Found My Smile

by Cristobal Segura Looks like you found your smile. Not only did you make it out alive, you feel amazing and you’re impressed with yourself. You feel like the weight of the boulder of stress is finally lifted off your back. You no longer feel like a burden to the world. You’re no longer afraid…

Food Fair

By: Karley Bailey It’s International Week, and it only comes once a year. Many look forward to  this week because of the ever anticipated annual food fair. Everyone who likes food will love the Food Fair. It not only means missing a portion of the school day, it means letting your taste buds experience a…

Author Profile: Howard Taylor

by Johnathon Froman Howard Taylor, born February 29th of 1968 in Florida, is a talented artist and writer. He is the creator of the Schlock Mercenary webcomic series, which was nominated for the Hugo award. Howard graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree music composition, of which he used to start up a independent…

Author Profile: Mary Robinette Kowal

by Johnathon Froman Mary Robinette Kowal is a writer of many talents, including professional puppeteering and voice acting as well as her highly regarded writing skills. Kowal is the winner of numerous awards such as the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2008 and three Hugo awards. Born in North Carolina in…

Author Profile: Dan Wells

by Johnathon Froman Dan Wells, an experienced writer who’s explored a variety of genres, was born on March 4th of 1977. Growing up in Utah, his parents were avid readers who placed Wells on the fast track to his education. Because of this, Wells spent the majority of his childhood reading and experimenting with writing….

Spring Breakers

By: Karley Bailey At last Spring Break is here. The long strenuous wait for a temporary glimpse of summer. No school, no getting up at 6 am, no constant struggle of looking at the clock for when  third period will end. The name literally exemplifies what Spring Break really means to us; a jump into…

10 Cloverfield Lane — A Spoiler-Free Review

by Gwynn Van Houten When the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane was released on January 15, just two months before its premiere, it seemed strange that it was some of the first news we’d been given of a new Bad Robot film. It received scant promotion and marketing; until it was released, moviegoers and media…

Charitable Tiller Baking

By: Alexia Mitchell It was recently brought to our attention that a couple of Tustin High Students are banning together to work with Operation Warm Wishes. OWW is an organization that is set on serving Orange County’s homeless, struggling families, veterans, and senior citizens in need of encouragement and anything to help them secure their…

Fantastic Food Spots in Corona Del Mar and Newport Beach

By Katelyn Merrell Bear Flag Fish Co. For the seafood lover, Bear Flag is the place to eat. They specialize in their fresh fish ranging from ahi poke, to ceviche, to Mahi Mahi tacos, to their classic California burrito (beans, rice, avocado, and fish). Each meal comes with a side of chips that go great…

The Power of Dance

by Gwynn Van Houten Sona Karun is a sophomore at Tustin High. She has played basketball, taken karate lessons, and is a member of STEM and MUN. She is an accomplished honors student, and a great friend to boot. But anyone can figure that out. Sona knows that there’s so much more to who she…

There’s A New Principal In Town: Mr. David Basile

By: Jocelyn You Photos by: Kristina Ching David Basile, owner of the Tustin Round Table Pizza, is taking over Tustin High for the day. Claiming Mrs. Matos’s swivel-chair as his own and making the campus his home for a few hours, Mr. Basile sets out to explore Tustin High. Tustin born-and-raised himself, Mr. Basile knows…

Breaking Benjamin Live

By Joshua Muller            On March 9, alternative rock band Breaking Benjamin performed live at “the happiest place on Earth” at Disneyland’s House of Blues. The band went on tour for their new album Dark Before Dawn for the first time since since 2010 due to lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley’s chronic illness and his phobias…

Larissa Connors: From Tustin High School to Rio de Janeiro

By: Karli Stichter Former Tustin High School math teacher Larissa Connors discovered her new passion of mountain bike racing and cycling in the past two years. Despite her natural talent and skill in the mountain biking profession, this wasn’t the original plan for Connors’ life. Graduating from University of California, Davis, she was immediately drawn to…

Girls’ Lacrosse Loses to Northwood

By Jacob Rivas On March 15, the Tustin girls’ lacrosse team went head to head with Northwood High School. The game began with Northwood dominating the offensive end of the field as they constantly put the pressure on Tustin’s defense. This high pressure lead to Northwood scoring their first two goals in the first two…

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

By: Jocelyn You and Gigi Hume Taking you around the top 5 best ice cream places around Orange County- one scoop at a time. Orange County- land of the excess and the beautiful. And what comes out of that? Beautiful, high-quality, Instagram-worthy ice cream. Here, we make pit stops around some of Orange County’s top…

An Interesting Week for the Boys’ Lacrosse Team

By Nayeli Medina This season for the Tustin Boys’ Lacrosse team commenced with a successful win in their first scrimmage against University High School. Unfortunately, their first home game was a tragic 17-0 loss against Yorba Linda. However, they powered through to the best of their abilities against a school that is in one of…

Young Rappers Who Want to Hone Their Skills

By Razmon Urbano and Anastasia Earles Rap and hip hop peaks in the music and entertainment industry and there are many who desire to become famous rappers. With so much competition, there is no assurance that even those who want to become rappers will reach that pinnacle. However there are ways to improve your rap…

Cheer Auditions

By Edith Finck Have you ever wanted to be a Tustin High Cheerleader? If so, now is your chance to be a part of an organization that will allow you to meet new people and to be more involved in school. In addition, cheer counts as PE credit. Tustin High School’s Cheer Squad is holding…

Coach Sydney Means

By: Ahrize Faletoi Track and Field season has finally begun and has made a few changes to the coaching staff. The coaching staff has added Tustin alumni and former student-athlete Sydney Means as the new head coach of shot put and discus. She is a former member of the Tustin High’s girl’s basketball team and the…

Another Mars Lander

By Edith Finck and Joshua Muller Mars has held attention from scientists for a number of years. Scientists believe the barren planet may have sustained life at one point and this makes them wonder if Earth will suffer the same fate. To determine the truth of this thought, they must first understand what took place on…

St. Patrick’s Day Facts

by Jennifer Mendoza and John Mendoza St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by Irish communities and organizations. Festivities often include Irish food and drink that are dyed green with food coloring. St. Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland. When Irish immigrants moved to other countries and spread his ideas, those places began to…

The Division

by Cyndal Juarez A new video game has been brought to the attention of many gamers out there. On March 8th, Tom Clancy’s The Division was released to the public. For those who don’t know, the game is a new open world, third-person shooter game that is based in a multiplayer environment that the players…

Keeping In Style This Spring

By Cyndal Juarez & Julia Klotz As the months change from winter to spring, new fashion styles emerge from heavy coats to lighter layers. In California, the weather never varies too far from 75 degrees, but within our communities we can see everyone’s style conforming to the seasons. At Tustin High, students have gone from…

SoCal Student Film Festival 2016

By Johnathon Froman, Jacqueline Martinez The SoCal Student Film Festival is a center for student-made films in Southern California and is now charging into its eighth year. A nationally recognized media arts teacher from Beckman High School named Chris Perdue is the founder of the SoCal Student Festival and has boldly led the Festival into…

Free Agency Frenzy

By Benjamin Rodriguez On Wednesday March 9, the NFL’s new league year started, commencing  the event known as Free Agency Frenzy, which is one of the most exciting events during the NFL offseason. This means the teams can start signing free agents to deals. One major trade took place between the Miami Dolphins and the…

Varsity Volleyball: The Battle Between Tustin and El Modena

By Katelyn Merrell Tuesday night, the D4 Tustin Tillers took on the D2 El Modena Vanguards in a preseason battle for the books. The game went into five extremely close matches. However, El Modena came through with the win in the 5th game, despite the Tillers putting up an incredible fight. In the first game,…

Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Intro Part One

by Johnathon A. Froman Note: Recommended only for those who have or are planning to buy the complete edition of Civilization V, NOT the base game by itself. Introduction. Sid Meier’s Civilization V is a finely crafted turn-based strategy game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games and Aspyr, released on September 21st,…

Yes, There Are Other Coffee Shops Than Starbucks

By Katelyn Merrell Despite the convenience of a Starbucks Coffee being on almost every corner, there are tastier, trendier, and more quality coffee shops in the Tustin area. Simply take a trip down Newport Blvd. and experience three specialty coffee shops serving up decadent drinks, tasty treats, and flavorful food. Kean Coffee Kean Coffee is…

The Best Makeup Dupes

by Clea Thomas Every girl understands the struggle to look fierce/fly while not spending all of their life savings/college tuition/inheritance. This is a collective list of the closest matches of eyeshadows, lip products, and brushes, all for the lowest price possible.   Urban Decay’s Naked Palettes These three famous eyeshadow palettes are must-haves in every…

Rough Start to Girls’ Lacrosse Season

By Clea Thomas Tustin High School’s very own Lady Tillers Lacrosse team put up a hard fight in both games last week. The Lady Tillers competed against vicious Yorba Linda last Wednesday. Unfortunately, they lost 3-12, but our Tillers played strong. Tustin scored the first goal of the game within the first three minutes. Shortly…