By Ella Chan, Lucas de Paula & Tiffany Phan
Staff Writers
Uniformed security on campus
TCUSD hired five security guards from Absolute International Security to patrol TCHS and Oak. Three of them were at TCHS at a time, starting Sept. 20. The unarmed, uniformed security stayed for two weeks and left on Oct. 1.
The district hired the security guards to ensure a smooth transition to the new schedule for the usual campus supervisors. The new daily schedule has classes starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 3:15 p.m., as opposed to the old schedule from 8:15 a.m. to 2:55 p.m..
Originally, administrators asked district personnel and other campus supervisors to make up the difference, but after the first few weeks of school, that method proved to be ineffective.
In addition, guards worked as extra supervision to prevent student conflicts and vandalism. Before the guards’ first day, one confirmed fight broke out on the high school campus, and TCHS experienced several instances of bathroom supply theft due to a widespread TikTok challenge to vandalize school bathrooms.
Tournament of Roses Court
Starting again after the pandemic, the Tournament of Roses Association began the 2022 Royal Court nominations early in September. 29 finalists, including TCHS senior Celine Tsai, made it to the final round. Of those 29, only seven passed the last round of interviews on Oct. 4 to form the Royal Court.
“I think that is just something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was little,” Tsai said. “I watched the Rose Parade growing up. I really like Pasadena, and what better way is there to give back to my community than trying out to be an ambassador?”
Speaker ban
Administration banned the use of speakers on campus during school hours on Sept. 20 in an attempt to prevent learning interference. Staff will confiscate the speakers if students violate the rule.
The new policy came as a result of complaints from campus supervisors and students about disruptive use of speakers.
Upon the first confiscation of devices, administration will notify parents and return the device to the student after school. For subsequent offenses, parents must pick up the device from a school administrator.
“As long as a school is involved, it should feel like a place for learning, and we wanted to create a space that is conducive for that,” Assistant Principal Binh Nguyen said. “What we found was that speakers, although they can be great learning devices, were inhibiting that sense of learning.”
The external audio policy will remain in place indefinitely. The policy is also a preventative measure against theft and loss of the speakers, which can be expensive to replace.
“We all have to understand that school is like a public forum,” Nguyen said. “We have all kinds of different people, so we want to create a safe space for all our students, and the decision to prohibit the use of speakers during school hours would help us to do that.”