Story by Quinn ManzoStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator Artists Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released the song, “WAP” on August 7 of this year. The song quickly became trending as celebrities, politicians, and average Joes set out to bash the song on Twitter because of its explicit languages and themes, as well […]
Retire American Pageant
Story by Sam GrotensteinOpinion Associate Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator On April 18th, 1975, Reverend Marvin Horan was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to bomb a school. This was after three months of nonstop racist and violent protests, which included the armed hijacking of school buses, the harassment of individual students, and […]
SPHS needs to end its outdated stance on drugs
Story by Sam GrotensteinOpinion Associate Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator Health is one of the rare uniting courses that all students must take in order to meet graduation requirements. No matter how a student takes the class, either during the school year or over the summer, they find that a large portion of the curriculum […]
Social media is new territory for corporate manipulation
Story by Katie HohmanStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator As social media has become a more prominent part of the average person’s life, corporations everywhere have taken advantage of its power to influence. By taking on relatable personas, companies manipulate consumers into thinking that they have their best interests at heart. Their efforts to […]
On America’s pseudo-democracy and paths of amelioration
Story by Georgia Parsons & Sam GrotensteinStaff Writers Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator From local to presidential elections, voters line up to cast their ballots with the promise of change. However, little reform is ever seen on any level, local or federal. The South Pasadena City Council circulates the same group of people in and […]
Economic frustration must be directed at the extremely wealthy
Story by Quinn Manzo & Zoe SchlaakStaff Writers Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator South Pasadena’s majority upper middle class population exhibits a subtle yet undeniable condescension towards the working class. In fact, many Americans condition their children to believe that working-class positions in fields such as construction and fast food are shameful and tantamount to […]
Freeing the people: Redefining a broken America
Story by Amber Chen, Cat Flores, Katie Hohman, Adam Kwoh, Noah Kuhn, & Cloe MaurerOpinion Editor, Editor-in-Chief, Staff Writer, Copy Editor, News Editor, & Feature Editor Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” made his anti-democratic viewpoints quite clear at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, stating “In England, at this […]
Teachers need to regulate discussions
Story by Quinn ManzoStaff Writer Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator When class discussions go smoothly, they can result in logical compromises and new ideas that build on each other. However, a productive dialogue is fragile; it can quickly become futile and often leaves students feeling alienated and threatened in an environment that is supposed to […]
Mental illness does not excuse past actions
Story by Katie HohmanStaff Writer Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator Social media platforms like Twitter have popularized and solidified “cancel culture” as a normal part of bringing about justice. Calling out people for their mistakes on social media allows for a more public form of confrontation and ensures that no one gets away with problematic […]
Cherry-picking distracts from necessary change
Story by Amber ChenOpinion editor Illustration by Terry SongStaff Illustrator Professor Greg Patton of the University of Southern California (USC) faced backlash following a now viral lecture he gave about Chinese filler words. Common filler words in the Mandarin are “nà ge” or “nèi ge,” which both translate to “that,” but when enunciated sound just […]
SPHS needs to combat campus ableism
Story by Georgia ParsonsStaff Writer Illustration by Alicia ZhangStaff Illustrator The disability rights movement began in the 1960s as an effort to challenge negative attitudes and stereotypes surrounding disabilities. Parents demanded that their children be taken out of institutions and placed into schools with the necessary accommodations in order to succeed. Since then, dozens of […]
Con: Vote blue no matter who
Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator The importance of voting for Joe Biden expands beyond being a matter of party preference, and is an absolute necessity for progressive voters. While the Democratic Party has not earned the progressive vote, progressives should still feel obligated to support Biden, solely because of his […]
Pro: Third-party voting is essential
Story by AnonymousStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator Given the circumstances of the 2020 election, voting third party is more than a valid choice. Third party and protest voting is, contrary to popular belief, not a bad thing, even in the context of the 2020 election. Competition and negotiation are perfectly healthy and necessary […]
Protect South Pasadena’s small businesses
Large corporations have been rapidly infiltrating South Pasadena, harming the city’s community.
On being “almost white”
Story by Amber ChenOpinion Editor Illustration by Alicia ZhangStaff Illustrator My transition to South Pasadena Middle School was rough, more so than the expected awkward pre-teen experience. Perhaps it was because I had spent the summer before internalizing outcast-protagonist young adult novels and proudly displayed this newfound sense of individuality in a navy American-flag sweater […]
Quarantine worsens eating disorders
Story by Quinn ManzoStaff Writer Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator This article contains descriptions of disordered eating that some may find disturbing. Eating disorders are common, life-threatening psychological illnesses of varying severity that result in abnormal eating habits. They stem from a need to regain control — a common outcome of depression, anxiety, stress, and/or […]