October issue by The Burlingame B Newspaper

LITTLE BIG GAME ISSUE

THE BURLINGAME B theburlingameb.org

October 24, 2017

What’s Inside? New tax in Burlingame Page 2

Little Big Game celebrates its 90th year From 1927-2017, annual homecoming game unites community This year marks the 90th annual Little Big Game. The Panthers are aiming for their 54th win over the San Mateo High School Bearcats on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. The game will be at the SMHS football stadium. The BHS band, cheer team, and other supporters are marching in the traditional parade from Burlingame to San Mateo around 9 a.m. What started as a small, cross-town rivalry is now a deeply rooted school tradition that is the highlight of the fall. Alumni, community members and current students join together each November to watch the Panthers and the Bearcats battle it out in a football game for the coveted “Paw.” With Burlingame currently holding The Paw, the Bearcats are looking to take it back for the first time in years. Can the Bearcats finally defeat Burlingame, or will we continue to PROTECT THE PAW? Find out on Nov. 4.

Meet the face of Royal Donuts Page 4 Students on SoundCloud Page 4

Little Big Game dancers and artists Page 5

“And so we stayed” “It’s really scary to get an education and work really hard, and not know what you’re going to be able to do with it,” Abitbol said. “If I hadn’t gotten my green card, I probably would have continued to work in some little coffee shop after college.”

Little Big Game Pages 6 + 7

Honors classes Page 8

Stress culture Page 9

Volleyball headed to CCS Page 12 Water polo in PAL tournament Page 12

Issue 2 Vol. 110

BY LILY PAGE

Senior Reporter Sophie Abitbol was 17 years old when her parent’s restaurant went out of business, taking her family’s investor visa and life savings with it. “And so we stayed because there was nothing to go back to,” Abitbol said. As recent immigrants from France, this setback rendered the family unauthorized to stay in the United States. After being accepted into UC Santa Cruz under the assumption that she would pay instate tuition, Abitbol received a letter demanding proof of U.S. residency, or otherwise pay out-of-state tuition. “We were still working, we payed taxes, we

filed our tax returns,” Abitbol said, recalling her initial shock. “[We did] everything like everybody else.” Abitbol called the office of Nancy Pelosi, her elected official, and left a message explaining her case. To her delight, someone from Pelosi’s office decided to pick up her case and requested approval for her California state residency for educational purposes. Abitbol described it as “miraculous” when a document certifying her residency came in the mail. So she went to college. Yet there was always a fear of deportation in the back of her mind, one that significantly affected her financial situation. “I was very aware that as a white French

kid, I wasn’t going to be asked for papers as much as a darker-skinned person,” Abitbol said. “But I knew which jobs I could apply for, and which ones I couldn’t.” For the entirety of her college years, Abitbol cleaned houses, worked as a babysitter, tutored, and worked in small cafes. She feared that the rest of her life would be spent in the same way. Then her second “miracle” happened, she said. Just a month before she graduated, Abitbol received her green card. Her experience of growing up in the shadows inspired her to teach English Language Development classes, which is what she first did at BHS.

Continued on page 2

C building boys’ restroom falls victim to vandalism BY DARRION CHEN repaired, another gets Senior Reporter vandalized.” Examples of such The C building boys’ restroom has been defacement include, but sporadically closed for are not limited to, bromaintenance over the ken door handles and past few months due broken soap dispensers. to repeated vandalism, There was also graffiti according to Principal - particularly scratches and carvings - which Paul Belzer. However, as repairs warranted a repainting were carried out, the of the bathroom door reason for the closure and a ‘wet paint’ sign, was never officially an“It may have nounced to students, leaving students specuseemed like lating about the cause. a continuous “There is a consenlockdown sus among male students in thinking that because once the locking was caused something by people Juuling (using was repaired, e-cigarette-like devices) in the restroom,” juanother gets nior Junha Park said. “I vandalized.” think all boys at school have seen people JuulPaul Belzer ing in that restroom.” Although the in- which furthered delayed creased amount of the restroom’s usability. The seemingly endvandalism in the C building restroom may less cycle of defacebe correlated with it ment and repair is very being a “hotspot” for hard on the mainteJuuling, the closure of nance staff. “The custodial staff the restroom was not a punitive or preventive already have full-time measure against Juuling. jobs,” said Belzer. “So “The bathroom was the need to fix the bathnever closed because of room on top of their one ongoing issue,” said original jobs is an extra Belzer. “It may have load.” Belzer also applied seemed like a continuous lockdown because the New York broken once something was window theory to the

current situation; if the school permits Juuling and other minor illegal activities in the bathroom, then vandalism and more serious crimes will gradually become more prevelent at BHS. “This is why the bathroom needs to be continuously fixed,” Belzer said. Since the C building accounts for one third of the mens’ restrooms on the BHS main campus, the restriction has presented many inconveniences to male students. “It’s a major inconvenience when the closest bathroom is the C building, but you have to run all the way to the A building or F building,” said Park. “We need to find a solution to prevent vandalism, not just keep patching the restroom up,” said Park. “Students need to have respect for the community when using the facility and technology,” Belzer said. “We need to respect the learning environment. We wouldn’t have to lock it if there was no vandalism.”

News

Abitbol continued

“I had some kids who crossed the desert in Arizona from Mexico; who had come from El Salvador and Nicaragua; who had ridden on the backs of buses to come here; and they would end up in my ELD class, and tell me about how scary that was, how hard it was to get here, and how hard their parents had worked to get them here,”

Abitbol said. Although she is now a naturalized citizen, Abitbol can relate to the fears of DREAMers currently facing a future in limbo in light of the abolishment of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era legislation piece that authorized the residency of young undocumented

people in the United States. “These kids were brought here when they were too young to make any other decision, and so, criminalizing them is wrong,” Abitbol said. “They’ve been here their whole lives, they’ve been educated here. I really feel like I know who these kids are.”

GRAPH BY SOFIA GUERRA

Parents’ Group continues to fund projects for the new school year

October 24, 2017

Prospect of a New Burlingame Sales Tax BY BEN NEUMAN

Staff Reporter

On Nov. 7, Burlingame voters will have a critical choice to make: whether or not to accept a proposed sales tax increase. Measure I consists of a quarter-cent per dollar sales tax increase. The tax does not impact purchases of medicine and groceries. An independent evaluation predicted yearly revenue increases of $2 million, which can not

“Businesses have told us that they do not think this will cause harm to their businesses,” Colson said. “People will continue to shop in Burlingame even if we pass this.” If Measure I does lead to the construction of a new Burlingame recreation renter, it would have more parking, be accessible for handicap individuals and become earthquake safe. The additional money could also go towards

“So for $4 of something they [student

customers] bought, they would pay an additional penny.” Donna Colson

be taken by the state. The money earned will go toward supporting city services such as accelerating street and sidewalk repair, crime prevention and a possible renovation of the Burlingame Recreation Center. “If BHS students were out shopping for something at Pottery Barn or clothing on the Avenue or for a new skateboard, they would pay one-quarter of 1 percent,” said Burlingame council member Donna Colson. “So for $4 of something they bought, they would pay an additional penny.” In order to be passed, Measure I will require a greater than 50 percent approval among voters. If passed, it will go into effect in 2018. Although this measure is appealing to many, there are others, such as sophomore Casey Johnstone, who see possible downsides to the extra sales tax. “I only get paid $12 an hour and I already have to pay a lot of taxes,” Johnstone said. “The little things add up.” Other concerns for the measure are its lack of an expiration date and the possibility that it will drive individuals away from local Burlingame stores, towards online shopping such as Amazon. Colson had a different view of this concern.

funding additional programs at the recreation center. The sides of the issue are not black and white either. There are others, such as sophomore Trevor Macko, who like the general idea of the tax, but have criticisms too. “It’s a really small amount of money and it goes to good things,” Macko said. His one hesitation concerning the measure is where the money is going. He explained that he hopes that the local schools would be a priority in the allocation of the money earned. As mentioned earlier in this article, an important element about this tax increase is that it would go directly to the city. The Burlingame City Council would then decide what to do with it under the supervision of a tax oversight committee. Despite the fact that the measure states that the extra money will likely benefit the recreation center, it is not yet set in stone. If Measure I is approved, a tax oversight committee consisting of Burlingame citizens will be selected to aid the council in where the money will go. The council would be required to meet at least once a year to monitor the expenditures of City Council. This meeting would be independent of the City Council.

THE BURLINGAME B STAFF

Teacher Adviser: Melissa Murphy Editor-in-Chief: Maggie Murdoff Managing Editor: Charlie Chapman Design Editor: Stella Lorence Business Manager: Priscilla Jin

Webmaster: Vishu Prathikanti

Staff Reporters: Tekla Carlen Madeleine Greene Chief Photographer: Claire Hunt Sofia Guerra Tyler Idema Allie Kennedy Copy Editor: Moya Liu Jilly Rolnick Ben Neuman Hanna Sato Senior Reporters: Annie Sun Sasha Benke Caden Thun Darrion Chen Payton Toomey James Lowdon Logan Turner Lily Page

PHOTO BY BEN NEUMAN

GRAPH BY SOFIA GUERRA

The Parents Group devotes $130 thousand of its budget to classroom technology and supplies. BY SOFIA GUERRA to fund the Academic Center. Ac- fer a wide variety of classes for all Chief Photographer cording to principal Paul Belzer, students,” Parents’ Group co-presThe Parents’ Group is continu- the effort was a long-term but re- ident Christine Thorsteinson said. The funds would allow for overing to fund a number of academic warding process. “The Parents’ Group had set flow classes and individual schedprograms with its $400,000 budget. The Parents’ Group’s funds aside a portion of funds for adult ule changes. This year the Parents’ Group, are allocated on a need basis to tutors, but since these tutors were fund academic activities such as so hard to come by, we decided to under the newly elected leadership field trips, the school play and the implement the peer tutoring proof Thorsteinson, is continuing last gram instead,” Belzer said. year’s projects. “Special Projects” band. The Parents’ Group paid for grants were also made available During the 2017-2018 school year the group is to fund new Kreppel’s time at the Academic to teachers. The grants fund classprojects as well as old ones. A large Center and covered the tutors’ room supplies, including calculators, food and equipment for the portion of the Parents’ Group’s pay as well. Parent education programs culinary arts department, equipbudget, approximately $125,000, goes toward curriculum devel- are included in this part of the ment for ceramics and Exploring opment and peer tutoring. Traci budget. New this year, additional Tech classes, Chromebooks and Kreppel, a counseling intern, a sections of classes will be funded all science department supplies. The remaining portions of math teacher and the head of the through the budget. “We are pleased to be able to the budget go toward student peer tutoring program, was involved in Parents’ Group’s project provide funds so that BHS can of- enrichment programs, including the buddies program, the PAWS volunteer and Explore programs, buying planners, graduate programs as well as staff support services, which include teacher appreciation and webmaster compensation. According to senior Nicole Malik, Associated Student Body Treasurer, the Parents’ Group donates $10,000 to leadership annually for the buddies program. In addition to the Parents’ Group’s contributions, ASB has set aside $16,400 for clubs. The funds provided by the Parents’ Group have made for a stable financial jumpstart to the school year. The Burlingame Recreation Center is one of the buildings that may The Parents Group raises over $400 thousand annually. be remodeled if Measure I is passed and a new tax is established.

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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.

News

October 24, 2017 BY MOYA LIU and TEKLA CARLEN

Staff Reporter

Since August, the drama department has been working on the upcoming fall musical, “My Favorite Year,” which opened on Oct. 21. “My Favorite Year” introduces the story of Benjy Stone, a young writer on TV’s most popular comedy show: King Kaiser’s Comedy Cavalcade, who is assigned to look after the guest of the show, the swashbuckling Hollywood actor Alan Swann. The show opened on Broadway in 1993, and was nominated for one Oscar, and three Golden Globes. In this performance, seniors Christian Yoder and Sean Rodriguez play the roles of Benji Stone and Alan Swann, respectively. According to the stage manager, senior Eliza Van Hamel Platerink, the preparations for the show went well. “My favorite part of ‘My Favorite Year’ is working with both the

cast and the crew to put together this production,” Van Hamel Platerink said. “I am so happy to be the stage manager this year, and I cannot wait to see the final product.” Despite the excitement for the upcoming play, students involved with the program are concerned about decreasing participation numbers. Skelton has about 28 students in each of her two beginning drama classes, but only 18 students in her one advanced class. “Last year I had a bigger advanced class because the year before that, I had two beginning classes to fill the advanced class,” Skelton said. “Last year I only had one beginning class, so the advanced class is smaller this year, but it means we can do more with fewer students.” This year is the first time that advanced drama fulfills the Career Technical Education requirement if taken during senior year. It was necessary to make drama

a CTE because there were multiple seniors this year who wouldn’t have been able to take the class otherwise because they had not yet filled their CTE requirement. Without these people, there would not have been sufficient students to fill the class. Skelton hopes that advanced drama will become a CTE for all. Senior Brandon Sullivan traces the decrease in enrollment to the lack of community in this year’s class. “The past couple classes of seniors that were in drama really had a tight knit group of friends and brought younger kids into that community,” he said. “Now, someone else needs to take that responsibility.” Skelton has not observed a loss of community and remains optimistic. “The enthusiasm of the incoming freshmen is just built by the enthusiasm of the seniors,” Skelton said. “It’s really a great community.”

PHOTO BY JILLY ROLNICK

Musical “My Favorite Year” opened

Senior Edward Phillips plays King Kaiser during a dress rehearsal on Oct. 19, a day before opening night.

PHOTO BY TEKLA CARLEN

Seniors Lola McManus, Claire Beswick, Kennedy Johnson, Edward Phillips, juniors Maxwell Sigler and Abigail Nix, and sophomore Sebastien Maychrowitz rehearse a dance number for My Favorite Year, the Burlingame High School fall musical, as choreographer Jim Ambler watches on.

California Wildfires devastate multiple Wine Country counties, forcing residents to evacuate for several days BY HANNA SATO

Staff Reporter

At 9 p.m. on Oct. 8, many California wine country residents headed to bed, unaware of the uncontrollable and raging fires that

about what was happening in Sonoma,” Fotinos said. “We were informed that there was a fire in Santa Rosa and in the Carneros Region. I knew that the strong winds could push the fire over

“I have no doubt that everyone will bounce back from this horrible incident. There will be challenges ahead, but we will come back from this.” Margaret Fortinos

ing to school due to the unhealthy air quality and the lack of teachers. Several teachers are confined to their homes to take care of their children whose schools have burnt down or no longer have a home to return to. “Lately everyone has been having feelings of disbelief and terror,” Shoenstein said. “Everyone has been telling us to be prepared to pack up and leave.” Over the course of less than a week, Shoenstein’s environment has changed drastically due to the hundreds of fires currently raging throughout nearby towns. “There is smoke hanging in the air and piles of ashes all over the ground and on top of cars,” she said. Shoenstein adds that walking to school one day, a car drove by, sending ash flying through the air

and getting in her eyes, temporarily blinding her for a few minutes. The aftermath of the fires has clearly been devastating to thousands of people across Northern California. Throughout Northern California, people are working to repair the immense damage done caused by the fires. Shoenstein explains that many of her fellow students are currently housing people who have lost their homes. Fotinos also describes the incredible resilience of the people of Sonoma and other affected regions as well as the kindness community members are extending to each other. “I have no doubt that everyone will bounce back from this horrible incident,” Fotinos said. “There will be challenges ahead, but we will come back from this.”

the hill and towards Sonoma, so I made the call to evacuate because I knew that the fire could come over the hill.” Fotinos drove back to her house, packed up whatever she could and left before the fires could trap her and her family in Sonoma. As she and her family drove towards Petaluma, they witnessed one of the many fires beside the road on the Sonoma Raceway. “I was afraid the firemen would turn us back around, but I kept going because I had all these kids with me and I wanted to get them home safe to their families,” Fotinos said. Her daughter, Maria Morearty, describes the sight of the fires as a terrifying experience and one she won’t easily forget. “The entire hill to our left was engulfed in flames and it was slowly creeping towards us,” Morearty said. Minutes after we drove past the fire, we heard on the radio that the highway had been closed. If we had been there a few minutes later we would have been trapped by Starting Oct. 9, destructive fires burned all throughout Northern California.

MAP COURTESY OF CAL FIRE

would soon threaten their homes. Hours later, many of them were pulled out of their beds by firefighters and family members to evacuate the area. As of now, more than 20,000 residents from multiple towns throughout Northern California have been evacuated. Among them was Margaret Fotinos, manager of Fotinos Vineyard, who packed up what few belongings she could and piled her family in the car before evacuating her house in Sonoma Valley at 4 a.m. on Oct. 9. According to Fotinos, she heard the wind howling loudly all night, but never expected there to be such consequences for the wind. At 3:30 a.m., she heard pounding at her door and found her mother, who had been evacuated from her home on North Castle Road a few minutes earlier. She pulled her daughter and several of her friends out of their beds and proceeded to the meeting point where she found many of her fellow Sonoma residents, all in a state of panic. “There was a lot of confusion

the fires.” Morearty explains that the sky was bright red, almost as if the sun was rising all across the horizon. She describes the air smelling like she was standing right next to a campfire and that as her family drove through Corte Madera, the smoke continued to thicken and it became increasingly harder to breathe even from inside the car. “It wasn’t just the evacuation that was hard, but not knowing what would happen to our house and our vineyard, both of which were just blocks away from the fires,” Morearty said. Another Northern California resident, junior Liesl Shoenstein, has also felt the “ripple effect” of the devastating fires from her home in San Anselmo. Shoenstein currently attends Drake High School and has been kept from go-

Features

October 24, 2017

Two Burlingame seniors find success on music app SoundCloud PHOTO BY STELLA LORENCE

BY STELLA LORENCE

Design Editor

BY VISHU PRATHIKANTI

Senior Reporter Linda Stephenson, the face of the Royal Donut, is familiar to many BHS students when they walk in to buy donuts after school. “I’ve been working here for about 14 and a half years now,” Stephenson said. “I love it here. My employers are wonderful, and most of the high schoolers are good. I just have so many wonderful friendships here.” In her time here, Stephenson has seen all walks of life, and sometimes refers to herself as something akin to a bartender. “Everybody’s got a story who walks in here,” Stephenson said. “I could write a book, and that’s the truth. Some are really nice. One girl whose brother passed away came in and talked with me for a long time. That was about 5 years ago, and the brother went [to BHS].” Stephenson has even met some celebrities in her time at the shop.

Seniors Jorge Ancheta, left, and Jack Hirschmann, right, use the home studio in Hirschmann’s house to make music for SoundCloud. a business setback in July, laying it’s easy to like and repost. They off 40 percent of its staff, accord- also like that they can see from ing to an Aug. 11 TechCrunch where people are listening. article. Former CEO Alex Ljung SoundCloud, which is “the was replaced by former Vimeo world’s largest music and audio CEO Kerry Trainor, but remains platform” according to its website, a chairman. is notorious for being a hotbed In spite of the bobble, Anche- of breakthrough artists and offta and Hirschmann had only good the-grid music. It also has other things to say about SoundCloud. genres available for streaming, They praised the accessibility and such as podcasts. The feedback easiness of the software. and statistics available to musi“It’s so easy to use and so easy cians and users is another way to spread,” Ancheta said. SoundCloud is unique in the mu“It’s helped me connect with sic streaming industry. people all around the country,” Listen to Ancheta and Hirschmann said. Hirschmann’s tracks at SoundThey like that there’s no cost to Cloud.com/Messiuh. put content on or listen, and that

“Jim Harbaugh came in with his two kids a couple of times,” she recalled. “After he was recognized, he became very nice. He signed all our autographs, and bought all the kids ice cream -back when we still had ice cream.” Stephenson is a familiar and welcoming face to many Burlingame High School students, including junior Wesley Chen, who frequently bought donuts for the robotics team as a snack for their after-school meetings last year. “She’s just a really nice person,” Chen said. “I often place these huge and inconvenient orders with regards to how I ask for a box and then I take specific donuts since I order for everyone on the robotics team. Except, she’s always really patient about it. She lets me take my time when counting out individual dollar bills, and she never seems to mind when I give out 19 one dollar bills.” As a final remark, Stephenson said, “I’m gonna work here till I can’t work anymore. I talked to my boss and she agrees with that.” PHOTO BY VISHU PRATHIKANTI

Two seniors, Jorge Ancheta and Jack Hirschmann, began posting music on SoundCloud about four months ago and have already racked up approximately 110 followers. They started out making music just to pass the time. Since then, Ancheta and Hirschmann say they’ve been getting really good feedback, especially around the school. Their statement is reflected in the number of plays each track has gotten. The oldest track, “AMEN,” has 116,000 plays, 1,913 likes and 184 replays. Their most recent track, “LANE SWITCH,” which was uploaded on Oct. 13, already has 320 plays, 19 replays, and 35 likes. The creation of a track starts with the beats, Hirschmann said. He either makes his own or buys them from websites online. After experimenting with some lyrics, the two seniors move onto recording. “I’ve kind of set up a home studio,” Hirschmann said. “It’s more like a DIY thing.” Ancheta and Hirschmann use Logic Pro, an Apple music editing software, and FL Studio to edit and produce their tracks, along with different plug-ins for autotune and other editing capabilities. They said the whole process usually takes about two to three days, of which recording takes one day or half a day. “I think it makes the music more authentic,” Ancheta said of their home studio. SoundCloud suffered a bit of

A familiar face to many Royal Donut customers from BHS, Linda Stephenson

Five Guys adds milkshakes

BY TYLER IDEMA

Staff Reporter

In early October, a source closely connected to the Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Burlingame reported that the restaurant will be adding milkshakes to menu in the coming months. Other Five Guys restaurants around the United States have already added milkshakes, and Burlingame is going to be the next in line to add them later this fall. Currently, Burlingame Avenue lacks a location where the clas-

sic combination of a burger and shake can be purchased, which has caused many Burlingame students such as Jared Dunning to be excited for this new addition to the menu. “I like going to Five Guys, and I hope the shakes are good so I will enjoy going there even more,” Dunning said. Many other popular burger restaurants in the area have milkshakes such as In-n-out, Jefferies, Maverick Jack’s, and Jack’s Prime, which gives Five Guys some com-

petition when it comes to providing shakes for their customers. These restaurants all provide the same three classic flavors, (Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla) which poses the question: which new or classic flavors will Five Guys offer when their shakes are introduced in Burlingame? Five Guys is one of the many restaurants that students at Burlingame High School enjoy eating at, and it will soon be a complete burger joint with burgers, fries and now milkshakes.

Linda Stephenson’s smile is a familiar greeting for many students from BHS when they walk into the Royal Donut.

Iron Panthers gain recognition with recent win PHOTO BY JAMES LOWDON

Juniors Matt Tran, Junha Park, and Ethan Lai work on the shooter for their robot, The Red Scare. BY JAMES LOWDON season FIRST Robotics Competi- College Preaporty’s Team 254, in Senior Reporter tion (FRC) event, Chezy Champs, one of the final Chezy Champ The Burlingame robotics team, for the first time on Sept. 17 and matches, before ultimately losing known as Team 5026 or the Iron the semi-finals of the CalGames because the team failed to win two out of three of the matches. The Panthers, has recently won recog- tournament on Oct. 15. The Iron Panthers beat the Burlingame robotics motto, “stunition for itself and the school by competing in the finals of an off- world champions, Belleramine dent-built, student-run,” reflects

the fact that the team receives no outside help. However, the world champion team, which the Iron Panthers beat, receives both financial and engineering aid from their sponsor NASA. Team 5026 has only participated in two tournaments so far, but they have place highly in each. As a result, the team has crossed an important milestone and has bolstered their reputation, as well as marking Burlingame High School as a “robotics school.” “Our recent success has gained us a lot of recognition,” junior Chris Sung said. “Back [in freshmen year], no other teams expected anything out of us, which contributed to our messy strategies at the time ” junior Alec Soohoo said. The team has been able to make constant improvements thanks to their experience in years prior in order to correct their previous mistakes. “Reaching the finalist position at Chezy Champs was the result of the improvements we have made

over the whole season,” Sung said. “We took what we knew could be improved and made fine adjustments to tip us over the other teams at the competition.” The robotics team has made tremendous progress which has come to fruition this season. Despite their achievements, however, the Iron Panthers are not yet satisfied. “We were pretty happy with how the competition turned out, but we always had more ambitious goals,” Sung said. “We are also happy that other teams are taking us more seriously, but we still have room to improve. We aren’t as decorated as some other teams in California, so this serves as a motivation for the whole team to strive to do better when the next competition comes around.” From their humble beginnings, the robotics team has come a long way, and they plan to further improve and develop in order to extend and strengthen the school’s reputation.

Features

October 24, 2017

Meet the Little Big Game rally muralists and dancers BY PAYTON TOOMEY

Staff Reporter

Neha Bandrapalli

“We mainly wanted to lead an activity where people could let loose, really have fun and connect with the audience, while showing spirit,” freshman Neha Bandrapalli said when talking about her involvement in the dance.

Samantha Kershner “Our dance is going to be very diverse and we have a few surprises in store compared to last year,” sophomore Samantha Kershner said. Kershner is very excited to show off what they have been working on so far.

Courtney Rosales

Christian Yoder

“It is a relatively large amount of work as we have to first create the design and then execute it on a much larger scale to complete it, this year it took us roughly 11 hours,” junior Courtney Rosales said.

“Senior year creates the expectation for us that we will win, this is definitely some added pressure,” senior Christian Yoder said. Yoder went on to talk about the steps the team is taking to make this year stand out from the others.

Hannah Broman

Sydney Kong

Dalton Gilmartin

Michaela Macaulay

“I’m really proud of it. While there is plenty to be done, we have gotten far,” freshman Hannah Broman said on talking about her first year participating and the freshman class’ progress so far.

“This allows me to use my leadership and artistic skills for the good of the school spirit,” sophomore Sydney Kong said while explaining how she uses these skills as an opportunity to get involved in her school.

“I am a bit nervous but I’m used to being in front of people and that doesn’t scare me too bad. I just want people to enjoy and appreciate what I’ve spent time and effort on,” junior Dalton Gilmartin said of this year’s Little Big Game rally dance.

“I wanted to be a part of this year’s mural because it’s my way to show my school spirit,” said senior and AP Art student Michaela Macaulay. “I not only get to do art, the thing I love to do most, but I also get to be more involved in my school’s activities.”

Remembering Camp Newman

URJ Camp Newman counselors-in-training, including BHS seniors Ellie Feder and Elan Zankman, pose for a photo at camp this past summer. The location for camp is still to be determined. ing as a symbol of hope for both Newman campers and wildfire victims. The camp will release details about its future plans in the coming weeks. URJ Camp Newman executive director Ruben Arquilevich is very hopeful camp will be held in 2018, even if it will be in a temporary location, according to an article that appeared in The Jewish News of Northern California. “We will be at Newman sooner than we think and it will all be all One of URJ Camp Newman’s sports fields, pictured before the Caliright,” Saddik said. fornia wildfires devestated the camp and the surroinding area.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLIE FEDER

The wildfires ravaging through California’s wine country have touched the whole Bay Area. For senior Ellie Feder and other Burlingame kids, the fires destroyed their beloved summer camp, Camp Newman, in Santa Rosa on Oct. 9. Feder spent her last six summers at the popular summer camp, which served around 1,400 kids. The camp, operated by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), attracted kids to partake in a traditional summer camp experience and to participate in a variety of activities ranging from sports to arts and crafts to smore making. “Newman is a bright light,” said Feder, who was a counselor-in-training this past summer. “Everybody ideally has their place where they feel comfortable and where they feel safe and I think Newman was that place for a lot of teens.” The camp brings together staff and campers from all over the country and world, drawing many kids from local synagogues Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame and Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo. Additionally, events for families and campers are hosted at the site throughout the year. All the people living at the camp evacuated in time and the Torah scrolls were saved, according to the URJ Camp Newman Facebook page.

“I think it’s a big loss for a lot of young people,” Feder said. “But I think we really have to focus on the people that made camp what it was. It wasn’t the place. It was the community and the community will go anywhere and everywhere together.” The camp incorporates many Jewish principles, such as Tikkun Olam (bettering our world), into its programs to teach campers important values that they can then bring home after the summer, according the camp website. There has been an outpouring of support for URJ Camp Newman and a #NewmanStrong campaign to raise funds for reconstruction is already underway. The community is confident that they will come together to ensure the camp is rebuilt and continues to inspire children for generations to come. “I feel like this will make the Newman community have a new appreciation for how special it is and what a unique place it was,” sophomore and third-year camper Sophie Saddik said. Congregations all over the Bay Area have been holding events to support Newman campers in mourning. A photo of a Star of David, an iconic Jewish symbol, completely still standing at URJ Camp Newman following the almost total destruction of the camp has been circulating the Internet and serv-

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLIE FEDER

BY JILLY ROLNICK

Copy Editor

PROTECT THE PAW

INTRODUCTION

BY MAGGIE MURDOFF

Editor-in-Chief

Ninety years ago, our oldest school tradition was born: the Little Big Game. The rivalry between Burlingame and San Mateo is the biggest and longest sports rivalry in San Mateo County history, according to the BHS football website. It all began in 1927. What was originally called “San Mateo High School - Burlingame Branch” officially separated from

San Mateo High and took on the current name of “Burlingame High School.” 1927 was the year that our school adopted red and white as school colors. The Panthers upset the favored Bearcats that year and won the game 7-6, cementing the long-standing cross-town rivalry. In 1935, the rivalry had grown so strong that the game was cancelled due to pre-game rioting. The game was changed from a night game to a day game to prevent such events from happening in the future,

but the rivalry stayed strong. Ninety years later, not much has changed. The annual homecoming enthusiasm continues to be a tradition here at BHS. Every student at Burlingame is involved in the excitement of the game in some way. Whether they are decorating the halls, dressing up for homecoming week, painting the mural or playing in the game, the Little Big Game continues to unite our Burlingame community each year.

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Craig Storek’s most distinct memory comes from the day his undefeated Panthers won the 1966 Little Big Game. It had been raining the entire day, yet the players still fought on, dominating the game, even when their jerseys were so brown with mud that the numbers were indiscernible.“But as a team, after all the celebrating and stuff, we went into the locker room and then we found our way into Burlingame’s swimming pool,” Storek said.

RIVALRY

Storek reminisces about the exceptional spirit of his high school days, back when everyone would get together until the stands ere o er filled and cheerleaders o ld decorate e ery foot all player s ho se before every single game. “The spirit was amazing,” he remembered. “The cheerleaders and pom-pom girls would get together and come to each starting member’s house at like 4 a.m. the day of the game and decorate our front doors.”

SPIRIT

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Chris Springer, who graduated from Burlingame in 1986, still attends most of the Little Big Games. In his day, Springer was an avid band member, participating in Burlingame’s marching band, concert band, a blues band, and even starting some bands of his own. For Springer, the Little Big Game also was a huge social event of the season. “It was the San Mateo game, and we had won and everyone was kind of going crazy,” Springer said of his most notable memory. “There was this big balloon arch and me and my buddy cut it loose e tho ht it o ld e reat to see it y a ay t apparently it as supposed to be used for volleyball that night.”

MUSIC

High school sweethearts Craig and Mary Anne Storek, who graduated in 1966, vividly remember their experiences at their own Little Big Games and still go to the rivalry game even decades after they’ve graduated. Craig Storek is a notable alumni and a member of Burlingame’s Hall of Fame for football. He played in one of Burlingame’s two undefeated teams in its history. “Because we didn’t have cell phones our connection was physical, so you’d get together and that’s how you connected with people,” Mary Anne Storek said.

2007

FOOTBALL

Design by Stella Lorence

2016

Opinion

October 24, 2017

The five-cent fork policy needs to go BY CADEN THUN

Staff Reporter For over eight years, the Burlingame High School cafeteria has been charging students who do not purchase anything 5 cents for utensils. While it may seem insignificant, that 5 cents can ultimately determine whether a student eats a lunch, or is forced to endure three periods of testing and lecturing on an empty stomach.

Since its inception, the fivecent policy has been irking students. “I forget to put a fork in my lunch, and I go over to the cafeteria and they just say no,” junior Declan Parker said, describing a typical lunchtime situation. “It costs a nickel. I never have a nickel, so I can’t eat my lunch.” Some will argue that there is little to complain about, as a nick-

el is worth practically nothing in this day and age. “It is literally 5 cents,” sophomore Rick Maldonado said. “It doesn’t matter. Anyone can pay 5 cents.” The problem, however, is not that the 5 cents is some kind of exorbitant fee that only the wealthy can afford. The problem is that there is often no way for students to pay the 5 cents when PHOTO BY CADEN THUN

Any amount is too much to pay for utensils that should be free.

Spirit Week is next week! Stay tuned for themes and dress up each day support your class!

they need to, and that the principles behind the five-cent policy are borderline absurd. Most students who forget to pack utensils in their lunches seldom buy food from the cafeteria, and therefore rarely have money in their accounts. That, coupled with the fact that almost no one ever has a nickel on them, can make having to pay 5 cents for a fork or spoon problematic. Why then, does the cafeteria insist upon charging students for utensils? Vicki Ottoboni, who has been in charge of the BHS cafeteria for three and a half years, said that the rule is in place because “forks cost money, just like anything else.” Though Ottoboni is not the one who came with the idea to charge for utensils, she raises a valid point. If the cafeteria were to give away utensils for free, it would be losing money. But how much? On Amazon, one can purchase a pack of 1,000 plastic forks for $16.82. That comes out to approximately 1.7 cents per fork far less than the 5 cents charged by the cafeteria. Given that the

PHOTO BY JILLY ROLNICK

Why aren’t there honors classes between AP and CP? BY LOGAN TURNER

Staff Reporter

Upcoming events to look out for: • Varsity football vs Sacred Heart Prep @ Sacred Heart Prep - 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 • JV football vs San Mateo Nov. 2 • Frosh football vs Sacred Heart Prep @ Sacred Heart Prep - 11:00 a.m. Oct. 28 • Girls’ tennis PAL Individuals @ BHS (singles) & SMHS (doubles) - 12:30 p.m. Oct. 31 • Little Big Game 11 a.m. @ SMHS Nov. 4 • Finals for girls’ tennis PAL Individuals @ BHS 3:30 p.m. Nov. 2

forks sold by the cafeteria, though adequate, are not exactly robust, and that the cafeteria likely purchases its forks in massive bulk quantities, it is not unreasonable to assume that it is paying far less than 1 cent per fork. According to Ottoboni, at least 25 students per day who do not buy anything ask for utensils. If the cafeteria were to give away an average of 35 utensils per day for free, it would be losing about $63 per year, and that is assuming that each utensil costs 1 cent, which is almost certainly an overestimate. $63 spread out over an entire year is virtually nothing. By contrast, if the cafeteria were to sell 35 forks per day for 5 cents each, it would actually be profiting around $252 per year. There is no logical way to justify the five-cent policy’s existence. Attempting to do so would imply that it is okay for $63 to come at the expense of potentially hundreds of students not being able to eat lunches. Until the five-cent policy is abolished, lunches will continue to go uneaten and students will continue to be forced to function on empty stomachs.

Advanced Placement classes, also known as AP classes, were created by the College Board as a means to offer college-level curriculum and college credit to high school students. Here at Burlingame, it is very popular to take these courses, and starting junior year, students have the freedom to take as many AP classes as they please. Although BHS offers 17 different AP classes, due to the lack of space in the schedule as well as the difficulty of these classes, students must carefully choose which AP classes they will take. “I selected my classes based on the interests I had while maintaining a balance in my workload because I knew that I had an incredibly busy year ahead,” senior Claire Beswick said. There are several different motives for students to take AP classes. They may enjoy the personal challenge, want to receive college credit, or feel that it is a necessary step to be admitted into certain colleges. “I felt the need to take more than two AP classes to show colleges that I am challenging myself,” junior Evan Mahaffey said. While it is common to take AP classes at BHS, many students choose not to. There are also students who feel they can manage the workload of taking multiple AP classes. However, much of the student body falls somewhere in between. There is a large gap in difficulty between AP and college preparatory (CP) options, yet there are no classes offered in between these two levels. “For history, there should be something in between AP and

CP,” Mahaffey said. Burlingame does offer the course, Spanish 4 Honors; however, there are no honors courses offered for the core classes that students are required to take for all four years of high school. Because choosing between two starkly different classes may force students to have to make sacrifices, the option to take honors classes could help to make the course selection process less difficult. But, at the same time, the endless options that would be available by increasing the variety in levels could amplify the stress of selecting a class. “I don’t think there should be something in between AP and CP because in terms of scheduling that would be extremely hard on the teachers and counselors,” Beswick said. The idea of offering more honors classes has been proposed to Burlingame in the past, but the proposition was rejected. Without the benefits of a substantial grade bump or college credit, students did not see the advantage in taking more difficult courses. The impact of these courses on a student’s grade-point average is controversial and the lines of how to treat the different levels are much more blurred than those for the distinct AP and CP classes. Because AP courses have a universal curriculum, the college credit and GPA weighting that are mandated by the curriculum is absolute. The flexible nature of the credit and grade bumps received in honors classes opens up a debate about fairness, and students and families would likely argue against a less concrete system if they feel it is unfair.

October 24, 2017

Op-Ed

Students should read “The Catcher in the Rye”

Managing Editor

Staff Reporter

Over 1.1 million Americans have died in the line of duty fighting to defend the United States, the freedom for it’s citizens have, and yes, the flag. The first six weeks of the National Football League season have seen players from almost every team kneel during the playing of the national anthem, a protest popularized by Colin Kapernick, the former starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, who was the first player to kneel for the national anthem last season in an attempt to protest what he viewed as a “disproportional” burden of police confrontations falling on the African American community. The inappropriate nature of this protest is rooted in its history, which disputes any claim by demonstrators that the protest is not linked directly with the sacrifice of the military. The first notable occurrence of the National Anthem being played at sporting events was during the 1918 World Series. Leading up to this game, which people had pondered canceling due to World War I raging, the death toll for the United States had risen above 100,000 soldiers and several members of each baseball team had held positions in the military. Historians chronicle a somber tone over the course of the game, until the seventh inning stretch. Before the start of the eighth inning the U.S. Navy band began playing the Star-Spangled Banner, which ignited the crowd and famously summoned all players to turn towards the flag and place their hand over their hearts. Red Sox third basemen and furloughed member of the U.S. Navy Fred Thomas immediately assumed a military salute and stood proudly facing the flag. Historians have noted that the enthusiasm expressed by the crowd after the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, which at that point was not the official national anthem, was far greater than it was at any other point during the game. The NFL ordered the National Anthem to be played before every game after Japan’s surrender in the Second World War. The commissioner, Elmer Layden, justified his order by saying “We must not drop it simply because the war is over. We should never forget what it stands for.” The playing of the National Anthem was, and continues to be, a salute to the people who have sacrificed to defend our country and the ideals it represents. The occurrence of it before athletic events is a gesture by the players and fans who acknowledge that the purpose of the men fighting overseas is greater than their own. The magnitude of the National Anthem has been lost; it is a victim of the radical left’s crusade against patriotism and respect for the men and women defending our nation. The National Anthem is not a symbol of American domestic policy, which the protesters claim they disagree with. The sacrifice it honors is not one of a specific policy or political orientation, it only serves to inspire and remind the American people of the ongoing fight to defend our mutually treasured ideals and hopes.

Every sophomore student at Burlingame High School in the Advanced Standing (AS) English classes reads “The Catcher in the Rye” as their first book of the year. Many people around the world also will or have read it. The book, although popular across the country, is still widely criticized. “The Catcher in the Rye”, written by J.D. Salinger, is a book about a boy who has lost his way. Throughout the book, the main character, Holden Caulfield, struggles to deal with his problems, often showcasing his negative outlook on life. Although it is a complex book, it is adored by a large portion of its readers. “The more I read it and teach it, the more I am impressed with how complex the layering of the narration is,” English teacher Tim Larkin said. “Salinger manages to create a narrator who can at the same time be totally unreliable, yet we as a reader are able to perceive what the objective reality of the situation is, even though we don’t hear anybody else’s voices.” Larkin, a long time teacher of the book, conveyed the reason the

BY CHARLES CHAPMAN

BY BEN NEUMAN

book has fascinated him ever since he read it again as an adult. However, Larkin has not always thought so highly of the book. “When I was 15, I thought he needed a slap in the face,” Larkin

“The more I read it and teach it, the more I am impressed with how complex the layering of the narration is.” Tim Larkin said of Caulfield. Larkin described his main reason for that as being that he couldn’t relate to Caulfield due to his happy childhood. Although Larkin formerly struggled to connect with Caulfield, others, such as sophomore Alec Abramson, have less difficulty doing so. “I could relate to Caulfield in that he was trying to find himself and rejecting authority and the status quo,” Abramson said. Abramson’s concerns, along

with with the concerns of others, show how Caulfield’s unique personality may not actually be that unique after all. Even though many students struggle to empathize with Caulfield, the character actually contains some similarities to readers. Another critic of the book is sophomore, Brennan McDonald. “In reading “The Catcher in the Rye”, I felt it had no purpose,” McDonald said. “What was the point of it?” While this was McDonald’s reaction, everyone will have varying responses to why the book was written. He also does not disapprove of the messages of the book. “The messages were relevant,” McDonald said. “It spoke of teenage maturity and dealing with the loss of one’s life, but I just felt the way those messages were conveyed wasn’t very interesting to read or particularly great to analyze.” McDonald’s problems with the book were in the writing, not the actual content. This point only goes further to show why the book should be taught in high schools. The main themes are relatable to high schoolers reading the book.

PHOTO BY BEN NEUMAN

Stand up

This copy of “The Catcher in the Rye” is one of the many copies students use during the first unit of sophomore AS English. They then may feel that they are not alone in their problems and realize their peers experience similar issues in their lives. The common views of those who have read the book come together to reinforce the idea that “The Catcher in the Rye” should continue to be taught in high schools.

The glorification of stress inhibits learning Staff Reporter In our culture, stress has become ubiquitous, and its glorification is only worsening the issue at hand. There is clearly great pressure to succeed at Burlingame, resulting in students taking on more

“We tend to, in this weird sort of way, reward people socially for being stressed out. We think of that as some sort of badge of honor.” Tim Larkin than they can handle and many feel stressed and overwhelmed. As said, this pressure is fueled by a desire to make good grades, get into prestigious universities and often to fulfill the expectations of parents, teachers, and even other students. This achievement-oriented mindset is also leading to a strange phenomenon at BHS,

where students seem to compete to appear the most stressed. However, when you really think about it, our stress culture is not at all strange. We associate a 4.0 GPA, AP classes and a college resume full of extracurriculars, ideals that so many students strive for, with stress. Therefore, feeling overwhelmed is viewed as a sign that you are doing something right; that you are putting in enough effort to be successful. Unfortunately, as a result, students are boasting about their all-nighters and hours spent studying instead of trying to decrease their stress. “We tend to, in this weird sort of way, reward people socially for being stressed out,” English teacher Tim Larkin said. “We think of that as some sort of badge of honor.” Larkin also described the abnormally high number of students in AP classes. As an AP English teacher, he is alarmed by the 50/50 split of students in AP and CP English classes. “50 percent of our kids are probably not advanced English students,” he said. “I think kids are taking on too much and we allow them to.”

PHOTO BY MADELEINE GREENE

BY MADELEINE GREENE

Sophomore Inés Escobedo works on homework and studies for upcoming tests. “It’s everywhere,” junior Kate spent on homework as a sign of Linenbach said of stress at Burl- working hard, our student culture ingame. “It manifests in daily con- should emphasize the importance versations and it’s the norm at this of balancing school with one’s point.” personal life. Stress and sleep deprivation are Senior Edward Phillips emphaproven to have detrimental mental sized that the most important stratand physical health effects and it egy when feeling overwhelmed is is necessary that we stop glorifying avoiding procrastination. them. I believe the first step is rec“I think it’s all about manageognizing that our attitude toward ment,” he said. stress is part of the issue, and fo“I think stress is a mindset,” cusing on how we can healthily sophomore Samantha Kershner cope with heavy workloads. In- said. “Just know what you have to stead of praising excessive time do and get it done.”

A splitting dilemma BY DARRION CHEN

Senior Reporter

We couldn’t decide which train to take, so we forced the students on both!