November Issue 2023

What’s Inside:

2 Students bypass AI detection

3 Thrift shopping

6/7 Online sports

11 Alumni spotlights

URLINGAME B

THE

Issue 2 Vol 134

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

November 13, 2023

Burlingame seeks community amid Israel-Hamas conflict

BY BRINDA IYER

Copy Editor

On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a coordinated surprise terrorist attack on Israel. As the conflict has grown between Israel and Hamas in the intervening days, Burlingame students of both communities have felt the impact of war.

“I urge people to not focus on this as a political issue be-

cause it’s truly not,” senior and Jewish club president Nate Teitelbaum said. “It should just be an issue where people can come together and condemn [Hamas] and leave it at that and pray for the victims on every side. Palestinians are going to be undoubtedly affected by this issue too.”

The conflict began when the Palestinian militant group Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Hamas) launched a deadly attack on Israel, invad-

ing and launching rockets at the country. Israel declared war on Hamas in response. According to Nov. 6 data, at least 1,400 Israelis have died, while the country’s military reports that another 199 are being held hostage in Gaza. Meanwhile, as of Nov. 6, the Palestinian death toll has risen to over 10,000. In Gaza, women and children comprise over 62% of fatalities.

Even though the war is occurring halfway across the

globe, its consequences for the Burlingame community have felt close and real.

“My mom’s aunt is living in Gaza right now. Last time we heard of them, they left their house because it wasn’t safe and they’re hiding in the Greek Orthodox Church. They don’t have electricity or food or water right now, so we can’t contact them,” senior Zaina Michael said.

The implications of the conflict extend beyond direct

PHOTOS BY THE BURLINGAME B STAFF

Homecoming week Homecoming dance

Little Big Game

Attendance It’s safe to say the venue was packed — 929 students attended the dance, and 800 stayed until it ended.

Football For the first time since 2009, Burlingame lost the Little Big Game (LBG) to San Mateo, ending a 13-year winning streak.

Venue Because of gym reconstruction, the homecoming dance was hosted at the Burlingame Hyatt Regency, where poker tables, inflatable dice and a photobooth helped create the Casino Night theme.

Band The band cheered on the Panthers with songs such as “Dancing Queen”, “Toxic” and “Confident” and amazed the crowd with a halftime performance.

DJ The liveliness of the dance came from DJ Hightop’s choice of hit pop songs — ­ and the merch giveaway at the end.

Cheer Cheer entertained the crowd with a halftime show full of stunts and danced to pop songs.

violence. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as of Oct. 24, Antisemitic incidents have seen a nearly 400% increase since the start of the war. In a news release, ADL stated that it recorded 312 Antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23, 190 of which were directly linked to the Israel-Hamas war. Islamophobia is also on the rise: The Council See Israel-Hamas, pg. 2

Student trustees advocate for new ELD program

BY WILL KRINER

Senior Reporter

At times, being on the school board can be a thankless job. What makes it worthwhile is making a difference — and this year, Burlingame students on the new district wide student board council are doing exactly that.

The new student board consists of 17 members: Two representatives from each school across the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD), along with one member each from Peninsula High, Middle College and the Bridge Program. The student board has their own meetings once a month and plans to hold periodic meetings at flex time so students can voice their concerns.

Burlingame’s representatives, junior Carine Suherman and sophomore Jaslene Lai, have already made progress on a new idea — extending the English Language Development (ELD) program to every school in the district, as it is currently only available at Capuchino High School, San Mateo High School, and Hillsdale High School. This makes the process of learning English more accessible for foreign transfer students.

The idea was presented by Suherman at the official SMUHSD Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 28.

“They have to do their assignments, tests and quizzes in English, so they’re not doing very well in their classes,” Suherman said. “Students should be allowed to choose what campus they want to attend while having that resource provided to them.”

On Oct. 18, the student board held a meeting to discuss the ELD program, where they invited Manager of Multilingual Learner Programs Joana Feit to present.

According to Feit’s data, the district wide graduation rate is 62% for multilingual learners, which falls far short of the overall rate of 92%.

To address that disparity, the program provides the same courses that are available to every student, but designed and taught in a way that is tailored to the needs of English learners.

“For example, instead of going straight into it, there might be a different form for reviewing vocabulary,” Feit said. “It might be using a lot of images in addition to talking so that students who don’t have the most perfect English would be able to access something visually.”

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November 13, 2023

News

Students bypasses AI detection software “In this course, it doesn’t require that you demonstrate that you can write a coherent sentence because if you can get a coherent sentence generated that accomplishes the goal, that’s okay,” Johnson said. “But, if I were teaching a course that had the intention of instilling the capacity to write a coherent sentence, or to think critically, then I wouldn’t want AI to supplant the individual’s learning and development process.”

Furthermore, Johnson emphasizes the importance of life skills gained in high school and incorporating them into college and beyond.

“High school is where the rubber meets the road because one should be able to get out of high school and live their life… the writing and mathematics skills that I developed, by and Students can use a combination of ChatGPT and GPTZero to their advantage to write, reword and large, the ones that I use every submit AI-written essays. Although this isn’t academically honest, students still receive a good grade, day, are the ones that I developed and avoid any consequences by sidestepping the chatbot detection. in [high school], and so I can toBY JEANNINE CHIANG “It’s really easy. You use just think [that] if I can get [the tally understand why high school Web Editor ChatGPT to generate an essay essay] done in minutes and reteachers are freaked out about using the given prompt. [Then], ceive a good grade, why don’t I AI,” Johnson said.

ChatGPT, the chatbot softcopy and paste the essay on a just do that?” the anonymous As AI continues to advance ware launched by Open AI in paraphrasing website, like Quil- source added. “There is nothing and teenagers continue to find November 2022, continues to bot, to get a new essay [which] stopping me and it’s not like I’m unexplored forms of cheating, challenge the principle of acahelps your essay [be] detected it may be impossible to demic integrity as students find as human-written. When you avoid an unsteady future Imagine a hypothetical student novel ways to plagiarize their have your completed essay from built on AI dependence. who writes no papers [themwork without detection. the re-worder, [use] GPTZeEven if students receive selves] gets into Harvard, writes Namely, in January 2023, a ro to [ensure] there is no more a desired grade, the letno papers through [college]...gets Princeton graduate released ChatGPT detection. In most caster means nothing in the GPTZero, a resource to detect into medical school…doesn’t work es, there won’t be any but if there long run when one can’t ChatGPT usage in intellectual through [medical school]... then is, you just rephrase those sencomplete simple, daily settings. But the tool has done they have to do surgery on you.” tasks in the future. tences. GPTZero basically shows quite the opposite — students you what you need to fix before “Students sometimes can now use GPTZero to check turning your paper in,” the anonthink ‘I just need this for - English teacher Tim Larkin if their plagiarized work will be ymous source said. my grade, I don’t care flagged before they turn it in.

Using this approach, the stu- getting caught and facing conse- Business Professor Colin John- if I get anything out of it,’ but Despite administrative softdent received an “A” on their En- quences. I don’t even need En- son shares a similar perspective. at the end of the day, what stuware like Turnitin, which teachglish essay. Although the student glish for my intended major.”

Although several college classes, dents take away from their time ers now use to scan for AI, stufeels they are a proficient writer, Reliance on ChatGPT is esincluding Introduction to Busi- in school is totally up to them,” dents are finding ways to avoid AI they claim they use the tool be- pecially alarming for the English ness, allow the use of AI for re- Johnson said. “I want them to detection. An anonymous source cause of their laziness and men- department, where the majority search purposes, Johnson noted succeed and go into the world described a strategy they’ve used tality to “just get it done.” of students’ grades are depen- that it’s still crucial to learn how and be successful individuals but to evade getting caught with AI “It’s not like I can’t write an dent on their writing abilities. to research and not rely on tech- it’s really up to them. They’re in their essay. essay using my own words. I “If they’re [a student] avoid- nology to do everything. only cheating themselves.”

PHOTOS BY JEANNINE CHIANG

ing [AI] detection, there’s not much I can do for them,” said Advanced Placement English and Language Composition and English 4 teacher Tim Larkin. “If they’re a kid insistent upon not actually learning anything and lying their way through school in an effort to be particularly underprepared for a university that might admit them on the basis of false grades, [then] they have problems I can’t fix.”

As Larkin alluded to, even with strict protocol in English classrooms, some students will still rely on ChatGPT. “Although I write my essays by myself, I’ll put the essay into ChatGPT after and have it reword everything so that the essay sounds better. The words will be more sophisticated and the structure will also be more clear. I feel that it’s still my own work, but a better version of it,” another anonymous source said.

As a result, the student received an “A” on their English project. Whether they deserved the grade or not was another question.

College of San Mateo and Burlingame Introduction to

Impacts of Israel-Hamas conflict felt at Burlingame on AmerFrom pg. 1 ican-Islamic

Relations (CAIR) reported that it had recorded over 770 complaints, including reported bias incidents from Muslims nationwide, between Oct. 7 and Oct. 25. The organization said in a news release that “the numbers likely do not represent all cases.”

“When there’s something that occurs that negatively impacts Jews in Israel, it’s reflected in the United States because people with Antisemitic views see what’s going on and they feel prompted, I guess, or incentivized to do the same thing,” sophomore Abby Gorin said.

On the other hand, junior Yazan Abutair cites the media as a prominent factor in the misrepresentation of the war’s outlook. Abutair notes that Western media strongly under-represents the Palestinian’s standpoint.

“Media in the US portrays

Palestinian people as terrorists because of this attack. It’s just people fighting out of open air prison, which is just not fair at all, trying to portray us as terrorists,” Abutair said.

Michael shares this sentiment, urging people to research the history of the issue and to look at the bigger picture rather than only focusing on this latest set of attacks.

“I tell my friends, I encourage people to look beyond the Western media because it’s very biased and doesn’t really show both sides,” Michael said. “I think it’s important to educate yourselves about the situation because this isn’t just something that just happened now.

This has been happening for 75 years.”

On Oct. 10, the Jewish Club focused their monthly meeting on the events unfolding in Gaza and took the chance to console one another. Principal Jen Fong was invited to this meeting,

where she reassured Jewish students that Burlingame is a safe community for them. Fong has done the same in private conversations with Palestinian and Jewish students and families.

“We take any type of hate very seriously,” Fong said. “I see that Burlingame students in our community are trying very hard to be inclusive and supportive, and to respect that people do have differences of opinions.”

Nonetheless, both Jewish and Palestinian students said they feel silenced and scared, a sentiment that Fong recognized at the Jewish Club meeting.

“I think BHS as a school, they haven’t done the best job at making a safe place for Palestinian students,” Michael said.

“I have a few teachers here and there that reached out to me personally, because they know I’m Palestinian. But as a whole, I feel like we’re silenced.”

Michael urges people to refrain from making stereotyping

jokes and passing comments.

The situation in Gaza is a very real and serious one, and to make light of the situation hurts those who are connected to it, she said.

“When I heard those [ jokes], at first I was just brushing it off,” Michael said. “Now I just tell them you’re uneducated, please educate yourself.”

Similarly, Abutair believes that people need to be more sensitive to the direness of the situation and that they need to be kind rather than making jokes and comments.

“BHS needs to support one another instead of fight one another,” Abutair said. “I also think that these little jokes should not be made either way, because it’s not fair. They’re not seeing what we’re seeing in our eyes. We’re seeing kids on kids getting slaughtered, and they’re not seeing that. They’re seeing [us] as a terrorist.”

Teitelbaum hopes that Burl-

ingame will take this opportunity to come together rather than divide.

“I hope that [the war] does not affect our communities, [or] any other communities,” Teitelbaum said. “I hope people don’t tie this tragedy to the Muslim community and the other Arab communities. I hope there’s no resentment or hatred or bias towards those people at all because they have nothing to do with it. [I want] peace for everyone.”

Read more reporting online:

November 13, 2023

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Features

Thrifting: social media trend or lifestyle?

Thrifting has surged globally, with Business Insider noting a rise from 46% to 64% in upper-income teens buying secondhand clothes since 2020. Once a niche activity, thrifting is now a popular trend among Burlingame students, blending environmental benefits and cost savings into their daily fashion. BY EVELYN DU, Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY EV

“I’d rather people buy excess and [go] thrifting than excess in Shein. They underpay their workers [and] use terrible quality stuff,” Lorian said. “You’re probably going to throw it out after wearing it three times.”

As an increasing range of people hop on the thrifting bandwagon, Lorian has observed shifts in the thrifting industry.

“Curated, more expensive thrift stores have started to pop up, [and] it’s changed what it means to thrift a little bit,” Lorian said. “Even though there are cons to wealthier people thrifting, it’s less of an issue than general fast fashion.”

DU

The benefits of thrifting extend beyond cost-friendliness. Senior Finn Lorian, a seasoned thrifter, said shopping second-hand has helped them express themself through fashion.

“Since I started thrifting, I’ve explored my gender identity a lot since I’m non-binary,” Lorian said. “Having the opportunity to buy cheaper clothing lets me experiment.

I’ve played around with more masculine fashion.”

Like Dugoni, Lorian thrifts for moral reasons, hoping to avoid fast fashion outlets that promote exploitative working conditions and contribute to pollution and toxic waste.

“A lot of people here donate really good clothes to thrift stores,” Katz said. ”[But] fast fashion has also been getting into thrift stores, and that just ends up going into the dump.”

An indisputable benefit of thrifting’s popularity is the improving public perception of the hobby.

“It’s amazing to see how [thrifting] isn’t considered a bad thing anymore,” Katz said. “I don’t think anyone thinks [thrifting] is bad anymore because of how popular it’s become.”

VEL YN

Junior Angie Katz works at Plato’s Closet, a thrift store in San Mateo, and has insider knowledge of the day-to-day operations of thrift stores.

“What we’re taking in changes every month,” Katz said. “Right now, we’re only taking outerwear, fall and winter clothes, [while] in the summer, we take clothes [for summer].”

As thrifting becomes more popular and attracts wealthier shoppers, the options available to customers are more diverse, modern and high-end. However, thrift stores also receive donations of fast fashion.

BY E

Finn Lorian

ELYN DU

Angie Katz

inated activity, it now attracts a more diverse crowd. D’Aguilar believes the obsession with thrifting begins on social media platforms such as TikTok. Regardless of whether someone thrifts as a lifestyle, to improve their fashion or to fit a trend, D’Aguilar believes it is an activity available for everyone.

“I don’t think [other people thrifting] will take away any resources.

Clothes at the thrift store are made for anybody,” D’Aguilar said. “Anybody could thrift, [money or status] doesn’t matter.”

TO

Sophomore Theirry D’Aguilar started thrifting around a year ago.

However, in his short time thrifting, D’Aguilar’s fashion sense has drastically changed.

“When I first started thrifting, [my fits] were kind of wack,” D’Aguilar said. “Towards sophomore year, I got a better fashion sense since I started learning proportions. Within the thrift store, you have more to explore and mess around with to [find] your style.”

While thrifting was originally a female-dom-

PHO

“I think fashion is subjective, and it’s supposed to be fun,” Dugoni said.

“Wearing sustainable clothing and not [supporting] mass production is also important to me.”

Dugoni also enjoys the unique stories behind each article of clothing she buys.

“It’s not necessarily a trend, but [thrifting] is coming to the surface,” Dugoni said. “It’s also [part of] micro trends and people thinking it’s the cool thing to do, [but] it’s a definite interest.”

DU

For sophomore Emma Dugoni, thrifting is the best of both worlds, offering unique fashion finds with the added bonus of environmental sustainability.

Dugoni began thrifting during the pandemic, often tagging along on trips with her brother. As she continued thrifting, her perception of thrifting evolved from a new way to find clothes to a way to express her value s and principles — one of which is environmental advocacy.

Thierry D’Aguilar

PHOTO BY EVELYN

PHOTO COURTESY OF

EMMA DUGONI

Emma Dugoni

Trash situation on campus remains a problem

BY WILL KRINER

Senior Reporter

“I think the administration has been [doing their job], but probably they should be a little more consistent,” Quiles said.

The trash also impacts the aesthetic appeal of the campus.

“This is a very beautiful school. Not every high school campus looks like this,” Malcolm said. “There’s a part of me that gets really disheartened and sad when I see it being left with trash everywhere, because it really is up to us to keep this campus beautiful and clean for one another.”

Recently, however, the school has seen some improvement as students become more proactive about trash clean-up.

“I believe it has been much better from what I’ve observed,” Malcolm said. “We’ve even walked up to tables and said, ‘Thank you very much for cleaning up.’ Compared to what it was before, I think

there has been improvement. I think there’s still room for improvement.”

For Malcolm, improvement is only possible when students value — and take ownership for — a clean campus.

“It should be the value of, ‘I respect myself and the space and others enough to realize that I should be cleaning up after myself because it’s no one else’s job to do it,’” Malcolm said.

Even with the improvement, many still question whether students can achieve having little to no trash on campus.

“The optimist in me says yes, we can definitely do this,” English teacher Michael Ferguson said. “I think we just forget that what we do creates impacts. If we just recognize that, I’m optimistic that students will take it upon themselves to throw their things away today.”

PHOTOS BY WILL KRINER

A half-eaten apple. A bag of doritos. A dirty food tray. Rather than rush off to fifth period, walk around the campus after lunch and this is what you will see on benches, tables and scattered across the concrete.

The trash epidemic at Burlingame is nothing new. The plethora of trash left on campus after brunch and lunch consistently creates extra work for School Plant Operations employee Raymond Quiles, who has to reserve a larger part of his workday to clean the campus. Trash, mainly food waste and plastic utensils, are more concentrated in the freshman and senior quad areas.

“If there’s a lot [of trash], I just have to keep on walking back and forth; it takes 45 minutes to an hour at most,” Quiles

said. “If [the students] could just make that extra effort, that one minute walk to the trash can, it would be a huge help.”

Quiles’s large time estimate does not account for brunch clean-up, which takes an additional 30 minutes. In short, Quiles spends a significant chunk of his work day picking up trash — which isn’t even his responsibility. “[Plant Operations employees] job is to maintain the space,” Vice Principal Aimee Malcolm said. “They may be clearing out trash cans or making certain repairs, but it is certainly not their job to clean up lunch tables where debris and lunch have been left behind.”

The administration has attempted to address the problem, putting segments on BTV that explain how to separate trash and making trash receptacles available on campus.

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November 13, 2023

Features

Sleep deprivation takes toll on students

BY ARDA INEGOL Business Manager

Only 15% of students get 8+ hours of sleep. Why? Sleep. It is something that everyone needs, but few high schoolers seem to be able to get, especially at Burlingame.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that high school-aged teens get between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night.

Such a sleep schedule is essential not only for feeling recharged during the day but also for performing well in school.

Despite the recommendation, data from a survey completed by 140 Burlingame students found that only 15% get more than eight hours of sleep a night, showing a clear sleep deprivation issue at school.

In the survey, many students attributed their lack of sleep to homework and extracurricular activities.

Senior Janek Pistor is one of these students. Like other seniors, he is applying to colleges while taking multiple Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Pistor noted that his

overwhelming schoolwork makes it difficult to get a healthy amount of sleep.

“I think [at Burlingame] there’s definitely a pressure to do well and get into a good college, which means you have to do some good extracurriculars,” Pistor said.

Senior Jack McMahon also feels that the competitive culture at Burlingame plays directly into later sleep times. For him, more work also means less time to hang out with friends and enjoy life outside school. “[A tough workload] just means that I have to be better about managing my time and cutting down on stuff that’s maybe more fun, like going out on weekends, to make sure I get everything done,” McMahon said.

As school has become more technology-oriented and many assignments are now fully digital, students’ screen times have also increased significantly. For Pistor, this means eight hours a

day on his computer working on schoolwork and college applications, which takes a direct toll on his ability to sleep well.

“Since I’m spending so much time on my computer before I go to sleep, I don’t feel as refreshed going to bed,” Pistor said.

Junior Lexie Levitt also noted that since most of her homework is digital, she uses her computer extensively before going to sleep.

“For the first two hours before I go to sleep, I’m probably staring at a computer screen,” Levitt said.

Jeffrey Spoering, an AP Statistics and geometry teacher, recognizes the sleep deprivation problem at school. He believes catching up on sleep after school through naps can help students tackle the issue and feel more energized.

“If you lose some sleep, try to catch up [on] some sleep,” Spoering said. “Not like a two, three-hour nap, like a short half-hour nap.”

6-7 hours per night

While Pistor catches up on sleep during the weekends by letting his body wake up naturally, he believes this method is not a great way to deal with sleep deprivation.

“It’s not healthy to get little sleep and then catch it all up in the weekend,” Pistor said. “That’s not how your body works.”

According to Spoering, the administration has done everything in its power to allow students to get more sleep. And he seems to be right. At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, the administration moved the start time from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., added flex time twice a week and changed the 1-7 all-week schedule to block days in order to spread out homework.

Therefore, to Spoering, Burlingame’s sleep deprivation issue appears to be more personal.

“I think it’s a family and student-based thing,” Spoering said.

McMahon thinks other-

wise. Although he agrees that the issue of sleep deprivation depends on individuals and their responsibilities, he also believes that the school could cut down on rallies that take up flex time or end school earlier, giving students more time to do schoolwork and allowing them to sleep earlier.

“Most students would use the [extra time] to their advantage and use it to be productive,” McMahon said.

For now, there seems to be no clear solution to the issue. Levitt believes that with America’s current competitive college admissions process, students will continue to get less sleep than they need.

“It’d be nice if we lived in a world where [each class] didn’t require an hour of homework…but I just don’t think that’s where the American educational system is right now,” Levitt said.

7-8 hours per night

5-6 hours per night

8-9 hours per night

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA BELLA

< 5 hours per night

5

Features

Here’s how my day without a phone went

BY ARSHIA CHAKRAVARTTI

Copy Editor

Like most high school students, I’m always on my phone. Whether I’m walking to the library after school, waiting at a medical appointment or just sitting in my room before bed, I instinctively reach for my phone, opening Instagram and scrolling through different posts and reels.

This endless loop affects my productivity, my sleep, my social interactions and many more facets of daily life. And I know I’m not alone: Every day, I watch as my friends and family rely on phones and technology as a crutch just to get through daily routines. Both as a social experiment and a self-improvement project, I set out to live a day without my phone.

Morning

Starting out my day without my phone proved to be quite difficult right off the bat. It’s become a routine for me to check messages, the weather and other notifications first thing in the morning. Without my phone I felt like I was in middle school again, opening up my computer to check information.

In class, I kept forgetting that I didn’t have my phone, and my hand kept constantly reaching into my pocket out of habit. The main effect that I noticed was the change in focus and attention span. At first, it was difficult to stay focused, as I often found myself spacing out or fixating on a small detail. But in more rigorous classes where more participation was required, it became easier to stay on task and work efficiently.

Afternoon

While it took more effort to stay focused and avoid getting distracted by other things, the biggest challenge with not having my phone with me throughout the day was communication. Quick texts or calls to parents and siblings about updates in scheduling and pick up times are essential, and are usually done through our phones.

With the added challenge of not having my sister with me, I had to stick with my friends throughout the afternoon, periodically calling my parents from their phones to communicate.

Evening

Coming back home, I had another task to overcome: homework. Usually, while doing homework, I get distracted by going on my phone. This is an issue that many students can relate to, often feeling like there isn’t enough time in a day to finish everything. However, without my phone, I noticed that I worked more efficiently, allowing me to have more free time.

Takeaways

At the end of the day, it’s easy to see that I’ve been using my phone as a shield, as an escape from the stress of school, college applications and extracurriculars. Unlocking our phones is a simple and effective way to block out reality, but it quickly becomes a never-ending rabbit hole of harmful distractions. I’ve become more aware of the impact having a phone has on me, with my screen time, behavior and school performance being impacted.

With no phone, my focus and productivity improved, I was less stressed and connected with more people throughout the day.

Guarded measures Students turn to self-defense items amid personal safety concerns

BY JEANNINE CHIANG

GRAPHIC BY JEANNINE CHIANG

ar

November 13, 2023

Web Editor

When The Burlingame B, in a survey last month, asked students to reflect on carrying self-defense items, this is what they said.

“I feel more comfortable when I have something [a self-defense weapon] with me, especially if I am by myself.”

“I go to the gym in a sketchy neighborhood and I don’t feel safe.”

“I usually walk my dog at night and I want to be safe.”

“To protect myself from any harm/threat.”

“To keep myself safe while out at night by myself.”

“Unsafe areas, cautiousness, being safe.”

The prevalence of self-defense items is not just anecdotal.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Defense Spray Industry, responsible for

1 in 5 Women own pepper spray DATA BY JOSEPH CARROLL

the production of pepper spray, a particularly popular tool for self-defense, had a 10% market size growth rate in 2021 as compared to the prior year.

Burlingame students have also taken precautionary measures for their safety. Sophomore Regina Campos Ulloa is one of

Common items like pepper spray, pocket knives and keychains are carried daily by women for self-protection in case of an emergency. many students who have purchased self-defense items in the case of an emergency when out on the streets.

“I always like to be ready just in case. Learning about how common [sexual assault scenarios are], and how so many people experience it…I can stop the person [by using self-defense items]…I carry most things in my bag when I’m on the street,” Campos Ulloa said.

Although Campos Ulloa has never used self-defense items in a real-world scenario before, bringing them with her helps reassure her in potentially dangerous situations.

Likewise, junior Alexa Barraza feels safer in the company of a self-defense item. Because Barraza has experienced sexual harassment before, she carries a taser when going out.

“I recently had a man follow me home, and he was sitting outside of my back door trying to get in so I grabbed my taser and just started pressing the button to make [it] zap. He left, [and] that was the one time that I’ve had to use [the taser]. Before I had the weapon, he was just standing there at my door, and until he heard the taser go off, he didn’t

leave,” Barraza said.

Now, Barraza feels that she can no longer leave the house without a self-defense item. “[Self-defense items] make me feel a lot safer. It doesn’t make me feel like I’m helpless if I do get into a situation where I’ll have to defend myself. I do carry them with me because I go to [College of San Mateo] for Middle College instead of being back at [Burlingame]. I am allowed to carry them with me so I do keep them in my bag because I go off campus and walk home,” Barraza added.

However, of the three responses we received from male-identifying students in The B’s survey last month, none said they own self-defense items because the majority selected that they didn’t “feel the need to.” In response to the question “Why do you carry self-defense items?” a student simply said, “I’m a guy.”

“It’s always important to have something to defend yourself with because even if you don’t plan on using it against somebody, it’s always an intimidation factor that could deter anybody from actually harassing or trying to hurt you,” Barraza said.

GRAPHIC IA BELL A

BY SOPH

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Online Sports

odds and endzones Students unlock the winning playbook HENRY SMITH Freshman Henry Smith is enthusiastic about football and has played fantasy since he was in elementary school.

“My dad gave me one of his leagues to play in when I was in second or third grade and I enjoyed it a lot,” Smith said.

Smith plays in a league with his friends that he created in fourth grade.

“I love that [fantasy football] brings competitive aspects each year, like a football season in general, and also it’s great for bragging rights against friends, [although ] I have yet to win the league personally,” Smith said.

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Sophomore Ravi Krishnan was convinced by friends to join his first fantasy football team this year. While he is still learning the ins and outs of the game, he loves the challenge each week brings.

“It’s my first time playing but I love it, I like to connect with [my football teammates] and play together,” Krishnan said.

Krishnan, who is also a running back on the Burlingame football team, uses fantasy football as an alternative way to have fun playing the sport he loves and cherishes.

LEAGUE RANK

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WIN/LOSS RECORD

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CASSIE CAFFERKEY JUNIOR

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Although this is Cassie Cafferkey’s first year playing fantasy football, this isn’t her first year spending Sundays watching whatever games are on.

“My brother and my dad have always been really big fans of football. So every Sunday my family would just watch football, so I’d watch it with them,” Cafferkey said.

But fantasy football is not just about picking your favorite team — it’s a competitive and stressful game. Although it doesn’t always go her way, Cafferkey recommends fantasy football to anyone interested.

“If you’re a competitive person, it’s just something fun to do and talk about with your friends.”

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PROFILES BY AUDREY WEI AND ALICE LEE, STAFF REPORTERS

WIN/LOSS RECORD

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FANTASY FOOTBALL: THE ADDICTION IS REAL

BY ZACHARY NEWMAN, SPORTS EDITOR Fantasy football has captivated diehard fans and casual observers alike, including myself for about six years. It wasn’t long after I began playing that I was engulfed and came to the realization: Fantasy football is addicting.

I’ve spent countless hours preparing for drafts, reading injury reports and constantly weighing my roster options week to week. Despite understanding that my time could be spent more productively, I can’t help but check my lineup or scour the waiver wire to search for a new pickup if my star wide receiver isn’t playing.

What makes fantasy football fun and exciting is the precise reason that it’s equally frustrating. While you can prepare for each week by watching videos for advice, coming up with a formula, or going with your gut, at its core, fantasy football is a game of luck. A player may score 40 points, and carry your entire squad to victory, but they can just as easily score no points, ensuring a costly defeat. All you can do is watch (and yell at the television screen or write an angry comment on a player’s social media post — things that intense fans do daily).

While fantasy football can connect you with your favorite players in a unique way, and provide an added thrill to watching the game, it can also create a toxic atmosphere where fans go too far.

When the National Football League’s (NFL) Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals matchup was canceled due to Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest last January, the first instinct of many fans, and admittedly, my first instinct, was to worry about my fantasy team. I had Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen starting, and I needed a measly nine points from him to secure a win. But when I found out the game was canceled, my first reaction, instead of grief and prayers for Hamlin, was to get upset with my fantasy team’s loss. While I didn’t mean to have a moment of deep insensitivity, I immediately recognized the situation was bigger than football. But fantasy football itself is designed for us to focus on player performances above all else.

This creates a dilemma that I and all players of the game face weekly. Do I root for my actual football team to win, even if it means I may not get enough points to win in fantasy? The answer is different for everyone.

In some leagues, the main objective isn’t to win the league, but instead, it is to avoid finishing in last place. Many leagues establish a punishment for the bottom-feeder squad at the end of the season to add incentives and raise the stakes.

But Fantasy Football is so popular because it provides fans a chance to interact with the game of football itself, without having to necessarily bet money or be experts on the NFL. Fantasy football is also a great way to connect with friends, family and even strangers in a way that not many other activities can.

Fantasy football, while a big time commitment for many, is one of the most fun and exciting activities I’ve ever done. There are not many other activities where you can experience emotional highs and devastating lows in a short time, all while doing something lighthearted. Its randomness is what makes the game engaging and entertaining.

STUDENTS ENGAGE IN ONLINE SPORTS BETTING

BY JAKE ROTHSTEIN, MANAGING EDITOR

In an age dominated by the internet, it is increasingly difficult to prevent minors from accessing online gambling.

In the United States, the legal age to gamble is 21. However, daily fantasy sports (DFS) are considered games of skill rather than chance — drafting fantasy teams and picking parlays, for instance — and are thus legal in California at 18.

Senior Gavin Mellman first got into sports betting from a friend who recommended using the app Fliff. On Fliff, gamblers use tokens instead of real money. “[A friend] put me on [and] he told me to start doing sports betting, and that’s how I got into it,” Mellman said. “I started by using Fliff, which gives you free fake-ish money. As you get more money through winning parlays and stuff, you can eventually transfer out once you hit $50 [in balance].”

Although Mellman was underage at the time, he also began to place wagers on PrizePicks, a DFS operator, on Basketball and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mellman isn’t alone — even with the imposed gambling age restriction, many underage users still manage to gain access to real money online gambling sites.

“I just faked it. I used somebody else’s [ID when I was underage], but now I can do it [legally] because I’m 18,” Mellman said. “I like watching sports, and I feel like having money on the line makes it more interesting.”

In April 2023, a national study on sports betting by the National Collegiate Athletics Association surveying 18 to 21-year-olds found that 58% of respondents had been involved with some type of sports-related gambling in 2023, and 27.5% of respondents bet through a mobile app or website. This report shows a troubling trend of underage bettors getting around age restrictions, as many states require bettors to be over 21.

Some students don’t only play DFS games but also use online sportsbooks — where a gambler can wager on various sports — which is illegal in California but legal in places such as Nevada.

“If you use a VPN, you can use websites that have like sportsbooks on them to bet,” senior Connor Lynch said. “I put my location in like Nevada so it thinks I’m in Nevada so I can place bets through there.”

Some students take their parlay strategies to the next level by comparing their picks with others online or with professional sports bettors who analyze sports to find the optimal picks.

The majority of these communications take place on Discord — a free app that allows users to chat in real-time using text, voice or video.

“It’s on Discord [servers where] where you send your picks to people and people say if it’s good or bad and [some] people have professional people [that] sometimes you pay money for picks, which basically it’s [where] people spend their entire day researching the odds and probably of these players, whose choices are a little bit better than regular people’s,” Mellman said.

Senior Luca Scatena, who has been sports betting for around three years and currently makes weekly bets through websites PrizePicks and Sleeper, is considering paying for picks from professional bettors.

“I’m on a few discord channels and we just talked about picks for all different sports, even like CSGO which is eSports,” Scatena said. “I’m thinking about [paying for an analyst]. I have a strong relationship with a few analysts.”

Mellman, Lynch and Scatena have all had different monetary outcomes from their betting, but they all urged others to only gamble what they can afford to lose as the majority of bettors lose money.

“If you’ve lost, if you’re down in money gambling, just stop. Don’t keep on buying it. Just stop, take a break,” Scatena said.

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November 13, 2023

Sports

PHOTO BY JOELLE HUYSMANS

Cross country hits its stride

Season continues as runners advance from PALs to CCS

Girls’ varsity gets off to a strong start during their PAL championship race on Nov. 4, with the goal of qualifying for the Central Coast Section championships.

BY JOELLE HUYSMANS

Diversity Coordinator

today.”

Aside from a triumphant close to the season, perhaps the most significant achievement was Ramirez and the girls’ varsity team’s qualification for the Central Coast Section championships.

On Saturday, Nov. 11, Burlingame runners will compete on the hills of Hallmark Park once again, this time up against even tougher competition — with a chance of advancing to the State championships.

“Making it to States would be an immense achievement,” assistant coach Steve O’Brien said. “But the biggest takeaway is not the medals, times or places, it’s the way our runners bonded together during the season and formed a really special team culture.”

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The boys’ first-year runners also experienced an excellent season, benefiting from the support and mentorship of older runners. Folgner, who finished third in the boys’ frosh-soph race, attributes his success to Ramirez’s guidance.

“When I was running on the course, what motivated me to keep going was Jake Ramirez.

He says, ‘Who’s going to carry the boats?’ and then I go and carry the boats,” Folgner said.

“Cross country has the best support out of any sport I’ve done, everyone helps each other and it’s really the best community that you can be in.”

But as the season draws to a close, nervousness also settles in. After all, only during these end-of-season races does a runner’s rankings, health and performance truly begin to matter.

“I got into my own head,” Ramirez said. “This is my only year of doing [cross country] so I have a lot of expectations for myself and I was really nervous about getting a good time

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Cross country athletes faced the infamous hills of Hallmark Park — in addition to an oppressive heat — in the Peninsula Athletic League championships on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Although conditions were far from ideal, the heat and terrain did not detract from their performance.

“The heat for sure was a challenge. Throughout all races, people were running 40 seconds slower because nobody was expecting it to be this hot,” sophomore Stella Newman said. “But overall, everybody ended up running really well and I’m glad that we could overcome that obstacle.”

In the final rankings, senior Jake Ramirez completed the course in nearly 17 minutes and came in 32nd, contributing to boys’ varsity’s 12th place team finish. Girls’ varsity also achieved exceptional success with a fourth-place finish, due in large part to Newman and

freshman Elizabeth Carroll, who finished among the first 20 runners.

“All of my teammates are so accomplished today because both our boys and girls ran as hard as they could,” freshman Tad Folgner said. “I’m so proud of everyone on the team and I feel like everyone has gone through a pretty successful season.”

For most runners, the championships marked the end of the season and a final opportunity to run alongside their teammates. For senior Cora Haggarty, the race may have meant even more as this season represents the culmination of her high school cross-country career.

“It’s kind of unreal to think that this is my last season with cross country. I’ve been doing this for the past four years so just trying to take it all in,” Haggarty said. “Our team this year has a lot of talent…and we’ve been training since June and so this is it, this is what it all comes down to.”

Volleyball claims CCS title, makes state run

BY ABBY KNIGHT

Copy Editor

On Saturday, Nov. 4, girls’ volleyball (27-6, overall, 12-2 Peninsula Athletic League) won the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division III title in four sets against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Burlingame started off strong, winning the first set 2521, dropping the second set 2517, then regaining momentum

with victories in the third and fourth sets. According to sophomore defensive specialist Samantha Hollrah, the championship match was her favorite game of the season.

“I think we played our best we have, and it was just super fun. There were a lot of parents there and the environment was just super loud and exciting,” Hollrah said.

Their journey to winning the CCS playoffs got off to PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH CORSLUND

Burlingame’s CCS victory was a long time coming for a team that has consistently sat at the top of the Bay Division in recent years.

a fast start. The squad dominated Archbishop Riordan High School in the semifinals on Nov. 2. It took just three swift sets for the Panthers to advance. They were in control for the entire game, ending the first set 25-14, winning the second set 25-19 and handily closing out the match with a 25-14 advantage in the third.

Head coach Hannah Korslund noted that a large factor in the team’s win over Riordan was the performance of the setters, including junior Jillian Kiniris and senior Sophia Knifsend, along with constant defense from senior libero Hayley Fligel.

The team’s ability to communicate and work together ultimately led to their playoff triumph.

“I think our team did really well communicating and our defense was on point. I also think our serves were really efficient throughout the game,” junior middle hitter Abbi Aufhauser said.

Although the Panthers beat Riordan in three sets, the semi-final matchup did not come without challenges, as the Crusaders still played hard.

“They definitely challenged us defensively. They’re smaller in size, so they’re hitting a little differently than we’re used to seeing in practice, [there were] a lot of deeper balls swinging at us,” Korslund said.

Last year, the Panthers made it to the CCS playoffs but could not secure the championship. Korslund attributes this year’s abundance of success to their energy and ingame strategies.

“The team has really found the groove in terms of how we want to play and our energy and the systems that we run,” Korslund said. “Things like freeball plays and running our middles more have all really started to come together nicely this season. So the record is nice, and we’ve gotten a lot better at some team systems over the course.”

After CCS, Burlingame advanced to the first round of the NorCal tournament, battling against Amador Valley High School on Tuesday. Nov. 7. But the Panthers couldn’t come through, dropping the march in four sets. Despite the tough loss, the team kept their spirits high.

“Overall I’m happy with our level of play. Even though we lost we still made many accomplishments this year like winning CCS,” senior defensive specialist Tori Happ said.

Reflecting on a strong season that included multiple lengthy win streaks and tournament victories, the players say it was their camaraderie and belief in each other that they will remember most.

“Overall, this season has been absolutely amazing,” Aufhauser said. “Coach Korslund has really helped us get to where we are today and our team chemistry is obviously amazing, our communication is on point.”

November 13, 2023

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Sports

‘It runs in the family’

BY ZACHARY NEWMAN Sports Editor

Burlingame sibling duos take center stage on sports teams

THE MULREADY SISTERS: SIDE BY SIDE ON COURT PHOTOS BY BRINDA IYER

Senior Mila Mulready and freshman Shea Mulready have established themselves as unstoppable forces for the Panthers on the tennis court this season.

Senior Mila and freshman Shea Mulready have dominated on the tennis court this season. The sisters, who hold the top singles spots, attribute their success to motivation from the adjacent court.

“I know when I’m side by side on the same court as her that she feeds off the energy, so I’m always cheering for her,” Mila said. “I always give her the encouragement she needs, and she feeds off it. We’re able to pump each other up.”

While the duo don’t play doubles together, they still use chemistry to their advantage in singles.

“I love cheering [Mila] on,” Shea said. “I’ll see her on the other court and she’s getting upset and I’m like, ‘You’ve got this Mila, patience.’”

Both of their parents played Division I college tennis, so the sisters had rackets in their hands from an early age.

“We were born into playing tennis,” Shea said.

“I don’t think there was an option.”

Mila has dominated the No. 1 singles slot for two years during her distinguished high school career. Normally, it would be difficult to fill the shoes of a sibling, but the younger Mulready hasn’t shied away from the spotlight.

“The best part about playing with Shea is getting to see her in her element,” Mila said. “I love getting to see her focused and intense. It’s a different side of her.”

Not only has the pair improved with their sibling alongside, but they’ve also learned a lot about each other that will help them far beyond the tennis court.

“I didn’t know [Shea] took after me so much,” Mila said. “On the court, she’s very feisty and she’s a fighter. I didn’t know that about her. I’ve learned her fighting spirit is awesome. This was a fun year but I’m excited for [her] to continue the Mulready sister legacy.”

THE GONG BROTHERS: A LEADER AND A ROOKIE PHOTOS BY JEANNINE CHIANG

Freshman Damien and sophomore Adrian Gong will have two more years to improve alongside each other.

Despite being just one year apart in age, sophomore Adrian and freshman Damien Gong are both invested in the same activity. Their passion for water polo has brought them together on the same team this season.

Adrian, who played last season on Burlingame’s varsity squad, established himself as a leader for the young team this year. For Damien, who was new to the team as a freshman, having an older brother already cemented in the starting lineup gave him confidence and a sense of comfort.

“He talks to me more so he gives me a lot of helpful advice and helps me play better, and be more confident,” Damien said.

Not only has Damien felt more comfortable in the presence of his brother, but Adrian has also taught Damien the important facets of high school

water polo, all while ensuring his brother learns to enjoy the game.

“I learned that my brother is a really good leader. It’s really fun because he was really helpful and motivational. He gave me good advice during games,” Damien said.

Both Adrian and Damien have extensive experience in the pool playing water polo. The pair played recreationally when they began middle school before joining club to play against more difficult competition.

As for their time playing together for the Panthers, Adrian and Damien still have two more seasons to improve, both as a tandem and as individuals within the entire team.

Weighlifters prioritize mentality, consistency Staff Reporter

Despite what many may think, weightlifting doesn’t just require physical strength.

According to some of Burlingame’s most accomplished weightlifters, the mental aspect of the sport is equally as important. Athletes must stay motivated and determined to accomplish their long-term goals.

Staying consistent and continuing to lift almost daily poses a challenge to most. But for senior Cameron Garrett and junior Kina Pooi-Unga, motivation and staying true to personal goals make it easy to be committed.

“You just got to stay disciplined. You got to do it when you don’t want to go,” Garrett said. “Enforce it be something you’re required to do, it gets easier.”

While some weightlifters have smaller, more shortterm objectives, junior Kina

Pooi-Unga has a higher goal.

“I think about me…going to the Olympics,” Pooi-Unga said. “[I also want my parents] to be proud of me if I keep staying consistent [with] it.”

Senior Olivia Fleming has participated in local and national weightlifting competitions.

Fleming believes the supportive community and satisfaction when making progress is why she started weightlifting in the first place, and continues to.

“My weightlifting coach always says lifting weight is fun,” Fleming said. “I just really love the community. It [is] just so supportive.”

Many weightlifters lift as their primary sport; however, junior Jack Handelman uses lifting as a tool to enhance his diving abilities.

“Without training, it’s almost impossible, so lifting definitely helped me with that,” Handelman said. “Being in the pinnacle of your own physical shape is vital to being success-

ful.”

Again, weightlifting takes a lot of time and energy, which causes many lifters like Handelman to struggle with limited motivation, affecting his overall attendance and time at the gym.

“Motivation, I’d say, is the biggest thing,” Handelman said.

“It’s hard to rely on discipline.

It’s hard to build discipline. So when you lose motivation, it’s very easy to stop going [to the gym] for a period of time.”

To attract more lifters, Fleming created the Burlingame Weightlifting Club. Through the club, she spreads her passion for weightlifting and gives students the chance to gain the courage and opportunity to go to the gym without feeling intimidated.

“I wanted to show people that the weight room isn’t as scary or as intimidating as a lot of people see it,” Fleming said.

“I want to let people know everyone is at a different spot.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF OLIVIA FLEMING

BY BRENDAN GILMORE

Senior Olivia Fleming completes a lift at one of her many competitions. She has competed since seventh grade.

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Opinion

THE BURLINGAME B Editor-in-Chief Elise Spenner Managing Editors Sophia Bella Jake Rothstein Sports Editor Zachary Newman Business Manager Arda Inegol Web Editor Jeannine Chiang Diversity Coordinator Joelle Huysmans Social Coordinator Natalie Gyde Copy Editors Arshia Chakravartti Brinda Iyer Abby Knight Senior Reporters Sophia Doss Will Kriner Sophia Puzon

Teacher Adviser Melissa Murphy Policy Statement: The Burlingame B is a student-run newspaper with the sole purpose of providing an open forum for student expression.

Anything printed represents the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the Burlingame B staff, the administration, or the faculty of Burlingame High School, or anyone affiliated with the San Mateo Union High School District. The Burlingame B does not discriminate against race, political orientation, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. Although The Burlingame B will never refuse to publish guest submission based on the aforementioned factors, we reserve the right to edit or not publish them.

Letters to the Editor Disagree with the writers? Bring your letters to the room A120 or email them to <theburlingameb@smuhsd.org>.

Letters may be considered for publication. The Burlingame B reserves the right to edit for clarity, length, and accuracy. We welcome all comments.

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

BY THE BURLINGAME B EDITORIAL BOARD Every year in early November, the varsity football teams from Burlingame and San Mateo High School play in the Little Big Game.

The tradition, now in its 96th year, has become a big deal for both schools. The administration and leadership students devote significant time to preparing performances and activities.

But why is there so much emphasis on the football game itself?

The competition between the two schools is definitely something that should be embraced, but limiting the rivalry to just three hours of football puts unnecessary pressure on the players to perform and win every year.

Moreover, the Little Big Game only increases the attention devoted to a sport that already has a filled student section at almost every game. In doing so, the game reinforces stereotypes that don’t actually hold true at Burlingame — namely, that the school is football-centric, devoting all of its attention to a sport that fosters hyper-masculinity.

In reality, Burlingame’s athletic participation is more diverse and well-rounded than most schools.

Just last week, the varsity girls’ volleyball team won the Central Coast Section championship. In October, the boys’ water polo team clinched

Burlingame lost the 96th Little Big Game on Nov. 4. Sharing the game’s excitement with other sports would take pressure off football players. the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division title. Obviously, we shouldn’t just celebrate our programs with the best records; however, there is clearly room to spread the love toward teams that are just as deserving as football.

And there’s an easy, tangible way to make that happen: Expand the Little Big Game to a year-long rivalry with a series of competitions that incorporate sports other than football.

In San Francisco, rivals St. Ignatius College Preparatory and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory already offer a model, competing every year for the Bruce-Mahoney Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the school that is victorious in

head-to-head competition in three out of five sports each year: football, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball.

Burlingame and San Mateo could easily do something similar.

Each season, we could choose one boys’ and one girls’ team to compete against each other in their own Little Big Game. The winner of the game gets a “point,” and the school that gets the most points at the end of the year wins “The Paw.” That way, the majority of athletes could enjoy the thrills of competition that the rivalry presents — and the excitement of a packed crowd cheering them on.

Make geography a standalone class

BY JOELLE HUYSMANS

GRAPHIC BY ABBY KNIGHT

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

Editorial The Little Big Game should be bigger PHOTO BY HENRY GARDENER

B

November 13, 2023

Diversity Coordinator

Naming 50 states and their capitals, locating the world’s tallest mountain and identifying countries on a blank map — all skills we typically associate with adequate knowledge of geography. But while memorizing these facts is undeniably an aspect of geography, they don’t define the field.

In reality, geography encompasses far more. According to National Geographic, it is “the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments.” Rather than merely concentrating on the location of places, geography delves into their origins, evolutions and impacts on their surroundings.

Nonetheless, the centrality of geography is repeatedly overlooked.

We witness its neglect at Burlingame, where the option to enroll in standalone geography classes is not available. According to the California Department of Education’s, it is alternatively incorporated into social studies curriculums.

While I acknowledge that social studies and geography classes merge for budgetary concerns, it benefits students’ education to view them as distinct fields.

Consider the conflict on Oct. 7 involving Israel and Hamas. The Gaza Strip is the 140-square-mile Palestinian territory that has been circulating between Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian control. Without historical geographical context, teens will scroll through their news feeds — catching glimpses of the events — and be incapable of fully grasping the complete context of

We asked a class of 22 students to fill out a basic geography quiz with eight questions. 3.8 out of eight was the average score. current global conflicts.

As a result, it is hardly surprising that the stereotype of American ignorance of geography has existed for decades. Regretfully, the stereotype may be one of the few that holds true. Nearly three-quarters of the United States’ eighth-graders tested below proficient in geography, according to the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Curious to determine whether this geographical ineptitude exists at our school, I invited a Burlingame class to take a geography quiz. The results only strengthened my position, considering that the class received, on average, a 3.8 out of eight.

Let me be clear: These students’ lack of geographic proficiency is hardly their fault, given that they have never had the chance to adequately study geography in a classroom.

I’ve realized that countless factors are in play when determining whether geography should be taught as a separate class or as part of social studies. Limited school funds, minimal student interest in the topic,

struggle in hiring teachers — the list continues. Nevertheless, the study of geography should never be shoved to the side in social studies classrooms where history draws all of the attention. For that reason, I hope to make a compromise, whether introducing a mandatory one-semester geography class or an optional geography course. Any action taken to improve geography education guarantees benefits students given its numerous applications in everyday life.

CORRECTION

FROM THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE In the October Issue article titled, “Making History on the Field,” it was incorrectly stated that Nicole Carter was the “coach” and Denise Burch was the “assistant coach.” It should have been written that Carter and Burch are co-coaches.

November 13, 2023

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Centennial

Celebrating Alumni at 100 Nancy Baldwin Knudsen BY ABBY KNIGHT, Copy Editor brother and boys around their age, and didn’t let her gender or age interfere with her gameplay.

“You know, I played a rough game. I ‘played like a boy’ because that’s what my brother taught me. And I guess that’s why I liked it, because I got to shove them,” Knudsen said.

When Knudsen was in high school, she dreamed of being a stewardess, but ended up pursuing secretarial work and title testing, which she has grown to love even more. Although Knudsen’s dreams may have changed over the years, she wants students to understand that they should never give up on theirs.

“Live your dream, do what you want, don’t let anybody say that you can’t do it, and just try,” Knudsen said. “I’m behind you.”

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Visiting Washington Park for the Centennial Celebration was nothing unfamiliar for Hank Sauer Jr., who currently resides in Burlingame. Sauer, class of 1970, was delighted to revisit memories from high school at the celebration.

“Reunions like this, when you come back and you see so many people that you’ve known since you were 14, 15 years old, it’s just a real special place,” Sauer said.

At Burlingame, Sauer had a strong passion for sports — an interest that he maintains today. In high school, he played baseball, basketball and football and attributed his positive experiences playing to his coach. Besides his coach, Sauer especially bonded with one of his teachers, Milo Gwosden.

Janet Leahy BY EVELYN DU, Staff Reporter

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was Booker’s creative teaching style that sparked her interest in film.

“My history teacher Mr. Booker allowed us to do something creative if we didn’t want to write a paper and I made a movie — a World War II epic,” Leahy said. “That’s when I decided I wanted to go into television.”

Leahy only holds fond memories of her time at Burlingame, including recollections from her time on sports teams and from activities that would unexpectedly kick-start her career.

“Take as many activities as you can. Try everything. Everything you do, every sport you play, every player in every music group you’re in will help you in your creative pursuits,” Leahy said.

BY EVELYN DU, Staff Reporter

“I loved [Gwosden] because he challenged us and he never took any of our bad things,” Sauer said. “He never put up with us, he always challenged us.”

His love for baseball and dreams of becoming a professional athlete extended beyond high school.

After attending UC Berkeley and majoring in sociology, Sauer played for the Giants and the Angels in the minor leagues through the mid-1970s.

Finally, Sauer believes the key to success at Burlingame is balance.

“Pay as much attention to your schoolwork as you do to the other things that are important to you,” Sauer said.

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Janet Leahy, class of 1979, is a notable name in the television industry. She wrote and produced countless blockbuster movies — the timeless Gilmore Girls, the iconic Mad Men and Boston Legal. She also holds five Emmy award nominations: four for Outstanding Drama Series and one for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.

Coming to the centennial was a heartwarming experience and a walk down memory lane for Leahy. “[I feel] nostalgic and grateful,” Leahy said. “[As] a television writer and a producer, I got my start here.”

One of Leahy’s favorite teachers, Mr. Booker, unknowingly boosted her ascent into stardom. It

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Nancy Baldwin Knudsen, class of 1948, has spread her legacy throughout Burlingame. Her son, Rusty Knudsen, class of 1974, is currently president of the Alumni Association.

But Burlingame isn’t the only place full of memories for Knudsen. Upon returning to Washington Park, she found herself back at the location of her children’s and husband’s birthdays.

“Well, I love everything about this,” Knudsen said. “This time I was hoping to see, which I have, a lot of students that went to school with [me], I haven’t met anybody from ‘48.”

Knudsen’s favorite class at Burlingame was English. Outside of the classroom, Knudsen excelled at basketball and volleyball. She played with her

CLASS OF 1948

Ernest “Doc” Scheppler

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When Ernest “Doc” Scheppler, class of 1972, arrived at the Centennial, he was in for a rush of nostalgia — a throwback to both his school days and the early stages of his coaching career.

“To see people that I went to school with to relive those memories of being in school [and] to see people that I coached is just so fun,” Scheppler said. “The best term [to describe it] is shared experiences.”

Scheppler has a historic basketball coaching career, leading the Pinewood School girls’ basketball program to 14 Central Coast Section victories during his tenure. He was also named the State Coach of the Year in 2014 after Pinewood girls’ basketball was crowned six-time state champions.

He also traces the foundation of his legendary coaching career back to his former baseball and basketball coaches at Burlingame.

“There’s a part of me that I got from [my coaches]. One was tough, the other was more meticulous in preparation, and [the last] was the best practice coach,” Scheppler said. “When you put those three things together, I am who I am as a result of them coaching me.”

However, Scheppler felt that the support of his parents was also crucial to his historically successful and fulfilling career.

“Follow your passion every night, don’t stress,” Scheppler said. “Embrace the joy, embrace the experience, and let it happen.”

12

BY HENRY GARDNER

Staff Reporter

PHOTOS BY THE BURLINGAME B STAFF

On Nov. 4, the 96th annual Little Big Game (LBG) kicked off at San Mateo High School between rivals Burlingame and San Mateo.

Coming into the game, hopes were high for a 14th consecutive Panther win. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as Burlingame fell to San Mateo 17-14, breaking the winning streak.

After a difficult first half, the Panthers, trailing 6-17, began to rally in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown and completing a two-point conversion pushing the score to 14-17.

“We had them in the second half,” junior wide receiver Jake Flood said. “The first half just got away from us, and we just didn’t come out hard enough.”

Despite the loss, the spirit was strong throughout the Burlingame student body, with impressive performances from both cheer and band during halftime and constant cheering from the crowd.

To prepare for the LBG, Burlingame cheer spent months practicing their performance, as noted by sophomore cheerleader Paige Altbaier.

“We practiced for two hours, everyday, for weeks in advance,” Altbaier said. “We basically just run the routine over and over and over until it’s perfect. It’s exhaust-

PHOTOS BY THE BURLINGAME B STAFF

Little Big Game

Student Life

November 13, 2023

ing.”

Altbaier believes that cheer adds extra energy to the environment that often isn’t there when the Panthers are struggling.

“I think we bring spirit and overall joy to the game, even when things aren’t necessarily going our way,” Altbaier said.

Reflecting back on the regular season, the Panthers are satisfied with their performance considering how competitive the Bay Division is.

“We were put in a really high league and although we lost a lot of games we competed at a pretty high level against some of the best teams in CCS,” Flood said.

The Panthers then faced off against Mountain View High School (4-6 overall, 1-5 League) in the first round of the Central Coast Section playoffs on Friday, Nov. 10.

“I’m really confident,” Flood said before the playoff competition. “Every time we’ve gone down this season we’ve bounced back, and I think we can do that this week.”

Homecoming

BY HENRY GARDNER

Staff Reporter

The Homecoming dance, the first of Burlingame’s three dances this year, followed the Little Big Game on Nov. 4. Due to the construction of the new gym, this year’s dance took place off-campus at the Hyatt Regency.

The theme was casino night, and the ballroom included multiple roulette, poker and blackjack tables. In addition to the casino-themed activities, many students flocked to the dance floor or to the food tables for chips and drinks.

Nine hundred and seventy five tickets were sold for the event, and 929 students attended, making this year’s dance one of the biggest ever.

Overall, feelings towards this year’s theme were positive, as many students believed it brought a good balance of activities to do other than dancing.

“I think it was very creative,” sophomore Mika Haggarty said. “I think ASB did a great job planning it out.”

Since the dance took place off-campus, it brought both benefits and challenges, especially for leadership students who were

tasked with setting up and cleaning the event.

“The Hyatt Regency is a lot better than our gym, but we had to drive over there, and we couldn’t keep anything up and just clean it the next day,” leadership student Zach Wong said.

Many students enjoyed the off-campus venue, believing it provided a more interesting location for a school dance.

“I think the dance is better off-campus because being away from the school environment makes it more special,” Haggarty said. “I think that in the future we should continue having destination dances.”

Leadership had to work long hours on Nov. 4. Between the setup and cleanup of both the Little Big Game and Homecoming, many students had to get up in the early hours of the morning and left the Hyatt as late as midnight.

No matter the organizational challenges, most students enjoyed this year’s dance, as hours of music and mosh-pits led students to come out of the event satisfied. Between the music, food and energy of the event, most students were both glad they went and excited for future dances.

“HOCO had a really good turnout, you could tell there were a lot of people there,” Haggarty said. “I think the energy was really good and everyone was having a good time.”