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VOLUME 111 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 24, 2025
IN THE NEWS
SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL 1401 FREMONT AVE, SOUTH PASADENA, CA 91030
SENIOR PHOTO SCHOLARSHIP
TALENT SHOW
WINTER FORMAL
The deadline to enter the William G. Ericson Photo scholarship competition is Jan. 31, 2025 and is only applicable to seniors.
The talent show assembly will take place Friday, Jan. 31 in the auditorium from 10:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
The Winter Formal Dance will be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum at 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8.
SPHS students respond to L.A. wildfires
THE CITY OF SOUTH PASADENA sets up safety precautions around town during the Eaton Fire as smoke and winds threaten livelihood. STORY CLAIRE MAO PHOTOS EMIKO ESSMILLER & MAC SHROPSHIRE
F
ive fires burned across California during the second week of January, resulting in the consecutive three-day closure of SPUSD. Strong winds on Tuesday, Jan. 7 spread the fires and resulted in the outage of electricity, causing the first day closure of school. Harmful air quality levels and insecure facilities prevented school from reopening. As a result of the fires, several SPHS staff and students lost their homes and needed to live in hotels or with relatives. “The district has taken the impact on students, staff, and the community seriously enough to be forward-leaning and close the schools and close up the district so that everyone can concentrate on what matters most, frankly, which is keeping their families and their property as safe as they possibly can,” SPHS principal John Eldred said. Approximately 50 SPHS clubs grouped together to help fundraise and donate to those affected by the fires. Senior president and co-founder of IgniteHer Paige Tang originally started the fundraiser Thursday, Jan. 9 and sent out a post that allowed club officers to sign onto a Google Form to participate in the multi-club fundraiser. The form got around 30 clubs within a day and that number has grown to over 50 responses. The fundraiser was later passed to the Associated Student Body (ASB) and on Wednesday, Jan. 15, they held a lunch meeting in the Anderson Auditorium to record participating clubs and organize divisions.
“So many different organizations like the Pasadena Humane Society, YMCA, California Fire Fund, California Fire Department … are in need of money. We’re probably going to split the clubs up in terms of divisions,” Tang said. “For example, if you have a club that’s about protecting animals or biology, maybe that group of clubs can help fundraise for the Pasadena Humane Society … Since it’s such a huge effort, we’re able to split it up.” ASB hopes to split the clubs participating in the fundraiser into different divisions and donate to various areas including the Pasadena Humane Society, Pasadena and Altadena schools, religious centers, and regional food banks. “The clubs [are going to] try a long-term thing where maybe in a couple months we could donate again … it’s just gonna be like an ongoing thing that we’re gonna do so that’s our plan for now,” senior ASB Commissioner of Clubs Chaemin Lim said. Initial support for the fundraiser has been amazing as stated by Tang but she worries about community participation and involvement. Additionally, the organizers of the fundraiser need to ensure that responsibilities are evenly distributed for maximum efficiency. “Our hearts are with everyone who is affected by these recent tragedies. South Pasadena is a community of wonderful people who support each other. As a school district, we are here to help guide our students in their educational journeys and many times this means supporting families during a crisis,” SPUSD Superintendint Geoff Yantz said. “We will emerge stronger as we work together to navigate these challenging times.”
TIGER DEN PREPARES FOR OPENING
ELON MUSK IN GOVERNMENT
Situated in the library, the incoming Tiger Den is set to open before the end of the 2024-25 school year. The space will feature a resting and presentation area as well as a charging station.
Musk has risen through the ranks of Trump’s inner circle. His power and influence, despite a lack of government experience, reflects a growing issue of big tech in government.
On Jan. 19, TikTok shut down for American users. The next day, the app reopened. Tiger analyzes the political roots of the banning and contends that it is not an immediate threat to national security.
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