Empowering students to think critically and creatively since 1913
VOLUME 112, ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 10, 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL 1401 FREMONT AVE, SOUTH PASADENA, CA 91030
OPINION
FEATURE
SPORTS
Tiger explores the Mills Act, which reduces revenue collected from property taxes to preserve historic homes. Page 7
Tiger reviews Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of Showgirl, which severely disappoints. Page 12
Tiger dives into the origin of SPHS’s new Broadcasting and Media team and its mission for the future. Page 15
Superintendent Baxter forms Student Advisory Group
OPINION
Government shutdown
STORY LEIGHTON KWOK ILLUSTRATION JAYDEN ZUMBA
THE CITY plans upgrades to Oxley Street’s community infrastructure.
Superintendent Angela Baxter presides over the inaugural meeting of the Student Advisory Group in the SPHS Library’s new Tiger Den.
Superintendent Baxter met with her Student Advisory Group for their first meeting. STORY MAXINE MESSINEO PHOTO HELENA EASTERBY
offering solutions and adding onto each other’s ideas.
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“I don’t know what the students are going to say in the future. The best thing that I can share right now is the desire to continue to hear, and then to respond accordingly, depending on what students share,” Baxter said. She emphasized the importance of student input on school matters.
PUSD Superintendent Angela Elizondo Baxter’s Student Advisory Group met for its first meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in the SPHS Library Tiger Den. The meeting lasted from 4 to 5 p.m. and was piloted by Baxter, who led activities and discussions on the topic of student engagement. The subject of the meeting was the barriers surrounding student engagement in classrooms and how to overcome those barriers. Baxter led an activity where students could share their ideas with their peers, discussing topics including distractions in classrooms and student support. Baxter led different activities, such as one where members created paper bricks out of brown paper bags. Members wrote a barrier preventing student engagement on one side, and on the other, the bridge over that barrier. After creating their bricks, students discussed their ideas with other group members. They then placed their bricks in a wall formation with two rules: the wall must stand on its own with no support, and every brick must be visible. The group shared their ideas with their peers and the superintendent,
IN THE NEWS
“Student voice is so important, and we don’t always have enough ways to hear what students are saying,” Baxter continued. “The idea behind this group is another way to hear from the people that we serve, which are our students. [The group’s formation] was in response to wanting to know more about what students are thinking.” Members of the group were selected via an online application with a series of questions for students to answer. The application was publicized through ParentSquare, SPHS’s communication tool, and emails were sent to students by Principal John Eldred. In addition, students were required to submit a letter of recommendation from either a teacher, counselor, or other staff member. Baxter encouraged students to foster a sense of belonging and kindness among their peers, as well as to try their best. “As a leader of the district, it’s important to understand what students are
experiencing and what’s on their minds, and that way we can create better solutions and better programming to meet all the students’ needs,” Baxter said. Baxter will implement an informal assessment system as part of ensuring the group remains effective and relevant. Students are given various opportunities to share their ideas with the group, as well as opportunities to talk with their peers.
On Sept. 30, 2025, the U.S. government’s fiscal year 2025 ended without Congress passing a budget for fiscal 2026, forcing the longest government shutdown the United States has ever seen. After passing in the Republicancontrolled House, the 2026 budget continuing resolution failed to garner enough votes in the Senate before the fiscal year deadline, triggering the shutdown. The 2026 budget heavily favors Republican priorities, earning it the nickname “GOP bill,” resulting in the House-passed resolution failing in the Senate due to a lack of Democratic support. Typically, a continuing resolution requires a simple majority of 51 votes to pass the Senate, but the Democratic Party is staging a legislative filibuster. Continued on Page 6
FEATURE
Dropping classes
Baxter implemented this to assess whether the members of the advisory group can communicate what they learn and think. Different and relevant topics will be discussed in each meeting so that the Board of Education, the district’s decisionmakers, can consider the group’s input in future planning. After the meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, an email was sent out to members of the group from Andrea Fox, SPUSD communication and grant advancement specialist, with a link to a form asking students for their ideas pertinent to the meeting the week before. The form ensures that students who did not get a chance to share their ideas can still be heard. The next Superintendent’s Student Advisory Group meeting will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 4 to 5 p.m. The topic of the meeting will be connectedness in the district.
FALL PLAY
BLOOD DRIVE
CHOIR CONCERT
Fall play showings will continue through the weekend of Friday, Nov. 14 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Little Theater.
SPHS will work with Huntington Hospital to host a blood drive on Wednesday, Nov. 12 in the practice gym.
Choir students will host their winter choir concert on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the SPHS auditorium.
TIGERNEWSPAPER.COM
STORY ZOE CHEN ILLUSTRATION LANAH KIM Students undeniably feel the pressure to load up on rigorous AP classes at SPHS. AP teachers may pull students who they feel are unprepared for the course aside to recommend the student drop or swap out the class for an easier one, a conversation that may be interpreted differently by students and teachers. Teachers may see the conversation as a gentle recommendation of what may be best for the student’s education. Students, however, may feel forced to drop a class that they do not want to. Students may also believe their teacher holds their AP exam pass rate as a prided mark of distinction, and in recommending students drop the class, is attempting to preserve high Continued on Page 12