FastForward | September - October 2021

FastForward FastForward THE NEW RES RESISTANCE Vol. 31 No. 1 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021

YOUTH ACTIVISTS CREATE CHANGE

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FASTFORWARD REPORTERS

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CONTENTS For our cover story, we interviewed Kendra Macleod, Executive Producer of “The New Resistance” a docuseries produced for VICE. Talking with Kendra inspires and motivates us to reach out, taking action to create change.

We interviewed local author Anne Lamott who shared her life experiences explaining how she has found balance and how important that is.

Also included are interviews with former SF Giants baseball star Andres Torres and “Outfluencer” Dr. Wayne Pernell.

“Our minds expanded, while learning that listening to someone else can change our lives.”

Palmer Dean

Emerson Swift

Lily Leone

Jack Callahan

Nicholas Chin

Annelie Kamperin

Semira Robinson

Minna Hibbitts

Jane Newbegin

Jacob TaichmanBernstein

Marguerite Walden-Kaufman

Zadie Winthrop EDITOR

Harita Kalvai

Camron McDonald

Eliza Gould

Lyla Tipton

learn, expand P. 4

“THE NEW RESISTANCE” — KENDRA MACLEOD, PRODUCER

P. 10

ANNE LAMOTT — AUTHOR— “BALANCE IS EVERYTHING”

P. 14 ANDRES TORRES — ONE BASEBALL CARD CHANGED HIS LIFE P. 16 THE ART GALLERY — ST. PATRICK SCHOOL P. 18 MILL VALLEY MIDDLE & ST. PATRICK — THE MEANING OF ART P. 20 THE ENVIRONMENTAL PAGE — FAST FASHION P. 21 MARIN SANITARY — 4R OUR PLANET EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS P. 22 GARDEN PAGE — TAM VALLEY SCHOOL GARDEN P. 23 ART PAGE — SAN RAFAEL HIGH SCHOOL P. 24 DR. WAYNE PERNELL — AN “OUTFLUENCER” CREATING CHANGE

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PUBLISHER: Winifred MacLeod winifred@fastforwardweb.com Published by KidSpeak, Inc., Vol 31 #1 www.fastforwardweb.com O: 415-256-8920 M: 415.272.3569 ADDRESS: FastForward 775 E.Blithedale Ave #388 Mill Valley, CA 94941 STUDENT EDITOR: Zadie Winthrop CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS/WRITERS: Nicholas Chin, Jackie Chin, Jack

Callaway, Eliza Gould, Zadie Winthrop, Annelie Kamperin, Lily Leone, Jane Newbegin, Marguerite Waldman-Kaufman, Palmer Dean, Milena McMahan, Emerson Swift, Semira Robinson, Jacob Taichman-Bernstein, Lyla Tipton, Harita Kalvai, Minna Hibbitts, Camron McDonald, Christian France, Shamama Ashraf, Edward von Hellerman, Fiona Bailey, Kenning Lowry, Catherine Wood, Riley Tokarski, Sebastian Landry, Caedon Afsharipour, Brooke Spagnuolo CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: Nicole Knoll,Yash Sooreea, Lucia Tassone, Peter Semonian, Natalie Knoll, Boston Norris, Luke Mueller, Jack Heathwood, Christina Murdock, Rocky Escobar, Rheya Basu and Olivia Ford.

FastForward PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST Vol. 30 #4 March-April 2021

THE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST More than 400 entries vied for top prizes. See the pictures that took the top three spots, Honorable Mentions and Awards of Merit in a particularly strong year for photographers from Marin County High schools.

Call for entries...

Email three (3) entries (Jpeg, PDF or PNG - High Res) Winifred@fastforwardweb.com (Include name, school + grade) Due November 1st...Contest to be published in FastForward 1st Prize $300 2nd $200 3rd $100 + $50 (10 Honorable Mentions)

Photo by Alyssa Mulligan Junior, Marin Catholic High School

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THE NEW

RESISTANCE

HOW GEN-Z ACTIVISTS STRUGGLE TO BALANCE NORMALCY

AN INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KENDRA MACLEOD

Reporters & Writers: Semira Robinson, Jackie Chin, Maxine Flasher-Duzgunes, Nicholas Chin, Zadie Winthrop, Jacob Taichman-Bernstein, Milena McMahan Schools: Marin Academy, San Rafael High, Phillips Academy Andover, Sacred Heart Preparatory, St. Ignatius, Tamalpais High School, Urban School of SF

••

“My life is forever changed. Just by stepping up and taking a stand in my community.”

When I was young, I was an organizer and an activist.

The young mind has always hosted spells of intense emotion — drive, stress, and resilience among them. In the never-ending onslaught of information brought on teenagers through the internet, the mind, sharp and brimming with the desire for change, can lead the masses toward powerful thinking, decision-making and comparable actions. Such is the birth of Generation Z and teenage activism.

As reporters, we sat down to speak with Kendra MacLeod, Executive Producer of The New Resistance, a series presented

by VICE that follows eight teenage activists from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic as they organized protests, sat with policy-makers, and spoke out against a range of injustices.

MacLeod herself was a teen activist who organized protests against apartheid while being raised in the Bay Area. In her teen years, she volunteered at a youth center in Africa to build a school. Reaching adulthood, she reflected on becoming more jaded than in her youth: though she did not give in to despair or give up, she questioned how protesting would lead to progress. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its contribution to social upheaval, resulted in something rather unlikely: the invigoration of the international public in the fight towards social change. As more and more folks acknowledged the continued killings of too many Black and Brown people at the hands of law enforcement, unity shone throughout the

international community in the form of protests, social media campaigns, and outcries to outdated institutions demanding change. And in said unity, members of the community, including MacLeod, were inspired to begin or continue their own individual journeys of activism.

In The New Resistance, MacLeod and her team record the daily lives of activists, Tokata Iron Eyes, Anuna De Wever, Kennedy Green, Mohamad Al Jounde, Savannah Skylar, Amaka Clement, Tiana Day, and Shaneel Lal. Each featured activist has a different story, whether they are fighting for their own people or working to amplify the voices of another.

They get things done, but it is never easy. The New Resistance takes an in-depth, nuanced look at them as they balance schooling, the pandemic, advocacy, and growing up in the turbulent political climate of the twenty-first century.

“I find it interesting to be dropped into someone’s world, their family and circle of friends,” said MacLeod about The New Resistance. She detailed that “When you’re young, you kind of have this feeling, I can do whatever I want. You don’t have fear.” MacLeod, who has worked on a variety of docuseries, believes that what partially makes young voices so powerful is a continued and unwavering idealism. Activism demands a great deal from teenagers, who often walk a fine line between sacrificing their personal lives and allowing themselves to grow up. For many, the tall order that is fighting for a better future is too much to handle. It eats away at them, which speaks to the extreme perseverance and colossal distinction of the teen activists featured in The New Resistance.

•••

THE NEW RESISTANCE TOKATA IRON EYES

Tokata Iron Eyes is an activist from the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, currently living on Pine Ridge. She was a youth leader of “ReZpect Our Water,” a campaign against the proposed route of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Iron Eyes and activist Greta Thunberg hosted a series of rallies about climate change and the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline in Oct. 2019 — including at the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in S.D., where Iron Eyes was a student.

Tokata says, “When I was 11, we moved to Standing Rock. That year the Dakota Access Pipeline was proposed — an oil pipeline was being built underneath the river, so close to our communities. We launched a social media campaign 6 FASTFORWARD

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called “ReZpect Our Water,” which was basically a call to action from the youth of Standing Rock asking for the world’s awareness and for the world’s attention to see what was happening in North Dakota, and calling attention to the exploitive plans of the U.S. government towards indigenous nations of North America.” They expressed their fears that the Missouri River might become contaminated in the event of a spill or leak, jeopardizing a source of drinking and irrigation water that millions of people depend on for clean water. The protests drew international attention and were said to be “reshaping the national conversation for any environmental project that would cross the Native American land.” This attention to the project caused several shutdowns and many environmental reviews.

MOHAMAD AL JOUNDE

“School is not only a place where you can learn how to write and read, it’s also a place where you can make friends and memories.”

— Mohamad Al Jounde “Our revolution started in Syria,” says storyteller and filmmaker, Mohamad Al Jounde, “a revolution that demanded democracy and human rights — equal treatment for all people.” Mohamad grew up in

Syria but amid participating in the civil uprising, his mother received death threats, and the family was forced to flee to Lebanon at the end of 2013. “When I first arrived, I could not go to school because the Lebanese government had very harsh regulations on Syrian refugees,” Muhamad says. There, his family started volunteering and

“When you’re young, you kind of have this feeling, I can do whatever I want. You don’t have fear — you’re not that fearful about things. I think when you get older, you maybe see people die or see bad things happen.” — Kendra MacLeod

he began to envision a place where young refugees could learn, heal, and be themselves, specifically through games and photography. Drawing on his training and on his own experiences, Mohamad encouraged them to express themselves and to process their trauma through visual art. By 2014, he had built an entire school at the Al Marj refugee camp in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

In 2017, Mohamad received the International Children’s Peace Prize for his work with this school.

“There are 25 million children living in conflict zones. We do not want to become a lost generation,” he says, as a strong advocate for education despite adverse political or geographical circumstances. His hope is to build a future in Syria based on the values of equality and justice.

ANUNA DE WEVER

“One of the biggest things we’ve been trying to do is to pass the mic to people in the global South,” says Anuna de Wever, a 19-year-old activist

from Belgium taking a global outlook on climate change. Anuna drummed up local interest •••• online after studying Greta Thunberg’s approach to organizing, leading a protest that became one of the first international branches of the school strike movement. The movement grew rapidly and soon led to a meeting with Angela Merkel of Germany and various activists including Thunberg herself.

In it they discussed how to amplify the voices of Indigenous South Americans whose livelihoods were threatened by the Mercosur Trade Agreement, and were encouraged to hear Ms. Merkel would not be signing the agreement as it was.

“There is something huge ahead of us and there are so little people that actually see it,” Anuna says, whose uncanny ability to articulate the consequences of climate change has steered her to the forefront of the fight against it. “Climate change is a black and white topic, either we make it or we don’t — and for us, it’s the only thing that matters.”

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SAVANNAH SKYLER

Savannah Skyler is a gender activist who works to provide safe spaces for youth in marginalized communities. Savannah is committed to sharing and spreading the word, and is most known for her courageous story of coming out at her church about being a lesbian when suddenly her microphone was silenced. “The first time I ever had a crush was on a girl,” Savannah says.

“I didn’t think that these feelings were lesbian feelings until later. I didn’t know gay people existed when I was younger. I thought, ‘Okay, don’t be nervous now. This is your time to shine. Tell them what you think.’ And it really did put me into my place of activism.” Sharing her truth became an instant inspiration worldwide.

She hopes to spread awareness and create change within religious and LGBTQ+ intersecting communities.

Savannah works with Equality Utah, the Utah Pride Center, PFLAG, and her local PRIDE fests. She has spoken at and been involved with LoveLoud, runs her own local GSA club, and attends protests.

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TIANA DAY

Tiana Day grew up in San Ramon, California. When she first told her family she was leading a Black Lives Matter protest across the Golden Gate Bridge, her father called his friends to come to try and help her rally a small crowd. To Tiana’s surprise, the march was said to bring roughly 50,000 individuals from different backgrounds together with her message to “Lead with Love.” After this, she founded her nonprofit organization, Youth Advocates for Change, to amplify and empower youth voices through local activism and social justice issues. The nonprofit has since expanded throughout California and spread to six additional state chapters. Since June, they have raised over $26,000 to provide Black youth with scholarship funds.

Youth Advocates for Change has now expanded to seven states and the team of students continues to grow every day. Day was recently named one of CNN’s 2020 Heroes.

•••••

KENDRA MACLEOD

MacLeod described the unique highs and lows of their lives best when she said, “You see their highs when they’re in protest, and everyone’s chanting their name; you have a megaphone, there is good energy in the air. Then you come home, and you think, ‘wait, nothing has really changed, Black and Brown people are still getting mistreated and killed by the police’.” For MacLeod, maintaining hope in the face of adversity boiled down to the little victories: raising some money brings you a step closer to your goal, even if you have not yet reached it. These little victories help to preserve mental health, to keep each person going. “Change is slow. But you’ve got to start somewhere,” said MacLeod, whose series “The New Resistance” is truly a masterful documentation of how our teen generation is determined to spur on social change.

“It’s difficult to balance the fear you have and the freedom you aspire to have.”

“Imagine we actually changed something.”— ANUNA DE WEVER

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Anne Lamott Finding Equilibrium in Her Life REPORTERS/WRITERS: Semira Robinson, Jacob Taichman-Bernstein, Jackie Chin, Nicholas Chin, Emerson Swift, Milena McMahon, Lyla Tipton and Zadie Winthrop From: Marin Academy, Marin School of the Arts, Sacred Heart Preparatory, Tamalpais High and Urban School of San Francisco

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I

t can be difficult to find harmony in a world that feels as if it’s fighting against you. When you feel the urge to give up at every turn, the hardest yet most valuable thing you can do is continue to persevere. Eventually, with enough persistence and determination, you will likely find an equilibrium in your life that satisfies you. Anne Lamott exemplifies this persistence.

For Anne Lamott, life is a balancing act.

Balancing between her faith as a Christian with her pro-gressive outlook on the world, balancing her life as a writer with her responsibilities as a parent, and balancing her health as she marches on with 35 years of sobriety under her belt. She’s faced her fair share of obstacles, from being a single mother struggling to make ends meet, to her battles with addiction­— but she has stood resolute and determined in the face of every single roadblock that has come her way. “We never give up,” she told us, explaining how this stereotypical yet profound motto has led her to success, both in her personal and professional lives. “We just never give up. My husband always says that life is geared toward the good, and it just keeps self-correcting. I’ve known so many writers who almost gave up on getting a book published and making a career and life out of it.” Lamott believes that it’s never too late to achieve your goals, and she feels her life represents that belief well. She was 37 by the time she was able to support herself with her writing, and it wasn’t until she was 62 that she met her husband, Neil. “We got married three days after I got Medicare,” she told us. “I just never gave up.”

Lamott broke through to literary success with her fifth book, “Operating Instructions.” Her first non-fiction book, it chronicles her life as a single mother during her son’s first year of life. Before the release of this book, Lamott worked several jobs, struggling to provide for herself and her son. “I taught tennis, I cleaned houses. I

wrote freelance. I was just scrambling, with my experimental family,” she explained. “I learned how to live on very little money.” However, when “Operating Instructions” was released, it stirred some feathers — enough to make the New York Times bestseller list. She explained how, at this time — when George Herbert Walker Bush was running for reelection, unwed mothers were looked down upon in society. “There was all this talk about how unwed mothers were the reason for the racial inequality in America, and that unwed mothers were really destroying the very fabric of the country, etc.,” she explained heartfully. “Then I had written this book about being an unwed mother, so I got more attention than I might have.” This attention was enough to land her a spot on the bestseller list, a “rite of passage for a writer” as she explained it, and her career has been off and running ever since.

However, as satisfying as this monumental achievement was for Lamott, it only came after years fighting an uphill battle just to be recognized in the literary world. “My dad was a writer,” she told us.

“And he told me, ‘It’s a rat race, and there’s 150,000 hardback general interest books published every year in America. So everybody’s scratching and climbing to get ahead.’” This rat race, of course, is not set on a level playing field, and Lamott faced challenges that her male peers did not.

“When I was coming up in the 50s and early 60s, the only feedback that mattered was what the male intelligentsia thought of you. That was what either validated you or didn’t,” Lamott explained, emphasizing the role her identity played in her success as a writer. “Every single publishing house, every single magazine editor, every single newspaper publisher, was a white male.

And so, you needed to get them to take you seriously. And at some point, you begin to wonder how much longer you’re going to live like that — trying to get people who aren’t going to esteem you as highly as they would a highly educated white male.” Lamott is white — and she made sure to note

the privilege this endowed her with — but not educated, and not a male. However, despite the roadblocks that she encountered due to her identity, her persistence and hard work ultimately led her to success.

Lamott wants to share her story with the world. “Truth is medicine,” she told us. “It heals us.” Truth is what healed her, she explained, from her battle with addiction. “As soon as I started finding out that all these well-known people that I really loved, like Anthony Hopkins, were clean and sober, I was so happy. It made me feel like the coolest people on earth are people in recovery...and I want to be like them.”

When the people she looked up to started sharing their truth, it helped her come to terms with her own personal struggles and begin her path to recovery. And now, 35 years into sobriety, she is doing the same thing — sharing her truth with the world, with the hope that she will inspire others.

Today, Lamott gets to enjoy the fruits of the labor she put in for so many years. An established, well-known, and respected author, she spends her days appreciating the life she has been given. She continues to write daily, while also taking time every day to enjoy the other activities she loves — taking hikes, reading, and spending time with family. She continually practices her faith as a Christian, while also advocating for left-wing, progressive causes. Today’s political climate, she says, has made her more committed than ever to fighting for equality. “I’m doing whatever I can do for equality — for women’s rights, for the poor, for racial equality, for everything. I never give up.” Lamott has found harmony in her life — a harmony that so many people seek to achieve. Her career, her family, her faith, and her activism all lie in a delicate balance, and she radiates a tranquility that lets us know just how satisfied she is with the life she has built for herself. “I’ve just found my way,” she told us proudly.

“It’s always, always, always about balance.”

“I’m doing whatever I can for equality — for womens’ rights, for the poor, for racial equality.

I never give up. ” — Anne Lamott, Author FASTFORWARD

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ANDRES TORRES WRITER: Nicholas Chin, Sacred Heart Preparatory Reporters: Jackie Chin, Nicholas Chin, Zadie Winthrop, Milena McMahan, Jacob Taichman-Bernstein, Lyla Tipton Schools: Marin Academy, San Rafael High, Sacred Heart Preparatory, St. Ignatius, Tamalpais High School, Urban School of San Francisco

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Andres Torres was a track star, not a ball player. He took it quite seriously, and his success in track and field was heavily rooted in his tenacity and incredible work ethic.

Torres, who later became known as a former MLB (Major League Baseball) player and World Series champion, was only 16 when he started learning the sport of baseball. So how did Torres manage to accomplish such feats, despite beginning his journey years later than most other professional baseball players? What caused the talented athlete to suddenly shift his attention to baseball instead?

A single baseball card.

Yes, just one baseball card. One day, while 16-year-old Torres was shagging balls during a casual baseball game, a New York Yankees scout named Jose approached him. After meeting Jose, Torres realized his potential to become a professional baseball player. Torres told us from that day, he knew he “was gonna make it… I was gonna give everything I had.”

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Torres’ hard work and tenacity certainly paid off. During a game in Puerto Rico, a college scout noticed his incredible speed and ability to hit the ball well, even though Torres never actually learned how to hit the ball properly.

Soon afterwards, he received a scholarship to play for Miami Dade College.

Within a short few years, Torres went from a beginner ball player to a college ball player. To attend college in the United States and further his baseball career and skills at the collegiate level were dream-come-true moments for him. Despite this amazing milestone, he still had another goal in mind: to go professional and make the MLB. As he progressed quickly in the baseball sector, Torres also faced economic struggles, cultural barriers, and other obstacles in college and in America.

Not only did he not know how to speak English, but he also did not know how to cook well. Thus, he ended up eating white rice and drumsticks for much of his freshman year. Without much money, Torres had to make do with what he had; in fact, to practice, he put a mattress to the wall, and would hit the ball against it. “I had to work hard because I was kind of a late bloomer… the more you practice the better you get.”

But even after just one year of endless determination and practice, Torres was drafted in the 23rd round by the Miami Marlins. He opted to play another year at the collegiate level, and in the next year’s draft, was selected in the 4th round by the Detroit Tigers.

As a student of the game, Torres had many role models, including Ichiro Suzuki, an incredible Japanese outfielder for the Seattle Mariners; Carlos Beltran, an All-star outfielder for the New York Mets and fellow Puerto Rican; and Barry Bonds, a power hitter. Torres spent hours simulating and modeling his gameplay and style after them.

Torres also watched many, many hours of YouTube and film to improve his mechanics and coordination, which early on in his career were very poor. As a student of the game, he had an obsession with improving his skills.

The beginning of Torres’ career was a major struggle. Similar to all other major league pros, Torres’ career began in the minor leagues. Life in the minor leagues was hard; for example, bus rides between games would often be ten to

fourteen hours long. Although Torres informed us that he loved the major leagues — the benefits including money, fans, fame, plane travel, luxuries — he noted that those in the minor league were still exceptional baseball players, who were often unlucky to be called up to the Majors. He was, in fact, very lucky to make it to the major leagues.

One of Torres’ favorite moments in the minor leagues was receiving the call up to the major leagues. He was in Indianapolis when the coach informed him. Torres had previously thought of himself as a normal baseball player; however, he was much different and more unique than he thought he was.

He battled ADHD and had a loving family to support him. Torres told us, “Like, that moment was amazing… I even cry…

I was never asked but I knew no one worked harder than me.”

Torres’ first hit as an MLB player — a triple — came against C.C. Sabathia, an amazing pitcher for the Cleveland Indians at the time. “He threw very hard,” Torres recalled. “I was very lucky to have made that hit against him.”

Torres’ success on the field began growing when he finally solidified his spot with none other than the San Francisco Giants in 2009. Apparently, days before the Giants team was officially finalized, manager Bruce Bochi secretly revealed to him that he was going to make it. Torres was proud of himself; countless years of struggle, low pay in the minor leagues, and exhaustion from training and travel had paid off.

However, Torres was not yet satisfied, and knew that he had to play a major role crucial to the team’s success. To get there, his schedule was rigorous. “Major leagues or minor leagues. I used to work like 8 hours. 10 hours a day,” he recalled.

“I trained. And I trained on the track. I did dynamic warmups. I did dynamic stretching... And I was training like a beast.”

With the Giants, Torres was the most successful he had ever been in his career. He was the leadoff hitter, and despite standing at 5 feet 10 inches tall at 190 pounds, he hit 16 home runs in the 2010 MLB season. An extraordinary athlete who could impressively deadlift over 640 pounds, he was a spark plug for the Giants, and helped lead them to a World Series title in 2010.

More importantly, Torres was all

about the team. In the clubhouse, he would dance around and bring energy to the team, but on the field, he would let the team know that it was time to win and play hard. Torres’ resume also includes the Willie Mac Award, an honor bestowed to a player who exemplifies leadership and spirit on and off the field. He had always looked up to Hall of Famer and legendary Giant’s slugger Willie Mac, who would often sit by the field during games and give him and his teammates some pointers on the game and on life. Truly a “blessing,” in Torres’ words, to be honored and connected to Mac’s legacy.

Unfortunately, Torres’ Major Leagues career ended with a bone spur. He regretted not treating his injury more seriously earlier in his career; he pushed through the pain as he trained and initially thought it was fine. But eventually, the pain caught up with him. Although his career end was not ideal, Torres constantly reiterated how blessed and lucky he was to undergo his windy journey, experience the Major Leagues, earn various accolades, and win a World Series championship.

Yes, Puerto Rico and baseball were major parts of his identity. However, more important to him were his roles off the field as a loving husband and father of two children. He understood what it was like to have a happy family... and what it was like to face personal tragedy, his voice breaking as he talked about his wife who had died of cancer in 2016. Torres and his wife had been together since they were ages 15 and 14, respectively, and losing her — as well as watching her health decline — crushed him. “Before she passed away… she was breathing, barely and very slowly,” he recalled.

“And [then] she started talking to God. She said, ‘God, God. Esperame, me voy,’” which means “Wait for me, I’m leaving” in English. It was a tragic moment, but was also a point in his life during which he lost the fear he had been feeling for a while. The moment ended up solidifying his Catholic faith.

“We cannot let these things bring us down, we gotta keep going,” he said with fervor. “God will protect me… It’s going to be hard, but not going to be impossible.”

Onward and upward.

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ART

St. Patrick School Jennifer Lipson’s art students

Natalie Knoll, 7th Grade, St. Patrick School Nicole Knoll, 7th Grade, St. Patrick School

Lucia Tassone, 7th Grade, St. Patrick School Yash Sooreea, 6th Grade, St. Patrick School Boston Norris, 6th Grade, St. Patrick School

PROUD TO SUPPORT ART

BY STUDENTS OF MARIN

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Luke Mueller, 7th Grade, St. Patrick School

GREENPLAY Marin GreenPlay campers make a difference in our community. We work on restoration projects that connect us with the place we live and strive to leave every place we visit better than the way we found it. This summer, we worked on projects close to home, such as maintaining our Meadow Garden at Terwilliger Marsh and litter clean-ups at Bothin Marsh in Mill Valley and many other locations. Every day is an opportunity to explore, make discoveries, and protect our local ecosystems. Helping make the place where we live better for us and all of the other creatures live HumaneEdwho Ad.pdf here is fun!

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INSPIRES US MillART Valley Middle School Edward von Hellerman, MVMS, Grade 7

To me art is something that by looking or drawing can make someone’s day a good one. I believe that art isn’t something that you plan out. It’s something that just happens. By simply looking around from a window you can see things that might inspire you to draw something. It can just be a vine that inspires you to draw or paint or an old tree in your backyard. Picasso drew sunflowers in a vase. When I look at his sunflowers I think everyday objects can be a masterpiece if you look at them in a new light. All you have to do is observe. I don’t believe that drawing or painting comes from lots of planning or taking hours to find something. Art can just be a flower or even a rock if you look at it at another angle.

Lorenz Finney, Grade 8

What Art Means to Us Kim Tran’s art students from Mill Valley Middle School Jennifer Lipson’s art students from St. Patrick’s School Christian France, St. Patrick, Grade 8

Creative, this is one word that truly speaks to me during art. There is room for touchdowns, super bowls and MVPs on the paper. My job is to figure out what goes where. Creative, this is one word I will never forget.

Fiona Bailey, MVMS, Grade 8

My interest in art fuels itself, because everywhere I look there is more art, and my eyes have begun to see things differently because of this. I notice the way people’s hands move when they talk, the way people stand when they’re waiting for someone, the way Amelie Greene, 7th Grade

Catherine Wood, MVMS, Grade 7

Art is full of emotions and questions that some people may not understand in words. When you put it out on paper people can see and almost feel how you feel — they don’t need words to understand. When I see a blank piece of paper I worry I won’t be able to create something I’m proud of. But when I get my pencil moving, it just flows. I don’t have to think anymore. When I’m done, it could be something I’m really proud of, or not, but whichever it is, I’m always happy that I drew something, anything, and made that white piece

of paper colorful. I almost like that I don’t know what I’ll create. I can have any emotion and still make something beautiful. I don’t just imagine a picture in my head, I imagine a story, and how the character or thing may feel. I try to put that all on paper. Sometimes it’s hard to do but I always try my best. Art means so much to me — it’s freedom. I don’t have to stay in the lines, I can do whatever, no restrictions at all. I hope that one day everyone will have something to do that makes them as happy as art makes me.

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shadows are so small at noon. My first thought is always of how I could draw it. There are infinite ways for me to improve in art, and so, to me, art is not only something to labor over, to practice until perfect, but also a way to experiment, and a lens through which to see the world.

Kenning Lowry, MVMS, 7th Grade

Art doesn’t have any boundaries. There is no correct way to do things. Art is a way to express yourself and through anything that is creative. I like to do art because it is really fun and relaxing and I really enjoy it. You can show emotions and feelings in whatever you make. You can use so many mediums that show texture in whatever you make. You can use color to show things in perspective or add a certain emotion to what you are making. I like that in art you can develop your own style of art that you enjoy doing and is completely unique to you.

You can also have many styles of art that you enjoy and they can be completely different. I like trying new styles of art that I have never tried before because it is interesting and fun and sometimes I find something that I really like. I like that you can get very lost in what you are doing and before you know it you are done. I like that you can use your mistakes to make something that you may never have made but still is really interesting.

Shamama Ashraf, MVMS, 7

Art. Art alone is so incredibly beautiful. Art to me means freedom. It can make someone who may be having a rough day see a light through the thickest layer of clouds.

Art is a way of expression; it’s a safe place and it can be seen in everything. You just have to look for it. Each stroke of a colored pencil, each drip of paint and each line means something to someone. And there are so many colors.

Each represents a feeling or a thought. To me, red means anger. To me, blue represents sadness. To me, yellow shows freedom. To me, art means happiness. Each piece of work is a million things blurred together into a masterpiece. Art is a place where Jack Heathwood, St. Patrick School, Grade 8 you can blend the thoughts running through your head into whatever you dream. It is powerful. It has no right or wrong. To me, art brings light when it’s dark.

Peter Semonian, St. Patrick School, Grade 7

Sebastian Landry, St. Patrick, Grade 8

Art to me is a way of connecting with the world around you. It calms you down and helps you appreciate the little details in life. I slow down and think when I do art. I focus on what’s happening and sort it out. Art is a part of everyone waiting to be used.

Riley Tokarski, MVMS, Grade 7

Art is many different things to each of us.

To me it is the way that I can express my feelings, beliefs, truths, lies, emotions, surroundings or anything that I feel has a purpose or meaning. I personally enjoy making art because it helps me unwind and focus and overall. It helps me center my thoughts, my emotions and my feelings. Art is interesting and therapeutic but it’s also a way for people to connect and relate. A reason why art is so relatable is that there’s no right way to do it and no rules telling you what you should or shouldn’t make or do. Everyone is different but that’s what makes everyone’s

art different and unique. One piece of artwork could mean a completely different message to someone else than what it means to you. You get to perceive it the way that you feel it relates to you or others.

through his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Overall, art to me is an outlet to express and convey creativity and emotions.

Caedon Afsharipour, St. Patrick, Grade 8

To me, art means taking time and effort to put your thoughts together on paper.

I can really express things by putting detail and explanations into my work.

Art can seem difficult, but just by starting small you can add on and create a masterpiece. Draw whatever you want, just like a doodle. Then, continue on and it will look better, and convey creativity and emotions.

To me, art is a way to express emotion through perspective and color. Art is a way to create something beautiful while expressing your true feelings on a topic.

A prime example of this is Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica.” You can also tell a story through art, similar to how Michelangelo tells the story of Creation and the Bible

Brooke Spagnuolo, St. Patrick, Grade 8

FASTFORWARD

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021

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FASHION ETHICS

By Annelie Kamperin Tam High, Senior

Fatima lives in a twobedroom apartment with ten people. She sleeps on the floor and can only access water for one hour three times per day. She told her story to OXFAM Australia. Working long hours without toilet access leaves her sick, feverish, and aching. Line chiefs steal money from workers by lying about their pay, bullying workers into signing payslips. When Fatima’s wages are low, she sends money to her ill mother and goes hungry.

According to the International Labour Organization, 170 million children are employed in the textile and garment industry. This is the reality of the fast fashion industry.

The fashion industry grows exponentially yearly.

Companies such as Zara and H&M found incredible success as people care less about quality products and more about the latest trends. Consumers bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000 and kept their clothes half as long. In 2011, European fashion companies shifted from two to five clothing lines per year.

Now, Zara produces 24 clothing lines.

Fast fashion may be beneficial for consumers and multi-billion dollar corporations, but it doesn’t outweigh detrimental labor conditions and environmental impact. The fashion industry contributes up to ten percent of humanities’ carbon emissions. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second. Global warming intensifies yearly. Humans cannot afford to create immense pollution and waste.

Fast fashion has affected wildlife for many years. It is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water and pollutes the ocean with microplastics.

A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated 35% of all ocean microplastics came from the laundering of synthetic textiles. To make matters worse, more than 60% of fabric fibers

are now synthetics. Microplastics are plastic fragments less than five millimeters in length that pollute the ocean, killing over one million marine animals each year. Microplastics take hundreds to thousands of years to fully decay.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

H&M, Forever 21, Topshop, and Zara produce clothing at rapid rates with low prices. These are key stores to avoid because they own sweatshops that exploit children and workers like Fatima. U.S. companies exploit workers by outsourcing production to countries with weaker labor standards. If an American corporation is unable to outsource production, they employ undocumented immigrants who aren’t fully protected by US labor standards. Other companies use “guest workers,” (people with a temporary immigration status) because they are instantly deportable when fired and cannot retaliate against abusive employers.

Solutions and Ethical Brands If you love fashion as I do, this news is disappointing. Most brands I used to shop were fast fashion or didn’t disclose enough information about eco-friendly production and distribution methods. Unfortunately, shopping ethically and eco-friendly tends to be expensive. My recommendation is to buy quality basics you can use forever from ethical brands. There are multiple browser extensions and websites such as good on you that give you information on your favorite brands or help you find new ones.

For more affordable clothing, try to reuse, upcycle, or buy second-hand.

Thrift stores are a good option because they contain quality clothing and only about 10-15% of donated clothes end up in the second-hand market. You can also try using apps such as Depop, Poshmark, or Mercari. You can even sell your own clothes to make money, ensuring your clothes don’t end up in a landfill.

Overall, fast fashion needs to slow down. Try to shop sustainably. Share your knowledge with friends because fast fashion thrives because of us. Remember to think about the 1,800 gallons of water it takes to produce a single pair of jeans.

Remember workers like Fatima. Write your representatives about implementing subsidies for eco-friendly companies and taxing companies that outsource their work to countries with exploitative labor practices. In our world, almost anything is available via the click of a button. We need to remember the hard work put into everything we buy and look after the nature surrounding us.

For more info on ethical eco-friendly brands visit: https://donegood.co https://goodonyou.eco www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing

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Top, l to r, Wyatt Dunn, Griffy Ballard, Jackson Roberts, Lindy Ballard and Savanna Hopson.

Sitting, l to r: Natalie Note and Maddie Baird.

FASTFORWARD SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 21

SPONSORING TAM VALLEY SCHOOL GARDEN Each month Sloat Garden Center offers a $250 garden grant to a new Marin County school.

Betsy Chatton’s 4th Grade Gardening Students I love the smells of nature. Feeling the cool breeze. Being able to see the beauty of our school garden and having a place of peace. I could be anywhere in the world, but I choose here. — Zachary Clough In the garden, I sit and notice that nature has many things that you have not seen before.

We express ourselves through writing poems in the garden. — William Stemmler I love to be in the garden because I can go here when I need to be alone just with my thoughts. Sometimes I make poems of things I hear and see. — Lexi Hall I love the garden because it offers food. Also, it is comfortable. The sounds you hear you can’t describe. — Samuel Elliot I love our school garden because all the flowers are so beautiful. All of the butterflies, critters and birds make the garden a special place to be. — Thomas Gougion In the garden, I can let my imagination out on a piece of paper. It is a relaxing place where we come to write and draw. The garden helps me calm down and think better. Maybe there are flowers next to me as the blazing sun shines. The colorful vibes give me good vibes. Inspiration circles around my head. — Naomi Mai I like having a school garden because we sometimes give the food we grow to others so it helps people who are homeless. Also, it helps animals and birds get food. I love how I see bugs I don’t usually see. — Yasmin Ansari Sometimes when we leave the garden, we make a wish. My wish came true! I always wished for a pet dog and I got one! Now I have a wish that is impossible to come true. But I still wish it every time. I love growing food and donating it to others. — Layla Neiner

To learn more about our work with Bay Area school gardens, visit www.sloatgardens.com

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Art

San Rafael High School Art teacher Annie Yi

Rheya Basu, Senior Christina Murdock, Senior Rocky Escobar, Senior

Olivia Ford Senior

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HOW TO BE AN OUTFLUENCER An Interview with Dr. Wayne Pernell Jackie and Nicholas Chin, Sacred Heart Preparatory

H

ave you ever met a guy with a monkey on his suitcase?

Well, that’s Wayne Pernell for you. When we asked him to describe his career as an animal, he pointed to the monkey on his suitcase, who happened to be the cartoon character Curious George. “He’s certainly my spirit animal,” Pernell said.

Wayne Pernell was supposed to be a clinical psychologist. He had gone to UC Davis for his Bachelor’s and San Francisco State for his Master’s. Finally, he was working toward his doctorate in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology. But during a graduate school internship working with couples, one conversation derailed his course.

“This guy calls me and thanks me for what I did with him and his wife,” Pernell began recalling.

What should have been the end of a conversation, however, ended up becoming a disruptor to Pernell’s career trajectory.

“I need you to do that thing you did with me and my wife…” he told Pernell. “Can you do that with me and my vice president?” It turned out “this guy” was the president of a major company in San Francisco.

Pernell was intrigued. Coaching in the professional business setting was something he was unacquainted with. But with the spirit of Curious George flowing through the air, Pernell chose to seize this opportunity and accept his offer, having no idea that an unconventional door had opened.

Facilitated by Pernell, the sessions between “this guy” and his vice president went spectacular for all parties involved. The communication in their top leadership and company environment improved and blossomed, and their values were outlined and solidified — the “values” is where Pernell always starts and bases his coaching 24

FASTFORWARD SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

in. Pernell helped them create a strategic plan based on the company’s values, and helped give the company a major head start in their desired direction.

“We just need to see each other and connect with each other.

So many of the issues that we are facing today are about, ‘I’m right, therefore, everybody else is wrong,’” Pernell noted. “And the truth is that everybody has their own truth. And to be able to acknowledge that and engage with that is magical.”

And indeed, it was magical, as Pernell went on.

Pernell shifted his career path to what is known as “organization development,” meaning that his clients were the businesses he worked with. As a “breakthrough leadership coach,” his foremost theme was communication, the internal structure and operations being fundamental to a company’s success. Specifically, his target clients were those who had gone through struggles, hoped to rise out of those struggles, and strived to become “bigger” than their current lives. The meaning of “bigger,” of course, depended on the client’s goals.

The Curious George in Pernell has taken him to the recording studio as a podcaster (“One Sharp Sword”), the bookshelves as an author with five books in publication, and the 2021

stage as a motivational speaker.

He has made appearances in CBS, ABC News, the Amazon #1 International Best-Selling Authors list, the New York Times, and more.

Despite the accolades and his successful career, Wayne Pernell always keeps true to his values, too. Excellence. “Outfluencer” (rather than Influencer). Communication. And, of course, his spirit animal Curious George. “If you live in curiosity, you can’t be in judgment,” he said.

Sidenote…

When asked how he got on TV, he explained that he had to send pitches on topics relevant to a current point in time. For example, “When we’re in the pandemic, people have forgotten what their purpose is,” he observed. And so, in recent times, he has talked about purpose, about choice, about resilience and courage. Many of his TV appearances were like those comparable to his interview with FastForward. If he does not have access to a studio, he has to make do with a hotel background. It is important to note that in his interviews, he leans into his answers with the mentality that his responses could potentially impact any of the 7 billion people on the planet.

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Back, l to r: Davy Forrester, Luke Murphy, Emelia Frost, Morgane Olivier, Andre Pang, Theo Lendler and Ian Wiatrak.

Sitting Middle: l to r: Maya Audi, Bridget Gillam and Sofia Audi.

Front, l to r: Leon Jones (teacher), Owen Jones, Josie Goodman (teacher) and Victor Fallat.

Marin Shakespeare Company United Markets congratulates all the actors, teaching artists, and parents who help make it possible for students to discover the magic of Shakespeare.

Marin Shakespeare Company brings Shakespeare to life for thousands of students throughout the North Bay. All classes and camps are taught by caring teaching artists who are professional actors, often seen in our productions at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre. Year-round classes and summer camps help students connect with Shakespeare’s words and with their peers, all while learning self-confidence and performing arts skills.

Students are making theatre and making friends. Marin Shakespeare Company makes Shakespeare fun!

Marin Shakespeare students share: “What I liked about camp is there is a good balance between everything: we do acting, talking about Shakespeare and we play games.”— Sofia, age 14 “I really love the community building exercises.” ­— Morgane, age 16 “I like the way we did the casting ; it helped us get into our roles.” — Maddie, age 12 “I really enjoyed the games and meeting new people.” — Charlotte, age 13 “This camp allows us to make the show unique...like we did Much Ado About Nothing set in a 1950’s high school.” — Victor, age 16 “I really liked how we were able to bond in and outside of acting.” — Andre, age 17

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