Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Tony Chen Contributor Community members are calling for an investigation into the SPPD for its planned public prayer event with an anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ+ hate group that was set to be held at City Hall on Saturday, Sept. 26. Police Chief Joe Ortiz sent an email (attached below) […]
School Board opposes wellness day in spite of widespread community support
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo by SPUSD Contributor The South Pasadena School Board declined to implement a wellness day despite strong support from teachers, parents, and students at a special Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Board members voted to submit the current Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LCAP) to the Los Angeles […]
Four SPHS students become National Merit Scholar semifinalists
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer Four SPHS students were announced as National Merit Scholar semifinalists last week, with dozens more earning the rank of a commended scholar. Seniors Frances Chiu, Matthew Haines, Jessica Li, and Luyang Zhang join 1,900 other California seniors who achieved the qualifying score on […]
SPHS campus resource officer position draws criticism
Story by Katie HohmanStaff Writer Photo by Helena FuContributor Having police officers on campus has become a largely unquestioned part of a student’s life, but with recent calls to defund police across the nation, more students are pushing to eliminate their School Resource Officer (SRO) and to reallocate funds towards mental health resources. In South […]
Students and teachers rally together in support of wellness day
Story by Sam Grotenstein Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photo Editor Teachers, parents, and students voiced their support for a wellness day to be incorporated into the distance learning schedule at a School Board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The purpose of the meeting was for School Board members to discuss, but not vote on, whether […]
Students demand anti-racist reforms at SPHS
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Illustration by David Sohn Staff Illustrator SPHS students spoke out against police brutality in local Black Lives Matter protests this summer and are now calling for similar anti-racist reforms at school. While SPHS has implemented several programs to encourage inclusivity in the past few years, it has not enacted any new […]
SPUSD lays off librarians over budget cuts
Story by Quinn Manzo Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Selena Baydaline Contributor SPUSD cut the elementary school library programs and laid off the librarians in July after the coronavirus pandemic caused significant state budget cuts. Before their termination, the librarians expected that they would continue connecting with students and parents as they did during fourth quarter […]
DeWolfe retires as City Manager, Fire Chief Riddle assumes interim position
Story by Eddie ZhouStaff Writer Photo by Katelyn HernandezStaff Photographer City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe retired from South Pasadena effective Saturday, Sept. 12. Fire Chief Paul Riddle has assumed the position of acting City Manager until the City Council appoints a permanent one. DeWolfe has been at the center of intense scrutiny over the management of the […]
Care First group calls for defunding SPPD
Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor Graphic by Charlotte Cohen Staff Graphic Designer The global movement for police accountability has inspired local protests and initiatives to defund the police, including resident-led group Care First South Pasadena. Partnered with activist organization South Pasadena Youth for Police Reform (SPY4PR), the group has worked […]
Speech and Debate team host “Know Your Rights” voting workshop
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Graphic courtesy of Nicole Lu Contributor The SPHS Speech and Debate team held its first “Know Your Rights” session on Saturday, Sept. 12 to inform participants about their voting rights. The program covered voter suppression, the electoral college, how to vote, and also featured guest speaker Samuel Liu, Chief of […]
SPHS hosts virtual Back to School Night for parents
Story by Quinn Manzo Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor SPHS transitioned its annual Back to School Night online on Thursday, Sept. 10, where teachers introduced themselves to parents in ten minute Zoom sessions. Teachers emailed out introductory presentations and class syllabi prior to the event and then distributed Zoom links to parents on […]
ASB releases annual SAC Assembly video
Story by Georgia Parsons Staff Writer Photo by Eliot Correll Contributor ASB kicked off its first assembly of the year with the annual SAC Assembly via a YouTube video this Friday, Sept. 11. The 15 minute video featured skits by the commissioners promoting the sales of the student activites card and other school club and program […]
CREATIONS promotes mental wellbeing among SPHS students
Story by Georgia Parsons Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor Seniors Kimberly Hsueh and Andrew Cheung hosted CREATIONS, a mental health and wellbeing student program, via Zoom the week of Monday, Aug. 31 to Thursday, Sept. 3. Each day consisted of stress-relieving icebreakers, informative presentations, and discussion opportunities all aimed at helping students learn […]
SPUSD partners with Care Solace to support community mental health
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Care Solace Contributor SPUSD announced its partnership with Care Solace, a live, 24/7 online service that connects individuals with mental healthcare resources and providers, on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Care Solace services come with no cost for students and their families and do not require any personal information. […]
Rossi sworn in as interim city council member for district two
Story and Photo by Zoe Schlaak Staff Writer The city council swore in Stephen Rossi to fill the district’s two seat vacancy at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Rossi will serve until Dec. 2, 2020 when the elected representative assumes office. Council members considered both Lawrence Abelson and Rossi for the position but Diana […]
Second Angelversary for Vanessa Marquez demands justice and police accountability
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor South Pasadena community members rallied together on Mission Street on Sunday, Aug. 30 for actress Vanessa Marquez’s second Angelversary, recognizing her killing by SPPD officers in 2018. Attendees dressed up in Star Wars costumes to commemorate Marquez’s love for the film franchise, and families […]