WHAT’S INSIDE

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English departments across SMUHSD introduce 20 new books to respective curricula.

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Students are swiping right on Tinder app despite legal age restrictions.

Opinion - Our classrooms are built for extroverts, leaving introverts behind.

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Exposing “Strategic Analytics Club”; it’s actually one big Smash Bros. competition.

THE BURLINGAME B theburlingameb.org

February 13, 2019

Issue 5 Vol. 121

High school campuses now offer college courses Senior Reporter

For students interested in subjects beyond those taught in school, free college courses are being offered to all juniors and seniors at the beginning of the spring 2019 semester. College of San Mateo is partnering with San Mateo High School to offer courses in accounting, business and criminal justice, while Skyline College is partnering with Mills High School to offer courses to those interested in healthcare career pathways. These courses expose students to different career opportunities, and they are able to earn up to five college credits that can be transferred to a four-year college. Aside from the typical mathematics, science, history, English and foreign language classes, students are able to enroll in career-centric courses to help them explore their interests and get a

head start on their careers. “I knew that I was interested in the medical field because I like interacting with other people and really enjoy my science classes in school. But I felt that the courses at school were not preparing me for a career in the medical field enough, and I needed to learn about and develop basic skills for a career in the medical field. So I signed up for the emergency medical responder course at Mills High School,” Arianna Barata, a student in the Emergency Medical Responder course, said. From Jan. 14 to May 24, Accounting Procedures, Introduction to Business and Introduction to Criminal Justice are being offered on Monday, Tuesday and Tuesday, respectively, from 6 to 9 p.m. at San Mateo High School. At Mills High School, Gateway to Health Careers and Emergency Medical Responder classes are offered on Monday and Wednesday, respec-

tively, from 6 to 9 p.m. “In the course, I am being prepared to react in the event of a trauma. I have been taught many important skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ventilations, automatic external defibrillator (AED) usage and how to think fast and problem solve,” Barata said. Upon completion of the Emergency Medical Responder course, students will receive an American Red Cross CPR for Healthcare Provider card. Knowing how to perform CPR is a basic skill in healthcare and being certified will help those interested in healthcare in the future. “These courses are really beneficial because the students are able to learn about different subjects and topics that are not offered in school and can find what they are CSM is partnering with San Mateo High School to offer courses in passionate about through these accounting, business and criminal justice, while Skyline College is classes,” Barata said. partnering with Mills High School to offer healthcare courses.

PHOTO BY ANNIE SUN

BY ANNIE SUN

District art show celebrates young artists and their work PHOTOS BY MOYA LIU

Freshman Cate Cattano aims to raise awareness of the environment through her artwork.

Self Portrait by Erdenebaatar

Art teacher Deborah Edwards and district Superintendent Kevin Skelly look at art work by BHS students.

BY MOYA LIU

Business Manager The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) office showcased artwork created by students on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Students, parents and teachers packed into the district office for the opening of the districtwide student art show. The art show featured paintings, drawings, ceramics, photographs, graphic designs, short films and more by emerging young artists from every high school in the school district. Over 60 student artworks were submitted by district high school art teachers for exhibition. Burlingame art teacher Deborah Edwards chose to display freshman Cate Cattano’s work in order to recognize Cattano’s distinctive artistic style. Cattano’s portrait intends to frame an idea and communicate it to her audience. “The portrait symbolizes our connection to nature. I was inspired by a picture I saw with leaves around a person’s eyes and thought it was a very interesting and meaningful idea,” Cattano said. “I wanted to show my personal connection to nature in this drawing and send the message that we are all part of nature. You should treat the environment like it’s part of you.” In addition to attempting to bring the audience to a different perspective of viewing life through art, young visual artists were also able to improve their drawing techniques as they worked on their

pieces, which developed their ability to express both intellectual and emotional concepts that are often restricted by the spoken or written words. Freshman Kelly Erdenebaatar, who enjoys drawing because it allows her to express her thoughts and feelings through different shapes and colors, worked on gridding for her self-portrait.

“[Gridding] allows me to represent who I am by using shapes and colors.” -Erdenebaatar “Gridding is when you make an even grid on the paper and the reference photo, so when you draw, you can get the correct proportions, and you know exactly where to draw,” Erdenebaatar said. “This allows me to represent who I am by using shapes and colors.” Students, teachers and parents appreciated the art show because it provided the opportunity to collaborate and communicate with other schools in the district. “Each school in the district was represented in the exhibit, so I could discover what other high schools in the area were learning about in their art classes,” senior Emily Steinberger said.

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News

February 13, 2019

BY HANNA SATO

Chief Photographer David Hogg and Ryan Deitsch, former students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fl., spoke on Jan. 26 at a March for Our Lives panel describing their experiences as well as the legislative and cultural effects of their movement. Associated Student Body co-President Lily Navab, former Burlingame student Uma Krishnan and two members of the Boys & Girls Club spoke as well. Hogg opened the panel by describing “the innocence” of the students on the day of the shooting, telling the story of Parkland senior Joaquin Oliver. The day before the shooting, Oliver had bought sunflowers for his girlfriend, Victoria Gonzalez. Feb. 14, 2018 was the last time they saw each other. Oliver was shot and killed in his classroom. “The people that are taken as a result of gun violence are not lost; they are stolen,” Hogg said. “Every person that has been taken by gun violence now lives on as an activist.” Hogg explained that victims are martyrs for the movement, and are the result of the lack of government action. Despite the legacy the victims leave behind, Americans have come to see gun violence as related

to gang violence and mental illness, not one government legislation can solve. The media covers school shootings as being carried out by those with mental illnesses and everyday shootings being carried out by those with relations to gangs. As a result, the main issue in Hogg’s eyes, a lack of legislation, is not dealt with. “For far too long, gun violence has been treated like an act of God,” Deitsch said. “Like gun violence is just something that is always supposed to happen in society, like a tornado or a hurricane or an earthquake, that is unstoppable.” Hogg acknowledged that gun violence is a complex issue but then argued that there are simple solutions which politicians have failed to make. Hogg described the lack of legal responsibility parents have over their firearms and how easily their children can access weapons. If an individual becomes inebriated by drinking their parents’ alcohol and kills someone, their parents are held responsible. But, Hogg explained, if an individual uses their parents’ gun to kill someone, their parents will not face legal repercussions, as they are not required to lock up their firearms. Navab also noted the issue with a lack of waiting period in most states. A waiting period is the pe-

PHOTO BY HANNA SATO

Parkland survivors speak at March for Our Lives panel

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student David Hogg from Parkland, Fl. speaks at the March For Our Lives panel on Jan. 26 at Burlingame High School. riod of time between requesting a gun and receiving it. Only nine states and the District of Columbia require a waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a gun, which can reduce the likelihood of suicide with a firearm by 17 percent and the homicide rate by 51 percent. “There’s an issue with someone who decides to walk into a shop and purchase a gun. There’s a sense of irrationality, there’s a sense of wanting to do something you’re

not really thinking about,” Navab said. The panel closed with Hogg and Deitsch explaining the ways students can become involved in the movement. They argued that the responsibility to create change lies with younger generations, including the duties to remove politicians who are against gun control legislation and use their voices to speak out. Since the beginning of the March for Our Lives movement,

more than 70 gun laws have been passed at the state level, and youth voter turnout (18- to 24-year-olds) in Florida doubled since 2018. More than 800 people have been banned from owning guns—those who have a record of domestic abuse, terrorism or self-harm. Hogg and Deitsch argued that change to policies regarding guns will not come from current voting populations. Rather, they said, the change has and will come from the younger generations.

PHOTO BY RACHEL YAP

Drivers debate merits of nearly com- Administration experipleted California Drive roundabout ments with tardy policy

The roundabout on California Dr. is scheduled to be completed in February. BY RACHEL YAP

Staff Reporter

cyclists. California Drive formerly allowed cars to travel up to 25 mph. Cars from Bellevue Avenue and Lorton Avenue turning onto California Drive previously faced the risk of high-speed collisions. The roundabout will limit the dangers to low-speed crashes involving only property damage and a tow truck. With experience and familiarity, Burlingame residents will begin to adapt to the roundabout. In the long run, Burlingame city officials expect the roundabout to improve traffic flow as well as pedestrian safety, once residents become accustomed to the system. “I actually really like the new roundabout,” junior Namiha Yasuda said. “It’s easier to get to the street you want to go to. Plus, I’m more aware of pedestrians now that I’m going slower in that intersection.”

Senior Reporter

Starting this semester, the Burlingame administration has begun to implement a new tardy policy. Currently, the new policy is in a tentative state and may be subject to change by the administration should they feel that change is necessary. The new policy is stricter than previous policies. If, in a six week grading period, a student receives five unexcused tardies or more for one of their classes, the student receives a referral, where they will meet with administration who will assign an appropriate punishment, usually in the form of a detention. With eight tardies, the student is required to attend Saturday school. The administration has also pushed teachers to be more persistent in marking tardies for students who are late to class and teachers will start to have conversations with their students about why they are late if they receive around three or four tardies in their class. The new policy has seen criticism from some students who view it as too strict. “Most students are late to their

first class anyways, and only allowing five tardies until they get a referral and detention is quite strict,” senior Joey Zhang said. “I liked last semester’s tardy system more because it allowed more leniency to be late to my first class of the day.” Additionally, the new policy has imposed more severe consequences for a cut, which is a tardy of 30 minutes or more, with three cuts resulting in a detention, and five cuts requiring a student to attend Saturday school. Compared to five tardies equalling a detention and eight tardies equalling a Saturday school, some students feel that there is a lack of distinction made between tardies and cuts, and their respective punishments. “It doesn’t make sense that cutting class and being even 30 seconds late are pretty much the same [in terms of their consequences],” senior Andrew Cummings said. However, even critics of the new tardy policy believe in its effectiveness. “This tardy system will help with the tardies, particularly first period tardies,” Zhang said. PHOTO BY RACHEL YAP

Since its construction in March 2018, the new $2.9 million roundabout on California Drive is on schedule to be completed in late February. The project is currently in Stage Four, the final stage of the project, in which workers are completing the new sidewalks and finalizing the green infrastructure. Although the traffic circle may make the intersection safer for pedestrians, some Burlingame residents are skeptical of its impact on traffic and drivers. “Right now, the roundabout clogs traffic flow, but it is also still under construction,” junior Danielle Jaworski said. Some drivers, like junior Julia Geurse, predict that navigating the roundabout will be confusing. As a result of this confusion, Geurse noted, clogged traffic may ensue. “I think that because round-

abouts aren’t as prominent in California as they may be in the East Coast, people don’t really know how to drive through them,” Geurse said. Roundabouts have been widespread in many European countries for the past few decades, and their influence is slowly spreading to the U.S. With a few roundabouts already in place in San Francisco, traffic seems to be improving despite residential complaints. Burlingame residents are slowly adjusting to the traffic circle, with some already acknowledging its benefits. “I think it benefits [pedestrians] the most out of everyone as there is a safer place to cross California [Drive] to the Ave now,” Geurse said. The traffic circle forces cars to slow down to 15 mph, reducing the risk of fatal, high-speed collisions and allowing drivers to be more aware of pedestrians and bi-

BY JAMES LOWDON

If a student accumulates five or more unexcused tardies, the student recieves a referral. Eight tardies results in Saturday school.

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News

February 13, 2019

Across district, English departments diversify reading lists Managing Editor English departments across the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) will introduce new books into their curriculum this semester and next year. The new titles are the culmination of a two-year discussion among English teachers during professional development days. The English Curriculum Council, comprising of the English department chairs in the district, has chosen 20 books to be divided among schools in SMUHSD. The ongoing project to diversify reading lists has been titled the “SMUHSD Culturally Relevant English Text Adoption List.” “What that means in plain English is having conversations about ... the issues faced by populations in our schools through different demographic factors like socioeconomic status, race and gender or just controversial issues that are bubbling up in world affairs right now,” English Department Chair Bethany Li said. The new books at Burlingame will include “The Hate U Give”

by Angie Thomas, “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sanchez, “The Refugees” by Viet Thanh Nguyen and “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. All texts were published in the last five years, except for “The Alchemist,” which was published in 1988. The Burlingame department has not yet decided which books will be removed from the current curriculum to make space for the new titles. “The intention is not to replace the canon of traditional authors and titles that we tend to see in English classrooms,” Li said. “The intention is to add to [the canon], so that we have a combination of Shakespeare and what’s happening right now.” Some books are to be introduced at multiple schools in the district. English teachers at Burlingame, Hillsdale and Capuchino will implement “The Hate U Give” in their curricula in the fall. “I think there’s this conclusion people jump to that ‘they’re token books,’ like, no, they’re really well-written books that have literary merit,” English teacher Shane Karshan said. According to

Li and Karshan, the decision to introduce a specific text is based on the opinion of the department that students will benefit from the examination of a particular world perspective. “The Hate U Give,” for example, is a novel that follows an African-American teenage girl after she witnesses the death of her friend due to police brutality. The California Department of Education has endorsed nine of the 20 books to be introduced, and SMUHSD has submitted the other 11 for endorsement consideration. Awards and nominations held by several of the books include the Coretta Scott King Book Award, nominations for the Alex Awards, Pura Belpré Award and Stonewall Book Award. In some cases, the new books are additions, rather than replacements for current texts. Alongside reading “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, a novel about American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War, students in CP English III will read “The Refugees,” a collection of short stories revolving around Vietnamese experiences in the Vietnam War. “To juxtapose those [books] in-

PHOTO BY RACHEL YAP

BY LILY PAGE

The English Curriculum Council, comprising of the English department chairs in the district, has chosen 20 books to be divided among schools in San Mateo Union High School District. stead of only exploring one side of above the potential criticism that the conflict is really exciting,” Kar- comes with making changes to the traditional canon of literature. shan said. “We don’t want a kid to finBy increasing the diversity and modernity of the reading list, En- ish high school and say, ‘I never glish departments across the dis- read any books in English class. I trict hope to increase student read- Shmoop-ed my way through,’” Li ership and interest. The objectives said. prioritize classroom participation

New transportation laws enacted in California to ensure safety of riders PHOTO BY LILY PAGE

BY ANNIE SUN

Senior Reporter

Assembly Bills 2989 and 3077 are the newest laws enacted in 2019. The bills are meant to cover the increase in new electric scooter usage and adjust the old law related to bicycles and helmets. AB 2989 dictates that minors must wear a helmet when riding electric scooters, while adults can choose whether to wear a helmet or not. Additionally, a driver’s license or learner’s permit is required to ride an electric scooter, and the rider’s speed cannot exceed 15 mph. “With new companies emerging, from Bird to LimeBike, new laws were needed to address the issues that arose with this new technology. I am glad that these problems were addressed in AB 2989 to ensure the safety of the riders and those around them,” junior Anureet Chahal said. AB 3077 addresses the ticketing system for minors riding bicycles, scooters or skateboards without a helmet. The bill allows minors and their parents to correct the violation of not wearing a helmet by proving to the ticket agency that the minor owns a helmet and has attended a bike safety course with-

THE BURLINGAME B STAFF

Junior Zoe Keely wears a LimeBike helmet to promote safety while riding bicycles, skateboards and scooters. in 120 days after the citation was was reluctant to fine minors withissued. By doing so, the fee will out helmets because of the expense be waived and a record will not be it posed to the minors and their families. Although the base fine brought to court. “AB 3077 will definitely pro- is $25, fees and other adjustments mote bicycle safety and prevent can bring the total to several huninjuries against minors riding dreds of dollars. Now, law enforcewithout helmets. I see many peo- ment is more willing to issue tickple riding bikes, scooters and ets knowing that families are able skateboards without a helmet, and to waive the fee if they prove that it is very dangerous if they are in- the minor has a helmet and has volved in an accident. I am glad attended a safety course. The purthat awareness is being raised and pose of these new bills is to reduce that people are given a chance to the amount of bicycle-, scooterand skateboard-related injuries waive the fee,” Chahal said. Previously, law enforcement and keep the streets safe.

Dennis J. Murphy

Your Peninsula Neighbor 415.310.7956 | dennis@dennisjmurphy.com dennisjmurphy.com

Teacher Adviser: Melissa Murphy

Sports Editor: Tyler Idema

Editor-in-Chief: Vishu Prathikanti

Chief Photographer: Hanna Sato

Managing Editor: Lily Page

Copy Editors: Tekla Carlen Claire Hunt Caden Thun

Design Editor: Allie Kennedy Business Manager: Moya Liu Webmaster: Ben Neuman

Senior Reporters: Charles Chapman Darrion Chen James Lowdon Annie Sun

Staff Reporters: Alec Abramson Hubert Chen Wesley Chen Ethan Gardner Mark Habelt Amelia Harris Jacob Lubarsky David Mehran Aidan O’Sullivan Allison Szetu Rachel Yap Caroline Yeow

Policy Statement: The Burlingame B is a student-run newspaper with the sole purpose of providing an open forum for student expression. Anything printed represents the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the The Burlingame B staff, the administration or faculty of Burlingame High School, or any person affiliated with the San Mateo Union High School District. The Burlingame B does not discriminate against race, political orientation, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Although The Burlingame B will never refuse to publish guest submission based on the aforementioned factors, we reserve the right to edit or not publish them.

Letters to the Editor:

Disagree with the writers? Bring your letters to the room A120 or email them to <theburlingameb@gmail.com>. Letters may be considered for publication. The Burlingame B reserves the right to edit for clarity, length and accuracy. We welcome all comments.

4

Features

February 13, 2019

Show me the money: dispatches from the stock market Senior Reporter

December 2018 marked the stock market’s worst December performance in U.S. history since the Great Depression, according to CNBC. “What happened in December is what they call a market adjustment,” economics teacher Peter Medine said. “The stock market had been going up for an extended period of time, and it was probably overvalued, so people started to feel that it was not going to be sustainable, and they started to sell some of their stock.” The Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P 500 all lost over two percent, as each index dropped 10 percent from their highest points. These American stock market indexes are based on market capitalizations and trading histories of significant, publicly owned companies and reveal the success or decline of the market as a whole. These increases and declines can be caused by a number of factors from politics to trade wars. “The U.S. and China are having a trade war and are going back

and forth placing tariffs on each other. That causes a lot of investors to get scared and want to sell their stocks immediately and pull out of the market. A lot of selling and less buying causes a drop in the market just due to laws of supply and demand,” sophomore Vedika Bhaumik, an active investor in the stock market, said. One year after President Trump’s inauguration, the Dow Jones had risen 32.1 percent. A historically high increase, this market boost led to an overvaluation of stocks, which brought the economy to where it was in December. “It’s like an athlete that’s hitting 400 in baseball,” Medine said. “They’re really tearing the cover off the ball, but we know that the athlete is not a 400 hitter, he’s just having a hot streak, and he’s going to come back down to hitting 300, let’s say, or 250. The market is saying it’s overvalued … These stocks are not worth this much and then there was a natural market correction. Then the economy takes a huge hit because it’s been going up for too long.” The December correction is over, and the market has returned

to normal. While some lost money in stocks, others took advantage of low prices and bought while cheap. However, buying stocks during a period of economic lows can be risky, as trends could continue to downturn. Such movements to sell can cause further panic, as seen in the Great Depression. “Right now the market is very volatile so it’s kind of hard to observe a trend, but I would probably say that you’d have to look at a lot of political events in order to figure out if the market’s going to go up or down,” Bhaumik said. The future of the economy is still in question. A survey of professional financial managers and analysts done by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that 73 percent of investors expect a recession within the next two years. “I think we’re headed for another massive ‘08. The problems that caused ‘08 have not been addressed enough, not even close,” Medine said. “Banks aren’t as regulated as they used to be. So some of the same problems that happened in ‘08, I foresee happening again.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXLES

BY CLAIRE HUNT

Business charts documenting the highs and lows of stock market

Government shutdown has negli- High speed rail faces uncertain development gible effect on SFO airport in light of low budget PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

BY ALEC ABRAMSON

Staff Reporter

In November 2018, there were over 4.5 million total airport passengers that went in and out of SFO. model” after 9/11, when the TSA was created. Although there are several other airports nationwide that use SPP, SFO is the largest. That being said, air traffic control officials at SFO were not being paid during the shutdown. While Yakel cited no significant staffing shortages, controller Frederick Naujoks told KQED on Jan. 11 that some of his colleagues were seeking other jobs after-hours. “I’ve even had a couple of people come to me and say that they want to work for Lyft or Uber in addition to coming to work and working air traffic,” Naujoks said. Rick Maldonado, a junior, traveled in and out of SFO during the shutdown on his trip to Mexico. “Everything seemed exactly the same,” Maldonado said, “but I was a bit tired.” Airports were not the only places affected by the shutdown, even though they may have received the most coverage. National parks suffered from staffing shortages and some closed facilities; a recent Smithsonian article indicated that

Joshua Tree National Park “could take 200 to 300 years to recover” after several emblematic trees were destroyed. After running out of reserve funding on Jan. 2, the Smithsonian closed all of its museums, including those on the National Mall in Washington D.C. President Trump temporarily reopened the government for three weeks on Jan. 25, warning that if no deal was reached in Congress, he would consider declaring a national emergency. Such an action could theoretically allow Trump to unilaterally redirect funding for the border wall. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), an outspoken critic of Trump and a 2020 presidential contender, said he was holding the American people “hostage.” “They don’t need a wall. They need a paycheck,” Harris said in a floor speech on the 26th day of the shutdown. For now, workers who missed their paychecks are relying on Washington politicians to make a deal before the government shuts down once more.

BY AIDAN O’SULLIVAN

Staff Reporter

The San Francisco to Los Angeles high-speed railroad, a railroad going from Silicon Valley to San Joaquin Valley, was funded by a $9 billion bond approved by voters in November 2008. The project, introduced by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has faced scrutiny due to higher-than-anticipated costs and longer-than-anticipated construction time. Construction originally began in 2015 and was scheduled to be completed by 2022. However, the expected completion was pushed back to 2029 because costs have exceeded the $9 billion raised by the bond, and the legislature was unable to gain additional funding for the project. The cost exceeded the initial projections due to unforeseen strict construction requirements. Such regulations include noise levels not exceeding 96 decibels, the majority of train sets must be made in America, and each train must have earthquake safety systems in place. The high-speed railroad could impact students and local residents by improving the transportation between the two major cities in California. “I feel that there is currently

a lot of transportation between Los Angeles and San Francisco to begin with, and to go to and from either city is done mainly by plane or by driving, with neither one being very desirable,” junior Julian Dobson said. “It would just be a good alternative, and I have lots of family in Los Angeles, so it is very practical.” The high-speed rail road is designed to operate at 200 miles per hour, and perhaps even faster. Consequently, some residents are concerned that the high-speed rail road will be noisy to the extent that it is disruptive. Dobson, however, disagreed with this concern. “I don’t think it would be a problem because people in this area are used to the sounds from SFO, and the same with LAX, so I feel that they’ve been exposed to it for a long time.” The debate over the viability of the high speed railroad will continue into the near future, as proponents cite its benefits as a means of travel while detractors criticize its high costs, possible disruption and noise pollution. Currently, Newsom is still focused on completing the project but plans to prolong construction between San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley until he can ensure a financially reasonable way to fund the remaining portion of the railroad.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Contrary to stories of airport nightmares during the 35day government shutdown, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was relatively unaffected. While U.S. airports across the nation, including Atlanta-Hartsfield and Houston, reported significant airport security (TSA) callouts and even closed some checkpoints, the Global Entry Enrollment Center was the only department closed during the impasse at SFO. The office employs Customs and Border Protection officials. Over the course of the shutdown, caused by a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans over President Trump’s proposed southern border wall, 800,000 federal workers went without pay. One of the most closely covered departments by the news media was the TSA, which saw up to 10 percent of their workers call out sick due to “financial limitations,” compared to 3 to 4 percent at the same time last year. SFO, however, employs a private contractor, Covenant Aviation Security, to oversee its safety operations, so officials were still being compensated. “The shutdown did not affect flight operations or wait times in security checkpoints or international arrivals facilities,” Doug Yakel, SFO’s airport information officer, said. According to Yakel, SFO opted into the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) in 2005 with the expectation that “airports would eventually return to a privatized

According to an airport official, SFO did not experience significant effects as a result of the shutdown.

An artist rendering of the high-speed railroad from SF to LA

February 13, 2019

BY DAVID MEHRAN Staff Reporter

Strolling down Burlingame Avenue, I hear a variety of sounds— the conversations of people eating outside, the murmur of car engines as they cruise past and the whirr of planes flying overhead. Sometimes, if a pedestrian is lucky and in the right place, they get a chance to listen to one of the several musicians who perform on

“I like it, it gives me a good feeling… and I personally believe it should continue” Burlingame Avenue. After the reconstruction of Burlingame Avenue in late 2014, foot traffic increased as more customers came to the Avenue in search of the emerging higher-end stores and a bustling but relatively clean and safe downtown environment.

As the Avenue attracted students from Burlingame High School, patrons from surrounding neighborhoods and cities, it became a destination to spend an afternoon dining outside, purchasing boba tea with friends and frequenting the numerous retail stores. As the number of visitors increased on the Avenue, so too did the number of buskers, individuals making music for money. The first musician I saw on the ave was a man with a saxophone sitting underneath the trellis in front of the Gap store. The music, while completely unsponsored, complemented the mood of downtown Burlingame. Not only were many people stopping to listen to the man play, but many left tips. Since then, I have witnessed a violinist, accordion-ist and even a man singing the blues into a microphone connected to a portable speaker, and playing the harmonica. He was named ‘Gary the Blues Guy.’ On a Friday afternoon, I observed a show from a professional three-person music group, accepting tips and selling their CDs. Throughout the month of December, an individual stands outside the Gap store, ringing a

5 PHOTO BY DAVID MEHRAN

Street musicians add to Avenue ambiance

Features

Musicians are a common sight on the Avenue since the 2014 construction. bell to attract passersby and coax them into dropping donations into a Salvation Army can. Even the clanging of the bell, which some may consider to be just noise and not music, adds to the musical flavor of the cityscape. Given that musicians keep coming back, the Avenue seems to be a location to play for a bit and earn some cash. “I feel like I always have somewhere to go; I’m not just standing around listening to music … It’s nice, and it’s appreciated, but if it wasn’t there, I wouldn’t notice.” junior Michelle Tam said.

While pedestrians like Tam value the music of the Avenue, sometimes it goes unnoticed in the busy rush of daily activity. But for employees who spend hours working in the shops that line the street, it is a different story. “I like it, it gives me a good feeling … and I personally believe it should continue,” an Apple store security guard said. “I’ve seen, in some other places, people on the street playing and a lot of people passing through find it interesting, and stand and watch them for a few seconds or minutes, then con-

PHOTO BY CLAIRE HUNT

The difficult dilemma after the diploma BY CLAIRE HUNT Copy Editor

A student views his profile photo on the Tinder app.

Swiping right: students and Tinder BY CLAIRE HUNT Copy Editor Tinder has found its way onto Burlingame’s campus and into the phones of its students. The app itself is easy to use; users add pictures of themselves to their profile, along with a bio, age and name, and then start swiping. If an individual finds someone they are interested in, they swipe right. If two people swipe right on each other, Tinder makes a match and alerts each of them. From there, a person can initiate a conversation or even propose meeting in real life. Or they can just keep swiping. In June 2016, Tinder banned members under 18 years old from joining the app. Prior to this restriction, 7 percent of all Tinder users were between 13 and 17 years old. The new age restraint only allows legal adults to participate in the app. But that’s not stopping teenagers from using Tinder. “A lot of people I’ve met on Tinder, they originally say they’re 18 just so that they don’t get reported or blocked, but

once you get to know them they’re like, yeah, I’m actually 17,” senior Ryan Lowe said. Compared to other online dating apps, Tinder has achieved notoriety for arranging hookups rather than relationships. Typically, people looking for a long-term or committed relationship are advised to stay off this app, which has led to a particular culture and mark surrounding the platform. “Most people see it as a hookup app, and that’s generally the reputation Tinder has. Like, if you’re on Tinder, you’re just looking for a hookup, one-night stands, stuff like that,” Lowe said. For many, Tinder offers a way to meet new people and interact with strangers in a relatively safe environment. Its reputation as a strictly casual way to meet or initiate sexual encounters can be misleading, especially for high school students. “I think a lot of people just talk to people on Tinder but then never end up actually meeting them,” senior Sami Shibli said. “But,” he added, “I do know

people who have actually met up and done the dirty stuff.” For the majority of student users, however, Tinder is used primarily to meet and talk to new people. “[My friends] initially downloaded it as a joke, but then they realized that they could actually meet new people and kept using it as a platform for that purpose,” senior Sofia Zaragoza said. The majority of Burlingame students do not use Tinder. More common with upperclassmen, the app is not as prevalent among the general student population as other social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter. Although online dating has become a prominent way to form relationships in the last few decades, it is less popular among teenagers than other age groups. “I think online dating has become more popular but not necessarily for people in high school,” Zaragoza said. “I think social media and meeting people through common friends is a more typical way for high school students to meet new people.”

tribute something, and I personally like it.” Musicians playing on the Avenue are a mixed group. Some are professional musical groups that regularly perform on the street, members of the homeless community just trying to earn tips and, particularly during the holiday season, individuals raising money to donate to charity. Regardless, they all contribute to the dynamic atmosphere of Burlingame Avenue.

To many students, the college process is becoming more competitive. The myth of the perfect student with the top test scores, GPA and most extracurriculars is becoming less of an exception and more of an expectation for our generation. “I think it’s gotten harder because of the quality of the applicants. We’re pushing everybody towards college. Whether that’s best for everybody is another thing. But it feels to me like there are more qualified applicants, and these schools just don’t have as many spots,” Jonathan Dhyne, Burlingame’s college and career counselor, said. According to Statista, total college enrollment increased by roughly 240 percent from 1965 to 2016. That means more applicants applying for fewer spaces, leading to increased academic competition and more stress for students. On the positive side, colleges are becoming more involved in student outreach. Yearly, colleges buy more than 80 million names of test takers from the College Board, according to Ivy Coach. “My dad went to UC Santa Barbara, and he was a good student, but he wasn’t a great student. Now to get into Santa Barbara, people have to excel in everything and have great grades and test scores. I think that if he were applying to college now he might not get in, whereas it was kind of guaranteed then,” senior Chloe McNamara said. “It definitely has gotten harder over the past 20 years.” In 2017, college acceptance rates reached an all-time low

at 4.65 percent, according to Ivy Wise. Further, of the top ten schools with the highest number of applications, nine are in California, meaning students in our area are put under even more pressure. “I think it was competitive 20 years ago too, but I am seeing parents getting more involved and becoming more obsessed with the process than they were 20 years ago. Back then, it seemed like it was more up to the students,” private college counselor Michelle Sklaver said. “Now I think there is more emphasis on ‘college prep,’ which creates a more competitive pool. I’m talking about people hiring college coaches to help with college essays, people doing Khan Academy to improve SAT scores, etc.” Students spend thousands of dollars every year on SAT tutoring, summer programs that are said to increase their chances of getting into their dream school and other programs to boost their resumes. 20 years ago, college counseling was unheard of. Today it is seen as an integral part of the academic experience. An entire industry of college preparation has been created out of our generation’s increased anxiety about getting into colleges. “I would definitely say that school is more competitive now. Our generation, especially in the Bay Area, has been taught to think that every test and grade is life or death and mistakes are unacceptable,” junior Madeleine Greene said. “I think we feel less certain about our futures than previous generations, so we cling to our goals of success in school and prestigious colleges to make us think we will be OK.”

BHS Pool

Rec center BY CHARLIE CHAPMAN

BY ALLIE KENNEDY

Senior Reporter

Design Editor

The Burlingame City Council recently decided on a design of the new recreation center after years of deliberation and the consideration of various ideas. The council members decided on a contemporary look for the new building, which will be built in the same location as the existing recreation center by Washington Park. The project’s budget and schematic design were approved by the council in November, as well. Current plans for the building include classrooms, child and teenage areas, workshops and a large community room which can be used for various events. Additionally, the Washington Park playground will be rebuilt and relocated to another part of the park to make space for the new recreation center. Although construction has not yet begun, early estimates from the city have placed the opening of the new center to occur in 2021.

After finding critical flaws in the current pool structure, the school district has decided to completely demolish the pool and build a new one in its place. Although negotiations between the city of Burlingame and the district are still taking place to obtain clearance for construction and to negotiate price allocation, Superintendent Kevin Skelly told the Burlingame B in writing that “[t]hings are moving forward in good ways.” Updates about pool construction will be posted online at theburlingameb.org as they develop.

Caltrain BY HUBERT CHEN

Staff Reporter

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Over the past few years, Caltrain has undergone a renovation named Calmod in order to create a safer, faster and cleaner public transportation system for Bay Area residents. Calmod calls for many new improvements to Caltrain, including the electrification of trains and the modernization of stations. Since its unveiling in the summer of 2017, sections of Caltrain lines have seen the construction of new electricity poles in preparation for the new electric trains, most notably the section of track directly in front of Burlingame. Read more about this in our next issue as the story develops.

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General Plan Senior Reporter

The Burlingame City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 7 to approve an update to the city’s general plan, which was last revised nearly 50 years ago. The multiyear effort to adopt a revised general plan was spearheaded by a group of residents and city officials and was focused on providing guidance on issues surrounding development and growth. According to the city, the entire plan was focused around the question, “How do we want Burlingame to look, function and feel 25 years from now?” During the meeting, Mayor Donna Colson said the vote constituted “the single most important piece of legislation [the] council will produce or has produced in the last five years,” describing the plan as an “absolute road map for how we will address many, many concerns and many, many issues going forward into the future of Burlingame.” The vote represented a culmina-

tion of a process to revise the General Plan, which began in 2015. The city’s effort to draft a plan was known as “Envision Burlingame” and was described as a “robust community-driven process.” Envision Burlingame included the formation of a Community Advisory Committee that met 18 times over the course of two years and included a variety of community members including residents, renters, business owners and students. The group’s discussions led to agreement on a set of guiding principles around which the specifics of the plan were based . According to the adopted plan, these points included balanced and smarter growth, community character and economic vitality, among others. The plan includes both overarching sentiments about the future of the city, which the plan referred to as “goals,” and “policies” that were intended to be more specific in nature and are to

be used by the various city commissions. The plan is largely focused on the perennial questions surrounding the balance of development with the preservation of the town’s characteristics. The proposals outlined in the plan include a variety of ideas on how to confront this issue. Policy prescriptions include altering restrictions on residential development near the Millbrae border and offering ideas on the incorporation of livework spaces near Rollins Road. The plan also offers ideas on how to limit the impact of development on the community, specifically proposing for residential development to be focused in areas not in the vicinity of existing neighborhoods. Instead, the plan proposes that new developments “occur in targeted areas near transit,” which could help limit the effect on traffic levels and neighborhoods throughout the city.

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BY CHARLIE CHAPMAN

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Facebook BY ALLIE KENNEDY

Design Editor

Facebook will open new office space at 300 Airport Blvd. in Burlingame in 2020. The 18.13-acre location by the bay will be home to four new office buildings, according to GlobeSt News. This project is only part of Facebook’s recent expansion across the Peninsula, with Facebook also building or renting new office spaces in Fremont, Mountain View, San Francisco and Sunnyvale. The Burlingame location will hold Oculus, Facebook’s virtual reality division. Facebook’s move to Burlingame has been met with mixed reactions. Some Burlingame residents hope to see Facebook stimulate economic growth in Burlingame. Additionally, Facebook has already agreed to renovate the Bay Trail, as well as improve the nearby Fisherman’s Park. Other residents, however, are wary of the increased traffic and additional demand for housing that Oculus may bring.

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Opinion

February 13, 2019 PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF SAN MATEO

San Mateo has its own minimum wage of 15 dollars, but we’re subject to state legislation which is significantly lower (11 dollars for small businesses and 12 for larger ones).

Burlingame needs a minimum wage ordinance BY TELKA CARLEN Copy Editor

While Burlingame’s cost of living is exorbitant, even for California, its minimum wage is shockingly average. The current standard at the federal level is $7.25. According to CNBC, California is the second-most expensive state, with San Francisco and the Peninsula having the highest expenses in the region. In Burlingame, a one-bedroom apartment easily goes for well over $3,000 a month in rent. Only Hawaii, a tiny, isolated set of islands, could beat the third-largest state in the country. Something’s gotta give. California’s minimum wage is $12 for businesses with 26 employees or more and $11 for smaller businesses. While this is substantially higher than the countrywide regulation, it is not enough to compensate for the Bay Area’s higher cost of living. Not only minimum-wage employees struggle. The San Mateo Union High School District, after some delays, is again exploring the possibility of building housing for its teachers. Many district faculty members struggle to keep up with the local Silicon Valley-enhanced costs of living. Some people who work in the Bay Area have given up on living here at all; many commute to San Francisco or its

suburbs from as far as Stockton, which is over two hours away by car but much less pricey. Enter minimum wage ordinances. Twenty-six cities and one county in California have set their own higher standard for wages in their area, and 20 of these cities in the Bay Area. San Mateo’s minimum wage is $15 except in the case of 501(C)(3) nonprofit organizations, which must pay their employees $13.50 per hour.

As an affluent city, Burlingame has the responsibility to help those who cannot earn as much. As Burlingame’s neighbor, San Mateo’s dedication toward fairer wages has implications for the substantially smaller town of Burlingame. Essentially every business in Burlingame is perennially hiring since it is difficult to attract and maintain employees. Most residents are either professional middle-aged adults, retirees or children. Young people willing to work for minimum wage simply cannot afford to live in the area alone. The other classic demographic of

Personality types are categorized in two ways: introverted or extroverted. Extroverts derive energy from being in a social setting, while introverts derive energy from spending time in solitude. Shyness and introversion are different; while shy people are afraid of social judgement, introverted people are simply overwhelmed by social stimuli. There are also people who fall in the middle of the spectrum. Unsurprisingly, people with different personality types have different learning styles. Upon closer inspection, it seems like a disproportionate amount of activities in Burlingame classrooms cater to the extroverted student. The Socratic seminar, for example, is a classroom staple. During these discussions, some students are clearly in their element; they are comfortable thinking on their feet and being the center of attention. Their talents are rewarded not only with a good grade, but also their peers’ admiration. However, students who are introverted are overwhelmed by social stimuli; the Socratic method of learning

content can be stressful to the point that it is debilitating. I believe it is a misconception that collaboration always increases productivity. Individuals who are already knowledgeable about certain topics have no reason to work in a group and risk diluting an idea

The Socratic method of learning content can be stressful to the point that it is debilitating. that was strong to begin with. Executing your own idea with other people may cause the end goal to become muddled. Working in solitude also has the added benefit of “...concentrating the mind on the tasks at hand, and preventing the dissipation of energy on social… matters unrelated to work,” wrote psychologist Hans Eysenck in Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t

BY BEN NEUMAN Webmaster

At Burlingame, physical education (P.E.) is mandatory for four semesters. In this class, students are required to show their physical capabilities and develop healthy habits. P.E. is supposed to teach life practices to those transitioning to the real world, where they will be responsible for keeping themselves healthy. While the structure of P.E. class can help kids who are less active, this class is not necessary for those who participate in a school sport. Students who are athletic run the risk of overworking their bodies in P.E. Junior Brett Kuwahara, who has suffered two season-ending injuries while playing basketball, stated that the additional strain put on his body by P.E. definitely contributed to his injuries. “Your muscles can ache, and then when you have to go do P.E. and run the mile and stuff, it’s not necessarily beneficial for your body,” Kuwahara said. For students like Kuwahara who play multiple sports at a high school level, an exhausting day in P.E. can completely break up any recovery time between games and practices. Not only is P.E. hard for the body when it comes to recuperating after games, the reverse is also true. When one is forced to

run the mile before an important high school sports game, they will not do as well when their team is counting on them. “It reduces my performance on the field,” Kuwahara said of the pre-game P.E. experience. When an athlete should be resting in order to conserve energy, they are instead forced to expend that energy during P.E. to receive a good grade. If P.E. were to be made optional for student athletes, there would still be plenty of opportunities at school for these students to learn how to live healthy lives.The nutrition unit in health, for example, would still provide them with the necessary knowledge about fueling their bodies. With a knowledge of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, all that remains is the motivation to go out and do so. The ones who are already going out of their way to play school sports are not the ones who are in need of the extra push P.E. provides. As long as students are playing separate school sports, they should not be forced to participate in P.E. class. They should receive credits for the class for the duration of the season. Once the season ends, they can return to P.E. class. As long as they are attending practices and games for their sport, however, P.E. should be optional.

people working minimum-wage jobs are high school students looking for part-time work. However, Burlingame students who live close to the borders between the two towns or who can drive will often work in San Mateo, allured by the promise of more money in less time. Employees have to settle for whoever they can get, meaning that the service on Burlingame Avenue and other commercial areas is doomed to be subpar. Burlingame can and should create its own citywide minimum wage ordinance. While many of the cities that have done so are greater in population, towns like Menlo Park and Los Altos also have around 30,000 residents and have their own regulations regarding wages. Even Emeryville, a town of 10,000 next to Oakland, has raised its minimum wage to $15 at the least and $15.69 for large businesses. As an affluent town, Burlingame has the responsibility to help those who cannot earn as much. The wages must reflect the real-life Peninsula experience, or Burlingame will stay a heavy commuter town where shops cannot stay open reliably. If businesses cannot afford to pay a minimum wage that matches the context of the area, the businesses are not runWhile the structure of P.E. class can help kids who are less active, ning ethically or correctly. this class is not necessary for those who participate in a school sport.

Schools glorify extroverts and wrongly alienate introverts BY CAROLINE YEOW Staff Reporter

P.E. is unfair to athletes

Stop Talking. There is an obvious association between leaders and extroversion. However, introverts can also make for effective leaders. Some of the most formidable leaders in history were introverts, including former President Barack Obama, who made a habit of spending hours of time alone after dinner. The caution and meticulous thought process introverts employ only exists because of their preference to take a step back from situations and analyze; this process is invaluable in leaders, where sound judgement is a necessity. In practice, introverts have proven their value. I think it is ironic that many classroom environments value the talkative, argumentative and charismatic individual, while the quiet thinker is encouraged to “speak up” or “get out of their shell.” If every unique individual has something valuable to contribute to a community, then teachers should organize activities to ensure that all students transition into adulthood with the confidence that their personality traits are valuable to the world.

Updated candy grams BY DARRION CHEN Senior Reporter

Entertainment

February 13, 2019

Favorite genre of music poll BY ETHAN GARDNER

Staff Reporter

Walking through the halls at Burlingame, it is almost impossible not to find someone listening to music. Between headphones, earbuds and airpods, Burlingame students are always plugged in. Curious about what types of music Burlingame students like to listen to, the Burlingame B conducted a poll to determine what genres are the most popular among students. Of the 217 responses received, 30.9 percent listened to rap and

hip-hop, making it the number one genre for Burlingame students. “I like rap because I can identify with most of the things they are saying,” one response said. Another student responded, “[Rap is] fun to listen to with my friends and while driving” and that it is “very upbeat and [has] good vibes”. Pop follows shortly behind rap and hip-hop, as 24 percent of students marked it as their first choice in music. “Pop helps me relax, and it is usually something I listen to

alone,” one student said. Alternative rock, with 16.6 percent of the vote, is the third-most popular genre of music at Burlingame. Additionally, 42.9 percent of students at Burlingame prefer music from the 2000s, or modern music. People also expressed interest in music from the ‘80s, as 15.2 percent of students marked it as their first-choice decade of music. Although several genres were not included in the poll itself, many students added their own genres, including indie, soul, folk and more.

9

Mexico and Netflix make history with “Roma” BY TEKLA CARLEN

Copy Editor

Available to watch in limited theaters or on Netflix “Roma” is my favorite movie of the year. It is loud in a quiet way. It does not hesitate to pause for meaningful, prolonged moments and take time making its point. Its point is remarkable, too—an ode to what it is to be a woman, a mother and alone. The main character, Cleo Gutiérrez (Yalitza

“Cuarón has crafted such a beautiful story with such complex and layered characters.” -Suh Aparicio), is the housekeeper for a wealthy Mexico City family who finds herself pregnant by the man who abandoned her. The father of the family has also left, and Cleo has a strong bond with his wife, Sofía (Marina de Tavira). Despite their shared struggles, Cleo is poorer, indigenous and has little recourse in the fancier sphere in which she lives but does not belong to. The characters’ personal lives are intertwined with the backdrop of 1970s Mexican political instability. I love the use of background noise, which emphasizes the idea of being alone in a crowd. Even when dialogue is sparse, the actors’ faces portray their understandable trains of thought, especially those of Cleo. The visuals are also wonderful, one of two black and white films up for Best Cinematography

this year (the other being the Polish “Cold War”). Aparicio is truly remarkable, “Roma” being the early childhood educator’s first acting job. I hope she will continue in the field. She is also the first indigenous woman to receive a Best Actress nomination, while her costar Marina de Tavira has more experience and is up for Best Supporting Actress, a relative surprise. Neither is likely to win, but they are both incredibly deserving of the recognition. The movie itself, on the other hand, is a definite frontrunner for Best Picture and the first Netflix release to experience Academy success. With haunting dialogue like “siempre estamos solas” (“we [the women] are always alone”) and “yo no quería que naciera” (“I didn’t want her to be born”), the screenplay, the acting and the images are flawless. This is a Spanish-language movie which I watched in its original tongue, but my mother watched it with English subtitles and still thoroughly enjoyed it, as well. Even though “Roma” has many quiet moments, its dialogue is some of the most unforgettable of the year. One of the film’s strongest suits is its direction. Alfonso Cuarón is not only the director—this is his movie, based on his childhood, with his own writing, camera work, editing and role as producer. For a foreign director thoroughly entrenched in the American mainstream with works such as “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Roma” is as personal as filmmaking can get. In that regard, it’s this year’s “Lady Bird.” While Cuarón already won Best Director for “Gravity” in 2014, he is sure to win it again. “Roma” is my favored hope for Best Picture. Visit theburlingameb.org to read reviews of all the Oscar Best Picture nominations!

Sports

10

February 13, 2019

BY BEN NEUMAN

Webmaster As the spring sports season rolls around, the Burlingame lacrosse team is poised to have a great season under head coach Neal Kaufman. With a core of juniors supplemented by a few strong seniors, the Panthers are looking to have one of their best seasons in recent history. “I could see us easily being a top contender for the league champion,” junior defenseman Ethan Kaufman said. After a mediocre season last year in which the team finished with a record of 8-9, the Panthers will lean on a strong defense to propel them to success in the upcoming season. Held down by juniors Ryan Mosse, Steven Yarmolinsky and Ethan Kaufman, the team will rely on their back line to hold the opponents to low

scores. Not only does Burlingame have a strong defense, but they also have very skilled players all around. Despite losing scoring machines in Brennan Cosenza, Luke Eichensehr and Ben Shaffer to graduation, senior attacker Drew Smith as well as juniors Casey Johnstone and Trevor Macko will do all they can to step up. “We have a lot of athletic ability and potential this year,” Kaufman said. Even with such a capable team, the Panthers have their work cut out for them. Winning a league with lacrosse powerhouses such as Menlo-Atherton, Los Gatos and Palo Alto is no easy task, yet the team remains optimistic. “I believe that we can go far with the team we have this year, and the potential is there,” Kaufman said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ETHAN KAUFMAN

Boy’s lacrosse huddles for the first time of the year during tryouts.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN MALASHUS

Lacrosse looks to capi- Burlingame wrestling pins talize on new talent competition en route to CCS

Burlingame wrestling defeated the defending PAL champions, the Half Moon Bay Cougars. BY TYLER IDEMA

Sports Editor Wrestling ended the season on a good note with wins over Aragon, El Camino and Half Moon Bay, the defending Peninsula Athletic League champions. With a record of 4-1 in dual meets, wrestling has produced multiple Central Coast Section (CCS) contenders, with four wrestlers being ranked in the top 20 for CCS including juniors Kyle Botelho (No. 1) and Alexis Sawyer (No. 8), sophomore Cian Hennebry (No. 11) and freshman Xavier Bruening (No.13).

“This year was definitely special. Everyone was competing well and we were able to place first in our league. It felt good to get revenge on Half Moon Bay after they won PALs last year,” Botelho said. Botelho, currently ranked first for CCS, is 33-6 this year. With his biggest win coming off Half Moon Bay, Botelho has dominated the mat in his junior season. Even when it seemed like there was hardly any room for improvement, after finishing third in CCS last year, Botelho has beaten the

odds and is looking to compete at the state level. “I think a lot of hard work in the gym and at practice was what allowed me to place first in CCS this year, but I need to put in more work in order to compete at state,” Botelho said. Coach Eric Botelho has been the key to the Panthers’ success, pushing his young team to have multiple wrestlers in the top 20 with no seniors. “Coach is one of the main reason for our success this year,” Kyle Botelho said.

PHOTO BY ETHAN GARDNER

Freshman-led varsity basketball team closes mediocre season

Burlingame’s unusually young team often struggled against their older opponents, with half of the team made of underclassmen.

BY ETHAN GARDNER

Staff Reporter The Burlingame boys basketball team finished their season on Friday, capping off a 10-14 season with a win at San Mateo. This was coach Jeff Dowd’s first season back as the Panthers varsity head coach, and although their win percentage was only 0.416, they have potential for the seasons to come. The varsity team was dominated by underclassmen, as the five freshmen and one sophomore made up exactly half of the 12man roster. Burlingame has many young players compared to the other teams they compete against. Neither Palo Alto, Serra nor Mills has underclassmen on their varsity

roster. San Mateo has two sophomores, and Aragon has four sophomores out of their 17-man roster. “Dowd gave the young guys his trust and a lot of responsibility, and they’re already impressing in games,” Grant Cosovich, one of only three seniors on the team, said. The varsity team has had to make adjustments to compensate for their younger players, who have no high school basketball experience. It was overall a shaky season marked by losses to teams such as Aragon, Mills and Hillsdale among 11 other schools. Despite this, the players remain optimistic. “We are playing good basketball right now. I like how the guys are pulling together and doing our best,” freshman point guard Sean

Richardson said. With multiple upperclassmen leaving the team due to lack of playing time, the freshmen have had to take on a big role on the varsity squad. “We all work at the game really hard and want to be solid teammates,” Richardson said. “I don’t really think about what grade we are; I just think we are part of the team.” The freshmen have had to step up this season and have a lot of time to improve over the next three years. The absence of upperclassmen points to a lack of emphasis on senior priority and experience as Dowd tries out a varsity squad made up primarily of freshmen and sophomores.

Baseball enters the spring season with high expectations Staff Reporter Armed with a dynamic pitching staff and a talented starting lineup, the Panther baseball team will likely improve upon last year’s record (14-12 overall, 7-7 PAL) and make a run at a league title. The team returns 10 players from last year’s Central Coast Section (CCS) team, which ended the season in a 3-2 loss to Archbishop Mitty in the Division II quarterfinals. The starting lineup will be led by incumbent stars Taylor Clark (P/IF), Jordi Aguilar (2B) and Chase Funkhouser (IF), all of whom batted over .300 last year. Manager Sean Scott will also have plenty of utility options to choose from, including versatile catcher Tim Christian and speedy outfielder Will Higuera.

The starting lineup will be headed by Emilio Flores, who posted a 4-2 record with a 1.65 ERA and two complete games in 12 appearances. Following Flores will be Dominic Caprini and Thomas McClure, who pitched a combined nine innings last year, as Scott primarily utilized Nick Cerelli, Justin Beressi and Carlo Lopiccolo in his 2018 rotation. The bullpen will primarily be comprised of juniors Leo Bashaw, Tyler Moniz-Witten and Clark, as well as seniors Zac Berger and Joe Flood. The relievers have a combined three and one-third innings of varsity-level pitching experience, but Bashaw dominated the junior varsity level with a 2.80 ERA in 40 innings, while Flood and Berger are the only lefthanders on the roster. The Panthers begin regular season play with a home game against

Mount Eden (Hayward) on Friday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. They will begin the next week with backto-back games against the neighboring Mills Vikings and and San Mateo Bearcats. Notable matchups on the rest of the schedule include Saint Ignatius on March 5, Serra on March 8, reigning Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) champion Sacred Heart Preparatory on March 13 and 15 and PAL runner-up Carlmont on April 24 and 26. As for the expectations the team set for itself, Christian put them bluntly: “win.” Encouragingly, the Panthers have the right pieces in place to do more than just win the league. Burlingame can reasonably expect to make a run for the CCS title, which would be the team’s first since 2010.

PHOTO BY MARK HABELT

BY MARK HABELT

Current junior Taylor Clark takes a cut during a 2018 game.

Sports

February 13, 2019

11

New boys volleyball team holds open-gym practices for all Staff Reporter For the first time in the history of Burlingame, boys volleyball is being offered as an official sport. While neighboring schools such as Hillsdale are entering the third year of having a boys volleyball team, the idea of offering boys volleyball at Burlingame was not proposed until late last year by sophomores Niall Finnegan and Zachary Ngai. “We’ve had 2 open gyms so far and a signup day,” Finnegan said. “On signup day we had about 50 people show up, and we usually have about 20 or 30 people show up to the open gyms.” Although boys volleyball is a new phenomenon at Burlingame, it has been offered as a club sport for many years. That said, school volleyball is open to both experienced and novice players, as this team this year won’t be competing for rank, but rather they will be testing their skills exclusively via scrimmages against other schools. However, next year the team plans to join the Peninsula Athletic League and compete at a higher

PHOTO BY VISHU PRATHIKANTI

BY DAVID MEHRAN

level. In preparation for the season, several open gyms have been held after school for medically cleared boys volleyball players. The sessions consist of mainly drills and modified scrimmages. Any Burlingame student is welcome to join these open gyms before the season begins, provided that they too are medically cleared. “A lot of guys have been asking us how it’s going as we were creating the team and a lot of basketball players wanted to play or just try the sport,” Ngai said. “Most guys just thought it was a girls sport but going to the open-gyms they saw that it was for guys too.” Boys volleyball tryouts are postponed until winter sports have finished. As of now, the plan is to “commence boys volleyball tryouts on Monday, Feb. 11 through Friday, Feb. 15 from 4 to 6 p.m., ” according to head coach Chris Chu. “I am eagerly looking forward to the season, I hope to improve both my volleyball skills, as well as productively contribute to the success of the team” junior Jimmy Woods said.

Sophomore Ned Sigler practices serving the ball. Practices are held Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Soccer prepares for postseason run BY MARK HABELT

Staff Reporter A year after reaching the Central Coast Section (CCS) postseason final against Saint Ignatius at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, the Panther soccer team looks poised to make another deep postseason run. After a promising NorCal run that ended with a tough 3-2 loss to Montgomery

(Santa Rosa), the Panthers set their sights on a NorCal title this year. Luckily, with new CIF playoff changes allowing for the NorCal Division 1 champion to play for a state title against the SoCal champion, the Panthers have a chance to not only win a NorCal title, but to be the first Burlingame team to hang a state title banner since the 1988 women’s basketball team. PHOTO BY MARK HABELT

BY HANNA SATO

Chief Photographer The Burlingame cheer squad’s season is coming to a close as the basketball teams begin to end their seasons as well. On Feb. 1, both the basketball and cheer teams held their annual senior night, a final chance to celebrate the senior athletes and their time as members of their teams. The cheer squad celebrated senior cheerleaders Gracy Burdick, Ella Escobar, Pia Esguerra, Sophia Agreda, Perla Abarca, Allison Ayong, Brianna Castro, Zulema Morales, Hanna Schweinberg and Caroline Icardi. Escobar and Esguerra were this

year’s cheer captains. Each member of the team walked down the court with their family, cheered on by the younger members of the team who will take over next season. Juniors Taylor Glatt and Isabella Villeggiante will be the new senior cheer captains. “Next year is really exciting since we will be seniors and there will be new captains and hopefully a bigger team,” junior Faye O’Connell said. Following the end of the cheer season, the team will begin to prepare and hold tryouts for next school year’s season. PHOTO BY HANNA SATO

Senior defender Aidan Burke (11) and junior defender Slater Bolstad collide as junior defender Liam Griffin (2) looks on.

The Panthers carry a 9-3-3 record (6-1-3 PAL) into their final 3 games—one against a beatable team in Half Moon Bay (Feb. 13) and two against tough competition in Menlo-Atherton (Feb. 8) and South San Francisco (Feb. 11). Coach Anthony Dimech’s squad currently controls its own destiny in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL), as a three-game winning streak to end the season would guarantee back-to-back PAL titles. However, the Panthers have their work cut out for them, considering they lost 2-0 in their first match against Menlo-Atherton and played South San Francisco to a scoreless draw at home. Junior striker Ethan Kaufman expressed profound confidence in the team’s prospects, claiming that “we are on top of the league, and we will stay there.” A big question mark that hovers over the team will be the status of senior center defender Aidan Burke, who sprained his ankle during a practice on Jan. 31 and will likely be out one to two weeks. He will not likely be ready to face Menlo-Atherton, but he would provide a huge boost against South San Francisco, especially considering his stellar play in the scoreless draw that helped Burlingame keep within reach of South San Francisco in the standings.

Cheer celebrates end of the season and the graduation of their senior athletes

Burlingame swimming optimistic despite pool construction conflict

BY WESLEY CHEN

Staff Reporter The Burlingame swim team now conducts practices at Aragon’s pool due to the ongoing construction at the Burlingame pool. This has proven both difficult and demanding for many students, especially those who relied on having the team pool right next to Burlingame for ease of transportation. However, some members of the team remain optimistic and look at the positive aspects of pool construction. “I am excited for the relation-

ship between the varsity and J.V. teams,” varsity swimmer and senior Sylvia Berterretche said. “I expect that we will become much more of a singular unit this season as we are all practicing together at one time.” In previous years, varsity and junior varsity would practice at different times, resulting in less interaction between the two teams. Only at the weekly swim meets would the teams compete together. The original plan for pool construction was supposed to have

finished long before the swim season started. But at the rate pool construction is occurring, Berterretche is not sure whether the pool will be finished in time for next year’s season. “I don’t think the pool will be finished by next year, but hopefully the aquatic programs will be able to practice at other schools in the district,” Berterretche said. Despite this difficulty, Berterretche is confident the team will have a successful season.

The Burlingame cheer squad performed on Feb. 1 for senior night, the last home game of the basketball season.

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Student Life

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February 13, 2019

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BY LILY PAGE

Managing Editor

PHOTOS BY ALLIE KENNEDY AND LILY PAGE

Dancing Through the Decades

A line of students snaked around the side of the College Center building at the College of San Mateo. Many wore dresses and suits. The clock struck 7 p.m., and the doors opened. Past the Breathalyzer station and up the staircase was a room transformed into a dance floor. Multicolored lights flashed in the darkness. Those standing in line outside could see the lights through the ceiling-tofloor glass window. Winter Formal had begun.

Two television screens on either side of the DJ displayed clips from classic films in keeping with the theme, “Dancing through the Decades.” Beyond the dance floor, students munched on candy and chips and drank soda. In the far corner, students took pictures in a photo booth. During songs such as “Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott, students jumped up and down in the dancing formation colloquially known as “moshing.” By the end of the night, many had sore feet.

“Strategic analytics club” secretly Smash Bros. club Staff Reporter

It is a Thursday at Burlingame. The time is 3:14 p.m., and students from all over various parts of the campus sprint to the second story of the C building in attempt to be one of the first 20 students in line to compete in the weekly “Smash Bros.” club tournament. The club meets every Thursday in whichever science classroom is available, with sophomore Hayden Fullecido leading the club, and biology and chemistry teacher Thomas Bennett acting in the advisor position. “I had bought the game at a midnight release and brought it to

school, and Mr. Bennett was like, ‘Why don’t you come after school so we can play?’” Fullecido said. The club has gained so much popularity that science rooms are crowded with students practicing their Smash skills on their own Nintendo Switches or cheering on the students competing. “At first it was kind of just a new game that came out, and then some students showed some interest,” Bennett said. “More and more kids started coming after school and then interest in the club began.” The club became so popular that Fullecido decided to change the name to the Strategic Analytics Club in order to prevent even

more students from coming, as the tournament was already full of students who could not fit in the roster. This is, however, a temporary name until the club becomes an official club this Spring. Students now stay at school up until 6 p.m. in the science rooms, either competing in a second tournament or brawling with the other students still hanging around the classroom. The club is still encouraging more students to attend, and hopes to give people a place to have fun after school. “It’s a good way to meet kids with similar interests and really just develop that sense of community in Burlingame,” Bennett said. Members of the Strategic Analytics club watch in excitement as two students battle in a tournament match after school.

PHOTO BY JACOB LUBARSKY

BY JACOB LUBARSKY