Catcher Zine: Issue 1

C AT C H E R

Issue 1

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Introducing Burlingame’s Creatives

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Fall 2020

COVID-19 COVID-19

Cover Art by Sydney Crespo

C Art is the limitless decor of the present, past and future: a perpetual indicator of time. Time, as we scramble to command, is the motivator of expression and companion to evolution; the expression we primally seek is the prized solution to color an otherwise greying world. Since the beginning of time, the prime force behind expression has been communication. When grunts and capricious facial movement no longer proved effective, ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to create a foundation for language, which would later inspire the Chinese language, and then the all-important Latin. These languages have given humans the tools of linguistics to express themselves, but for further expression there are other types of art: painting, music, architecture, cinema, writing, photography, theatre, drawing and so on.

For high schoolers, expression is especially important as all aspects of our very being are maturing, and the scary real world our parents warned us of becomes our new, larger playground. Plastic slides become cars and planes, swings become catapults to college, monkey bars become the final straws of sanity, and sandboxes become nearly 25,000 miles of land to explore. To cope with these changes, teens turn to art to echo their thoughts onto tangible works. These works, when shared, create connections between others who can relate to similar highs, lows and plateaus of life.

In the middle of Silicon Valley, where technology and science geographically define and confine us, creative endeavors can feel pushed aside and undervalued. Our goal at Catcher is to offer these creative teens a platform for their work and to highlight the artistic talents of Burlingame students. With over 15 Burlingame High School artists featured in this first issue, the Catcher Team hopes to introduce the local community to the immense talent thriving in the adolescent scene. Great art catches your eye, and that is exactly what these student creatives produce.

Enjoy,

Alexia Goldstein

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Executive Editor: Alexia Goldstein Associate Editor: Farah Caban Advisor: Melissa Murphy Staff: Minaal Arain Kate Christian Ainsley Gutierrez Kylie Holzman Caitlin Kall Audrey Limb Finn Lorian Charlotte Murdoff Morgan Rice Hannah Rosales Ruby Rosenquist Emily Young

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Overworked

By Cate Cattano

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Race: Injustices and the Fight for Justice Through Art

Image courtesy of Courtney Clark

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The United States has a dark and bloody history of being unjust towards virtually anyone who is not a Caucasian man. The social construct of race has been at the very center of this struggle for centuries. Many people of color were killed, enslaved, raped, tortured, discriminated against and segregated, along with many other acts of injustice. Although there have been attempts to verbally express their suffering, art has always been one way they could use their voices without actually speaking, in the past and present. Indigenous people weaved artistic, useful baskets and slaves sang songs to communicate and be positive when placed in hard situations. In the twentieth century, movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and the civil rights movement took place demanding change. More recently, the Oscars were called out in 2015 through the #OscarsSoWhite movement, challenging people to better represent people of color and women in the film industry. Just within the past six months, the creation of many pieces of art — including movies, TV shows and music — have coincided with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which garnered new attention following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many other Black people who lost their lives due to systemic racism, specifically police brutality. These are only a small fraction of the movements that have occurred within our country, and unfortunately, the injustice towards Native Americans, Black Americans and other minorities continues. However, the fight for justice is not over and artists across the country continue to use their artistic talents to advocate for these causes.

“Art is an amazing outlet for students to have a different way to use their voice,” Ethnic Studies and U.S. History teacher Megan Nasser said.

For people all over the country, speaking about racial justice may not be easy for various reasons, but art can convey what the artist wants to say. However, that discomfort is not necessarily a bad thing. “[Art] creates conversations that are typically uncomfortable to have,” Californian artist Ashley Adams said.

Adams explains that an artist’s goal should be to display their feelings on whatever acts as their canvas, and if that means showing their personal discomfort or makes others feel uncomfortable, then so be it.

“Making people uncomfortable is one way to have them grow and challenge themselves,” Adams said. “Being uncomfortable is a good thing.”

When it comes to racial justice, growth and keeping oneself educated about new perspectives is crucial to help the cause of equality for all. That discomfort helps others educate themselves and understand the anger, pain and truth the artist is experiencing.

By Minaal Arain Evoking discomfort is not the only way artists fight injustices through their work. Adams, Nasser and art teacher at Burlingame Intermediate, Courtney Clark, agree that representation is vital in the artistic world. “Representation! ... Making their art look like the real world: wide range of body sizes, [different] skin colors, abilities, disabilities, etc,” Clark said.

Nassar commented on the 2015 #OscarsSoWhite movement and how few people of color have won many awards in the film and music industries.

“About 15 or 20 years ago, an article came out saying the people who vote, when it comes to nominations for academies such as the Oscars, get to choose what they watch and because many of these voters are white, they subconsciously aren’t drawn to Black films and might not even watch them… When representation isn’t something talked about, it can heavily influence these very grand things,” Nasser said.

“If you don’t see yourself in something then how are you expected to get to that goal or apply it to yourself,” Adams said.

Image courtesy of Ashley Adams

a song, it encourages them to be proud of themselves.

“It gives people a chance to hear their voice and feel seen … [encouraging them to] speak up, make their own ideas and share them with other people … [causing] the wheel to keep turning,” Adams said. “It only takes one person, it only takes one image, one song.”

Adams, Clark and Nasser all mentioned that as far along as we have come from as early as the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, we still “Art is an amazing outlet for students have a ways to go. “[I am] extremely happy that people are to have a way to use their voice.” talking about [the arts and race] now more than - Megan Nasser ever and how people are giving artists and Although many would like to see more creators credit where it’s due and just putting diversity, due to the colonization of the U.S. them up in a more visible space. Seeing that and practices such as redlining, America is a a lot more people are being shown to a wider white majority country. When a person of color audience is amazing because Black people cannot relate to what is happening around [and] people of color are creating amazing them, it is hard for them to motivate themselves pieces and the fact that we don’t have that to be successful. visibility is sad because we do create import“When a white actor is supposed to be ant work,” Adams said. “[Younger generaportraying a person of color and winning the tions should] keep an open mind, challenge awards, I see a problem here. Hollywood is all everything, create art when you are able to… about image, and they are somehow casting Art is an amazing therapy and a good way of what the world finds as beautiful. How devasself-expression and just continues to do good tating [is it] to the young Asian girl who is being in the world.” told that a white person has to tell the story in Nasser similarly encourages young artists order for it to sell or be seen as beautiful? This alike to use their voices through the various bothers me as an artist and educator because I mediums of art. want my kids to see themselves represented as “You absolutely have an opportunity to powerful, beautiful, and normal. A certain race make a difference, to put your stamp on your [should not] be surprising to someone, just be- beliefs, to speak your mind, to be an upstander, cause they are not represented in our art [and] to be an ally through writing, art, music, social media,” Clark said. “Beyonce’s music movies, if media, text messages, like anything. You really you will, represent a diverse range of humans: do have the ability to make a difference and hearing, differently-abled people, different skin once you understand that you should take colors, hair types, body sizes, etc.,” she added advantage of it,” Nasser said. on.

As the fight against racial injustices continWhen minorities see themselves repreues, various types of artistic and creative medisented in various works of art, whether it be ums communicate the demand for change and in a painting, drawing, movie, music video, on justice for a better tomorrow. television or even just being mentioned in

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FAMILY MATTERS

By Austin Moss

Family matters. So does the land. I traced my lineage along the forgotten hollows in the woods of small towns in America, piecing together what I found in these places along dirt roads, a forlorn box of photos in an antique store and, of course, overgrown cemeteries.

My father remembers running past a slightly open door as a child and seeing tin typed, oval photos of relatives unknown to him on a bedroom wall. Over the hills and through the woods to all the graveyards my father and I would go summer of 2020 crossing the plains to the Mississippi, up through Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, down through the Virginias to the Atlantic, continuing south through Alabama and back up to Arkansas and Oklahoma to the Badlands, all to put names to places and faces long frozen in time.

With my grandparents’ camper and nothing but time, my father and I witnessed lightning, miracles and mirrors. My father had been planning this trip since our first trek east in 2018 when we made it as far as Mossville, Arkansas, the birthplace of Great Grandfather Moss, who delivered mail and kept the Graphic by Kate Christian peace. A Covid summer would make it possible for us to go further along the ferocious Mississippi and see how much more dirt we could sift between our fingers.

As we cut through the deserts and canyon-arches like an unholy blade, I stared out of a car window — not a phone screen — and thought about Mars, the self-reliance of cowboys, the certainty of KOA restrooms and the elusiveness of freedom.

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There is something to looking for your ancestor in towns named Broken Arrow or Yorktown that makes you feel historically rooted, hearty, essential. Through years of searching, my father and I finally found his first ancestral link to the new world. All that was left to my umteenth grandfather, who arrived in 1672, was a small gravel road that bore his name. No plot, no cemetery record.

Chasing ghosts left me to ponder: if you never have a stone, were you ever really here? To honor a more recent relative, Great Grandfather, we ordered a gravestone.

The more cemeteries we visited, the more I noticed the stones, worn and Graphic by Kate Christian pitted. I concluded that most of these people’s families were now either buried with them or had picked up shop and moved away years ago. I learned that most graveyards worth finding are hard to find. Just as we had pulled the laboring RV onto the grass to look through a rusted gate on top of a hill overlooking the highway, an imposing man with a cowboy hat, plaid shirt, faded Levis, a rodeo belt buckle, and a thick pair of glasses rode up on a John Deere.

After explaining that we were here to visit an ancestor, he began to tell us about his life’s work taking care of the cemetery in his backyard. Ironically enough, one of the cows had knocked over my great grand uncle’s headstone, which had to be hoisted back upon its pedestal by six men. The caretaker felt a sense of obligation to the folk buried there to keep the weeds down for their families. He had seen me looking around the RV for flowers and was shocked that a boy my age would travel cross country to visit graveyards with his father. I told the man that I loved spending time with my dad and felt the same duty he felt watching over the families buried on his land.

And there was so much more to the story but as we drove to our next KOA, I looked out at the wilderness to see the sun crest the Ozarks and I felt as though I was that man, taking care of what’s left on this earth.

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By Wali Chaudry I am not ready. I am not ready. I am not ready.

“Will, are you ready for your first day of school!?,” yells my mom from downstairs.

The sentence I’ve despised from a week ago has finally been said.

“I am not telling you again! Stop worrying about it and just eat your breakfast.”

How can I stop worrying about it if she keeps reminding me, I think to myself.

My only friend, Max, comes to my door waiting for his food. I pour him some dog food, then start walking downstairs. He barks gratefully at me while I’m halfway down the stairs. Max is the only person that gets me, everyone else just doesn’t understand. Well, maybe some other kids that are starting highschool will understand, but no one within a ten-mile radius of me would. You might be asking, 10-mile radius! My answer to you is: we live in the middle of nowhere. Okay, not nowhere, however, there are no other kids I know in my grade that live next to me. Everyone that goes to the school I’m going in about three minutes lives in Richville. Funny enough, all of the rich people live there. We have enough money to buy a house around there, but my mom likes it out here in the open because, according to her, we have a huge lawn. However, I barely see any grass outside beside the one that Max likes to poop in.

“Oh, there you are sweetie. Would you like pancakes or waffles?”

“What’s the difference,” I reply. “None of them will help me enjoy school.”

“You’re right, but it will help you not starve, so please eat.”

After I finish eating, I walk out the door and begin my journey to despair and torture and embarrassment. I’m going to make a fool out of myself on the first day, no one is going to like me, I’m going to fail.

“No,” I tell myself, struggling to keep myself from falling down. “I will not make a fool of myself. No, I will not fail, as a matter of fact, I’m going to be getting A’s. No, people are …”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. I keep quiet looking around at all of the other kids walking together. They are all joking, talking, and even playing videogames together. Me though, I’m by myself. I don’t really mind it until I start to feel something. Something I rarely feel. It’s like I want to be one of those kids. I don’t knowwhy though.

When I finally get to school, I get in my class and take a seat. Nothing really interesting happens. It’s at lunch that something surprises me. I walk in the lunch-

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-room and sit by myself at the back table. Again, I have that same feeling when I look at everyone else that is sitting together talking. I’m starting to hate school more and more.

“Hey, aren’t you that kid that lives far away from everyone else,” asks a kid that was in my math class.

“Ummm,” I’m not really sure how to answer that. If I say no, he will know I’m embarrassed and I’m going to make a fool of myself. If I say yes, I’m going to be one of the biggest laughingstocks that have ever attended this school. Or maybe in the entire world. So, I decide to be honest…

“Yeah,” I tell him. “I am that kid.”

“Do you mind if I sit with you?”

Wait, hold up. I told him I am that kid and now he wants to sit with me. Well, he probably just wants a place to sit and he’s going to ignore me pretty soon so, whatever.

“Sure, that’s cool,” I reply.

He sits down, and after he opens his apple juice, he asks me: “So, what are your favorite classes.”

I look up. He clearly isn’t ignoring me.

“Math is pretty fascinating, how about you?” I ask.

“Same, math is also my favorite subject. Do you have a favorite color?”

“Yeah, it’s blue.”

“Same! Wow, just goes to show that you can never judge a book by its cover.

There are so many things in common between us that I thought. Do you want to walk together after school? I live in the same direction as yours.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Okay, see you later, friend!”

After that, he starts skipping away to his next class while I get up and start heading to mine. That feeling just went away, and now I feel happy. It felt like all of those bad feelings that I thought before just disappeared, and now all that’s left is positivity. I hope that he and I stay friends because this feeling is amazing. My mom was right about what she said a few days ago.

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Lost

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By Molly Abramson

By Shareen Ahmad

A MEMORY

A raincoat on a summer day.

“What if it suddenly starts to rain?”

I know it’s ridiculous, I know it’s strange.

But slowly, so slowly, I’m feeling less confined By all of the fear That’s inside my mind.

No more raincoats On summer days.

I’m learning how To find my own way.

I’m learning to laugh And to be alright.

I’m learning to bask In the summer sunlight.

When you whisper it around your laugh With mischief in your eyes,

When you scream it from the rooftops Do away with all disguise,

When you say it with such pride That I look up in surprise,

I know that the sound of my name from your lips

Is worth every single goodbye.

RAINCOAT 11

Curiosity Within Confinment

By Ruby Rosenquist

When California was forced into quarantine on Mar. 16, 2020, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, few anticipated that the disease would isolate our nation for over eight months. According to “The New York Times,” as of Dec. 8, approximately 285,070 million individuals have died from the illness in the United States, and our country has become desperate for a solution to the mayhem. Although a vaccine has not yet been made widely available to the public, suspending formerly familiar human interactions, the promotion of optimism and demands of universal reform have united many Americans.​Young people have relied heavily on art as a medium to convey their innermost thoughts and opinions during these unprecedented times. Creative outlets of music, literature, painting, dance and more, have veered us away from a state of utter confusion.

Art, by definition, is a form of self-expression that stimulates an individual’s imagination. Desperate times, such as these, have motivated many to convey their feelings through art. Whether it is as simple as picking up a pencil to write a short story or as complex as composing a distinct musical score, art has become deeply intertwined with our everyday lives. However, with the current climate, viewing a live performance or visiting an art gallery as a means of inspiration has become almost impossible due to safety precautions. Nevertheless, there are many opportunities to stay safe within the comfort of your own home while exploring the environment around you.

Freshman Anna Sieben, a San Mateo High School student and musical theatre enthusiast, released a pop music album this summer called ​“​ Within” that reflects on her struggle with mental health. For many people who have a passion for performing in a live setting, the coronavirus has made it immensely difficult to stay motivated. During shelter-in-place, Sieben experienced a range of emotions that inspired her to start writing songs. Quarantine gave her the perfect opportunity to process her feelings and turn them into art. Once the sentiment was in place, words began to organically flow out onto paper. Through her lyrics, she illustrates the significance of having a strong support system and accepting the meaning of hardship. Sieben believes that music is a universal language that connects individuals of all backgrounds. Anna’s strong personality and willingness to take risks, even if it means having to make multiple edits and cuts, are valuable as we progress towards a COVID-19 free future.

“So much comes and goes in this world. So much fades out... but we look back and realize that everything is art,” Sieben said.

It is unclear as to when our world will return to normalcy; however, even with the pandemic raging, art has remained constant. Finding a creative release helps to communicate a sense of peace during these frightening moments. Learning about what makes you unique and applying it to society is the first step towards recovering from the pandemic. As Sieben reflects, “The beauty of art is monumental.”

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Purple

By Cate Cattano

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Sustainable Fashion Is Our Future

By Caitlin Kall

Within the industry of fashion, a growing sector coined as fast fashion is clothing produced in unethical ways, in which laborers are paid little money to make clothing for cheap name brands and can potentially be loaded with toxic chemicals that can harm the environment. Shoppers with small budgets flock to these retailers because of the appealing, inexpensive pricing. For most of my life, I thought that machines made clothing, but it turns out that the majority of clothing production comes from people who are paid an amount that does not equate to the magnitude of their labors. This needs to stop.

What is sustainable fashion?

Sustainable fashion is clothing that is designed, manufactured and produced in an eco-friendly way. Not to be confused with ethical fashion, which is composed of elements of sustainable fashion and fair trade — meaning it focuses more on the working conditions of the laborers. Sustainable fashion focuses more on the environmental impact of clothing and reducing human impact on the environment.

What are sustainable clothes made of?

As stated by “Better World Apparel,” the most commonly used material for sustainable clothes is recycled cotton. Recycled cotton is used instead of new cotton because cotton requires a lot of land area and water to grow and produce. However, recycling cotton from used clothes dramatically decreases pollution, energy and environmental costs, the strain on water and energy and habitat destruction, all while keeping cotton out of the landfill.

Why we do not see that much sustainable clothing There are two things that are stopping us from buying sustainable clothing. A lot of social media influencers do not promote sustainable clothing, so many of their followers are not exposed to it. Also, it’s really expensive. For many, money is the main reason why they do not purchase it, but I look at people who buy expensive clothes and think — you can get that from a sustainable brand. However, the reason why it is expensive is the cost of labor. Sustainable clothing manufacturers make sure to pay their laborers the money they deserve and provide the ability to work in a safe environment and to stay healthy.

Why is it important?

According to “World Bank,” fast fashion is accountable for 10% of global carbon emissions. If it keeps going at the pace it is at, the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will be up more than 50% by 2030.

What can we do?

Listed below are a few of many sustainable/ethical brands. Research is the first step towards a more environmentally friendly fashion future, and there are a plethora of sustainable brands to cater to unique styles.

Reformation Boden Thought Clothing United By Blue Vetta Shekou On the other hand, if draining an entire piggy bank is not on one’s agenda, a good way for consumers to do their part is thrifting. Essentially, it is reusing other people’s good-condition clothes and wearing them so they do not end up in landfills. When clothes are thrifted, realize that it is not supporting fast fashion, but supporting the ability to reuse and recycle old clothes. To save money and resources, consider sharing clothes with friends to change up fashion style from time to time. Either way, the longer clothes are kept in the closet, the better.

Summing up these points, it’s important to realize the importance of what clothes can do to the Earth, other people, and yourself. It’s understandable that consumers are more drawn towards the inexpensive, flashy clothing. However, considering the state of our planet and laborers, it’s probably a better idea to lean towards sustainable fashion.

After all, it is the future of fashion.

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Flowers

By Emily Young

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The Grey Anemonastrum

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By Olivia Mott

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Sunsets

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By Minaal Arain

Dark Academia

By Finn Lorian

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The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen

By Rebeca Carneiro

Blood and tears are streaming down the flawed earth, Trapped into misery and suffering.

As many begin to question their birth, My soul brawls with my body plundering.

As time passes I must be more focused, Exhaustion is my ceaseless enemy.

Resourcefulness, my goal regardless, My will must be stronger than sanity.

Yet, I found him in the midst of chaos, He seized my soul as his eyes found mine.

And even though we both saw a pathos, We both believed in a love so divine.

And the quote that we will always savor, May the odds be ever in your favor.

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Hand With Eye

By Tallula Lighthouse

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