La Vista

Leland Lesnever/La Vista

By Dylan Fair
Staff Writer

The Mira Costa administration is instituting intensified security to prevent drug use at this year’s Prom, in response to a group of students who were caught using drugs last year and recent discipline issues among students, according to administrators.

As part of this new policy, security will screen all buses and transportation upon entry to the grounds, including mandatory Breathalyzer tests for all people entering the theater.

“Recent developments, as well as Prom’s issues last year, have made myself and the staff nervous for this year’s Prom,” Principal Ben Dale said. “I am very disappointed because certain students on campus are projecting the stereotype that people outside of Mira Costa have about us. For that reason, security will be highly increased this year.”

Consequences for violating school policies have also been heightened for this year’s Prom. Staff members will enter the buses, and, if any suspicions arise, the school resources officer will be called over to investigate.

According to the administration, if the SRO confirms any illicit behavior on a bus or other vehicle, the students under the influence on the bus will receive a five-day suspension. In addition, the bus and all students on it will be sent home and have their parents notified. Seniors will not walk at graduation, and students from other grades will not be permitted to attend next year’s Prom if intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

“I think this security increase is probably more about deterring potential illegal activities and less about actually catching them in the act at Prom,” senior Levi Schoenfeld said. “People are less likely to do drugs if they know they will be punished severely.”

Although some students do not mind the new policy, many students believe that this policy is too stringent and may not deter those possibly breaking the rules.

“I think it’s unfair that you could get punished just because somebody else in your bus did something wrong,” junior Talia Bondelli said.

In addition to the administration’s new policy, Student Government announced on May 6 that Prom will be held at the The Globe Theater at Universal Studios, which has been reserved since 2009. The building is composed of pieces from multiple former movie sets, including a set of a vintage Parisian street.

“We all thought it was a really awesome idea to take one scene and blow it up to an entire theme,” junior class President Mackenzie Austin said. “What makes this Prom really interesting is everything doesn’t have to directly correlate, as the theme is a Parisian party, but you can also take a trip to a ‘50s diner.”

Student Government also hopes to utilize the high profile venue to bring more variety to this year’s Prom and promote activities other than dancing and photo booths. Some unique options that SG wishes to include this year are the use of stilt walkers, as well as Parisian mimes.

“I’m sure that everyone who attends and abides by the new security will have a great time,” sophomore Sawyer Fuller said.

By Abby Watkins
News Editor
and Leo Shaw
Editor-in-Chief

Lindon Chen/ La Vista

The Manhattan Beach Unified School District canceled a permit on May 10 allowing for Snoop Dogg’s film “High School” to be shot at Mira Costa due to complaints about the nature of the scenes being filmed. The decision followed two days of shooting, on May 8 and 9.

“Once we learned the true subject matter of the movie, we immediately canceled the contract,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Steve Romines said in a district statement released on May 9. “The district will not be receiving any facilities use fees for this canceled project. The district is also demanding that any footage taken not be used in the production.”

Mira Costa administrators did not initially see anything worth questioning about the filming. Vice Principal Paula Spence, who was present for both days of filming and assisted the production team in scouting locations, said she saw nothing objectionable about the content of the movie or the behavior of people on set while she was there.

“There was some questionable language, but there was no illicit activity,” Spence said. “There was nothing in the [scene descriptions] that related to drugs or alcohol.”

After receiving complaints, however, the district investigated and found the film’s subject matter to be unacceptable. On May 9, Romines subsequently contacted The Yard Entertainment and revoked the permit for any further days of shooting.

“The MBUSD Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Task Force has worked tirelessly to create a campus culture at all school sites which advocates and supports healthy lifestyle choices,” executive director of educational services Ellyn Schneider said in the district statement. “The content of this movie is clearly inconsistent with our goals as a district and a community.”

In addition to content concerns, multiple teachers have complained that offices and classrooms were vandalized and burglarized. It remains unclear whether thefts were committed by those working with the film production or people on the campus at the same time. However, the production company has offered to reimburse physical education teacher Theresa Towers for stolen items.

“It may not have been related, since there were so many people here on campus coming to watch, but we really don’t know,” Towers said. “I put out the information that my office had been gone through, and that information was forwarded to the production company. They offered to reimburse me immediately, which was very cool.”

Several students have also alleged that both people involved in the production and Mira Costa students were smoking marijuana during the shoot on May 8. However, the MBUSD and the Mira Costa administration deny that any illegal behavior occurred on campus.

“We walked right through a scene and were herded into a group of actors,” junior Luke Trimble said. “We saw their entourage smoking blunts.”

In addition, students who were on campus during filming on May 9 report being threatened with arrest by the police if they did not leave by 8 p.m.

“We were just trying to watch them film,” sophomore Lauren Fournell said. “We thought we were far away enough that it wouldn’t be a problem, but security threatened to call the police on us even though it was only 7:30 p.m.”

Prior to the start of shooting, the MBUSD was unaware of the movie’s objectionable content. Although Spence consulted with The Yard Entertainment beginning May 2, MBUSD officials hadn’t contacted the film’s producers since issuing a facility use permit.

The production company initially slated to produce the film, The Loop, contacted Romines’s office for a facilities use application, after which Facilities Coordinator Jiji Mara contacted The Loop to ensure that the content being filmed was G rated. At some point following this approval, production was switched to The Yard Entertainment. The District was unaware of this change until shooting began.

“It evolved into something else,” Romines said. “It turned out to be a film that gives a picture of high school that we don’t condone. There was a mistake in this whole process, and it was my mistake.”

To view La Vista’s complete series of articles on this issue, see here.

Released by the Manhattan Beach Unified School District on May 10, 2011:

Several weeks ago Manhattan Beach Unified School District received a facility use application for the filming of a movie that was represented to be a comedy about the typical life of a high school student. A production company requested use of a portion of Mira Costa High School to provide a backdrop for the film. Facilities use requests are received and processed by MBUSD administrative services personnel at the District Office, not by individual school sites. The application was approved for three days of filming, May 8-10

At the end of the first day of filming, District officials responded to concerns brought to their attention. They further investigated and became aware of additional information that the theme and content of the movie was not as it was billed, but instead promoted a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the values of the District and the goals of the District’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Taskforce.

The District immediately canceled the contract and all remaining production activities. Dr. Steve Romines, Assistant Superintendent, indicated, “Once we learned the true subject matter of the movie, we immediately canceled the contract. The District will not be receiving any facilities use fees for this canceled project. The District is also demanding that any footage taken not be used in the production.”

Ms. Ellyn Schneider, Executive Director of Educational Services, added, “The MBUSD Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Taskforce has worked tirelessly to create a campus culture at all school sites which advocates and supports healthy lifestyle choices. The content of this movie is clearly inconsistent with our goals as a District and community.”

School district facilities in the South Bay are appealing to Los Angeles area production companies for use as settings for films and television shows. Manhattan Beach Unified School District leases facilities to outside organizations following the guidelines outlined in Board Policy.

Robin Janotta
News Editor

Mira Costa Principal Ben Dale proposed a scheduling change that would give teachers an extra hour per week for prep time.

Dale’s plan would make 24 Mondays of the 2012-2013 school into 9 o’ clock late start days, with the extra hour used by teachers to plan class time. This is a change from past school years, which had a total of 12 late starts of both single and double.

To compensate for the lost time, one minute will be added to each period, lengthening the school day by 6 minutes. The school day will begin earlier rather than end one minute later.

“If we end the day at 3:01, more than half the teachers will refuse the plan. It’s a psychological thing, so we’ll start the day earlier to end before that,” Dale said.

In addition, all other late starts will be taken out other than the Mondays. These late starts will only be single late start, and zero period students will still have to attend their classes. Dale hopes to have food or activities for these students in the library. However, the plan is still is only a proposal at the moment.

“Right now, we’re in the ‘talking-about-it’ phase. I just don’t want teachers to complain to me next year that they don’t have enough planning time when they had this decision,” Dale said.

Iktae Park
Web News Editor

The Mira Costa administration held an earthquake drill at 10:07 a.m. on Apr. 14. No search and rescue simulation was held, but all teachers took their classes out to the baseball field.

The drill took pook place for approximatley 30 minutes and required a change in the bell schedule. Class instruction time decreased from 55 to 48 minutes for every class.

This was one of last two emergency drills required by California state standards.

“I think it was a necessary measure after seeing the disaster in Japan,” junior Charlie Binkow said.

By Regan Estes
Staff Writer

Vice Principal Jennie Wright will be taking a maternity leave beginning July 1 that will last through the first semester of next school year.

The administration is currently deciding upon a replacement but has not yet reached a final decision. The substitute will take over some of Wright’s responsibilities while other vice principals will assume others. These changes will take place this summer as soon as Wright leaves.

“We did some shifting. The substitute will take over some of her duties so we’re not overwhelmed without her,” Vice Principal Jaime Mancilla said. “I’ll be working on the master schedule, which was Mrs. Wright’s role. With that comes a change of responsibilities. I’ll now be overseeing the counseling department.”

Principal Ben Dale is in charge of selecting a temporary replacement for Wright. Dale hopes to hire a retired administrator because the position is only temporary, and the administration would not have to spend time and resources training Wright’s replacement.

“I knew I wanted a retired administrator,” Dale said. “The job is only a half year and the position is not going to become permanent. I felt it was unfair to hire a new administrator because I can’t offer them a full year.”
The substitute will take over many of Wright’s current administrative responsibilites, including attendance and discipline.

Currently each vice principal monitors a grade level and disciplines when necessary, but the substitute will be in charge of the disciplining the entire student body. He or she will also oversee attendance.

“I know that person will be doing all of the discipline,” Wright said. “Right now I only take care of 10th graders; they’ll be disciplining everyone. They’ll head Study Zone and assemblies.”

The replacement will also oversee ASB and school assemblies. Other vice principals will handle coordinating Advanced Placement tests, the California High School Exit Exam, and Standardized Tests and Reporting tests, as well as student support groups like People Attainign Complete Equalty and Student Academic Support. Upon her return, Wright will resume her duties.

The administration maintains that Wright’s absence will not impact the student body.
“If everything goes as planned, the student body will not be affected,” Mancilla said. “The change will be in the office.”

Though the change will not have a large impact on students, Wright will be missed by her coworkers and friends at Costa.

“I’m glad that she’s taking time off for her child and hope they find a good replacement for her because she’s good at what she does,” junior Travis Taylor said.