The Mirror

Three things to do this weekend to enjoy the fall weather

Temperatures are looking great this weekend and LA never ceases with outdoor events, so here's a list of three things you can do to enjoy them.

Ready, Set, Tackle! (From L to R) Players William Sizemore, Oscar Urias, and Taner Sungur get into position as they get ready to steal the ball from the Fulton Jaguars.

Disastrous Debut: Football loses first home game of the season

By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor

The boys football team played their home season opener against the Fulton High School Jaguars on Sept. 13, ultimately losing 23-14.

The girls flag football team poses in front of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) bruin statue with excitement filling their bodies as they are about to play their first game at the Rams Jamboree.

Unfortunate losses for the flag football team at Rams Jamboree

By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor

The girls flag football team suffered two losses at the 2024 Los Angeles Rams Flag Football Jamboree.

(From L to R) Junior Chris Ruiz and Senior Deven Martinez rehearse outside. Placing pencils in their mouths while they speak, the actors work to improve their diction on stage.

Writing and biting: “The Haunting of Hill House” week three

By Addison Cudd

With five weeks until opening of this year's fall play, tensions are high to get the show blocked.

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

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.

LIVE: Varsity football vs. Fulton Jaguars

By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor

Where: Van Nuys High Football Field Date: Friday, Sept.13, 2024 Time: 4 p.m. Head-to-head: It's Friday the Thirteenth and the Wolves are hoping that their opponents are the victims of both bad luck...

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.

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...

Van Nuys High School

20

Santee

26

Aug 28 / Flag Football
Van Nuys High School

3

Santee Falcons

0

Aug 23 / Girls Volleyball
Van Nuys High School

31

Mendez

7

Aug 23 / Football
Van Nuys High School

3

Santee

0

Aug 23 / Girls Volleyball
Van Nuys High School

3

Fulton

0

Aug 19 / Girls Volleyball
Van Nuys High School

9

Chavez

7

May 27 / Baseball
Van Nuys High School

0

Monroe

8

May 18 / Baseball

PRO CON: History teacher Mr. David Radyuk (L) listens to a point made by student Jake Champana while the audience looks on at a debate on Sept. 13 that considered whether or not cell phones should be banned at school. Mr. Radyuk argued against banning phones, while Champana argued for a ban.

Cell phone debate: Is it time to say goodbye to cell phones during school?

By Elizabeth Escobar

With LAUSD's recent decision to ban cell phones during school hours starting in January, history teacher Mr. David Radyuk and student Jake Champana argued this decision at a lunchtime debate on Friday,...

HITTING IT OUT OF THE PARK | Coach Sepulveda strives to make a difference by educating others on physical health and wellness.

5 MINUTES WITH… Baseball coach and P.E teacher Sepulveda

By Isabel Valles, Athletics Editor

Coach Andres Sepulveda is entering his first year as one of the five physical education teachers at Van Nuys High School as well as the school's baseball coach. I took a seat with Coach Sepulveda...

How do students feel about having to go to school in over-100 degree heat?

By Aidyn Kinchen

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

A quick look at this years VMA’s

By Kailee Villarreal

Some quick highlights from the VMA's, in case you missed it.

(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.

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.

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.