The Student News Site of Torrey Pines High School

The Falconer

The Falconer
The Student News Site of Torrey Pines High School

The Falconer
Latest
October Encinitas Rising Star
October 29, 2025

The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce,...

Pro/Con: Proposition 50
October 29, 2025

California’s Proposition 50, also...

Trending
1
Erik Greene (11) throws the waterpolo ball mid-match to a fellow teammate. Greene started on varsity his freshman year. Photo courtesy of Erik Greene.

Athlete of the Month: Erik Greene

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A student carries a Labubu keychain as they walk to class. Labubu originated as a character from Kasing Lung's series, 'The Monsters,' and were sold as Pop Mart toys beginning in 2019.

Labubu, rise of overconsumption

3
Girls cross country athletes run around the track during their 3 mile coastal varsity race. The team took second in mens and women varsity races at the The North County Conference Coastal. Photo courtesy of Torrey Pines Cross Country Team.

Varsity cross country takes on North County Conference Coastal League meet

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Tess Wheatley (12) holds up her sign reading, “I didn't grow up saying ‘liberty and justice for all’ every morning to expect anything less.” Her message resonated with not only the current political climate but also with her expectations and identity as a student.

Local voices: 'No Kings' protests spark across San Diego

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Luka Trevino (10) celebrates his win as he emerges from the Russian Race with a clear lead. Trevino has been apart of the varsity swim and dive, cross country and track and field team since his freshmen year. Photo courtesy of Luka Trevino

1 in 3000: Luka Trevino

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Depicting an elderly lady dressed in traditional clothing with a prayer wheel in hand, this piece by second year AP Studio Art student Destiny Yan (11) represents an encounter between different generations of Chinese culture. Yan used soft pastel for the base and colored pencils for the details. Photo courtesy of Katie O’Brien.

AP Studio Art: The Encounter

News
Aaron Nayki (12), fourth from left, holds up his Encinitas Rising Star Award at the award ceremony. Nayki was recognized for his leadership and dedication to the community. Photo courtesy of Aaron Nayki.
October Encinitas Rising Star
Tylor Shin, Staff Writer • October 29, 2025
This is a map of the proposed redistricting that people are voting upon. Voting yes for Prop 50 would be voting yes for this redistricting. Photo curtesy of Creative Commons.
Gerrymandering Prop 50
October 28, 2025

California’s Proposition 50 is a 2025 ballot measure that proposes temporarily...

In this week's biweekly national update, the Falconer covers government shutdown updates, tariffs and recent protests and movements in the U.S. The nationwide "No Kings" movement saw protests across the country in mid October.
Biweekly bulletin: Government shutdown updates, tariffs, protests, movements
October 27, 2025

Shutdown Updates The United States government enters its 27th day of shutdown.  Air...

Tess Wheatley (12) holds up her sign reading, “I didn't grow up saying ‘liberty and justice for all’ every morning to expect anything less.” Her message resonated with not only the current political climate but also with her expectations and identity as a student.
Local voices: ‘No Kings’ protests spark across San Diego
October 24, 2025

Crossword
Crossword week of Oct. 24, 2025
Crossword week of Oct. 24, 2025
Claire Zhou, Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Sudoku Oct. 20, 2025
Claire Zhou, Assistant Editor-in-Chief • October 20, 2025
Crossword week of Oct. 17, 2025
Claire Zhou, Assistant Editor-in-Chief • October 17, 2025
Sports
Varsity cheer team dance their choreographed moves to up-beat music. Prior to the game, the senior cheerleaders were honored by walking with their parents and other family members, with their name banners strapped across their bodies and flowers in hand.
The varsity field hockey team rejoins after a successful play out on the turf. The team is currently 19-3 and has their last league match on Oct. 29 before heading into the CIF season. Photo courtesy of Anna Scipione.
Day on the Team: Field hockey
Talia Rosenthal, Staff Writer • October 27, 2025
Day on the Team: Girls golf
Claire Zhou, Assistant Editor-in-Chief • October 27, 2025

It is still dark outside when Zoe Jiamanukoonkit (12) wakes up before her alarm clock on Wednesday, just shy of 5:45 a.m., on day two of the North County Conference Coastal League tournament. She walks...

Day on the Team: Hip-hop dance
Lily Bruch, Arts and Entertainment Editor • October 24, 2025

The school's varsity dance team prepared for their homecoming football game halftime show, arguably the biggest performance of the season, on Oct. 17. After a day filled with classes and practice, over...

Athlete of the Month: Erik Greene
Lana Weber, Feature Editor • October 22, 2025

After dedicating countless hours in the pool to become the water polo player he is today, Erik Greene (11) was named September’s male athlete of the month.  “I started [playing] in eighth grade,...

Opinion
California’s Proposition 50 serves to temporarily redraw the state’s current congressional district map with a new version to give Democrats more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The proposition was proposed to offset Texas's recent gerrymandering to favor Republicans.
Pro/Con: Proposition 50
Isabel Ji and Autumn Bowman • October 29, 2025

California’s Proposition 50, also known as the “Election Rigging Response Act,” is a ballot for election on Nov. 4, temporarily changing the state’s...

Entertainment meets politics: Influencers sway Generation Z politics
October 23, 2025

With the constantly changing political climate of today’s society, Gen-Z is...

Billionaires: Outlandish, excessive, abusive
October 23, 2025

Billionaires range from pop stars Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift to controversial...

Christopher Columbus: Hero or heretic?
October 14, 2025

Many historical figures shape the world to be what it is today, some for the...

Feature
Podcast
In this episode, co-hosts Max Brown and Daniel McKie interview owners of The Compound. This business was started by two student lacrosse players.
(Left to right) Lily Bruch (12), Tess Wheatley (12), Angelia Coenen (12), Sabine Chung (12), Avani Goyal (10), Jake Selecky (12), Tegan Inns (12), Emiko Matsuda (12) and Dean Smith (12). The Go Greenish officer team smiles for a photo. Students from both Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy went to Earl Warren Middle School to host a presentation for the students as part of the Road to Zero Waste program. Photo courtesy of Dean Smith.
Club Spotlight: Go Greenish
Emily Chao, Staff Writer • October 7, 2025
Fresh Face Friday: Reed Kendall
Talia Rosenthal, Staff Writer • October 3, 2025

All the way from the Keystone State of Pennsylvania, the school welcomes Reed Kendall to the math department. After earning a doctorate in education...

Fresh Face Friday: Charlene Nguyen
Joanne Liu, Opinion Editor • September 26, 2025

With the constant bustle of busy students and staff on campus, TPHS operates with the complexity of an active ecosystem. Sporting a charming Jellycat...

Falcons flock to opportunities abroad
Lana Weber, Feature Editor • September 25, 2025

From the lively streets of Spain to the charming cobblestone pathways of London, a world full of far away wonder and rich culture awaits students...

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A&E
Three pieces of Bokyoung Kim's (11) art that won her the September Artist of the Month title. She has had a rigorous yet short 6 months of work to get to this point.
September Artist of The Month
Kai Strzelecki, Director of Outreach • October 28, 2025
Depicting an elderly lady dressed in traditional clothing with a prayer wheel in hand, this piece by second year AP Studio Art student Destiny Yan (11) represents an encounter between different generations of Chinese culture. Yan used soft pastel for the base and colored pencils for the details. Photo courtesy of Katie O’Brien.
AP Studio Art: The Encounter
Joanne Liu and Jessie Chen • October 22, 2025

Conductor Amy Gelb (left) begins "Fantasy on Amazing Grace" by turning to the first chair Vera Muller (10) (right). The piece swept through Baroque, Classical, Romantic and early 20th century period styles.
Music department dazzles in annual Fall Concert
Claire Zhou, Assistant Editor-in-Chief • October 14, 2025

Under soft stage lights and a backdrop the shade of delicate lavender, the school music department...

The varsity contemporary dancers perform ‘Sweet Dreams,’ featuring Emi Kiyota (12) as the lead. The school's dance program put on the Fall for Dance show on Oct. 3-4. Photo courtesy of Anna Scipione.
Dance program performs Fall for Dance concert
Viktoria Kiss, Sports Editor • October 9, 2025

The school's dance teams presented their annual Fall for Dance Show at the Performing Arts...

Reviews
At the Carlsbad Strawberry Field Pumpkin Patch, a swinging bench is set up alongside a house with pumpkins for walls. This provided an area for customers to rest and take in other parts of the patch, such as the flower fields.
Taylor Swift's twelfth studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," draws inspiration from Swift's 19 years in the industry and is recieving mixed response from fans. The album, which was released last Friday, broke records with 410 million global streams on its first day. Photo courtesy of Republic Records via AP.
Country artist Luke Combs's extended play "The Prequel" features three songs from his upcoming studio album, which is set to come out in early 2026. The EP was released last Friday. Photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
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