Category: School

Gear Up leaving Diego Rivera after 7-year grant ends

Gear Up leaving Diego Rivera after 7-year grant ends

By Anthony V. The Gear Up program is officially leaving the Diego Rivera Learning Complex next year, due to their seven-year grant ending. The Gear Up 4 LA program is a “is a federally-funded program that works to address systemic barriers to postsecondary success and career options for students and families,” according to its website. When asked about why it’s is leaving, Gear Up Counselor Ms. Angela Jimenez, said “we were a 7 year grant, funded through LAUSD, and we serviced our current seniors class of ’25, and class of ’24 since they were in middle school.” She

Juniors improve English, math scores in state standardized test

Juniors improve English, math scores in state standardized test

By Rene H. Every year students have to prepare for the state standardized test in subjects like math, science and English. How have CATS students’ scores changed over the past three years? According to Mr. Albert Mandujano, testing coordinator, the Smarter Balanced Assessment ( SBA) is the test that demonstrates what juniors have learned in high school and shows whether they are prepared for college.  He said that the SBA is a series of three different tests, math, English and science, and that it is composed of 2 parts: an adaptive test and a performance test. 

Student sets off firework in third floor, causing schoolwide evacuation

Student sets off firework in third floor, causing schoolwide evacuation

By Hugo M. Students were startled by a loud bang that came from the third floor on May 23 right as fourth period was ending. It was reported that a firework set off by a freshman student exploded in the hallway. Now that weeks have passed, some teachers and students who were close to the firework have shared how they were affected by it and how this affects the future of the safety of both the students and staff at CATS, and what action should be done to prevent another event like this from happening again.

What it’s like to be a new teacher

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

Why is the Peer Leaders class being removed?

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?

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

Senior retrospective: Students look back — and forward

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

What is the senior defense and what are the expectations?

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

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

Why do some staff members and students have side jobs?

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

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