May issue

PIPER CAMPBELL HALL EPISCOPAL

THE

ASIAN AMERICAN IDENTITY

With an increase in hate crimes directed towards Asian Americans, students and faculty discuss the complexity of their Asian American identities.

Pages 8-9

VOLUME 24

ISSUE 5

MAY 26, 2021

STUDIO CITY, CA 91607

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

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NEWS

Intersectionality: race and sex To what extent does intersectionality impact the lives of Campbell Hall students and faculty?

KAYLA FRANCAIS WRITERS

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AUSTIN JANAVS GRAPHIC Standing proud: Dr. Susie An, high school history teacher, stands proud as she reflects on the various intersections between her womanhood and Korean identity.

susie an

I think being a woman of color is [unique] because we [have a special] understanding of [how beauty standards are weaponized to oppress us] teacher

my intersecting identities have a huge impact on my everyday life, using intersectionality as a structure for which I view social justice issues has allowed me to better understand the lived experiences of those different from me. Even when intersectionality reveals uncomfortable truths about how we uphold privilege and white supremacy, it is a necessary tool we must utilize if we wish to call ourselves allies.”

Danna DeKay (21) was first introduced to the term intersectionality in her CHAI Critical Race Studies course.

While DeKay is overjoyed that intersectionality has gained traction within academic and political circles in recent years, she fears its rise to fame as buzzword has allowed its meaning to become diluted. “[As structures like intersectionality become popular], it is crucial that we think of intersectional feminism [as] less of a theory and more of [a] tool that we can [use] to understand problems and relationships within our society,” Dekay said. “Intersectionality is necessary [when discussing any form of oppression] because it [allows] those discriminated against to [garner] visibility, but it has to be used appropriately and properly for it to serve its intended purpose.”

Redefining fem•i•nism (noun)

Viking voices What does having an intersectional identity mean to you?

t this moment, it is possible there is not a word regarded with as much disdain as “intersectionality” is in various sectors of American politics, according to Jane Coastons's May 2019 Vox article.

A word that would have been unrecognizable if used outside of academia several years ago, intersectionality, has since emerged as the latest fashionable piece of jargon amongst Americans today, according to Coastons. Coined by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1998, since its conceptualization, intersectionality is one of the more popular frameworks with which scholars, activists, and teachers describe how aspects of a individuals social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege.

Currently, the debate regarding intersectionality is threefold: one based on what academics like Crenshaw claim the term to mean, one based on how activists interpret the term and a third on how some Americans are responding to its use by political figures, academics and activists.

Dr. Susie An, high school history teacher, has utilized this framework in some form or fashion in almost every one of her lectures in her CHAI U.S. Government and Politics course this year, for she is a strong supporter of what intersectionality works to accomplish. As an Asian-American woman, An utilizes language used by intersectional feminist and scholars as a way to communicate both the blessings and burdens that comes with grappling her Korean female identity. She acknowledges there is a unique experience attributed to being a woman of color.

“I often think about how [women of color must] perform,” An said.

“The way in which we are [either too] feminine or too masculine, the ways in which we walk, the ways in which we talk, the ways in which we do our makeup and how they are all [criticized and how it is] the game of race, beauty and survival that women of color have to play [to survive].”

An feels especially impacted by the ways in which eurocentric beauty standards, that claim her Southeast Asian features to be undesirable, impact her and other women of color. If unwilling to conform to Western beauty standards, coupled with the other stereotypes women of color are subject to, An feels as though she will remain invisible. For An, conforming to beauty standards is an avenue to visibility and platform.

“I think being a woman of color is [unique] because we [have a special] understanding of [how beauty standards are weaponized to oppress us],” An said. “Beauty is often racialized, [a good example being] how White women occupy the pinnacle of beauty throughout the globe. [WOC] understand the [beauty standards] to be oppressive and we [acknowledge] we have to conform [to those standards], otherwise we will never be heard.”

Similar to An, Delia Rivera (21) recognizes how her identities intersect to inform her livelihood. Though she identifies as both female and Latina, Rivera prefers to use the term intersectionality as a lens for which she views the interconnected nature of other people's identities, rather than a structure she feels is applicable to understanding her own.

“Even as someone who identifies as both Latina and a woman, my race does not reflect my ethnicity,” Rivera said. “[Therefore], my skin color gives me privilege despite my cultural and ethnic roots. While, personally, I don't feel like

paige kamemoto

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hrough her CHAI Critical Race Course, Page Kamemoto (22) has been able to study the growing significance of intersectionalism and intersectional identities.

"Having an intersectional identity means that one faces distinct challenges and experiences compared to others without the same exact co-existing identities,” Kamemoto said. "For example, in [the] critical race [course], we look in depth at policing in America, [and] study the War on Drugs, which involves the intersection of race and socio-economic status." junior

nick gudis

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ntersectionality allows Nick Gudis (22) to embrace both their gay and Jewish identity, without feeling as though one is more significant than the other.

Intersectionality allows me to just be me without having to choose one identity over the other," Gudis said.

"It's really hard to be gay and Jewish because as a gay person I don't fit in with the super religious Jews who I might otherwise identify with. In many leftist spaces, I’ll never be accepted no matter how progressive my views are because of the double standards that are often held against Jews regarding identity and ethnicity. junior

KAYLA FRANCAIS WRITER

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5 percent of women today think the feminist movement is polarizing, while 30 percent believe it to be outdated, according to a Amanda Barrosos July 2020 survey for Pew Research.

Coined by French philosopher Charles Fourier, the origin of “feminism,” as both a concept and word, can be attributed to 18th-century philosophical writings on women's rights that grew synonymous with women's public struggle to acquire autonomy and liberty in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Since its transgression to the Western Hemisphere, the history of feminism is often characterized as a wave that comes and goes; a metaphor designed to distinguish between different eras and generations. The wave metaphor has been critiqued by feminist thinkers such as Linda Nicholoson who argues that it tends to be reductive.

Nicholoson states that the wave metaphor is to suggest that each wave of feminism is a monolith movement, when in fact the history of feminism is a history of different ideas in wild conflict. The theories that are fashionable in one wave are critiqued and ridiculed by the next, and more often than not, grounded in the work that someone was doing on the sidelines of a previous wave.

Some go as far to say that reducing the feminist movement down to waves has left behind the history of movements adjacent to mainstream feminism, one most commonly referred to as Womanism. The term ‘womanist’ was coined by author and activist Alice Walker in her 1982 publication In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose. Womanists place special focus on issues specific to Black women, as they have long been omitted by feminist movements that

only seek to provide retribution for White women affected by the patriarchy.

According to Black civil rights advocate Kimberlee Crenshaw, “the second-wave feminist movement” of the late 1960s was largely dominated by middle- and upper-class White women. As a result, it largely ignored the socioeconomic discrimination and racism still being suffered by Black women. The adoption of “womanist” signified an inclusion of race and class issues in a modern feminist movement and works today to properly address issues faced specifically by Black women.

In recent years, many Black women have begun to identify as both womanists and intersectional feminists. Womanists have declared that in order to self identify as one one must be a Black woman, whereas, being an Intersectional feminism is a space open to anyone who wishes to be intersectional in their activism.

Taylor Watson (20) regards intersectionality as the most important framework for which people can use to examine how the intersections of institutions, systems and categorizations generate oppression. As a double minority, intersectional feminism has given Watson the language she needs to articulate how her race and gender interact to produce the prejudice she encounters as a Black woman.

“Intersectional feminism is so important [to understand] because it acknowledges how our identities overlap and [how that] can affect how the world perceives us,” Watson said.

“This concept is important [because it helps me] understand my struggles being [both] Black and a [woman] and how both of those identities come with their [individual] prejudices.”

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CLASSROOM INCLUSIVITY altering curriculum to create a more welcoming classroom environment

LUCY KENNEL AND MAGGIE CHIAPPETTA-UBERTI WRITERS

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nglish 9 and 11 Teacher Carlos Castellanos scans the room of faces on Zoom, who seem receptive to their understanding of the lesson. He often asks them difficult questions but gives them room to problem solve on their own. As the students spur out ideas across the Zoom screen, each taking turns unmuting and sharing their bright ideas, Castellanos is touched knowing that he is teaching them important topics regarding race studies.

This year, Castellanos has attempted to incorporate a curriculum that is based on the Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action standings (IDJA) that the school has used to teach tolerance. He believes that changing the reading list will allow students to have a more diverse understanding of identity as a whole as well as their own unique identities.

“This year in English 9, we really tried to have more of a focus on the theme of how place impacts identity and how identity impacts place,” Castellanos said. “We are ending the year with a focus on Los Angeles and some stories that we have heard that may influence our own identities living in this city. We started the year reading Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, a book about a young LatinX girl’s experiences in her neighborhood and we will end it with students reading Anna Deveare Smith’s Twilight Los Angeles, 1992, and taking a look at our own neighborhoods and how they can contribute to being storytellers of our own communities.”

Dr. Valerie Jiménez, high school U.S. history teacher, has spent her first year teaching at the school incorporating lessons that handle topics that help students have a strong sense of their own identities and the world around them. She focuses her class on concepts such as citizenship, democracy and how the essential American values have changed over the years.

“We live in an increasingly diverse world.”

Jiménez said. “It’s important to understand those identities within a historical context so we recognize that all people have long histories and have played a bigger role in shaping the country than we sometimes recognize.”

Castellanos has also implemented discussions surrounding enslavement into the English 11 curriculum. In this class, Castellanos has explained trans-generational trauma to students in

ANGEL SANTIAGO GRAPHIC DEIJ: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice are key values that Campbell Hall has implemented into both their mission and curriculum. Furthermore, these values are now being used to reevaluate classroom curriculum in order to create a more inclusive space for all students.

hopes they can understand the harsh realities of enslavement and how it still impacts our world today. He wants to emphasize the importance of multiple perspectives, even the ones that are missing.

“Every time we teach a book we try to not simply hear the voices in the book, but we also try to stop and ask ourselves ‘which voices are not being represented?’” Castellanos said. “[Through the lens of perspective] we are going to ultimately end with the #UsvsHate project in English 11, which allows students to take a critical lens to issues affecting their own communities and create anti-hate messages to combat hate, bias and prejudice.”

According to Hannah Natansson’s August 2020 The Washington Post article, schools must be teaching students anti-racist values in order to actively combat racism in our world today.

However, this issue regarding the curriculum is not a new thing. In fact, the issue with White authors being overrepresented in K-12 English curriculum gained popularity in 2014, with the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Castellanos argues that with a growing society, developing the curriculum is something that he, as an educator, must take a look at and adjust to a changing world.

“As educators, there is a responsibility to

Back to school

take a look at where our culture is headed, meet the demand and continue to adapt,” Castellanos said. “Literature is constantly evolving getting as more and more diverse voices continue to be published, so why not bring that into the classroom to contribute to this larger conversation about important themes that have come up in American history?”

Jiménez feels that history is most important for students to be able to accept, appreciate and understand different perspectives as well as incorporate that into understanding the world today. Next year, she hopes to find even more variety in the voices and stories that she teaches.

“When we talk about contemporary issues, it gives students a more rich understanding,” Jiménez said. “Sometimes popular culture or the media can portray these issues in an overly simplistic way, and looking at these issues from various perspectives, including those who have been marginalized, adds an important nuance that complicates our understanding of those ideas.”

Ultimately, Castellanos hopes to continue broadening the curriculum by incorporating more perspectives that were previously excluded from the narrative in years prior. He is hopeful that doing so will allow students to have a better worldview and instill confidence in them to speak up on opinions regarding race, culture and

carlos castellanos

As educators, there is a responsibility to take a look at where our culture is headed, meet the demand, and continue to adapt teacher

identity.

“I hope that this is a continuous conversation that expands to include discussions about gender, [race] and LGBTQ+ voices, as well as authors that speak on things like ableism,” Castellanos said. “I want to tackle these important issues, but do it in a balanced way without re-traumatizing students who might feel a certain way by reading about these loaded topics.

I want there to be room for people to ask questions, make mistakes, engage in important conversations and learn from those mistakes in the future. My hope is that it just becomes this collection of voices which will continue to elevate our learning and the conversations going.”

After the first few months of completing school via Zoom, students realize the ways in which remote learning impacted their learning and study habits

adjustments CAROLINE REHDER WRITER

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pen note tests, Zoom calls and little interaction with peers continues to define that climate of the 2020-2021 academic year. As remote learning continues, students doing their work from home have faced the challenge of adjusting their study habits and attempt to maintain motivation and community through a disconnected classroom.

For Ani Adell (22), remote learning increased the amount of time she had available to do work, but she experienced mental exhaustion. Before the pandemic, Adell would use any free time in her schedule to squeeze in homework, even in between classes. Although she has more free time to stay on top of her assignments, she still found it hard to stay organized, especially with a monotonous schedule.

“It [was] difficult to find motivation with no change in our environment,” Adell said. “It [was] hard to spend the evening sitting in front of a computer when we’ve just spent the entire school day doing the same thing.”

Similarly to Adell, Ella Gazzale (23) is extremely unmotivated during online school. Gazzale had noticed that she tended to procrastinate with online work because it was harder to find determination than learning in person. She knew it would take some adjusting for everyone to feel comfortable taking tests in person

Facts: By 2026, the remote learning industry is expected to surpass $370 billion.

Roughly 20% of college students who were engrolled in online classes during the pandemic found it difficult to find a quiet place to attend class and study.

Educationdata.org

and without notes.

“School from home affected the effort I put in because I [didn’t] have as much motivation from not being at school and experiencing it face-to-face, and it had definitely taken me longer than the average class time to finish tests depending on the subject.,” Gazzale said. “The longer the pandemic [went] on, the harder it [became] to get [tests] done on time and stay motivated, but taking and using notes has been really helpful when [completing] tests.”

Steven Wachs, psychology teacher, saw some of his students thriving during online learning. He noticed that every student is different in the ways that they gather information, and some preferred learning through Zoom.

“Some students have had a tough time with their study habits and motivation while some haven’t,” Wachs said. “Some even flourished in [the] remote situation, but wanting to connect with other people is perfectly natural especially in your teens, [therefore] it [was] a challenging time for many.”

During quarantine, Adell no longer felt that same sense of community because she could not see her classmates and faculty as often as in regular school.

This led to her experiencing a decrease in academic initiative and a lack of social connection. Before returning to school, she missed casually interacting with teachers throughout the day and making new connec-

tions with peers in person.

“I [felt] disconnected from my teachers and classmates because we can’t easily stop by a teacher’s classroom to ask them a question, or even stop by just to say ‘hi,’ [which] makes it harder to learn the content and to form a relationship,” Adell said. “Being around other motivated people [at school] motivates me and makes me excited to learn. There’s a big difference between doing homework in the library with your friends and doing it alone in your room.”

For Gazzale, the recent return to learning fully from campus allowed her to realize the ways in which Zoom school affected her. She needs to make adjustments to her study habits because she is so used to doing all of her work from home. Although the classroom setting remains unusual because of face masks and physical distancing, Gazzale is grateful to be back on campus with her peers and teachers. Her friends agree that they missed being at school but are still trying to find some of the energy that was drained during online classes.

“My friends agree that talking on Zoom or Facetime is not the same as seeing and hugging each other,” Gazzale said. “Zoom [school] definitely altered my study habits which will change, however, [learning in person] has not been as bad as I thought and it is good to be learning on campus with my teachers once again.”

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MAY 26, 2021

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NEWS

Argument on Gun control LUCY KENNEL AND LYLA HOROWITZ WRITERS

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he United States leads the world in gun owning civilians, with 120.5 firearms per 100 residents, according to a BBC article written in April 2021.

Quincy Diallo (21) does not want anyone to own a gun but acknowledges that until all guns are gone, they may be necessary protection for those in danger.

His views on both guns and gun laws have been shaped through both personal experiences and views from his family.

“I think that some of my ideas about subjugated and oppressed peoples arming themselves to protect themselves comes from [my mom],” Diallo said. “I do think that part of my caution and worry about guns as a whole, especially in the hands of cops as well as average civilians, comes from the news and media showing young black lives being stolen from us every day. That’s where my hesitance comes from and that’s also simultaneously where my respect for the right for oppressed people to arm themselves comes from.”

Growing up with a mom who taught him about the Black Panther Party, Diallo credits her and the oppression apparent in the country for a lot of his views on guns and equality. He mixes what he learned from his mom and past experiences to shape his view on guns.

“I think that some of my ideas about oppressed people arming themselves to protect themselves come from [my mom],” Diallo said. “Part of my caution and worry about guns as a whole, especially in the hands of cops as well as average civilians, comes from the news and media showing young Black lives being stolen from us every day and seeing kids our age being killed every day.

That’s where my hesitance comes from, and that’s also where my respect for the right for oppressed people to arm themselves comes from.”

Kevin Morgan, high school math teacher, grew up in a small town where hunting was common and sometimes necessary to provide for the family.

“I grew up with guns,” Morgan said. “I grew up hunting and was taught at a very young age [to respect] a gun, how to handle a gun,and how to point a gun.”

Morgan is an avid believer in the right to bear arms, a law protected under the second amendment, but feels that there are boundaries to when guns are appropriate.

With a consistent rise in both gun ownership and gun violence, students and faculty give the Second Amendment another look and examine the arguments for and against gun reform

“I support the second amendment [because I believe] that people should have the right to protect themselves,” Morgan said. “I do not agree with people owning automatic weapons, and I do not feel that there is any need for anyone to have an automatic weapon.

Some people would try to say that it’s for sport, but as a hunter in my life, I know that automatic weapons take away the sport.”

Elena Malone, high school history teacher, has had the same view on gun control her entire life. She feels guns and gun control have a lot to do with gender, the stereotypes that come along with it and the roles between men and women.

“Guns in America are really, to me, more connected to toxic masculinity,” Malone said. “I think it has to do with [giving men power] that they have not felt like they had.”

According to an article by Everytown Research, Black Americans are three times more likely to be shot and killed by the police than White Americans. Diallo feels that the biggest argument for carrying a gun is for those who are oppressed and in danger of being killed by state violence and White supremacists.

“You’re taught as a White person in this country that the world owes you something, and it’s your right to keep [what they owe you because] you want to protect it from foreign invaders like Black people, Muslims and basically anyone who is not White,” Diallo said. “From my experience as a Black person, you see and hear stories every day of state violence and of White nationalist terrorism. You hear it in history every day, you hear it in the start of this country, and it’s been a slow, painful genocide ever since [and that is what scares me].”

Rather than the physical object itself, Diallo is more scared of the possibility of gun violence. He believes that they can be used for protection but not for justifying racism and enforcing oppression.

“While I could definitely say that I wish there were no guns. I’m not as uncomfortable in their presence as I am knowing that any given day, someone can come and kill me,” Diallo said. “I do not believe in murder in any capacity to defend property. I only believe in it to defend human life. I’m not talking about the White supremacists who say they felt threatened, I’m talking about defending myself from them because they are colonial, imperial [and] terrorist threats.”

Facts:

42% of Americans have a gun as of September 30-October 15, 2020

34% are satisfied with current

and gun laws

64% of Americans ages 18-29 are in favor of stricter gun laws

31% of Republicans are in favor of more gun restrictions whereas

86% of Democrats aren’t

Gallup.com and npr.org

FOISSANT VIA SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO PERMISSIONS

Challenges of!"#$!"%&'() Campbell Hall students must deal with the unexpected challenges transitioning back to a COVID-19 free life MAGGIE CHIAPPETTA-UBERTI WRITER

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he days at the beginning of quarantine all seemed to mesh together for Will Gardell (21), consisting of the same monotonous routine, the harsh feeling of isolation, the quality family time that quickly became smothering and the constant longing to be with friends. As a social butterfly, Gardell has found himself struggling to face this new reality. Additionally, as this new reality comes to a close and things reopen, he finds himself learning to adjust to yet another new normal.

For Gardell quarantine came with a lot of challenges. He was unable to see any of his friends for the entirety of the pandemic, and as a result of this difficult experience, he felt isolated from social interaction.

“I understand why I was unable to see my friends, but [not being with them was a] completely different experience that really hurt,” Gardell said. “I am a very extroverted person and I need social time to charge my batteries, so being unable to see the faces of my best friends in person was terrifying. It also hurt my social skills. As time went by, every two weeks came this heightened realization of ‘well, now I know what it is like to miss my friends.’”

Similar to Gardell, over the past year, Emma Goss (22) was only allowed to see friends while distanced and wearing masks. She feels that this experience strengthened her ability to be happy in solitude, accepting the inability to be with friends. With this realization, she started appreciating her changed reality.

“I [scrolled through] social media [and saw] everyone [hanging out with] people, and I was always getting upset that that couldn’t be me, which honestly, is okay because every family is going to be different,” Goss said. “I realized that instead of just being angry, I should have this time for myself, so I picked up a lot of hobbies and enjoyed my own company, which I think is an asset in life. Once I stopped comparing my quarantine with other people’s quarantines, I finally enjoyed mine.”

Having received her vaccine, Goss was surprised by her own reaction to the transition towards normality: rather than being filled with excitement, she felt overwhelmed. She argues that there is still uncertainty regarding the vaccine and that this transition is moving faster than she expected.

“It feels like a limbo because I know that we are vaccinated but with limited information on how effective it is in terms of getting and spread-

ing the virus, even though [being vaccinated] provide[s] me with some relief, it doesn’t feel as amazing as I thought it would be because there is still unease in the air that I thought would go away with the vaccine,” Goss said. “It is overwhelming and very fast-paced. It was like a light switch from having all these restrictions to then being able to do so many things. I think people forget that the transition from regular life to COVID-19 life was so intense and that the transition from online school to school in person is just as intense. We have to be given some room to breathe.”

Despite these hesitations, Goss looks forward to the little moments. She feels that although this experience has been overwhelming, there are specific moments that she realized she hadn’t missed until returning back to school and experiencing them again.

“It is so nice to be able to cherish the small things,” Goss said. “The side comments in class are so nice, which was nonexistent on Zoom, or just complimenting your teacher’s outfit and hearing them laugh. These small things that you can’t really get with online schooling are what I missed from everyday life at school.”

Gardell is overjoyed at the idea of returning back to normal life. From spending time with friends to getting outside of the house to just im-

emma goss

I think people forget that the transition from regular life to COVID-19 life was so intense and that the transition from online school to school in person is just as intense. junior

mersing himself in regular life, he is thrilled to cherish every moment.

“This transition is a very positive step forward,” Gardell said. “After a year of being locked up in our houses, it is nice to finally step out [and] experience the small things that we took for granted. The difference in experiences now when I hang out with my friends is that I am not anxious that I am endangering my parents. [Also,] more of my friends [getting] the second dose means that I can finally start hanging out with a few people without any worry. That is something that I haven’t had for a year.”

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Subpar support Although social justice movements have not ceased their efforts to bring awareness to police brutality and racism, the inconsistency in support has made social injustice feel like a trend rather than a cause

Protesting alone: Although BLM protests are no longer prevalant in the news, supporters still stand in solidarity of the lives lost to police brutality

ANGEL SANTIAGO PHOTO NOA SCHWARTZ AND LENA ROHAN WRITERS

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We got justice. We won! He may not be here, but we won!” cried George Floyd’s family after hearing that Derek Chauvin was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter for the killing of Floyd. There was hugging and screaming, followed by tears of relief. Much of the country shared in the family’s emotional response; however, this amount of support is often fleeting.

In June 2020, 67 percent of American adults supported the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement, according to a study done by the Pew Research Center. However, the same study shows that this number dropped to 55 percent by September. Although the conviction of Derek Chauvin, George Floyd’s killer, in April, has had a positive impact on the BLM movement, Campbell Hall faculty and students recognize that the forward momentum needs to continue if real changes are made.

Among the faculty is High School Diversity Coordinator and advisor of the Black Student Union for Girls (BSUG), Kena Dorsey. Dorsey was relieved to hear of the guilty verdict, but she is also aware that many people have had different reactions to the news and knows that not all activists have been celebrating.

“While [the conviction] was a milestone, and a great step for many, some feel numb after this, and rightfully so,” Dorsey said. “[Black people have] been traumatized because as that verdict was being handed down, another girl was being shot, almost simultaneously. While [the conviction] was amazing, there is a fear if this is really going to [create] change. It’s important to understand that this [verdict] is great, but it doesn’t mean it’s over.”

High school math teacher and advisor of 42, an African American male affinity group inspired by the life of Jackie Robinson, Andre Wiseman also knows that conviction does not guarantee action. While the

Facts: The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Foundation was created in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s court case.

Their mission is to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”

The organization is a “rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation.”

Blacklivesmatter.com

inconsistent support for organizations such as BLM is frustrating, it’s far from surprising to him. Wiseman has seen that the plight of Black Americans isn’t addressed by the White American majority until it is driven to their attention through viral graphic clips of brutal, often deadly racism.

‘There are two Americas: there is a White America, and there is a Black America,” Wiseman said. “In Black America, we’ve been [fighting for civil rights] since we were brought here. [Police brutality] has been an ongoing struggle. The reason White America is more conscious of this [now] is because of the invention of cellphones and videos. What happened to George Floyd and Daunte Wright has been happening since Black people have been in America. Thank god for the video because that’s what it’s taken to get the social movements [into the spotlight]. But it’s not like these things haven’t been going on, and us Black folks have not been continuously fighting [for justice].”

Student activist Lily Kirland (22) agrees that although the fight has never truly stopped, it has gone forgotten by many for long periods of time. Kirland herself has been going to protests for years before the Black Lives Matter movement became propelled into the spotlight and knows how impactful active and continuous support can be. “[Police brutality] is something that goes on all year long; it never stops,” Kirland said. “But there is more coverage on specific incidents. I know people have been protesting for years because they have family who have died because of police brutality. [Those cases] don’t get covered by the news [and] are pushed aside. Then there’s things like George Floyd that become huge because it was on camera.”

In recent years, performative activism has been a driving force behind the surges and droughts in backing of Black Lives Matter. Kirland has noticed that the combination of trends and peer pressure is what

influences students to post affirmation of BLM, whether they genuinely support the movement or not.

“It has become a trend to care,” Kirland said.

“People will post things that they don’t even read.

They post it to look like they’re being helpful and being a caring person. People go to protests and make a TikTok, to prove that they care, but really they just want that attention.”

Similarly, Dorsey knows that actions speak louder than words. At a school that prides itself on their inclusivity, it is important to Dorsey to point out inequalities in our community and act to change them by continuing to support movements such as BLM. “[It’s about using our mission] and actually taking action,” Dorsey said. “Teachers and students [need] to be more aware of things that are going in our community, and in the classroom, that may not be in alignment with equity and justice. When you see and identify those things, [people] need to speak up, and bring awareness to the forefront, and take action.”

To Dorsey, it is important to remind her students of the incredible Black Americans who have accomplished great things, despite a skewed system.

Dorsey is proud of her Black community because even with the highs and lows of support for the Black community, she sees that they have managed to break through the limits the oppressed had pushed on them.

“One of the things we do for BSUG is bring awareness to all of the positive things that [women of color], in particular, African American women are doing,” Dorsey said. “We are savoring Kamala Harris, Stacey Adams, the Black Lives Matter leaders and the mothers who ran for senate. Bringing awareness [to women of color in leadership positions] uplifts and celebrates those voices.”

Amir Abdullah: witnessing islamophobia as a muslim TAYLOR HUIE WRITER

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hen the Trump administration first implemented the travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, Amir Abdullah, fifthgrade teacher, felt an initial fear for himself, but also for his younger nieces and nephews. An activist at heart, Abdullah then took action, protesting at the airport, standing outside of different terminals with large signs in hand.

As a practicing Muslim, Abdullah feels that a proposed hijab ban in France ostracizes Muslims and feeds into stereotypes. The French Senate recently passed the amendment that bans anyone under the age of 18 from wearing the hijab in public. In Islam, wearing the hijab to cover one’s hair is a form of modesty and privacy that is an integral part of many Muslim practices. The proposed ban, which comes in the middle of Ramadan, is an amendment to a prior policy that banned the wearing of any face covering, veil or mask in public. It is meant to address religious extremism, according to an April NPR article, but to Abdullah, it creates division.

“In thinking about the ban itself, it’s racist, it’s sexist and it only perpetuates Islamophobia and xenophobia,” Abdullah said. “[The ban is] telling the public that [Islam] is not accepted, and it causes a further stigma. Also, the mere fact

AMIR ABDULLAH PHOTO PERMISSION that [people are] saying that wearing the hijab is a form of extremism, or oppression [isn’t always true]. [White people in power] know that’s the type of rhetoric that’s going to sell.”

According to a Rokhaya Diallo’s April 2021 Washington Post article, the proposed ban also seeks to prevent mothers who wear the hijab from participating in their children’s school activities.

For Abdullah, this aspect of the ban not only further encourages the separation of Muslim women, but also affects young Muslim children who learn from their parents.

“It really hurts me when [the] French parliament says that mothers cannot wear the hijab,” Abdullah said. “The mothers are their [children’s] teachers, and the children look up to their mothers. I cannot imagine if my sister was not able to go to her children’s field trips because she wore the hijab. It’s heartbreaking. It [just] causes further division, and it will impact the children in the long run.”

In addition, though Abdullah was in disbelief when he first heard of the ban, he was also not surprised, given France’s history of banning face and body coverings. He worries that the ban will impact other countries, including the United States.

“France being such a superpower as it is, it does have a big impact on other countries,” Abdullah said. “The fact that [the ban] made it [as far as the Senate has an impact]. If a country like France or Switzerland [implements Islamophobic policies], it’s only a matter of time until the United Kingdom or the United States [does too].”

However, Abdullah sees hope in the way the proposed ban is being received. Social media platforms, like Instagram, are filled with hashtags such as #HandsOffMyHijab. They have been used to criticize the ban, and youth are speaking out and calling for action. If the ban does go into full effect, Abdullah hopes that at Campbell Hall,

amir abdullah

I cannot imagine if my sister was not able to go to her children’s field trips because she wore the hijab—it’s heartbreaking. teacher

creative dialogues will happen, and spaces encouraging inclusivity and equity will continue to be available.

“I did a presentation on Ramadan [in Chapel], and it’s important to continue to have these dialogues and these types of presentations,” Abdullah said. “Also, seek out members in the community first because that becomes more sustainable. Affinity spaces are so crucial, and also asking ‘Are we doing enough curriculum-wise to teach the truth about Islam, to really combat those stereotypes?’. [Chapel] would be a great opportunity, if [the ban passes] to stand in solidarity, because [there’s the fear of ] ‘what’s the next step, internment camps, again?’”

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

6

NEWS

Pandemic impact on environment

As society returns to normal, environmentalists and environmental enthusiasts alike are able to see the repercussions that COVID-19 had on nature

TAYLOR HUIE AND SAM SHER WRITERS

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ver 129 billion face masks are used globally per month.

This number, from Birgitte Svennevig’s March 2021 Science Daily article highlights the fact that since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, disposable masks have found their way into the ocean and other waterways, and plastic surgical gloves that cannot decompose end up in landfills, leaching toxins into the surrounding soil and groundwater.

Avery Ahmanson (23) has noticed the number of used masks that have been left on streets and sidewalks and hopes that people will be more considerate when throwing them away.

“With the increase in anything disposable, there's always going to be some sort of litter because it's hard to control people's respect towards the planet and littering,” Ahmanson said.

“I think a lot of people care but aren't willing to do anything about it, which essentially is the same as not caring.”

Stella Frank (21), co-president of the Green Team, has also seen disposable masks and surgical gloves discarded on the ground and, similar to Ahmanson’s belief, feels that there are many who are not prioritizing action to help the environment. She believes that people are primarily concerned with a return to normal rather than thinking about how we can utilize the environmental benefit the pandemic provided to move towards a more sustainable future. One way she hopes we can improve is if large corporations capitalize on the improved environment to adopt a more sustainable company model.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, environmentally-minded [people were] hopeful that there would be a significant amount of change because people weren't going out of their houses a lot and weren’t buying so many things which reduced waste,” Frank said. "As we’re coming out of the pandemic, people are going back to how they were doing things before.

It’s disappointing. It's really important to shift the focus to how we can go back to normal in a more sustainable way, like [using] public transportation,

CAROLINE REHDER WRITER

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Mask mania: Disposable masks and trash float through a small stream in Lake Balboa.

CHRISTINE GAUL PHOTO AUSTIN JANAVS GRAPHIC

biking to work or walking.”

Similarly to Frank, Andrew Goetz (22) has always been an advocate for environmental awareness. During the pandemic, he watched “Seaspiracy,” Netflix’s new documentary that exposes the impact the fishing industry has on the ocean.

“It was pretty striking to see how everything was connected and how the ocean serves such an importance to the environment,” Goetz said. “If the ocean is healthy, the Earth would be much better in regards to climate change. The ocean holds so much carbon dioxide.”

Goetz recommends the documentary particularly to environmentalists, as he believes it represents an unconventional viewpoint. After watching the film, Goetz thinks that the best way to help the environment is to take action in more uncommon ways, in addition to the more standard methods, like recycling. The documentary made him realize that what he’s currently doing for the environment has little impact in comparison to what he could be doing: bringing attention to and ending support of the unethical fishing industry.

“Truly one of the best ways people can help the environment is to reduce their fish intake,” Goetz said. “I wouldn’t have ever realized the sever-

Q AND A

WITH

ity of the consumption of shellfish. It was definitely an eye-opener kind of movie. Fishing is such an overlooked issue, and as humans, we can help reduce it. [The documentary] tells you focusing on issues like cutting back on plastic straws is so insignificant compared to calling on the fishing industry to stop using long fishing lines.”

Though Goetz found “Seaspiracy” informative, Ahmanson criticizes the documentary’s general sentiment that reducing fish consumption is the most effective way to help preserve the ocean. In a pandemic of increased waste, where many are looking for ways to fight against climate change, Ahmanson urges people to be mindful of the way they are supporting the fight.

“People are kind of desperate for any action they can take right now,” Ahmanson said. “The documentary frames the whole climate crisis in the wrong way. It's not solely because people are eating fish, and [supporting the fishing industry], obviously.

The documentary serves as more of a self-gratifying tool that people can use to justify not doing as much as they could be doing. [Not eating fish and reducing disposable mask usage is] a very small factor, but it’s still something and every little thing

avery ahmanson

There's always going to be some sort of litter because it's hard to control people's respect towards the planet and littering. sophomore

counts.”

Additionally, Frank suggests that to make meaningful and lasting change, we must take a multifaceted approach. She recommends that people make their own masks, buy sustainable cloth masks and be more mindful of what they eat, in addition to supporting legislative proposals and local organizations.

“A frustrating thing about the democracy that we live in is that you can't just approach change in one way and just have radical change; you have to come at it from all different ways,” Frank said. “Legislation is super important, but that sometimes takes years. Also, instead of eating farmed fish, [people should] eat wild fish and [support local] organizations like Heal The Bay in Santa Monica by volunteering or donating.”

Mrs. LeBlanc

With the of opening up campus for all students K-12, many look forward to more student events. Specifically, seniors are curious as to what their senior prom will look like.

AMANDA SEDAKA REPORTER

Q: How will prom be different this year?

A: Prom will be different in many ways. Number one, it’s not going to be a dance but [instead] more of a gathering.

It will only be for [only] seniors unfortunately, so it’s really going to be a really special event for seniors to gather and enjoy each other's company.

Q: What will be the same?

A: Well, it’ll be fun! It’ll be a special night, everyone will dress up, [and] there’s going to be good food. I would say there’s probably going to be better food than normal.

Q: What food will be featured?

Speech and debate season ends

A: There will be food trucks, both sweet and savory. That’s as far as I’d like to go with that information, since it's a surprise.

Q: What can students look forward to?

Q: What are the recent updates to prom?

A: They can look forward to frankly making history. There has never been a prom like this and there will never be a prom like this again. They are actually going to take part in a completely unique event that has been crafted with so much love just for them.

A: Per county policy, we need to have everyone who is eating actually seated. That means that we can serve food in a short window so that we can serve everyone in an effective manner.

Q: What rules will be in place for COVID-19 safety?

A: Well, we’re going to be outside so I would maybe bring something to cover up with. I think [students] should be ready to take part in some dance games, and they should look forward to spending some time with the other people in their grade.

A: We will be taking the same precautions that the school is always taking. We will be six feet apart, frequent hand sanitization, and making sure that we’re masked the whole time. [We will use] the regular standard protocol that we’re really used to by now.

Q: Can students expect any surprises?

A: It is going to be a night full of [exciting] surprises because no one knows what they are doing.

Like nobody knows what they are going to [experience]. There will be music, there will be movement, perhaps no dancing. There will be music, there will be movement, perhaps no dancing.

And, there will be engagement with your favorite teachers!

Q: What advice would you give to seniors who are getting ready for the big night?

Q: What sort of plans do you have in place to transform campus?

A: Well we don’t spend a lot of time here at night, so it’s fun to see campus at night first of all. We are [fun]doing things with lighting and projections to make the space intimate and festive.

Q: If you could describe this prom in one word what would it be?

A: Historical.

ith over five eager members of the Campbell Hall Speech and Debate team qualifying for both the highly competitive State and National Championships this year, Susan Foley, secondary speech and debate coach, and her team returned with triumphant faces from the end-of-season qualifiers with victories and now prepare for the virtually held finals.

Francesca Tyberg (23) qualified for the Tournament of Champions based on her overall season performance. For Tyberg, this year has been very abnormal because the usual debate environment consisting of bonding with her team and standing in front of a crowd to give speeches has all been taken away due to the pandemic.

“The tournament setting is a large part of the experience,” Tyberg said.

“Riding on the bus with your team, eating the expensive tournament food with friends, all of that fun is gone because we’ve moved online.”

Similar to Tyberg, David Dumontet (24) agrees that practicing and competing through Zoom lacks the fun team experiences that they would normally have. Although this is his first year competing on the high school team, he, along with his twin brother, Daniel Dumontet, qualified for the California State Championships for his spontaneous speaking. His experience has been both challenging and fun due to meeting new people.

“There’s an environment and a vibe that exists in person, both at tournaments and at practice, that doesn’t seem to have transferred all too well to Zoom,” Dumontet said. “The competitive adrenaline is still pumping when I compete, but it’s a very different [atmosphere] at home. Regardless of the difference, though, I’m glad that speech and debate was one of the few extracurriculars that could still operate online.”

Foley is impressed with the dedication and commitment of the team while doing the entire season virtually.

For her, it was difficult at times to keep up the motivation of the team during practice, but she is thankful that the team was able to continue learning and developing in their activity no matter the circumstances.

“I think we all have a greater appreciation and insight into how important face-to-face communication actually is,” Foley said. “I can speak for the whole team when I say that attending tournaments [online] was not as fun as it would have been in person, but we were all nonetheless grateful to [keep debating].”

With a whole new style of debate this year due to the transition online, Tyberg maintained her success rate and continued her usual ways to practice for competitions. She also noticed more students were able to compete because they were held virtually, which created a wider range of accessibility for people who live farther away. Considering all of the atypical adjustments that this year brought for the team, Tyberg missed the traditional exciting moments with the team but still learned a lot and continued her passion for the sport with her talent.

“My huge takeaway experience is probably that as a whole, the debate community's very resilient and versatile, but it also made me appreciate how important the normal tournament setting is,” Tyberg said. “While debating online is very doable and has worked many times for me as well as others, I can confidently say it is not as fun, and there is less of an experience to take away from.”

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

7

FEATURES

The wealth G A P at CH Students are aware of their social standing as it relates to caste systems based on wealth, family background, race and ethnicity All but one: As students all stand with their new cars one didn't recieve one.

NOA SCHWARTZ DRAWING

MAGGIE CHIAPPETTA-UBERTI WRITER

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annah Nordberg (22) feels an uncontrollable anxiousness as the words of her peers seem to roll so effortlessly off of their tongues— this seemingly otherworldly conversation that she can’t fathom relating to. Her cheeks redden as the question rolls around the lunch table, ultimately falling on to her: “What car are you getting when you turn sixteen, Hannah?” The previous descriptions of her friends’ dream cars echo in her head as she responds, “Oh, well, my dad passed down his car, and I’ll be using it as well as him.” She looks around at her friends’ blank faces, their silence speaking louder than words.

Nordberg argues that these seemingly small, insignificant conversations related to privilege at the lunch table are the ones that need to be addressed at school. She has experienced these uncomfortable conversations in a myriad of ways, arguing that this is something she has noticed transitioning to private school in seventh grade.

“I am the type of person who re-wears the same shoes and occasionally trades off two different pairs of pants, so it is hard to listen to my friends complain about their parents not letting them buy this new type of shoe when they have an entire closet of shoes, and I sit there thinking that these are problems I wish I had,” Nordberg said. “When I was at public school, I didn’t face these conversations, but at a private school, conversations [about money are difficult to have]. It is non-confrontational judgmental reactions

that [are hard to] confront, and it is small instances [in which judgment in regards to class and wealth is passed] that hurt the most and often go unnoticed.”

Izzy Gilford (21) has also witnessed the pressure to fit in at private schools with students from a wide range of financial backgrounds. Gilford feels that she is very transparent about her financial situation; however, she struggles with conversations surrounding wealth, trying to be as empathetic as possible without sounding like she is bragging about her wealth.

“In middle school, I would buy shoes that other people were wearing just because it was [an easy way of ] fitting in,” Gilford said. “And for me, [the ability to afford those shoes] wasn’t as big of a deal for me financially, but I realize that this is an issue because, for students who are unable to invest that much money on something so meaningless as shoes, this is probably such a difficult thing to face at a private school.”

Alonzo Jackson (22) believes that there is a negative connotation with being in a lower financial position.

“I think that in our society there is a stigma around having a lower social-economic status, where people would assume that they may be less hard-working, or they resort to crime, that they are more likely to not be respectable people, and so that’s why I feel that students who aren’t as financially fortunate don’t want to talk about it because they don’t want to be stereotyped,” Jackson said. “They want to be seen as someone who is deserving of being at Campbell Hall.”

alonzo jackson

I think that in our society there is a stigma around having a lower socioeconomic status. junior

In observing the way in which Campbell Hall has actively addressed conversations regarding racism, Jackson hopes that the school can incorporate more discussions about wealth as well. He argues that spaces like chapel to speak about this issue can help our community spread awareness and cultivate meaningful conversations.

“Different financial situations cause different problems for people just as race discrimination does for others, and it’s a case-by-case scenario of course, but why is it that we haven’t had more meaningful conversations about the range of students from different financial backgrounds at this school?” Jackson said. “I think that Campbell Hall has done a great job recently with discussions about race and being really open about race discrimination, and if we could have similar styled conversations and presentations in chapel about people who are less financially fortunate, then that could make a huge positive impact on our community. I know that there are presentations, but these kinds of presentations happen only maybe once a year, so having it brought up more often would be really beneficial.”

Statistics BLOWN out of proportion With social media more prevelant, many have noticed exaggerations of issues posted online LYLA HOROWITZ WRITER

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7 percent of all women have been sexually assaulted or abused.

This is an example of a statistic taken out of context. In March 2021, 1000 women who lived in the UK were asked if they have been sexually harassed or assaulted. The result of this sample was that 97 percent of those women had experienced harassment or assault, however this statistic was then inaccurately spread throughout the media which claimed that 97 percent of all women had been harassed or assaulted.

After reading the study, Kam-

ron Kelley (21) realized that not all statistics that circulate the media are credible.

“The problem is [the people that conducted the study are asking] a very subjective question,” Kelley said. “Sexual harassment and sexual assault have objective definitions defined by law. [The 97 percent] statistic should be looked at with multiple asterisks.”

As a high school math teacher, Lucine Ohannessian understands the harms of extrapolation from the perspective of a statistics teacher. Extrapolation is when future data is predicted by using past experience or already known data. It is not reliable because you

one is assuming that the current data trend will stay the same.

Ohannessian works to ensure her students are able to differentiate a reliable study from one that is unreliable.

“When the news predicts some proportion or average using extrapolation, it is most likely an incorrect prediction,” Ohannessian said. “When these ‘facts’ prove to be false, people will doubt the reliability of the news. Different news sources will extrapolate when it serves their purpose and display ‘facts’ that prove what they’re trying to prove. When this happens, people doubt the news and that’s a scary thing. What’s scarier than believing ‘facts’ that

aren’t true is when people start to doubt everything and start to not believe facts that are true.”

Adrian Arnold, high school math teacher, believes that social media has a large impact on the spread of exaggerated, incorrect and unreliable news. He has noticed that social media has the power to spread misinformation quickly without the user questioning the credibility of it.

“The algorithm on [social media] gives you the things that you're going to want to hear.”

Arnold said. “That's not what the news is. The news is what's happening and shouldn't just be based on what confirms your assumptions about the world.”

Handling college

N O I T C E J E R LINCOLN WEINSTOCK WRITER

U

niversity of California schools received over 200,000 applications this year.

They cannot accept more than 46,000 students.

The college application process this year has been more stressful than ever before. Quinn Glickman (21), who will be attending Tufts University starting next year, found that the uncertainty of the process made it very challenging.

“Since [applications this year were] test-optional, there were way more students applying to every school, plus we couldn’t tour the schools,” Glickman said. “The whole process was much more difficult because [there] was so much more uncertainty, and the college process is already really uncertain to begin with. But I also think that going through this all together made our class bond a little bit more, because it was crazy for everyone.”

Glickman found that staying positive and confident was very helpful in difficult moments throughout her senior year.

“Obviously the college process has been crazy for everyone because this year was even more busy [with more applicants], so a lot of people weren’t getting in where they wanted to.” Glickman said. “A lot of people say ‘rejection is redirection’ and stuff like that, but I think it is true that you’re gonna end up where you're supposed to, and if a school doesn’t want you, you don't want them. Most of it is just about how you'll fit into their school. You want to go somewhere where they want you to be on their campus. It was really nice when I started to get accepted to some different places to know that they wanted me there.”

Jennifer Simpson, Director of College Counseling, has found that the process this year hasn't been as different as some people may think. However, the worldwide cancellation of the SAT and ACT exam administrations, and the subsequent test-optional policies that many colleges adopted, has affected the process and applicants.

“Obviously there are changes to the energy we all feel, as well as a sense of uncertainty and heightened emotion that are amplified during COVID-19,” Simpson said. “I think there's a heightened sensitivity to everything, so that certainly has felt heavier and more complicated. Also, as a result of the changes in test policies, there was a dramatic increase in applicants. At many universities across the country, applicant pools went up by 20 percent to over 100 percent this year. When the testing metric and credential was eliminated, it opened a door for many more applicants to apply who would have otherwise not been or felt competitive for admission. Some colleges saw decreases while many, often the most selective ones, saw dramatic increases. The other aspect of this process that has changed dramatically is the shift to virtual experiences as a means of learning about and engaging with colleges. College research, information sessions, campus tours, everything in regards to researching colleges and, for CH seniors, making a final decision, has changed.”

Despite the changes, there have been some triumphant moments for many different seniors this year. Simpson has seen many impressive outcomes over the course of this year’s process.

“I'm very proud of our seniors and the options they have,” Simpson said. “Although success in this process is not measured solely by a college list, seniors received wonderful offers of admission to a wide variety of colleges, including some very selective institutions where there was a major increase in the applicant pool. I would say in general there were some surprises and certainly disappointments that are inherent to this process, but in general, the seniors and college counseling team have a lot to be proud of.”

THE P

MAY 2021

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CELEB ASIAN AMERICAN PACI HERITAG ASIAN IDENTITY For many, the Asian-American identity is defined by strength, diversity and a unique struggle against stereotypes, particularly during the pandemic TAYLOR HUIE AND KAYLA FRANCAIS WRITERS

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o you celebrate Thanksgiving? Have you ever had an American dinner? Where are you actually from?” The questions caught Shawn Watanabe, high school math teacher and department chair, off guard. Growing up in Los Angeles, he had been aware that he was Asian-American but had never felt particularly different or excluded. However, after hearing these questions during camp one summer, Watanabe became acutely aware of how his ethnicity separated him from others.

For many, identifying as Asian-American is difficult and complex. For Watanabe, the complexity of identifying as Asian-American isn’t just a product of widespread perceptions of Asian-Americans as a monolith, but also the unique struggle of living with both Asian and American culture. “[Identifying as Asian American is] so different, because you lump together Asian American and Pacific Islander and Desi when we’re not a monolith and that’s what’s really confusing for me,” Watanabe said. “There’s so much richness in the Asian American culture that I wish everyone didn’t just lump us together. My parents placed too much importance on assimilation and trying to fit in with the majority group, but I’m grateful that they also acknowledged the importance of appreciating and celebrating our own Japanese American culture.”

H

igh school history teacher Susie An also feels that she lives between two cultures, growing up with parents who had difficulty navigating American education systems, government and welfare. Beyond this, An also experienced not simply growing up Asian American, but also queer and female, recognizing how this has developed how she thinks about justice and her role in it.

“It’s extremely difficult to synthesize the ways in which my queerness, my femaleness and my Asian-ness and all these other aspects of my identity collide to make me feel marginalized and silenced,” An said. “To this day, the intersectional qualities of my being Asian-American, queer, female and inheriting an immigrant background has colored the ways in which I see justice.”

Furthermore, An feels that much of the complexity in identifying as Asian-American can be attributed to the model minority myth. The model minority myth encapsulates a number of stereotypes, in particular: high achieving, straight-A students in STEM, “tiger mothers” who push their children to perfection and effeminate fathers who achieve success, but rarely hold leadership positions. However, for many, the stereotype is harmful in a number of ways as it’s a false generalization of Asians. “[For the model minority myth], think about the person who doesn’t fit this stereotype,” Watanabe said. “My goddaughter’s half Asian and not good at math. So how we respond [to these conversations] is just as important. We have to say that being good at math is an Asian stereotype and it may be positive but you’re affecting so

many people who don’t live up to that stereotype. [There’s even the consideration of ] teenage suicide and harming themselves because they feel like they’re not living up to that stereotype.”

The model minority myth doesn’t just impact those who don’t fit the stereotype, however. In contrast, An experienced a delegitimization of her achievements, with those around her attributing her success solely to her Asian identity.

“I had worked extremely hard all throughout my education and in being Asian-American, my academic labor was devalued,” An said. “It became naturalized as an inherent quality [to me,] being Asian, although there are many Asian/ Asian-American women who were not excelling in the same manner I was. It became a way to rationalize the threat and intimidation I posed as an Asian-American student.” susie an

I had worked extremely hard all throughout my education and in being AsianAmerican, my academic labor was devalued. teacher

F

urther, this stereotype poses another challenge for Asian American communities: Asian Americans are perceived to have the same privileges as White people, when in reality they do not, ostracizing them and creating tension with other people of color, according to alumni Kaylin Kim. “I have witnessed Asian-Americans align themselves with White people almost as if they think they have the same privileges of White people,” Kim said. “The widely held belief that Asian-Americans are model minorities, is to blame for this phenomenon, because it blinds Asian-Americans into thinking they are immune to racism. Instead, the myth is used to objectify Asian-Americans and a lot of Asian-Americans don’t understand that we are not viewed as model citizens, but rater, model minorities; minorities nonetheless. We are still viewed as lesser, even though we are painted as smart and successful. It truly is a double edged sword.”

The perceived success of Asian Americans is not just used to minimize the racism Asian Americans face in the United States, but it also weaponizes Asian communities against other minority groups.

“Certain groups of Southeast Asians, or the Hmong community in Michigan, the majority of them are at the poverty level, but [many people], don’t highlight that because they want to perpetuate the narrative that Asians are doing very well [and use it against Black Americans and Latino Americans],” Watanabe said. “It’s selective in terms of statistics. They’re focusing on success because that perpetuates the narrative that Asians are going to college and doing well, so why can’t the other persons color be just like them?”

Additionally, perpetuation of the stereotype that

Asians are intolerant and racist feeds into a White narrative that pits minority groups against each other. This stereotype is spread in tandem with the model minority myth, further fueling conflict.

“People love to pit Asian-Americans against other minority groups,” An said. “This truly is a trend in history, in which inter-ethnic conflict between Black, Latinx and Asian populations is Asian people’s faults. The idea that Asian people are the crux of the inter-ethnic violence prevalent in the U.S. for decades and that because of the myth that they take a racist stance towards other racial groups in the U.S. they are deserving of discrimination, violence and hate.”

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he effects of this can be seen as recent as the past few months, concerning the violence and hate crimes against Asian Americans, especially as many of the perpetrators have been African American. However Watanabe hopes that understanding between the two groups will help eradicate the pervasive influence of White supremacy, attacking the root of the problem.

Though the model minority myth perpetuates the stereotype that Asian Americans are all successful—supposedly indicative of a lack of racial discrimination, Watanabe believes this is not the case. Asian Americans are perceived as White in many cases, overlooking the clear lack of proper Asian representation. Watanabe has noted that despite the widespread notion that Asians have the same privileges as White people, at Campbell Hall there are very few male Asian faculty members and even fewer Asians on the Fortune 500 Board of Trustees.

For Kim, in identifying as Asian American, she is rejecting the stereotypes that have been pushed upon Asians for decades. She encourages persistence and growth in the face of disregard and racism.

“Being Asian-American means to be resilient,” Kim said. “We face so much oppression, and not only that, but the whole institution is working against us, so you have to be resilient; not allowing everyday microaggressions and general frustration with the system affect your wellbeing and self-esteem. That doesn’t mean being desensitized to your surroundings and the racism you may face, but truly learning how to grow from it in a positive manner.”

Asian Americans are reduced to the mere stereotype of being successful and having the same privileges as White people, completely overlooking and disregarding the struggles of Asian communities. And for An, recognizing this is the first step forward.

“I wish more people considered how dehumanizing it is to narrow someone down to a monolithic positive quality,” An said. “Every human wants their pain, struggles and labor to not only be tolerated, but to be valued. Asian communities, much like any, are made of a group of individuals made up of these most human qualities.

The model minority myth allows the space for our most human qualities and feelings to be disregarded, for Asian-Americans are primarily viewed through their functionality and the services they offer to others. We want our humanity recognized.”

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Sources: (1) 37Arts.net via Google Images (2) Vegafi via Wikimedia Commons (3) New America via Wikimedia Commons

PIPER

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BRATING IFIC ISLANDER AND DESI GE MONTH #STOPASIANHATE Amidst a rise in violent hate crimes against Asians, the Asian-American community speaks out and looks for support TAYLOR HUIE AND KAYLA FRANCAIS WRITERS

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ccording to Stop AAPI Hate’s March 2021 report, between March 2020 and February 2021, the organization received 3,795 first-hand accounts of anti-Asian hate, and according to NYPD data, anti-Asian sentiment motivated hate crimes increased by 1,900 percent in 2020.

In the past year, accounts and videos of people harassing, beating, spitting on and even killing Asians have swept through the nation, leaving many horrified. Though the recent violence against Asians here in the United States has brought more nation-wide attention to anti-Asian sentiment, High school history teacher Susie An reminds us that prejudice towards Asians is not new, and certainly has not arisen solely because of the pandemic. Recent events have, however, engendered such prejudice.

“Due to the presence that Asia has around the globe today, a significant global presence at that, the threat to White Americans has become heightened,” An said. “Not only is it that the platform for Asian-American voices is greater than ever, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is also that the global clout Asian countries have at this present moment is posing a huge threat to White Americans who feel that Asian-Americans are advancing beyond whiteness to a position of their own power. Asian-Americans pose a hypothetical threat and thus, we are beaten, discriminated against and at times killed in the name of White fear. This is a moment of heightened paranoia and fear, but also telling of the hostile nature of racial and ethnic relationships in this country today.”

For Shawn Watanabe, high school math teacher and department chair, much of the awareness of anti-Asian sentiment relies on media coverage and who controls it. He believes that political leaders are largely at fault for perpetuating and minimizing prejudice, but so is the media that determines what information the public receives.

“Political leaders have long trafficked xenophobic rhetoric, like when you have a president who calls [COVID-19] the Kung Flu and shows no respect for Asian reporters, that’s what sticks in

people’s minds,” Watanabe said. “But at the same time, [prejudice towards Asians] hasn't been in the media because the media will choose what stories are sexy. With [recent attacks on Asians, the media is saying] ‘Who knows if it's [related to being] Asian, maybe it's just isolated incidents,’ [or] ‘Are you sure it's anti Asian crime?’. I'm not sure if any of the [violence] that happened recently was even labeled as hate crimes, so you know it seems like [much of it is reliant on] who controls the media—a lot of them [are White people].”

An also notes that it’s important that giving a platform to Asian voices doesn’t come at the expense of the Black Lives Matter movement and doesn’t give a platform to anti-Black sentiment in Asian communities. For example, there are some who call for increased police surveillance in response to the violence, even though Asian 19 year old Christian Hall was shot and killed by police, according to Carl Samson's April Yah oo News article. The individual movements need not compete with or discredit one another, instead, continue to support one another, especially with the use of social media, in raising awareness.

“The Black Lives Matter movement allowed a space for discourse on race and ethnic violence to be discussed across the board in a progressive and open handed manner,” An said. “Social media has allowed for social justice issues to become sensationalized and enter public discourse in seconds. These two hand in hand have truly allowed racial, gender, sexuality and ethnic discirmination to enter into the public spheres everyday discourse and to become expanded to a larger audience. This conversation has definitely crossed paths with Asian-American politics and allowed for people to become aware of Asian-American discrimnation that has existed for decades.”

It was through social media that the recent violence gained mainstream media attention. Watanabe is grateful to Amanda Nguyen, CEO and founder of non-profit organization, Rise, who encouraged Asians to share her video calling out to media outlets to better report on the anti-Asian violence. Her video eventually gained over eight million views, reaching major news outlets.

shawn watanabe

Political leaders have long trafficked xenophobic rhetoric, like when you have a president who calls [COVID-19] the Kung Flu and shows no respect for Asian reporters.

teacher

However, though social media has been helpful as a platform for Asian voices, Watanabe also believes that many have taken advantage of it, simply using a hashtag or reposting just for appearances, while not actually caring about the issue.

At Campbell Hall, Watanabe believes that though the school does make an effort to encourage diversity and inclusion, there are still many ways to improve. He hopes that Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month can be used to bring more awareness to the issue.

“I think about the parallel story about the @blackatcampbellhall Instagram account,” Watanabe said. “At Campbell Hall, we definitely mean well, we have the Summer Institute for teachers on diversity and inclusion, we offer [faculty] opportunities for professional development, but @blackatcampbellhall revealed that we aren't perfect. It sometimes comes off as ‘Campbell Hall has a hard time having these tough conversations’. In the Asian Appreciation Month of May, I think [most schools] want to see a lot of festivities and food, superficial stuff. I believe there should be a celebratory component to AAPI Heritage month, but for this particular year, we should use this month as a platform to raise awareness about hate crimes in the community.”

Further, Watanabe wants to encourage more people to speak out, putting an end to the narrative that Asians don’t experience prejudice.

“The power of Asian voices is super critical,” Watanabe said. “If we remain silent, that will be viewed as apathy, and if we don't go ahead as a group and make ourselves heard and share these stories, it won’t reach mainstream media.”

VIOLENCE TOWARDS ASIAN-AMERICANS (7)

Overall, hate crimes decreased by

However, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by

7%

149%

betwen 2019 and 2020

(1)

(1)

(4) RedCarpetReport via Flickr (5) My Sweet Pear Tree via Wikimedia Commons (6) commonwealth.club via Flickr (7) Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Sources: (1) Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism (2) pewreseach.org

1/3 of 352 Asian-Americans polled in a PEW Research Center (2) study fear they will be threatened or physically attacked

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

10

FEATURES

News in new media

Recently, more people are geting their information from social media. Many debate whether this change is positive.

ILIANA KLIENER AND JEREMY FRANK WRITERS

T

ik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are four of the most downloaded apps on iPhones, according to an April 2021 ABC News article published by the Associated Press. Ahead of all news apps, these social media platforms are becoming increasingly relied on as credible news sources.

Having all four of the aforementioned social media platforms, David Eick (22) still doesn't rely on these platforms as a way to keep himself informed. Although he may initially find breaking news stories on Tik Tok and Instagram, he tends to only use them as a catalyst to research the topic more.

He understands the dangers of solely receiving news from social media and credits it with radicalizing beliefs.

“Social media is designed in such a way to keep you on the platform,” Eick said. “Because of this, when you demonstrate to a social media algorithm that you are somewhat interested in one topic, or more specifically, one aisle of the political arena’s analysis on a given topic, it will begin to only recommend you posts and stories that confirm or reinforce that belief. This makes every person’s social media account an echo chamber for their own beliefs.

There’s been plenty of research on this, and all of it points to social media being a great radicalization tool. [The social media algorithm] isn’t always necessarily [dangerous], sometimes it can just be convincing people that beliefs in astrology or medicinal crystals are scientific fact, but in extreme cases, it can undoubtedly be very dangerous.”

Contrary to Eick, Sabrina Pozzi, high school Spanish teacher, actively at-

New type of newspaper: Ava Morin (21), Jenna Goldman (21) and Zoe Schiff (21) get their news social media newspapers.

AUSTIN JANAVS PHOTOSHOP

tempts to stay off social media in hopes of only reading credible news stories.

While this is not always the case, she makes sure to check multiple sources to ensure that she is receiving the full story.

“I know that [on] social media, there are many people that are out there to stir [the pot],” Pozzi said. “Not only do I go to other sources, but I also [talk to] similar thinking friends, as well as, non-similar thinking friends, because we tend to go to sources that have the same thought base and moralities as one does.”

Using Tik Tok, Instagram and Snapchat on a daily basis, Sophie Schiff (24) often finds herself turning to those same platforms to read breaking news. Although not on the apps for their news coverage, it is hard for her to avoid the abundance of videos and stories. Because of this, she has learned that fake news is likely to spread fast through these platforms and believes it is important to fact-check the news

Teacher trivia

that circulates the media.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you see on social media,” Schiff said.

“I always know to be cautious when reading things on social media unless it’s something circulating in the general news or by lots of other people. It can be dangerous because there is a lot of misinformation on those platforms, and believing everything you see is never a good idea.”

To Eick, social media is designed to get people to stay on the platform for as long as they can rather than giving people news. He credits his responsibility when it comes to interpreting news to his knowledge about the way that social media spreads false information.

“I don’t have any groundbreaking experiences with repetitive news or headlines,” Eick said. “Most teens are now used to the pattern of seeing one particular news story circulating social media for a week, whether it be in regards to police brutality, hate crimes

Facts: 86 percent of Americans credit devices as their main source of news pewresearch.org

In the US, 55 percent of adults claim to get their news often/ sometimes from social media forbes.com

62 percent of people feel a dependency on social media for news is a problem in our society forbes.com

Making an impact

RWQuarantunes

A little more about Mr. Cullinan

one year later

Will Cullinan teaches 11th grade history as well as Critical Race Studies JEREMY FRANK WRITER

If you were a Harry Potter character, which house would you be in?

Ravenclaw. Confirmed by Pottermore. And my wife is a Ravenclaw too, which further solidifies us as soulmates.

O

What is the best sleeping temperature?

Oh, the colder the better, for sure. Warm blanket on top of me, cat on top of the blanket.

What is your favorite fun fact?

The next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary will list 645 separate meanings of the word 'run.' What crazy time to be alive, huh?

What is the best Trader Joe's food item?

It's seasonal but, during the holidays, I stock up on their chocolate oranges. It's a traditional British Christmas treat. Highly recommended. My wife and I give them as gifts but we also consume more of them thatn I care to reveal in public.

against Asians, etc. In general, I think this is a good thing because it lowers the barrier of entry for social activism and lets people who may otherwise never know about these issues understand a portion of them.”

Pozzi praises herself for not sending news articles, regardless of their source, to her family and friends. She prefers doing her own research and allowing others to do the same. However, she is thankful for the abundance of information readily available online. “[Technology in general] has benefited me to see what's happening as an umbrella with things around the world,” Pozzi said. “All my family is in Argentina, except for my parents, so hearing the news [about] what's happening there, [I wonder if it’s] as horrific as it is I hear it. Then, I contact my cousins and [ask] ‘what is going on?’ Social media and technology have been so amazing and wonderful, but you’re going to have the hideous stuff that [happens to comes] with it.”

DEMI WEITZ PHOTO Out and about: Demi Weitz (21), and her dad, Richard Weitz, hosting their charity fundraiser, RWQuarantunes, at Dodger Stadium.

ne year, 50 zooms, over 400 performers and 25.3 million dollars raised for charity. Demi Weitz (21) and her father, Richard Weitz, have spent their quarantine giving back to the community through their virtual benefits concerts — RWQuarantunes.

What started as a virtual birthday party at the beginning of quarantine in March 2020 turned into something much larger. The pair have grown their platform and have held concerts at Dodgers Stadium, Disneyland, the Coliseum and on Broadway with big-name artists such as John Legend, Charlie Puth and Billie Eilish.

D. Weitz credits RWQuarantunes with helping her grow as a person over the past year. The concerts have also provided her with a new outlook, and she has begun looking to make a larger impact outside of her direct community.

“At the beginning, I was hiding in the corner, and I really struggled to be proud of myself,” D. Weitz said. “[Now, I feel like] I have really come out of my shell. I am proudest of actually seeing the impact we are making firsthand on the [Zoom] calls. The money we have raised is exceptional, but it is crazy how big of an impact we can have on people when we are just sitting on our computer doing our thing.”

RWQuarantunes has changed R. Weitz’s life and specifically how he looks at the world. Over the past year, he has realized how important it is to support a wide variety of charities and organizations, something he is proud of accomplishing

through RWQuarantunes.

“RWQuarantunes has been the greatest experience of my life for so many reasons,” R. Wietz said. “It started with no motive besides entertaining people with great musicians. I’m most proud of how Demi took control of the idea and made it into the powerhouse it became. Watching Demi hold her own and talk to the biggest politicians, musicians, actors and poets has been incredible to watch. I’m also proud of the variety of organizations we were able to help.”

The intersection between entertainment and philanthropy is something that D. Weitz has fallen in love with, so much so that she's considered starting her own nonprofit when she is older.

“I am continuing this forever in some way shape or form,” D. Weitz said. “I think it is a blessing and an amazing opportunity to have a platform [where we] allow other people to share their stories, raise awareness and have a collective community for people who are in need. ” As summer approaches, R. Weitz plans to slow down the RWQuarantunes in order to give D. Weitz a break before she goes to college in the fall.

He notes that people are getting tired of Zoom but that the father-daughter duo will still likely do pop-up concerts every once and a while. “[RWQuarantunes'] changed my relationship with Demi both as father and daughter but [also] as adults doing good in the world,” R. Weitz said.

“That will never change, and during the worst pandemic in our lifetime, we can always look back and say ‘look what we did for so many.’ That's the best feeling to have!”

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

11

FEATURES

IN OTHER NEWS

NOA SCHWARTZ DRAWING

Girls and sex

TOTALLY NOT MADE UP NEWS

Students and teachers evaluate the importance of teaching girls about their own bodies and how the CH sex education can be improved

Seniors go hard at spirit week says freshman who later died of her injuries AMANDA SEDAKA WRITER

N

Lack of learning: A girl stands confused by the terms in front of her regarding sex.

LENA ROHAN AND SYMPHONY SMITH WRITERS

*Names changed to protect identity

M

ary Smith (24)* had never learned anything about periods, until she got one herself. At first she thought she had a cut on her leg, she had no idea this was an occurrence all women experienced.

Smith didn’t learn about mood swings, the difference between a pad or tampon, or how to minimize the pain of cramps.

She didn’t even know where in her body the blood came out of. Instead, Smith had to completely figure it out herself, using the internet to teach herself about her own body.

“I didn’t have a human development class until the end of my sixth grade school year,” Smith said. “I got my period at the beginning of that year. When it first happened I thought I was lucky that I was able to use the internet to look up facts about my own body. I now find it upsetting that I even had to do that.”

High school human development teacher, Mary Pearle, understands the importance of teaching sex education. While Pearle may not have the ability to teach younger girls, she does cover these topics with her freshmen students. Pearle teaches women about the basic biology of their bodies and the hormonal changes they will experience.

“It’s very important for girls to know how to care for themselves, and what should be happening,” Pearle said. “[I teach about] the different changes that can happen, and [provide] a safe place to ask questions. There’s a time where I meet with just the girls to talk more in depth about the reproductive organs, the changes that take place inside a female body start syncing up to make a period. All the possible symptoms that can bring, what's normal, what's not normal: it’s a lot to get used to.”

of young girls polled did not learn about birth control before having sex

Beyond the biology of the female body, Pearle teaches her students the misinformation that young women may be told about their bodies. As a result of this misinformation, there is pressure for women to be perfect. These pressures are unrealistic, and oftentimes impossible to achieve.

“The potential harm in not talking about [women’s bodies] is so major,” Pearle said.

“We have certain ideas about reproduction, whether there is something innately not nice about it, or not very clean. [The human development class] unpacks all of that, [by looking at] what were the experiences you were told growing up, and the differences between the sexes.”

While Pearle makes an effort to educate high school students about their bodies, many students still remain uneducated about these topics. Mary Smith is among those students, who not only didn’t learn about periods, but also didn’t learn about how women could achieve an orgasm during intercourse. It was the TV show Sex Education that informed her.

“I always thought that just men could orgasm during sex,” Smith said. “I was so clueless, I now find it embarrassing. I just wish my school taught me so I could avoid these incidents.”

As there are so many women like Smith who remain clueless about their bodies, many students want the human development curriculum to be further developed.

Among them is president of the Women’s Rights club, Ani Adell (22). Adell believes that the class should talk about the social implications of these topics.

“I think we learn a lot about the biology of periods, sex, etc. but not enough about the social aspect,” Adell said. “And though I think it’s important to understand the biology on a basic level, it’s also important to learn about how periods, sex [and other issues] play a role in navigating school life, friendships, relationships and how these all contribute to the experience of growing

of young girls polled did not learn how to say no to sex before having sex for the first time

jordan ben-yehuda

I would really appreciate the stigmas around sex and the stigmas around women having sex [to be] debunked. junior

up in a sexist society.”

Like Adell, women’s rights activist, Jordan Ben-Yehuda (22), feel that human development was lacking in content, especially when it comes to the social aspects of puberty and sex. Further, Ben-Yehuda also believes that human development should expand beyond just ninth-grade.

“In human development, everything was very straightforward,” said Ben-Yehuda. “Especially when it came to sex and women’s bodies, everything was lacking detail. I would really appreciate the stigmas around sex and the stigmas around women having sex [to be] debunked.”

Campbell Hall is poised as an all-inclusive space. From classes specifically about race issues in America to affinity groups and town halls, the school encourages students to have a well-rounded worldview.

However, according to Ben-Yehuda, more can be added to Campbell Hall’s sex education curriculum.

“If Campbell Hall truly wants to be more inclusive, they should talk about gay sex [too],” said Ben-Yehuda. “They should totally cover intercourse between same-gendered partners. That was never covered, and it should be especially because a part of Campbell Hall’s students is questioning or part of the LGBTQ+ community. That would be such a vital component to add.”

of young girls polled learned about std's and hiv before having sex, a decline from the previous 94% of girls

of young boys polled did not leaern about birth control before having sex gutmatcher.org

orth Hollywood, CA—It’s that time of year again, folks! The halls of Campbell Hall are filled with seas of blue, green, yellow and red, and not just from red spirit gear, if you know what we mean (we mean blood, okay!).

Students come from far and wide to participate in Campbell Hall’s most popular, and deadly, event of the year: Color Wars.

While many freshmen refused to comment on the ever so popular spirit week, claiming their “lives are at risk” and “please for the love of God help us!” one freshman, Lily Ohlordhelpme (25), had this to say on the event.

“I’m scared,” Ohlordhelpme said. “The seniors are out for blood. This year they seem to be worse, too. I’m not sure if it’s from the isolation they’ve endured due to quarantine or the desire to show their grade's dominance, but, either way, us freshmen are in danger.”

The seniors, however, feel that the freshmen are overreacting to what is supposed to be a fun and friendly event.

A senior representative, Carsey Diefreshmandie (21), hopes all the freshmen know that it is safe to come to school and that they very much should.

“Come on!” Diefreshmandie said. “It’s all in good fun.

It’s tradition for crying out loud! I swear, everyone’s blowing this out of proportion. Freshman, don’t be scared and come to school. We don’t bite!”

Despite Diefreshmandie’s claim, there have been a series of bitings taking place this year. One of the bitten students, Marco Helpme (25), fears for the lives of him and his classmates.

“It’s oozing,” Helpme said. “When I was bit, I swear foam was spewing out of its mouth. They’re monsters! I heard them talking earlier when I was trapped in a locker.

Nothing was comprehensible. Mainly just chanting. Before I could hear anything juicy however, they sniffed out my fear and grabbed me. That’s when I was bit.”

One of these biting students, Gregory Jaws (21) feels the freshman aren't finding the true meaning of spirit week.

“Okay first of all,” Jaws said. “Bites build character. You think Steve Jobs got where he was without some scabs along the way? Helen Keller was blind, deaf and brilliant for crying out loud! They should only be so lucky.”

Parents of both freshmen and seniors are concerned.

One senior parent and Diefreshmandie’s mom, Mary Ann Diefreshmandie, worries for her daughter along with the safety of the seniors' victims.

“Our real last name is Smith,” Diefreshmandie/Smith said. “I feared this would happen, I heard stories about the seniors transforming during spirit week, but I never imagined it would happen to my sweet Carsey. Whatever she told you, DO NOT LISTEN! She’ll say anything to get the freshman on campus. They’re hungry for blood.”

Teacher’s claim this may be the worst case of Color Wars they have ever seen. One teacher who feels especially worried for the freshman, Grant Gooney, advises the freshman to stay inside and lock their doors.

“It’s not safe here for freshmen,” Gooney said. “I’ve witnessed more today than anyone should see in a lifetime, and it's only 10am! Even as teachers we fear for our lives.

They don't even seem human anymore, especially due to all the growling.”

It is true that the seniors are slowly turning more and more animalistic this spirit week. Many aren't even recognizable through the dousings of blue paint covering them head to toe and the hungry, soulless, eyes that now lie on their face. Despite their lack of soul, the seniors do feel their grade is more unified than ever before. Due to this, senior Anthony Rawr (21) is especially saddened by the freshman’s lack of spirit.

“This spirit week we’ve been more proficient than ever before!” Rawr said. “I can catch like six freshman at once which really does save a ton of time. The freshmen deserve it. I mean, they didn’t even congratulate us on how good we are at hurting them, whether it be with teeth, darts (there have been a series of dart stab wounds this year) or simply our bare hands. Instead, all they’ve done is cry, whine, and say stupid things like ‘please stop I want to live!!’ Really disappointed in their lack of sportsmanship. I say go get em boys.”

When we visited freshman Remi Oww (25) from her hospital bed, where she has been since being trampled by seniors while walking into school, she expressed the fear she now lives with.

“When I close my eyes, all I see is blue, blue, blue,” Oww said. “It haunts me, follows me. I don’t think I’m going back until I’m a senior and the cycle continues.”

One senior, Brian Fearme (21), who is responsible for newfound blindness of one freshman girl, only had this to say: “GRRRRRRRR ARGHAHAHAHA!!!!”

Well we had more interviews lined up, unfortunately, we were unable to get them after the school was set on fire by a group of deranged seniors. “Arson!!!” They all chanted as blue flames surrounded the halls. Through the smoke, all that could be seen was a giant sign that read, “Until next year, xoxo, Seniors.” * All names are fake... or are they?

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

12

OPINION

My experience of having a third back surgery

The Recovery Process: Sadie Farley (21) resting as she recovers from a third back surgery.

Joining the Empire: Matt Rose (22) is on the Empire’s side as he poses with Darth Vader.

MATT ROSE PHOTO

Star Wars

The Empire are the true heroes

MATT ROSE WRITER

W

hen you think of Star Wars, you think of the Jedi. The foundational remembrance most have when they first see “Star Wars” is gazing upon these glittering space wizards as they tilt their laser swords and defeat their grim, merciless enemy of sith. These supposedly “evil” space wizards tote much cooler, red laser swords and quarrel with the Jedi throughout the entire franchise. Although these Jedi are established as the heroes of the Star Wars franchise, it’s clear through deeper analysis of the proceedings of the Jedi Council that they are profoundly flawed.

The same goes for the aforementioned enemy of the Jedi who carry red lightsabers: the Sith and Galactic Empire are portrayed as the power-hungry, bloodthirsty, evil guys, but in reality, they just have an agenda they want to fulfill, one that’s actually more logical and less detrimental to the general public than the Jedi’s.

The Jedi believe in mind-controlling diplomacy, something that is demonstrated in the roots of their recruitment process. If a child is born being force-sensitive, the Jedi scoop them away as toddlers to mold them into trained assassins and simultaneously force them to wear the Jedi attire, which is basically a glorified bathrobe. Before a child could even learn to develop basic cognition, they are ripped away involuntarily from the grip of their parents. Then they are forced to train every day in tumultuous environments without regard for the psychological damage taking a three-year-old from their family would have.

This same trauma is the roots of Anakin Skywalker’s hatred and cynical descent into Darth Vader, for he was ripped apart from his mother at the ripe age of nine. His mom was then left in slavery by the Jedi and nev-

er once checked up upon, which lead to her death, and thus Anakin spiraled into intense animosity and distrust towards the Jedi Council.

The Sith however have a coherent and rational way of recruiting where the leader enlists an apprentice who takes their place at the time of death. The Sith are righteous with their own beliefs, and The Empire is honest and determined to make the galaxy a better place. In the “Han Solo” movie, we even see that the Imperial Storm Troopers are enlisted like a normal army, not ripped away and enslaved. We see the benefits of teamwork and kindness shown throughout the Storm Trooper ranks.

Also, life under the Empire was not bad.

It is only because we see the movies through the exclusive lens of the Jedi trying to take down the Empire that pushes the viewer to develop hostility towards them. The Jedi’s only motivation for this is plain to make sure their race of Jedi remains in the position of power. However, in the time they oversee power, intergalactic civil war, genocide, despair and unrest riddles the galaxy.

Under the Empire and Sith, things are actually quite stable.

Star Wars is essentially a story of political drama, and therefore to reinforce that the Empire was, in fact, better than the Jedi and Republic, we must look at their political rule. During Republic rule, the Senate was invested with rampant self-interest and a feckless, corrupt nature. The Republic was only concerned with the prosperity of a few core planets, exploiting almost 90 percent of the galaxy’s other planets for resources to serve themselves. This left the general public with worlds profuse with smuggling, slavery, piracy and crime. However, when the Empire takes control, less violence and galactic unity ensues. The Empire’s system, in which they partitioned the galaxy into sectors to be individually governed by Moffs,

Ike’s Likes and Dislikes: Student Store Edition

Empty student store: Ike Weissman (21) sits in an empty student store that was once filled with lots of students, food, and drinks.

matt rose

In reality, they have an agenda that’s actually more logical and less detrimental to the general public than the Jedi’s junior

was fluid and successful. Within the Tarkin doctrine, the Grand Moff explains that they created a previously nonexistent unity of star systems in which they did things like liberate almost 100 planets, keep the spaceways safe, maintain communication between planets and assure fair tax levies that were actually used to improve galaxy-wide infrastructure.

The Jedi themselves are prime conservationists of corruption. Their willingness to protect and provide for the Republic, albeit an unscrupulous form of government, shows that they weren’t the perfect paragons of peace the movies sculpt them to be. In fact, they go so far to protect their power they can’t even trust each other. For example, they boot Ashoka Tano out of the Jedi order for a crime she didn’t even commit.

When she is later found innocent, she still chooses to leave the Jedi order as she finally realizes the venal nature of it. This same epiphany is shared by Count Dooku, Barriss Offee, Ben Solo and countless other former Jedi who understood the fraudulent disposition of the Jedi Order and consequently left.

In all, although there is much more I could say that proves the fiasco of the Jedi and Republic, as well as give plaudits to the Sith and Empire for what they did; hopefully some of these basic political and moral decisions each party made will show who the real heroes were.

IKE WEISSMAN WRITER

I

t’s official: I miss the student store. I know that I haven’t always been the biggest supporter of the store. Italian Tuesdays are still god awful, and the Chinese Chicken salad is nowhere near as good as the actual Joan’s on Third one. In addition, the increased prices are absolutely ridiculous. That being said, if there is one thing I’ve learned over the last year, it is that I took the student store for granted.

The last year hasn’t gone as planned to say the least. Up until the last few weeks, the school has almost been entirely virtual, and with that comes having lunch at home most days. Don’t get me wrong, my dad makes a solid turkey sandwich, but when

SADIE FARLEY WRITER

I

t was supposed to be the simplest one, my third back surgery. I was informed it would be a simple one inch cut from the front, and the surgery would last one hour and a half, at the longest. I was told that recovery would be two weeks, possibly even faster. I was also told that even during the pandemic, the hospital would be okay for my chosen guest and me. At least, that is what I was told. Although none of it actually happened.

My surgery itself took about six hours. I was opened front and back, adding two new scars. My recovery was almost six weeks, and the hospital kicked my mom out since I had just turned 18. This just so happened to be the most complicated back surgery to date. I did not expect everything to be flipped. However, I also did not expect another back surgery.

Over the summer of 2020, I started to lose feeling in my right leg. I remember the exact moment when I noticed the difference of touch between my two legs. It was when I accidentally cut my right leg on a wooden bench and did not feel anything, and then I later noticed something dripping down my leg and found out I was bleeding. After cleaning my new wound, I noticed how hard I had to press down to still barely feel my hands. Yet, while my other leg was perfectly normal to feel. That is when I decided to ignore this problem, as I did not want to accept the reality of another back surgery. It would have worked if I did not start feeling an aggravating pain in my lower spine again.

Once I realized my fate, I did not want to tell anyone. It almost felt embarrassing that I had to go through this yet again. The first one felt like a bad accident. The second one was bad luck. But this one, it felt like it was all on me.

Or at least that is what I told myself. I kept thinking about things I could have done differently. If maybe I didn’t sleep on my stomach, or I didn’t work out or didn’t start dancing again.

All I wanted to do was be my normal self, but of course, I failed at that too. So I did my best to keep my third back surgery under the wraps.

I don’t think I realized that I wasn’t alone until I was constantly being asked how I was doing.

Everyone seemed to care about how I was doing, even more than I did.

Before every back surgery, I expect it to be easy. Even though I have memories of feeling miserable after each, I still expect myself to make a quick and easy recovery. Of course, that never happens. Especially this time, since this was the most complicated one, it took extra recovery. Extra recovery meant I felt extra weak. I felt extra reluctant to try to get back up.

you’re eating it for the third day in a row, you find yourself dreaming of Chef David’s BBQ. Chef David is a Campbell Hall legend, and we need him now more than ever.

The student store isn’t perfect. There’s a lot to improve, but it is definitely underappreciated. Plus, there is no way that students will be able to focus in class without the opportunity to get a snack during the day. Throughout the school day, I have found myself starving at times, even though that can partly be blamed on my laziness for not taking the time to make myself a proper lunch each morning.

I have a proposal that could allow the student store to work safely. I believe it is best if we set up mini student stores at different places on campus that sell snacks,

drinks and a few options for lunch. Not only has this worked in the past, but it also results in a safe environment. Although the student store is providing us the opportunity to order lunch ahead of time, there has to be a way on campus to access drinks and snacks throughout the entire day, especially for those who are lazy like me who often forget to order ahead of time.

Look, to put things simply, I need food in my body in order to focus in class. If students are not fed throughout the day they won’t be able to focus because I know I am not the only one who has trouble paying attention when they are hungry. I am calling upon Campbell Hall, Bevaris and Chef David himself to come up with a solution to allow us to buy food during the day safely.

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

13

OPINION

Intersectional Activism Following the Atlanta shooting in March, Taylor Huie was able to see the intersectionality ingrained in activism

THE FALL OF BLACK LIVES MATTER

TAYLOR HUIE WRITER

M

ost problems are inherently complex, yet we live in a society that favors simplicity. What results is that we try to reduce problems to a single aspect in order to make them more easily digestible.

However, social media values brevity and concise wording, infographics delivering only the essential information. This amplifies our bias towards simplicity, and can rapidly lead to oversimplification.

Such oversimplification can easily be demonstrated in activism. The issues that activists tackle are often multifaceted and interconnected. However, activists often reduce such issues to independent, isolated events. This allows a tendency to advocate for singular issues to flourish, leading to proposed solutions that insufficiently address the underlying problem.

Treating issues singularly and independently disregards the intersection between them, minimizing and even ignoring adjacent issues.

The issues of class and socioeconomic status are fundamentally entwined with issues of race given the United States’ systems of oppression.

But simply calling attention to class but not acknowledging the broader implications with regards to marginalized racial groups fails to address the complexities underlying poverty, health equity and education. Though many people may not recognize it, all issues are interconnected. Ignoring this can create a divisive narrative that risks exacerbating the very issue you attempt to address.

Most recently, the Atlanta shooting exemplifies this very danger. After the tragedy, two prominent narratives emerged: one focusing on violence against women, the other on anti-Asian racism. The two were treated as separate, individual transgressions, but the crucial intersection between the two went largely unrecognized. Viewing the shooting as simply an issue of race, or as solely a result of misogyny limits the narrative, ultimately resulting in solutions and advocacy that further divides the community, instead of uniting. The vulnerability inherent to Asian women overlaps with those of Asian individuals as well as those of women: xenophobia and objectification, respectively. But Asian women are subject to unique and particular fetishization that is not applicable to either group individually; that is, viewed as exotic, meek and sexually submissive.

Advocating on the basis that the shooting was either misogynistic or racist provides a dangerously accessible platform for one-dimensional solutions that aren’t adequate. You bypass the key intersectionality that’s crucial to forming comprehensive solutions. Eliminating the anti-Asian sentiment still leaves behind objectification, and vice versa. Approaching such a multi-dimensional issue from just one perspective without considering compounding factors will never address the “exotic” and “submissive” characterization, leaving Asian women just as vulnerable as they were before.

This pattern of reducing multifaceted issues to a single point of attack has been applied to numerous issues, both historically and currently. Activists have fallen into a cycle of proposing singular solutions that aren’t sustainable, further exacerbating the issue. The oversimplification has become a danger to meaningful change.

The risk in this selective activism, intentional or not, is that it minimizes adjacent issues, effectively preventing comprehensive and lasting change. It’s unrealistic and frankly unfair to expect people to care about and spread awareness of every issue—it’s just not possible. All I ask is that when you do advocate for marginalized groups, you don’t do so in an exclusionary way. Provide proper context around the overlap with other issues and understand intersectionality not as an ancillary issue, but rather a fundamental part of addressing them.

ANGEL SANTIAGO PHOTO A Drop in Support: Izzie Diallo (23) recognizes the decline of support from her peers now that a year has passed since the peak of BLM support. Diallo spends her time trying to get educated and inform her friends about topics they may be uneducated on. “It’s painful to see people that I consider friends [only] supporting when the world is telling them they should,” Diallo said. izzie diallo

IZZIE DIALLO WRITER

L

ast May, after the murder of George Floyd, I had never seen so many people saying three little letters that, for me, carried the weight of the world.

To some, it was posting a black square on Instagram because that’s what everyone else was doing and they didn’t want to feel racist.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is not a trend, it is a phrase with an intense and powerful history, and it needs to be said and understood yearround. For me, it was people finally speaking up about something I had known my entire life. People were finally choosing to be educated about police brutality; I never had a choice. For as long as I can remember, there was one simple thing I had to get in my head no matter how hard it might be to accept: the police are made to protect and serve, but not to protect me.

I never understood why the death of George Floyd sparked such a spike in support for

I think I speak for thousands when I say that empty support means nothing. sophomore

BLM, because to me, a Black man dying at the hands of the police was no surprise. The police kneeling on another human being’s neck was not a surprise to me because, in my mind, the police did not look at George Floyd as just another human being. They saw nothing past the color of his skin and they killed him because of it. They had done it before to Eric Garner, and they had done it again, this time to George Floyd. It was the same story with a different name. This did not make it any less disgusting, gut-wrenching, painful or hard to hear. This does not mean that I don’t choke up talking about it; all it means is that because of my skin color, the thought of po-

lice brutality has been normalized to me.

All of a sudden, as the months progressed, I started hearing people speak up less, post less and care less. While I knew that did not mean my life did not matter, it meant that people no longer felt it was necessary to say that Black Lives Matter. Then, months of silence later, after many more Black lives had been lost due to police brutality, the death penalty and basic racism, Daunte Wright’s life was unjustly stolen at the hands of a police officer, and all of a sudden, people cared again.

People were speaking up again in an effort to prove they were not racist by reposting something about police brutality.

I always knew, but it was at this moment that I truly understood, that there was no question that strangers, classmates and even my friends were performative activists and performative allies. It was a heartbreaking realization, but one that I had to come to terms with. This does not mean do not speak up.

Always use your voice for those who have been silenced and for those who have been lost, but do not say it if you do not believe it. If you are only posting Black Lives Matter so that the Black people in your life do not think you’re racist or so that you yourself do not think you are racist, then don’t waste yours or my time pretending that you care. I think I speak for thousands when I say that empty support means nothing.

As I write this about one week after the needless murder of Daunte Wright, I realize people have once again fallen silent. Daunte Wright is being ignored or forgotten just as hundreds of murdered Black people have been. On April 20, 2021, a Jury declared Derek Chauvin guilty for murder in the second and third degree, as well as manslaughter in the second degree. Suddenly, people care again. Minutes after the jury made their decision, social media was once again flooded with people speaking up about BLM and I have to once again question if they actually care, or if to them it is just another trend.

Black Lives Matter is and has always been more than a trend, and it is time people get that through their heads. It was not created in 2020 after the death of George Floyd; it began in 2013 after the murder of Trayvon Martin. It shouldn’t have had to be said then or now, no one should have to protest that their life matters, it should be a common fact that Black Lives Matter, but for some reason, it just wasn’t. While to some, it might just be three small words strung together in what is sometimes a trending hashtag, to me it is people finally confronting the fact that my life and millions of others matter.

Xenophobia : Impact on me and my family’s life AMELIE WRITER

I

PARK

knew I was different when I showed up to my kindergarten class with Korean food that my mom had packed me for lunch while the rest of the kids strictly ate Lunchables and whatever food they offered at the cafeteria. They mocked my food and sat with their backs turned to me, and I didn’t know how to confront anybody about it. I was alone during recess, spending more time with the teachers than the kids my age. From that day on, I forbid my mom from packing me any food that she made, but instead a ham and cheese sandwich in the infamous Ziplock baggie that everybody else used.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I had my first real encounter with racism. “Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees” was chanted through-

out recess whenever I came out to play, and some kids even pulled back the corners of their eyes to tell me that they looked “like me.”

I wasn’t Chinese or Japanese, but I couldn’t control the way I looked.

As I gazed at the ocean of kids, I knew I was outnumbered by the pale skin and light-colored eyes, complemented with blonde or brown hair. I never understood how different I was from anybody else, I could speak English and wore the same clothes as them, but apparently, that was never enough.

The hike in anti-Asian hate crimes has been fostered by social media and ignorance by those who have partaken in the violence. The attacks on elders is summed up by this sentiment that has been witnessed throughout the pandemic, blaming the “Wuhan virus” or rather the “China virus” altogether. This term was coined from former President Trump and used to justify anti-Asian xenophobia

globally. With this, some believe they have license to attack whoever they please and the discrimination shapes the perception of Asians and Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners.

In light of recent events, I could only think of these haunting memories as I simply walked down the street a couple weeks ago; however, it was difficult to see the brighter side of things when the cars driving past would come to a halt. The anonymous being rolled down their window and spat at me, laughing and happily driving away, as if they had accomplished something so great. I stood there frozen; in disgust, fear and anger all while passing pedestrians minded their business.

I fear the news and avoid it as much as I can, running away from the headlines that mention stabbings, shootings and violence against Asian Americans. I fear for my grandma, who lives alone in a

tiny apartment right in the heart of the destruction. She leaves family dinners early to head inside before sundown. She no longer takes her daily walk around the block, nor does she participate in Friday night’s bingo. No longer able to see her friends, she is cooped up inside her home, hoping that the violence in the world may soon end.

It also breaks my heart telling my younger sister what is going on in the world that results in us not being able to walk down the street to get our favorite frozen yogurt or even going out for weekly taco nights at our favorite Mexican restaurant. None of these factors are in my control, yet I wish I could make all the changes at once.

We are not threats; we are not the division; we are not the menace. Humanity must recognize its origins, embrace and accept our multicultural species and preface that our differences should be a unifying force, not a divisive one.

14

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

OPINION

Editorial

PIPER

THE

Returning to campus

Student newspaper of Campbell Hall School 4533 Laurel Canyon Blvd.

Studio City, CA 91607 (818) 505-5325

It feels so good to be back

Editor-In-Chief Jeremy Frank Issues Editor Kayla Francais News Editor Iliana Kleiner Features Editor Amanda Sedaka

Back on the senior patio: Seniors return to the senior patio, socializing while keeping the proper distance from each other.

IKE WEISSMAN PHOTO

A

fter 13 months of long school days from our beds, waking up just minutes before class and squeezing meals in during “passing period,” the wait to return to school was finally over. To say that we were excited was an understatement. The idea of waking up earlier, although not ideal, was actually something to look forward to if it meant we could all be on campus with one another again.

Daily social interaction was something that was lacking in all of our lives, and even being back socially distanced with masks allowed us to socialize with all of our friends once again. Seeing smiling faces from underneath masks and waving “hi” to teachers from across the hall was a feeling that we all had missed.

We appreciate the school’s efforts to make the transition back to school as safe as possible. The technology in place in the classrooms makes it possible for students who are not yet comfortable returning to school to have a positive classroom-like experience. Students in the class are able to interact with those at home and vice versa.

However, oftentimes, it can be difficult for students at home to hear what is going on inside the classroom, especially when there are smaller side conversations or when the teacher is not speaking loud enough. There have been many times where teachers in the classroom fail to remember that there are still students at home and only teach to those in front of them, making it difficult for the hybrid students to learn.

In terms of classroom safety, we commend the school for having rules in place that prioritize the health of faculty and students, such as wiping our desks down after usage, socially distant desks and having COVID-19 safety monitors walking around.

More specifically, as a senior editorial staff, we truly enjoyed the allotted time for only seniors to return before the rest of secondary was invited back to campus. Those two weeks at the end of April allowed us to reconnect with our friends and made us feel special. Although many may feel like COVID-19 ruined the senior year that we had high expectations for, Campbell Hall faculty and staff have all been so kind in helping us make the most of the time we have left.

That being said, we still feel like there is room for improvement. Starting with the student store, we feel that it is important to give students access to food and drink throughout the day in order to optimize their focus in the classroom. We understand that this might impose a safety issue, but having packaged snacks available for purchase would be ideal.

In addition, we would like to be able to attend sporting events if possible, especially us seniors.

We all feel that we are missing out on school spirit with regards to sports, and we want to at least experience some of that this year. We understand that crowding together is not allowed, and that is not what we are asking for. School spirit is one of the most important characteristics of Campbell

editorial board

Although many feel like COVID-19 ruined the senior year that we had high expectations for, Campbell hall staff have all been so kind in helping us make the most of the time we have left. seniors

Hall, and it makes our school so special. We hope that the school can find a way to implement a way for us to be spirited together, whether that is by attending sports games or potentially having another spirit week when everyone is on campus.

Lastly, as COVID-19 vaccines are now available to those 16 and over, we wish that the school could designate a small area of the senior patio for those who are vaccinated Those who are vaccinated could also be the ones attending sporting events. A potential solution would be to have a small sticker on our ID cards that indicates whether or not a student is vaccinated.

Overall, we praise Campbell Hall for all their efforts to make the transition back to school relatively seamless. We truly enjoy being back in classrooms and interacting with students and faculty.

Pressu re of the c o lle ge pro c e s s Noa Schwartz WRITER

J

ust as I am seeing the end of the college process for seniors, I am starting at the beginning. I’m searching for the place I will spend at least the next four years of my life; spending time scrolling through college ranking pages, pouring over guide books, visiting countless college websites, doing webinars and going on tours all in hopes of finding the perfect fit for me. My entire high school experience has led up to this moment. It’s what dominates the anxious part of my brain that won’t let me relax at night.

As I approach the point of submitting my applications, I can’t help but wonder: have I done enough? After all, compared to the thousands of worthy candidates with internships, community service hours, sporting talents, leadership positions and straight A’s, I

simply don’t stack up. On paper, I will surely fall short.

This fear began to grow into certainty just as the Netflix documentary “Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal” came out. It documented how dozens, maybe even hundreds of prospective students got into their college of choice through a “side door,” or to put it in simpler terms, through bribes. Millions of dollars were poured into getting the children of hollywood’s elite into top universities, and it worked. For the rest of us, the 99.9 percent who can’t pay millions of dollars and risk jail time, it seems pretty pointless, doesn’t it? After all, if you have to go through illegal avenues to get someone into a top college in the United States, what chance do I have?

I have not driven myself to insanity over college, unlike many of my peers bound for Ivy League colleges. I didn’t take that extra AP class. I didn’t take that overwhelm-

ing hard CHAI class. I didn’t do the extra few hours to ensure I won the community service award. I have been balanced, and in doing so, I am afraid that I’ve cost myself my future. It is my fault I won’t get into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UCLA or Stanford. It’s a reflection on my character, of my weakness, on how I haven’t been able to rise to the accession of my peers.

Even if I never wanted to go to one of those schools, it still hurts to admit that I could never get in if I wanted to. It hurts to know that I am not enough. But, enough for what? For whom? Who am I trying to impress? I don’t want to attend a school based solely on status or because I think it will “look good.” People won’t be asking me in twenty years why I didn’t go to a top-tier college. It’s four years of my life exploring who I am. I will have fun and learn so much regardless. So… is it really worth all this anxiety? The truth is, no. It does not matter.

It’s so easy to get trapped in the endless rabbit hole of online opinion and college prep that you can forget what college is: an experience. It’s not a medal or competition, an obstacle or bragging rights.

It’s just for you. Though this may seem fairly obvious, I’ve started to be more excited than terrified at the prospect of applying to colleges.

Are all the schools I am applying to insanely prestigious? No. Will I get into all of my top choices? Almost certainly not. Not only is that not the end of the world, but it is also normal.

It may seem like college is the summit of what we have all been working so hard for all these years, but the reality is it’s just the beginning. You are going to make friends, have unforgettable experiences and learn something about yourself along the way, regardless of its rank in U.S. News. I won’t let my acceptance letter define my self-worth. There are many more exciting things ahead of me.

Opinion Editor Ike Weissman Sports Editor Charlie Cohen Assistant Sports Editor Jake Freedman Website Manager Sadie Farley Junior Editors Maggie Chiappetta-Uberti, Sophia Goldberg, JJ Hoffman, Taylor Huie, Lucy Kennel, Noa Schwartz Staff Writers Isabella Diallo, Lyla Horowitz, Amelie Park, Caroline Rehder, Lena Rohan, Matthew Rose, Samantha Sher, Symphony Smith, Lincoln Weisntock Photographers Austin Janavs, Angel Santiago, Sophia Pinkerton Illustrator Sarah Guessous Advisor Christine Gaul The mission of The Piper is to investigate and present the most relevant topics and issues pertaining to the lives of our school community. Truth, objectivity and accuracy are the primary goals of all staff members. Journalists uphold the right to express unpopular opinions or to agree with the majority and will never gather information in an inappropriate or unethical manner.

Furthermore, The Piper is intended to serve as a forum for student voices.

Advertisements follow the same scrutiny as all other material in the paper.

Advertisements are free of statements, illustrations and implications that are antithetical to our school values, based upon the opinion of the staff.

The unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent the opinion of the editorial staff.

Letters to the editor are encouraged and should be submitted to Ike Weissman weissmi@campbellhall.org. Letters should be concise, and the writer may ask to be printed anonymously.

Letters may not be printed if deemed inappropriate for print by The Piper editorial board.

The Piper distributes 1,000 copies, free of charge to the Campbell Hall community. The Piper is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

17

SPORTS

EVOLVING WITH

TIME

As norms surrounding issues such as gendr identity change at rapid pace, sports remain an area clouded with exclusiveness.

A poor fit: In high school athletics, non-gender-coforming atheletes often feel as if they don't have a place, as they are often not allowed to play with the gender they identify as.

NOA SCHWARTZ ILLUSTRATION SOPHIA GOLDBERG & SAM SHER WRITERS

I

t is a new highschool year and Lyla Horowitz (23) was ready and eager to join the basketball team. When signing up for the team you see a choice between girls and boys. Lyla feels this pressure come over them, for they do not identify with either gender options.

Lyla Horowtiz (23) has been faced with many challenges throughout their lifetime in regards to being non-bianary. They feel that the hardest thing they went through when they came out as non-binary was having to deal with the adjustment, since they have been going by she/her pronouns for 15 years. Being an athlete, seeing how people struggle with not being able to pursue the sport they love because of their gender identity has been hard to accept.

“For a lot of people, change or evolving is something that they run away from,” Horowtiz said.

“The big difference when it comes to sports is when puberty hits. I do not think that that should prohibit anyone from playing in a sport that they feel comfortable in. If a trans woman wants to play women’s sports she should be able to do that because she is a woman.”

Ren Levy (18) came out as non-binary and changed their name in 9th grade. Over their time at school, correcting people on pronouns and feeling like they found their place took time but finding a community was most important. While they didn’t play sports in high school, Levy knows that having a team can be empowering and can

build community for young people and they almost tried out for the football team to get that.

“I just know how important having a team and a community can be to people, especially young people,” Levy said. “The other most important thing is inclusivity. I think in all sports that's really important, but I also think when you're playing sports, especially for younger students, it can be really empowering to have a team there for you.”

Horowitrz feels that because they are non-biariny, it becomes more difficult to adapt to which team they should be a member of. In addition to this, they believe that sports should have optional co-ed teams in order for them to evolve.

“It’s girls basketball and guys basketball, girls soccer and guys soccer, being non-binary you don’t fit into either one of those teams,” Horowtiz said. “I wouldn’t feel like I would be successful on the guys basketball team. Even though it is not my gender, I feel most comfortable on the girls basketball team. I feel like it really comes down to what the individual themselves are feeling.”

Rob Wigod, commissioner of athletics at CIF, also known as the California Interscholastic Federation, for the Southern Section, believes that CIF is proactive in regards to transgender athletes. Wigod believes that there are guiddlines that positively affect trans-athletes.

“The guidelines have a process where the individual school that the student attends would make the initial decision in terms of which team

Potential reached

Facts: A representative study of individuals in grades nine through 12 showed that almost 44 percent of transgender youth reported considering suicide in the previous year The same study reports that approximately 59.4% of non-gender-conforming high school students report feelings of sadness or hopelessness Feb 2021 Center for American Progress

the student would be eligible to play for,” Wigod says. “If the student agrees with their decision, they will participate. If the school says no, then the student has the option to appeal this decision.

They would appeal that decision to the CIF State office.”

The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education network (GLSEN), which advocates for inclusion in athletics, identified that 17 states have policies that prohibit participation by transgender student athletes and 13 states have no standard, public policies that guide transgender inclusion in sports.

Levy feels that having clear policies will help support transgender and non-binary students who want to participate in sports.

“It shouldn't just be up to any random coach, whether or not trans people should be allowed to play in the sport,” Levy said. “The regulation for non-discriminatory rules should be put in place.”

Wigod always tries to emphasize to people that high school athletics are a valuable opportunity for students to learn and be part of something special, no matter how a student defines their gender identity. He supposes that as society alters, high school sports teams will follow along.

“If you want to find an example of how our society should be run, look at a high school sports team,” Wigod said. “You're going to have students of different colors who speak different languages, from different places, who may or may not have the same social or economic status. They come together and become a team while maintaining the same goal. It sets such an amazing and inspiring example that people should follow.”

As Jordan Cohen (17) begins his professional basketball career in Israel, he reflects on how he got to this point, and on what he thinks will take him further.

IKE WEISSMAN WRITER

D

iscipline, dedication, and ambition are three characteristics that Jordan Cohen (16) believes led him to play professional basketball.

This past year, Cohen moved to Israel to play professionally after four years of playing at the collegiate where he was a guard for Lehigh University. He always had a goal of playing professional basketball, and he had recently become interested in playing in Israel.

“Well, it’s always been a dream of mine to play professional basketball,” Cohen said. “When I was in high school, I told my dad that I was going to get a scholarship to play basketball in college.

He didn’t believe me because I wasn’t the best player back then, but then that happened, and I was always focused on reaching that next level.

In my sophomore year of college, I played in the Maccabi games, a sports tournament in Israel, so I was out there for a few weeks. It allowed me to see the country along with other Jewish athletes from across the world, and I really enjoyed it here.

Even playing professionally, people say it’s one of the best places in the world to play because it’s so similar to home.”

Before Cohen played in college or the pros, he started his basketball journey at Campbell Hall.

He believes that his high school experience, as

JORDAN COHEN PHOTO PERMISSION

well as playing alongside future NBA player Aaron Holiday (15), helped him get to where he is today.

“I probably owe most of my success to playing at Campbell Hall,” Cohen said. “I was fortunate enough to have played with Aaron Holiday for three years, and his mindset on the basketball

court is that he’s the best player, and he’s going to show everyone that. I came to practice every day trying to become better and compete with Aaron, and that is the main reason why I’ve been able to achieve as much as I have. Campbell Hall was a great environment that pushed me on and off the court. It challenged me in all aspects of

my life and has been a big reason for me getting here.”

Cohen supports the idea of athletes playing professionally after finishing college. He encourages those who are very passionate about their sport to pursue an opportunity to play in another country.

“I would say definitely go for it,” Cohen said.

“I’m living in a different country right now, in a different culture with a different language. It is definitely difficult being so far away from my family, but at the end of the day I’m playing a game that I love to play and getting paid for it.

I’m really enjoying it, I’ve made many new friends and met people from all over the world. If you're interested and love to play that sport, I recommend you go for it.”

Cohen has accumulated many accomplishments throughout his basketball career, but he is always looking to the future, hoping to continue to grow and progress his skills.

“For me personally, I’m never really satisfied,” Cohen said. “If I achieve one goal, I’m already pushing for the next. Growing up I loved sports and I had two older brothers so I was very competitive with them. I’ve definitely been achieving a lot of my goals, but there is always more to improve on. I don’t know when I’ll be satisfied but maybe one day.”

THE PIPER

MAY 26, 2021

16

SPORTS

REDEFINING NORMS

When I needed it most: my thank you to golf

Athletes and administrator reflect on the cues from soceity that have constrained them in the world of sports

JAKE FREEDMAN WRITER

E

very kid has dreams: to become a doctor, a professional athlete or a superhero.

I had always thought I was going to become a Major League Baseball player, but as I got older, I knew that would never happen. My little league career (which felt like the major leagues) was over, and it was at that moment I knew my dream would not come true. If my all-star team could not make it to the state championship, then how could I become a professional? I pondered that question for a few weeks that summer, and then one day, my friend Ethan called me. He asked me if I wanted to go to the driving range with him, and I agreed; I never knew that day would change my life. I came home from the range, and I could not stop thinking about golf. All I wanted to do was play golf. We ended up spending the rest of the summer at the golf course.

Being the crazy sports fan that I am, I was not content with just playing golf; I wanted to know more about the professional game. Having already known what The Masters was, I started by finding videos of the tournament on Youtube. All I watched for almost a month straight were Masters videos until I got to know enough to be a real fan.

In the spring of 2016, I watched The Masters live on TV as a real fan for the first time. I could not be moved from the couch and saw every moment of the tournament. While Jordan Spieth’s collapse on the back nine on Sunday was heartbreaking, it made me even more of a fan, not just of Spieth, but of The Masters and golf in general. Ever since that week in the spring of 2016, Masters week has been my favorite week of the year.

When the pandemic hit and the world shut down, so did sports. At a time when I needed sports the most, they could not be there. As the pandemic wore on, it was apparent that golf was going to be the first sport back, and not just for PGA Tour competition. In May 2020, golf gave the world its first live sporting events in over two months, the “Taylormade Driving Relief” and “The Match: Champions for Change.” While the events did not count for the tour, they finally gave me something to root for. I was able to watch something and not know the outcome of the event before watching.

Facing a summer stuck at home, or at least not around many people, golf became my escape. Golf was the only sport on TV for almost two months, and I watched it every weekend from start to finish.

Not only did I watch golf on the weekends, I was on the course almost every day during the week.

In a time when I needed it most, golf was there to make life better. Not only because of what happened during the pandemic but also for the summer of 2015; I will be forever in debt to golf for changing my life.

Breaking barriers: A female football player looks up at the scoreboard, as the only girl on the team of a normally male-dominated sport.

JAKE FREEDMAN PHOTO LENA ROHAN WRITER

Y

oga mats, and a single weight rack; the inequality for the women competing in the NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments received national attention after it was addressed on social media.

During these tournaments, the amount of equipment in the women’s facilities compared to the men’s sparked a nationwide debate about the disparity in the attention given to female teams and male teams both by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the schools themselves. While this instance of inequality was seen by millions of people, there are many other instances of gender discrimination in sports that go unnoticed.

Lyla Dintzer (22), a member of the cheer team and boys’ basketball and football team manager, has heard her peers make sexist comments in regards to her being a cheerleader. She finds that this behavior is a result of movies, books and social media.

“I cheerlead because I enjoy the sport,” Dintzer said. “I have great teammates; I love watching football and supporting my school. Social media has told me that cheerleaders can’t be smart, which is ridiculous [because] my sport doesn’t determine my intelligence. I want to enjoy my sport

without having to worry about what people think of me.”

Dintzer doesn’t just encounter sexism while cheerleading, she hears many of these remarks directed at her passion for watching sports. She started watching football games at the age of five to get closer to her family, and she grew to become a fan of various other sports. Even as a long-time fan, she still has to prove herself as a fan to people who diminish her interest in athletics.

“Especially when I was younger, people wouldn’t believe that I watched football,” Dintzer said. “I would actually have to convince them that I watched sports and that I knew about [the rules of the] game and the players. My brother never had to prove he watched sports. People assume that I pretend to like sports; that I don’t actually watch them, I don’t like them or any other excuse, [just] because they can’t comprehend that females also can be fans of teams.”

Similarly, David O’Mara (22), a football player, has heard and seen discrimination against female athletes on multiple occasions. He believes that female athletes are always being looked over and notes how this discrimination begins at a shockingly young age.

“In football, girls who try out for the football team are laughed at by people,” O’Mara said. “I

A dream achieved JAKE FREEDMAN WRITER

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Foul shot: Mike Meadows (18), prepares to shoot a free throw during Eastern Washington’s 9384 loss to Kansas on March 20, in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Photo with permission from Mike Meadows.

or every child that grows up playing basketball, getting a chance to play during the NCAA’s March Madness tournament is a lifelong dream.

Since Mike Meadows (18), was a child, he shared that dream of playing in the NCAA’s signature event. In March of 2021, that dream became a reality, when he played for Eastern Washington University in the first round of the tournament.

“I think it’s everyone’s dream to play in the tournament who plays basketball,” Meadows said. “It’s the biggest stage in college basketball, so it’s definitely awesome to be a part of. Being a part of the tournament was an indescribable feeling and is all that I have strived for in college basketball.”

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Meadows and his teammates had to go through different procedures than in years past, which included a 36-hour quarantine upon arrival, but these changes did not take away from the special feeling of being in the tournament.

think it’s out of line. If a man wanted to try cheerleading, it wouldn’t be as looked down upon as a woman trying out for the football team. It’s interesting to see how [difficult] it is for women trying to get into professional sports starts in high school.”

While it is a challenging world for female athletes, O’Mara believes that these unfair societal standards women are expected to uphold don’t necessarily apply to Campbell Hall athletics. For the most part, he feels that the school is doing what they can to make sports equal for both genders.

“For all the dominantly unisex sports, I think Campbell Hall is doing a good job in spreading the field and getting girls involved in sports,” O’Mara said. “It’s not looked down upon for a girl to play a sport at Campbell Hall, if anything [they are] praised [for it].”

Jennifer Prince, the assistant director of athletics and middle school athletic director, has experienced the reality of being a female in sports at both the high school and the college level.

However, she has also witnessed that as time progresses, the divide between men and women in athletics has lessened, with plenty more still left to be done.

“Transitioning from an athlete to a coach, and now [to] an athletic director, I feel that it is my obligation to use my expe-

lyla dintzer

Social media has taught me that cheerleaders can’t be smart, which is ridiculous [because] my sport doesn’t determine my inteligence. junior

riences and leadership to work hard every day to continue to help close that gap,” Prince said.

“Every day, the staff and athletic directors evaluate how our athletic department can provide an equal playing field for both our male and female athletes. From the similarities in our uniforms to creating practice schedules with equal time, we take pride in creating an equal environment for all of our athletes.”

Prince thinks that everyone in the athletic world needs to hear other athletes’ stories and observations in order to have a greater understanding of the issue.

“I think one of the most important things coaches and athletes can do is listen,” Prince said.

“It is important for athletes, male and female, to know that they are being heard. Another important way to help eliminate inequalities is to be able to see both sides and educate one another. There are times when these inequalities happen behind the scenes, and people may or may not know they exist. Teamwork is key.”

Mike Meadows (18) fulfills his lifelong goal of playing in March Madness “Being in the bubble was a different experience, to say the least,” Meadows said. “After a while, you forget that you’re stuck and just enjoy the experience. I had a great time.”

The tournament was played as normal as possible, despite the new safety protocols due to COVID-19; those changes also extended to who, and the number of people allowed to watch the games in person changed as well.

“The only thing that was different about the tournament compared to what I had imagined was just a very spaced out crowd and minimal fans,” Meadows said. “Other than that, the experience of being at the tournament was everything I had dreamed of.”

In order to get into the tournament, Meadows and his team had to win their conference championship. Although he knew that winning the game would give him the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream, Meadows’ mind was focused instead on the current task at hand.

“Honestly, in the championship game of the Big Sky tournament, I was so [focused] on finishing off the game that I couldn’t even think about playing in March Madness until the final buzzer went off,” Meadows said.

“That’s when it all hit me that I was going to get a chance to play on college basketball’s biggest stage.”

In his one and only game in the tournament, his 14-seeded EWU Eagles faced off against three seeded Kansas, and while they ultimately lost the game, there was a moment during the game that Meadows believed that they could pull off the upset.

“There was a point in the game where I made a layup, and we went up eight points in the second half,” Meadows said. “I was very confident at that point that we were in a position to win the game and pull off a historic upset over such a storied powerhouse.”

After an amazing and historic season at EWU, Meadows decided to move on and transfer to the University of Portland.

“I ultimately decided to transfer to University of Portland because my head coach at Eastern Washington University went there along with a few of my teammates,” Meadows said. “I felt like I would have more of a chance to consistently compete on a bigger stage and to make it back to the tournament at Portland.”