February Issue 2022

Page 1

WHAT’S

INSIDE

THE Februrary 7, 2022

2 News

5 Features

8 Sports

12 Student Life

URLINGAME B Issue 4 Vol. 132

Burlingame High School, 1 Mangini Way, Burlingame, CA 94010

PHOTO BY SAM JOHNSTONE

Superintendent Kevin Skelly jumps into the newly renovated Burlingame Aquatic Center pool alongside students and faculty on Jan. 8, 2020.

Superintendent Kevin Skelly announces retirement BY SAM JOHNSTONE Managing Editor On Jan. 12, San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) Superintendent Kevin Skelly announced his retirement after seven years in the district. His career in education started 40 years ago, most no-

tably working as the superintendent for Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) for seven years. “As superintendent, whether it’s business issues, personal stuff, curricular issues, time with kids, extracurriculars or watching kids in action — I just love it all,” Skelly said. “I

just really enjoy so many parts of it, and I think that with the parents, families, kids, teachers and support staff, there’s just a great culture here.” Skelly hopes his time in the SMUHSD left people feeling supported in their respective roles. English teacher Sophie Abitbol has worked in the

PHOTO BY LEXI GOLDSTEIN

First-Generation Club: HELPING STUDENTS ACHIEVE FUTURE GOALS BY LEXI GOLDSTEIN Editor-in-chief College deadlines, essays and finances are notorious stressors for upperclassmen, and the Counseling Department works year-round to be of help in the college application process for all students. Specifically, for first-generation applicants, academic counselor Earvin Buckner and college advisor Jonathan Dhyne have taken extra measures to demystify applications through the First-Generation Club, which they co-run. Starting as former counselor Tammy Esrailian’s project, the club is in its fourth year at Burlingame. Along with advertising through word of

mouth, English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC) and Latino Parent Group meetings, counselors identify students who may be a good fit for the club via Aeries, which can filter for socioeconomic demographics and parent education. Then, invitations are sent to historically underrepresented students to join. As of last year, juniors are now invited to join during their second semester to offer a head-start in the application process. Despite its name, the club emphasizes its open invitation to all students, including those who may not be first generation but still need the additional help.

See FIRST GENERATION CLUB page 3

that I’ve spoken to or that I’ve seen walking around the halls,” Abitbol said. During lockdown in 2020, Abitbol began to explore the idea of getting a Spanish credential, and it was Skelly who motivated her to do so.

See KEVIN SKELLY page 5

Omicron brings new challenges to Burlingame campus BY ALEX KELLY Webmaster

Earvin Buckner (left) and Jonathan Dhyne (right) spend time in the College and Career Center, located in the A Building, where First-Generation Club meetings are held.

SMUHSD for 19 years, and found Skelly to be exactly that — supportive and genuinely caring. “He’s very approachable, I’ve been here long enough to have experienced the leadership of maybe three of four superintendents, and he’s the only one who ever knew my name, or

When students stepped back in their classrooms at the start of the spring semester, they were facing the highest COVID-19 case rates that the country and the San Mateo Union High School District had seen. In the first week after coming back from winter break, there were 35 positive cases reported at Burlingame and 28 positive cases in the week following. It has been a stressful time to be on campus, according to teacher Alexandria Kirkpatrick, who has had to deal with multiple possible close contacts with students. “It’s very uncomfortable knowing that there are likely positives that I’m around every day, so I make myself feel more comfortable by wearing a good mask,” Kirkpatrick said. To protect themselves, many like Kirkpatrick adopted district-recommended N95 masks, which have proven to be significantly safer than cloth masks. N95s and KN95s

are designed to block 95% of harmful particles, compared to cloth masks with a 20 to 50% level of filtration, depending on the quality, according to a study done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“It’s very uncomfortable knowing that there are likely positives that I’m around every day, so I make myself feel more comfortable by wearing a good mask.” - Alexandria Kirkpatrick

The version of N95 masks that the district provides are often called ‘can’ or ‘duck’ masks by students, but despite the lack of fashion appeal, teachers are trying to get students to wear them. Science teacher Michael Dunn informed students by showing them a graphic from the CDC about the clear efficacy

of N95s, and multiple other teachers have also shown it to their students. Seeing as almost all students follow masking guidelines indoors, some students do not share the staff ’s stress regarding COVID-19. “I have felt pretty safe at school,” junior Samantha Storey said. “With about half the kids wearing good masks and everyone wearing them in class — it feels pretty good.” Some students have been taking COVID-19 concerns much more seriously than others. Walking down the halls, you can see students double masked with N95s and others with a mask perched just below their nose. “My concern is about, you know, we have faculty and staff who have young children at home that cannot get vaccinated. We have faculty and staff who are currently pregnant,” Kirkpatrick said. As the school moves past the first month of the semester, COVID-19 and the stress it causes will subside if students stay vigilant in following protocols.


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