8
Features
December 16, 2019
Substitute teacher Jeffrey Tanguay Puff Bars overtake the petitions to become a teacher e-cigarette industry
BY NICOLE FASSINA Staff Reporter
Substitute teacher Jeffrey Tanguay has created a petition to remain enrolled in his teaching credentials program. Students have seen posters plastered across hallways, and chatter about what the petition entails has been circling the school since the petition was created. This speculation has created many misconceptions about the reasons behind the movement. While most people think that Tanguay is trying to use this petition to get hired at Burlingame,
that is not the case. His petition was created as a part of his appeals process in obtaining his teaching credentials. Tanguay is currently enrolled at Notre Dame de Namur University and is working on his teaching degree, but his education has been halted by his administration and he is using this petition to prove that he deserves to become a teacher. “It’s very frustrating because I genuinely love teaching, especially here, and I feel as though my education has been unjustifiably hampered by my school’s administration,” Tanguay said. “I created this petition to show how many students and staff members
PHOTO BY NICOLE FASSINA
Substitute teacher Jeffrey Tanguay assists senior Namiha Yasuda.
support me, in order to win some credibility for my appeals process.” Currently, Tanguay is working on trying to continue his teaching program. But if this does not work out he has plans to transfer to another university in order to complete his program. “He plans to transfer to San Francisco State University if his current school does not accept his appeals process,” Library Media Technician Brittney Otero said. “It’s really unfair for him because he is genuinely a good teacher and is passionate about it, and to see something like this happen is frustrating.” Tanguay has attained a positive reputation as a substitute and is quite popular among the students, who enjoy his calm demeanor and teaching methods. “He is just really good with students and very calm, which is nice, especially when you have a sub,” senior Juliana Pianim said. Additionally, Tanguay has become a big part of Burlingame’s campus. “I have a job that I look forward to coming to every day, the BHS staff has been incredibly helpful and selfless when helping out a young teacher like myself. Without question, I’d like to work at BHS for a few decades so I can keep having fun while teaching scores of awesome and talented teachers,” Tanguay said. He has obtained a substantial amount of signatures on his petition from Burlingame students and staff and continues to gain support for his appeals process. He is very grateful for the support Burlingame has shown him.
BY HANNA SATO Chief Photographer Puff Bars are beginning to replace Juuls as Gen Z’s cigarette surrogate given the latter’s recent bad press. Numerous Food and Drug Administration regulations and Juul’s own efforts to prevent teenagers from Juuling have resulted in fewer advertisements, fewer flavors and more health warnings about the addictive vaping device. However, other nicotine inhalation devices have emerged to fill the gap in the market that Juul has left behind, the frontrunner being Puff Bars. Senior Jane, whose name has been changed for anonymity purposes, uses Puff Bars and describes them as being “made more for teens” than Juuls, given that these products are more visually appealing and have a wider range of flavors. Puff Bars are essentially disposable Juuls, ranging from $10 to $15, containing 200 puffs per bar, with 18 different flavors. In comparison, Juul has eight flavors, costs $15 for a pack of pods, $35 for the Juul itself and requires maintenance. “I think right now Puff Bars are more popular because they are cheaper and easier to obtain,” Jane said. “Puff Bars are also colorful and have so many different flavors which make up for highly regulated and less adventurous Juuls.” Juul has recently been under scrutiny because of the Juuling epidemic among youth. The many teenagers who have been diagnosed with lung disease, went into comas or nearly died have served as cautionary tales
about the dangers of Juuling. “Because of the recent news coming out about the dangers of Juuls and teenagers in the hospital because of it, people are more hesitant to use Juuls,” Jane said. This newfound fear of Juuls has created the perfect environment for Puff Bars to take over
“I think right now Puff Bars are more popular because they are cheaper and easier to obtain. Puff Bars are also colorful and have so many different flavors, which make up for highly regulated and less adventurous Juuls.” - Jane the industry and scoop up Juul’s lost customers. This fear in combination with the appeal of Puff Bars has created the next epidemic for youth. “The health impacts are most likely the same,” Jane said. “At the end of the day, you are still putting nicotine in your body, which is obviously bad for your health.”
Why Burlingame students transfer to Middle College BY ALLISON COHEN Staff Reporter
Each year, some Burlingame students transfer to Middle College for various reasons. Some want to pursue a higher level of education, some leave for social reasons and some may just want a change in their life. Middle College is set up to help students become more independent with their studies and prepare for higher education. Additional help can be found through tutoring centers and Supplemental Instruction sessions, but the student must seek out help themselves. “It’s a lot less hand-holding; if you want help, you have to email the teacher if you want to set up an appointment or go outside to the resources that they offer here if you need help,” junior Kayla Bierman said. Bierman attended Burlingame High School for two years before transferring to Middle College. She now is enrolled in e-College, which is a combination of online classes and in-person classes at The College of San Mateo (CSM). “The reason I left [Burlingame] was mainly because of the academics at BHS. I didn’t think they were stimulating, and the course selection at CSM is a lot wider. I can take a bunch of different courses that they don’t offer at BHS, so it just seemed like a better opportunity,” Bierman said. Going to school through
e-College also opens her schedule up to give her time for extracurricular activities, such as equestrianism and track and field. “The schedule is more for what I need based on my extracurriculars, I’m not in school from 8 to 3 every day ... You don’t have classes every day, classes are longer, you work to the last minute,” Bierman said. The open schedule is one of the many enticing reasons students decide to transfer to Middle College. Schedule changes allow students more time to pursue their personal interests or get a job. Though she anticipated more challenging classes, Bierman has had to learn to adapt to her new education. “It’s definitely an adjustment, it’s very different from high school. The online classes I’m taking, I don’t have a teacher that’s harping me every day to have an assignment done. It’s basically… self initiative to get the work done on time,” Bierman said. Bierman left mainly for academic reasons and remarks that she had a good group of friends and thoroughly enjoyed her social life at Burlingame. However, she also appreciates the community that CSM has to offer. “I have a whole different community over here at CSM, which has been really great,” she said. Junior Gabby Vilchez has had a similar experience to Bierman, as she has found Middle College to be a great fit for her, although
she was hesitant at first. “I did not expect to also like the people I met there,” Vilchez said. Vilchez spent her freshman and sophomore years at Burlingame before transferring to Middle College, which she currently is enrolled in. “At CSM ... one class you would normally take in [one year] is squeezed down into one semester,” Vilchez said. Because Vilchez is interested in studying science, she is able to take four science courses in a year rather than the one or two science classes Burlingame students usually take in a year. While she enjoyed her time at Burlingame, she has spoken with many of her peers who did not feel the same about their previous schools. “A lot of [Middle College Students] at other schools in the district feel like their school environment is toxic and they’re having friend issues or they had an issue with a teacher that made them hate the school,” Vilchez said. Middle College is an opportunity for high school students to not only expand upon their education but to escape from schools that they do not feel supported by and start new.
“I can take a bunch of different courses that they don’t offer at BHS, so it just seemed like a better opportunity” -Kayla Bierman
“I had great experiences [at BHS] with my teachers and I felt like I formed a good teacher-student relationship with them” -Gabby Vilchez