February Issue 2024 by The Burlingame B Newspaper

What’s Inside:

4 Cursive makes a comeback

THE February 12, 2024

6/7 The climate issue

11 Combating hate

through education

12 Celebrating Lunar New Year

URLINGAME B Issue 4 Vol 134

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

PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMINIC BIGUE

Hāpara technology

Bigue resolute through recovery

Teachers use new resource for classroom management

BY ELISE SPENNER

Editor-In-Chief

BY JOSIE WETTAN

Staff Reporter

Last year, freshman English teacher Reema Asia estimated that around 50% of students wouldn’t turn in their classwork by the end of class. This year, that number has declined substantially: on average, only a couple of students don’t submit their classwork. Asia attributes that change to her adoption of Hapara, a classroom management tool that monitors what students do on their Chromebooks and

teaches digital citizenship skills. When teachers use Hāpara, they can see students’ screens, block websites, close tabs, lock students’ screens and more. When Asia was told about Hāpara at the beginning of this school year, she jumped at the opportunity. “I use Hāpara because I’ve noticed that a lot of students do not stay on task or stay focused during the class period,” Asia said. “We really want to make sure that students are taking advantage of the time that we give them in class, that they’re

not being distracted and that they’re focusing on developing those important skills.” Asia isn’t the only teacher at Burlingame who has made use of Hapara, and Burlingame isn’t the only school adopting the tool. According to Hāpara’s website, its software has spread to 15% of school districts in the U.S., with 2.2 million devices worldwide. At Burlingame, all students have Hāpara pre-installed on their Chromebooks.

See “Hāpara,” page 2

When Dominic Bigue landed headfirst into a boulder while on a mountain biking adventure with friends on Oct. 1, 2022, he was instantly paralyzed from the neck down — Bigue could barely move his big toe. “I literally woke up one day and could no longer do the things that I was doing,” Bigue said. “And I feel bad that it was so abrupt. I had to kind of walk away from all of the relationships that I had at the school. And since then, it’s just been a battle of recovery.” Before the accident, Bigue was an assistant principal at Burlingame. He had a leadership position in a community he knew like the back of his hand; it was a dream come true. The accident flipped his life — and his family’s life — on its head. In our conversation, the same word came up over and over again: humbling. “I was always trying to lead the charge,” Bigue said. “And handling challenging situations and managing crises and so forth. And then suddenly, I have become very reliant on so many people around me.” While Bigue’s reliance on the people around him might be humbling, it is equally a testament to the community he has built over the past 40 years. A GoFundMe organized to assist with short and longterm expenses related to recovery has raised over $300,000 from more than 1,200 donations. After returning from inpatient rehab, Bigue was greeted with a drive-through welcome party. When Bigue received treatment and therapies at Neuroworx in Utah last summer, two friends drove all the way to Park City to ride a bike with him for the first time since the accident. “There used to be this old TV show called ‘This is your life.’ And in that moment, all these people would come back out of different parts of your life to talk about their relationships with you and reaffirm some of the things that as teachers, we don’t always get to hear from our students,” Bigue said. “We know we have impacts but we don’t always know how much and so it was incredibly humbling to have my former students that I had taught, even students I had coached in basketball with my daughters, colleagues that I’ve worked with in the district for 25 years, all come out and support me.” Returning to work — continuing a life of service, as he put it — was one of Bigue’s first priorities. Less than 20% of people who suffered spinal cord injury are able to, but within months, Bigue started a role as a technology coordinator and induction coach in the San Mateo Union High School District, where he has worked in some capacity for

See “Bigue,” page 4

Febuary 12, 2024

News

Suing social media companies

San Mateo County Office of Education pushes forward with lawsuit

EL LE

UY SM

class action suit or leave them a s JO

cial media use. “Hopefully it raises awareness, and maybe, because of that, the companies become a little more sensitive to the impacts they’re having,” Bonini said. “Maybe, parents pay more attention to it. We are, but we could probably do more.” Chan proposed a different solution, suggesting that the task of managing social media usage falls to the

and attendance issues, and a pervasive social breakdown,” the district’s official lawsuit states. For instance, the “Devious Lick Challenge,” a TikTok trend that grew like wildfire, prompted students at Aragon High School to steal masks, toilet paper, soap dispensers and even mirrors from school bathrooms. In addition, two local high schools — Woodside High School and San Francisco High School — were forced into lockdown when people made hoax 911 calls claiming there was an active shooter on campus. According to the lawsuit, school districts also don’t have adequate resources to properly address the problems created by the social media crisis. “[SMCOE] has been pushed to the brink of its capacity to effectively manage the youth mental health crisis in its district,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs’ staff make a valiant effort to cope with increased demand for mental health services. If Plaintiffs have not already reached the limit of its capacity to handle the crisis, it is soon approaching a breaking point.” While this specific lawsuit likely won’t change the companies’ conduct, Bonini hopes that the lawsuit will shine a light on the impacts of widespread so-

Last week, the heads of Meta, X, Snapchat, Discord and TikTok spent four hours in a court hearing facing allegations that they didn’t do enough to curb a rise in child exploitation on their platforms. The allegations stem from countless lawsuits against the companies filed by school districts around the country. And one more will soon be added to the pile — a lawsuit from the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), in the works since March 13, 2023. SMCOE has focused its lawsuit on several social media companies, including YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok, alleging that these companies use harmful tactics on their platforms that lead to addiction, contributing to a number of serious mental health issues. “The evidence shows that there is a link between social media and the rise in issues with mental health,” said San Mateo County Board of Education President Chelsea Bonini. “It’s been shown from 2011 to 2021. There’s been a steep rise.” The increased use of social media in and out of school can affect performance in class and hinder students’ ability to com-

plete their homework and tasks. “When you’re addicted to your phones, for students that could contribute to decreased focus in class and lead to decreased sleep because they’re on their phones,” health teacher Jessica Chan said. “Sleeping, doing homework or what they’re supposed to prioritize first, because they’re so enamored by social media.” The rise in mental health issues not only affects the well-being of students but jeopardizes the safety of other students and the school. “Distraction, increased absences, ADHD diagnoses spiking, cyberbullying, physical damage to the schools, those are the most apparent,” Bonini said. Currently, 12 of the 23 school districts in San Mateo County use the Student Threat Assessment Training Program (STAT) to recognize and prevent possible threats to students, staff or school property. Since 2020, schools in these districts have had 72 major cases, 12 of which were a direct result of social media usage. “[San Mateo County] schools, like other schools across America have become plagued with never-before-seen levels of mental and emotional health incidents, disciplinary

Senior Reporter

GR AP

BY WILL KRINER

students and parents themselves. “I feel like it’s really hard to actually hold social media companies accountable for that,” Chan said. “Part of that responsibility is also on the parents, if you really don’t want your kids on their phones, just cut it.” While the lawsuit is still in the early stages of litigation, the courts are deciding whether to compile all of the ongoing school district lawsuits into a

individual suits. After that, t h e social media companies will have to respond to the lawsuits, and legal action will proceed.

Hāpara: class technology From pg. 1 However, students often use personal devices such as Macs or PCs. Since teachers can only monitor those with Chromebooks, Asia requires that all students bring Chromebooks to her class. “[Using only Chromebooks is] more equitable, and it’s a great way that we can ensure all students are practicing and learning. It’s a great way for teachers to really monitor their student’s progress. So 100% I think we should all be using Chromebooks,” Asia said. Despite this, principal Jennifer Fong has no intention to force students into using Chromebooks. “I believe in empowering individuals. So we have individual teacher decisions. We have individual departments making decisions,” Fong said when asked about switching the school to all Chromebooks. “I don’t see a need to make this a school policy. But I think teachers will find it helpful to use this technology [Hāpara].” Although Hāpara can’t monitor students on personal devices, Asia still acknowledges the immense value of the technology. “If we’re not using our own skill set trying to grow and develop from that, then we’re not learning. [Hāpara] really just helps students focus on what they have to offer and how they can develop their own skills,”

Asia said. English 1 and 2 teacher Marina Junqueira also uses Hāpara in her classroom and also has all her students bring school-owned Chromebooks for their everyday classwork. “[Hāpara is] also really great for students who have accommodations and have a hard time getting started, so I can look and say, ‘Hey, how about we get started on this? Do you need help?’” Junqueira said. “And at times when I want no electronics, I can just pause the screens.” Some have concerns about students’ privacy when using Hāpara, but the technology cannot be used after the school bell has rung, and teachers don’t have access to students’ personal accounts. Freshman Maya Siu, one of Asia’s students, does not see Hāpara as an invasion of privacy but as a technology that benefits students. “I think it really benefits me because sometimes I get easily distracted and I have to finish my work more efficiently. The teacher noticing that I’m getting distracted and closing my tab is really helpful for me,” Siu said. Hāpara, although relatively new to Burlingame, shows potential to minimize cheating and improve digital citizenship among students. “I’m looking forward to seeing more teachers become aware of this technology and how they plan to use it,” Fong said.

February 12, 2024

Features

School expects small funding drop Staff Reporter

Seventh periods. Any staff other than teachers. Support for mentoring programs — these are just a few of the essential services that state funding doesn’t cover. In short, while California allocates money for teachers, facilities and special electives at the state level, the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) and Burlingame must look for additional sources of funding like property taxes and parent groups to enhance the student experience. While funding for the district has generally increased over the past few years, expiring Covid funds, education cuts by the state and other factors have contributed to an estimated 3.3% decrease in funding for the 2023-24 school year. Principal Jen Fong does not expect that this drop in funding will have a drastic effect on Burlingame, as special funds constantly change from year to year. “The main funding is the school district’s general fund and [there are] extra funds like this Covid money, and there’s a lot of other ones,” Fong said. “Those are special funds that sometimes you have from year to year and sometimes you don’t.” Besides special funds, Burlingame also relies on the Excellence Fund, maintained by the Parents’ Group. The Excellence Fund provides funding for

AVID field trips, Breaking Down the Walls, prom scholarships, teacher appreciation and much more. “This past year the Excellence Fund paid for eight sections of classes as well as a halftime staff member,” Fong said. “So we are dependent on that to keep level funding to keep the same expectation from year to year.” The Excellence Fund also provides a $500 reimbursement for classroom materials to all teachers. The fund also provides extra support for teachers leading classes in need of specialized equipment, such as Stephen Erle for his Video production and photography classes. “We’re so lucky,” Erle said. “I’m in a position with a video production program where over time the money the Parents’ Group raises through the Excellence Fund has been awesome. Anything that teachers have asked for, for the most part, has been granted. I mean I can look around, our studio camera, the teleprompters, computers, some cameras, a lot of different things that we have have come from the Excellence Fund.” The Excellence Fund allocates 55% of its money to Burlingame staffing, spends 31% on enhanced curriculum, puts 11% toward community engagement and sends 3% to teacher engagement and other expenses. But recently the Excellence Fund has seen a decline in donations and number of donors. This year, they have only raised

GRAPHIC BY CONNIE LU

BY CONNIE LU

San Mateo Union High School District revenue consists of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), supplemented by federal, additional state funding and local revenue. $364,000 from 171 donors — $81,000 and 14 donors less than this time last year. If they don’t manage to reach their goal, Burlingame will have to pull from other funding sources to make up for the loss. Another potential worry is enrollment, an important factor for funding, as the district saw a 2.1% decrease in enrollment this year. Luckily, Burlingame’s enrollment is projected to remain steady, meaning that funding should only decrease by a small amount, if at all. “I’m projecting [the budget] to be pretty close to the same

because we have the same number of students, but in terms of the classroom, potentially outside the classroom, staff might be affected by the funding that’s going away from the Covid era,” Fong said. While decreased enrollment translates to decreased funding, increased enrollment might not be optimal either. “We’ll have other impacts of maybe being a little tighter because we don’t actually have a lot of space,” Fong said. “We also have a few part-time staff [whose] room is shared constantly throughout the day. It’s

definitely the teacher’s preference to have their own room and if we have any increase in enrollment that just won’t be possible.” A tighter budget also might translate to larger class sizes for certain courses. Courses with smaller class sizes might merge, leaving some students on the waitlist. While many signs indicate that Burlingame’s funding will remain the same or decrease slightly, many factors are at play, so specific changes cannot be calculated.

New media literacy law seeks to educate about fake news BY JOELLE HUYSMANS

Diversity Coordinator

A GR

H OP

In a 2019 study, administered by Stanford History Education Group, two-thirds of students couldn’t distinguish editorial content and advertising, and 96% didn’t comprehend why a climate-change website supported by a fossil fuel company might be questionable. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 873 in October 2023 in an effort to reverse those dismal trends. The law mandates that teache rs i n corporate media literacy guidance in California’s K-12 schools beginning next school year. The content — taught in existing English, math, science and history-social studies curricula — would teach students how to identify fake news in their online searches and instruct them on what to do if they come across it. “It’s great to reinforce the importance of properly analyzing a

text and knowing if you can believe what you are reading,” said English 3 and Advanced Placement English Language teacher Shane Karshan. “That is such an important skill to have in humanities and even science and math classes.” Perhaps the main incentive prompting efforts to educate students about media literacy is the current rise in misinformation, a phenomenon exacerbated by the development of artificial intelligence (AI). According to NewsGuard, the number of websites carrying AI-generated false information has surged by more than 1,000% since May 2023, from 49 sites to over 600. Fake news has real consequences. For instance, consider the 2020 presidential elections, when some states allowed voting by mail because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Since there was a lack of public awareness about the voting process, false assertions were propagated that mail voting would result in fraud. Today, we know that former president Donald Trump, along with others, disseminated these untrue statements in an effort to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election. Such stories are common, and continue to erode trust in the validity of the 2024 presi-

dential election. “From now on, our political elections will be using AI in so many more ways,” said sophomore Serena Koopmans, president of Burlingame’s AI club. “AI has the potential to influence the opinions of so many people and if it’s spreading misinformation, it’s doing it in the wrong way.” Even outside of school, Karshan has always enjoyed clicking on a site, reading the “About Us” section and trying to find if it is a reliable source or if there is a bias in any way. In class, he shares those skills with his students when writing research papers. For instance, Karshan teaches them about using .edu versus .com websites and specific ways to compose Google searches that are more likely to produce targeted and unbiased information. English 4 teacher and journalism adviser Melissa Murphy also prioritizes teaching media literacy. “When we do a research project in English we always take time to look at several different types of websites and compare them,” Murphy said. “After that, we learn what you need to do to make sure that they are not just credible, but can be used in an academic setting.” However, the responsibility to teach media literacy skills

does not only rest with teachers. Koopmans has been working on ways to educate her community about AI-related matters — which, again, directly relate to the recent surge in fake news. “Many people know what the problems are, but they don’t exactly know how to approach them,” Koopmans said. “That’s kind of what we are doing with our teacher resource and student workshop because we don’t want people using AI without any education on how to be responsible with it.” Thanks to Assembly Bill 873, it’s become required for media literacy knowledge to be taught. However, according to Murphy, that’s not enough. Teachers have done their part; now, it is up to students to apply their media literacy abilities to their everyday circumstances in addition to schoolwork. “In an academic setting, I feel like kids do really well [with media literacy],” Murphy said. “Now whether they are using those skills when they are flipping through their Snapchat and seeing news stories, I can’t exactly pinpoint that. So we also have to encourage them in that sense, they have the skills and now they just need to use it in the real world.”

Dominic Bigue

Features

February 12, 2024

Cursive makes a comeback

Debate rages over relevance of writing form

over 25 years. “I think my world would be very small if I wasn’t also trying to connect with people and still be engaged in the world of education,” Bigue said. Outside of work, Bigue continues to make progress physically. He has regained mobility in his arms and legs and begins most days at 5:30 a.m. to complete his stretches and routine before beginning work at 8:30 a.m. “Feeling like I have more to contribute and be connected to something larger than myself has always been one of my driving and motivating forces and now my physical limitations are a whole other challenge that I continue to get up and grind and push forward every day as well,” Bigue said. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Bigue spent decades as the “provider” for his family, but he can no longer fill that role in a traditional sense. “I was always the person that could step in and tackle issues, a lot of physical things that I did for the house, whether it was taking care of things in the home or being there for my daughters,” Bigue said. “There’s been a bit of grieving in the sense that we’ve lost some of the things that I was so capable of, able to do.” Instead, the little things have taken on magnified importance: accompanying Genevieve, his 20-year-old, to a father-daughter outing at the University of California, Berkeley, cheering on the Bears at a basketball game and brunching with her sorority. Or planning a dinner out and a movie night. A self-described “adrenaline junkie,” Bigue has refused to let the accident sideline him. While at the rehabilitation facility in Utah, he was able to bike again for the first time on a three-wheel mountain bike alongside those same two friends who were with him during the accident. “It was a dream come true,” Bigue said. “It was definitely scary because a lot of the things that I was so easily able to do before were absolutely challenging, but it just felt great to be back again and surrounded by friends and enjoying the views and the sights and the sounds and smells of being out on the trail. And just ripping along.”

BY INY LI

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA BELLA

From pg. 1

Staff Reporter When fifth-grade elementary school teacher Patricia Althaus saw her son Liam struggle to decipher the birthday card her mother had gifted him, stumbling through the loopy letters and skipping over phrases, she realized for the first time how insufficient the cursive curriculum is. It seems that lawmakers across the state had the same realization. On Oct. 23, 2023, California joined the growing list of states that have made cursive compulsory in all elementary school curricula. AB 446 aims to equip the newest generations with essential skills — signing one’s name on important documents and analyzing historical documents, whether to understand America’s history or trace back one’s heritage. “When kids start to color, they always do circles. So the funny thing is, printing is what they’re forced to do, but kids naturally do circles, which is basically cursive,” fourth-grade elementary school teacher Susan Sawczuk said. “I’m not advocating adding cursive writing into kindergarten, but it’s natural for us to do cursive. The problem is we break that cycle, and then we force them to do printing. And then we go back again and they don’t have the muscle memory.” Many teachers who have already been teaching cursive long before it was a requirement strongly believe in the psychological and academic benefits of the writing form. Fourth and fifth-grade teacher Kathleen Butler expects that her students write all handwritten work in cursive, but not without reason. “I think cursive helps with creativity,” Butler said. “It helps with focus. I think you actually become a better speller when you are using cursive writing, because you start to think of it all as letters joined together rather than single pieces. From the spelling standpoint, it helps to make a stronger hand-eye coordination and the overall brain development is essential.” An EGG-based study conducted at

Cursive, Annie Miller acknowledged, is a social skill more than an academic one. the Norwegian University of Science and Technology demonstrated the importance of cursive handwriting as a skill to help the brains of students learn and remember information faster and more efficiently. As schools rely more on technology for in-class assignments, students who are not required to learn cursive are now at a disadvantage, according to the study. “These last thirteen to fourteen years, we’ve done a disservice,” Althaus said. “There’s this big chunk of kids who, going into adulthood, are not completely confident that they can read something their boss writes on a sticky note. Not everything will always be communicated via email.” APUSH teacher Annie Miller, similarly, has noticed an inverse relationship between one’s technology use and the quality of their penmanship, signifying a need for cursive in curriculum. For Miller, cursive holds a special place in her heart as it allows her to read the journals left by her deceased mother, who learned cursive through strict Catholic School teachings. “A life skill, professional skill and academic skill is that we still have some form of legible handwriting that people can read,” Miller said. “Personally, I don’t care if it’s cursive, block letters or script, as long as I can read your handwriting. I’m noticing the more and more people type, the less legible our handwriting is. If cursive is going to help with that, awesome.”

But cursive’s benefits extend beyond the classroom. Consider a signature — whether it’s a quick scribble on a receipt or signing a legal document, a signature encapsulates a person’s identity and represents them on paper. “When I look at everyone in my classroom, I don’t think there’s any two signatures alike,” Butler said. “If I pick up a piece of printed work, I don’t know if I’d be able to tell who’s is who’s, but if I look at a piece of cursive, I know it’s so and so’s without even reading the name. It’s very distinct. It allows students a little bit more creativity and individuality.” To Evan Liu, a fourth grader at Spring Valley Elementary School, cursive seems like an unnecessary skill for his future in society. “I don’t see my parents use it, and they don’t know that much about it,” Liu said. “[Cursive] is harder to write and it’s more complicated. It feels like a chore because it takes more time.” While California’s new law may seem promising for cursive advocates, state policies are constantly changing, leaving teachers in what Sawczuk describes as a “pendulum.” “You have people who are not in a classroom or have been out of touch for twenty years that issue these laws,” Sawczuk said. “That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. It’s not just what law is mandated, but what’s best for my child. What’s best for the students in my class?”

February 12, 2024

Features

The caffeine craze

BY JEANNINE CHIANG

Web Editor

BY NATALIE GYDE

Social Coordinator

Why student coffee culture is stronger than ever Starbucks. Peets. Philz. Caffe Central. You name it. Just in Burlingame alone, there are over ten coffee shops dedicated to crafting beverages that keep you awake, and Burlingame students are avid consumers. According to an anonymous survey completed by 100 students, over 50% of students drink at least one cup of coffee each day.

Boosting performance with coffee mands of Advanced Placement and honors courses, students find themselves relying on caffeine for energy to complete their assignments and study for tests. “I notice that a bunch of juniors and seniors are more likely to have these caffeinated drinks. I think it’s because of the workload in the later half of high school,” junior Bernadette Panillio said. “I notice [this] especially during finals week or towards the grading periods [because] that’s where people have the most caffeinated drinks [since] I know those are times where people do tend to stay up late.” Similarly, stressful periods such as finals week push students to rely on caffeine as the backbone of their studying habits. “I felt like I was pretty reliant [on caffeine] towards the end of the last semester,” Wang said. “It’s started to tone down a little bit because it’s the beginning of the semester but when we go deeper into the year, I think that it’ll rise back up.” PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG

Students gather at Starbucks after school to enjoy popular caffeinated beverages like the Strawberry Acai and Pink Drink Refreshers.

The health implications

teacher Malcolm Davis said. “Your body’s going [to] require more coffee for it to actually feel any types of the effects that you’re trying to get.” Although it might be fashionable to walk around with a white and green paper cup every day, caffeine has dangerous health effects. “[Caffeine] definitely can have a major impact on people’s health, especially teenagers. The earlier that you get addicted to it, the harder it’s going to be for you to stop drinking coffee at some point,” Davis said. In other words, Davis believes that caffeine should be consumed in moderation for a boost of occasional energy instead of in excess just to function, leading to dependence. “It can be dangerous to get to that point where you need coffee to operate. At the end of the day, caffeine is still a drug. It’s the same as somebody needing to smoke marijuana or something before they eat because they don’t get hungry without it, Davis said. “[It] can be a slippery slope with caffeine.”

Students purchase caffeinated Starbucks refreshers, frappuccinos, and coffee before school starts on Thursday, Feb. 8.

How social media glorifies caffeine

ass caffeine consumption has also become a trend: With social media influencers promoting certain drinks into virality, it pushes people to buy more coffee. “I think [some drink caffeine] partially to follow a trend because caffeinated drinks are really glorified and hyped up by the teenage community,” Wang said. And it’s true — when Panillo gets her morning beverage from popular Burlingame coffee shops, she is surrounded by her peers, who also rely on caffeinated beverages to get through the day. With 27% of students buying coffee from these shops, it is no surprise when students show up late for class with a caffeinated drink in hand. “If I go to Starbucks or another coffee shop, there [are] so many students.

They’re just waiting for their coffee [in the morning] and [I see the drinks] in the classroom too,” Panillo said. However, when Chan was a teenager, she had a different experience with caffeine. “When I was in school, no one drank coffee in high school. It wasn’t like a popular thing. [Now], Starbucks [has] been becoming more and more popular among teens for sure,” Chan said. In Davis’ health class, he observes that, on average, three of his 30 students in his first or second period arrive at school with Starbucks daily. “There’s this trend of going to Starbucks and getting this drink from Starbucks and bringing it to school and having your Starbucks cup…[and while] I think some students are actually getting addicted to caffeine at an earlier age, it definitely is [still] a trend that’s going on,” Davis said.

PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG

hirty-three of the 100 respondents in the B’s survey said they drink coffee daily. As a result, health teacher Jessica Chan is concerned about adolescent brains in constant reliance on caffeine. “When a person drinks a bunch of caffeine, they’re going to hit a crash as there’s only so much that caffeine can do for you because it could cause anxiety and push your heart rate,” Chan said. But it doesn’t stop there. While the Food and Drug Administration states that four to five cups of coffee per day is manageable according to Chan, she recommends a lower consumption level because she believes that nobody needs that amount. “While it also depends on somebody’s tolerance level, anything more than four or five cups of coffee a day is pushing a boundary [because] you’re adding more of a tolerance for your body so that the next time you drink coffee, your body’s always [going to] be requiring a certain amount to feel the effects of the coffee,” health

PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG

unior Chloe Villarreal was only 15 years old when she started consistently drinking coffee. Now, Villarreal drinks a caffeinated beverage six times a week to get her through the school day. And she’s not alone. According to data from Journalist Linley Sanders, younger people are regularly consuming coffee earlier and earlier. About half (47%) of 18-to 29-yearolds who drink coffee started their regular consumption at 16 or younger. In comparison, almost half (47%) of coffee drinkers who are 65 and older say they didn’t drink regularly until 21. Like Villarreal, junior Ella Wang has also felt the reliance on caffeine in her daily routine. “I feel like sometimes I need [caffeine] to be able to last through the day because of how much time I spent doing my homework the previous night,” Wang said. Living in an academically competitive area is one key factor in caffeine intake among high school students. To keep up with the de-

Sophomores Emma Dugoni and Maddie Enriquez enjoy Philz coffee after school on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Climate Change

685

inches of snowfall in 2022-2023

Low snowfall in Tahoe

or many Burlingame students, Lake Tahoe’s mountains represent a second home. Still, every winter, their home is vulnerable to unanticipated weather conditions and climate change — avalanches one year, dry conditions the next and then buckets of snow. Indeed, after last year’s ski season broke snowfall records, this winter has been underwhelming. Senior Aahana Chakravartti, who skied at Kirkwood last month, noted that lower snowfall results in a subpar skiing experience as it packs everyone onto the same slopes at the same time. “[The slopes get] really crowded really easily and then [the snow] gets really slushy,” Chakravartti said. For senior Evan Bither, an avid skier who travels to Tahoe bi-weekly, the slopes were similarly disappointing this season. “I went to Northstar and a lot of the runs that are usually open have debris and small trees that are usually covered up by the snowpack,” Bither said. Bither also noticed that his skiing performance declined compared to last year due to the increased presence of machine-generated snow, which decorates the slopes during a lack of real snow. “[Fake snow] does a good job but it’s not like the real thing,” Bither said. Junior Edy Knight also feels at-

155

inches of snowfall in 2023-2024

tached to Tahoe since, like many other students, that is where she learned to ski. The low snowfall, however, has hurt the connection she feels toward Tahoe’s mountains. “When I was younger, I remember Tahoe being very vibrant…Now the snow is a lot more icy so it’s harder to learn,” Knight said. Knight thinks tackling the global climate issue is key to preventing subpar snowfall. She encourages others to do whatever they can to save the planet and knows such efforts will ultimately pay dividends in the future. “Decreasing the amount of plastic use and the amount of littering that a lot of people do on the daily is important,” Knight said. However, Bither is conflicted. While he thinks climate change could be a factor in decreasing snowfall this season, it could also be a natural occurrence. “I’m not sure if it’s just kind of the ebbs and flows of the snowfall, or if it’s due to external factors like climate change and whatnot,” Bither said. Whatever the reason behind this recent decline in snowfall, Bither, Knight and Chakravarrtti all agree that Tahoe is a special place and hope it will stay snowy. “If there wasn’t any snow [in Tahoe], it’d be absolutely terrible,” Chakravarrtti said.

Rising sea levels

illions around the world have come face to face with an ugly truth of climate change: As temperatures rise, the seas start to erode the coastline. San Mateo is no stranger to flooding — last winter, heavy storms brought water through residential neighborhoods, causing significant damage. As climate change continues, storms will become more frequent and severe, leading to increased flooding. After that, the coastline will become an issue as well; at the current rate of sea level rise, it will only be a few decades before the Bay starts to rise substantially. Burlingame’s Climate Action Plan proposes multiple strategies for preventing damage, with a rough implementation timescale of a few decades. Efforts focus on development in vulnerable areas and monitoring of the issue as it continues to advance. “The only thing we can do is start thinking about, ‘okay, what do we do to block sea level rise? What do we do to protect future construction? What do we do to protect existing buildings?’” said Sigalle Michael, Burlingame Head of Sustainability. “It’s more of this long range planning, because there’s no silver bullet that’ll fix everything tomorrow.” Levels in the Bay Area reflect the

accelerating global average. Sea levels are predicted to rise over a meter by 2100, which could spell devastation for low-elevation communities like San Mateo. In the shorter term, water damage from flooding threatens the economic stability of shoreline infrastructure. “A huge chunk of our budget comes from the tax that we receive from hotels; all our hotels are [in] the Bay Shore area, so we sort of call that area our economic generator,” Michael said. “If those hotels are harmed, that’s going to directly affect the city.” There are two main factors contributing to sea level rise: the melting of ice and the physical expansion of water as it heats up. For the last decade, glaciers and polar ice masses — specifically those in Antarctica and Greenland – have shed over a trillion tons of water each year, causing the sea to rise by upwards of 17 millimeters. On the other front, a majority of trapped greenhouse energy ends up in the ocean, damaging marine ecosystems and causing the water to expand as it heats up. This passively makes up around 55% of sea level rise. Overall, sea levels rose by an average of 1-2 millimeters per year during the 20th century, and rates have since accelerated to above 3-4 millimeters per year.

The climate issue BY ARDA INEGOL Business Manager BY ALEX BERTELLI Staff Reporter BY EMMA YU Staff Reporter

climate.” For those searching for evidence perature.” By educating students about how According to the National Oceanthat climate change exists, look no farther than global temperatures: sci- ic and Atmospheric Administration, they’re linked to biodiversity, Hartentists have now reported that 2023 2023 greenhouse gas emissions from mann adds a climate change angle shattered the record for the warmest fossil fuels were estimated to reach a — both learning about its impact and record 36.8 billion metric tons, 50% brainstorming solutions — to her lesyear in history. sons. “2023 was [the] hottest year on higher than pre-industrial levels. “As humans, we benefit from bio“[2023] being a record breaking Earth in about 125,000 years,” said Woodwell Climate Research Center heat year for the planet shows how diversity because we get a lot of rescientist Jennifer Francis in a CBS reactive [the planet] is to the things sources from it,” Hartmann said. “So I like the choices that we make,” Lang [get] students invested in biodiversinews article. Researchers and scientists are cer- said. “Clearly, whatever we’re doing ty, and then I use it to tie it into climate change.” tain it’s a result of climate change — right now is not working.” Other members of the community Fortunately, Burlingame is takthe effect of an excessive amount of greenhouse gasses getting trapped in ing action against the rising climate are taking action by staging climate crisis by integrating climate change protests, implementing policies and our atmosphere. “[Our] atmosphere is creating a into related classes to call students exploring climate-related careers. bubble around our planet [like a] to action. The blurbs below capture the “Climate change is a theme that greenhouse,” said Kamille Lang, a climate activist with a Bachelors of Sci- I like to revisit throughout the year,” threat that climate poses locally ence in Environmental Management said biology teacher Karen Hartmann. and statewide, and the work done by and Science. “Everyday, [we] release “We start off the year learning about Burlingame students to combat that CO2 and methane and other gasses ecology and the carbon cycle, [when] threat. into the atmosphere. That’s when we there’s a big focus on threats to biostart to see an imbalance in the tem- diversity. One of those threats is the

Shayna Blum When junior Shayna Blum, vice president of Cascade Climate Action (CCA), saw that climate change promises were unmet, she vowed to help make a difference. “I know there’s always [goals] about 2030 emissions, but we keep saying those goals and we’re not really doing anything to change them,” Blum said. “I think it’s important for our generation to take action.” CCA meets every Tues-

Sea levels rose by an average of 0.06 inches per year from 1880-2013. From 1993-2013, however, the rate increased to 0.12. There’s a 33.3% chance of 2024 being warmer, and a 99% chance of it being one of the top five hottest years in history.**

day during lunchtime in English teacher and leadership advisor Bethany Li’s room, A106. The club has cleaned a total of over 100 pounds of trash from their monthly beach cleanups. CCA also invites monthly guest speakers from climate-related fields to introduce climate opportunities to students. Additionally, CCA plans to hold service events at local elementary schools to inspire young students to take initiative against climate change. “[As] high schoolers, we’ve

been told about climate change a lot,” Blum said. “[But if] we were younger when being introduced to this new idea, [it] could have a bigger impact.” As the rising president of CCA, Blum’s vision for the club includes outreach in the community and inspiring more students to take action. “A lot of times people feel like the issue [is] too broad,” Blum said. “But if people come together [in] a collaborative effort, [we] can really make a change.”

Kamille Lang

2023’s global-average temperature was 14.98°C (58.96°F), 0.17°C more than the previous highest in 2016.***

*ABC News ** National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ***United States Environmental Protection Agency

Before Kamille Lang accepted a leadership position at Climate Resilient Communities (CRC), she worked in the County of San Mateo Office Of Sustainability. Lang led the Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) program to help high school students study environmental issues and create solutions to climate change. “YCA [teaches] people about things that we need to do [to] reduce our impact on the planet,”

Lang said. “[It also teaches] students how to go through the process of making those changes that they want to see in the world.” Lang collaborated with high schoolers, including several Burlingame students, to start climate-related projects and learn more about climate action around San Mateo County. “It was learning alongside high school students in San Mateo about climate impacts,” Lang said. “We [saw] how [climate change] was going to impact the way that

they would like to live and work in San Mateo County.” Working with students and seeing their passion for mitigating the effects of climate change has given Lang hope for the future of climate activism. “San Mateo Unified High School District has a declaration of a climate emergency right now,” Lang said. “But it’s up to [the] students to make sure that that is changing the decisions that are made every day at Burlingame High School.”

February 12, 2024

Sports

Behind the smile

Women’s sports see increased coverage

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELLE SONG

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA BELLA

The unseen trials of competitive dance

BY ZACHARY NEWMAN

Sports Editor

On Aug. 30, a collegiate volleyball match between the University of Nebraska and Omaha University broke the record for attendance at a women’s sporting event with 92,003 people filling the stands. The feat is emblematic of a larger trend — an increase in coverage and popularity for women’s sports. According to a report by Wasserman, a marketing and management company for athletes, media coverage of women’s sports has nearly tripled in the last five years. Women’s sports media coverage increased on streaming services, digital publications and social media platforms in 2022. Streamed coverage of women’s collegiate and professional sports increased 158% from 2021. The increased media exposure allows young female athletes to be seen by a national audience. “It brings awareness to what women can do and how they can make an impact,” senior and varsity basketball co-captain Sofia Cavalieri said. “It gives younger girls people to look up to. [Seeing] these strong women figures succeed and become so popular is great for impressionable kids.” There’s one obvious reason for college basketball’s recent boost in popularity: Iowa University senior Caitlin Clark. She has achieved national recognition for her shooting prowess, gaudy statistics and charismatic swagger. Iowa’s Final Four game last March aired on ESPN and received 5.6 million views — the channel’s third mostviewed women’s college basketball game on record, which also topped ESPN’s most-watched National Basketball Association (NBA) game in the 2022-23 season. This year, Clark became the first male or female player to be featured on NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX, the four main broadcast networks, in the same season. “At Burlingame, new girls are trying out in all different sports, and it’s because of strong women figures in sports,” sophomore soccer player Sophie Glick said. “The increased coverage gives girls at Burlingame role models, and also encourages people to try new sports and to do their best.” Calavlieri notes how watching other female athletes helps her learn more as a player and person. “My [basketball] team watched the Stanford women’s basketball team and we learned a lot from their practice and how they play,” Cavalieri said. “Seeing someone who plays the kind of basketball that I play is inspiring. Being able to see what they post on social media, their pregame rituals and what they do to prepare is helpful, so I can practice those things to get better.” Other sports have also seen enhanced coverage — ratings rose approximately 50% for the 2022 Olympics and 2023 Women’s World Cup from decade averages. “It shows that women are equal to men and that there should be no difference no matter what, in sports or outside of sports,” Glick said. “Once sports are publicized, other things for women will start being publicized more as well.” While Cavalieri still thinks more can be done to achieve equal coverage for everyone, she believes the increased exposure for female athletes can spur progress in larger ways than sports. “I hope to see more women dominate the basketball world and it is not just entirely the NBA and men’s college basketball,” Cavalieri said. “I hope that in the future, women and men can be paid semi-equally, or be paid on a more fair basis. The surge of popularity in women’s basketball has sparked a lot of popularity elsewhere. More popularity for women’s sports will create a ripple effect for more opportunities for women in other industries.”

Freshman Danielle Song dances at West Coast Dance Conservatory and appears at national competitions. BY BRINDA IYER

Copy Editor

When people think of dance, they often picture a twirling ballerina spinning on a stage in a glittery dress with a smile on her face. What they don’t see is the hours of exertion and strength it takes to produce this seemingly effortless performance. “The whole point of being a dancer is to make it look easy,” sophomore Mischa Fellner said. “So if you go to watch a dance performance and you see, like, ‘Oh, it looks easy,’ then that’s when you know they’re trying really hard.”

The trials of dance Dance requires long hours of practicing, rehearsing and conditioning. Freshman Danielle Song often doesn’t get home from dance until 9 p.m. and begins her schoolwork at 10 p.m., only heading to bed at midnight. “Sometimes it’s stressful to be doing so many things throughout the week, but I think it’s a good pressure to have; it’s like a workout,” Song said. Song dances competitively at West Coast Dance Conservatory (WCDC), and she practices for one to three hours a day, six days a week. Before dance practice, she must attend junior varsity cheer practice for two hours right after school. Because of her hectic schedule, Song often sacrifices quality time with friends after school, pushing it to the weekends. “I don’t really hang out with my friends [much], I just stay home and study,” Song said. “I never watch TV or shows. I’m always at dance.” Fellner, who also dances at WCDC, has a study period at school to do homework. This helps her balance her schedule since she, like Song, must attend varsity cheer practice before going to dance practice and returning home at 9:30 p.m. Still, it is difficult to find time to rest. “I usually get like seven hours [of sleep] or less, which is kind of not enough because of how much physical activity I do,” Fellner said.

In addition to its long hours, another often overlooked aspect of dance is the constant comparison to other dancers and the activity’s occasionally toxic environment. Competitions are primarily based on the dancer’s looks and elegance, which can harm their mental health and cause feelings of insufficiency. “When I used to do conventions, you’d look around and be like, ‘Oh, she’s so much better than me,’ and that would kind of get in your head a little bit,” sophomore Sofia Monteverdi said. Fellner agrees that the focus on comparison can add pressure to achieve perfection and impact her mental health. “Even if you’re not [comparing] yourself, our coaches and our dance teachers are always comparing us to each other,” Fellner said. “It is kind of just a part of dance and trying to push people to improve, but it can be really toxic and discouraging.”

Earning recognition Dancers specializing in more underground dance types often don’t receive much recognition for their art form. For instance, Monteverdi has tried many types of dance, including ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, musical theater and tap, and feels that people should give these more attention. “I definitely think that contemporary is under-recognized because I think it’s actually one of the hardest styles of dance,” Monteverdi said. “Usually people just pay attention to ballet and hip hop, but those aren’t really the hardest ones, in my opinion.” Senior Maggie Gilmartin agrees that the general public is less aware of complex dance variations than mainstream forms like ballet and jazz. When considering the idea of dancing in college, Gilmartin found that few schools offered her preferred dance style, hip-hop. While she believes hiphop influences society, especially teenagers, she thinks many people fail to understand the form’s depth and history. “It’s superficial the way that [teenagers] are influenced by hiphop,” Gilmartin said. “What peo-

ple know about hip-hop is like, TikTok dances and just what they see on their Instagram pages. My coach really emphasizes the culture aspect of hip-hop rather than like, mainstream [Los Angeles hip hop].”

Is dance a sport? Despite the many difficulties of dance, Song believes that many people don’t view dance as a sport because it does not involve much physical interaction with other performers, focuses more on expressiveness, and can appear effortless on a stage. “I think dance is a sport and a performing art because we have the same discipline and training as a sport, but we also get to show a different side of ourselves,” Song said. “It’s more personal, not just about competition.” Monteverdi agrees that many people don’t acknowledge how much time and effort goes into each dance performance and that most view it as just an art. However, to her, it is both an art form and a sport. “[Dance is] a sport because it requires a lot of [effort] just like any other sport,” Monteverdi said. “A lot of people don’t really understand the work that goes on behind it and the strength that you need to have to be a dancer.” Gilmartin does not classify dance as a sport. That’s not to say that she thinks it requires any less athleticism than a sport — she merely believes that a dance performance’s success cannot be measured in the same way a sports game can. “[Dance] is not like, ‘Get the ball!’ like that’s not what it is,” Gilmartin said. “It’s not easier than a sport, but there’s a whole storytelling aspect to it, which is just a world away from sports.” Dance can be draining and exhausting, physically and mentally. However, Fellner believes her efforts are worth it because of the elation dancing brings her. “Dance and cheer bring me joy; that’s why I do them, because it makes me happy,” Fellner said. “And I think that doing a lot of exercise in your day can also make you overall happier.”

February 12, 2024

Sports Faham: It’s now or never BY HENRY GARDNER

Staff Reporter

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Athlete Spotlights

After years of playing club soccer, senior Sammy Faham was finally able to live out a long-held dream: competing for his high school. For the first three years of his high school career, Faham played on a club team in the MLS (Major League Soccer) NEXT division. Due to the intensity of the league, no players are allowed to play for another team, including their high school. But after Faham committed to play Division III college soccer at

Pomona College in Southern California, he figured he had nothing to lose. Due to the club season and an injury to his knee, Faham joined the Panthers more than a month late, but Faham has adjusted quickly — he became a starter almost immediately after joining the team and now plays nearly the entirety of every game. With the help of Faham and others, boys’ soccer has clinched the PAL championship and guaranteed a CCS berth. “The hope is to stay [in first place] when the league is over, and get as far as we can get in CCS,” Faham said. “We’re taking it one game at a time, but right now our goal is to win the league.”

Aguilar: She’s Here to stay BY OTO

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BY SOPHIA PUZON

Senior Reporter

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It may be because he transferred to Burlingame as a junior or broke his leg that same season, but senior Alain Kazarian has certainly made his last year on boys’ varsity basketball count. Last fall, Kazarian transferred from Serra High School but missed most of the season due to a broken leg. “It was pretty rough gaining the flow of it once I came back,” Kazarian said. Whether it’s knocking down shots from a distance, driving to the rim or playing lockdown defense, Kazarian has stood out in his first full season on the varsity roster. As of Feb. 7, he leads the Panthers in scoring, averag-

ing 20.2 points per 32 minutes, fourth among players in the Central Coast Section (CSS) and first in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division. Kazarian has also proved to be an all-around player, leading the Bay Division in assists (61), field goals made (124), free throws made (64) and steals (38). Not only has Kazarian played well on the court, he has also stepped into a leadership role, helping younger players gain confidence and succeed. While Kazarian plans to play basketball in college, his current focus remains guiding his team to the playoffs, with hopes of a deep run. “I’m looking forward to finishing off league play strong, and hopefully having a far CCS run,” Kazarian said.

LE HUY SMANS

BY ZACHARY NEWMAN

Sports Editor

BY JOEL

Kazarian: One year of magic

Aguilar demonstrated her skill when she took gold at the PAL Championships last week. “When I walk into a tournament, I just think that I’ve worked so hard for this,” Aguilar said. “It’s like the medal is already in my hands and has my name engraved in it.”

PHOTO

In her first full season with the Panthers, junior Lauren Aguilar dominated the mat. Transferring from Capuchino High School midway through her sophomore year was a deliberate decision, motivated in part by training under head coach Ernesto Nunez, a longtime family friend. “My dad has been a coach since I can remember, and I’ve been in and out of mat rooms for a long time,” Aguilar said. “I’ve never loved a sport like I’ve loved wrestling.”

Aguilar has produced impressive results in the last year. She competed in prestigious tournaments such as the 2023 Roger Briones Girls Tournament, where she placed first in her division. Aguilar has also earned a spot on the California USA Wrestling team, where she competed last summer in national events in Oklahoma and North Dakota. “California is actually known to be one of the best women’s wrestling states in the nation, so it’s very cool to be a part of such a high-caliber team,” Aguilar said.

Haggarty: Locked in BY JOELLE HUYSMANS

Social Coordinator

Soccer has always been a big part of sophomore Mika Haggarty’s life. But it wasn’t until the pandemic that she gave up competitive softball and dance to focus solely on the sport. “Part of [the reason I chose soccer] is definitely because of COVID-19,” Haggarty said. “But I’m glad this is the way things turned out because I had the most fun playing it.” Last year, Haggarty was one of the seven freshmen on the varsity team giving her confidence entering this year. “Everything was really new and I was experiencing it for the first time,” Haggarty said. “So this year, I know more about how high school soccer works in terms of league, playing time and other aspects like that.” Haggarty also gets to play alongside her sister, senior Cora Haggarty. “It’s been really fun being able to play with her, especially because she’s leaving for college next year,” Haggarty said. “It’s been such a blessing to create these memories with her before she has to leave.”

KinIris: Claiming center stage BY JEANNINE CHIANG

Web Editor

PHOTO BY JEANNINE CHIANG

Basketball runs in junior Jillian Kiniris’ family. Her dad won a basketball state championship at Capuchino High School, and both Kiniris and her sister are following in his footsteps. Over the years, the sport became not just a hobby but a lifestyle. Kiniris started playing in fourth grade and competed for both her school team and the BullDawgs Basket-

ball Club in middle school. Without sports during the pandemic, Kiniris’ confidence in basketball was at an all-time low. But when she needed a mentor the most to rediscover her passion for the game, head coach Ned Diamond and assistant coach Zelie Zshornack served as guidance. “The coaches have helped me gain a lot of my confidence back, especially from a hard couple of years,” Kiniris said. “[Coach Zelie] has been a huge

help to all of us mentally and helps all of our confidence go up.” Bonding is an important element of group success for Kiniris, who has committed to prioritizing it with her team. “Our coaches [arrange] a lot of team bonding activities to make this season really fun,” Kiniris said. “Even for the players that we might not be as close with outside of school, the coaches make sure that everyone feels included.”

Opinion

Editorial Destigmatize community college

BY THE BURLINGAME B EDITORIAL BOARD

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

February 12, 2024

Staff Reporters Alex Bertelli Margo Bigue Evelyn Du Henry Gardner Brendan Gilmore Kaylee Hwang Iny Li Connie Lu Audrey Wei Josie Wettan Emma Yu

If you ask almost any student at Burlingame what college they want to attend, chances are they will say a University of California (UC) or a private four-year university. Few students — even those already intent on attending a community college — will name a community college, and a core reason is the stigma of not attending a top university. That hypothetical illustrates a pervasive problem at Burlingame: students do not realize the benefits that community colleges offer. Being a student in the Bay Area means you need not look far to find students with incredibly high college expectations with fleshed-out applications stacked with top extracurriculars. In our competitive district, it is common for students to feel behind in both academics and extracurriculars in comparison to others. Parents also contribute to this mindset since many pressure their children to have “competitive” applications to top four-year universities instead of guaranteed acceptance to a community college. For many who are first-generation students applying to college, the expectation to apply and attend a top school is especially high as the majority of immigrant families come to America for better opportunities for their children — therefore, they believe that their efforts should not be wasted on a commu-

Teacher Adviser Melissa Murphy

Why dark humor is more than a joke

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Copy Editor

According to Forbes, around 4.9 billion people — 60% of the world’s population — used social media in 2023. Whether on Instagram, TikTok or other social media apps, people are increasingly surrounded by online content. While a wide variety of content exists on these platforms, almost every app enables and popularizes some version of “dark humor.” Dictionary.com defines dark humor as “a form of humor that regards human suffering as absurd rather

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Community colleges such as College of San Mateo offer many benefits, although students tend to overlook them. nity college outcome. One of the main reasons people may want to go to a four-year college is the classic experience. Things like sororities and fraternities attract students to a more communal feel that many believe is not present at community colleges. However, students should consider the financial, social and academic benefits of attending a community college. For one, all San Mateo community colleges are free. This relief of a financial burden allows students to pursue higher education without concerns about tuition and added fees. Community colleges also tend to have smaller class sizes that allow students to have more one-on-one time with professors, creating personal connections that can greatly benefit students post-graduation.

than pitiable, or that considers human existence as ironic and pointless but somehow comic.” There is a difference between jokes that poke fun at trivial things and dark humor aimed at turning severe issues into jokes. A reason why this kind of humor is so popular is because of its shocking and often controversial nature. Still, we shouldn’t laugh at this humor because of how it turns real struggles into comedy. Dark humor clearly persists online, especially on Instagram reels. There are countless jokes ranging from offensive to extremely ignorant and hurtful, usually turning others suffering into comedy. One example of dark humor is when an Instagram reel asked viewers who they would bring back to life from the dead, and a concerning number of users commented, “Adolf Hitler.” Dark humor is also unavoidable on TikTok, where disturbing jokes about the “Epstein list” are abundant. I believe there is a clear issue with this kind of humor, as it is not only incredibly disrespectful to those who continue to face oppression but also makes a mockery of serious topics. For instance, there are so many jokes about 9/11 on social media that it’s easier to find jokes about the disaster rather than tributes to the lives taken and heroes who saved lives that day. The normalization of dark humor through social media heavily influences humor in real life, especially when it comes to teenagers. Numer-

The TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) program is another aspect of community colleges that is often overlooked — students can automatically transfer to any of six UC campuses (all except Berkeley, San Diego and Los Angeles) after 2 years if they satisfy GPA and course requirements. Though not all majors are guaranteed at every school, this opportunity allows many students the time to figure out their passions and then pursue their established career goals at a UC. For better or for worse many students will still prioritize the name of a well-known school over finding community colleges that may be better-suited for them. Regardless of school, all choices can lead to success and attending community college should not be stigmatized.

ous teens use TikTok, where #darkhumor videos have racked up 31.5 billion views. Dark humor shouldn’t be a mainstream form of entertainment for teenagers. Repeatedly watching these jokes can translate to your humor in real life — a systemic problem that I’ve definitely observed around campus. I can recall countless times I have heard a Burlingame student say a horribly insensitive joke. But what made it worse was that other students laughed at it, disregarding how hateful the joke was and how it could affect others around them. How are we supposed to make this school a safe and inclusive place when many of its students are turning the struggles of their peers into comedy? There is a clear underlying cause for creating and laughing at dark humor: desensitization. It is challenging for us as a society, especially teenagers, to come face-to-face with grave, often global issues, which is why we instead laugh at them out of fear. When we don’t want to discuss a serious topic, we turn it into a joke. In short, dark humor is often a coping mechanism disguised as comedy. Instead of using dark humor to cope with serious conflicts, we should take time to actually think about and discuss those topics to better understand them. We should learn how to face past and current problems in our society so that we can work towards preventing future issues and solving present ones.

February 12, 2024

Community

Exhibit combats hate

Cheng gets national recognition for art

Students bring awareness to antisemitism

BY JOSIE WETTAN

Staff Reporter

On Friday, Jan. 26, ASAP exhibit hosted its second recent display in the alumni room. BY CONNIE LU

doesn’t mean we should stop caring and challenging each other to be better.” When swastikas showed up The modern examples in on the walls of campus baththe museum not only included rooms and Neo-Nazi posters highly-publicized antisemitic started appearing in hallways, statements but also communijunior Emmett Kliger decided he ty-specific examples, like when had to do something. statements PHO antisemitic TO At first, he tried to blow BY SO were written on a it off as a stupid joke. locker in March But then, things got last year. This worse. was shocking, “It all really even for ASAP’s happened because own Associate a friend of mine Director junior said something Audrey Colvin. to me, that wasn’t “It definitely hateful, but it was opened my eyes to very ignorant,” a lot of the bias that Kliger said. “IgI don’t see benorant about the cause I’m not Holocaust, igno- Will we completely Jewish,” Colvin rant about the change who you said. “I did not antisemitism on see a lot of the are as a person? campus.” antisemitism Kliger decided Probably not. But if that was hapthat he couldn’t we can turn somepening in our wait for others to community. one from being do the work — he There is a lot had to take action apathetic to caring of it in Burlinand stand up for about fighting hate game and just himself. or putting it into being a part of “I had to do ASAP made me something be- action, that’s what see that other cause if I didn’t I we want to do.” side.” wasn’t sure who Many viselse would,” Klig- Emmett Kliger itors were er said. “There’s moved by the a big need to edmessage ASAP preached at the ucate about both the Holocaust first exhibit at the Temple. and the lead-up to the Holocaust “A lot of people cried,” Colvin because right now, there’s a lot said. “There was this one womof antisemitism. We need to edan, who came up to me, she was ucate so that we don’t repeat elderly, and she said that one of some mistakes of the past.” the men who smuggled Jews out Kliger’s answer? The Anof Germany during the Holotisemitism Awareness Project caust saved her mom. That was (ASAP), a nonprofit organization really powerful to see how this to combat hate in his community stuff affected everybody.” through easily-scalable pop-up While one of the main topics museum exhibits. They hosted of the exhibit is antisemitism, their first exhibit at Peninsula it also highlights hate in other Temple Sholom on Thursday, communities as well. Nov. 9, and brought the experi“It did focus a lot on the Jewence to Burlingame on Friday, ish experience, but it also includJan. 26. ed [examples of] Islamophobia, The exhibit starts by explainanti-Asian stuff,” Chin said. “In ing the history of antisemitism my opinion, it made sense [that] and comparing antisemitism it included examples that also afleading up to the Holocaust with fected non-Jewish communities. antisemitism now. As a World There were a lot of valid ways to History teacher, Jim Chin felt include as many communities as that this comparison stood out possible.” from the rest of the exhibit. After the community-specif“Seeing these reminders, we ic examples, they dived into the like to think we’ve moved past Anti-Defamation League’s pyrait, but in a lot of ways it’s still an mid of hate and offered actions issue,” Chin said. “Maybe we’ve visitors can take to fight hate in made some progress, [but] that

Staff Reporter

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Senior Lauren Cheng’s winter break was an extra week long — but for good reason. She spent the second week of January in Miami at National YoungArts Week, an exclusive program for YoungArts award winners. Cheng was invited after winning a YoungArts Award with Distinction in design and learned two weeks later that she was also one of just 60 applicants nationwide to receive a nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. “I went to National YoungArts week and made a ton of connections with the most talented designers and other types of artists [my] age,” Cheng said. “I also got to meet a bunch of panelists and guest artists that are leaders in their profession, and make a bunch of connections with adults as well.” The YoungArts program was founded in 1981 and is dedicated to honing the talents of exceptional young artists. YoungArts reports on its website that it receives thousands of applicants between the ages of 15 and 18 annually for their awards. Alumni of YoungArts awards include successful artists such as Viola Davis, Timothée Chalamet and Amanda Gorman. Artists that won an Award with Distinction were invited to Miami for YoungArts week. The YoungArts program provides mentorship and financial grants to all winners of their awards, along with important industry connections that serve as a crucial stepping stone in artists’ careers. “I think [these connections] will allow me to get more opportunities in the future because they have those connections to people who have more connections,” Cheng said. At YoungArts week, successful artists mentored award winners. Winners in design like Cheng learned about subjects in design specialties different from their own, such as architecture or fashion. Each day, the 151 winners with distinction worked many hours and completed challenges in different artistic disciplines, or learned more from various guest artists. “I would say the most growth is just letting go of a little bit of perfectionism,” Cheng said. “Because the challenges were timed, I really had to think quick… You try to cut some steps out of your process in order to be most efficient. So I feel like that is something I can add to my practice now.” Cheng was recognized for designs that relate to social justice, a common theme in her work. One design was a poster that laid bare the consequences of gun violence. Her other piece was a voting sticker designed for the city of Burlingame aimed at addressing low voter turnout among the younger generation. “My thought process going into the pieces was with the perspective of social justice in mind. Both issues, like the threat to democracy and mass shootings, are really big issues in our country,” Cheng said. “And so my way of coping with those issues is to make designs that make those complex issues aesthetically simplified, so that people are reminded and understand.” Cheng plans to pursue a career in graphic design, but for now YoungArts week in Miami was both a celebration and an inspiration. “I think that it feels really validating to get the award but also feels very empowering to be in an environment with people who are so passionate about their craft,” Cheng said.

PHOTO BY CONNIE LU

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN CHENG

One of the workshops that the design winners attended was about inclusive fashion design. The designers were challenged to pad out dress forms to a size 16W.

their community. “I think the goal of that museum is not just to make you more informed, but to encourage someone to be more proactive in combating prejudice,” Chin said. “The end of the exhibit had resources for you. The museum’s focus on [key questions like] ‘what can we do with all this information?’ and ‘how can we use this information to be better citizen?’ is [a big difference].” Despite administrative efforts to combat hate at Burlingame, teachers like Chin still notice and try to fight hateful comments. “As a teacher, there’s always a temptation if I hear something [bad] in the hallway or in a passing period to pretend I didn’t hear it, but we can’t let that happen, that only makes it worse,” Chin said. “[We need to] confront it, [but not] in a hostile manner. You want to call it out, but in a way that gives people a chance to be better.” But sometimes, when it comes from an adult, students won’t listen. “I think it means something different to the student body when it’s students doing this rather than a bunch of teachers,” Chin said. “It was really important to include an example of that sort of stuff in our community, to point out that this happens in places where a well-intentioned but naive adult might not think it would happen.” ASAP hopes that by educating other students themselves, they can fight hate through positive peer pressure. “If we can empower students so when they see something that they know is not right, whether it be racial discrimination, antisemitism, homophobia or whatever, they feel empowered to do something because it’s a lot harder to be hateful when you have five, six seven, eight or nine people telling you it’s not okay,” Kliger said. Kliger believes that while combating hate is challenging, ASAP can still make a meaningful difference, however small. “If we can turn someone from being apathetic to caring about fighting hate or putting it into action, that’s what we want to do. We want to push people in the right direction,” Kliger said.

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February 12, 2024