Senior Issue 2024

What’s Inside:

THE May 23, 2024

3 Retiring staff

4 Summer plans

6/7 Senior map

12 Prom night

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

Issue 7 Vol 134

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May 23, 2024

News

Scholar in the arts

Students face FAFSA delays

Cheng selected as U.S. Presidential Scholar PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAUREN CHENG

GRAPHIC BY EMMA YU

BY CONNIE LU

Staff Reporter

Imagine you got into your dream school — you celebrate with family and friends, hang a pennant in your room, buy a hoodie. But then you realize: You still don’t know if you can afford to attend. That’s the situation many seniors nationwide face every year, but the sense of limbo is exacerbated this year as delays with the revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) have left students without confirmed financial aid packages.

In theory, this FAFSA rework promised many new improvements, like a new Student Aid Index, expanding access to the Federal Pell Grant, fewer questions and automatic data exchange with the IRS. But when October 1, 2023 — the usual date the FAFSA opens — came around, the office of Federal Student Aid announced that students would have to wait until January 1, 2024, to start filling out the forms — another three months.

Even when the FAFSA came out, College and Career Advisor Jonathan Dhyne still noticed issues.

“When it came out on January 1, there were glitches and errors,” Dhyne said. “When it worked, it was really smooth, but it was not working as much as it was working.”

For one senior, who remained anonymous given the sensitivity of the issue, the application process was smooth for the most part, though they did face glitches.

“The actual process of filling it out and putting in all the information was very quick,” the anonymous source said. “It was probably 45 minutes that my mom and I sat down and did it together.”

Unfortunately, the student faced delays when they attempted to submit the new FAFSA. “The biggest issue was the fact it wouldn’t allow me to give my signature which then we weren’t allowed to correct for two to three months, which meant that they couldn’t send out our form to any of my schools.

I couldn’t start getting things back [from] them,” the anonymous source said.

Due to the fact that various other financial aid programs depend on the FAFSA for its information, deadlines for state-specific financial aid, like California’s Cal Grant program, got pushed back, leaving colleges with an unrealistic turnaround time for financial aid packages.

“Because [Cal Grant] kept getting pushed back, the financial aid applicants were not getting to the students’ colleges, and the colleges were not able to process the applications and get students their financial aid packages,” Dhyne said.

While some colleges pushed back their commit-by deadlines to mid-May, many still required commitments by the usual May 1 deadline. “[In] my situation, I’m sure a lot of seniors [as well], [the FAFSA delays] kind of forced them to make a decision blind, not fully knowing how much aid they would receive and how much it would actually cost to them and their families, which definitely makes the decision a lot more difficult than it already is,” the anonymous source said.

Nonetheless, one major benefit of the reworked FAFSA is that it helps reduce the awkward conversations with parents about their finances. The new FAFSA process hide parents’ financial information from students.

While the FAFSA has caused many problems, the anonymous source said they still consider it a vital resource for the college application process.

“At least for my situation, I’m sure a lot of other people’s situations, they do rely on financial aid for college,” the anonymous source said. “So filling out with the possibility of getting any sort of aid or grant is always worthwhile for people in that position.”

Cheng was joined by Rep. Kevin Mullin and Principal Jen Fong at a ceremony recognizing her.

BY JOSIE WETTAN

Staff Reporter

In May, senior Lauren Cheng was recognized for her artwork by not one, but two, branches of the federal government. She was selected as a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of twenty high school seniors to recieve the designation. Cheng also won the District 15 Congressional Art Competition, meaning her piece advocating against gun violence will hang in the U.S. Capitol building for a year.

Cheng’s journey to becoming a Presidential Scholar began in the fall when she applied to the YoungArts competition. With

her pieces focused on social activism, Cheng won an award with distinction and was invited to an exclusive program in Miami.

There, she worked in a design cohort and was one of sixty students in the program nominated for her skills as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. From there, she completed a lengthy application, and after anxiously waiting for the results, found out she was selected.

“I had a dream the night before that I won. [...Then] I had checked my email and I was really surprised that first of all, it came out right after I had my dream, and then second that I

got [selected]”, Cheng said. “I knew I had a pretty good chance [of being selected] but there’s so much anticipation it just felt super surreal, and I definitely happy cried with my parents.”

In the fall, Cheng plans to major in design at a more traditional school. No matter what she does, however, Cheng knows design will always be a part of her life.

“I would say everything I do always comes back to design and that’s how I think, that’s how I observe the world,” Cheng said.

“So I think no matter what I do, no matter what field I’m going into, there’s always going to be a place for a design brain.”

Letter from the editors It is a well-known fact that high school is cliquey. But as the class of 2024 experienced firsthand, that tendency — to find your people and stick to them — was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our middle school friends became our high school cliques; our breakout rooms turned into our lunch tables. Before we had a chance to figure out who we were, we had already made up our minds.

The academic intensity of Burlingame made it even harder for us to break out of our pre-established circles. Based on their academic decisions, students self-selected into classes with similar, like-minded peers. As a result, the same subset of 50 students enrolled in Advanced

Placement classes isolated themselves.

But as journalists, while the rest of the school remained on Zoom, we were reporting. Before we even knew what our comfort zone was, journalism forced us to move outside of it. And once on campus, journalism ensured that we kept expanding our horizons. As we reported on sports, clubs and classes, we built relationships that translated beyond journalism, into nods in the hallways and people we relied on.

In the process, we discovered just how awesome the people at this school are. Over the course of just this year, our staff interviewed combat robot engineers, puzzle hunters, nail art entrepreneurs, young software de-

velopers, rhythmic gymnasts, and competitive figure skaters.

In that way, we hope our paper served as a small window into the diverse and inspiring lives of the Burlingame community.

Put simply, journalism taught us just how much we were missing and just how much Burlingame had to offer if only we braved the world outside of our friend groups. But we also learned that you don’t need to be a journalist to talk to new people, ask questions and engage in the community — you just need to make an effort.

Best,

Elise and Jake

May 23, 2024

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News

Cherished staff retire PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG PHOTO BY ABBY KNIGHT

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Staff Reporter

Ottoboni: Feeding kids, day in and day out Nutrition Services Lead Vicki Ottoboni will retire at the end of this semester after a long career that took her far beyond Burlingame’s cafeteria. Ottoboni worked at Aragon High School for three and a half years before joining Burlingame for 11 years.

It wasn’t the food and nutrition aspect of the cafeteria job at Aragon that originally caught Ottoboni’s eye.

“At first I did it for the convenience of being a mom and being able to drop my kids off at school and pick them up and have them not know that I was even gone,” Ottoboni said.

Over time, the atmosphere and challenge became

what she loved about her job.

“I liked the fast pace, I liked working with the students and also just learning how to create meals in a production setting. And what I mean by that is lots of numbers.

[Instead of] just making a salad or a sandwich, you make 20 or 30 or 50 at a time,” Ottoboni said.

Ottoboni plans to live in Sacramento part-time with her husband and devote more attention to her hobbies.

“I’m an active person so I want to exercise more, I want to bike ride. I love to craft and I want to take some photography classes and just do…more, more stuff for me and [my husband], along with travel,” Ottoboni said.

Robie: A student and teacher of the world After 32 years of teaching — 21 of them at Burlingame — Spanish teacher Kent Robie will retire at the end of the semester. A Bay Area native, Robie taught Spanish at Oakland High School and Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, teaching all levels of Spanish from Spanish 1 to Advanced Placement Spanish throughout his career.

Although Robie grew up in a “teaching” household with a father who taught high school, teaching Spanish wasn’t what he envisioned for his career. However, Spanish and Latin American studies have fascinated Robie ever since he started taking Spanish in seventh grade.

“I had a very inspiring middle school teacher, and I

went with her and my seventh or eighth grade class on a trip to Mexico City. And that was the first time I really got a taste of being in another country and it really just lit a fire,” Robie said.

Robie is excited to begin new adventures and spend more time in Mexico City.

“I want to take art classes, I want to take watercolor classes, I’ve done a whole list of all the things I want to do. I want to take classes on whatever. I want to meet new people, I want to travel. I’ve been to 15 countries but I’ve never been to Asia, I’ve never been to Africa, and I really want to go,” Robie said.

PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG

Rumbaugh: A lifelong community partner Heather Rumbaugh, Burlingame’s School Resource Officer (SRO), is saying farewell after eight years in this role and 27 years within the Burlingame Police Department. As an SRO, Rumbaugh doesn’t just work with the high school; she serves all 12 schools — public and private — in the city.

For Rumbaugh, being an SRO isn’t just about enforcing the law; it’s about fostering relationships and providing support to the community.

“I’m here as a community partner. I’m here to help staff, teachers, kids when they have anything like a police-related incident,” Rumbaugh said.

On Burlingame’s campus, Rumbaugh bridges the gap between law enforcement and education.

“I have gone into classrooms and taught lessons about law,” she said, highlighting her commitment to proactive engagement with youth.

In retirement, Rumbaugh plans to savor the simple joys of life, like enjoying her coffee without rushing and taking on adventures, including traveling to the national parks.

With fond memories of school dances and bonding with staff, Rumbaugh leaves behind a legacy of service, dedication and genuine care for her community.

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Summer Plans

May 23, 2024

Students explore passions over break

By Josie Wettan and Brendan Gilmore, Staff Reporters

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Evie Scott | Camp Counselor

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After years of attending the Firefly Song sleepaway camp in Vermont as a camper, junior Evie Scott will be returning this summer as a counselor. The camp specializes in outdoor activities such as hiking or canoeing and gives both campers and counselors the opportunity to unplug and enjoy a slower pace of life. “[The camp is] very freeing. There’s no comment on people’s appearances at all, which is really nice to just be able to sort of let go [of] that,” Scott said. “But you’re not allowed to have phones or anything and it’s very isolated, it’s very differ-

ent from living in Burlingame. It’s a very grounding experience.”

Before the camp begins, Scott will have to go through around three weeks of staff training, during which she will attain her Wilderness First Aid certification and learn how to work with different age groups of kids. At camp, she hopes to not only learn from her fellow counselors but also connect with her campers.

“I want to gain experience in working with kids and being able to take care of people and solve their problems and stuff,” Scott said.

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Erik Yun | Intern at SFO Airport

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Junior Erik Yun has always had a passion for aviation and dreamed of working in the industry. As a stepping stone to achieve that goal, he will be interning this summer at San Francisco International Airport.

“I am excited to learn just how the airport runs. Because you only see like a small layer of how the airport actually works. So being able to be like in the backfield, truly seeing [how] everything works will be really cool,” Yun said.

Yun learned to love aviation from his grandfather, who also has a long-held

fascination with planes. While Yun is excited to learn more about the industry in general, he hopes specifically to build connections to further his opportunities in the industry — and tell his grandfather about everything.

“I’m definitely hoping to make new friends when I go there and have bigger connections. I think connections is probably going to be the biggest thing I really want to come out of this [internship with], because they’ll be able to help me pursue a true job in aviation,” Yun said.

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Rosemary Conant | Rising Actress

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For six weeks this summer, sophomore Rosemary Conant will be attending a pre-college acting program at Carnegie Mellon University. Conant has participated in musicals and plays throughout middle and high school and hopes to bring back the lessons learned through the summer program to the Burlingame theater program.

“I think [this program will] help me all around for theater, I think the more you do it, and the more you’re involved with it, the better you are,” Conant said. “[I just want to] be inspired, improve my

skills and make friends.”

When researching acting programs, Carnegie Mellon stood out to Conant compared to acting in the local Bay Area shows due to the program’s exploratory nature, which she hopes will solidify her interest in acting as a career.

“In a lot of the videos that I watched [about the program], it [said], ‘this program really helped me figure out what I wanted to do,’” Conant said. “I definitely want theater to be part of my life, but being able to really lock into theater, this will help me figure that out.”

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Kyle Weitzman | EMS Photographer

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In recent years, sophomore Kyle Weitzman has cultivated an interest in photography and emergency medical services (EMS). Although the two might seem mutually exclusive, Weitzman found a way to combine them: taking photographs of first responders in action.

Although Weitzman has sporadically photographed emergency services over this school year, finding time for photography is challenging with the hustle and bustle of academics. This summer, Weitzman plans to dedicate multiple days a week to the hobby, relying on a radio app

to inform him of emergencies that occur locally.

Weitzman often gifts the photos to the responders and says their priceless reaction makes it worthwhile. “[The first responders are] in shock.

They love the photos,” said Weitzman.

“I…tell them not to worry about [payment]. Them putting themselves in front of everyone else when they’re working is their payment in my eyes.”

Weitzman hopes to continue providing photos to first responders and to have fun with the project as a whole.

May 23, 2024

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Advice and Shout-outs

Senior words of wisdom

Providing useful advice for underclassmen

your AP ing for] y d e u t s t really th “[Star because , e h ly t r a , t e tha tests get on u u o o y y r e essed soon less str p a ls fina are as proach.” p ap - Tori H

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“It’s o kay to take a can’t r b un on empty, reak. You if you n so it’s eed to okay recharg consta nt e - Finn ly be working and not .”

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actice to skip pr id a fr a e b home“DoRnK’t o your d Y E to F F CA work.” erky - Ike Caff

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Shout-out to our teachers

BY EMMA YU

Staff Reporter

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“Prioritiz e your sleep, if a ctivity] in lf e s r [an in u o terferes rse y e m s le with yo im t e s p y ju , d t n h a “Reall ur e n n someg you ca rt, thing nee o h PH s is everythin e ds to if things. L at change.” h w o d try new t, ol’s shor - Nate T high scho appy.” eitelbau h u m o y s e mak ah r ll o H x - Ale BAU M

“Be o p ers, a en-minded nd d towar on your assum ’t reduce ds othN O ption t LS s abo hem to ut th and em, you makin ’ll end u p g un e ed fri ends” xpect- Sylv ie Ol son

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“Be you with rs e friends b to h best of elf and just m c a e dif[t ake the “Don’t r ave to act h u o y er mak hings] and do t a es w people th someth you happy, ev hatevround.” ing stu en if it’s ferently a e pid. S things an ome do - Hank L ways fin suck but you times d can al- Marin the light.” a Perry

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“Make sure you’re not taking too many classes that you can’t handle, just so your mental health is all okay.”

- Brody Kelley

ool he sch o t t n e ev yt every on’t tr “Go to ke dances. D art of the p li hosts, it’s lame, it’s e, just go t nc say tha ool experie h c high s .” ve fun and ha Larkin n - Gavi

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“Play a spo you try a rt ... It really h nd estab e lish a sch lps for your edule self and hav of struc ture out e some kind side of itself.” school - Stella Wettan

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From: Junior Caitlyn Siu To: Jennifer Crook To: Jim Chin To: Jennifer Feldis

From: Junior Ella Daudel To: Celine Perry Professor Perry put an incredible amount of effort into both planning and executing the Italian Exchange trip this year. This trip not only drastically increased my already present love and passion for the culture and language but also changed me as a person. I am so thankful to her for giving us the opportunity to see what lies beyond our hometown and undergo such an incredible journey in our high school careers.

I can’t imagine how much time and effort she had to put in for us to experience that and she deserves the world.

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Let’s face it — we all have favorite teachers. Although staff at Burlingame is exceptional, some have truly gone above and beyond in helping us understand concepts, fostering a welcoming environment and making classes enjoyable. As the year comes to a close, students reflect on their experiences with a few outstanding teachers. The following responses have been edited for readability.

From: Sophomore Emily Meng To: Jim Chin Mr. Chin knows his content very well. He’s very into Gen Z stuff like anime; he got me into the anime “Spy x Family.” I learned a lot about history and how to be in an Advanced Placement class from Mr. Chin.

It was really nice to have him as a teacher because there was a lot of support, and we could talk to him after class if we needed help.

From: Junior Sofia Crosina To: Michael Ferguson To: Tim Larkin To: Annie Miller Mr. Ferguson helped me appreciate the English language, and his stories always captivated us before class started. Mr. Larkin’s class was never dull and he always told me to be proud and sure of myself.

Ms. Miller is kind and lively, and cares a lot about her students’ lives after high school.

From: Freshman Pranav Bajaj To: Christina Wade Ms. Wade has been very understanding when it comes to student workload in the midst of AP testing. She does a phenomenal job at being the teacher advisor of the Iron Panthers robotics club and even won an award — Woodie Flowers — for her dedication. She also removes redundant assignments and teaches the essentials thoroughly and effectively.

I appreciate Ms. Feldis, Mr. Chin and Ms. Crook! From going to Costco to buying goodies for AP World students (Chin), passing tea and bagels when we’re ferociously writing our DBQs (Chin), staying during lunch and after school to help students out (Feldis & Crook), ensuring all students conceptually understand all topics (Feldis & Crook), to using new technology and fun ways to demonstrate geometric cross sections (Feldis), all of these teachers make learning much more fun and engaging.

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Washington Gonzaga University Elizabeth Diehl University of Washington Noor Hafezi Delaney Leung Sarah Ward

Oregon Oregon State University Sofia Cavalieri University of Oregon Abi Scully Ellie Dowd University of Portland Natalia Penaloza

California Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Gianna Bottarini Julia Edmondson Jordan Feuchtwang Edward Gill Maggie Gilmartin Keziah Gopalla Taryn Hallum Tori Happ Dylan Kall Charlene Qiu Owen Ryan Daniella Ryvkin Jessica Sarkisov Luca Scatena Cal Poly Pomona Sofia Kim CSU Chico Nancy Ferman Avila Daphne Friedman David Kracke Gavin Larkin Jesse Miller Roman Gilmour CSU Fullerton Darien Apke Eric Breazeale Ryan Drake Brooke Latin CSU Long Beach Rayana Aboukhalil Abby Mitchell Chiara Simonetti CSU Northridge Benjamin Brenner Cañada College Dylan Philibosian Chapman University Allison Stavitsky City College of San Francisco Gabriel Guzman-Iglesias Ashley Rabara Claremont McKenna College Isaac Van Voorhis College of San Mateo Tanat Alberts Kevin Ascarza Nicholas Begazo-Giraldo Sofia Berdyugin Marcos Bezerra Beatriz Brito Ike Cafferkey Davi Carneiro Diana Chavez Adara Cserni Chidiosan Jolene Ede-Bandala Moises Flores Castro Devin Frick Natalie Garcia Edgar Gonzalez German Sara Kelloff Matthew Lawson Gavin Lee Yahir Lopez Yutan Jack Losk Antonio Marquez Angelo Medina Maria Moya

Utah

Colorado Colorado State University Wade Kingsbury Lily Mathews University of Colorado Boulder Samuel Felton Kelsey Holzman Sasha Rossen Cole Fleming University of Denver Connor Lynch Alex Ogg Olivia Di Cesare

University of Utah Megan Dougherty Jacob Wilkinson Luke Nielsen

Nevada

Idaho

University of Nevada Shayna Young Andrew Msalam Michael Nash Amaya Norales Antonio Ortigoza Alvarado Paulette Pacheco Myla Pallera Nicole Pinheiro Jacob Porter Soliman Fatima Rivas Juan Rodas Umanzor Theodore Schenone Tylor Tan Nicholas Trejo Ever Vasquez Yutan Apollo Yera Emily Young Jackelyn Zapata Michael Zhang Brandon Chi Conor Muldowney Loyola Marymount University Elizabeth Verhoeven Occidental College Mateo Armijo Pomona College Astrid Carlen Sammy Faham Saint Mary’s College of California Zach Zlobinsky San Diego State University Drew Lyons Bartu Nar San Francisco State University Angel Basulto Rolando Campos Ulloa Justin Kim Kevin Polat Tyler Wong Alec Burgos San Jose State University Daniela Cano Joshua Jacobs Daisy Joachin Fakhri Shehadeh Sophia Soss Santa Clara University Tyler Lachance Stephen Liu Lucy Moran Scripps College Finn Lorian Skyline College Samantha Arreola Caceres Jackson Howard Alain Kazarian Jayden Rosellini Rebaz Sinjary University of California, Berkeley Olivia Armstrong Tem Battsooj Samantha Carrington Angela Chen Irene Chen Ryan Dougherty Raymond Frank Tilly Haskell

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Senior Map

Minnesota Carleton College Sylvie Olson St. Olaf College Bridget Lauren Navarro

Columbia College Chicago Emmanuel Pubien Northwestern University Ryan Dokoza Charlie Lane

Montana Montana State University Mason Rosales

Boston University Evan Bither Ava Shimkus Harvard University Elise Spenner Northeastern University Melia Kramer

New York Barnard College Olivia Johnson Columbia University Isabella Lazarov Fordham University Arshia Chakravartti Natalie DeMartini New York University Alex Cerc Aahana Chakravartti Clara Velloso Syracuse University Miles Chan Erazem Mattick Miu Onoe Griffin Reese

University of Idaho Christopher Messner

Harjyot Kaur Brody Kelley Zaren Lami Connor Lu Kazuo Nakamura Kaylee Ng Danil Orlov Nicholas Spano

Massachusetts

Illinois

University of California, Santa Barbara Ian Gordon Lily Grenier Emma Gubbels

Matthew Lau Ellis McConnell Tufts University Jack Geraghty Zoe Tsai Worcester Polytechnic Institute Felix Sutherlin

Wisconsin University of Wisconsin William Stobaugh

Indiana Indiana University Hannah Doll Neil Girdhar Cole Quilici Angelo Turri Purdue University River Lee Austin Lierman Brendan Trimble University of Notre Dame Eric Gee

Connecticut Wesleyan University Samuel Punter

Michigan University of Michigan Hayley Fligel Cora Haggarty

Vermont Middlebury College Olivia Fleming

New Hampshire Ryan Teh Isaac Tsai Joanna Wong Nate Teitelbaum Ryan Luftman University of California, Davis Dylan Ares Hanson Ashley Fong Aidan Kelley Anastasia Prusakova Avah Reichow Clara Zhong University of California, Irvine Sharon Andersson University of California, Los Angeles Harrison Baytan Elizabeth Forsell Ella Perez Janek Pistor Lara Ryzhikova University of California, Riverside Andrew Hsia University of California, San Diego Lauren Cheng Minjun Kim Shailee Sinha Landon Stobaugh

Matthew Haroun Alex Hollrah Purvi Jain Evan Kim Noa Kliger Sophia Knifsend Clayton Lau Ryan Malik Sarah Ott Keira Parker Sam Sorof Euli Toussaint University of California, Santa Cruz Nicolas Beringer Ava Gonzalez Lauren Gonzalez Misha Irfan Vseslav Kazakov Jayden Ma Trevor O’Neill Aaron Ovadia Dylan Po Calvin Purkey University of San Diego Georgia Birchall University of San Francisco Samantha Hui Leah Chili University of Southern California Zaina Michael

Dartmouth College Angelyn Liu

Pennsylvania Villanova University Cassidy DeWitt

Missouri Washington University in St. Louis Aaron Roytman Justin Song

Arizona University of Arizona Vivica Bosshard James DeMartini Aleksandr Gasanyan Kasey Lyons Ariah Sykes Morgan Toomey

Washington D.C. American University William Hroziencik

Georgia Georgia Institute of Technology Chinmay Rao Jake Rothstein

Texas Rice University Arda Inegol The University of Texas at Austin Jordan Dean Pierce Schuman

Mississippi University of Mississippi Bradley Evars

Florida University of Miami Kaya Tunca Gita Wagle Stella Yu

North Carolina Duke University Jack McMahon Elon University Scarlet Adams

Tennessee Vanderbilt University Hank Lane University of Tennessee Ryan Daly

New Jersey Princeton University Will Robbins Ariel Yuan Rutgers University Friedrich Plankensteiner

Maryland Johns Hopkins University Stella Wettan Zach Shapiro

Virginia University of Virginia Sam Bender Marina Perry Virginia Tech Mila Mulready

Military US Marines Cameron Garrett

International McGill University Leo Beringer The American University of Paris Izzy Seligson Universiteit van Amsterdam Liliana Bohren University College Dublin Mya O’Dwyer Hanzehogeschool Groningen Alima Kartay Claire West *Data accurate as of May 20

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May 23, 2024

Sports

Committed

Athletes “Winning the CIF Regionals in overtime for the first time in BHS history is going to be one of my favorite lifelong memories.”

- Sammy Faham

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“I’m looking forward to continue playing the sport I love and meet new people who share my passion.”

- Olivia Fleming

Mila Mulready

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“I am beyond excited to go to a school that will give me both an excellent degree and chance to develop me as a player.”

- Tyler Lachance

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Middlebury Softball

Tyler Lachance

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Will Robbins

“I’m very excited to compete in the NCAA at the Division 1 level. It’s something I had dreamed about since I started the sport.” - Avah Reichow

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UC Davis Gymnastics

Olivia Fleming

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Virginia Tech Tennis

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“At 10 years old I set a goal: to play on a D1 tennis scholarship!

Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishing a longtime dream!” - Mila Mulready

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Princeton Baseball

“I am looking forward to having a group...that I [can] rely on instantly. I am excited to build these friendships over four years.” - Will Robbins

Santa Clara Baseball

Zach Shapiro Johns Hopkins Football

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“My teammates “At Burlingame, the best part for and coaches are some me was always the process of of the kindest and most building bonds with teamsupportive people I’ve ever mates through shared known, and I will always be experiences.” inspired by them.”- Cora Haggarty - Zach Shapiro

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University of Michigan Track

May 23, 2024

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Senior Features

Opening the door to an

BY NATALIE GYDE

ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY

Social Coordinator

BY SOPHIA DOSS Senior Reporter

Altai Ordubadi

Claire West

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I would say to apply to more schools than you realize. You never know what’s going to happen and there are so many factors that go into choosing the right one for you.”

Future plan: Playing on a soccer team in Azerbaijan.

Reason: Has family there and speaks the language.

His father played for a top soccer team in Azerbaijan.

Goal: Playing in games so coaches from other high-level teams can recruit him.

Future plan: Double major in music performance and economics at Northwestern University.

Goal: A double major makes it possible to go into the business side of music and remain comfortable when searching for future careers.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA DOSS

Future plan: Job with Caccia Plumbing in San Mateo.

Advice for others: Staying open to all opportunities, not just college.

How he found the opportunity: Shadowing other plumbers over the summer.

[Music’s] my passion but I understand that it’s a really volatile industry and often doesn’t work out so having economics is something that I can rely on for my future career.”

Ruby Rosenquist

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When I was twelve I knew I wanted to pursue a career in ballet and everything I’ve done since then has been to get me to that point.”

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Future plan: After graduation, Ruby Rosenquist will be part of the San Francisco ballet company.

Timeline: In the future, she hopes to be hired by a full-time ballet company.

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Cameron Garrett

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The importance [of the plumbing career] is job security, since I didn’t want to go to college. I need to do something after college.”

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PHOTO BY NATALIE GYDE

Ryan Dokoza

[Going to the marines] will have more of a routine structure on my life and also a sense of proving to myself that I could do anything.”

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I’ve been playing soccer my whole life, and...this is a great opportunity. If [soccer] doesn’t work out, I can always do school later. That’s my mindset.”

Jake Ramirez

Future plan: Five-year term as a Cryptologic Linguist in the Marine Corps.

How he will begin: Boot camp in July, followed by Military Combat Training and attending school to learn a new language.

Purpose: Assures five years of education and an intense work environment to put his skills to use.

JOELLE HU

PHOTO BY NATALIE GYDE

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAIRE WEST

Future plan: Study art for four years at Minerva Art Academy in the Netherlands.

Goal: To become a professional artist. West has been interested in art from a very young age and always knew it was something she wanted to pursue in the future.

SMANS

Since construction has a shortage of workers, the team is enlisting students to partake in building the gym as an honors class. “most exciting honors class yet.” But here’s the best part: HCE requires no previous experience.

“We take anybody and everybody,” Construction Lead Volunteer and English teacher Tim Larkin said. “We don’t care who you are as long as you make yourself useful. I volunteered for the construction lead volunteer position because I get sucked into the construction view from my classroom when I’m grading papers. It’s so fascinating how inclusive the job is.”

However, while this class sparked student popularity, the Burlingame Parent Group felt the opposite.

“We don’t like this. Shut the class down now or we won’t support electives with any kind of funding anymore,” Parent Group Leader Karen Johnson said in a statement at a board meeting. “This is child labor, and the district will be hearing from our lawyers.”

Yet, Assistant Principal Aimee Malcolm emphasizes the hidden learning experience in HCE and how the class will promote intellectual curiosity for kinesthetic learners.

“It’s not child labor,” Malcolm said.

“It’s a fair trade-off for students to skip core classes and spend the day in a bulldozer. It builds character and speeds up the construction procedure.

Plus, it’s a learning experience in a diverse and equitable environment.”

And Malcolm’s right — if you catch yourself staring out the window during class next fall, don’t be surprised to see Fong instructing pods of students on construction techniques. After all, HCE is here to stay at Burlingame.

“My team and I are ready to back off,” Fong said. “It’s time for this young generation to take over. I can’t promise that the gym will be done by 2025 but at least HCE can generate some momentum in the meantime.”

PHOTO BY JAKE ROTHSTEIN

To accommodate the increasing number of sensitive students, Burlingame administration will implement new rules for student conduct during sports matches. After numerous student complaints about “mean” and “aggressive” chants, the administration is cracking down on this unacceptable behavior, adding additional security cameras, student informants and microphones to the student section to catch the chant ring leaders.

“When students were vigorously chanting ‘Beat San Mateo,’ I felt as if I was being personally targeted and that this is unacceptable as we should only be using positive messages,” a San Mateo High School student said.

This campaign is in light of Burlingame’s new schoolwide “Positivity Initiative,” which encourages students and faculty to embody a positive attitude and avoid making controversial statements to not offend anyone.

“This is a serious issue, and we will catch the perpetrators,” Vice Principal Aimee Malcolm said. “We are installing technology around the student section and placing students throughout the crowd to catch any mean-spirited words said during games, which will all be forwarded to Dean Nicole Carter for later punishment. Let me just say you don’t want to deal with ‘the Carter.’”

Besides the technological surveillance, all students may be subjected to TSA-inspired searches if suspected of carrying mean-spirited signs.

“A while back, some students held up mean signs that were perceived as antagonizing the other team. After that, we have made commitments to never make students uncomfortable again, hence we are implementing strip searches to ensure students don’t bring signs, flags or other mean-spirited gear,” Malcolm said.

Certain Panthers have argued that these actions violate free speech, but Malcolm emphasizes that the maintenance of a healthy and supportive space trumps student’s First Amendment rights.

Overall, Burlingame administration is committed to creating an environment where all students feel safe, emotionally secure and proud to be Burlingame Panthers.

“We want everyone to take pride in being a Panther, but that doesn’t mean we can’t also cheer for our extended family of Bearcats, Dons and Vikings,” Malcolm said.

PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG

GRAPHIC BY JAKE ROSTHEIN

Burlingame students hold provocative signs triggering San Mateo High School students and forcing administrators to intervene.

It’s official — in response to gym construction productivity concerns, the administration has introduced a new course. Beginning in August 2024, Burlingame welcomes a campus exclusive: Honors Construction Engineering (HCE).

Amidst the local worker shortage delaying the ongoing two-year gym construction project, Principal Jen Fong will help lead HCE to fill the void.

“HCE is not just a class. It’s a passion. This class will prepare students for real-world scenarios and encourage effective collaboration with the established construction workforce,” Fong said. “HCE reflects real job experience and looks great for college.”

For freshman Bob Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis Jr. III, HCE is a breath of fresh air due to its “learn by experimentation” strategy, which encourages students to make mistakes and learn for the future.

“I’m thrilled to take this class next year. I’ve always wanted to drive heavy machinery and I can’t get my driver’s license yet,” Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis Jr. III said. “My favorite part about construction is that you could never go wrong. If you mess up on something, just dig a deep hole into the ground and fill it up with dirt.

Nothing is game over.”

Additionally, in a recent survey conducted by the B, 96% of respondents expressed their excitement for HCE, predicting the course to be the

On Wednesday, April 19, senior Duhn Forr was walking down the hallway when the bell rang that started Flex time. He scrambled to find a classroom amidst the empty hallway.

Soon, every classroom door shut.

Locked. Then the lights went out and two large hands grabbed his forearms.

Emptiness surrounded him. He was thrown onto a chair as his eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness.

His heart pounded as the silhouette of Vice Principal Aimee Malcolm emerged.

But he wasn’t alone. In fact, there was a large circle of students, wondering what went wrong — or even how they ended up in the library.

“You have been flex swept, welcome to the beginning of the end,” Malcolm cackled.

To start the spring semester, administration threatened “sweeping” to crack down on students chronically skipping Flex. With ninety percent of students on the no–sell list, it was time to take things to the next level.

“We saw thousands of absences within a few weeks, we needed a new system, that’s when Principal Jen Fong brought up Flex Sweeps,” Assistant Principal Jenny Gibson said.

Moving through the A-Building hallways, lead capturer Malcolm and the rest of the administrative team set out to find students scrambling

Students race away from administration to escape from the latest round of flex sweeps. to seek safe refuge. With a newly-gifted golden broom from the janitors in hand, she was to look for students traveling in groups.

“I saw a group of students hurrying to get to a classroom at 10:18,” Malcolm said. “We made it clear, no abusing flex time and no going with your friends.”

Across campus, Fong stuck out her Sweeper 8000™ to stop the students from escaping into Chemistry Teacher Joshua Dyl’s crowded room.

“It was one of those fight or flight moments,” Fong said following her heroic act. “But at the end of the day, I did what anyone would have done in my situation.”

The administration admitted that the scene in the library was less than pretty. With no contact to the outside world, these students are left with their thoughts and remorse for their

unforgivable behavior.

“It’s all about the unknown aspect.” Malcolm said. “If they tell their friends Flex Sweeps are not a big deal, there would be no point in this whole system, but if we make the students scared then fear takes over.”

It’s imperative students learn their lesson, as repeat offenders have to face a new slew of punishments. They are forced into solitary confinement, and miss class as they have to solve 200 math problems and four essay prompts before being able to leave.

And it’s working: Those who’ve been swept up by Fong, Malcolm and their crew continue to learn the consequences of their actions. The results of the new sweeping system have been so remarkable the administration even introduced the system to other local high schools. So San Mateo students — beware... you may be swept.

May 23, 2024

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May 23, 2024

Memories

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By Alex Bertelli

Across

1 Spaghetti, etc.

6 Verbal hesitations 9 Morning hours, for short (aptly missing from _lar__) 12 Moral standards 13 Internet personality JoJo 15 French for “him” 16 Where you may find bloodstains and fingerprints 18 Military food, initialized 19 Color of a cardinal 20 ___-Webster (dictionary publisher) 21 Texter’s shocked exclamation 22 Self-referential (or the new name for Facebook) 23 You may cry or sneeze into one 25 Irritated, with “up” 28 ___ Mahal 31 Tolkien’s trilogy, initalized 32 “Frozen” queen 33 Job application requirements, often 35 What doctors prescribe, in brief 36 What you hang a picture in 37 It can sting you multiple times 41 Disheveled; not neat 43 Really awesome 44 Root vegetable common in Southeast Asia

46 Compass indication, for short (first three letters) 47 Like most students, but not some seniors (anymore) 48 Me, ___, and I 50 ___ Cloud (shell of comets surrounding the solar system) 52 ___ and downs 53 Orbital shape (that looks like a stretched circle) 56 ___/Her 59 “You” in German 60 What you may be looking forward to soon... or a hint to this puzzle’s four sets of circled letters (yes, *four*) 62 Suffix for the follower of a belief 63 What a pencil may do if you apply too much pressure 64 Words in many wills 65 Pennies abbreviated 66 Delivers a finishing 67 ____ and desist

Edited by Rain Yang

Down

1 Peel 2 “Put ___ on it!”

3 Total 4 Was full of 5 Something useful 6 ___-friendly (easy to operate) 7 The New York Times’ 5x5 crossword 8 Liquid sign of physical exertion 9 Nearly 10 Speak in a soft and indistinct voice 11 Prolonged attack (or... Rainbow Six ___) 12 Alternative to a DVD player (it’s also initialized) 14 Answer to the riddle “What can someone wear that never goes out of style?”

17 Full of cavities, like the lunar surface 22 Use a ruler or scale, maybe 24 “What a thoughtful thing to say!” (or a response to eating something with a bit too much sugar) 25 Stage of sleep 26 Suffix with percent or project 27 60’s psychedelic drug 29 “Same here” (three words) 30 Repeatedly evade a circular revolution of cord... in a children’s playground game 33 Washington’s ___ Stadium, or a 1960’s attorney general (initialized) 34 Encountered 38 You are a “great” one (so is a gorilla) 39 Sloth, gluttony, etc. (or a trigonometric function) 40 Some laptops (they usually run Windows)

42 “I expect ___ than...” (words indicating a minimum point) 44 Pro at using a key board 45 Evaluate 47 ___ clef 48 Art of sound 49 Not pass, as a class 51 Courtier in “Hamlet” (found

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57 Own