BHS Jacket 2022/23 Issue 16

Office Hours: Necessary, yet taking a toll on teachers

BY MAYA DANG staff writer

“The days I’ve saved for tutoring, I usually finish at about 4:45 p.m. or 5 p.m. and then I either have to drive an hour home or I have to take BART, which takes an hour as well. It’s exhausting,” said Ann Sperske, a history teacher in Academic Choice (AC). “And it’s exhausting because I don’t get a chance to just do nothing.”

Many teachers at Berkeley High School stay after school to provide extra support to students who need it. Despite the fact that the tutoring system is time consuming for teachers, it helps students who don’t receive the help during the regular six period day. The amount of time that teachers stay after school depends on the number of students who are seeking help. PAGE 4

SLCs require more accessible AP classes

BY CHARLEY TAMAGNO staff writer

For most Berkeley High School students, taking AP classes is a simple choice they task themselves with when choosing their schedules for the next school year. However, in certain Small Learning Communities (SLC), students are facing difficulties enrolling in these higher-paced and more rigorous courses. This lack of equal opportunity disproportionately affects minority students within these SLCs. BHS’s SLCs must commit to giving their students access to AP classes.

In Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS ) and Arts and Humanities Academy (AHA), two of BHS’s SLCs, AP curriculum has already been integrated into the programs. For both schools, juniors have been required for the past several years to take AP English Language. In their

senior year, both progress towards AP Literature. Both are modeled in an augmented style, which gives all students a GPA boost while only preparing students for the test if they choose to do so.

Emilio Huhndorf-Lima, a junior in the Academy of Medicine and Public Service (AMPS), tried to register for AP English Language in the spring of his sophomore year.

Realizing that the process quickly became tedious, involving approval from a vice principal, he unraveled an ongoing issue within AMPS itself; it hadn’t been offering its students access to any AP course offerings for years. Huhndorf-Lima has been a key figure in fighting for better access for these students. He and his mother, Shari Huhndorf, have been working with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights in an open investigation against BHS. PAGE 6

ROBERT GELLNER FEATURES

Senior assasin game bonds BHS students

BY AVA RAMSDALE staff writer

From thrilling stakeouts to well-planned time bombs, this year’s game of assassin at Berkeley High School was filled with many exciting moments, according to the game’s administrator, who chose to remain anonymous.

“A lot of teams are passionate about it, but there was a lot of disagreement,” they said.

70 teams participated, each with three members. This year’s game was a large event for BHS students. Each team had paid 30 dollars to participate in the game, and 1,000 dollars of the 2,100 dollars went to the game’s administrator.

According to the administrator, the large amount of participation made the game very interesting to play. However, this put a large amount of pressure on them,

as they made the decisions about each kill and worked to regulate the game.

“There were a lot of people complaining about how they had different expectations for the game, that it was supposed to be more fun, more entertaining,” said the administrator. With the number of people playing the game, it was hard to find a solution that would benefit everyone, and many decisions left at least some portion of

players unhappy. Various students came forward saying that they had other expectations for the game and that they were upset by the way it was run or how their team got out,” said the administrator. “There was definitely a lot of immaturity overall,” the administrator said. The administrator emphasized that they would work to clarify the rules if they were to run the again, however PAGE 10

Summarizing BHS’s eventful Spring seasons of boy’s baseball, boy’s tennis, track, swimming, diving, and softball.

ALEX MORGAN

BUSD to face additional budget cuts due to lowered enrollment

BY SABINE ROSEN staff writer

During the April 26 school board meeting, board members discussed the Berkeley Unified School District school budget for next year and the years following. In the meeting, they talked about how student enrollment in the BUSD school system is dropping, and as a result, our Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funds from the state are decreasing. The school district gets funded based on how many students are enrolled in our district, and now that we have fewer students, our schools are losing money.

According to a presentation during the school board meeting, enrollment trends have fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2017-18 school year, we had an ADA of 9,809 students, and now in the 2022-2023

school year, our ADA lowered to 9,195 students. It’s common for the ADA to fluctuate by an average of 100 students each year, but in the 2020-21 school year, when we only had online school, the ADA dropped by 435 students. Then, in 2021-22 the ADA dropped by another 230, and finally, this year, it dropped by an additional 106 students.

The main reason for low enrollment in BUSD is a result of COVID-19. This wasn’t just an issue within BUSD, as it affected many districts around the Bay Area as well.

“When COVID hit, a lot of kids who were able to transitioned into private schools or homeschooling, and that caused enrollment to go down,” said Ian Segall, the Berkeley High School student board representative. He also added that, fortunately

for BUSD, “We are seeing an increase in enrollment, and we are also accepting more district transfers to get enrollment up, but we are still not at pre-COVID rates.”

BUSD is projected to lose three million dollars in the budget for the next school

one million dollars. It is not finalized, “But there are going to be possibly some hits to VAPA, which is visual arts and performance, like the visual arts departmen ... and also increases in budget for special education,” Segall said.

Students and staff at BHS also have opinions on where the budget should be spent.

how math teachers currently want more support for students struggling with math and how a little more money would go a long way.

Jack Mackey-Williams, BHS sophomore, also has an opinion on the budget. “I think more of the school budget should go to sports because they are really fun to watch and bring the school together.”

year based on our enrollment numbers. However, things aren’t all bad. The finance department also reports that BUSD will save 1.2 million dollars on the transportation plan and get another 800,000 dollars from the Music and Instructional Materials Block Grant. Using this data, the net loss in the BUSD budget is approximated to be about

Emily Gilden, a ninth grade math teacher, said, “There’s people in the district office that make lots and lots of money, double, triple what a teacher makes, and I think we should figure out what jobs they’re doing, and if they can be consolidated. Then we can tighten up the district office and the district people’s budget to free up money for programs that pay teachers to work on supports that they believe are best for students.”

Gilden also spoke about

In addition, Mackey-

Williams thinks that the school should more evenly distribute the sports money and not spend the vast majority on sports like football or soccer. Soon more information on the district’s budget will be presented during an upcoming school board meeting. Nothing is finalized yet, but in the near future, some tough decisions will be made.

Berkeley High School reflects on Biden’s reelection campaign

BY LUCY GRIFFITH staff writer

On Tuesday, Apr. 25, 2023, U.S. president Joe Biden announced his 2024 presidential reelection campaign through a promotional video on YouTube. Any Berkeley High School student born on or before November 5, 2006 will be eligible to vote for the first time in the 2024 presidential election. Many BHS students are reflecting on Biden’s past term, in the context of their

hopes for American politics going forward.

Biden said in his promotional video, “The question we’re facing is, whether in the years ahead, we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer.”

Aadi Weber, a BHS senior said, “They thought he would be president for four years and then we would see another democrat to transition out of the Trump era. I think that he can still be a transitional leader, even if he does serve for a total of eight years.”

Yakov Fenton, a senior

in the Politics and Power class, explained how Biden has faced a lot of problems in his presidency but hasn’t worked to create new systems in response.

“He’s been kind of trying to fix a problem created by everything that’s happened during the pandemic,” Fenton said, “It’s hard to determine what help he can do, considering that he’s kind of tried to fix stuff rather than create new things.”

Milosz Hastings Porro, a BHS spanish teacher, elaborated on how successful

Biden would be in his second term, “I think it would be a repeat; nothing good or bad happened. (Electing Biden) is kind of like coasting when something needs to happen.”

In the 2020 election, a popular motto that circulated the democratic party was, “Settle for Biden.” Although some democrats didn’t want Biden as president, a dislike of Trump united many in the party. In the primary election some voters were willing to sacrifice some of their progressive values to nominate a moderate candidate who was more likely to defeat former president Trump. An anonymous sophmore said, “It was settle for Biden. Right? (Voters) don’t actually want Biden (to win).”

In theory, Biden could use the same strategy again.

“It could work but it’ll be a lot more challenging because now people actually know what happened or didn’t happen under Biden. More people might not vote because it could be the same thing (as last term), and nothing really happened.” Hastings Porro said.

One thing he did do was

approve the Willow Project, an oil drilling project in Alaska.

Rita Azul Huhndorf-Lima is the co-president of the Native Student Union. They said, “As an Alaska native myself, it doesn’t really give me confidence (in Biden’s leadership).” She said, “As a citizen it feels like a failure on part of the system. This sort of old centrist guy is the only person who could have possibly won against Donald Trump, it’s disappointing to have to gun for middle ground instead.”

Biden is now the oldest president to serve in office at 80 years old, and he would be 86 by the end of his second term. Sam Rozen, a BHS chemistry teacher said, “I think that we need fresh blood in the government in general. I don’t think that everyone in the government should be 80 years old and have already been there for 50 years.”

Sebastian Minnmurry, a sophmore elaborated, “He doesn’t know what the younger generation is going through.”

As he ages, health concerns are becoming more prevalent. Rozen said, “I also think that, cognitively, he’s failing and

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it’s not getting any better, and another year plus four on top of that, I can’t imagine where he’ll be at the end of that.” Hastings Porro said how it feels to have an older president who might be facing health issues, “I feel like it doesn’t affect states sometimes as much, especially because we’re (California) a pretty progressive state … but it affects a lot of the US.”

Hastings-Porro offered alternative candidates that would suit the position, “I think Bernie (Sanders) or Elizabeth Warren would be much better,” he said.

Rozen allowed for a broader criteria and said, “I just want the best for the country, but I wish we had some young, fresh, innovative, energetic person to step in. I just don’t want the chaos ... I have no idea how it’s (the election) going to go in 2024.”

Weber can vote in the next election, stating her strategy for being an informed voter, “I do a lot of reading, I watch PBS clips, I’m taking Globalization (an elective at BHS), I was in Politics and Power, and in Youth and Government…I feel like immersing yourself is important.”

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BSEP election for representatives: Students note lack of clarity

BY ELOISE THOMAS staff writer

On April 26, an online ballot was released to elect the student representatives for Berkeley Schools Excellence Program/ School Site Council (BSEP/ SCC). BSEP is a local tax in Berkeley that funds things such as smaller class sizes, technology, music programs, and libraries, among many other services for Berkeley schools. The SSC is a committee that oversees the education and achievement of Berkeley students. They are also responsible for working on the Berkeley High School Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), which is a set of goals and plans to help improve student experience and outcomes. The council is generally made up of eight staff members, four students, and four guardians.

Lenka Simon, a sophomore in Berkeley International High School (BIHS) and a current student representative in BSEP/SSC, discussed the relative obscurity of the position, with many students not knowing much about what it was or even that it existed at all. Without a clear definition for the

role, misconceptions can be easily drawn even by those running.

“I feel like a lot of people don’t know what (BSEP/ SSC) is. And I definitely did not know what I was running for (last year)… I thought I had an idea, but it’s actually something completely different,” said Simon. “I think a lot of people go into it thinking it’s like school board, (deciding the) bell schedule or something like that, but it’s really a whole separate thing… there’s just a lack of information.”

Sami Khayatei Houssaini, a junior in BIHS who ran in the recent election to be a BSEP/SSC representative for next year, also spoke on the deficit of information regarding the duties of one holding the position. Similar to the situation Simon was in last year, Khayatei Houssaini was unclear on the parameters and details of the position he was vying to inhabit.

“At the present moment, I’m not exactly sure my responsibilities, like what the jurisdiction is or my role is at the moment. So I’m going to take it step by step,” Khayati Houssaini said.

Simon brought up the correlation between the volume of applications for funds and the publicity

given to the funds. Many teachers and students do not know that these funds are available to them, and this reality renders them incapable of taking advantage of the resources provided by BSEP.

“A lot of members on the SSC or on the BSEP committee are pushing for more publicized applications because we have fewer. If we accepted all of the applications that we got for BSEP money this year, we would still have leftover money,” said Simon, “We’re just not getting enough admission or applications.”

Khayatei Houssaini spoke on how the lack of applications compelled him to run and that the importance of representation made it essential that students are present in these meetings.

“I chose to run because it seemed like nobody was running before. Somebody needed to run…. Also, I think it’s important that we have students being represented at every decision level at the school,” Khayatei Houssaini said.

Simon talked about the importance of student voice in these meetings and the value it brings. Students see the side of BHS that the council is trying to improve,

and this gives them the opportunity to bring issues that students care about to the committee.

“Students on the committee are there to give a perspective on what would actually help them and what would actually be useful and (answer) What do the students need? What are their problems?” Simon said.

Emma Kittredge, a sophomore in Academic Choice (AC) and current BSEP/SSC student representative, brought up the layers of difficulty brought by the pandemic, with the meetings being moved to a virtual space. However, she also expressed an expectation that this

difficulty will be mitigated by the return to a more regular format.

“Online meetings are a struggle, but I’m pretty sure next year they’re moving to in-person meetings, so that should be solved,” Kittredge said.

Skyler Rockmael, a senior in AC and current BSEP/ SSC alternate, elaborated on the struggles that the pandemic brought to their council, specifically with the disconnect it created between the representatives and the school they were advocating for. Similar to Kittredge, she expects the effects to lessen in the coming year, with the next representatives being less separated from the school.

“The seniors coming in next year who had not gone through COVID have a full high school experience. I think they will be able to represent the stuff a little bit better than our team,” said Rockmael.

“We really tried our best, but you know, we have not had a full experience at Berkeley High, and that’s definitely limited our perspective and our opinion on Berkeley High … (the representatives next year) are going to be able to have a little bit of a stronger opinion, because they’ve been going there for four years. They haven’t been interrupted by the pandemic,” Rockmael added.

BUSD School Board discusses funding, climate literacy, SPED

BY VIOLET MILLERBRADY staff writer

On Wednesday, May 3, the Berkeley Unified School District School Board convened and discussed topics including Climate Literacy education and showcase, budget cuts for the Responsibility, Intergriy, Strength and Empowerment (RISE) program, the low funding for Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA), and updates on the funding and development of the Special Education Program.

The Climate Literacy Resolution, which was passed by the board in Nov.

2021, has been put into action by students, staff, and teachers throughout this year and has been allocated $44,000. Two weeks ago, BUSD schools from K-12 displayed their work in the Climate Literacy Showcase.

At Berkeley High School, freshman from three of the hives presented to each other on water, the meat industry, and transportation in relation to climate change. Multilingual Learner Program (MLP) students shared projects on the effects of climate change in their countries of origin as well.

The BHS Student School Board Director, Ian Segall, inquired about ways to implement climate change

solutions into BUSD to reduce its carbon footprint. Segall also proposed that students take surveys on the Climate Literacy Showcase to recognize its success and places for improvement. Several goals of the Climate Literacy Resolution that were presented at the meeting were to publish lesson plans for other districts to use, identify site-based climate literacy leaders, identify resources to support ongoing work through Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), and strengthen community partnerships.

During the public comment section of the meeting, Adriana Betti, a RISE staff member,

advocated for the importance of the program and its need for funds in order to continue serving students. Betti shared that the program is asking for $234,000, which would make it possible to take on two more case managers, allow for 92 more students to be in the program, and would create sustainable salaries for the currently underpaid staff.

RISE primarily serves Black and Latinx students, as well as students with 504 or Individualized Educational plans (IEP), and strives to create educational equity.

According to Betti, without funding from BUSD, the program will become unsustainable.

“We have made the painful decision, our contract ends in June 2024, that if the school district doesn’t fund us that we will close our programs down,” said Betti.

Ramal Lamar, a math teacher in his seventeenth year of teaching at the Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA), discussed the need for adequate funding for the school during public comment.

Currently, BTA receives $23,000 per year under the Arts & Music Instructional

Materials Block Grant for a Western Association of Schools and Colleges Coordinator. According to Lamar, when there was enough funding to support the 150 students at BTA, they were able to have 10 teachers, provide an A-G pathway, different learning academies, and Career and Technical Education pathways.

Progress and goals of the BUSD Special Education Program (SPED) were discussed by John Mansager, the Executive Director of the program. In the past several years, funding for SPED has increased, with the percentage of increase in total expenditures rising 9.44% between the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. The fulltime equivalent (FTE) has also increased alongside the funding and spending increases, and BHS has a Special Education total FTE of 267.95 as of October 2022. The total FTE adds up all of the employees’ scheduled hours divided by the hours of a full-time work week, which means that more staff have been employed over the past several years. A main reason for this increase is the need for more case managers

to prevent current case managers’ case numbers from becoming overloaded.

According to Mansager, a primary goal within the SPED Program is to increase communication between families, SPED staff, and general education classroom teachers. In order to create the best support system for Special Education students, a cohesive plan is necessary, which is why this communication is vital.

Mansager also shared that in the past three weeks at BHS, about 300 students with IEPs were assessed to see where they were struggling with reading, and in the next year, more reading intervention will be implemented at BHS.

According to Mansager, another concern within the program is the disproportionate percentage of students of color being put into the program. The program consists of 28% Black students, 11% mixed race students, 29% Latinx students, and 25% white students. A reason for this is the overidentification of the need for special education in students of color.

“We want to make sure all of our students are very involved and participating,” added Mansager.

GLENN MAH

Lenka Simon serves as a student representative for the committee.

LUCIA RADILLO

The US government is once again grappling with the task of reaching a bipartisan agreement. The topic on the table this time is the US debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is the maximum authorized amount that the US government can borrow. The US reached that maximum in January 2023.

But why should you care? Because the anticipated consequences of falling on “default” would affect households across the US. The “default” scenario occurs if the government fails to reach a consensus to raise the ceiling in time for the upcoming deadline — June 1, 2023. No raised ceiling equates to the government not being able to pay for its ongoing expenses.

Firstly, what is this “default” that keeps being mentioned? To “default on debt,” refers to not being able to make payments on a loan. In common scenarios, this might look like failing to pay a mortgage. We know that failure in paying your mortgage can lead to a lower credit score, and even foreclosures. Various economists, new reports, and analysts agree that the economy is sure to see large scale disruption if the US defaults on debt. According to cfs.org, “Default could cause the loss of 3 million jobs, add $130,000 to the cost of an average 30-year mortgage, and raise interest rates enough to increase the national debt by $850 billion.”

Since the economy is relatively interdependent, there will be domino effects which may include higher interest rates, the dollar value depreciating, amd budget cuts in government-funded programs and sectors.

I asked my peers at Berkeley High School about what questions or comments they have on the issue. The average response from most was something along the lines of “I don’t know much about the debt ceiling.”

BHS junior Luca Vicisano said, “I think the debt ceiling should be abolished. It’s an arbitrary number.” Another junior, Phoeben Worku, questioned the concept, asking, “Why do we need the debt ceiling?” Both student statements question the legitimacy of and the reasoning behind having a debt ceiling in the first place. Is it truly an arbitrary number?

The debt ceiling was established during WW1 when the US government wanted to issue bonds for funds as well as allow the treasury department to manage the debt more. There were legislators at the time who were opposed to the idea of issuing bonds as the funds would be used towards US involvement in the war. To work around that, Congress put the debt limit in place. Ever since then, we have been pushing the debt ceiling higher up so we can avoid defaulting. Many people in the present day like the sound of something limiting the government from racking on infinite amounts of debt. But, ideas of abolishing the debt ceiling concept aren’t unheard of. Experts from various institutions argue that the debt ceiling needs to be eliminated. In fact, this was proposed to President Joe Biden in 2022 by congressional Democrats. But, Biden rejected it while calling it an “irresponsible” approach.

The debt ceiling is an ongoing conversation with many looming questions and concerns. I encourage you to delve into the concept a bit yourself with follow up questions such as, “Why can’t we abolish the debt ceiling?”

Low pay and a mental toll: Examining the ramifications of office hours on teachers

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Some teachers get paid if they’re signed up for the BHS Development Group (BHSDG)’s official tutoring hours, but don’t receive compensation if they’re not officially signed up for the hours.

“I have signed up for the tutorial for Thursdays,” said Fatemeh Mizbani, a chemistry teacher. “I should be getting paid for an hour but it’s very little.” This year, Mizbani has consistently hosted four or more tutoring days per week to support her students.

According to Matthew Laurel, Academic Support Coordinator, teachers get paid $47.50 for one hour of tutoring from the BHSDG.

While students are receiving one-on-one support, teachers remain active and engaged, which limits their time to take a break and focus on their brain and body.

“When I’m tutoring or helping students, I have to be actively still engaged with instruction or planning or activities and keeping kids whether we’re doing test prep or testing so there’s no quiet,” said Sperske. “There’s no stop.”

Maia Wachtel, an English teacher in the Universal Ninth Grade, has office hours various days at lunch and after school. She stays after school for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on her students’ needs. Wachtel mentioned that since she makes office hours by appointment, there isn’t a usual schedule.

“I have formal office hours. Or formal tutoring (that’s funded by the

BHSDG) after school every Wednesday. But then I have more informal office hours pretty much every day at lunch,” said Erin Smith, a BHS biology and integrated science teacher.

Many teachers hold office hours, despite getting paid

retake a test or need to make up a test. So I feel like it’s my job. It’s like we have a deal. Almost like an unspoken agreement.”

very little and the added mental toll of extending an already strenuous workday.

“Chemistry is hard. Students really need tutorial and one on one support. The kids who can afford (the cost of private tutoring) have tutors outside. So I want to make sure that kids who can not afford private tutors can have access to tutoring,” said Mizbani.

Sperske mentioned that if students are willing to put in the effort for that extra time outside of school, she’s willing to put in the effort. “So that’s why I do it. I just don’t do it all the time because I physically can’t. Sometimes I just have obligations that I have to get home to. I usually do it because it’s what the students need,” said Sperske.

Additionally, for students and teachers alike, it can be challenging to be at school for a six period day.

“I know that students

doesn’t just help students understand the material,” said Smith, “but also makes them feel more comfortable coming to me when they have an issue or asking questions or making the class feel like a warm place if they’re getting to come in and get that extra help.”

To combat the exhaustion of office hours, teachers set boundaries by not working on weekends and dedicating time outside of school to hobbies and personal interests.

“I have tried really hard to set boundaries in my own life this year. I, for example, do not work on the weekends... I set that rule with myself and it’s been very helpful to me.

So I basically do all my free time and enjoy my hobbies on the weekends,” said Smith.

“Sometimes I’m so tired at the end of the day.”

According to Sperske, she holds office hours because students who make the effort every day to come see her to get help deserve her attention.

“So in other words, there are also students who come to see me in tutoring who are also extending their

Erin Smith, Biology and Integrated Science Teacher

day. And they’re doing it because they care about learning the material or they have questions about the material,” said Sperske. Sperske also said, “They need help. They need to

all benefit from one on one attention and endeavor and time, that process and material with their teacher,” Smith said. “At the same time, sometimes I’m so tired at the end of the day, I feel like it is hard to get to help everyone that might need help. Because I’m a little bit burnt out. That said, I’ve also had students that can really benefit from personalized attention and tutoring after school,” she continued.

For Smith, it’s important to offer office hours because she wants students to feel like they aren’t going through their struggles alone. “My hope is that it

Smith makes sure that if students are coming on a day other than Wednesday, or during lunchtime, they’ll need to set an appointment so that she’s not waiting around for students to come.

“And it helps me kind of prioritize better because I (can notice) that two students want to come and meet with me (about) their work,” said Smith, “They’re kind of having the same misconception or the same struggle, I might ask them to come on the same day instead of individually.”

Wachtel echoed this sentiment, adding that, “I do my very best not to bring work home and to create times when my teacher brain is on and when I can focus on myself as a person outside of this job.”

In response to the lack of compensation and mental toll of office hours, teachers are suggesting flex period time that allows students to be tutored during the day.

JAHAN INGRAHAM

Karl Kaku juggles work on multiple computers at his classroom desk.

“Students who come to see me in tutoring are also extending their day.”

Ann Sperske, AC History Teacher

“I want to make sure that kids who can not afford private tutors can have access to tutoring.”

Fatemah Mizbani, Chemistry Teacher

opinion editors: ysabel chu & ohad aviran-Finkelstein

Student feedback helps classes improve

BY AELIA GYGER staff writer

At the end of the semester or school year, many teachers at Berkeley High School request feedback from their students. Teachers usually ask for feedback through a Google form. They may ask students what they enjoyed in the class, what they think could be improved, and their opinion on what they have learned. Having teachers ask for their students' feedback can improve their class and empower students through allowing them to voice their thoughts.

Surveys are an excellent way to receive feedback, as oftentimes students don’t feel able to go up to teachers directly and say what they think. Surveys allow students to comfortably communicate feedback to their teachers.

Sam Rozen, a BHS chemistry teacher, gives out feedback surveys to his students twice a year. He decided to start giving out surveys to students when he saw one of his colleagues do this. “It's really good because I have it be anonymous, so the students are free to answer exactly

how they want to answer. Students will be brutally honest with you. Sometimes the feedback is kind of hard to hear, and other times you acknowledge it spot on,” said Rozen.

From these surveys, Rozen was able to improve his classes. Some suggestions he implemented were changing the student seating chart more often, breaking his lectures into smaller chunks, and having more labs in his class.

Lyndsey Schlax, a BHS World History and Economics teacher, has taught at BHS for the past year. Schlax does a survey with several detailed questions once in the middle of each semester, and also does a weekly survey checking in with students if they need any support.

“(For) example at the end of the first semester, I asked questions like how hard did you work in this class? Were you focused in class? What helped you focus? What distracted you? What did you do if you got stuck and didn't know what to do? What is a goal that you have?” said Schlax. Asking these types of questions helps Schlax understand her students

better, so she can provide more support to them and adapt her teaching to their needs.

Schlax also asks her students about how she can improve as a teacher. She mostly focuses on improvements to content. Schlax wants to make sure the material she covers in class is relevant to everyone and that she covers it in a respectful way. The best way to do this is to actively ask the students about the material. If students are interested in what they are learning they will likey be more engaged in class.

Some may argue that asking students to provide feedback to teachers would not be effective or fair. There are concerns that students would not provide honest feedback for fear of the teacher’s reaction.

There are also worries about students personal biases or grudges would appear in their feedback. Luckily both of these problems have relatively easy solutions. If feedback is made anonymous students will be able to be honest. Also if there is a student with a personal grudge or bias that will be obvious when the other students’ feedback does not have similar complaints.

Every teacher should have a way for students to give feedback. Student feedback helps teachers improve their class by allowing them to understand what works well and what doesn’t. All students deserve the best learning environment possible, and student feedback helps make that happen.

WHAT AM I?

YANCY MICEL ALEGRE-PACHECO

LEILAH DOOSTAN

Parent days must become more inclusive

BY KALI PROUD staff writer

With Mother’s Day having just passed, it's time to reconsider the relevancy and inclusivity of holidays like Mother’s and Father’s Day. All kids, not just ones with traditional households, should be encouraged to find ways to celebrate their parents.

In 2015, only 62 percent of kids in the U.S. lived with two married parents; an all time low since 1960. Additionally, in 2019, 14.7 percent of gay couples, which is around 161,700 couples in the U.S. were

raising children, and 23 percent of kids in the U.S. live with just one parent. With the number of non-traditional families quickly growing, we should consider how Mother’s and Father’s Day can become inclusive to all families.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can promote the idea that there is only one “right” family. Obviously this can cause great emotional harm to students who don’t have a traditional family. This can be mitigated by opening up space for discussions where everyone can speak on what the holiday means to them. This is also a great way for students to learn about

other family situations.

During these types of holidays, kids without a mom or dad present in their life may feel excluded. Celebrations and activities at school, such as bring your mother to school day, may remind kids without mothers of how they’re viewed as “different” from other students. To make Mother’s and Father’s Day more inclusive, students should be encouraged to celebrate it in different ways. For instance, children without mothers can use Mother’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate other maternal figures in their lives. Activities at school should encourage this, and allow students the room to explore other possibilities or opt out if they want to.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that official holidays will become more inclusive anytime soon. Mother’s Day became a national holiday back in 1914, and Father’s Day followed 58 years later. Both holidays are observed worldwide, so widespread change would be difficult.

However, teachers can still implement new holidays in their classroom to promote inclusivity. Making a day for non-binary parents or other guardians can help kids feel more comfortable about their family and educate other kids about other family structures. Although these might not become national holidays, they can still teach kids in the classroom about different non-traditional families and genders outside the gender binary.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can still be viewed as great holidays with a beautiful meaning, while we acknowledge that they aren’t always inclusive to people with non-traditional families. Luckily this problem can be partially remedied. Discussing different family structures during this time, and allowing people to celebrate in different ways are easy ways to help everyone feel included. Every family deserves to be celebrated, and a slightly adjusted Mother’s and Father’s day can be part of that.

I am an autumn person. Summer is too much. Hot dry air, burning seat belt buckles, and the sun constantly beaming. The empty feeling you get when you realize you have no plans really gets you questioning your sanity. Either you've got the funds to go on a plane and visit somewhere new or you stay in the Bay all summer.

My family was the one who never had the funds. Living in the Bay Area my whole life I have gone to every nook and cranny. Growing up, most of the summers were spent inside the house. Sometimes we would go outside and play with empty spray bottles and tag each other but most of our time was spent inside watching TV or staring out the window. My parents worked the weeks and during the weekend we’d spend it cleaning from the week prior. It was never like it was in the movies, where you see folks playing in the sun and running in the grass. Sometimes we went to Alameda Beach and stood where the waves met the sand, felt the ground below us get swept away and saw how long we could stand without falling. But that was on special occasions.

And rarely, when my cousins and siblings were at my grandma's house, we would go to Six Flags, about 12 blocks away. Summers in Vallejo were always fun, sleeping over, sharing beds with cousins. Every night before bed, we (the grandkids) would surround the box TV and watch He-Man. Sharing the Barney and Dora themed blankets from before we were even born was always a struggle. They were too thick for the summer but the custom of sleeping with a blanket on for protection from the monsters would prevent us from sticking even a toe out, leaving three kids per bed “mass sweating”. The lucky one would sleep with Grandma on her bed. But then we would head back to Oakland to resume our duties of lounging around.

In my young and TV-rotted brain I would see people go camping and I thought that only rich people could afford to do so. My brother once asked, “Why do rich people pay to pretend to be homeless?” We figured it out around three years ago; before I moved out of Oakland was the first time we had gone camping. My mother gathered up enough materials and booked us a campsite in a place called Mill Creek. We spent a week there and I finally understood why all the summers before were terrible. I’ve been a city girl since the second I hopped out of the womb. When I took my first breath, my lungs filled with polluted San Francisco air. So that first step out of the car into the campsite my lungs basically collapsed because they’d never been exposed to such pure, clean, crisp air. And then I realized why people paid to be homeless for a while. Only on the ride back home, I figured out that as a city girl, I’ve always longed for something that I never had.

Cheating culture at BHS is rooted in student disinterest

Each year, as it has been for decades, students start their school year greeted with the same message: “Don’t cheat, you’ll get a zero, I’ll fail you in this class,” said a Berkeley High School student who chose to remain anonymous, mimicking teachers at BHS.

Regardless, students still cheat. And further supervision and punishment will not change the root cause: Students don’t care. Grades come first, and satisfaction and learning comes second.

This indifference is fueled by a common sentiment: “You're never gonna have exam conditions outside of an exam,” said Ty Walthall, a BHS student. Walthall recently shadowed a doctor in the ER, and found that while medical knowledge came first, doctors would often double-check by asking a colleague or doing a Google search. Problem-solving skills, not trivia, are what linger after high school. The true

value of an education lies in how you approach new problems.

Karl Kaku, an english teacher at BHS, believes that a focus on grades is what drives most students to resort to dishonesty.

“I wish we didn't have grades ... if we didn't have grades, I think that might change things; If we had more authentic assessment,” he said.

According to another BHS student who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “My hardest classes are the ones that I usually find myself having to cheat in, so I can try to maintain my grade,” they said.

Tools such as Google Translate allow anybody with an internet connection to quickly translate information. The rudimentary translations are not always accurate, but they’re good enough. But because translation apps can’t handle speech or longer writing, those skills become more important.

Similarly, tools such as Google search and ChatGPT mean that memorizing vast amounts of information or basic writing response assignments are no longer as important. So why are students still memorizing formulas or writing one sentence responses, when this only lessens their desire to do honest work?

Students have a limited amount of mental energy available, and many commit to too many activities at once to give 100 percent for each one, especially towards the end of the year, when testing only ramps up. This means that staying engaged with the things they're learning in school remains even more critical, which can be accomplished through adjusting teaching styles and content.

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Moving towards assessments, rather than memorization focused exams, when possible, could alleviate some of this pressure. Assessments offer more subject flexibility, hopefully making them less tiresome than brute force testing. Besides, assessments are harder to cheat on. If students use ChatGPT or copy a classmate, their work will be considerably worse. This form of testing allows students real understanding and knowledge to be evaluated, rather than just their ability to regurgitate information or think in the way that exams do. That development of skills is critical.

“Producing the analysis in the moment with that data is something that either you've developed the skills for, or you haven't, or somewhere in between, but it's not something where you can just memorize the answers to something and take a shortcut,” Nick Pleskac, a science teacher at BHS, said.

While it may not be possible in every class, policymakers and society as a whole must recognize that with an uncertain future, skills applicable in any situation are still incredibly valuable, especially in high school. Developing skills like analysis and writing, rather than just memorization, when students will almost always have access to a search engine like Google, sets students up for far more success. Overreliance on rote work cheats students out of their time, and is irrelevant to the modern world.

The second anonymous student said, “I feel like at a certain point … I have no desire to learn these things because I'm not gonna go into a profession where I'm actually going to use them.”

AMPS must make enrollment in AP classes more accessible

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Although HuhndorfLima was eventually granted access to AP Language, he wasn’t provided with the same experience as his AC junior peers. AMPS added two new AP classes to their curriculum, AP United States History and AP Government.

“My experience has been lackluster to say the least,” Huhndorf-Lima said.

“Compared to friends that I have who are in AC, the way (AMPS) AP US History is set up (is different). Unlike all the other AP classes, there's no homework.”

“It is a civil right to have equal opportunities to education … I mean, just to put it plainly, it's grouping people of color together and then not giving them enough opportunities to get into prestigious colleges,” Huhndorf-Lima said.

AMPS is a school predominantly made up of students of color, with 51% Black students, according to a 2012 Berkeley Unified School District report. The other small learning

communities, which already offered AP classes, are not to the same extent. It being the only SLC to not have any AP offerings is detrimental to college applications, especially since more elitist institutions, which expect students to have competitive GPAs, several afterschool activities, and rigorous schedules. While AMPS does have honors classes in their programs, it is not the same as an AP course, which offers more college credit and a higher GPA boost.

“What I spent two years designing (my U.S. history course) to be is specific to the population to engage in the kind of students that we get in there,” said John Tobias, a teacher in AMPS. He caters his history program to the primarily Black and Latino population within the small school, but in reaction to the motion from HuhndorfLima and the parents, he has been trained and teaches a similarly augmented US history course.

However, the lack of homework and accountability makes it hard for the students in the

program to stay on track, with nearly half of the students taking the course dropping out over the first year of the AMPS program.

“I'm not prepared for this exam,” Huhndorf-Lima said.

“For students who want to go more in depth, I want to go there with them and don’t always have the time or the ability within the regular class day to do that ... (However) students can get college credit,” Tobias explained, recognizing what AP courses can do for students. Despite the clear advantages, the school is still struggling to adequately prepare students for the exam.

The essence of AMPS is about the strong community it creates, according to Tobias. It is explained to ninth graders that if they choose the SLC, it does mean giving up access to the AP options one would get in AC or BIHS.

“(AP classes mess) with our philosophy and one of the greatest values of schools and students in the same cohorts year after year, taking the classes together. If you end up taking AP classes, you're basically removing yourself from the community, which is the basis of why these things exist,” said Tobias.

Although this helps some students, it still creates an environment where the students in AMPS are disproportionately unprepared for the same test their peers in AC are taking. The SLCs must commit to adding AP classes to their course options, as doing so will lead to the creation of an equal environment and future for all students at BHS.

Should AI be allowed as an educational tool?

PRO

BY SHANZA SYED staff writer

There’s no denying that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution is here, but it looks nothing like the warped realities from The Matrix or Terminator. Rather, it provides yet another form of learning for people, especially students. Online tools like ChatGPT can help students grasp new concepts, save time, and promote equity.

Sitting at home doing homework can be stressful when students don’t understand the material, especially since teachers aren’t available to help outside of school hours. And unfortunately, a simple Google search often doesn’t do the trick. No matter how hard one tries, there are always irrelevant websites scattered among the search results and it’s hard to find something that makes sense. However, with ChatGPT and similar programs, AI quickly scans its knowledge base to bring students the most relevant information. For instance, if one is looking for an idea for an essay, then ChatGPT can provide great ideas that can help get the ball rolling instead of wasting time brainstorming ideas oneself. Not only does this save students a lot of time, but the AI can word things in a way that is more accessible and easily understood by students. For instance, if a student doesn’t know how to do a math problem, they can just ask ChatGPT how to do it.

In addition to helping students grasp new concepts, ChatGPT also promotes equity. Private tutors or even classes to help support students outside of school are quite expensive. In fact, according to Indeed, the average cost of a tutor is around $25 an hour. If students need long sessions multiple times a week, things can get quite pricey. However, ChatGPT is easily accessible to all students. With a quick click of the keyboard, all students can get help on homework and other class projects with AI. Additionally, AI can give students constructive feedback regarding things like grammar.

Some argue that AI may stifle

creativity, but the truth is that creativity stems from motivation. If students aren’t motivated or excited about an assignment, then regardless of whether they have access to AI or not, they will have no reason to channel their creative efforts into an assignment. In addition, some teachers believe that if students ask ChatGPT to do their work for them, then they aren’t learning anything, which isn’t quite true. At this stage, ChatGPT isn’t advanced enough to create well-structured and well-written essays. After multiple attempts, the sentences still sound odd and the ideas are unoriginal. But, what ChatGPT can do is provide basic ideas that students can then use their critical thinking skills to further. In fact, after seeing what ChatGPT has to say, many students can use that information to learn how analyze and come up with ideas on their own. Moreover, many AI companies are also creating AI checkers which teachers can use to identify whether students simply copied the AI-generated response word-for-word or made sure to add their own ideas and input.

Research and learning are some of ChatGPT’s main uses, and utilizing it can save students a lot of time and stress. Instead of having to browse the internet for hours, ChatGPT can compile a list of sources for students to use and evaluate. Many people are concerned that students may become over-reliant on programs like ChatGPT, however, there is no denying that AI software is a part of the future. According to Business Insider, many programmers can use ChatGPT to write code faster by using it to test their algorithms, troubleshoot, and provide new ideas when they are stuck.

It seems that as AI tools are refined and expanded, utilizing them is going to be a skill in itself. Letting students use AI for school is allowing them to learn this skill, which will be of excellent service to them in the future.

BY SOPHIE DRESKIN staff writer

It’s no secret that the rise of ChatGPT has enabled easy access to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for students all around the world, including for students at Berkeley High School. Though some students may use AI in positive ways, many also use it in harmful ways. AI is a dangerous tool because while it can be harmlessly used to help explain a math problem, it can also write a 10-page essay, so that the student doesn’t have to. This is not only blatant cheating, but it will also stunt the advancement and learning of students in the future. BHS students should not be able to use artificial intelligence as a tool to learn because there is no good way to hold students accountable for their destructive use of AI.

AI stifles the creative and critical thinking skills students need to put to use. This is especially true for high school students, because it is a formative time for many impressionable teens. It allows them to use as little creativity as possible, and what’s even worse, play it off as their own ideas. Because it can do, write, and create so much, it’s taking away the responsibility that students have to learn and test

their own creative thinking skills. Teenagers need to remember that in order to truly embrace learning, it isn’t okay to generate essays and assignments with AI because that is simply not learning.

Students are prone to slacking off when using AI. Because it’s so new, and was only really developed to be used in such complex ways more recently, teachers have no good way of being able to tell if a student has cheated with AI or not. In an interview with the Financial Review, Toby Walsh said, “There’s no tool that can tell you with certainty if writing is generated by AI because it’s not like plagiarism where it can point to this text on the internet and this word or words are identical.” Because of this, students can get away with using any amount of ChatGPT or other programs in their schoolwork. This enables students to overuse AI, making it impossible for them to grow into well educated individuals.

While some might argue that AI can be a helpful tool for students, this is rarely the case. It is said that AI can help students if a teacher is busy, but AI isn’t yet equipped to answer all the questions that students may have, and AI doesn’t always give students the most accurate, or even relevant information. It also takes away a very important aspect of learning, which is human interaction. AI does not have the neccessary life experience and emotional ability to help students with all of their needs. In addition, AI has also never been needed before, and schools have done a great job of teaching students without it for a long time. That does not need to change, especially when it is such an easy tool to cheat with.

Though there are some cases where AI can be helpful to students who need a little bit of extra support, that is largely overshadowed by the opportunities for negative use that comes with it. When encouraged to use software such as ChatGPT, students are allowed to perform worse in school. Not only does it allow them to slack off, but it also stunts their creative capacity, critical thinking, and general knowledge in the long run. BHS has an obligation to stop this from becoming the norm among students, who are susceptible to the overuse of AI, which quickly turns to blatant cheating. To foster a positive learning environment, BHS staff cannot allow students to use AI as a learning tool. It’s not just a tool, it’s a weapon.

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AI tools like ChatGPT allow students to generate work without human effort.

Berkeley Copwatch analyzes possible BPD arrest quota

BY PEARL GAUTHIER & MIRABAI PARNALL staff writer & staff writer

In November of 2022, recently fired Berkeley Police Department (BPD) officer Corey Shedoudy leaked a series of texts from the BPD Bike Task Force. These texts included officers joking about a hypothetical disease that could wipe out the homeless population in Berkeley and alluded to a possible arrest quota that had been established within the department.

Now, many months later, BPD has yet to release any information about supposed investigations into these texts. Simultaneously, BPD made Jennifer Louis, the former interim chief, the permanent police chief of Berkeley on Tuesday, May 9, despite “indicat(ing) that they would wait until the independent and board investigations were completed,” as stated by Hansel Aguilar, Director of Police Accountability in Berkeley.

Because of the scarcity of BPD’s informational release, Copwatch, a Bay Area nonprofit, is conducting their own investigation into the possible arrest quota. Copwatch is a volunteer nonprofit that was started in 1990 to monitor police interactions with unhoused people, who are often disproportionately targeted by police.

Copwatch has recently begun analyzing data provided by BPD through the Public Records Act to identify trends around arrests of people of color.

the Berkeley Unified School District. “Police have enjoyed a kind of privilege and exemption from scrutiny that has had a detrimental effect on our ability to really provide for the public safety of our community,” she said.

“First of all, (the screenshots showed that) these police officers, in their free time at least, are extremely comfortable making racist jokes,” said Avi Simon, a member of Copwatch and a Berkeley High School graduate. “They're extremely comfortable joking about a hypothetical new (COVID-19) variant that could wipe out and kill every unhoused person in Berkeley … It's a disturbing way to speak about the constituents that these people serve.”

Another aspect of the leaked messages were allusions to an arrest quota. An arrest quota is an illegal practice in California, in which a leading member of law enforcement incentivizes their officers to make a certain number of arrests.

“It's not legal to have this kind of quota for a lot of reasons,” explained Simon, “A good one being that you don't want officers trying to bag as many arrests as possible. That encourages them to step over people's constitutional and civil rights to try to meet that number.”

According to Simon, the texts showed “this idea that (the BPD Bike Force) had 100 arrests that they had to meet in a month.” Simon said, “They were saying things like, ‘That's definitely gonna put us over the edge,'and effectively working through a

but Shedoudy’s account gave cause to investigate.

Along with the investigation incited by Copwatch, two other investigations are taking place by the Berkeley Police Accountability Board (BPAB) and the Internal Affairs Department. A complaint to BPAB led to a review of any wrongful policies within BPD that led to the allegations in the leaked messages. An investigation into BPD misconduct was also launched, and conducted by a private law firm hired by the city to avoid a conflict of interest.

According to Aguilar, BPAB can only access information through requests made to BPD. “To me, it's a barrier in doing an independent, thorough investigation, because we're relying on what information they're giving us,” he said.

In terms of a motive for initiating an arrest quota, Simon and Prichett point to reputation.

“Bike patrol has a high propaganda value for the police,” said Prichett, explaining that because of the task force’s visible presence, BPD is perceived to be more responsive to crime in that area.

Recently, the bike patrol was restored in Downtown Berkeley. Prichett hypothesized that once reinstated, they did not want their funding to be cut again, so they established an arrest quota to give the impression that they were “a vital part of policing in our town.”

crime.”

If Shedoudy's account is factual, then this quota required 100 arrests per month from the bike committee, which he described in an LA Times article as more than the rest of the police department combined. To investigate this, Copwatch is using records of arrests from the police department to look for patterns.

Prichett explained that illegitimate arrests can occur when someone is arrested and taken into police custody, and then the charges are quickly dropped. “If those arrests were not legitimate, then people paid the price for that,” she said. “Real live human beings went to jail needlessly, for the sake of a propaganda opportunity for the police Unfortunately, people who are most likely to be taken unjustly are poor people, people of color, people who are marginalized, and (people) whom the police think don't have the resources to resist or respond to an unjust arrest.”

According to Simon, Copwatch’s investigation involves seeing if the Bike Force made more arrests than the rest of the police department, and whether their arrests led to charges being dropped or not. If many arrests appeared

“It

competition. That is called an arrest quota.”

said Andrea Prichett on the mission of Copwatch.

Prichett co-founded Copwatch as a middle school teacher in

Because these texts were leaked, their authenticity is something that could be questioned. It is not definitive that there was an arrest quota,

“Police can make it look like they're doing a whole lot when they make a lot of arrests,” Prichett said. “And that can contribute to this idea of a statistical crime wave, the perception that there's lots of

illegitimate, this could indicate an arrest quota within the police department.

“We want to see if people are being wrongly arrested in order to give the impression that the police are responding to crime,” Pritchett said. “We take that very seriously.”

is crucial that the citizenry hold police accountable, and direct observation is a crucial part of understanding what's actually happening with police in our streets,”

“It is crucial that the citizenry hold police accountable, and direct observation is a crucial part."

Andrea Prichett, Cop Watch co-founder

“If those arrests were not legitimate, then people paid the price for that. Real live human beings went to jail needlessly."

Andrea Prichett, Cop Watch co-founder

A day in the life of Sarah Cline: Jazz director and beloved teacher

BY JASPER LOVVORNBLACK staff writer

“(I was a) musician and just gigged for ten years; then I decided I needed to go back to the classroom, so I decided to put those two things together,” said Sarah Cline, the BHS Jazz Director, who currently teaches five jazz bands. At around 8:20 every day, Cline shows up to the A building, ready to begin teaching.

To prepare for her upcoming classes, Cline prepares scores to review for the day.

In-class rehearsal typically takes up a majority of the period. “This year, we’ve just been preparing music for event after event,” she said. This process usually means listening to bands playing a piece and stopping to give any suggestions or constructive criticism. Then, the band plays the song again, and the process repeats.

“Anytime I want to demonstrate something, I’m really glad that I can have a trumpet or a trombone to show people what I mean instead of trying to describe it to them, and that is a real blessing,” said Cline, “I never thought I would be able to play a trombone all day in a classroom setting.”

Cline is a BHS Jazz alumni, and first began her career by teaching fifth and sixth grade math, english, and history.

“Charles Hamilton, who was the long time jazz band teacher here, was retiring, knew I had a teaching credential and he asked me if I would take over for him, and I said yes.” Cline said.

Ever since the A building was remodeled, Cline has

website. Cline said that she “always looks forward to going to Cuba.”

BHS Jazz has also participated in the Folsom, Reno, and Santa Cruz Jazz Festivals. Since jazz is a performance art, jazz bands also play fall and spring concerts or concerts outside of school, like playing at Yoshi’s. Cline also has to plan for things like the JazzGirls Day, the Salsa party, and auditions for next year’s bands.

devoted her lunch time to supervising practice rooms that students need access to for combo rehearsals or individual practice. She is also in her office after school on Tuesdays and for those that need jazz tutoring or to answer any questions someone might have.

Additionally, Cline allots a lot of her time to event planning for the numerous events that BHS Jazz attends or hosts. A highlight for many is when Jazz Ensemble and seniors get to take a trip to Havana, Cuba every two years in order to “explore the historical roots of jazz,” according to the BHS Jazz

Outside of events, Cline helps to run a number of programs for BHS Jazz. One of these programs is BMIE (Berkeley Music for Inclusion and Equality), which aims to diversify music programs by encouraging elementary and middle students of color to continue playing music in high school. This is accomplished by giving said students 30 minute lessons every other week with BHS music students. The program also hosts BMIE day in February which brings together local artists of color to make their music programs more welcoming to Black and Latinx students. BHS Jazz also runs a scholarship program that offers BUSD

students financial aid to take private lessons which increases the eligibility of players auditioning for BHS Jazz.

“I work very closely with

said. This group raises enough money to make many BHS Jazz events possible.

the Berkeley High School Jazz Association, which is our parent booster group, so I spend a lot of time emailing with parent volunteers,” Cline

Emailing is a large part of Cline’s responsibilities, and she often has to juggle messages from potential collaborators or people trying to advertise their concerts to BHS Jazz students. Other times, she is receiving questions from students and parents, or people trying to donate old instruments. “I mean, it’s just constant … and never ending,” said Cline. “It just ends up being a ton of stuff.”

Cline stated that she “looks forward to concerts,” and that, “it’s really nice for the kids to get a chance to shine and someone will always play a great solo or some (enjoyable) musical moment will happen.” She also highlighted that a break in her daily routine, such as teaching soloing, is really refreshing.

“My job is too busy. There’s too much work. Trying to fit everything in can be really stressful,” Cline said, “I’m just tired.” However, next year Cline plans to share some of the workload with an incoming BHS teacher that will teach two jazz bands, and she will teach three.

50 fire alarms a year: What do the Berkeley firefighters think?

BY MADELYN PHILHOWER staff writer

Fire alarms are a notorious part of Berkeley High School, costing BHS thousands of dollars each time the alarm goes off and bringing fire

trucks blaring to the scene. According to Interim Deputy Fire Chief Keith May, BHS averages 50 fire alarm calls to the Berkeley Fire Department (BFD) each year. The high rate of calls to the BFD due to false alarms or pulls can lead students to wonder: are firefighters sick of responding

to BHS calls?

The answer to this question?

“No,” said Dolibor John, an Apparatus Operator for the BFD, “(fire alarms are) what we deal with, it’s our job.”

Fire alarms are reported to the Berkeley Dispatch

Center in several different ways. Large amounts of heat and smoke detected on campus send an automatic notice to the dispatch center, fire alarms can be pulled, and 911 can be called.

calls from the University of California, Berkeley campus and other populated areas

High in particular does a good job of identifying what the problem is and solving it,” said John.

“We have had some small fires like in the bathroom trash can, and we have responded to quite a few medical emergencies too.”

Keith May, BFD Interim Deputy Fire Chief

Because of that, “It is hard to differentiate most of the calls at Berkeley High as it relates to fire alarms,” said May, “We have had some small fires like in the bathroom trash can, and we have responded to quite a few medical emergencies too.”

While BHS does average a high number of fire alarms, “In general, (BHS is) the same as any other fire alarms in the city that we respond to repeatedly,” John said.

of Berkeley. Thus, Berkeley

High causes “little impact to our department when looking at our total volume of calls that we receive in the City of Berkeley, (as) we average

However, fire alarm pulls prevent the BFD from being available to respond to other calls, which can have negative consequences for the broader Berkeley community.

“Responding to Berkeley High School for any emergency is why we are here and it is what we do.”

Keith May, BFD Interim Deputy Fire Chief

For example, the BFD frequently responds to

16,000 calls per year in the City of Berkeley,” said May. Additionally, “Berkeley

“When prank calls happen anywhere in the city, it takes fire and medical resources away from true emergencies,” said May, “We do not condone prank calls as it takes resources away from actual emergencies.” At the end of the day, fire fighters are here to help.

“Responding to Berkeley High School for any emergency is why we are here and it is what we do,” May said.

“It’s really nice for the kids to get a chance to shine and someone will always play a great solo."

Sarah Cline BHS Jazz Director

SANAM ROZYCKI-SHAH

Berkeley High School averages 50 fire alarm triggers each year.

MALINA MEISSNER

Sarah Cline playing trumpet alongside a BHS music class.

“I never thought I would be able to play a trombone all day in a classroom setting.”

Sarah Cline BHS Jazz Director

Students prioritize fun over feuds in yearly game of assassin

they felt that there were many exciting moments throughout the game. “I think the biggest highlight was when there were super funny, strategic things when it came to the kills,” the administrator said.

One participant, Emmet Tjen, said that he had a great experience with the way the game was organized and even managed to make new friends along the way. “I loved it. I had a great time. Lots of ups and downs, but overall it made going to school a lot more fun and exciting.”

Tjen shared how it was more than just a game, it was also a collaborative effort between peers and a great way to meet new

people. “The best part of it was hearing all the gossip and as the week went on, you try to work with other teams to benefit your team,” said Tjen.

When asked about his thoughts on players using loopholes to get around the rules, he responded by saying, “I think it's all part of the game. But at the same time, I hope that people just use the honor code.”

The administrator said that many players paid off other teams so that they could continue. Teams would pay others $60 to move onto the next round so that each player on that team made a profit, and by using that approach one of these teams even made it to the finale.

While many players

felt the administrator took a large cut of the prize money, Tjen thought that the cut of money that the administrator took was fair, that the amount of work they had put into managing and organizing the event each day is equal to the amount of money they made at the end of the game.

Tjen highlighted that it was important for everyone to have fun and for the game to run as smoothly as possible for all players involved. “Choose your good friends to be on a team with, and watch your back, but also like don't take the game too seriously,” he said when asked about his advice for next year's players.

Max Lim, a participant, said the game was stressful at times but it could also be

lots of fun. “My team, we really liked using timers. We got pretty good at it. The second two people we had to eliminate we got them by fourth period on the first day of the week,” he said.

Lim agreed that the game relied strongly on the honor code, and if you are out, it’s

important to accept that so that everyone can have fun and minimize disagreement.

One of the most interesting events to occur during the game was when a junior was part of a team, and managed to make it all the way to the finale until they were caught and said

player was disqualified, according to the game’s administrator.

“I think we should try to keep (this) tradition. It's cool to have the Berkeley High community just come and watch because at the end of the day it is a game,” Tjen said.

Volunteer association keeps Berkeley’s trails well-maintained

BY MAYA DANG staff writer

The Berkeley Path Wanderers Association (BPWA) was founded in 1998 by Ruth Armstrong, Patricia DeVito, Jacque Ensign and Eleanor Hall Gibson, according to John Ford, BPWA’s walk coordinator.

As stated by Ford, BPWA’s mission is to promote, care for, and enjoy the paths and stairways of Berkeley. “(The organization is) community volunteers who work to increase awareness of Berkeley's pathways through our programs and activities,” stated BPWA’s website. “We offer free guided walks, publish a map of Berkeley's path network, and build and maintain new paths on previously inaccessible cityowned rights of way.”

According to Janet Byron, BPWA’s president, there are 136 official paths and several

dozen more unofficial and unbuilt paths.

“The paths are public rights of way that connect the curvy streets in the Berkeley Hills. Many are concrete with steps, while others are more like trails with wooden steps,” said Byron. “The paths are really important for evacuation purposes in the case of an emergency like a fast-moving wildfire, when it’s not advisable to drive a car.”

Tamara Gurin, a member of the BPWA board, added that the organization also raises funds to pay for the materials and installation of handrails. “None of us (are) paid for the work we do,” said Gurin.

Gurin joined this organization because she’d been walking and enjoying Berkeley paths for 15 years and always felt grateful to those who maintain them for the benefit of all of the Berkeley residents.

“I supported BPWA with my donations for many years,” said Gurin, “but I wanted to do more for this all-volunteer organization, so I decided to join the board. There is a lot of work that we do, but even more needs to be done in order to make our city more walkable and more beautiful.”

According to Gurin, weeding overgrown stairways and adding handrails to steep and narrow paths makes Berkeley more walkable and beautiful. She also noted that steps exposed to rain tend to deteriorate with time, necessitating repairs.

Emma Morris, a volunteer for BPWA, grew up in Berkeley and is an alumni of Berkeley High School. During her childhood, she and her friends were always out and about in Berkeley going to school and elsewhere, getting themselves around by walking.

“I grew up near Rose (and) Shattuck, where I still

live, and most of my friends lived in the hills, as far up as Grizzly Peak. We didn't think twice about walking to each other's houses, to local parks, and all over Berkeley,” said Morris. “We were always using the paths, which were quite overgrown and neglected at that time, which made them seem like secret passageways that only we knew about. Of course, it turns out a great many people use the pathways and love

them as I do.”

During Byron’s time at BPWA, she loved working with a group of volunteers who were dedicated to walking in Berkeley. “I'm amazed by how much we have been able to achieve over the years,” said Byron.

Ford enjoyed the sense of shared appreciation in BPWA. “Being on the board has deepened my sense of community, provided connection to the other board

members, and enabled me to share my love of the paths with many others who also love to walk,” he said.

Part of the draw of BPWA is that there is always room for another. As Morris said, “BPWA is always looking for new volunteers! It is one of our founding principles: To always seek new people to join and get involved. That is how you keep things relevant and bring new ideas and energy to the organization.”

JAHAN INGRAHAM

Seniors have a fun experience in the game of assassin, sneaking through the halls.

‘Dance is life’: Ms. Shorty moves to new job

BY AMELIA REED staff writer

Since the age of 23, Ms. Shorty has been working in the African Diaspora dance program. When the previous leader, Naomi Washington, retired in 2019, Ms. Shorty became the head of the class, finding it important to hold onto the culture Washington built. This year, however, Ms. Shorty decided to switch jobs, and is now working in OCI.

“It’s so much bigger than dance. Life is not dance, dance is life. We still move, we still breathe to a rhythm and if we can get the students here, the teachers here, the staff here to understand that part to make it all come together. That’s what I’m here for,” said Ms. Shorty.

Now, Ms. Shorty specializes in welfare and attendance for students in OCI. “It’s about

getting you on track, making you understand that being inside the classroom is most important,” said Ms. Shorty. She believes coming to class should be the number one priority for students.

Ms. Shorty is trying to prevent misconceptions about the purpose and use of OCI. She believes OCI is a space not just for students to go when they are in trouble, but rather when they need help. “OCI is not just a space for when you get in trouble it’s also a space to get some advice. It’s also a space to work out a problem, find a solution. It’s also a space to get a snack. It’s also a space to give pound, get a hug, words of encouragement. Whatever you need is what this space is also for,” said Ms. Shorty.

Her absence has made African Diaspora dance into something different. “It has changed the energy a lot in

our class; Ms. Shorty has a very warm personality and (has) really helped (making) people excited about dancing and want to put in the work,” said freshman Lola Lelchuk. After Ms. Shorty left, Lelchuk was voted to become a dance captain in her Beginning African Diaspora dance class. As captain, Lelchuk helps other students in her class do warm ups and learn dances.

Lelchuk ended up taking the class because she heard a lot of good things about the African Diaspora dance program at Berkeley High. “Everybody who’s there really wants to be there, (and) it’s really fun to learn because it’s things that most people haven’t done,” Lelchuk said about her experiences taking the class.

However, after Ms. Shorty left her job as African Diaspora dance teacher, Lelchuk has found that the environment of the class has changed. Without the strictness Ms. Shorty brings to the class, students have less motivation to put in work into the activities. “She really pushes everybody, but I also (think that) a lot of people are able to go to talk to her about anything if they need it,” said Lelchuk. Without Ms. Shorty, the African Diaspora Dance class feels empty to Lelchuk. Although there are other teachers there to help, without her there to teach the class, they feel busier.

Freshman Amiya Boone

and her classmates, who are in first period Afro-Haitian dance, feel Ms. Shorty’s loss, but they’re happy for her as well. “I think we’re all really sad that she’s leaving because she’s a great role model and we all love her, but we do like the position that she’s in now because she can help us academically. So, she’s still involved with us,” said Boone.

Because she’s been dancing for a while, Boone finds her experience is something she can use to support others; she finds joy in helping other students in her class learn the dances. “African dance can be really hard. The moves are really hard, and like it can be a struggle for some people who’ve never danced before,” Boone explained. She describes the best part of the class as the unity between students, and the community they’ve built in class.

Although the change felt sudden, students in the African Diaspora Dance program are happy that Ms. Shorty has the platform to reach more students than she did teaching the dance class. They find her new job to be a great opportunity for her to do the work she is passionate about, helping students. “We’re sad that she’s gone, we miss her and want her back, but the position she is in is really good for her and we love that she feels comfortable in her position,” said Boone.

Best Places: Where to see art in the Bay

BY ADITYA SRIDHARAN staff writer

Art close to home is a valuable tool to enrich the lives of many residents. However, it can be daunting to know where to start looking. Exploring the multitude of art choices Berkeley offers is key to being able to enjoy them in our day to day lives.

For Greta Graham, “One of the most amazing places you can see art in Berkeley is through the murals.” Graham thinks of the murals as a symbol of Berkeley’s culture and its residents. “They show that art doesn’t always need to be carefully thought through on canvas,” she said. The notion that art doesn’t need to be in a museum is one with great significance.

“You can find them everywhere and they have lots of different styles,” Graham continued. “There are some beautiful ones around Fourth Street. They can be done through the city or by individual artists,” she elaborated.

These murals tell powerful stories about Berkeley. From

the wall of Amoeba Music speaking anti-war messages to Southwest Berkeley where the mural Living Without Borders calls attention to the relationship between race and gentrification.

Museums and other

Founded in 1881, the museum’s collection has expanded tremendously over the last 50 years. In alignment with their mission statement, they strive to ‘ignite critical dialogue.’ This appeal to discussion is exactly what Cheng sees in BAMPFA. It is a space that welcomes debate and doesn’t tell you what you are seeing.

to get there early to get up close, so it’s easier to see the artist,” she continued. “There’s also food and a bar if you want to order,” she added. First opened as a film theater, the theatre is now a City of Berkeley landmark.

GENIUS GREEN PLASTICS

JULIUS BRAUN

traditional establishments are still a pillar of Berkeley’s art scene. Simon Cheng recommends the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), located at 2155 Center St.

“They have a couple galleries and they’ve got the theater,” Cheng said. Cheng appreciates the originality of the art as well as the variety. “It rotates quite often so you can see a bunch of different stuff,” he continued.

Cheng believes this variety opens the audience up to a stream of unique emotions and responses. “It’s a very freeing experience,” he said, speaking about his experience at the BAMPFA museum.

Chloe Rappaport values The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall, situated at 2036 University Ave. “I enjoy seeing artists perform in a smaller venue,” Rappaport said. “You have

“One of the main reasons I attend is to help support smaller artists,” Rappaport said. “There aren’t many stages that are as welcoming to up and coming musicians as here,” she added.

One thing remains clear: taking advantage of the art around us is crucial. Art in Berkeley takes many different forms while still having a powerful impact on the community.

Last month, I participated in an East Bay Regional Park District shoreline cleanup with some friends for Earth Day. After lunch, my friends and I walked to the volunteer tent situated near the Oakland side of the Alameda Estuary. Trash bags, gloves, and trash grabbers were provided to us, and we were instructed to pick up all plastic, metal, and packaging litter. We headed out at the perfect time, when it was low tide, so that we could walk on the damp shoreline, and spent the day filling our bags with as much trash as we could before the tide came back in. While the experience was fun, the true purpose of the cleanup was to protect the environment from litter which could potentially endanger the wildlife in the Estuary. This wildlife includes seals, otters, sea birds, and more. It felt like I was really making a difference towards a local cause, and I came away feeling fulfilled and that it was one of the best uses of my time. I definitely plan to participate in other shoreline cleanups in the future. If you want a similar experience, here are some ideas.

One of the easiest ways to stay in tune with local efforts at environmental action is to join your local chapter of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club was originally founded in 1892 by John Muir and 17 like-minded Californians to sponsor wilderness outings but soon became politically involved in environmental conservation. The Sierra Club offers volunteering opportunities, committee meetings, and social gatherings all focused on local issues around clean energy, climate change, transportation, urban growth, East Bay public lands, zero waste, and population.

Another possible way to get involved locally is to volunteer for the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. The Trust is run by a group of Native Indigenous Chochenyo Ohlone women who are making headway in returning local lands to Indigenous people for stewardship. This year, they opened up their volunteer opportunities to Non-Indigenous people. Berkeley High School students can learn about how to properly steward land in an authentic indigenous program.

Friends of the Urban Forest is an organization that plants trees, which is an effective way to immerse yourself in climate change prevention. With recent wildfires destroying so many trees in California, planting trees can be a very real and impactful way to contribute. Each year, Friends of the Urban Forest helps communities with nearly 1,000 trees. Neighborhoods organize plantings while Friends of the Urban Forest organize permits and asphalt removal, and then provide supplies for the planting.

Urban Adamah is an urban educational farm located in West Berkeley that provides opportunities to be a part of a community that works the farm. Gardening and growing food, especially in a community, can help relieve climate anxiety because working with the soil and the plants can be especially calming and grounding.

Even if you don’t suffer from climate anxiety, I still believe we should all strive to dedicate time to give back to the earth. I hope you’ll consider some of the opportunities to make real change suggested here.

SASHA BALASUBRAMANIAN

An array of artworks are shown at BAMPFA.

MEI SAPHIR

Ms. Shorty now helps students struggling with their attendance.

“One of the most amazing places you can see art in Berkeley is through the murals.”

Greta Graham, BHS Student

ERASE, EDIT, OR REMAKE?: MOVIES WE’RE MEANT TO LOVE

CHLOE CARUTH

Writers Guild fed up with low wages and AI

BY ZACH YOO staff writer

Seth Rogen’s version of The Hangover, featuring a homicidal dictator, The Interview (2014) poses an interesting point and perspective about powerful people. Directed by and starring Rogen, it could be remade into a very interesting and thoughtful movie. However, while the movie explores the ridiculousness behind the lies Kim Jong Un tells his people, it is accompanied by really painful humor. Although this movie is satirical, I don’t feel satire writes off all of the issues I found. The Interview uses Seth Rogen’s unique comedy style to view North Korea, one of the mysteries to the global public.

In the movie, Kim Jong Un agrees to an interview with his favorite American TV host and invites them to North Korea. For Americans and people in other countries, North Korea is a puzzle that is hidden away.

Propaganda, released from inside the country, shows what the government wants outsiders to think, perhaps to divert interference, but doesn’t stop information from coming out about the reality of life in North Korea. Information on starvation, medical needs, strict laws, forced conformity, death, and labor camps have come out from people who have escaped and the few outsiders let in. For a long time, there has been a looming threat between the US and North Korea of a nuclear weapons attack, which the movie works to illustrate.

The Interview uses crude humor and abusive use of illicit drugs to make the audience laugh through childlike delusions and hyperactivity which makes their humor even more unsettling.To me, it felt like a call back to the potty jokes we heard when we were in elementary school. Every scene involves either a butt joke or a phallic reference, and usually, it has both. Every single woman in this movie is either sexualized for their lack of power or because they have power. All of these unfortunate jokes are nothing to the clear racism in this movie, racism that is irrelevant and unnecessary to the plot.

The best aspect of this movie is Katy Perry. Early on they introduced that “Firework” by Katy Perry is Kim Jong Un’s favorite song. The song has a final callback in the form of his death. In an example of triple irony, Kim Jong Un is killed when a North Korean missile blows him up in a helicopter while the song plays. Although this is obviously simply a comedic beat I can’t ignore the symbolism. There is the completely unsubtle irony that he blows up like a firework to Katy Perry’s “Firework.” But Kim Jong Un being killed by his own missile symbolizes how these weapons end up hurting us all in the end. This movie was truly odd and a bit deranged but it had a good message that could have been better executed.

“We must now exert the maximum leverage possible to get a fair contract,” reads the announcement by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), regarding the strike that started May 2, approved by over 98 percent of its members. It’s the first such strike since 2007, brought on by the drastic changes to the landscape of film and television writing since then, namely, the popularization of streaming over network television as well as the threat posed by generative language models like ChatGPT.

As tends to happen with contracts, the devil lies in the details. Many of the contracts previously negotiated between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), such as protection from pay erosion over time, apply solely to broadcast television. Thus, these benefits aren’t locked in for streaming writers. Per the WGA, “The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels.” The guild says that as a result, the average salary for writers has declined by 4 percent since 2013 (unadjusted for inflation). At the same time,

studio profits have risen 39 percent (also unadjusted). A proposed reform by the AMPTP was a “day rate” for comedy writers, which some WGA members fear is another step towards turning writing into a gig economy. Formalized in the guild’s demands now are minimum staffing requirements for writers rooms, as well as a guaranteed duration of employment.

The threat posed by generative AI is another issue. Experiments like “Watch Me Forever,” the never-ending AI-generated “Seinfeld” episode, have proven that language generative models are still far from professional writing. However, the rapid development of this technology is a concern for many writers. For more formulaic programs (shows like “Law and Order” that have been on the air for years) the technology could also be used now to get a decent outline of a script that a non-union writer would just have to patch up. But there isn’t a consensus from the guild over what exactly should be done about the technology. Their official demands list asks for vague “regulation”, and ideas have been circulated that range

from the banning of AI on all WGA productions, or that AI may be used, but only by WGA writers.

As tends to happen with contracts, the devil lies in the details.

friendly.

JESSIE LEE

Productions affected aren’t just streaming products—anyone in the guild is obligated not to write. Marvel’s “Blade” is on hold, as a screenplay for that film hasn’t been finalized, as is Netflix’s final season of “Stranger Things.” Some productions, like Amazon’s second season of “The Rings of Power,” are full steam ahead, just with scripts that now can’t be rewritten. Most talk shows, such as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” have stopped airing new episodes. But the response from industry giants has (predictably) been less than

Productions affected aren’t just streaming products—anyone in the guild is obligated not to write.

A Disney internal memo acquired by The Hollywood Reporter told writers who also work as showrunners (a role that involves writing and producing) that they are “not excused from performing your duties as a showrunner and/or producer on your series as a result of the WGA strike.” This leaves some WGA members in an awkward position—officially on strike, but still obligated to work. In terms of official responses from the producer’s alliance, the AMPTP has stated it “presented a comprehensive package,” but is unwilling to currently negotiate it given “the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the Guild continues to insist upon.”

The WGA called the package “wholly insufficient.” It’s unclear when negotiations between the two parties will resume. Until then, the picket lines continue.

Aftersun

Movie recommendations: Summer vibes

BY KAIYA JORDAN AND SIMON POLICY Entertainment editors

Courtesy of A24

“Aftersun” follows Sophie, reflecting on the last vacation she takes with her father Calum, at a small vacation resort. The coming of age film depicts the complicated relationship between Calum dealing with life outside fatherhood and Sophie beginning to understand adolesence.

Moonrise Kingdom Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Courtesy of Focus Pictures

“Moonrise Kingdom” is a quirky and colorful Wes Anderson coming of age romance movie. The film follows a jumble of complex characters, including two pre-teens, Sam and Suzie. The pair decides to run away from their adult supervisors, resulting in a mix of chase sequences, weird dialogue, and lots of inexperienced flirting.

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is a hilarious and beloved comedy that’s 1 hour and 38 minutes of pure teen wish fulfillment. The titular Ferris, his best friend Cameron, and his girlfriend Sloane ditch class to see the sights of Chicago, all the while effortlessly staying ten steps ahead of their principal who’s in persuit.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume. 3’ makes a splash in theaters

BY HANNAH GROTHREIDY staff writer

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) recent productions have grappled with controversy. Their latest release, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” hit theaters on May 5,

which is a rare occurrence considering the sheer volume of MCU content released via streaming on Disney Plus. The increasing popularity of streaming platforms has resulted in a surge in the amount of Marvel content, leading many fans to criticize the franchise. According to Business Insider, 36 percent of surveyed Marvel fans said

they “felt fatigue from all the releases in 2022”. While the amount of content is not a problem in and of itself, audiences have continued to see quality forsaken for quantity. Marvel’s newest threequel, however, avoids the past criticisms of MCU content, proving to be a box office success, much like its predecessors.

Regardless of the growing

“Marvel fatigue,” many fans were eager to catch up with the Guardians. “Vol. 3” has already made $528 million globally, which comes as a surprise if you look back at the box office performances of other recent Marvel films.

While the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films have generally structured their story lines around the same core characters, “Vol.

36 percent of surveyed Marvel fans said they “felt fatigue from all the releases in 2022.”

Instead of following the pattern of the previous two movies in the trilogy, the threequel takes a rather unexpected angle, as it focuses more heavily on the backstory of the character “Rocket Racoon,” a cybernetically-enhanced anthropomorphic raccoon who works as a mercenary. This was a refreshing change of pace helmed by the director, James Gunn, who claims “Vol. 3” to be the final film of the trilogy with the current cast. Gunn did, however, say, “I would love to see any characters that remain get solo movies, or join the Avengers, or a new version of the Guardians, or whatever.”

OLIVIA HIBSER

3” hints at the future for the franchise as a whole. Compared to the previous two “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Vol. 3” delves much further into the emotions, backstories and motivations of its characters. At the same time, the film seems to rely on a predictable neverending stream of chaos, with frequent fights and mile-a-minute comedy feeling forced at times.

Despite this, Gunn manages to once again

include the distinctive and enjoyable elements of his previous films. With action-packed scenes tucked behind every corner, tasteful choices of ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s music, and the comforting satiric exchanges between characters, “Vol. 3” does not stray far from its beloved predecessors. The end of the film, while saddening, is a heartwarming conclusion that lets viewers see the characters learn more about themselves and address their past mistakes and trauma. The runtime of the film is undeniably long, but the two-and-a-half hours allow the audience to sink into the story, ensuring that each character gets the closure they deserve. While “Vol. 3” can’t forecast the future success or decline of the MCU, it proves Marvel is still capable of producing satisfying and imaginative stories.

Controversial Met Gala theme spurs celebrity and fan outcry

BY AMAR WALKER staff writer

On May 1, 2023, the annual Met Gala was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty. Celebrities from all over the world came to the Gala dressed “In Honor of Karl,” which varied from dress and attire simply inspired by his style to celebrities actually dressed in his famous designs. While the outfits worn were admired, Lagerfeld was a very problematic figure, and he should not have been made the theme of the Gala.

Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer that became very popular over the years, due to his position as creative director at Chanel until he died in 2019. Despite all of the large achievements in his lifetime, Lagerfeld’s many controversies outweigh the good. During his time at Chanel, he repeatedly appropriated cultures with his designs. A model with no affiliation to Muslim culture was sent down the runway in a dress he designed, embroidered with a sacred Muslim text. After people spoke up about it, he claimed he didn’t realize what the text meant. In addition to this, Lagerfeld appropriated Indigenous culture at a large show in

Dallas. Models wore white feathered headdresses, Native prints, and beadwork, along with shiny gold face paint in an effort to make them look angelic and chic. Lagerfeld and Chanel continuously stole cultural tradition, stripped all of the history and meaning from it, and then broadcasted it to the world just to sell it for a fortune.

three models of sexual harassment. In response to the accusations, he said to the fashion magazine Numéro, “If you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model. Join a nunnery, there will always be a place for you in the convent.”

Lagerfeld was only accepting of very thin models. “No one wants to see curvy women,” he had stated.

For a prominent figure to say such an egregious statement is horrifying. It was shocking that the Met Gala chose to highlight him, of all people, considering his

history. Everything that he did was the polar opposite of the progress that the fashion industry is trying to make.

Luckily, the controversies of Lagerfeld were not left unspoken. Celebrity Jameela Jamil was outwardly critical of the gala theme. “Hollywood and fashion said the quiet part out loud when a lot of famous feminists chose to celebrate at the highest level, a man who was so publicly cruel to women, to fat people, to immigrants and to sexual assault survivors,” she wrote

on Instagram the day after the event. Jamil’s point was crystal clear. The fashion industry is hypocritical, in promoting feminism and body positivity when it’s convenient for the industry, and then turning around and pulling a crazy stunt like the 2023 Met Gala.

This incredibly famous and influential gala, broadcasted all over the world, should be progressing into the future. Instead, it chooses to put all the recognition on figures such as Lagerfeld. That says a lot about Hollywood and,

subsequently, the fashion industry’s values, and which communities it chooses to honor.

We can’t have a Met Gala that disregards or even condones acts of sexism and racism. By making Lagerfeld the theme, they condoned all of his inexcusable behavior throughout his life. The Gala didn’t issue an apology, or recognize the mistake it made in honoring a problematic figure. If the fashion industry wants to stay relevant, it needs to stop giving props to the past and start focusing on the future.

Not only was Lagerfeld culturally insensitive, he also made many insensitive comments throughout his career. Like most of the fashion industry, Lagerfeld was only accepting of very thin models. “No one wants to see curvy women,” he had stated in an interview with the Focus magazine in 2009. His fatphobia was appalling, but people never called him out for it.

While more and more models of all body types are beginning to surface and get recognition, figures like Lagerfeld continue to have a grasp on the industry. His views on women, specifically around body image and size standards, were outdated and offensive, but also his criticism of the #MeToo movement. In 2018, when the #MeToo movement was new and thriving, Lagerfeld was accused by

“Vol. 3” delves much further into the emotions, backstories and motivations of its characters.

BHS first Beyond the Cut Film Fest makes a cinematic splash

BY JULIA BRIMMER staff writer

On Wednesday, May 3, teachers Amanda Marini and Philip Halpern stepped out onto the Little Theater’s stage to introduce Berkeley High School’s first ever Beyond the Cut Film Festival.

The films shown were produced by students over the course of this year, in classes like Art of Video Production, Advanced Studio Editing, and both years of Berkeley International High School (BIHS) Film.

After each of the festival’s two acts, BHS filmmakers walked on stage to take credit for their artistry.

a film by BHS senior Maya Drooker, about a supposed neighborhood surveyor making himself at home in someone else’s house. This quirky comedy garnered multitudinous laughs from the audience due to its fastpaced editing and lovable characters.

Subsequent films at the festival matched the comedic energy of “No Solicitors,” but the festival’s lineup contained videos from all genres, production styles, and tones.

One notable example is “Trilogy: I, This Winged Creature,” a film collection

inspiration from an original poem, Laddish was able to highlight his own creativity in a collection of three films. The film poem assignment from Advanced Studio Editing served as the catalyst for this work.

The event went into the night, showcasing two hours worth of student films with a five minute intermission in between.

The event went into the night, showcasing two hours worth of student films with a five minute intermission in between.

The screening was opened with “No Solicitors,”

directed and written by Zora Laddish. It follows a winged, supernatural creature who struggles with social and self-acceptance. Drawing the script and

Laddish’s trilogy was followed by Otto Harris’s “Untitled,” an intense chase sequence resulting from cupcake theft. Though the thief got away with their shenanigans at the end of this black and white short film, the audience members didn’t mind due to the film’s extremely smooth storytelling and editing style. Various assignments from the different film classes worked to make the event feel cohesive.

The festival was filled to the brim with chase sequences, cloning, stabbing, and poems brought to life, with each filmmaker bringing their own unique style and

THE CROSSWORD

perspective to the screen. Another remarkable film from the festival was Anna Eisen’s “Look the Other Way.” The film follows two girls: one dancing in her room to the Bee Gees’ song, “Stayin Alive” and the other running away from zombies. Cutting back and forth between the two made for excellent juxtaposition, with the first girl obliviously grooving to “Stayin Alive” as the other character writes

“help me” on her window with her own blood, in all caps. The film festival concluded with “The Plan” by Jonah Pagenhart. The film followed the story of three characters, all played by Pagenhart. It told the story of a serial killer inviting a victim over for dinner to enact his wicked plan. Mistakes were made, and they forced the killer to purchase from his local

poison dealer and cycle through innumerable murderous plans and backup plans. Pagenhart’s performance as numerous characters was admirable, displaying the wide range of skill possessed by many BHS filmmakers.

Berkeley High School’s Beyond the Cut Film Festival was a blast to attend, leaving many audience members both impressed and inspired.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

1. Artists Sophie and Jean (or Hans) 2. Small lake 3. Tons 4. Multi part couches 5. Iron and carbon alloy 6. YouTube interruptions 7. Formal article of clothing

8. TV, newspaper, and radio, for example

9. Fried squid

10. Relating to the mouth

11. Amber, for example

12. Work, as dough

13. Fiber strands

18. Character 22. Mongolian conqueror of the Eurasian steppe

24. F1 driver Verstappen

26. Feudal farmworker

27. Classic sandwich cookie

28. One of seven in Rome

30. What did the female deer say when told she had something in her teeth?

32. Brandy and coffee drink

35. Spiritual stretching discipline 36. African river running from Lake Victoria

Kea Morshed feels that making films has been very therapeutic for him. “Because I write most of my films, whether I like it or not, they always represent what was going on in my life at that time in my head. It’s taught me a lot of things that I’m too afraid to know about myself,” he said. He’s also learned about how complex the process of making a film is.

“There’s a lot of steps involved in filmmaking, (like) casting actors and directing. With every project it gets more ambitious. The key’s trying to think bigger,” he said.

Morshed has written and directed around a dozen original short films. He’s a junior at Berkeley High School and recently won Berkeley Rep’s 2023 High School Film Festival.

Morshed feels the genre of his films has shifted since he began filmmaking. “Most of the stuff I made started out as drama and now it’s more kind of going into comedy a little bit, with some experimental elements,” Morshed explained. He’s currently working on a film called “Alone With Glitter” that he describes as about, “unicorns, expressing yourself, and birthday parties.” He gets inspiration through his everyday life.

His short works are on his Youtube: Kea Morshed Films.

“I hope that when I can get to a point where somebody sees my film, something changes in them for the better. They have a little bit more kindness and compassion and stuff like that. There’s certain films I watch that I’m just so captivated by, and I want to do the same for people watching,” Morshed said.

Fonseca Jensen

—

British company that runs the university application process

French mushroom sauce for

Luli Galison

PENELOPE GILLIGAN

A lot of methodical work goes into the editing process of a film.

Coach-athlete relations leave deep impact

BY AVHA MEISELS staff writer

Many students at Berkeley High School dedicate a significant amount of their time to participating in sports, which allows them to develop deep connections with their coaches. This connection can extend far beyond the ins and outs of the game. Some coaches serve as role models, motivators, and mentors for their athletes. At the same time, there are debates on what coaching style is the most beneficial for athletes.

Coaches approach their relationship with their athletes in many different ways. Some believe that a tough love approach is the best way to coach, while others take a more nurturing route. According to John Mcdonald, a BHS swim coach, it’s important to coach different athletes in different ways, depending on the person. “Some kids react well with tough love and some kind of shut down,” he said. “You have to be able to differentiate what will create the best outcome for the athlete.”

Megan Potmesil, the junior varsity girls lacrosse coach, believes that coaches should balance their approach in order to get the best out of their athletes.

“It’s definitely high support and high control. If you are too easy going, then there’s some kids that won’t be self motivated. But if you have too much tough love, then you’re not always able to develop the relationships that you could with high support,” Potmesil said.

Katelyn Burmester, a BHS sophomore who plays field hockey and lacrosse, believes that it’s important for coaches to have a

relationship with the athlete on and off the field. “I think that if an athlete feels like they can trust and talk to their coach, they are going to want to play better and their overall experience with the sport is more positive,” said Burmester.

Potmesil reiterated this statement by saying, “I think it’s really important to see athletes as a whole person. So, getting to know them on a personal level is a way that you can support them.”

Caring about athletes’ success off the field, as well as on the field, is one way coaches can personally support athletes. Mcdonald

thinks it is important that athletes prioritize school over athletics. “My philosophy is that if you are participating in a Berkeley High School team sport, then grades should always come first,” said Mcdonald.

Considering the profound impact sports have on athletes’ lives, coaches play a pivotal role in their journey. Burmester stated, “I think the most important thing is that the athlete feels comfortable both on and off the field with their coach. That way they will play better and have a better relationship with their sport.”

Independent Study allows athletic freedom

BY NORAH LEE sports editor

“The path that I’m taking right now is the most sure pathway to go play as a professional soccer player,” said Simon Diagana, a Berkeley High School senior who switched into Independent Study (IS) to play for the San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer Academy team.

For elite high school athletes hoping to make a career of their sport, there is no time to waste. Riyen Rabe-Alexander, graduated a year early from BHS in 2022 to pursue circus fulltime.

“Companies like young skilled performers because they can be thrown into anything and taught any apparatus. So as a 17 year old professional, I’m more highly sought after than if

I had waited any amount of time more to fully devote myself to the sport,” they explained.

While their peers attend classes, Diagana spends upwards of four hours in a day on BART to train in Santa Clara four days a week. A typical day for Rabe-Alexander looks like three to six hours of training and one and a half to four hours of teaching.

The communities that athletes build through their intense training are a defining element of their choice to step away from the traditional educational system.

“It was pretty easy for me to step away from (a regular school schedule) because … all of my teammates had to do the same thing,” Diagana said. But beyond serving as a support system, these bonds often lead to the opportunities that pre-

professional athletes are chasing.

“You get jobs by talking to people, and … we all look out for each other,” RabeAlexander said. Having a flexible schedule is essential in networking and seizing unique opportunities that may arise. RabeAlexander was invited to attend workshops at a Cirque Du Soleil partner gym in Portugal, and while there, they were “offered multiple jobs, just because I happened to be at the same workshop as the man who casts 90 percent of all circus shows in Europe.”

The ability to dedicate all of their time to their sport also shifts how young athletes view their athletic future long-term.

“I’m realizing that being a professional isn’t really too far out of my reach now,” Diagana said. This perspective provides enough motivation to weather the difficulties of leaving a traditional high school experience behind.

“Everything I’m doing now will pay off,” Diagana said.

However, for other young athletes, rather than fueling the fire behind their dreams, a foray into professionalism leads them to reevaluate their hopes.

Alex Meyers is a junior in IS and professional surfer. Able to drive to good wave breaks without working around school hours, he picked up

sponsorships from OCN Culture, and his weeks were filled with photo and video shoot obligations, as well as surfing competitions. But as his sport became a job, it didn’t feel the same.

“When you do that s--- professionally, it sucks … I hadn’t surfed for two months because of that. … I surfed again for the first time two weeks ago,” he said. He now believes that while “yes, it’s cool to go professional in the sport and to be the best … (you can) ... also find something else you’re passionate about in the workforce.”

IS led Meyers in a different direction than he envisioned when he first set off, but the characteristics that made him switch out of BHS, are consistent with all athletes who make this choice. These athletes must resist the pressure to uphold the high school status quo and be confident in their alternative decisions.

“You have to be strong mentally to play this sport and go to a higher level,” asserted Diagana.

Despite the challenges, “I’ve never questioned my choice. I can’t see myself doing anything else with my life or taking any other path. This is what makes me happiest, and I’m good at it, and I am and will continue to be successful and be able to support myself,” affirmed Rabe-Alexander.

Consuming classic childhood media, from Clueless to Mean Girls, has led us all to adapt some type of view of the “typical American high school life.” There’s the nerds who get their books slapped to the ground by the popular girls. The popular girls are pretty, sassy, and their whole personality is their friend group. Then there’s the jocks, talented athletes whose athletic abilities are enough to cover up the fact that they have only one functioning brain cell. What’s funny is, despite how cliche and ridiculous these stereotypes may seem, aspects of these made-up norms have somehow woven themselves into the expectations of teenage social lives in the real world.

Upon my arrival to high school, I felt that I had to conform to a standard of constant social interaction in order to uphold a valid social image. While hanging out and buying candy with friends on the daily uplifts my mood, as a high achieving student and hard working athlete, I found it difficult to shake the fact that constant social interaction was slowly draining my energy. However, I was convinced that the very thought of taking time to myself and relying on my own company would paint me as a loner, just like the laughing stocks on Disney channel. Needless to say, I found it difficult to accept that sometimes what my body and my mind needed the most was not social activity, but instead rest and time by myself.

However, the increasing exhaustion eventually forced me to take a step back and finally open up to treating myself as my own friend, putting my confidence to the test as I conducted myself alone in the outside world. I found that the little activities I did: going on walks to College Avenue, taking the bus, thrifting, exploring bookstores, and poking my head into small ice cream shops on the street turned out to create an environment of healthy isolation that I’d been longing for. I eventually found peace within the silence and freedom of my own company.

Developing strong friendships and bonds is important to many of us. We want to be social and have a lot of friends, exactly how the media portrays high school life as full of fun, letting loose, and partying with big friend groups. And while relationships and interactions with others are undoubtedly important, we can’t forget that spending too much time living up to these “ideal” and “perfect” high school lives could cause one to overlook their personal needs.

Whether it be shopping on College Avenue or spending time at home with a new book, taking some time alone helped me focus on my interests and my needs, which I found are what bring me joy and confidence without having to rely solely on the liveliness of my social life to carry me through my first year of high school.

There shouldn’t be shame in taking time to appreciate your own company. Learning how to balance your social life with your own selfdevelopment is crucial to understanding your values and developing your own skills and passions that will build the lifestyle best fit for you.

Swim coach John Mcdonald (left) adapts his coaching methods to suit different athletes’ needs.

MORGAN OSTRER

J HORSLEY

Excitement builds as BHS explores the possibility of a girls flag football team

BY SASKIA FREEDBERG, COLINA HARVEY & LEO SILVERBERG staff writer, sports editor, & sports editor

Almost every sport at Berkeley High School has a girls and boys team, with the exception of football. However, this could change soon. On February 3, 2023, the State of California approved girls flag football as a new California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sport. BHS is currently considering adding flag football as a girls sport, and an interest meeting was held on April 27 to gauge interest in female athletes at BHS.

Isabel Nieto Gonzalez is a BHS junior who was present at the interest meeting. She’s interested in joining the team because it would be a new experience for her, and she has personal connections to the sport. “I’ve always watched football growing up because of my brother and because

of my dad,” she said. Sophomore Mariah Lillard-Richner also has family connections to the sport through playing flag football with her family. “I like football, I like watching it and so I think it would be really fun to play it,” LillardRichner said. “And since it’s flag I wouldn’t actually really get hurt … so I think it would be really fun,” she continued.

Both junior Karla Nieto Gonzalez and LillardRichner said that they would be happy to play either contact or flag football, but didn’t feel strongly that BHS should have a girls contact football team. “I think it’s ok (that the girls team is flag) because I think it’s scary that boys even play contact,” Richner said.

In the past, a lack of experience has kept Karla Nieto Gonzalez from trying out for school sports. “I did tennis, but I wouldn’t join the team just because I know our team is really competitive and … I feel

like I’m not that good, so I didn’t even try to try out,” said Karla Nieto Gonzalez. Many people at the interest meeting didn’t have any prior experience, which made her feel more confident because she wouldn’t “feel pressure from everyone else.”

Lillard-Richnard echoed this, adding that a large team leaves lots of opportunities for many people to join. “There were a lot of people there (at the interest meeting) who were excited about it. There’s not that many sports and a lot of them are really competitive, but football teams are really big and it would give more people an opportunity to play a sport.”

“This would really be something that’s good for the school, especially for all the girls in the school,” said Isabel Nieto Gonzalez. “It will create a space for girls that are interested in football…it’s going to build another small community,” said Gonzalez.

While girls flag football has been approved by the state, there are still many obstacles that stand in the way of the potential new team at BHS. It may take time for other schools in the area to develop a team. This means that if the team gets started in the 2023-24 school year, they may not have enough opponents to be in a league. Even if the team cannot find many official opponents, they would be able to participate in scrimmages and develop their flag football skills.

Despite uncertainty about the timeline, Karla Nieto Gonzalez, Isabel Nieto Gonzalez, and LillardRichner are excited about the potential of a new flag football team.

“I think it’s a pretty different sport compared to everything else because it is more aggressive,” Gonzalez said. “So I feel like it’s pushing them to try new things, and it’s just gonna build another small community,” They added.

BHS spring sports: Recaps and reviews

BY CLARA TJEN staff writer

As regular seasons wrap up, Berkeley High School spring sports teams prepare for postseason tournaments.

The BHS boys’ baseball team finished 2nd place in their league with a record of 18 wins and seven losses. In the first round of the North Coast Section (NCS) playoffs on Tuesday, May 16, they defeated Heritage 6-0. Moving on, they will face San Ramon Valley in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 19.

This year, the BHS boys’ tennis team went undefeated in the West Alameda County Conference. They made it to the NCS playoffs on Tuesday, May 9, where they lost all but three matches.

This spring, the BHS Track & Field team had a very successful season. Freshman runner, Carina Nottingham stated, “Both guys and girls – varsity and non varsity (went) undefeated at league meets.”

The team faces various schools on May 19 for NCS playoffs.

Both the swimming and diving teams had

incredible seasons as well. The girls took the league championship title, with sophomore Charlotte Livermore breaking the school record in the 100 meter breaststroke event.

The BHS girls medley relay team, consisting of Livermore, Anaya Lehman, Brianna Smyth and Abril Esqueda, also broke a school record. Freshman diver, Maya Hammel had an astounding season, making it to the NCS playoffs. The boys diving team performed extremely well at NCS, with Lucien Geltman-Lamb making it to the State Championships. “We exceeded our own expectations towards the end of the season. We knew we had a strong team, but we didn’t know if we’d get enough people at those high-time standards,” said Wilson.

The BHS softball team finished 5th out of 6, in their league. Although they didn’t make it to the postseason, the team “overcame a lot with both coaching challenges and the difference in the team from this year versus last year,” said Gemma Ross, a sophomore on varsity.

ATHLETE PROFILE

Ari Fendel started playing baseball when he was four years old. The Academic Choice senior played the game all the way through his freshman year at Berkeley High School, until he quit before his sophomore year. “I felt intimidated by the work and intensity that was required … because I really just wanted to play for fun,” he explained. However, Fendel returned to the sport for his senior year. “I missed being on a team. I played badminton junior year, but you’re playing as an individual for that sport. I missed that team culture, the great friends you make,” he affirmed. “All through junior year and senior year I was really feeling like I shouldn’t have quit baseball, and I didn’t want to have any regrets about not doing it when I got to college,” said Fendel. Fendel will be continuing his education at Cal Poly SLO next year, where he hopes to join an intramural team so he can keep playing and enjoying the game.

— Zada Sanger

AVA MUSSI

Manny Selles awaits a pitch.