Carlmont Highlander Issue 4 Volume 12 March 2021

IN THIS ISSUE: Students observe transgender day of visibility

Read it on pg 16 The hidden gems of San Francisco

Read it on pg 24 Expectation vs. Reality

Read it on pg 38 March 2021 | scotscoop.com @scotscoop

Highlander Staff Highlander Editor-in-Chief

Faculty Adviser

Emma O’Connor

Justin Raisner

Scot Scoop Editor-in-Chief

Editors

Natalie Doud

Chelsea Chang Amber Chia Erin Kee Raina Lahiri Anika Marino Isabelle Nunes Allison Raisner Claire Tseng Pavel Turovski

ScotCenter Editor-in-Chief Bella Reeves

Social Media Editor-in-Chief Maddy Ting

Managing Editors Rachel McCrea Auva Soheili

Staff Writers Adila Azizali Josh Barde Joshua Baxter Anita Beroza Mira Bhatt Audrey Boyce Brianna Cheng Jessica Conley Eoin Cunningham Kiana George Leanna Gower Phoebe Gulsen Jack Hansen Elle Horst

Elise Hsu Zachary Khouri Cambell Kirk Khalid Kishawi Maya Kornyeyeva Hanna Kryhina Preston Kwok Kaylene Lin Kasey Liu Sean Liuli Sabrina Lo Ethan Man Niamh Marren Ayal Meyers

Miles Ozorio Erwan Pal Mari Ramirez Ava Richards Julia Roseborough Leela Shailan Cali Shohet David Su Kat Tsvirkunova Anna Wilkinson Ruya Yaman Edward Yeretnov Kai Yoshida Payton Zolck

Highlander is a newsmagazine dedicated to providing Carlmont students, staff, and community with high-quality news, features, and opinion articles. We want to keep our readers informed on important issues ranging from events at Carlmont to international news, and want to engage them with unique stories and designs. Highlander is a publication completely run by the students of the journalism classes at Carlmont High School. Story ideas are generated by the students and the published content is up to the direction of the editorial staff. This issue’s editorial was written by Julia Roseborough. The back cover was created by Emma O'Connor. Graphics on the front cover were created by Emma O’Connor.

Carlmont High School 1400 Alameda de las Pulgas

In this issue . . .

Sports 4

The dark side of sports manufacturing

6

Carlmont logs into esports league

Opinion 7

Editorial: The youth of the Bay Area have lost the meaning of human interaction

8

Media literacy should be taught in schools

9

You are at fault for climate change

10

America needs another space race

12

A recipe for controversy

14

ADEM

Scotlight 18

A look on the bright side

Feature 16

Students observe transgender day of visibility

24

The hidden gems of San Francisco

26

A guide to sustainability

Fun 28

March calendar

30

Munching in March

32

March movie madness

Campus 33

Carlmont high school: then and now

34

Utensils are more than eats the eye

36

Womenin politics

38

Expectation vs. Reality

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Readers, We’re excited to bring you the fourth issue of the Highlander. More often than not, we tend to focus on all of the negativity in our lives. As high school students, we've missed milestones: a junior or senior prom, an important sports season, an 18th birthday or Sweet Sixteen spent with friends.

There’s no denying we’ve lost a lot within the past year, but we hope this issue helps you realize some of the things we’ve gained.

Who knows, you might find more positive takeaways than you thought possible from our year stuck inside.

If there’s been one thing that’s been consistent throughout our year in quarantine, it's inconsistency. We went from being excited about two weeks off from school to being launched into a year of online classes. One day we were allowed to get our hair cut at a salon, then the next months were spent with unkempt hair or questionable attempts at haircuts from family members. Now with the vaccine being distributed and the reopening of school, it looks like our quarantine may be coming to an end soon. With our school’s reopening next month, our lives are about to change again. If you have questions about the reopening, you can check out Scot Scoop and our social media platforms for answers.

We are excited to be seeing you all in person and passing out the next magazine to your classrooms. As always, if you have anything you would like to contribute, feel free to contact us at highlanderscotscoop@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the last distance learning edition of the Highlander.

Alternative Cover Ideas

The

Dark Side of Sports Manufacturing Kai Yoshida To many, sports represent passion, happiness, and well-being. Here in America, athletics are highly valued and are a cornerstone of our culture.

Most, if not all, people own sports gear, be it a soccer ball, running shoes, or even just some sweatpants. As of 2018, the U.S. accounted for 32.5% of the global sports market, which was valued at $471 billion, according to Statistica.

“To me, sports are a way to clear my mind when I have a lot going on. And I rely on sportswear like shoes and dry fit clothing as a necessity for when I exercise in my day to day life,” Paul Schubert, a junior and Carlmont athelete, said.

In this day and age, sporting goods come cheap and can be bought online and delivered to your doorstep in a matter of days. But this comes at a cost. The sports industry that symbolizes passion, happiness, and well-being is built upon poverty, unfairness, and in some cases, child labor.

Kai Yoshida

Soccer balls Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and the most important part of the game is the ball. In 1996 the soccer ball manufacturing industry became infamous for terrible working conditions and

child labor.

For over a century, Sialkot, a city in northern Pakistan, has been mass-producing soccer balls. In the 1990s, three out of every four balls came out of Sialkot. According to a CNN report, it was a $200 million industry that was an essential part of Pakistan’s economy.

However, this came at a cost. Soccer balls required workers to crouch over and hand-stitch eight to 32 separate panels together. This was a time-consuming task, and people worked long hours both at factories and in their homes six days a week. But that’s not all; in 1996, reporters found children as young as five working instead of attending school. Even so, workers found it hard to provide for their families because their wages were so low.

These reports brought outrage across the world, and people campaigned for change. In 1997, UNICEF and the International Labor Organization made an agreement with Sialkot officials to eliminate child labor under the age of 15 and improve working conditions.

Twenty-four years later, has the soccer ball industry improved?

Sialkot continues to be the center of the soccer ball industry, and it has only grown. Now there are over 1,000 factories and 60,000 workers whose working conditions have largely improved, yet there are still many problems.

4 HIGHLANDER SPORTS

The laws set in place do not account for the at-home workers and factory workers in neighboring towns. Big-name companies sought to bypass the situation and continue to exploit their workers, giving them wages that continue to be below the minimum. According to NSS sports, the 2018 world cup soccer ball retailed for $100 to $150, and while the ball had a premium price tag, workers only received 50 cents per ball they stitched.

Each year, big brands such as Nike and Adidas advertise increasingly advanced technologies implemented in their soccer balls. Unfortunately, the making of these balls remains manual labor-intensive.

But there has been some improvement. The traditional hand-stitching method has become less popular, and the majority of factories moved on to using sewing machines and glue to improve the quality, cost, and speed of production.

Since 1996, fair trade has become popular. Fair trade is where the producer (worker) has a contract with the company to allocate the money appropriately.

Soccer balls with the fair trade stamp mean that workers receive at least the minimum wage, and the balls are made in factories to prevent child labor. While the balls have a premium price tag, 10% of the money is used to improve worker communities, such as creating childcare facilities for the workers’ children.

Even during the pandemic, there have been signs of improvement. The worldwide lockdown caused demand to drop by 70% and factories to shut down temporarily. But workers at the Bola Gema factory in Sialkot did not worry, according to Business Insider. The company continued to pay its workers during the three-month shutdown. Now they are focusing their attention on the production of the 2022 Qatar World Cup soccer ball.

Sportswear Similar to soccer balls, the sportswear industry has come under fire multiple times. Nike, the sportswear and shoe giant, is no exception. In 1991, reporter

Jeff Ballinger exposed Nike for having sweatshops in Indonesia. Their workers labored in hazardous broken down buildings where they had restricted access to restrooms and water during the day. Furthermore, they were hiring children as young as 14 years old.

“I knew Nike shoes were mostly made in sweatshops, and I haven’t bought many Nike shoes because of that. I tend to buy Adidas shoes instead,” Jacob Stattenfield, a junior, said.

With increased pressure, Nike made improvements to its system. They updated their factories, improved working conditions, raised wages, and only hired people 16 or older.

But the most important thing they did was to become more transparent with the public. In 2005, Nike started to publish the names and locations of all their factories, the first company in their industry to do so.

Nike’s improvement has been significant, but there still have been several scandals since then. In February of 2020, the Washington Post reported a minority ethnic group in China being forced to work in Nike shoe factories.

The Uighurs are the Turkic peoples living in northwestern China, and the government has been sending these people to re-education camps in order to assimilate them into Chinese society. After they are released from these camps, many Uighurs are sent to factories all across China. One of these factories belongs to Nike.

The Washington Post reported that the factory resembled a prison with barbed wire, constant surveillance, and watchtowers. The Uighurs are not working in this factory out of their own free will.

However, in this case, all the blame cannot be placed on Nike. Factories for other companies like Apple and Dell also employ workers similar to Nike, and

Kai Yoshida

they may be oblivious to the violation of basic human rights.

“I haven’t researched much about working conditions in factories, but I know that even Under Armour, which was started in America, has outsourced production to China, so it is hard to avoid buying from these companies,” Stattenfield said.

This problem reveals a much more widespread issue in our consumer culture. In a generation where buying is as easy as clicking a button, those in poverty suffer from it. Whether it is soccer balls or sneakers, clothes or electronics, all products we buy require manual human labor. It is essential to understand that what we buy could be at the cost of poverty, unfairness, and in some cases, child labor.

“I have heard of things, even including child labor in some places. Sadly this doesn’t necessarily influence my shopping very much as the best prices for quality still win out for me in the end,” Schubert said. “I’m sure if more articles were published and raised awareness that then it will influence not just me but also others.”

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 5

Carlmont logs into esports league Sean Liuli While the pandemic has largely kept students from playing most traditional sports, Carlmont’s newest addition to its athletics program persists online.

As the fall season of the PlayVS high school esports league came to a close in mid-December of last year, Carlmont students are now off again to the races in the winter season of the official High School Esports League.

The High School Esports League is the single largest high school-level esports league in the nation, with more than 2,100 schools and 100,000 players competing in it every season.

The program began in the Fall of 2017 and has provided the next generation of esports players with a competitive outlet.

Not only does the program provide a platform in which high school players can compete, but it also supports students’ academics, as they use esports as an opportunity to promote STEM learning, including programs surrounding many computer science fieds, to high school students across the nation.

The program’s large participation numbers have not wavered since the start of the pandemic, and many students attribute this to the large amounts of downtime they have between and after their online classes.

“I definitely think I would not have been able to juggle school, esports, and college applications if we weren’t in quarantine. Shorter school hours and transit time gave me a lot of extra time, so I just had more time than I would without quarantine,” Colin Bierwagen, a senior who plays on one of the school’s Rocket League teams, said.

Students participating in esports can also agree that overall, their sport has

not been greatly affected by quarantine.

They find that quarantine has made participation easier, contrary to what is true for most other traditional sports.

“I planned on playing soccer for the freshman team, but sadly, COVID-19 ruined that. I still have to prioritize school over esports, but videogames are already a major pastime in quarantine, so I can balance both very well,” Joshua Lisi, a freshman who also participates in one of the school’s Rocket League teams, said.

However, the endurance of esports during quarantine is not the only thing that sets it apart from traditional sports.

Students find that there are many aspects of an esports team that cannot be found in a traditional basketball or football team.

“Rocket League was a lot more freeform because we were able to plan our own schedule. But, we didn’t have a coach, so we had to figure out how to get better on our own,” Bierwagen said.

Although the two types of sports share their sets of differences, it is also clear that they have a fair share of similarities.

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“The physical difference between traditional sports and esports is pretty evident already, but the strategy, mentality, and teamwork are very similar,” Lisi said. “Nearing the end of the Fall PlayVS season, I remember we were playing our game for Top 8, and it felt like a regular sport where teammates would communicate and work together really well in decisive moments.”

Esports continues to grow and is just beginning to cement itself alongside traditional sports in the high school setting.

However, students like Lisi can agree that esports still have a long way to go before being entirely accepted in schools like other traditional sports.

“When compared to traditional sports where there’s a lot more physical demand, it will always be seen as easier and taken a lot less seriously despite putting tons of hours into muscle memory and strategy,” Lisi said. “Esports will definitely not be as popular as other sports like football.”

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6 HIGHLANDER SPORTS

Editorial: The youth of the Bay Area have lost the meaning of human interaction Julia Roseborough “There’s nothing to do here.”

“I’m bored of doing the same things.”

These statements represent quotidian thoughts in the lives of most teenagers and young adults from the Bay Area.

Common places you may find people include energized areas such as Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, and downtown areas.

Many might look at the past year and take away lessons such as the importance of social interaction, but despite the enormous changes in everyone’s lives, people still find themselves in need of more.

When asked to define social connections, many may describe a strong bond or attachment that connects people. According to the Greater Good Magazine,

social connection is defined as a feeling of belonging to a group and feeling generally close to other people.

However, teenagers and young adults in the Bay Area have lost the worth of simple human interaction. In the constantly overstimulated 21st century environment, this generation has found themselves always to need to be doing things simultaneously.

Some find that they continuously have to be doing something more when around others, and the young generation treats this overactive environment as a need rather than a want. Many take advantage of the idea that people will always be there, focusing more on an active aspect of their lives rather than their genuine connections. Further, as displayed by Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs, the needs of love and belongingness (friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection) must be met to obtain the needs of esteem and self-actualization.

Nonetheless, this active, stimulated part of people’s lives wouldn’t be there without others. This notion is easily looked over and tossed aside, as many take for granted the impact other people truly have on their lives.

Thus, those in the Bay Area need to take a step back to truly understand that there is no need for constant action and initiative if you are surrounded by others who care for you. By grasping this concept, more of our society will grow to understand that prosperity doesn’t come from material ideas, but from the way people relate to one another with appreciation.

Linda Lin

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 7

Media Literacy should be taught in schools The average U.S. citizen spends 721 minutes per day on some type of media, according to Statistica. In a world where news headlines, social media, and apps dominate everyday life, it’s more important than ever for kids to understand media literacy.

The 21st century is a new age. School systems must adapt to the onslaught of media information at our fingertips, or society as a whole will suffer. Teaching children the importance of internet safety, fake news, and more will help insure their well-being in a new era of information.

Ernest L. Boyer is the former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and United States commissioner of education.

“It is no longer enough simply to read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliché, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter, and important news from coverage,” Boyer said.

The digital age has made it easy for anyone to create media. We don’t always know who created something, why they made it, and whether it’s credible. This is why young, impressionable kids need to be armed with the knowledge to detect falsified information.

Understanding the media should be as much of a basic skill as being able to analyze a piece of text.

Daniela Torrey, a junior, hasn’t received any specific education relating to

media literacy.

“It does worry me,” Torrey said.

“Sometimes I’ll be scrolling through Twitter, and I’ll see a headline, and I honestly don’t know whether or not I can believe it.”

It’s never too late to start learning.

This year, Addison Gaitan, an English teacher at Carlmont, piloted a program for her freshman students.

“I would stay the biggest takeaway from the unit was students realizing that our own cognitive biases are developed and upheld by algorithms online. Social media shows us news that supports what we already believe, and many adults and smart people fall victim to this misinformation or one-sided view,” Gaitan said.

If 45-year-olds struggle with this problem, what about the younger generation? It’s become the norm to expose kids as young as a couple months to iPhones, tablets, and television. These tools can be beneficial, but with them comes other problems. It isn’t guaranteed that parents know how to teach their children to deal with fake headlines and scammers. The responsibility should thus fall on schools to fill this role.

“This is all dangerous to our society and our democracy. Like many things in life, I think education is the way to start solving this problem,” Gaitan said.

Bringing lessons relating to media literacy into the classroom has many benefits for students. This includes learning how to think critically, the ability to differentiate between fake and real news, recognizing the message “be-

hind” the message, and learning how to create media responsibly. When teachers show students how to be confident in these abilities, they can research and read more effectively.

In the coming years, the program should be added to the curriculum at Carlmont.

Amber Chia and Cambell Kirk 5:39

scot.scoop

Can you spot the fake news headline?

SCIENTISTS CREATE A PLANT THAT CANNOT DIE A Real B Fake

A MAN WHO WAS REVIVED FROM A DRUG OVERDOSE STOLE AND CRASHED A POLICE CRUISER. A Real B Fake

NEW SPECIES OF DEADLY SPIDER KILLS TWENTY PEOPLE IN THE U.S A Real B Fake

Send Message

Answer Key (from top to bottom): B, A, B

Cambell Kirk

8 HIGHLANDER OPINION

you

Corporations are at fault for climate change Eoin Cunningham

carbon footprint. There are some more obvious polluting financial transactions, like getting gas or paying your electricity bill, but when it comes down to it, a portion of every dollar you spend goes towards energy production, shipping, manufacturing, agriculture, etc. All of which are industries that pump tons of CO2 into the air.

At this point, you might be thinking, how are these emissions my fault? I have to pay the electricity bill to keep the lights on. It’s the electricity companies’ responsibility to stop burning fossil fuels.

I need to buy food, so it is the shipping and agricultural industries’ responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint. This is also not entirely true.

In the end, it comes down to a problem of economics. Sure, scientists could announce tomorrow the invention of a more cheap and efficient solar panel and battery, but that’s not how science works.

We have solar panels and a variety of ways to store electricity right now, but these methods can’t compete in price and convenience with fossil fuels. That’s where you come in. You don’t like things that are expensive and inconvenient.

When you make a purchase you don’t really think about the environmental ramifications and the possible cleaner alternatives. The electricity companies know this and burn natural gas to provide you with convenient and cheap electricity. The electrical company exists as a solution to the problem of you wanting cheaper power. Your demand is what saves the power company from non-existence and you

The typical attitude of many who support climate activism is that the governments and corporations are to blame. Not only is this thinking wrong, but it leads to greater carbon emissions as individuals don’t take responsibility for their impact.

Looking at the top three largest sources of CO2 emissions, one could be forgiven for blaming companies, conglomerates, and corporations for all of our environmental woes. Besides, the average American is only responsible for 16 tons of emissions compared to the 139,477,048 tons of greenhouse gas emissions that Vistra Energy was responsible for in 2018, according to the Political Economy Research institute.

But what most fail to keep in mind is that they contribute to said billions of tons of air pollution in everything they do.

Maybe you like coffee, for example.

First, the coffee is grown and harvested in Brazil. Then your coffee is shipped on a massive barge to America. Next, it is driven by truck to a factory where it is roasted, packaged, then placed on another truck to be delivered to a coffee shop or grocery store near you. When you buy your favorite Starbucks concoction, you are paying for the diesel powering the ships and trucks as well as the coal and natural gas used to provide energy to the processing factory. You create demand for Vistra Energy, Exxon Mobil, and others like them, and provide them with the revenue they need to keep on polluting.

If you’re currently thinking that you should stop drinking coffee and then all will be right in the world, I have some bad news. Pretty much every single thing you spend money on has a

are therefore responsible for the pollution it emits.

And so we reach the heart of the issue. To prevent a global problem that has and will continue to take lives, people are going to have to make sacrifices. You are going to have to make sacrifices and keep on making more until the problem is fixed.

It is sad to think that the entire world could reduce its carbon footprint by an enormous margin if everyone agreed that a lower standard of living was worth it to save the planet. But since you want boba tea and AirPods, that’s not going to happen.

For those who are not satisfied with this conclusion, make sacrifices and keep on making more and more until the problem is solved.

Amber Chia

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 9

America needs A Space Race Ayal Meyers On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched atop a Saturn V rocket with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Four days later, 125 million Americans huddled around grainy television sets in patient anxiety as the module landed on the lunar surface and prepared for deployment. After sixand-a-half hours, as the world watched, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon.

The historical phenomenon took place more than eight years after Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard made independent voyages into space. Gagarin’s successful breach of the thermosphere terrified the United States. The Cold War was underway, and the Soviet Union’s technological achievement suggested the prospect of nuclear advancements.

In September 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered his well-known speech promising American men on the moon by the end of the decade. Historians argue whether the Space Race ended when Aldrin planted the American flag into the dusty lunar regolith in the summer of 1969 or if the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which came to symbolize détente, is the more official conclusion.

But, it is an unequivocal truth that the

prodigious competition would leave more of a mark back on planet Earth for years to come.

A recent NBC poll found that America’s most significant problems today fall into four categories: the economy, education system, environment/climate change, and national unity. Space exploration could address these issues and deliver the benefits that we saw in the Space Race.

Sputnik’s successful launch kicked off the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The competition spurred a new zest for the sciences — particularly engineering — and led to a prolific increase in American investments in education. Inspired to raise a generation of young Americans more knowledgeable and capable than their Soviet counterparts, the U.S. Government established organizations like the National Science Foundation, which was credited with ushering in early education technology like overhead projectors and lab kits into U.S. classrooms.

In 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which infused more than $1 billion into education and became the first of a series of bills aimed at obsoleting the American school system of the 1940s. One of the series’s overarching goals was to

reinstate America as the global leader in education. The space-inspired education reforms and academic programs produced stunning results: according to a study done between 1970, five years after Congress passed the Higher Education Act to assist postsecondary education, and 1983, college enrollment rose by 45%. The trend matched a steady and ambitious increase in education funding.

Today, according to Pew Research Center, the US is in 38th place out of 71 countries in math scores and 24th place in science. With a waning interest in these fields, America is set to slip in every measure of technological proficiency. National interest in something as fascinating and rewarding as space exploration would be a great solution for this issue.

Science and technology are the greatest agents of economic growth the world has ever seen. And while it can be an expensive investment, it is well worth it. In 1966, NASA received nearly 4.5% of the federal budget compared to 0.05% today. Some questioned if that was too much then and asked if returning to the moon today is worth the expense.

The answer is yes, unequivocally. Last year, NASA released an agency-wide economic impact report. The report showed that through all NASA activities,

Ayal Meyers

10 HIGHLANDER OPINION

to hasten the technology’s advancement and use their equipment for public avail.

NASA also published the design details for the filter, which has become standard and saved countless lives.

The filter and solar panels are two notable items on a long list of similar contributions from the Space Race era.

Imagine the groundbreaking discoveries we could make towards healing our planet if NASA received 1960s and 1970s level funding today. Even with their current allowance, the United States’ space agency is still one of the leaders in fighting the climate crisis. And no, the 500,000 gallons of ready-to-burn fuel in rocket ships does not exactly scream climate warrior, but after all, NASA is an organization that draws from the ranks of biologists, chemists, engineers, and geologists whose collective efforts have the capacity to improve all that we have come to value in our society.

The cross-pollination of ologies almost always leads to innovation and discovery, which is at the heart of progress, and nothing accomplishes this quite like space travel.

Shockingly enough, the climate crisis is a partisan debate. Space exploration, on the other hand, is not.

Since NASA’s establishment in 1958, American space exploration has always been a bipartisan venture.

President Kennedy, a Democrat, announced the goal of going to the moon, and President Nixon, a Republican, brought that goal to fruition. The mission united Americans under one common goal and empowered them as a people. It ignited a sense of hope and belief that is much needed in our

heavily divided society.

Pursuing in interplanetary exploration and travel would require bipartisan support and a coalition of our leaders uniting under common goals — something that has remained largely unseen in the past couple of years but will hopefully begin to reappear. If it does, the United States will reap the significant rewards: improved education, economic prosperity, advancements in technology with a focus on fighting the climate crisis, and unity.

Amber Chia

the agency generated more than $64.3 billion during 2019, supported more than 312,000 jobs nationwide, and generated an additional $7 billion in taxes throughout the United States.

Beyond the raw economic output, money put towards space exploration acts as a catalyst for innovation. The Apollo program brought us an ocean of developments still in use today. For example, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were developed for NASA in the 1970s. The polymers created for space suits laid the groundwork for modern firefighting equipment and shock absorbers, produced to protect equipment during launches now stabilize buildings in areas prone to earthquakes.

The extraordinary combination of resources and scientists attained by and operating through NASA has benefits beyond everyday uses and even economic prosperity.

Critics argue that space exploration is pointless and cite our problems here on Earth, one of the most prominent being climate change. However, as ironic as it may seem, NASA and space programs are a huge contributor to protecting our world and environment. With increasing levels of fossil fuel supply and demand, rising global temperatures, melting glaciers, and an international crisis in energy and water, NASA’s capabilities and expertise put the agency in a unique position to play a critical role in saving our planet.

In the 1970s, NASA developed photovoltaic cells (solar panels) to power their spacecraft’s systems and telescopes as well as filtration systems to ensure that astronauts had safe drinking water. They shared their panels with the energy sector and a handful of private companies

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 11

A RECIPE FOR CONTROVERSY:

FOOD, CULTURE, IDENTITY Kiana George

when we travel, we make an effort to eat “It feels like white people slapping traditional foods prepared by local chefs. I together a bunch of things because they Cultural appropriation — the adopbelieve this exploration of foods supports perceive it as Korean and then profiting tion of customs, practices, or identity of native chefs and enhances appreciation of off of those things,” Dash Kwiatkowski, a a culture by members of another often their heritage. popular stand-up comedian, said. more dominant culture — is everywhere.

However, when a more dominant Korean fried chicken is defined by From Halloween costumes to music, culture profits from or gains more the way it is double-fried, resulting in language to hairstyles, roaring debate has exposure than a less privileged group by a shatteringly crisp exterior. However, arisen as ethnic minorities have expressed adopting elements of their culture with Shake Shack is not preparing the chicken that cultural appropriation is harmful and little appreciation for that group’s history using this traditional method. exploitive. And when it comes to food, and experiences, it’s disrespectful and Critics deemed the “Korean-style” the hot topic is reaching a boiling point. problematic. description offensive, saying the broad Sometimes it seems like the outrage Recently, Shake Shack shook up term did a disservice to authentic Korean is performative in an attempt to be their menu, and suddenly, a greasy, flavors and cooking techniques. provocative. Can’t we all just be foodie calorie-inducing sandwich became the Some might ask, “What’s the big friends? However, both the Bay Area and center of heated debate. The restaurant deal? Even the Koreans in Korea liked the Carlmont community are filled with has over 275 locations across the globe, it.” But for those in America who have people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, but the popular dynasty still got burned minority immigrant backgrounds, food so it’s important to understand sensitiviwhen it introduced a limited-time “Koplays a role in preserving their identity. ties around food, culture, and identity. rean-themed” gochujang-glazed fried The controversy is usually not around Not to be confused with cultural chicken sandwich topped with a kimchi who is allowed or not allowed to preappreciation, cultural appropriation of slaw. Gochujang is a Korean ingredient pare dishes, but people get upset when food is different from eating, cooking made of chili paste, glutinous rice and it appears there isn’t respect for cultural and enjoying food from other cultures. fermented soybeans. traditions and practices.

For example, I am mixed race, so I have Shake Shack Culinary Director, Mark Lack of cultural respect in relation nostalgic feelings for wonton soup. Just Rosati, said the sandwich is popular at to food is not only inappropriate, but it last week, my Chinese mother cooked their South Korean stores, so they wanted can also be hurtful. When I was a child, I Mexican queso birria tacos, Korean fried to introduce a version of it to their US once brought lotus seed mooncakes to my chicken, Thai khao soi, and African market. Critics immediately accused fifth-grade class for a presentation, and I coconut chicken. We love to seek out Shake Shack of cultural appropriation, still remember feeling stung and embarrecipes from cookbook authors and with several Asian writers coining it as a rassed when some of my white classmates bloggers from different cultures, and lazy interpretation of true Korean food. dramatically spit out what we consider a 12 HIGHLANDER OPINION

Chinese delicacy and compared it to “dog food.”

While this is a blurrier version of cultural appropriation mixed with racism, it is still a form of cultural appropriation because a dominant culture is marginalizing the cultural experience of a less dominant culture. It’s okay to say, “that’s not my preference” or to discreetly put aside something that tastes foul to you, but it’s offensive to act like Gordon Ramsey spewing disdain and then claim to love Chinese food at the end of the year party as you shovel an Americanized version of chow mein onto your plate.

Cultural appropriation checklist sensitivities related to food can be complex. Rather than immediately judging or canceling chefs or businesses, review these three checkpoints first:

1. Is the chef or business giving back to the community or communities that they are profiting from?

Did they get people from that culture involved?

2. Is there respect for the culture’s people, cooking practices and authentic ingredients?

Rick Bayless is often criticized because he is a white chef who is touted as one of America’s best Mexican cooks.

In fact, when the President of Mexico visited the White House, Bayless did the cooking. However, in his defense, Bayless is bilingual and has traveled extensively throughout many regions of Mexico to learn cooking techniques from various communities. He has also gathered one of the largest collections of Mexican cookbooks in the world from which he teaches his staff short lessons each day. Bayless exemplifies a chef that has done his research and continues to educate himself and others on the culture he is benefitting from.

3. Does the food or chef make curious eaters want to try other foods within that culture?

If a white chef can introduce a food in a culturally respectful way, it’s positive if it fuels an eater to further explore offerings from other diverse chefs and cultures.

If everyone can follow these three checkpoints, we can turn what would’ve been cultural appropriation into culture appreciation. By respecting one another’s cultures, we can all learn to connect and come together through the power of food.

illustrations by kiana george & Map by Amber Chia

One point where I give Shake Shack a thumbs up is for partnering with Choi’s Kimchi, a small Korean-owned business in Portland, to make the kimchi on their “Korean-inspired” sandwich. This exposure from a global company helps elevate their business and brand awareness.

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 13

ADEM: The unknown caucuses that control California Politics Eddy Yeretnov The quest for political power does not end with the general election. Throughout the electoral term, there are moments when citizens and activists alike can influence the policy makers’ decisions. One such moment is during the California Democratic Party’s Assembly District Election Meeting (ADEM).

To achieve meaningful changes, we must spread awareness of this crucial step in the political process. Just a few thousand voters could decide some critical issues like the possibility of tuition-free public college in California. Older students have the unique opportunity to exert a profound influence in these elections.

Why ADEM? In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, was elected governor of California with 48% of the vote. In 2018 Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, was elected with 62%. This change shows how California has a completely different political environment than just 15-20 years ago. This is primarily due to the state’s demographic shifts.

As a result of this shift, Democrats control a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature and every statewide elected office.

As the California Republican Party continues to platform far-right candidates, moderate voters continue to fuel the Democrat’s edge in districts that traditionally voted Republican. This all results in a straightforward conclusion: the Democratic Party controls state politics.

As that conclusion sets in, the question becomes: who controls the Democratic Party? The answer isn’t simple.

The party is controlled by the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC). This is a committee of delegates that vote on the policies and candidates the party will support. The DSCC is large (2800-3200 members), and there are three distinct groups represented roughly in equal proportion.

Eddy Yeretnov

14 HIGHLANDER OPINION

First, are the delegates elected through the county central committees. Each county gets four delegates plus one per every 10,000 registered delegates in the county. These delegates are mostly party insiders who are already members of their party central committee.

Next are the appointed delegates. All Democratic elected officials and nominees are delegates and can also appoint between two and six delegates themselves. Legislative and Congressional leadership has an additional 90 delegates.

Party leadership also gets to appoint 30 delegates.

Lastly are the ADEMs, the delegates elected through California’s 80 assembly districts. Democrats from each district elect seven female-identifying delegates and seven non-female identifying delegates. These delegates range from activists and party insiders to non-partisan elected officials such as city council members and mayors. These elections are the only say that ordinary people get on the Democratic agenda. Yet, they are still shrouded in mystery.

Where and when does ADEM happen?

ADEM is traditionally held as a caucus. A caucus is a meeting of local party members where they select delegates.

Caucuses have become a rare phenomenon in American politics, replaced with government-run primaries. Caucuses have traditionally decreased voter turnout due to their time-consuming nature, requiring voters to attend an hours-long meeting. This leads to the conclusion that ADEMs are in the caucus format for two reasons.

Firstly, elections for internal offices of the party are not state-funded, and secondly, the caucus keeps the number of voters low. Usually, the youth turnout disproportionally falls in a caucus compared to a primary.

The initial reason for keeping the caucus format is simple to overcome by running something called a firehouse caucus.

The firehouse caucus is a party-run primary. The North Dakota Democrats used it for the 2020 presidential primary. This method would allow voters to simply cast their ballots instead of caucusing.

In previous years, the ADEMs required voters to attend a physical caucus and spend hours voting, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to switch to vote by mail (VBM). VBM could increase turnout by making it easier for people to cast ballots, but also requires voters to specifically request a ballot, which may confuse those who automatically request their ballot.

The ADEMs are held at the beginning of every odd year, a couple of months after the General election.

Appointed Delegates

ADEMS

County Central Committees

their voice heard.

Due to the shallow nature of the Caucus turnout, campaigning has taken on a unique character. Instead of running sophisticated campaigns or battling it out on the field of ideas, candidates use personal connections to win. One person usually doesn’t know enough people to get a majority, but by forming alliances, or slates as they are known, candidates can work together to win. With a slate of 14 individuals, each candidate would only need to bring 15 friends to win an average California district.

While, in theory, this creates opportunities for activists, elected officials have used this as an opportunity to expand their influence.

Kevin Mullin, who represents the assembly district Carlmont is located in, put together a slate with well established elected officials and some party activists. While there are some good members on the slate, Assemblyman Mullin already appoints several members to the DSCC. This is a clear attempt to exert more influence.

To combat elected officials’ influence, organizations like Our Revolution have created endorsement lists for every assembly district and push voters from their extensive email list to turn The game of turnout out. The turnout efforts allowed progressives to take a majority of The turnout in these elections are low. 33,000 voters cast their executive board seats. ballots for ADEM two years ago. That is 336 times fewer people This is the election that California residents should be worthan the amount of Californians who voted for Joe Biden in 2020. rying about. There is nothing that will change as a result of the This small number of voters equates to an average of 412 voters General election. We know at least that for the foreseeable future, per district.

Democrats will control California state politics. This is why we, as The number of voters is incredibly small to the point where current and future California Voters, must vote in these elections Carlmont’s senior class would likely sweep a district. Meaning, if to decide the state’s ruling party’s policy. they voted as one block, they could win all 14 delegate positions.

After the 2022 midterm elections, consider casting your vote This is all without mentioning that two years ago was the highest for the ADEMs, as it may end up making a more significant turnout in ADEM history. Two years before that, only 11,000 had difference.

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 15

Students observe Transgender Day of Visibility Elise Hsu March 31 marks Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), a day for acknowledging the transgender community’s contributions to society and helping them feel accurately represented in the world.

According to the blog TransGriot, TDOV was created in 2010 by Rachel Crandall, a trans woman who wanted a day to empower transgender people and celebrate their accomplishments. Crandall also wanted TDOV to be different from Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which occurs on Nov. 20 and honors members of the trans community who lost their lives due to transphobically-motivated actions.

Junior Alex Johnson* identifies as agender, which means they do not strongly identify with any gender. In the context of TDOV, they defined visibility as having representation that is accepting in its depiction of different gender identities.

“Having trans representation matters because it not only gives people who have similar experiences comfort in knowing that there are others like them, but also allows people who don’t have those experiences to be more accepting,” Johnson said.

Mick*, a junior, agreed that representation helps the trans community recognize that they are not alone. He also took into account members of the trans community who conceal their gender identity.

“So many transgender people are closeted; if you live in a non-accepting area and you have to stay closeted for your safety, days like TDOV and having some sense of community are really important,” said Mick, who identifies as a nonbinary transgender male.

Both Mick and Johnson remarked that trans representation has improved in recent years. However, that does not mean there is not more work to be done. In 2016, Rick Riordan published “The Hammer of Thor,” the second book in the “Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard” series. One of the central

characters in this book, Alex Fierro, is genderfluid.

Many readers applauded Riordan for being inclusive of the transgender community in this work. Mick was among them, but after some reflection, his stance on the character changed.

“While Alex Fierro was her own character, it seemed like so much of her was centered around being a genderfluid character among a bunch of cis people,” Mick said. “At the time, I was like, ‘Wow! Trans people are real; this is crazy!’ But looking back on it, I think she deserved more; she deserved to be a fully fleshed-out character and not have her tragic backstory only relating to being trans and her motivation only relating to being trans.”

Johnson noted that beyond characterization, other flaws in current transgender representation only shine the spotlight on specific areas within the community.

“Of things that are missing from representation, one example could be a focus on non-binary transgender people who don’t identify precisely as either a man or a woman. Both groups do exist, but one is currently receiving a little more focus in some ways,” Johnson said.

Mick also believes that some aspects of the trans community receive more visibility than others, asserting that most trans characters have similar storylines.

“Everybody’s experience is so different, and it’s really sad to see every example of trans people in the media following the same path, even though that’s not realistic,” Mick said.

Misconceptions about the transgender community can spread easily through flaws in representation. These inaccuracies often concern certain aspects of life as a trans person, such as transitioning.

“One misconception is that every trans person medically transitions, be it through hormone treatments or surgeries.

That is not the case for everyone for a lot of reasons, including cost or other barriers in the way of transitioning, or some may just not want to transition in that way,” Johnson said.

However, if transgender representation is full of misconcep-

16 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

tions, it can lead to false generalizations about the community as a whole. Mick described his problem with the idea that self-hatred is integral to being trans, an assumption that lives both outside and inside the trans community.

“Most trans people I know don’t hate themselves in the overdramatic, gratuitous way that people seem to think we do.

That really bugs me because it’s also within our own community; people say that if you don’t hate your body, you’re not trans.

It’s such a huge misconception, and I think it’s really unfair to say that the trans experience has to be miserable and you have to hate yourself to be trans,” Mick said.

When asked what they would like to see in future forms of transgender representation, Johnson said that they wanted to see more trans characters defined beyond their gender identity, similar to what Mick and other readers wanted from Riordan’s depiction of Alex Fierro. They also hoped to see more people think deeply about what their gender identity truly is.

“Even for people who don’t think they are trans or non-binary, at least considering gender identity could be good because even if you don’t think you are transgender, after some deep consideration, you might change your mind or you might not; maybe you’ll just become more confident in yourself through considering that aspect of you,” Johnson said.

Mick called upon cisgender people to listen to the trans community, asserting that accurate representation will only come once cis people truly understand what it is like to be transgender.

“I wish that cis people just listened to trans people. Transgender Day of Visibility is for us to talk about our experiences and show that we’re still here and we’re still fighting.” Mick said. “All these misconceptions could be cleared up if they just listened to us without their own internalized biases and opinions. If you just listened to somebody’s story, you’d understand them better; that’s all there is to it. Don’t interject with your own opinions; just listen to people with their own experiences.” *Some names have been changed in accordance with Carlmont Media’s Anonymous Policy.

Timeline of ofAdvances Advances in in AATimeline Transgender Rights Rights Transgender 1949 1949

HarryBenjamin Benjaminpromotes promotes Harry using hormone therapy and using hormone therapy and gender-affirmingsurgery surgeryto to gender-affirming treat transgender people treat transgender people

1959 1959

Christine Jorgensen is Christine Jorgensen is denied a marriage license denied a marriage license based on her biological sex based on her biological sex

1969 1969

Transgender women of color Transgender women of color including Marsha P. Johnson including Marsha P. Johnson and Stormé DeLarverie take Stormé aand stand at theDeLarverie Stonewall take Riots a stand at the Stonewall Riots

1976 1976 The Superior Court of New

The Superior Court of New Jersey rules that trans Jersey that trans peoplerules can marry based on people can marry based on their gender identity their gender identity

1993 1993

Minnesota is the first state to protect is trans from Minnesota the people first state to discrimination with the protect trans people from Minnesota Human Rights Act discrimination with the

Minnesota Human Rights Act

1999 Gwendolyn Ann Smith 1999

founds the Ann first Transgender Gwendolyn Smith Day of the Rememberance founds first Transgender (TDOR) on Nov. 20 Day of Rememberance (TDOR) on Nov. 20

2010 2010

Rachel Crandall founds the first Transgender Day of Rachel Crandall founds the Visibility (TDOV) on March 31 first Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31

2021 2021

President Joe Biden repeals the previous administration’s President Joe people Biden repeals ban on trans serving the previous in the militaryadministration’s ban on trans people serving in the military Elise

Sources: GLAAD – Transgender Day of Rememberance; GLAAD – Timeline: A Look Back at the History of Transgender Visibility; ThoughtCo – Transgender Rights in the United States; NPR – Biden Repeals Trump-Era Ban on Transgender Troops Sources: GLAAD – Transgender Day of Rememberance; GLAAD – Timeline: A Look Back at the History of Transgender Visibility; ThoughtCo – Transgender Rights in the United States; NPR – Biden Repeals Trump-Era Ban on Transgender Troops

Hsu

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 17

A LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF OUR YEAR IN A PANDEMIC

Natalie Doud While it’s difficult to ignore the negativity the world has endured in the past year, it’s important to shed light on what has gone right and acknowledge the accomplishments that have accompanied the chaos.

Through this time, many noticed immense self-growth as increased isolation allowed for self-reflection and a stronger sense of individualism.

“The pandemic has really taught me to be grateful for everything and to focus on what I do have, rather than what I don’t,” Aanika Tiwari, a junior, said. “I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life and have definitely become a more halfglass-half full kind of person.”

For some students, like Noah Camerino, a senior, the pandemic enabled them to experiment with varying personal

interests unrelated to academics.

“The pandemic has allowed me to explore who I am outside of high school. There isn’t that constant pressure of what everybody thinks about me, so I can really just focus on myself and what I like,” Camerino said.

Aside from personal growth, the pandemic has also allowed many to grow closer to their family and friends because of the growing feelings of loneliness during shelter-in-place orders.

Many have refurbished past relationships and even formed new ones despite additional challenges brought by virtual interactions.

“I think there have been a few things that have resulted positively from the pandemic. For instance, I have been able to get much closer with my family as we are able to spend a lot more time together,” Lise Teyssier, a junior, said. “And although social media definitely has its downsides, it has been quite

18 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT

useful in staying connected and meeting new people.”

With Carlmont’s move to a completely online format for school, the Associated Student Body (ASB) has been trying to ease the transition into a more individualized structure by providing new virtual events and outlets of support for students.

Camerino, who is also the ASB president, said, “I think we’ve put a ton of effort into supporting the students and giving back to the student body in general. Things like drop boxes for the students or Instagram competitions aren’t things we have really focused on in the past, but I’m extremely happy with how they’ve worked out now.”

On a national scale, younger generations have been increasingly involving themselves in social justice issues and educating themselves on contentious world issues, which is a step in the right direction. Many people took to social media to urge others to vote and use their voices as much as they could.

According to NBC News, the 2020 Presidential Election saw the highest U.S. voter turnout since 1900.

“I think the transition to online has kind of bridged a gap between the younger and older generations. In November especially, there was a huge emphasis on having younger people vote and get involved politically, which historically we haven’t seen in a long time,” Camerino said.

On top of this, the environment has been immensely impacted by the pandemic as stay-at-home orders resulted in fewer cars on the road and decreased human activity. As found by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there have further been significant improvements in air quality and water pollution in cities worldwide.

The U.S. has also taken a bigger step towards equality this year with the LGBTQ community.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled that a civil rights law protects gay and

transgender workers from discrimination in the workplace, according to The New York Times. Further, in January, President Joe Biden signed an executive order lifting the ban that prevented transgender Americans from serving in the military. More recognition has also been given to Black Americans as Vice President Kamala Harris made history becoming America’s first female, Black, and Asian American vice president.

Despite the increased push for social justice in the U.S., there have been continued challenges nation-wide. Yet, instead of viewing these instances from a negative standpoint, it’s crucial to consider them learning opportunities that reveal the dire need for political and social change.

“I hope lessons will be learned because of this year, and positive growth can occur in the future. Perhaps we will look back to see that so much of the pain that occurred was unnecessary. It’s all a result of bad decisions made by people with misplaced incentives and insufficient levels of anger and action from those who are lucky to have their needs met, like myself,” Andrew Ramroth, a math teacher at Carlmont, said.

While this year in a pandemic was not an easy one, there were still many aspects that can hopefully brighten perspectives upon retrospection.

Ramroth said, “My happiest moments aren’t rooted in fancy bells and whistles, but conversations over food with kind people. I hope I will be more mindful of my appreciation for those in my life and that they will know my appreciation as well.”

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 19 Haishan Wang

NATURE’S SELF-RESTORATION Leanna Gower

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, life has been seen as a letdown as events were cancelled, jobs were lost, and over 2 million lives were taken worldwide. Through the fog of quarantine, many struggle to see any good that’s come from this pandemic as we near the first anniversary of lockdown.

That being said, one thing the pandemic has revealed is hope for the future of our planet. Since the beginning of humankind, people have invented and improved, continually pushing the bar of innovation higher. However, these breakthroughs continue to take an enormous toll on our environment. Overfishing, overhunting, overproducing, and overusing natural resources has caused Earth to come down with its own pandemic: climate change.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel found that the damage to our planet will become irreversible in less than a decade, caused mainly by natural resource overusage and overproduction of what we put back into the environment. But when the pandemic hit, citizens were sent home, and stay-at-home orders issued them to stay there. As a result, humans were forced to cease the constant exploitation of the planet.

While the recovery seen in nature is only temporary, they bring hope to those worried about our planet’s future and offer opportunities for the people in charge to take action to regulate emissions. As far as the changes go, they’ve been seen most noticeably within air quality, water quality, wildlife, and carbon emissions.

“I think that the decrease in emissions showed us that there are no excuses in lowering emissions for the future. We know it’s possible we’ve seen it with our own eyes; now we just have to pass regulations,” Katerina Gaines, a junior and climate change activist at Carlmont, said.

20 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT Leanna Gower

Early on in the pandemic, the Venice canals in Italy showed clear water for the first time in over a year. However, this was not due to a stark decrease in pollution. Rather, it was caused by a decline in traffic that allowed sediment to remain unshifted. Meanwhile, in Sardinia, Italy, locals noticed a rare sight of dolphins swimming through the ports.

When India first went on lockdown, the streets became empty as companies rapidly decreased their production rates. As a result of this decreased human activity, residents could see the white peaks of the Himalayas from 120 miles away for the first time in 30 years. Aside from visible improvement, air pollution decreased by 44% in just the first week of a nationwide lockdown, according to India’s Central Pollution Control Board.

In terms of wildlife recovery, most fishing operations have halted. The Smithsonian Magazine reported that the biomass of fish nearly doubled in European waters due to halts in overfishing. In the Bay of Bengal, scientists saw sea turtles laying eggs for the first instance in a long time. As foot traffic decreased, they could ultimately reclaim their nesting land.

Just by April 2020, statistics from the Nature Climate Change journal showed that daily global carbon emissions fell by 17%, researchers predicting that it could help with the 8% reduction quota we need to meet annually to save our planet. Even though the emission drop was only for a year, it has shown the easy cuts we can make to reduce emissions.

These developments are astounding yet remain temporary, and most have already been washed out as businesses reopen across the world. But in times of fear, changes have brought us all hope and provided ideas for improving our global footprint.

“The world should know that we don’t need a pandemic and mass amounts of deaths and suffering to lower emissions. Lowering emissions is entirely possible; we have the technology and the money.

There are no excuses at this point as to why we can’t lower emissions because we can,” Gaines said.

“We have to lower emissions if we want to prevent the extinction of the human race. All that is left is to do is for our government to invest in its citizens’ lives and the future of the Earth instead of their short term profits.”

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 21

SELF-EXPRESSION IN SELF-ISOLATION Ava Richards Group hangouts and parties? Against the rules. Movie nights at the theatre? Shut down. Sports events? Volunteer experiences? Gone, canceled, you name it. As our lives moved entirely online, the pandemic altered opportunities to have fun and express ourselves. However, many Carlmont students took advantage of the newfound time to be adventurous with new hobbies and escape the boredom paradigm.

BAKING

Mixing sugar, flour, eggs, and chocolate chips, then baking at precisely 350 degrees, freshman Jerylin Fry discovered baking when the stay-at-home order first began. She struggled with the pandemic and the inability to see loved ones, so she started using baking to take time for herself.

“I’m a super extroverted person, and being kept inside with only three people gets to my head,” Fry said. “Pouring my creativity into baking helps me vent and deal with all the stressful things in my life.”

Though Fry typically only bakes for her family and friends, one of her goals this year is to start pursuing the hobby professionally. This would enable her to branch out and use her talents for good.

“Starting a small baking business is something I’m looking into. A while ago, my dad auctioned my cookies for a school fundraiser, and I was surprised how much people wanted them,” Fry said. “So having a business, making people happy, would be really fun.”

Her business plans are still underway, so in the meantime, Fry is thankful that baking remains just a hobby. She gets to experiment with more recipes, such as soufflés, and practice her technical skills. But most importantly, she can bring joy to others.

“Even if I’m not with people right now, I can bake for the people I love and send them smiles,” Fry said.

TWITCH STREAMING

Running around a colorful map, hunting down enemies, and strategizing with his team, sophomore Jake Generalis has spent his quarantine streaming first-person shooters like Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant on Twitch. He wanted to use his platform to escape the real world and have fun.

“Streaming is definitely an outlet for stress,” Generalis said. “Especially when I compete in the High School Esports League, it’s fun to stream matches and interact with everyone in a competitive environment.”

His favorite part is interacting with his friends and the people that support his content. However, it took time to build up his community due to the disadvantage that small creators have on the algorithm.

“At first, it was a struggle because I would simply go live with no other content to help push my channel. I didn’t care about my amount of viewers until the pandemic when I started being an active part of my friend CapheenN’s streams, and now my community is essentially a byproduct of his,” Generalis said.

Generalis’ channel continues to grow, but he doesn’t let it change him or his motivations for creating content.

“I don’t really care to make my streams successful or profitable,” Generalis said. “I never want it to feel like a job. The moment I am afraid to press ‘go live’ is the moment I’m done with streaming.”

PAINTING

Although she has been drawing and taking photos for most of her life, junior Angelina Colombo experimented with a new artistic hobby during the stay-at-home order: painting.

“Before the pandemic, I was scared of painting, but all the time allowed me to try without any pressure,” Colombo said.

“I followed along with a Bob Ross video, and, despite it being cliché, it opened my eyes. I’ve found a way to express myself.”

22 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT

Colombo typically paints people or humanoid figures in obscure settings with motifs of noses or dripping objects and enjoys experimenting with elements she had been unfamiliar with before.

“Painting is stimulating in a way. I like trying different styles or methods, even if figuring out perspective or a color combination can be frustrating. The process and the act of working through my problems make it worth it,” Colombo said.

Although she isn’t as experienced as her peers or inspirations, Colombo is ‘going with the flow’ on this artistic journey and looks forward to practicing with black canvases and oil paints. But really, she values that her newfound hobby provides an avenue for emotional growth.

“My technique is underdeveloped, so it closes some doors with how I paint and feels restricting sometimes,” Colombo said. “So for now, my painting is more expressive than technical, but I’m always learning.”

KNITTING

Weaving yarn through needles and working monotonously on garments, senior Maya Kaileh used quarantine to challenge herself to learn knitting. She originally only wanted to recreate the famous Harry Styles cardigan but was quickly enamored by its relaxing qualities.

“It’s amazing that knitting can provide a fun and artistic outlet for me,” Kaileh said. “Typically, I spend a few hours at a time knitting because it’s so easy to lose track of time while listening to music. It’s really just a form of escapism and time to de-stress.”

Knitting can be quite a time-consuming process, especially with such a large project like a cardigan. Nevertheless, Kaileh is more than willing to work through any hiccups or time commitments.

“Knitting can be frustrating since it’s quite the process at times. Typically, my hand cramps after working for a while, which is painful, or I mess up entire rows of my work. But despite all the small things, I’m always proud of the result, which is something that makes it all worth it,” Kaileh said.

In the future, Kaileh hopes to continue to work on her skills and technique with more time and practice. While smaller garments such as hats and shirts are definitely on her radar, she is just happy to have found a way to spend her time productively.

“Hobbies of any kind are the best and most fun way to express yourself and set you apart from others,” Kaileh said. “If you love what you’re doing and it makes you happy, you should be really proud of yourself.”

Ava Richar d

s

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 23

The hidden gems of San Francisco niamh marren San Francisco is a city packed with an endless amount of well-known activities and locations to experience. Many are drawn to visit famous locations such as the Golden Gate Bridge or Pier 39. However, for a city filled with an assortment of unique adventures, San Francisco’s less well-known cultural locations often get overlooked.

A Touch of Holland: Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden

Stairway to Unity: Mosaic steps From seas to stars, the 163-step stairway located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights neighborhood is a project that started in 2003 to highlight the beauty of the area.

Previously, there had been a series of steep public stairways originally placed for streetcar stops. With the streetcars gone, these stairways were often used as a blank canvas for graffiti artists, upsetting residents who lived there.

Thus,

the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project was formed by neighborhood residents Jessie Audette and Alice Yee Xavier in an effort to connect the community. Choosing artists Aileen Bar and Colette Crutcher, they created a design of 163 mosaic panels, each one unique and hand-cut.

Over 220 neighbors helped sponsor the handmade bird, fish, and animal tiles to create the mosaic. This sponsorship provided most of the funding for the entire project. The neighborhood had three mosaic workshops so that all neighbors could participate in the community project.

Creating and installing each handmade tile took hundreds of hours, and the stairway finally opened up to the public in 2005 to a warm welcome.

“The tiled steps really bring out San Francisco’s unique culture and personality. There is always so much to do in the big city, and often going to smaller places like the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, can make you see the beauty of the city,” Alec Perkins, a junior, said.

Due to the Tiled Steps’ great success and popularity, the project decided to fund a second stairway located just further down the hill. This time, the entire city decided to help support this project. ni a

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With bright colored tulips that blossom each spring, the garden is filled with colorful excitement that gives the perfect setting for any occasion. However, the tulips are not the main attraction, as many are amazed by the unexpected sight of the Dutch Windmill positioned at the center of the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands ruled for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Without her, the Dutch Windmill would not exist in the Golden Gate Park, as she donated the structure and thousands of tulips in 1902 as a gift to San Francisco for use and enjoyment. The windmill initially provided an irrigation system for the park and served to pump 30,000 gallons of water hourly throughout the park.

Today, the windmill is not in service, however it still provides a historic gem to San Francisco.

While the windmill is often the center of attention, Chloe Einsiedl, a student at Notre Dame High School, explains how the brightly colored flowers, kept all year round, are the most admirable.

“The best part of the tulip garden is definitely the vibrantly colored flowers. It is unlike anything else in San Francisco, and it is a great place to enjoy nature, take pictures, and just hang out,” Einsiedl said.

Tulips became extremely popular in

the Netherlands in the late 16th century, sparking a “tulip mania.” The imported tulips quickly became a part of society as the flowers were painted by artists, studied by botanists, and continuously grown in the Netherlands. The flower remains a national symbol of the Netherlands. The donation of tulips, as well as other flowers, to different countries or governments has been seen as an act of friendship and peace throughout history.

The Dutch Bulb Growers’ Association donates the flower bulbs to provide the garden with full-bloomed tulips by March. The combination of seasonal flowers and the windmill gives the perfect setting for any outing.

24 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

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In 2013, these so-called Hidden Garden Steps transformed 148 steps into a California wildlife scene with vibrantly colored tiles.

Not only are both of these stairways worth seeing, but there is plenty to do in this quiet area within walking distance.

There are shops, museums, and Golden Gate Park nearby, making a trip to the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps even more exciting.

The community’s endeavor that created both the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps and the Hidden Garden Steps highlights California’s native environment and the beautiful scenery of the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood. Spending countless hours on both of these projects

h

en rr a m

brought the community together in lasting unity.

Walking Through Untold Stories: Balmy Alley Known for its murals, Balmy Alley is hidden within the Mission District of San Francisco and brings out various indigenous cultures and stories through artwork. The murals began in the mid1980s by two women who used their paintings to express outrage over human rights and political abuse in Central America. Over time, the alley has developed into an inspirational site where different cultures are embodied through beautiful artwork.

“With San Francisco being a huge city with many cultures, art is a significant way to emphasize different cultures and depict the troubles people of different cultures go through. Balmy Alley provides that to the public and can be a very educational experience,” Sassie Block, a junior, said.

With Balmy Alley being open to all, it allows less well-known artists, to showcase their talent to the public. The untold stories about individu-

als’ lives, communities, and traditions through artwork reveals San Francisco’s culturally rich community.

Einsiedl explains how free public art being inclusive to all allows more people to engage in San Francisco’s community who might not be able to afford expensive museum entry fees.

“The purpose of art is to represent unique communities and to tell untold stories. Other art museums, like the MOMA, can feel far removed from the San Francisco community because they are only available to visitors who can pay and artists who are already well known.

Free public art is important because it is inclusive and draws in new people who otherwise would not engage in San Francisco’s art culture,” Einsiedl said.

In recent years, appreciation and an effort to understand different cultures have significantly spread throughout society, making murals that exemplify the ways of others extremely popular.

Balmy Alley is not the only place to see large concentrations of murals in San Francisco. Throughout the Mission District, there are endless opportunities to see smaller artists’ murals that portray untold stories.

“The art is not only beautiful, it also will teach you a lot more about the San Francisco community. The Mission District, which has such a rich culture and history, has murals and art installations around every corner,” Einsiedl said.

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MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 25

A guide to sustainability: simple things you can do to live a more sustainable life Payton Zolck

society, but also a more equitable one.

“Black and brown communities are disproportionately affected by environmental issues, which is also known as environmental racism. Communities of color and low-income communities are often located near landfills, hazardous waste sites, and other industrial facilities; have higher exposure rates to air and water pollution; and experience devastating consequences due to climate change,” Warren said.

Understanding sustainability is very important, but by participating in it, you can make a difference.

The key to sustainability is looking at individual parts of your life and looking for simple ways to swap in more sustainable options. Some examples include making coffee at home rather than getting Starbucks or refilling a reusable water bottle instead of buying a plastic one.

According to Warren, it is important to start small and then expand. It is helpful to make a waste audit list, so you know exactly what areas you need to improve in. She also outlines the critical steps to take when transitioning to zero waste and sustainability.

Start with refusing unnecessary plastic such as what is at stores and then reducing the amount of plastic you consume.

You shove your remaining groceries in a plastic bag, toss your soda bottle into the trash bin after the last sip, and struggle with the candy wrapper clinging to your chocolate bar. But what happens to these items once we are done with them, and what effect do they have?

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as of 2018, an average person uses 4.9 pounds of trash a day, and 50% of that amount is dumped in the landfill.

Well, you may ask, is there a way for me to change my habits regarding waste? The answer is yes, through sustainability.

Sustainability is a word thrown around all the time and widely used to regard many environmental-related subjects, but what is it? According to Oxford Dictionary, sustainability is defined as “an avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”

Alejandra Warren, a zero waste specialist and co-founder of the non-profit Plastic Free Future, further explains sustainability and zero waste and what these words truly mean.

“Zero waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials. This must be done without burning them, and discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health,” Warren said.

The world we live in is built upon materialistic wants and desires. Sustainability is all about being more conscious of our consumption.

“Zero waste is one of the easiest strategies that municipalities and communities can implement to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Composting can also pull carbon down and store it in our soil while keeping our soils healthy.

Healthy soils make healthy food. Healthy food helps us maintain healthy communities,” Warren said.

Warren points out that sustainability and zero waste can also help with problems regarding biodiversity and ecosystem loss.

“Refusing, reusing, repairing, recycling, and composting can help us prevent deforestation, land use changes, and conserve precious resources. Protecting and preserving forests can help us protect important habitats for endangered species,” Warren said.

Warren thinks the movement can also help marginalized communities. Not only can it help create a more sustainable Nicole Coleman and Payton Zolck 26 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

Repair what you have rather than buying new things, reuse what you already have, and use methods such as compost and recycling as a way to discard waste. Finally, minimizing the amount of waste you put in the landfill are all steps on the path to sustainability and zero waste.

The common misconception is that sustainability is a massive effort that is impossible to achieve. Aylin Salahifar, president of the DIY Earthcycle Club, points out that it can be as simple as small changes in your everyday life.

“There are other forms of sustainability like reducing your use of water and electricity, such as turning your water off while brushing your teeth or not leaving on lights in your

sourced food like those from the Farmers’ Market can help with becoming a more sustainable consumer.

The textile industry, according to the U.N., is the second biggest polluter of water. So even buying clothes from sustainable shops, second-hand and locally, can make an environmental impact and reduce the amount of waste due to transportation and packaging, and shipping products.

However, sustainability can still be achieved through DIY by using what you have and without going out of your way to buy special products.

“DIY makes it easier to be more sustainable because you’re making it fun. I think recycling has this negative connotation and a reputation of not being the most interesting subject. I think DIY upcycling brings a more creative aspect to it, and you can make recycling into a fun project,” Salahifar said.

Sustainability can also have long-term financial benefits; as mentioned by Salahifar, repurposing materials can lead to you not having to buy more things. Porter further talks about the financial benefits of sustainability.

“It’s often said that being sustainable is expensive, and only for people who can afford it. I disagree. We have to stop looking at sustainability as ‘buying the fancy reusable product’ and more about reusing what we already have. If you’re shopping to be more sustainable, you’re doing it wrong, unless it’s groceries,” Porter said.

In fact, sustainability can often save money.

“It’s much cheaper, in the long run, to buy something reusable and ditch the disposables. For example, you can get a set of handkerchiefs at Target for less than $10. Wash it once a week with your laundry, and let’s suppose they last for six years. Compare that to six years of disposable Target brand Payton Zolck tissues at $11 per year. You can save over $50,” Porter said.

As a high schooler, it seems hard to make a difference.

However, you can make a difference in your community as an individual. house. Those are things with finite resources,” Salahifar said.

“Educating yourself and your friends, and your family first Many stores focused on providing sustainable solutions are and foremost is always beneficial. A lot of people think that beginning to pop up now. One example is Byrd’s Filling Station you have to go wide scale, but just having a really great founin San Mateo. Laura Porter, the founder of Byrd’s Filling Stadation of knowledge yourself and then spreading that to your tion, provides some helpful tips on how to shop more sustainclose community can really help make an impact,” Salahifar ably. said.

“The best way to become aware of the products you use is Sustainability may seem like an elusive to do a waste audit. One week, log everything you throw in the idea thrown around to make somegarbage. Then start to ask yourself if it can be replaced with thing sound better, but it is so something that you could wash and reuse. Can you find it with much more. Small changes in less packaging or reusable packaging? Once you have a good your lifestyle can help lead to understanding of what your garbage is and how you make it, a more sustainable life. Even you’ll start shopping differently,” Porter said. as an individual, you can For those looking for ways to be more sustainable regarding make a difference and bring the products they use, it is important to remember where these awareness to an important products come from. issue.

According to the United Nations (U.N.), when it comes to “The climate crisis, being a consumer, the best option is to make thoughtful purbiodiversity loss, and chases by knowing where your items are coming from. plastic pollution are the A report by the U.N. states that an estimated one-third of all greatest challenges of our food produced ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and generation.

We must work retailers or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting together to find solutions, ” practices each year.

Warren said.

Reducing the amount of food you buy and buying locally Nicole Coleman MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 27

MARCH 2021 national day calendar

Sunday

7.

14.

21.

28.

1.

Monday

Peanut Butter Lovers Day

8.

Learn About Butterflies Day

Flower Day

2.

9.

Tuesday

International Cat Rescue Day

Barbie Day

15.

Oranges and Lemons Day

16.

22.

World Water Day

23.

29.

No Homework Day

30.

28 HIGHLANDER FUN

3.

Wednesday

4.

Thursday

Toy Soldier Day

5.

10.

Pack Your Lunch Day

11.

12.

17.

St. Patrick’s Day

18.

19.

24.

31.

25.

Medal of Honor Day

26.

Friday

6.

Saturday

Dress Day

13.

Girl Scout Day

20.

Spinach Day

27.

World Storytelling Day

World Theater Day

Crayon Day

Mari Ramirez

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 29

Munching in March:

new recipes you should try!

Maddy Ting

Ingredients: • • • • • •

•

• • •

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (preferably fruity olive oil like Columela extra-virgin) 2-4 tsp juice from 1 fresh lemon (more for seasoning if desired) 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/2 tsp) 1 small shallot, minced (about 1/2 tsp) Table salt and ground black pepper 1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 3 large), cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice (marinate the tomatoes and mozzarella with olive oil, minced shallot, salt, and a pinch of black pepper while pasta is cooking for more flavor) 12 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (if using supermarket mozzarella, dice and freeze for 10 minutes before tossing into the hot pasta. Handmade mozzarella without the freezing works well too) 1 lb penne, fusilli, or campanelle 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1 tsp sugar (optional: add to taste depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes)

Claire Taggart

Instructions: 1. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper together in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and gently toss to combine; set aside. Do not marinate for longer than 45 minutes.

2. While the tomato mixture is marinating, place the mozzarella on a plate and freeze until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp salt and pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain well.

3. Add the pasta and mozzarella to the tomato mixture and gently toss to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add additional lemon juice or sugar if desired. Serve immediately.

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Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • •

½ cup salted butter, melted ⅓ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar 1 large egg 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking soda 1 ½ cups flour 1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips ¼ cup butterscotch chips 12 marshmallows, cut in half

Instructions: 1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Then add the remaining flour mixture and stir until batter is smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Gently stir in the chocolate and butterscotch chips until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or as long as overnight).

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and let stand for 10 minutes. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Arrange cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on each tray and bake for 12 minutes.

6. While the cookies are baking, cut the marshmallows in half. After the 12 minutes have passed, quickly remove cookie trays from oven and place half a marshmallow, cut side down, on top of each cookie. Return cookies to oven and bake for 2 more minutes. Remove cookies from oven and allow them to cool on the trays for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Maddy Ting

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 31

March Movie Madness Article and ary by Ethan Man In a world of uncertainty, movies and TV shows are some of the constants keeping people happy and afloat. But with all these streaming services, how is it possible to find the best content with new releases seemingly added every day? Well, here’s a list of the most highly anticipated movies and shows on each platform that you might enjoy:

Zack Snyder: Justice League: March 18 Following a series of unfortunate events, Zack Snyder had to step down as director for the 2017 movie Justice League, and his original plan for the movie was never seen. At least, until now. Snyder will release his revised four-hour cut of the once highly anticipated film, which will be something for both DC and comic book fans to check out.

Godzilla vs. Kong: March 26 Two of the most fearsome and iconic monsters the movie world has ever known face off in this highly anticipated film. This epic showdown is already riling up fans across social media and is one that everyone should watch.

Raya and the Last Dragon: March 5 Raya, a lone warrior, must track down the last dragon to defeat sinister monsters that threaten humanity. Her character will take influence from Asian culture and contribute to an increasingly diverse list of Disney princesses. Moviegoers can catch this film in movie theaters or from the comfort of their own home for $30 on Disney+.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: March 19 In the second TV show for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up as Falcon and Winter Soldier on an adventure across the globe. This action-comedy show will likely give us crucial information for these two characters, as well as the larger MCU, making it a must-watch to keep up with the movies.

Yes Day: March 12 Yes Day features a family where the kids decide what to do for 24 hours. Jennifer Garner and Jenna Ortega star in this lighthearted and enjoyable PG movie, made to make the whole family laugh and enjoy.

Cherry: March 12 Cherry, which stars Tom Holland and features the Russo Brothers as directors, follows a man from Ohio as he meets the love of his life, only to risk losing her through a series of bad decisions and lifechanging circumstances. Apple TV+ has developed a reputation of producing star-studded, high-quality movies and shows, which will hopefully continue to be upheld through this new film.

32 HIGHLANDER FUN

Boss Level: March 5 In this movie, a retired military operative continues to relive the day of his death. This star-studded, action-packed film was initially supposed to release in April 2020, but because of quarantine restrictions, it will be released on Hulu about a year after its intended premiere.

Carlmont High School: then and now Mira Bhatt We’ve walked through the halls of Carlmont High School hundreds of times, yet we don’t know a lot about the school’s history.

According to Carlmont’s website, the school was founded in 1952 with the goal of fostering a community of creative thinkers that could work well in a rapidly changing environment.

The school was built at the bottom of a hill between San Carlos and Belmont, thus the word blend Carlmont.

The school initially had a poor reputation, as many people considered the school to be a rougher and more dangerous environment. Additionally, there was a large, evident socioeconomic gap.

“There were a lot of great kids who went on to top colleges, but at the time, a lot of folks thought it was rough and dangerous. My parents weren’t thrilled with me going there, and two of my good friends went to Aragon instead,” Ernie Chan, a Carlmont High School graduate class of 1995, said.

Much of that belief was due to the 1995 film Dangerous Minds, which stars Michelle Pfeiffer, who struggles as a new teacher in a rougher school. The movie was based on a true story about Carlmont; however, many Carlmont alumni disagree with how the school was portrayed.

“I think the movie may have caused people to think that the school was out of control, but the reality was that we had amazing students and a great staff,” Robert Tsuchiyama, a Carlmont math teacher who has been at the school since 1989, said.

Chan affirms Tsuchiyama’s statement, explaining that the movie was not based on the entire school but instead on a specific program for high-risk students at the school. He also recalls seeing Pfieffer getting into her limousine in front of T-Hall when she came to do research at Carlmont.

Pfieffer was not the only celebrity that came to Carlmont during the 1990s. During Chan’s senior year, he remembers the president at the time, Bill Clinton, along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Treasurer Kathleen Brown, and Rep. Anna Eshoo came to the school to sign an executive order on gun-free schools.

“I was in ASB at the time. We had about four days to get ready, and it was pretty nuts with the security, preparation, etc.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience,” Chan said.

While celebrities visiting campus and movies being made about Carlmont were memorable moments, the school has also undergone fairly historical changes.

“Some people used to refer to it as the prison on the hill.

With the renovation and addition of classrooms and buildings, I think today’s students have more pride in being a Carlmont Scot,” Tsuchiyama said.

Grant Steunenberg, one of Carlmont’s administrative vice principals, agrees with this statement, explaining that the cam-

pus was able to implement changes with a recent bond measure.

“The place where the S-wing is currently used to be hillside and a parking lot. And, the modular buildings that are down near the senior parking lot (where the daycare is now) used to be where the S-wing is now and were biology classrooms,” Steunenberg said.

He believes that Carlmont has changed a lot and compares the current abundance of class choices, programs, and clubs to what was available in previous years.

“We used to only have a business academy where students learned how to use Excel and Microsoft Word. It used to be very cutting edge, but the content became outdated, and we switched to a BTI (biotechnology) academy. We Car lmo now also have journalism nt and a computer science pathway, so students have more options to explore,” Steunenberg said.

With the surplus of resources, classes, and activities at Carlmont, it has become a much more desirable school and no longer has the same reputation as it did 30 Car years lmo nt ago.

Mira Bhatt

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nt S teu

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 33

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UTENSILS ARE MORE THAN EATS THE EYE Kasey Liu What if we ate soup with a knife? Cereal with a fork? Bread with chopsticks? Though you’re able to ingest the food anyway, utensils are an essential part of eating. Understanding the things that deliver food into our mouths contributes to our understanding of the diverse cultures at Carlmont and around the world.

The word “fork” originates from the Latin word “furca,” which means “pitchfork.” Though this eating utensil was carved from materials like wood and animal bones in ancient times, the fork’s popularity rose in 1500s Europe, when Italian Catherine de Medici brought luxurious silver forks to her wedding with French King Henry II. From there, according to The Smithsonian Magazine, the use of forks spread across Europe.

The table knife has a similar history; knives were used as weapons in ancient times, and they became popular tools for cooking. However, French King Louis XIV requested a blunter point for knives used at the dinner table, and this design of knives carried on.

Today, knives and forks are still primar-

ily used by European cultures, and many have strict etiquettes that go with them. However, some, like freshman Jasmine Randhawa, feel that these etiquettes can be somewhat suffocating.

“I know the mannerisms are there for a reason, but sometimes it feels kind of classist, since some people have salad forks, tiny utensils, and multiple plates,” Randhawa said.

For someone coming from a strict family or community, there can be a lot of stress over “proper” table manners, like whether you’re holding a knife and fork correctly. Despite this stress, though, forks and knives are practical and useful tools to use in everyday life.

“I feel like as long as you can hold utensils and get use out of them, there’s no wrong way,” Lila Frieden, a sophomore, said.

Because you always have your water through the ring finger, and hands with you, hands are often the earth through the pinky. By using most convenient tool to use, though one’s hands, one can form a spiritual having access to clean hands may connection with food. Additionally, sometimes be challenging. According like other utensils, eating with hands to sophomore Sanjna Sood, the use of requires specific techniques. hands to eat is especially prominent in “You’re supposed to use your spoon Indian culture, as the culture praises in your left hand, and you’re supposed down-to-earth practices. Some areas in to use your right hand to hold bread India even use banana leaves or sugar and to eat,” Sood said. “Don’t go to cane leaves rather than plates or bowls India and eat with your left hand. It’s a to hold their food, as these leaves are bad omen.” highly accessible.

The use of hands for eating is Besides practicality, eating with unique, and it can bring people a sense one’s hands is believed to spark a of cultural solidarity. spiritual connection. According to Sood said, “Every single traditional Ayurvedic texts, space comes through Indian food can be eaten with your the thumb, air through the index hands, which makes it special in a way.” finger, fire through the middle finger, 34 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

The use of chopsticks stems from China, and they were developed as mainly a cooking tool used to reach into deep pots of oil or water. As food became more bite-sized, chopsticks soon became popularized. This can be credited partly to the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucious, who believed that having knives at the table was a sign of violence, which violated his vegetarian ideals. Because of this, food that was presented on the Chinese table was already cut up and ready to be picked up with chopsticks.

Like other eating utensils, there are certain taboo practices associated with chopsticks.

According to Carlmont Chinese teacher Mindy Chiang, sticking chopsticks vertically in a bowl of rice is unacceptable, as it is reflective of the incense that people use at funerals. Additionally, banging your chopsticks on your bowl is frowned upon since the act mimics beggars

Korean chopsticks are neither square nor round but are flat and rectangular in shape. They’re usually made of metal, which can be traced back to the use of silver chopsticks in ancient times. Silver chopsticks would change color when it was in contact with poison, which warned the nobility if their food was unsafe to eat. Additionally, metal chopsticks can be more hygienic than their wooden counterparts.

Unlike Chinese and Japanese cultures, however, Korean chopsticks are not used to eat rice. The sujeo (수저) set includes the Korean metal spoon, which is longer and thinner than western spoons, and metal chopsticks. According to Victoria

asking for food.

In comparison to Korean and Japanese chopsticks, Chinese chopsticks are blunter, squareshaped, and longer.

“We’re not a very individually focused culture, so we eat in a familial and sharing style.

Chinese chopsticks are helpful because they’re long, so you can reach farther and help others get food,” Chiang said.

This collaborative and familial culture is also demonstrated by the chopsticks themselves.

“You can’t use one chopstick without the other,” Chiang said.

Despite popular belief, it is important to note that chopsticks are not traditionally used as hair accessories. The traditional Chinese accessory is called zānzi (簪子) and should not be confused with chopsticks.

Chung, a junior, spoons are for eating rice, and chopsticks are for eating the dishes that go with it. Chopsticks can also bring a unique sense of identity.

“Chopsticks are unique. The chopsticks we brought from Korea have designs engraved onto them. They’re metal, which is really cool,” Chung said.

Similar to Chung, Xavier Lem, a sophomore, also sees culture in the utensils that he uses.

“I’m pretty Americanized; I’ve never been to Asia, and I don’t speak any Asian languages. Food is mainly where I see my culture in my day-to-day life, and these utensils of Asian origin reflect that,” Lem said.

Though chopsticks originated in China, they became popularized in Japan through Korea and were originally used for only traditional ceremonies. However, they soon spread to use in the home, and today, chopsticks are a core aspect of Japanese life.

"I've been using chopsticks since birth, so it comes to me the easiest. My family uses chopsticks every day," Mika Hiraishi, a junior, said.

Compared to Korean and Chinese chopsticks, Japanese chopsticks are rounded, shorter, and slimmer towards the bottom.

Because the Japanese believed that men had larger hands than women, the length of Japanese chopsticks played an import-

ant role; women used 7-inch chopsticks, and men used 8-inch ones, according to Stephanie Butler's A Brief History of Chopsticks.

New types of chopsticks have arisen in more recent years, like the wooden disposable chopstick, which was designed by Japan in 1878. Regardless of the type, chopsticks prove to be one of the most efficient eating tools.

"With a fork and knife, I usually don't know what to cut with or which hands to hold it in. But with chopsticks, you only use one hand, so it's just easier. They're the hardest to learn how to use, but once you get used to them, you can use them pretty efficiently," Hiraishi said.

Kasey Liu

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 35

Women in politics Kaylene Lin Excited. Nervous. Terrified.

She burst through the door of her high school counselor’s office, desperate to get something off of her chest. She worried about what her parents would think. She worried about what everyone would think.

Just a freshman in high school, young Angelica Espinoza grew up surrounded by politics. In her hometown just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, with her two immigrant parents, in her brown skin and Latina heritage - politics wove her life together.

So, she confided in her high school counselor. “I’m going to be the first of my family to go to college. I don’t know what to major in; I don’t even know how to apply. I just know that I’m really interested in politics. What do you think?”

And without missing a beat, her counselor looked up and said, “I don’t think politics would be good for you. That kind of place just isn’t made for girls like you.”

“Girls like you” Women have had a long history of being told “no.”

In the United States, they weren’t given the right to vote until 1920, couldn’t serve jury duty in all 50 states until 1968, and the act prohibiting women from practicing law purely on the grounds of their sex wasn’t outlawed until 1971. Women were legally kept out of every corner of United States’ politics for fear that “becoming educated” caused infertility.

And even now, plenty of young girls just like Espinoza are told “no” to chasing their aspirations.

“I harbored that moment with me,” Espinoza said. “I never want anyone ever to feel that your dreams are crushed because someone says that you don’t belong there since you’re a woman.”

Now several years since that conversation with her counselor, Espinoza works at Ignite as a San Diego Fellow. Launched in 2010 and headquartered in Oakland, Ignite is an organization dedicated to encouraging young women to own their political power.

“If you want to run for office, awesome, let’s go ahead and support your campaign and get it started. If you want to be a political staffer and start writing bills, okay, we’re going to teach you the skills to be an advocate within that sector,” Espinoza said.

Emily’s List, founded in 1985, is another organization that helps recruit candidates, fund campaigns, and mobilize voters.

“Women were not taken seriously in politics because they couldn’t raise the money to be considered viable candidates.

So our founder, Ellen Malcolm, along with a number of her friends, decided if we put money behind women candidates, that would raise their viability,” Tonya Williams, the Director of Strategic Communications at Emily’s List, said.

Both Ignite and Emily’s List serve as real-life reminders that women in politics are a new phenomenon. But even if it is new, plenty of similar organizations are set on making politics an accessible reality for girls nationwide.

“The fact is men cannot be deciding for the whole population when the whole population isn’t men. We need to have accurate representation. We need to truly make sure that this world works for all of us, and not just some of us,” Espinoza said.

Yet, even with these organizations in place, women still face backlash when going into politics. For example, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016 provoked a wave of sexism.

In an article by The Atlantic in 2016, Peter Beinart recalls the different types of merchandise on display outside of the Republican National Convention.

“Black T-shirt depicting Trump as a boxer having just knocked Clinton to the floor of the ring, where she lies face up in a clingy tank top. White pin advertising ‘KFC HILLARY SPECIAL. 2 FAT THIGHS. 2 SMALL BREASTS … LEFTWING,’” Beinart said.

While it is debated whether or not sexism was actually a driving force in Clinton’s defeat, the double standards that she faced while running aren’t new.

“For example, Congresswoman Katey Porter out in California said that some reporters would ask her so much about how her children were that she actually thought something was wrong with them. Men aren’t asked questions about marriage or childcare nearly as much,” Williams said.

Additionally, 67% of Americans say that it is easier for men to get elected into high political offices, according to a 2018 study by the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel.

Six-in-ten Americans also say that women have to work harder to prove their competency, and about five-in-ten say gender discrimination is a major barrier in politics.

These statistics reflect the obstacles women faced less than a century ago.

Although they gained the right to vote through the passage of the 19th Amendment, that right was only extended to white women. Black female activists like Ida B. Wells and Fannie Lou Hamer were placed in the back of the movement. They had to wait nearly five more decades before exercising their right to vote.

36 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

“When we think about the very beginning, it was only white women leading the cause. And so white women got the right to vote sooner than Black, Latina, Asian, and Native American women did. Although we’ve made so much progress, there are still inequities that exist because our fight hasn’t been as inclusive from the beginning or as soon as it needed to be,” Espinoza said.

According to the Center For American Women and Politics, out of the 7,383 state legislators, 7.5% of them are women of color, as of Dec. 31, 2020. Furthermore, out of the 2,162 female state legislators, 25.5% are women of color.

Luckily, youth-led organizations such as Afro Puff Chronicles have continued the fight for not only diversity in politics, but diversity in the women’s movement as well.

“Afro Puff Chronicles is a media platform for girls of color to express themselves through art and writing. We center our mission around empowering girls of color through education and also through sometimes difficult conversations around diversity,” Tyler Newman, the founder of Afro Puff Chronicles, said.

The organization has amassed over 10,000 followers on Instagram since its start in 2018. They utilize this platform to post educational content about topics ranging from microaggressions to cultural appropriation.

“I think that women having a voice in politics is very new, and I hope it continues to grow. We’re making a lot of really good steps already, especially with having Kamala Harris as our vice president. That’s a huge step forward,” Newman said.

By publicizing and spreading information through social media, platforms like Afro Puff Chronicles have

Kaylene Lin

mobilized youth across America to fight for diversity and representation. Consequently, much of the Carlmont student body has gotten involved with creating change locally.

“I think encouraging women and girls who are interested in politics to go into that field is a change that we need. We should also help young people — girls and boys — develop the proper vocabulary and confidence to face double standards or other disproportionate obstacles,” Samantha Rodriguez-Velasquez, a sophomore, said.

So, despite the challenges and inequities that the women’s movement has faced, many have continued to push ahead.

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come. We’ve got to keep that in mind and not take our foot off the gas when it comes to running for office and wanting to run,” Williams said. “It is important to run because our stories matter. Women bring their experiences into the halls of power every day, and I think Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley says it the best: ‘The people closest to the pain need to be closest to the power.’”

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 37

EXPECTATION VS. REALITY

By Miles Ozorio

EXPECTATION - Sydney Tao, freshman

Question: The student union is...

Answer: “No clue… Is it just one word?

A place where students meet?”

Question: How have friendships been different this year?

Answer: “I actually haven’t made many new friends from my classes. I’ve made a few from group projects, but no one really talks in breakout rooms so it’s hard to meet new people from your classes.

You don’t really have time to interact just one-on-one with other people.”

Question: What are you excited about experiencing in person at Carlmont?

Miles Ozorio

Answer: “Playing and going to sports games, being on campus, interacting with other students, meeting new people,

- Abiir Godbole, freshman

and going to club fairs, meetings, and dances. All around being in the moment of high school.”

Question: Something cool you have experienced as a freshman this year?

Answer: “I’m in two clubs and Mock Trial. I’m in my brother’s club, the Shark Tank Club, and it’s pretty cool. Also, we still have basketball workouts for Carlmont.”

Question: What do you enjoy about Carlmont’s clubs?

Answer: “It makes me feel like I’m getting more experience because I get to talk with different people who are all in different grades. Even though it’s on Zoom, you still get to interact and learn new hobbies and stuff like that. I think it’s really cool.”

ward to performing.”

Question: The student union is... Question: Something cool you Answer: “All the students, right?” have experienced as a freshman Question: How have friendships this year? been different this year?

Answer: “I’ve kept my old friends from middle school. I’ve made one or two new friends, but I haven’t made as many as I want to. It’s really hard to make new friends with people that you don’t already know.”

Question: What are you excited about experiencing in person at Carlmont?

Miles Ozorio

Answer: “Going to the sports games.

Also, I’m in band but we can’t perform for anything right now. I’m looking for-

Answer: “My friends and I have to communicate in a different way outside of school, so we talk on Discord. Honestly, we started talking even more than we did during the normal school year.”

Question: What was it like having a winter concert on Zoom?

Answer: “It was good that they tried to replicate how it would be in real life, but it wasn’t anything like it. I would have loved it way more if we actually went to school and performed in front of people.”

38 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

Freshmen and seniors share their Carlmont experience

REALITY - Jacqueline McGuinness, senior

I didn’t do a lot of stuff at school. I would have definitely gone to more school events.”

Answer: “Dirty. We used to rehearse for the dance team on that floor.”

Question: What’s your biggest takeaway from the college application process?

Question: The student union is...

Question: How have friendships been different this year?

Answer: “I think quarantine showed you who your real friends are. With not being at school, you’re only in contact with people you choose to be in contact with.

For me, my goal wasn’t really to meet new people, it was more strengthening my close friends.”

Question: What advice would you give to freshmen?

Answer: “Go to events. I spent a lot of time doing outside-of-school things, and

- Nicholas Perlich, senior Question: The student union is...

Answer: “Study central.”

Question: How have friendships been different this year?

Answer: “You learn to appreciate the smaller things in life with your friends.

When you’re excited just to go on a walk outside your house with someone, it’s a good way to strengthen the bond.”

Question: What’s one funny memory that comes to mind when you think of Carlmont?

Answer: “The little things about yourself matter more than you know. Things that you don’t think about every day can matter, like your interests and who you are as a person, beyond just your grades.”

Question: What’s one funny memory that comes to mind when you think of Carlmont?

Answer: “Tripping and falling. Watching people trip and fall, tripping and falling myself. People fall a lot... It’s a rite of passage.”

Miles Ozorio

Years of Death is. Things got really bad and really violent from there. It was a lot of fun.”

Question: What advice would you give to freshmen?

changed my work ethic. I’m still using the skills and the tools that he taught us.

He taught me how to cite sources, and he taught me how to take notes. Also, he’s the coolest guy I know.”

Answer: “Teach yourself how to not procrastinate because it’s gonna be a very useful skill to have. And teach yourself how to ask for help.”

Question: What’s your biggest takeaway from the college application process?

“You’re a lot cooler than you give yourself credit for.”

Answer: “Being in the water polo locker Question: Is there a specific rooms changing and everyone messing teacher that has had a big imwith each other. The biggest mistake of pact on you? my entire high school career was that I Answer: “Mr. Shoenstein. He completely showed the water polo team what 1000

Miles Ozorio

MARCH 2021 HIGHLANDER 39

Art by Eli Wallow