By Declan Chin Staff Writer The video game and electronic sports (eSports) community has been growing exponentially since the early 2000s. In the 1990s it was impossible to sustain a career playing video games. Now, video game tournaments have sold out the Staples Center. The main difference between eSports and traditional athletics isn’t just the […]
Literature lacks women of color
By Somi Jun Print Managing Editor The difference between “good” and “bad” literature is constantly debated, but English classes have somehow decided that “good” literature can only mean white, male narratives. As a result, classrooms reserve focus almost exclusively for white male authors, sending the message that art is not significant unless the writer comes […]
Art: a mirror of its creator
By Olivia Chiu Copy Editor We often feel called upon to defend a piece of art when its creator “messes up.” Woody Allen’s multiple scandals, including his alleged sexual abuse of adopted daughter Dylan Farrow and marriage to previously adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, drew a range of rebuttals and comments from fans eager to disprove […]
A rise in antisemitism
By Vaughn Huelsman Staff Writer College campuses have become the location of many of the recent anti-semitic hate crimes in the United States. It’s been increasingly common to see swastikas painted on dormitory walls, to hear threatening anti-Jewish verbal attacks, and even to witness physical assaults on Jewish students. Many students who are committing these […]
Pray for more than Paris
By Somi Jun Print Managing Editor Mass shootings and bombings, in a city where residents once felt safe from terrorism. Panic, crippling worry, and grief about friends and family in the area at the time of the attack. Full hospitals and nationwide terror about attacks that could descend at any time. For the past 24 […]
This is the “real world”
Staff Editorial Since we were children, we’ve been told that our perspectives will change when we enter “the real world,” and we will understand what it means to be a responsible adult. While it’s true that students have much to learn before we can live independently, there is no question that the world we live […]
The polarization of public schooling
By Brandon Yung Staff Writer Public Schools have always been one of the gleaming triumphs of American accomplishments. Embodying the core of social mobility, public education is designed to give every American, regardless of race or class, a shot at the good life. As promising as these ideals may sound, the truth is, we are […]
Student voice over spirit
By Olivia Nouriani Opinion Editor School spirit is important. It brings students together, and instills a sense of community. It contributes to a positive school atmosphere, which in turn makes for happier students. SPHS is incredibly lucky to have a group of students dedicated to raising spirit. ASB puts enormous amounts of effort into getting […]
Multiracials marginalized
By Vaughn Huelsman Staff Writer The classic question of who to sit with at lunch was one that afflicted me in early elementary school. On one of the first days of school, I first approached a group of white kids who were at a table, talking and laughing. I sat down at the end of […]
Hijacking “Art Hoe”
By Sammy Park Staff Writer People of color have always been underrepresented in artistic communities. Even art, a platform centered around self-expression for every individual, has inherent prejudice in its roots. As this marginalization grows increasingly apparent, it becomes more and more important for people of color in artistic fields to have a support structure. […]
Bridging the generation gap
By Olivia Chiu Copy Editor I’m a Millennial. I’m entitled, selfish, narcissistic, and lazy—or so I’ve been told by the media for the past couple years. As a generation, our selfies and affinity for social media have evoked criticism and even in-depth analyses. In 2014 Pew Research Center reported that 55% of Millennials have shared […]
‘Tis the season
By Jenna Giulioni Senior Staff Writer I’ve never been good at picking out a Halloween costume. It might be because October is definitely the fastest moving month of the year (especially with the deadline for college applications on November 1) or possibly because my planning skills in general are seriously lacking (another factor making that […]
Sensitive to insensitivity
Staff Editorial Illustration by Sandra Moore It is not an especially rare occurrence when a teacher says something in class that causes some to cringe in disbelief. After all, teachers are people, too. Educators, however, are incredibly influential to a student’s moral compass, and therefore have more of an obligation to be cautious in what […]
There Ain’t No Such Thing As a Free (or Reduced) Lunch
By Olivia Chiu Copy Editor Photo by Tucker Judkins SPHS is one of many schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This system provides free meals for those with incomes less than 30% above the poverty line, and reduces the cost of meals for those with incomes less than 85% above the line, as […]
High School Realities
By Jenna Giulioni Senior Staff Writer Photo by Stephanie Kim Troy and Gabriella lied to me; the captain of the basketball team is not the star of the fall play, it is not socially acceptable to sing my feelings to the whole cafeteria, and two blonde twins do not rule the school. As one group […]
Depression Destroys Adolescence
By Vaughn Huelsman Staff Writer Most teenagers today either have or know someone who has clinical depression. The rate of major mood disorders in teenagers has doubled in the past thirty years, and at a rate of 12.5%, it has surpassed what it was during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Psychologists attribute this rapid […]