WHAT’S INSIDE
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Learn about Makenna Mahrer’s visit Read Charlie Chapman’s latest to the UN Commission in New York. opinion piece about Kavanaugh and the #MeToo movement.
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Investigate the truth with a review of BHS drama’s “The Hollow”.
Revisit St. Patrick’s Day with a bit of history and safety tips.
THE BURLINGAME B theburlingameb.org
March 22, 2019
Issue 6 Vol. 122
Lucas Gilmour wins ASB presidential election PHOTO BY HANNA SATO
Junior Lucas Gilmour will become the 2019-2020 Associated Student Body president. PHOTO BY JACOB LUBARSKY
Lucas Gilmour performs as Inspector Colquhoun in Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow” on March 13.
BY TEKLA CARLEN
Copy Editor
The school has reached a decision—junior Lucas Gilmour will become the next Associated Student Body (ASB) president after seniors Evan Mahaffey and Lily Navab graduate this May. Gilmour has previously held class cabinet positions as freshman vice president and sophomore president. He ran for class president again this year but did not win, which he said was a “blessing in disguise” because it allowed him to take a hard look at his time commitments and intentions with ASB. “I took Leadership this year for the first time, and after the first semester, I really fell in love with the class,” Gilmour said. Also heavily involved in theater and Yearbook, Gilmour brushed worries about a heavy workload aside. He dropped one of his harder classes for senior year to focus on ASB, the musical and being a Yearbook editor. Although he had been interested in ASB officer positions for a long time, he finalized his decision to run last semester after a meeting with teacher Nicole Carter and current ASB cabinet members about the future of the
Leadership program. During his campaign, he put up posters in places students frequently pass, such as above water fountains, on corners of buildings and in front of bathrooms. He placed special emphasis on freshman classrooms because he is least familiar with the school’s youngest students, and he made a campaign video with junior Jeffery Chen to prove his dedication to the ASB position. “The main thing I really wanted to do with this video was kind of prove to people that I’m capable,” Gilmour said. “People rarely in the past have taken me seriously when it comes to stuff like [leadership] and it’s always bothered me.” Gilmour thinks he won by a relatively small margin and that fewer people may have voted compared to the previous election because of the switch to paper ballots. According to Carter, who took over the Leadership program this year, only 9 percent of the student body voted in the 2019 election. She assumes that the turnout in previous years was “exponentially higher.” The paper ballot system assuaged concerns about voting manipulation in light of last year’s controversy, but the ASB elections
CTE
BHS begins finalizing new schedule for the next school year, incorporating flex time Chief Photographer In the coming school year, Burlingame will implement a new schedule that incorporates a “flex time,” essentially office hours, in the middle of block days. Led by Assistant Principal Valerie Arbizu, Burlingame will transition to a schedule similar to that of Mills and Aragon. During seven-period days, periods will be 50 minutes long with a six-minute passing period, as opposed to five. For block schedules, periods will be 80 minutes long instead of 93, creating a 43 minute flex time. The schedule change is intended to encourage students to seek needed help from teachers, and prevent them from using office hours to leave school early. After conducting a six-week study, Arbizu found that only 20 percent of students participate in office hours, which also accounts for students engaging in nonacademic activities like hanging out with friends in the library or walking around campus. Arbizu attributes the low attendance problem to
students being too shy. According to Arbizu, “It’s a peer pressure thing.” “When we have conversations with kids who are struggling, we ask why they aren’t utilizing those services. The answer often is that their friends go to the Ave and they don’t feel like it is something they can socially separate themselves from in order to ask for help,” Arbizu said. In addition to providing time for students to receive academic help, flex time will allow students to attend support meetings, collaborate with others, or do homework. Another benefit, according to Arbizu, is that it will compel students to start managing their own time, a practice they will need later on in their educations and careers. However, students believe there are drawbacks to the new schedule. The transition might pose challenges to both teachers and students. Students have mixed responses to the incorporation of a flex time. “I think it’s the responsibility of students to seek help on their own,” junior Olivia Bollinger said.
INDUSTRY DAYS
----------------PHOTO BY HANNA SATO
BY HANNA SATO
will revert to their digital format in April. One of Gilmour’s goals as ASB president-elect is to improve communication between staff and students, which he finds especially important because the changes in staff has created a transitional phase as new hires develop their roles at Burlingame. In addition, ASB has modified its constitution so that the organization can connect effectively with the Leadership class. Most notably, a class historian will follow and record the year’s events, the class coordinators will have to take Leadership and ASB presidential candidates will run in April along with candidates for all other positions. The latter change means that candidates who lose the presidential election will not be able to run for another ASB position later in the semester. Gilmour’s other objective is to make school less stressful in small but meaningful ways, like playing music outside every day during lunch. “High school has become a hotspot of stress and anxiety each year more and more, so I … want to reduce that,” Gilmour said. “Make high school fun again.”
March 19: Arts, Media & Entertainment March 22: Hospitality & Food Service March 26: Engineering, Architecture, Energy & Construction
Assistant Principal Valerie Arbizu describes the new schedule and receives student input. “Forcing them to sit in a class may using their student IDs on an app not even make them get help, es- known as TeachMore, which is pecially if the option to go to any also used in Mills and Aragon, alclass gives them the opportunity to lowing the administration to monitor attendance. The final schedule hang out with friends instead.” Bollinger, along with other is still being finalized by Arbizu, as students, opposes features of the she continues to incorporate stuschedule change such as the de- dent and staff opinions, but will be completed before the end of layed lunch. During flex time, students will this school year. be required to check in to classes
SMUHSD students in corresponding CTE classes will meet at the district office for various industry days. Daily schedules will consist of holding mock interviews, sharing student portfolios, listening to industry talks, and networking with local professionals, some of whom are Burlingame High School alumni.
News
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March 22, 2019
BY WESLEY CHEN
Staff Reporter
Burlingame’s Model U.N. club attended a weekend conference from March 1 to March 3. Berkeley Model United Nations, which is one of the largest conferences in the world, included over 1,900 students from all over the state. This is the 67th year in which the competition has been held. Most of the club played the roles of delegates from Burundi, a small African country just south of Rwanda. Club members spent much of their preparation time learning about the nature of the country they were to represent. “We’re on our third genocide and are the eighth most corrupt country in the world,” freshman Surya Ahuja. “There’s a famine going on too.” The conference was divided into 22 different committees, which focused on topics varying from economics to global politics. The goal of every delegate was to bargain
for the best possible outcome for their country. For a poor country like Burundi, this included foreign aid deals from developed nations in the form of food relief and infrastructure development. That is not to say, however, that every student’s experience was the same. “When it is your turn, you gave a speech with the declaratory position of your country, with basically all of the positions the same,” senior Joshua Ishimoto said. “You leave out all of the details about implementation and focus on the big idea.” Junior Simon Cousineau, however, had a different story. “There were a lot of specific details in my committee,” Cousineau said. “My speech was pretty short too, only a few words.” Overall, Burlingame’s Model U.N. club took a middling place Burlingame’s Model U.N. club competed at a regional competition. Writing, speaking, and debating in the competition, with junior skills were all used throughout the entirity of the conference. David Mehran winning the Best the University of California, Da- ration for the event. They will also Delegate award given for perform- the conference. vis. For now, the club will contin- be participating in the upcoming The next local Model U.N. ing exceptionally well throughout conference will be held in May at ue practicing and writing in prepa- BHS food fair.
Belzer and students revise dress code to remove gender biases
Library holds emergency prep class BY ANNIE SUN
Senior Reporter
PHOTO BY HANNA SATO
The Burlingame News Network hosted a program called Ready, Set, Go! in the Lane Room of the Burlingame Public Library on March 9. A panel of experts from the California Highway Patrol, Burlingame Police Department (BPD), Central County Fire Department (CCFD), Earth Shakes, and Ham Radios addressed different facets of actions in the case of an emergency. The “ready” in the program stands for hardening one’s home, the “set” represents communicating to family members and creating an evacuation plan, and the
“go” means evacuating and having the best chance of survival. Attendees of the program learned many tips on how to evacuate and prepare for emergencies. Suzanne Tateosian, founder of Earth Shakes, a company that sells earthquake and survival kits, showed the audience her “go” bags, filled with five-year-shelflife water, flashlights, a radio and food-bars that she has prepared and stored in her house in case of an emergency. Next, officer Rafael Noriega from the BPD provided tips on how to contact emergency responders and obtain information during a situation. He recommended that everyone sign up
The previous dress code had language targeted specifically at girls, causing protests from some female students of Burlingame. BY HANNO SATO
Chief Photographer Principal Paul Belzer and the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) recently collaborated to rewrite the dress code. Student concerns about equal treatment of female students and male students prompted the change, particularly regarding a section containing language which may come across as targeting female students: “No suggestive or revealing attire that would divert attention from the learning process or contribute to inappropriate conduct by other students [is allowed].” Since September, junior Arianna Manning has been questioning and criticizing the dress code. Manning suggested that clothing popular among teenage girls often breaks the the dress code; she also asserted that girls who have curvier body types are more likely to be dress-coded than girls with other body types. “I think we’re telling girls from a very young age that we can tell them what they can and cannot do and what you should and should not be showing off,” Manning said. “Realistically, it’s your body and it’s yours to do what you want with it.”
The new dress code attempts to be more straightforward and transparent by creating more objective standards. Currently, teachers use their own judgment of the dress code while enforcing it, resulting in a lack of consistent enforcement. Because there are no explicitly defined regulations, students like Manning argued there was a possibility of unfair treatment. Senior Clara Kennedy, a member of the SAC and contributor to the new dress code, explained that the purpose of a dress code is to “create an academic atmosphere at school.” fulfill the purpose, the SAC has worked to revise the language and clarity of the dress code. “I am far happier with the new dress code because it is easier to understand and has less subjective language,” Kennedy said. “Also, the new dress code removed some difficult-to-enforce sections and now sets very clear expectations for students that can be reasonably enforced.” Kennedy believes that an ideal dress code should not have differing standards for those of different genders or body types. Instead, the dress code should ensure all students dress appropriately for the school environment.
Dennis J. Murphy
Your Peninsula Neighbor 415.310.7956 | dennis@dennisjmurphy.com dennisjmurphy.com
for the San Mateo County alert system, which allows public safety agencies such as the BPD and CCFD to relay information to residents. If people have any questions during an emergency, they should call (650) 777-3211 and not 911, because the BPD only has four 911 lines to respond to actual emergencies. BPD does not want to clog up the emergency lines with residents wanting to know information. “Emergency situations are very dynamic and kind of fluid, so it is incumbent on you to be able to find routes of exit from your home,” Noriega said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM CHIN
Model U.N. club attends state wide conference at Berkeley
News
March 22, 2019
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Bay Area’s public transportation to be improved by CalMod Staff Reporter For the past year, two strange storage containers have occupied the ever-limited parking spaces on the intersection of Carolan and Oak Grove, and strange new power pylons have been erected by the Burlingame Station. These containers and pylons are part of the Caltrain Modernization Program (CalMod), which calls for new improvements to Caltrain, including the electrification of trains and the modernization of stations, scheduled to be completed in 2022. Currently, the majority of Caltrain locomotives are F40PH models manufactured by Electro-Motive Diesel in 1985. Considered unfit for Silicon Valley, these locomotives are set to be replaced by brand new electric multiple units (EMUs), providing faster and cleaner service for Bay Area commuters. The new EMUs are modular passenger cars that each have their own electric motor which removes the need for a locomotive. The new cars will be able to hold over 30 percent more passengers and accelerate faster, decreasing travel
time and increasing service frequency. “If the trains came every 15 minutes, like BART,” sophomore James Varah said, “I think more people would decide to use Caltrain. Currently, with anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour between trains, it is very difficult to efficiently schedule one’s trip around the train.” The predicted increase in ridership will also play a large part in reducing traffic on roads and highways since it will divert some commuters from their cars. “I take Caltrain or BART a couple times a week,” Lick Wilmerding High School sophomore Justin Tien-Smith said,” People are probably still going to take BART over Caltrain because BART has better stops.” These new changes are not without controversy. In order to supply the new trains with electricity, new power pylons must be constructed along the entire Caltrain route. In many communities, such as Burlingame, these pylons have already been constructed. However, some communities, such as Atherton, are opposed to CalMod and its changes since
PHOTO COURTESY OF CALMOD
BY HUBERT CHEN
New Caltrain electric traincars undergo assembly in the Stadler train factory in Utah. the construction of power pylons environmental review of the proj- in Utah where the electric multiple would require the removal of trees ect. After Caltrain won a court units are being assembled. Calmod is set to deliver their and the possible removal of two hearing in 2016, CalMod continfirst electric multiple unit this year road crossings. Fearing that these ued its construction. The Calmod program current- in 2019, undergo full systems test changes would divide the community in two, the town of Atherton ly involves over 9,600 new jobs in 2021, and provide service for filed a lawsuit against CalMod in across the United States, including riders for the first time in 2022. 2015 on the basis of inadequate a new Stalder train factory located
San Mateo County offers a Mental Health First Aid course at Hillsdale BY AMELIA HARRIS
Staff Reporter San Mateo County partnered with Mental Health First Aid, an organization that teaches people how to help others with mental health problems, to offer a course teaching adults how to help youth suffering from mental illness. The eight-hour course was broken into three evening classes that took place on Feb. 26, March 5, and March 12 at Hillsdale. Participants learned how to help someone struggling with a mental illness and how to encour-
age them to get help. Eddy Alvarez from the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services was one of two instructors who led the training. “[The course] provides you with information on how to listen nonjudgmentally, how to give reassurance and information, how to encourage them to seek appropriate professional help and what support strategies you can continue to provide individuals,” Alvarez said. The program also reviewed a five-step action plan to evaluate whether someone is dealing with a
THE BURLINGAME B STAFF
mental health issue and, if so, how to help. Due to the level of emotional maturity required to process the content discussed in the course, participants had to be over 18. Alvarez said that the class had approximately 25 members, mainly parents and young adults who interact with youth in their jobs and day-to-day life. “[The goal of the course was to] reduce stigma association against mental health and eradicate the discrimination against individuals with mental health challenges,” Alvarez said.
Editor-in-Chief: Vishu Prathikanti
Chief Photographer: Hanna Sato
Managing Editor: Lily Page
Copy Editors: Tekla Carlen Claire Hunt Caden Thun
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
PHOTO BY LILY PAGE
Copy Editor Macroeconomics will become the new Advanced Placement (AP) economics course, replacing AP Microeconmics, to complement a semester of AP government for seniors next year. Unlike other high school history courses, which cover Europe, the U.S. and the contemporary world, economics is more mathbased. Apart from the shift to a different kind of social science senior year, the next graduating class will be the first to take macroeconomics at Burlingame. AP Microeconomics teachers Alison Liberatore and Matthew McDermott pushed for the course change because they think macroeconomics is more suited to Burlingame’s social science department. “We decided to do that because the Micro class, while students do well on the exam, is … almost completely disconnected from the Gov. course,” Liberatore said. “Because we do them both in such a short amount of time, we want there to be more connection between the courses.” The study of microeconomics examines the economy through
Sports Editor: Tyler Idema
Design Editor: Allie Kennedy
Social science department ushers in new macroeconomics course BY TEKLA CARLEN
Teacher Adviser: Melissa Murphy
Policy Statement:
Senior Jonathan Moreci attempts to advertise candy during an economics game in Alison Liberatore’s AP Microeconomics class. the lens of specific individuals and businesses, and the course involves extensive graphing skills. Macroeconomics, on the other hand, covers the economy as a whole and offers a more broad view of economic systems. “If you’re trying to start a business, Micro would be helpful,” senior Max Sigler said. “Maybe Macro would give you a better understanding of how the whole economy works and just generally make you smarter politically.” Liberatore and McDermott intended to switch to Macroeconomics this school year, but a paperwork error delayed their plans
for a year. As such, they already prepared last summer to teach macroeconomics. Any change in courses brings a transition period. Current seniors may feel they missed out on a better course offering, and juniors may feel apprehensive about being the first to take a new class. The standard econ class, however, will continue to incorporate elements of both macroeconomics and microeconomics. “I think Macro could definitely be interesting, maybe more interesting,” Sigler said. “It’s hard to say, though.”
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.
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Features
March 22, 2019
Steinberger argues for CEC Burlingame Interns embarking value of press in speech on quest to heal the environment PHOTO BY LILY PAGE
“The press could be giving us stuff that is real and stuff that is fake,” senior Emily Steinberger said. “We have to be able to decide what is real.” BY LILY PAGE
Managing Editor
Staff Reporter
“To me, the environment is everything,” junior Brennan McDonald said. McDonald, an environmentalist and Burlingame Environmental Club member, has pursued an activist role in the global fight against climate change, aiming “to protect our planet’s natural features for the benefit of humanity.” Since the spring of 2018, McDonald has worked on a project to upgrade the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) to a 100 percent clean energy program, thereby eliminating its carbon footprint. In addition to McDonald, six Burlingame residents, representing Burlingame High School, San Mateo, Design Tech and Mercy, are working in conjunction with the Citizens Environmental Council of Burlingame (CEC) to improve the sustainability of their respective high schools. Each student has planned and is currently implementing a project aimed at im-
problem of “fake news” has existed since the dawn of journalism, citing sensational coverage of the Spanish-American War and racist propaganda in World War I. The real issue, Steinberger asserted, lies with the rise of social media and the internet, which now provide a platform for journalistic content to anyone with a smartphone. “The press could be giving us stuff that is real and stuff that is fake. We have to be able to decide what is real,” Steinberger said. After a deliberation period for the judges, a club official announced that Emily had won. Steinberger competed in the second round of the Student Speaker Competition on March 4, but ultimately lost to her opponent. Regardless, Steinberger emphasized that she values the experience. “I didn’t know I was going to win [in the first level of the comThe 7 interns are protecting petition,]” Steinberger said. “That Mother Earth through environwas a nice surprise.” mental advocacy.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CEC
Candlesticks flickered in wooden chandeliers. Banners adorned the walls. Two long tables stretched across the room. A girl with curly red hair stood behind the podium. This was not, however, a scene from a “Harry Potter” movie. The candlesticks were plastic. The banners spelled “Lions Club” in felt letters. At the tables sat middle-aged men and women in preppy attire. The girl with red hair was senior Emily Steinberger, the only participant from Burlingame in the Student Speaker Competition. The prompt this year: “Freedom of the press, what does it mean?” The Lions Club holds the Student Speaker Competition annually. As students advance through the levels of the contest, the scholarship prizes increase. The grand prize for the state level is $10,000. Steinberger argued that the
BY MARK HABELT
proving air quality and reducing waste. CEC Burlingame was founded in 2009 by longtime Burlingame math teacher Michael McCord, a Sierra Club member who has dedicated his retirement to promoting environmental sustainability in San Mateo County. The 501(c)-3 nonprofit has orchestrated numerous community engagement events, including coastal cleanups and bike-to-work days, all the while advocating for environmental legislation, like opposing California’s Proposition 6 gas tax repeal and lobbying the city of Burlingame to ban plastic bags and paint bike lanes on roads. In late 2017, with the help of a generous grant from the Morris S. Smith Foundation, CEC established the paid internship program, of which three Burlingame students— senior Jessica Johnstone and juniors Maya Silver and Brennan McDonald—are a part. Representing Design Tech, San Mateo and Mercy are junior Spencer Kishiyama, senior Christopher Noll and senior Grace Zhang, respectively. The students spent the spring of 2018 planning projects that reflected their unique concerns about the environment, collaborating with various supporters including Superintendent Kevin Skelley, Deputy Superintendent Elizabeth McManus, San Mateo County Office of Education Environmental Literacy Coordinator Andra Yeghoian and former Burlingame principal Matt Biggar. The implementation stage began in the fall of 2018 and will continue until May, when the interns will publicly present the impact of their proj-
ects before local residents. Johnstone has focused on removing plastic utensils from the Burlingame cafeteria and replacing them with compostable ones, an effort that will help cut into the globally combined 6 million tons of plastic that is annually discarded, according to One Green Planet. Meanwhile, Silver is working to encourage students to bike to school by reducing the social stigma involved with the practice, incentivizing students with prizes and advertising National Bike-toSchool Day on May 8. Outside of Burlingame, Kishiyama is working to entice more Design Tech students to take public transportation to school. At San Mateo, Noll is conducting efforts to ensure students throw away their trash in appropriate bins so more waste can be recycled or composted rather than deposited in a landfill. Finally, Zhang is creating an environmental club on her campus and encouraging students through school wide advertising to practice sustainable living. As for the students’ motivation to participate in the internship, Brennan McDonald summed it up clearly. “I have long believed that it is of the utmost importance to protect our planet’s natural features for the benefit of humanity and the organisms that live within them,” he said. “I have two goals with my project: to make a major impact on the community by possibly drastically reducing our carbon emissions and send the message that people here care about taking action on our dangerously changing climate.”
BY MOYA LIU
Business Manager Senior Makenna Mahrer, a member of Girls Learn International (GLI), volunteered at the 63rd annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at U.N. headquarters in New York City. The U.N. Commission, founded in 1946, is the principal global diplomatic body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Representatives from U.N. member states and certain nonprofit organizations gather to assess global issues that affect gender equality and generate an “outcome document” agreed on by each member state relating to the year’s theme and promised future actions. The document is negotiated on throughout the two-week span of the conference. This year, the conference focused on the intersectionality between sustainable infrastructure, social protections, and public services. With GLI specifically, Mahrer was given the chance to draft the girls’ statement, a speech read on the floor of the U.N. to member state delegates in the hope that girls’ rights will be prioritized alongside women’s rights in the outcome document. “I was given the opportunity to help edit the diction, structure, and content of the girls’ statement draft, and attended a caucus addressing linguistic and conceptual issues with the outcome document’s ‘zero draft’ which were to
“Women’s rights are already being rolled back in our current political climate, and and so many other important issues are being largely ignored or disregarded. In the future I plan to continue advocacy work, especially relating to the health of women and girls in developing countries.” be submitted for committee consideration,” Mahrer said. In addition, Mahrer also helped facilitate discussions, took notes on what was discussed and attended panels regarding the conference theme. “Though we have taken enormous strides forward regarding women’s rights, we are still far from equality,” Mahrer said. “As a woman growing up in the United States, and more specifically in the Bay Area, I have a position many other girls around the world do not to advocate for equality, and with the position I am given, I have a responsibility to fight for girls where they cannot.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAKENNA MAHRER
Makenna Mahrer attends UN Commission
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Features
March 22, 2019
Ordubadi, the “true” ASB president Safeway no-chase policy good for thieves PHOTO BY THE BURLINGAME B
BY TYLER IDEMA Sports Editor
An unlikely candidate sprung up in the midst of the ASB president elections when voting started on Feb. 13. Although he had not asked for it, junior Araz Ordubadi was “nominated” by his classmates without his knowledge, and before he knew it, a movement began. “All of a sudden, everybody had posters of me and they were distributing them around the school. They gave them to other people and even put them in classrooms,”
Junior Araz Ordubadi was ‘nominated’ by his classmates without his knowledge, and before he knew it, a movement began. Ordubadi’s peers created campaign posters without his consent and posted them in the halls of BHS. the ballots and “voted” for their new candidate. They crossed off the names of nominees Lucas Gilmour and Heather Lee, created a new box with Ordubadi’s name and checked it. Through all the chaos, an important question can be brought up about the future of ASB elections: whether or not student nominations will be a part of the process in picking the new ASB president in the future. “It is what’s in the constitution; it’s what has been here before I was here,” Leadership adviser Nicole Carter said. “And the reality is, unless you’re a student who’s been a
class coordinator at a higher level, or in leadership, students don’t understand the ins and outs of [the responsibilities of ASB presidents].” However, Carter added that she was not completely opposed to a write-in candidate for the future. “I would just need to see. Show me your qualifications, can we move in that direction, how so? I would never just come in and be, like, it’s absolutely never going to happen. We need to have discussions around that and see what that would look like,” Carter said.
The California Healthy Kids Survey revealed that 13 to 30 percent of San Mateo High School District students “had consumed alcohol within the last 30 days”. Teenagers employ a variety of methods to illegally obtain alcohol, ranging from the use of fake IDs to shoplifting. “I’ve only shoplifted once, for when I went to a party,” an anonymous Burlingame student said. “It was hard since it’s out in the open and there are a lot of cameras. I used a bag and made it look like I was getting something while I brushed up next to the shelf and shuffled the bottle in. I basically almost knocked three other things down.” Many corporations have begun to adopt “no-chase” policies, which entail the training of employees not to pursue shoplifters who exit the premises. Safeway is one such corporation. “Once the person that’s steal-
ing, once they step foot out the door we’re not supposed to even go out,” Stephen Stergar, manager of Safeway, said. “We have to follow that, and if we don’t follow that, there could be a possibility of losing our job.” According to Stergar, the two most commonly stolen items from Safeway are alcohol and medicine. The “no-chase” policy makes students fear the repercussions of shoplifting less. However, shoplifting takes money from the company, and consequently affects employee wages. In fact, if Safeway does not fulfill a certain quota of items sold, hours are deducted from employee paychecks. “I think Safeway employees care to the extent of their paycheck. Many of them aren’t getting paid enough to care and as someone who worked in customer service it makes sense,” the student said. “Sadly, Safeway employees are not treated great and they don’t care as much.” PHOTO BY CLAIRE HUNT
Ordubadi said. Although this was a surprise to Ordubadi, he had initially been interested in applying for president. “I asked if I could run, but I was told I needed a semester of Leadership,” Ordubadi said. Despite the fact that his nomination had been denied, Ordubadi’s peers took it upon themselves to make him the president. During lunch, junior Jeremy Woods went to the library and created the masterpiece that became the Ordubadi campaign poster. “I created the poster because I knew Araz would be annoyed. I had no idea that it was going to start a movement,” Woods said. After the distribution of the posters, Ordubadi’s peers went to
BY CLAIRE HUNT Copy Editor
Alcohol is one of the most commonly shoplifted items at the Burlingame Safeway grocery store.
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Opinion
March 22, 2019
Education reformation
Nietzsche’s teachings on embracing struggle are relevant to today’s teens
BY CAROLINE YEOW
Staff Reporter
Friedrich Nietzsche. Slightly questionable. In both his opinions and his sanity. But one of the most interesting historical figures we learned about in Advanced Placement European History. At first glance, his ideas seem downright appalling; he argues that those who suffer and face hardship are not to be assisted by others and in his book, “On the Genealogy of Morality”, they are labeled “weak.” Nietzsche’s central ideas revolve around a human “will to power.” Essentially, he says that people need to look out for themselves and strive for individual excellence. With these harsh opinions, it’s easy to look past the significant parts of his argument. Adversity fosters human excellence. People who are comfortable characterize themselves as happy, but in his eyes, comfort aligns with stagnance. To Nietzsche, being happy means struggling in life and overcoming that struggle by pursuing excellence. Nietzsche’s opinions offer a fresh, new perspective on human existence. Being happy means engaging in the constant uphill battle of life and taking pride in self growth. This philosophy can be applied to what many individuals consider to be a miserable stage of their existence: high school. Everyday, I’m bound to hear something along the lines of “Hey, can you send me a picture of the
answers to the math homework?” High school students have many commitments, so it’s understandable that time is valuable. However, the important thing to acknowledge is that they are called commitments and students have a responsibility to carry them out well. But difficult endeavors usually result in lack of motivation and lack of desire to carry out commitments. Students feel
The age of communication obstructs students from experiencing struggles and emerging from the fires as smarter, stronger and overall better individuals. pressed for time. With things (usually certain subjects in school) they struggle with, students feel unmotivated to try to resolve issues and perfunctory assignments become a regular habit. Why? Because people are opposed to struggle. The root of the issue lies in mindset of the era we’re living in: the Age of Communication. Staying connected with your friends is easy. Too easy. If you have a problem, be it with academics or any-
thing else, the first thing you’ll do is text your friends. If there’s an in-class essay on Monday, then you and a few friends will probably make a shared Google Doc to draft an outline. If there’s an English quiz tomorrow and you’re only on page five, the first place you’ll head to is SparkNotes. In the modern era of communication, the answers to problems seem to be at our fingertips; in turn, this creates a mindset (perhaps subconscious) that school should be easy and that Google is the answer to every student’s problems. This age of communication obstructs students from experiencing struggles and emerging from the fires as smarter, stronger and overall better individuals. It’s natural to want to take shortcuts, like using SparkNotes, so you can finish your homework faster and play video games, which is enjoyable and makes you “happy.” But remember what Nietzsche said about happiness. If you read the book, even if it’s dense and hard to understand and analyze it for yourself, overall, you should be a happier person because you’ve improved your ability. Recognizing the value in the process of learning and struggling, as the two go hand in hand, is key. In placing value in struggle, one must defy the innate human desire for immediate gratification. The only real solution is to focus on goals, and really, to have some willpower.
Organized religion must combat a secularizing America PHOTO COURTESY ONRELIGION
BY MARK HABELT
Staff Reporter
“We are a city upon a hill - the eyes of all people are upon us.” Massachusetts Bay colony founder John Winthrop spoke these hallowed words to his fellow English Puritan settlers who had fled to the New World to escape religious persecution and create a refuge of religious freedom. His message would inspire future generations of colonists and Americans to serve one another and live virtuous lives as faithful followers of their God. Winthrop’s oratory, combined with two Great Awakenings during the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as a religious revival in the 1980s, served to shape the America’s identity as a country that respected organized religion and valued religious toleration. However, the 21st century has witnessed unprecedented numbers of young Americans spurning the pews of their churches, synagogues, and mosques. Fueling this mass exodus of worshipers from religious institutions has been an increasingly secularized mainstream culture that values nihilism, hedonism, and materialism over virtue and service-oriented living. Hollywood’s worship of wealth and celebrity has led kids to value these idols over their relationship with God, regardless of their religious affiliation. This secular wave, which has gained influence from legislation in Washington and attitudes in Hollywood, has in turn pervaded America’s schools. For example, in the year after the 2017 Muslim Travel Ban, reports of Islamophobic incidents in schools rose 82 percent year over year, according to CAIR Califor-
Organized religion is under attack and must be saved from the secularists that dominate American social life. nia. Also, many Congress members’ support of boycotting and sanctioning Israel has coincided with Jewish students experiencing bullying and religious prejudice. In fact, the Anti-Defamation League reported 457 anti-Semitic incidents in non-Jewish K-12 schools in 2017. The tide has turned not just in public schools, however, as religious schools have also witnessed changing social environments among their student populations. As a student at Serra, a Catholic High School in San Mateo, I witnessed students explicitly describe their atheistic beliefs and outwardly express them by disrupting school-wide masses and deliberately skipping school-wide prayer services. Now in my first year at BHS, while I am heartened by the new Christian Club that junior Josh Wong founded, I am dismayed by the number of students turning away from organized religion. While they still understand the value of spiritual health, many students feel disconnected from organized religion, including junior Claire Hunt, who recently claimed, “I am spiritual, but not
religious.” Other students acknowledge they feel burdened by religious principles being strictly imposed upon them early in life. “I feel like it was forced on me — I got baptized and received First Communion in the Catholic Church, but I never got to take the initiative when it came to my own spiritual life,” said a student from a local Catholic elementary school who does not wish to be named. The prevailing notion that organized religion stifles people’s ambitions by imposing burdensome rules on them and regulating their personal lives has led many students to completely eradicate faith from their lives. In order to overcome the anti-religious sentiments pervading our schools, teachers must commit to teaching about the benefits that organized religion has conferred on our country. We can begin this effort by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which declares that America is a nation “under God,” and continue by allowing students to post religious symbols on classroom walls, affirming their right to self-expression and religious liberty.
The deaths of popular social movements
BY CHARLIE CHAPMAN
Senior Reporter
The 1969 Altamont Free Concert is often characterized as an endpoint of the 1960’s hippie movement. The event saw a young girl stabbed to death, three accidental deaths and one LSD overdose. In just one day, a movement that had been previously marked by a penchant for peace and love turned ugly. While it may seem strange to attribute great historical value to a punk rock concert, historians and cultural commentators see the event as an encapsulation of the death of a social movement, which can rarely be traced back to a singular moment in time. The Me Too movement began as a universally applauded attempt to root out men and women who abused positions of power to sexually harass others. The wave of women coming forward successfully brought serial abusers such as Harvey Weinstein to justice in both the court of public opinion and later, criminal court. The vast majority of initial accusations were well vetted by accomplished and respected journalists and were proven to be accurate. However, the movement quickly lost its luster with the increase of accusations that were baseless and not reflective of actual assault or harassment. Aziz Ansari, for instance, was accused by a woman who was upset with her sexual engagements with him and even though she provided verbal consent, characterized the encounter as assault. Unfortunately, fringe parts of the movement used the cover of legitimate accusations, such as those made against Weinstein, to advance an agenda of radical social change that fundamentally changed our standards of deciding who is guilty and innocent. Sadly, the hijacking of the Me Too movement by politically motivated actors was brought to the forefront of American culture during the Kavanaugh hearings. Similar to the Altamont Free Concert, the downfall of a movement was broadcasted to the world in front of its eyes. The hearings, which began as
a somewhat typical Senate Judiciary Committee meeting with the occasional outburst from pro-abortion activists, quickly devolved into a kangaroo court. Senate Democrats and the mainstream media used their combined influence to air grievances of women with varying levels of credibility. While it is wrong to label all accusers of Brett Kavanaugh as untrustworthy, the hearings exposed the shifting message and priorities of the Me Too movement. The slogan “believe all women” was chanted at Senators, painted on signs and championed
The Kavanaugh hearings associated the Me Too movement with a sad moment in our country’s history. by pundits. Just as the Altamont Pass concert brought to light the changing conditions of a popular cultural movement, the hearings exposed how a well-intentioned movement was weaponized for political gain. On the nightly news, images of protesters demanding unquestioned acceptance of even the most questionable claims exposed the rapidly advancing attacks on our norms of justice. Accusations were treated as verdicts and even a FBI investigation that came up empty did not assuage the calls for Kavanaugh to be kept off the court. The weaponization of the Me Too moniker to attack Kavanaugh was most damaging to legitimate victims of sexual assault, as their claims were diluted by the outsized coverage given to claims that were uncorroborated and uncredible. Just as true believers in the hippie movement who stood for peace and love were wrongly associated with the violence and drug use of the 70’s counterculture, the Kavanaugh hearings tragically associated the Me Too movement with a sad moment in our country’s history.
9
Entertainment
March 22, 2019
BY JAMES LOWDON
Senior Reporter
The World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old,”directed by Peter Jackson, first premiered in the U.K. on Oct. 16, 2018, and later aired on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the 100th anniversary of the 1918 armistice that ended WWI. Now, the film is premiering in American theaters. “They Shall Not Grow Old” was a five-year project between Jackson, the BBC and the British Imperial War Museums. Jackson collected old WWI veteran interviews and worked on transforming British WWI footage using new restoration technology while adding audio effects to produce a stunning result far more effective and lifelike than a regular colorization. All this was done with the goal of humanizing the veterans of the century-old, less-discussed world war. The movie opens with clips of the untouched WWI footage, and around the 15-minute mark, transitions into smooth, colorful film replete with sounds and voices of the Western Front. The effect of this transformation is potent; the human voices, actions and behaviors of the soldiers force the audience to recognize them as such, to a far greater extent than the old film was capable of. This humanization allows the movie to succeed in its mission to provide evidence for the logical, but not completely realized idea, that soldiers of this time were
people just like us. While the old WWI footage portrays the daily lives of soldiers in remarkable detail, the movie fails to capture the events of the war due to its reliance on archival footage and photographs. Although the film contains is footage of shelling and artillery barrages, there is no footage of any engagements. The movie starts with the veterans’ experiences registering for the war and their opinions on the start of WWI and ends with their reception back home. Do not expect a documentary about the history of the war itself—it is based solely on the experiences of its veterans. The film closes with a final transition back to black and white. The veterans recount their experiences returning from the war, describing their inability to connect with citizens as a result of their failure to understand what the former soldiers had went through. One of the soldiers recalls returning from the war, seeing a “help wanted” sign with the stipulation, “No servicemen need apply.” Overall, audiences need to be aware of the movie’s limited scope and its goal. “They Shall Not Grow Old” is a fantastic achievement that allows audiences to connect to the experiences of WWI soldiers in a way that has never been achieved before. Just keep in mind that these experiences are confined solely to those of British WWI veterans on the Western Front. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW YORKER
By the way the movie is directed, the human voices, actions and behaviors of the soldiers force the audience to recognize them as such.
Lucy Angkatell (sophomore Jessi Fleming) confusedly holds a lobster, forgetting why she needed it. BY JACOB LUBARSKY
Staff Reporter
The drama department premiered its take on the murder mystery “The Hollow” on March 15, 16, and 17. The play follows members of the Angkatell family who decide to put their troubles behind them by spending the weekend at Sir Henry (sophomore Anthony Nash) and Lucy Angkatell (sophomore Jessi Fleming)’s home, The Hollow. But when John Cristow (sophomore Aiden Mendoza), another visitor at The Hollow, is fatally shot out of nowhere, suspicions fester amongst the guests Inspector Colquhoun (junior Lucas Gilmore) interrogates everyone staying at The Hollow including the widow of John Cristow (junior Tekla Carlen) and the housemaid (junior Kayla Biewer). While watching the play, I couldn’t help but think of a soap opera, but with more dialogue and less plastic surgery. The script hints at each character’s potential guilt, creating a more suspenseful plot. I credit this aspect of the
play to writer Agatha Christie, the original author of the mystery novel from 1946, “The Hollow.” Thanks, Agatha. The detailed set design was stunning, and, not to mention, versatile. The entire play took place in the Angkatell’s living room. The furniture, doors and even books were real, and elevated the production from that of a high school play with a well-budgeted set to a visually-appealing performance. It worked great for entrances, conversations and, of course, murder. The individual performances met the expectations of a high school play; watching the shock register on the actor’s faces as they processed the death of Cristow was a delight. However, I was a bit frustrated with the lack of character development, and, dare I say, two-dimensional performances. Only Gerda (junior Tekla Carlen), when revealed to be the murderer, expressed a wide range of emotions, from fear to vehemence to grief. Gerda as the murderer, now that was a plot twist. My biggest concern with the show was that, at times, the script
was boring. Truthfully, almost the entire show consisted of one character sitting on the couch and conversing with a standing character. Although this aspect of the production was not the fault of the actors, it turned the play into a less enjoyable experience nonetheless. It was difficult for me to be invested in a story with such a hefty amount of dialogue embedded in each act. Every scene in which an investigator interrogated a potential suspect was a rinse-and-repeat template; the suspect would act as if they were the murderer, then recite their dramatized alibi. The extensive scenes of interrogation and conversation contained very little music or sound effects. If there were subtle background music to accurately accompany each scene, watching the play would make for a more entertaining experience. While the show was not perfect, I commend the cast, crew and director Cindy Skelton for the time and effort they put into this performance.
The B’s Netflix quick reviews I saw Hannity so you don’t have to BY CLAIRE HUNT
Senior Reporter
AMELIA HARRIS Staff Reporter
Big Mouth Mature Rating
PHOTO BY JACOB LUBARSKY
They Shall Not Grow Old Drama performs whodunnit “The Holbrings WWI to life low”; real mystery is why it’s so boring
From the catchiest and most appropriate theme song of all time (“I’m going through changes”) to some of the weirdest characters ever to air on television, “Big Mouth” is a rambunctiously entertaining TV show about the struggles and joys of puberty. The story follows seventh graders Andrew, Nick, Jessi and Jay on their comedic experiences going through puberty, and discusses everything from menstruation (“Everybody bleeds”), masturbation (“Ejaculation”), to serious issues like sexual harassment (“The Head Push”) and family planning (“The planned Parenthood show”). “Big Mouth” offers a fresh, albeit obnoxious and crass, perspective on the rites of adolescence and finds time to tackle some serious topics amid the jokes.
The End of the F*cking World Mature Rating Not your typical teen romance, “The End of the F*cking World” is the epitome of angst. Lonely Alyssa meets James, a potential psychopath, and together they steal a car and run away. Frustrated with her creepy stepfather and negligent mother, Alyssa flees home; meanwhile, James plots to kill her. Though James’s narrative may not be as relatable to the teenage audience, it is captivating. Overall, the acting is subpar, and the constant stream of gory scenes makes the show difficult to watch. However, the editing is spectacular and the soundtrack catchy. If you’re looking for something to watch without becoming too invested, this is the show for you. If not, look elsewhere.
BY ALEC ABRAMSON
Staff Reporter
Sean Hannity is unabashedly conservative. What’s more, his show (and Fox News as a whole) appears to be a hub for beginner-to-intermediate level Photoshop connoisseurs who spend their days churning out opaque photos marked by flashy taglines. At least, that’s the first thing I noticed. On March 5, the day I happened to tune in to Hannity’s so-called “Opening Monologue”, the captions included “Dem’s War on the American Dream” and “Modern Day McCarthyism.” Vague? Sure. Nice declarations to accompany the shouts and hollers of the man beside them? You bet. Hannity’s so-called “Opening Monologue” was, quite frankly, utterly disjointed and disorganized. It was effectively a list of ‘the most embarrassing’ moments for Democrats that week (or at least what Hannity perceived them to be) devoid of even the slightest attempt at a smooth transition, that, when it was all over, left me confused and sad. It was supposed to make me fear the Red Menace. It didn’t. The topics were, of course, predictable. There was Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s Green New Deal, which Hannity called “insane.” Cows wouldn’t be allowed to fart, he claimed (due to Ocasio Cortez’s proposal that the US become carbon neutral by 2030). Then it was Representative Omar’s “Anti-Semitic” tweets and statements. While many of her comments are objec-
tively disturbing and discriminatory, the way Hannity framed the discussion suggested that respect and acceptance of the Jewish population is dependent on one’s total deference to Israel. As a Jewish person myself, this makes little sense. Israel’s poor decisions are Israel’s poor decisions. Acknowledging the nation’s mistakes is not a sign of prejudice against the religion itself (interestingly enough, not all Jews live in Israel and Israel is not all Jews). After a slight detour into the 2020 (“Socialist”) Democratic field, Hannity set his sights on his final axe to grind: impeachment. He showed us a video of Representative Jerry Nadler (chair of the House Judiciary Committee) stating there was reason to believe the President obstructed justice. The Dems are obsessed with removing the President, Hannity claimed. Whenever Hannity has a video to accompany some part of his monologue, the camera stays on him just long enough so we can see him peer into a monitor to just below his line of sight. Ostensibly, he’s watching the clip too, which is supposed to make us feel like he’s watching it ‘with us.’ It’s a heartwarming touch. Before closing his monologue and moving on to the remainder of his show, Hannity leaves us with three important pillars of today’s Democratic Party: “Socialism, Anti-Semitism, Impeachment.” For him, the show’s just getting started. For me, it just ended. I turn it off -- more of a Democrat than ever before.
Sports
10
March 22, 2019
Softball hindered by rain, turnout PHOTO BY ALLISON SZETU
Boys lacrosse build off a strong season start BY BEN NEUMAN
Webmaster
After a strong opening to the season, the Panthers’ lacrosse team (3-1, 1-0 PAL) is preparing for a stretch of tough league matchups. Propelled by a strong back three and goalie, the Panthers are looking to turn heads in their upcoming matches. “We hope to win some more league games and hopefully surprise a couple people by beating the powerhouses,” said junior defender Steven Yarmolinsky.
BHS started the season with morale boosting wins against Lick-Wilmerding and San Benito before being stopped short by Serra, whicho is widely considered to be among the top lacrosse teams in the Bay Area. After getting back on track with a home conference win against Los Altos, “We have a pretty strong defense and a really good goalie so stopping them is key and then our attack and middies do the rest. They’ve been doing a good job at scoring so far,” said Yarmolinsky said.
BY ALLISON SZETU
Staff Reporter
The softball team finally competed in its first game on March 12. The rainy weather has put a damper on the outdoor sport and forced the junior varsity and varsity teams to practice indoors for nearly three weeks. Junior varsity won their first game 12-1 against Woodside. Varsity also won their first game 5-3 against Los Altos. “It has been very difficult to practice so far this season because of the rain. The fields have been really wet with puddles so we can’t play on the fields. So instead we practice in the gyms and work
primarily on hitting,” sophomore Melanie Gordon said. The rain has not been the only obstacle for the teams this season; they also have not been able to compensate for the loss of seniors who graduated. “We haven’t had this issue in the past, but over eight players quit or graduated between last year and this year and that has made it difficult for us to field full teams with room for injuries,” sophomore Sydney Crespo said. As a result of the low turnout, the team has struggled to fill positions and put players on the field. In the event of an injury or a player’s inability to participate,
PHOTO BY BEN NEUMAN
The softball team has faced several obstacles, including weather related issues and graduating seniors the team would only have just enough players on the field. “J.V. is currently surviving with a roster of nine players, and varsity with twelve. With injuries and prior commitments, not everyone is able to make it to every game,” Crespo said. Despite this worry, the team is still confident in their ability to be competitive against other schools. “I think that our team is in a competitive place. Many of our players have played or are currently playing on a club team. We all have a lot of softball experience and work hard to get better and come together as a team,” Gordon said.
Swim splashes into their 2019 season PHOTO BY SOPHIE KAMENOV
Junior middie Kyle Botelho takes up a defensive stance against Los Gatos
Girls lacrosse cranks out wins in new season BY ETHAN GARDNER
Staff Reporter
Sophomore Carrie Lei closes in on her final lap in a swim meet against Menlo Atherton BY JACOB LUBARSKY
Staff Reporter
placing the senior swimmers from last year, making the swim team noticeably smaller than previous seasons. “I feel like the cut for varsity was easier this year … I noticed that not a lot of people are doing swimming this year,” Inouye said. While the skill required to get into the varsity team may have fallen and the swimming pool situation is chaotic, the team remains confident and continues to compete to the best of its ability.
PHOTO BY ETHAN GARDNER
Swim began its season in February, with practices taking place almost every day of the week. Each day, the team holds twohour practices and on Mondays and Wednesdays, they additionally have an extended hour of weight training in the morning. Putting in this much time into the sport, the swim team has proved its determination and dedication de-
spite setbacks in the new season. With the pool under construction, the team is now forced to take buses from Burlingame to Aragon’s swimming pool in San Mateo. “It’s just really small compared to BHS pool,” sophomore and varsity swimmer Yota Inouye said. “There’s more people in the singles lanes … so you can’t do a full stroke because you’re going to hit someone’s arm.” On top of a smaller pool, the team has been unsuccessful in re-
The girls lacrosse season began in late February, and they are off to a strong start. They crushed Hillsdale in their opening game 15-0 and beat Mercy 13-2 several days later. The team looks to beat strong opposition like Menlo-Atherton and Castilleja this year which they believe will be their toughest matchups. Although they lost a tough game 6-11 against Archbishop Mitty, the girls are optimistic and believe they have a competitive season ahead of them. “Even if we don’t win all our games, I hope we go out there and
give all the effort we can so when we walk off the field we know we gave it our all,” senior attacker Izzy Bechwati said. Although the seniors are leaving at the end of the season, the team has young talent to carry them through the coming years. Freshmen Ella Treu and Tess Dakin are both strong players who can add skill and longevity to the roster for years to come. Despite this, the seniors are dejected it will be their last season. “I am slightly sad to say goodbye to the program but am excited to see what I have in store for the future,” senior attacker Jessica Johnstone said.
Senior attacker Izzy Bechwati warms up before gameday
Sports
March 22, 2019
11
Volleyball improving, Underclassmen show promise for golf despite initial losses BY TYLER IDEMA
Sports Editor
PHOTO BY VISHU PRATHIKANTI
Headed by sophomore Wyatt McGovern and junior Jake Del Rosso, the boys golf team has had a compelling start to their season. They are currently 2-1, with their two wins coming off of Carlmont and Hillsdale and their loss coming off of a close match to Hillside. After finishing 10-1-1 in league and making it to Central Coast Section last year, boys golf has high standards this season. However, according to coach Michael Zozos, his
team has a good core returning and a lot of promising young talent. “We have got a lot of great opportunities; some freshman have stepped up—John Fitzgerald, Chase Durnin and Keyaan Maqsood,” Zozos said. Since a profusion of freshman have joined the team, Zozos has seen leadership roles start to develop. “We have a handful of seniors on our team, but a lot of our leadership is coming from our underclassmen. Junior Jake Del Rosso and sophomore Wyatt McGovern have
taken that leadership role, especially because there are a lot of freshman on the team,” Zozos said. Despite the abundance of talent on the team, Zozos believes that there is still some time before the team reaches its true potential. “In terms of our players, it is getting comfortable on the courses. A lot of times we are going to be playing private courses that our players don’t have access to normally, so getting them exposure to the course will certainly lead to lower scores,” Zozos said.
Baseball starts season with a hit BY MARK HABELT
Staff Reporter
Senior Emilio Flores throws a pitch during a 5-0 win over Mills after recovering from a shoulder injury PHOTO BY HUBERT CHEN
Tennis faces series of crushing defeats
Badminton makes a racket after wins over Aragon and Mills BY VISHU PRATHIKANTI
Editor-in-Chief
The Panthers started their season strong, with a record of 4-1 in their Bay League after playing Aragon, Mills, Carlmont, Hillsdale and South City. Although the team lost multiple seniors to graduation, team captain Jody Chui expressed hope in the underclassmen potential on the team. “This year we have a lot of fresh-
BY HUBERT CHEN
Staff Reporter
Boys tennis is off to a slow start this season, with four losses against San Mateo (0-7), Carlmont (0-7), Aragon (0-7), Menlo Atherton (07), and one win against Woodside High School (4-3). “It’s been a rough season so far, we’ve been rained out of a lot of matches, and lost most of the rest,” sophomore Wesley Larlarb said. “This is partly because we lost several high-ranking seniors last year.”
men, and they’re all like amazing,” Chui said. “[many] have never played before or they only played in PE and they surprise me when they play so well.” The Panthers have already successfully beaten Aragon and Mills, two of the most threatening schools in the league, and Chui attributed these victories to a combination of a vigorous practice schedule and the guidance of their veteran coach, Sal Banquiles.
“Most people think Mills is better than Burlingame, however, we beat them 9-6,” senior Alan Zhen said. “And we didn’t even have our best players. When I was at the Mills game I actually brought my bed because I was sleeping the whole time.” Burlingame will have an away game facing Mills for a second time on Thursday, March 21 and following that, they will play a home game against Westmor on Tuesday, March 26. PHOTO BY VISHU PRATHIKANTI
Junior Justin Hee serves the ball during a game agains San Mateo
error. However, the Panthers rebounded with a dominant sweep of Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) in two consecutive blowouts: 11-4 and 7-2. The offensive juggernaut rolled over SHP pitching; even former Burlingame Youth Baseball Association standout Parker Isaacson, who started the second game of the series, could not stop the Panther offense. Following the King’s Academy series, the Panthers will face El Camino, Terra Nova (twice) and Aragon next week. PHOTO BY MELISSA MURPHY
A red-hot Burlingame team has showcased a talented lineup early on this season, bringing attention to an offense that struggled to produce many runs last year. Heading into Friday’s game at King’s Academy, the Panthers carry a 4-1 record (2-0 at Sophomore James Varah bumps the ball during a practice the Peninsula Athletic League chamBY DAVID MEHRAN tically, learning to play all positions pionships), having scored 34 runs on 41 hits. Staff Reporter on the court. To begin the 2019 campaign, “For our first season at BHS Boys volleyball began its first I think we’re doing really well … the Panthers easily took care of Mt. ever season with scrimmages we’re really progressing. I’m proud against San Mateo, Palo Alto, Abra- of my teammates,” sophomore Ned ham Lincoln, Galileo and BASIS Sigler said. Independent. The team has great offensive caThe team lost to Palo Alto (3- pabilities and is now working on 0), Abraham Lincoln (3-0) and improving its response to spikes Galileo (3-0). They won their first from the attack line. scrimmage against BASIS IndepenAs the first-ever boys volleyball dent (3-1). team at Burlingame, the team is “It was a tough game. We start- comprised mostly of players withed out slow, but we got it together. out any previous volleyball experiWe worked as hard as we could,” ence but has nonetheless progressed junior Brendan Healy said, citing immensely, with all players gaining the team’s win against Basis Inde- knowledge of the game and cooperpendent. ation. Most recently the team comDespite initial losses, the team peted in the Leland High Charger is picking up momentum and im- Classic Invitational Tournament, proving both individually and tac- winning one out of four matches.
Eden and Mills with two combined shutouts. Sophomore Noah Larkin started the season opener and looked comfortable for four innings, hitting his spots accurately and displaying a sharp velocity. With plenty of rest following an injury scare to his arm, senior Emilio Flores started versus Mills and mowed down the Vikings, demonstrating why he was the projected ace throughout the offseason. 26 hours after the Mills game, the Panthers suffered a tough walk-off loss against rival San Mateo, which was caused by a two-base throwing
Despite the loss of several experienced members, the team hopes to push through the rest of the season. “Tennis is a punishing game though, which means a slightly higher skill player can often win by a wide margin,” Larlarb said. “By just fine tuning our game a little, I hope we can get some more wins by the end of the season.” The Panthers hope to recover from their slow start in their next game, which will be at home against Seniors Brianna Castro and Justin Banquiles prepare to serve the birdie to a Mills mixed doubles team Hillsdale on Monday, March 25.
Student Life
12
CELEBRATING THE IRISH BY CLAIRE HUNT
Senior Reporter
The Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day is always celebrated with a parade in San Francisco. Situated around the Civic Center Plaza, the parade of traditional Irish dancing and music attracts hundreds of people annually. Many students take Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the train cars filled to the brim with green-clad crowds of people. “I went with two other friends and a couple people I didn’t know. We mostly just walked around, and one of them threw up on BART because she had too much to drink,” junior Naomi Johnson said. Over the years, the St. Patrick’s Day parade has attained a reputation for being
one big party, apparent at San Francisco’s celebration this year. Alcohol is passed around like blunts, which are also prominent, many underage attendees drinking out of green shot glass necklaces. “It’s really just a bunch of people drinking and smoking on the field, just standing around. There was also a bunch of cops just watching us,” junior Julia Doherty said. March 17 celebrates Ireland’s official patron saint, Saint Patrick, as well as Irish heritage and culture. When it was made an official Christian feast day in the early 1600s, Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, leading to St. Patrick’s Day being the number one
drinking holiday in the U.S. and Ireland. Now, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with green beer and “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirts. The Christian holiday is most commonly known for its parades and drinking culture. “American consumerism pushes all holidays to be whatever pushes corporate profits. Guinness, Jameson and green Bud Light are definitely representation of businesses taking advantage of the holiday,” social studies teacher and proud Irishman Matthew McDermott says. “I counsel BHS students to be careful whenever they might be pushed to drink. Know your limit and plan ahead.”
March 22, 2019
Who are BHS’
Y M M A GR
winners?
BY ETHAN GARDNER
Staff Reporter
q&a
inside outdoor ed Q:
tell me about your experience at outdoor ed.
what was your did you What did you What was it like Q: What Q: Q: Q: favorite part talk about with learn from being saying goodbye?
had a really A: A: “Iawesome group of 16 girls. We bonded a lot. It was a great experience being supportive, being there for them when they were homesick.” -senior Paula Moore
the kids in your cabin? “I had boys in my cabin. They talked about school and video games, so… Fortnite.” - senior Sophia Pitre “Boys.” - senior Paula Moore
of being a cabin leader?
a cabin leader?
had never experi- A: “I was crying. Sofia “As a fifth grader, I didn’t A: “Ienced A: Zaragoza was crying. living in a cabin think [the night hike] with 12 ten year-old boys for a long period of time. So I learned how to handle myself, while also handling other people.” -senior Audrey Liebhaber
All the cabin leaders—all the guy cabin leaders were crying. All the little boys were crying.” -Sophia Pitre
was that bad. But when we did it, it was muddy, it was raining and it was legit pitch-dark. I was actually scared. Me and Sofia were holding onto each other behind the kids because we were so scared.” - senior Audrey Liebhaber