A Look Into Westmont’s Photo 2 Class
By Anjali Nayak
“The creative process from start to finish is just so entrancing,” photographer Melissa Riedstra points out, “everything about it.”
On Monday, January 29, Westmont’s Photograph 2 class hosted their annual gallery. Students had the opportunity to pick from past pieces and put together an exhibit that best exemplifies their artistic flair.
This Day In History February 6
1685 Duke of York becomes King James II of England and VII of Scotland upon the death of his brother Charles II
1819 Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port
1840 The Treaty of Waitangi was signed between 40 Māori Chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand. The treaty was designed to share sovereignty between the two groups.
1851 Robert Schumann’s 3rd Symphony “Rhenisch” premieres in Dusseldorf
1899 Spanish–American War ends, peace treaty ratified by Senate
1921 Charlie Chaplin releases his first full-length feature – “The Kid,” a silent film starring Charlie Chaplin & six-year-old Jackie Coogan
1933 German President Paul von Hindenburg and Franz von Papen end the Prussian parliament
1943 Singer Frank Sinatra debuts on radio’s “Your Hit Parade”
1958 Future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams becomes highest paid player in MLB when he re-signs with Boston Red Sox for $135,000
1959 Edward R. Morrow interviews Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro on his “Person to Person” program
1967 Muhammad Ali pummels Ernie Terrell for 15 rounds to retain his world heavyweight boxing crown at Houston Astrodome; regains Terrell’s WBA belt as well
2003 American rapper 50 Cent releases his album “Get Rich or Die Trying” (2003 Billboard Album of the Year)
2022 Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking seventy years on the throne
2023 Powerful earthquakes strike Turkey and Syria, first 7.8 magnitude at 4.15 am 23 kilometers east of Nurdagi, second 7.5 magnitude at 1:24 pm with many strong aftershocks causing buildings to collapse. Death toll 59,000 in Turkey, 8,000 in Syria
Revisit This Issue’s Promo
Fun Facts: Valentine Edition
By Diego Mantelli
– The holiday celebrates a martyred priest who married catholic prisoners in the Roman Empire.
– The first box of chocolate made for Valentine’s Day was released in 1868.
– In 2017, Americans spent about 18.2 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day stuff.
– Oregon and Arizona both became states on Valentine’s Day.
– In 2012, Taylor Swift starred in the movie Valentine’s Day.
– In 1945, during WWII, the U.S. Air Force celebrated Valentine’s Day by bombing the German city of Dresden, one of the most controversial attacks in the Air Force’s history.
– Eight billion little heart candies are produced every year for Valentine’s Day
Need a Dress?
By Keira De Vita
Since Prom 2023, Westmont has had its very own dance outfit closet. This resource provides students with the opportunity to borrow dress, and suits for dances so that they have a way to attend events in style. The outfit closet, now absorbed into Westmont’s “Thrift Club,” took on providing dresses for our schools first ever Winter Formal.
Lost in Translation: The 5 Love Languages
By Madeline Crowley
Whether we realize it or not, we use our love language to communicate with not only romantic partners, but also as a way of showing appreciation for our family, friends, and peers. Our love language is what truly enables us to feel respected and valued as a person and in a world where everybody speaks different “languages” it is often hard to feel that way.
The Plastics Review Mean Girls…Again
By Weston Kelly and Blake Kim
Mean Girls 2024 brings a new, musical take on the classic film we all know and love. Although somewhat strange, the songs provide a refreshing viewing experience while staying true to the original plot (maybe a bit too true). However, it feels as if the actors have no creative freedom; every song and scene feels forced and uninspired. With a bit more liberty and some originality in the plot, this movie could have been on par with the 2004 Mean Girls.
Miscast Theatrefest: A Work of Genius
By Faith Gonia
“Typecast: assign (an actor or actress) repeatedly to the same type of role, as a result of the appropriateness of their appearance or previous success in such roles.”
At Campbell Union High School District’s eighteenth annual Theatrefest, directors did the exact opposite of typecasting. In the collaboration of all five theatre departments, each student deliberately took on a nonconventional role—gender swapping a traditionally gendered scene, or blending two musicals together in one song. Miscast, the production’s clever title, exhibited the “most theatrical students” from each sister school, with phenomenal performances from Westmont, Del Mar, Prospect, Branham, and Leigh.
The Shield is an independent publication of the Journalism class at Westmont High School. Editorials reflect the opinion of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Westmont High School, its Board of Trustees, faculty, administration, or students. The Shield welcomes all opinions, editorials, poems, artwork, complaints, pictures, advertisements, and letters to the editor. Submit all material to Room 58 and/or aevans@cuhsd.org. We appreciate articles from students, faculty, parents and subscribers. The Shield, Westmont High School, and CUHSD do not endorse any advertisements that run in the newspaper.