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What it’s like to be a new teacher

By Pascual M. Many new teachers joined CATS this year. So, how was their experience? Mr. Noah Kroll joined as biology teacher, and this was actually his first teaching job. He said overall it was “pretty good.” “You know, with being a new teacher, I think there’s a lot of challenges that go along with that. There’s a lot of things you have to kinda learn on the fly,“ he said. “And, obviously, I made some mistakes. I did some things that I was able to, you know, get better at, over the course of the

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Why is the Peer Leaders class being removed?

By Kimberly B., with additional reporting by Rene H. Students face the loss of an elective class that many say helped them find their voice, develop leadership skills, and build meaningful connections. For years, the Peer Leaders class has offered students an opportunity to take initiative and support their peers through mentorship, tutoring, and community building. But starting next school year, Peer Leaders will be gone despite a petition organized by students, and supported by parents and teachers, to keep the class. According to Principal Sean Gosselin, part of the reason for not offering the class

Is PrizePicks getting teens addicted to sports gambling?

By Cristopher D. A new trend that is affecting students is using the sports betting site called “PrizePicks.” PrizePicks, which was founded in 2015, is an online sports gambling site that you can get on the app store. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court declared a 1992 law prohibiting sports betting unconstitutional, some states still don’t allow sports betting, according to CNN. Only 39 states have legalized sports gambling according to guide regulations. According to Props.com, “Daily fantasy sports [DFS] sites aren’t explicitly legal in California, but the state also doesn’t restrict DFS operators from offering

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Senior retrospective: Students look back — and forward

By Hugo M. As the years and months fly by, seniors are getting prepared to move on to a new chapter in their lives. These past 4 years have been full of twists and turns, happy memories, and more, and seniors have changed significantly. Before they leave, some of seniors have shared a reflection of everything that has happened in their high school lives and what’s next for them in their future. For instance, Samantha B., shared how she has grown as both a student and a person. “I think as a freshman I was held down

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What is the senior defense and what are the expectations?

By Leo H. What is the senior defense? Why is it important? Here are the major things you need to know about it and also some seniors’ opinions on this matter. In order to graduate, seniors now have to prepare a senior defense presentation. The senior defense is a presentation in which students have to choose an artifact that demonstrates their learning and how those skills you learned will help you after high school. Albert Mandujano, Testing coordinator, said “Our [senior] defense here at CATS is a compilation of what students here at CATS learned since

Longtime science teacher Ms. Suarez to depart CATS

By Christopher M. Ms. Michelle Suarez, long time science teacher, plans to make her exit from teaching at the end of this school year. She was at CATS for nine years. It was personal loss that led to her decision. “So I’m leaving because, after I lost both of my parents in such a short amount of time last year, I realized that I just need a moment to pause and think about what makes me happy and what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said. She added, “kinda taking a

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Why do some staff members and students have side jobs?

By Rene H. Did you know many students and staff actually have side hustles outside of school? For example, 11th grader Bella N. is an entrepreneur herself and does her own side hustle, which is doing nails. She started doing nails “to get money on the side because I wanted to start by buying my own things personally.” But it wasn’t always easy for her. She said, ”My biggest struggle was to stay consistent and it took me, like, two years because I didn’t have the time to do nails all the time.” Bella also was

April 8, 2025

The stories behind these ink-tastic tattoos

By Naythan T. Did you know that many students and teachers around have tattoos? And that these tattoos have significant meanings behind them? Junior Harleen M. doesn’t only have tattoos – she is a tattoo artist herself. She really enjoys being able to tattoo others. She said, “I feel like it’s a blessing lowkey being able to tattoo people and have my artwork out on people’s bodies.” She said it’s like “leaving a message.” With the enjoyment of being able to tattoo people also comes with the struggle of some clients and their pain tolerance. Harleen

April 7, 2025

What does a ‘healthy’ relationship look like?

By Julian G. If you walk the hallways of CATS, you will notice that there are many couples in relationships. But what does a healthy relationship look like? Ms. Tynishia McGraw, Special Education Teacher, said a successful relationship means many things, from sharing common interests to being intentional about spending time together. “Just making sure that you put one another first. Not allowing outside people in to have opinions and/or dictate the things that go on inside your relationship,” she said. “Keep it private.” Mr. Benny Martinez, English teacher, said the keys to a successful relationship

April 7, 2025

Students and staff express fears about the current president’s policies

By Hailey R. and David G Editor’s note: Students who were quoted in the story will anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the story and to ensure their safety Many students and staff expressed fear of the new presidential administration because of immigration and the economy. On the topic of immigration, one student, who will be referred to as Student 1, said, “And when he came back again, I had nightmares about what happened the first time and now that he made ICE be more active and of border patrol.” Student 1 fears for their

April 7, 2025

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