Adversity/Hope -- Archie Williams High School News

CONTENTS 2 3 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 31 32 33

Retiring teachers Student leadership in COVID-19 2020-21 textbook page Quarantine puppies The mask dilemma

Mental health in COVID-19 Frosh/Senior experience History of Sir Francis Drake Eateries survive pandemic Senior map Name change debate Performative name change Name change timeline Online school reflection AWHS sports Student art during pandemic Footloose vintage review Video game popularity peaks Chicago 7 review Chaos Walking review

Staff Melissa Auchard Samantha Parr Alice Simenstad Georgia Schroeder Emily Cardwell Aler Giffin Toby Gibbons Jacob Weller Kelsey Riemer Fiona Swan Jack Long Madie Butler Dominic Haggard Sophia Minutoli Katie Hausammann Dresden Calabrese Maddie Biegel Genevieve Peterson Ellis Chamberlin Dylan Carson Brynn Galaich Isabella Nash Avery Yudice Henry Pratt Jonathan Weller

Editor in Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Assistant Copy Editor News & Sports Editor A&E Editor Photo Editor Design Director Web Editor + Designer Reporter + Designer Reporter + Designer Reporter + Designer Reporter + Designer Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Adviser

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Archie Williams High School News, a product of the Advanced Journalism class, is a vehicle of student expression and a public forum for the Archie Williams High School community and is subject to review by staff and adviser only. All opinions and articles are those of the author and/or the publication, and do not reflect the attitudes and/or opinions of the school as a whole.

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Evan Schaefer Melissa Auchard

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Melissa Auchard Editor in Chief

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his past year has been a slap in the face for all of us. Some of us have experienced deteriorating mental health or learned how to cope with loneliness.

Not having to interact socially has been freeing for others.

While we have all struggled, the grass is looking greener now.

With this in mind, this issue explores the idea of adversity and hope in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a feature, Georgia Schroeder examines the difficulties of life in online school for Archie Williams High School (AWHS) students.

Avery Yudice looks back on the year in isolation through the lens of a textbook page we might see a few decades from now.

Alice Simenstad shares two opposing perspectives on the AWHS name change from student Natalia Hernandez-Bernal and Drake alumna Dr. Danette Citti.

Georgia Schroeder and Maddie Biegel open a window into the life of the lovable pups adopted during quarantine.

Madie Butler and Toasty Calabrese share how, despite COVID-19 obstacles, MCAL sports persevered.

Our editorial argues that the AWHS name change is a bandaid solution for the school’s anti-racist agenda.

As life is beginning to go back to normal, it’s important that we reflect on what we’ve learned in this year of isolation. Go outside, get off your computer, read a book, tell someone you love them, cherish your moments with family and friends, and most of all spread love, not COVID.

LET TER

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Retiring teachers plan for future after cherished years at AWHS

By Genevieve Peterson

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ith the end of each school year comes the bittersweet news of Archie Williams High School (AWHS)’s beloved teachers’ retirement. Leaving this year are Thea Haselton, Irene Friedman, and Beth Cederstrom.

Haselton, a therapist at Bay Area Community Resources who is currently working at AWHS as a counselor, plans to start her own private therapy practice. She is also excited to have more time for hobbies, such as oil painting, after her retirement from AWHS. Haselton looks back on her time at the school fondly. Among her favorite moments have been working with the staff and students at the school, whom she called “kind and lovely.”

“Through the years there have been so many students who will stay with me....just the privilege of seeing people on their path and how they grow has been really tremendous,” Haselton said.

Friedman, a Paraeducator at AWHS, is ready to have more freedom for adventures such as road trips with her husband. She plans to take retirement one day at a time and focus on the things she loves. She hopes that in her 23 years at AWHS she has touched the hearts of students and teachers.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with so many amazing teachers and it’s been a true honor to be a part of the most incredible Bridge team,” Friedman said. “I’ve learned so much from them and from my students over the years.

Retiring BACR Ms. Hasselton. Photo by Genevieve Peterson

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Retiring paraeducator Ms. Friedman. Photo by Genevieve Peterson

It’s been a great ride, I’ll miss it all, but it’s time to move on to the next part of my life.”

After working as a ceramics teacher at AWHS for 21 years, Cederstrom plans to get some rest from constant work in the studio and at the kiln. She plans to travel more, create more art, and try not to “turn into a complete hermit.”

Cederstrom reflects on how the students at AWHS enriched her life; she especially wanted to acknowledge the “Yogi and Yoginis.” She hopes that she enriched their lives as much as they did hers.

“My greatest hope is that students found a safe home in the ceramic studio where they learned how to take risks, trust themselves, work cooperatively, and where they experienced the joy of learning,” Cedarstrom said.

Cedarstrom thanks the community and administration for supporting her and reinforcing the arts during her years at AWHS. Lastly, Cederstrom says that she will miss all her students and their adventures together. However, she is delighted for her newfound time to relax.

These three teachers will embark on new chapters in their lives, adjacent to the school’s new chapter as AWHS. Cedarstrom, Friedman, and Haselton will keep their teaching memories with them in their retirement, as will the students whose lives they touched on their journeys.

News

Student Leadership Adapts to COVID

By Henry Pratt

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tudent leadership is a pivotal part of Archie Williams High School (AWHS), perhaps now more than ever due to the impact of COVID-19 on the student body. Despite the challenges brought by COVID-19 and at-home learning, student leadership has found a way to thrive and continue to serve the students of AWHS. As they reflect upon the chaos and uncertainty of the past year, student leaders shed light on how they adapted to unexpected circumstances, and how they continue to function through challenges beyond their control.

ASB president, Ella Acker, has the responsibility of planning school events during a year where gatherings are limited. Acker plans school events such as rallies and dances, while also working with other school leadership groups to develop ideas on how best to serve students on campus.

“The name change has been a unique opportunity for ASB and has led to us... working more closely with other leadership groups in order to figure out the best way to help all students,” Acker said.

Acker is also a part of the DLC, where she facilitates meetings concerning the name change, as well as other school topics. Due to her leadership role, Acker feels that she has been “personally impacted by the school’s name change,” and that this experience has “opened my eyes to the work our school needs to start doing in order to educate and uplift all students, BIPOC and white alike,” Acker said.

Georgia Hooks, AWHS senior and member of Peer Resource (PR), an elective class that educates students in mental and sexual health, says that she has been indirectly impacted by the name change. Hooks says that members of PR have needed to attend meetings concerning the name change,

taking time away from other goals.

“Certain members of our team have been roped into many meetings which have taken up a lot of time. Also, many students have been expected to take certain sides. It has occupied up a lot of our work time,” Hooks said.

Hooks also believes that the name change has been an interesting opportunity to communicate with each other, building a further bond amongst the class. Hooks feels that COVID-19 has affected PR, but more in a sense of lost comradery.

“Usually, peer resource is a very active and lively class...we usually are more involved in student life, by doing Condom Availability Training, peer mentoring in person, and many other activities. With COVID-19, it was very difficult to actually reach the students and have students want to participate,” Hooks said.

Like Hooks, Jack Parr, senior and member of Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), feels as though his program has been affected by COVID-19. AVID’s main goal is to help students excel in their classes and help members get into the college they want to attend.

“COVID-19 prevented our class from going on certain college visits, and we really missed out, because college visits are really important. You can really explore and see what college you would fit in,” Parr said COVID-19 has challenged many aspects of our lives throughout the past year. But as student leaders help students get back on track during in-person learning, they model the skills of resilience and determination that every student at AWHS can look up to.

Peer resource leaders educate AWHS students through condom demonstration.

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Civil unrest continued as the United States fell into deep turmoil By: Avery Yudice

Why it Matters Now The turmoil of 2020 has tought humanity that no matter the adversity they may face, hope will remain and the darkness shall fade.

- 2020 Key Terms

- Impeachement - COVID-19 - Electoral College

“Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now,” said 46th president of the United States Joe Biden in his inauguration address on January 20, 2021.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IMPEACHED TWICE

#METOO MOVEMENT CREATES NATIONWIDE UPHEAVAL

On January 16, 2020, the articles of impeachment against President Trump were formally accepted by the Senate. This action would commence the third impeachment trial of any president. President Trump was on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors, but was later acquitted on February 5, 2020. After accusations of inciting the Capitol Hill insurrection January 6, he was also tried on the same charges on February 9, 2021, and was acquitted once again.

On March 11, 2020, Judge James Burke sentenced American film producer Harvey Weinstein to 23 years in prison after he was found guilty of 11 counts of sexual assault in addition to other charges, including rape.

The sexual assault survivors refused to be silent, and made their stories known. “Their words took down a predator and put him behind bars and gave hope to survivors of sexual violence all across the world,” said Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., in a statement released shortly after Weinstein’s conviction.

The #MeToo, a viral movement that began when HarVIRUS PARALYZES vey Weinstein was first accused in Oct. 2017, gained GLOBAL POPULATION more force and attention after Weinstein’s sentence in On January 6, 2020, the World Health Organization 2020.

(WHO) sounded the global alarm regarding the first pneumonia-like case of a virus in Wuhan, China. “Including the occupation, location and symptom profile BELOVED BASKETBALL ICON LOST IN of the people affected – pointed to a coronavirus (CoV) HELICOPTER CRASH as a possible pathogen causing this cluster,” the WHO Tragedy struck again in the United States as said. With the help of China’s technologically basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughadvanced hospital system, the country was ter Gianna died along with seven other able to keep the new COVID-19 virus victims in a catastrophic helicopter accontained for a matter of months becident on Sunday, January 26, 2020. fore it reached any other locations.

This event shattered the hearts of In a White House meeting addressAmericans who admired Kobe Brying COVID-19 concerns on February ant’s impact on the sports world. Mid27, 2020, President Donald Trump flight to Gianna’s basketball game, the said, “It’s going to disappear. One day helicopter experienced technical dif— it’s like a miracle — it will disapficulties and landed fatally in Calabasas, pear.” Fast forwarding months later, the California. Many stars, such as fellow Lakers world remained paralyzed by the pandemLebron James and Anthony Davis, paid their reic. By April 2021, the United States alone had racked up 565,613 total deaths from COVID-19 since spects to the Bryant family. the first case in January 2020.

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ANGER RISES AS CIVIL CONFLICT CONTINUES

JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS

News

On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden was inaugurated as Events began to shift from COVID-19 concerns the 46th President of the United States. Kamala Harris to civil uprising when George Floyd, a Black man, was was sworn in as the Vice President by Justice Sonia Somurdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chau- tomayor, who was the first woman of color to serve on vin on May 25, 2020. This murder, as well as the mur- the supreme court. President Biden and Vice President ders of many others like, Ahmaud Arbery and Breon- Harris gave speeches to the intensely divided country na Taylor fueled a summer of civil upset in the United after winning the 2020 election. Vice President Harris States. Protests in the streets for racial justice became a became the first female and Black person in an Amerdaily occurrence, as many claimed that the U.S. justice ican presidential office, symbolizing increasing represystem had failed miserably at safe policing. sentation of marginalized groups in official positions.

“If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,” President Trump said in his speech.

Just moments after President Trump’s speech NEW HOPE PREVAILS AS COVID-19 VACCINE concluded, thousands of angry Americans stormed the GAINS TRACTION US capitol building. Many were injured by police force As the COVID-19 pandemic surged across the in this violent attack. Tension accumulated between many marginalized communities and the police force, world, the United States gained new headway in their arguably to the highest point of intensity in U.S. history. fight against the virus under the Biden administration; vaccine distribution. The first shot was given to a New York nurse who fought on the front lines of the US MOURNS THE LOSS OF COVID-19 battle. Before the first vaccine was adminSUPREME COURT JUSTICE istered, a trial occurred for 10 weeks as 70,000 people received either the vaccine or a placebo and were On September 18, 2020, citizens all across the Unit- monitored for reactions. According to the Centers for ed States mourned the loss of Associate Justice of the Disease Control (CDC), about 28.5 percent of the US Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Gins- population were vaccinated as of April 25, 2021. The burg was nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice by vaccine was the strongest headway that the world had President Clinton and took her seat on the bench on seen against the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many events contributed to the years of woman to serve as a member of the Supreme Court.

Bader Ginsburg was beloved and admired by many as division, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to one a powerful advocate for women’s rights, same-sex mar- of the most tumultuous years in US history. In years to riage and gender equality. follow, many will look back on 2020 and 2021 as a time that brought both crisis and unity to our nation.

2020 ELECTION RECORDS UNPRECEDENTED VOTING NUMBERS After months of campaigning against one-term president Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reigned victorious after one of the most influential presidential races in American history. Holding 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232, President Biden manages to flip several unpredictable swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. A record breaking number of voters attended polls, casting a total of 81 million votes for the Biden-Harris ticket and 74 million for the TrumpPence ticket. drakejollyroger.com

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Puppies: COVID-19 lockdown inspires surge in puppy adoptions

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COVID-19 lockdown inspires surge in puppy adoptions

By Maddie Biegel and Georgia Schroeder

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nown as “man’s best-friend,” dogs are notorious for keeping people company under any circumstance, as well as providing endless entertainment. Due to the COVID-19 shutdown, many people decided to grow their families by adding a new puppy to the mix.

Many find it easier to manage isolation when they have an energetic puppy to keep them company.

Not only do dogs help ease feelings of loneliness in quarantine, they can also give their owners a reason to go outside and encourage them to exercise. Needing to walk their dog can lead to new adventures that might’ve never occurred without their furry friends. “[My dog] definitely has been the highlight of quarantine and definitely has forced us to still go outside and walk around… I’ll go on hikes with her… it doesn’t feel like you’re alone… there’s something else there,” said Emma Sampson, a junior at Archie Williams High School (AWHS).

Not only do dogs give their humans a reason to go outside and exercise, but they can also give people a new perspective on this past year’s COVID-19-related events. A dog’s ignorance to the global pandemic can be an escape for owners, knowing that their dogs aren’t stressing over at-risk family members or double masking at the grocery store.

“She’s just a dog, she doesn’t know what’s going on, and I think that sense of knowing she’s okay and she’s just happy everyone else is there around her is relaxing for anybody,” Sampson said.

Many families wanted to adopt before quarantine started, but staying home all the time sped up the adoption process. Working and doing school from home makes it much easier to take care of a new puppy.

“I [have] never had a dog before so I wanted to experience that… I have always wanted one but quarantine helped me find

“I have always wanted one but quarantine helped me find better reasons to get a dog” better reasons to get a dog,” said Amber Simon, a junior at AWHS. Not only can adopting positively affect the owners, but it also can greatly affect the dogs. As more and more people caught on to the adopting trend, the adoption centers gave homes to more dogs than before the pandemic.

“We’ve seen a huge surge in the number of people who want to adopt during the pandemic. We’re on track to complete about 4,000 adoptions this year, making it one of our best years yet,” said Krista Maloney, the Communications Manager at the San Francisco branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Dogs, specifically puppies, require a substantial amount of time and energy to care for and train.

Because so many people are working from home now, it is easier to meet the needs of their puppies.

However, the increase in adoption has not just been with puppies. People also adopt older dogs more frequently now. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, these dogs would have typically been in the shelter up to months before possibly finding a home.

“We’ve also seen demand for adult dogs increase sharply. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that senior and special needs animals, who would sometimes spend weeks or even months at the shelter, are often finding homes very quickly.” said Maloney Energetic and loveable, many dogs have found quality homes during quarantine and have brought joy to adopters during trying times. With the extra company of a K-9, it’s easier for people to cope with the harsh reality of the world around them.

“Bailey made my quarantine experience much better and filled it with a lot more joy,” Simon said.

drakejollyroger.com

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Democrats and Republicans stand divided

By Samantha Parr and Avery Yudice

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mericans tend to make many issues “political.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic came to the United States in January 2020, yet another political divide was born - this time over the issue of wearing masks.

Marin’s political makeup is heavily Democratic. In fact, according to the California Secretary of State website, 60.34 percent of Marin’s voters registered as Democrats and just 13.27 percent as Republicans in the 2020 general election.

When it comes to mask mandates, Democrats are more likely to comply. According to a Pew Research study in October 2020, Democrats were

ence and fact...everything’s telling us that masking is really an effective tool,” Rice said.

In addition to education, media portrayals can also influence Democrats’ compliance to mask mandates.

“Generally I see the media likes stories that generate controversy...yet, I don’t think mask wearing is controversial in our community,” Rice said. “Early on, our local media was supportive of the orders that were coming out of the public health department.”

Exposing oneself to different news sources can allow them to consider different perspectives and take more informed stances on issues. According to Pew Research Center, Democrats receive their news from a variety of sources: namely CNN, NPR, the NY Times.

“Democrats tend to come from a On the other hand, Republicans tend to rely primarily place that understands the value of on one source: Fox News.

“I often find that I am easily influenced by other the commons and community good...” people’s words in general, so watching Fox News would twice as likely as Republicans to say that people in probably twist my point of view,” said Archie Williams their communitiesshould always wear masks. High School (AWHS) sophomore Andrew Chaplin, “People are still complying because it’s who identifies more with the Democratic Party. a rule, and they know it’s a courtesy, Other AWHS students, like junior Sascha Nikolai, and they know that people may be feel that social media influences them more than news more fearful than they are,” coverage. said Marin County Su“If kids I know are posting on their Snapchat stopervisor Katie Rice. ries like ‘please wear a mask, please stay safe…’ that Because Democrats definitely has more of an impact on me than like the typically seek out higher CNN News...I’m more likely to listen to people of my education, they tend to age group,” Nikolai said. be more politically inNevertheless, Rice says that Marin residents will formed. Throughout likely continue to wear masks until the county-enforced the country, according mask mandate ceases due to morality. to a 2018 Pew Research “Democrats tend to come from a place that unstudy, 54 percent of col- derstands the value of the commons and community lege graduates identify as good...it’s not as self-interested,” Rice said Democrats compared to Nikolai feels the same way. Although she is younger the 39 percent who identify and at a lower risk for contracting a severe case of the as Republicans. According to virus, she still feels the responsibility to wear a mask in another Pew study, people with public to protect others. no more than a high school de“If an older person is walking by a person gree are far less likely to be aware who is not wearing a mask, imagine how scared of the stances that different political they might feel,” Nikolai said. Amid political diviparties have on issues. sion, the Democratic Marin County will likely con“I think that, generally, the pop- tinue to masup until it is finally safe to stop. ulation here is pretty well informed and is paying attention to the news and information that’s coming out...if you believe in sciIssue 70

over COVID-19 mask compliance

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Feature

evertheless, a fraction of Marin’s population comply with the mandate than Democrats for reaare registered Republicans. Some, like Archie sons including news interaction, politicians’ influencWilliams High School (AWHS) senior Diego es, personal experiences, and social media content.

Thorsen, are registered Republicans but fall closer to “My opinion on masks has definitely shifted in terms of the middle of the political spectrum. how seriously I take it due to my mom and aunt work“At the beginning of Covid I understood why the ing in the medical field and having to take it more serimask mandate was being implemented and why it was ously for sports,” Thorsen said. important to follow but I didn’t quite agree with how While some right-leaning AWHS students agree strict some of my family was taking it,” Thorsen said. with the mask mandate, others oppose it. Despite this AWHS junior Trystan Seybold considers himself to opposition, Seybold abides by the mask, like many, be a far-right conservative, or in his words a “Republi- to participate in everyday activities in today’s world. can 200%.”

“I personally dislike the fact that I have to wear a mask ev“My opinion on masks has not changed at all. We erywhere, it is not my cup of tea in anyway possible but ya are the United States of America (land of the free) so I know life throws you a curveball, you have to keep movfeel like I should have the choice to do what I want to do ing and nowadays it is the new normal so it is something just like the people who want to wear masks,” Seybold I have to abide by even if I do not like it,” said Seybold. said.

Masks have become an extremely controversial area When turning on the television to watch the news, in our world today. Stress in the United States many Americans has reached rehave a preferred “I personally dislike the fact that I cord-breaking levchannel that they els. Acs u b c o n s c i o u s l y have to wear a mask everywhere...” cording switch to. In line t o with a study done by the Pew Research Center, 93% of apa.org, “nearly 8 in 10 Republicans watch Fox News, compared to 6% of Dem- adults (78%) say the ocrats. This differential leads to news sources acquiring coronavirus pantheir own inherent bias. In short, people like to hear demic is a significant what they agree with. source of stress in their According to Statista.com, 82 percent of US citizens life.” While Repubuse some form of social media. For many, especially licans may not agree young adults, social media has been a source of infor- with mask mandates, mation on a variety of world events. the majority of Marin “I try to stay away from the news/media as much as County residents will likepossible to fake news and lies we are being told on a dai- ly continue to comply with ly basis. On the occasion I do get news I tend to listen to the guidelines in place. my father because he works on the front lines as a firefighter/paramedic and sees this stuff on a daily basis and he gives me updates and things like that,” said Seybold.

In addition to social media’s influence, political figures also have a large impact on the decisions people make. In the midst of COVID-19 fears in early 2020, the US was run by President Donald Trump, who generally opposed the mask mandate and portrayed the idea that COVID-19 wasn’t a real threat.

“We pretty much shut it down coming in from China,” said President Trump in an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on February 2, 2020.

Many Republicans have been more reluctant to

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Covid-19: Impact on mental health and eating disorders

Written by: Sophia Minutoli

By Sophia Minutoli

“In uncertain times we have less control over our own lives than usual.”

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uring quarantine, the word isolation has been thrown about interchangeably with other melancholy adjectives in an attempt to describe the exacerbating effect of COVID-19 on mental health. An increase in seclusion has led to an increase in mental health illnesses, thus increasing eating disorders.

Carol Normandy, a psychiatrist who specializes in eating disorders, confirmed this increase in eating disorders during COVID-19. Normandy spoke about how a worsening of mental illnesses during COVID-19 has led to an increase in eating disorders. Eating disorders most often relapse when someone is struggling with their mental health.

“Eating disorders, especially in adolescents, are at an all time high.

I think it has worsened because of numerous factors including 1) social isolation 2) challenges with online schooling 3) decrease in extra-curricular activities 4) increase in social media use which research has proven to impact eating disorders 5) increased anxiety and depression,” Normandy said.

Some might argue that the decrease in pressure to be social or go out in public might actually help eating disordered behavior.

“This may be true for some people, but overall we are seeing increases in eating disorder behaviors, and for these cases, clients are spending more time being isolated and focusing on social media sites that promote orthorexic behaviors (extreme “healthy eating”) and body perfecting. They don’t have access to other healthy activities that promote intrinsic worth such as academics, or creativity, or sports, or music, or social gatherings, or volunteering, or extended family gatherings,” Normandy said.

The demand for therapy has drasti-

cally increased over the pandemic, leading to higher requests for intensive outpatient programs in the SF bay area than ever before. There are extensive waitlists for most programs, a phenomenon Normandy has not seen in her thirty years of working with eating disorders.

There are many steps to take towards recovery when struggling with an eating disorder, even opening up about the issue can have a weightlifting effect.

“Whatever your limitations are, be sure to spend time every day doing activities that are restorative and regenerative for you... It’s been a really hard year. Find those things about you that are of intrinsic value, not based on what you look like, or who’s going to like your posts, but what you can create and bring to the world. Celebrate your aliveness!” Normandy said.

Normandy has seen an overwhelming increase in mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety recently, which give way easily to eating disorders. Those struggling are far from alone. COVID-19 has undoubtedly left people with ample time to hyperfixate on bodies and image, so it’s no wonder eating disorders or disordered eating have become even more of a problem this last year. As COVID-19 comes to an end, one can hope that increased quality time outside, at school, and with friends and family can remind those struggling of the importance of their intrinsic worth as opposed to their distorted body images.

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Freshmen and Seniors compare experiences during COVID-19 By: Brynn Glalaich

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hile COVID-19 has been difficult for almost everyone, the pandemic has affected different age groups in different ways. Despite drawbacks in all grades, freshmen and seniors have had significantly diverse experiences during this time.

Freshmen

can’t just talk to them in a Zoom meeting.”

Although seniors seem to believe that online school was more difficult for freshmen than it was for them, freshmen have the opposite opinion.

“I think online school was easier for freshmen and harder for seniors because for them it was like a gap in their whole high school experience, but for us, it was just a later beginning,” Gaebe said.

Unlike the current seniors, freshmen still have several years to experience the events and traditions at HS 1327.

Many people think that COVID-19 has hardly affected freshmen because they have not been forced to miss out on any majorly memorable high school experiences. However, most freshmen find the transition from middle school to high school to Seniors Seniors, on the othbe difficult even during a “normal” year. This tran- er hand, have attendsition is made signifi- ed HS 1327 for a much cantly more challenging longer time, waiting when students are only able to communicate with teachers and classmates through a screen.

“I think that going to a new school completely online was difficult because there was no way to communicate with any other kids,” said HS 1327 freshman Charlie Gaebe. “Even when there were people I knew in my classes, [I]

for their turn to go to prom, graduation, and more traditional senior year festivities. Now that these events are no

longer promised, many seniors are distraught.

However, some seniors, who may be trying to make sure that their high school experience does not end on a dull note, never stopped partying.

“I don’t think COVID has stopped kids from having parties and going out and having fun,” said HS 1327 senior Emma Murphy.

One advantage of being a senior during COVID-19 is that many have already made connections with their peers and teachers at HS 1327.

“We all know what high school is like and what teachers expect out of us and so I think, because of that, it’s been easier for us,” Murphy said.

A disadvantage of being a senior during COVID-19, however, is that traditional senior experiences such as prom were canceled.

Murphy, who is a member of ASB, expressed her disappointment at the cancellation of prom.

Although the 2021 seniors have been acquainted with HS 1327 for years, they have missed out on many events due to COVID-19. drakejollyroger.com

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The History of Sir Francis Drake By: Isabella Nash

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ir Francis Drake was a pirate and slave trader, right? That’s why the school name changed from “Sir Francis Drake High School” to HS 1327. However, what else did he do, and why was Drake High School named after him in the first place? HS 1327’s eradication of the name “Sir Francis Drake” has been eye-opening for the community, especially after learning who Drake truly was. Now, community members wonder what Drake did to get a high school named after him and ultimately have his name removed from the school.

Sir Francis Drake was the explorer who claimed California for England on June 17, 1579. It is speculated that he landed on the Point Reyes peninsula, in a place now known as Drake’s Cove in his ship the Golden Hind. Drake is known for being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. While doing this, he stole from the Spaniards during his expeditions to give to Queen Elizabeth, gaining his title as a “pirate” to the Spaniards and a “hero” to the English. The Spanish king Philip II even put a bounty of over eight million current dollars on his head.

When he was around 20 years old, in the 1560s, Drake joined his cousin John Hawkins on a slave trading expedition. The crew would attack Portugese slave ships and West African villages and sail to the Spanish Carribean, transporting

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slaves to sell them to local plantations. This was illegal in Spain at the time, and on one of these missions they were attacked by the Spaniards and most of his crewmates were killed. However, Drake emerged unharmed. This attack fueled his

Illustration of Sir Francis Drake’s ship, the Golden Hind. By Kelsey Riemer

rage towardsagainst Spain and its king, Philip II. Drake’s slave trading expeditions are the main reason why his name was erased from HS 1327.

Many HS 1327 community members were unaware of the underlying legacy of Sir Francis Drake, influencing their opinion in either the support or dismissal of the name change.

“I didn’t know a ton… before the renaming of the boulevard and the high school. I did know he was an explorer, but I did not know that he was also a slave trader,” Aaron

Hess, While Hill Middle School History and English teacher, said.

Others felt similarly about obliviousness to his slave trading expeditions. The slave trading aspects of Drake’s voyages wentgoing unnoticed by many.

“I think that people knew the name and knew that he was some type of explorer. I don’t think a lot of people knew what he did because then this name change would have happened sooner,” Maya Janson, HS 1327 freshman, said.

With information surfacing regarding his career as a slave trader, community members feel that the name change has been informative about who Sir Francis Drake was. Most believe that the name change has informed people who maybe never stopped to think about who Drake was. “[The people in the community] didn’t honestly know the history behind it,” Hess said.

Other community members agree that they rarely thought about it.

“I never really stopped to think about ‘who was this person that the street was named after?’” said HS 1327 parent Heather Gould.

Sir Francis Drake was an explorer and pirate known for claiming California for England. He was a slave trader, which many people did not know until it was stated as the prime reason for the name change.

The Sir Francis Drake High School name change has shown more people what wasn’t well known before.

Local eateries endure COVID-19 lockdown

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Feature

By Dylan Carson

hroughout the past year, restaurants have been hit hard by COVID-19 and its restrictive safety precautions.

Restaurant owners were forced to adapt to new safety protocols, decreasing their normal numbers of customers and staff.

Over one year after the first COVID-19 outbreak, restaurants have begun to return to their normal number of seating and customers. However, businesses are still trying to make up for the money lost during the pandemic.

After the first major outbreak of COVID-19 in Marin at the beginning of March 2020, Marin County shut down indoor and outdoor dining, forcing restaurants to serve their customers entirely through to-go orders. County-wide, restaurants were greatly affected by this shutdown. Many restaurants were forced to lay off workers and temporarily close their restaurants due to large amounts of business loss.

“Our revenue in 2020 was down 60% from 2019, we also lost a majority of our hourly staff,” said Ryan Heis, the managing partner of Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur.

In December 2020, Marin’s weekly COVID-19 positive test rate decreased to eight percent, allowing the County to enter the purple tier.

Once in the purple tier, restaurants were allowed to offer distanced outdoor dining to their customers. Lo-

cal restaurants were eager to take advantage of the opportunity, and many built outdoor patios, expanding their seating to accommodate distanced diners.

Left Bank built an outdoor sheltered patio for their customers with distanced tables and heat lamps.

Their parklet features a wooden collage of Larkspur businesses plus hand-painted murals of old-school Larkspur during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“The goal is to have [the parklet] add to the community… and we’ve been really well-received by all,” Caiazzo said.

Some restaurants, such as Picco, hope to expand their outdoor seating by permanently keeping their outdoor parklet even after their restaurant can offer 100 percent indoor capacity.

“We currently have a permit from Larkspur to operate the parklet through the end of June. We are hoping that they will extend it through the end of the summer [and] we would be thrilled if Larkspur would allow the parklet to become permanent,” Heis said.

Although building outdoor patios can improve restaurants’ business during COVID-19, it is a costly investment to purchase and maintain outdoor seating and equipment.

“We spent roughly $10,000 on the initial purchase and install of

our parklet and heaters. We are spending about $300 per week on propane tanks right now for our portable heaters,” Heis said.

Throughout COVID-19, restaurants had to quickly adapt to the constant changes in safety regulations as the county’s tier colors often changed. On April 1, 2020, Main County entered the purple tier which allowed restaurants to open outdoor dining.

During the holiday season of 2020, COVID-19 cases surged and Marin County issued a stay at home order on Dec. 18, 2020. Restaurants were forced to shift from outdoor dining to relying entirely on to-go orders to stay open.

As COVID-19 cases began to drop on Jan. 25, Marin lifted its stay at home order, allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor dining. The recent vaccine distributions across the County have allowed Marin to move from the red to the orange tier, permitting indoor dining at 50 percent capacity for local restaurants.

Restaurants suffered many ups and downs trying to adapt to the county’s new safety regulations during COVID-19. In the past year, restaurants have evolved in the changing industry, taking a toll on their business and customers. But as Marin County’s COVID-19 cases begin to decline, local restaurants are reopening and welcoming back the community. drakejollyroger.com

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Both sides of the Sir Francis Drake Natalia Hernandez-Bernal

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atalia Hernandez-Bernal is a junior at HS 1327 and an active member of Students Taking Action for Anti-Racism (STAAR). She believes that because of Sir Francis Drake’s violent past, specifically his participation in the Atlantic Slave Trade, it was right to remove his name from the school.

Beyond that, Natalia believes that it is important to search for a school name that exemplifies our community’s values as well as take anti-racist action beyond the name change.

Natalia racially identifies as either “Hispanic, Latine, or Latina.”

Her experience as a BIPOC student at HS 1327 is an influential factor in how she views the name change decision.

“As a BIPOC student the name change affects me because it brings down others in the community. I care about the fellow BIPOC students and BIPOC teachers and staff,

and BIPOC community members [who] don’t feel safe. If they are unsafe I feel like we are unseen, that is why I want to stand up for our community. We all should stand togethAdversity & Hope

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er,” Natalia said.

Natalia has attended HS 1327 since she was a freshman, and never thought much about the name “Sir Francis Drake High School” until calls to remove the name grew louder last spring. She says that she was consistently taught almost exclusively about white historical figures and whitewashed versions of history. To Natalia, Sir Francis Drake is another example of teaching partial history focused on admiring white historical figures and leaving out more gruesome truths about treatment of

nity and how they want to proceed forward with the name change.

“I think that even if it’s just a couple of students that don’t feel comfortable [with the name] or even staff or community members, we just need to give more power to people. I think everyone matters at our school,” Natalia said.

During her time in STAAR, Natalia works with her peers to spread awareness in the school about systemic racism, and encourages the community to listen and learn from BIPOC students. Natalia believes that it is crucial to learn about multiple perspectives of history.

“What [STAAR] brings up a lot is that the U.S. is made up of many different people with different backgrounds, of different places, and so it’s good for us to learn more and be more aware of who we live with and where we come from,” Natalia said.

Whatever the school’s name, Natalia feels that the most important step the school must take towards anti-racism is to recognize every voice in the community.

“I just want it to be clear that I think the name change should be happening, and I think the process should keep going, but also we need to consider everyone, and we just all need to respect each other and love each other.”

“I realized that we were only getting one side of the story and how white washed it is” non-white groups. “[The name] didn’t really affect me much at first, until the Black Lives Matter and anti-racist movements were happening, I did my research about the violence that followed [Sir Francis Drake] where he went and I started to listen to subtle things in our community and in our history. I realized that we were only getting one side of the story and how white washed it is,” Natalia said.

Because of his violent actions, Natalia believes that Sir Francis Drake should not be praised and memorialized as the name of our school.

She also believes that one of the most crucial parts of the revelation about Sir Francis Drake is listening to BIPOC members of the commu-

Feature

High School name change debate Dr. Danette Citti

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r.

Danette Citti graduated from Drake High in 1981. She is currently a social psychologist in California, holding a doctorate in Experimental Psychology. Dr. Citti is a prominent member of the “No Name Change for Sir Francis Drake High School or SFD Boulevard” Facebook group. Sheattended multiple DLC meetings to protest the name change, and several San Anselmo and Fairfax town meetings to protest the boulevard’s name change. Dr. Citti believes that the school shouldn’t choose which side of Sir Francis Drake’s past to remember, and that they should accept him as a complicated person who committed admirable acts of bravery and experienced monumental transformation during his life.

In her time at Drake, Dr. Citti recalled the most remarkable aspect of the school to be the closely-knit community. She remembers the school name “Drake” was regarded less as a person and more as a place where people could share extraordinary high school experiences together.

“I can say... that the name takes on a meaning that is due

to my experiences as Drake. It has become synonymous with my friends, the teachers that I appreciated and respected, the community, and the sports programs,” Dr. Citti said.

As well as changing a school name that contains so many memories, Dr. Citti thinks it’s wrong to abolish the name “Sir Francis Drake” because of his complicated past. She believes that although Drake apprenticed on a slave trading ship, later in his life he experienced a moral transformation after working with a group of escaped slaves known as the Cimarrons.

“So I think that relationship may have been really pivotal as well for him, because I think then he really gained a great deal of respect for people who were different from him… When someone goes through a transformation like that, where their identity shifts, that’s powerful because identity is everything,” Dr. Citti said.

Dr. Citti insists that combating racial injustice should be a top priority for our community, but she doesn’t feel that a name change will accomplish anything beyond symbolic anti-racist action. After listening to BIPOC students in our community, specifically from the BIPOC of Marin Instagram page, she maintains that the most important anti-racist actions need to be

addressing the claims directly instead of abolishing the name of a man she believes actually held progressive beliefs about race and diversity. Dr. Citti also noted that reading the BIPOC of Marin Instagram page was a pivotal moment in forming her opinion about the name change. “[I read the page]...and that’s when I said no, I oppose this, because what I was reading was so shocking, what these BIPOC students were experiencing and what they were reporting was so shocking to me that I felt [the district] needs to address it and address it immediately. And the name change doesn’t address it. Name changes have no impact on attitudes, beliefs, or the behaviors that they manifest,” Dr. Citti said. “So, from my position, this was [the school’s] highest priority. This should be at the top of their list. And

“Name changes have no impact on attitudes, beliefs, or the behaviors that they manifest” if you’re going to spend a lot of money, spend it on fixing this problem and protecting these kids.”

Wherever the name change process goes, Dr. Citti will fondly remember her four years at Drake High School.

She believes that it’s up to the current generation of students to preserve the passionate and supportive Drake community, even when the name changes. drakejollyroger.com

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HS 1327 hides behind the name change for the illusion of an antiracist school

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ast summer, with the murders of innocent Black Americans like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, a nationwide reckoning seemed to take place.

Suddenly, white communities that had dismissed the Black Lives Matter movement seemed to finally grasp the meaning of BLM. For a while, ideas that had been formerly deemed too radical-like defunding or abolishment-were taking the main stage. This is not to say that before Floyd’s death people weren’t rallying for BLM. Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile, and many others, all Black

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individuals murdered by police, ignited these cries. Even so, white Americans found it easier to turn a blind eye.

This time “BLM” was trending, bringing good and bad news. White teens temporarily shifted from the usual sunsets and cute pictures with friends to black squares and an occasional infographic in order to declare themselves “allies,” avoiding the social ostracization of neglecting current events. Corporations posted vague quotes of soft antiracism, gently “condemning” the events so as not to lose business or fall irrelevant with the times. It was only a matter

of time until schools and smaller organizations followed suit.

In Marin, it’s easy to stay inside the safety bubble of comfortable ignorance that surrounds us. And many people choose to do just that. Racism and discrimination at Archie Williams High School are extremely common and overwhelmingly overlooked by the school’s Administration.

Throughout the years, Swastikas have been graffitied, the N-word has been used as a discriminatory term with little or no consequences, and current students, parents, and alumni have continuously tried to wash

Editorial it away for the image of a safe, progressive school.

Archie Williams High’s previous namesake, Sir Francis Drake, was a pirate and a slave trader. The lands he “discovered” had been inhabited by Indigenous peoples. His name was honored on our school buildings for 70 years and Marin’s overwhelmingly white population never batted an eye. This summer, concerns that his name on our buildings was traumatic for BIPOC students were raised.

Our administration jumped on this as a chance to prove to the community just how progressive and inclusive we are.

Rather than taking real responsibility for the unchecked racism at this school and our greater community, administration and faculty took the easy way out. Although changing the name on the front of our gym is an important step towards creating an inclusive and safe environment, it should be the first of many. If not followed with significant measures, changing the name shows no real intention to fight racism.

K-12 classrooms are essential training grounds for youth.

If we want to build an equitable, anti-racist society we should start with education. The school needs to provide increased support for Students Taking Action for Anti-Racism, introduce restorative justice programs, and work to create anti-racist curriculum across all subjects, especially history, amplifying the truth of how the nations of our world have actually been founded.

We need to understand that Black Lives Matter beyond surface-level change. The white

community needs to actively educate ourselves on how our privilege is at play in every step of our lives. It is not on BIPOC youth to retell their trauma in hopes that people finally understand. Taking a look around Marin, it’s easy to see the disparities. With the name change coming to a close, we’re intrigued to see what new performative crutch the school stands on to showcase their radical equity. Our antiracist action must not end at signage.

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22 Early August, 2020 - HS 1327 becomes new temporary name Student leadership met multiple times to discuss a new, temporary name, HS 1327. Leadership felt that the (1327 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard), would be an unbiased placeholder.

November 19, 2020 - Limited student data presented at a DLC meeting, DLC votes to change name July 28-29 - AWHS Faculty informs community of plans to change the name In a move to protect the school from possible vandalism, all Drake-related paraphernalia was removed from campus Williams High School (AWHS) faculty sent an

from “Sir of student and parent poll data and heard parents, and community members at the meeting.

Leadership Council (DLC) was tasked with creating a process to determine the new name.

Spring 2020 - George Floyd & BLM Protests Following the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in March and George Floyd in May, protests supporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement loudening anti-racist movement was incentive enough for Drake High to abandon their name.

January 28 to February 3 Students, staff, and community vote on 79 name options 79 names from over 500 suggested by the community, AWHS admin released a survey to the public in order to top nine names chosen were Archie Williams, Awani-Wi, Bon Tempe, Creekside, George Lucas, Olema Trail, Red Hill, Ross Valley, and San Anselmo.

Feature

On May 6, the DLC chose the former teacher, Olympic athlete, and Air Force pilot Archie Williams to submit to the Board of Trustees as the future name of our school.

On May 11, the Board of Trustees approved Archie Williams, ending the tumultuous name change school “Archie Williams High School.”

February 24 to March 10 Final Four names had the opportunity to vote on four names out of eight, moving the voting process released the Final Four names: Bon Tempe, Awani-Wi, Creekside, and Olema Trail.

March 4 - DLC voted to remove ‘San Anselmo’ from name selection process On Mar. 4, the DLC reconsidered the possible name “San Anselmo High School,” raising many concerns including that AWHS students are from many areas of Marin, not just San Anselmo. Additionally, St. Anselmo has roots in the Catholic faith, and the shared name of St. Anselm’s School worried others.

May 6

Archie Williams High School

April 20 - DLC reconstructed name change process, decided to research eight names “Olema Trail” was nixed.

TUHSD chose eight names for the community to research and eventually vote on, including Cascade (Creek or Falls), Red Hill, Creekside, Bon Tempe, Baywood, Archie Williams, Oak Valley, and San Archie Williams, Cascade, and Oak Valley at the Apr. 29 DLC meeting.

March 24-26 - Final vote put on hold after Olema Trail was removed from running Olema Trail and Bon Tempe, but the vote was put on hold due to complications. It turned out that Olema Trail was given the okay by the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria for our school to use under the condition that further antiracist work would happen in conjunction with the federation’s advising. Admin opted to drop the name instead, putting the entire process on hold in favor for an easier solution.

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Students reflect on

Challenges of online school By: Georgia Schroeder

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n mid-March of 2020, Archie Williams High School (AWHS) shut down campus for what was thought to be a two week long break. Fast forward to February 2021, and that two week long break turned into almost a year of remote learning. School through a computer screen became a new routine for students, and the thought of sitting in a classroom was a distant memory.

During the first few months of online school at the end of the 20192020 school year, teachers had little to no experience with teaching online and many classes were operating without a formal class meeting.

Some students felt it was unimportant to attend their class meetings and even began teaching themselves the material.“ I usually ate breakfast during [first period] and just left my laptop in my room. I wouldn’t really do any class work… since the teachers were still figuring it out in the beginning,” said Lauren Barnwell, a sophomore at AWHS. Staying home the whole school day and learning through a computer screen was an immense adjustment from seeing teachers and classmates every day. Motivation began plummeting as teachers became lenient with assignments and deadlines became less harsh.

In the 2019-2020 school year, students had established connections with their teachers and classmates, so those relationships were already present when mov-

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“It just got a lot harder for me… just because not seeing anybody, especially not my teachers, it [kind of] didn’t feel like it was required… no assignments felt really huge, until I started, obviously, getting bad grades,” said Maclean Thomson, a senior at AWHS. ing into online school. Starting the 2020-2021 school year online created a completely different environment in virtual classrooms “...having most of my junior year online was definitely harder, my classes had a harder curriculum, I couldn’t make connections with the people and teachers in my class, and I just missed the environment,” said Ellie Casey, a junior at AWHS. Some students felt that without an in-person connection with their teachers, they had to figure out new ways to learn in this altered school environment. “... if I am confused I’m not able to go to my teacher face to face and get the help I need… and really understand it. I really find that the explanation with a teacher in person is much more impactful than over Zoom, because you can truly see what they are doing rather than a picture of what they already have done,” Casey said.

Attending an online class is not nearly the same as attending an in person class. Students can roam throughout their houses in the middle of a lesson, but when they are in person, they are confined to the

classroom, learning the material for a set period of time. Some students agree that they benefit more from in-person learning because teachers’ leniency with assignments in online school made it easier to procrastinate their work. “... not being [at school] and not physically having someone tell you ‘Get this done’ … made it seem a lot more minimal and not as big as it was. [The teachers] would still assign homework and they would say, ‘Get this done by Friday’ … and I just wouldn’t do it,” Thomson said.

The loss of connection with others and the lack of motivation for students created major challenges in the online school experience for some. Now that online learning is becoming a method of the past, many students now appreciate their in-person connections like they hadn’t before.

Feature

DARAJA PERSEVERES THROUGH COVID-19 By: Geniveve Peterson

When the pandemic hit, however, it became more difficult for the club to raise money in their normal fashion. n March 17, 2020, people’s Since the Daraja Club relies on daily lives were put on hold group brainstorming and input, when Marin County an- it was hard to switch to a Zoom nounced a mandatory quarantine format. Daraja club co-president due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charlene Wong said this was a maThe clubs at Archie Williams High jor challenge.

“Engagement has been School (AWHS), including the Daraja Club, fumbled to come up with hard because a lot of times on zoom people don’t want to new ways to operate.

Daraja is a popular club at talk or turn on their cameras,” AWHS that raises money for the Wong said.

As a solution to this issue, the Daraja Academy, an all-girls school in Kenya. This club is a branch of a Daraja Club held Women of Integrilarger organization called the Dara- ty, Strength, and Hope, or W.I.S.H., ja Education Fund (DEF). This year, conversations. These conversations the club had to overcome unprece- engage club members and are also dented challenges to reach their practiced at the Daraja Academy. yearly goal of raising $10,000 for Both the academy and club hold these conversations regularly, helpthe DEF. The DEF started in the Bay ing students find their inner voice Area, founded by Jenni and Ja- and confidence.

Daraja also relies heavily on son Doherty. They discovered that within the already limited resources fundraisers. Although, it is chalof Kenya, the majority of education lenging to hold them safely during focused on boys. The Dohertys then COVID-19. The club’s other decided to start their own school for co-president, Zoe Kaiser, explained girls in Kenya to provide them with the challenges of holding fundraisers over the past year. the resources they lacked.

“It’s definitely been difficult beThe AWHS Daraja Club raises money for the Daraja Academy cause we used to do a lot of fundthrough a number of fundraisers raisers on campus, and we can’t do leading up to the Race for Daraja that anymore. Then just trying to event near the end of each school find a way to include everybody year. So far this year, Daraja Club in the club in a virtual fundraiser has raised $1,590 for the academy, is what we’ve had to try and overmaking them the leading team out come,” Kaiser said.

This year, one of Daraja Club’s of all fundraising clubs or teams right now.

O

fundraising solutions took the form of a website. Club members sent a link to the website in an email with a description of the club, and people could donate to the club’s mission on the site.

Currently Daraja Club’s focus is on the annual “Race for Daraja” event. At the race, every club member is paired with a student at the Daraja Academy. On May 29, racers will walk or run 10 kilometers and the girls at the Daraja Academy will do the same in Kenya. Anyone is welcome to join the race and raise money whether they are in the club or not. It was challenging to fundraise this year because of the lack of social interaction due to COVID-19, but AWHS club members are still fundraising for the academy this May. The AWHS Daraja Club has faced many challenges this year.

Especially when having to readjust after 2019, when they reached their goal for the first time in club history and raised over $10,000 for Daraja Academy. However, the team will continue to work towards their goals and strive to help girls across the world in need.

Participants raising money for a Daraja Academy in Kenya.

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Boys’ heat one off to a fast start at the beginning of the first lap at March 6, 2021 dual meet against Marin Catholic. Photo by Ellis Chamberlin

HS 1327 athletes make the most of their seasons as COVID gives MCAL sports a new look

By Madie Butler and Toasty Calabrese

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hen the California Department of Public Health updated it’s recreational sports guidelines in early March, MCAL sports acted immediately. As of Feb. 26, wearing masks during play is “implemented to the greatest extent possible” and “strongly encouraged.” Additionally, out of state competition is prohibited. As Marin County moves from the orange to the yellow-tier, many athletes have begun to question the future of MCAL sports. Will masks remain mandatory? Will out-ofstate tournaments ever take place again? Are things ever going to be “back to normal”?

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Unfortunately, there is no clear answer regarding what next year will look like.

When it comes to fans and audiences, Chris McCune, TUHSD Athletic Coordinator, said, “Right now for outdoor activities… we are up to 50% [capacity]. For indoor sports right now it’s one parent or household member per athlete… We are hoping when we move to the yellow tier we can have more parents or family members.”

In other words, things can only go up from here. As Marin County moves through the tiers, capacity rules will subside. Though uncertainty continues with the use of face

masks.

“As far as county guidelines and issues with face mask wearing, that’s unknown right now. Everything is day-to-day,” McCune said.

Essentially, mask rules will go hand-in hand with the severity of COVID. If the pandemic worsens, they will be mandated, but if it comes to an end, they may not be needed at all.

“We will have protocols with six feet of distance… and mandatory masks until you are actually in competition and there is heavy exertion,” Alex Chapman, Athletic Director at H.S. 1327, said.

Sports

Masks may not be mandatory during games, regardless of the status of the pandemic.

Additionally, the regulation of masks presents a problem in aquatic sports. Water polo players and swimmers cannot effectively wear a mask during play.

“The county and the state have… said, water polo, swimming, and wrestling are three sports that do not need to wear masks due to safety reasons,” McCune said.

While water sports do not have much face-to-face contact, this leniency still poses a minor threat to competitors.

On top of conflicting mask mandates, administration has had a difficult time coming up with sports schedules. Due to regulations, games must be kept between schools in the same county, or neighboring counties.

“It may be county only, or counties neighboring us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean less games, we can add more in county games, but no tournaments.” Chapman said.

Sports will not be deprived of games, only the amount of teams they are allowed to compete against.

Scheduling games this year has

been one of administration’s most difficult feats. With so many seasons happening at the same time, gym and field time given to each team has been limited. However, this shouldn’t remain a problem next year.

“For the next school year we will be back to the traditional three seasons of sport,” Chapman said.

While plans for next year are still vague, we can infer that masks will still be encouraged -for the most part- fan capacity will increase, games will be kept within counties, and seasons will return to their previous state.

“I think overall we’ll be, relatively speaking, back to normal,” McCune said.

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s of January 9th, it has been a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic arose. The world was put on hold and transitioned online, but what does that mean for student artists?

Many things have changed for artists in the past year with COVID-19. The BLM move-

Student Artists Continue to Create During Pandemic

By Dom Haggard

ment, and being trapped inside their houses, brought on a multitude of anger, isolation, loneliness, and boredom. All these themes, and more, can be found in the art of Archie Williams High School (AWHS) students.

One piece that captures the inspiration and feeling of quarantine is “Center” by Nadia Dean, a senior at AWHS. Dean takes a positive approach to the pandemic’s effect on her art.

“The pandemic has allowed me more time to explore...my art, colors ... intense observations have formed from these times. Every factor that affected my art before, such as my peers, has been removed, and it is now my voice coming through the pieces,” Dean said.

Dean is a passionate artist who sees art as a necessity “like taking showers,” but during quarantine it was difficult to find motivation.

“I definitely have more freedom regarding when I do my art. This can be a good thing and a bad thing, because it’s hard to convince myself to start, but once I start I can continue really as long as I like,” Dean said.

The name of her piece, “Center,” is reminiscent of Dean’s passion in meditation. She feels that meditation brings her back to a “center” and enables her to diminish her fears and doubts and make art.

“I meditate a lot, and this piece illustrates a moment of coming back to a centered place after being distracted,” Dean said.

Senior Mila Lazar, another seasoned AWHS artist, shared several of her works. “Noonoo and Oupa,” “Study of a Smiling Girl,” and “Red Light” are three meaningful pieces to Lazar. Like Dean, Lazar views art as a lifestyle.

“My whole life, I planned on taking a gap year and then going to college to study something highly academic; economics, politics, philosophy, or linguistics,” Lazar said.

Lazar has always been interested in many academic fields, but that has changed for her during the pandemic.

“Now, I realize that I want to keep my options open to study art, and have changed my plan to enAdversity & Hope

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Student Showcase compass a year long Art Foundations course in England, which is a requirement for getting an art degree in the UK. I am incredibly excited to get to spend all of next year doing what I love, and would never have decided to do that without [COVID-19],” Lazar said.

Lazar feels that she never would have decided on this path without the pandemic, and she feels it is the right path for her. For Lazar, the past year in lockdown has revitalized her passion for art. Lazar feels that the pandemic has impacted her art stylistically and emotionally for a number of reasons.

“I just don’t have access to other people’s ideas anymore.

Normally, art classes would be a place for me to be inspired by others’ work and to get constant feedback on my own work from peers, whereas now art feels much more individual,” Lazar said.

Like Dean, Lazar also feels that quarantine has given her time to focus on personal pieces and hone in to develop a style, rather than falling in line with a school project.

Lazar has done many pieces in quarantine during this pandemic and highlighted the three which she feels are most personal. “[Noonoo and Oupa] is a portrait of my grandma and late grandpa, which I painted to commemorate the happiness they shared and still bring to my family,” Lazar said.

Lazar is proud of the pierce because it conveys intense emotion while maintaining skillful detail.

The second piece, “Study

“Center” By Nadia Dean

of a Smiling Girl,” is a study of light which Lazar based on one of her friends. The interaction of the colors in this piece is meant to inspire lightness and happiness.

“The goal was to capture the light and feeling of the image, not necessarily to create a likeness. I love playing with color and a freer style, something which I only really started to do once I had gotten down the basics of a stricter, more precise style,” Lazar said.

Third is Lazar’s self portrait, “Red Light,” which is a combination of the skills and techniques presented in the first two pieces.

“I love the way the colors work together. I mix all my own colors from a basic set of 6 paints so it always excites me to see how the colors I create come alive on the page,” Lazar said.

Lazar feels that although the yearlong pandemic brought isolation and a variety of obstacles, it has deepened her passion for art in an precedented manner.

The COVID-19 quarantine has been difficult for many, but Dean, Lazar, and many more student artists at AWHS have persevered and continued creating thoughtful art pieces.

“Red Light” By Mila Lazar

“Noonoo and Oupa” By Mila Lazar

“Study of A Smiling Girl” By Mila Lazar drakejollyroger.com

Footloose:

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the 80s dance classic that captured the meaning of youth

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ootloose. A truly iconic epitome of the 80s. The story of a Chicago bad boy revolutionizing a small Oklahoma town with the power of dance. Released February 17, 1984, Footloose is a nostalgic film for many who grew up in the 80s. The soundtrack is an immaculate encapsulation of the era, and the dancing is without skilled expertise but fun and youthful as a whole. It is a promise that you’ll be tapping your toes throughout the duration of Footloose.

In the devoutly Catholic town of Bomont, Oklahoma, rock music and dancing are outlawed, ordinances spearheaded by Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow). When bigcity teen Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) moves with his mother from Chicago, he’s viewed as an outsider, unable to understand the closely-knit small town community. Rebelling against the town, Ren, along

Promotional material courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Silver Screen Partners

By: Alice Simenstad with Reverend Moore’s daughter Ariel (Lori Singer), unites the senior class of Bomont High to abolish the law and put on a senior dance.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film is the soundtrack, a compilation of 80s classics like Kenny Loggins’ hit “Footloose,” “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” (Deniese

Williams), “Holding out for a Hero” (Bonnie Tyler), “Never” (Moving Pictures), and more. These upbeat of-the-era anthems cement the carefree, dancing-feet feeling that Footloose harbors. The actors’ dancing in the film is technically mediocre (dance doubles are evident), but the music choices elevate the dancing scenes to nostalgic perfection.

Arguably the most enjoyable scene in the movie is the game of tractor chicken between Ren and Ariel’s no-good boyfriend Chuck Cranston (Jim Youngs). For those not born in a small Midwestern town, a tractor chicken race is the most definitive way to settle a feud.

The two people in said conflict ride tractors towards each other until one jumps from the tractor. The winner remains on the tractor and is victorious in the dispute, and the loser is, well, a loser. I won’t spoil the ending, but the epic saga of Chuck and Ren speeding towards one another at 10 miles per hour while Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out

for a Hero” plays dramatically and Chuck and Ren’s separate posses hollering in the background is flawless.

While the entertaining music and carefree dancing are the most enjoyable part of the movie, somber themes lurk under the surface of Footloose. Drinking, drugs, dancing, and “rock” music are all banned in Bomont, enforced by Reverend Moore and the Town Council, for religious reasons. Reverend Moore states that it’s his responsibility to protect the “spiritual wellbeing” of the town, and that dancing and rock music are God’s way of “testing” his citizens. Reverend Moore’s crusade against these practices is an example of people interpreting the Bible how they choose and using it to justify any and every action they make. While I support freedom of religion, the control that Reverend Moore and the church has over the residents of Bomont is frightening.

At one point in the movie, citizens of Bomont are so determined to rid their town of the Devil that they run the English teacher out of town for teaching the novel Slaughterhouse-Five and burn hundreds of books from the school library.

Although Footloose carries deeper motifs of religion, alcohol, and drugs, it is still regarded as an iconic and lighthearted 80s dance classic. The film includes a soundtrack perfect for dancing, youthful and carefree high school experiences, and an overall celebratory tone that exemplifies what it means to be young, free, and happy.

Footloose earns a 4/5.

Video gaming

1Valorant

popularity

peaks

during pandemic by: Ellis Chamberlin

L

et’s face it, isolating at home for the majority of 2020 and 2021 has been challenging, to say the least. For more than half of the US population, gaming was something people turned to to pass the time.

According to The Verge, 55% of Americans picked up video games during the stay at home order, causing the gaming industry’s revenue to grow 12% in 2020, to 139.9 billion dollars.

Gamers can choose from a plethora of genres such as strategy, shooters, sports, action, adventure, and sandbox. A handful rose to the top during quarantine such as Valorant, Rocket League, and Among Us, because of the ability to connect socially with friends during the pandemic.

Valorant, released June 22, 2020, is a free to play, first person team-based shooter game that takes some time to learn because of the large skill ceiling. The game offers multiple locations to play as the attackers attempt to infiltrate the defenders’ bomb site and successfully disarm the bomb. To win a round, players either protect or diffuse, or for the more adventurous, kill all of the opposing members. Choosing from three different maps, players are offered an array of characters each with unique abilities. As a first time player, the game provides a tutorial, but doesn’t supply players with realistic situations to learn about the various guns, or a way for players to hone their skills. Valorant does however have terrific gameplay and graphics. I give this game a 3 out of 5.

2Rocket League

Review and boosting. This game is the ultimate multiplayer experience with over-the-top fun for all gamers. It is almost impossible to put down because of the unique combination of soccer and cars. I give this game a 4 out of 5.

3Among us Among Us, released on June 15, 2018, challenges players to channel strategy while completing intriguing tasks as either a crewmate or an imposter. Randomly assigned a role, there is only one imposter per game and nine crewmates. The goal of the imposter is to eliminate the crewmates without being discovered, only winning when all crewmates are dead. The goal of the crewmates is to complete the tasks and identify the imposter. This gameI liked this game because it is straightforward and easy to understand due to the simplicity of the takssand the gameplay is really easy to learn and master. Newer players will have a very fun time playing this straightforward gamebecause of this. I give Among Us a 3 out of 5.

Rocket League, released July 7, 2015, is Forza mixed with FIFA, creating a strange yet addicting gaming experience. The premise of the game is simple - players face off in souped up cars while playing soccer. The most popular way to play is three on three, where players have to score more goals than the opposing team before the time runs out. As a new player, the game starts with a cutscene of cars racing around the playing field, and beginner players are subbed in. This is where players learn the basic controls of the game such as movement, jumping drakejollyroger.com

32

TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 depicts harsh Racial realities

A

aron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7, released October 16, 2020, reaches expectations while depicting a strong narrative of injustices reflective of today’s society. Available on Netflix, the film follows the lives of seven leaders of the anti-Vietnam War efforts as protests break out in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Annual Convention.

The plot looks at the lives of eight defendants, showing the events that led to the trial and providing a background to the convoluted inner workings of the court case. The movie begins with Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) demanding to defend himself. Seale, only in Chicago for four hours during the convention, is tried along with the leaders of the protests because of his position opposing the government.

From there, the film introduces a timid Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), to portray the immense weight of the trial on its participants. This serves as an interlude to the seven leader’s eclectic feelings surrounding the trial. The film transitions from the courtroom battle to the streets of Chicago, as tensions rise amongst protestors with the convention date encroaching.

Switching between the trial and rising tensions, the film features a prolonged legal battle that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The movie shows the leaders actions during the protests that lead them to their participation in the infamous Trial of the Chicago 7.

The movie interworks overt racial injustices apparent in

today’s society. By: Aler Giffin The portrayal of the Black Panther leader, Seale, depicts overt forms of racism that are apparent in the infamous trial. He is still tried amongst the leaders of the protest with minimal-to-no evidence of his correlation. Furthermore, Seale tries to stand up for himself and is literally bound and gagged, stripping his right to freedom of speech, all because of the color of his skin.

When the white members of the trial were unruly in the courthouse, they were let go with more charges, never bound and gagged. The film explicitly states that the judge took his punishment too far because of the color of Seale’s skin in order to get this message across. Although there is no main character, the portrayal of Seale stands out as it proPromotional Material Courtesy Cour- vides a direct message of racial intesy of Niko Tavernise/Netflix justice to viewers.

Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) Another positive aspect is the and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) walk into film’s phenomenal acting. The role the courthouse gleefully as the whole world of Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron is watching.

Cohen) is impeccably played by combining the right amounts of humor to lighten the mood, as well as seriousness when needed to convey larger themes of racial injustice.

At every scene, without words, his emotions impeccably show the tones that Sorkin is trying to evoke.

With the interworking of stellar acting and admirable themes, Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7 is one of the best films from the past decade. For these reasons I rate the film a 4.5 out of 5.

our legal system, making it seem as if there is no hope for justice.

Sorkin’s film provides minimal background, focuses on theatrics, and forgets about a cohesive plot. The movie is rushed, as the plot jumps from the present to the past with seemingly no build-up.

The rapid progression of the movie causes confusion to which time period the scenes took place, taking away from the overall message of the film. Providing minimal background, the film expects viewers to already understand the complex politics of the 1960s with little to no explanation about rising political tensions.

Even with a convoluted sequence, the film manages to present issues of injustice that still persist in

Review

C

Chaos Walking

3/5

haos Walking released on March 5, 2021, brings a fast-paced dystopian world into a heartfelt narrative about human nature. Dubbed as a rendition of Patrick Ness’s 2008 novel, “The Knife of Never Letting Go,” fans of the book can’t help but feel as though the movie does not meet expectations. However, the short film features consistent plot twists and brief comedic scenes, creating a well-rounded movie to help pass the time.

Chaos Walking, stars Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) on a planet called the New World. Hewitt discovers there is much more to his secluded life when he finds Viola Eade (Daisy Ridley). Eade, a product of an exploration striving from Earth, finds Hewitt in the year 2257 A.D. as her shuttle crashes while experiencing an unexpected descent in the New World’s atmosphere. Upon her arrival, she notices many differences between her normal life and the life in Prentisstown where she crashed. The town is made of early colonizers from Earth, however, the women sent with them appear missing. In the New World, the mens’ thoughts are projected in a flurry of colors known as noise. The movie follows Eade and Hewitt’s journey as they discover the dark secrets of the early colonizers’ exploitation of the New World.

Holland and Ridley provide life to a rushed plot through exceptional performances. Holland interworks comedic spurts throughout the film while playing Hewitt, a teenage boy who sees a girl for the first time. Ridley brings an emotional feel to the movie through recollections of her past and exhibiting her wide range of facial expressions and emotions added to every scene.

The acting has a perfect mix of conveying the intended emotions and is not too forced.

While the acting is exceptional, the film is rushed. The plot is underdeveloped with many glaring holes.

The film jumps through scenes with minimal explanation of how they arrived at the new scene leaving the viewer to rely on minimal knowledge of what has occurred. Furthermore, the film ends like a romanticized Hollywood movie where the antagonists are magically defeated, and the protagonists make it out okay. Everything has gone according to plan. On top of this, the film doesn’t create viewer insight into what the characters’ lives look like in the New World after they accomplish their goal, leaving the viewer wanting more.

Furthermore, the soundtrack rendered subpar to current standards. The movie featured sweeping views and fast-paced action, yet seems to consistently come short when choosing music. The soundtrack for each scene is generic with minimal thought put into original productions. When the movie included the slightest bit of suspense, the music choice ruined it with an overly tense song that takes the viewers’ attention away from the scene.

This said, the movie still portrays valid messages circulating an underlying theme of sexism.

Throughout the film, it shows various examples of overt sexism with the male settlers showing feelings of superiority towards the women.

The film combats this with Eade’s character. Eade serves as a strong female protagonist battling the apparent obstacles that she faces as a woman.

While the film fails to meet the expectations of the novel, it is still an enjoyable watch. With an august theme and stellar acting, I would give Chaos Walking a 3.5 out of 5. drakejollyroger.com