The Blazer

The Pasadena Playhouse has wanted to showcase the talent within the PUSD high schools for a long time. With students from John Muir High School (JMHS), Marshall Fundamental, Blair High School, and Pasadena High School (PHS) wanting to audition and help out with the behind-the-scenes stuff, they decided to honor Stephen Sondheim with the production of Into The Woods.

The Pasadena Playhouse has a whole lineup of plays and musicals to take place this year to honor Stephen Sondheim. They have students working on every aspect of the Musical, including Costumes props, and sets.

JMHS’s very own John Muir Mustang Design Lab (MDL) has designed and handmade most of the costumes. The Lab is facilitated by Ms. Courtney Scrabeck and JMHS Drama teacher Micol Issa who oversaw the students working on costumes for a big production for the district.

Scrabeck said, “It's terrifying but I find that doing something that scares you helps you learn most from it when you do it.”

There are 31 Cast members and each cast member has a few pieces to their costume and according to Scrabeck there were 126 plus costume pieces.

“Working with the students in designing and creating costumes makes the whole process fun,” said Scrabeck who also stated that “The process of making these costumes was also fun but challenging our Main inspiration was Vivienne Westwood.”

Scrabeck said, “We had the students think about how we can set the characters in Pasadena and they came up with everything, for example, we thought about how the giants are in the sky and what would they represent in Pasadena one of the ideas were they are from outer space but the locate at JPL.” The MDL really goes into backstories and details when it comes to designing their costumes.

The MDL doesn't just specialize in sewing and designing costumes they also design sets and make props but for this specific project, they are just doing Costumes.

Some of our JMHS students are in the Musical and speaking to Zora Arceneaux of the Arts Entertainment and Media Academy (AEM) about how she likes being a part of this project she said, “Working with the cast of into the woods is really great because I get to meet new talent and work with a lot of new people and maybe I'll get to see them later on in life if I pursue acting and or theatre.”

When asked what she was most excited about. And she said, “I'm most excited for the costumes and to work with the Pasadena Playhouse and get more opportunities and have new experiences.”

A lot of the excitement with this production is the fact that students get to perform at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in partnership with the Pasadena Playhouse, which is really cool. Who wouldn't want to do that?

The Shows and Showtimes consisted of two matinees and one general public show on Thursday, January 26th and Friday, January 27th.

If you did not go to the show all you need to know is that the costumes looked really good and the Mustangs really represented how the mustangs think and collaborate.

Each costume had something significant to do with Pasadena. The princes were JMHS and PHS. Rapunzel's prince represented PHS and he wore a marching band top and pants that represented Van Halen’s guitar. Cinderella’s prince was wearing a John Muir Marching Band uniform and it had a 42 on the back representing Jackie Robinson.

Muir students worked really hard to get these costumes done. The students came in every day and stayed almost all night as to get them completed, and in the end seeing the costumes on stage was worth all the time and work.

Some Audience members complimented the Mustang Design lab saying “The Costumes were Broadway-level and were amazing.”

Overall the students did really great and the whole production was amazing, and it would be really great to see the All-star musical program continue throughout the years to come.

John Muir High School (JMHS) is putting on a student production in their auditorium called, “Little Shop of Horrors” as their 2023 spring musical. Choir Director Mrs. Cassandra Franklin, Drama teacher Mrs. Micol Issa, and Parent Volunteer Mrs. Courtney Scrabeck teamed up to lead the student cast and crew to make a stellar play come to life scheduled for, March 24-26, 2023 in the John Muir High School auditorium.

They're hoping to follow up the success they had last year with “Once On This Island.”

There are 21 cast members in the play, in addition to the stage crew, JMHS band, and costume design members who all are doing their part to put on an unforgettable student production performance.

The future vision Franklin has is that, “John Muir students will be able to see that a musical can use anybody, and is able to host a larger school performance with all the academy.”

If a student likes to participate in musicals, they should know that the mustangs provide a family-like environment. Nerves might be present, but Franklin, Issa, and Scrabeck say that they will support anyone throughout their tryout experience.

Yahsaiah Curry, a sophomore in the Arts Entertainment and Media (AEM), is cast as Chiffon in the show said, “I was extremely nervous, but I got through it and was surprised that I got the role. The more we all practiced with each other the more comfortable I got and the nerves went away slowly.”

What the audience should expect is a package, with music and roles for the production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

The actors can pick the role they think they’ll do best in and audition for that role. Franklin then considers all the students which is why the process for auditions takes 2 to 3 days.

“It takes over 15,000 dollars to put on a show,” Franklin said. So grants are highly appreciated which is one of the main sources that Franklin used to make this musical happen.

Doing different types of fundraisers like bake sales, or selling snacks to John Muir students on campus helps raise money for the production. They also raise interest in the show and try to get more funding by showing their costumes off to the public.

This sounds simple, but it takes a lot of time and dedication to make this musical a success. To make the production successful, it requires a lot of time and effort. Students, parent volunteers, and the teachers put in extra time outside of school hours to help put on the play.

Scrabeck is a parent volunteer that shows her love to Muir by volunteering to be over the costume design students. Various students work to make the costumes such as Hartwell Pollard a sophomore in AEM, Joseph Scales a junior in AEM, Emmeline Cloughtery a junior in the Engineering and Environmental Sciences (ESA) academy, all make costumes that fit the student actors in the play.

Scrabeck explained that the costume is tailored to the students personality. All the costumes are handmade, this is what makes John Muir special.

The adults in charge of this production take their time with their students, and let them show them their amazing talents.The set is maintained by the stage crew members who play a very important role in this musical. Scenes can vary in a musical therefore things have to be moved around, actors might need help taking off their costumes, and the Curtains have to open and close.

The set is maintained by the stage crew members who play a very important role in this musical. The crew prepares the set and also works with the tech, like microphones, lights, or the sound system.

This production requires a lot of time and commitment as well as a wide range of skills to help make it a successful show for all to see.

It's a new year, a new slate, and a fresh start for every student at John Muir High School (JMHS). The new semester gives students a chance to begin again at improving their academic standing, joining teams and clubs, or exploring their interests.

With the new semester many students and teachers have adjusted their goals to ensure a strong finish to the school year.

John Muir High School freshman in the Business Academy, Zion McDonald, shared that, “My goal this semester is to get a better grade in math and physics.” He is confident in his ability to do better than he did before in those two specific classes and plans to focus on improving his grades in all subjects.

While students are motivated to improve upon the last semester, teachers are eager to do the same. This means actively supporting all students by equipping them with the access, resources and additional tools to reach their maximum potential.

According to Mr. John Smallenburg, a chemistry and biology teacher here at JMHS, ”One of the things I try to do is break up the content into manageable pieces and try to explain it into multiple different ways.”

Smallengburg also shares that he likes to give students opportunity to show what they learned through small activities rather than just give them test. This is important because he takes into account that while tests are supposed to show how much a student has learned in that course, they may just not be good testers. And he actively found a solution that he feels works better.

“And of course you know students that have IEP’s and five four plans have their accommodations and stuff, I try to do some of that for everyone. For example a common accommodation is open notes for tests so I just let everybody use open notes, stuff like that.” Smallengburg further explained.

This is important because this is how Smallengburg does his part and makes sure students can reach their full potential.

It’s very important at the beginning of the semester to check in with your counselors. Dr. Nancy Heusser Gonzales is one of the many counselors at JMHS ready to help students. She shared the importance of students taking advantage of the counseling services at Muir.

“It is important for students to make an appointment with their counselor to make sure they are on track for graduation and college, especially if they received any poor grades the previous semester.” Gonzales stated.

If a student performed poorly at the close of the semester, the counselors strongly advise that they take the course over in summer school, or the following year.

“We will be reviewing and finalizing the academic plans with students in February and March,” said Gonzales.

The counselors make sure that students understand all their options and that if they didn’t do well inside their academic plan, there is opportunity to take corrective action.

According to Gonzales, it is especially important for seniors who did poorly last semester to reach out to their counselor.

Gonzales emphasized that even for seniors who may have had a poor grade in the first semester there's still hope for credit recovery. “For example, if a 12th grader did poorly in a math class but does well this semester, it is possible that the second semester will be able to validate the first semester. Also, colleges understand that you might get a C grade. It is the D and F grades that will hurt you for college.”

It is advised that every student understands each semester is independent as far as grades go. So students should work just as hard or harder to maintain good grades.

If students stumbled in the first semester, they shouldn’t let that derail them from their goal. Check in with your counselor, to work on an academic plan and find out all of your options.

All Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) seniors are required to complete and present their defense and capstone project to be eligible to graduate. Students will have to create their senior capstone project within their elective classes and their reflections in their English classes.

Mr. Louis Bond, the Business and Entrepreneurship (BE) Academy lead teacher, stated, “All students should be in various stages of their capstone project. Business Academy will complete their capstone by the end of February.”

Seniors should be prepared for this presentation. Mr. Bond said, “Students have been working on projects and practicing speaking and presenting in classes all 4 years of high school.”

All seniors will be faced with these big projects that will determine their graduation status.

November was also a very eventful month for seniors having to do their college applications and now being faced with their senior projects.

Senior Marcos Villareal in the Arts Entertainment and Media Academy (AEM) and taking film with Mr. Solis' has to say “we started working in groups to be able to do a documentary about the mental health of many students at JMHS and how it's affecting their academic success.”

Many seniors have agreed that “in the long run, these projects will help us since they require us to really look back and reflect on these past 4 years and believe that learning the skill of reflection will help us throughout our lives.”

Izrael Zea, a senior from the Arts Entertainment Academy (AEM), has been concerned about how “giving these extra projects adds to the workload that comes with being a senior, like college apps and such, which could be mentally draining for many students.”

The Seniors will soon come to terms with the due date “the fact that they will be due soon does worry me and puts a little more pressure on me to finish this and put all my efforts into them since they are graduation requirements”, said Villareal “but on the other hand, since they're due soon it reminds me that I’m getting closer to graduation so it also excites me.”

“I know what assignments I’ll choose for my research artifact and it’ll be my research paper that I did in my AP English last year during my Junior year. But for my creative artifact I’m still not too sure which assignment I choose. I feel like it’s really hard to think back and try to choose my best creative project from the last 4 years”

“Having been organized since freshman year I do know which assignments I will be using for my senior defense and that project I am doing now in Mr. Solis’s class I will use for my capstone project so I don't have to worry about coming up with one since I've been working on mine” said Zea.

Mr. Bond wants students “to have the ability to work on long-range projects and develop their critical thinking skills. They should also be able to reflect on their learning and speak in public about how they became better through a PUSD education.

And how “Working on a challenging project will better prepare a student for the many challenges ahead.”

The easy access to information on the internet has immensely contributed to the rise of plagiarism among students, making it easier than ever to plagiarize and even more difficult for teachers to identify plagiarism. This raises the question of what teachers can do to help limit academic dishonesty in their classrooms.

Mr. Vines, an Arts Entertainment and Media (AEM) English teacher, is one of many teachers who has noticed a mass increase in plagiarism among his students and claims that the vast amount of online resources is to blame for this increase.

When asked what he believes to be some of the main reasons why high school students engage in plagiarism, he said, “They either don't know that they're doing it, or they willingly make the decision to take the easy way out and cheat their way through an assignment.”

Gerardo George, a senior in the AEM Academy, claims that the reason he sometimes engages in plagiarism is due to the fact that they simply don't have enough time to complete every assignment for every class.

When asked why he engages in plagiarism, he said, “I don’t do it for big assignments like essays, but if I know I can find the answers to a simple assignment online, why wouldn’t I just use what I find, and give more attention to difficult assignments for other classes.”

With many students looking towards plagiarism as a way to complete assignments, many teachers have been more attentive to try and catch academic dishonesty; however, students have still found a way around this.

Mireyah Hernandez, also a senior in the AEM Academy, even believes that getting away with plagiarism is relatively easy. “I think some teachers have too much trust in some students. Some teachers don't even think to check or would even guess that they'd do something like that, and no student is going to make it super obvious and copy something word for word.” In contrast, Mr. Vines believes it is pretty obvious to tell when students plagiarize.

Many students also don't seem to be aware of the full extent of the consequences academic dishonesty can have. In Mr. Vines' classroom, his consequences consist of warnings, calls home, and to counselors.

“I usually give a warning, but if it continues, I alert guardians and counselors. In many cases, if I have caught a student plagiarizing, I will not write them a letter of recommendation for college admissions or scholarships,” said Vines.

However, many students usually aren't threatened by the consequences and plagiarize anyway.

“Most teachers just give 0’s on the assignments, which doesn't really bother me, but I do get scared in my PCC classes since the professors are pretty vocal about giving you an F in the course if you are caught plagiarizing,” expressed Hernandez when asked if they've ever considered the consequences of plagiarism, and if they feel intimidated by the consequences.

With the rise of plagiarism in high schools, It is important to raise awareness about the negative impact of plagiarism and help students understand the importance of academic integrity and the consequences that come with plagiarism.

John Muir High School (JMHS) student athletes will be participating in the All Star game on January 20, 2023 at Charter Oaks High School at 7 p.m. The All Star Games is essentially an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best football players of a the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) league.

The event showcased many athletes from the San Gabriel Valley, and all Los Angeles County athletes are coming to play in this all star game.

Everyone is looking forward to this exhibition match because even though JMHS football is always a big event that brings everyone from Pasadena together. They have had a great year for football, due to going all the way to the finals for the California Interscholastic Federation Championship (CIF) .

Many people attend JMHS football games. Whether it's the students that attend JMHS, the parents of students, coaches, community members, attendees from other schools, the excitement about football this year was palpable. One could walk around the halls and hear people talk about the game and you can feel the excitement not only coming from the football players but from the people surrounding them.

When asked about how the athletes got picked for this all star game, Alfredo Resdeniz the athletic coordinator for JMHS stated that, “The athletes were nominated by their Head Coach and selected from a large group of players from west of the 605 freeway.”

Resendiz also made a comment about how appreciative he is about these Mustang boys, “I'm extremely proud that they were honored and selected to represent Muir at the event. Anytime players are recognized for their excellence, it always makes me proud.”

Hakim Kent, a defensive lineman for JMHS states that, ¨I am very proud of the athletes because during our season we had a lot of adversity to go through and we overcame it and I am just proud we did it as a team.¨

For this All Star Game, the athletes are coming from the San Gabriel Valley District and also some teams from the Los Angeles County area. There will be multiple coaches for this game. Some include, Coach Maxi the Offensive Coordinator from Pasadena High School, Coach Ron the Defensive Coordinator from Pasadena High School, and some other coaches from Arroyo HIgh School and San Gabriel High School.

These games are really important due to being able to have a chance to get amazing opportunities in the future when the athletes show everyone their talents. Many find it nerve racking but when Kent and Jachai Pulley, running back for JMHS, were asked about how they felt about getting to play this game, they responded with, “I feel good about it. I’m really excited and It’s a good opportunity to get more films and to get scouted out by more college recruiters.”

Finally, when asked if this game motivates him, Kent stated that “Yes, it does. Not many people get picked out for this game. It’s really a once in a lifetime chance.”

Meanwhile, Pulley expressed that “This is another fun opportunity to play with my friends in my senior year of high school.”

The John Muir High School (JMHS) Boys Basketball team began their 22-23 season with five returning seniors Saadiq Moore, Marquis Moore, Jachai Pulley, Adrian Rameriez, Joshua Andrews, and 1 new senior addition Aiden Valencia. Aiden transferred from Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary Highschool who plays center. This year the team looks forward to building a stronger connection on and off the court.

Muir’s team is led by Head Coach Brenton Moore, attended John Muir his freshman year but knew he had to come back and be a part of the community in some kind of way.

“I really just wanted to help out the kids in this area and if I was going to coach this would be the only school I was going to coach for,” said Coach Moore.

The basketball team started the season with 11 players, but the coach didn't doubt this would change over time with the football season coming to an end.

“We’re not having tryouts anymore but the football players still have a chance to make the team because they're still playing,” said Coach Brenton.

The boys have been practicing since the end of the season last year which was around the end of February and the beginning of March. Some players on the team suffered injuries during season but worked hard to overcome these adversities.

Point guard Robert Harvey recently came off a leg injury for two months and is ready to hop back in the game. “I don’t let being injured set me back because I look to where I want to be going in the future and where I want to be someday, so that goal drives me,” Harvey said.

The team played their first league game of the season against Arcadia High School, and lost 61-64. The leading scorers of the game were guards Saadiq Moore with 27 points, Joshua Andrews with 10 points, and Brandon Hardy with two three-pointers.

On December 9, the varsity boys played a league game at Hoover High School and brought home a 50-33 win for the stangs. Center Marquis Moore, guided the offense with 15 points, and Andrews, with 11 points. Moore led on defense all night with 8 steals.

The Mustangs won their third league game on Dec 13, 2022, away at Burbank High School and had a very close game with a final score of 50-48.

Continuing into the league season their next games were against Burroughs with a score of 49-47, Glendale 67-63, Hoover 68-63, and Crescenta Valley 37-61.

John Muir then played all the schools in the league again to qualify for the 2023 CIF Boy Basketball playoffs. The scores for each league game were Burroughs: 70-65 and Glendale: 60-54 Arcadia: 39-44 and Crescenta Valley: 50-73. Saadiq Moore currently leads the team with 15.1 points and 6.1 assists per game and Marquis Moore averages 7.8 total rebounds per game.

The second face-off against Pasadena Highschool was very interesting from the moment the clock began all the way until the end of the 7th quarter. The energy wasn't only hot on the court but both crowds roaring for their team and cheerleaders going back and forth. At the end of the fourth quarter, the score of the game was 41-41 taking us into our first overtime (OT)

Both teams were fighting hard during the first OT and managed to tie the score again, 51-51. Four minutes were added to the clock and both teams went back out ready to win for their school “It is a lot of pressure because everybody is just watching you, some people want you to make it and some want you to miss. So I just think to myself pressure makes diamonds,” Saadiq Moore said.

Tensions ran high during the game’s final quarter but the Mustangs couldn’t take the win home. The end of the game score was 65-71. Saadiq Moore scored 34 “After the game, I told my team, this game is behind us there's nothing we can do about it anymore. Now it’s time to lock in for playoffs,” said Saadiq Moore.

Less than a week later the Mustangs were back on their feet for their first CIF Playoff Game. This was an away game at Rialto High School against Eisenhower Highschool. The final score of the game was 49-62.

“Even though we couldn’t continue the schools winning CIF streak, there’s always next year for my boys,” said Saadiq Moore.

John Muir High School (JMHS) Girls Basketball Team entered 2023 with a strong Overall record of 12-7 and a 2-5 record in the League. With more games coming their way, the big question is, How will they finish their season?

In the past, the JMHS Girls basketball team has struggled to find their way. They have had multiple losing seasons which prompted a change in coaching staff. The new head coach Adam Conover came into this season looking to overhaul the program and bring a new perspective to the team.

Conover said, “I feel we are continuing to get better and understand the process of rebuilding a program. The girls are young, most of them, and are still learning the game.”

One of the most standout moments from this season was the team's triumphant win against Pasadena High School which was a win 46-33.

Conover said, “We want to get into the playoffs, that hasn’t been done since 2014. Also beating PHS was one of our goals as well, that hasn’t been done since 2014.”

Girls Basketball at John Muir has been struggling in the past decade. But with a whole new coaching staff and a new squad led by Veterans. The girls Basketball team has found success in the first half of the season by a positive 14-10 record.

To get the best out of the second half Conover said, “Our focus is just to continue getting better each day. We have a lot to learn. We want to continue to build for the future.”

Hard work shows on and off the court. With the season winding down the girls team will have to push through and win the renaming of their games to have a 7-8 record in league and a potential spot in playoffs.

When speaking with varsity guard SaVannah Scott, she said “Hopefully we do make playoffs because I feel like we deserve this as much as we have gone through throughout the season and the amount of work we do in practice.

Team captain Najaree Harding believes, “if we keep our focus we can get ourselves a couple more wins, we have a couple more tough opponents that we fell to last time, but with hard work I think we can grow as a team.”

The immense amount of hardwork the Lady Mustangs go through to be able to compete in the games they play, their 14-10 winning record is a testament to the team effort and coaching staff.

Harding stated, “Yes, I do believe the type of work you show at practice shows on in a game. I feel the work that we put in at practice is a reflection of how we present ourselves in the games.”

Scott says she believes the same and the reason why is because in the most recent game “we didn’t do good and we had bad practice which I feel resulted into a loss.”

The girls have played many tough opponents when it comes to their schedule. When looking at the teams in the league they have teams like Cresenta Valley who is 10-1 and Burroughs who is 9-2.

Harding feels that “Burroughs & CV, were by far our toughest opponents. They gave us a run for our money & definitely humbled us. But I believe we have come a long way since last year & I'm overall proud of our improvement.”

Scott feels the “Burroughs” loss is an opportunity for the team's continued growth. She states, “I think that what we learned from that loss is to be more prepared and make more wise decisions on defense and offense.”

Overall, the John Muir Girls Basketball team has had a strong start to the season, and they know there is still room for improvement. By focusing on the little things and coming together as a team they can accomplish goals. The team and coaching staff look forward to finishing off the season strong and being ready for next year.

With California experiencing one of the worst storms in its history during the month of January, seemingly every technical issue this school faces is coming back up to the surface and is hard to ignore.

Built in 1926, John Muir High School (JMHS) is still standing strong, mostly. The school has its issues, but for being constructed almost 100 years ago, the issues we have faced are surprisingly not as bad as they should be. The issues we have faced in recent years are as follows, foundational issues, plumbing, electrical, flooding, pest control, leaky ceilings, and ceilings falling.

I'm sure we all remember the morning when the fire department was called, and students were evacuated and kept in the softball field until the smoke was cleared and the school was safe to enter. We later learned the incident was all caused by a heater motor shorting out in the ceiling above Ms. Tuckers Room.

The heater inside the classroom started smoking and set off the alarm but no real flames or damage was done, except to the nice shoes of students having to stand in mud for an hour.

After the events of that Wednesday morning one thing was made entirely clear; the school’s condition is deteriorating, and Ms. Tucker is seemingly getting the worst of it.

In the time that Ms Tucker has been located in the bottom right corner of the A building, she has seen just about every structural and logistical issue this school has had. To name a few other than the smoke, the walls and floorboards in her room have been eaten by termites, the ceiling that she shares with Mr. Bond upstairs fell and plaster coated the room, and last year her entire room flooded and it permanently warped the floor.

All of these issues are foreseeable due to the school being fairly old, and the ones fixing these issues and cleaning up the mess are the true unsung heroes of this school. The man you have probably seen walking around campus but never spoken to is Rogelio Macias, our lead caretaker at Muir.

I sat down with him to ask him about his experience working at this school and whether or not he has had to take on different roles that he might not be entirely qualified for so that the school did not have to pay for another service. Rogelio Macias has been working for the school since 2016 and does a lot of the difficult jobs around campus we all appreciate.

When asked what his typical day at Muir looks like Macias said. “My typical day starts at 6:00 am; sign in for the day and meet with the day crew to check on custodian cleanliness, check on emails and phone call site concerns, check plant inspection issues, graffiti, etc.” Mr. Macias and the rest of the custodial team are people who do not get enough credit for their presence but their absence would surely be noticed.

John Muir is only minutes away from Perry's Joint, which opened its doors on September 1st, 2004, in Pasadena, California. Perry Bennett, who was born and used to live in Philadelphia until the age of 13, moved to Oakland, California. Perry worked with his father in his different businesses as he was growing up.

A couple of businesses his father had were an ice cream shop, a hot dog stand, a food truck, and more. After high school, he attended San Francisco City College to study Psychology, but because of his parents' business decisions, he always knew he wanted to start his own company. Perry was given a business chance while he was in school, and by the age of 22, he had his own company.

Bennett first started with a little shop in San Francisco selling hot dogs, Ice Cream, and candy in 1993 when he was 23. As a local business owner since 2004, Perry has not only been a successful businessman but a person who gives back to the community. He has chosen to support John Muir High School (JMHS).

When asked why he wanted to come to John Muir and open a concession stand Bennett said “So I can take advantage of all the sporting events that happen at John Muir, so we can raise more money for the sports Programs on Campus.”

Bennett comes to mostly all the sporting events for John Muir, but he tries to come to after-school events so he can raise more money for John Muir outside of sporting events. One day a year, Perry donates 100% of his proceeds to John Muir for college scholarships.

Mik Blanco, a student in the 11th grade at JMHSsays he “would like for Perrys to come during school hours to sell food, my favorite items from Perrys would be the famous hot dogs he makes.”

“As a student, I also think it would be awesome for Perry to come to our school during school hours to sell food since our lunch isn't too great,” says Robert Teryua another 11th grader at JMHS.

Perry's Joint is a staple in the JMHS community and Pasadena as well. Bennett is a constant supporter of JMHS and even donates proceeds to John Muir College Scholarships every year.

Bennett stated, “When I was coming up as a youth, there weren't a lot of opportunities or people providing different avenues for kids like myself. When I came out here and saw kids at John Muir, those kids Reminded me of myself and my friends. I wanted to do whatever I could to help any of the kids at the school and be part of the school in any way I could. At the end of the day, Perry's Joint wouldn't be here without the help of the community, they support me so I try to do whatever I can to support them."

John Muir is a school that many would consider very advanced in its ways. We have a grass field, a football field, pools, etc. We also have a pond by Mrs. Lake’s classroom, in which turtles and fish can be found. We can also see that we have a building dedicated to college classes in which our highschool students can take. However, one thing we can’t find on campus is a compost bin.

As well-managed as Muir is, we need a good compost system, especially near the cafeteria. Much of the food available at the cafeteria unfortunately ends in the trash. The Generation Green Club, ran by Mrs lake, does what it can to help out but a lot of what they do is go on hikes and clean up the campus. At the end of 2022, a large majority of her students graduated and thus the Gen Green club was empty.

Lake herself says that “When club members are able to gather we meet in my room on Tuesdays. We started off with a hiccup due to a large number of students graduating so it’s a blank slate.”

Starting with a blank slate here at Muir, we need more students to be involved in Gen Green to take the initiative and start implementing ways of composting. To learn how to do this in an efficient way the club should seek guidance from 301 Organics.

301 Organics is an organization that is housed at the Rosebowl just around the corner. Their job is to take all the food waste from the golf course and Rosebowl and turn it into food for the course and plants on site.

While talking to the manager Christine Lenches she says that the 301 organics team is dedicated to lowering carbon emissions in Pasadena. At least for the time being as their goal is to save our planet one food scrap at a time.

The composting site itself is located off of 1548 West Dr ave. Their hope is to be a helping hand here at Muir. Coming in and implementing a good composting structure that could help our crops behind the K building.

The team also wants to take students in and have them intern at the Rose Bowl. To apply you will want to go to the 301organics.com website and apply under green jobs. The internship is very flexible and the information you learn can be put to use on campus.

With the knowledge of 301 Organics and the Gen Green Club Muir can transcend to a place in the reduced carbon world. Let’s give Muir its organic change.

As high school seniors, we've all heard the phrase "the world is your oyster" countless times. It's meant to inspire us, to let us know that we can do anything we set our minds to. But as we prepare to leave the safety and familiarity of our high school lives behind, that message can feel both exciting and terrifying.

For many of us, the next step after high school is college. It's a big, daunting decision - choosing where to go, what to study, and how to pay for it all. But it's also a chance to grow and learn in ways we've never imagined. College is the gateway to new opportunities, new friendships, and new experiences.

At the same time, it's normal to feel overwhelmed or uncertain about what's to come. Leaving behind our families, friends, and hometowns can be difficult, especially when we don't know what lies ahead. It can feel like we're stepping into the great unknown.

But it's important to remember that we're not alone in this. Thousands of other students are in the same boat, grappling with the same questions and concerns. And our families, teachers, and mentors are there to support us every step of the way.

So as we prepare for this next chapter in our lives, let's embrace the uncertainty and the excitement that comes with it. Let's be open to new experiences, new ideas, and new people. And let's remember that this is just the beginning of our journey - one that will take us places we never thought possible.

by Celeste Gutierrez

This school year the Outward Bound Adventures (OBA) will be taking a trip to Hawaii. The OBA is a program for teenagers to explore and learn more of what nature provides us.

It is located here in John Muir High School (JMHS) in the G building. Anyone is welcome to go in and find more information about it if interested.

The OBA is funded mostly by grants and by private donations from people who really like to see young people have an opportunity to explore the outdoors. They also do fundraisers where students help to get money for their trips or any other activities they do.

Any student at JMSH is able to sign up for the program. No money needed, it's completely free.But first you'll have signed up to the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) which is a program for students to practice their leadership skills. Only here in this location is needed, its for the benefit of students. They meet every two weeks on Tuesday after school from 4pm-5pm

For the Hawaii trip, only a certain number of students are able to go. Around 10-15 are selected by the amount of effort and time they put in the program. By going to every event and participating, attitude matters too.

They also take trips to different places, for example Catalina Island and Yosemite National Park.

Outward Bound Adventures is something students should really go and look into to learn more about self-development and be more exposed to the outdoors. If you are interested in nature and exploring what mother nature gave us. You should definitely sign up to Outward Bound Adventures.

Every year students at John Muir High School (JMHS) sell what the administration treats as contraband. Although it's the rules, students have yet to stop selling snacks throughout the school day.

“Students aren’t allowed to sell anything on campus for their own benefit. If students were to sell, it has to be for a club or sport which has to be authorized through ASB” said Dr. Ricardo Robles, the assistant principal at JMHS.

One of the students that have sold in the past said they started selling snacks at school because they knew a majority of the student don’t eat the cafeteria food and are hungry throughout the day.

Knowing that students were hungry throughout the day, and would rather buy snacks from someone than eat cafeteria food motivated them to start selling at school.

The student said, “I was easily able to make more money than what I originally spent when buying the snacks.”

When asked how they felt knowing there might be a possibility of getting caught since word gets around when people are selling food they said, “I don’t sell every day because if I did it would be too obvious to administrators. I sell like every other day and when I do, I let my friends and people in my classes know that I’ll be selling the next day so they can bring money.”

“When we catch students selling it begins with having to confiscate everything. We then have to call home and let their parents or guardians know that they were selling and that its not allowed on campus, and we won’t give their things back until the parents or guardians come and pick it up,” said Robles.

One of the rules established at JMHS is no food delivered by any food services or parents. When asked what alternative there is to cafeteria food, Dr. Robles said the only other options besides eating cafeteria food would be buying something from one of the vending machines which feels a lot like the same choice as students selling the same snacks.

Technology can bring many benefits to the classroom especially here at John Muir Highschool.

Increased engagement and motivation for students here at Muir is what is expected of students. Here at Muir students have the privilege of getting loaned a Chromebook through all their years of high school which helps them stay engaged in their learning.

Improved communication and collaboration are what come with this technology. Tools such as Canvas help students keep their work organized and relatively easy to access.

With the availability of technology comes greater access to information the internet and online resources provide students with access to a vast amount of information and resources that can supplement and enhance their learning.

Technology can help to increase access to education for students who live in remote or underserved areas, by providing them with access to online learning resources.

When Fernando Reyes student from John Muir Highschool was asked about technology in the classroom of John Muir he had various things to say.

When asked if he feels technology has an impact on his education, Fernando Reyes, a senior in the Business and Entrepreneurship (BE) Academy, said, “I personally believe that technology is helping me as a student learn more. Technology offers multiple ways for students to learn subjects they struggle with in different ways than those taught in a classroom. It also makes looking for information easier to do because I can type what I'm looking for and most of the time I will find it.”

But of course, with all these pros there have to be some cons, and when asked if technology ever distracted him in the classroom, Reyes stated, “Even though the technology is very helpful to me, I do find myself being distracted a lot during class. Sometimes I just go on my phone and ignore whatever the teacher is saying which can become a problem. Luckily for me, it hasn’t yet.”

As technology evolves also does learning and Reyes had an opinion on this.
“Technology changed the way education is taught in general. Nowadays, you can be taught more efficiently; for example, you’re in a science class and a teacher shows the students a simulation of something happening. I think this gives me and other students a better idea/understanding of how a concept works rather than just picturing it.”

There is another person here at John Muir Highschool that has very similar thoughts to the ones that Fernando Reyes has when it comes to technology in the classroom. That person is Mario Hernandez math teacher at John Muir Highschool.

Since students reap the benefits of technology in the classroom Mario Hernandez teacher at John Muir Highschool was asked whether technology assists his teacher. He stated, “ Ever since the pandemic teaching and learning have been based solely on technology. I feel that technology gives me as a teacher more options for teaching. Providing more visuals for students to learn from.”

As technology starts evolving so does the classroom and slowly but surely technology is taking over classrooms. In certain classrooms such as Hernandez’s classroom, it has already taken over as he states, “ Technology has replaced pencil and paper in my classroom. The only time we use paper is to show work and still, students are expected to upload their work to canvas. But most of the time students don’t use paper and pencil and use an app called Kami where they have the opportunity to show their work digitally.”

As technology advances so do the way students think. When asked if technology is only positive Hernandez had this to say, “ I don't want to say cheat but is it easier to collaborate for students so if you're trying to see what the students actually know and if the student is actually learning it would depend because then making sure that the students are in fact learning is a different issue but I think they're beneficial because again if you're even if you're sharing and collaborating I think it allows you to still come up with a way of learning.”

Classrooms as we know them have become something completely different than what they used to be. Technology has now taken over the classroom and has provided a lot of positive effects on classrooms. Students and teachers have both reaped the benefits of this change and will continue to as long as technology continues to evolve.

As high school seniors, we've all heard the phrase "the world is your oyster" countless times. It's meant to inspire us, to let us know that we can do anything we set our minds to. But as we prepare to leave the safety and familiarity of our high school lives behind, that message can feel both exciting and terrifying.

For many of us, the next step after high school is college. It's a big, daunting decision - choosing where to go, what to study, and how to pay for it all. But it's also a chance to grow and learn in ways we've never imagined. College is the gateway to new opportunities, new friendships, and new experiences.

At the same time, it's normal to feel overwhelmed or uncertain about what's to come. Leaving behind our families, friends, and hometowns can be difficult, especially when we don't know what lies ahead. It can feel like we're stepping into the great unknown.

But it's important to remember that we're not alone in this. Thousands of other students are in the same boat, grappling with the same questions and concerns. And our families, teachers, and mentors are there to support us every step of the way.

So as we prepare for this next chapter in our lives, let's embrace the uncertainty and the excitement that comes with it. Let's be open to new experiences, new ideas, and new people. And let's remember that this is just the beginning of our journey - one that will take us places we never thought possible.

John Muir High School (JMHS) is excited to announce that we will be adding new sports this fall and spring. These exciting new sports include boys volleyball, boys and girls tennis and wrestling.

The tennis season for girls will be in the fall and for boys will be in the spring. This season, only the girls team was up and running. The new team consisted of only five players and had two matches this season, one against Arcadia High School and a second against Pasadena High School. Next season boys will be on the team. The coach’s name is Veronica Badon and she is a Muir Alumni from class of 1982.

“Badon runs her own academy at Loma Alta Park called Badon Tennis Academy’’ , said Alfredo Rezendiz the JMHS athletic director.

The wrestling team will have both girls and boys and will be a winter sport that will last from November- January. They already have one recruit and his name is Christopher Tatlyan. ‘’I've practiced wrestling only four times, but I’m good with throwing people,’’ said Tatlyan.

Tryouts start next year and they already have a coach and his name is Steve Bellinger. Bellinger is a gym partner with Assistant Principal Dr. Robles. Robles convinced Bellinger into coaching at Muir. Now all they need is the right students to get the wrestling program up and running. Recruitment will start within the next month.

Boys volleyball will start in the spring and will be led by girls coach Kacie Roon, who also coached the girls volleyball this season.

'''We are excited to have her; she's a super energetic coach,’’ said Resendiz. The boys volleyball team already has a full roster with 14 players.

Lucas Plascencia, one of the boys volleyball players said,‘’I’m excited that Muir is adding a boys volleyball team and I can't wait to get on the court.’’

John Muir is excited to have added all these new sports to their program to offer more students the opportunity to participate in the already successful athletics program.

Liberty Alderton

Joshua Andrews

Maya Baily

Audio Bass

Giorgio Bonifacini

Vincent Bugarin

Celeste Gutierrez

Jayson Mosely

Ashley Nicolas

Rai Pineda

Jennifer Rodriguez

Journy Rogers

Joseph Scales

Alexandria Solache

Valerie Soltero

Taylor Williams

The Blazer is produced by the Journalism Class at John Muir High School. It is a completely student-run newspaper, and all content is revised by student editors. Our goal is to release a high quality, informative, and factual newspaper that accurately depicts the John Muir community. We, the Journalism staff, understand and will apply our rights under the California Education Code 48907. This newspaper does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the John Muir High School administration, faculty, or the PUSD. For any questions or concerns, letters to the editors are always welcomed. They can be sent to The Blazer’s email at jmhsblazer@ gmail.com where editors reserve the right to edit any submissions for clarity.