The Highlander Issue 4 - January/February 2019

The Highlander February 2019 Vol X Issue IV

Carlmont High School — Belmont, California

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the adventures of captain culture C

captain.culture

captain.culture enjoying a blend of Hawaiian and Japanese culture, poke! #combiningcultures #onepokebowlatatime

C

Foreign influence expands into US culture Anna Feng

New York Citi Field, one of America’s most famous music stadiums, thrums with anticipation, as fans eagerly wait for a glimpse at their favorite singers.

The seven-member boyband Bangtan Sonyeondan, more commonly known as BTS, is one of the biggest international successes in the history of Korean pop, or Kpop, consistently topping charts in both the United States and Korea.

And they’re not alone. Korean musical acts, such as BLACKPINK, and PSY, have also become household names in America.

“I think the U.S. finds the entertainment in Asia to be quite different from Western entertainment, and that makes people curious to know more about it,” said Nina Chung, a junior and member of Japanese Culture Club and Korean Culture Club.

America’s exposure to the entertainment of other nations expands as these acts emerge on the global stage.

On Jan. 2, a new TV series, “The Masked Singer,” premiered on the Fox network. The premise is simple: multiple celebrity contestants compete hidden under masks in a singing competition. Although the show originated in Korea, it quickly became popular with American viewers.

However, it isn’t just Korea’s entertainment industry that is expanding into the U.S. Japan and Latin America have considerable influence as well.

In the summer of 2017, the Spanish song “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy

Yankee became the most-streamed song of all time, with 4.6 billion streams and 3 billion views on YouTube. It also became the first primarily Spanish song to make the Billboard Hot 100 in over 20 years.

AP Spanish teacher Maria Robinson grew up in Mexico and believes younger generations are largely responsible for the globalization of cultural music.

“I think the popularity of Latin pop has to do with modernizing some of the music because before Generation X, a lot of the music was very traditional from whatever country you were from,” Robinson said. “I think the younger generations are looking for something new, something to push the boundaries.”

“Despacito,” though already popular, shot up the charts in the U.S. after a remix of it was released featuring Justin Bieber.

“It’s a beautiful thing because both artists won,” Robinson said. “Bieber reached out to younger generations and the nonEnglish speakers, while Fonsi was able to promote his music to a different audience.”

Latin pop and K-pop are rising on music charts, in the U.S. but other forms of entertainment are becoming popular as well.

Anime, a popular Japanese film genre, has found a receptive audience overseas.

In 2016, MAPPA, a Japanese animation studio, released the series “Yuri!!! On Ice (YOI),” about the struggles of a Japanese figure skater in the attempt to win gold.

YOI quickly became a phenomenon in America and around the world; American Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon

tweeted enthusiastically about the show, and it even found its way into the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, serving as the soundtrack for a pairs skating program by Ryuichi Kihara and Miu Suzaki.

“I think anime explores more of what imagination is,” Chung said. “People like that because they still want to feel like they’re a different person or the ideal person that they want to be.”

The expansion of foreign popular culture in the U.S. is in part due to the rise of the internet, allowing people with different interests to connect and share information.

“With the internet and social media, you can reach a bigger audience and promote your music. When you have something in common and you like a song, you’ll strike up a conversation with somebody you never would have really talked to otherwise,” Robinson said.

The internet plays a big role in the expansion of other cultures into American pop culture, but this expansion also boils down to word-of-mouth.

Yannie Lam, a senior and a BTS fan said, “I discovered K-pop because my friend is Korean and she would talk about BTS all the time. I decided to watch some K-pop videos and was like, ‘They’re really good.’”

In 2018, BTS became the first K-pop group to grace the cover of Time magazine.

And BLACKPINK will become the first female K-pop group perform at Coachella in April, according to Rolling Stone. Big name American artists such as Cardi B and Selena Gomez have teamed up with Latin

American artists such as DJ Snake and J Balvin to release hits such as “I Like It” and “Taki Taki.” And YOI is set to release a movie this year due to its success in 2016.

Pew Research reports that the youngest Latino-American population (under 18 years old) has grown by 22 percent in the past decade, making it the largest youth demographic in the U.S. However, the AsianAmerican population is set to surpass it by 2055.

These statistics can be seen in Carlmont’s demographics as well, with Hispanics and Asians making up about 40 percent of the student body.

Because of such diversity, interest in Asian and Hispanic cultures at Carlmont are slowly growing as well. Chinese Culture Club, Japanese Culture Club, Korean American Student Association, and Latinos Unidos spread awareness of their own respective cultures on campus.

Popular culture is a reflection of the interests and the people of the time.

Chung said, “I think it’s good that people are getting more interested in other cultures, even if it’s from mainstream entertainment.”

for more on pop culture:

Pop Culture Evolution SundCloud Art and the Artist Relationships Culture Clubs

page 8 page 9 page 10 page 13 page 19

In This Issue

News Sports Campus Lifestyle

Carlmont Boys Basketball The Scots make a fast break in the 201819 season as they head to postseason.

Page 5

10 Years of Entertainment The Carlmont Performing Arts Center kicks off its 10th Anniversary with “Into the Woods.”

Page 6

Pop Culture and Relationships TV and movies influence relationship expectations.

Page 13

2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 The Art & The Artist 10-11 Features 12-14 Opinion 15-17 Community 18-19 Award Season 20

NEWS

2

February 2019

Education policies bring change to Title IX Talia Fine

The policy that bans sex discrimination in schools is about to change.

Title IX (nine), is currently being reviewed by the Department of Education.

The policy changes proposed by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos are intended to supplement the department’s “efforts to ensure equal access to education free from discrimination.” They are working on “improving schools’ responses to sexual harassment and assault,” according to the press office of the U.S. Department of Education.

“Throughout this process, my focus was, is, and always will be on ensuring that every student can learn in a safe and nurturing environment,” DeVos said to the press office.

Key provisions include requirements for schools to: respond “meaningfully” to reports of sexual harassment, investigate all formal complaints, take measures to support students in their academic endeavors post-complaint, include a crossexamination in hearings to ensure all facts are considered, and hold all information to the highest degree of scrutiny.

As it stands, in a summary published by the Dept. of Education, Title IX protects all students from sexual discrimination in education. The scope of this security includes school districts, public libraries, museums, and other institutions across the United States.

“As a female student athlete, Title IX doesn’t just mean I get to play sports in college or that I have the same access to facilities provided for men,” said Madison Palarca-Wong, a senior basketball player.

“It means equal opportunity and being

Kimberly Mitchell

Title IX allows female players like Caroline Conway, a junior, to participate in sports with equal oppurtunity and ability as males. The changes to Title IX intend to further female students’ rights.

provided the resources and support to maximize my education and college experience.”

However, being aware of the policy and what its provisions mean to an individual does help one fully realize the extent or effects of changes to those factors in the future.

“I’ve been a coach for close to 40 years.

I’ve coached both girls and boys from after school playground teams with sixth graders to Varsity High School sports,” Activities Director Jim Kelly said. “If you know about [Title IX], you would know what you wouldn’t get without it, instead of just assuming it’s always been like this.”

To illustrate this awareness, some sources, such as the National Women’s Law Center, have taken the liberty of analyzing possible future effects. Based on those, they see these changes to the current policy as

“potentially devastating.”

Just one entry on the list of explanations of the proposed changes on the NWLC website states: “Schools would be required (yes, required) to ignore all Title IX complaints of off-campus or online sexual harassment that happen outside of a schoolsponsored program — even if the student is forced to see their harasser or rapist on campus every day.”

Although it is a relatively biased source (based on their self-proclaimed political lean) and the statement (among others) largely conflicts with the reports by the Dept. of Education, they bring up the point that the adverse effects must be considered as people reflect on these changes and we do not necessarily know what they will be or who will be hurt.

Other sources recognize points in DeVos’ logic. In “What Betsy DeVos’ new

Title IX changes get right — and wrong” by the editorial board of the Washington Post, is cited a lack of guidance in the current methods to enforce Title IX’s provisions.

DeVos’ changes might illuminate some structure, or give room for debate on such structure.

Still, that is an opinion piece and there are many other factors not being considered or interpreted as deeply as others might.

Evidently, there are a lot of potential directions Title IX can take and many perspectives on the possible effects. It would be extremely difficult to account for everyone’s views, and speculations about what might happen are inherently inaccurate.

Luckily, during the window for public commentary on the proposed changes (late 2018 to early 2019) almost 100,000 people submitted thoughts through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, regular postal mail, commercial delivery, and by hand.

The public’s recent surge in input will likely yield a period of adjustment and deliberation within the Dept. of Education before an official set of policies are enacted.

Since its establishment in 1972, Title IX has been a facet of more than 20 proposed amendments. This number demonstrates how more people are becoming aware of and getting involved with this continuously growing and changing bill. Increasing involvement in the shaping of legislation will lead to better directing resources to areas of need.

Samantha Tolu, a senior and Varsity soccer player, said, “For me, it’s about knowing how the policy could affect me or those around me because if I know about what’s happening with policy, then I could do more to prepare for the repercussions.”

Government shutdown leaves unexpected effects Julia Rhodie

As a result of a funding gap between the U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump, the longest government shutdown in American history occurred, beginning on Dec. 22 and ending on Jan. 25, lasting 35 days.

Ever since his presidential campaign, Trump has been adamant about his intentions to strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border. In order to achieve this goal, Trump wants to build a steel or concrete wall that would, ideally, keep illegal immigrants out.

In order to build the wall, the president proposed a budget of $5.7 billion that would cover any expenses. However, in order for a federal budget to gain approval, it has to be passed through both Houses of Congress and the President.

With illegal immigration being a highly-debated topic in both congressional chambers, Trump’s $5.7 billion proposal was met with alternative solutions for effi-

cient border security, formulated by members of Congress such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The proposal includes new technology such as drones and sensors, more judges and border patrol agents, and retrofitting ports of entry, in addition to other measures.

But, Trump was quick to deny such proposals and told reporters at the White House Rose Garden that he would not sign anything besides what he initially suggested.

“We can call a national emergency,” Trump threatened to CNN, referring to the issue of border security.

With little flexibility from Democrats and Republicans, the federal government began the longest government shutdown ever, on Dec. 22, 2018. After 35 days, the President signed a bill that would reopen the government for three weeks in order to negotiate a deal.

During this period, government officials worked towards a solution to the debate.

But, during these 35 days, Americans experienced some severe side effects.

For example, 800,000 federal workers’ paychecks were put on hold, according to USA Today. As a result, these unpaid individuals were either being forced to work without pay or call-in sick, and as a result, many struggled to pay their bills.

According to a 2017 survey conducted by CareerBuilder, 78 percent of federal workers live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Therefore, any slight decrease or halt of a federal worker’s paycheck can negatively impact their life.

“If you start taking federal workers’ paychecks away, they cannot pay their rent, they cannot pay for their groceries, they cannot pay their utility bills, obviously this is going to impact them,” social studies teacher Karen Ramroth said.

In addition to federal workers being unable to pay their bills, government provided services were limited, and in some cases, suspended.

“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not working as efficiently, so food was being compromised,” Divya Menon, a senior, said.

With the reduction of food inspection, the likelihood of acquiring foodborne illness increases.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 47.8 billion people get sick from foodborne illness per year. Of those, about 128,000 are hospitalized and slightly over 3,000 die.

In addition to health and safety risks to consumers, America’s national parks were also affected by the government shutdown.

The National Park Foundation released a statement about the damage done to the parks and how citizens can help restore these historically-important places: “From overflowing garbage cans to damaged natural resources caused by human activity, parks now have new and unexpected challenges.”

Once the National Park Service Staff can assess the extent of the damage, both financial resources

such as donations and volunteers to clean up the actual mess will be needed to reverse the effects.

Besides analyzing the practical effects of this shutdown, many have considered the ethical implications.

“It is completely unjust that Trump is letting government employees go without pay — many of which cannot survive without it — over an expensive and ineffective wall,” Kelly Moroney, a senior, said.

The shutdown has prompted many concerns about America’s future . Many hope that if more individuals are aware of the impact of the government shutdown, its effects will not be as detrimental to Americans.

“The shutdown might not affect you personally,” Ramroth said, “but if we want to create this healthy body politic, where we kind of all abide by the social contract, then you should care because that kind of negotiation and discussion and back and forth is breaking down, which I think is bad for society as a whole.”

NEWS

February 2019

3

Barrett Community Center to undergo renovation Ben Balster

Early into the new year, the Belmont City Council already initiated a new project, looking to appease calls from the community for a complete refurbishment of the worn down Barrett Community Center.

Barrett was first built nearly seven decades ago but due to stiff monetary constraints, has never been in position for renovation. In fact, staff reports addressing the abysmal status of the community center date back several years, past motions for remodeling Barrett being held back by construction expenses.

According to the staff report on the resolution, “Asneeded low-cost repairs and maintenance tasks continue to be completed by Parks and Facility Maintenance staff.

However, the facility, originally constructed in 1949, suffers from deferred maintenance due to fiscal constraints. In addition, accessibility and seismic upgrades are necessary.”

Fortunately for the community, the Belmont City Council has, in their meeting on Jan. 22, finally moved forward with Barrett’s resuscitation, establishing an Architecture and Engineering Services Agreement with the consultant firm Group 4 Architecture “As long as I can remember, Barrett has been on the city council’s list of priority to do something about and it looks like we’re finally launching a mission,” Councilman

City of Belmont

The entrance to Barrett Community Center, originally built in 1949.

Charles Stone said.

The process of Barrett’s restoration began with an ad hoc subcommittee that parsed through applications from consultant groups and their early proposals for the community center.

“We had roughly 10 or so companies apply. I think the ones that we ended up shortlisting were all excellent companies. We are very excited about Group 4 Architecture based on what they showed us with and how they work with communities, and we think that it will be an excellent fit for Belmont,” said Councilman Warren Lieberman, a member of the ad hoc committee.

The decision of Group 4 Architecture was greatly influenced by their reputation for being highly successful with regard to community involvement, a key tenant in the revitalization of Barrett given the project’s inception being predominantly at the whim of the local community.

Councilwoman Julia Mates, the other councilmember working on the ad hoc committee, said, “We felt confident that [Group 4] understood what we are looking for and that community outreach was going to be a big part of the planning of this recreation center, so I feel very confident about this first phase.”

Thus far, the extent to which Group 4 Architecture and City Council have set in stone is Phase I, which consists purely of assessment, community outreach, and development of a conceptual design and budget.

“First phase is all about listening to the community and understanding what the community’s needs and wants are …and what makes sense for this community given the demographics here and what makes sense for the city operationally,” said Parks and Recreation Director Brigitte Shearer.

Group 4 Architecture’s proposal highlights the extensive community input the firm intends to pursue before conceptualizing Barrett’s renewal.

“There is a lot to come, it sounds like there is going to be a significant amount of community outreach and input solicited which is great,” Stone said.

During the city council meeting, there was a general consensus and faith in Group 4 Architecture and the consultant firm’s capabilities as far as rousing community involvement and substantiating the ideal designs for Barrett’s

revamping.

Shearer said, “A comment that we’ve heard about Group 4 on the Peninsula is that they did a really good job of putting into reality what the community was saying. It was not Group 4’s vision in any way and they gave the community what the community wanted, and that felt like a good fit for Belmont.”

Local responses to the instigation of a plan for rejuvenating Barrett continue to emphasize the specific areas of improvement for the community center.

“I’ve spent a lot of time at Barrett and have seen some crazy things there,” Denton Silfvast, a senior, said. “It’s crazy to think the whole place will be replaced.”

Aside from comments concerning Group 4 Architecture and the excitement of the project, only a few others concerning the budgeting and timeline details of revivifying Barrett were made.

As far as expenses, a $282,002 spending limit has been applied to Phase 1 with funding coming from the General Facilities Fund; the staff report going into Phase 1 gives a rough estimate of about seven months of community participation and early design concepts.

Additionally, Barrett Community Center’s reconstruction has been passed along to the Parks and Recreation Commission with early work on the project continuing through February.

George Sharkey

The field and park of Barrett Community Center in Belmont.

Redwood City school closures to address budget deficits Victoria Valle Remond By the fall of 2019, four Redwood City elementary schools will have closed their doors for good.

After a year of deliberation, the Redwood City School District (RCSD) has decided to close Orion, Hawes, Adelante, and Fair Oaks elementary schools and consolidate them with Selby Lane, Taft, John Gill, and several other schools in the area.

The closures are a difficult solution to a serious problem: a district-wide structural deficit of more than $10 million.

“In the spring of 2018, a financial expert determined that RCSD could not sustain 16 schools with 7,500 students and specifically small schools with an enrollment of under 400 students,” said Director of Communications at the RCSD Jorge Quintana.

Downsizing the number of schools in the district is not the only solution to the deficit. At the RCSD, board members have several plans in motion to rectify this budget shortfall.

“For starters, those campuses that will be empty will be leased, which will generate funds for the district in the near future,” Quintana said. “The Superintendent’s Advisory Council proposed for the District Headquarters to close too, and the Board of Trustees approved it. This means that we will be vacating the building and the building will be leased as well.”

According to an article by Austin Walsh from the Daily Journal, the variety of initiatives are designed to cut about $4 million out of a $10 million budget hole, which district officials claimed would have been addressed similarly by those at the county and state if not for the board’s decision.

The district’s overall goal is to bridge the $10 million deficit in three years.

Most of the elementary schools to be dissolved have been operating far below student capacity, and the expense of maintaining underused buildings has added to the budget shortfall.

An informational study on the RCSD website notes that Taft Elementary School has a capacity of 1080 students, but only 283 are currently enrolled.

“The moves, merges, and consolidations contribute to the deficit because the district will not be operating small schools, which are the most costly to run,” Quintana said.

“By asking our students and teachers to move to other campuses, the district saves the operations expenses of running those other schools.”

Many Redwood City citizens have found themselves confused over the exact situation, but the situation should be considered more of a district-wide merger than mass school closures.

Broken down, here’s what Redwood City parents and students can expect in the fall of 2019.

The Adelante Spanish Immersion School building is set to close permanently. An estimated 460 Adelante students will transfer to Selby Lane School, and the Spanish Immersion students at Selby Lane will merge with those from Adelante. The regular students at Selby Lane are to join the larger schools like McKinley or Roosevelt.

Orion Alternative Elementary School will also close its campus permanently and an estimated 228 students will migrate to John Gill Elementary. John Gill will retain use of its original campus but is set to be divided into two new programs: Mandarin Immersion and Orion.

Hawes Elementary School’s campus will close permanently as well. The estimated 312 current students are set to merge with

Roosevelt, but their parents are also free to send the children to Henry Ford or Clifford Elementary School.

Finally, Fair Oaks Elementary School’s campus will close permanently, and students will be transferred to Taft Elementary School. The consolidation of Fair Oaks is set to add around 230 students to the 283 already at Taft.

District staff started to meet with families in early December immediately after the Board of Trustees adopted the Superintendent’s plan in late November. Families were then individually polled and asked to give the district three options of schools they would like to attend within the school district.

The vast majority of the families were granted their first option and were notified starting in January of 2019.

However, the decision to close and consolidate these schools has not been as well received by the public, with many educators fearing that the confusion and change

will drive parents to choose charter schools instead.

According to Mary Vallejo, a teacher at Hawes Elementary, the proposal to close Hawes and disperse the students and teachers to other schools in the district will result in even more kids attending charter schools because families won’t be able to get their kids to schools farther away from home.

However, those at the Redwood City School District remain confident that the changes occurring over the next year will not inhibit the students’ educational experience.

“We know that changing schools can be difficult; we all love our schools and its traditions as schools play a big role in our community but we are confident that next school year will be a great year!” Quintana said. “Our students will still have their great teachers and a great education! [...] the only difference is that it will take place on a campus that may look a little different.”

Molly Donaldson

The elementary schools of the Redwood City School District. Those with darker pins will be closed as a result of funding issues.

SPORTS

4

February 2019

Extreme student-athletes reach new heights Students choose alternate schooling methods to further their athletic goals Alena Ruhstaller

Your heart is pounding through your chest as the next heat makes their way to the start.

Countless hours of hard work, dedication, and after-school training have all added up to this moment.

You block out all the surrounding noise and commotion; all you can focus on is your time and performance.

The countdown strikes zero, and the race begins.

For athletes Elizabeth Kravtchenko, Quinn Felton, and Max Hariri-Turner, weeks of preparation have led up to these moments time and time again.

All three have competed in world championships or state championships for their sport.

Elizabeth Kravtchenko, a high school junior at Middle College, represented the U.S. at the World Championships of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) in Australia in 2018.

“I started taking triathlon racing seriously when I was 12-years-old,” Kravchenko said. “It became my ‘full-time’ sport freshman year. My dad and I started to really look into the sport by watching videos, reading magazines, and going to elite competitions.”

During her sophomore year at Carlmont, Kravtchenko finished in the top seven at nationals in early 2018 and dedicated all her time and energy to train for the ITU that coming September Kravtchenko enrolled in middle college for her junior year of high school to balance training and school work.

“After qualifying for the world championships, I would train a different discipline (swim, bike, run) each day.

The hardest thing was not having enough

time in the day to go to school, train, and do homework,” Kravchenko said. “I had a very narrowed vision on my goal and that allowed me to stay focused and overcome anything that came up.”

At the ITU, Kravtchenko competed in the female age group of 16–19 years old against 55 other girls in the sprint race.

The ITU race consisted of three parts: 750 meters of swimming, 20 kilometers of biking, and a five kilometers of running.

“I was able to achieve a lot of personal bests at the ITU, especially on the bike.

It was really cool to be racing against people that are so talented and to be in an environment that truly captures the sports energy,” Kravtchenko said. “Representing Team USA was a once in a lifetime opportunity. During the parade of nations, I truly felt like all of the time, effort, and money that went into training and racing made it all worth it because I was wearing the stars and stripes. It’s an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Quinn Felton, a junior, began to mountain bike competitively during his freshman year after discovering his passion for the sport in sixth grade.

“I primarily race cross country mountain biking because it was the first type that I’ve done and my current development team focuses on it, but my love is for road racing since I feel that I’m better at it and it’s easier to see any improvement on the road bike,” Felton said.

However, despite cutting his knee open two weeks prior to the state championships last April and being unable to bike for two months after stress fracturing his left foot last October, Felton continued to train.

“I train 16 to 20 hours a week which calculates to about 30 miles of biking a day in addition to going to the gym twice a week,” Felton said. “Each workout has a

specific use in order to make sure that I’m at my peak fitness exactly on race day.”

Felton aspires to pursue international racing this year as well as under 23 road racing professionally in college with the help of his Oakley sponsorship, which he acquired in September last year.

“Applying for the Oakley sponsorship was like a college application, so I had to send all my race results, an essay, and letters of re c om m e n d at i on .

Nine of us were selected throughout the country for the team and sponsorships. I get one pair of team edition glasses and bike per year and a large discount on their websites,” Felton said.

Max Hariri-Turner, a junior, was first introduced to Spartan racing, an obstacle course race featuring different distances and challenges, for his father’s birthday.

After placing in the top 25 percent in his first Spartan race, Hariri-Turner continued to compete in Spartan races within reasonable driving range and worked to break his records each time.

“Competing for time and for fun is the same thing for me. Doing well is obviously fun, but seeing how far I can push myself is the whole point of these kinds of races so doing better personally is more rewarding,” Hariri-Turner said.

Spartan racing offers a variety of races,

Alena Ruhstaller

such as the Stadion, Sprint, Super, Beast, and Ultra, which each focus on a certain skill set. Hariri-Turner completed his TRIFECTA badge in 2016 and 2017, which marked his completion of three different races in one calendar year.

“I usually end up racing in the Sprint, Super, and Beast for distance,” HaririTurner said. “I qualified for the U.S. championship this year, which I might do in order to run the World Championship in Tahoe.”

Next to competing for placement, Hariri-Turner embraces the sense of community that comes with the racing experience.

“I love the feeling that those people running around in the freezing mud are my people and that I can trust them,” HaririTurner said.

Future college athletes dominate recruitment season Nihal Karim

Time is ticking.

There are only 15 seconds left until the end of the game, and you can feel all eyes watching you as you’re about to score a goal.

Regardless, you can’t help but focus on something else: the college recruiter watching your game to see your skills.

Every year, thousands of student athletes commit to sports at both private and public schools.

According to NCAA, a nonprofit organization that deals with student athletes, students should take core courses, such as English, math, and social sciences, starting their freshman year.

During their sophomore year, students need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, where they can add information about their academic and athletic history.

Throughout junior year, students can update their grades, and upload their standardized test scores and official transcript at the end of the year. This information should be updated at the end of the student’s senior year of high school.

Schools that recruit students for athletic participation are divided into three divisions: D1, D2, and D3, all of which vary in athletic intensity and amount of athletic scholarship money given to students..

According to the NCAA, D1 is the most athletically intense of the three divisions, and directs the largest athletic budget among the divisions.

Furthermore, D1 schools also provide the highest amount of athletic scholarships.

D2 falls somewhere in the middle of D1 and D3, with less scholarship money than D1, but

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more than D3 In addition, D2 schools require a GPA of 2.0, as opposed to the 2.2 GPA required

by D1 schools.

D3 differs from the other divisions with its primary focus on academics, while providing a competitive athletic environment at the same time.

According to the NCAA, while D3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, 75 percent of students receive some type of financial aid from the school they have committed to.

Once the recruitment process starts, there are different periods of time during which a recruiter may contact and evaluate student-athletes. During the contact period, recruiters may have face-to-face interactions with the students-athletes and their parents, observe their games and competitions, and visit their high schools.

“I talked to coaches, sent them videos of my gymnastics, and screenshots of my grades and official test scores,” said gymnast Kyle Shuttle, a senior at Half Moon Bay High School who committed to UC Berkeley. “I started this during the beginning of my junior year, which is pretty typical for men’s gymnastics.”

While in the past, a large number of student-athletes have committed to schools before the start of their junior year, most students committing now are in their junior or senior year of high school.

“The rules have changed and they [NCAA] don’t allow D1 schools to talk to you before Sept.

1 of your junior year,” said softball player Tayler Wise, a junior.

“After that, the recruiters can talk to your coaches or communicate with you through email, but no verbal communication is allowed

before that date.”

Prior to the establishment of this rule, colleges were recruiting student athletes as early as their freshman year, which many criticized for a variety of reasons.

“Committing to a school early, like in your freshman year, can be bad for both you and the school,” said softball player Eimear Cunningham, a senior who committed to University of Washington at St. Louis. “A lot can happen in four years. You never know if your grades drop, if you have an accident, or if you don’t develop as well as the recruiter thought you would.”

During the evaluation period, recruiters may only have face-toface contact with student-athletes and their parents on the college’s campus.

However, they are allowed to observe the student’s competitions and practices.

SPORTS

February 2019

Boys basketball:

5

Shooting straight to postseason Briana McDonald ScotCenter Editor-inCheif

run plays, play defense together, and actually talk to each other.

We hang out together outside the court and that’s what makes us a lot better this year.”

The Scots have made a fast The Scots’ goal for the season break in their 2018-19 season. was to win the PAL division and Making up most of the team move on to the CCS postseason. in their final season, varsity After Carlmont’s playoff game basketball seniors Lajuan Nelson, against the Menlo-Atherton Sammy Bean, Zach Burgos, Sho Bears, the scots ended their Takahashi, Jake Kennedy, David regular season with a 10-2 league Bedrosian, Reece Posey, Grant record winning 2nd place in the Acker, and Ben PAL division.

Ledwith have If successful, been leading the the 2018-2019 I’m glad that every Scots can be Scots through their 21-5 the first team Friday night a big record. win the CCS crowd shows up and to “We worked Championships together much that we’re able to for Carlmont better this year,” High School. show out and give head coach “They have them something to Ron Ozorio played at a said.

“The high level the cheer for. mindset was to entire year, stay together so we haven’t and work hard had many Sho Takahashi together no disappointments matter what — we’ve been Senior happens because fortunate that we we didn’t do a haven’t faced a good job of that last year.” lot of adversity. But when we have, In Ozorio’s first year coaching like our senior night [Carlmont the Scots in the 2017-18 season, lost to Menlo-Atherton 53-36], Carlmont finished with a record we handled it really well,” Ozorio of 11-15. said. “It’s been good so far for us.

The team’s cohesiveness and They’re a talented group, we have goal-oriented mindset helped a lot of senior leadership, these change momentum this year for guys have a lot of experience, and the Scots. it shows.”

“This year, I think we actually A new face to Carlmont bond together as a team a lot basketball’s coaching staff hasn’t better than we did last year — hindered the Scots. Ozorio has since last year we felt like we were established a close bond between just five individual players trying the team in only his second to do our own thing,” Takahashi. season. said. “But now we actually try to “Our coach keeps it real with

“

”

us. He tells us when he sees us not trying, when he thinks we’re going to come out slow, or when he sees we don’t have energy. He’ll let us know and he’ll check us right away,” said Abram Guldbech, a junior and point guard.

The companionship between the team and their guidance from Ozorio and the seniors have kept the Scots motivated to take on the postseason.

“I don’t think we feel expectations. A lot of other schools think we’re soft so we kind of just got to go and play our game and not be influenced by what other teams think about us,” Takahashi said. “When I first came to Carlmont my freshman year, basketball wasn’t really big, we were kinda bad, but as the years have gone by we’ve changed the program we’re now one of the top schools in our league.”

Along with new leadership and cohesiveness across the team, new talent and conditioning have further improved the Scots record.

“We got in the weight room a lot, and last year we were physically a lot weaker than most of our opponents. This year we spent the offseason a lot of the time in the weight room and it really helped us on the court,” Bedrosian said.

The team’s improvement throughout the years have led them to their 10-2 league record and have established a fan base for themselves on campus.

Takahashi said, “I’m glad that every Friday night a big crowd shows up and that we’re able to show out and give them something to cheer for.”

Photos by Sean Vanderaa and Kathryn Stratz

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CAMPUS

6

February 2019

PAC celebrates 10 years of entertainment Samantha Dahlberg

After 10 glorious years, the Carlmont Performing Arts Center continues to spread joy to all students who are passionate about the arts.

Whether it is playing instruments, singing on stage, working behind the scenes to assure everything functions correctly, or performing in a musical, students can find a place where they can be creative in the Performing Arts Center.

However, the construction process gave people a few headaches.

According to Instrumental Music teacher John Debaldo, performers had to travel to Cañada College and drag their heavy instruments onto the stage.

He has been teaching since there was an idea to add a newer building to the arts program.

“The Carlmont ‘Little Theater’ was the first concert space at Carlmont, and only held around 220 people. The stage was small and cramped.

Fortunately, after around 50 years, the new Performing Arts Center was approved through a school bond by voters. Now our theater can accommodate 500 audience members,” Dabaldo said. “When the ‘Little Theater’ was demolished in 2007, the concerts and musicals were performed at Cañada College while the new theater was being built. It was a huge inconvenience to have to move

everything to Cañada College for the performances.”

For many, the stage an abundance holds special memories.

Moderately new stages include an opportunity for current and future generations to create new memories through performance.

Choir student Izzy Bruguera, a senior, recalls her favorite memory on that stage.

“I have made so many memories there that it has become a place where I am comfortable and where I can grow as a musician which allows me to have great performances there.

One of my favorite memories was last May, during our Pops Concert, the entire choir sang ‘Somebody to Love’ by Queen and I had a solo. I absolutely love that song and it was just so much fun,” Bruguera said.

“Also, I found out I got into my top choice college on the stage of the Performing Arts Center during the week before the concert when we were rehearsing during class.”

Whether it is hosting a dance show, musical, choir performance, or a band concert, there is always a team that helps make sure that the technicalities are running smoothly.

Andres Raddavero, a junior, is a third year Carlmont Technical Theatre Association (CTTA) member and Stage Manager for “Into the Woods.”

“The Performing Arts Center has has state of the art

equipment with the building.

Everything inside the building is up to date, many people including myself are always surprised when we notice how old the building is because it still looks brand new,” Raddavero said.

Students can tap into their creative side whenever they perform on this stage.

For many students, the Performing Arts Center helps them find who they want to be on stage.

They believe that the stage is the field that they play on.

Sophomore Rory McGann is an advanced Drama student who played Jack in the musical, “Into the Woods.”

“It’s another outlet for students, and it’s standing just like the football field is standing and the baseball field is standing. It’s been a part of Carlmont culture for its lifetime, and I hope it never gets removed or destroyed. It’s a wonderful establishment, and a great sign that in America, there are other interests and wonders than sports,” McGann said.

The Performing Arts Center is a relatively new building that gives more time for students to create memories that will last forever.

McGann said, “Truly, I think it is even much harder than a sport to be under lights, in front of 500 people, talking with others and under costume and end up with a magnificent performance. It is amazing.”

Samantha Dahlberg

Carlmont’s performing Arts Center is the first building many see as they enter Carlmont’s campus.

Robyn Peters

Travis Mathers, a senior, and Katie Mannion, a junior, perform in Carlmont’s musical, “Into The Woods.”

Apple’s newest earworm eats at the core of Carlmont Andrew Shen

You’ve seen them everywhere. In the halls, in the classrooms, and in your ears.

They are the wireless earbuds that people aspire to have.

They are the Apple AirPods.

With up to five hours of battery life and automatic Bluetooth connection to all Apple devices, Apple has been able to attract many consumers to their AirPods.

“I think that we branded it in a way where it is easy to carry around and it is very accessible and very simple. We have also branded it in a way where we advertise for certain features that we think our consumer market will really like, such as being able to use SIRI by just double tapping on the metal part of the AirPod,” Apple employee Kenji Arbis said.

Despite its high price tag of $159 plus tax, some teenagers think that it is worth the price.

“While I think that there are definitely cheaper options for wireless earbuds other than the AirPods, I think that it is worth the price because of the quality that you get from it. But I think it really depends on what the person wants,” Hana Lip, a junior, said.

Because AirPods are expensive compared to most wireless earbuds, some people feel the need to justify why they bought them.

“When I first got my AirPods, some of my friends would ask me why I spent so much money just to buy some better than average earbuds,” Jessica Yu, a junior, said. “One of the reasons why I bought them was because they were the most recognizable and most popular wireless earbuds on the market. But I am not ashamed of my decision to get them. I really liked how Apple advertised for this product and that helped me make my decision to buy them.”

According to Dr. Hsinkuang Chi, a research professor at Nanhua University, there is a psychological effect that

companies like Apple use when advertising their products.

Chi states that, “business advertisers will often use famous celebrities or experts to share their expertise and experience to promote a product or a service. Advertising endorsers can produce a recommendation and endorsement effect and build customers’ reliability and purchase intention.”

Chi also mentions that companies who follow this type of branding can build “fast brand recognition and help consumers to understand functions and characteristics of a product or a service.”

All of these trends tie back to how the AirPods are advertised. With multiple celebrities such as singer Selena Gomez endorsing the product, Apple has been able to gain widespread recognition for the AirPods.

“When we advertise, we advertise it based off of simplicity and recognition. To show the simplicity of it, for example, we advertise them to show how easy they are to transport and how

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they won’t fall out of your ear when you exercise. To gain recognition, we create advertisements that consumers will see for the AirPods with some famous celebrities on them occasionally. We are simply trying to build recognition and trust with the AirPod,” Apple employee Jeffrey Dominguez said.

This advertising tactic appears to be working effectively considering their new popularity. AirPod sales have grown significantly since their initial release on Dec. 13, 2016. According to the TF International Securities Group, Apple was expected to sell about 28 million AirPods in 2018, up from about 14 million in 2017.

Freshman Kayla Hogan said, “I think Apple has done a good job advertising the Airpods. The advertisements that Apple made definitely caught my eye, but I feel like I’m not responsible enough to keep track of them so that is why I ended up not buying them. It is up to every person to decide if they want to make the investment.”

February 2019

CAMPUS

7

Roads Traveled

Two cars, one train, and two hours to go Kimberly Mitchell It’s 3:45 a.m. and there are more than three hours left until sunrise. But in the cold darkness of his Antioch home, physics teacher and robotics adviser David Talcott rises from the comforts of his bed.

With the adrenaline from a morning gym session and quick shower, Talcott prepares himself for the twocar, one train, 72-mile commute ahead of him.

And while the early hours are cold and dark with traffic sparse, Talcott knows that in order to make it to work on time he will have to be swift.

After driving to the Pittsburg Bay Point Bart Station, he will park and sprint up the stairs to catch the 5:17 a.m train which will take him all the way to San Bruno.

As Talcott nears the end of his 21stop train ride, students such as MiaIsobel Craig, a junior at Carlmont, rise to the beeps of her 6:15 a.m. alarm.

Unlike Talcott, Craig is able to hit the snooze button and still make it on time as she lives just 15 minutes away from school.

“It’s a pretty unique experience,” Talcott said. “From super-duper wealthy people from Walnut Creek to homeless people, you see the entire spectrum on the train and because of that, there are a lot of really interesting interactions.”

But on most days, those inter-

actions are limited as he resorts to sleeping, reading, or playing games on his phone to distract himself from the shrill of the BART train.

If all goes to plan, Talcott will arrive at the San Bruno Bart station by 7:10 a.m., hop into his second car, drive down Interstate-280, and walk into the doors of A11 by 7:30 a.m.

And despite having to commute more than two hours, drive two cars, and take BART, Talcott is oftentimes more punctual than his own students.

Tasneem Khalak, a junior and member of Carlmont’s Deep Blue Robotics team, is among the many students who appreciate the dedication of their adviser.

“Knowing how far he has to travel to get to Carlmont makes me really admire his commitment and feel inspired to work just as hard,” Khalak said.

Even students such as Craig who were not taught by Talcott admired him for his dedication to punctuality.

“I could not imagine myself waking up at 3:00 a.m because I struggle waking up by six,” Craig said. “I’m always pressing the snooze button, and waking up that early would mess with my sleeping and study schedule and stress me out.”

Unlike Craig or Khalak, Talcott can’t just hit snooze.

If Talcott is late to school, his students have less time to learn.

If he is late going home, he’s late picking up his 4-year-old son from

preschool.

Despite the adrenaline that comes with rushing from place to place, Talcott does not deny the fact that that the super-commuter lifestyle has taken a toll on him during the eight years he’s been teaching at Carlmont.

“I’m almost always exhausted and it affects my work. I’ve had to kind of take shortcuts on things like grading papers and, you know, when you get them back and how much feedback you can give,” he said.

However, the biggest challenge

for him is not being able to help his wife raise their son as she finishes her degree at the University of California, Davis.

But Talcott refuses to let himself be portrayed as a victim.

To him, it’s just the reality of living in the Bay Area and it’s not always as harsh as it seems.

“The commute is not so bad,” Talcott said. “Sometimes the train gets a little stinky and the people get a little feisty, but you need some time to unwind from teaching and sprinting from place to place helps me keep in shape.”

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Kimberly Mitchell

New freedom comes with new responsibility Taya Yakovenko In 2017, teenagers accounted for seven percent of motor vehicle deaths, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Even though driving could be considered a necessity for the modern teenager, it is also a privilege that comes with a lot of dangers and responsibility.

In many cases, teenagers tend to see the benefits of being able to drive, however, they fail to consider possible dangers related to it.

“I got my driver’s license as soon as I could,” Brianna Madback, a junior, said. “I love being able to drive because it gives me more freedom over my own life and allows me to help my parents from time to time.”

Teenage immaturity and lack of experience are often the key factors that contribute to a number of risks associated with teenagers driving, according to the HG Legal Resources.

“I do not think the teens should be allowed to drive,” Spanish teacher Rosa Argaluza said. “They are just too dangerous because they are always distracted and are almost always reckless.”

According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, the primary distractors of teenage drivers are phones and passengers.

“I do not necessarily have a prob-

lem with teens driving but I have some concerns with it,” Spanish teacher Eva Parker said. “My primary concern is related to the use of cell phones while driving. Teens just can’t look away from their phones, even while driving.”

According to Edgar Snyder and Associates, 32.8 percent of high schoolers involved in car crashes were distracted by texting or emailing while driving.

The use of cellular devices increases the chances of being in a car crash.

Those distractions, combined with the lack of experience, often lead to teenagers being unable to react fast enough in critical situations.

“They just do not think about other drivers,” Argaluza said. “They are too distracted to be careful on the road and most of the time it creates potentially dangerous situations on the road.”

Although there are some safety concerns with teenagers being on the road, there are also some restrictions in place to increase the safety for all drivers.

According to Appel Law Firm, teenage drivers are more likely to be in a car accident if they break the restrictions that are out in place to make the roads safer.

“Statistically, teenagers are at a higher risk of being involved in a car accident,” biology teacher Sara

Shayesteh said. “However, the fact that they are not allowed to drive with other teenagers and during certain hours lowers their risk of being in a car crash.”

Even though the concerns may seem to outweigh the benefits of teenagers being able to drive, there has not been much debate over the issue in the recent years.

“There are definitely some concerns with teenagers on the road but I do not think that they overpower the benefits,” Shayesteh said. “Driving teaches teens responsibility and could be a good motivator.”

The fact remains, many teenagers decide to get their driver’s licenses as soon as they are able to, at the age of 16.

Even though there are a few concerns about teenagers driving, there are also benefits for both teenagers and adults.

According to the Edmond Sun, many teenagers need to drive themselves to work and school. If the legal age for driving were to be changed to be older than 16, many would not be able to do so, and would have to use alternative transportation methods.

“I think that tenagers should be able to drive themselves because it saves a lot of time,” Parker said. “They do not have to wait for their parents

or the bus to pick them up.”

In addition to allowing teenagers to be more time efficient, driving also teaches them responsibility and maturity.

“I think that driving teaches students ownership,” Parker said. “Drivers have to constantly think about gas and maintaining their cars. In addition, insurance and other legal paperwork could be a bit of a hassle.”

Although the benefits of teenagers being able to drive are evident, there is still a lot of debate on the safety of allowing such a thing. Even though teenagers are able to drive, they are not necessarily the safest drivers on the road.

ll he c t i M ly r e mb Ki

8

LIFESTYLE

February 2019

Viral today, we’ll see about tomorrow Trends are influenced by our social psychology Rachel Hunter The dress, Pokemon Go, fidget spinners, the egg. These seemingly random entitles have one thing in common: they went viral.

“Going viral” refers to the sharing of something, be it a link, a video or a meme, via email or social media platforms.

According to Lifewire, a website about real-world technology, many assume that “going viral” means that the one object or video is gaining attention from hundreds of thousands of people after it is released.

In reality, there is no dictated criteria which deems something to be “viral” or not; there are no specific numbers of views or shares that allowed it to do so.

From the number of views and shares the it’s getting, the trend will become viral because of how much we talk to others about the topic.

According to Rob Henderson, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Yale University, “We are social beings. Most of us communicate with others every day. In fact, we spend between 70 to 80 percent of our waking hours using some form of communication.”

Due to our need to constantly communicate and relate to one another, we frequently talk to others about what is becoming viral and the newest trends.

The trends we talk about build and strengthen interactions with people, ac-

cording to the News Well, an online publishing platform.

For example, if one discusses their thoughts about an iPhone app to another person, that other person can also express their opinions about the app. Discussing one’s opinions about the iPhone app can then make the two of them connect with each other since they are both discussing the same topic; the iPhone app.

“We use memes and everyday slang to mainly relate and connect to each other,” Aimee Kanadjian, a senior, said. “But it definitely has impacted our generation more than anything, considering we reference vines in almost every sentence; even my senior quote was a vine. It has changed the way we communicate with each other, whether it’s sending a gif or a meme in response to something.”

In the past, pop culture was focused on people’s own perspectives, but now pop culture focuses more on trends such as memes, according to Youth E Source, a lifestyle website.

Since people often discuss trends, many find these elements of pop culture necessary to bring people together.

“I use memes to express myself nonverbally; I will send a meme to someone to express my feelings,” Audrey Chu, a senior, said. “It’s an outlet for me to add humor to any situation.”

According to Henrik Vejlgaard, who

has a background of social science and communication, the trend process begins with a trendsetter that creates a new style or taste and shares it with the world. Then others who like the creation of the trendsetter will copy what they created and tell others.

This process continues until the trend disappears.

However, when trends remain popular, they can last for a very long time, while others can be quick and short-term. But eventually, trends will disappear, no matter how long they have been in the spotlight; it all depends on how soon they became popular.

According to PhysOrg, a science, research, and technology news website, researchers found out that the longer it takes for a product to become popular, the longer it takes for that product to disappear.

“I remember when the iPad came out, I wanted one so badly for the longest time until I finally got one a year later,” sophomore Josie Ceragioli said. “I was obsessed with my iPad, I would do almost everything with it, but I just stopped using it after a few months and started using my new iPhone instead.”

Although everyone knows that trends do not always last, we still tend to keep up with them.

“Memes may sooner or later be outgrown. We’d probably be teaching memes

in history 30 years from now and we’d have to explain why captions on pictures are funny. It’ll all be old news soon,” Kanadjian said.

Most trends seem to be done for good, but even the trends that go away can sometimes come back a few years later.

“I thought it was strange at first how the 90s fashion trends came back,” Ceragioli said. “But now, I wear scrunchies almost all the time. I think 90s fashion gives our outfits more of a vintage kind of vibe, which I love.”

The 90s trend could be back mostly because we display so much of the old fashion trends in movies or on television.

According to Fibre2Fashion, a website about the world of garment, textiles and fashion, the old-school fashion all began with TV shows like “Friends.”

Due to the way the actors dress on television, their clothing influences our outfits today which is a way for us to relive “the good old days.”

Whether they are blasts from the past, or modern viral sensations, trends influence the way we communicate with each other, and vice versa.

We are surrounded with today’s viral content and it is impossible to avoid interacting with it.

But understanding how viral content circulates and the impact of trends, can allow for meaningful engagement.

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LIFESTYLE

February 2019

9

Digital age suppresses elderly literacy Ailee Lim

Imagine this: you are scrolling through your favorite cooking website. You get a pop-up ad that features a picture of Hillary Clinton with the headline “I supported Hillary Clinton until I saw this.” You immediately write the article off as clickbait, close the ad, and continue browsing.

Later that day, you are on Facebook when you get a notification that your great aunt shared an article. As you open the notification you realize it is the same article you had seen from earlier. Your aunt thought the article was real.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, fake news is false stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or through other media, usually created to influence political views or as a joke.

This is more common than one may think. In a study by Princeton and New York University, Facebook users ages 65 and up were seven times more likely to share fake news during the 2016 presidential election compared to users aged 18 to 29.

According to the study, age was the primary factor which contributed to a user believing fake news. Race, sex, education level, and income all had relatively no impact on whether a person believes it or not.

Another factor, however, that did impact whether users believed in it was their political stance. Those who were Republican were about five times more likely to have a fake news article shared on Facebook during the election.

According to the same study, there are many more pro-Trump articles that are fake.

Another factor that may cause Republicans to be more likely to believe in fake news is that people who identify as a Re-

publican are generally older.

According to Pew Research Center, the number of Gen Xers and Millennials who lean towards Republican are lower than the number of Baby Boomers and Silents, which correlates age and political beliefs.

Since age is the largest contributing factor to believing in fake news, Republicans are more likely to believe in it.

The researchers suggest one reason elderly people are more likely to believe in fake news is they lack the digital literacy that younger generations have.

According to the U.S. Census, in 2017 roughly 87 percent of households in the U.S. had a computer. In 1984, that number was a mere 8 percent.

“Senior citizens did not grow up in the internet age so they’re not necessarily knowledgeable on a lot of today’s media.

[It’s hard for them to understand] today’s sarcasm and humor so when they see an article, they just take it at face value because that’s what they grew up with,” said Jordan Kan, a librarian at the Belmont library.

It may be hard for senior citizens to adapt to reading news online.

One way to keep elderly people from falling victim to fake news is to have them watch the news from large, credible news organizations.

For senior citizens finding it hard to adapt to the digital age, televised news is generally more reliable and easier to access.

“My parents, who are both 86[-yearsold], don’t read the news online. They watch the TV channels like CNN, Channel 5, NBC. They don’t read news on the internet so they are not exposed to the fake news it has,” English teacher Lisa Simpson said.

While elderly digital literacy may seem like a large issue to tackle, Jack Waxman, a retired professor, believes it can start with

education.

“Some people will say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but everybody can learn.

Even stupid people can learn. Educate old people, educate young people, educate everybody of all ages. Learning shouldn’t stop when you are young it should continue throughout your life,” Waxman said.

He believes if there was education geared towards teaching senior citizens technological skills they may not be familiar with, it could help with their digital literacy.

“If a guest speaker from the libraries were to come to retirement homes they could teach various skills to help them [elderly] distinguish real from fake news,” Waxman said.

But, while this may be an ideal solution, it would be difficult to implement.

“Education is the key to most things, but I think it’s hard when it comes to elderly people who are not as clear thinkers anymore. Also for elderly people who are independently living or for those without families, who is going to be the one to educate them?” Simpson said.

There is no easy solution to fake news.

Even President Trump, who tweeted on March 26, 2018 there is “So much Fake News. Never been more voluminous or more inaccurate,” spreads it himself.

According to Washington Post, Trump’s State of the Union speech was “chock-full of stretched facts and dubious figures.”

With the president blatantly lying about proven facts and fake news spreading, Waxman suggests for each person to practice double checking facts in the media and to question everything one may hear.

Waxman said, “Right now the only thing that’s preventing the Trump administration from overrunning the whole country is the free press. We can’t lose that because people start believing in fake news.”

Emma Romanowsky

Student musicians make their own beats

SoundCloud offers artists opportunity to share their own music Samantha Chu

Eminem. Drake. Kendrick Lamar.

What do these people have in common? Their music has become well-known all over the globe. However, those aspiring to become rappers don’t need to follow the same path as these stars. They can just use SoundCloud.

SoundCloud is a music and podcast platform that allows its users to listen to millions of songs. Created in 2007, it now has over 76 million monthly users.

Among these 76 million users are around 10 million music creators that upload their own music.

“SoundCloud is pretty cool because you don’t have to have a record label to publish your work now. Anyone can listen to your music,” said freshman Isabella Peterson, the president of Playlist Club.

Playlist Club is a club that allows students to meet and listen to music together during lunch.

Music can play an essential role in the lives of many students on campus, including those who are in the Playlist Club.

On campus, one may find a student listening to music, but there are also many students that create their own music.

“I have always felt a personal connection to music from a young age. I’ve played instruments since I was 3 years old, and I always have my headphones in,” said Adrian Cunningham, a senior and Vice President of Music Production Club. “Nowadays, I make music to help me write about my life and express myself in a way that is different from others.”

To share his music, Cunningham uses SoundCloud.

For many artists, SoundCloud is an easy way to share their music, and there is also the potential to get discovered by music labels.

Samantha Chu

According to Ranker, famous rappers such as Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert were discovered on SoundCloud and later signed with record labels.

On top of this, SoundCloud also allows artists to find others like them to collaborate with.

“SoundCloud is a great resource to find other musicians to collaborate with, as well as to just find other unsigned musicians that aren’t on Spotify or Apple Music,” Cunningham said.

Jeffrey Miller, a senior and President of the Music Production Club, has had similar experiences with SoundCloud as well.

“My experience so far has been great, and SoundCloud has definitely helped me get my name out and given me

enough confidence to perform my first [extended play] in Oakland, California. in front of [at least] 70 people. It’s a great way to network and continue pumping out music,” Miller said.

Many artists like Miller have used SoundCloud to start their musical career; however, there is a stigma around the type of music on SoundCloud that often stops artists from using the platform.

“I have thought of sharing my music before, […] but I’ve never used SoundCloud to share my music, mostly because it’s more known for dubstep, electronic music, and rap songs, and I sing songs that are considered to be pop,” Mia-Isobel Craig, a junior, said.

While one music genre may be more popular on SoundCloud, the site does not restrict any music from being uploaded.

However, according to Cunningham, the lack of restriction often creates another stereotype about SoundCloud.

“Since SoundCloud is free to use, anybody can put up whatever they choose to put up. This has led to the millions of people uploading the same stereotypical ‘SoundCloud rap,’” Cunningham said. “SoundCloud rappers typically make 2 minute long songs […that] have no lyrical content and talk about sex, drugs, and money.”

Because of this, many suppose that every SoundCloud artist makes the same music as the stereotypical SoundCloud rapper would make. But this is not true, as there are many other music genres on SoundCloud, including classical, pop, and alternative music. Regardless of the various opinions, SoundCloud is still a tool that musical artists can use to help them start their career.

Miller said, “The biggest strength any artist should develop is maintaining a passion for the music because it can be hard competing with today’s music industry, and SoundCloud can help an artist build a platform. They just have to take advantage of it.”

10

Rachel Matatyaou Whether it’s about their day-to-day actions or new releases in their profession, musicians, actors, comedians, and other artists are constantly being covered by the media. This exposure has blurred the line for audiences regarding how to define an artist by their product rather than by their actions, or vice versa.

In reality, the decision to appreciate the artwork alone or to take into account the personal lives of the artists themselves is left to the consumer.

Jonathan Lamy is the Executive Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Recording Industry Association of America. He supervises marketing, media relations, market research, social media, and the Gold and Platinum Program, which recognizes musicians for the number of tracks sold.

Lamy’s belief is that today, the fans’ relationship with an artist has changed with the advent of social media. “[The audience] doesn’t just listen; they follow, they like, they comment, they share with their friends.

That particularly close connection that the modern fan feels, there is heightened potential for backlash over something that is [...] inconsistent with the fan’s perception of that artist,” Lamy said.

With the rise of social media, fan bases only see a curated version of the artist, one that is often manipulated

to attract more attention to their work. However, certain artists prefer to make their life completely public, a popular philosophy stemming from the belief that “all press is good press.”

The trials of Robert Kelly, commonly known as R. Kelly, are well known to the public. Since 1994, Kelly has been accused of sexually abusing young girls and has continually denied the allegations. However, LifeTime’s early January release of a documentary about Kelly’s alleged misconduct, titled “Surviving R. Kelly,” has divided the media on whether to define Kelly by his actions or by his musical success. Despite this, his music’s popularity hasn’t been negatively affected; it’s gained more plays.

According to Okayplayer, a music streaming website, “R. Kelly’s songs generated 4.3 million on-demand streams in the U.S. after the LifeTime docuseries exploring his sexual abuse allegations aired.”

His increase in viewers is not directly related to his music, but rather due to the attention he’s receiving in the media. This reminds people of his music, which does not exemplify his personal behaviors.

Kelly is not the only artist to spark controversy over separating the artist from their art.

“I believe you can separate an artist from their music to a degree. People still revere Michael Jackson as one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century, despite there being child molestation allegations against him. People

still look up to Kanye West as being a genius producer, despite him having provocative outbursts,” sophomore Alex Nickerson said. “Specifically to this case, I believe people can still enjoy R. Kelly’s music as a matter of opinion and respect him as an artist, but I believe that buying his songs or promoting his music is an act, unintentional or not, of turning a blind eye towards what he did.”

While these three artists’ tumultuous careers are not alluded to in their music, many musicians, such as Demi Lovato, often use their music as an outlet for their frustrations, emotions, or beliefs. Lovato has struggled with self-harm, drug abuse, anorexia, bipolar disorder, and bulimia. After being sober for six years, Lovato released “Sober” in June 2018, admitting that she had been using substances again, which she called her truth.

Soon after, Lovato overdosed.

In “Sober,” she sang, “Momma, I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore/And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor/To the ones who never left me/We’ve been down this road before/I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.”

Through her music, Lovato apologizes not only to her fans and family, but also to herself for continuously disappointing her. In Lovato’s case, her fans choose define her by both her music and personal life because they are intertwined.

Like Lovato’s music, Miley Cyrus’ music has followed

her life’s path. Cyrus began her career acting in the Disney show “Hannah Montana” as the titular character in 2006 and began dating Liam Hemsworth in 2009.

The two got engaged in 2012 and later broke up in 2013.

Soon after their break up, Cyrus dyed and cut her hair and released the album “Bangerz,” which includes the infamous song “Wrecking Ball.”

According to the The Cut, “Following rumors that ‘Wrecking Ball’ was written about Liam, Miley issued some very telling comments during a concert in London (i.e., ‘I’m gonna tell those motherf****** that broke my heart, particularly one, to suck my fat d*** and to enjoy hearing this song for the rest of your life.’).”

During this phase of Cyrus’ life, which many call the “Wild Miley” phase, she also performed at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and twerked on Robin Thicke during their performance.

In 2016, Hemsworth and Cyrus rekindled their relationship and in 2017 she released her single “Malibu,” a love song for Hemsworth, which marked the end to “Wild Miley.” Cyrus and Hemsworth were married on Dec. 23, 2018.

In an acceptance speech at the G-Day USA Black Tie Gala, Hemsworth said, “Thank you to my beautiful wife.

You are a sweet, sweet angel. You’re great, you’re great.”

In her music, Cyrus highlights the various phases of her life instead of hiding them. By doing so, her fans don’t have to separate Cyrus from her music because it

represents her as a whole, personally and artistically.

While Cyrus’s music serves to release emotion, Kanye West’s music and performances serve as an outlet to channel his political opinions. Rather than having his music represent his personality and actions, it hints to his political standing.

In West’s 2018 song “Yikes,” he sang, “Russell Simmons wanna pray for me too/I’ma pray for him ‘cause he got #MeToo’d.”

Not only does West express his political opinions within his music, he openly discusses which political figures he supports along with his perspective on controversial topics.

In a 2018 concert in San Jose, California, West said, “I told you I didn’t vote, right? But I didn’t tell you. I guess I told you. But if I would have voted I would have voted on Trump. [To black people] stop focussing on racism.

This world is racist, okay? Let’s stop being distracted to focus on that as much. It’s just a f****** fact: we are in a racist country. Period.”

He received backlash from the audience through booing, as a majority of his audience was liberal and not particularly pleased by the election results. Despite the political disagreements, West’s fan base has not decreased. Fans whose political standpoint differs from his choose to separate him from his music.

While West publicly announces the specifics of his personal life, Robin Williams preferred to keep his

struggles private. As a stand-up comedian and actor, it was a shock when Williams was found dead on Aug. 11, 2014, after he hanged himself.

According to the Washington Post, Zelda Williams, his daughter, said, “He was always warm, even in his darkest moments.”

It is easy for someone in the spotlight to fake a smile and pretend everything is “perfect.”

In a statement, former President Barack Obama said of Williams, “He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most — from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets.’”

One wouldn’t think a comedian, someone whose goal is to make others smile and laugh, would suffer from depression. This shows that some artists or celebrities only display the “attractive” aspects of their lives to captivate their fans.

An artist’s personality will always be present in their performance one way or another, but in the end, it’s the consumer’s decision on whether to let it impact their enjoyment of the product itself.

“Musicians are artists,” Lamy said. “And like any artist, they can be both supremely gifted and occasionally flawed. That’s just life and that’s just how art can be. I don’t think anyone who works with artists and helps them bring their music to the public would have it any other way. It’s part of the equation.”

Article by Rachel Matatyaou Page design by Nisha Marino

FEATURES

12

February 2019

Middle College provides pathway to success

Students are able to pursue their passions due to course flexibility Veronica Roseborough

there’s not really a specific program that’s going to help them get into colleges,” Petroelje said. “We are a way for them to start earnAt just 13-years-old, she be- ing college credit without having came an All-American Athlete, to take AP tests or worry about praised for her outstanding ac- everything riding on test scores.” complishments in running, cyPetroelje believes that students cling, and swimming. apply to Middle College for sevNow, while many of her peers eral reasons: if they are looking find themselves preoccupied with for a smaller school, an opportuhigh school academics, Elizabeth nity to reduce the cost of college, Kravtchenko is able to train daily advanced classes not offered in and travel around the world to high school, or more respect from compete in triathlons. All the their peers and teachers as they while, she maintains good grades approach adulthood. as she is no longer in high school, “I think a lot of people don’t fit but Middle College. into the traditional four-year high When students finish their school model and so they like that second year of high school in the small school within a school feelSequoia Union High School Dis- ing and the increased attention trict, they are faced with an im- that they get from their teachers. portant decision: continue to at- Also, all of our students graduate tend their respective high school with at least 30 transferable unitsor further their education at Ca- some of them graduate with 45 or ñada College. more, so they are getting a year or “Cañada Middle College is a two years worth of college credit. dual-enrollment program for ju- So that can be a huge saving in niors and seniors to finish their college tuition,” Petrolje said. high school graduation requireFor Kravtchenko, the appeal of ments by taking a combination of Middle College rests partly in the high school and college classes,” academic rigor and the element of said Jen Petroelje, one of four independence it presents. teachers involved in the program.

“There’s a lot of flexibility, and Students who choose this path- that allows me to train, study, way are able to fulfill the require- work, and still go to bed at a reaments necessary for high school sonable hour. I also get to be in a while earning college credits mature environment where peostudying subjects of their choice ple truly value their education,” at Cañada.

Kravtchenko said.

However they are also allowed Aside from academic intensity, to take classes at other colleges in the program allows Kravtchenko the district, such as the College of to focus simultaneously on exSan Mateo and Skyline College celling in school and discovering and to particiwhat she is athpate in extracurletically capable “Cañada Middle College is ricular activities of. and events put a dual-enrollment program “When I for juniors and seniors to on by their high joined the profinish their high school school. gram, I was still graduation requirements Only 110 apfocusing on triplicants are acathlons and triby taking a combination cepted each year athlon training. of high school and college — 55 juniors and The program classes.”

55 seniors — and allowed me to each is required train excessively Jen Petroelje to fill out a Midbefore my ITU dle College apWorld Champlication, a Capionship race,” ñada College application, take the Kravtchenko said. “I am now foCollege Assessment Exam, and cusing on cycling at the moment submit a writing sample as well as and have set some high goals to recommendation forms from two achieve.” teachers and a counselor.

Like many, Kravtchenko was Then, the student is inter- unsure that the benefits would viewed to determine whether or outweigh the costs. However, her not Middle College is the right fit answer became clear when she for them. decided to make the switch.

“What we’re really looking for “I wasn’t 100 percent sure that is kids who aren’t served as well as I wanted to go because it meant they could be in high school. Like that I had to leave Carlmont and for top-performing kids, they can all of the AP class opportunities, go into AP classes and they’ve got but I still applied. Once I had my a program, but for a lot of kids, interview, I realized that I really

Mr. Pickle's Sandwich Shop

. . . . . .

Veronica Roseborough

Every year, 55 juniors and 55 seniors from the Sequoia Union High School District are accepted into the middle college program at either Cañada College or another college in the district. wanted to be a part of the program,” Kravtchenko said. “It’s the best decision I have ever made.”

Though Kravtchenko was fueled by athletic opportunity, others choose Middle College as juniors due to the mounting pressure that comes hand-in-hand with high school.

“Personally, I have trouble with the competition at a large public school. It adds unwanted social and academic pressure to my learning and it began to drag me down,” Lucas Courtney, a current Middle College junior, said.

Middle College provided Courtney with an alternative pathway, free of grueling competition and endless stress. However, in order to grasp the opportunity, he had to give up one of the things he valued most at Carlmont: Drumline.

“The program lets you do extracurricular activities while you go to middle college, but according to the district, Drumline is not an extracurricular activity,” Courtney said. “I eventually came to the conclusion that it would be better to go to Middle College and it was difficult having to leave, but I felt like it was the right choice.”

Compared to high school, Middle College provides students with an increased amount of mobility in terms of class selection, leaving room for students to study what they are passionate about if they so choose.

“You have much more freedom to participate and study things

you are truly interested in. When I found out that I could do music as part of my normal curriculum instead of things that I wasn’t interested in, I was excited to apply for the program,” Courtney said.

Courtney, who plans to pursue music production in the future, has made remarkable accomplishments since his arrival at Cañada.

“When I attended Carlmont, I’d kind of have to put music off because I’d be so busy with school, but now I have a lot more time to perfect my craft, which I really love. I’ve been able to play my instruments every day of the week and spend a lot more time producing more songs,” Courtney said. “It’s become part of my normal schedule now that I’m at Middle College.”

Courtney has also had the opportunity to play in the Stanford Jazz Lab Band, while holding onto traditions, such as annually DJing Carlmont’s MORP, a variation of Prom that ASB puts on for students with disabilities.

Ultimately, he attributes his ability to pursue his musical passion to Middle College.

“Middle College has allowed me to put my passions forward while focusing on school and I’m thankful for that,” Courtney said.

Yet just because one attends Middle College does not mean they must solely be focused on pursuing a passion.

“I decided to consider the switch when I came to the realization that my junior year would

be very stressful if I were to take multiple AP classes to compete for high-level universities,” said Tyler Yamori-Little, a current junior in Middle College.

He does not deny the difficulty that a college environment brings.

“If a mistake is made, the repercussions are on you. Time management will become a necessity because college professors have larger assignments with farther deadlines,” Yamori-Little said. “The pathway is also riskier if an individual fails or does poorly in a class. This leaves a lasting bad mark on a high school transcript and it shows universities that the individual may not be ready to tackle college-level work.”

Despite these potential drawbacks, Middle College offers free tuition, free materials for up three classes, a head start on a college degree, and a stimulating college atmosphere, according to Cañada’s Middle College website.

Ultimately, it seems that the Middle College experience differs for everyone, thus a decision cannot be based solely upon the experiences of others.

“Do your research about it, learn about the program, and if you think you can succeed there go for it,” Courtney said. “It’s a great program and there aren’t really any setbacks, but make sure it’s something you want to do.”

Students have until March 15, 2019, to submit an application through the Middle College website.

February 2019

FEATURES

13

Reality TV warps perspectives of love Kaylee George Scot Scoop Editor-in-Chief One by one, he gives a girl a rose.

If she’s not handed a rose, she must leave.

The last girl standing is the one.

Except, the one isn’t the one.

Even though “The Bachelor” has amassed this huge fanbase that believes in a promise of true love by the end of the season, only one couple out of 23 seasons was actually successful.

The show gives a perception of “romantic love,” but doesn’t capture how couples are after being on air. This may lead viewers to think that this style of romance really does lead to love.

Many different types of pop culture, whether it be reality TV or music, seem to feature messages about love, romance, and relationships. Although viewers may not directly use lessons learned from pop culture media, there are still underlying effects being absorbed by the audience.

Especially for the younger generation, Stanford University psychologist Albert Bandura and his associates have found through multiple studies that imitative learning plays a huge role in furthering social changes. This means that people’s basic values and their consciences can be manipulated.

This is no different when it comes to the TV screen. Bandura has found that those on TV can teach new behavior patterns, as well as change people’s attitudes, opinions, and values. These underlying effects on people’s conscious may, in turn, normalize certain unrealistic romantic relationship

behaviors that are featured on popular TV shows. For example, TV shows like “The Bachelor” seem to place an emphasis on appearance and staged dating.

“I think pop culture media does change our perception because it heavily romanticizes things. For example — I’m just making this up — some character on a show might say ‘I’ll meet you at midnight at Paris,’ and that’s just not realistic,” Jason Tsui, a senior, said.

As society transitions into a more modern era with new technologies, there are many more platforms to encourage fastpaced relationships. This notion is often highlighted in pop culture TV, where many types of media sugarcoat the unpolished parts of love. With online dating on the rise, these ideas are even further perpetuated.

Tsui said, “Pop culture has really transformed in the past decades. Nowadays, relationships are portrayed to be quick and are somewhat artificial. It’s easy to just swipe left or right.”

In addition to quick transitions into romantic relationships, hookup culture is on the rise in pop culture. Although it’s not on the screen, casual sexual encounters without necessarily emotional bonding or long-term commitment, is on the rise in pop culture.

“In the TV show ‘Sex and the City,’ the main characters have sex all the time and that’s just not how it works,” Ava BrucknerKockel, a junior, said.

Even when the audience knows that some TV shows are aiming to entertain the audience with hyperbolic relationships, rather than portray accurate relationships, it can still have some subtle messages that

Andrea Butler

carry on with viewers.

Alternatively, there are many different aspects of media that portray realistic aspects of relationships and teach positive lessons that people take to heart.

One particular show that has become popular for its honest, loving relationships is “This is Us.” The TV show has erupted in popularity during the past few years, winning several awards and become widely acclaimed.

In one blog post on the Odyssey, college student Lauren Gauthier commented that “This is Us” showed the audience the reality — the ups and downs — of marriage and didn’t glorify relationships.

The show has also become so praised for its character Kate Pearson, who struggles

with being overweight. Throughout the show, she struggles to find confidence in herself because of her appearance.

Gauthier remarked that the show taught her to “be [herself] in relationships,” as when Kate transitions into a special romantic relationship, she realizes her size isn’t what defines her.

So, it’s not one-sided. Pop culture on the screen can be both positively or negatively influential, but often, there is more attention paid to unrealistic relationships because it’s a new experience for the audience.

Ultimately, just be cautious to keep perceptions of real romance separate from pop culture romance. They are two different worlds and intertwining them might lead to unwanted consequences.

FEATURES

14

February 2019

The impact of nature on a community Lizzy Hall

Redwood Shores is a 1,400 acre plot of land surrounded almost entirely by water.

And there are only two roads in or out.

It is the home of the Clapper Rail and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse: both endangered species.

But it is also the headquarters of Oracle, the former location of Marine World, the site of two elementary schools, and a place 14,000 people call home.

Natural barriers such as the Belmont Slough and Bair Island have restricted the growth of Redwood Shores.

The Belmont Slough lies in between Redwood Shores and Foster City, containing lots of habitation and wildlife. As a result, no bridge can be built directly between the communities.

Due to these circumstances, the closest route between them via car involves getting onto highway 101 and it can take drivers a long time to span the distance. During rush hour it can take upwards of 15 minutes which has angered many Redwood Shores residents and forced them to find ways around the traffic.

Foster City Levee Pedway is a pathway that connects the two towns but is only for pedestrians and bikers. Jacqueline McGuinness, a sophomore, lives near this trail.

“People will park their cars in my neighborhood in some of the parking spots near the trail and then walk to soccer practice that they have in Foster City to save time,” McGuinness said.

On the opposite side of Redwood Shores lies Bair Island, in which the previously mentioned Clapper Rail and Harvest Mouse both inhabit. The city has attempted

to build upon this land numerous times.

According to SFGate, in 1982 the city voters had a referendum that rejected a development proposal for “South Shores.”

The “‘South Shores’ project would have built hundreds of homes on the island and would have supported a population of 15,000. The referendum passed by only 44 votes and as a result, no extension was built.

However, the push for ‘South Shores’ continued until 1977 when the Peninsula Open Space Trust finally bought the island and turned the land over to the government.

Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages it as part of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In 2015 Bair Island was reopened to the general public with multiple trails for visitors to explore.

This pressure against building on wetlands has become a frequent occurrence in Redwood Shores history. Another issue regarding it arose when overpopulation became a problem at Sandpiper Elementary, the sole school in Redwood Shores as of 2010, and another elementary school was needed to take in population overflow from the other schoolsw.

Michelle Atno-Hall, a Redwood Shores resident of 23 years, worked on the Advisory Committee to the School Board. This group advised the School Board on available locations, the way the school should be used, and the needs of the community.

“We looked at different parcels of available land in the Shores. Sometimes, these spaces were four yards wide and 50 yards long. You couldn’t put a dog park on these lots- much less a school,” Atno-Hall said.

Since most of the available land in Redwood Shores was privately owned or pro-

Andrea Butler

tected, finding appropriate governmentowned property was difficult.

One of these privately owned properties was owned by Max Keech and was large preserve near the levee, a floodbank beside the bay, referred to as Area H by committee members. Keech ultimately came to the community with a proposal.

“Keech came forward: to the school district, to the Redwood Shores Community Association, to the city board and also to our advisory committee. He would sell the land to us for the school at a discounted price if the city would let him build townhomes on another part of his property.

Keech would restore the rest of the land as wetlands,” Atno-Hall said.

After some discussion and debate within the community, the proposal was ultimate-

ly agreed upon by the advisory committee, the School Board, the environmentalists, and the citizens of Redwood Shores.

This agreement led to the eventual opening of Redwood Shores Elementary for the 2010-2011 school year. Physical obstacles had plagued the community once again but, once again they were overcome.

The issue of over-enrollment in the Shores had been solved. Throughout the history of Redwood Shores, there have been numerous geographical obstacles. And, although they have proved troublesome at times they have also proved to be beneficial in building the culture of Redwood Shores.

McGuinness said, “In Redwood Shores, there aren’t random people coming into our neighborhood and as a result, we have a close-knit and supportive community.”

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OPINION

February 2019

15

Academic ability not a precursor to success Nina Heller

Straight-A students have got it all wrong.

They think if you only set yourself up to succeed in school, you are not setting yourself up to succeed in life. Succeeding in life does not mean you have to succumb to the cult of perfectionism, but it means that you should rise above it.

It’s not that it isn’t important to reach our full potentials and excel in academic environments, but we should remember that it isn’t everything.

Harvard University’s admitted class of 2022 had a 4.7 percent acceptance rate.

The 2,024 students who were admitted in that class were no doubt brilliant, bright, and beyond capable of success. But the other 93.7 percent of students who were rejected from Harvard are also those things, whether they believe it or not. The acceptance rate of a university doesn’t determine the value of someone’s education or intellectual capabilities, and students have a tendency to forget that.

We spend most of the first 18 years of our lives in school, and those of us who are privileged enough to go to college will add on another four more. But after that, none of it really matters.

As dramatic as it sounds, none of it matters at all.

In the working world, a GPA is irrelevant. I doubt that CEOs of Fortune 500 companies carry around their high school or college transcripts in their briefcases.

While it’s true that highly regarded educational institutions often provide students a jumpstart for their career with networking opportunities and career centers, it’s an institutional issue.

Our institutions are goal-oriented,

rather than process oriented. Students want to succeed but will do so by any means necessary.

According to a poll from ABC news, 36 percent of students aged 15-17 report having cheated in school, and the number grows as students approach the older teens: 43 percent of 16-17 year olds report cheating. Lying, cheating, and manipulating their way to success, students are focused more on the number of zeroes that will be on their paycheck rather than their happiness and satisfaction in their career.

Of course, those two things can be correlated, but for students who don’t join the ranks of the Ivy League, they need to know that they can still live a fulfilling life.

A study from the University of Kentucky Department of Higher Education showed that academic excellence is not a strong predictor of career excellence.

Academic grades do not measure things like creativity, being able to work in a team, or effectively solve problems.

While yes, some of the things we do in school are done with the intention of helping us achieve these things, in reality, they do exactly the opposite.

Why should a student have any incentive to be creative if the other students will mock their art?

Group projects aren’t really about working in a team, but about how the work can get done the best and the quickest manner (which is usually in the hands of a sole individual).

And as far as solving problems go, the education system doesn’t exactly give us much help there either. We are taught how to find solutions to specific problems, rather than how to pick the problems that are truly worth solving.

We spend more time worrying about whether the answer to our math homework is correct rather than worrying about the practical applications it can have for our lives.

It’s not uncommon for the Carlmont guidance office to be filled with a flurry of freaked out freshman the beginning of the school year; the shock that many feel once they acclimate to high school is felt more seriously by some than by others, but what these distressed students feel at the beginning of high school doesn’t ever seem to leave us. A glimpse into the college and career center during the fall will reveal a bevy of bewildered seniors wondering if they have spent the past four years doing enough to prove to some name-brand institution that they are enough.

To believe our GPAs and standardized test scores are a reflection of our own capabilities to be high achievers in the world is far from the truth.

I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t try hard in school, nor am I trying to excuse the many of the difficulties we are faced with due to the faults of the modern education system. But employers should emphasize they value skills over straight A’s and willingness to learn over being valedictorian.

But maybe instead of applying ourselves in order to achieve straight A’s, we rise to a new challenge: using the same resolve we applied to these academic pursuits in order to become well-rounded and fearless individuals.

Most of us will never take an intellectual risk because we are so preoccupied with how it will appear on a piece of paper. The world needs more people who are willing to take these intellectual risks. When we become stuck in the confines of our test

prep books and transcripts, we lose sight of what the real purpose of education is: to develop our desire and ability to think and learn about the world around us.

Sean Vanderaa

Gavin Newsom isn’t who you want him to be Sam Hosmer

For reasons I’ve never fully understood nor disclosed for fear of crucifixion in the sphere of county Democratic party politics, I sort of can’t stand Gavin Newsom.

That might be understating it.

I really do despise him. And I’m saying that as a dyed-in-the-wool capital D Democrat who tends to bow my head and toe the party line on these things. I’m not sure whether it’s the slicked-back inauthenticity, the supremely checkered past, the exploitative children-parading at campaign events, the sheer convenience of his region-appropriate progressivism, or that he looks like a 60s pimp. I just don’t like the guy.

The catch here is that I’m having a hard time thinking of a nonsuperficial reason to

Sean Vanderaa

dislike him. Every time I try to locate some sort of policy objection or area for legitimate concern over his future in the party, I’m left hemming and hawing for a bit until I arrive at the same basic conclusion: he’s a Mad Men caricature of a politician that I just can’t get excited about.

But being excited about a candidate is a gut feeling, i.e. something that varies from person to person, is intrinsic, and likely can’t be persuaded after the fact. It pains me to say that there might be more to Newsom than his oily mane and his wiry Gothamesque figure.

I’m writing this while Trump appraises the State of our Union in the background. (I’m behind on my deadlines.

Sue me.)

T h a t ’s only appropriate to mention because Newsom’s name has been floated a few times as a potential Democratic candidate come 2020. I’m not going to wade into a dissection of who or what the Democrats need to win — it’s still too early to prognosticate and I’m certainly not qualified to do it. I can only say this for certain: Newsom isn’t the answer.

For someone who looks like

he entered politics the nanosecond he exited the womb, it might come as a surprise to learn that he actually spent most of the 90s running a boutique winery called PlumpJack. His business partner was Gordon Getty, the literal real-life Gordon Gekko, and someone Newsom was able to connect with via his dad. Following Newsom’s political career soon reveals just how many of his successes have been enabled paternally.

For example: Newsom was appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 1997 by then-mayor Willie Brown after helping out with his mayoral campaign. But, as with most things politics, the exchange wasn’t quite as reciprocal as one might imagine — the Sacramento Bee reported in 2017 that Newsom was appointed to his supervisorial position in 1997 at the urging of his father, who was friends with John Burton.

The implication here, of course, is that Newsom wasn’t appointed to his seat by virtue of his merits (or by merit of his virtues?) and that rather he was gifted it by his father. Not that political success isn’t contingent on connections — only that he hasn’t been electorally baptized yet, save for a couple kindergarten supervisorial races.

He is certainly not without his political achievements. Newsom gets a lot of praise for a 2004 decision he made as Mayor of San

Francisco to allow same-sex couples to receive marriage licenses.

It was indisputably a great step forward for progressivism and an important precedent for moralistic municipal challenges of federal authority. A lot of the present enthusiasm for sanctuary cities, I think, can be traced back to that decision. But here’s the thing: San Francisco has been far further left than the majority of the country for years. It was not a crippling political gamble in 2004 for him to get out ahead of gay marriage as an issue — even if the Bay’s consensus wasn’t fully there yet at the time.

So I guess that means Newsom is a good politician. He can tell which way the wind is blowing and does a good job playing the odds. But that doesn’t make him an effective leader — it means he’s spent his political career untested in what largely are friendly waters.

Nor does it invalidate the tonnage of personal baggage he carries with him. Lest we forget his brief marriage with Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News matriarch and host of “The View” until her recent ouster following turbulent sexual harassment allegations (now dating Don Jr.!).

Or his 2005 fling with the wife of his deputy chief of staff, which indiscretion occurred during his marriage to Guilfoyle. I can only imagine that his highly public decision to seek treatment for

alcohol abuse was an attempt to sate the spotlight in the wake of his affair scandal, which broke in January 2007.

Again, this all amounts to one conclusion: Newsom is an adroit politician who knows PR and has branded himself somewhat successfully. But as someone who has spent a couple of summers staffing politicians and learning the political ropes, inasmuch as that’s possible for a high school student to do, it bothers me just how unabashed he is about his politicism. I do not know how else to phrase that.

What bothers me most is that I agree with him. He doesn’t like NIMBYs. He supported singlepayer. He’s sort of pro-business but also has a history of progressive social stances. Yet even San Francisco progressives aren’t convinced, going so far as to call him conservative during his 2003 run for supervisor. The Sacramento Bee notes that his leanings have shifted a bit left now that the arena of national politics is coming into focus.

We live in a time of political villains. Those we despise nowadays are pure antagonists; evil courses through their veins.

Which, I think, is why Newsom is sort of a foreign concept, at least to me: his caveats are diffuse and scattershot, and when you examine any given part of the canvas individually he almost seems alright, thank you very much.

OPINION

16

February 2019

The Democratic Party is killing itself Joseph Gomez

In a world where Donald Trump is president of the U.S., a man known for his wacky exploits as a playboy-billionaire, reality TV show host, and Twitter usage long before his ascension, one would think that it would be impossible for anyone to match the lunacy.

But, no. Democrats took the antics as a welcoming invitation.

Keep in mind that nothing I say here is out of hate nor out of love. No, like Lord Varys from “Game of Thrones,” my allegiance is to the people, to stability. The current behavior of the Democratic Party will lead to anything but stability, much less any success in the future. To put it plainly, I believe that Democrats are beating themselves and their potential voters with a rusty crowbar and expecting Trump to hurt.

If I’m to have a thesis, it shall be this: Democrats, in their total embrace of identity politics and intersectionality, inability to control the radicals in their midst, and stubborn enforcement of anti-Trump rhetoric, will cripple themselves and American politics in the long-run.

For those unfamiliar with political jargon, identity politics is defined as “a tendency for people of a particular religion, race, social background, etc., to form exclusive political alliances, moving away from traditional broad-based party politics,” and intersectionality is, “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.”

Or, to put it bluntly, “give all your political attention to minorities, just because they’re minorities, so we can show how tolerant we are and how much we respect the votes of minorities...Oh, did I say votes? I meant ‘opinions.’”

This is a politically stupid maneuver.

Let’s use the example of everybody’s

favorite Texan Democrat, Beto O’Rourke, and nobody’s favorite Californian Democrat, Kamala Harris. O’Rourke is what the Democrats need right now: he’s not crazy, he’s popular (He lost to Ted Cruz by only 3 percentage points. In Texas. Texas!), and he seems genuinely likable. Now, hard cut to Harris: She has the charisma of a wet napkin, has a questionable term as California’s Attorney General under her sleeve, and already has been exposed for fibbing during her own CNN Town Hall.

But, Harris has something Beto doesn’t — she’s a half-black and female. She’s Obama Part 2, minus the charisma and historical relevance. She’s better than O’Rourke solely because she is perhaps the most intersectional candidate the Democrats have.

What about all the other significant Democrats? Elizabeth Warren is out of the question. She self-destructed her own campaign when she decided to throw her hat in the intersectional ring by taking a DNA test to prove her Native American an- cestry.

She did prove it, technically, and the American people discovered that she is between 1/64th to 1/1024th Native American. That’s not intersectional enough, especially when she’s the archetypal image of Wonder Bread. Bernie Sanders would lose that game as well. Hillary Clinton is a strong maybe, but she isn’t nearly as brown as Harris.

Think, if I had just switched the skin colors and genders around a bit, I would be called “alt-right.”

And that is where this line of thinking will end, where we go back to seeing first skin color, and then character and merit.

Which leads us to perhaps the most popular fresh-face Democrat, the bar-

tender-turned politician, the real MC, OG, AOC. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been touted as the new darling of the Democratic Party. She’s got it all: personality, brown skin, relatability, ovaries, competence in social media, and a radical agenda that would be impossible for the United States to implement without a civil war.

Politics aside, Democrats have to face the facts and consequences of their cando policies. Wow, the entire U.S. producing no carbon emissions? A Green New Deal sounds great! But, when even Vox mentions, “It requires [...] trillions of dollars, and provides a federal job guarantee, while addressing and mitigating historical inequalities,” you probably have a problem.

So, we have a proposal worth trillions of dollars which includes such things as revamping the entire transportation system, supporting those unable and unwilling to find work, and “upgrading all existing buildings in the United States,” yet a $5 billion border wall is worth shutting down the government?

The radical leftists in the Democratic Party are making a joke out of any feasible arguments against President Trump. Granted, this does reveal a general weakness of the party as a whole. Democrats are too focused on combating President Tr u m p’s shenanigans than they are refining the aa ander ideology of Sean V their own party.

It does not take a genius to realize that The Donald won’t

be remembered for his groundbreaking political maneuvering, stoic character, radical policy-making, or cunning negotiation skills. He hasn’t touched entitlement benefits, abortions are more popular than ever, and Sanctuary cities still have funding. His work in office has been one of an average Republican, with little spurts in random directions just to keep the people on their toes: criminal justice reform, tariffs, and protectionism for example.

Taking up arms against everything the man does is rather unnecessary. I always wanted Democrats to only watch as innocent onlookers to his daily kerfuffles, thereby emitting a sense of normalcy to the everyday man. Their current “The Democrat Who Cried Hitler” strategy is all fun and games until an actual threat to democracy presents itself. President Trump is not that threat. According to this current narrative of thinking, Trump is an idiot, maniacal genius, blubbering Russian spy, and violent tool of the alt-right. Judging by the way the alt-right hates him because he’s too progressive, he would’ve told everyone by now if he were a Russian spy, and we know that he’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, I think we can use Occam’s razor with this one. So when Joe Biden says that the GOP will put African Americans, “back in chains” or when Ocasio-Cortez says the Trump administration is anti-semitic (Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump are, coincidentally, Jewish), a horrible and misleading precedent is set.

It is time for the Democrats to do some heavy soul-searching. They have to be better than the extremely low bar they purposely set for their rivals, or else they risk becoming just like that radical manifestation. Yet they fight fire with fire with their obsession with an intersectional utopia, glorification of their radicals, wasted time spent focusing on President Trump, and end up burning American politics to the ground.

Celebrity opinions should not be silenced Sarah Cheung What do a celebrity and a senator have in common?

They’re both involved in politics, of course!

In recent years, one may have noticed the frequency of famous influencers speaking out in the political world, taking to television, music, books, social media, and broadcasted events to publicize their views in today’s agitated climate. One may also notice discussions surrounding celebrities in the media, being called out for oversharing their political opinions, remaining suspiciously silent about them, and anything in be-

Sean Vanderaa

tween.

Since Donald Trump began campaigning for the 2016 presidential elections, there’s been a detectable surge of political activism from those who, some may say, don’t have enough government expertise to interfere or try to persuade the public. Some might wish they could just enjoy a song or movie without involving the creators’ politics.

Likewise, I initially held the same thought as I noticed the political takeover of award shows such as "The Oscars," which felt pervaded with statements often challenging the current U.S. leadership. It wasn’t necessarily that I believed the statements to be accurate or not — I just questioned if politics should intrude on a show that people of all ideologies simply watched for entertainment.

Some other television viewers around the country seemingly felt the same. Samba TV, which tracks audience measurements, recorded the decline in right-leaning viewership of award shows. Out of the avid Fox News viewers who watched "The Oscars" in 2016, 48 percent abstained from watching in 2017.

It’s understandable why this

may have become a trend in conservative viewership in the last few years — why would you intentionally watch something that mocked or disagreed with your beliefs?

Despite my sympathies, I also think their frustrations are more because they feel underrepresented and less because celebrities are using their position to influence.

There are people from all political parties who can probably agree on something: their own politics are correct. And if one believes themselves to be correct, than it’s in their best interest to spread their beliefs to as many people as possible.

Hence, personal beliefs aside, it seems hypocritical to condemn celebrities for taking advantage of their fame. If you find it irritating, consider this: if they were proclaiming their support of a policy that you favor yourself, then you’d more likely praise them for their bravery and character.

This is something that the altright movement did when, in the past, singer Taylor Swift had actually avoided taking a stance in politics. She was regarded as a beloved pop icon, writing songs about love and heartbreak that everyone could relate to. However, her im-

age free of political involvement still prompted discussion.

Like the alt-right did with Swift, political silence is sometimes interpreted as a statement in itself; in this case, as support for Trump.

This comes from the idea that those with unpopular opinions might not announce them in fear of being polarized.

Swift’s political silence had led to the assumption that she condoned Trump’s policies, even being labeled as an “Aryan goddess” by white supremacists. However, this label mostly disintegrated when in October 2018, Swift declared her support for Democrat Phil Bredesen in the midterm elections.

In her post she said, “Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100 percent on every issue, but we have to vote anyway.”

She closed out her statement by urging the youth to become registered voters and use their “right and privilege to make their voice count.”

As seen, Swift not only advocated for political involvement, which

most Americans recognize is valuable, but she retained a tone of respect for active citizenship regardless of which policies they favor.

It’s hard to be averse to this sort of statement. As the conversation about democracy intensifies, voting should be encouraged more than ever. Especially when social media reaches the youth who are future leaders, learning to take an active role as a citizen helps ensure the government represents the most people as possible.

Still, Swift received backlash from the same people who’d previously praised her. They’d made their own misconception, yet condemned her for sharing her true thoughts. First, they glorified her for “speaking” her mind; then, they were angry for the same reason.

Like any average person, celebrities have their own experiences and are entitled to their own beliefs of what is good for the country. Regardless of if you agree with them, they shouldn’t be censored just because they have the chance to make their voices heard over millions of others. My guess is that any person who feels strongly enough about an idea would take any opportunity to do the same.

February 2019

The Highlander Editor-in-Chief Sophie Lynd Managing Editor Kathryn Stratz ScotCenter Editor-inChief Briana McDonald Scotlight Editor-in-Chief Kylie Lin Scot Scoop Editor-inChief Kaylee George Social Media Director Ry Lei Faculty Adviser Justin Raisner

Editors Andrea Butler Molly Donaldson Francesca D’Urzo Nisha Marino Emma Romanowsky Sean Vanderaa Staff Writers Ben Balster Maya Benjamin Samantha Chu Sarah Cheung Samantha Dahlberg Anna Feng Talia Fine Nina Heller Joseph Gomez Lizzy Hall Sam Hanlon Mandy Hitchcock Sam Hosmer Rachel Hunter Nihal Karim Ailee Lim Rachel Matatyaou Kimberly Mitchell Julia Rhodie Veronica Roseborough Alena Ruhstaller Andrew Shen Taya Yakovenko Victoria Valle Remond The Highlander is a newspaper dedicated to providing Carlmont students, staff, and the 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 images. The 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 discretion of the editorial staff. This month’s editorial was written by Emma Romanowsky. The editorial cartoon was written by Sarah Chueng. ‘Ask Monty’ was written by Maya Benjamin

OPINION Editorial Pop culture dictates too much In the age of social media, constant access to information, and increased vocalization across all platforms, the line between popular movements and society as a whole is increasingly diminishing. Our jargon is dominated by references to vines, our president is a reality TV star, and our lives are increasingly being broadcast for the world to see.

This needs to stop.

While many consider pop-culture to be isolated to common forms of entertainment, often spread via the internet, its true definition spans far beyond its stereotypes.

Popular culture refers to the expression of a shared experience. And, for hundreds of years, society existed and arguably thrived on the basis of a compartmentalized society, with this idea of a “shared experience” only consuming one sector.

But the 21st century seems to forget this model and is allowing for popular culture to spread and influence more than its usual societal jurisdiction.

Due to our constant connection to the world around us, ideas travel between individuals at a faster rate than ever before. Naturally, with a bigger populous, the opinions become more diverse.

The paradox of modern popular culture is this: with greater access to ideas than ever before, and a theoretical greater potential for shared experience comes more polarizing belief systems.

These belief systems foster a culture of separatism which, as a whole, wants to be amused in a manner that feeds the arguments of an individual core idea. We are entertained by reality TV shows, memes, music, or film and the themes perpetuated from them. But from these mediums, we do not gain a shared experience, rather we apply our prior beliefs and force the message to fit our individual perspective.

We want to publicly acknowledge our personal experience and promote it as the ideal shared experience. The only caveat is that every person wants their idea to reign supreme over the others, prompting a culture of shared divisions.

This desire to be entertained, coupled with the disjointed nature of American culture is seeping into areas and creating controversy over things which are not meant to cause spectacles.

Elections should not rely on the internet presences of the candidates and celebrities should not be dismissed of their crimes due to their recognizability. And yet, pop culture’s increasing influence on society at large creates environments for each of these scenarios to ring true.

This influence manifests itself into movements which use popular opinion or the division between popular opinions to achieve a

certain outcome.

Outcomes of popular movements are vast and many can achieve positive results, but the nature in which these movements operate only further demonstrate the problematic divide in American popular culture. #MeToo, the 2018 movement in which victims of sexual assault brought the issue of sexual harassment to the global stage through social media. It prompted a wave of accusations and allegations of assault as well as provoked a national conversation about how survivors of sexual assault should be treated. #TimesUp followed the massive success of #MeToo, acting as the second wave of the fight against sexual harassment and proposing solutions to the problems addressed with the #MeToo movement.

Both #MeToo and #TimesUp were created and spread by the public and had an immense influence over the national conversation throughout 2018. But then these movements became political, and not in a broad sense.

The confirmation hearings of then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh took a turn when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers. Suddenly, the confirmation hearings became no more than a glorified trial where Kavanaugh was ultimately proven “not guilty” of sexual assault.

Once again, the people erupted, dividing into two camps: one, happy with the results and condemning Dr. Ford for attempting to tamper with the judge’s confirmation; the other, appalled with the Senate’s decision to support a man associated with a sex crime.

And so the divisions persisted.

Our culture is defined by its divisions. It has become the norm to identify strongly with one side or another and it has become popular to voice these divisions loudly, without listening to the other side.

Perhaps popular culture alone poses no threat. A culture of shared experience can promote progress, peace, and prosperity.

But our popular culture lacks the very nature of the definition of popular culture itself.

We lack shared experiences. Our society cannot thrive in a culture which promotes “popular divisions.” And given that America’s largest shared experience is that we are more divided than ever, we cannot rely on nor can we allow for popular culture to dictate the structure of our society.

Until there is a truly shared experience for all Americans, we must all hold a shared understanding: popular culture should not be the society’s primary influencing factor.

17 The Lei Way Ry Lei “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault.”

– Henry Anatole Grunwal

Spider-Man is more than a movie I’ve always loved Spider-Man. What I fell in love with as a kid reading the comic books and watching the Spider-Man movies were the details: the quirks and the mannerisms of his many versions.

Spider-Man retains cultural relevance because the truth is, no matter which way you spin it, readers see a part of themselves in him.

That and the fact that Spider-Man is one of the most well-branded superheroes: the formulaic origin story, the iconic theme song, and the premise of being a friendly neighborhood superhero.

That last variable is simultaneously fixed and unfixed — local context and influence from the environment and people are what make up the texture of each Spider-story. They literally depend on this notion of community — on the tacit understandings and inner workings of the streets they walked down and people they interacted with pre-Spider bite.

In the words of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, you can’t have a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man when there’s no neighborhood.

Beyond that, Spider-Man appeals to the masses because he’s just like everyone else.

While most other characters are rich, gifted with stronger-than-average brain power, born supernatural, or a combination of all three, Spider-Man is more authentic in the sense that his essence is dependent on the fact that he’s just a normal person who got bit by a radioactive spider.

Anyone can get bitten by a radioactive spider. Any person — or pig — can become Spider-Man. Even if you hit snooze on your alarm six times every morning before crawling out of bed, because that’s what makes him relatable.

The secret identity in question is not Spider-Man, it’s his human alter ego.

He’s young. He makes mistakes and admits to not knowing what’s going on. He has relationship problems, has to do homework, and struggles with feeling unpopular.

He’s always outgunned and gets beat up a lot. He doesn’t win every fight, and that’s endearing.

Ironically, it’s these traits that made publisher Martin Goodman skeptical. In an interview with ABC News, co-creator Stan Lee said when he pitched the idea, Goodman responded, “Don’t you understand what a hero is?”

The short answer to that question is yes. If anything, Lee uncovered the secret ingredient: in order to make the masked crusader more appealing, you have to focus on their alter ego.

Lee figured out that audiences wanted vulnerability, and ever since then, writers have been running with it. They also took SpiderMan as a cue to introduce younger superheroes; prior to Peter Parker, teenagers were only ever sidekicks.

The supernatural became more, well, human. Even Superman began to question whether Lois Lane loved the reporter or the superhero. Comic readers began to see more losses, even to heroes who had never lost a fight or failed to save a civilian before, but it worked, because it gave these heroes room to grow.

To fall apart, to take a deep breath, and to get back up again.

It made the hero’s journey stronger and raised the stakes of every battle. It made the part about getting back up all the more cathartic and triumphant.

And that’s how Spider-Man saved the world of comics.

18 Ask Monty

INTERACTIVE Crossword

February 2019

Hey Monty,

My counselor appointment to choose my classes for next year is in two weeks! Last year, I didn’t get to choose that many classes, but now I have to pick almost every course, which is really overwhelming.

I have heard a lot of people say that I need to take lots of APs and honors classes in order to get into my dream college. I don’t want to take a lot of advanced courses but I am afraid I won’t be accepted to many colleges if I don’t.

Send help!

-A concerned freshman

Hey, concerned freshman!

Good luck!

Your friend , Monty

Across 1. The art of making motion pictures 5. The largest social media platform of 2018 8. 2018 food trend: ________ on toast

Down

9. The “pop” in culture 11. The practice of using the cosmos to understand human relationships 12. Last name of the person with the second most liked picture on Instagram 13. The online dictionary for slang: ______ dictionary 15. The television channel that popularized music videos 16. America’s most popular television streaming service

2. First word of the highest grossing film of 2018’s title 3. The name of this newspaper 4. Leading artist in the pop art movement 6. Swedish music streaming platform 7. The lion from Narnia 10. Where the CEO of Facebook went to college 14. Bay Area FM radio 97.3

Answers Across: 1. cinematography 5. Facebook 8. avocado 9. popular 11. astrology 12. Jenner 13. urban 15. MTV 16. Netflix Down: 2. Avengers 3. (The) Highlander 4. Warhol 6. Spotify 7. Aslan 10. Harvard 14. Alice

I understand how stressful this time of year can be. I have faced similar struggles but luckily I was able to find lots of resources on campus that helped me select the right courses for the next year.

First, you should read the Program Planning Handbook on the Carlmont website under Resources.

In the handbook, you will find course descriptions on every class offered at Carlmont as well as a template to make a four-year plan. The handbook also shows the prerequisites for certain courses. If you want to follow a pathway, this is a great way to see how that will affect your schedule each year.

I would also recommend looking at the Departments page on the Carlmont website to help gain a better understanding of AP or honors classes versus regular classes for each subject. There, you can also find samples from textbooks to show the differences between the reading for AP and regular classes. Make sure to check the handbook for graduation requirements, UC and CalState requirements, and private colleges’ requirements.

If you have more questions, you can also talk to a teacher. Ask your current teacher who teaches the class you’re most interested in, or talk to the department head for that subject. Every member of the Carlmont faculty wants to help you build a great schedule for yourself.

If you plan on taking several APs, I recommend traveling over to B-Hall to visit your guidance counselor. Pick up a time management worksheet, which will let you check if you have enough time in the week to balance school, extracurriculars, and of course, sleep. If you plan on playing a sport, you should see how that impacts your average week.

When selecting classes for the following year, you should also factor in your genuine interest in each class. It’s okay to feel pressured to pick AP or honors classes for a higher GPA or for college, but if you aren’t interested in the class, you will be less motivated to do the work and you probably won’t enjoy the class too much.

Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to spend the entire year in the classes you choose now; you can’t drop every class you don’t enjoy. Try to pick classes that will be fun to take, but challenge yourself so you’re not falling asleep every day.

Colleges would much rather see that you took classes you are excited about or that are geared toward your major. If you don’t know what major you’re interested in, don’t worry! Think about what you want to spend time learning about.

Remember, the last day to make a level change or switch the classes you selected for the following year is May 24, 2019. Following May 24, you can still drop classes but you won’t be able to transfer from a regular class to an AP class or vice versa. All 9th, 10th, and 11th graders must be enrolled in at least six classes, and 12th graders must be enrolled in at least four classes.

Definitely don’t be afraid to reach out to your teachers with questions about what classes you should take next year. They are there to answer all your questions and they may even have suggestions about what courses would be a good fit for you.

Jokes Q: Why did Adele cross the road?

A: To sing, “Hello from the other

side!”

!

HaH a!

Q: What did Ariana Grande say at the checkout counter?

A: “thank u, next”

Q: What brand of telephone do Q: What did Mr. Rogers say to the horse?

A: “Won’t you be my NEIGHbor?”

! Ha! HaH a!

ophthalmologists use?

A: eye-Phone

Ha! Ha! Q: What do you call soda civilization?

A: “Pop” culture

Overheard at Carlmont

Overheard at Carlmont is a new section in The Highlander featuring out-of-context quotes students have heard at school.

Students can anonymously submit quotes by going to tinyurl.com/chsoverheard.

“I literally just gave myself scoliosis.”

“Coconuts don’t have udders though, so it’s not really milk.”

“I said, ‘you can’t kill me!’ and those b****es started crying.”

“You should spend as much time studying as you do shopping.”

“I’m getting spammed by air duct cleaning services.”

“I was like, well, it’s not just flavored water. There’s nicotine in there.”

“I could write an entire research paper about how swiss cheese is a sin.”

“I’m going to go home and cuddle some Sun Chips in my mouth.”

“Just because I’m Asian doesn’t mean I don’t listen to hip-hop. Are you racially profiling me?”

“It’s not time to give him a magic show!”

“I was hit in the ball with the face.”

February 2019

COMMUNITY

19

CULTURE ON CAMPUS

FILIPINO CLUB “We participate in club-oriented activities, whether it be Clubs Fair or Heritage Fair.

Lately, it’s been Lumpia and performing a traditional dance at the Heritage Fair assembly. It’s called Tinikling, and it’s named after a bird that runs through bamboo traps. It’s a dance used to celebrate Filipino heritage because the Philippines is made of so many islands that there’s a lot of different social cleavages and divisions, but this dance is universal. It’s really a symbol of the Philippines as a whole.”

Madison Palarca-Wong, Senior

MUSLIM FELLOWSHIP “Muslim fellowship represents its unique culture on campus through our daily conversations with friends, our work ethic and everything in between in hopes of showcasing the teachings of Islam. The club has participated in every Clubs Fair and Heritage Fair since its establishment in 2014. We have also been at the forefront of many activist events such as Fortifying Bridges and Islamophobia awareness week. The religion of Islam and its teachings are timeless.

They have applied to all eras, hence the Quran, our holy book, has never been changed. What we hope people take away is how beautiful and peaceful the religion really is. Islam has been under the spotlight of misconceptions for as long as I can remember, and the way to break those stereotypes is by actively showing and portraying the peaceful religion that Islam is. Islam, after all, translates to peace.”

Zaina Abdelrahman, Senior

INDIAN CLUB “Practically everyone in our club is first- or second-generation American at this point. At home, it’ll be a mix of Indian culture and at school, a mix of American culture. The club is not as much focused on being Indian as it is just hanging out and accepting your culture as it is. We have many members who aren’t Indian and just like to join us and have fun. It’s open to anyone who wants to join.”

Kinjal Vyas, Senior

Clubs on campus are places for students to learn about cultural aspects from all around the world. From Indian Diwali to traditional Korean dances, students of all backgrounds can showcase the diversity of Carlmont’s student body.

The following are statements from club representatives on how their culture is represented.

LATINOS UNIDOS “Latinos Unidos represents its unique culture on campus by mixing the social justice and awareness with the fun appreciation of the culture. We often participate in Clubs Fair and Heritage Fair where we sell food, such as conchas, horchata, and pupusas, and perform a culturally Hispanic dance, such as cumbia. We have also participated in Fortifying Bridges on campus several times. We like to have a combination of the modern and traditional aspects of Hispanic culture. We celebrate holidays, such as Día de los Muertos, with a potluck, and we appreciate the more modern culture such as the music.”

By Kylie Lin

Adrian Harris, Senior

KOREAN AMERICAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION “Most of the people in our club are not Korean, and we’re able to spread our culture that way since there aren’t that many Koreans in the school to begin with. The club is a mixture of traditional and popular culture, because one culture is never just one. I like showing off that it’s not just pop culture; it’s not just what everyone thinks it is. It’s celebrating tradition. And it’s totally fine to embrace a culture that’s not yours. You don’t have to be a part of the culture. Just come and learn.”

Nina Chung, Junior

BLACK STUDENT UNION “Black Student Union represents its culture on campus by allowing and influencing dialogue about black culture throughout the campus and in our meetings. BSU participates in Heritage Fair by performing, and also BSU participates in Fortifying Bridges by being a part of the planning. BSU definitely represents a more modern form of black culture, mostly because its more inclusive and allows a lot more conversation. I hope people take away a message of love and community from BSU’s activities on campus.”

Janelle Kwofie, Junior

For more on culture clubs:

20

The Arrival of Award Season Mandy Hitchcock Award season is here.

Every year, tens of millions of illuminated iPhones, laptops, and flat-screens worldwide dedicate a few hours to the admiration and appreciation of musical and cinematography production.

As the calendar turns, an anticipation for bright lights, red carpets, and the glamourous appearances of household-names arrive.

While the month of January hosts the Golden Globes recognizing outstanding achievement in film and television, February sees viewers tuned in to the Grammy Awards for the record industry and the Academy Awards for the movie industry.

Although all three programs have their own variation of the voting procedure, they share the restriction that only members of the association are allowed to participate.

Monica Holcomb attended the Oscars on Feb. 27, 2017 with her husband, an Academy member and digital model supervisor.

Direct personnel in the filmmaking process, like directors, producers, special effects, actors, wardrobe, makeup, or lighting, fabricate the voting demographic and highlight pieces who they think reflect the height of cinematic talent and accomplishment.

However, these winning and losing nominations can oftentimes be skewed. “[The members] are very influential because they are working and editing on the projects directly, [but] a handful of people who were Academy members would just give their best guesstimate on voting because they didn’t get around to watching all the screeners,” Holcomb said.

Katie Mannion, a junior, has been a part of musical theater her whole life and cannot imagine being who she is today without it. Appropriately, this interest has encompassed her annual viewing of the awards season.

“I think [award programs] generally show what the film, television, musical theater, and general industry of performance values. The Oscars in particular show us what people in that industry value in a production or piece of art,” Mannion said.

Over the course of a few hours, the millions glued to the TV find themselves laughing or crying, celebrating their favorite films or questioning what the consumer viewership has come to.

To remember, however, are how these determining factors come from a selective voting process and are interchange-

able with some degree of uncertainty; that is to say, votes can be based on perception rather than honest review.

The basic criteria to meet in order to become eligible includes having a related profession of the industry as well as sponsorship from two Academy members, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website. Academy Award nominees are automatically considered and do not require sponsorship.

As a result of the membership representing only the technical professionals of the industry, Mannion feels that viewers should be aware that the winning nominations are not based upon public opinion or success.

“I think it accurately represents the opinions of people who are deeply entrenched in that industry, but it doesn’t necessarily represent the opinions of the greater population, though I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Mannion said. “[The voting process] is fine as long as we are all aware that that’s not exactly the most broad base, but rather a general representative of that specific section of society.”

This is further emphasized in the event of the unexpected triumph of the film “Moonlight” over “La La Land” in 2017. The Guardian publication reports the musical film has received a five stars review from the Sun, the Mirror and Metro, the Guardian, the Times, and the Telegraph.

Holcomb recalls her experience when “Moonlight” won: “We were all screaming, it was like someone was being murdered. There was crazy stuff going on, but that was a very special kind of crazy,” Holcomb said.

“That kind of spoke volumes to not judge a book by it’s cover; don’t have expectations.”

Knowing that winning nominations can vary from each perspective, one should remember to take into priority what they as an individual enjoy and what it means to spend their time recognizing the artistic collaborations that make up the arts industry.

“I think everything is worth watching. The younger generation is used to being completely entertained for the entirety of the movie. I’ve seen some really great movies that’s not just in your face, fast action, fast moving the whole time, and I’ve come to appreciate those movies as well,” Holcomb said. “Keep an open mind. See where the trends are going, but don’t let it completely influence your own opinion.”

Photoillustration by Francesca D’Urzo