On Monday July 29, 2019, the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and the Festival Youth Orchestra had the honor to be a part of the summer concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The concert featured two orchestras, a festival organ solo, the Vocielesti Choirs (Voice of Heaven), a festival honor trio, and a joint performance…
Category: JSR
Free Will is and Will Continue to Be Real
Free Will is a highly philosophical topic and has been debated on by many scientists and philosophers. A term used in this debate is the word determinism which states that all events that happen in life are determined by previously existing events. Anyone who believes in determinism thinks that nothing we as humans do or…
Questions Still Surround Democratic Candidates – and Their Numbers
The second round of the Democratic primary debates concluded on July 31, wrapping up a two-night session featuring 20 participants. Alas, many of the questions surrounding the candidates themselves have yet to be wrapped up – especially those regarding their unusually large numbers. So far, as many as 25 Democratic candidates have entered the…
[Editor’s Column] Xenophobia and Hate Crimes
On July 28, 2019, 19-year-old Santino William Legan opened fire on a crowd at a garlic festival in Gilroy, California. Three people died and twelve were injured. The shooter then shot himself in the head. After determining Legan responsible for the shooting, the police investigated a home that they believed Legan had once rented. In…
Opinion: Why Health is a Mandatory Course
In the cities of Orange County, California, students in high school have the option to take Health as their summer activity. As a student who is entering high school in the upcoming school year, I have decided to take the Health course during summer. My first judgment towards the class was very negative as I…
Bernie Sanders Hosts Santa Monica Rally
“Are you ready for a political revolution?” On June 26th, 2019, Bernie Sanders commenced his Santa Monica rally with this question that caused tremendous applause from the audience. The Santa Monica High School’s Greek Amphitheater was filled with hundreds of supporters, who earnestly listened to Sanders’ speech. This rally is one of the many events…
Harmful or Helpful? The Unintentional Impacts of Mission Trips
Let’s suppose you took a trip to some country, any country, and visited an orphanage there, spending roughly a week and a half, two weeks at most, doing your all to give the most to the children there. After your time is up, you feel like you’ve changed the world, changed a few hearts and…
Trump’s Racist Remarks Spark Controversy
On July 14, President Trump tweeted some racist remarks against four congresswomen. He tweeted, “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” His series of tweets sparked a storm of criticism as many people across the country condemned his remarks. Although he didn’t name…
[Editor’s Column] The Hidden Horrors of Emotional Abuse
During many instances, it is easier for us to hide our true emotions and say we are doing “well” during times of emotional pain than hide our physical pain. When one thinks of the word abuse, physical abuse may be the first thing they think of. However, there are many different types of abuse that…
Data Science Ambassadors Computer Science Camp
From June 24 – June 28th, I attended Data Science Ambassadors Computer Science Camp at Pepperdine University. Several JSR members and I joined a group of about 2 dozen area students to spend an amazing week learning coding, data science, programming, and much more about the field of computer science. The entire program was a…