November Issue 2021

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INSIDE

THE November 9, 2021

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

Art teacher Eislyn Wolf-Noyes was one of the five speakers at the ceremony, touching on the importance of Burlingame being a safe place for LGBTQ+ students. “I’m not sure exactly why I spoke at that moment, but I remember when I was a closeted LGBTQ+ teen in high school, I felt like I was so invisible,” Wolf-Noyes said. She applauds the GSA’s efforts to create a supportive environment and hopes students view her classroom as a safe space as well. GSA Club Advisor and Spanish teacher Julian Martinez also spoke at the ceremony, highlighting the importance of the club. “I believe that students have a voice at the school, and I want to promote openness and acceptance and equality amongst everyone here,” Martinez said. “And when you have a GSA, everybody is more open and accepting.” Baldwin, Oliver and senior Ellen Fisher-Sanderson were the other three speakers. Although LGBT History Month may be over, the GSA has no plans of slowing efforts to promote equality for the community. “We [are] looking to the future and realizing how much there is still left to be done,” Baldwin said.

Issue 1 Vol. 133

COVID-19 rain schedule implemented BY ALEX KELLY

Webmaster

On the morning of Oct. 21, rain began to dot the windows of every classroom on the Burlingame campus, and the administration decided to implement the COVID-19 inclement weather schedule. During second period, the first class of even block day, teachers explained to their students what the schedule would entail. The schedule has something students have not had at Burlingame before: tiered breaks and lunches to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “We had to adjust the bell schedules and take into consideration how to handle inclement weather and follow the protocols for Covid safety at the same time,” assistant principal Michelle Fichera said. Students from the A, D and F Buildings left their fourth-period classes during the first 20 minutes of the period to have their brunch, while students from the C Building, portables and physical education had their break in the middle of the period. Seniors and sophomores went to the gym, and freshman and juniors headed to the theatre. Lunch was also split up into 40 minutes for the different building groups, but by lunchtime the rain had ceased and most students ate outside.

Despite the administration’s efforts, students questioned the COVID-19 safety of the schedule. “I don’t think it makes sense to have all the school spread out in the various buildings then put a quarter of the school in one room together unmasked,” junior Tegan Robinson said. Despite concerns about students eating together in an enclosed space, the options for rainy day eating are unlikely to change. There are not many overhangs on campus, and because teachers are required by contract to take breaks, they cannot have students in classrooms involuntarily during break and lunch. One problem that emerged with the even block days was Flex Time — a period where students can usually meet with teachers between periods two and four on Tuesday and Thursday. However, the rain schedule moved it to the end of the day, causing some students without a sixth period to not attend Flex Time. “When [office hours] was optional and after school, I wouldn’t say the attendance rate was very high. But we do take attendance during flex these days as well,” math teacher Sonny Lau said. As California prepares for a heavy rain season, the school will likely see this schedule again.

PHOTO BY ALEX KELLY

October is nationally recognized as LGBT History Month, and Burlingame’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) has decked out the school in rainbow hues and hosted three events to commemorate the occasion. “LGBTQ+ History Month, to me, is a period of time where I, and hopefully many others, can look back and realize how many members of the [LGBTQ+] community in the past had to suppress this basic human emotion and couldn’t love who they wanted,” club president and senior Kimberlly Baldwin said. The GSA kicked off the month by making over 30 posters of current — and historical — LGBTQ+ icons to decorate the hallways. The club, which has over 50 members, also distributed 49 miniature rainbow pride flags to teachers. The GSA hosted two lunchtime events, the first taking place on Friday, Oct. 8. Students could fill out multicolored cards with the prompt, “Love is ___,” and c l u b members used t h e cards t o create a rainbow collage on the A Building hallway in the days following. On Wednesday, Oct. 20, students were invited to sign a “BHS is Pride” post-

er at lunch. This event was especially important to Baldwin, who came out by signing a similar poster two years prior. “There’s so much pressure to come out of the closet in this generation, we’re just so bold about being ourselves,” Baldwin said. “But there are some people who just aren’t ready to be themselves yet, and that is okay. There’s no stopwatch on when you can become yourself.” In addition to lunchtime events, the school administration and the GSA jointly hosted a flag-raising ceremony on Friday, Oct. 15. Baldwin and vice president Julianna Oliver hoisted the pride flag into the air while a crowd of approximately 40 students and staff gathered around. It was important for the GSA to commemorate Burlingame’s ability to fly the pride progress flag, as it was not an easy decision. Last May, the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees denied a proposal to raise the rainbow pride flag during the months of June and October. However‭, ‬after community pushback‭, ‬including Baldwin sending the Board an email herself urging them to discuss this matter further‭, ‬they held a re-vote and authorized the flag to be flown during both months‭. During the ceremony, LGBTQ+ students and staff were invited to speak on their experiences in the community and what this month means to them.

GRAPHIC BY SAFIYA LOOMBA

Managing Editor

12 Student life

URLINGAME B

Burlingame recognizes October as LGBT History Month BY SAM JOHNSTONE

8 Sports

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Freshman and juniors eat and talk in the theater during their scheduled brunch break.

Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine speaks to students PHOTO BY MATTINGLY GERMACK

Elizabeth Eckford speaks to members of the Black Student Union and Associated Student Body, among others, during a Q&A session in the Alumni Room.

BY MATTINGLY GERMACK

Copy Editor

If you ask Elizabeth Eckford, she will simply tell you she happens to be a footnote in history. “I’m an 80-year-old woman,” Eckford said. “I lead an ordinary life.” But meet her in person, and her presence possesses strength beyond her stature. She commanded the room as she spoke to Burlingame students on

Tuesday, Oct. 26 about her historic life story. Eckford was born in 1941 in Little Rock, Ark. As a child, she loved to learn, but was admittedly very shy in most settings. “I would raise my hand but look shocked when I was called on,” Eckford said. “I wanted to participate, but I was uncomfortable doing so.” In 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued Brown v. Board of Education, a case that

declared segregation in schools unconstitutional. Initially, the ruling was ignored, as school districts nationwide refused to comply with the ruling. However, in 1957, representatives from the NAACP managed to register nine Black students, including Eckford, at Central High School in Little Rock, previously an all-white school . These nine students would become known as the Little Rock Nine.

See ECKFORD page 3

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November 9, 2021

School board finds lack of teacher diversity DISTRICT AIMS TO IMPROVE RACIAL REPRESENTATION GRAPHIC BY ELISE SPENNER

BY ELISE SPENNER

Copy Editor

An Oct. 14 San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) Board of Trustees presentation revealed that the District lacks racial diversity among teachers, but offered a framework to expand the applicant pool and improve representation in the coming years. Data analyzing the demographic makeup of this year’s teachers reported that a majority of credentialed staff are white (68%), although just a quarter of students identify as such. According to the data, Hispanic and Asian students are the most underrepresented on campus: while 33% of the student body is Latino, 13% of teachers are; and although 24% of the student population is Asian, just 12% of teachers are. Deputy Superintendent Kirk Black explained that even though African-American and Filipino students are a small minority, the district would still like to hire more teachers. Currently, just 2% of teachers are African-American and 4% of teachers are Filipino, a similar statistic to the student body. Additionally, the district does not currently employ an American Indian or Pacific Islander teacher at any school. “It’s a little puzzling to me,” English teacher Marina Junqueira said. “I refuse to believe that we don’t have qualified people of color — that the District can’t find them. And if it just depends on who’s applying, I think there needs to be some kind of outreach program.” The District’s presentation laid out a multifaceted plan to address the lack of diverse applicants. Mainly, the administration plans to expand its applicant pool by working with

STAFF

Data presented at the Oct. 14 Board meeting showed that the District’s certificated population is far less diverse than the student population. California State Universities and historically black colleges. The District can sponsor up to four students in teacher residency programs at these schools. These candidates receive an annual stipend of $17,000 during their time in the program, al-

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I refuse to believe that we don’t have qualified people of color. -Marina Junqueira lowing the district to develop a more diverse pool of candidates. “It’s more geared to people either who are younger because they don’t need to earn a whole lot of money, or for somebody in a relationship where their partner is making enough money to where they can take a year off,” Black said. However, Black feels that the most potential lies in internship opportunities through collabo-

ration with San Francisco State University and San Jose State University’s credential programs. Through these programs, the District provides a pathway for classified instructional aides to stay on as interns and keep their salary consistent while they receive full teaching credentials. “Our classified staff is very diverse,” Black said. “So we’re hiring our classified staff into our teaching ranks, and providing them with no loss of wages if they’re able to get a two or three period job as a teacher.” Improving diversity among teachers could impact students’ academic performance, English teacher Reema Asia offered. In fact, when Asia went to elementary and middle school in the Bay Area, she was a low-B student. But after moving to Palestine for high school and college — where her teachers looked like her — Asia maintained a 4.0 GPA. “When students do not see people like them in positions of power or in positions of influence, there is this inferiority complex that they develop,”

Asia said. “And I didn’t realize that until I studied in a different school where all the teachers looked like me.” Sophomore Lauren Cheng, for one, has had four teachers of color in her two years at Burlingame. She sees more diversity among her high school teachers than in her nine years in the Burlingame School District. But Cheng said that the small slights add up — whether it be how a teacher pronounces a name during attendance or how they discuss holidays during an icebreaker. “Those small details — a name getting butchered every time — cause a break in the relationship between the student and teacher,” Cheng said. “Cultural background matters. Having teachers acknowledge that Lunar New Year is today, instead of just asking what you did for Christmas, matters.” While the District is taking steps to promote representation, and teachers said that they are impressed with diversity in the curriculum, Junquiera feels that obstacles remain.

Senior Reporter This year, some teachers have switched their grading to the four-point scale; however, this is not a new concept as the language department has used the scale for six years. The fourpoint scale is based on mastery of skill, on a scale from zero to four, and has become more popular across the nation. In the 100-point scale, anywhere from a zero to a 50 earns the student a failing grade, which can become problematic as the scale is no longer worth an equal amount between each letter grade. “But this is a mathematically distorted system that ends up affecting students in a negative way,” Kent Robie, a Spanish teacher said.

2. Approaches Standard 58 - 50% = C 50 - 42.5% = C42.5 - 33% = D+

The four-point scale attempts to fix the said issue, as each grade is equally distanced. After attending multiple meetings and reading books on the subject, the language department made the switch six years ago. Bethany Li, an English teacher, switched to the four-point scale after testing it out with summer school students this year. “The four-point scale is intended to promote equity in grading practices, and practically it does a couple of things,” Li said. “It gives students more accurate data about their mastery of specific skills.” Karen Hartmann, a science teacher, has been using the scale for three years. “You get a four if you’ve mastered the material,” Hart-

1. Misses Standard 33 - 25% = D 25 - 18% = D18 - 0% = F

mann said. “Three is proficient, so maybe you’ve got most of it but you’re missing a few things, two is progressing, which means you’re making progress but you’re not quite there yet and one is initial, so that shows me that you don’t really understand the material.” Freshman Wyatt Curly is in three classes that use the fourpoint scale. “I prefer the four-point scale because it’s less stressful,” Curly said. “Every assignment is worth the same.” However, sophomore Abby Mitchell, who has two classes that use the four-point scale, was not as open to the change. “I prefer the regular grading system because in the fourpoint scale, if you get anything less than a four, your grade goes

GRAPHIC BY LIZZY WAN

3. Meets Standard 87.5% - 83% = B+ 83% - 75% = B 75% - 67.5% = B67.5% - 58% = C+

BY LIZZY WAN

THE

BURLINGAME B

Teachers move to four-point grading scale 4. Exceeds Standard 100% - 98% = A+ 98% - 93% = A 93% - 87.5% = A-

B

down. It’s so hard to get an A, but it’s easy to get a B,” Mitchell said. Li notes how students’ behavior around grades has changed since she switched to the fourpoint scale. “I’ve noticed improvement in motivation and I’ve noticed a reduction in what I call grade inflation,” Li said. The 100-point scale system allows for categories such as participation or assignments based on completion to carry a student’s grade to an A. “We see a trend in high school level education for grade inflation which means that more students get As, and sometimes that’s a function of meeting deadlines and being on top of assignments, but not a function of really mastering calculus or mastering physics,” Li said. Robie agreed, noting that the four-point scale is the best option for all. “In the end, it’s more fair, more accurate, and more conducive to shifting students’ mindset towards learning, rather than just point grabbing,” Robie said.

Editor-in-Chief Lexi Goldstein Managing Editor Sam Johnstone Sports Editor Isaac Bostonmaer Business Manager Farah Caban Webmaster Alex Kelly Chief Photographer Michelle Moshkovoy Copy Editors Elise Spenner Mattingly Germack Senior Reporters Kristie Kim Safiya Loomba Julianna Oliver Jackson Spenner Lizzy Wan Staff Reporters Sophia Bella Daria Burnosova Arshia Chakravartti Wali Chaudry Leilani Dougherty Arda Inegol Isabel Liu Amanda Nolan Jake Rothstein Teacher Adviser Melissa Murphy Policy Statement: The Burlingame B is a student-run newspaper with the sole purpose of providing an open forum for student expression. Anything printed represents the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the Burlingame B staff, the administration, or the faculty of Burlingame High School or anyone affiliated with the San Mateo Union High School District. The Burlingame B does not discriminate against race, political oritentation, 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.

Website: www.theburlingameb.org Phone: (650) 558-2899 Email: theburlingameb@gmail.com Address: 1 Mangini Way Burlingame, CA 94010

From PAGE 1 Eckford enrolled at Central High School for her junior year. On Sept. 4, 1957, her first day, National Guard troops deployed by the former governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, physically barred Eckford and her eight peers from entering the school. Eckford, in particular, rose to fame because of a photo taken of her walking to a bus stop after being blocked from attending class, followed by a mob of angry white protestors. This photo would become a long-time symbol of the civil rights movement, ‬being named one of the top 100 photos of the 20th century by the Associated Press. When she eventually reached the bus stop, ‬unbeknownst to her, journalists and photographers formed a human barricade behind her to protect her from the mob. “[In that moment,] I didn’t know if I would survive,” Eckford said.

Nearly three weeks later, on Sept. 23, President Dwight Eisenhower seized federal control over state National Guard troops, ordering them to facilitate the integration. Throughout her time at Central High School, Eckford and her peers faced relentless bullying. They had can openers thrown at them in class, were slammed into lockers and attacked on a regular basis; all while teachers did nothing to intervene and the vast majority of students did nothing to support them, according to Eckford. Eckford said she understood students not wanting to get in harm’s way but was frustrated by the lack of sympathy shown towards her and her peers. She emphasized to her audience at Burlingame how much support means to those being ostracized. “Anybody can let a person who’s being bullied know that they’re not one of the haters, Eckford said. In fact, 64 years later, she still remembers two white students

in her 11th-grade speech class who showed her unsolicited support. “They were not bystanders. They actively and [purposefully‭] ‬engaged with me in class every day,” Eckford said. While at Central State University working towards a bachelor’s degree in history, she served in the U.S. Army. Her military tenure alongside her experiences at Central High School, left Eckford with post-traumatic stress disorder. ‬Students were instructed to give a silent applause at the end of both her speech and Q&A, as loud noises are still a trigger for her. Since the late 1990s, Eckford has coped by speaking to students nationwide about her story through former Capuchino High School history teacher Jeff Steinberg’s program, Sojourn Project. “It’s students who have helped me arrive at the point where I am now,” Eckford said. “Where I can talk about the past

PHOTO BY MELISSA MURPHY

Eckford

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Features

November 9, 2021

History teachers Alison Liberatore, Annie Miller and English teacher Jenna Joseph pose with Elizabeth Eckford after her speech to students. with a purpose in mind.” student, I was really inspired by Likewise, Eckford’s speech [Eckford] and her story,” senior left a strong impression on many Donny Brambila said. of the students who listened in. “As an African-American

PHOTO BY MICHELLE MOSHKOVOY

English department further diversifies class reads

Over the last few years, the English department has added a plethora of books to the class syllabi, including female authors and those of color. BY MICHELLE MOSHKOVOY

Head Photographer

William Shakespeare, William Golding, Tennessee Williams — all renowned playwrights and authors who revolutionized literature and whose written classics are included in the English department’s class reads. All of them are also white men. Amid an ongoing conversation about bringing diverse literature that offers different cultures, genders, ethnicities and perspectives to students, Burlingame’s English department has recently welcomed new additions to its list of class reads. In English I, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” was removed this school year due to its mature content and to decrease the number of Shakespeare’s works in the curriculum. By removing the book, the pace of the class has slowed down, allowing students to focus more on their writing. College Preparatory (CP) English II added “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Mexican-American writer Erika Sánchez, and English II Advanced Standing (AS) added Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” in 2019. Both classes have implemented Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto’s “Kitchen” this school year. “Kitchen” takes place in contemporary Japan, where young Japanese woman, Mikage Sakurai, struggles to overcome the death of her grandmother.

“It had a new perspective. It’s about an Asian American woman and features a transgender woman character, which I found really interesting because the book was written in the ‘80s,” sophomore Bridget Navarro said. “Kitchen” is an assigned class read for CP English II and a student choice between “Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger for English II AS. English II AS teachers decided on the student choice because of a hesitancy to let go of traditionally taught English titles, like “Catcher in the Rye”, but also wanting to offer a text starring a female protagonist written by a female author of color. “We wanted to bring that modern piece, but make space for choice to see where the interest was in our students that started the year,” English II AS and English III teacher Bethany Li said. “In the English II AS section, we often serve a high percentage of Asian American students. So that just to me, opened up some possibilities for bringing in a connection to the Asian experience that isn’t represented in the course.” While the student choice has been welcomed with an even split between the two novels, adding more modern and diverse pieces of literature while retaining older classics raises a larger conversation. “The English department is working hard to find the right balance of cultural literacy, having those heavy-hitting authors like Shakespeare be part of the conversation. But also

say, ‘hey, it’s 2021, and we have a responsibility to keep up with the times and make room for more modern authors,”’ Li said. Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition also altered its class readings this year, replacing American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” with Tommy Orange’s “There There,” a Cheyenne and Arapho novelist who is an Oakland native. “There There” is a multigenerational story about the beauty and despair woven into the history of the United States and its people. It follows 12 characters from Indigenous communities, each of whom have private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. “Over the last several years we’ve been really trying to increase voices for people of color and people with marginalized groups in our writing curricu-

lum,” AP Language and Composition and English IV teacher Tim Larkin said. “I don’t think it gets more marginalized in the U.S. than Native Voices and then even urban Natives. We were very excited to pull this voice in.” The novel has sparked great conversations and a lot of meaningful themes among students who have engaged with the text, according to Larkin. “It was quite a shocker for me because I’ve heard stories about how in African American neighborhoods sometimes the same thing happens — violence, gangs, drugs and families getting broken up,” junior Jason Zhai said. “I think that Native people have an extended issue of not knowing what their culture is — it was forcibly removed.” While adding more modern reads diversifies the curriculum, there is also an adjustment to be made in teaching less familiar content. “‘There There’ is really interesting in terms of storytelling and getting your voice out there, but it does not have a complexity of language a ‘The Scarlet Letter’ has,” Larkin said. “I don’t know ‘There There’ as well, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s easier to slip back into what’s comfortable. Getting ourselves out of the habit of being comfortable is really an important part of the work that we’re trying to do”. While English III has no new additions this year, short

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stories from “The Refugees” by Vietnamese American novelist Viet Thanh were added in 2019. For English IV, “Into the Wild” by American writer Jon Krakauer was removed this school year. AP English Literature and Composition added “Fences” by half German American and African American author August Wilson in 2017, as well as “Wide Sargasso Sea” by British female novelist Jean Rhys in 2018. While no imminent changes are currently planned amid six titles added to the four grades in the last three years, adding new voices to the English curriculum is an ongoing process. “We’re always looking at adding more female perspectives. We do read more women than we read men’s voices over the course of the year [in AP Language and Composition], but the novels are male heavy,” Larkin said. “We do recognize that the voices are not as diverse as they could be — we really want to get diverse and beautifully complex works with really high literary merit in there, and that takes a long time.”

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November 9, 2021 PHOTO COURTESY OF ROCKET GEAR MEDIA

Panthers’ unique Thanksgivings BY LEILANI DOUGHERTY

Staff Reporter

Thanksgiving is a time for families to honor festivities in their own individual ways, whether it be torching marshmallows on sweet potatoes or fighting with siblings. While everyone celebrates Thanksgiving differently, most students celebrate the time with their families, adding in special traditions to make the day more personal and meaningful. For senior Julien Ugrin, he usually goes on a hike or partakes in another nature-focused activity before dinner. “I don’t know why, it has always been a tradition to do that,” Ugrin said. On the other hand, sophomore Roman Gilmour spends his time inside with family. “I always play a roller coaster video game with my cousin on his computer on Thanksgiving,” Gilmour said. Some students, like senior Sean Roxas, partake in the classic American tradition of watching the annual Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions Thanksgiving football game. “I watch football, and then

sometimes my family has a karaoke night,” Roxas said. But for junior Sofia Husain, she merges traditional American Thanksgiving customs with her own cultural traditions. “My favorite thing to eat for Thanksgiving is dahl, which is an Indian soup,” Husain said. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the holiday season due to quarantine and notable social distancing guidelines. As restrictions loosen and life begins to return to normal ths , students are excited to resume their traditional celebrations. “This year, I’m going to my grandparents house but we are going to eat outside so that it’s Covid safe,” Husain said. Although traditions between families differ, Thanksgiving is a time for all to reflect on what they are grateful for. When Burlingame students were asked what they were thankful for this year, the responses were consistently similar — returning to campus after nearly a year-and-a-half. “I’m thankful for being at school my senior year,” said Ugrin.

Pinten races his kart at the CKNA Grand National race in Indiana, where he finished ninth out of 50 racers.

Dean Pinten: karting champion BY ARDA INEGOL

Staff Reporter

Enter the kart, shift the gear, watch the red lights flash, hear the buzz, step on the pedal and feel the breeze. This is the routine Dean Pinten, a junior at Burlingame, has had down for the past eight years of his life. Pinten often visits various parts of California or other states and participates in karting races ranging from regionals to sectionals to nationals — where he competes with hundreds of other teens. “Regional [races are] very competitive, especially in the Bay Area. The national races are more competitive,” Pinten said. Pinten started karting when he was eight years old, and as he explored the sport and began competing, he discovered his passion for racing. “I started [racing] at K1 Speed and realized that it’s something I want to do, and my dad got me into outdoor

sprint karts, and it took off from there,” Pinten said. Up until his freshman year, he also played soccer, but he ultimately concentrated solely on racing. “I realized that I really wanted to focus on racing and that it’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Pinten said. The desire to pursue his passion led him to participate in races all over the country, and he did well in a number of them. Recently, in a nationals race at Prairie City Race Track in Sacramento, Pinten finished top 3 in all the Heat races and won one of them. “It’s a proud moment for me to be leading a national championship,” Pinten said. Although, racing is time-consuming and he tends to miss school frequently. “He misses [class] for long periods of time so he can travel for his races,” Pinten’s Algebra II teacher Carol Hardesty said.

Nevertheless, Hardesty is glad to have him in her class and appreciates his academic efforts. “He’s able to still keep up with his work … I think he brings his work ethic from racing to the classroom,” Hardesty said. Pinten also reserves time to dive into the mechanics behind automobiles. In his free time, he works tirelessly to improve his kart’s technical elements. “I just love everything cars. I love wrenching on motors, going to car shows — anything automotive-based saves my interest,” Pinten said. From the racing track to his classes, Pinten demonstrates his passion for karting and uses it to motivate himself. In the future, he hopes to pursue professional racing as a career. “My dream is to become a racecar driver, then after that I want to be a team owner,” Pinten said.

GRAPHIC BY FARAH CABAN AND SAFIYA LOOMBA

Preston’s Candy and Ice Cream turns 75 Staff Reporter

On Saturday, Oct. 16, Preston’s Candy and Ice Cream on Broadway hosted a birthday party to celebrate 75 years of business. Over 200 guests visited throughout the day, eager to try the free handmade confections the store was offering. “I didn’t want to say anniversary because it sounds too old,” said Irene Preston, the owner of Preston’s. “Birthday party sounded more fun!” Irene Preston has owned the shop for 24 years since buying it from Art Preston, the original founder. They share the same last name, although the two have no family relation. What Irene and the late Art do share is a love for sweets and a passion for candy making. Art Preston was an apprentice under candymaker Douglas Shaw in San Francisco. The work experience he gained there ultimately solidified his vision to one day become a candymaker. After serving in the Pacific Theater during

World War II, Art returned to his old mentor, Shaw, seeking advice on how to start a candy business of his own. In 1946, Art Preston founded Preston’s. Before owning the shop, Irene and her former husband had been loyal customers. “My husband at the time and I had already been buying candy from Art for maybe 14 or 15 years, so I’ve known the Prestons for a very long time,” Irene Preston said. At the time, Irene’s husband was traveling frequently and began to tire of it. “My husband and I joked around about, ‘wouldn’t it be fun if we own Preston’s?’” Irene said. The once lighthearted idea soon became a reality. “[My husband] came home one day and said he would like to buy Preston’s because Art was ready to retire for the second time. And so that was what we did — we took it over,” Irene said. In 1997, Irene and her husband bought the store from Art, and have been running it ever since. Every workday at the store

is a different experience. Irene generally oversees the candy creation process, deciding the quantity and type of candy displayed. She also works with candy makers in development, where she proposes and reviews new ideas for confections. “We make a lot of different candies,” Irene said. “It’s always a matter of adjustment because we’re always in production.” When Irene took over the shop, several high school students were already employed, either for summer or after-school jobs. As a former art teacher, she saw the chance to instill valuable work experience and offer students creative opportunities. “I use this as a time to help people, especially when it’s their first job, to learn how to work and what the responsibilities are that are associated with having a job,” Irene said. Christopher Losito, a senior at Burlingame, has been working at Preston’s for one year. “I started off serving customers ice cream, and then I got interested in doing chocolate work,” Losito said. “I’m starting

PHOTO BY SOPHIA BELLA

BY SOPHIA BELLA

Preston’s Candy and Ice Cream on Broadway has been serving customers for 75 years and counting. to get better and better as I go, an employee at Preston’s in learning new things from peo- 1992. Through the job, she was ple who’ve worked there longer.” able to create connections and Losito remembers going to memories with the community. Preston’s as young as age three. “I got to know kids from “It was probably one when they were in kindergarof the first times I got ten all the way through colice cream,” Losito said. lege coming in,” Moher said. Barbara Moher, who Whether it be candy or othgraduated from Burlin- erwise, Irene wants people to game in 1959, knew the shop recognize the hard work that from its very beginnings. goes into creating products. “When the store opened up “The things that you eat, 75 years ago, I was a custom- drink and see, those are all [reer,” Moher said. “I was around sults] of people doing things,” five years old, and my father Irene said. “If you have an would take me down there understanding of the work for a vanilla ice cream cone.” that’s involved, it gives everyMoher began working as thing a lot more meaning.”

Features

November 9, 2021

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Findings that Instagram encourages comparison and lowers esteem hold true at Burlingame GRAPHIC BY ELISE SPENNER

Not only is Instagram found to exacerbate body image issues for teen girls, but teens also associate the social media platform with increased anxiety and depression. BY ELISE SPENNER

Copy Editor

Last month, the Wall Street Journal released an exposé detailing pages upon pages of confidential Facebook studies revealing that Instagram makes 33% of girls feel “worse” about their bodies. For junior Chiara La Mark, this data was not a surprise, and

she sees it reflected on Burlingame’s campus. “[Instagram is] so accessible and so in your face,” La Mark said. “Realistically, that isn’t the life of someone, or the way someone looks, but it causes comparison and self doubt.” La Mark, who started using Instagram in middle school, acknowledges the environment of toxic comparison — whether it be to someone’s body, looks or lifestyle — that exists on the platform. “I feel insecure about certain things when I see that someone looks like this, and I think, ‘Oh, I don’t look like that.’ You have different standards, so it’s really easy to compare yourself,” La Mark said. Sophomore Leah Chili agreed, noting that reliance on Instagram during the pandemic prompted comparison and feelings of doubt. Seeing models and influencers with “perfect” bodies and lives left Chili feeling insecure. “In the past, especially during this little bit, I think that made

me feel a little bit less comfortable about my body in terms of how I would view parts of my body, how I looked at myself in the mirror,” Chili said. “I don’t want to say it’s been rough, but I’ve experienced a level of insecurity that I didn’t want to experience.” Wellness counselor Christina Cabrera said that the influence of social media perpetuates the assumption that the “grass is greener on the other side,” and makes teenagers envious of something unattainable. “We start to base our own worth, our own confidence, our own values, on what we see in a snapshot of another person’s life: what they’re eating, who they’re hanging out with, what their body looks like,” Cabrera said. This conclusion isn’t solely based on the internal Facebook findings. A 2021 study from g.org found that 40% of girls in the United Kingdom see images online that make them “feel insecure or less confident about themselves.”

Cabrera worries about the role that Instagram plays in promoting and verifying influencers that share toxic images and dictate beauty standards. The unrealistic expectations set by celebrities, models and workout stars — of “the perfect relationships, household, job, body and fashion” — impact teenagers, Cabrera said. “We start to look at them as influencers, as the ideal,” Cabrera said. “[These media companies] can have a say in how they verify individuals. What is the content that is being promoted?” Everyone knows that Instagram is a manicured, faux-portrait of someone’s life, La Mark said. But it doesn’t change the reality: comparison exists and thrives on social media. “We know that people face challenges too,” La Mark said. “And we know that people make their lives seem more extravagant than maybe they are. But even knowing that in the back of our heads, we still choose to compare.”

Despite the blatant consequences of social media, our reliance on digital connection during the pandemic — and shared feelings of melancholy — provided a platform to expose and de-stigmatize mental health struggles, Cabrera said. “I hope that with greater awareness and with the conversations that have happened during the pandemic, our students are more willing to talk about mental health struggles,” Cabrera said. “Not just with adults, but with each other.” Chili said the same: while the pandemic did exacerbate the influence of Instagram, social media also became a tool to tell stories and talk about long-existing struggles. “I think that’s why a lot of people on Instagram are moving towards talking about body positivity. Things to help people understand that it is OK to be comfortable in your skin,” Chili said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BURLINGAME ROBOTICS

Fall careeer speaker series offers opportunities for exploration

BY SAFIYA LOOMBA

Staff Reporter

Despite the numerous speaker programs Burlingame has had over the years, the new Fall Speaker Series is the first speaker program to be accessible to all students without club or elective affiliation. It is led by Burlingame’s career and college advisor, Carrie Hermann, in collaboration with clubs and career technical elective (CTE) teachers. In the past, Burlingame has had speakers solely for CTE classes, and clubs have brought in speakers independently — particularly the medical career and cancer research clubs. However, this school year, every student is welcome to attend during Flex Time. “We can have a broader outreach with Ms. Hermann’s GRAPHIC BY SAFIYA LOOMBA

The Fall Speaker Series brings online presentations and Q&A sessions to students in the 2021-2022 school year, increasing the range of speakers to visit.

communication with the whole school,” Burlingame senior and Medical Career Club president Athena Yeung said. “[The Medical Career Club] will be collaborating with Ms. Hermann a lot. We’re going to try to get some other clubs that are under the academic or college prep category [to collaborate].” The speakers will appear one to two times a month at Flex Time for anyone interested. So far, the speakers have been either virtual or in-person, depending on their preference.. The first speaker of the fall series, Terry Vidals, lives in Wyoming and presented on Oct. 19 via Zoom about her career in pharmacy. “I’m hoping that in the winter and spring we can have different areas of focus, so it could even be the trades,” Hermann said. “[Students] might be interested in being a plumber or electrician or something like that, so my hope is that students will tell me what they want to hear about.” In light of career day being canceled this year due to COVID-19 protocols, the Fall Speaker Series aims to offer a well-rounded representation of different industries and diverse career choices to help students explore potential careers. “[We] definitely want to encourage students to check out

Scan this QR code to read an online article about Burlingame’s experience with Breaking Down the Walls

“

We can have a broader outreach with Ms. Hermann’s communication with the whole school,” -Athena Yeung

Sophomore Nicholas Lin and Senior Obert Vongsavanh at CalGames working on their robot.

Robotics successful at CalGames event BY LIZZY WAN

any of the speakers [coming up],” Hermann said. “We have a scientist coming in December, and then next year [is] yet to be determined, but if anyone has any ideas and or possible speakers that they want to connect with me, [I’m] definitely open to that.” Yeung recommended listening to successful speakers and discussed the integral role that speakers have played in helping her establish and stay confident in her chosen career path.. “From the speakers, I’ve learned what extracurriculars I should pursue. And it’s also reassured me that what I want to do in the future is to help patients, and to create these new drugs, and eventually maybe have one on one interactions with patients, as a medical student or doctor,” Yeung said.

Senior Reporter After over a year without competition, the Iron Panthers robotics team took part in their first competition, CalGames, on Oct. 2-3. The two-day competition took place at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, and they competed against 29 other teams. This offseason competition was a success for Burlingame, as the team was a finalist and second-place alliance. During the competition, the drive team controls the robot through a series of obstacles where they complete tasks to earn points. One task was shooting power cells, or small dodgeballs, at various targets that awarded the Iron Panthers a different number of points depending on where they hit. Another task, known as the triple climb, is where the robot has to attach itself to a bar and balance on it. Although the team was ultimately successful by the end of the competition, they still encountered speed bumps along the way. “On the first day, our robot had a lot of connectivity issues, so at one point, we were literally

dead last ranked 29 out of 29,” junior and co-captain Taylor Woo said. “But we were able to get our robot working, and so by Sunday, we were able to show the other teams that we had a good climb.” It was important for Burlingame to show the other teams that they were worthy, so that top teams would pick them to be part of their alliance. “So then we were able to be chosen in order to make it into semi-finalists, and eventually, we made it to finals,” Woo said. Typically, the team gets fierce in the heat of competition, but this time it was different. “Honestly, it was kind of a laid back environment,” junior and programming lead Madeleine Behr said. “It’s more of a community base. It’s more about the people you meet and the teams you get to reach out to, especially during offseason competitions [like these].” The Iron Panthers’s next competition will be hosted by BHS on Nov. 21, and is a First Tech Challenger qualifier, giving other teams a chance to qualify for regionals since they cannot qualify for a tournament they host.

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Social Justice Art Pieces BY FARAH CABAN

social justice art pieces

Business Manager

The Advanced Art and AP 2-D Art and Design classes at Burlingame were assigned a social justice art project in early October, which are now posted outside of the D Building. Eislyn Wolf-Noyes, one of the art teachers at Burlingame, tends to focus on identity throughout the year with her assignments, but this year was the first to intertwine social activism and identity. “I often have students who come from marginalized groups who express that in their artwork,” Wolf-Noyes said. “So this was just more of a purposeful way to talk about school culture and how it affects people.” She was also able to gauge how her students feel about Burlingame’s school culture. In one of her own social justice art pieces, Wolf-Noyes made a collage to demonstrate the dichotomy between Burlingame’s stated goals and the reality on campus. Her collage showcased posters hung in Burlingame classrooms stating that “every person is welcome” next to printed Instagram posts from

@smuhsdawareness, an anonymous Instagram account that highlights experiences with transphobia, harassment, racism and mental health in the District. On top of each of the welcome posters, Wolf-Noyes painted “Not Yet” in red paint. “If you see posters that [say this school respects you] in the classroom, and then you’re hearing like transphobic, homophobic, sexist comments — it’s kind of like a slap in the face,” Wolf-Noyes said. Wolf-Noyes admires the motivation behind these inclusivity posters, but said that students’ actions must match the message. Privilege was also a common theme in this project; she wanted people with privilege to realize that they have it, and Burlingame might not be such a welcoming place for all students. “I think [the school is] on a fairly good track right now; it brings up a lot of uncomfortable discussions and discomfort around privilege,” Wolf-Noyes said. “Part of changing the school culture is getting the focus off of where you’re going to go to college, what titles you’re going to have as an individual

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and looking at what kind of communities do you want to live in?” She commends that students have taken the lead on making change at Burlingame by speaking out against unfair dress codes and creating @smuhsdawareness as a platform to advocate against discrimination. The issues of inequity connect back to the 2020 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury report titled “Hate@Schools--Opportunities Lost.” However, she notes that Burlingame has work to do. “There are a lot of marginalized students that are hurting, and they don’t speak out because they’re afraid of more harassment or discrimination,” Wolf-Noyes said. “I think there’s a lot of people at the school with a lot of privilege, and they want to do well, but they also are made uncomfortable when people are actually in the room telling them what the problems are.” Wolf-Noyes hoped that her own art installation would inspire students to channel their feelings into a piece of their own, and also show the “Go Panthers!” posters lining the hallways don’t reflect the feelings of everyone on campus.

Dasha coons BY ARSHIA CHAKRAVARTTI

Staff Reporter

Dasha Coons, a junior in AP 2-D Art and Design, made a piece for the social justice art project centered around the Burlingame community. Coons chose to not describe her piece in detail, for she wanted to keep anonymity, but she was vocal about the message she hoped to send. “My piece is a poster that’s meant to inspire people and let them know that we hear you, and we believe that BHS should be open to everyone, and that action should be taken, and it shouldn’t just be words,” Coons said. Coons was very excited about the project when it was first introduced, for she felt it was a chance for her

voice to actually be heard. She was eager to begin, but the planning and formulation of the piece took a considerable amount of time. “The idea came to me immediately, but the execution of it took a while to think about,” Coons said. Throughout the project, she learned that many people at Burlingame are willing to listen to student voices. However, she believes that translating student opinions into actions would be more impactful. “I think listening to the students of the school, rather than just making promises, and actually letting the students have a say in what happens at the school would be something that the school should do,” Coons said.

Isabella Song BY SOPHIA BELLA

Staff Reporter

Junior Isabella Song, an AP 2-D Art and Design student, created two free-hand marker drawings and a painting that features a rainbow Burlingame panther. “Our panther may be black on the flag, but to all of us, it’s rainbow,” Song said. “We’re all trying to support gender, race and culture.” Around the panther, Song wrote words including “fighters,” “intelligent,” “artists” and “dreamers” to describe the defining traits of students within the community. “I want people to see that we all have passions and we all shine,” Song said. Song was first motivated to create her art pieces by the lack of transparency she observed between students and staff. “There have been some [issues] going on [at BHS] that I don’t know about as a student, and I’m sure other people aren’t aware of,”

Song said. Through her work for the social justice art project, Song realized that many problems within the school community go unnoticed. “I assumed this place is safe because my friends are getting along, I’m doing fine and all the teachers are nice,” Song said. “But when I looked at all those stories, I was like, ‘Wow, this happened?’” Song believes that these issues are not exclusive to Burlingame. “In every high school, there’s going to be some issue going on that students and teachers may not be aware about,” Song said. When passing by the artworks on campus, Song hopes that people will take the messages to heart; only then can students support each other. “There are people in this school that have been struggling,” Song said. “It’s very critical that everyone be a friend to everyone else.”

Josie Fontana BY LEILANI DOUGHERTY

Staff Reporter

Josie Fontana, a junior in Advanced Art, focused on the controversy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, after being given free reign to portray any issue she saw fit. “I found that it was a big issue — we’re in a pandemic, and if you can get the vaccine, you probably should,” Fontana said. Fontana drew an image of Uncle Sam with a large caption adjacent reading: “We want you to get vaccinated.” “I chose to draw Uncle Sam because he’s a very patriotic figure and to kind of appeal to the audience,” Fontana said. “It’s almost a political statement in a way, so I thought it was a good way to get my point

across.” Fontana was hesitant about the project’s topics upon first introduction. “I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if it was OK for us to make these statements because a lot of them are really talking about touchy subjects,” Fontana said. Although she recognized there was not much Burlingame could do about resolving her specific topic, Fontana offered insight on rectifying other issues discussed in the art pieces. “It’s important to spread awareness about how to make students feel more safe in their learning environment,” Fontana said.

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Sports

November 9, 2021

Fall sports celebrate senior night

BY ISAAC BOSTONMAER

Sports Editor

In the last home game of the regular season, Burlingame’s sports teams share a tradition of having senior nights, where teams celebrate their seniors to reflect on their journey and impact on the team. The added experience seniors have compared to athletes in lower grade levels makes seniors often stand out as leaders in their specific sport, pushing their team to reach new heights. To return the favor, teams organize ceremonies for seniors to be recognized in what might be their last home game. This year’s senior nights are even more special as this is the first time since the winter season of 2020 that sports have been operating un-

Left: varsity cheerleaders Abby Koch, Ava Fornesi and Liv Cotton pose during the “pink out” varsity football game on Oct. 20. Right: senior water polo player Ella Guglielmi hugs teammate Gizel Ortiz during the team’s Oct. 26 matchup against Notre Dame-Belmont.

PHOTO BY MICHELLE MOSHKOVOY

Senior tennis players celebrate after a match against San Mateo on Thursday, Oct. 21.

“[Senior night] was a nice moment for reflection for how far we’ve come through our years of water polo,” senior and girls’ varsity water polo player MaryRose Canniffe said. Prior to Burlingame’s varsity football game against Half Moon Bay High School, which Burlingame lost by a score of 4241, seniors on the football team, cheer team and band celebrated their senior night. Seniors on the football team lined up in number order and were introduced and called up one by one to walk on the field with their families to take pictures. Members of the cheer team did the same, while senior members of the band

were announced on the speakers. Fans, friends and family in the crowd brought signs, posters and cut-out faces of seniors to cheer on and congratulate them. “[The team] thought [senior night] was fun. It’s a thing that everyone looked forward to,” senior and varsity football safety Carter St. Geme. Before the girls’ volleyball team beat Menlo-Atherton High School 3-1 on senior night, seniors were individually invited to walk the court with their families and take photos. The team’s non-senior members set up the event and provided the senior players with flowers, posters and gifts. Burlingame volleyball

Cheer squads prepare for annual Little Big Game Senior Reporter

Burlingame’s cheer team was diligently practicing in the weeks leading up to the Little Big Game, which took place on Nov. 6. The team even added an extra day of cheer practice and incorporated weight training to prepare for the showdown against rival San Mateo High School. “[There’s] a lot more conditioning,” sophomore and junior varsity captain Clara Velloso said. “I think it’s mostly so that we can get harder, more impressive looking stunts.” Each member of the cheer squad, including senior Ellie Chesnosky, did their part to succeed in practices leading up to

the performance. “Me and the rest of the team are all individually trying to get our endurance up so we can all have energy for the halftime show,” Chesnosky said. “I’m trying to be a very open, flexible teammate… and always [be] available and ready to go into the routine.” The junior varsity and varsity teams performed together, which is a unique part of this annual event, seeing as the squads usually perform separately at their corresponding football team’s games. This means that practicing together for the Little Big Game was an added layer onto their usually separate practices.

Cross country running until CCS

“We practiced every day, not only for our weekly football games, but for the Little Big Game as well. We included that [as] part of our practice so that junior varsity could work with us,” senior and varsity co-captain Ava Fornesi said. Seniors also reminisced about past cheer performances at the Little Big Game. “I remember when I was practicing with the varsity team when I was on junior varsity for the Little Big Game, and now I’m on varsity, and this is my last Little Big Game,” senior Christine Caufield said. “It’s definitely exciting too because I get to do a cheer routine with all of my best friends.”

Runners Ava Gonzalez and Minnoli Raghavan run a two-mile time trial on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at Burlingame. BY WALI CHAUDRY

Staff Reporter PHOTO BY KRISTIE KIM

Both cheer teams, varsity and junior varsity, practice their Little Big Game routine together on Wednesday, Oct. 27 after school.

has also maintained a tradition of having the team’s youngest member giving a speech about the impact of the team’s seniors. “[Senior night] was definitely bittersweet. A few of [us seniors] were talking about how we were tearing up during the speech,” senior Kristi Lee, captain of the girls’ varsity volleyball team, said. “We were really grateful.” Each team celebrates their seniors in different ways to show their thankfulness and gratitude. Seniors play a crucial role in a team’s environment and their performance, making it important to celebrate and recognize them.

PHOTO BY WALI CHAUDRY

BY KRISTIE KIM

PHOTO BY MATTINGLY GERMACK

Copy Editor

der regular circumstances. This season’s fall sports were football, water polo, cross country, cheer, girls’ volleyball, girls’ tennis and girls’ golf. The girl’s water polo team hosted Notre Dame-Belmont on senior night. They won by a score of 12-6, but the final score didn’t reflect the domination they imposed for all four quarters. After the game, seniors had a younger teammate give a short speech about what they have meant to them and the team as a whole. It was an emotional ceremony for the seniors, many of whom have been with the team from their Peninsula Athletic Division Ocean Division championship in 2019 to now ­— having been promoted to the Bay Division and being placed as the No. 5 seed in the Division II Central Coast Section playoffs.

PHOTO BY JAKE ROTHSTEIN

BY MATTINGLY GERMACK

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, Burlingame’s cross country team competed in their second meet of the season at Bedwell Bayfront Park. The boys’ varsity team placed sixth out of the 17 schools at the meet, while the girls placed seventh. At their first meet on Sept. 14, the boys received ninth place and the girls received fourth. Many of the runners on the team noticed individual improvements in their performance between the first and second meet. “I think I got 48th [in the first meet], but I got 38th in the last one,” freshman varsity runner Lucas Keeley said. “The second meet was better because I had been more prepared, which helped me push [my limits] harder and place higher.” Sophomore and varsity runner Evan Kim believes that the frequent practices and

workout planned by the coaches led him to success. “I know I improved by around ten places from the first to the second meet,” Kim said. “But what really helped me get there were the workouts in between the meets.” Coach Chris Coleman, along with the other four coaches, noted that these practices were strategically designed. “The workouts are written to help them progress,” coach Chris Coleman said. “It’s to help them become faster and stronger, and it looks like it’s working by the team’s improvement.” Coleman believes that while the workouts are helping the runners build endurance, it is ultimately their close community that will help them qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) meets. “The main strategy we’re using is teamwork,” Coleman said. “Because encouraging each other as a team will increase the runners’ overall score.”

Sports

November 9, 2021

Panthers head to the playoffs Girls’ water polo triumphs in league championship

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Girls’ tennis season ends in a smash PHOTO BY MATTINGLY GERMACK

DARIA BURNOSOVA

Staff Reporter

As the season draws to a close, the girls agree that although they won’t be on the court together, they have built a strong bond and will continue to talk to each other outside of school. “I’ve made good connections with [my teammates] and I think I will keep them after the season ends,” sophomore Elizabeth Diehl said.

Girls’ varsity volleyball wins Spikefest II tournament

Panther football eyes CCS playoffs

PHOTO BY DARIA BURNOSOVA

Junior Natalie Sullivan Wu throws a pass that led to junior Lily Hartley’s third of four goals against Notre Dame-Belmont on Tuesday, Oct. 26. age of over eight points a game. Boys’ water polo BY MATTINGLY GERMACK Burlingame’s roster is nearly The boy’s water polo team Copy Editor identical to last year’s, and the finished the year with a 2-8 reThe Burlingame girls’ water camaraderie players have built cord. They wrapped up their polo team finished their regular with one another has fueled season on Oct. 20 with a 22-6 season with a 12-1 record and their success. loss against Menlo-Atherton a Peninsula Athletic League Bay “We know exactly how each High School. Division championship, estab- other plays and how to commuThrough ups and down this lishing themselves as one of the nicate in the water, which helps season, the team remained debest teams in the Central Coast a lot,” senior Jojo Hamdan said. termined and hard-working. Section (CCS). The team appears to be in “I’m really proud of the efThe team’s trademark this prime position for a run at their fort we put in this year, even year has been their defensive first-ever CCS title; they will be when times were tough,” senior dominance, as they did not give the No. 5 seed in the Division II Sean Lennane said. up more than nine goals in any CCS playoffs and travel to HarThe team is looking forward game during the regular season. bor High School in Santa Cruz to next season and remains opThey outscored their opponents to play The Harker School-San timistic for the future. by 108 points, a staggering aver- Jose in the first round.

At one of their final games of the season on Thursday, Oct. 21, the girls’ tennis team won with a perfect score of 12-0 against San Mateo High School. As the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) individual commences and Central Coast Section (CCS) team competition approaches, the team is eager to qualify and make a run in the tournament. After being eliminated in the PAL Bay team tournament semi-final against Carlmont High School, the girls are keeping their heads up, and are still excited about gaining a valuable experience. The girls spent their next weeks preparing for the PAL individual tournaments the week of Nov. 1. After her final opponent withdrew due to illness, sophomore Mila Mulready won the tournament, allowing her to qualify for CSS. Coach Bill Smith is also optimistic for the games ahead. “We are in third place as of now, so going to the CCS is a flip of the coin. The girls are ready, and had a really good season,” Smith said.

Sophomore Mila Mulready recieves her opponent’s ball at the PAL individual singles tournament on Nov. 3

PHOTO BY MICHELLE MOSHKOVOY

BY ISAAC BOSTONMAER

Carter St. Geme said. “We’ve been working since the start of summer for these games, so I Burlingame’s varsity football think we’re ready.” has had a successful season, The Panthers ended their currently holding a 7-2 overall regular season with the record — 3-2 in league games. highly-anticipated Little Big Burlingame’s triumphant Game, against long-time season guaranteed the team rival San Mateo High School. a spot in the Central Coast Burlingame has won the last 11 Section (CCS) playoffs, but Little Big Games against San official rankings and schedules Mateo High School, creating will be determined shortly after anticipation amongst players to the regular season formally keep the streak alive. ends. “We want to keep [The “We feel very prepared [for Paw]. San Mateo is having a the CCS playoffs]. We know good season, but we have plans what we need to do in the next to keep our streak going. I couple weeks, and we know we think we share a goal, as a class, need to stay focused,” senior to never lose to San Mateo,” St. and varsity football safety Geme said prior to the game.

Sports Editor

Girls’ golf reflects on season and looks to future The girls’ volleyball program honored seniors Kristi Lee, Keegan Boyse, Emma Madden and Kristen Condon prior to their game against Menlo-Atherton on Oct. 27. BY MICHELLE MOSHKOVOY

Head Photographer

Girls’ varsity volleyball has had a successful regular season (21-6 overall record) and are looking to carry that momentum into Central Coast Section (CCS) competition as the No. 1 seed in Division III. The Panthers have triumphed in ten of their last 11 games — five of those wins came on Saturday, Oct. 16 in 13 hours of game-play, where they took first place in the gold bracket of the annual Spikefest II Tournament. Featuring 48 teams, the Panthers rolled through early brack-

et play against Hill-San Jose and Homestead-Cupertino at Milpitas High School. They then defeated Branham-San Jose, who entered the tournament with a 18-1 record, in the quarterfinals. Making their way to Independence High School for the semi-finals, Burlingame defeated a top-10 ranked CCS team in Los Gatos, and finally, Lowell-San Francisco — who eliminated them in the 2019 NorCal playoffs — to clinch the championship. “It felt like relief to go through five tough matches, three really tough opponents and then

at the end of the day come out successful on top,” head coach Nick Monroe said. “Having that in our trophy case, per se, and getting that first place definitely builds confidence for playoffs.” With players arriving at 6:45 a.m. and their last match ending just before 9 p.m., the Panthers had to dig deep. “It was just like, pull every last bit of energy out of your body and keep fighting. Not for yourself, but for the team as a whole. As long as we could keep on doing that, we would get through it,” junior middle blocker Eliza Sharp said.

BY ARSHIA CHAKRAVARTTI for golf,” head coach Traci Kreppel said. Staff Reporter Through their matches, the The girls’ golf season has team continued to gain more come to an end, but their tri- knowledge about the sport. umphs have not gone unno“We definitely learned from ticed. Throughout the season, each other a lot and helped each the team has exhibited strength other too, because there are defiand camaraderie. nitely more experienced players “Just practicing together as a on the team, but I think that we team, we’ve really learned from definitely improved as a whole,” each other throughout the sea- Thompson said. son, and we were definitely The team has high hopes for strengthened,” junior Lindsey the next season. Thompson said. “I think we can do a lot better One of the greatest successes next season, and hopefully we that the golf team saw this sea- win some more matches and do son was the immense interest in better in [the Peninsula Athletic joining the team. League games],” sophomore El“We had the highest number lie Dowd said. of girls that have ever tried out

Opinion

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November 9, 2021

Mural, mural, on the wall, is it needed after all? BY THE BURLINGAME B EDITORIAL BOARD

Walking through the hallway, the mural blends in with the taupe walls — at least what you can see of the 1930s relic under leadership’s posters. But first impressions matter. And in 2021, this is a startling first impression of Burlingame. Moving down the hallway to the right are two more of Pawla’s paintings. The first is of a Mexican man donning a sombrero and poncho, standing next to a donkey. Further right is a larger painting, depicting six ships of conquistadors sailing the Atlantic Ocean with the Flag of Castile and León flying high. All of these art pieces bear no specific significance to the high school, but rather represent foundational moments in U.S. history. As we continue to

Directly through the front entrance of the A Building hallway hangs a 68-foot mural painted by English artist Frederick Pawla, commissioned by the Works Progress Administration in 1929 and gifted to Burlingame High School. The painting portrays manifest destiny — the justification of U.S. expansion westward due to its ‘obvious’ destiny to stretch the length of the continent. Pawla illustrates Indigenous peoples on their homeland, settlers heading west and conquistadors sailing in from Spain. The settlers and conquistadors, albeit two centuries apart, both move west with hopes of conquering Indigenous land for themselves.

unravel the truths of history, one thing is certain — Pawla’s art pieces promote a narrative of colonialism and white saviorism. They glorify white settlers and Spanish conquistadors who committed murder, exploitation and forcible relocation. In the past year, Burlingame has made an effort to reform campus culture following the publication of the 2020 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Report,“Hate@Schools--Oppourtunities Lost.” In fact, a unity mural headed by the Black Student Union was painted on the outside of the D Building in May 2021. Additionally, a replica of the Emancipation Proclamation and other Black history documents are showcased directly across from the mural.

Even though students barely even notice the mural, the effort our school has made to create a more inclusive environment is counteracted by nearly 68 feet of white saviorism along the outside of the auditorium. Our school has also made efforts to implement a more diverse and representative curriculum. U.S. history classes are having discussions about monuments, even proposing new ones that portray underrepresented parts of our history. The U.S. government classes are debating the mural and if it should be hung in our hallway. But teaching does not end when students exit the doors of the classroom; it continues in our hallways, in our courtyards and on our walls. Currently, on

our walls, we are teaching our students to venerate a symbol of colonialism and conquest. While colonialism and imperialism are certainly a part of our history, having the painting in our school does not help create a more empathetic and understanding community. If anything, these murals celebrate a legacy of hatred, violence and injustice. Though logistical uncertainties lie in the way of taking down the mural, we need to have a conversation about what it signifies and what we can do to rectify its message. Our school cannot move forward and create an inclusive environment if we turn a blind eye to outdated sentiments. So the conversation starts now. PHOTO BY LEXI GOLDSTEIN

PHOTO BY LEXI GOLDSTEIN

PHOTO BY LEXI GOLDSTEIN

The A Building showcases four art pieces by Frederick Pawla, including one 68-foot mural representing manifest destiny (seen left, center) and another with conquistadors filled ships (seen right).

Senior Reporter

Here’s the thing: Burlingame students don’t wash their hands enough. The CDC suggests that hand-washing should last at least 20 seconds under lukewarm water. In bathrooms on campus, that’s not the norm — it could be because of the ice-cold water and low water pressure. People cannot always be trusted to keep their hands clean. So why should they be trusted to be COVID-19-safe without the vaccine? High school students are a lot worse than average people when it comes to cleanliness. According to KidsHealth, teenagers begin to develop more oil in both the skin and hair, their sweat glands start producing more sweat and hormones begin to create more hair… everywhere. Everyday at school, hundreds of kids touch the same doorknobs, use the same sinks in the restrooms and sit at the same desks. It’s hard to maintain a perfectly sanitized school with almost 1,500 students on campus. Additionally, proper social distancing is unattainable at

most hours of the day, especially during passing periods where herds of kids push up against one another. Not only would the vaccine protect students in highrisk situations like these, but it would protect staff members and teachers as well. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, teenagers are typically not as affected by COVID-19 symptoms as adults. However, with the new delta variant, which is more contagious than its counterparts, crowded environments like schools have become at-risk zones. Additionally, some students may live in a household with an immunocompromised or high-risk family member. A 2018 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 3.3 million schoolaged children live with senior citizens, a demographic more susceptible to COVID-19. The data also showed, senior citizens make up more than half of the COVID-19 cases in the United States. The vaccine is safe, painless and protects against a disease that has killed millions. Why wait for the worst when you can proactively prevent it?

Why isn’t school dismissed on Indigenous Peoples’ Day? BY AMANDA NOLAN

Staff Reporter

We commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor the history, culture and bravery of the first Americans — a celebration deserving of school dismissal — yet Congress has not declared it a federal holiday. Around 600 diverse tribes resided on now United States territory peacefully until foreign empires arrived; they were greedy Europeans searching for wealth, trying to spread Christianity and looking to start a new life in the New World. In 1492, the Indigenous peoples’ lives were changed forever. Previously known as Columbus Day, it is now widely celebrated as Indigenous People’s Day — rightfully so. Growing up, I learned that Christopher Columbus was the man who discovered my country. I was taught he was a brave man, a hero of sorts... But that’s completely false. Christopher Columbus was a navigator who exploited American land — home of the Indigenous — to earn profit and merit from European rulers. Columbus should not have the honor of being nationally recognized every year; we should instead solely refer to it Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Throughout the school year, we have nine federal holidays off, but Indigenous Peoples’ day is not one of them. The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) does not pause instruction for this crucial day

We are the American People

of American history, which honors our country’s original people. As a student, I am not writing this because I want a day off of school — I am writing this because our District can acknowledge this day. Indigenous people are the first Americans. Why are they not recognized and acknowledged like our veterans and politicians today? Veteran’s Day is a federal holiday that our District dismisses school for. I commemorate veterans for their bravery and sacrifice for our country, but what about our natives’ resilience? Their land was encroached on by Europeans, their family members died from disease carried from Europe and they lost their freedom; still, 4.5 million of them are around today. This history is deserving of recognition. We celebrate Veterans Day to honor our troops and the victims of World War I. We celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor our original Americans who were subjugated by imperialism. By no means do I want to devalue the importance of either of these holi-

GRAPHIC BY AMANDA NOLAN

BY JULIANNA OLIVER

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK

The “so what” of the COVID-19 vaccine

days; I only ask why both holidays do not generate time off from school. What makes one of these holidays more deserving of a day off than the other? Is it because American society has a hard time acknowledging that the first people of America were not white? White Americans have proved throughout history that they believed they were the dominant race. During Andrew Jackson’s term as president, he proclaimed the Removal Act of 1830, which forced the “Five Civilized Tribes,” out of state borders, westward to allow room for white settlement in Mississippi. Jackson hoped to separate the Indigenous tribes and protect the white civilization. Their declared supremacy dehumanized Indigenous Americans, creating systematic racism. I cannot say that America has not progressed, because it has, but if we can acknowledge Indigenous People as the first Americans, our country can be accountable for our prejudice against them.

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Entertainment

November 9, 2021

Netflix impresses with slew of foreign shows

SQUID GAME

MONEY HEIST

BY ISAAC BOSTONMAER

BY DARIA BURNOSOVA

Sports Editor

“Squid Game,’’ a riveting South Korean drama and thriller television series, quickly became one of the most successful foreign shows on Netflix after its release on Sept. 17. “Squid Game” is about a secret organization that finds and invites impoverished citizens to participate in children’s games for money. However, the children’s games each have a deadly spin, making it a fight for survival. There are 456 players, each worth 100 million won ($85,134.64 USD), accumulating a pot of 45.6 billion won (38,604,508.56 USD) — a sum given to the game’s last person standing. Some of the games played include Red Light, Green Light and Tug-OfWar, each with their own violent twists that resulted in gruesome deaths. This series helps shed more light on foreign shows and emphasizes open-mindedness towards another world of television in American households. The South Korean series received a stunning 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1/10 on IMDb, both incredibly high ratings to receive. The show was the first Korean series to reach #1 in Netflix’s U.S. charts. The show also reached #1 on Netflix in 94 different countries (CNN). According to Netflix, “Squid Game” has reached 142 million of its platform’s users in only a month, making the show Netflix’s most successful foreign series, thus far. The popularity surrounding the show makes it hard to not know about the series. “Squid Game” reviews, memes and opinions have been flooding social media and the internet recently. The show’s success is unsurprising. The intriguing plot and interesting characters have contributed to the high ratings and viewers. The competitive plotline engaged viewers, as they rooted for likable characters and rooted against the troublemakers. People who have not yet watched the Korean hit, “Squid Game,’’ are missing out on an incredible series that has broken records for foreign shows and can stream it on Netflix.

LUPIN

Arséne Lupin

BY ALEX KELLY

Staff Reporter

Webmaster

“Money Heist” is a foreign Netflix show, also known as “La Casa de Papel.” The show first aired on the Spanish network, Antenna, in 2017 and is still a hit. With a total of five parts, “Money Heist” is spread out into three seasons. Throughout all the seasons, the show focuses on battling the police on the outside and keeping the hostages inside. The first season, or parts one and two, is focused on the Royal Mint heist. The second season, parts three and four, is focused on breaking into the Bank of Spain. The third season, or the fifth part, focuses on the end of the robber’s journey and closes with a cliffhanger, which will be resolved in the release of new episodes in December. The narrator, Silene Oliveira, also known as Tokyo, is present throughout the show to broaden the audience’s perspective. Viewers are able to connect to the show through Tokyo’s narration, establishing a deeper connection to characters and feeling as though they are inside the heist themselves. The mastermind behind these heists is “the Professor,’’ who insisted on his and the robbers’ identities remaining anonymous to each other to ensure that personal connections would not impede their heist. Every robber was instructed to pick out a city to be their alias, as Silene (Tokyo) did. The directors of “Money Heist” wanted it to be a global hit, so characters were assigned cities from across the globe to allow for greater worldwide publicity and viewings. Although the show originally aired in Spanish, it is dubbed in other languages including French, Polish, Brazilian, Portuguese and English. The various language alternatives contributed to its success as one of the most-watched Netflix shows in the world. Complex love stories and highly detailed sets were also highlights of the show, for director Alex Pin believes that “if the writers are excited, the audience will be as well.” With the help of dedicated actors and directors, “Money Heist” is an impactful and climatic show that garners interest from all over the globe.

“Lupin” is a French mystery-thriller series on Netflix about a benevolent criminal, Assane Diop (Omar Sy), who lives by the code of the 1940s Arsene Lupin books, which chronicle the tales of a gentleman thief. This series feels like a cross between “Robin Hood” and “Ocean’s 11” because the audience is constantly on the edge of their seat with incredibly intricate escapes. The heists and investigations that Assane puts on may make you anxious, but they will also excite you as you hurl towards the outcome of each episode. The show does not waste any time getting into the exciting points either, as the first episode is a full-scale heist of a Louvre auction. In the series, Assane sets out to avenge false accusations against his father by catching Mr. Pellegrini, the man who framed his father for the theft of diamonds. To track down the diamonds and find those responsible for the framing, Assane assumes many different identities to evade chasing police and Pellegrini’s henchmen. Through his exploits, Assane struggles to reconcile with his wife and son, who left him because of his dangerous profession. The perspective of a different country helps not only to enjoy another culture but also learn about the world outside of the U.S. The show grapples with some of the racism seen in France, which helps the viewer understand the world-scale of these issues. The French setting and language also elevate the series and make for perhaps some of the best moments. The series predominantly takes place in Paris, and the cinematography makes the series feel totally different from traditional American television. The most important thing when watching is that you watch the show in its original language, French, because nothing can top the actor’s original performance or Omar Sy’s deep voice. If you’re looking for a thriller series that will keep your eyes glued to the screen, then there is no better option on Netflix than Lupin — even if you have to read subtitles.

A taste test of Burlingame’s fall coffee drinks

BY JACKSON SPENNER

Senior Reporter

During the fall, chain coffee shops add their spin on seasonal flavors. In Burlingame, the top competitors are Starbucks and Peet’s, both who announced their own beverages on August 25, 2021. With pumpkin spice season rolling around, our staffers set out to review these coffee drinks on Burlingame Avenue and find out, once and for all, if pumpkin spice and everything nice lives up to the hype.

more unique and abstract flavor profile, but it tastes exactly like one would imagine: maple syrup mixed with coffee. Although delicious flavors, it was agreed that maple syrup is best left for pancakes and waffles, not espresso. Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, or, as many refer to it, the PSL, is a classic. While it does not taste anything like a pumpkin, the drink has come to define fall with its combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and, most notably, sugar. The coffee isn’t spectacular — and the flavors don’t blow anyone away — but it screams autumn. Peets’ Pumpkin Latte

The pumpkin offering from Peet’s has a more mild flavor than its Starbucks counterpart. This pumpkin latte is less sweet and not nearly as artificial-tasting, but also doesn’t taste as warm and cozy. While the coffee and spices leave no complaints, our reporters were not blown away by Peet’s pumpkin latte. Peets’ Maple Latte Peets’ Maple Latte offers a

Starbucks’ Apple Crisp Macchiatto The Apple Crisp Macchiato has the most pungent aroma of apple candy mixed with mediocre espresso — and, sadly, it tastes like it too. Our staffers agree that the Apple Crisp Macchiato missed the mark, as it is overly sweet and a poor combination of autumnal flavors.

Student Life

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PREPARING FOR BY JAKE ROTHSTEIN

Staff Reporter

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On Nov. 12, the first live performance of “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” will take place, following a 19-month production hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After two online productions during the 2020-2021 school year, in-person rehearsals and performances are a significant ad-

Puffs cast and crew rehearse on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

November 9, 2021

PUFFS

vancement for the theater community on campus. “It’s just so much more important to be here together, creating theater together in this live space,” drama teacher and director Cindy Skelton said. “Zoom was so difficult because you don’t get a response from the audience. It’s really difficult to play off of the other actors and get their energy because it’s just a flat screen.” All aspects of production, including the crew, are back to a sense of normalcy. The 20-person crew is in charge of everything from costumes to sound and lights. “My responsibilities are making sure that everything in the show is running smoothly,” senior and stage manager Mia Knight said. “Making sure that the actors know where they need to go and what they’re supposed to be doing … that all the props are where they need to be, [and coordinating] costumes, lights and sound effects.” On the acting side of the production, senior Kate Christian, who plays Megan, began theater in fourth grade and became involved in Burlingame’s productions at the start of her freshman year. One of

her favorite parts of the theater is the tight-knit community. “I like being with the other people in the cast. They’re a really nice set of people, and I like being able to do scenes and act with them and just kind of generally hang out with them,” Christian said. Sophomore Georgia Birchall, who recently joined high school theater, agrees with Christian on the uniquely close community. “I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It’s really fun and Ms. Skelton is great. She supports all of us, and it’s just such a great time, and we have loads of fun doing it,” Birchall said. “It’s a great environment to be in.” Since Oct. 18, the actors have been phasing off-book, which brings on new logistical difficulties at dress rehearsals beginning on Nov. 3. “Just as they’re getting their lines, we throw in props, lighting and microphones. So there’s a lot of challenging steps along the way,” Skelton said. Performances will take place in the Burlingame amphitheater on Nov. 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21. Tickets are free for all Burlingame students, but theater occupancy is limited to 50% due to the ongoing pandemic and safety concerns. To prebook tickets, head to bhspanthertheater.org.

The creation of Burlingame’s dance team

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Burlingame has long watched other schools’ dance teams during games, but this year, the Dance Club is hoping to become the school’s official dance team. In 2019, there were two separate dance clubs preparing for the cultural assembly, where students from each grade participated in a dance show. Shortly after merging into one club, however, practices and performances were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in their senior year, co-captains Emiko Andaya and Mari Zuniga Ramos worked on transitioning away from a club. Although school administrators were initially hesitant to fund the budding team, the captains held auditions and secured a performance at the Spirit Week dance competition (for the juniors and seniors) and on Nov. 3 and the Little Big Game on Nov. 6. “Right now, we’re trying to show the school that we have something to offer,” second-year member and junior Emily Zeng said. “Then, we’ll slowly bring [the team] up and hopefully get more support. The school can’t really help us yet, and we have to do fundraising ourselves.” Due to a lack of financial resources and a facility, the team practices in empty areas of campus after class or during lunch based on members’ availability. “We don’t even have a mirror,” first-year member and ju-

nior Kaitlin Lim said, “and renting one is really expensive. So it can be hard to prepare or get approval for some of the events that we’re hoping to do.” Even so, commitment is not an issue for Dance Team members. They bring energy and enthusiasm as they prepare for upcoming events. Within the past month, they have found choreographies, memorized formations and worked on synchronization. The small time frame made the preparation stressful but rewarding, members reported. “I’ve never been trained professionally,” Zeng said. “It was mostly a hobby, but I wanted to try out something more serious in freshman year, and dance club helped me get into it. You can tell I didn’t know how to be a good dancer at my first performance. Now, I really enjoy it and understand it better.” Similar to Zeng, some other members of the Dance Team only had the opportunity to dance privately as a hobby before they found the developing team at Burlingame. Through the team, members explore a variety of genres, such as K-pop and hip-hop. “The purpose is more than just dance — it’s a fun community that builds friendships and bonds over the same experience,” Emily said. “When auditions open again, I encourage people to try out. You’ll make lots of great memories.”

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Staff Reporter

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BY ISABEL LIU

The Dance Club represented the junior and senior classes for the friendly dance competition during the Little Big Game spirit week on Wednesday, Oct. 3.