In early May of this year, there was a pop culture outrage when Kendrick Lamar and Aubrey Drake Graham began a rap battle within two weeks. This all began in peace, with a simple compliment, then it was turned into horrible allegations and judgment of their personal lives. On November 15, 2023, Drake dropped his album “For All the Dogs” in which he collaborated with J. Cole on their song “First Person Shooter” where he says that he, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar are the big three of the rap industry. In response to this, on March 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar collaborated on a track with Metro Boomin and Future called “Like That” where he says that it's not the big three, “it’s just big me”, insulting both rappers by implying he is better than both of them. After this track was dropped on Metro Boomin’s album “WE DON’T TRUST YOU”, J.Cole responded to Kendrick’s line in the song with his “7 Minute Drill” which he removed from all platforms a week after it was up and apologized at one of his concerts for saying those horrible things about Kendrick. Then on April 19, 2024, Drake dropped the song “Push Ups” where he insults Kendrick for being short amongst other insults, as well as dissing Metro Boomin, despite him only being in charge of the beat of his song. Drake also continues to diss many other people in the general music industry including the Weeknd, despite him having no role in this tension. After “Push Ups” is released, Kendrick drops his six-minute song “Euphoria” where he says that he hates Drake and that it isn’t something he did he just hates him. He then drops “6:16 in LA” just another track insulting Drake and his career. Only a few hours after “6:16 in LA” is dropped, Drake drops “Family Matters” accusing Kendrick of assaulting his wife and telling his wife to call him if anything happened. He then went on to say that Kendrick was a bad father and didn’t see his kids enough. Only thirty minutes after Drake dropped this track, Kendrick drops a dark emotional track called “Meet the Grahams” where he says that Drake is a bad father to his son Adonis, to his alleged daughter that he has been hiding from the world, and that he is a pedophile. However, Kendrick did not stop there. The next morning he drops “Not Like Us” stating how Drake is a pedophile which was primarily made to rub in the fact that there would be no way for him to reply to both of these tracks successfully. Later that night Drake drops his reply to both songs with “The Heart Part 6”, referencing Kendrick's series “The Heart” and parts one through 5. In this track, he denies the allegations of being a pedophile and accuses Kendrick of hitting his wife again. He then continues to make fun of one of his songs from “Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers” when Kendrick had made a song about his mother getting molested as a child. However, Drake thought it was about Kendrick getting molested and eventually got severely called out by people on social media for using such sensitive, controversial, and sad information to insult someone. One of the last things included in this diss track is when Drake says how he had someone give Kendrick information about another hidden child so then he would rap about it but be wrong. Despite Drake setting Kendrick up and accusing him of spreading false information, he had no proof against the allegations of pedophilia other than his account which was proven wrong in the end. This was proven to be a lie because of multiple accounts from Millie Bobby Brown saying that she and Drake were close, along with accounts of concerning tweets made towards celebrities that started their career under 18 such as Billie Eilish and others. Kendrick’s allegations on the other hand were not proven wrong however there is also no evidence against him other than Drake simply stating that he assaults his wife. In the end, the internet considers this duel to go down in rap history as well as a victory for Kendrick and his fans.

When: May 14, 2024 Why: Because our art department is awesome This year our entire art department has decided to put on a small art show to expose and show off the students' work this year. The photography, metals and jewelry, ceramics and art, as well as GAMS art. This art show is specifically geared towards advanced art students such as photo two students and advanced ceramics. The students were allowed to enter one art piece of their choosing. I really enjoyed the art show this year. It made me happy to see how students put so much time and effort into creating something beautiful. I was a little sad that the physical clay projects were not displayed, but instead photos of them. But it makes sense, most students are destructive and no one wants their art destroyed. I especially liked the Animal Bust of an angler fish by Zach Vanderhoff. The clothing gave off a punk vibe that the artist hoped to achieve and I really thought they did a great job. The paintings this year were amazing! They really blew me away with how detailed they were. Most of the paintings were not for sale, but it was still amazing to see how dedicated and detailed they were. This is the same idea with the jewelry that was displayed. I was sad only two were for sale, but otherwise they did an amazing job. The rings were absolutely gorgeous and I am totally buying one next year! The photographs this year I was really impressed with. The photo two students worked so hard this year Overall the art show this year was absolutely amazing! I am so happy our school decided to have it and I will attend next year.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, road accidents kill over one million large animals in the United States each year.¹ The gross reality behind this statistic isn’t just the sheer amount of creatures that is; it’s also the fact that this is a major underestimate. Since that number only accounts for accidents that are actually reported, the real value is significantly higher. Beth Pratt, the California Director of the National Wildlife Federation, discussed this issue in an interview with CNN saying, “...If you add in the little guys — frogs and butterflies — we’re talking [a number] in the billions.”¹ The city of Los Angeles holds the issue of animal auto accidents close to their heart, especially after one of their beloved friends became a victim. Named P-22, this mountain lion quickly became a celebrity for the locals after he was seen roaming around people’s neighborhoods.¹ Whether it was while they ate dinner or from the deck of their homes, seeing P-22 would brighten people’s days. It was as if you unexpectedly ran into a good friend, rather than a wild mountain lion that would typically spark fear. P-22’s life was severely affected by human development, as are the lives of so many creatures around the world. At an early age, the young mountain lion had to miraculously cross two of L.A.’s busiest freeways, landing his name in multiple headlines.² From that point on he managed to survive in the Griffith Park area, which for a mountain lion is much too small. Surrounded by the 101 and 134 freeways, P-22’s habitat only covered eight square miles. Compared to the typical 100 square miles that male mountain lions roam, it is clear that P-22’s habitat size acted as a hindrance in his life.¹ Trapped by the freeways, he was never able to find a mate before his passing in December 2022. Motivated by P-22’s story, people of all kinds felt the need for change. A common interest appeared to be drawn toward a wildlife overpass, but one major issue stood in the way of that plan: funding. Beth Pratt, who was so inspired by the mountain lion’s story that she got a tattoo in his memory, was not going to let money stand in the way. Dressed in her casual clothes and hiking boots, Pratt took it upon herself to go door to door, asking anyone she could for donations. Thanks to the city’s widespread love for P-22, the money came pouring in. Even celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Barbra Streisand helped send endowments for the project.¹ Currently in construction, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is projected to be completed within the next couple of years. Spanning 210 feet over the 10 lane-wide 101 freeway, this bridge is expected to provide a multitude of benefits to both animals and humans.³ For animals, aside from the obvious decrease in the amount of roadkill, wildlife crossings help increase biodiversity everywhere. Without crossings, species get cut off from mating possibilities and the necessary resources that they need in order to thrive. On the other side are human benefits, including a lower risk of crashing into wildlife as well as less time spent in traffic due to road closures. The overall impact of this wildlife crossing will leave a lasting effect that will push for a new wave of animal safety.