Finance Director Karen Aceves resigns from City post

Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez  Staff Photographer South Pasadena Finance Director Karen Aceves announced her resignation effective immediately on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The reasoning for Aceves’ resignation is still unclear, though it comes after City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe left the City a few weeks earlier. In 2017, the City hired Aceves, who […]

Man drives truck onto sidewalk near BLM protestors

Story by Lilian ZhuStaff Writer Photo courtesy of Black Lives Matter South Pasadena Contributor A white middle-aged man drove onto the sidewalk at the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Mission Street where Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors were demonstrating shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. SPPD arrived at the scene and talked to the […]

Residents question SPPD’s ties to anti-LGBTQ+ hate group

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 […]

Kerrigan Riley: dancing, running, and winning

Story by Katie HohmanStaff Writer Photo courtesy of Kerrigan RileyContributor Junior Kerrigan Riley is known on campus for her dedicated involvement in cross country and track, but outside of school, she is involved in another unique sport. For the past 10 years she has participated in competitive Irish dance, at the national and international level. Through the […]

The long road to college commitment

Story by Eddie ZhouStaff Writer Illustration by David Sohn Staff Illustrator America’s youth is constantly reminded of the meritocracy of the American Dream — that a “nobody” can rise to the top by way of work and will. For high school athletes, this dream is no different, as tales such as Rocky and Rudy have encouraged thousands of […]

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 […]

‘Tenet’ is admirably complex but lacks emotional depth

Story by Katie HohmanStaff Writer Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator Tenet, the new sci-fi thriller from acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan, is an exciting, if not confusing, journey filled with heart wrenching performances and mind-bending twists. The film focuses on a former CIA agent, simply called “the Protagonist” (John David Washington), who is recruited by an […]

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 […]

SPHS math teacher Andrew McGough will resume daily workout videos

Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo byElla JayasekeraPhoto Editor SPHS math teacher Andrew McGough has formed the Tiger Fitness Club, calling on students and teachers to follow along with daily workouts and weekly challenges.  McGough initially started hosting live calls for Workout Wednesdays, along with posting daily workouts on his classes’ Google Classroom when the school […]

Charlie Kami-Duffin: Finding fun in hard work

Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Photo by Sophie YeungStaff Photographer Charlie Kami-Duffin is never not doing something. When this SPHS sophomore picked up the phone, she was half way through her precise recipe for microwaved popcorn.  “The trick is,” Kami-Duffin said, “to leave it in for a minute and 11 seconds, to get the perfect […]

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