] was a tough
POLAHS girls soccer brought ing well and the game today[against one. We were losing first half and
home two consecutive victories in HTPA]...hopefully when the play- we came back strong. It was very exthe last two games of their regular offs start, we’ll be ready to go and hausting,” said junior Daisy Garcia.
“I’m just proud of my
league season. With their
team...This season
success the girls have a new
we had a few trouchallenge for their team,
bles and it has been
CIF championships.
challenging, but we
On Wednesday, Feb. 11,
pushed through it
the girls defeated Animo
and we are giving it
South Los Angeles High
our best to succeed.”
School, winning with a
“I think we had a
14-0 lead by the end of the
really good season.
game.
We had some tough
The girls then succhallenges, but we
ceeded in their last league
overcame them as
game against their rival,
a team,” said junior
Harbor Teacher PreparaPepper.
tion Academy (HTPA)
“The season has
Lady Monarchs, on Friday,
been
great, and it’s
Feb. 13 ending the game
Richard Velez /The Anchor
with a score of 3-2. Dur- Girls work quickly to get the ball towards the goal in thier game been fun because
we’ve been playing
ing the first half which gave against Legacy High School.
together and practhe Lady Monarchs the opportunity
to score ending the first half of the everyone supporting each other and ticing together,” said freshman Sachi Verner. “We put in a lot of hard
game 1-0. However, during the sec- working hard for each other.”
“My goal was to play as a team work to get a lot of wins and this
ond half, the girls came back. Senior Tiffany Torres, trapped by two and get far, but our team didn’t play game[HTPA] was tight, but I’m glad
HTPA players, managed to escape as a team this year and I have no idea we came through to get the win.”
So far the girls soccer team is
and score a goal during the second how far we are going to get,” said
making good progress in their CIF
half. With that, junior Maddison teammate Torres.
“We had our ups and downs, but season since regular season ended
Pepper scored the rest of the goals,
at the end of the day we always pull in mid-Febuary. Since then the girls
securing the team’s victory.
With their recent victory, the through with a win and we had a real have made it to CIF finals and have
girls moved on to play in the CIF tough season,” said senior Ariella beat Legacy High School in the semi
Martinez. “We got more competi- finals 1-0, taking the girls one step
playoffs.
“I feel really good about this tion this year, but everybody played closer to the winning CIF.
season of undefeated in league,” and I think that’s what counts at the
Richard Velez/The Anchor
Senior Tiffany Torres works her way toward the goal in effort to score against Legacy High School on Tuesday, March 3.
The girls went on to play LACES on Saturday, March 7.
Boys scoccer:Taking a
stand to make a point
By Kassandra Albarran
Staff Writer
POLAHS boys soccer succeeded
in their last two league games of the
season.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.,
boys went up against Animo South
Los Angeles High School. They defeated Animo with a score of 4-0.
On Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m., boys
soccer successfully pulverized their
rival, Harbor Teacher Preparation
Academy(HTPA) ending the game
with a score of 4-0. The victory gave
the boys soccer team the opportunity to compete in the CIF playoffs.
Though the boys soccer team did
make it to CIF playoffs , they unfortunately came upon a situation in
which there was not enough players to compete in the game after the
grade cuts, which led the team to
forfeit their game against East Valley High School.
Captain Cesar Farias’ goal for
his team was for the team to win
enough games to prove the strength.
Farias believed that the team has
been looked down upon because
fans did not think they were good
enough for playoffs.
“My last two games were honestly amazing,” said Farias. “Our
goal was to finish strong and that’s
what we did. I, being one of the captains, felt really proud to help my
team win the last few games and
get the results we wanted. Luckily
we did win games and made it to
playoffs. Therefore, my goal was accomplished. We were able to prove a
point and send a message.”
“This season, I hoped to make it
to playoffs and make it fair because
I saw potential in my teammates,”
said Captain Giovanny Salazar. “We
eventually made it to playoffs, but
we went through a tough situation
which caused us to be eliminated...
Overall, I’m proud because we had
a myriad of young guys who put up
a fight and will hopefully continue
to do so next season to accomplish
more.”
“The last two games were good.
We beat South Animo LA and
HTPA 4-0,” said senior Diego Ugalde. “It is what gave us a chance to
playoffs. I hoped that we would go
to playoffs and we were supposed to,
but a situation came up that made
us forfeit our first game, which
meant no more playoffs.”
Girls junior varsity basketball
come out on top in the end
By Ariana Quihuiz
Staff Writer
In their last game of the season, on Feb. 13, junior varsity
girls basketball played against
Harbor Teacher Preparatory
Academy(HTPA) Lady Monarchs on their home court.
Ladies gained a landslide win
with a score of 35-16 and were
able to keep a large edge on the
Lady Monarchs throughout the
entire game. Making shot after
shot, the ladies pulled out one last
victory for the season.
Their last victory made the
girls undefeated in the Crosstown League, winning a total of
12 league games, a testament to
the great cheers that ensued at the
conclusion of their final game.
According to many of the
players, this was a season for im-
provement, as they were either
dusting off old skills or just starting out.
“I really improved since the
beginning, which is good because
I used to play when I was little,
then I stopped, so I was a little
rusty,” said sophomore Melissa
Menham.
“I started off not knowing
anything about basketball, but I
became pretty good,” said sophomore Kimberly Albarran.
Individually the girls stated
that they have seen great improvement. However, they have
also recognized their progress as
a team this season.
“We have done really good
since we started out,” said freshman Julissa Ayala. “We have improved a lot.”
“As a team, we started off with
no experience, but we became
much better,” said Albarran.
“We became undefeated.”
Someone who has also noticed the girls’ great improvement and who could not be
more proud of them, is their
coach, Alexis Camou. As a former POLAHS basketball player
herself, she knows the hard
work that goes into winning
games and persevering through
a season of basketball.
“This season was amazing. I
am so proud of these girls,” said
Camou. “We ended up being undefeated in league and these girls
deserve it. They have improved so
much and I’m so happy for them.”
As they girls went on to play in
the CIF playoffs, they lost against
Collins Family on Thursday, Feb.
19.
Sports
Page 12
Volume 2, Issue 6
POLAHS sails
through pier pressure
The pathway to victory
By Ariana Quihuiz
Staff Writer
Fidel Gomez /The Anchor
Junior Hiram Gomez pushes himself toward the goal despite oncoming opposition.
Jose Frausto /The Anchor
Junior Beatriz Huerta works hard
to stop Animo High School from
making more points.
On Friday, Feb. 13 boys varsity
baseball played in their first game
of the season against Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies (LACES). After a close game,
the boys lost against LACES by
a mere one point, with a score of
10-9.
LACES started the game with
an edge, scoring two runs. However, the boys caught up scoring
one run during the second inning, but LACES regained their
edge scoring another run in the
third inning.
Every time LACES scored a
run, the boys were quick to catch
up. In the fourth inning, both
teams scored four runs, and in
the fifth inning LACES scored
twice. The boys were able to score
three more runs, aided by a hard
hit to center field by senior Jonathan Contreras, allowing two
runners to make their way back
to home plate.
In the last inning, the boys
were able to make a run, but
LACES matched them with a
run of their own, giving them the
winning point.
Even though the boys baseball team suffered a small loss,
their coach, Brian Emerson,
thinks that they are shaping up
to do well this season.
“We have a tough schedule,
some roadblocks, but once we
get a few games under our belt,
we’ll be good,” said Emerson.
After bringing home the CIF
championship last June, the boys
are hoping to bring home anPhoto courtesy of Victor Maldonado
other win this year.
Juniors Darlene Radell and Josh
“Before every game we have
Maldonado sail smoothly together.
a huddle in the outfield and talk
about what we need to do,” said
junior Paul Castaneda, who commented on the goals that the team
wanted to fulfill for the season.
“I hope that we can stay united
as a team and push through without falling apart, so we can win
CIF again this year,” said senior
Angel Munoz.
“My goals for this season are
to go back to the championship,”
Ashley Ardaiz /The Anchor
said senior Daniel Rubio. “I heard
it might be at Dodger Stadium Senior Angel Florez attemps to
make a layup while his fellow
this year.”
teamates assist him durring the
prosess.
By Kassandra Albarran
Staff Writer
The POLAHS sailing team recently went to San Francisco to compete against high schools in California in their second to last game of the
Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing
Association(PCISA) on Saturday, Feb.
21 and Sunday, Feb. 22. The sailing team
placed 15th out of 30.
The season only has two races (PCISA) left. The PCISA race will be in Santa
Barbara on March 14 and 15. If the sailing team makes it to the top 10, then the
sailing team will have the opportunity
to compete in the Pacific Coast Championships (PCC).
The PCC will be at Cabrillo Beach,
San Pedro. The sailing team has improved starting off 27 out of 30. Theynhave moved up by 12 to 15th.
“This season, we do hope for improvement,” said Captain Nicholas McCabe. “We are [currently] trying to prepare the rest for next year. We are trying
to improve our scores, get the whole
team to participate and have fun.”
“It was really windy and us skippers [Radell and McCabe] flipped a
few times,” said junior Darlene Radell.
“Some of our scores were 4th, 9th, and
11th, but overall we were 19th out of 30.
The season has only two races and since
the PCCs are at Cabrillo, we hope to get
in the top 10.”
Girls varsity basketball ends successful season
By Ariana Quihuiz
Staff Writer
After a tough season, varsity girls basketball was able to finish their season on a
high note. In their second to last game, on
Wednesday, Feb. 11, they suffered a loss in
their away game against Animo South Los
Angeles by a score of 57-34.
However, in their last home game on
Friday, Feb. 13 against Harbor Teacher Preparatory Academy (HTPA) Lady Monarchs,
the ladies won by a score of 34-20.
The game was not off to a promising start
in the first quarter. The Lady Monarchs were
winning with a score of 7-4. However, by
the third quarter, the ladies came up by nine
points, gaining 16 points in the third quarter
alone.
In the final quarter, the ladies racked up
another nine points, with HTPA far behind,
only scoring four points in the fourth quarter.
The team believes that they had come a
long way since the beginning of the season,
growing closer as a team as well as improving on their techniques with the help of fellow teammates.
“I’ve been improving because of my teammates,” said junior Angie Porcayo. “They’ve
helped me and taught me new techniques.”
It has proved to be a difficult season for the
team this year due to the many injuries that
have occurred. Yet those that were injured continued to support the team from the sidelines.
“Despite tearing my ACL, I tried to support my team as much as I could,” said senior
Mayan Rodriguez. “I had to work around my
physical therapy to make it to games, but I’m
glad to support them.”
“Even though I got hurt this season, I went
to go support the team, and they have played
good this year, and they’ve really improved,”
said senior Paulina Mancha.
Win or lose, varsity coach Elspeth Carden
was continuously supportive of the girls and
their efforts.
“I felt that we’ve improved as a team and
players since the beginning of this season,” said
Carden. “I know we had to pick up from losing
so many seniors from last year. We also faced a
season of injuries, so I’m hoping there won’t be
any next year. I’m so proud of this team.”
Boys varsity basketball end season in
defeat
By Kiara Henry
Staff Writer
POLAHS boys varsity basketball team put on a great show
in their final games of regular
season on Feb. 11 and 13 against
Locke High School and Harbor
Teacher Preparation Academy
(HTPA) Monarchs.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the
boys struggled at Locke High
School. In the beginning of
the game the Bears fell behind
by eight points due to lack of
defense during the first quarter attaining the score 15-7. By
halftime, the boys caught up to
Locke who still held the lead
25-20. By the fourth quarter the
boys were still struggled against
Locke 26-43 and ended
up losing by 25 points in
the 66-41 game.
“I feel we didn’t have
any connection during
this game, and I felt we
could have done better,”
said junior Christopher
Hales.
“Even though we
didn’t play good, hopefully we play better at our
last game of the season at
Harbor College against
our rivals,” said sophomore Isaac Perez.
On Friday, Feb. 13,
mens varsity basketball
played against rival, HTPA
Monarchs, at Los Angeles
Harbor College. POLAHS did
their best against the Monarchs, but lost.
In the beginning of the
game, Monarchs lead 14-8
against the varsity team,
caused by lack of defense,
many steals, and incomplete
passes. Varsity started slow
in the beginning with Perez
making the first shot for the
bears and ended in a loss the
final score of the game was
55-49.
“I am disappointed that we
lost,” said Perez. “I wanted to
Ashley Anderson/The Anchor
Boys volleyball season is close at hand. Though tryouts ended on Wednesday Feb.4, Petey and Paul
still enjoy practicing volleyball for the Arctic Games.
win...[but]everyone wanted to do their own
things and played like individuals which
cost us the game.”
“I feel regretful of myself because I wasn’t
mentally in the game,” said sophomore Andrew Walker.
To finish up the season, the varsity team
won a total of 11 games.
“We came a long way from the beginning. There was ups and downs, but, as a
team, I feel we grown as a family,” said junior
Damian Flores.
Though the season didn’t go as the team
planned, the varsity team did all that they
could for this season. Many varsity players will not be present next season such
as Captain Brandon Ramirez, and seniors
Angel Florez, Julius Page and Arthur Pacheco, who are graduating from the school
in June.
“Hopefully the attitude of the returning
players and the new members of the 20152016 POLAHS varsity basketball team
would work hard to get more wins,” said
junior Christopher Hales.