The Mirador Volume 65 Issue 5

MHSMIRADOR.COM

APRIL 2022

THE MIRADOR MUSICAL THEATER PRESENTS THE PAJAMA GAME

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ASIAN AMERICAN? COLUMNIST SOPHIA LUO SHARES HER STORY

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“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THIS IS YOUR PILOT SPEAKING.” JUNIOR TRAINS TO EARN HIS FLIGHT LICENSE

THE BIGGEST SPRING FASHION TRENDS OF 2022

35 Photo: Jennifer Linardon

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APRIL 2022 14. JUNIOR SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS Leo Bronfman has been working to obtain his pilot’s license for two years

24. UC BERKELEY ADMISSIONS A lawsuit could have forced the university to cut enrollment, but emergency legislation was enacted

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

6. WORDLE PHENOMENON Wordle sweeps the nation, capturing students’ attention 8. IDENTITY COLUMN Sophia Luo shares about being an Asian American woman 16. SPORTS INEQUALITY Opinion: Female sports receive less publicity and support 30. AMIGOS PROGRAM Sophomores plan to travel to Latin America this summer 2

32. RONA SOROKIN SINGS HER HEART OUT Sorokin, a sophomore, expresses herself through her music, even writing and posting new songs online

26. HANNAH RIPPER CRUSHES COMPETITION Varsity wrestler takes the high school wrestling world by storm, steadily climbing the state ranks

Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the sun is rising before 7 a.m. again. Spring is upon us, bringing back pollen allergies and the dreaded Advanced Placement (AP) tests. But sadly, this beautiful season often goes unappreciated, as many choose to stare at a screen instead of enjoying the nature around them.

In the midst of the digital age, it’s difficult to spend time away from technology. Students use their phones constantly, even in class. A 2015 study by DScout reported that people touch their phones 96 times per day. However, an updated 2022 study by researcher Trevor Wheelright revealed that the tendency ballooned to an average of 344 times per day.

“All those quick little social media check-ins mean Americans spend an average of two hours and 54 minutes on their phones each day,” Wheelright said in his report. “The average American will spend nearly a month and a half on their phones in 2022.”

The Wellness Center and teachers often tell students to spend less time on their phones and to practice mindfulness. However, there are many students who don’t know what mindfulness actually is. “Mindfulness is paying attention in a way that allows us to respond rather than react,” English teacher Steve Poling said. “It is a quality of inner-stillness that is always available, even when life feels overly emotional or out of control. It’s being fully aware without judgment.”

Poling encourages his students to practice meditation and practice minfulness once a week. This spring, he intends to take this practice outside of the classroom setting, using a set of “mindful walk cards.” “The mindful nature walk idea is one that is used often in outdoor education settings, like the senior trip to the Olympic Park Institute and the freshman Yosemite trip,” Poling said.

AP Environmental Science and Geology teacher Jyllian Smith, who helped Poling create the cards, has firsthand experience seeing the effects of devices on her students. “I see them use their devices all the time, even when they’re not supposed to. It’s too often. But I think nature is an incredibly important mindful space. Getting out in nature, whether it’s the sounds, the smells, or just the colors—you’re getting away from a light shining directly in your face,” Smith said.

Smith believes that with mindful walks, students can have a chance to truly relax and relieve their stress. “Nature is so peaceful. Every time I go outside, even for a short walk, I just feel so much better. I’ll get home and feel grumpy, but after I walk my dog, I feel much better,” Smith said.

There are quite a few students who are interested in mindful walks, especially in anticipation of the comfortable spring weather. “It’s really important to get outside and be in nature because it can calm you down, and it’s honestly really fun! I also love spring because the weather gets really nice, so I like the idea of mindful walks,” sophomore Sophie Wampler said.

The outdoor opportunities presented by the spring season are especially appealing to students. “I love spring so much because I really like the weather. I think it’s the prettiest time of year, and it comes right after winter, which is such a hard season both in terms of climate and school. Spring just feels like a chance to recover,” junior Marina Kim said.

As the temperatures warm and leaves return to the trees, taking the time to appreciate nature can be a relaxing spring activity. Spring is the perfect time to stop and smell the roses, proverbially and literally.

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The Pressure Cooker of Success

MALAYNA CHANG “Everyone knows that the only real Ivies are the holy trinity: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton,” Blair Waldorf of the TV show “Gossip Girl” once said, succinctly capturing the Ivy League stereotype.

Despite the fact that countless institutions across the nation offer effective and similar educational opportunities as the Ivies, often at a lower cost, many high school students feel immense pressure to attend an “elite” school and avoid state and community colleges. This is an unfortunate reality for many East and South Asian communities in particular, which predominantly favor the “tiger parenting” style to raise their children. Amy Chua’s 2011 memoir “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” summarizes the parenting style as “strict discipline and unyielding, skyhigh expectations.” This familial pressure to succeed ultimately affects mental health and creates toxic environments. The many Asian American high school students attending top-tier schools like Miramonte that emphasize the goal of attending a “good college” are often disproportionately affected by these academic expectations.

“There is a racial/cultural legacy to innately perform well as an Asian, but there is the stereotype that has been imposed upon us to be academically successful,” senior Ink Chavanapanit said. “It is mostly pressure from your parents and yourself. There are constant reminders to get good grades since you were young, and as a result, you have a toxic habit to always care about your grades above anything else.”

Growing up in the Bay Area, high school students can often feel burdened by the pressures from school, parents, friends, and family to attend a “good college” with a coveted spot on the US News Best National Universities list and high academic rankings. Because of the close proximity to Silicon Valley, many

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northern California students feel pressured to major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) subjects and attain a competitive degree that potentially offers them more opportunities in the future. This emphasis on STEM majors creates a toxic environment, especially for students interested in the humanities and social sciences.

Asian students especially are pushed toward the technological and medical fields by their parents, as these fields of study are seen as the most “successful” and profitable careers, which is prioritized particularly in Chinese culture.

A 2016 United States Census report found that 54% of people who identify as Asian American have earned a bachelor’s degree, with the next highest racial group (white) with 37%. The report also stated that “22% of Asians had advanced degrees, compared to 14% of whites.” In a New York University (NYU) Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development article, NYU counseling psychology professor Sumie Okazaki stated that “[Asian American students] face higher standards in the pressure of not living up to the expectations of others…

Asian American college students were worried about specific things that are rooted in ethnic and cultural contexts.” Asian students often have higher academic expectations from not only parents but also from social constructs rooted in cultural beliefs and the “model minority” stereotype.

“It seems like past examples of successful Asian Americans have created this ‘expectation’ that all Asian Americans are smart and overachieving,” Chavanapanit said. “This raises the ‘standard’ for Asian Americans.

Compared to their white counterparts, there seems to be an invisible force pushing the whole community to perform better than average to live up to that expectation.”

As an Asian American student myself, I’ve grown up in a household where academics are always the first priority. The phrases “study hard” and “good college” have been part of my vocabulary since childhood. However, with hundreds of college preparatory high schools in the Bay Area, high school education is highly focused on offering Advanced Placement courses and accessibility to college counselors, especially at top-ranked schools. This places even more pressure on students to attend the best colleges possible, as they are trained over four years to take harder classes.

Rather than centering around the actual material of different courses offered at high school, students take classes that will “look good for college,” a result of competition for access to “elite” institutions.

Schoolwide emphasis on attending the best college possible in addition to parental and extended familial pressure takes a toll on the mental health of Asian American students and creates unnecessary extra pressure to succeed. In a 2014 lawsuit against Harvard University, an article from The New Yorker states, “The lawsuit alleges that Harvard effectively employs quotas on the number of Asians admitted and holds them to a higher standard than whites.”

“It feels like Asians with similar stats end up fighting one another for a spot at prestigious colleges,” Chavanapanit said. “Because most Asians do live up to higher academic expectations, they get ‘better’ stats. Since colleges have the expectation that all Asians will perform well, it’s nothing impressive. Because colleges theoretically have ‘quotas’ for the amount of Asian applicants they will accept, you have stronger competition. Asians need to do even better extracurriculars, have more volunteer hours, take harder classes, and create a stronger profile to compete. The probability of you being admitted with the same applicant profile as your average

“I WAS DEFINITELY TOLD MANY TIMES TO DO THINGS THAT ARE ‘NOT STEREOTYPICALLY ASIAN’ TO STAND OUT AND BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS.” white counterpart is smaller.”

This is a common argument in the controversy surrounding affirmative action as schools try to create a more diverse student body at the expense of competitive Asian applicants. According to an article from Ballotpedia, “Today, a common form of affirmative action in college admissions is that of racial preferences. A preference occurs when a group of applicants is more likely to be admitted than other applicants with similar or better qualifications due to other factors, such as race or ethnicity.”

While most colleges emphasize a “holistic review,” race does play a factor in filling up the seats of the next student class and creating a diverse student body.

Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou’s 2015 book, “The Asian American Achievement Paradox,” explained potential reasons for the extra emphasis placed on Asian students to thrive academically. Many Asian American students today are children of first and second generation immigrants, who lived in times when the government favored people with more education for “better” jobs in America. As a result, these parents are more motivated to provide the same or better opportunities for their children, which is seen as having a direct correlation with education level.

However, this singular emphasis placed on education fosters poor mental health, competitive atmospheres, and toxic mindsets in terms of college.

“I was definitely told many times to do things that are ‘not stereotypically Asian’ to stand out and be successful in the college application process,” senior Andrew Liu said. Many Asian

American parents also view community colleges as “lesser” or “shameful” and warn their kids against them, despite the many economic and educational benefits, such as the high transfer rates to “better” schools after two years of general education. This mindset creates more stigma and shame for students attending community colleges or other institutions with high acceptance rates or lower rankings on national lists.

Many Asian American students are inundated with extra pressures by family beyond that of school and desire to succeed.

While the pressure can correlate in acceptance to a top university, it also can create damaging, onetrack mindsets in high school, increasing mental health problems among Asian communities.

All of these factors can lead to increasingly toxic environments in high schools with emphasis on prestige and elitism. Rather than focusing on the actual material of different courses offered at high school, students take classes that will “look good for college,” an unfortunate result of competition for access to “elite” institutions.

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Becomes An Internet Sensation SOPHIA ACEVEDO

With a simple grid, an extensive vocabulary, and green, gray, and yellow tiles, and an expansive vocabulary, Wordle has captured the attention of hundreds of Miramonte students.

Wordle, an online vocabulary game, was created by Josh Wardle in 2013, but the software engineer says he “dusted it off ” during the pandemic, according to The New York Times.

The game first started to gain popularity last November, but grew rapidly after comedian Jimmy Fallon tweeted about it on Jan. 4, 2022. Since then, millions of Americans have made the game a part of their daily routines and are striving to maintain their winning streaks. The aim of Wordle is to guess a five-letter word in six tries. If users guess the right letter in the right place, the tile turns green, while if they guess the right letter in the wrong place, the square turns yellow. A gray tile means the letter isn’t in the word at all. Wordle’s immense popularity has not eluded Miramonte: in a poll on The Mirador Instagram, 93% of 126 respondents said they had played Wordle before.

Students are often spotted doing the Wordle at school, trying to come up with new words and collaborating with classmates. “I only found out about it recently, but I love doing the Wordles. It’s super satisfying to get it in a couple tries, and my friends and I always block out some time to do it during school,” senior Ava Lagaay said.

Many users have even developed their own strategies to guess the daily word in fewer tries. “I like to start off with a word with a lot of vowels. ‘Adieu’ is usually my go-to,” senior Apameh Berloui said.

While there is a endless number of vocabulary and brain-teasing apps and games, Wordle’s accessibility and simplicity led to its recent success. The game does not require an app, is free to play, and can be found through a simple Google search. With just one puzzle a day, Wordle leaves players wanting more. The game also includes users’ stats, like winning streaks at the end of a round, incentivizing users to come back day after day.

When The New York Times purchased Wordle in late January, users were told that gameplay would remain the same, but many players now think otherwise. Jordan Cohen, spokesman for The New York Times, made a public statement when Wordle was acquired, saying, “We are updating the word list over time to remove obscure words to keep the puzzle accessible to more people, as well as insensitive or offensive words.”

Despite Cohen’s statement, some users complain that the words have become more difficult to guess. “I was completely thrown for a loop when ‘ulcer’ and ‘cynic’ were the answers to the Wordle,” Lagaay said. “It was the first time I had to use up all six chances.”

It doesn’t matter if it takes the whole class period, Wordle enthusiasts won’t stop until all five tiles light up green.

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SAM SCOTT In collaboration with the Stagecraft class, Music Theater Workshop presented the 2021–2022 school year’s spring musical, “The Pajama Game,” at the Miramonte theater on Thursday, March 10 through Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, March 13 at 4:00 p.m.

“Musical theater is only one genre of theater and I’m glad we are able to expose our students to a variety of theater genres. It is a lot of hard work and certainly a labor of love. But the reward is the satisfaction that comes with performing the final product for an audience,” Theater Arts Director Heather Cousins said.

acting work come together to create a show the audience will enjoy,” senior Isabel Wirz said. “The Pajama Game” featured plenty of fun and splashy production numbers filled with standout featured roles and a large ensemble.

The Stagecraft and Musical Theater students collaborated to produce this musical. According to Cousins, Miramonte’s production model is different from the production model at other schools, such as Campolindo. At the neighboring school, the sets and costumes are created by the parents and an outside director is brought in, whereas Miramonte’s productions are fully made by students and staff. Meredith Hawkins served as Music Director, Heather Cousins as Stage Director, and for his first time at Miramonte, Thomas Dwyer assumed the role of Orchestral Director. Joy in Motion Dance

Studio’s Justin Cole reprised his role as

choreographer for a third year.

Photos: Jennifer Linardon

“The Pajama Game” is a 1950s classic inspired by the 1953 novel “7 ½ Cents” by Richard Bissell. Written by both George Abbott and Bissell, the musical deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where workers’ demands for a seven-and-a-half cent raise are going unheeded. During the protests for higher wages, love blossoms between Babe, the Union Grievance Committee leader, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. Sid and Babe are in opposite camps, yet romance sparks at their first encounter. The music and lyrics were created by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.

“I am so excited to be part of another Miramonte musical this year! Rehearsing this show has been a joy and it will be so rewarding to see all of our hard singing, dancing, and

“As a student in the Stagecraft class, I have really enjoyed working on the sets for ‘The Pajama Game.’ It’s awesome to be a part of producing the musical, and I cannot wait for everyone to watch it and see our hard work,” senior Abby Beckerman said.

All proceeds from ticket sales went to the Miramonte Theater program to fund future shows.

“I think everyone, including me, is super excited to put on a spring musical this year. Due to COVID, it’s been a while since some of us have had the opportunity to perform on stage, but I am confident in our abilities to put on ‘The Pajama Game’ and encourage everyone to come see it,” senior Izzy Pursiano said.

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Mirador Graphic Designer and Social Media Director Sophia Luo reflects on the complexities of the Asian American identity based on her lived experiences SOPHIA LUO Growing up, I never really understood what it meant to be Asian American.

I knew that in February, my grandparents gave me red envelopes containing money (which my parents would immediately confiscate). I knew that my family spoke a language at home that I didn’t hear at school. Yet there were a lot of things I didn’t know. I didn’t know that my friends didn’t eat rice at every meal, or that my skin color made me different. In kindergarten, a boy told me that I didn’t look like him.

He pulled the outer corners of his eyes and stared at me with scrutiny. At home, I asked my parents, “Are we yellow?” My mom stared at her five-year-old daughter in shock. How were they supposed to respond?

My favorite fictional characters never looked like me. The few Asian characters I encountered were never the protagonists of the story. Aside from admiring Disney’s Mulan or identifying with J.K. Rowling’s token East-Asian character, Cho Chang, I rarely saw myself represented in the media. Even as I matured and took an interest in more advanced dystopian Young Adult books, characters like Tris Prior from “Divergent” and Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games” still didn’t resemble my appearance.

In middle school, I became blatantly aware that I was different. Living in the Lamorinda area meant that I was always a racial minority among my classmates. I gravitated toward other Asians because they made me feel safe; maybe we found a community in each other. Yet I started questioning my identity. Bitterly, I wished that I was white, and I thought my life would be easier if I was. My eyes stared contemptuously at their reflection in the mirror. I colored my hair, concealing its original shade of black under an artificial brown. I hated my culture, my native language, and my heritage. When my parents spoke to me in Mandarin, they faced a 12-year-old daughter who reprimanded them and told them to speak English. I refused to wear a traditional dress during Chinese New Year celebrations. I stopped speaking Mandarin altogether. I even stopped eating rice.

In my family’s frequent travels, we often spent time with people from China with whom my parents were connected. Whether we were in Canada, Hong Kong, or even rural Italy, their nostalgic conversations were always similar. When I talked to these people who only spoke Mandarin or Cantonese, I often felt embarrassed. My American accent peeked through the limited vocabulary I used, and my words were hesitant in comparison to the quick sentences of a native speaker. Though they all stayed polite and told me I was a great Mandarin speaker, I knew I wasn’t on par with them. Even when surrounded by people who looked like me, I still didn’t fit in.

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The COVID-19 pandemic forced me to re-evaluate my identity. In 2020, the increase in racially motivated attacks against Asian-Americans made me incredibly scared. My heart broke for my neighbors, my family, and my entire community. Out of fear, we didn’t visit San Francisco, my mother’s first home in America, for three years. I saw firsthand how it pained her to stay away from the neighborhood she loved so dearly.

In 2021, I learned that I was 37.5% Vietnamese. Elated, my father and I discussed taking my Vietnamese grandfather to his home country once the pandemic ended. Ever since leaving Vietnam at age 12, my 爷爷 (ye-ye), never once had a chance to return to his home. Unfortunately, he passed away this January after COVID-19 complications before I had the chance to bring up this idea, let alone say goodbye.

Dejected after his death, I resolved to make a substantial effort to learn more about my culture and heritage. My family was very supportive of my enthusiasm to relearn my first language. After noticing my newfound interest in learning Chinese, my mother found my old Mandarin notebook, and showed me how to write new characters. 威 (wei) translated to power, 神 (shen) pertained to God, and 飞 (fei) meant to fly. We watched Chinese period dramas and long-running variety shows that I loved as a kid. She gladly encouraged my growing obsession with Chinese celebrities like Song Yuqi and Xiao Zhan, and even helped me navigate Weibo, the Chinese social media app. On one weekend, she even brought me to University of California, Berkeley’s East Asian Library, reading titles on the shelves and happily explaining their meanings to me.

My mother’s father was a Chinese journalist, and he always encouraged me to try to read his books even when I could barely read my own last name. His collection of Chinese artifacts continuously grows, filling his house with prized “chicken blood stones” and snuff bottles from the Qing dynasty. He gifted his grandchildren decorative pieces of jade and agate carved into the image of a tiger or a waterfall. Although I didn’t fully appreciate his presents as a child, I realize now that he gave me pieces of China­—physical reminders of my culture.

What does it mean to be Asian American? I still don’t exactly know. Technically, the term was only created 54 years ago

by Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka at UC Berkeley. Different people have different interpretations of it, but I think that’s what makes it so beautiful. “Asian American” encompasses such a wide range of ethnicities and cultures and stories.

We aren’t defined by any singular description. All I know is that, to me, my race is the core of my identity. Many aspects about myself will change over time, but I will forever be Asian American.

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Students Assist With

SCHOOL ACCREDITATION PROCESS GRACE LIU

“Absolutely terrified.”

That’s how junior Sanjeeta Pannu felt at 7:30 a.m. on an average Wednesday morning. Why? As most students lay sleeping or gearing up to endure the dreaded Moraga Way traffic, Pannu and five of her classmates sat in a room full of teachers discussing the future of Miramonte High School. This experience is not for the faint of heart. Some might even consider themselves lucky to avoid being in Pannu’s shoes.

Every six years, Miramonte and other schools in the Acalanes Union High School District conduct a self-evaluation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The process is meant to document the school’s accomplishments and current challenges, as well as to develop a plan for future improvements. An initial one- or two-day visit from a WASC representative kickstarts the accreditation process to give WASC a better understanding of the school’s purpose, programs, and operations. Miramonte conducts a self-study to address its schoolwide action plan and demonstrate student achievements and overall school improvements. This voluntary, non-governmental process helps schools develop and sustain effective programs that value self-improvement and push them to meet high standards of education. The last

From left to right: Juniors Marina Kim, Megan Chui, Ricky Davis, Sanjeeta Pannu, Grace Liu, and

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Reagan Kaelle participate in WASC.

full WASC report at Miramonte happened in 2017.

“The first WASC meeting was definitely a little intimidating, but I feel like it’s something that I will get more comfortable with as meetings progress,” Pannu said. “I was excited for sure, though, because I felt like participating in the WASC meetings was a really cool thing and kind of a rare opportunity.”

“At Miramonte we have used the WASC accreditation process since 1961,” librarian Susan Williams said.

“It essentially consists of two main components: the selfstudy written report—ours is due January 2023—and the accreditation team visit. We will have a team of outside educators visit us for three days from Feb. 27 to Mar. 1, 2023, for the purpose of verifying what we’ve written in our report. Documentation of our process of self-reflection and evaluation, as well as the verification of all-community involvement, is a major part of our responsibilities.

Done well, this gives us a chance to celebrate our successes and accomplishments and create a roadmap for how we want to continue and improve.”

WASC, as stated on their website, is a “world-renowned accrediting association” that works with the Office of Overseas Schools under the U.S. Department of State. WASC collaborates with schools worldwide, espe

During a Wednesday meeting, teachers on the Organization/Vision team discuss new vocabulary words to incorporate into edited versions of the school mission and vision statements.

In her office, librarian

Susan Williams has WASC reports stretching all the way back to the 1970s.

These files document the

history of Miramonte and

the changes made to the

school over the years.

cially in California, Hawaii, Guam, Asia, the Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. WASC’s purpose is to “foster excellence” in all levels of education, including elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and supplementary education programs.

Miramonte’s accreditation process is divided between six teams: Organization/Vision, headed by Latin teacher Matt Davis; Curriculum, led by Geology and Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science teacher Jyllian Smith; Learning and Teaching, headed by Spanish teacher Eva Green; Assessment and Accountability, headed by math teacher Valerie Peterson; and School Culture and Support, headed by English teacher Steve Poling.

Meetings for each team are held once a month before school in February, March, April, and May. Each focus group has a teacher leader and also parent and student members. At the end of this WASC cycle, the concluding report will look at the five areas listed above and evaluate Miramonte’s progress since the 2017 report. “In the final report we will include the findings of each team and provide the evidence and documentation to support those findings,” Williams said.

Teachers selected students to participate in the process.

After accepting the offer, students requested to join the team that most interested them. “I was on the team that was in

charge of changing our school mission statement (Organization/Vision), and in our first meeting we started to propose changes for the mission statement,” junior Ricky Davis said.

“Moving forward, our team’s goal is to change the mission statement to make sure that it accurately depicts our school.”

Each of the five teams will discuss the unique prompts for the focus area provided by WASC. In monthly meetings, teams will find supporting evidence, which can range from lesson plans to survey results, and use said evidence in discussions to write out the findings in a report. When the visiting WASC team comes next year, they’ll “read the report, look at the provided evidence, spend time on campus meeting with staff, administration, students, and parents, and visit classrooms to see if what we put in the report is accurate and visible on campus,” Williams said.

Overall, the WASC process is a school’s self-reflection meant to showcase accomplishments and develop plans for future improvements. This process does not compare schools to one another and is separate for each school, even those in the same district.

“I think Miramonte’s accreditation process is important because it ensures Miramonte is progressing and evolving to continue to give students an excellent well-rounded education,” Pannu said.

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Ask the students: How do you feel after a FULL YEar of IN-PERSON school?

For many, this year will be remembered as our first full year back in person. Unlike past years, students this year had to reacclimate to a normal school environment on top of the many assignments and tests. With summer approaching, students are preparing for finals and Advanced Placement exams. However, many students admit feeling a loss lack of motivation during the second semester, prompting The Mirador to pose the question: “Now that we’ve survived almost one year of full in-person school, are you still feeling motivated or is your energy dropping?”

PAIGE MAYS & REESE SMITH

“After a full year of in-person school I feel like my energy is dropping a bit. I love coming to school, but some days I wish I could Zoom from my bed, rather than having to get up and get ready for school.”

- Grace Clark ‘22

“My energy for the school year is dropping, but I am trying to stay motivated by summer approaching and the long weekend we were recently rewarded with.”

- Hadley Peterson ‘24

“Being that we are one year into in-person school, my energy has dropped, which makes me feel unmotivated sometimes. I enjoyed having online school a couple of days throughout the week because I could go at my own pace with my schedule, whereas in-person school is very crammed. I have around five tests/ quizzes in a week, which makes me very stressed and makes me feel unmotivated to study a bunch of material. With AP exams around the corner, I am feeling extra overwhelmed, and my energy is dropping as I have to study at a fast pace.”

- Amanda Murray ‘23

“I do my best to stay motivated, but sometimes I find it easy to procrastinate. Also, second semester is seeming a bit trickier just because we’ve already been in school for a semester and teachers are changing their teaching styles.”

- Zoe Schmitt ‘25

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“My energy is dropping and my motivation to go to school is lacking. I found that ever since we adapted to being mostly online last year due to COVID-19, all the schoolwork we are given can be done and self-taught at home, which isn’t helping.”

- Elle Efremsky ‘22

“I feel that my energy is definitely dropping. Seeing as I am into college already, that could be affecting my motivation, although it was nice to have some days online last year. Waking up two minutes before class in the comfort of my own home was optimal. However, I do enjoy seeing all my teachers and classmates in person.”

- Shannon Murphy ‘22

“​​I think the break from responsibility that online school provided has just started to wear off and in a couple of my classes, I’ve begun to lose motivation. I’m feeling determined to complete the year and do well on AP tests, but I’m not sure how optimistic I feel for next year.”

- Justin Cole ‘23

Admin Tightens Up Student Section JOHN WILLIAMS & CHARLIE ENGS As the student section roars, a player on the opposing team glances nervously at the basket, waiting to take his first free throw. He misses and the crowd goes wild yelling,“Go home! Get out of here! You’re a bum!” The distraught player solemnly walks back to the huddle.

Trash talk, a powerful yet openly disrespectful tool, is used to disrupt opposing players. However, due to recent supervision by the Miramonte administration, this component of game-watching is now restricted.

At this year’s basketball games, nasty chants aimed at opposing players from the Miramonte student section have flooded the crowd until the whole section starts chanting. “The challenging thing is identifying single outcries or poor behaviors in a large crowd. However, whenever we can definitively see or hear anything that can be clearly identified to a person or group, we remove them,” associate principal Bruce Giron said.

Many students are still able to successfully throw players off their game by making comments that are respectful and aren’t considered offensive. “Part of the game is to try and distract the other players. Having that taken away makes the game less exciting,” junior Ryan Meyers said. The administration is clear that making games less exciting is not the goal and they strongly encourage students to be involved in the action. However, the line between cheering openly and being disrespectful seems to be narrowing.

Although the ability to cheer for the Mats and participate in cheering isn’t being taken away, the administration is drawing a line between the two types of trash-talking for the student section. Group chants toward the opposing team and their student section are allowed. Small amounts of heckling are also acceptable unless it’s disrespectful and personal, though any inappropriate words or gestures won’t be tolerated. “Profanity, derogatory comments, or other intimidating actions, especially concerning race, gender, or ethnicity, directed at athletes, officials, team representatives or other spectators, are grounds for immediate removal from the competitions,” Giron said.

The restrictions have manifested in a variety of ways, but predominantly in indoor sports, where chants and insults echo around the gym. During volleyball games, for example, spectators were not allowed to cheer during serves. During this basketball season, multiple Miramonte students were ejected from games as a result of their cheers.

As students continue to get removed from games, opposing fans and even Miramonte staff are taking note of the sportsmanship. “The part that disappoints me about this policy is the fact that it must exist. I find it embarrassing and shameful when those who represent our community and the school do so in a poor fashion,” Giron said.

New guidelines began this year and students face consequences for disobeying. In the past, a student would be given a warning for unacceptable behavior. Now, the rules are clear—with no second chances.

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ALEXANDER FORDYCE “There are not enough pilots to get us where we’re going,” Trish Kilgannon of Spectrum 1 News said in her article addressing the crucial need for commercial pilots in the U.S. From the 42,000 commercial flights occurring daily in the United States, to the thousands of cargo planes that fly in and out of airports per day, society depends on pilots for a plethora of vital tasks. With pilot staffing at a recent low, a new, inspired generation of pilots must address this duty, one that junior Leo Bronfman hopes to fulfill.

Aspiring to fly planes since he was a child, Bronfman is in the process of obtaining his private pilot’s license(PPL), which is the first step in every pilot’s career.

Bronfman began the process with an introductory flight lesson, which helps beginner students gather a sense of an airplane and makes sure that they feel comfortable beginning their in-air lessons. After completing the introductory flight lesson, he began his lessons in February 2020 at the Concord Flight School. Two years later, Bronfman is in his second semester of junior year and balancing flight school at least 2 times a week along with his other commitments. With a heavy school workload, sports, extra-curriculars, and a social life, it’s difficult to balance everything. “​​ Flight training has sometimes been tough to balance with school since you are learning so many new things about what goes into being a pilot,” Bronfman said. Most lessons are approximately two hours, with ground lessons that teach students safety protocols and the anatomy of an airplane and in-air sessions. Before sitting in the pilot’s chair, it’s very important that students understand how an airplane functions. “​​I learn what to do when you stall an airplane or the engine stops working,” Bronfman said. “You do the maneuvers a couple of thousand feet up in the air, and again learn to recover from stalls and simulate emergency landings.” The second component of obtaining his license focuses on in-air training. In-air training teaches students about navigating planes and communicating 14

with air traffic control “We also go to other airports to learn landings, special situational maneuvers, and to get better at communicating with air traffic control,” Bronfman said.

In order to obtain a PPL, flight school imposes a very laborious but appropriate number of hours of flying. Bronfman must complete 40 hours of flying time in order to earn his PPL, ten of which must be while flying solo. In addition, Bronfman must take a five hour “cross-country” trip. At this point in time, he has completed around 27 hours of total flying time, which includes multiple long-distance and night trips. Solo flights take a lot of focus and time under pressure, so flight schools ensure that everyone has the mental and physical capability to maneuver a plane by themselves. While Bronfman is still waiting for his medical certification, he still can’t complete any solo flights. The certificate requires a urine test, eye and ear exam, list of past medical issues, and an evaluation of pre-existing issues that can affect blood pressure or cognitive ability. “I hope to finish and get my private pilot’s license in the next few months, but there is a long process involved in acquiring my medical certificate,” Bronfman said.

Leo leans on the support of his friends and family, who have helped him in his flying journey. “Ever since Leo achieved his goal of going to Japan, he has always been fascinated with all the places a pilot’s license can possibly get him,” junior and twin sister Hollis Bronfman ‘23 said.

By obtaining a private pilot’s license, Photo: Leo Bronfman a multitude of opportunities open for Bronfman and his future. Many colleges in the U.S offer top aviation programs, which can lead to job opportunities such as becoming a pilot for delivery companies, commercial airlines, and private clients at a time when pilots are increasingly scarce.

“I have been looking at colleges such as Western Michigan University and Embry Riddle, and I see myself pursuing a career in aviation. I ultimately want to be part of a big company such as FedEx or UPS,” Bronfman said.

Flight after flight, lesson after lesson, Leo ends every session with a smile, relieved as he becomes one step closer to obtaining his license and fulfilling his lifelong desire to fly.

JONATHAN PHAM

Stock Talk Russia-Ukraine Conflict The ongoing war in Ukraine serves as a massive catalyst for stock market fluctuation. Western sanctions crippled the Russian economy and shut down the Moscow Stock Exchange. However, for the United States, this conflict will not bring such drastic consequences as seen in Russia. In fact, some stocks may actually benefit from the ongoing conflict. Here are a few of my picks:

Lockheed Martin (LMT):

As the largest defense, security, and intelligence firm in the world, Lockheed Martin manufactures military aircraft, ballistic missiles, satellites, radars, and other defense systems. Whether or not the ensuing conflict escalates, increased military spending in European countries like Germany and Denmark will flow into the company’s pockets, as roughly a quarter of its revenue comes from foreign governments. If the conflict intensifies, more foreign governments will follow suit to bolster their defenses and support their allies. Currently, the company’s F-35 Lightning 2 jets are set to be deployed in Romania as a part of NATO’s Southern Air Policing mission.

Palo Alto Networks (PANW):

It is now the 21st century: an era defined by the internet. In this age, war is fought not only with soldiers and weapons, but with cyberattacks. Before Russian tanks even rolled into Ukraine, Russian hackers unleashed a wave of cyber attacks which slowed Ukrainian web traffic, crashed websites, and erased computer data. With the threat of cyber attacks shutting down important communications and defense systems, governments and private firms alike must turn to cyber security companies for protection. As a leading firm in the cyber security industry, Palo Alto Networks has seen reliable growth even before of the ongoing conflict. The company provides its signature traffic classification engine, which allows organizations to view all traffic and applications at the user level in order to control content and mitigate cyber threats. Trusted by the world’s largest cloud service providers, Palo Alto Networks will see great success resulting from an increased demand for cyber security.

L3Harris Technology (LHX):

In order to extract maximum efficiency from its military, a nation must have a seamless network of communications from high command all the way down to its lowest ranking soldiers. Otherwise, a nation’s military force will not be able to effectively coordinate offensive and defensive maneuvers. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian military utterly eclipses Ukraine in terms of sheer numbers. As a result, Ukraine must prioritize military efficiency in order to win. L3Harris Technology is an information technology services provider and defense contractor that provides C6ISR (command, control, communications, computers, cyber-defense and combat systems and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems, wireless equipment, tactical radios, night vision equipment, avionic equipment, and ground and orbital antennas. Their equipment will be vital in this conflict as both sides need to communicate within their ranks if they hope to defeat the opposing side.

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BOYS TENNIS CAPTAINS DOMINATE 2022 SEASON OLIVA RHEE

Teamwork makes the dream work, and the dream team is pumped up for success.

The boys varsity tennis team recently kicked off the spring tennis season with a strong lineup of players, a new coach, and a driven mindset. After tryouts in early February, varsity coach Andrew Lee compiled a team of 18 new and returning athletes. Though the team has many new members, there’s one group of players that has been a constant over the past four years. Eager to make the most of their last high school tennis season, captains Clemens Van Dongen ‘22, Nishad Elias ‘22, and Liam Sullivan ‘22 are committed to preparing the team for the intense matches ahead.

The three players all made varsity as freshmen. Former head coach Mike McCullom was well aware of their strong abilities prior to tryouts, which made tryouts and their transition to the team very smooth. The trio immediately earned the top three positions on the team, with Van Dongen at the number one seed, Sullivan at the number two seed, and Elias at the number three seed. Though Van Dongen played number one singles throughout his first three years on the team, Elias now plays as the first seed.

The three, along with fellow captain and senior Leo Cardozo ‘22, another stellar doubles and singles player, are dedicated to meeting and surpassing their past accomplishments. During the past three years on the team, the four captains have helped the team win important victories, including a second-place finish at the 2020 James Logan tournament and a third-place finish at the 2022 James Logan Tournament. Cardozo is confident that their leadership will help the team go far this season. “Liam always knows how to lighten the mood and is an extremely vocal and spirited leader. Clemens makes the extra effort to connect with everyone on the team and makes sure everyone feels included and welcome. And Nishad leads by example, giving 120% in everything he does and never taking a day off. All three of them have served as role models for my tennis game and make me look forward to practice every day,” Cardozo said. Van Dongen, Sullivan, and Elias hope to finish the season by placing high at North Coast Section (NCS), an achievement that will reflect their journey of training together, both on the team and as childhood friends.

Despite Van Dongen experimenting with various sports during elementary school, he found the deepest connection with tennis. “I began playing tennis in fifth grade with my dad for fun at the park sometimes. In middle school, I found a tennis coach to help me train, and tennis became super fun and engaging,” Van Dongen said. Ever since, Van Dongen has played in dozens of tournaments,

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helping him strengthen his game and work his way up the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) scale. Currently, Van Dongen stands at an impressive UTR of 9. Now ranked as one of the top 100 players in California through the Tennis Recruiting Network, Van Dongen strives to use his game to lead the team, which is expected to compete in top tournaments across the state. “I hope to guide my team to victory in the season and at NCS. Most importantly, I want to spend my last year on the team having fun with my team and supporting younger teammates in their tennis journeys,” Van Dongen said.

Like Van Dongen, Elias has experienced immense success on the tennis court, and it all started when he was just four years old. “I started playing tennis when I was four years old at a sports club in Mumbai, India. My parents put me in a clinic there with my best friend and my older brother to see if I liked it, and I ended up loving it,” Elias said. Elias is currently ranked 72nd in California and has a UTR of 9. Elias is constantly on the courts; he practices 10-15 hours a week during the school year and 15-20 hours a week over the summer. Elias accredits his growth to multiple factors. For one, by playing in both local and out-of-state tournaments, he learned how to focus and remain competitive while in stressful situations. “Other things that helped were doing a lot of fitness so that I would be ready to play two three-hour matches in a day if I needed to, and also the fact that I was practicing with my friends because that made it a lot more fun and so I always wanted to play more,” Elias said.

At seven years old, Sullivan began playing recreational tennis in summer camps at Sleepy Hollow Tennis Club (SHTC).

After discovering a love for watching and playing the sport, Sullivan immersed himself in competition. Competing at national tournaments became a regular occurrence for Sullivan when he hit 12 years of age. Since then, he’s become not only a leader to his team, but also one to aspiring tennis players. Sullivan has dedicated entire summers and countless hours after school to coaching tennis to students at SHTC and Tompkins Tennis. With the tennis season starting up, he is focused on training alongside Elias and Van Dongen, both at school practices and with their shared outside coach. “I can’t picture playing tennis without Clemens and Nishad. It just wouldn’t be the same. When I imagine playing tennis when I was younger, there’s little Nishad next to me, and later Clemens joined. They just kind of go hand in hand.

They’re pretty intertwined in my tennis life,” Sullivan said.

The three athletes are a team themselves. They support, compete with, and improve from one another, just as all teammates do. “Liam and Nishad have both challenged me physically and mentally on the tennis court. Although we joke around sometimes on the court, we almost always push each other to become better players. I’m super lucky to have both of them as friends and teammates,” Van Dongen said. Both on and off the court, the three share a strong and growing friendship. “Clemens and Liam are two of my best friends, and the fact that we’ve all been on the team all four years and now that we’re co-captains together makes the experience of being on the team way more fun,” Elias said.

For Van Dongen, Elias, and Sullivan, tennis is not purely about the victories—it’s the friendships and memories that emerge from the sport that make it special.

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Opinion

Female sports teams must be EQUALLY PUBLICIZEd

REAGAN KAELLE & GRACE LIU

At boys basketball games, the stands are full, tickets sell out, and athletes benefit from the overwhelming support of the Miramonte 6th Man. But at girls basketball games, the bleachers are a ghost town, and only devoted parents participate in cheering. The attendance and social media exposure that the two teams receieve is unequally distributed. In order to increase their student support, the Miramonte girls basketball team needs to receive an equitable amount of publicity in relation to the boys basketball team.

“I don’t know for sure how many people go [to the girls basketball games], but it’s significantly much less than the boys.

Even at away games, there are more spectators than at home,” varsity girls guard Katherine Scheingart 23’ said.

Although this disparity between boys and girls programs exists in nearly all Miramonte sports, it’s easy to compare the boys and girls basketball teams since they play the same sport during the same season with the same rules. This is not to say that the boys basketball team does not deserve all the attention and student support they recieve; they are one of the top teams in the state with a 23-4 record.

However, if success is an indicator of attendance, then the girls program should not be overlooked. Players like Sabrina Ionescu—the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) all-time leader in career triple-doubles; the Pac-12 Conference all-time leader in assists; and the only NCAA Division I basketball player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in a career—and Mia Mastrov– three-time all-state honoree and current player for the University of California, 18

Berkeley–began their careers in the nine time North Coast Section (NCS) champion Miramonte girls basketball program.

Needless to say, the lady mats are historically successful.

There’s talent on this year’s girls basketball team, too. Captain and shooting guard Kendall Maurer ‘22 is headed to Mount Holyoke College to play basketball. On Feb. 14, Courtney Scheingart ‘23 won West Coast Preps’s women’s athlete of the week, and power forward Karena Eberts ‘24 won the following week. This season, the girls basketball team beat rival Campolindo High School twice and made it to the NCS quarterfinals, where they lost to James Logan High School, the eventual runner-up of the tournament.

Despite their achievements this season, the girls team has received significantly less press on social media, in school-wide emails, and in Canvas announcements. Tailgates aren’t held before their rivalry games, and no coordinated student spirit dress codes (e.g. green out) are established. “I think the friends of the players know when the girls’ games are,” Katherine Scheingart said. “It’s not highly publicized, which is an issue.”

On the flip side, the boys basketball team receives publicity for nearly every event, whether it be their Senior Night, typical home games, or any other upcoming events. “I think they [the administration and Leadership] just need to let people know when our games are happening because I know for boys, they would send out emails (on Canvas to students).” Maurer said. “And then it was posted a lot on social media, and they didn’t do any of that for the girls.

We only had some publicity because one of our teammates is in Leadership, so she had access to one of the accounts.”

The Mats 6th Man (@miramonte6thman) Instagram supports the boys team and informs students about their games, but has yet to post about the girls team. The Miramonte Sports (@ miramonte.sports) account has posted about both the girls and boys teams, but the page is run by Katherine. This year, The Mirador Sports Instagram account (@mirador.sports) has posted 16 times about the boys basketball team and only once about the girls basketball team. “[Leadership] did a lot for the boys and they didn’t do anything [for us] like our Senior Night, for example. And a

lot of seniors had their friends come up to them and say, like, ‘When’s your Senior Night? I would love to come.’ But it already happened. No one knew about it,” Eberts ‘24 said.“We won the West Coast Jamboree tournament over Winter Break at the same time as the boys, and only the boys were on all the other Instagram sports pages.”

Though spectators were limited in early January in the midst of the Omicron outbreak, spectator attendance did eventually improve, just not for the girls.

“The ban on student spectators was lifted before the boys Campo game but not the girls Campo game. So, we could only invite family to the games this season,” Courtney Scheingart ‘23 said.

Ultimately, basketball is a sport that thrives off of the spirit and attention of a lively student section. It’s time that the girls basketball team gets the attendance and publicity it deserves. Regardless of their sport, all Miramonte athletes deserve the support of their peers and school. Though the school’s unwavering support for the boys basketball team is most certainly warranted, students and staff need to improve publicity efforts and shift the athletic culture toward one that supports every female team.

REAGAN KAELLE, EMMA LEIBOWITZ & GRACE LIU “Normal People” is exactly as the title states: normal. Completely uneventful. Imagine a heart monitor. Now normally, heart monitors spike with every heartbeat. But in Normal People, there are no spikes. Basically, the patient is lying dead on the table for the entire book.

Typically, we would want to avoid spoilers. However, there’s nothing to spoil about this book, because nothing truly happens. The ending makes the reader question why they trudged through 266 pages of exposition and sparse quotation marks for absolutely nothing to be resolved.

The novel starts strong. Set in Ireland beginning in 2011, protagonists Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron come from drastically different worlds: Marianne is wealthy but a social outcast in high school and at home, while Connell is poor but popular and a star soccer player. While they’re in high school, there is more at stake and bigger potential consequences for each of their actions. Revealing their budding relationship to the world would jeopardize Connell’s social position and create family issues for Marianne. They’re both stifled, shoved into boxes, and their only escape is each other. But, as any good forbidden romance trope requires, they cannot be together.

Once Marianne and Connell graduate and enter Trinity College in Dublin, it’s easy to lose interest in the story. All of the external pressures that weighed down on Connell and Marianne in high school are lifted.

Yet, for some unexplained reason, the characters still cannot form a healthy, stable relationship. Instead, they uselessly pine after each other. Connell regrets his past treatment of Marianne and desperately tries to maintain contact while Marianne dangles her relationships with other people and newfound popularity in front of him. Repeatedly, they fall into a romantic relationship, but specify they’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend, and then inevitably self-destruct and destroy one another in the process. It’s the same vicious cycle over and over, one that quickly grows old.

If you’re a fan of ambiguity, introspective narration, and subtle but not transformative character development, you’d like this book. Rooney excels at writing characters in turmoil, and the character’s codepdency portrayed in Marianne and Connell’s relationship paints underlying toxicity in a very authentic manner.

Rooney succeeds in not romanticizing their hardships and makes their struggles, both internal and external, relatable to readers.

Don’t read this book if you’re a grammar nerd, because Sally Rooney usually doesn’t use quotation marks with her dialogue.

Although you eventually get used to her writing style, it does take a while to adjust. If you’re looking for a plot-driven book where the conclusion of the novel provides resolution and closure, “Normal People” isn’t for you.

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ERIN SMITH

Choosing a College With Stephanie Brady

Q: What is your biggest piece of advice to seniors making their college decisions?

A: I think the most important thing that people need to do when deciding is to really make it their choice.

I would advise not asking friends or family members for their opinions. I recommend reflecting more on what you really liked about this school in the first place and if anything has changed in the six months that you have been awaiting this decision.

Q: How will the Academy sessions you plan to hold help students with their decisions?

A: Three years ago, when I first started, I developed a quantitative way that takes the values that students have and what they value on a college campus and breaks it down and then compares schools against each other based on those values. We will take time going over this system and essentially creating a pros and cons list. We will hold an academy session on April 1.

Q: If a student is really set on a college, what advice would you give them if they are get rejected?

A: If a student really wants to go to UCLA, let’s say, then I would advise them to think about going to a junior college for two years. This is a great option for students who are really set on a UC. By taking this path, you create your own story.

Q: How will one-on-one meetings help students narrow down their choices?

A: In the individual meetings, we did essays; we will ask you all these probing questions to uncover the unspoken and be able to highlight what you are not noticing in your own words.

Q: What resources can the College and Career Center give students for making this choice?

A: Even if you have done all of the research and have visited the school, there’s so much more we can do. We can connect you with alumni from Miramonte, and you can have a serious conversation about the school. We can also reach out to the admissions representative to talk about your concerns. Thinking about the gaps in the unanswered questions and seeking the answers to those questions will help you make your decision because the more information you have, the more comfortable you’re going to feel making that final decision.

Q: How do you help people steer away from peer pressure during this process?

A: Nobody’s going to remember if you are the captain of the basketball team. Nobody’s going to remember if you are ASB (All Student Body) president. Nobody’s really going to remember those things. When you go to college, people are going to forget where you went to college. They’re not going to judge you based on that. So for this brief moment you have to think, ‘Do I feel proud to put that sweatshirt on when we are announcing where we are going, or do I feel proud to sign that pennant?’ The pride shouldn’t come from the name of the school. The pride should come from the fact that you were able to make a really adult decision about what you value. That ability is far greater than where you land.

Q: Is there any more advice that you want the senior class to know to help them make their decision?

A: Recognize that once you have been admitted, you are in the driver’s seat. So drive it and drive it in the direction that you want to drive it and ask the questions. They’re not going to rescind your offers or think any less of you. So seek the information. The worst thing I think students can do is try to base their [final] decisions on decisions you made when you first applied because you are not the same person that you were when you first applied. So find the information, find the answers.

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Mental Health Bills Passed For Students LUKE LEWIS & JONATHAN SU

In addition, California’s State Department of Education must develop a plan to expand the mental health courses to all California public schools by Jan. 1, 2024. Students can expect the course to cover the overarching principles of maintaining good mental health.

While many students often feel embarrassed or unwilling to trust others with their mental health issues, SB 224 aims to normalize seeking and asking for help. Moreover, the bill hopes to encourage peer-reporting as well. “With this mental health education, it is also looking at the warning signs, and some of the symptoms that someone may be presenting with, so that if someone sees it, then they should say something and get the proper help that they need,” Jeffrey Coggan, Program Supervisor of Prevention Services at Kern County Schools, said.

Though Miramonte already offers Human Social Development (HSD), which meets the new requirement, Miramonte continues to find new ways to support students. “Our staff is looking at ways to expand this curriculum in an effort to further support students’ mental health and well-being,” principal Ben Campopiano said.

These bills also seek to address COVID-19’s impact on students’ mental health. In the past two years, an increasing number of students reported being overwhelmed, along with symptoms of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and other mental issues. According to a 2021 report pub-

lished by the Frontiers in Psychiatry, 71% of the students they polled experience symptoms of depression. These can further harm students’ basic health symptoms by resulting in a decline in sleep quality. The report also stated that over 75% of students experienced some type of reduction in sleep quality. Inadequate sleep can increase stress levels and ultimately result in anxiety and depression.

For students needing mental health aid or support from trusted advisors, the Wellness Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center offers crisis support and intervention and short-term individual counseling, among other resources. Students who experience any symptoms or feel the need to talk to someone can go to the Wellness Center to receive help. Wellness services are confidential, and students can also refer others to the center.

“

Increased conversations can hopefully decrease the stigma that some folks hold

“

In light of concerns surrounding students’ mental health, Governor Gavin Newsom passed two bills Oct. 8, 2021. The bills aim to help students understand common mental health issues while also giving them the opportunity to take necessary wellness breaks from school.

The two bills are a part of Newsom’s California Comeback Plan, in which he seeks to address important issues facing California citizens. “In partnership with the Legislature, we’ve advanced hundreds of new bills this year to make meaningful progress on an array of issues that matter deeply to Californians across the state,” Newsom said on his website.

The first bill, titled Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), took effect Jan. 1, 2022. The bill allows students to miss school for mental health reasons. “This bill would include, within the meaning of an absence due to a pupil’s illness, an absence for the benefit of the pupil’s mental or behavioral health,” the California Legislative Information website said. For instance, students displaying symptoms of depression may now be excused from school without receiving an infraction.

“I think that excusing students from school if they are dealing with depression is an excellent way for students to recover and get in the right mindset for learning,” junior Nico Grinold said.

The second bill, Senate Bill 224 (SB 224), mandates that schools give students at least one mental health course during their time in high school.

around accessing help and support.

- Andie Nishini

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LUKE LEWIS

1. Sideboard

Sideboard has become a cherished Lamorinda resturant located in Lafayette. The resturant gained popularity for its diverse menu; however, the food is very expensive. It’s a very casual restaurant, with customers ordering from the counter and sitting wherever they like. Some of the most popular items include mac n’ cheese, fried chicken, chicken enchiladas, tostadas, and salad. Sideboard uses high-quality ingredients, which leads to its expensive prices. Due to its popularity, you can sometimes find yourself waiting in a long line to order. However, the staff makes up for the wait with their kind and helpful attitude. Sideboard’s wide variety of delicious food never disappoints. “I like Sideboard because they have a wide variety of food that always tastes good. I can have it no matter the time of day,” junior Nick Govea said.

2. Village Inn Cafe

If you enjoy a classic breakfast, Village Inn Cafe, a notable local diner in Orinda, is a great choice. The classic cafe offers a variety of breakfast and lunch options in an old-fashioned diner-style. It is a casual sit-down restaurant and often has a line out the door on the weekends. Some popular menu items include chicken and waffles, milkshakes, and corn beef hash. Though not too expensive, drinks and sides can add up to a costly bill. Since everything is made fresh to order, the wait for your food can sometimes be long. The servers are friendly and helpful but often very busy. The eggs are perfectly cooked and the food is prepared with care.

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3. Roam Burgers

Photo: Unsplash

The next restaurant reviewed is Roam Burgers, also located in Lafayette. Roam has high-quality burgers with a variety of toppings, in addition to a diverse selection of salads and shakes. Roam’s burgers are nutrient-rich and sourced from local ranchers and farmers, who practice traditional methods of agriculture. Although Roam is expensive, its thick, juicy burgers and warm fries make up for the high prices. The Classic Burger, the Sunny Side Burger, and the truffle fries are all among the most popular items on the menu. Since it is popular, wait times tend to be lengthy. Roam tries to make up for the wait with food buzzers, which limit the number of interactions with the staff. If you enjoy fresh burgers and fries, Roam is a great local option.

4. Chipotle Another local favorite is Chipotle Mexican Grill in Lafayette. Chipotle provides quick and customizable meals, with an online app that allows customers to easily order and pick up orders at any given time. Although Chipotle is often efficient, the fast-food chain often has long lines. However, it is fairly consistent with mobile orders. “I like Chipotle because I can get the biggest and most quality meal for as cheap as possible,” junior Nico Grinold said. Chipotle is an inexpensive option for a filling and easy meal. Chipotle’s app allows you to put in your credit card information, so you don’t have to pay in person. At the Lafayette location, online order mistakes are common, and staff sometimes give smaller portion size. Chipotle makes up for this with its consistently high quality and the ability to customize your order.

Photo: Mike Segar

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Newsom Lifts UC Berkeley Restrictions SAM SCOTT

24 Photo: Kate Sinha

Governor Gavin Newsom signed emergency legislation late Monday, March 14 that lifted the court-ordered enrollment freeze at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). The legislation comes following UC Berkeley’s announcement March 3 that it would officially cut thousands of undergraduate seats amid an ongoing legal dispute with a local community group, Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, over the environmental and financial impacts of a proposed expansion plan.

In its lawsuit, Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods is challenging the Upper Hearst Project, the university’s $126 million expansion plan to build classrooms and faculty housing alongside the campus. The group accused UC Berkeley of failing to provide enough on-campus housing while simultaneously admitting high numbers of students, many of them out-of-state or from other countries. An Alameda County Superior Court judge suspended the project in August, initially ordering UC Berkeley to limit its 2022-23 enrollment to 42,237 undergraduates and graduate students, the approved enrollment level from the previous school year. Freezing enrollment at that level meant that UC Berkeley, already one of the nation’s most selective public universities with an acceptance rate of around 17%, will have 3,050 fewer seats for incoming first-year students and transfer students than it initially planned for the fall of 2022.

“When I first heard about the lawsuit I thought about the impact it would have on our applicants. This road is hard enough and having to encounter an unexpected hurdle is tough,” Director of Miramonte’s College and Career Center Stephanie Brady said.

Judge Brad Seligman for the Alameda County Superior Court stated that UC Berkeley’s legally required study of the environmental impact of the $126 million construction project failed to mention the community effects of increased enrollment and expansion of the university—specifically potential ramifications on housing and homelessness in Berkeley’s poorest neighborhoods, as well as traffic, noise, and increased local costs for police, fire protection, and health services. University officials countered this by saying they believed they could satisfy the judge’s concerns about the construction project, but argued that Seligman had overreached by freezing enrollment and initially appealed Judge Seligman’s ruling last October in time for admission decisions to be released March 24. ­ “It was disappointing at first to see everyone’s chances for admittance get lowered at a school that already accepts so few students. Everyone at Miramonte, including myself, worked super hard to apply to this university, and it sucks that this issue with expansion and admissions had to occur during our application period,” senior Apameh Berloui said.

The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco left the enrollment freeze in place Thursday, Feb. 10 and said UC Berkeley’s “lengthy delay” in altering its construction plans contradicted its claim of urgency. On Feb. 14, the university asked the State Supreme Court to intervene and remove the freeze on UC Berkeley enrollment.

UC Berkeley notified applicants of the Court of Appeal’s decision in an email on Feb. 14, mentioning that the university stands to lose at least $57 million in tuition and state funding. Explicitly, the university states that “there would also be serious financial consequences if the enrollment reduction is implemented, impacting operations across the university and affecting already enrolled students…which would impact our ability to deliver instruction, provide financial aid for low and middle-income students, adequately fund critical student services, and maintain our facilities.”

On March 3, the California Supreme Court declined to lift an enrollment cap on UC Berkeley.

In a press-release statement, UC Berkeley said it was “extremely disheartened” by the ruling but vowed to continue fighting. Berkeley also said in the statement that it would prioritize California residents for fall in-person enrollment.

However, on March 14, Newsom signed emergency legislation that immediately modified the decades-old California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that caused the freeze. The bill removed CEQA’s provision that an increase in student enrollment could be considered an environmental impact like any other university project on the community. The reformed legislation now gives California’s public universities 18 months to address potential issues that enrollment growth might create before a court could cap the student population.

University spokesperson Dan Mogulof said in a press release that UC Berkeley will now extend admission offers to more than 15,000 incoming freshmen and to more than 4,500 transfer students.

UC Berkeley notified applicants of this update in an email on March 16.

“As with everything in college admissions, or life for that matter, there is no need to worry about the things we cannot control. I do believe that everyone lands where they are meant to be in that moment and that it all works out in the end. That is important to remember, now more than ever,” Brady said.

RATING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONTRABAND Kirstin Parker A sign posted at the entrance to Glorietta Elementary School reminds students and parents of items not permitted on campus: drugs, alcohol, weapons, and of course, Silly Bandz.

A core memory of nearly any elementary schooler is the list of harmless items that would get banned by school administrations. Reminiscing about these injustices, The Mirador staff remembers three particularly notable objects of concern for our beloved elementary school administrations.

1. JAPANESE ERASERS

All the rage in elementary school, these pull-apart erasers ranged from animals to food to random household objects. Banning these adorable erasers was utterly pointless. Although they are technically school supplies, many eight-year-old brains them for dissection practice. “The really cool ones I obviously showcased on my desk, but sometimes you just need an eraser. We all had at least one animal that was missing its head, so you just had some random body,” junior Toby Cheng said.

2. SILLY BANDZ

Silly Bandz were not only a fashion statement but the key to being the coolest kid on the playground. “I swear Silly Bandz just appeared. One day I had none, but then the next day I had enough to fill both arms,” junior Megan Doran said. Nearly every recess during the trend, intense trading sessions took place. The sparkly Silly Bandz were always in high demand, closely followed by their rainbow-colored counterparts. Sometimes, Silly Bandz would suddenly launch across the classroom like a slingshot. This trend caused minimal harm and quite honestly didn’t need to be banned.

3. PUTTY

Before the middle school era of homemade slime, Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty and Silly Putty were found tucked inside nearly every elementary schooler’s desk. These sticky toys did manage to get onto every classroom’s carpet, and in turn were banned. “In about third grade, I brought putty to school one day and then soon after, everyone started bringing it too. Bits of putty could be found all over my classroom. Putty didn’t last long at Glorietta,” freshman Brooke Parker said.

As our generation’s contraband went out of style, the newer generations replaced them with slime, fidget spinners, and pop-its. Regardless of whether or not they are harmful, administrations will find a way to ban these items.

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A Jiu Jitsu Journey Hannah Ripper ‘23 completed the greatest season in Miramonte girls wrestling history, winning NCS and reaching the podium in the CIF CHRIS MORRISON & KIRSTIN PARKER

Unable to stop smiling, Hannah Ripper ‘23 eagerly steps to the top of the podium and looks around at her teammates and coach.

Ripper is the first female wrestler from Miramonte to win the North Coast Section Championship and qualify for and place at the California Interscholastic Federation Tournament, finishing fifth out of thousands of wrestlers across the state in the 131-pound weight class. As wrestling is an individual sport, athletes are seperated by weight class. “It’s all super hard to take in right now because this is something I’ve been working so hard for in the last couple of months. It’s still sinking in,” Ripper said.

However, Ripper’s success story didn’t just start this season; Ripper has been practicing martial arts since she was four years-old. Her dad, who has a black belt in jiu jitsu, was a big influence on her sports career as he actively participated in Jiu Jitsu as well. “We had a strong father-daughter relationship because we both would compete at the same tournaments, and he would train and teach me all the cool moves. So I’ve definitely looked up to him and he’s helped me become who I am,” Ripper said.

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After joining Orinda Intermediate School’s wrestling team in sixth grade, Ripper fell in love with the sport. Her martial arts training proved useful in traditional wrestling, helping Ripper during her first season. Joining Miramonte’s wrestling team for the first time freshman year was an easy choice for Ripper. “Freshman year she did very well for a first-year wrestler but got hurt right before the NCS tournament and was unable to wrestle,” Miramonte’s wrestling coach Louis Suba said. “Her sophomore year we had the combined team of Campo and Miramonte because of COVID. She did very well that year also but we unfortunately weren’t allowed to have any tournaments and we didn’t have many dual matches.

The ones we did have, we tried our best to match wrestlers up based on skill-level and weight. As a result, she sometimes wrestled boys and sometimes she wrestled opponents who weighed 10 or more pounds than her.”

This past season, Ripper’s talent grew exponentially. “In most kids, you put in improvements like that, and it takes them an entire year or even two years to get it right. But Hannah is so coachable, she’s so teachable. She would underPhoto: California Interscholastic Federation

-stand what to do literally by the end of practice. She has that natural talent where she could do that—it’s unbelievable. I’ve never had anybody with that kind of adaptability before,” Suba said.

Ripper developed a unique approach to wrestling by incorporating jiu jitsu style elements into her techniques, such as grapples. “We tweaked [Ripper’s technique] a little bit more every time I saw her lose a match. I incorporated what she was doing jiu jitsu-wise into wrestling and it just got better and better and better every single time she wrestled,” Suba said. After hours of perfecting her new style, Ripper went from placing second or third in tournaments to ultimately being the number one seed in NCS and qualifying for state. Over the course of the season, Hannah placed first in five different tournaments and established herself as one of most dominant wrestlers in the district.

As a team captain, Ripper has a responsibility to help her teammates push their own boundaries to succeed.

According to her teammates, Ripper’s dedication and leadership elevates the program as a whole. “She pushes me to be a better leader and a better teammate. She helps me drill new and exciting techniques and she’s just overall an amazing wrestler and amazing person,” captain Jack Hughes ‘23 said. Ripper also strives to be a role model and source of inspiration for other aspiring female wrestlers.

“The female wrestling community is growing so much. And I think the way I can help is just by doing as best as I can to win bigger things so that it gets a lot of exposure for younger females who want to wrestle. I try to make it

Photo: Hannah Ripper

The female wrestling community is growing so much. And I think the

“

“

all inclusive and I think that really helps grow the community,” Ripper said.

Although her consistent dedication is crucial to her achievements, she attributes much of her success to her family. From early morning tournaments to travel matches, Ripper’s parents have always been her biggest supporters. “My dad and mom have gone to almost every tournament that I’ve been to. They’ve been there for me through all of it and dragged me places when I didn’t have my license,” Ripper said.

Ripper had an outstanding performance at California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which included three straight wins and a 20-second pin in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, a tough loss to the eventual champion Alexia Bensoussan ‘22 in the semifinals sent Ripper into the second bracket for third place. Again, a tough loss against the inital top-seed Hailey Chapman ‘22 in the semifinals drew her into the fifth place match.

After a strong season, Ripper plans to continue wrestling during the offseason. Ripper’s goal for next season is to finish her high school career with a first place medal in CIF. In the future, Ripper hopes to wrestle in college. “I still have another year, but seeing how this year went, it is definitely a possibility to wrestle in college. It just depends on what college I want to go to and what schools want me to wrestle,” Ripper said.

Placing the medal over her neck, Ripper smiles, already thinking about how she can improve in the next match.

way I can help is just by doing as best as I can to win bigger things so that it gets a lot of exposure for younger females who want to wrestle. I try to make it all inclusive and I think that really helps grow the community.

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Student Enrollment Decline and Funding Cuts Result in Layoffs MALAYNA CHANG & JASON WAGNER Due to a decrease in student enrollment and an increase in staff members as a result of the hybrid schedule implemented in March of the 2020-2021 school year, the Acalanes Union High School District are overstaffed. Individual schools will be making cuts to teachers and grounds crew staff for the 2022-2023 school year.

“This reduction for next school year is primarily due to overstaffing this year and declining enrollment,” Superintendent John Nickerson said in an email to staff on Feb. 16.

On March 2, the Governing Board passed a resolution confirming the “Discontinuance of Classified Employees Due to a Lack of Work and/or Funds for the 2022-2023 School Year.”

According to the resolution, the equivalent of five full-time, transportation, custodial, and campus supervisor positions will be reduced or eliminated in the next school year. Many of these positions were added during the pandemic to fill a need to increase sanitation on campus. But with relaxed COVID-19 measures, the district cannot afford to pay the salaries as federal relief funding is discontinued.

In another March 2 resolution on the “Reduction or Discontinuance of Certain Certificated Particular Kinds of Service for the 2022-2023 School Year,” the Governing Board determined that the services of Spanish, mathematics, music, and Future Ready teachers will be “reduced or discontinued,” making up 72 hours of employment per week. According to the Governing Board, “[This] PKS Resolution 21-2217 is necessary due to projected loss of enrollment for 2022-2023 and the transition of student enrollment in particular courses.”

“

Around 63% of the district’s loss in students since 2018 has come from Miramonte”

As student enrollment within the district declines, Miramonte is experiencing the brunt of the decreasing numbers. Around 63% of the district’s loss in students since 2018 has come from Miramonte. According to October 2021 projections, the decline shows no signs of slowing and the district expects to lose 645 more students, 11.8% of the current student body, by the 2026-2027 school year.

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This decline is consistent with the state-wide trend in declining public school participation. Over the course of the pandemic, California public schools lost 160,000 students according to the Department of Education. Distict census data shows that 1199 of these students were lost in southern Walnut Creek and Lamorinda public K-12 schools. One reason for this is the declining birth rates in California. Between 2010 and 2020, 12.4 fewer babies per 1,000 women were born. Furthermore, the decrease in confidence for public education is causing a migration to private schools. This trend was only accelerated in fall 2020 when public schools remained closed due to the pandemic. 20,000 more students reported enrolling in private schools for the fall 2020 term compared to the previous year.

The overstaffing, caused by declining enrollment and the diminishing need for pandemic measures, deals a financial blow to the district at a time when funding is being cut. To remain financially stable, the district states that it cannot continue paying the salaries of the individuals that will be laid off in the coming months.

“The board is taking the step to eliminate [certain] positions because they are no longer being funded and the work is no longer needed,” Governing Board President Kristin Connelly said.

Teachers Share Their Funniest Jobs LAUREN CUNNINGHAM To students, teachers have always been just one thing: teachers. But just like us, teachers have worked some pretty interesting jobs over the course of their lives. In search of their mysterious pasts, The Mirador asked some beloved teachers about their weirdest job. Here’s what they had to say.

BARRY MCQUAIN:

In addition to being a Computer Science teacher, Barry McQuain also coaches the girls soccer team. But prior to becoming a teacher and coach, McQuain had quite the career path. Though he’s worked as a shoe salesman, a recycler at a recycling center, a pilot and missile instructor, and more, one job stands out from the others. According to McQuain, his funniest job was being the manager of a donut stand in college. To keep the business running, he hired his fraternity brothers, convincing them to help out using the policy, “if you work here, you get all the food you want.” “I took a very profitable business and never made a dime after that, but we were no longer hungry,” McQuain said.

JOEL COMPTON:

Joel Compton, Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics and Government and United States History teacher, has also worked a variety of jobs, the most amusing being a dog walker at a kennel. Compton walked the dogs for four to six hours a day within an area that was the size of a classroom. According to Compton, it was the most mind-numbingly boring job he’s ever had, and to pass the time, he started listening to different mixtapes. “Still today, when I hear one of those songs on the radio and it ends, I start humming the next song that was on the mixtape,” Compton said.

STEVE POLING:

English 1 and English 4 Deconstructing Race teacher Steve Poling definitely had one of the most interesting jobs. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and was a house boy for the Alpha Phi sorority. As one of two house boys, Poling lived in the basement of a sorority with 60 girls. He performed simple day-to-day tasks, such as repairing things in the house and getting groceries, in return for free rent and free food. According to Poling, any time he or the other boy living in the basement went up to one of the main floors, they would have to yell “boy on floor one” to let the girls know. “It was honestly a dream job,” Poling said.

ADRIANNE SPENCER :

While English teacher Adrianne Spencer currently has her plate full with teaching a variety of courses, she was a busy worker while attending Boston University. Spencer worked one of her most unique jobs when she was in college. She sold pepper grinders from a cart at Faneuil Hall in Boston. The name of the cart was “Life’s a Grind.” Spencer learned that some people collect pepper grinders, but would often wonder why people would need more than one. She may never know the answer to this question, but it sure was a fun job!

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STUDENTS VOLUNTEER IN LATIN AMERICA Photo: Amigos International

OLIVIA RHEE A single trip. A three-week project. A life-changing experience.

AMIGOS is a transformative, service-based program that teaches participants about leadership, educates students on Latin American culture, and cultivates the global community. Beginning in 1965, 181 high schoolers and 81 adults traveled to Honduras to help thousands of residents impacted by the polio endemic. Since then, the program has grown to serve 17 different countries throughout Latin America and has a growing network of over 30,000 alumni. Every year, Miramonte Spanish teachers encourage their students to enroll in the high school summer programs.

AMIGOS allows participants to immerse themselves in new cultures and learn how Latin American countries are tackling issues such as climate change, ecosystem restoration, energy conservation, and ethnic inequality.

“There’s a major sense of culture shock,” Spanish teacher Megan Flores said. “You’re completely taken out of what we know and what we see as ‘normal.’ We’re replaced in just a totally different world with totally different resources. But you know, you learn to love where you’re at.”

The high school volunteer program offers high schoolers the opportunity to stay in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, or Panama, where they live with a homestay family and perform a service project during their three-week adventure. These service projects come in various forms, and volunteers who complete the program are granted college

Photo: Amigos International

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credit for their service work. “A few years ago, I had a student who went to Paraguay to build latrines for the community. Another student I had from the other year, who is now an ESL (English as a Secondary Language) teacher, went to Nicaragua and helped build an entry decoration for their cemetery,” Flores said.

The service experiences not only allow students to give back to the world but also helps them reflect on their own community back home. “I had a student from a couple years ago who went and she said that she had a hard time coming back because she was exposed to such a different way of life with different morals and values, and she came back here and had a hard time connecting because of that, because she was like, ‘What we find so important isn’t important,’” Flores said.

After hearing about former students’ experiences and listening to a presentation led by Miramonte Spanish teachers, many students became interested in the AMIGOS program. Several Miramonte Spanish students joined the Peninsula Chapter and plan to travel to Latin America this summer for the high school volunteer program. “I am most excited to be immersed into a new community and experience a different culture,” sophomore Claire O’Connor said. O’Connor is a prospective participant of the program and plans to travel to Panama this summer. “It will be really cool to get to know people from around the world within the AMIGOS program, but also meet people in the community we are serving in.” While there, she plans to work on orchid and sea turtle preservation projects.

Photo: Amigos International

Sophomore Rhys Hire is another student enrolled in AMIGOS. “I hope to gain experience in the form of more maturity and more experience continuously speaking Spanish. I am not nervous for anything, and Miramonte Spanish has helped me prepare by teaching me a lot of Spanish,” Hire said.

Along with O’Connor and Hire, sophomores Paisley Beck, Alison Rhee, and Elle Rodriguez have all joined the Peninsula chapter.

The prospective students were each required to fill out an application, composed of short answer questions regarding their interests in the program.

Once being admitted to AMIGOS, the accepted students must attend a series of workshops in preparation for the trip and are encouraged to volunteer prior to the start of the program.

“Right now, I’m attending once a month all-day training sessions, volunteering, partaking in language practice sessions, and writing fundraiser letters. I’ve volunteered at the White Pony Express since the beginning of the pandemic, so I decided to continue working there,” Rhee said.

AMIGOS is an immersive experience that leaves many students feeling more educated, compassionate, and driven to aid those who are less fortunate. “It won’t be easy, and there’ll be times that will be hard,” Flores said. “But then overall, they’re gonna look at that experience and realize how much it really helped them grow as a human being. It really opens your eyes up to a whole new way of life that we just, you know, aren’t accustomed to, but it’s absolutely something to learn from.”

Picture

Photos: Amigos International

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Rona Sorokin Stuns with Songwriting MIKA STRICKLER “Music has been intertwined with my life for as long as I can remember.”

Sophomore Rona Sorokin has sung, performed in musicals, and written songs since she was young. As a small child, Sorokin remembers singing along to Rhianna and pretending that she’d written the songs herself.

“I started really getting into it when me and my dad went on a trip to LA to visit family and found a songwriting masterclass with this singer-songwriter, Leila Peri.

It was really fun, and made me more interested in writing my own songs,” Sorokin said.

Beginning simply as a way to showcase her singing, Sorokin found a home in the world of local theater. Starting with performances at the Orinda Community Center, she progressed to Town Theater in Lafayette, Taking the next step in her and now performs in shows at Berkeley Playhouse. Within musical thatre, musical journey, she found a community where her abilities could flourish. “When you’re in a theater, it’s about community, it’s about teamwork. You have to rely on each other and you feed off each other. If one person is off, then the whole cast will be off. Everybody feels it,” Sorokin said. But Sorokin’s “When you’re in a musical talent doesn’t end at just singing in shows.

“I think I wrote my first song in fourth grade, and it wasn’t very good, but I still recorded it and was proud of it,” Sorokin said. Her first original songs were acapella; however, when she learned to play guitar the following year in fifth grade, her songwriting abilities grew and she gained a new perspective on music. “Before I started with guitar I was just singing with YouTube karaoke stuff. I didn’t have any originality with it. But now, even if I’m just doing a cover of a song, I can do simple things like changing the finger picking, the strumming, or the tempo to make it my own,” Sorokin said. At the beginning, her songs were only for fun, and not intended for seriously sharing with others.

musical, it’s about teamwork. You have to rely on each other and you feed off each other’s energies. If one person is off, then the whole cast will be off.

Everybody feels it.”

Sorokin is bringing her talents to the internet. She has a YouTube channel where she records original songs and covers. The channel has over 300 subscribers, with her most popular video, a cover of “Mon Soleil” from the show “Emily in Paris,” garnering over 40,000 views. “My channel motivates me to keep writing songs because when I post my songs on it, I have people in the comments who can relate to the experiences and feelings that I have,” Sorokin said.

Sorokin recently wrote a song about her late dog, Ozzy. Her dog’s passing left her with feelings of grief that she could best share through music. She says that it was touching to see people in the comments who resonated with her song and were reminded of their own pets who passed.

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Magazine

“I pretty much use songwriting to express anything I’m feeling, even if I’m not planning on making a full song about it. Even if there are no lyrics, just finding a chord pattern that I can connect with with and resonates with me feels satisfying.”

“I pretty much use songwriting to express anything I’m feeling, even if I’m not planning on making a full song about it. Even if there are no lyrics, just finding a chord pattern that I can connect with and resonates with me feels satisfying,” Sorokin said. She doesn’t only express herself through songwriting, she can also simply have fun through her writing. She recalls an instance when she and her friend, fellow sophomore Emilie Tham, worked on a song together over FaceTime. “She already had the basic structure of the song, and I could just add lyrics and things in.

It was really fun since there wasn’t any pressure, it wasn’t something we had to do, so we could just be creative and talk through it,” Tham said. They fiddled with the lyrics and melody for hours, adding bits and pieces as they went along. “I had part of the song written already, and when I played it for her she really liked it. We spent till 1 or 2 a.m. writing this song, and we were so happy with ourselves, we really felt like Taylor Swift or something,” Sorokin said.

Sorokin finds inspiration from a myriad of different artists and genres and says that her style serves as a combination of them all. “I don’t tend to have one set genre of music that I listen to, because I feel like when I listen to different types of music, and can hear different styles of tempo and songwriting and lyricism, each of the different parts resonate with me,” Sorokin said. “Even so, in my music I play acoustic guitar, and my songs tend to have a kind of sad vibe to them.”

Sorokin believes that her family’s musical history has helped her excel in music. “Neither my mom nor my dad can sing, and my brother is completely tone deaf, but my grandmother on my dad’s side was a professional opera singer. She’d sing in the giant halls and theaters, so I think I got my singing voice from her,” Sorokin said.

Sorokin doesn’t see herself ever working as a professional musician or performer, but will always keep singing. “I will definitely have music as some part of my future. Even if I have a different day job, like if I’m a doctor or something, I’ll find time to sing and make music,” Sorokin said.

Magazine Segmentation

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2

Ranking the Phases of the MCU

Chris Morrison

Fans crowded around ticket booths, pushing and shoving to get farther in line to experience the beginning of a cinematic dynasty. With the release of “Iron Man” in theaters in 2008, comic book fans’ wildest dreams came true. Since then, Marvel Studios has produced 27 movies and four television shows as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The MCU is the overarching story that connects every Marvel superhero in one “universe.”

Using crossovers and cameos, writers have used the MCU to intertwine the stories of different superheroes and create a ginormous narrative, using standalone movies to boost character development and subplots. Along with displaying incredible feats of acting, drama, comedy, and computer-generated imagery (CGI), ensemble movies serve as dividers for the overarching plot in the MCU. The MCU release schedule has already completed three phases and is currently in the fourth phase of releases. As the MCU expands into the multiverse, it’s time to rank each Marvel Phase from worst to best, including the ongoing Phase Four.

Fourth:

Phase Four (So Far) - WandaVision, Loki, Black Widow, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, What If?, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye While this might be controversial, the reasons are obvious. I should also state that while I still enjoy Phase Four, it’s easily the worst phase. I really enjoyed the shows “WandaVision” and “Loki” and their excellent character development. Unfortunately, “Black Widow” took a turn for the worst.

Despite impressive individual performances, it had a predictable plot and a badly managed balance of comedy and drama. Other movies in Phase Four followed suit, as Shang Chi’s journey was even more predictable and “Eternals” had an unsatisfying story. I realized a common theme after I watched the highly anticipated “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Marvel has forgotten the importance of individual stories, causing every movie to be filled with meaningless CGI and cameos. I enjoyed watching “Spider-Man,” but it bought into fan expectations and desires, which made the story predictable and bad. It could have been just my mood, but I didn’t laugh at the comedic moments and I couldn’t feel emotion during the dramatic scenes. However, there is still more to come in this phase. I’m excited to watch the upcoming movies “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness,” and the TV show “Moon Knight.” But there are two words to describe Phase Four: predictable and underwhelming.

Third:

Phase One - Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers I love individual stories, and Phase One did them very well. However, I’ve ranked Phase One below Two and Three because it had the difficult job of introducing audiences to the MCU. Viewers didn’t have ties to the characters yet, but Iron Man and Captain America were introduced very well. But this phase is dragged down by “The Incredible Hulk” and” Thor,” which were extremely mediocre films that didn’t offer all that much to the development of the MCU. They introduced characters, but nothing else.

“The Avengers” completed the phase with style, as the chemistry between

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Second:

Phase Two - Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man Starting Phase Two, the MCU progressed quickly with “Iron Man 3,” showing Tony Stark’s (Iron Man) recovery from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and anxiety caused by the events of “The Avengers.” Marvel followed up “Iron Man 3” with the nightmare known as “Thor: The Dark World.” I almost put Phase Two last because of this movie. Despite this atrocity, Phase Two was saved by “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which was an absolute masterpiece thanks to tremendous performances by Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie had a great storyline for the future of S.H.I.E.L.D., a major organization in the MCU, and introduced great villains that were revisited in “Civil War.” I cannot praise this movie enough. Moving on, “Guardians of the Galaxy” was the first MCU movie during which I truly laughed; its comedy ushered in a new era of humor for Marvel movies and changed the way that many audiences view superheroes.

The addition of actor Chris Pratt to the MCU was an excellent choice, as he used his comedic talents to make Star-Lord an extremely lovable character.

Finally, “Ant-Man” was fun to watch and Ultron’s story in “Avengers: Age” was fascinating. Pietro Maximoff’s death during the final battle in “Age of Ultron” was emotional, but Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Wanda Maximoff made it even more devastating.

First:

Phase Three - Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home We have arrived at the greatest phase of the MCU. With impressive character development, amazing CGI, comedy, heartbreak, incredible acting, and intricate plots, Phase Three has something for everyone. . The phase began with Civil War, which was the first Marvel movie that blurred the line between good and bad, causing debates and intrigue from audiences. Doctor Strange had some of the most impressive visuals of any Marvel movie, along with arguably the most drastic character development. GOTG Vol. 2 was more forgettable, but a funny movie nonetheless. I loved Spider-Man’s first solo movie, as they weaved Iron Man into the story in a seamless and realistic manner. Lucky for Thor fans, director Taika Waititi saved Thor’s character in Thor: Ragnarok. This is by far my favorite Marvel movie, as I have rewatched it about 10 times. Personally, I didn’t care too much about T’Challa’s character development in Black Panther, but Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger was incredible. I also enjoyed Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, but they aren’t as memorable as other movies in this phase. Finally, after about 10 years of buildup, every superhero from the MCU joined together to fight the supervillain, Thanos, in the two-part finale of Infinity War and Endgame. Infinity War had a perfect ending, leaving audiences in shock and in tears as they mourned the losses of half of their favorite heroes. Luckily, we watched them return in epic fashion during Endgame for the final showdown, which resulted in Iron Man’s sacrifice, one of the only movie moments that has ever made me cry. In Far From Home, Spider-Man was forced to deal with the loss of his mentor and struggled to carry out his new responsibilities. I found Peter Parker’s innocence and confusion very relatable and refreshing, making this movie a great ending to a perfect phase.

Popular Styles for the Spring Season DEGEN NALDOZA

Spring is right around the corner, and new styles are up and coming. In 2022, people are stepping out of their comfort zones and rocking new and popular styles. From haircuts, clothing, and jewelry, there are endless opporttunities to spice up your wardrobe and look amazing in the upcoming season.

Bright Colors / Pastels Take a quick look at Zara, Urban Outfitters, Free People, or any popular clothing store. The first thing you will notice is color. This spring, bright and fun colors are in more than ever.

When it comes to pants, shirts, skirts, and shorts, fun and funky color is an absoute necessity. Bright colors are a great way to elevate your outfit and make a statement. You’ll catch everyone’s eye with a bright blue, yellow, or green and look adorable while rocking it!

Mullets / Buzz Cuts (+ Dyed Hair)

Mullets, the popular ‘80s haircut, are making a triumphant comeback.

I have to warn you that only certain people can pull this look off, and I wouldn’t go for the cowboy western type of mullet if you want to achieve the stylish look. Another popular hair style is a buzz cut.

Similar to the mullet, only certain people can pull off this specific look.

However, if you can rock it, there are endless possibilities as to what you can do with your hair. If you’re feeling extra, you could dye your buzzed hair and add designs on top. This seems to be a very popular and fun trend.

Low-Rise Bottoms

The high rise bottoms reign is coming to an end as boys and girls are starting to bring back the low rise look. Wearing low rise jeans or shorts with a cute top is always a powerful statement. After years of highrise jeans, wearing a look with a great pair of fitting low-rise pants will definitely look fun!

Matching Sets

Fun Sweatshirts

Sweatshirts are a must-have during spring. Throw one on in the morning when it’s cold, and take it off later in the day when it gets hotter. Though everyone has a sweatshirt, rock a cool design or pattern to stand out. There are endless options of cool sweatshirts, with unique logos, colors, and designs. “Wearing a cool sweatshirt definitely boost my confidence, especially when I get some complements,” senior Ayyan Gohar said.

Sometimes the spring weather can be a little wonky. One day, it could be 70 degrees and sunny, and the next, it could be pouring down rain.

A style that you can always rely on are sets. Whether that’s a sweat-set, or a cute skirt and top set, they will always come in clutch when you don’t know what to wear. Slept through your alarm; throw on a set. It’s easy, fun, and super stylish. “I love wearing sets because they are so easy to put together, and they are always super cute. You can wear them anywhere and also pair them with anything you want,” senior Alex Bardsley said.

5-Inch Inseams Boys, if you’re not wearing five inch inseam shorts, you really need to get it together. Shorter shorts are more popular than ever, and they look flattering on anyone. From a nice pair of Lululemons, to Under Armour’s, there are endless options of shorts. to rock. If you want to look extra stylish, get a fun color or a cool pattern.

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