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The Mirror

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The student website of Van Nuys High School
Van Nuys, California
The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

How do students feel about having to go to school in over-100 degree heat?
How do students feel about having to go to school in over-100 degree heat?
By Aidyn Kinchen Sep 10, 2024
OMG it's September, the hottest month in L.A., and everyone is melting. It's been blazing hot over the past few weeks and the AC hasn't done enough to keep everyone cool. Our host Ocean Threats asked students how they were coping.
(From L to R) Sophomore Olivia Klipstine, Senior April Cho, Senior Madison Thacker, and Director Mr. Justin Baldridge sit down to work through the meaning of the dialogue in a particular scene.
Analyzing for the Ages: “The Haunting of Hill House” Week 2
By Addison Cudd
The Cast struggles with their characters as the show gets closer.
Every year in August and September in Southern California, it's the same old complaint: It's too hot to go to school. That's just the breaks — even when it's 115 degrees out. J. PLENIO | PIXABAY
"It’s too hot to go to school..." No, it isn’t. Here’s why.
By Joel Nam, Opinion Editor
The super hot weather we're experiencing now is ultimately something everyone just has to bear, even though it may be uncomfortable. It shouldn't be an excuse to disrupt learning.
Three cool things to do to beat the heat this weekend
Three cool things to do to beat the heat this weekend
By Skylie Molina, Staff
Take a look at these fun activities you can do this weekend to cure your boredom.
Even though they're disappointing, cancellations happen, making fans and players alike often feel like they’re left in a lurch, especially at the last minute. But maintaining the integrity of the sport and the well-being of the athletes is the first priority — usually — when such a decision is made.
Why are games canceled?
By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor
The preseason varsity football game between the Wolves and Sotomayor Wildcats was canceled, leaving some players and fans disappointed. Understanding why this happens — whether it's due to player eligibility issues, extreme weather conditions, communication errors, or strategic decisions by teams — can help everyone better prepare for and cope with such situations when they inevitably happen.
All students, teachers and staff members were required to report to the football field during fourth period.
A shaky start to the new school year
By Skylie Molina, Staff
A 4.4 earthquake centered near Pasadena struck on the first day of school, causing the school to evacuate.
WINNERS CIRCLE: Executive Editor Angelina Gevorgyan holds the two first place trophies awarded to The Mirror by the L.A. Press Club (center), posing for a publicity shot flanked by incoming Co-Editors-in-Chief Madison Thacker (L) nad Olamide Olumide (R). The awards gala was held June 23, 2024 at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
"For a high school newspaper website, I'd put this up against any professional newspaper site in the country"
By The Mirror Staff

Student journalists from The Mirror newspaper and website garnered multiple accolades at the prestigious 66th Annual L.A. Press Club Southern California Journalism Awards. The ceremony, recognizing...

Cursive kerfuffle
Cursive kerfuffle
By Brianna I. Alvarado, Design/Layout Editor
How schools have shifted away from teaching cursive over the last century.
NOT SO GOOD FOR THE PLANET A lack of charging infrastructure and the hard-to-recycle lithium batteries can deter customers.
Plugging in, powering down: The costs and benefits of operating electric vehicles
By Delmis Vaquerano, Staff
While EVs emit less waste than their gas-powered predecessors, they still offer a host of other problems that have yet to be solved.
TEAMWORK: Members of the girls volleyball team huddle for a pep talk during their season opener against the Santee High School Falcons on Aug. 23 in the Big Gym. “Although most of their points were our mistakes," team captain and outside Hitter Samantha Sirichai said, "we made up for it throughout the game." The Wolves won 3-0.
Girls volleyball dominates season's first home game
By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor
In a 3-0 victory, outside hitter Lauren Renard scores multiple kills against the Falcons while middle blocker Teagan Greer hits an overpass kill scoring for the Wolves.
FAST AS LIGHTNING Brandon Arteaga bolts away from a Mendez High player attempting to pull and tackle him.
2024-2025 Fall Sports Schedules
By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor

With the beginning of the 24-25 school year officially starting, new athletes will be gracing the Van Nuys fields. Fall sports, including football and tennis, are one of the most exciting times of the...

Devin Tanner Brown (#3) spikes the ball over the net for a kill.
Devin Tanner Brown: Volleyball athlete of the week
By Rogers Levitt, Staff
A peek into the life of our volleyball player of the week, Devin Tanner Brown.
Senior Team Captain Kirk Uytiepo and freshman Cliff Favis giving it their all and having fun despite facing their most challenging opponents that day.
Kirk Uytiepo: Tennis athlete of the week
By Jaden Gervacio, Staff
Showcasing Kirk Uytiepo, tennis athlete of the week
Scoreboard
ALL THAT JAZZ: The new choir teacher Ms. Deborah Tejada is a jazz aficionado. This is her first high school position. | THE MIRROR
5 MINUTES WITH…
the new Choir Director
By Adrianna Bean, Staff
She’s all (about) that jazz and more!
Mr. McCluskey's students celebrate after two nights of a successful and fun-filled showcase.
Excelling in the art of digital media: A Showcase of creativity and innovation
By Lilit Aprahamian, Marketing Manager
The ideas of aspiring student filmmakers in video production classes were brought to life on the big screen during the VNHS Digital Media Showcase.
ROCKY ROAD A collage of pamphlets for colleges across the state. For many students, going to a prestigious university is a dream of theirs. However, the path to college can be overwhelming.
Back to reality: Your dream college might not be the right fit for you
By Olamide Olumide, News/Features Editor
Attending a prestigious school like Harvard is the dream of many high schoolers, but for most, it may be better to set sights on a community college instead.
President Sharlene Kaur looks over all cards made by the Golden Hearts club before giving them to Kaiser Permanente.
Touching the hearts of cancer patients one card at a time
By Mia Ramirez, Staff
The Golden Hearts club allows its members to earn volunteer hours for making cards to bring a smile to cancer patients at Kaiser Permanente.
STOP THE CLOCK Teachers acknowledge and accommodate for students' decline in attention span.
Gen Z’s shrinking attention span
By Mia Ramirez, Staff
The rise of short-form content on social media has led to irreversible changes in the classroom.
The new cell phone ban would force students to lock up phones in lockers at the start of the day, retrieving them back in the afternoon.
Strict laws make for sneaky students: LAUSD needs to revoke the cell phone ban
By Madison Thacker, Arts/Entertainment Editor
While LAUSD board members push for a complete cell phone ban in classrooms, students fight back, understanding the mass changes that will need to happen, in order for the ban to be effective.
A SAD REALITY The American civilian population possesses around 433 million firearms, putting innocent people at risk of being involved in a mass shooting.
Gun violence ricochets in America
By Joel Nam, Opinion Editor
In America, hundreds die as a result of gun violence. In order to save lives, we must take decisive action to address broad societal and administrative issues.
MYTH VERSUS FACT Misconceptions swirl around ADHD, reducing it to a harmful stereotype. The condition often results in hyperactivity, inattention and anxiety.
Focusing attention on the reality of ADHD
By Olamide Olumide, News/Features Editor
Millions of people in the United States struggle with ADHD, spreading awareness and better understanding its symptoms can go a long way in helping those who suffer as a result.
ATURDIDOS Y CONFUNDIDOS El i-Ready ha sido criticado por ajustar los planes de lecciones de los estudiantes basándose en su rendimiento en la prueba diagnóstico. Muchos estudiantes nunca vuelven a la sitio web para tomar los cursos proporcionados.
Listo o no, aquí viene: El nuevo examen estandarizado de LAUSD incita controversia
By Baron Kim and Delmis Vaquerano

Sustituyendo la evaluación STAR de la plataforma educativa, Renaissance , los estudiantes de LAUSD han estado tomando este examen de forma rutinaria desde 1998. La evaluación i-Ready se administró a...

A pesar de la gravedad del conflicto, la guerra entre Israel y Hamás ha sido vista por las redes sociales como una moda más. Muchos publican información inexacta en un esfuerzo por seguir la moda.
Tendencias: la guerra Israel y Hamás
By Mia Ramirez, Maya Diaz, and Delmis Vaquerano
La presencia de la guerra de Gaza en las redes sociales se ha convertido en otra tendencia que muchos desechan a pesar de su gravedad.
Donna Hubbard fue la primera directora femenina del preparatoria de Van Nuys High School. Se unió a la facultad como profesora de español en 1920 y  continuó trabajando su camino hasta convertirse en la vicedirectora de las estudiantes femeninas en 1924, antes de ser la directora de toda la escuela en 1935. Aquí es la vicedirectora de las chicas en 1929.
LA HISTORIA DE ELLA: El legado de Donna Hubbard en el instituto Van Nuys
By Abigail Kim and Maya Diaz
En este Mes de la Historia de la Mujer, Donna Hubbard destaca como la antigua directora del colegio, madura, sabia y compasiva.
DIVERSIÓN AL SOL Amelia Probst (izquierda) y Emily Chavez muestran su rueda de premios del stand de Women's Make Change en el acto del Día Internacional de la Mujer. El objetivo de WMC es empoderar a las mujeres, animándolas a defenderse por sí mismas y dándoles las oportunidades para hacerlo.
Del pasado al presente: Mes de la Historia de la Mujer
By Olamide Olumide and Maya Diaz
El club Women Make Change (WMC) ayuda a las mujeres a encontrar su confianza interior y les enseña sobre importantes figuras femeninas. Los miembros del club participaron en el acto del Día Internacional de la Mujer el 7 de marzo.
The seven cast members who make up the ensemble glance down at their scripts before running the opening sequence for the first time.
Starting the haunt: “The Haunting of Hill House” week one!
By Addison Cudd
With auditions and callbacks finally over, the cast and crew of “The Haunting of Hill House” has begun rehearsals, doing table reads, character analysis and basic staging.
(From L to R) Senior April Cho and Junior Dilan Patton work together to perform a scene for theatre director Mr. Justin Baldridge.
Eerie echoes: Following the callbacks of "The Haunting of Hill House"
By Melissa Ocegueda

Theatre director Mr. Justin Baldridge sat, facing a list of 18 members, three of whom were soon to be cut.  After the initial auditions for “The Haunting of Hill House”, held on Monday Aug. 19,...

BARD IN THE PARK: Independent Shakespeare Theatre presents selected William Shakespeare plays at Griffith Park.
Welcome the month of September with three things to do this Labor Day weekend
By Alyson Cerna
Look no further to enjoy these three hidden gems over the long four-day weekend: A classic film festival celebrates 60 years, Shakespeare in Griffith Park, and the 626 Night Market for Asian culinary delights.
Blockbuster burnout
Blockbuster burnout
By Madison Thacker, Arts/Entertainment Editor
The dominance of adapted screenplays and sequels makes us question what truly counts as original in cinema, challenging the idea of a golden age of unmatched creativity.
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