Story by Adam Kwoh News Editor Photo courtesy of Alice S. Hall / NBCU Photo Bank Contributor The South Pasadena Police Department released body camera footage taken during an officer-involved shooting in August 2018 that resulted in the death of ER star and resident Vanessa Marquez on Monday, Mar. 2. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s […]
Band showcases musical talents at Spaghetti Dinner Night fundraiser
Story by Adam KwohNews Editor Photo by Sarah LeeStaff Photographer The SPHS Instrumental Department organized its annual Spaghetti Dinner Night on Thursday, Feb. 27, inviting South Pasadenans for a night of live music and food. The event — the program’s biggest fundraiser of the year — showcased 25 acts performed by SPHS band members. The band selected […]
ASB ignites school spirit before upcoming Powerpuff game
Story by Haelee Kim Associate Opinion Editor embryogene.ca Photo by Ella Jayasekera Staff Photographer Students packed into the auditorium for the annual Powerpuff spirit assembly on Friday, Feb. 28. A precursor to the upcoming Powerpuff game, the brief assembly engaged the spirit of the student body through creative video skits and introductions of the junior and senior […]
Poets inspire student voice and creativity at poetry workshops
Story by Kimberly Hsueh and Haelee Kim Staff Writers Photo by Sean Jin Staff Photographer The Spoken Literature Art Movement (SLAM) visited English classes on Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28, bringing professional poets to inspire students to express their creative freedom as apart of its poetry education and workshop program. Founder of the program, Alyesha […]
FBLA receives top marks at Gold Coast leadership conference
Story by Kimberly Hsueh Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Gabriel Tom Contributor The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) 2020 Gold Coast Leadership Conference took place at South Pasadena High School on Saturday, Feb. 21. 18 schools attended the eight-hour event, which concluded with the Awards of Excellence Program in the auditorium. FBLA competitors presented projects, held […]
City introduces newest SPPD officer Christina Roppo
Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo courtesy of City of South Pasadena Contributor South Pasadena City Council members and the South Pasadena Police Department welcomed new police officer Christina Roppo on Wednesday Feb. 19. Roppo is now the department’s second female officer, joining officer Catalina Vasquez. The South Pasadena chief of police, Joe Ortiz, introduced […]
SPUSD faces lawsuit for negligence after student arrest
Story by Noah KuhnAssociate News Editor Photo by Oscar WalshPhoto Editor The family of a South Pasadena High School student is pursuing a lawsuit against the school district for allegedly unlawfully arresting their son in May 2018 for fundraising for the football booster club by selling illegitimate lifetime passes for JV football games. Guadalupe Treviso-Reinoso, the mother […]
SkillsUSA members advance to state competition
Story by Kimberly Hsueh Staff Writer Photo courtesy of South Pasadena SkillsUSA SPHS SkillsUSA participated in the Region 3 Leadership and Skill Conference, its first competition of the year, on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. The competition took place at the Pasadena City College, where students displayed their projects or participated in events […]
ASB adds multicultural acts to annual talent show
Story by Kimberly Hsueh and Haelee Kim Staff Writers Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer Students rushed into the auditorium for the annual Talent Show assembly on Thursday, Feb. 13, to witness their peers display a variety of talents. This year ASB recruited a diverse set of acts, presenting nine multicultural performances ranging from traditional Māori dance […]
Class of 2024 tours SPHS at Eighth Grade night
Story by Cloe Maurer Associate Feature Editor Photo by Ella Jayasekera Associate Photo Editor SPHS opened its gates to eighth-graders and their parents for the first of the two-part annual Eighth Grade Night on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Students and teachers gave introductory tours and presentations about activities and elective opportunities at SPHS. Drumline kicked off the event […]
South Pasadena to participate in hometown exchange with Colorado
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo by Curtis Cronn Contributor South Pasadena announced its participation in its first ever two-week domestic exchange program with sister city Windsor, Colorado. Participants will host a student from Windsor for half the duration of the program, then travel to Colorado to live with their family for the second week. Two […]
Athletics construction project to finish demolition process
Story by Sofia Alva and Zoe Schlaak Staff Writers Photo by Oscar Walsh Photo Editor SPUSD’s multi-million dollar athletics and gym site construction project is in the final stages of the demolition process. The district broke ground on the renovation in November 2019, which will focus on refurbishing the main gym and practice gym, construction of a new […]
General Plan adds new focus on sustainability
Story by Audrey Ernst Staff Writer Photo by Sarah Lee Staff Photographer South Pasadena city planners congregated in the City Council chambers, updating residents on changes made to the 2017 General Plan, on Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Saturday, Feb. 1. The General Plan has been revised to focus on sustainability in all aspects, including infrastructure, environmental issues, […]
Brush fire breaks out on Bank Street
Story by Haelee Kim and Jayden Eden Photo by Jayden Eden A fire broke out in the trees between two homes on the 800 block of Bank St. in South Pasadena on Monday, Feb. 3. The cause of the fire, which began around noon, has yet to be determined. No injuries were reported. Two calls were made […]
School board switches to district-based elections after legal allegations
Story by Noah Kuhn Associate News Editor Photo by Tony Chen Contributor The South Pasadena School Board voted to change to election by districts in 2022, transitioning away from the current at-large election. The district was forced to make the change following a letter from the Malibu-based firm Shenkman & Hughes, which alleged the current system disenfranchises […]
Faculty clarify parent questions about AP courses at annual AP night
Story by Haelee Kim Associate Opinion Editor Photo by Noah Kuhn Associate News Editor South Pasadena High School’s annual AP Night was held on Tuesday, Jan. 28, advising parents with tips from Stanford’s Challenge Success Program. The presentation followed two weeks of student AP exploration meetings, informing both students and parents about the value and difficulty of […]