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Chinese Zodiac Horoscopes

“Before There Was Any History, There Was Black History.”

Anya Ernst - Co-Editor-in-Chief

Since its official American designation in 1976, Black History Month (BHM) has been celebrated during the month of February for decades. However, at OCSA, it’s recognition is recent. Founded in 2016, OCSA’s Black Student Union has been providing Black students and allies with a community to celebrate Black excellence and educate members on history and current issues with. 

BSU has sponsored multiple Black History Month events this year on 10th street. Co-presidents Semilore Ola (CW ‘20), Christina Miles (CW ‘21) and Mariah Williams (MT ‘20) planned a successful event at the first lunch of February, striving to help “raise awareness of how Black people have influenced our cultural American identity as well as provide a sense of community for Black OCSA students and all students,” said Miles.  

The kickoff and closing BHM events featured poetry, dance, music and speakers representing Black art and culture and were widely attended and adored amongst the student body. Informational booths and posters of important Black figures, like Langston Hughes, Janelle Monet and Toni Morrison, scattered the school for the month of February. The posters were one of the many Miles solidified Black History Month’s significant importance at OCSA as a collective of artists. “[As artists, we] have a unique ability to communicate through art work, and we have to address the impact Black artists have had on our art forms.”  Williams describes OCSA students as “future storytellers” who have a responsibility to use their art as a place of “responsibility and recognition.”

Ola was thrilled to join BSU as a sophomore when it was first founded. “For [OCSA being] a place where we spend more time at than our homes most days, I had never experienced a close Black community like that, or a community with allies willing to educate themselves…”

Williams noted her goal of making BSU’s presence better known: “It is easy to fall into the background so you don’t stand out in the wrong way and I really wanted to expose the OCSA community to the Black culture already present on campus.” 

BHM’s importance spans worldwide. “It gives me an opportunity to be unapologetically Black,” Williams said. The month, for her, is a time to share her culture and heritage and a time to recognize how closely intertwined Black and American history are"

For Black students at OCSA, Black History Month gives them an opportunity to be recognized and speak up. “Black people make up around 12% of the US population and, around 1% of OCSA’s population (although a contrast to the demographics of the Santa Ana Unified School District) but this makes it especially important to let Black students know they are appreciated and heard” said Ola.

Williams states she wished more non-Black students could grasp the scale of what Black Americans have accomplished and how much they have touched.  “[Students don’t realize that] a lot of the things they use every day were made or developed by someone Black... Black History is not about saying we don’t get this eleven months out of the year it’s about recognizing the contribution Black history has made to American history,” Williams stated. 

For those wondering how to get involved, Black Student Union encourages you to come to their meetings every Tuesday at lunch in Sra. Lyon’s room. “I wish OCSA students knew that anyone and everyone can attend!” Ola said. “Non-Black student attendance is encouraged and essential to creating a space at OCSA where students are more willing to learn and interact with each other. The meetings are usually quick, fun, and whatever we want them to be— we may be discussing recent issues one day, or simply hanging out the next ''. 

The future for the Black Student Union and Black History Month at OCSA looks bright as more and more students get excited about getting informed and involved with Black news and history and make an effort to create an accepting and positive school environment. Miles, Ola and Williams have made such a strong impact on the student body by solidifying the importance of recognizing Black History and how the way it is translated through history is still very pertinent in today’s America, one can only imagine what they will accomplish next. Voices like theirs are crucial in creating a more complete community at OCSA.

Making Art and A Difference

Anya Ernst - Co-Editor-in-Chief

The disappearances and murders of Indigenous women has been a pandemic that dates back to colonizers “settling” in North America. While some nations have made significant efforts alongside government and non-government organizations to recognize and investigate the abuse of Indigenous people, most of the world remains silent. However, in the United States, the root of the problem lies in the nationwide data crisis regarding accurate history, reports and statistics of Native Americans . It has been reported that there are 506 cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in urban areas; however, this is most likely an inaccurate statistic, and it is estimated that many more have gone unreported (in 2o16 only 116 of the 5,712 cases were reported to the Department of Justice). The lacking accuracy and consistency with reporting, along with the systematic oppression Native Americans face, has culminated in a society unaware of the tens of thousands of Indigenous women and girls going missing and being murdered. 

Isabella Madrigal (ACT ‘20) is speaking up and fighting back. In order to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, a prestigious and coveted award for Senior and Ambassador level Girl Scouts awarded for monumental service projects, Madrigal, a member of the Cahuilla Band and Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe, wrote the play Menil and Her Heart to raise awareness about abuse and disappearances of native women. Madrigal categorizes the play as “magical realism” -- as the main character grapples with her sister’s disappearance, the subject matter weaves through different moments in time and Native American lore. “[Her sister] ultimately has to make the choice to stay in this other place or return home,” Madrigal said. “So it also deals with suicide, which is a really big issue, especially with Native youth.”

This is the first play Madrigal has written, but she attributed her exposure to theatre through acting for her inspiration to use playwriting to make a difference. “I think that [the play] was not only about native representation in the arts, but also for missing indigenous women and girls, which is something that is really prevalent right now,” Madrigal said. 

Madrigal started the creative and writing processes in December and had the play produced for the first time in February. Madrigal said that she wanted the piece to be “authentically native,” and so incorporated recognizable Native American culture through “ancient stories intertwined with… contemporary issues.”

The first performance was staged in a small gathering hall, filled with an unexpected 100 people all eager to see the new play. After Menil and Her Hearts premiere, Madrigal was approached by organizations and educators to tour the play. “We brought it to UC Riverside, Genocide Confrence, Indian Child Welfare Confrence, Cal State San Bernadido, Claremont Colleges, and next year the Arcado Playhouse,” Magridal said. “The story, I think, really resonates with people right now because it is such a contemporary and pressing issue and I think that’s why it has had such a wide reach and so much success.” After receiving her Gold Award for the play, Madrigal also received a grant to continue producing and touring the show which has enabled her the ability to obtain a larger platform to educate others on the issue. 

But one of Madrigal’s most impressive accolades was getting selected to speak at a panel at the United Nations this past October for the annual Girls Speak Out event. Madrigal was one of five exceptional girls who are working to make a difference in their community. Madrigal gave a speech on “global violence against women, specifically Indigenous women” and how she has used art as a medium for her activism. 

“We are only in the first stages of understanding the magnitude of the issue,” Madrigal said. “We know that [Indigenous Women] go missing and are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average. It is something that I see in my community.” Madrigal, along with dozens of other female Indigenous activists, are working towards a larger goal of passing legislation in the United States to recognize and combat violence against Indegenous people.

Madrigal spoke on her excitement for the “movement” with legislation like the newly introduced “Savanna’s Act”, named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind who was brutally murdered in 2017. The bill aims to reform “justice and law enforcement protocol” when dealing with missing and murdered Native American women. This inspired the Not Invisible Act, which was shortly after brought to the House of Representatives to support Savanna’s Act by addressing all violence from law enforcement toward Natives on both reservation and non-reservation land. As a result, Savanna’s Act was passed, and serves as a monumental step in the right direction. Work that Native American youth like Madrigal and others have done are crucial in making strides for global change against violence against Indigenous women. 

 OCSA Charter Coverage

Evolution’s updates on the OCSA charter renewal.

A few more speakers went up, including OCSA's head litigator, but the energy in the room had hit an emotional ceiling with the Kim family, and the room had been lulling  ever since. It was now around nine o'clock at night. What was once a boardroom in hooplah, had turned into a room with a vibration eerily similar to that of an old church. The attorneys reviewed a legal timeline of events, the board members nodded, and the meeting continued. The president asked if there was sufficient evidence to hear the matter, and the board voted yea, announcing that they would reconvene to decide on March 3rd.

This was, in all honesty, an underwhelming bookend to an overwhelming night. I stretched my legs and ran out to sit, cross legged, in the cold night air. I nodded as people I knew left, gave some friends hugs, and waited there, alone in the heart of Costa Mesa, for my father to pick me up.

An Interview with Ciecek

Louis Tonkovich - Satire Editor

Michael Ciecek, Dean of Facilities and Supervision at OCSA, has been involved with the dispute between OCSA and SAUSD since it began in March of last year. 

“This is my 21st year in education and I've never seen something quite like this before,” Ciecek said of the situation. Unrealistic demands, false accusations, and misrepresented facts are all issues that Ciecek, along with the rest of the OCSA Administration, have been dealing with for months. 

Since March, and the demand from SAUSD for more than $19 million of special education funds, the school district has doubled down on criticizing the shortcomings of OCSA, pointing to a lack of diversity, and a failure to recruit students from Santa Ana, among other things. But according to Ciecek, many of these claims are inaccurate, and do not reflect OCSA’s demographics. 

“One big example is that they underrepresented our number of special ed students,” Ciecek said. “They said in their staff report that we had 60-something special education students. We actually have almost 130.” 

Ciecek went on to explain that this number was fairly consistent with most public schools in the district, despite what SAUSD has claimed. 

Another talking point used by SAUSD is the fact that OCSA’s demographics are not reflective of the ethnic demographics of Santa Ana, and do not match other schools nearby. In response, Ciecek conceded this disparity, but questioned its relevance. 

“It’s going to be very challenging for us to replicate the exact demographics of Santa Ana, but our demographics are very reflective of what the County of Orange is.” Ciecek said. OCSA’s status as a charter school attracts students from all across Orange County, unlike local public schools, whose student population is exclusively based in Santa Ana. 

“Our school´s ethnic breakdown does not reflect the other schools in Santa Ana, that’s not disputed, but that’s also the reason that we've created programs like Camp OCSA,” said Ciecek. 

“Those are easy things to refute.” He said. But apart from mischaracterizations of OCSA’s demographics, the most baffling part of the whole conflict seems to be the demand for $19 million from OCSA, which, Ciecek said, came out of nowhere. 

In 2000, when OCSA moved to Santa Ana, they joined the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) of the SAUSD.This essentially means that when OCSA pays its special education teachers, they rely on SAUSD to cover the cost. In fact, OCSA was usually able to pay all their teachers and still have some of the funding left over, which was left to the SAUSD.

This was a stable part of their charter for 19 years, until SAUSD surprised OCSA with an invoice for $19 million of special education funds. 

“They just calculated a per-student cost based on our total number of students,” said Ciecek. “We brought up many times the excess money they have received.” The excess funds, which totals $11 million, and is completely available to SAUSD, has largely been dismissed by the school district.     

Now, OCSA is planning to leave the Santa Ana Unified SELPA and join one based near Sacramento that provides state-wide charter coverage. Ciecek is hopeful that this transition will actually be an improvement, as it gives OCSA more control over the special education services that can be provided. 

Ciecek says that this new SELPA plan will not change anyone’s day-to-day experience at OCSA.

As OCSA makes moves to change SELPAs, and as it continues to wait on a decision from the Orange County Board of Education on their appeal to leave SAUSD, Ciecek urges OCSA to have confidence in their school.   

“Everyone is hopefully trusting that we are trying to do our best,” he said. 

OCSA Evolution reached out to SAUSD, but they declined to comment. 

Religion and Spirituality at OCSA

Maddy Ernst - Online Editor-in-Chief

OCSA houses a relatively diverse population, and the same can be said for the way students exercise their religions.

A majority of those who practice religion identified with Christian branches, including Catholicism, Mormonism, or non denominational churches. Some other religions practiced include Wicca, Buddhism, and some students even practice their own personal religions, sometimes branches of major ones or practices based solely on their own spiritual ideologies. However the majority of people polled, on 10th street and in various classes, responded that they do not practice a religion. Some who identified as non-practicing hesitated to identify as atheist or agnostic, choosing to identify just as “non-religious,” and a large percentage of people identified themselves as questioning their religion. A big question during the process was whether to choose to identify with what religion they practice versus what they legitimately believe in.

Tawnie Shorter (MT ‘21) shares a similar sentiment, and identifies herself as agnostic despite having grown up in a religious household. When asked about her parents, regarding her religious journey, she said, “I had a conversation with my mom about it and she was like ‘You can't be agnostic,” and I was like, ‘Well that’s how I'm feeling right now.’ It’s not like I don’t associate with Christianity, it’s just that I don’t relate to it and I don’t feel that pull. It doesn't inspire me, and like I feel as though different aspects of different religions really are a part of today’s society and a part of my own life. I believe certain parts of Hinduism, of Buddhism, of sometimes even the Quran or parts of Judaism, and there's different parts of them that I believe, I can’t just be partial to one when there’s stuff that I don’t agree with.”

Daniel Hudson (PM ‘22) was born and raised Catholic, and said, “I feel like it’s just part of who I am nowadays, and I've never really felt forced into religion, I've kind of just found it myself. I've grown to love it over the years.” When asked about the growing number of young people questioning or becoming less religious, Hudson replied, “Religion is very tough for people because it takes time out of our busy lives and I think at this age it’s tough to understand something so huge and so massive. Not saying that I understand it by any means. But it's so tough that a lot of kids now are leaving their religion that their families have come to love and believe, which I personally think is unfortunate. You have the right to choose whatever you want, and I would never judge someone for that, but I do think it’s a weird time right now because our lives are so crowded with other things and it’s hard to make time for religion. But I do think people will leave it and then eventually come back.” 

It is important to note cultural influence on religion within the statistics, for example, the prominence of Catholicism in Italian, Mexican-American, and Filipino communities, as well as Buddhism in Asian-American households. Anica Sherry (IM-S ‘21) is a Buddhist, who also practices Wicca but occasionally attends a Christian church. Sherry has a strong cultural background with Buddhism, saying “When we moved [to California], I looked into Buddhism and Wicca, and that’s kind of why I am where I am now with Buddhism. But [my parents] never forced a religion on me, we just went to church every once in a while. A lot of my mom’s side of the family are Buddhist, and part of moving here was to be closer to my grandparents, so I feel like that ties into Vietnamese culture, I guess more in my family, because my mom and my grandparents all studied with monks, and I wanted to kind of carry it out. I feel like it definitely gives me more of a connection to my family.”

Students' experiences with religion are largely dependent on their upbringing. There seems to be a split at OCSA of kids who grew up with religion put upon them by their family, as opposed to those who weren’t raised with a certain religion and/or those who were given freedom to discover their own religion.

"What in the World?" - Coronavirus

Think of this as our version of CNN 10 without Carl Azuz (but we do have Mr. Peterson!). In an effort to be good informed members of society, we are going to be highlighting events and stories happening all around the world that affect us here in Orange County. We will be presenting information, but we encourage you to do your own additional research and form your own opinions. Email ocsaevolution@gmail.com and let us know what you want us to cover in our next issue!

Pursuing the Arts?

Juliette Boland - Staff Writer

 Everyone has had a dream at least once in their life that was so strong and so impenetrable that nothing could stand in their way of achieving it. Dreams drive us to accomplish the impossible. And OCSA teaches us that these dreams are attainable, that these dreams are possible… but dreams can change.

Oftentimes, during our years at OCSA, we can get lost in our concentration and fail to realize  the other artistic possibilities that lie beyond our conservatory. We envision ourselves on a Broadway stage, on a movie set at Paramount Studios, as chefs at the most elite restaurants, animators for Disney, or musicians playing in a symphony at Royal Albert Hall. We are often so hyper focused on a singular goal that sometimes we fail to see the possibilities beyond our immediate horizon. 

But does OCSA prepare us for the possibility that our initial dream may not be the one we have truly been searching for or the one that we’re right for?

After speaking with several seniors of the Class of 2020, I was surprised to find that many are changing their concentration as they go on to college. And yet, many shared that they are not pursuing the art they have been studying these past four years. Although this is normal for OCSA seniors, how does this reflect on the school and each conservatory? Let’s take Madeline Abiera (MT ‘20) as an example.

For the past four years, Abiera has been studying acting, singing and dancing in the Musical Theatre conservatory. Now that she is a senior, and looking toward the next phase of her life, she has decided to shift her focus to being behind the camera.

Abiera shared, “I feel that OCSA has influenced me in many positive ways, in terms of the opportunities it has given me. There were definitely times I didn’t feel ‘seen’ as a performer because of the nature of OCSA where we’re surrounded by a crazy amount of talented people. So I felt that sometimes my time or abilities weren’t utilized or appreciated, which at the time was really discouraging.”

Alex Neoman, a senior from the Culinary Arts and Hospitality conservatory, weighed in on the topic. Unlike Abiera, Neoman is going to take an academic degree. She concluded, “I do think that OCSA is ‘tunnel-vision’ at times, and favors certain art forms over others. And conservatory teachers assume that all of us want to go into the field that we are studying. I knew I wanted to pursue something different than my conservatory art.”

Although OCSA promotes its impressively rigorous curriculum, students often feel pressured by such an environment and the expectations to remain married to your conservatory art or lost in all the noise of college applications. But it is these experiences that push us to stand when we have fallen or prevail when we feel we have failed. Sometimes the result of these obstacles is a change in dream.

“Now I see that as a gift because it brought me to find a creative outlet that I’m even more passionate about.” Abiera added. And after attending a Film and Television camp with Reese Witherspoon, there is no doubt Abiera would wish to pursue a career in the industry. The opportunities available for artists are limitless.

Similarly with Neoman, “OCSA made me realize that I didn’t want to be a chef, but that I could still have a career in the field - helping people through personal connections and an experience.”, who was accepted to Cornell University in the Fall, will utilize the skills she has developed at OCSA while studying Business and Hospitality. 

A change in focus doesn’t mean the dreams you have been chasing are lost forever. We mustn’t feel bound to a dream in fear of rejection, change, or the unknown. However, as artists, we should always keep our options open.

“I think singing, dancing, and performing will always be a part of who I am, so I feel that I’ll always find my own way to do those things. If somehow life brings me to Broadway, I’m open to it. But I don’t plan on actively seeking out my path to Broadway.” 

“I love to cook and bake, and it has always been my dream to open a bakery. In short, yes, I will be practicing my art in the future but will be focusing on Hospitality.”

Whether or not OCSA has a positive or negative influence on our changes in path or should encourage more exploration of the arts, all of us seniors will land where we are supposed to be. On the screen, the stage, or behind the camera, destiny leads us to where we are meant to be.

RECIPE: Banana Bread

Lauren Le - Staff Writer

Ingredients

• 1 (½ cup) stick butter

• 2 ½ cups flour

• ½ cup buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 eggs 

• 3 medium bananas, overripe (brown and spotty work best)

• Pinch of salt

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon 

• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Optional add ins (up to ½ cup)

• Shredded coconut

• Nuts 

• Chocolate chips

• Fresh fruit (coat in 1 tbsp of flour before mixing in so they don’t sink while baking)

• Hopes and dreams

• Poison?

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and a strip of parchment with 2 inches of overhang on each side. Set out the eggs, butter, and buttermilk for at least 30 minutes to bring them to room temperature* 

2. While waiting for the butter, buttermilk and eggs to warm up, set up all your ingredients in their own little bowls or containers. This step is IMPERATIVE in fulfilling any GBBO/Buzzfeed Tasty/Food Network fantasies you may secretly be harboring. Not really, but it’s a very helpful step to maximize efficiency when you start mixing ingredients.

3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes on high.

4. Mash the bananas with a potato masher, fork, or pastry blender until smooth.

5. With the mixer on medium, add the eggs to the butter and sugar one at a time until just incorporated. Then, add the mashed banana and vanilla extract and mix to combine.

6. Next, sift the flour, spices, and baking soda together (sifting is optional, but highly recommended if you’re not too keen on eating a banana flavored brick). Whisk in the salt to combine. 

7. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, and the buttermilk in 2 additions, alternating between the two. Make sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients.** Mix until just combined after each addition.

8. If you want mix ins, now’s their time to shine. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold them in until they’re evenly distributed.

9. Pour the batter into the pan about ¾ full, and tap it a few times on the counter to pop any air bubbles. Bake for about 1 hour,*** or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cut and share (or don’t) with loved ones and revel in the gratification. 

*Don’t skip this step. Seriously. Not to be a nerd, but if the eggs and dairy products aren’t at the same temperature when you mix them together, the batter will get all clumpy and/or runny and you’ll be left with a bowl of vomit-reminiscent sadness. Emulsify, baby, it’s all in the temperature.

**This unnecessary-seeming step also has scientific justification. Adding the wet and dry ingredients all at one time may oversaturate the flour and/or result in overmixing, both of which will make the final product tough and awful.

***Want to bake muffins? Keep the temperature the same and bake for 25 minutes.

If you try this recipe at home, let the Evolution staff know! Post a picture and tag @ocsaevolution!

A Rink-le in Time: A Night at Holiday Skate

Corey LoDuca - Staff Writer

A kid stands in the center of the floor, under the spotlight, the disco balls still spinning. The DJ is about to play the familiar song and say the customary lines wishing them a Happy Birthday. I’ve witnessed this so many times and now know exactly how it goes. The Holiday Skate Center might as well hire me at this point, no training required.

The popular establishment has been there in Orange since 1972. My mom frequented it in the ‘70s and my now-adult cousins used to skate there from the ‘80s to the ‘90s. They have told me that besides the updated carpet it retains the same look and feel even now. It is worth clarifying that my mom skated at Holiday “for the last time” years ago, and maintains she will never again roller skate. As the story goes, she was the victim of a “hit and run” in 1978; an older, more advanced skater was going backward and collided with her, knocking her down but never stopping. Unfortunately, this bad experience has ruined the sport for her. Though she likes to step inside the rink for sentimental reasons, it definitely won’t be while wearing skates. 

I cannot imagine such disregard being present on the floor today. Holiday is filled with all levels of roller skaters, from first-timers with Skate Mates -essentially walkers on wheels- to seasoned patrons with customized gear, but there is a strong sense of camaraderie no matter who is out there during the session. Rink etiquette includes letting beginners have the space closest to the walls to work their way around the floor at their own pace. After all, everyone started there at some point and knows to watch out for the charmingly unbalanced flailers. So when these novices do fall, a staff member shields them from traffic while they are helped back up. Any collisions typically result in laughter and mutual apologies.

Going regularly, I now recognize the core group of returning skaters and it’s fun to see just how many people make roller skating a habit. The group is varied, spanning different generations, all with different personal styles, and most I would never guess to be such proficient skaters if I had seen them in any other setting. Some of the most beautiful crossovers I’ve ever seen came from an elderly man wearing a holey Guns N’ Roses shirt and red helmet.

Though the people are an entertainingly eclectic bunch, there is something purely magical about the floor itself when they turn the overhead lights off and it’s illuminated by multicolored beams bouncing off of the disco balls. Even the overly saturated mural of a palm tree silhouetted against a sunset seems endearingly tacky. On any given night, countless skaters stumble by it, without even noticing its absurdity, before trying to grip onto the equally ugly forest-green-colored wall that follows. The rink seems to be lost in another decade or even another universe, especially after the midnight skating session ends. Only the neverending tracks of pop music betray the setting of 2020- except on flashback night which I think has truly transported me back to the ‘80s on a few occasions. Stepping into the parking lot afterward is always bizarre as I am reminded of my surroundings again. The building is set back behind a self-storage facility, completely out of place and hidden. Driving back to the main street seems like a return to reality.

Holiday Skate Center is one of the last roller skating rinks in Orange County, a relic of decades past. Yet with every unsuspecting friend I bring in hopes of teaching them how to skate, it becomes reinhabited with new memories. I return to learn new tricks and improve my own skating, filling it with more falls and triumphs. With all its quirks the building is strangely immortal. There is comfort in its permanent nostalgia and predictability; the routine happenings continue without tiring. In fact, I’m sure someone is celebrating a birthday there tonight.

PIERCE TRIES: Pierce Tries Sushi

Kyle Keller - Multimedia Co-Editor

Pierce Lewis (IA ‘21) took a second to chew, then let a grimace spread across his face. The moment he swallowed, he shook his head.

“So,” said Ana Soto (P&D ‘20). “Thoughts?”

“I don’t really like it,” he said.

The table fell into silence. It was roughly five-thirty in the afternoon on a sunny Thursday, and the world outside the dimly-lit Ami Sushi was bathed in golden light. Monica Johnson (MT ‘21), who had offered Mr. Lewis the piece of spicy tuna sushi, and Soto, who was filming the whole thing, sat on one side of the table. Chelsea Schack (CW ‘20) and I sat on the other with Mr. Lewis. Between us rested a plate with two rolls each of salmon, tilapia, and cucumber, along with salmon, tilapia, tuna, shrimp, and nigiri sashimi, as well as a plate of spring rolls and tofu (for us vegetarians). The mountain of edamame shells at the foot of the table had grown steadily. We were all leaning in — this was a historic moment.

The next few seconds were rife with enough chaos to make the waiters and cooks glance over at us. “What?” shrieked Johnson with an air of disbelief. Schack registered her displeasure with a solemn “Aww.” I reassured him that it was okay and understandable. But nobody was about to be angry at Mr. Lewis for not liking sushi. We just wanted to know why.

Mr. Lewis has become famous for his lack of food experiences. Since “Pierce Tries a Taco,” we’ve floated idea after idea for the article’s sequel — anything from “Pierce Tries Soup” (no, he has never tried soup) or “Pierce Tries Curry” (no curries either) to “Pierce Tries Greece” (a fully-paid trip, mind you) or “Pierce Tries Women” (the more ridiculous of our suggestions). In the end, we decided on “Pierce Tries Sushi” because, alongside the obvious fact that Mr. Lewis has never tried sushi, I myself am a stranger to it. In some respects, I’m in the same boat as Mr. Lewis: inexperienced, but determined to learn more.

As the meal continued, Johnson and Soto tried to figure out the right combination of ingredients for Mr. Lewis’s sensitive palate. By the time they were finished, a lump of wasabi bathed in a bowl of soy sauce, and grains of rice wandered around the table, creeping under plates and sneaking around plastic cups. Meanwhile, Schack and I snacked on spring rolls and tofu (both firsts for me) and plied Mr. Lewis with soup offers: I insisted on taking him to the Sundried Tomato in San Juan Capistrano, home of the best tomato soup I’d ever tried, and Schack rattled off the ingredients of a stew she wanted to make filled with mushrooms, herbs and spices. But, no matter how hard we tried, Mr. Lewis was obstinate. “Soup is disgusting,” he said. “The thought of it makes me want to throw up.” In the end, we had no choice but to respect his opinion, as much as some of us wanted to shove a can of chicken noodle down his gullet.

Hours passed, and the sun went down. Mr. Lewis found that he enjoyed a few kinds of sushi with enough soy sauce and ginger added, and I indulged in a cucumber roll, which I found delicious. The conversation turned to gossip and, in time, to a rather serious discussion of high school relationships. Johnson, Schack, and I gave Mr. Lewis advice on his love life, which, similar to his culinary experience, is sparse.

At one point, Mr. Lewis remarked how he’d never really hung out at a restaurant after school before; he’d always gone straight home. I agreed and noted that it was probably our distance from OCSA that made evening hangouts impossible.

“No way!” said Soto. “That’s literally all I do. I spend hours in restaurants.”

“Same here,” put in Schack. “That’s the benefit of living in Santa Ana.”

When at last we stood up to leave, I found myself wishing we had forever to sit at that table, whittling the time away with our chopsticks and talking about our lives. At that moment, I envied Soto and Schack for their proximity to school: if they wanted to, they could spend whole evenings out with friends and simply wander home. But perhaps the rarity of these food expeditions made them all the more special.

The check came, and we decided to pay in cash. Schack covered the tip. Mr. Lewis handed me a ten dollar bill. Soto and Johnson made excuses and offered up nothing. In the end, I had to pull out my card and pay the lion’s share of the thirty-dollar meal. But, somehow, I hardly minded.

SATIRE: The Cage

Louis Tonkovich - Satire Editor

If you have travelled to the seventh floor recently, you have probably noticed the new cage installed at the top of the stairs. Many are wondering what the purpose of this new utility is, and this intrepid reporter has answers.  

This January, OCSA announced that they would be opening a new area of study for students who don’t fit in with their current conservatory, students who don’t have a growth mindset and other undesirables.  

This new “Cage Conservatory” is located behind the large red metal bars that have been installed on the stairs leading up to the roof of the school. As of February, there are 225 grit-lacking students enrolled in the new program. 

The sudden arrival of the bright red cage on the stairwell puzzled the OCSA populace at first, but as more information became available, it is clear to most that The Cage is simply a new opportunity for folks at OCSA to become more invested in their learning. 

The conservatory is targeted at students who don’t plan to pursue the arts after OCSA, who don’t excel in their current conservatory and who generally have a lack of motivation. 

The Cage Conservatory differs from OCSA’s other conservatories in a few ways. For one, instead of being defined by a certain area of focus or study, the Cage Conservatory is distinguished by its total lack of intellectual and artistic education. 

Students enrolled in the Cage Conservatory do not have a particular field of study, nor do they learn about a specific art form. Instead, they are herded into The Cage everyday, and just kind of stand around there until school is over. They are allowed to talk quietly, and are given modest rations hourly. 

Students aren’t allowed to leave, as The Cage is locked from the outside, and the area is guarded by crossbow-wielding Leadership students. An anonymous source in Leadership assured me that none of them really know how to use the crossbows, and they are being used for purely aesthetic purposes. 

Another interesting innovation of the Cage Conservatory is its mandatory enrollment. Students are selected using an “Enthusiasm Algorithm” which determines how invested students are in their education. 

If your total aggregate score from the algorithm is less than 60%, you are immediately enrolled, without your consent, in the Cage Conservatory. 

For the unfortunate students who score below a 40%, there exists what has tentatively been titled a “Re-education Course” to correct their lack of motivation. OCSA Admin admits that this sounds suspicious, and is currently trying to come up with a title that sounds a little less Orwellian. 

In a recent press release, OCSA went on to describe the new program as an advanced, experimental method of social engineering, designed to sort students with potential from those without. Both Angela Duckworth and libertarian philosopher Ayn Rand have been cited as major influences for the program. 

“We don’t want our conservatory classes being held back by kids who refuse to commit,” said Ralph S. Opacic, founder of OCSA. “So we decided, why not just get them out of the way for a few hours, where they can’t get into any trouble?¨

This new program is part of a larger project of the OCSA Administration entitled the Eagerness Doctrine, a multi-stage process intended to foster and maintain a powerful loyalty to OCSA.  

At this time, your own dedicated reporter has been switched from my old conservatory to the Cage Conservatory. My score from the algorithm was a troublesome 49%. I go into the slammer later today, and I’ve never felt less enthused.

CW Open Mic Nights

Kyle Keller - Multimedia Co-Editor

On January 21st, roughly an hour before the Creative Writing conservatory’s Comedy and Songwriting Open Mic Night was scheduled to start, I walked in, feeling apprehensive. Packs of freshmen chattered to one another, and the back of the room started to fill with quiet folks typing away in front of computer screens. I followed a friend to the rear corner, set down my guitar case, and grabbed a couple slices of pizza.

The stage was already set up — a lone microphone, soon to be spotlit, was set before a drum set and assortment of amps, with a music stand and stool waiting in the wings. The sight of it didn’t make me sweat (as it certainly used to), but I still felt rattled as I took a seat. The pre-show shakes were setting in.

CW’s Open Mic Night is essentially this: once a night every month, a few dozen artists congregate in the Webb Theatre basement, chomp down on pizza and snacks, and spend the night performing work. Anything from short stories to stand-up is welcome, as long as it’s relatively clean (no F-bombs) and kept under four minutes. The night is frequented by underclassmen (who haven’t had the opportunity to become jaded yet) and a few devoted upperclassmen who still cherish the opportunity to see what does and doesn’t work in their latest masterpiece.

I consider myself a member of the second group, though Open Mic Nights and I have certainly had our rough patches. At one in late 2018, Chelsea Schack (CW ‘20) and I were performing as Drone Garden, a comedic duo who quibble onstage, fumble songs and get up to wacky antics. Our song, “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, went more-or-less as planned. Then came the solo. As I bent over and mangled the guitar part, Chelsea pulled out a bottle of Tapatio sauce, threw her head back, and chugged. When she was done, she tossed it, half-accidentally. It shattered all over the carpet.

Did we learn our lesson? No. We proceeded to do five more shows as Drone Garden that year, each one somehow more unrehearsed and more painful than the one prior. Through pain, however, I learned. This year, I’ve started writing songs on my own, more serious ones, and performing them at Open Mics. That night in January would be my third.

As the clock struck six, the night began. Fox Maso (CW ‘23) went onstage first and performed a raunchy piece of stand-up comedy (most notably about proper peeing techniques) that had us red-faced from laughing. A group of freshmen holding phones sang a parody of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” about… well, being a freshman, which, for what it lacked in technical finesse, made up for in charm and raucous spirit. Chelsea followed with a folksy ditty called “The Ska Show” about murdering the members of The Specials. Next was me. I performed a folk song I’d written called “Quarters in a Tin Can” — and certainly did better than I ever did as Drone Garden.

Finally, David Llenderrozos (CW ‘24) came onstage cradling an acoustic guitar in his hands and announced that he would perform “a song, currently untitled, that I wrote.” He tried to assure us that it wasn’t very good, but amidst shouts of “No disclaimers!”, he turned quiet and sober, hair hanging low across the microphone. We waited.

When David started playing, I felt the audience lean in. He wasn’t perfect — certainly, the performance wouldn’t belong in Montage or at a Popular Music show — but I was dumbstruck by the sheer amount of potential I saw sitting ramrod-straight onstage. His harmonies, eked out by a nervous, trembling voice, belied great musical understanding, and his lyrics had superb flow. He was a small kid with a stiff pick hand, but when he played, he filled the room. I briefly broke my trance to glance at the people sitting on either side of me — their eyes were locked on him, similarly transfixed.

When he finished, David got the loudest roar of applause I've ever heard at an Open Mic Night.

After making a fool of myself almost a half dozen times, I’ve learned that Open Mics aren’t a gallery for writers to display flawless content. Rather, they’re a safe, supportive space, full of friends and educators, where budding artists can try out new material, inevitably fail, and learn from it. In the end, though, I just hope it doesn’t come at the expense of the Webb Theatre’s carpet — for all I know, the Tapatio stain is still there, a grim yet hopeful reminder of Open Mic Nights past.

Classism? In My College Board? More Likely Than You Think

Anica Sherry - Staff Writer

Advanced Placement. What comes to mind? Perhaps hours of homework, Barron’s and Princeton Review books, the College Board. AP classes have a demanding workload, as any course is a rigorous one. OCSA is fortunate enough to be equipped with fantastic AP teachers who are familiar with the ins and outs of the tests that roll around in May. Like many high schoolers, a lot of OCSA students feel pressure to score well and get into college. We are reminded that when we take the AP test, we’re competing with students from across the nation. 

Competing with such a wide range of students through any standardized test overseen by the College Board is unjust and may be discriminatory. Their demographics include a variety of backgrounds and family income levels, which can affect a student’s ability to earn the score they deserve more than it should. 

At the turn of the 19th century, the College Board was founded to force boarding schools into a uniform way of assessing education. Carl Brigham, member of the Eugenics movement, created the Scholastic Aptitude Test (now known as SAT) initially to assess US soldiers for military assignment. Brigham believed that American education was declining rapidly as the number of non White Anglo Saxon Protestants in American education grew and beginning in 1934 the test was used as criteria to award scholarships. Ivy Leagues began using the exam as a way to select “worthy” public school students and within a year, Harvard admissions made SAT scores mandatory. Throughout the 20th century, reliance on the College Board has grown tremendously, with the number of high schools using AP programs multiplying by over 200 since 8tests) and the ACT spans from $50 to $70 (with the writing portion). The College Board has changed a considerable amount during its existence, now providing fee reductions and having scholarship searches. Anton Striegl, AP history teacher, spoke with me about their efforts to increase the number of students from underserved groups. “In the last 20 years, they’ve been vigilant in growing the Equity and Access program, which has been in the forefront of their efforts.” 

Striegl has been an AP teacher for over 20 years, OCSA being his third school. He said that when he taught at previous schools, “the AP program was very white and there were many students of color that were not represented. Some parents didn’t know it was imperative for their students to be in AP classes,” but Striegl asserted that the College Board’s efforts, through the Equity and Access Statement gives “all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP” by encouraging the removal of gatekeeping mechanisms and not excluding students based on a single, rigid criterion.  

This does not take into account the other supplemental materials some feel the need to have. Students are not limited to one SAT/ACT test, and may retake it 2 or 3 times to achieve their desired score, or even 100, if they could afford it. And some could, hypothetically. 

On the spectrum of students who take AP courses and SAT/ACT tests, one end features wealthy, suburban families who treat their kids to tutors and test workbooks. Christina Miles (CW ‘21), one of OCSA’s many juniors who has become absorbed in the college process, had a lot to say about standardized tests. “There's this idea that it’s just tests you can study for and you’ll be fine, but not everyone has access to study materials… It’s such a strange system.” As an additional note, Miles brought up that students who have learned English as a second language, or ESL learners, are also at a disadvantage. “The linguistic structure of the tests are meant to be confusing, but they make it so that if you’re from [an ESL household], it’s harder to understand.”

The other end of the spectrum contains students who live in low-income households, or perhaps attend a Title 1 school, where at least 40% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Many high schools do not offer every AP course aside from the core classes (English, math, science, social studies) and Monica Johnson (MT ‘21) said that during her brief experience with another high school, she encountered an absence of one AP course she wished to take. This greatly limits students’ opportunities in high school in ways they can’t control.

Upon entering a classroom at 8 am, student ID in hand and a couple No. 2 pencils, it is important for us to be appreciative for what we have been supplied with in the preceding months. Thanks to the preparation that comes from OCSA and out of our parents’ pockets, we are ready to step into the field, the college process. Across the nation students will play the same game, but it’s a game that was designed against them.

The Culture That Kills

Anica Sherry - Staff Writer

In its past years, there has been an attempt to take precautions regarding the mental health of OCSA’s students by assuring students that there are school counselors on hand, as well as supplying students with mental health resources, a recent addition to the school webpage. While these support systems are provided to students at OCSA, there are a minute amount of students who confide in OCSA’s counselors about one particular topic: disordered eating.

Within the community at OCSA, many unhealthy eating habits can be found, both in and out of the dance conservatories. Often times, these behaviors go unnoticed because students themselves don't deem them harmful or severe enough to acknowledge. 

The pressure of obtaining the slender, lean figure that is associated with dance, as seen through the “Balanchine” body type has caused many dancers to become susceptible to eating disorders. Even at young ages, students are convinced they must alter their diet to achieve this. One dance student recalls her friends and classmates suddenly becoming vegetarian and vegan in attempts to lose weight her second semester of seventh grade.

Sydney Kaminsky (CCD ‘21) elaborated on how important a dancers’ diet is to their health and art. “Dance is such a physically demanding activity. Average diets and calories often don’t fulfill, so it’s really important that we get all of the necessary nutrients,” said Kaminsky. Since dance is inherently tied to one’s physical body, it makes it easy to pick out flaws. Even little comments from instructors can have lasting effects. 

Last semester, the Classical and Contemporary Dance Conservatory held a workshop where the topics of meal plans and nutrition were discussed. The risks of going on a calorie restricting diet were exposed and discouraged. Kaminksy explained that although the conservatory does provide nutrition classes, CCD’s conservatory teachers don't often address eating disorders, as it’s somewhat of a taboo topic, despite its frequency within the dance industry. 

OCSA’s staff does not encourage this “perfect-body complex,” however there is still pressure that comes from the global dance industry. Danyel Moulton, CMD teacher and OCSA graduate said “Because these kids go to studios outside of school that do enforce [this mindset], it’s carried over, so the culture is here.” When asked if it’s discussed in the Commercial Dance conservatory, Moulton said the staff has “gotten better about it… but teachers, regardless of what conservatory, need to keep an eye out, because it’s a huge problem with highschoolers.” She then shared that when she was a student at OCSA, she had similar issues because of her conservatory and now that Moulton is a teacher, she does her best to prevent body negativity. 

Another OCSA dance teacher, Melissa Cyr of the Ballroom Conservatory, agrees that the conservatory staff themselves do not exert pressure on students to conform to an “ideal,” but from the dance industry, pressure is present, though not as extreme as the ballet realm. Cyr said “If you have a bigger figure, you’ll probably hear it from coaches and judges somewhat,” but she hasn’t noticed and certainly does not enforce irregular eating as a means of weight loss. One ballroom dance student revealed that there are negative body image conceptions that circulate around the Ballroom Conservatory that are often overlooked. 

“They make dresses for tiny girls and if you’re on the heavier side, your dresses are not bedazzled, they’re not as beautiful, it’s like they take the leftover fabric and go ‘oh these will be for the big girls.’” They then explained that one of the first rounds of a ballroom competition is based entirely on the dance partners’ presence and appearance on the floor, causing many ballroom students obsess over juice cleanses and diets, especially around competition season. “We think they help but they really kill our body because we’re not used to a sudden change in diet… The week going into [competition], everyone will not eat.”

Though extreme, dancers can attest to this obsession with body image that has detrimental long-term effects. Many former OCSA students have had to stop dancing after high school due to food-related health reasons, said a student, who claimed that this experience can be quite traumatic. Students may also feel like restricting their food intake will allow them to regain control of themselves, said Tammy Shelton, mental health intern at OCSA.

The school counselors do an excellent job of helping students find short term solutions to stress and anxiety related problems. “Everything we do here is brief and solution focused… Some [social emotional] issues are serious enough to be referred out, others where we try and help briefly, to give coping mechanisms or skills to deal with their issues,” said Kara McCann, one of our counselors. However, since the realm of eating disorders is so serious, the biggest impact any of the OCSA staff can have is preventing and targeting anything ahead of a possible mental illness diagnosis. 

Irregular eating habits and body image concerns extend outside of the dance conservatories as well. Generally, disordered eating habits at OCSA are quite common and it might be because of the ambitious mindset many have, which is to work at all costs until the end goal is achieved. In this case, the end goal is “healthy eating” but the line between a healthy diet versus unhealthy is sometimes blurred, as often times calorie restriction is conflated with health. 

In the past, there have been week-long body positivity events organized by students, and clubs that discuss body image issues. McCann and the other counselors wholeheartedly support students raising awareness within the student population because contributing to these harmful tendencies might be the lack of discussion and knowledge, in comparison to the discussion of depression and anxiety during Mental Health Awareness Month, for example. 

If this means symptoms of eating disorders being swept under the rug and never addressed, then it’s time to remedy this silent culture that is slowly attacking students’ health. 

If you or someone you know has questions about eating disorder symptoms or may be in need of help, please visit https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/. Stay safe, and happy National Eating Disorder Awareness week!

 Lunar New Year

Emma Han - Staff Writer

While many of us are accustomed to celebrating New Years on January 1st according to  the Gregorian calendar, the New Year is also celebrated based on the Lunisolar calendar. Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, falls in between late January and early February on the Gregorian system and started on January 25th this year. This holiday is largely celebrated by many Asian countries, such as China, Vietnam, Korea and Singapore. In Chinese culture, this is the most important celebration of the year, as it is the time to honor deities and ancestors, spend time with family, and rejoice in the start of the new year. 

The origin of Lunar New Year lies within a popular myth about a fight against the Nian, a Chinese mythological beast. It was said that every year on New Year’s Eve, the Nian would wake up from its sleep and come out to terrorize the villages, eating the grain, livestock, and even children. The townspeople feared the beast and would hide in the mountains. One night, an old man discovered Nian’s weaknesses: the color red, bright lights, and loud noises. As soon as he shared the news, the villagers returned to their homes to hang red couplets on their doors, decorate the streets with bright red lanterns, and resound them with firecrackers. When Nian came to the village on New Year’s Eve, it fled in terror at the sight of the roaring red and thundering sounds and never returned again. This myth became one of the many influences that have shaped the traditions of Lunar New Year to this day.

Leading up to Lunar New Year, many families will prep for the festivities ahead. It is customary to thoroughly clean the house to start the new year fresh. It is forbidden to clean on New Year’s Day as it will clean away all of the good luck for the coming year. Families will also go shopping for gifts, decorations, and food for the reunion dinner. By New Year’s Eve, red decor adorns the streets and houses with everyone decked out in new red clothes.

After a long day with family on New Year’s Eve, it is tradition to have a reunion dinner, a meal that is considered to be the most important of the year. Some of the most popular dishes served are dumplings, noodles, and fish. Dumplings are a classic lucky food because the time consuming nature of its preparation allows for family to spend time together. In addition, its round shape is similar to silver ingots, symbolizing good fortune. Noodles represent the wish for longevity for its length and are typically cut longer than normal noodles for the reunion dinner. In Singapore, shredded vegetables are dramatically tossed into the noodles at dinner as it is said that the higher the toss, the happier one will be. Fish is symbolic of the wish for abundance as it’s pronunciation in Mandarin is similar to that of “abundance” and “surplus”. 

After dinner, children and unmarried adults receive red envelopes filled with money from parents and elders. This tradition is commonly practiced between close relatives and family. As a part of the Nian myth, people used to give children red envelopes in hopes to bribe the Nian to not harm them. 

When Lunar New Year has arrived, many families go pray at temples to honor ancestors and deities, visit in-laws and distant relatives, and set off firecrackers and fireworks at the end of the night. This celebration carries on for 15 days, and ends with the Lantern Festival on February 8th. The Lantern Festival symbolizes reunions and is also a time for socializing and freedom. Traditionally, the festival was a time to give offerings to the gods. In the setup, a lit lantern represented the god’s seat. Throughout history, many variations of lanterns have been made, some as small as the palm of your hand or as large as a parade float. Depending on the size and design, they may represent different things. In addition to the lanterns, this festival also consists of various performances. The most commonly known are the dragon and lion dances. The lion symbolizes strength and stability while the dragon represents power and excellence. Both dances are performed as a way to chase awhile evil spirits and welcome in prosperous times.

This extravagant celebration is truly a magnificent sight; booming fireworks cracking the sky with people dressed in bright red watch in awe of the vibrant performances. An abundance of food fills up the table as little children happily pocket red envelopes from their elders. While these activities are fun, this holiday is truly about bringing families together.

 Chinese Zodiac Horoscopes

Erin Kim - Co-Editor-in-Chief & Emma Han - Staff Writer

Similar to Greek Horoscopes, there are Chinese Zodiac signs that are a significant part of Lunar New Year. Based on Chinese mythology, the Jade Emperor hosted a race across a rapid river current in hopes to devise a way to measure time. He declared that the first twelve animals to make it to the shore would earn a spot in the zodiac calendar in the order they arrived. And so the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig were chosen as the zodiacs in this 12-year cycle. This year is the Year of the Rat, the first of all the zodiac animals. In Chinese culture, the rat is a sign of wealth and surplus, bringing good fortune into the new year. Each zodiac has different meanings and personality traits associated with it. Learn more about yours below based on the year you were born in!