Sept. 29, 2021 Issue

The CHARGER

San Jose Unified School District Leland High School 6677 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120

ACCOUNT

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 942 SAN JOSE, CA

Vol. T No. 1

Wednesday, September 29, 2021 Leland High School 6677 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120

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Week of Welcome: Bringing students back on campus Aaron Dalton and Sophia Qin Staff Writers

“Returning to in-person school after After almost eighteen months of also competed against each other in tug quarantine, students returned to in- of war, water balloon toss and jump rope. more than a year of distance learning Freshmen, sophomores and was stressful, but the Week person learning in mid-August. To juniors picked up their class of Welcome helped me feel welcome returning students back on spirit shirts and many seniors welcomed at the school campus as well as introduce new students purchased custom-designed and reminded me of what to the school, the Associated Student Body t-shirts to help fund school was like before the (ASB) planned the Week of Welcome upcoming class events. pandemic,” Sophomore (WOW)—a five-day long event that Students also had the Chloe Shih said. took place in the quad during lunch and opportunity to meet In addition to WOW, featured music, games, prizes, class booths Bolt—the school’s Walsh and ASB and an advice panel. Activities Director new mascot—for also planned Meg Walsh proposed the idea at the end of the last school year, recognizing a need for students to reconnect in August after several months of quarantine. ook Yearb f “We decided to host a welcome week o tesy Cour to ease any stress that students may have felt in returning to school in the midst of the pandemic, make the first week of school exciting for everwyone and build a positive and open environment during Juniors Michael Sher and Isabella Campbell play a game of ping pong. this time of uncertainty,” Senior Julia Choi, ASB Secretary, said. the first time. The event attracted a large orientations to welcome freshmen To set up WOW, ASB decorated the turnout, and many students participated in and sophomores—many of whom quad with balloons and banners, put up the games, sang karaoke and reconnected had never been on campus before— to the school. Unlike class tents and organized a variety of with their old classmates. activities like cup pong, bean bag toss r s Edito and castle darts. Throughout the ol New o h c S style & week, different classes u, Life L a d n Mira led by Compi

previous years, this year’s orientation was separated into two days to minimize contact between students.

“This was our first big event back on campus, and we did not want to put people at risk by having five hundred people in the gym at once,” Walsh said.

At orientation, freshmen and sophomores played icebreaker games with other students in their assigned Charger Crew, explored the campus and received advice from their crew leaders on how to succeed in high school.

“My group leaders answered all of my questions thoroughly and were extremely honest about their high school experience.

They also introduced us to school staff and resources we could contact for help,” Freshman Amber Lee said.

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, Walsh is excited for the new year and looks forward to still planning traditional school events, including Prom, Wellness Week and talent shows. Week of Welcome helped many students adjust to inperson school and reconnect with their classmates, and ASB hopes that future events will encourage more bonding between students.

Quotebox: What did you think of the Week of Welcome?

XINTONG ZHAO ART

Courtesy of Yearbook

Seniors Jacob Kuverji, Brian Tran, Abhinav Rao, Anson Chu, Chloe Yun, Sarah Satchell, Allie Francisco and Anushka Shah pose together under the senior class tent.

The concering possibility of celebrity politicians on page 4

1 NEWS

4 OPINIONS

6 ENT. & LIFESTYLE

The rise and fall of the girlboss on page

KAILEY HU ART

7

Afghanistan faces a new future under the Taliban’s return on page 12

8 VIEWPOINT 10 IR 12 FEATURES 14 SPORTS 16 LAST WORD

2

NEWS Sophia Qin and Claire Pham

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Adjusting to COVID-19 protocols on campus Staff Writers

Following the return to in-person school, there have been many noticeable changes in hygiene standards to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks: students are required to wear masks, not allowed to eat indoors and advised to frequently wash their hands. However, despite these new regulations, the student body and staff have voiced concerns about the efficacy of the school’s sanitation protocols.

In an attempt to keep students and staff safe, janitorial staff have increased their responsibilities and are cleaning the campus more frequently. For example, Maria Palillo, night-shift custodian, is now required to clean door handles daily and check the bathrooms every two hours.

“The majority of students follow the mandate, and I am happy that they do.

However, I am wary of the select few that choose to try and combat the rules,” Junior Leo Jolissaint said.

Many of the student population follow COVID-19 protocols like wearing masks and washing their hands often to maintain a low-risk environment.

Sophomore Sharon Kim states that she feels safe on-campus and that she is grateful for the sanitary products available in the classrooms. However, although the school’s effort is recognized, other students believe that there is still room to improve.

“The majority of students follow the mandate, and I am happy that they do. However, I am wary of the select few that choose to try and combat the rules.”

“My main concern about sanitation in school is classroom equipment because many people are touching the same things, such as bathroom passes, rulers and scissors, and they are never thoroughly wiped down.” Sophomore Nicole Ngo said.

Additionally, students who do not have their own water bottles drink from

the public water fountains, but this also raises concerns because fountains can be a source of infections. Students like Freshman Songhee Rha are wary about contracting COVID-19 when using drinking fountains.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, water fountains should be temporarily banned to prevent the virus from spreading. I think the safest solution is for the school to sell bottled water,” Rha said.

In addition to students, some teachers are also concerned about classroom hygiene. Although they are attempting to make their classrooms safe, several teachers argue that the district is not supplying adequate amounts of disinfecting material.

“The sanitizer I have in my classroom is what I had from previous years, so it seems like the district does not think we need a lot of it. However, we can always use more since we can never be too safe,” Chris Barros, Foreign Language Department, said.

Teachers and janitors are not the only ones taking provisions: students are also taking action to ensure everyone’s safety during the pandemic. Several students were concerned about maskless viewers during the first football home game on Sept. 4, as many spectators did not wear masks or social distance.

“I feel incredibly uncomfortable knowing that a significant number of students do not care about our safety and are actively flaunting their attendance at no-mask sporting events,” Senior Aaron Shih said.

Although the majority of students and staff are taking COVID-19 protocols seriously, it is difficult to mandate them with everyone back at school. The school will continue to enforce COVID-19 protocols, and many students envision more consequences for violating school precautions such as conferences between parents and teachers and the principal.

Both students and administrative staff want to foster a safe environment, away from potential risk factors.

BERTINA FAN PHOTO Students eat lunch on campus together.

Wilson Yen, Math Department, wipes down desks.

Helen Kim, Classified Staff, sanitizes her hands.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

3

COMMUNITY NEWS

Free school meals mark a new beginning for Calif. education

Breanna Lu and Tammy Newman

On July 9, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 364—an act guaranteeing free lunch for all schools in California—because 20 percent of California residents are undergoing food insecurity, according to the California Association of Food Banks. Thus, to alleviate the issue with healthy meals in school, Newsom passed the bill.

A recent state budget surplus allowed Newsom and the State Legislature to pursue this policy. The Act will provide $54 million to help reimburse the costs of free lunches for the 2020-2021 school year. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has supplied waivers that expire at the end of the school year to help schools provide free lunches. California plans to invest $650 million by 2022-2023 with the objective of permanently continuing this policy.

The food department is also currently investing $150 million to promote nutritional training and improve kitchen infrastructure. According to Michael L. Anderson, agricultural and resource economics professor at University of California, Berkeley, adolescents who consistently eat nutritional meals at school score higher on Calif. state achievement tests. As a result, many students, especially those who come from lower-income families or are unable to bring healthy meals to school, are benefitting from this program.

“This new policy is beneficial because eating a proper meal for lunch is essential for students to focus in class. This year, I have been getting school lunch more often compared to previous years since the meals are free.

However, more cafeteria workers should be hired because the lines are often really long and students barely have enough time to eat their lunches,” Junior Kimaya Saijpal said.

Despite the benefits, a problem the school has run into is the severe increase in the number of students receiving meals.

Although the cafeteria workers are willing to welcome more students with free lunch­ —despite the significantly longer lines—the frenzied rush of students in the cafeteria is still overwhelming them.

Investigative Report & Last Word Editor and Staff Writer

Additionally, when we order food from the distributor, sometimes only half of the order arrives. Hence, we must use our existing resources and serve meals that were not originally on the menu,” Cafeteria Manager Susan Roach said.

While this policy has recently become official, it is not the first time California schools have provided free food without prerequisites. During the pandemic, school districts distributed free grab-andgo lunches at multiple pick-up sites. The large turnout at these drive-throughs encouraged many schools to continue the free meal program, describes Associated Press (AP) News.

Similarly, school districts in major cities, such as New York City and Boston, also provide free school lunches. For instance, the Free Lunch for All Program in New York City (NYC) began in 2017 after students were being shamed or forced to go hungry for not having lunch money. Since then, students have been performing better academically. A study conducted DANIEL CHOI ART

by Syracuse University found that NYC students had significantly higher math and reading test scores after attending schools that provided free lunch.

However, past implementations of free and reduced-price meals have presented multiple problems.

Free lunch stigma in schools due to assumptions of poverty pushed Compiled by Suvia Li and Imran Shaikh many students to go hungry out of Staff Writers embarrassment, reports Very Well 100 people polled Health. Additionally, qualifications to the program did not take into account those who fell just above the eligibility cutoff or the Bay Area’s expensive cost of living.

“I like the concept of free meals, but its purpose is defeated at the school since almost everyone I know getting free lunch is able to pay for it and would be willing to if it meant getting food with better quality and more options,” Junior Keshav Sethi said.

While there is opposition and several issues, free meal programs will hopefully serve as a sign that schools are becoming more attentive to students’ needs beyond the classroom. Newsom is currently looking to extend this program to future school years—potentially a permanent change—so students can stay healthy.

Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism

“This policy has doubled our production. We were serving approximately 200 meals for breakfast and 325 for lunch, but now, we are providing about 400 for breakfast and 600 for lunch.

YES 37%

Poll: Do you eat school lunches more now that they are free?

NO 63%

“I like the free lunch policy because I do not need to take money out of my parents’ pockets just to get food. However, because the lunch is free, there are significantly more people purchasing school lunch now. Due to the long line, there have been instances where I barely had time to eat my lunch.”

- Freshman Joshua Yan

“The lunch line is extremely long. By the time I get out of class, the line is already snaking past the bathrooms.

The quality of food is not worth the amount of time spent in line.”

- Sophomore Aralyn Connolly

“I am getting school lunch more often now because it is free.

I can always rely on it as an option if I simply need to fill my stomach.”

- Junior Atharv Bhavanasi

Staff Writer

“THERE ARE BLACK PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE.” These are the words painted along the entryway to Oakland Museum’s special exhibit, Mothership: Voyage into Afrofuturism.

Open from Aug. 7 to Feb. 27, Oakland’s Afrofuturism exhibit combines elements of technology, Black diasporic traditions and alternate universes to create intricate works of art.

According to the exhibit, Mothership transcends Black universes exploring space and time. As members walk into the open area, they approach a 15 foot metal UFO that flashes red and blue lights. George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelics, band members integral towards the celebration of Black iconography, blast P-Funk from its neighboring stereos. Towards the right is a projector playing films of Sun Ra, a musician who claimed that he was sent by aliens to take Black folk away from antiblackness. To propel them back to space, he tours playing jazz with his band Arkestra.

Additionally, Afrofuturism is defined by the imagination, combining technology and Black spirituality to affirm values of Black life. Passing through the entrance doors of the exhibit, audiences can walk into a deep violet room called Dawn. Along the walls is “Divine Feminine,” a painting by artist Yfasha L. Womack that illustrates sparkling honeycombs, silver faces and chalky branches. As notes from harp music strums above, words of “coming aboard” and harp are mixed together to describe the connections between slavery and Black identity. Towards the opposite end are the works of Octavia Butler, a science-fiction writer who mixed together Black identity, gender queerness and feminism in her writings.

Together, the two words affirm the capabilities of Black communities in creatively fostering empathy. After reflecting on the pieces shown in the exhibit, I felt somber. The exhibit and its creators planned out a remarkable mix of audio, visuals and emotions to engulf its audiences into the Black life.

Viewing so many different perspectives on Afrofuturism initially made me feel taken aback: seeing intense pieces and understanding the backstory behind them gave me a hollow feeling. But as I continued walking through the exhibit and viewing sublime works of music, I felt comforted.

Overall, experiencing the intricate beauty of this exhibit was monumental.

Afrofuturism was educational, providing me with a fresh perspective on identity and expression.

Voyage into Afrofuturism (5/5)

Quotebox: What are your thoughts on the new free school lunch policy?

Compiled by Isaac Ang and Sophia Qin Staff Writers

Nicole Mui

SUVIA LI ART

a monumental experience

+ diverse and educational + thoughtful visuals and sounds - difficult to grasp as a subject

4

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

OPINIONS

FEATURE: WORLD

The concerning possibility of celebrity politicians

Kevin Zhang

Staff Writer

The Charger Account Leland High School 6677 Camden Ave. Principal Peter Park San Jose Unified School District San Jose, CA 95120-2142 (408) 535-6290 thechargeraccount.com EDITORS IN CHIEF Ashley Lee, Aileen Xie, Cindy Zhao, Nancy Zheng ART AND PHOTO DIRECTORS Beomhee Kim, Julia Nakanishi NEWS EDITORS Miranda Lu, Larry Ye OPINIONS EDITOR Raymond Dai FEATURE EDITORS Manasa Sriraj, Pavana Upadhyaya VIEWPOINT AND LAST WORD EDITORS Yong Ooi, Breanna Lu ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE EDITORS Keirah Chen, Miranda Lu INVESTIGATIVE REPORT EDITOR Breanna Lu SPORTS EDITOR Pavana Upadhyaya STUDENT SPOTLIGHT EDITOR Keirah Chen AD MANAGER Nancy Zheng MEDIA MANAGER Cindy Zhao ADVISOR Elaine Ngo COMMUNITY CIRCULATION Parent Club and Leland Bridge STAFF WRITERS Isaac Ang Nicole Mui Dhruv Anish Tammy Newman Aaron Dalton Imran Shaikh Sophia Qin Kevin Zhang Suvia Li ARTISTS Daniel Choi Desiree Vu De Leon Quincy Han Suvia Li Kailey Hu Dana Lim Ellie Kim Jude Tantawy Inseo Kim Kenneth Yang PHOTOGRAPHERS Bertina Fan Desiree Vu de Leon MEDIA TEAM Jeehee Kim Claire Pham Our mission in the community is to inform, educate, and investigate the events occurring within Leland’s community and beyond.

The ideas and opinions expressed in our articles represent over half of The Charger Account staff but do not represent the views and beliefs of any particular staff member.

The Charger Account invites submissions of signed letters of opinion. We reserve the right to edit submissions and pieces will be published at the discretion of the editorial staff.

Readers can notify The Charger Account to any errors in print by emailing us at lelandchargeraccount@gmail.com.

We will acknowledge our mistakes in our next issue.

For advertising information and pricing, please check out our website at thechargeraccount.com/advertisewith-us. The Charger Account is distributed to the Leland community free of cost.

The Charger Account Sept. 29 | Vol. T. No. 1

As celebrities grow in fame and popularity, they start appearing in not only entertainment but also in politics.

In the past, several celebrities have held public offices: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Ventura and Clint Eastwood. Furthermore, people of fame are often rumored to be potential candidates like that of Matthew McConaughey and Kanye West.

However, many citizens are concerned that celebrities may not be qualified for these positions, and, if they lack the experience, may be doing it as a publicity stunt rather than out of genuine concern for the country.

Popular celebrities often possess strong charisma and carry it over into politics, baring traits that give the impression of a leader, something the populace appreciates when voting for a candidate. Consequently, however, voters may overlook another desirable characteristic for candidates: political insight. Although some celebrities have studied law or sociology, the majority have not received formal education in those fields. For example, former Calif.

Governor Schwarzenegger was a business major, while former President Trump majored in economics. Voters may have difficulty judging celebrities’ stances, since they can be misinformed by incorrect statements about policies. An exception to this would be former actor and U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who graduated with a degree in sociology. As president, Reagan achieved two major objectives: improving economic conditions in the U.S. at the time and helping to end the

Cold War, evidence that considering one’s educational background is suggested when selecting a candidate.

“Celebrities should not run for president because I feel they are just campaigning for the hype, or just as a joke. Not only that, they divert attention and votes away from more qualified candidates, which could, in the long run, end up compromising an election that affects the entire future of the country,” Sophomore Lori Yang said.

Lack of political experience may lead to serious repercussions, as seen with Schwarzenegger’s actions while in office.

According to the Los Angeles Magazine, Schwarzenegger cut billions of dollars allocated for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention, women’s services, healthcare for poor chlidren, drug treatment for pregnant women and rental subsidies for seniors. In addition, he also curbed funding from other public welfare programs to fulfill his budget plan.

These miscalculated decisions earned him an approval rating of 22 percent when he left office, proving that a governor without proper education may be a detriment to the country.

Another example of a celebrity running for public office would be former Olympian and TV personality Caitlyn Jenner’s campaign for Governor of California. In April, Jenner announced that she would be running against current Gov. Gavin Newsom. On her campaign website, she stated that under Newsom, there had been failing businesses, loss of livelihoods and a weakening economy.

Jenner believed she could outperform Newsom and change what he was unable to by cutting regulations, making housing more affordable and addressing the homelessness crisis. Although these goals sound promising, if done improperly, it could worsen current conditions.

“I do not particularly object to celebrities running for public office. It only becomes a problem if the celebrityturned politician has poor intentions or an ulterior motive. Under this, if they were to be elected, some may find it illegitimate and that the celebrity won due to their pre-political fame. There does seem to be a common trend of celebrities running for office as opposition candidates to the majority. For the most part, however, celebrity politicians are not very different from any other politician,” Senior Jasper Wu said.

Ultimately, celebrities running for public office can be dangerous if they lack the proper conscience and experience.

To avoid appointing an unqualified candidate, voters should keep in mind that impressive charisma is not the only requirement to be a good leader, but that one also needs the appropriate education. Moreover, it is important to ensure that the celebrity has the people’s interests at heart, rather than acting from DANA LIM ART selfish motives.

Missing sketches: Fast-moving society erases art appreciation The imbalance between science and art

The Charger Account Editorial Staff

During its few peacetimes, Ancient Rome was a haven for the fine arts: emperors and senators facilitated cultural enrichment by competing in aesthetic affluence through the patronage of temples, theaters and sculptures, disseminating artistic gems in public spaces for ordinary citizens to appreciate.

Even thousands of years ago, leaders understood that public beautification, or social aesthetics, contributed to the wellness of the populace. Such normalization of high culture has continued to persist in Europe, with artwork viewable from many public locations. As Danish illustrator Paul Nielsen describes it, “social aesthetics is a way of producing, interpreting or presenting art so connections arise between aesthetic knowledge and the surrounding society,” its purpose being to consolidate art in people’s everyday lives.

Meanwhile, San Jose’s Japanese Friendship Garden has seen empty ponds of koi fish, with leaves and debris scattered over stone paths. This public garden, open to free admission, was once a hidden gem in the Bay Area. Now, due to limited funds, the garden seems to be decaying.

Across the U.S., publicly available artistic infrastructures have become vestiges of the past, with rarities only viewable in concentrated areas such as urban parks.

Over time, America’s socially progressive nature has misconstrued the fine arts and other forms of high culture as pompous indulgences based on the belief that the fine arts are entitled exclusively to the wealthy.

The U.S. has faced renewed attention on applying scientific disciplines to answering the public’s needs—Nature reports that the Senate passed a bill last June to provide $81 billion in funding to the National Science Foundation.

Comparatively, data from Statista shows that federal grants to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fluctuate around $150 million. The Constitutional Rights Foundation explains that, unlike other developed nations, the U.S. largely lacks a history of government funding for the arts—the NEA was not established until 1964 as part of former President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society.”

In the midst of leading the global technological race, Americans diagnosed with moderate to severe depression are increasing, as reported by Mental Health America. Simultaneously, in the work sphere, social phenomena such as the girlboss movement and the glamorization of hustle culture gear the public to focus on attaining unreasonable outcomes, leaving little room for self-care and appreciation for the process. These trends cause items that require careful reflection

to be overlooked, notably the fine arts.

The increasing strive for scientific advancement in America’s fast-paced society is depreciating social aesthetics amongst the general public and the prevalence of mental health issues in the U.S. remains a pressing issue.

However, the solution to the depreciation of high art and escalating depression may lie directly in vision: Public Health Post reports that several community public art installations have been shown to increase community members’ feelings of inclusion, minimizing poor mental health and internalized isolation. According to The Guardian, public funding is the optimal solution to alleviating the depreciation of art—whereas the private sector is more likely to support esteemed artists, public funding helps emerging artists debut their work. Furthermore, The New York Times corroborates that Germany’s $1.2 billion art funding helped restart the country’s cultural life and kept many art institutions afloat during the pandemic, indicating that public funding is a viable option for supporting social aesthetics.

Conflict between sciences and art is not new to the public discourse in America, but hopefully commentary on public fine art becomes just as ubiquitous.

Rather than solely focusing on initiatives that bolster technology, science and productivity, we should also encourage greater circulation of the arts in the social landscape to provide accessible longterm benefits for the general populace.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

5

OPINIONS

New Calif. school start times hurt more than help

“Interior Chinatown”

Tammy Newman and Imran Shaikh

On Oct. 19, Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 328, announcing that Calif. high schools may start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. in response to reported levels of insufficient sleep from secondary school students. Up until recent times, studies surveying the way adolescents’ average amount of sleep affects their schoolwork performance had been scarce. To resolve this absence of information, Dr. Robert Stickgold, a sleep psychiatrist at Harvard University, established that a full eight hours of sleep at night increases memory retention. After recognizing the strong correlation between sleep and cognitive function, Newsom decided schools should adjust their opening times to better suit students’ need for healthy amounts of sleep.

The bill was largely prompted by multiple studies showing that early start times negatively affect students’ physical well-being. A 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that starting schools earlier can increase the risk of sleep deprivation by interfering with students’ circadian rhythms, the cycle that regulates sleep patterns. Subsequently, students can become more at risk for obesity, depression and suicide. According to the U.K.’s National Health Service, one major symptom of depression is a lack of motivation. Paired with the fact that insufficient sleep also conflicts with

KENNETH YANG ART

appetite control, students will likely proceed to gain weight unknowingly but lack the desire to lose weight. Spiraling further down this trend, their risk of getting type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol increases. To counter these, Senate Bill 328 pushes school start times back so that students would have more time to sleep.

“I like the added 30 minutes with the new start times because I can sleep an extra 30 minutes, but I feel as if school lasts much longer—by the time I get home it is usually already 4 p.m. I believe it is beneficial in terms of sleep but not in terms of time to do homework or after-school activities,” Freshman Sean Nguyen-Fell said.

The new bill has changed the school’s start time from 7:55 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

However, contrary to the bill’s original goal, students have not actually been able to get more sleep, as they have less time after school to complete schoolwork.

In turn, they end up sleeping later than they had before. Specific students such as athletes, club members and leaders or students with emotional and behavioral difficulties, now have an even harder time balancing homework, extracurriculars and sleep. According to a Minnesota study over the course of two years by Gordon D. Wrobel, a licensed youth behavioral psychologist, students with preexisting disorders have shown diminished levels of focus in the afternoon after lunch ever since the new bell schedule was implemented.

Furthermore, in Palo Alto Unified School District, students are now more likely to skip after-school activities, knowing they will not have enough time to

Staff Writers

complete homework with the late end to the school day, per The Campanile.

“Personally, this updated bell schedule has consistently been inconvenient for my family and me. Because schools open and close much later, my parents often cannot drop me off and I find myself arriving home hours after I finish my last class of the day, making it much harder for me to complete my homework and go to sleep at a reasonable time,” Junior Eunwoo Kim said.

Conversely, some studies find that a later school start time would actually alleviate several harms from sleep deprivation. Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and teen specialist, states that sleep-deprived students may suffer from clouded judgment, which can lead to poor decisions like drug or alcohol abuse. To prevent this, the new schedule gives students more time to adjust in the morning.

But what overshadows the bill’s foreseeable benefits is the fact that schools still run for the same amount of time and assign the same amount of work. Furthermore, it can cause conflicts in transportation logistics. Due to the new schedule, parents may need to get to work before their child’s school starts, which is troublesome as many students rely on their parents to bring them to school.

Since the new start time further inconveniences students, school boards and parents, the state of California should reconsider the bill, its complications and whether it truly lives up to its initial purpose.

Internet challenges: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

Dhruv Anish

Staff Writer

The crate challenge is the latest in the line of dangerous viral “challenges” following the tide pod, cinnamon and choking challenges, applauding participants for risking their health for internet “clout.” Participants of the crate challenge stack industrial crates in a staircase pattern, then attempt to climb up without falling and injuring themselves.

Social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok all promote this outlandish behavior by rewarding users with likes and views, with the more ludicrous content receiving more popularity.

The allure of stardom advertised by an “online spotlight” leads ordinary people to participate in these internet antics, hurting themselves and others in the hopes of garnering attention online.

Dangerous examples of recent challenges include the salt-and-ice challenge, in which teens coated their hands in salt and held ice for as long as they could. The challenge became popular through YouTube, with the original video amassing over 7.4 million views, inviting other YouTubers to create similar content for views. However, the chemical reaction between the ice and salt inflicted pain onto them, even resulting in two Iowa children receiving second and third degree burns.

The age group most susceptible to following internet trends are young children and teenagers. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that teenagers’ prefrontal cortices—the brain

region that controls rational thought— are not fully developed until their midtwenties. This leads them to be, by nature, more impulsive and likely to mimic internet trends for fame. Lacking adequate sensibility, when teens see their peers go viral after partaking in dangerous behavior, the potential risks evoke excitement instead of caution.

In addition, television talk shows advertise these outlandish behaviors, encouraging deluded teenagers to come on the show, be ridiculed and in turn, create entertaining content for show ratings. Internet star Danielle Bregoli, better known as “Bhad Bhabie,” went viral within days after appearing on the Doctor Phil show, attracting public attention for her disrespectful antics and her catchphrase “cash me outside,” which would later gain her over 16 million followers on Instagram. TV programs like “Doctor Phil” that attempt to portray outrageous behavior as harmful counterintuitively sway young viewers to replicate what they see on screen, who mistake it as a pathway to fame and social acceptance, as per University of Texas at Austin psychology professor Rachel E. Watson-Jones and colleagues. Although the attention that viral internet videos can bring is apparent, it is the negative influence of these videos that users should be conscious of before consuming content.

“I have not personally participated in any internet challenges, but I have really enjoyed watching the crate challenges on Twitter and Instagram. Even though I

would never do something risky like that myself, it makes for great entertainment and gets a lot of views,” Senior Aidan Cain said.

To reduce the spread of harmful content, some social media sites enabled moderation services to remove or agerestrict any potentially dangerous posts that could influence younger viewers to attempt to replicate them. Challenges like the salt-and-ice challenge have been completely removed from Instagram and YouTube, replaced by warnings to users to not engage in similar challenges.

Additionally, news sources like the National Broadcasting Company publish information about troubling internet trends, giving parents the opportunity to intervene before children look to mimic them.

“Challenges can be rather idiotic because they are so widespread that going through social media becomes a chore— everyone is producing the same risky content in a desperate attempt to become famous,” Sophomore Matthew Phan said.

The chase of short-lived fame through partaking in challenges is outweighed by the adverse effects they can have on one’s mental and physical state. A few likes on TikTok is not worth sacrificing one’s body or well-being.

KENNETH YANG ART

Pavana Upadhyaya

Feature School & Sports Editor

For almost all of its history, Hollywood has perpetuated stereotypes about Asians and Asian-Americans. Written in the unconventional form of a TV screenplay, Charles Yu’s “Interior Chinatown” satirically explores Hollywood’s cliches of the crossroads between Asian and Asian American culture.

“Interior Chinatown” follows the story of Willis Wu, a background actor in a procedural cop show “Black and White,” set in Chinatown’s Golden Palace Restaurant and aptly titled for the two lead characters’ races. In real life and on the show, Wu plays Generic Asian Man, an inconsequential character with no dialogue, mirroring the lack of concrete Asian representation in Hollywood. But Wu wants to surpass being the exotic bit player and epitomize the role of Kung Fu Guy, a mythical action hero—the greatest role an Asian man can attain.

Wu’s drive to become Kung Fu Guy introduces the reader to a metaworld where everyone is defined by stereotypes: characters are called Old Asian Man and Pretty Asian Hostess, for example. But as he tabs each character with labels, Yu also disseminates them; his ambition to attain stardom in “Black and White” results in his resignation to all the humiliating background parts available to Asian men.

Early in the novel, Yu introduces Older Brother, a caricature of the prototypical model Asian—he scored a 1570 on the SAT, has great hair and became Kung Fu Guy. Older Brother is everything Wu idealizes: the perfect model minority who can assimilate while still being culturally in tune. But then Older Brother suddenly stops being Kung Fu Guy after realizing that for all Asian-Americans, there is a limit to which they are allowed to progress in society.

The worldbuilding is furthered by the settings. Yu uses Wu’s home, a single occupancy room apartment above the Golden Palace Restaurant, to paint a picture of first and second generation immigrants struggling to escape poverty after leaving their homelands to pursue the American Dream.

What makes “Interior Chinatown” a standout is not only Yu’s knack at satire, but his deeper message. Yu deftly explores why Wu can only aspire to be Kung Fu Guy, how American laws contribute to the existing poverty in parts of Chinatown, the struggles that Asians face when assimilating and the depictions of Asians in modern media.

Tired of fighting against stereotypes forced upon him, Wu accepts the debasing role of background character.

His journey in figuring out his purpose in the world of “Black and White” begs the question: who gets to be American?

“Interior Chinatown’s” exploration of the hardships of navigating through what Yu labels the “second class oppression” that Asian-Americans face is written humorously, but is also deeply heartfelt.

“Interior Chinatown” (5/5)

bookmarked

+ witty, satirical commentary + innovative structure - may not be interesting for all

6

ENTERTAINMENT “The King of Comedy”

Dhruv Anish

Staff Writer

Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorcese are an actor-director duo that churn on classics consistently—such is the case with the 1982 film “The King of Comedy.” DeNiro plays Rupert Pupkin, a struggling stand up comedian in his mid-thirties who still lives with his mother. His dream is to make an appearance on the fictional Jerry Langford Show, starring Jerry Lewis as the host, Jerry Langford. However, Pupkin looks to become the new king of comedy in the most reasonable way possible: kidnapping Jerry.

DeNiro’s performance as Pupkin is ahead of his time, showing the personal corruption by the allure of stardom. The air of delusion surrounding Rupert’s dreams intensifies throughout the film, creating tension as we find further evidence of his mental instability through “jokes” that reveal his traumatic past. His dream is to use the tragedies in his life to create his comedy and escape from reality. Ironically, Rupert says this during an imaginary conversation with his idol, Langford.

Lewis and DeNiro’s chemistry is apparent in any scene they are in together. Through their interactions in fantasy and reality, DeNiro and Lewis portray a deep understanding of the idol-superfan relationship that carries the movie forward.

Based closely on the life of real late night television host Johnny Carson, Langford seems sympathetic and exhausted with being famous. In multiple scenes, he is ambushed by fans everywhere he goes, showing viewers the depressing reality of fame.

Although the film is cleverly disguised as the story of a sympathetic man who deserves a chance to chase his dreams, Scorcese uses perspective to warp our perceptions of what is morally right and wrong. Rupert does appear respectful and agreeable while dealing with others, waiting politely for Langford’s secretary to review his application for the show and trying to ensure that he gets the opportunity he was promised during the beginning of the film. However, Rupert is also fundamentally egotistical, his methods for appearing on the show immoral and his perceptions of his relationships with others alarming.

“The King of Comedy” is a film that feels harrowingly real—the themes of celebrity worship and commentary on the process of becoming famous are as prevalent today as they were in the 1980s. The cinematography, performances and thematic elements make the film stand the test of time.

After all, “it is better to be a king for a night, than a schmuck for a lifetime.”

“The King of Comedy” (5/5)

reel-ing it in

+ great performances + unique concept - a bit short

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

DaBaby ordeal: Celebrities help to break HIV/AIDS stigma

Dhruv Anish

Staff Writer

American rapper DaBaby has been in the public spotlight for his prolific music career, winning consecutive Black Entertainment Television awards for best hip hop artists in 2019 and 2020 as well as having 53 songs inside of the Billboard Hot 100. However, DaBaby’s public image has recently soured due to the insensitive comments he made at the Rolling Loud music festival targeting people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

DaBaby called for all his fans at the concert to hold up their phones during his performance, except those living with HIV and AIDS—diseases that he falsely claimed would make those affected “die in two, three weeks.” These comments led to public outcry after the event, resulting in his removal from music festivals such as Lollapalooza, iHeartRadio and Austin City Limits, while also being dropped from his clothing sponsor, boohooMan. Unfortunately, DaBaby is far from being the first public figure to spread hateful misinformation about HIV/AIDS and its link to the LGBTQ+ community.

According to the health organization Avert, the AIDS epidemic that was discovered in the 1980s actually originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1920s. Avert reports that humans were infected by the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus that chimps in the region carried, resulting in the development of what we now classify as HIV. The virus spread to increasing numbers of travelers in the geographic region, eventually making its way to the U.S. in the 1980s.

HIV became stigmatized in the media—newspapers like the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror even went so far as to call the emerging epidemic the “gay plague,” portraying people living with HIV as being more sexually active and alienating them from “normal” people.

At the time, gay men were those most

commonly affected by HIV, resulting in the majority of the public vilifying them and incorrectly labeling members of the LGBTQ+ community as being the cause of the epidemic. People living with HIV have reported that they feel the negative stigma surrounding the diagnosis to be detrimental towards factors such as income, healthcare and social perception, as per The Well Project.

To counteract the spread of negative information, celebrities have used their status to encourage the public to be more accepting of those living with HIV/ AIDS. For instance, figures like National Basketball Association star Magic Johnson, actor Charlie Sheen and artist Keith Haring are all celebrities that have been very public about their HIV-positive diagnoses, normalizing their conditions to the public.

Many celebrities have also taken action to prevent the further spread of HIV/ AIDS. LGBTQ+ music artist and AIDS patient Elton John started his own nonprofit organization, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, to fund frontline partners that are searching for a cure. Likewise, singer John Legend partnered with Belvedere Vodka to donate 50 percent of all profits to HIV/AIDS prevention organizations and released his original song “Love Me Now” to be used as part of the charitable campaign.

“Celebrities should be utilizing their growing platforms to help the people with HIV/AIDS get the treatment and support they need, as they are able to spread helpful information quickly to a large variety of people through social media,” Sophomore Ved Rao said.

After his mishap on July 25, DaBaby publicly apologized for his remarks, taking the opportunity to learn more about the disease by attending informational lectures from the Black AIDS Institute, Gilead Sciences COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Centers and The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, among other organizations. The leaders of the groups reported that DaBaby was engaged and seemed genuinely interested in learning more about the disease.

“It was wrong of DaBaby to make those comments since he knows that, due to his large following, he could influence the minds of many impressionable young people. He has not yet redeemed himself and needs to do more to show that he has truly changed,” Junior Sanjana Subramanyan said.

After facing backlash, DaBaby took to Twitter to express publicly that he has learned his lesson, claiming that his remarks were insensitive.

Mirroring Dababy, the public can seek further education about HIV/AIDS before assuming false things about others.

BEOMHEE KIM ART

Lil Nas X calls out double standard in blood merchandise

Daniel Lin

A “blood feud” seems to have erupted Kristi Noem accused the shoes of between professional skateboarder Tony attacking “the soul of our nation,” while Hawk and popular singer-songwriter others claimed it was “evil content.” After Montero Lamar Hill—literally, among the release of Hawk’s blood-infused their blood-infused releases. On Aug. 24, skateboards, Hill tweeted about the double Hawk collaborated with Liquid Death, standard he saw: unlike his shoes, Hawk’s a bottled water company, to release product received little criticism, despite 100 skateboards painted with red both containing blood. paint that was mixed with his As a gay and Black man, Hill wished own blood. In the launch video to convey his identity to the world through for the skateboards, Liquid Death the music video of “Montero,” which announced that ten percent of the featured prominent queer erotic imagery profits of the skateboards would and demonic references. Viewers were be donated to 5 Gyres, a charity astounded by this display, focused on reducing the amount of as it contrasted heavily plastic in the ocean. to Hill’s previous Several months prior, Hill, collaboration with known by his stage name “Lil Nas Billy Ray Cyrus in the X,” collaborated with art collective trending single “Old Town MSCHF to sell 666 pairs of “Satan Road.” Hill, who came Shoes.” These custom-made out in 2019, mentioned Nike Air Max 97 models, each in a video with Genius containing a drop of that such queer human blood infused representation was into the soles, were critical. Between released to promote the songs “Old Hill’s new song, Town Road” “Montero ​​(Call Me By and “Montero,” Your Name),” and sold the opposite out in minutes. However, reactions he both “Montero” and the received may shoes received immense public DANA show that there LIM backlash from religious conservatives remains a cultural ART who claim that the releases promoted double standard satanic worship and homosexuality, as in social conservatives Business Insider reports. Conservative between heterosexual and homosexual figures such as South Dakota governor erotic imagery.

Staff Writer

“The public outcry against the shoes was disrespectful to the identity of Lil Nas X and his music. Although modern society is becoming increasingly progressive, we still have a long way to go in terms of accepting individuals who are considered different from the norm,” Sophomore Ariya Acharya said.

Meanwhile, sportswear giant Nike sued MSCHF for customizing Nike Air Max 97 shoes without permission shortly after Hill’s release. Although the lawsuit that necessitated the destruction of the shoes proved to be valid in court, other artists, such as Kanye West with his Yeezy shoes, have done the same thing in the past yet have suffered no serious repercussions like Hill did.

“I believe everyone is being too sensitive over this drama. Many songs back in the 1980s and 1990s included lyrics about the devil, and even today there are songs released that have satanic themes.

I do not understand how people are mad about a singer’s sexuality,” Sophomore Alex Tu said.

Nevertheless, there appears to be no bad blood between the two public stars, as they met up on Aug. 30 to film a comedic skating tutorial to show off both sides’ merch. Although Hill’s shoes had to be destroyed, they did sell out quickly, showing that Hill still has the support of a large fanbase. Meanwhile, both Hawk’s and Hill’s publicity may push more celebrities to sell merchandise with blood in it.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

Aaron Dalton and Yong Ooi

7

LIFESTYLE

The rise and fall of the girlboss

Bowl’d Korean Rice Bar Staff Writer and Viewpoint Editor

Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of now defunct biotech company Theranos, was once lauded as a role model for female entrepreneurs. A living embodiment of the term “girlboss,” she claimed to have revolutionized modern healthcare by developing technology that could conduct blood tests using only a few drops of blood.

At its zenith in 2014, Theranos was valued at over ten billion dollars, and Holmes was named the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire by Forbes. However, just a year later, reports questioning the legitimacy of the company’s technology surfaced, and Holmes’s girlboss facade quickly dissolved, despite her attempts to censor and discredit the articles. Theranos lost several of its partners—including Walgreens and Cleveland Clinic. Holmes was indicted for conspiracy and wire fraud, and the company was dissolved First coined by Sophia Amoruso—the founder of fashion retailer Nasty Gal—in her 2014 memoir “#Girlboss”, the slogan originally referred to confident, capable and unapologetic women who shattered

“On social media, the term was combined with ‘gaslight’ and ‘gatekeep,’ two other descriptors of manipulative tactics employed by people in power, to form what Vox calls a ‘live, laugh, love’ of shallow feminism, usually White.” glass ceilings in the male-dominated business industry. Propelled to popularity by her book, the 2017 Netflix comedy series of the same name and Amoruso’s self-established media company Girlboss, the term quickly became synonymous with female empowerment. It promised a different kind of boss, that championed equality and inclusivity in the workplace.

“The intention was to show that a woman could be a boss in a way that differed from how many male bosses led their companies, thus allowing the meaning of a boss to be more inclusive of non-traditional traits or characteristics, such as empathy,” Jeanette Carmody, English Department, said.

For a while, the girlboss movement flourished, seemingly advocating for justice and female empowerment while also simultaneously promoting consumerism and a self-centered pursuit of power and money. Cutesy hashtags and posts in shades of pepto-bismol pink popped up all over social media plastered with motivational phrases and statements

59%ng

ri e w o Emp T AR IM K IE ELL

like “she-EO,” “hustle harder,” “building my empire” and “focused and fabulous.” The Atlantic reports that Amoruso’s memoir sold over half a million copies, and she was featured on several major news sites, with The New York Times dubbing the “Cinderella of Tech.”

However, girlboss met its shift from an noun to a verb as more accounts of workplace discrimination among womenled companies emerged, the sentiment soon turning negative in 2019. On social media, the term was combined with “gaslight” and “gatekeep,” two other descriptors of manipulative tactics employed by people in power, to form what Vox calls a “live, laugh, love” of shallow feminism, usually White. During the George Floyd protests, allegations of unfair workplace environments for women of color led to the resignation of many female bosses, including Refinery29’s Christene Barberich and Reformation’s Yael Alfalo.

Accordingly, Barberich’s former staff were overworked and underpaid, as Variety states, while Alfalo’s former employees have publicly condemned the racism and poor working conditions at the company, as TeenVogue reports.

Aside from perpetuating the dominance of White women in the business sphere, many have accused the girlboss concept as infantilizing female positions of power. Recently, freelancer connection company People Per Hour released an advertisement for search engine optimization (SEO) services with the words “You do the girl boss thing. [We wll] do the SEO thing.” The advert was deemed patronizing by the Advertising Standards Authority since it implied that women could not be technologically adept.

Despite its recent demise, the term remains a mixed bag. Many young female students still look to the spirit of girlboss as a roadmap: a source of inspiration and motivation for waking up and working towards their goals everyday. In an article published in the New York Magazine, former Teen Vogue editor Samhita Mukhopadyay contested that the slogan, in spite of its shortcomings, provided many women with the conviction that they could achieve their dreams through hard work.

41% Toxic

term e h t e v i ing? perce r e u o w y o p o r em o Poll: D c i x o t ” as s s o b r i g “ JUDE TANTAWY ART

“Overall, it represents the empowerment of women to break through centuries of gender stereotypes. The simple fact that ‘girlboss’ could be used with a negative connotation in women-led business shows the progress that women have made in holding leadership roles in the corporate world,” Senior Iris Zhou said.

Although the term girlboss was originally intended to motivate women in the corporate sphere, it later took on a negative connotation as allegations of toxic workplaces in women-led companies surfaced.

Nevertheless, the term remains empowering for many female students today.

Suvia Li Staff Writer

Located at the heart of Solano Avenue, one of Albany, Calif.’s main shopping districts, Bowl’d Korean Rice Bar features a wide variety of traditional Korean dishes, from kimchi—pickled cabbage—fried rice to japchae—stir-fried glass noodles, beef and vegetables. A couple weeks ago, while I was in the area to visit my sister, I stopped by the restaurant and ordered its most popular bowl, The Works.

The dish came in a white, textured plastic box. Between my two options of mixed or white rice, I chose mixed—a combination of purple, brown and white rice. For protein, I decided on bulgogi, or Korean grilled beef, and along with it came a colorful array of spinach, mushroom, radish, cucumber, carrots and bean sprouts. The dish was topped with a fried egg that was browned and crispy at the edges with a dewy finish. The yolk, golden and shiny, was garnished with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

A sweet aroma wafted out of the rice container as soon as I uncapped it, and the dish came with two sauces: a spicy red pepper paste and an oil-based

“A sweet aroma wafted out of the rice container as soon as I uncapped it.” sesame sauce. I poured both sauces into the bowl and began mixing with two spoons provided by the restaurant, which were made from recycled plant fibers. Then, I burst the fried egg’s yolk and mixed the yolk until it coated every piece of vegetable and grain of rice.

My first bite left me in shock. Once I bit into the crisp bean sprouts, the juices exploded in my mouth. The texture and juiciness of the bean sprouts, combined with the crunchiness of the carrots and cucumbers, the soft bite of the mushrooms and the chewiness of the rice, was mind-blowing. The bulgogi meat had a touch of smokiness, and it melted in my mouth. A perfect combination of sweet and savory came from the sesame and soy sauce, and the red pepper paste added a delicious touch of spiciness. My order also came with several side dishes, including kimchi, pickled radish, broccoli salad and spicy tofu, all of which perfectly complemented the entreé. The restaurant was very generous in portion size—the amount of food was enough for two people.

My eating experience at Bowl’d was extremely fulfilling, and I would recommend it to everyone, especially those who are interested in trying classic Korean dishes.

Bowl’d Korean Rice Bar (5/5) how bowl-tiful was it?

+ large portions g + unique packaging - far from Almaden

10

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Toxic Positivity FEATURE: WORLD Selling success: Influencers’ romanticization of school life Nicole Mui

Due to the increasing pressure to succeed in academics, many students have begun turning to media influencers for guidance. StudyTube, a genre of social media featuring revision tips, vlogs and “study with me” sessions has become increasingly popular. Studying is often portrayed in an aesthetically motivational manner, with an emphasis on using new stationery, outlines and bullet journal notes to ace difficult courses and increase productivity. Although StudyTube has become a helpful platform for students to improve and expand upon their studying habits, there are also drawbacks that negatively impact its audience.

Influencers in the StudyTube community cover different angles of productivity, ranging from Eve Bennett’s videos of organization, Unjaded Jade’s vlogs on learning languages and Evie Flynn’s revision notes. TikTok influencers also create similar content—for example, Sneha George provides note taking tips and Ke Shang discusses advice for college applications. These channels have gradually attracted more people; according to The Guardian citing Tubular Labs, influencers on YouTube who publish university content have had a 20 percent increase in views in 2021. Concrete News UK adds that influencers are motivational inspirations for a large number of students.

These creators often publish relatable and relevant and captivating content, which engages their viewers and makes them feel comforted.

Suvia Li and Kevin Zhang

Staff Writer

“I usually watch StudyTube videos for entertainment, so it helps me worry less about school, knowing that there are people who are in similar situations as I am. There are also a lot of helpful tips on topics such as effective writing skills, improving focus and efficient reading comprehension,” Senior Nathan Kim said.

However, the downsides of such content have become more apparent.

When it comes to sheets of notes, hours of “study with me” sessions and trends of displaying new purchases, influencers have begun romanticizing studying. This funnels into the idea of toxic productivity, where people must work tirelessly and sacrifice self-care to reach consistent goals. Metric Life states that digital media influences encourage excessive productivity, misconstruing it as success.

As influencers instill viewpoints of success,

INSEO KIM ART

some of their messages are embedded with merchandise. This includes their material collections, such as the purchases of pens, digital devices and designed notebooks.

While merchandise can motivate students to do schoolwork, consistent advice to buy items has led them down a cycle of high materialistic values to satisfy their frustrated emotions.

The weighted importance of possessions is also detrimental to audiences on a budget, enticing them to prioritize new products instead of saving for what they need.

“Within StudyTube, there is a lot of emphasis on what you have to use to be a successful student, but I avoid those ideals—as long as the supplies are functional, I will use them,” Sophomore Lori Yang said.

In addition, some aspects of StudyTube have become counterproductive, giving the audience strict examples of how to complete tasks. According to The Boar, StudyTubers have emphasized unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as rigorous studying, which cause students to feel pressured about how productive they seem in an academic setting. Lengthy or time-lapsed footage from influencers have exemplified unrealistic perceptions of studying, setting high expectations of accomplishments over regular breaks and self-care. In turn, this gives student viewers the impression that academic

success is only possible through intense periods of work and studying.

By valuing appearances and physical materials over productivity, viewers begin to see success only through the lens of the creator, pressuring them to overstep their limits in order to meet such expectations.

This has further fueled toxic productivity, as students continue unhealthy habits without realizing how stressful they have made their activities become.

In response to the backlash it has received for upholding toxic productivity, StudyTube culture has fluctuated in its content in order to stop promoting unhealthy levels of work. Influencers have created the StudyTube Project, a YouTube channel that incorporates videos on mental health and self-care along with educational content.

Also, methods such as taking breaks from work and creating small attainable goals can be employed to counteract toxic productivity and improve study habits.

The unrealistic habits of StudyTube have created counterproductive relationships with audiences to academia.

However, by understanding their drawbacks while adapting to advice that best works for individuals, viewers can utilize these online resources to improve their studying without succumbing to the toxic “hustle culture.”

Student stress: Overworking for glory Staff Writers

As a result of rising expectations levels even beyond what they can handle. in both academic and extracurricular By forming toxic comparisons between activities, current high schoolers are facing themselves and peers, students become more stress than ever before, which is more stressed, leading to overwork. repeatedly glamorized among students In 2014, Professor John Pencavel of despite its negative effects. This can Stanford University conducted a study be a result of the increasingly popular on the correlation between overwork phenomenon called “hustle culture,” and productivity. Through observation, which emphasizes the idea that constantly Pencavel found that the amount of work working is the only way to have value and done by workers during their first 50 hours be successful. It is especially prevalent in of the week was mostly constant. However, school and in the workplace, where employees got significantly less many people strive to work at work once they exceeded 50 hours. rify o l their maximum capacity Similarly, high school students who g y s se the t n without any rest. overwork themselves actually end to au ude “St ss bec hers eir The competitive up being less productive. t h stre t o hat t lid. nature of high Overwork can lead to t n wa firm are va this schools may be caused burnout, a state of exhaustion con blems y h t by a desire to seem due to extended periods , l pro ever nhea ere w better than others. As of stress.

Psychoanalyst u h Ho ls n w feel o i t reported by College Board Josh Cohen says that e i fu pet often not m s Advanced Placement (AP) burnout is frequently o e t c ar den Program Results, 27.1 percent mistankingly seen stu they ugh.” ora like g eno ior Fi ni of high school graduates took at as a mask for a n doi —Jun ratah least one AP exam in 2010, while an laziness, or as regular Be increased 38.3 percent did in 2020. tiredness despite its With over an 11 percent difference over the past 10 years, high schoolers taking difficult classes and exams have become less noteworthy.

“Stress seems normal because of the competitiveness in high school, especially in the Bay Area, where it is often bragged about. In reality, the pressure is very concerning. Instead, seeking help to combat stress should be normalized amongst students,” Sophomore Elaine Ju said.

The Messenger states that many high school students feel dissatisfied with their results because they compare them to others. This discontent facilitates more competition between students—to avoid feeling disappointed, they are peer pressured to continuously increase effort

severity. In addition to decreased productivity, overwork and stress can negatively affect students’ mental health.

Research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found that prolonged periods of stress increase the risk of both anxiety and depression. The cycle of overstress and mental health issues can become chronic due to students being constantly exposed to the promotion of hustle culture.

Amidst the adverse impacts of stress, research has shown that there is a silver lining. In a study investigating the effect of stress on the brain at the University of

California, Berkeley, researchers Daniella “It is incredibly important to find Kaufer and Elizabeth Kirby found trustworthy people to share your burdens that acute stress—very short with, whether it is a group of people “Stu periods of elevated stress levels— or an individual. Vocalizing dent s stres cope was beneficial to a rat’s memory. your issues can s by whic h is glamoriz with The researchers discovered that help you understand m d in similar patterns can be found in o ore we t angerou g it, what is actually ol s. f humans as well: acute stress can m being ov erate the The wrong, and consulting e o s benefit student performance ha re that w rstressed tate a trusted person gives , the ndlin e wi before assessments, since it you reassurance that ll ne g it.” glect —Fre boosts cognitive functions. your issues are respected,” shm an L ara H However, the study also Priya Garcia, English arb revealed that extended periods Department, said. of stress leads to negative effects such as At the school, faculty memory impairment. members have been placing In order to combat overstress, there higher importance on mental wellbeing. are a variety of methods that students can For example, the academic counselors are employ to keep their stress under control. initiating a presentation series on mental The Mayo Clinic suggests that taking health during tutorial for all students. up a relaxing hobby or allocating time These presentations will be happening for for controlled breaks may help prevent eight weeks in the first semester and will burnout. Also, according to return for another eight weeks during the The New York Times, second semester. students can reduce their “Especially because of the COVID-19 urge to overwork pandemic, the emphasis on mental by talking about health is more important than ever. their problems We are giving the presentations to with others. help students address and resolve their increased levels of stress,” Brenda Stone, Academic Counseling Department, said.

The current toxic work culture has caused an abundance of stress, especially among students. Peer pressure, high ART Y expecations, and a desire to be successful W TA TAN E all contribute to this culture, causing D JU stress to be romanticized and overlooked rather than properly addressed.

Students who are feeling stressed can use healthy methods, including exercise, time management and utilizing resources from the school, to keep themselves from Compiled by Aaron Dalton being negatively impacted by the overStaff Writer glamorized work culture.

Quotebox: How is stress glamorized at the school?

11

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

FEATURE: SCHOOL

Jeff Arnett

Adminstration D

epartment

While attending the University San Francisco, of Arnett learned about the school’s social justice program and became interested in becoming an administrat or. During hi s free time, Arnett likes watching comedies, including “Brook lyn 99” and “3 0 Rock,” and enjoys spen ding time with hi s family.

Moumita Bisw as Science Departm

ent A self-describe d Potterhead, Bi loves reading th swas e “Harry Potter ” books and wishes that she could be a te acher at Hogwarts. She attended the U ni versity of Calcutta in India, where sh e st udied botany, zoolog y and chemistr y.

Bi hopes to build swas lasting relations hips and become a role m odel for her stud ents.

Johnson Huynh

Science Departmen t Originally from Southern Califo Huynh moved rnia, to the Bay A rea after pursuing an un dergraduate de gree at the Massachusetts Institute of Te chnology.

This year, Hun yh is teaching Physics and Engineering. H e loves watchin g television shows produc ed by Michael Schur and reading novels

by Madeline M iller.

Compiled by Suvia Li and Miranda Lu Staff Writer and Lifestyle & School News Editor

Harveen Bal

Adminstration Department Bal taught fourth and fifth grade at Graystone Elementary for ten years prior to becoming an administrator. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, spending time with family and watching her favorite TV shows, including “The Office” and “This Is Us.” This year, Bal is looking forward to school events such as the school play and sporting events.

Mahyua Dhar

Math Deparment Dhar grew up in Kolkata, India and received a degree in applied mathematics from the University of Calcutta in India.

Before becoming a math teacher, Dhar worked at the University of Southern Florida in Leadership Development.

During her free time, Dhar gardens, goes on walks, sings and does Bollywood dance workouts.

Michael Lozano

Adminstration Department Before coming to the school, Lozano lived in China for five years, where he learned to speak Chinese and opened three international schools. Upon moving back to California, Lozano taught fifth grade at Los Alamitos Elementary School before pursuing administration.

During his free time, he enjoys visiting amusement parks with his son.

XINTONG ZHAO ART

Anne Barbu

ge Department Foreign Langua studied in France and Barbu grew up of Caen e Universities th at s tic is coming lingu ance. Before be Fr in en ou R or and and was a translat bu ar B r, he ac a te h, Czech French, Englis r fo r te re rp inte teaching, n she is not he W . ak ov Sl and natomy” ching “Grey’s A at w ys jo en bu Bar ing short bbey” and read A on nt ow “D and t. de Maupassan stories by Guy

Beth Guo

t Math Deparmen se, d raised in San Jo Guo was born an g in at hanical engineer and studied mec rkeley. of California, Be the University ebra 2 is teaching Alg Currently, Guo clude . Her hobbies in and Pre-Calculus afia and c games like M playing strategi with her spending time Guild Wars 2, ies. ching classic mov children and wat

Sara Mingione ent ration Departm

Adminst ted to Mingione wan In sixth grade, in com g an her. Before be become a teac , Mingione at the school administrator Castillero ade teacher at was a sixth-gr ught social , where she ta Middle School d reading uage arts an studies, lang ies include ingione’s hobb intervention. M cising and n books, exer reading fictio ach. going to the be

BERTINA FAN AND DESIREE-JOELLE VU DE LEON PHOTO

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

124

FEATURE: WORLD The future of data privacy

Raymond Dai Opinions Editor As we increasingly rely on the digital world, our personal information continues to become more and more compromised.

Tech companies such as Facebook and Amazon regularly encroach on customers’ activity to learn about their habits and preferences.

They then sell the collected data to advertising companies in order to target specific advertisements towards users, subsequently making more money.

Earlier in the year, the social networking app WhatsApp announced that it would mandate users to share data with Facebook, its parent company. In response, the German Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information issued a threemonth emergency ban to prevent enforcement of the new policy.

After eight months of backlash, WhatsApp backed down and made the data sharing policy optional. now, the app only requires users to accept

"Tech companies such as Facebook and Amazon increasingly encroach on their customers’ activity to learn about their habits and preferences." the new policy when messaging business accounts using cloud providers associated with Facebook.

Yet, many users decided to leave WhatsApp, opting for alternatives such as Signal and Telegram.

Fortunately, not all companies mine for their users' private data.

Apple, for example, is actively working to defeat the invasive system, setting it on a collision course with facebook. On Sept. 21, Apple launched a system update, which introduced several new security features to iPhone users—including a privacy dashboard that shows which apps most often access a user’s camera and contacts. additional features prevent the tracking of users' IP addresses when they read emails and enhance privacy controls in the Safari browser.

Ad Age reports that, responding to Apple’s new developments to enhance security, Facebook stated that it will work with organizations such as the World Federation of advertisers to avoid further compromising users' personal information. however, critics are skeptical of the move, claiming that Facebook’s plans are underspecified.

Especially since most people continue to overlook personal data mining online, hopefully more companies follow the approach Apple has laid out to the data dilemma by respecting and protecting their users' private information.

Afghanistan faces a new future under the Taliban's return

Pavana Upadhyaya Feature School & Sports Editor

After a 20 year interval of foreignbacked war, Afghanistan has now been pushed into further disarray. With the United States officially ending its two-decade long War in Afghanistan, withdrawing all its troops by Aug. 31, a new Taliban government has taken control of the nation.

Last February, former President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban and announced a plan to leave Afghanistan, with President Biden accelerating the troop withdrawal. Now that all U.S. forces are out of Afghanistan, the Taliban, an extremist religious military organization that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, are back in power.

The removal of U.S. troops was complicated by the swift fall of the U.S.backed Afghan government. After telling the United States. that he was prepared to stay in his country, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to Abu Dhabi two days past the troops’ evacuation. Ghani’s escape, along with the low morale of the Afghan troops and the unprecedented speed at which the Taliban operated, led to the fall of the nation’s capital, Kabul, on Aug. 15.

"Many people who have read [Hosseni's] novel ["The Kite Runner"] have credited it with greatly contributing to their understanding of Afghanistan's current state, sympathy for Afghans and passion for the cause of overthrowing the Taliban government."

The regime change severely affects women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and ethnic minorities, groups were all heavily persecuted last time the Taliban were in power. Following a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, the Taliban barred women from pursuing education and forced them to wear a burqa. The Taliban also present a danger to the LGBTQ+ community, as a report from Business Insider mentions that a Taliban judge has ruled that all gay men should be stoned. While the Taliban has claimed that they will respect human rights during their new rule, as of Sept.

8, there have been numerous reports of

brutality, such as the whipping of protestors of the new government.

For many Afghans who fear persecution, fleeing the country as a refugee is the only option. Thousands of Afghans flocked to Hamid Karzai International Airport in the hopes of joining the mass evacuation conducted

by U.S. forces from Aug. 14 to Sept. 1, which airlifted approximately 116,700 people out of the country. Despite not being held by the Taliban, the airport remained dangerous. On Aug. 26, a suicide bombing killed 60 Afghan civillians and 13 American troops. Now that the U.S. military is no longer at the airport, many Afghans, including members of targeted communities and former U.S. government employees, still remain in the country, unable to find a way out.

“It is important that the U.S. supports innocent Afghans at this time, as we can not trust the Taliban due to their long history of neglecting human rights,” Senior Varsha Shankar said.

As of Sept. 8, no country has recognized the Taliban government, but countries like Russia and China may in the future—China hosted nine Taliban leaders in the city of Tianjin, while the Russian Embassy in Kabul is under Taliban protection. Other countries have been more wary: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, called the situation “extremely difficult.” Countries such as Germany also have offered to help, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel announcing that her country is ready to take in 10,000 refugees.

Many civilians in the U.S. are also taking action to aid Afghan civilians.

For example, motivational speaker Allyson Reneau helped 10 members of the all-teenage girl national Afghanistan robotics team escape to Mexico by travelling to Qatar to oversee the refugee process. Locally, San Diego nonprofits International Rescue Committee and Jewish Family Services have taken in 107 refugees. Countless Americans have also taken to social media to educate the public on the situation in Afghanistan and collect funds to send supplies to the people of Afghanistan, to help them escape the country.

BEOMHEE KIM ART

In the Bay Area, Afghan-American novelist and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ambassador Khaled Hosseni has been raising awareness about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan by speaking about the event on news channels and through his foundation, which gives monetary grants

for humanitarian causes in Afghanistan. As he explained in an interview with CNN, having grown up in Afghanistan during a peaceful period, he was driven to stand up for and reach out to Afghans upon learning that the prosperity of his childhood land was suddenly destroyed. Hosseni is best known for his 2003 novel “The Kite Runner,” which details lives of Afghan citizens from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to the rise of the Taliban. Many people who have read the novel have credited it with greatly contributing to their understanding of the country's current state, sympathy for Afghans and passion for the cause of overthrowing the Taliban government.

“The Kite Runner is a profoundly eye opening novel—I was moved to tears after reading about the brutal conditions that the Taliban put Afghan people through. I believe that the best way to ensure peace in Afghanistan is not by invading, but by economically pressuring the Taliban,” Junior Nora Thomas said.

Under the new Taliban government, the people of Afghanistan may be forced to live in the same draconian conditions that the U.S. vowed to end 20 years ago. Despite the disorder, people and organizations like Reneau, Hosseini and the International Rescue Committee continue to aid Afghans in their own ways, making a difference, and demonstrating the power of human compassion.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

13

FEATURE: WORLD

Brazil may set a benchmark for global Indigenous land claim cases

Raymond Dai and Daniel Lin

App Review: Achievement

Opinions Editor and Staff Writer

Although it began with a small Indigenous Brazilian tribe called the Xokleng, an Indigenous land claim case recently brought to the Supreme Court of Brazil could prove to be a critical event in the global Indigenous rights movement. The Xokleng, along with countless other Indigenous groups in Brazil, have been facing injustice ever since European settlers first arrived in the 1500s, including being expelled from their homelands to make way for farming. Brazil’s Constitution honors its Indigenous people as the first owners of the territory and guarantees their rights to certain lands, but controversy has erupted over the application of this clause.

According to the Brazilllan government, this section of the Constitution only grants the Xokleng ownership of the land that they occupied on the date the Constitution was approved, Oct. 5, 1988. However, on Aug. 25 this year, the Xokleng accused the government of intentionally including a nonexistent cutoff date on this law and filed a claim on their ancestral lands in southern Brazil. If their claim is ruled valid, the Xokleng will regain rights to the land that they inhabited prior to 1988 as well.

The situation inspired the “Struggle for Life” movement, along with several other protests led by various Brazilian Indigenous groups. Almost as soon as the Xokleng filed their land claim, some

6,000 supporters rallied outside Brazil’s Supreme Court to encourage the court to hear the case.

Although the ruling was initially scheduled for Aug. 26, the Supreme Court has repeatedly delayed it. As of Sept. 15, the court postponed the trial indefinitely after a justice asked for more time, possibly signifying the lack of importance the government has placed on Indigenous rights.

In modern-day Brazil, Indigenous people suffer from a lack of federal aid as more outsiders trespass on their lands and attempt to exploit the forests’ resources.

ELLIE KIM ART

These challenges may be exacerbated should the Brazilian Supreme Court rule in favor of a lower court’s ruling, which rejected the Xoklengs’ claim.

A verdict in the Xoklengs’ favor would set a legal precedent, reopening land claim cases filed by other Indigenous Brazilians and increasing these groups’ chances of reattaining their land.

Meanwhile, if the Brazilian government chooses to uphold the lower court’s ruling, Indigenous groups in Brazil and in other countries, along with the Xokleng, will have less hope in retrieveing their ancestral lands. Repercussions of the verdict could reach beyond Brazil.

“The Xokleng tribe’s land claims must be honored, as the land is rightfully theirs. ‘Economic development’ is no excuse for the elimination of Indigenous groups’ property and traditional homeland. Many countries are unjustly founded on the land of Indigenous people, with little reparations,” Junior Daniel Xie said.

The Supreme Court case would also reach a collision course with Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, who has advocated and acted to restrict Indigenous rights.

Reuters reports that Bolsonaro compared Indigenous peoples to “prehistoric creatures” and claimed that the Indigenous territories were too large given their population size.

He has already transferred power over Indigenous reservations from the Indigenous rights agency Funai to the agriculture ministry.

Currently, Bolsonaro is pushing legislation to legalize development in the Amazon rainforest, which would further encroach upon the ancestral land of Indigenous groups.

“The U.S. has also repeatedly taken advantage of Indigenous people and their land to establish many integral aspects of the country. Even if the Xokleng are victorious in their legal battle, it is unlikely that anything will change for Native Americans,” Freshman Aarush Zarabi said.

As events continue to unfold with uncertainty in Brazil, the Xokleng and the wider international community await this fate-determining decision.

The House of Fish: An artistic solution to unsustainable fishing

Isaac Ang and Larry Ye

Staff Writer and Community & School News Editor

Beneath the clear waters of Talamone, Italy, lies a graveyard of fish— the desolation left behind by widely used unsustainable fishing methods. To challenge these practices and preserve his hometown’s aquatic ecosystem, Talamone fisherman Paolo Fanciulli has initiated the “House of Fish” project, an underwater “museum” of marble sculptures that act as protection for marine life.

According to the Guardian, Fanciulli was motivated to take up his cause after his business experienced a fishing crisis when trawling nets destroyed the stocks he was harvesting. Unsustainable fishing methods have led to drastic reductions in marine population worldwide. Trawling is an especially harmful fishing method that involves dragging large nets along the seafloor, significantly damaging it.

As stated by Sea Forest Life, trawling can eradicate entire plants, disturbing their intricate formation and depriving many marine species of egg-laying spaces.

With an international team of experienced sculptors, the “House of Fish” project employs both a practical and artistic approach to combat illegal

trawling. Because the statues—which are drilled with holes for fish to reside in— are made of marble, they are too heavy for trawling nets to lift, subsequently trapping the nets. The sculptures are also used as a means of cultural and personal expression. For instance, “House of Fish” sculptures in Siena showcase the animals representing the city’s 17 guilds. Fanciulli funds these houses by advertising his cause to local Italian leaders and on social media.

The first 20 sculptures of the initiative were set into the water in 2015, and another 19 were dropped in the summer of 2020. The project has managed to stop illegal fishing in the region and prompt the return of many different types of marine life.

As the Guardian reports, by sheltering the species, the statues have resulted in a significant increase in the algae population of the Talamone Bay. Subsequently, lobsters, turtles and dolphins have come back as the repopulation of the region brings new sources of food. Fanciulli’s goal is to drop 100 total statues to raise publicity about the dangers of unsustainable fishing.

“Fanciulli’s project reminds me of some students from the school who sold their art to help fund the Black Lives Matters movement. I am now inspired to use my art to solve real-world issues ,” Senior Karin Liu said.

The House of Fish is not Fanciulli’s first anti-trawling venture. Previously, Fanciulli worked with the Tuscan government and World Wide Fund-Italia to set up cement bollards on Talamone’s seafloor and drop cement blocks in the ocean to tear up and trap trawling nets— the latter inspiring the House of Fish.

“The first 20 sculptures of the initiative were set into the water in 2015, and another 19 were dropped in the summer of 2020. The project has managed to stop the illegal fishing in the region and prompt the return of many different types of marine life.”

By successfully minimizing illegal trawling in Talamone, the “House of Fish” shows the potential of unconventional ideas. The team aims to extend their efforts internationally by employing more artists—as Fanciulli explains, “[the] sea has need of [their] talents.”

DESIREE VU-DE LEON ART

Larry Ye Community & School News Editor

Unlike most other exercise tracking apps, Achievement rewards users with real money to keep track of their health. Founded in 2012, the app’s mission is to help more people improve their health while contributing to health research.

Achievement provides research organizations with data on users’ health. The company behind the app, Evidation Health, partners with research centers at various colleges such as Stanford University and Harvard University for health-related studies. These reports are then shared with top medical journals, and users are rewarded with the revenue generated from their data.

In Achievement, users can connect fitness apps to keep track of their activities, as well as link their Twitter account to earn points for posting health-related tweets. Users do not have to log in daily—Achievement will notify them when it is time to redeem their points.

Once connected, Achievement converts the logged activities into points. Users earn 10 dollars for every 10,000 points they accumulate, redeemable through Paypal, direct deposit, Amazon gift cards or donations. There is no limit to how many points users can earn in a day.

I have had a pleasant experience logging my exercises into Achievement and I was able to convert my points into Paypal cash without much hassle. After linking Samsung Health and Strava to the app, my data is seamlessly transferred between them.

However, I have noticed discrepancies between the step count readings on Achievement and Samsung Health, with Achievement generally logging more steps than Samsung Health.

Achievement also rewards users up to six points per day for other fitness-related activities, such as tracking sleep or recording food and water intake. It then generates insights for users so they can keep track of their daily health-related practices. Users can also earn points by taking surveys, reading articles or referring their friends to the app.

On the downside, accumulating enough points to earn money takes a while. I have been using Achievement for about three months and have cashed out only once, recieving 10 dollars for earning 10,000 points.

Overall, although it does take a while to pay off, Achievement is a great way for users to profit from the physical activities that they already do and contribute to research studies that positively impact our communities.

Achievement (4/5) overall app-eal

+ earn extra cash + encourages users to exercise - slow to cash out

14

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

SPORTS Pavana Upadhyaya

FEATURE: WORLD

Eyes on the future: The college athlete recruitment journey

Feature School & Sports Editor

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While the number of high school student-athletes nears eight million as per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), stellar athletes look to extend their athletic involvement beyond high school graduation through the college athletic recruitment process.

At the same time, collegiate institutions search for the next generation of talented athletes with the potential to bring success to their competitive teams.

The NCAA—which oversees college athletics in the U.S.—is key to facilitating this process, as it regulates competitive sports in over a thousand colleges across the country. In addition to enforcing rules for 24 sports, the NCAA also offers over $3.5 billion in athletic scholarships and financial aid annually.

The NCAA is divided into three divisions with respect to the level of competition: Division 1 (D1), Division 2 (D2) and Division 3 (D3). It estimates that only one percent of high

school athletes end up playing at the D1 level. The main difference between the divisions is financial aid—D1 and D2 athletes are eligible for full and partial scholarships, while D3 athletes are not.

Colleges learn about high school athletes by sending athletic scouts— usually coaches or managers—to evaluate high school athletes’ skills at sporting events and predict how successful they would be in college athletics. Jenna Flynn ‘22, who has played for the U.S. Junior National Women’s Water Polo team for six years and announced her verbal commitment to Stanford University’s D1 women’s water polo team in August, recalls meeting and conversing with coaches who would scout her at different games. She also maintains friendships with many college water polo coaches, who were able to guide her through the recruitment process with their years of expertise.

For the majority of collegiate sports, college recruiters can officially start contacting players on June 15 after their sophomore year—which is an NCAA policy. However, for some athletes, the process starts earlier, through early recruitment. As a high school freshman, Julia Saunicheva ‘22, a member of the U.S. Junior National Women’s Soccer team and two-time national champion, verbally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles, as part of their D1 women’s soccer team.

“In middle school, I started dedicating a lot of time to soccer as I realized that I had a good chance

of being recruited by a D1 school. After attending national-level soccer showcases in freshman year, my coach provided me with a list of colleges that I could communicate with,” Saunicheva said.

The NCAA upholds strict rules around recruiting and publishes a calendar that details when recruiters can and cannot contact prospective college athletes. The stringent policies are partly due to reservations about the mature life decisions that young athletes are required to make and concerns over the accuracy of determining future athletic abilities before athletes are fully developed.

However, Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) Sports explains that high school athletes are able to contact college coaches with fewer restrictions. Since Saunicheva started her recruitment journey before her sophomore year, coaches were not permitted to initiate contact with her—thus, she called them on her own time. Starting on June 15 after her sophomore year, Flynn communicated directly with coaches through email, text and video call, discussing personal statistics and determining whether she would be a good fit for their respective programs.

While both Flynn and Saunicheva did not compile video highlights, some students create sports portfolios to further promote their athletic skills to recruiters, according to Collegevine.

Moreover, students can attend sports camps and showcases at colleges in order to gain additional chances to connect with the athletic staff at the school. Some also hire college recruiting services, which assist prospective college athletes throughout recruitment. NCSA notes

that the benefit of hiring such services is that they have access to a greater network of coaches than the average high school student. Furthermore, college visits serve as opportunities to better understand the life of a college student-athlete.

“I went on unofficial visits to some colleges, where I got to experience how life would be as a student-athlete, from eating in the dining hall to doing workouts in the weight room. When it came to deciding which college’s offer to accept, aspects like location, resources and culture helped me choose where I wanted to commit to,” Flynn said.

Becoming a prospective recruited player is not just about athletic excellence—students must also complete at least 16 core high school classes and take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT) in order to be an eligible NCAA studentathlete. In college, student-athletes must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in order to keep any athletic scholarships. Both Flynn and Saunicheva note that their future schools have specialized resources for student-athletes, such as tutors who help with academics and counselors who provide guidance on managing their schedules.

The college sports recruitment process functions as a two-way street, with dedicated high school studentathletes seeking to further their athletic journey and collegiate athletic programs hoping to add on promising players to their rosters. Beyond college, studentathletes are not bound to athletics— while they can pursue professional sports, developing other passions is a viable pathway as well.

Top: Bound to attend to the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) next fall as an NCAA D1 women’s soccer commit, Julia Saunicheva ‘22 sports her UCLA soccer jersey.

Issac Ang

NBA lawsuit reveals underhanded competition off the court Staff Writer

In a surprise move to other National Basketball Association (NBA) players and agents, Nerlens Noel, currently a power forward for the New York Knicks, turned down a four year, $70 million contract from the Dallas Mavericks during summer 2017. Before the seven figure offer, Nerlens had played on a rookie-scale contract, making his decision even more perplexing. After failing to receive higher value offers, Noel—vocal in his disappointment— settled for a qualifying $4.1 million offer.

Shock over the decision died down soon after, but Noel’s recent decision to publicly sue with former agent Rich Paul for illegal recruitment and $58 million in lost salary brought the issue back to the forefront of NBA media coverage.

Currently, Noel has a 3-year contract with the Knicks for $32 million and is represented by agent George Langberg.

Like Noel, most players in the NBA have agents because they lack the time and experience to network. Agents help players negotiate contracts and find spots on teams. In return, players pay a small commission—usually five to 10 percent of their contract. Through Klutch Sports, Paul has represented several major basketball stars, including LeBron James since 2012. In fact, as Paul’s first client, James played a key role in helping start Klutch Sports by convincing other players to join the agency.

In his lawsuit, Noel argued that Paul poached, or stole, Noel from his previous agent Happy Walters. When

the $70 million deal with the Dallas client Paul mismanaged. In 2017, Paul Mavericks was proposed, Paul allegedly told Shabazz Muhammad to decline $40 told Noel that Noel was a “$100 million million contract with the Minnesota man.” Convinced that a better deal Timberwolves, according to Bleacher would appear, Noel followed Paul’s Report. After Muhammad declined instruction to reject the $70 million deal the deal, he signed with the Miwaukee and fire Walters. Instead of securing Bucks for a $347,525 salary. a $100 million salary, Noel signed Mismanagement has happened only a $4.1 million qualifying offer the in other NBA agencies as well. In July, following summer.

Excel Sports—another agent firm— “Agents may not be told Victor Oladipo, who totally transparent played for the Indiana with their client.

Pacers, that they As a result, could offer agents should more money propose courses than Oladipo’s of action as they previous agent. have experience, Oladipo left his but clients should have agent, but Excel the power to reject that failed to provide the decision,” Junior Nolan additional money.

Ching said.

NBC Sports reports Noel also claimed that poaching became that Paul breached more prevalent during the his fiduciary duty, the 2011 lockout—caused by a D responsibility of an agent to A N I E L C H OI AR T stalemate over team income financially benefit their client by losses—prevented teams from signing not present ing strategies nor marketing or trading players. The lockout made Noel to any teams when Noel’s thumb players desperate for money, and injury made his career plummet in agents—promising the players more 2018. Lacking expert advice, Noel money—were able to poach many players signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder from their previous agents. for a minimum salary. Moreover, The pervasiveness of player the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston manipulation in the NBA indicates that Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers had the agent system may need revision. contacted Paul about recruiting Noel, Agents poach players before they have a but Paul never responded to their calls. lucrative deal to increase their share of the Unfortunately, Noel was not the first contract. However, this puts agents that

do not poach at an unfair disadvantage, as they have fewer opportunities to get lucrative deals. Over the past few years, agents have proposed two rules that could alleviate poaching: agents should be prohibited from contacting clients of other agents and agents receiving clients should pay one percent commission to the player’s previous agent, according to Bleacher Report.

“There should be heavy punishments, such as removing their certification, for agents who poach. If the NBA could set rules to prevent poachinglawsuits such as Noel’s would no longer be needed,” Sophomore Sucheer Maddury said.

Across professional sports leagues, agents and teams continuously poach players to increase their chance of success and financial gain. In 2016, League of Legends (LoL) player Adrian Ma left his team Phoenix1 to join team EchoFox. According to Esports Observer, Echo Fox may have influenced Ma, violating rules set by the developer of LoL, Riot Games. In 2018, National Football League sports management firm SOFla Sports sued another firm, Entertainers & Players Innovative Consultants, for allegedly poaching fifteen cients, including Kareem Johnson of the Denver Broncos and Damonate Kazee of the Dallas Cowboys.

Noel’s lawsuit tarnished Paul’s reputation, but it also has brought to light the unhealthy level of competition and hidden corruption in the NBA as well as other athletic organizations.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

Senior Ishaan Gollamudi

15

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Political Satire: The Ongoing Brazilian Coffee Crisis

In the midst of the Delta variant wreaking havoc in the Midwestern U.S., and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan: an entirely separate issue has evaded coverage. Coffee — the ubiquitous beverage that has kept humanity and its bowels moving since 850 AD — has come under threat. As a result of severe drought and the worst cold snap observed in decades: Brazil’s coffee crop has been decimated. Noble beans, beans with rich, complex flavors — only truly appreciable after the addition of copious amounts of whipped cream, syrup, and other pretentious forms of sugar — struck down in their prime. As if this tragedy was not enough, the reduced supply of coffee has caused prices to skyrocket. The cost of Arabica coffee beans has gone up by 18 percent, and the cost of Robusta beans by as much as 30 percent. Just as hot water trickles down through compacted coffee grounds, moreover, these increased costs will soon trickle down to the consumer: the textbook definition of trickle-down economics.

But the question remains, why? Why has this tragedy befallen humanity? What unholy confluence of factors triggered

the aforementioned droughts and frosts that have curtailed the world’s supply of liquid alertness? What would Big Bird and Ted Cruz’s lovechild look like? The answer to these questions ostensibly lies with Brazilian Prime Minister Jair Bolsanaro.

Bolsonaro is a noted climate change denialist who campaigned on a platform of allowing increased industrial and agricultural access to the Amazon, which he did put into effect as Prime Minister.

After all, he curtailed the fines issued by Ibama, Brazil’s environmental protection agency, for violations like deforestation and illegal burning by 29.4 percent.

Consequently, he is an incredibly popular figure with the highly influential farmer voting bloc. However, mounting evidence suggests that Bolsanaro may actually be a front. A figurehead, for one of the shadowiest crime syndicates to ever stalk the Earth.

They are known by many names. The Caffeinated Cartel. The Mocha Mafia.

The Espresso Enterprise. The Pourover Posse, and most famously: La Crema Nostra. Insider intelligence suggests that they are responsible for not only the aforementioned drought and frost, but

Photo by Isha Dhandha IG: @photosbyishaa

“A mare grazing the farmland surrounding the town of Ferndale, California.” —Senior Isha Dhandha

Photo by Ihyun Jeon

also Brazil’s current ecological policies. It makes logical sense, after all, considering how deeply La Crema Nostra’s jittery claws are supposed to be embedded in the Brazilian coffee trade. By expanding the fertile land available for agriculture, more coffee can be grown, which translates to increased profits for the syndicate.

However, the true brilliance of La Crema Nostra is observable when one considers that, based on a Reuters report, rampant deforestation is costing Brazil’s agribusiness sector $1 billion yearly. Although that might seem like an incentive to curb deforestation, La Crema Nostra apparently perceive the situation differently. By allowing for such ecological devastation, which contributes significantly to climate change, events like the aforementioned drought and frost will only become more common. Events that can rip through coffee plantations like Joe Rogan through an industrial-sized tub of Ivermectin. Events that will create a deficit in the supply of coffee, thereby increasing the price and the profits La Crema Nostra can rake in.

Of course, such brilliant business sense has only been seen once before

in recorded history: when Dick Cheney capitalized on one man’s father-issues to squeeze $40 billion out of Iraqi oil fields.

Returning to the situation at hand, somehow bleaker than any discussion involving Dick Cheney, it would appear that the impacts of this deficit in supply are beginning to be felt. Some individuals, for instance, have retreated deep into the Himalayas: fearing that someone will try to talk to them before they have had their coffee, which is now an increasingly unlikely event. Unprecedented rates of handlebar mustache-drooping, moreover, have been reported in the male barista population: another tragic outcome of this coffee shortage.

Clearly La Crema Nostra’s malevolence knows no bounds. To conclude on a slightly different note, some have inquired about the “mounting evidence” for La Crema Nostra’s existence.

Suffice it to say, there is evidence for their existence, but as of today, evidence of the evidence of their existence may require evidence of its own. Evidently, evidence is clearly of tantamount concern, although the evidence for this is objectionable, as is evident above.

Photo by Keaton Hare

Photo by Claire Wei

“I drove 10 hours to Yosemite in order to capture firefall—a once a year occurrence requiring perfect conditions with only a one hour window.” —Senior Keaton Hare

“I changed this photograph of Gunnera Manicata to black-and-white to emphasize the unique texture of the spikes, which gives the photograph a mysterious, abstract feeling.” —Senior Claire Wei

IG: @keatonharephotography

IG: @randompics_claire

IG: @kimchiiiiiii_photography

Art by Elizabeth Zhou

“Thank you to teachers for all the hard work they have put in teaching us through a screen this past year.” —Sophomore Ihyun Jeon

“Since the character has a tragic backstory, and mentions the word tragedy, I used a few desaturated colors.” —Junior Elizabeth Zhou

Visit thechargeraccount.com to learn more about the student submissions.

Do you want your creative work featured in The Charger Account? Email lelandchargeraccount@gmail.com for more information!

The Psychology of Music - How Music Makes Us -

Through personal experience, the majority of the general public is familiar with music’s ability to significantly affect mental states. However, most people agree that these effects seem so natural that the neurobiology behind them is not very well known. Science shows that humans’ innate yet complicated or it d E relationship with music is rooted in the orld ture W a e brain’s mechanisms, which play a role in F nd Staff a ia j d fulfilling people’s need for music. e a r M sa Sri a n a According to Soundstripe, four regions of the dM m an i K brain that are most active when listening to music are the e Jeehe temporal lobe, amygdala, frontal lobe and hippocampus. The temporal lobe works to learn and comprehend the lyrics of songs.

Additionally, when someone listens to music, their brain analyzes the sounds and initiates physiological responses accordingly—which is the job of the amygdala. For example, during a workout, the amygdala prompts the body to exert more energy if listening to motivational music. As the brain’s logical center, the frontal lobe is hypothesized to form opinions on specific music genres and songs. The hippocampus is the brain’s memory center and associates emotions with both short and long-term memories, helping listeners remember melodies and lyrics as well as link past experiences with specific songs.

Furthermore, as reported by Ludwig Van Toronto, a Cambridge University study shows that people’s tastes in music likely reflect their character. The study’s participants were split into three groups: Empathizers, who give importance to subjective feelings; Systemizers, who prefer predictable protocols; and the Balanced Type, who consider both factors equally. Overall, Empathizers preferred mellow tunes and have deeper emotional experiences when listening to music, which research proposes is because they have larger, more active hypothalami—the brain region that releases emotion-evoking hormones—than Systemizers. In contrast, Systemizers favored music with clear instrumental patterns. The Balanced Type displayed a broader range of preferences. Together, these discoveries explain why certain melodic styles impact some people more heavily than others.

“Considering myself to be a member of the Balanced group, my music preferences vary with my mood. Soft music with more emotional lyrics helps me cope with negative emotions, while more upbeat, intense songs reinforce my positive feelings,” Sophomore Juhi Khetawat said.

Brain structure and function are not only impacted when listening to music, but when creating it as well. Sycproject reports that while composing, musicians’ brains increase cohesion in neural networks associated with piecing together information, allowing them to weave musical components into harmonious songs. In relation to the three aforementioned personality types, Empathizers often write more impressionistic melodies and articulate emotional lyrics, while Systemizers prioritize more pronounced music over lyrics. With intermediate personalities, Balanced Type musicians may combine elements from both styles in their compositions.

Musicians’ styles are also influenced by their unique life experiences. Thanks to music impacting the hippocampus, musicians may knowingly or subconsciously imitate patterns from songs they associate with nostalgic memories within their own compositions.

“Playing or creating music serves as a distraction from the stress and chaos of my everyday life and a way to release my emotions, prompting me to feel calmer and more confident that I can accomplish my goals for the day,” Senior Brandon Kwon said.

While the idea that music can improve mental health seems intuitive, science shows that these effects are contingent on the type of music. Open Minds states that soft classical and ambient music reduce stress, boost motivation and enhance sleep quality by causing the release of dopamine, the pleasure hormone, and relaxing the nervous system. In contrast, louder, more intense music like heavy rock has been linked to elevated distress as it may exacerbate existing anxiety, hinting that the brain is irritated by sharp and jarring sounds when experiencing negative emotions. Such observed effects of different genres have led to the development of music therapy, a lowrisk way to reduce depression and anxiety in patients suffering from neurological conditions.

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