THE
POINT
PALOS VERDES HIGH SCHOOL - ISSUE 3, VOLUME 27 - DECEMBER 15, 2022
From Touchdowns to Theater Josh Munoz’s journey to acting
Josh Munoz (left) performs in “One Man, Two Guvnors” alongside senior Neela David. (Photo courtesy of Josh Munoz) By Eva Mayrose opinion editor Having been a football star for the majority of his high school career, theater would seem to be the last place that senior Josh Munoz would fit in. Though Munoz definitely made good memories with the football team, he
realized that his true passion wasn’t on the field, but instead on stage under the spotlight. After making his acting debut in PVHS’s fall play, “One Man, Two Guvnors,” Munoz rediscovered a longstanding passion: acting. As a senior, Munoz finally felt inspired and had the confidence to branch out and
explore the possibility of theater. “I’ve always wanted to become an actor, so I followed that passion. I also figured out that football was just not the sport for me and I wanted to try something that I had a real passion for,” Munoz said. Although Munoz has only recently started experimenting with the facets of his longtime interest, he hopes his high school debut will pave the way for a professional career. “I definitely want to become a professional actor and do any sort of entertainment because that’s what I love doing. I hope I become successful at it and am able to be at the very top of my craft,” Munoz said. Munoz shared that his favorite part of his involvement in the play was “being able to join the amazing drama family and make tons of new friends.” “I love every single one of them,” Munoz said. From just one show, Munoz has already learned his fair share of valuable lessons that he will take with him for the rest of his high school career and beyond. “I learned that I could do a lot more things without being scared or nervous, and I will continue to keep learning more about myself as time goes on as a theater person.” Though he joined the drama department later than he had hoped, Munoz remains positive in starting “better late than never.” His first show is just the beginning, for Munoz has found a whole new family within the drama department, all of which has been very supportive of his new endeavors and are excited to see where his growing talent takes him.
Slang Words Redefined by Teachers In the digital age, teenage slang spreads as rapidly as wildfire across social media. With new phrases popping up like weeds, have teachers been keeping up? The Point staff put PVHS teachers to the test. We asked them to define some popular slang words. A Q&A with psychology teacher Mr. Stoddart gives us a sneak peek of our teachers’ humorous interpretations.
Q: How confident are you in your slang word knowledge? A: “Twenty years ago, I had my hand on the pulse of the youth… not anymore, though.” Q: What does “It’s giving” mean? A: “Compassionate and understanding, merciful, me!” Q: What does “drippy” mean? A: “His clothes don’t fit. His pants are sagging.”
See page 6 for more!
Be The Change Hosts Wellness Week Students receive support and destress before finals week By Chris Vasey reporter Mental health being negatively impacted by stress among high schoolers is a growing problem, and finals week only makes these struggles worse for many students. To combat this, Be The Change is putting on a “Wellness Week” from Wednesday Dec. 14 to Monday Dec. 19 before finals to help students deal with upcoming stress. Wellness Week aims to help students relax and get them into a focused and balanced mindset before beginning finals week. “Wellness Week is the week before finals where BTC works to allow students to relax and destress,” BTC Executive Board Member and senior Hayleigh Liu said. “We want to ensure that the student body has a healthy mind before diving into finals.” BTC wants to help students relax and destress by offering several fun weeklong events all students can participate in “including coloring pages in the library and a Spotify study and relaxation playlist readily available on the @PVBTC
Instagram,” according to Commissioner of Activities and junior Sedona Ding. “There will also be activities for each day of the week,” Ding said. “We plan to have a sensory items table during a lunch period, full of little toys such as stress balls and pop-its to give to students to help release tension.” BTC will be giving complimentary treats as well as stress-relieving activities. “Another event is delivering free hot cocoa to any student who would like a cup! In addition to a warm cup of hot cocoa, we will be giving out donuts as a sweet treat for students who have been working hard to get ready for finals,” Ding said. “And last but not least, we invite teachers to sign up for 15 minute sessions during 5th period to release students’ stress by meeting licensed therapy dogs that BTC will bring to PVHS.” With finals week coming up very soon and seniors in the midst of college applications, stress among PVHS students is at an all time high. “BTC puts on Wellness Week each year to help students relax and ease their stress before the upcoming finals week,” Ding said. “We want PVHS to be as comforting as possible for students, especially before such a stressful time.”
BTC hands out marshallows and makes hot chocolate for PVHS students. (Photo by Chloe Choi) BTC’s primary main goal for Wellness Week is to help PVHS students get in the right mindset for finals. “Final exams cause a lot of stress for
many students, and BTC aims to relieve as much mental strain as possible,” Liu said. “A clear mind before taking final exams is a big step toward success.”