Editor: 2 Table of Contents Nina Ramezani

Special Education Funding How Seniors Find the Col- lege of Their Dreams What is the Deal on Bath- 4 - 5 6 - 7 room Policy and Passes? News Opinion

We Need to Put the “Christ” Back in Christmas Traveling is Always Beneficial Travel is Not Worth the Hassle Required World Languages for All Four EXPRESSIONS Years December 2019 8 - 9 Feature The Uncovered Mysteries of the Football Locker Room These Tigers Really Have Black and Gold Snowflakes Fall and Winter in Their Blood Activity Comes to Life 10 - 11 The Perfect Family Doesn’t Exist Athlete? More Like Not in Sports Their Genes May Not Be the Same, But Class-lete Our Love for Them Doesn’t Change

Doctor’s Orders: Drink Dr. Pepper! Basil’s Half Page 16 SLOHS Drama: Thespian 12 - 13 Back Page Lives Matter! Arts & Entertainment

Holiday Buying Guide Smashing Stories of SLOHS Crashes The Cookie Recipe Coolest Cars of SLOHS How to Play Dreidel Student Perspective on OCD: How Olivia 14 - 15 Dong Combats Her Condition People

Cover photo courtesy of Expressions editors December 2019 3 Expressions Staff Editorial Staff Nina Ramezani Celia Lober Nayah Holmes Editor-in-Chief People Editor Back Page Editor Feature Editor Alexis Haas Basil Lloyd-Moffett Katie Cole Sports Editor Copy Editor Opinion Editor Bella Nino de Rivera Sylas Grove Krista Garza Web Editor Arts & Entertainment News Editor Editor Reporters Amanda Angel Maxwell Collins Kailey Limon Andrew Nguyen Fiona Stevens Anthony Arroyo II Carmen Davila Phineas Lloyd-Moffett Bayley Perlmutter Kathryn ZagRodny Ronan Biggs Nico di Santo Brielle Machado Sebastian Ramirez Adviser: Gwendolyn Brussel Noah Jaworski Eleanor Mann Adrian Reynolds Scott Nairne Sophia Campbell Makena Johnson Sullivan Medici Mia Robinson [email protected]

Disclaimer: Official Student Publications “The San Luis Coastal Unified School District is committed to upholding the rights of each student to free expression, as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Article I of the California Constitution and the California Education Code. Consistent with California Education Code section 48907, stu- dents will publish only legally protected speech, which does not include obscene, libelous or slanderous material, or unwarranted invasions of privacy. Students will also refrain from publishing material which so incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises or the violation of lawful school regulations, or the substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school. The views, opinions, and content expressed herein are those of the stu- dent author(s). Therefore, the content may not necessarily reflect the official policies, opinions, or positions of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, its schools, administration, faculty, staff, or the Board of Education.” 4 News Editor: Krista Garza

SLOHS Special Education Funding By Reporter Fiona Stevens

San Luis Obispo High School has a lot of fun clubs, classes, we don’t have enough aides to help support the students and the and opportunities, but it costs money to make all these things teachers in those classes. Since we don’t have enough aides, when go round. SLOHS has a fantastic special education department, one is sick, we often don’t have a replacement for them, making with hard working teachers and paraeducators, but some of these the situation even worse,” said Casteel. teachers don’t think they’re getting their fair share of funding. Last year, special education teacher Kathy Erwin tried to raise “What most of us in the more severe [special education] classes funds for special education classes through recycling aluminum district-wide find is we need more of a variety of specific cans and plastic bottles. She encouraged teachers to put special learning materials for these special students. Many modifications recycling bins in their classrooms, and used the money made are needed for instruction and specific materials need to be from recycling to buy new materials. purchased to support their learning style. These items are not “This year my students do not write or speak, so the need for always available on our site,” said special education teacher Kathy textbooks, paper, and pencils are definitely not our focus. These Erwin. students need more materials that are hands-on, like in an Within the special education department, some teachers also elementary classroom. Early reader books are needed, but are not wish they had much more funding for teaching positions. in our library. Age appropriate, up to date puzzles and learning “I wish we had more funding to be able to pay for more games all add up to more than the district provides,” said Erwin. instructional aides in the classroom, for both special education In many regular classes, things like colored pencils, markers, classes and to be able to support special education kids in the calculators, and binders are available to us. Students with special regular education classrooms,” said special education teacher needs, however, need different resources that are more expensive. Trina Casteel. These needs are just as important as the needs of regular students. Administration said it was the district that allocated funding. “Our classroom projects, such as Tiger Cafe and recycling, are “The district allocates approximately $5,600 for above and vocational opportunities for my students to learn work skills, in beyond kinds of purchases for special education. As a whole, the addition to raising some funds for the above mentioned class departments submit their needs and we fulfill their needs almost materials,” said Erwin. 100% of the time. So there isn’t an allocated amount of money Physical learning materials aren’t the only thing the special that is sent out to any department,” said San Luis High School education department wants. Teacher Adam Basch, for example, principal Leslie O’Connor wants to expand the alternative education opportunities available The district gives the school money and the administrators help to students. distribute it throughout. “All education settings need therapeutic learning for kids The school is also given a certain number of paraeducators by who need really intense care. Similar to the TLC [Therapeutic the district. Just like staff, they are paid for the work they do each Learning Community] that Morro Bay High School has,” said day, and having a large number of them is something the school Basch. cannot afford. Still, it’s a problem in special education. TLC is typically for students who are extremely emotionally “We don’t have enough aides to help us even within our special disturbed and need significant counseling, often requiring one education classes. So kids are often suffering because they need on one aides. This would be expensive, but could really help the more individual attention. We have kids in regular ed classes and children in question. How Seniors Find the College of Their Dreams By Reporters: Noah Jaworski, Makena Johnson

San Luis Obispo High School has a 98 percent graduation rate. know the rep,” said College and Career Center specialist Colleen In the United States, 69 percent of students who graduate high Martin. school go on to continue their education, which means many Not only are the colleges coming to visit SLOHS seniors, SLOHS students are trying to find what college is right for them. but students are going to visit colleges across the country. For Here at SLOHS, teachers are preparing students for their future example, Cuesta College has invited any SLOHS students to come life in college. With help from the school, students may have an tour the campus and see if they are interested in going. easier time transitioning into adult life after high school. “[The reps] often know the ins and outs of the physical sites, and Recently, many colleges have come to visit SLOHS, such as share secrets or different things people might not know. They also Oregon University, and the Fashion Institute. These visits talk have really good information about financial aid,” said Martin. about all the different opportunities the school offers and helps As the 2019-20 school year approaches it’s halfway point, more students understand what’s to come. They also help students hear and more colleges are coming to help students find their paths about colleges they wouldn’t otherwise have considered. in life and start their journey to becoming the people they were “The good thing about a college rep visit is that often times that meant to be. For more information, contact Colleen Martin at rep is the first person reading your application, which means you the career center or you school counselor. are putting a personal touch on your application by getting to Editor: Krista Garza News 5 What’s The Deal With Bathroom Policy and Passes? By Reporters Phineas Lloyd-Moffett and Kailey Limon

Recently, bathrooms at San Luis Obispo High School have been plagued by vandalism. The custodians at SLOHS have to clean up these messes. In response to these attacks, ad- ministration has issued a new bathroom policy. “Students would smash paper towel dispensers, flip over trash cans, and spread more un- pleasant things [like human excrement] all over the walls,” said SLOHS custodian William Johnston. Administration is now requiring students to have a hall pass whenever they go to the bathroom. This newly issued pass is a disk with the corresponding room number on it. Students will now have to sign out on a sign out sheet, writing the time they leave the class- room and where they are going. Then they write the time when they return. “We are seeing a decrease in bathroom vandalism as well as the number of students out of class just ‘wandering’,” said assistant principal Jessica Miller Vandalism wastes administration’s time by forcing them to monitor the bathrooms. Bath- room locations are already limited because of construction. “These acts [are horrible],” said Latin teacher Thomas Weinschenk, referring to the van- dalism. “It’s not respectful to other students or the janitorial staff.” As Miller said, the bathroom passes have brought positive change to SLOHS already. Vandalisms have decreased, leaving less mess for custodians to clean up. The passes make it much easier to find the perpetrator when these crimes do occur. Some students, however, feel the bathroom passes are restricting their freedom and un- necessarily punishing them for something only a few students did. “We’re micromanaged. There could be ten students out at the same time, how are they going to know who’s guilty?” said senior Olivia Boyne. Students want a different solution, but there’s not much the school can do. Administration has decided indefinitely that the bathroom passes are here to stay. For now, the hall passes are a quick solution to the vandalism problem. 6 Opinion Editor: Katie Cole Traveling is Always Beneficial By Reporter Bayley Perlmutter

At San Luis Obispo High School, many students parts of the world and experience different cul- travel during weekends, school breaks, and the tures. We are a very sheltered country, and a lot of summer. Most people think that traveling the kids don’t really understand how people have it a world is beneficial because you get to experience lot harder than we have it in the US. Other coun- different parts of the world first hand. When trav- tries don’t have rights like us” said freshman Miles eling, you get to learn about different cultures and Debrum. how things are different from where you live. Sometimes in the United States, kids take their “Traveling is beneficial because when you travel rights for granted, and don’t realize that things we to different countries you get exposed to many dif- expect are hard to come by in other places. Travel- ferent types of people and cultures. It helps you get ing can open your eyes to things that you wouldn’t a really good view of the world and the people in otherwise realize. it. When I was younger, I did a lot of traveling and “It is very fun to travel and you learn a lot about it helped me understand how other people live is different cultures,” said senior John Frye. not always the same as how I live,” said junior Ellen Overall, traveling is beneficial because you get Manning. the opportunity to learn about many new things Being exposed to different ways of life is very that aren’t possible to experience when staying in healthy because staying in a bubble your entire life your hometown your whole life. Traveling is good means that you can never really experience what because you get the opportunity to try new things else is happening in the world. that you wouldn’t have otherwise tried and learn “You get to see how other people live in different about people other than yourselves. Illustration courtesy of Sebastian Ramirez Travel is Not Worth the Hassle

By Reporter Sebastian Ramirez

Many students at San Luis Obispo High School brag about how said senior Mona Lisa Kearns. much they travel and how fun and entertaining it is. But there are It seems like during our travels, we are constantly seeking things many cons to travel; in fact, traveling in general isn’t even benefi- to remind us of home. Traveling also isn’t the most eco-friend- cial for students. ly of activities. Flying, going on cruises, and eating out all have Traveling can be fun, whether students are swimming in Mex- a negative impact on the environment. Beyond that, when peo- ico, exploring in the Bahamas, or traipsing around Europe. But ple travel they often leave the air conditioning on, forget to turn in all the hype and excitement around travel we often overlook off the lights, and generally waste valuable resources and energy. the negative impacts of it, both on the environment and on the Traveling is one of the top ways that people contribute to global communities we travel to. We talk about how travel can be a force warming. for breaking down social barriers, connecting people, and bring- “Traveling is not my favorite thing to do because I get homesick ing new perspectives, but in reality we are often just disrupting really quickly, which leads me to be in a bad mood. Most of my other people’s lives. Traveling to foreign, out of the way places can friends are always out traveling with their families, but personally destroy local cultures through the commercialization that accom- I like to stay in town. It makes me feel safe,” said senior Patrick panies the travel industry. Once pristine and bucolic villages are Reichmuth. destroyed by the advent of fast food restaurants and fancy hotels, My experiences with traveling have also not been the best, be- and we end up erasing the very cultures we travel to see. cause of all the worry and planning that traveling brings. I have to People also often don’t take full advantage of their travel opportu- always be wary of my mental state and the changes that I will face nities: instead of going out and exploring the unknown, they stay once I arrive at my destination. in their hotels and resorts. They also eat the same food as at home People also don’t even need to travel to learn about different cul- and see the same kind of people. tures. There are many people from different cultures right here in “I have traveled to many places, such as the Bahamas and Hawaii. California, and there are many resources available if you want to For the most part it’s fun, but it gets boring after a couple days,” learn about those cultures. Traveling is not worth the hassle. December 2019 Opinion 7 Required World Languages for All Four Years?

By Reporter Amanda Angel

Illustration courtesy of Katie Cole In order to graduate, students at San Luis Obispo High School Ideas and constructs in one language may not exist in another, so are required to take only two years of a foreign language. This is learning multiple languages can help broaden our knowledge of not enough to meet the recommendations of CSU and UC col- the world and its people,” said American sign language teacher leges, and not enough time to really learn a language. Kristen Nusbaum. This is an especially important issue, as the benefits of bilingual- Additionally, studies have shown that students who take foreign ism are growing rapidly. Even knowing how to speak a language languages do better on standardized testing, particularly in the conversationally can help someone in the world and in the work- areas of vocabulary and mathematics. force, and can help on college applications. Learning a language also improves the brain’s ability to problem The two-year language requirement is the bare minimum and solve and multitask, as students are forced to challenge their- many selective universities require four years for acceptance. brain to switch between languages. Therefore, SLOHS and other high schools around the nation Students in other countries across the world begin learning a should up the requirements for foreign language to four years. foreign language when they are in elementary school and con- With four years of a language, students would build a deep- tinue to take it throughout high school. er knowledge of the language and would be able to retain more If other countries require an entire childhood’s worth of learning from the courses. a foreign language, why shouldn’t SLOHS require four years? It is “World languages help build linguistic and cultural fluency. time to make the change. We Need to Put the ‘Christ’ Back in Christmas

By Reporter Kailey Limon

Christmas is a major holiday celebrated by San Luis Obispo High won’t hold importance a year later. School students. We tend to associate the holiday with gifts and “If you’re not secular, or [you’re] Christian, then the most im- money. These greedy desires detract from the true meaning of portant thing would be the incarnation of Jesus,” said senior Ex- Christmas, and the legitimate religious celebration by people of pressions reporter Kathryn ZagRodney. faith. The celebration of Jesus should be the focus of Christmas. Christ- “Christmas has turned into this consumer event where we’re just mas has religious roots that are the most important part of the buying things. Life shouldn’t always be about acquiring more ma- holiday. It can be argued that family appreciation should also be terial possessions,” said SLOHS economics teacher Gregory Ross. a part of Christmas, but that can be done on Thanksgiving. After We subconsciously associate Christmas with gifts and objects we all, Thanksgiving is the day for being thankful for family and good desire, putting them on a list that grows throughout the year to prospects. prepare for Christmas time. The commercialization of Christmas Where would the gifts go? Give them on birthdays. Give them has caused the day to be tainted by greed. The day is all about gifts: randomly as a surprise. Gift giving can happen on any day. giving and receiving them. Companies push out Christmas deco- Companies and individuals have made Christmas about gifts rations immediately after Halloween and showcase their deals to and decorations, and even have given it an icon with Santa Claus. entice consumers to spend a lot of money. Christmas should no longer be about spending money. It should Originally, Christmas was a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It be celebrated only by people who hold it as an important religious has a religious significance overshadowed by our lists of things that celebration. Illustration courtesy of Kailey Limon 8 Feature Editor-in-Chief: Nina Ramezani THESE TIGERS REALLY HAVE BLACK AND GOLD IN THEIR BLOOD By Editor Katie Cole

San Luis Obispo High School has seen will be so much more traffic and more along with my great grandma, great generations of students walk through its crowds. grandpa and my five great aunts and un- halls. In 1930, my own great-great-great- Righetti: I like living in SLO, it is a beau- cles. grandfather was principal of the school. tiful place and it has a great community. Righetti: Yes, my dad, uncle, and broth- Since then, my family has continued to Expressions: Do you ever feel like ev- ers have all gone to SLOHS. attend SLOHS, with five generations all eryone knows who you are because they Moore: Both my parents went to SLOHS, calling themselves tigers. This story is not know someone in your family? which is where they met. Both my sib- a unique one: there are many students Baird: I get told almost every day that I’m lings [also went to SLOHS]. whose families have been in San Luis related to literally everyone in San Luis. Expressions: Do you think in the future Obispo for decades. Expressions set out My family is everywhere! you will continue to live in San Luis Obis- to interview them in order to find out a Moore: Yes, all the time. My parents, es- po and raise your own family here? little more about their family his- Baird: I’m not one hundred tories, and what it’s like to follow percent sure yet what my future in their family’s footsteps. holds. This little town is ideal to Expressions: How long has your live in but I might want to expand family lived here in San Luis my horizons later in life and visit Obispo? other areas. Junior Maddy Baird: My family Righetti: I think I will have a fu- has lived in SLO all the way back ture in agriculture [in SLO], but from the late 1700s. I am the if I want to pursue other careers I eighth generation of my family. might have more success in other Sophomore Tessa Moore: My areas. family has lived here for around Moore: I would love to think I seventy years. My dad grew up will live here in the future. I love here and my mom has been in small towns with a lot of land. the area most her life. My grand- Houses and acreage in SLO is very parents moved here after they expensive which is why I think I got married. might move. Sophomore Gavin Righetti: My Expressions: What is something extended family has lived in SLO unique or interesting about your since the 1870s. family’s history here in SLO not Expressions: What do you like many people know? or dislike the most about living Baird: My great great grandpa in SLO? came from Switzerland in a boat Baird: I love our small little com- and wanted to go back but he munity here in SLO. My friends couldn’t afford it, so he stayed and family make living here ab- here. My grandma had a business solutely amazing. There are so many great pecially my dad, know so many people. in the Sinsheimer building in downtown opportunities available to everyone. I ab- My grandparents also know so many SLO. She was there for twenty years solutely love it here! people because they love to be social. selling Christmas goods. That building Moore: I love living in SLO because it’s Righetti: I feel like I don’t know a lot of is now home to a restaurant called Gi- a relatively small town. You can walk people that know my family. I don’t think useppe’s. around town and know people, but it’s everyone knows my family. Moore: My family owns Forden’s Fire- big enough that you can meet new peo- Expressions: Has anyone else in your places, which was started by Stan Forden ple every day. I don’t like how there are so family ever gone to SLOHS before? in 1939. many new buildings and houses because Baird: All of my dad’s family attended Righetti: Ernest Righetti High School I don’t want our town to get bigger. There SLOHS: him and his four other sisters, was named after my great great grandpa. December 2019 feature 9 THE PERFECT FAMILY DOESN’T EXIST By Reporter Sebastian Ramirez Some San Luis Obispo High School students seem to have no Everyone needs to view social media with caution and with the family flaws, no personal conflicts, and a seemingly perfect family knowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect family. You may that they plaster all over social media. People viewing these images not know a family’s struggles, their flaws, or their personal issues, online may begin to think that other families are perfect, when in but these things do exist in every family. The family unit is a dy- reality no family in this world is perfect. namic, ever changing organism. Like Wieneke said, there are no People only portray the highlights and good aspects of their fam- perfect people on this planet, so families can never be perfect. ilies on the internet. Most don’t put their family’s ugliness or dys- Far too many families treat different children in different ways. function on Facebook or Instagram for the world to see, although That may seem like a good idea on the surface, as we are all indi- we all have that one friend who chooses to air their dirty laundry viduals needing individual treatment, but that’s not always the case. on social media on a fairly regular basis. “Not every family is perfect, every single family has their flaws “I think no family really is perfect because we all have our own just like mine, but it doesn’t get in the way of getting along,” said problems to take care, of such as problems going on in the family or junior Jack O’Brien. just necessities. The perfect person doesn’t exist, which means no Social media may portray perfect families, but in reality each fam- family is perfect,” said senior Gabe Wieneke. ily is unique and flawed. Their Genes May Not Be the Same, But Our Love for Them Doesn’t Change Illustration courtesy of Lily Rogers By Reporters Brielle Machado and Lily Rogers

Most students at San Luis Obispo High sophomore Liberty Massman. family and are not genetically related. School love their family members deeply, There are other ways people can have fam- “My entire [adopted] family, who I live even though it is not a romantic type of ily that’s not related to them. Some ways with now, and a lot of close friends are love. Some students believe that this type include having a step-family, or having an people who I consider family. It’s hard to of love can be felt towards close friends as adopted family. Adopted children are often explain [being adopted]. It’s like getting a well, even if they aren’t related by blood or second chance to be with a good family,” connected through marriage. said Hatley. “I don’t think family is determined by Accepting people who weren’t born into blood relation. To me, it just depends on if a family also creates a new definition of the they love and support you, regardless of ge- word “family.” Google defines family as “all netics. I think being part of a family means the descendants of a common ancestor,” to be supported, loved, and accepted in ev- meaning that descendants must be genet- erything that you do,” said freshman Faith ically related. However, some students dis- Hatley. agree with this, and pose their own possible A lot of SLOHS students have people they definitions for the word. consider family who aren’t biologically re- “One definition of mine would be like the lated to them, such as a godparent, aunt, or actual family is by blood, but another fami- uncle. However, the love felt for these peo- ly is by the heart. Friends can become fam- ple is still strong, so they join the family as ily, in the sense that they’re there for you an honorary member. when you can’t go to your [actual] family,” “My mom’s best friend I consider my aunt, said senior Evelyn Hernandez. and her daughter is like my cousin. They’re No matter what size, color, or kind a fami- both very fun, they take care of me just like treated the same as regular children, and ly is, they are all bound by love and support: family would, and I’ve known them my en- they are loved just the same. The only dif- love that comes from the hearts of every tire life, so I just consider them family,” said ference is that they weren’t born into their member. 10 Sports Editor: Alexis Haas Photos courtesy of Reporter Anthony Arroyo The Uncovered Mysteries of By Reporter Anthony Arroyo the Football Locker Room On the field, football games are considered especially intense. At San Luis Obispo High School the dedicated players who play these games are members of an elite squad known as the SLOHS football team. This is their fiction. Once upon a time there was a football team that went to San opened a haunting smell leaked out and hit the handsome men Luis Obispo High School. This group of talented and ripped boys waiting. climbed Taylor Mountain, their sweating biceps and rock hard “Here we go boys, no turning back now,” said Massive Orange abs glistening in the sun as a bald eagle Deagel. The boys ran in with determi- screeched overhead. As they reached nation to beat the ugly monster that the top, Grandmaster Pat Johnston told was called football practice. The boys the team old, lost stories about his ca- noticed a strange red sword that glowed reer at Cal Poly. in the distance. Tony the Bengal walked “Brothers, our adventure is almost towards it with fear in his eyes. As his over,” said Tomato Cole. Drip Too Hard hand moved towards it he could feel the Soltero looked over at Tomato Cole cooling power of the blade. SMACK! with motivation in his eyes. The blade flung into Tony the Bengal’s “Hopefully, when this over, we can re- hand. He threw the blade in the air and lax and have bro time in our dungeon the boys were instantly cooled off from of a locker room,” said Drip Too Hard the scorching heat. Soltero. “Now that’s what I’m talking about, As the group of handsome boys baby,” said Barson Beedom. The boys reached the entrance, they waited for the Grand Master to open cheered in excitement as they geared up and sang a Katy Perry the door of undying smell with his majestic key. When the door song, ready to slay Football Practice, the ugly monster.

Chapter II : The Battle of Pioneer battle began and the Mighty Tigers turned the battle into their At lunch the boys came together to talk about the battle they favor right away. were going to face against the evil Pioneer Valley. The Tigers battled hard all night, sacrificing so many rock The young born leader Toyota Corona stepped onto the podi- hard abs and massive biceps. This was the year that The Mighty um and looked at his team, who were gazing at him expectantly. Tigers, with their glistering biceps and rock hard abs, would “Gentlemen, we are here, now listen to me when I say this. conquer Pioneer Valley. Slowly but surely, the Pioneer Panthers These guys will stop at nothing to ruin your season. They have began to fall and The Mighty Tigers began to rise. nothing to win for, while we have everything. This is their Super “My brothers, it’s over, the war is over. Pioneer is no longer a Bowl,” said Toyota Corona. threat to San Luis Obispo High School. We can finally rest,” said They entered the field. The determination in the Tiger’s eyes Grandmaster Johnson. filled the crowd with so much energy that they began scream- “Now let’s get out of here boys, so we can go lift and oil our ing. muscles,” said Toyota Corona. Chucky Krill stepped back to blow the horn. His amazing bi- Everybody cheered and climbed onto the dragon. The dragon ceps and massive calves fueled him as he blew the horn. The took off and slowly flew away into the distance. December 2019 SPORTS 11 Snowflakes Fall and Winter Activity Photo Courtesy of freshman Lucy Reed Comes to Life By Reporter Brielle Machado

One small joy that is missing from San Luis Obispo High School snowboard], water-ski rather than wakeboard, rollerblade rather is snow. It never falls from the sky in its delightful little snow- than skateboard,” said special education teacher Adam Basch. flakes, and never piles on the ground in wonderfully soft, mold- One small disadvantage for skiers and snowboarders is that there able heaps. is no snow in SLO. This causes many students to travel to other Some examples of snow sports are skiing and snowboarding, places to be able to participate in these sports. which involve sliding down steep hills that are topped with snow. “[I ski] mostly in Utah because we have family down there, it just Skiing and snowboarding are fast-paced sports that create a feel- makes the trip easier,” said freshman Jared Treichler. ing of exhilaration, a feeling that lasts even when one reaches the Most of the time, students do not have to travel as far as Utah to bottom of the hill. People who love that feeling quickly fall in love find a place with snow. There are many ski resorts in California, with these sports. some less than four hours away from SLO. Traveling there can “I’ve skied my whole life, it makes me feel free and it’s something make a fun weekend trip during the winter. Some of these places that I do to relieve stress. It’s very fun and enjoyable,” said fresh- include China Peak, about three hour and 45 minutes northeast of man Lucy Reed SLO, and Mammoth Mountain, around six hours from SLO. Skiing and snowboarding are similar in some ways, but anyone There are also a lot of places around Lake Tahoe, such as Alpine who has tried both realizes that they are drastically different. One Meadows and Squaw Valley, both of which are about six and a half such difference could be that skiing allows one’s feet to remain hours away. separate, while snowboarding binds both feet to one board. “I like Squaw Valley, just because it has a lot of difficult sections “I think skiing is a lot easier for beginners because they can stay of mountain. [There’s also] lots of tree skiing, [which] I like,” said more balanced, and they can move their feet individually. [In] Kruekel. snowboarding, your feet are stuck on to the [board], you can fall Since it never snows in SLO, it can be disappointing that students over really easily, so it takes a little bit more balance,” said sopho- never get to regularly ski or snowboard. But no matter which way more Carson Kruekel. one gets down the hill, traveling with the whole family and hitting Skiers also say that they have more control and can more easily the slopes is a great way to spend winter break and other holidays. balance on their board. “I like my feet to face forward in all those sports. [Ski rather than Athlete? More like not in Class-lete By Reporters Mia Robinson and Ronan Biggs

Student athletes at San Luis Obispo High School are constantly I was planning to participate in,” said sophomore golfer Olivia faced with late nights, overdue homework, and missed classes due Huff. to the demands of their sports. During their season, athletes tend Leaving campus before the school day is over means that the to miss an exorbitant amount of school because of all the prac- athletes have to make up the things that they missed the next day. tices, matches, and meets they have to attend. All This can either cause athletes to become behind in this missed school can increase students’ anxiety school or make them more efficient in their time levels and force them to spend extra time on their management. schoolwork. “Running actually helps me do better in school, “We missed a lot of school because we left early because it helps keep me focused on my work,” said in fourth period, but if you are good at making up senior cross country runner Colton Campa. your work, it is okay,” said sophomore swimmer Besides running behind schedule in class, athletes Naya Koc. also have to stay up later because they get home lat- Swimming, golf, and cross country are all noto- er. They still have to do the same amount of home- rious for leaving early in the day. This is due to the work as everyone else, despite having to also go to fact that their events often last multiple hours. The after school practices and games. dismissal times for these events range from lunch- Constantly being behind in classes is just one of time to the beginning of the fourth period. the sacrifices student athletes make. Although some “We always left early for our matches, so I missed student athletes have their school work under con- a lot of school. Making up tests would be hard because I would trol, and are even motivated by their sports to succeed, most still have to go in during lunch and miss the clubs and activities that struggle academically. Editor: Sylas 12 Arts & Entertainment Grove Basil’s Half Page Doctor’s Orders: By Columnist Basil Lloyd-Moffet “Ah, look at all that booty,” sighed Noah Webster, gazing out at the country he Drink Dr. Pepper! helped found. Webster, of course, was America’s premier lexicographer and spell- ing reformer, and “booty” was his proposed spelling of “beauty.” But just because not all of his spelling changes stood the test of time doesn’t mean we should aban- By Reporter Sophia Campbell don them forever: in fact, we need innovation in spelling now more than ever. Even before Webster’s heyday, English spelling was quite fluid. William Shake- speare, for example, never spelled his name the same way in any of his six verified signatures, and where has historically been spelled wher, whair, wair, wheare, were, whear, and more. This variability in spelling is partially a result of the numerous Students at San Luis Obispo High School are languages which English draws from, and our inexplicable tendency to want to in a feud. They are fighting over which is the -su keep the spelling practices of those languages. This is especially evident in a word perior soda: Dr. Pepper or Coke? Drop a Mento like colonel, where we took the French pronunciation and the Italian spelling into the fued and it could all explode. (hence the imaginary r sound). Occasionally words are also changed in pursuit “I think Dr. Pepper is best just because it tastes of some vague academic standard: 17th century intellectuals added the b to debt better,” said senior Jacob Kabaker. and to doubt, the s to island, the h to anchor, and the hy to rhyme (once rime) in Coca-Cola was invented in 1886, so it’s had an attempt to make them conform more exactly to their Latin roots. In other cases, more time to gain a following than Dr. Pepper. words have changed for seemingly no good reason: no one knows, for example, But Dr. Pepper is a very popular drink too, so why hindrance lost the e of hinder, or where the u went in the word forty. As a re- the competition is tight. At this point, it’s up to sult, we have an enormously inconsistent spelling system, where the simple sound the students to decide which is better. sh can be shown 14 different ways (shoot, sugar, mission, gracious, ocean, nation, “For me, Coke tastes better, so it’s the better of champagne, pressure, official, patient, issue, partial, Russia). the two,” said sophomore Tatiann Gumbs. To remedy this, numerous prominent figures in history have dedicated them- For a while, the results were pretty even among selves to figuring out simple ways to write and spell English. Benjamin Franklin, the interviewed students. for example, created his own alphabet by removing the letters c, j, q, w, x, and y and “My dad likes Dr. Pepper, so I like Dr. Pepper,” replacing them with six of his own creation. Theordore Roosevelt (or Rozevult, said freshman Ellie Pearson. to critics of this particular policy) advocated for simpler spellings and even tried “Coke tastes better and it’s not too bubbly,” said to write them into law, such as kist instead of kissed. Andrew Carniege donated freshman Lucy Moseley. 250,000 dollars to a board advocating simpler spellings in America, and mathe- But one student took Moseley to task, refuting matician Alexander Ellis declared that there were 81,997,920 ways to spell scissors her point of Dr. Pepper being too bubbly. (most shockingly, he thought sizerz was the best of them). “Dr. Pepper is way better. It tastes better and it’s Most of these super spelling creations, shockingly, did not catch on. Furthermore, just better than Coke. The carbonation is what the rise of computers with automatic spell check has essentially destroyed the pos- makes it good,” said freshman Joel Schloss. sibility of any future spelling innovation, even innovation that could be widely The interviewees seem to have made their final supported by the public. Not only does that stop the progress of an ever-evolving decision. Dr. Pepper is better than Coke, and language, but it stifles creativity: spelling should be a realm of thematic expression. that’s that. It should be as open to experimentation as grammer or form is to the contempo- rary writer. And that brings us to Webster, a man so intellectually badass that he was involved in something called “The Dictionary Wars.” He did make some mistakes: wimmin is not likely to replace women anytime soon, for example, but most of his sugges- tions have stood the test of time. Hainous, for example, is far more suitable than heinous. Bread, not strictly a phonetic spelling in itself, is much better as bred. We would do well to begin working these spellings into our daily lives. Other people have also proposed interesting ideas for reform. George Bernard Shaw, for example, advocated strongly for getting rid of apostrophes in contrac- tions. Cant is read just as easily as can’t, and shouldnt clearly means shouldn’t, so why should we use the extra symbol? Won’t is also a strange contraction: it should be willn’t, or, if we listen to Shaw, willnt. Either way, we should follow the example of Noah Webster: a man who teaches, above all, that we should not be bound by arbitrary rules, nor should we lose points Illustration courtesy of Sophia Campbell for misspelling words in English essays. December 2019 Arts & Entertainment 13 SLOHS Theatre: Thespian Lives Matter! By Reporter Kathryn ZagRodny

Photo courtesy of Celia Lober During lunch on October 23, room 101 was packed full of San last school year, a group of theater students came to administration Luis Obispo High School theater participants, as well as many fans with complaints about the student directors being unfair in their and supporters of the drama club. The purpose of this meeting, casting decisions and only casting their friends. led by vice principal Julie Mamo, was to inform students about the Although the majority of those students have already graduat- current situation regarding drama performances. ed, this is unfortunately a legitimate issue that administration is Prior to the meeting, both the drama and improv clubs were told trying to address. To prevent unfair treatment, they stated that they were not allowed to have shows, and the drama club was not there would be no student directed shows this year and they also allowed to have club meetings. Although administration never emphasized wanting to create a core group of teachers who would made a clear statement as to why this was the case, most people support the drama program with this new policy However, these assumed it was due to the lack of a performance space. . intentions were very poorly communicated to the attendees of the But as members of the theater department clearly expressed on October 23, there are many other locations they could perform in. meeting, and more harm was done. Taylor gym, outside in the art quad, or a number of off campus In the moments following the meeting, many ideas were thrown locations could be utilized. In fact, back in 2016, the SLOHS drama around by students as to what would happen next. club performed their spring musical, “Guys and Dolls,” outside in “Having an independent show was kind of my original idea, be- the quad. cause if we don’t have enough teachers to do a show, and it seems It was revealed at the meeting that a lack of a performance space like we all want to do shows, to me it just made the most sense to was not the main issue. Rather the main issue issue was, as vice do something that was independent,” said senior Shea Colborn. principal Julie Mamo put it, Other ideas such as writing letters to the editor of the Tribune, “We don’t have enough manpower.” For various reasons, the SLOHS theater teachers are stretched too thin and none of them parents speaking at school board meetings, or even having a walk are able to supervise shows this year. out were all proposed. In the end, after several meetings between The students in the meeting took issue with this, considering how administration and the club members, a settlement was reached. all but one of the shows last year were student directed. Students Administration promised one stand alone show with rehearsal expressed how they felt very capable of directing their own shows space, an on campus location, and open casting (everyone who this year, but the time no further reasons or explanations were giv- auditions gets in). Students will not be involved in the casting but en and students were left feeling unheard and disrespected. will be able to help with other aspects of the show. Professional Many students, especially seniors, were left in tears after being told they weren’t going to be able to have any shows their senior help will hopefully be brought in to aid in casting and directing. year. Although the drama department would love to do more shows, “It looked like they weren’t really caring about anyone’s emotions,” it’s very fortunate that they still get to do this one. We can expect said junior Isaac Garcia. amazing performances from our students this year, regardless However, the very reason administration decided to stop student of the fact that our campus has no theater, and the advisors are directed shows was because of students’ emotions. At the end of stretched too thin. 14 PEOPLE Editor: Celia Lober Smashing Stories of Coolest Cars of SLOHS Crashes SLOHS

By Reporter Bayley Perlmutter By Reporter Sully Medici

At San Luis Obispo High School, most of the student drivers are on High school is normally the time kids learn to drive, and many their first or second year of driving. Because of this, many students students at San Luis Obispo High School have their own car that lack experience. Expressions set out to interview a few drivers who they can drive to school. But some students have nicer cars than have crashed their cars in their first years of driving. others; they are maybe fancier or faster. SLOHS Expressions set out “So I was heading to school in the morning and I was in Atascade- to find some of the coolest cars around campus. ro. There was a lot of traffic and everyone had suddenly slammed “I drive a 2008 Porsche Cayman. I like that it’s small and quick on their brakes. I was looking behind me to make sure the person but still has an ample amount of room for the stuff I need to take behind me wasn’t gonna hit me, and when I looked back in front with me. It has a mid-engine, so it corners well and gives you extra of me, everyone had stopped. It was too late to try and brake, so trunk space in the front. I like the manual transmission; it makes I turned to try not to hit the car in front of me, and when I did, I you feel like you are actively driving the car and has more pick-up barely clipped them. That flipped me on my side, and my car just in the lower gears when passing. I drive 40 minutes each way to started rolling,” said senior Logan Todd. and from school, so having a car I enjoy driving is important to Car accidents can vary in severity, from rolling your car over to just me,” said band director Mrs. Jesky, who also owns a 1966 Shelby colliding bumpers. GT350-H Mustang. “I was driving a rental car while my family was on vacation in Lake Not only are these classic cars fun to drive, but their looks are also Tahoe, and I went to go pick up pizzas. As I was leaving the pizza an important part of why they have so much value. place, I was backing out of the parking spot and I hit the car next to “I drive a ‘64 Ford Fairlane 500 Sports Coupe. I call her Lorraine. me, which was also a rental car. I hit my front driver side bumper The best part of driving the car is the authentic feeling of cruis- on their passenger side back bumper,” said senior Jayde Malzone. ing down a street with Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry in the back- Accidents like these are preventable, but students don’t have enough ground and the vacant smell of cigarettes from its previous owners. experience to realize this. This lack of experience can be especially These little things truly preserve the image of the car as it would apparent in parking lots. have been driven in 1964. My favorite feature is the two tone Ra- “So it was 3:10 in the SLOHS parking lot; I was driving my Land ven Black and Wimbledon White. Its original paint paired with the Rover. I was backing up, and I look in the mirror and see a small- black vinyl bucket seats and the original chrome trim only adds to er box car backing up also, so I slammed on my brakes and start the preservation of a beautiful piece of American engineering,” said beeping my horn. They didn’t stop, and the next thing I know the senior Grant Cindrich. other car slams right into the back of my car. I was a little bit turned These cars are special to the owners as well as those who get to because I was about to reverse, so her back windshield went into the look at them and admire them. side of my car and shattered,” said senior Dane Treur. December 2019 People 15 Student Perspective on OCD: How Olivia Dong Combats Her Condition things a certain number of times.” little moments come back to me: someone By Basil Lloyd-Moffett She would have to touch her school lock- laughs as they organize their binder, telling er 64 times before walking away, for ex- me how they’re so OCD about keeping it The new mural is about twelve feet long ample, or carefully count her steps before neat; the person next to me tells me how and five feet high. From its left side, col - bed every night to satisfy her mind that they’re totally OCD because they like their ored patterns burst forth and stretch tenta- her family was safe, something that would pencils to be lined up; my English teach- cle-like across the canvas, framing a central take around 70 minutes. In total, she had er stands at the front of the room and she blue swath with painted dots and kaleido- around 60 actions that she had to carry out laughs at a story about a boy with OCD, scopic swirls. Across the blue, in huge, yel- every day. laughs as he traces his steps home over and low letters, it reads “You Are Loved.” “It just takes precedence over everything. over again, laughs as he hits himself over Sitting in front of me is the artist who In the moment you don’t want to hate it, the head repeatedly and rocks, silently, in designed it, senior Olivia Dong. Bespecta- you want to do what it tells you,” says Dong. bed at night, not sleeping, and she laughs cled and holding her sketchbook in front Her journey towards managing her OCD and laughs and laughs... of her, her quiet demeanor is offset by her has not been any easier. In therapy sessions Olivia is calm. What once caused her to art, which is both unique and bold. A quick starting in middle school, she would be feel shame and embarrassment has now scroll through her Instagram reveals a ven- forced to watch movies depicting her worst been worn and polished by repetition into erable cornucopia of artistic achievement: fears: ones that her obessions centered a dull exercise, where a joke or comment rainbows course through brain’s neu- around, like death, hanging, and rape. about OCD simply brings a sense of disap- ral pathways; crowns tumble from ropes She has also been able to channel her frus- pointed anger. drawn from five hundred dots; light and trations into art, an activity she describes “We just haven’t educated the people who dark blend together and pull apart to form as a cathartic vehicle for her emotions. need to be educated,” she says. “I don’t eyes and ears, eyes that stare back at you Against the rigid demands of her mind, think they’re fundamentally bad people, like you’re looking into a mirror. But one and against the hard responses of therapy it’s just that society has fostered this stigma post stands out. and medication, art pours out in prismatic and culture of misconception around OCD Across a blank white page is scrawled, pools. that people need to be more aware of.” over and over, “ocd is not organization.” “I probably make art to either feel some- I ask her what she would say to people still Over the words are eight thick red lines, thing or to feel nothing,” she says, in an struggling with OCD. like bloody slashes into a body. almost poetic turn of phrase. And as her “It’s easy to say it, but never stop fight- The caption begins with the same words. condition has improved, her art has too. ing. It’s gonna make you feel like giving up “OCD is not organization,” it says. “It is a “I feel like instead of losing a part of my- completely, but each time you pick yourself bully.” self I’ve definitely found a part of myself, up the fight gets a little easier.” For Olivia, this is a bully that has been everything I’ve lost, like my confidence in For now, Olivia’s mural will hang on a haunting her for almost her whole life. myself, which throughout middle school campus wall, whispering to all who pass “I remember having these little routines made me really quiet and shy - now that it about a world where they are loved, and thoughts about having to do things a I’ve been through it, I feel like I know I can and therefore accepted, a world becoming certain way to prevent things from hap- counter anything that comes against me,” more real every day… a world where even pening way back. I didn’t realize how out says Dong. a small, glasses-wearing artist, who used to of the ordinary they were,” says Dong. Only recently, however, has she been have to tap her locker 64 times everytime OCD is a type of mental disorder that ready to talk about it in public. she opened it, can make an impact. manifests itself in obsessions and compul- “When I first started coping with it in Photos courtesy Olivia Dong sions. Obsessions are thoughts or worries middle school, I would never in a thou- that take over the person’s mind involun- sand years bring it up to my classmates or tarily, while compulsions are how they sat- my friends or anything, but now that I’m in isfy those obsessions: often irrational, and high school and I’ve heard more jokes and often hopelessly time consuming. misconceptions, I’ve definitely opened up “A lot of what I did was tapping and to talking about it more.” checking, like I would check if the faucets These jokes and comments about OCD are were turned off, or the light switches were common; you can hear them in practically turned off, but a lot of it was also tapping every class. Even as we speak, dozens of December 2019 Editor: Nayah Holmes Back 16 Holiday Buying Guide Holiday Cookie Recipe

By Reporter Kathryn ZagRodny By Reporter Eleanor Mann

It’s that time of the year again: time for San Luis Obispo A lot of students like to spend the winter holiday baking cook- High School students to open up their wallets, smash their ies or fun holiday treats, but they don’t necessarily have a set piggy banks, look under their couch cushions, and beg for recipe. spare change on the streets. It’s time to buy friends and fam- “I bake sugar cookies. No [I don’t have a specific recipe], I just ily gifts for the holidays. bake anything that looks good,” said freshman Lucy Mosely. Panic begins to ensue, blood pressures rise, and the end Here’s one fun recipe you can bake this holiday season. seems near. But this doesn’t have to be the fate of all students Ingredients who find themselves in this life or death situation. Cookies : “I have zero money right now, so I think I’ll just get 1 stick Unsalted butter something simple, like a pirate. Not the full ship, I think that •1 ½ cups Confectioners’ Sugar would be pretty hard to do, just a regular pirate,” said senior •2 Eggs Joe Wilson. •1 teaspoon vanilla extract One popular money saving holiday hack, which is semi •2 ½ cups all-purpose flour controversial but effective, is regifting. A scented candle is a •¼ teaspoon salt nice gift for any teacher who keeps forgetting to round that Prep 89 to a ninety. The gel highlighter by Sharpie is a great in- •10 min expensive gift for any sibling who fails to remember to shut •Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. the bedroom door. Directions “When I only have two dollars, I go to the thrift shop. I like Cookies : to buy funny sweaters or outfits, or random little nick nacks •In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with an electric from the shelves, like books,” said junior Rachel Loberstein. mixer on medium high speed. These are great gifts for a grandma with a good sense of •Add in the eggs, vanilla, and salt. humor, or a pet squirrel whose inner Bob Ross really brings •Reduce speed to low and add in flour, mix until smooth. those happy little trees to life. •Roll out dough to ¼ inch But at the end of the day, money doesn’t matter, and it re- •Use cookie cutters to get desired shapes ally is the thought that counts. In our pursuit of buying gifts •Cook until a light golden brown for loved ones, we can often forget the true meaning of the •Let cool source: Betty Crocker holidays, which is to make oneself the favorite child, friend, or student, by buying the most thoughtful gift. A lot of students like to spend the winter holiday baking cookies or fun holiday treats, but they don’t necessarily have a set recipe. “I bake sugar cookies. [Do you have a specificHow Christmas to Play cookie Driedel recipe you like to us] no not really I just bake anything that looks good.” freshman Lucy Mosely There are many fun things you can bake and this is one of them By Reporter Amanda Angel Ingredients Cookies Dreidel is a game that many San Luis Obispo High School embossed with a menorah. The menorah signifies seven days • students 1 stick play Unsalted during the butter Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The of light and human knowledge. • game, 1 ½ which cups is Confectioners’ based off of a Sugar German top game, involves For this fun activity you will need two or more friends, • spinning 2 Eggs a four-sided top with different letters of the Hebrew a dreidel, and small objects such as chocolate gelt, pennies, • alphabet 1 teaspoon on it signifying vanilla either extract take all (gimel), take half (hei), or beans. • put one 2 ½ in cups (shin) all-purpose , or do nothing flour (nun). Each player will put an equal amount of these objects in the “Whenever I played dreidel with my family, we played with center to bargain with when playing. Then each player will • chocolate ¼ teaspoon gelt. It was salt a lot of fun,” said senior Tristan Rodgers. take turns spinning the dreidel, following the instructions of Prep “Gelt”, which literally translates to “money,” is a type of whatever side the dreidel lands. When a player runs out of • small 10 coin min that is given to children around Hanukkah. They their objects, they are out, and when one player has acquired • are used Preheat to make oven bets to when 350 playing degrees driedel. F. Possibly the most all of the objects in the center, they win! Directionscommon gelt is chocolate gelt, which is covered in gold foil