The School Newspaper of West High School

West Signals
The School Newspaper of West High School

West Signals
The School Newspaper of West High School

West Signals
Westley Kim

Westley Kim, Staff Artist

A staff artist for Signals, Westley has a passion for adding depth and understanding to an article via digital art. Now his third year on staff, Westley is a senior who really enjoys drawing, painting, playing Smash, and scrolling through Pinterest.

All content by Westley Kim
It’s no secret that the K-pop industry isn’t the best towards their idols. There have been many cases of exploitation and abuse by companies towards their idols, utilizing their looks and appeal in their fans to push certain agendas and toxic ideologies that reinforce long-standing social issues in South Korea.

Though he’s no stranger to controversy, Andrew Tate’s latest rise to fame in 2022 raises relevant concern to the development and views of young men and individuals under his influence. Enticed by his exploding charisma, self-help advice, and astonishing views on male supremacy, this self-made multi-millionaire, former kickboxing world champion, and media personality was able to rake in millions of fans, online supporters, and dollars.

[Art/Photo] Who Andrew Tate Really Is

Sean Toomey, Staff Writer • January 12, 2023
The Little Mermaid is a Disney classic, a household name with a special place in popular culture. Its live action remake, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, is being criticized heavily for using a Black woman to portray Ariel. However, there are also many that say that her skin color does not detract from the value of the source material.

[Art/Photo] Disney’s Casting Controversy Over “The Little Mermaid” Live Action Remake- and the Racism Rooted Behind It

Natalie Ou, Editor-in-Chief • November 7, 2022
America has long been viewed as a hub of immigration: many around the world are allured by its reputation as the Land of the Free. Though the name appears to promise security and warmth, migrants can still face social or economic barriers.

[Art/Photo] Immigration, Identity, & America

Lauren Ng, Co-Editor-in-Chief • March 31, 2022
People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder have been discriminated against for as long as it has been a diagnosable condition, and the challenges that they face today often still create a hostile environment for them socially and politically. The definition of Autism Awareness has changed over time, and now it is imperative that their existence is validated in a way that describes ASD as not a curable condition, but a part of who they are. Autistic individuals oftentimes don’t connect with other people the same way that neurotypical people do, even as children. Parallel play is a type of socialization where kids show interest in another’s activity, but do not actively engage in the activity with the other child. There have been many studies that show that children who have ASD are more likely to engage in parallel play with other kids than in other types of play.

[Art/Photo] In April We Wear Blue!

Luciana Gonzalez, Staff Writer • April 26, 2022
The Enviro Club is showing how yard sales can be used to help the environment! It can be very green to resell items instead of buying from bigger industries because it reduces waste. Reselling items also reduces carbon emissions from large transportation vessels.

[Art/Photo] Sustainable Shopping: Enviro Club’s Yard Sales

Elise Fauni, Staff Writer • April 22, 2022
Multicultural Day took place on Friday, February 18, and it was a blast for all those who attended. It was available to classes during 3rd and 4th period, and also during lunch for those that couldn't go during class. The event was all about showing off different cultures, and featured performances from several different cultural clubs on campus, including Japanese Culture Club, Filipino Culture Club, and more.

[Art/Photo] Celebrating Diversity at West High

Kate Phan, Entertainment Editor • March 1, 2022
West High's Foods Class cooking competition is a fun and flavorful fight between contestants! A competition for all types of cooking, these skilled chefs showed off all they had learned about their unit on mass-producing food and cooking delicious goods to appease the appetite of other students.

[Art/Photo] Warrior Chef

Cyrilla Zhang, Editor-in-Chief • February 28, 2022
As cases spike due to the highly contagious Omicron variant, many are wondering whether or not schools should stay home. However, cases will continue rising unless school goes back online, and student voices fight against staying open. Dominic Disloquez (11) commented, “I understand that education is important but this is one of the worst times for COVID, and there are too many families that are suffering from this.”

[Art/Photo] Should We Go Back Online?

Sarah Han, News Editor • February 15, 2022
Though it is typically portrayed as a holiday exclusively for couples, Valentine’s Day is a day that can celebrate love in any form. It is not limited to romanticism, and it can be a tribute to platonic, familial, or even self love. So even if there’s no significant other in the picture, there’s still nothing to be ashamed about when wanting to celebrate Valentine’s Day at your own pace.

[Art/Photo] West High’s Plans for Valentine’s Day

Kate Phan, Entertainment Editor • February 14, 2022
West High Entertainment Unit’s first-place win at their competition on October 23 showed a lot of progress since their first show at South Bay Invitational. Their score rose from roughly 60 points to nearly 70 points, and the show incorporated more music, choreography, and drill. Overall, the band’s win, though out of two bands in their division, was representative of hard work on the part of the students and staff.

[Art/Photo] West High Entertainment Unit Wins First Competition of the Season

Elise Fauni, Staff Writer • November 10, 2021
California has become the first state in the U.S. to implement a mandate on vaccination for students to go to school, as announced by Governor Gavin Newsom. Once the mandate goes into effect, students will be required to show proof of vaccination as a requisite for attending in-person school.

[Art/Photo] Governor Newsom’s Vaccine Mandate and What It Means for West High

Kate Phan, Entertainment Editor • October 28, 2021
With a fee of $10 , students were allowed to purchase a ticket that granted them access to a special pancake breakfast hosted by the Booster Club. The funds raised by the event go to the West High Athletics Department to supplement the various sports competitions they have all year.

[Art/Photo] Pancakes for All: Athletic Booster Breakfast

Sarah Han, News Editor • October 25, 2021
Science teachers’ expensive supplies typically get replaced periodically. However, because of COVID-19, many materials bought for the 2020 school year have expired, leading some science teachers to find another way to fund their classes.

[Art/Photo] Test Tubes and Mushrooms: Science Labs at West

Sarah Han, News Editor • September 15, 2021
As a month of AP testing continues, students prepare for online exams by taking practice tests. Riyana Roy (10) notes how she plans to study for her AP World History exam: “Since world history is about remembering facts, I’m [going to] use active recall where I ask myself questions about important topics to see if I can remember them. I’ll probably create notes for every unit too, and sort them into various world history themes which would be useful on the DBQ (Document Based Question) portion.”

Conquering AP Anxiety

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • May 11, 2021
Allison Tsai (10) in her campaign video, using a fun intro that took advantage of the popular song “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo, and related the song to student experiences. After her win, she said, “Knowing that I would be able to do something I loved next year was the most amazing feeling!” Her passion for the job is definitely likely to make her a great leader.

Election Day at West

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • April 23, 2021
At the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited most sports and performing arts classes from meeting in person. However, as the situation with the pandemic improved over time, some teams were able to meet in-person again, including, on March 1st of this year, West High’s marching band. Practicing in-person is an important part of the marching band, and Monday night practices were just one aspect, but returning to in-person practices have signalled the beginning of a return to normalcy. Shreshta Kumar (12), the drum major for West’s marching band, defined her experience as “really nostalgic. Especially as a senior, this being my last year in band, I was really sad to not have my final season (being the drum major too), so seeing other people was super refreshing.” Being apart was definitely harder for some more than others, but practicing in-person provided a taste of what students love about band.

West High Entertainment Unit’s Return to In-Person Practice

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • March 30, 2021
Greeted by the enthusiastic beats of drumline, students walk back onto campus for the first time in a long time.

Change in the Air as Students Prepare

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • March 29, 2021
Planning a trip to Zion National Park was a good choice because Ellie Song was able to keep her spring break vacation time, even without the accompaniment of her school friends. She explained that “Quarantine essentially affects our spring break in the same way it affects other parts of our lives; we can’t just meet people if we don’t want to, and we have to be much more cautious.” Even with COVID-19 restrictions being loosened, it is always a good idea to be considerate of those around us.

Spring Break in Quarantine

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • March 25, 2021
An image describing the shift in GME’s stock values over the course of recent history. The values rose dramatically at around the end of December and beginning of January, and peaked at $483. The values then dropped to where they are now, at $49.51.

GameStop’s Stock Surge

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • February 26, 2021
With an abundance of time on people's hands during lockdown, many turn to new hobbies and self-care routines like reading, baking, or simply napping to keep themselves occupied during such uncertain times.

The Bright Side of Quarantine

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • January 23, 2021

The Importance of Vaccination

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • January 18, 2021

Diversity in Media and Why it Matters

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • January 11, 2021
As COVID-19 cases begin to rise in Los Angeles County following major holidays, stricter regulations are being implemented. Residents of LA County are being further encouraged to continue social distancing and mask-wearing to keep safe.

LA County Tightens COVID-19 Restrictions

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • December 29, 2020

Torrance Man Charged with Hate Crime

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • November 20, 2020

Should Indigenous Peoples’ Day Replace Columbus Day?

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • October 30, 2020
A good example of how to celebrate during the pandemic: an outdoor and socially distanced party with friends.

A Safe Celebration

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • October 16, 2020
Pictured are members of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) holding up a poster encouraging students to join during Club Rush last year. This year even with a virtual Club Rush, board members were able to connect with their members through posting and creating videos to promote their clubs.

Club Connection

Westley Kim, Staff Artist • October 7, 2020
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