Photo of the Week

Photo of the Week

April 29, 2025

Every week, staff members of The Pearl Post send in the best photo they’ve taken that week. After an in-class vote, the most popular picture is chosen and posted he

photo of the week

About the Contributors

Casey Wanatick, Sports/Tech Editor

Casey Wanatick is a senior and Sports/Tech Editor for The Pearl Post. Hopeful for his last year in high school, Wanatick looks forward to seeing his friends and spend his last quality moments before he goes off to college. His ambition is leading him to a passage out of state for college, striving to be in the sports management industry. Wanatick’s biggest wish is to attend his dream school, University of Michigan to study sports management. He is prepared to live independently and learn the basics of life himself as he begins to live adulthood alone.

Valeria Luquin, Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief

This is Valeria Luquin’s third year on The Pearl Post staff. She is excited to be back on campus and working with everyone in person. Outside the classroom, she is very active in her school community as ASB Vice President, part of LAUSD’s Board District 3 Student Advisory Council and President/Founder of the Bullet Journal Club. She plans on making the most out of her senior year.

Cassia Ramelb, Copy Editor

Yearbook Design Editor Cassia Ramelb has been on staff for three years and this is her second year as an editor for Prestige Yearbook. When designing pages for the yearbook, Ramelb uses Pinterest to help her come up with ideas to incorporate to the book. While being an editor, she also takes four Advanced Placement classes for her senior year and is an intern for Sports High where she has met influencers like Bobby Brown. Ramelb is also very involved in many social justice groups including West Valley People’s Alliance, Climate Collilation and Ethnic Studies. She does all of this while craving sushi the majority of time.

Valery Barrera, Digital Media Editor

Kicking off her film career, senior Valery Barrera is a Digital Media Editor this year for The Pearl Post. Since the beginning of her journalism career, Barrera found joy in inspiring people with her work whether through stories or videos. In her role as editor, she hopes to achieve as before and bring some light into the school during this time. Her heart of gold and contagious smile leave the newsroom filled with positive vibes and you could always count on her to help you when you’re struggling. Barrera will most definitely bring some fun into the madness that is our class.

Alan Ruiz, Print Editor-in-Chief

Alan Ruiz, a senior, is so excited to work on The Pearl Post this year as the Print Editor-in-Chief. In his third year on the DPMHS Student Media staff, Ruiz is looking forward to refining the writing, editing and photography skills that will help him pursue a career in journalism. Outside of school, Ruiz participates in the Student Advisory Council for LAUSD Board District 3, contributes to the Los Angeles Zoo Teen Council for Conservation and manages his sports news YouTube channel called All Things Dodgers. He also enjoys organizing and volunteering at school events, playing baseball and spending quality time with family and friends.

Alex Salcedo, Staff Writer

Alex Salcedo, a sophomore, is entering his first year as a staff member. As he works with the team, he hopes to grow and improve his writing and photography skills. When he isn’t writing, you’ll find him at the gym or listening to music. He strives to make amazing memories with his team and perform to the best of his ability.

Itzel Luna, Print Editor-in-Chief

Itzel Luna is the Print Editor-in-Chief for Daniel Pearl Magnet High School’s student website and magazine, The Pearl Post. This school year, Luna hopes to help lead the staff and improve the magazine. She is very excited about the content that the staff has been producing and can’t wait for the upcoming issues. When she’s not editing or stressing about college applications, she enjoys reading and watching Netflix. Some of her favorite shows are “Friends,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Elite.”

Naamah Silcott, Yearbook Editor-in-Chief

Naamah Silcott is The Prestige Yearbook Editor-in-Chief and this is their second year on staff. They also serve as Black Student Union (BSU), Pride Club and Art Club President. They also have been Birmingham Community Charter High School Varsity Volleyball captain for two years. They are looking forward to what this year’s staff will bring to the table.

Yusuf Syed, Staff Writer

Yusuf Syed is in his first year on the staff of The Pearl Post as a staff writer. He is in his junior year and hopes to get good grades and go to a concert. When he is not at school, he is part of the ISVW (Islamic Center of West Valley) community. He likes to go to the beach once in a while, listen to music and hang out with his friends.

Delilah Brumer, Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief

Delilah Brumer is The Pearl Post Print Editor-in-Chief and this is her third year on staff. She also serves as Student Body Secretary, Local School Leadership Council Secretary, School Site Council Secretary and National Honor Society President. She has served on the Los Angeles Times High School Insider Student Advisory Board for two years so far. She can’t wait to lead this stellar staff.

Jenny Marquez, Online Editor-in-Chief

Jenny Marquez is this year’s Online Editor-in-Chief for The Pearl Post. This is her second year on the DPMHS Student Media staff and she’s beyond excited to continue being part of an incredible team. At school, she is a co-host for the publication’s student-run podcast, Room 22, and serves as the Secretary of the Class of 2026. This year, she hopes to further improve her journalism skills such as editing and writing. In her free time, she loves listening to music, hanging out with her friends, and catching up on sleep.

Mahali Sanchez, Photo Editor

Photography editor Mahali Sanchez looks forward to producing great photos while enjoying her last year at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS). Sanchez has been taking photos for three years with the DPMHS Student Media, however she has been involved in photography for five years. Along with her involvement in photography, she spends her time working on AP classwork. Apart from schoolwork, Sanchez invests her time in her church by singing in the choir. With all her hard work, Sanchez hopes her dedication pays off in the future.

Kristin Intal, Visual Editor

Kristin Intal is a senior and in her second year on staff. As the Visual Editor, she plans to support other staff members through photography, art and editing skills. Outside of class, she strives to participate in a variety of activities, such as martial arts and volunteering.

Jasmine McNair, Yearbook Editor-in-Chief

Jasmine McNair is a senior and this year’s Prestige Yearbook Editor-in-Chief. This is her second year on staff and she’s excited for what this upcoming year has to offer. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, baking and listening to music. She hopes to improve her designing skills and make the most of her final year of high school.

Emily Short, Yearbook Editor

Senior Emily Short is starting their first year as a Yearbook editor after a year of being a staff writer. While they are a bit nervous to be on the yearbook staff, they are excited to see what their team can come up with for their 2022-23 yearbook. They love to be creative and help people whenever they can. They also enjoy art and video games and always indulge in them when they have the time to. They hope to stay on task and keep a steady workflow.

Sabrina Robertson, Sports Editor

Sabrina Robertson is The Pearl Post Sports Editor. This is her first year on staff. She also serves as Student Body Vice President. She previously was on Birmingham Community Charter High School Varsity Swim Team for three years. She is looking forward to working hard and having fun.

Andrew Pulido, Staff Writer

Andrew Pulido is a first-year staff member at The Pearl Post. He aims to learn the ropes of the operations while still producing high-quality and timely work. Extracurricularly, he participates in the 10th grade class council as Secretary, and the Birmingham Community Charter High School’s Cross Country team. When he has some time to spare, he never hesitates to involve himself with any horror media, whether it be book, film, or game. One hope he has this year is to put his passion for the horror genre into his work, if given the opportunity.

Emma Rosenberg, Yearbook Editor

Emma Rosenberg is in her second year on staff and is excited to be one of the editors for the Prestige Yearbook this year. She looks forward to designing spreads and working with new people. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, gardening and listening to music. As a senior in high school, she plans to make the most of her last year and be involved in the school community.

Andre Arcilla, Digital Media Editor-in-Chief

Andre Arcilla is this year’s Digital Media Editor-in-Chief. This is his second and final year on staff. His goal on staff is to make sure there’s more videos on The Pearl Post site and social media and to further improve his writing skills. At school, he’s the president of the Art Club. During his free time, he enjoys video editing, listening to lots of music, drawing, and playing video games with his friends. He hopes to keep finding new and creative ways to express himself and tell stories.

Grant Asner, Entertainment Editor

Grant Asner is this year’s Entertainment Editor for The Pearl Post. This is his first year on staff and he is eager to better his skills as a journalist. For fun, Grant is often at the gym, watching movies, listening to music or hanging out with friends.

Alliana Samonte, Managing Editor

Alliana-Faith Samonte is on her third and last year with The Pearl Post. She has bumped up to becoming Special Reports/Managing editor. Samonte is excited to spend her last few days of high school being part of the publication with some of her favorite people. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, going on road trips and traveling. Alliana wishes to be as fierce as Mulan one day. She hopes to be the most successful one out of her family after college and spoil her mom with all the designer products she wants as she grows up to become an optometrist.

Maggie Simonyan, Sports Editor

Maggie Simonyan is The Pearl Post Sports Editor and this is her first year on staff. She currently serves as the school Student Body President, National Honor Society President and is the founder of the non-profit organization Armenian Youth Education Aid. During her free time, she likes to read books, go on runs and perform Armenian dances. As a senior in high school, she is most looking forward to preparing herself for college and life beyond this year.

Alysa Basmadzhyan, Yearbook Editor

Senior Alysa Basmadzhyan is excited to be a yearbook editor this year. She was a staff writer last year but is thrilled to try something new as it is her last year at DPMHS. She is looking forward to bringing out her creativity. Getting to know more people and the challenges she will face as a yearbook editor are what she is looking forward to the most this year.

Christine Valenzuela, Copy Editor

Christine Valenzuela is a Design Editor for The Prestige Yearbook and a part-time cartoonist. She hopes to be able to incorporate creative spreads and make interesting memories with her fellow yearbook staff. Christine is currently a senior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School and on the tennis team for Birmingham Community Charter High School. Christine enjoys spending time with friends and eating junk food while binge watching TV shows from 10 years ago.

Genesis Cuellar-Figueroa, Yearbook Editor

Genesis Cuellar-Figueroa is currently in her senior year of high school and is one of this year’s Presitge Yearbook Editors. This is her first and last year on staff. She also is this year’s ASB president and enjoys being involved on campus. Outside of school, she loves to sing and volunteer at a hospital in the laboratory.

Farah Faiza, Staff Writer

Farah Faiza is a staff writer for The Pearl Post, making this her first year on the team. She’s camera shy and definitely prefers to be the one behind the scenes, whether it’s taking photos or writing. She’s an avid reader and writes in her spare time whenever the mood strikes as she loves how words can create a whole world. Music plays a big part in her life, to the point where she can’t imagine ever being without it. She thinks origami is relaxing but no one’s ever seen her make anything but a paper crane.

Aidan Lia, Sports Editor

Aidan Lia is a senior and the current Sports Editor. He has been on staff for two years and wants to make sure he works hard to better the publication and his fellow staff members. While not in school, Lia enjoys volunteering and going to the gym. He also enjoys going out with friends, playing sports and gaming.

Benjamin Recinos, Staff Writer

Benjamin Recinos is a senior and this is his first year of being a staff writer. He hopes to sharpen his writing skills, photography skills and to be more of a team player. As a senior, he hopes to make the most of his last year in high school and his time on The Pearl Post. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, guitar & writing music.

Valerie Sanchez, Entertainment Editor

Valerie Sanchez is this year’s Entertainment Editor. This is her first year being on The Pearl Post. She hopes to continue her journalism journey and make sure that other student’s voices are heard. After school, she is known as a 10th grade school ambassador. During her free time, she listens to music, goes to concerts and edits many things such as websites. She hopes to express herself and bring attention to student’s voices and opinions.

Jazmine Valerio, Yearbook Editor

Jazmine Valerio is a senior and is in her second year as one of the Prestige Yearbook editors. While being a yearbook editor, she is also the 2023-2024 ASB Vice President. In Valerio’s free time, she enjoys reading, sewing, spending time with her family and friends and collecting stuffed animals. Valerio is looking forward to helping design the last yearbook of her high school experience and take part in the Leadership class.

Linus Bossardt, Staff Writer

Linus Bossardt is a sophomore and first-year staff writer and photographer. He hopes to rise in the ranks and refine his skills in the upcoming years. He plays guitar and piano and enjoys composing music in his free time as well as studying Japanese. He loves taking pictures of landscapes and capturing magical moments with his camera.

Jason Arevalo, Staff Writer

Senior Jason Arevalo is The Pearl Post Staff writer. He mainly does art in his free time. Otherwise, Arevalo is hanging out with friends either online or in person. He is the older brother of one younger brother. He likes to help others when he can be quiet at times.

Harlow Frank, Digital Media Editor-in-Chief

Aside from being Vice President, Harlow Frank is also Digital Media Editor-In-Chief for the Pearl Post. Although this is Harlow’s first year being Digital Media Editor-In-Chief, he has been video editor for one year and has been on the staff for three years. Harlow’s favorite part about being video editor-in-chief is creating content for people and seeing how they react to the video. When Harlow isn’t stressing about creating new content or finding ways to better our school, you can find him hanging out with friends, playing video games, or even making himself appear more like Maui. “I want to leave a mark for future editors, that way they won’t struggle as much as I did.”

Angela Ledesma, Features Editor

Angela Ledesma- Grattarola is The Pearl Post Features Editor and this is her first year on staff. She also serves as the Student Body President and outside of school she likes to spend her time volunteering. She has played the violin for four years off and on again but always goes back to it. She loves speaking to others and is looking forward to a great year on staff.

Satenik Ayrapetyan, Print Editor-in-Chief, Social Media Editor

Satenik Ayrapetyan is this year’s Print Editor-in-Chief and Social Media Editor. This will be her third and final year on The Pearl Post and she is beyond ecstatic to lead the team. She also serves as Student Body Secretary, National Honor Society President and Pride Club President. Additionally, she has spent two years on the Los Angeles Times High School Insider Advisory Board and was one of eight students selected for their summer internship. Her goal for this year is for the staff to have five printed magazines. In her free time, she enjoys geeking out about Dungeons and Dragons or swimming laps.

Rikka Dimalanta, Online Editor-in-Chief

Rikka Dimalanta is in her third and final year on staff, this time as the Online Editor-in-Chief. In addition to working for The Pearl Post, she is a performer and director for the school band. She hopes to build a future in music, which is one of the things she is most passionate about. She is also looking forward to having an unforgettable senior year with her friends.

Jasmine Thompson, Staff Writer

Jasmine Thompson is a sophomore and first-year staff member on The Pearl Post. Her goal this year is to get accustomed to the program in order to advance in staff her junior year. Outside of The Pearl Post, she is the current vice president on the class council and plays for Birmingham Community Charter High School’s Varsity Volleyball team.

Maribella Ambrosio, Photo Editor

Maribella Ambrosio is our cat-loving, Photo Editor here at The Pearl Post. When she’s not playing with her cats or watching “The Office”, she loves to cook and help her mom out around the house. She has one younger-brother who she helps to take care of, so she’s really good at balancing her responsibilities at home with her work at school. Maribella makes sure to go to church every Sunday to pray with her family and loves to cook them pollo con arroz after. She comes from a family of immigrants and she knows what it means to work hard. She is bilingual and extremely organized. Maribella likes this organization style called Bullet Journaling where she draws out her agenda and plans for the week.

Vanessa Morales, Features Editor

Vanessa Morales is currently in her senior year of high school and this year’s Features Editor. This is her second year on staff and her first as an editor. Outside of school, she loves to read, listen to music and volunteer at her local hospital. Her goal this year is to improve her designing and editing skills.

Serena Elkins, Staff Writer

Serena Elkins is a staff writer in her sophomore year of high school and first year on The Pearl Post staff. She is the sophomore Class President, Head of Membership in PTSA and Leadership Council Secretary. She loves to plan and volunteer at school community events. Outside of school, she enjoys painting, baking and archery. She is very excited to be a part of The Pearl Post staff and get to know the other staff members and editors while writing and taking photos.

Alia Galvan, Staff Writer

Alia Galvan, in her junior year of high school, is a new staff writer for The Pearl Post. Writing is not her only hobby though. She paints, reads and is most passionate about listening to music. She listens to almost all music genres and hopes to further broaden her range. She also hopes to finish the year with a high GPA, plus score well on her AP tests.

Karina Mara, Copy Editor

Karina Mara is a Design Editor for The Prestige Yearbook. Karina is looking forward to creating a masterpiece with her fellow yearbook staff members Zachary Gephart-Canada, Alyssa Cancio, Cj Gorospe and Christine Valenzuela. Karina enjoys spending time on the internet and watching random, cool videos on Youtube, especially tennis videos because she loves tennis. She plays for Birmingham Community Charter High School’s girls varsity tennis team. She listens any song, not really country, but so long as it’s good in the ear and perhaps the lyrics are fantastic, then it’s a win. She hopes for the best this school year.

Chareena Pascua, Copy Editor

This is Chareena Pascua’s second and last year on staff. She is this year’s Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Prestige Yearbook and a Copy Editor for The Pearl Post. In addition to being on DPMHS Student Media, she is the ASB Treasurer. You will always catch her listening to music. Traveling and spending time with friends and family are two of her favorite things to do in her spare time. Chareena’s goal is to have a memorable senior year.

Elizabeth Rose, Staff Writer

Elizabeth Rose is a staff writer for this year’s Pearl Post. This is her first and final year as part of the staff, but she’s eager to expand her journalism skill set and make the most of the projects she’ll be a part of. In her free time, you’ll find her writing novels or taking part in various volunteer work, from taking care of children to picking up trash in her local neighborhood.

Gabrielle Lashley, Art Director

Gabrielle Lashley is in her third and final year on staff of The Pearl Post, now as the new Art Director. In school, she’s co-president of the Art Club, Vice President of Black Student Union and officer of Pride Club. Off campus she participates in her art-oriented internship with Inner-City Arts and volunteers for local organizations. She hopes this work will aid her in the future and as Art Director in this wonderful publication.

Sam Torres, Opinion Editor

Sam Torres is the Opinion Editor in his second year with the Pearl Post. In his spare time, he likes to play Rage Against the Machine songs on his bass, write short stories with his friends, and listen to one of his many Spotify playlists. He is interested in journalism but would also love to work in public relations. His strengths are public speaking and his weakness is deadlines. His favorite artists are; Crimson Apple, Rage Against the Machine, Social Distortion, Johnny Cash, and Tupac. His favorite movies are Inglorious Bastards, Baby Driver, American History X, Blood In Blood Out, and La Bamba. He developed senioritis in 10th grade but is very motivated for college.