December 2023

Op-Ed: Money Gifts: Efficient or Cop Out?

By Harlow Gil

November 28, 2023

Have you ever received a gift you adored? Something that you desperately wanted, or the perfect surprise? A gift from a loved one that was chosen with thought and care? With the holiday season fast approaching, those who celebrate Christmas are waiting in anticipation to give and receive presents between family and friends. Though some dread the inevitable arrival of “bad gifts,” like socks, generic hygiene products, and of course the thoughtless and tacky Christmas gift staple; cash. But is being gifted money really as heartless as it seems?

While most wish that they could be given gifts that all cater to current interests, this may be hard to do for geographically distant or less spoken to relatives. This can lead to said relatives guessing and assuming what their family members want.

According to Forbes, studies show that over 35% of Christmas gifts are returned each year. But when you are given money instead, you can buy anything you want, and don't have to worry about returning items. In my opinion, I would much rather receive money that could go toward something I really wanted, rather than have someone guess and then feel disappointment and go through a tedious return process.

Contributing to a loved-one's savings fund is another way to give money as a gift. Let’s say someone wants to save up for something expensive, like a house appliance or a vacation. Wouldn't it be amazing if someone were to contribute even a bit of money to those savings? This also ensures that your gift will be meaningful and useful. 

Plus, there are actually quite a few approaches to money that can be gifted creatively and thoughtfully. Users on Pinterest have given many ideas on giving money in fun ways, like folding dollars into christmas trees and taping them on a card, or creating a “money tree” by wrapping bills around a potted plant’s leaves. 

And if you are really set on not wanting money for Christmas, you could do what I like to do with my loved ones: make and exchange wish lists. That way, they know what to look for. Fair warning, though, if you send the same list to many people, you could end up with a duplicate. Communicate to your loved ones which type of present you'd like to receive!

Girls Basketball Off to a Strong Start

By Montana Tiffany

December 8 2023

The girls basketball season has begun on a strong note, with both the Varsity and JV teams off to optimistic starts. 

Last season the Varsity team went 16-9, placing 3rd in the Mission division after falling to Soledad in the championships, but the team has high expectations for this year. ”I think the team will be way better this year, not just with how we were playing, but the team as a whole,” said Melina Jones, a senior member of the Varsity team.

The Varsity team’s season started off with a loss, but the team quickly bounced back. “Our very first game wasn’t our very best game, but I think that’s because we weren't able to have any scrimmages before so it was our very first game, and we were still trying to get the jist of our chemistry,” said Jones.

The loss was quickly followed up by two wins during a three game tournament. “When we got to our tournament we did really well in our first two games, and in our last game we sadly lost to Stevenson, it wasn't a terrible loss, we just had bad refs and our good players fouled out,” said Jones. 

The JV team is undefeated this season, having four wins. Nataly Espiritu is a sophomore on JV, she believes the team’s closeness has helped them greatly this year. ”Our greatest strength is that we’re not really a team, we’re a family,” said Espiritu, “we’re all friends, and if we weren't friends before we’re friends now.”

Not only has the team come together off the court, their chemistry has helped them be a better team on the court. Espiritu claims their family dynamic has helped the team understand each other more. 

This dynamic has also been applied to the Varsity team. “We don't really have expectations this year, it’s more like let’s just play together, work together, have good chemistry, and be ourselves together,” said Jones, adding that the group was a team as well as a family. 

With the way both the JV and Varsity team's overall athleticism, strength, and chemistry have worked together through the beginning of the year, it is easy to believe the teams could go far this year.

Fiction Piece: The Study

By Scarlett King

November 29, 2023

Dark drapes hung from a single golden rod, suspended above the Duke’s window. Years had passed since Lady Lavenchester last set foot in her father’s study. The room was filled with a musty darkness, it made her skin crawl. The slight scent of bourbon arose from a half drunk glass. Ledgers of old lined the back wall. The Lady remained silent as she crept towards an old desk. 

She remembered how her father used to sit for hours in the dimly lit room, working his way through the stacks of paper on his desk. He used to glare when she passed him in the hall. Lady Lavenchester remembered that feeling vividly. 

She snuck her figures under a sheet of paper, gazing at the page. 

“Hah,” Lady Lavenchester sighed, her tone just as stiff as the wrinkled parchment. “Father…” She trailed off. 

With great strength she flung the parchment away from her body, settling to her knees. 

“All your time was spent here, but you seem to hold just as much disdain for this place as I.” The Lady’s voice cracked as she lifted her palm to her mouth. 

It was the first time Lady Lavenchester had voiced her feelings, though it was only a fraction of the truth. Some emotions were too complex to explain. The only way she could communicate was through action. Lifting the glass into the air, she threw it on to the carpet, her disdain for it was clear on her features.

That office was all that was truly left of her father. She had always cowered in his presence, shattering his favorite glass was the only thing she could do to express her bitter feelings.

AMP Field Trip to Berkeley 

By Ryan Spencer

November 28th, 2023

Monterey High School’s Art, Media, and Performance Academy (AMP) students went on a field trip on November 30th 2023, to UC Berkeley and watched a show from a professional company at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. 

This field trip was led by Mrs. McMercury and all of AMP staff for the purpose of teaching AMP students about effects, language, and more about the art of theater. The play was loved by many AMP students and will help in their acting careers.

Seeing these shows and art galleries, and even colleges, get the students encouraged about their future. Exploring a variety of colleges is particularly important to students and they got the chance to explore the UC Berkeley campus and have a better picture if that college is right for them. The play was a separate professional company that performed, and the students were able to experience, and learn more at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The students were introduced to the concepts of the play Bulrusher, and then enjoyed watching it.

The play itself had many different effects; they had live water acting as a river and two actors were even fully submerged in it for a time. It used a clever poetic writing style, and plenty of twists and turns in the plot showed AMP students what they can do. Willow Cotè (‘26) enjoyed the play with her friends and learned how to break theater traditional boundaries/how to think outside the box. 

The students were encouraged to speak during the Q&A afterwards and share information to one another about their experience. It’s important to understand how much of a shared effort goes into the play including but not limited to the lighting, scenery, costumes, and more helps expand our knowledge ever further, and opens their minds to more parts of the arts. These student’s future careers advance every field trip by giving new experiences to remember.

AMP students are expected to take classes which include visual media, and performing arts as an integrated education. This also Includes the after school shows which assist in their professional training. The students participate in shows at the school which means they have to take extra time allotted to them to get their assignments done, especially during school hours. 

AMP students have the time to do their assignments, but Willow is cautious to ensure her good grades. This is how she handles some of the stress: “‘I have a checklist of all my assignments that need to be done, and label the hardest and/or most important. I keep reminders around me as well, like sticky notes on my chromebook.’” This shows that she is dedicated to her education and has a strong spirit, like all AMP students.

The play was a good experience for them, seeing how much more they can go is a great motivator. Future field trips will continue helping AMP students in their goals. Having arts at the high school and college level allows the students to participate and watch shows, it helps them improve their knowledge as an actor, and hone into their performances and skill set. 

Op-Ed: Do The Opinions Of Others Really Matter?

By Xaria Cisneros

November 16, 2023

As people, we’re surrounded by the opinions of others everyday. Opinions are shared online, in person, and everywhere in between. However, the opinions that people share with others should always be taken with a grain of salt. Sure, there are positive opinions that make people feel confident, but what about the opinions that people share that aren’t really worth sharing?

According to a recent survey sent out by the Newport Academy, young teenagers are more likely to see what others believe about them according to their appearance or personalities, more than young adults. This is dangerous because it can ultimately make one lose their own sense of who they are and how they would like to be perceived.

Speaking from personal experience, it’s difficult to block out harmful words from others. It takes strength to focus on ourselves, without changing anything about us to feel validated by people. For me, it’s taken a while to dismiss negative thoughts about myself, and I still continue to struggle with it at times. I feel like it’s specifically harder for teenagers to overcome these opinions because we’re growing and learning, and we naturally want to be liked. It can put one in a vulnerable position, especially when we let ourselves care too much.

Maybe some people truly don’t care for the thoughts of other people, but there are people who take others' opinions into consideration often.  Perhaps the opinions of people who are against you simply don’t understand the context in your life. The thoughts and the way people perceive one in a way that is negative without a doubt has the ability to negatively impact how one defines themselves and their personal viewing of themself. In other words, it can destroy one’s self-image, but only if we let it. 

As humans, it’s normal to critique ourselves, and at some point, the opinions of others don’t help with that. Whether people have an opinion on appearances, humor, or status, they really don’t matter. At the end of the day, as long as we’re able to remember what makes one special and have self-confidence, we can make our lives so much better by focusing on ourselves. 

Op-Ed: Teacher’s Payment Problem

By Scarlett King

December 5, 2023

The job of a teacher is to assist their students in education. They are the ones that show young children how to read and write, recognize a function, label the different parts of a cell, as well as how to do more practical things, like argue a position or prepare for the future. 

Despite the massive help teachers provide, they only receive so much in return. It's common to hear teachers complain about their wages, though to one not well acquainted with exactly what they mean, there is only so much sympathy to spare. 

In California, a teacher's starting salary is between 38,000-42,000 USD. Depending on the district, years of experience, and time spent in college, those numbers might fluctuate. While a starting salary tends to be lower than usual wages, considering the housing and living expenses in California, it would only be natural that those who do so much in assisting with education would receive higher pay. 

Other countries in similar financial states as America pay educators more than what is common here. Additionally, America is one of the top spenders on education, yet, that money often goes towards buying things that don't necessarily pertain to learning. Meanwhile, the needs of the educators are held less important than new playground equipment.

At some point schools usually come into a sum of money, either it is collected from parents, raised in an event, or won in a kind of raffle. However, while schools will occasionally allow students to choose what the funds go to, the result is more likely than not some kind of needless addition. 

While hearing the opinions of students is taken into account while organizing and coordinating events, the opinions of the staff tends to be of lesser importance. There are plenty of after school responsibilities educators have to worry about. These responsibilities include both personal matters as well as those of students. 

Late assignments are commonplace in the classroom. Deadlines can be stressful, however it would be even more stressful if you were to be forced to rely on an entire group of twenty five or more to be able to meet those deadlines. 

Grading is another part of a teacher’s job, and they, too, have periods in which they are expected to complete work. These deadlines are resolute, just as any other one must abide by in a learning environment such as this. Seeing as this is the case, it is only natural to give credit to those who support, teach, and assist with the education process.

Considering all that teachers do, the corresponding wages should reflect that. However, the reality is that there are still plenty of teachers that are not paid nearly enough. This becomes even more relevant when you consider the poor behaviors of students that educators are made to deal with. 

All and all, even if there is little opportunity to insert one’s own views into the payment system, the least that can be done as students is to do the best to lessen the workload of those who are so active in our own education. This can be achieved through making an effort to turn in assignments on time, putting your best foot forward, and treating educators with deserving respect, even if you may have contrasting views.