OCTOBER 14, 2020
NEWS
THE BULL'S EYE
3
Record-breaking fires spread across West Coast For several months, the natural disaster has continued its rampage. Emily Koh feature Editor The West Coast is well known for its sunny weather, beautiful beaches and its tendency to catch on fire. This year is already the worst fire season on record with sweeping blazes across California, Washington and Oregon. As of Oct. 11, there have been over 8,400 wildfires in California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Since the beginning of this year, over four million acres of the state have burned, resulting in 31 fatalities and 9,200 structures destroyed. The fires stretch from the Northern Bay Area to the area surrounding Los Angeles, with several fires along the Sierra Nevada mountains as well. “We’ve broken almost every record there is to break,” climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a New York Times article regarding the fires. The largest fire in California is the August Complex in Northern California, which was ignited by lightning strikes on Aug. 17 and has burned over 878,470 acres of
land; so far it is only 45 percent contained. According to the New York Times, although many of the fires are a result of natural and human causes, outdated forest management practices and climate change are only fanning the flames of these vast fires. One fire that has gone viral over social media is the El Dorado fire that was caused by a smoke device used in a gender reveal photo shoot, according to NBC Los Angeles. The flames took the life of firefighter Charles Morton and resulted in 13 injuries to other fire personnel and civilians. The fire started on Sept. 5 and is still actively burning, affecting the San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Another human-caused fire affecting Riverside County is the Cherry Valley fire, which has also been called the Apple Fire. The fire was ignited by a vehicle’s tailpipe on July 31 and the fire is still active, Cal Fire officials have stated that it was the burning carbon from the exhaust system that lit the flame. So far the fire has burned over 30,000 acres of land. “If we could bar people from going into the forests and starting fires, that would help. If we could stop climate change, that would help. Better forest management would help,” Daniel Jaffe, a professor at the University of Washington said. “But right now, it combined
into the perfect storm.” Along the West Coast, millions of people have either been directly affected by the fires or fallen victim to the poor air quality caused by subsequent smoke and ash. Over the past few weeks, Diamond Bar residents have experienced orange skies, “raining” ash and smoke-polluted air. This was most likely an outcome of the Bobcat Fire which is currently active in Los Angeles County. The fire began on Sept. 6, but the cause of the fire is still unclear. ABC7 news states that the Southern California Edison company’s equipment may have started the fire and is currently under investigation. It may seem that California is enduring the worst of the fires now, but as climatologist Bill Patzert told the Los Angeles Times, there are still two months left of this fire season. With an incoming heatwave and intense winds, new fires will ignite and preexisting ones that are nearly contained will be at risk of eruption. “The broad confluence of factors that you got there in California — the Mediterranean climate, the [dead trees] in the Sierra and then over 2 million properties at risk — shouldn’t be a surprise,” said Tom Harbour, retired fire chief of the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s trite to say [but] this isn’t the worst of it.
USB starts off year with stricter budget usb from p.1
Graphic courtesy of COLLEGE BOARD
Concerns raised over online exams ap from p.1 this year’s exam. “My plan is to just study as hard as possible and just treat it like an assignment,” junior Ethan Choi said. “I believe it will be harder though, because there are many more distractions, especially in your own home.” AP European History teacher Emily Clark said the biggest challenge of distance learning for her is the lack of time she gets to teach her students skills that are necessary for the AP test. “Shorter distance learning class-
es means overall fewer instructional minutes,” she said via email. “The result is that a lot of the curriculum has to be cut. In addition, we have less time for practicing the critical writing skills that are a big component of the AP test.” The lack of time for dedicated instruction may leave students unprepared for the exam. Clark said that over the course of the first semester, because of shorter classes, students will have the equivalent of 22 fewer days of schooling. “I try to be very purposeful in my assignments and also only assign homework when it is unavoid-
able,” Clark said. “Each week I try to do a “Fun Friday” activity such as a kahoot. My latest goal is to try and get students up and outside at some point during class each week.” Despite concerns that the 2020 exams would be either more difficult or easier, the average scores on last year’s AP exams were only marginally different from previous years overall. At DBHS, too, scores remained consistent, as Clark said that the average overall score of her AP Euro class was about the same compared to previous years.
use for our school activities.” Nevertheless, current USB members have been brainstorming new ideas on how to transition traditional events such as prom or rallies to virtual ones despite their dire financial situation this year. “USB is working extremely hard to come up with creative alternatives for our traditional in school activities,” Van Horn said via email. “Some events translate into a virtual platform but some do not.” Adhering to the social distancing limitations and regulations set by the Los Angeles County of Education, USB has taken to hosting interactive activities that reach out to students of all grades through social media. On their Instagram (@diamondbarusb) the group has promoted a multitude of engaging activities in addition to the usual fare, including alumni Q&As, scavenger hunts and pen pals. However, plans for highly antici-
pated events like rallies and dances remain uncertain, and have continued to be discussed throughout quarantine. “There is actually also a homecoming event coming, we are in the midst of planning and executing it,” Lin said. “We have not gotten the money for it yet because we get that money through ticket sales which have not happened yet though.” Despite the challenges USB has been presented with because of quarantine, the group has since shifted its focus toward strengthening bonds with not only the student population, but with one another as well. “The negative aspects include, of course, not being able to plan and do the traditional events we have such as senior sunrise, dances and rallies, but these circumstances have allowed us to think outside of the box,” Lin said. “It has challenged us to do what we can but we are up to the challenge, and we can’t wait for what the new school year has to offer.”