Seniors Attend Nationwide Latin Convention
Advanced Drama Honors Class Introduced
for students included art competitions, Certamen quizbowl, various races, and a tournament of ultimate frisbee. “We competed in the ultimate frisbee game and placed second in the nation.
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“In the normal drama class, you mostly act, which is great, but in drama honors it is fun to get to see the stage from a different perspective and try directing instead,” senior and Advanced Drama Honors student Sarah Michels said. “I am definitely more interested in the director's side of the honors class, because I find writing original scenes very challenging, but I am looking forward to all of the new opportunities that this new class will bring.”
Photo: Tyler Wright
The new class will continue to develop ac tors’ performing skills, and also give students a chance to apply what they’ve learned about theater in the form of opportunities to write, direct, and produce plays of their own, with other drama students serving as actors for such projects.“Advanced honors students take on greater responsibility, culminating in their capstone project of writing/directing a play which goes through the entire production process,” drama teacher Heather Cousins said. “All Advanced students will continue to participate in the reg ular Advanced Drama curriculum. Non–Hon ors students will act in the Honors students' plays.”The new course also expanded outside of Miramonte. Acalanes, Las Lomas, and Campolindo all adopted similar Advanced Drama Honors courses in a district-wide effort
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CASEY SCHEINER
Student leaders will plan everything for the event, from catering options to entertainment. "It will be both exciting and challenging to plan, but I'm super excited to meet and host a bunch of new people on our campus," Junior and Latin Club Vice President Vivenne Arndt said.
Another key aspect of the program is its UC and Cal State A-G approval (a term California public institutions use to certify courses for recog nition by admissions officers), in which California’s public university system reviewed the honors course and ruled it was rigorous enough to merit a grade boost when calculating a high school GPA.
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We were really excited and energetic about that,” senior and Latin Club Master of Communications Ricky Davis said.Miramonte Latin students placed and won in multiple
Football, water polo, girls tennis, girls volleyball, girls golf, and cross country kick off the fall sports season (page 11). Volume 66, Issue 1 September 20, 2022
Vanishing lunch tables and upperclassmen lingering during after-school hours hail the beginning of the table wars (page 16).
Miramonte Latin teacher, Magis ter Matt Davis, and six Miramonte Latin students attended the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) Convention in Lafayette, Louisiana.
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Miramonte will host the California Junior Classical League State Conven tion from March 31 to April 1 2023, and Latin student leaders will plan the event. “We’re expecting to have around 1,000 people to show up from around the state, so it’s going to be two very fun days,” senior and Latin Club Co-Presi dent Jessica Milmoe said.
Photo: Matt Davis
The district added a new Advanced Drama Honors class to its course catalog, marking a conscious effort across the district to imple ment a more rigorous drama class for seniors.
to increase higher level theater offerings. “AUHSD Drama teachers collaborated on the course proposal and course of study that were officially approved by our school board and the University of California (UC),” Cousins said.
Passion from students eager to write, direct, and produce drama works of their own drives the course, as well as benefits on college applications and distrcit support.
classes they want to teach. Then it goes through a district review, before being sent to an external board to get A-G approval,” College and Career Center Director Stephanie Brady said. “Taking a higher level course in an area of passion, such as drama, allows students to demonstrate their strong interest in an activity.”
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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette hosted the convention from July 25 to 30. Seniors Megan Chui, Ricky Davis, Ryan Gardner, Jessica Milmoe, Sanjeeta Pannu, and Aaron Zemelman attended, along with over 1,000 Latin students and educa tors from across the country. At the convention, students participated in various academic, athletic, and artistic activities. They also heard lectures from guest speakers with expertise in fields related to Latin and the ancient world. “I really liked meeting all the other leaders from different delega tions and talking to all the other presidents and vice presidents. It's very interesting to see how they lead their delegations and how we can adopt some of their practices when leading our delegation,” senior and Latin Club Co-President Megan ChuiActivitiessaid.
Six seniors and teacher Magister Davis attended the National Latin Junior Classical League Convention, pictured here along with other students from California's Latin delegation.
categories and competitions. Among them, Chui placed fifth in Classical Art IV and Davis won first place in the 400 Meter Senior Boys Track race and second in the 800 Meter Sr. Boys Track. Additionally, the NJCL recognized Miramonte Latin Club as the second largest high school Latin club in the nation.The convention also offered students the opportunity to hear a lecture from author George O’Connors, who writes graphic novels based on Greco-Roman mythology. “He came and talked about his artistic process and how he became an illustrator. The convention isn’t just about Latin; it’s about Latin and the an cient world throughout different topics,” Magister Davis said.
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Daniel Caravalho joins the Miramonte administration as one of the new Vice Prin cipals. Despite only receiving the position in June of 2022, Caravalho is adjusting well to Miramonte; he enjoys being able to assist teachers and help with problems on cam pus.“Everyone is super competent and capable,” Caravalho said. “Dealing with those types of high functioning people is always the best.”
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Caravalho previously coached varsity and junior varsity boys basketball. He plans to attend basketball games, alongside other Miramonte sporting events.
Though this is Caravalho’s first administration job, he previously taught social sci ence at San Leandro High School for four years.
Althoughstudent.all grade schools in the district served free food last year, a different program funded the meals. The United States Department of Agriculture issued waiv ers to every school district in the nation, which granted students free food, similar to the Universal Meals pro gram. Accepting and using this waiver was optional, which meant that some schools—including Orinda In termediate School (OIS)—opted out of the free meals. This granted them more freedom in choosing the variety of food they serve. However, the new Universal Meals program is mandatory, which caused some controversy
California Mandates Free Lunches For All
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Caravalho plans to connect with students through a common interest in sports. “This is ideal because you’re meeting them in a place where they want to be and they can have a lot of pride in,” Caravalho said.
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Starting this school year, California is the first state to implement the Universal Meals program. The program requires every public and charter school with grades Kin dergarten through 12th to offer two free meals every day to each
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Another new change this year is that students must scan their student ID cards or punch in their student ID numbers before the cafeteria serves them food. This al lows the administration to track every meal served and who it was served to, using that information later when they file for reimbursement. The money for reimburse ment comes from a fund of $650 million, designated by California governor Gavin Newsom for the Universal Meals program.
at OIS, especially when the Bow Wow Chow was shut down.“lused to go almost every day after eating my lunch. I think getting rid of Bow Wow Chow was pretty bad because I liked the snacks there. The thing I will miss the most is the choco tacos. Some of the new free lunches look even worst than last year. I’ve only had their pizza and the bottom tastes like cardboard, but the cheese isn’t that bad. I think the new lunch is not enough, the por tions are so small,” OIS 8th-grader Liam Wagner said.
“I think that this program is amazing. Food should be free for kids at school. It’s really important to have free and available food,” Ward said.
This year, however, the cafeteria is expecting some changes in the menu. The Universal Meals program provides an extra spending budget designated for fresh foods, such as dairy and produce. “In the new year, I’m
going to be partnering with a Farm to School organiza tion that works with various small farmers in our area,” Acalanes District’s Food Services Coordinator Rebecca Ward said. This allows the cafeteria to buy directly from farmers, which keeps the money within the community while supporting local farms.
Outside of work, Caravalho plays the guitar and drums and enjoys practicing jiu jitsu.
A new California mandate provides two free meals per day for all students from grades Kindergar ten through 12th grade. Miramonte’s lunch program staff as well as students adjust to the change
Administration Welcomes New Assistant Principals
Alongside Caravalho, Jami Greer joins Miramonte as the second Vice Principal. his will be Greer’s fifth year being a part of the Acalanes Union District.“I never really thought of becoming an administrator,but over the 22 years I taught English and served as a teacher leader, I realized my classroom was most effective when I took a school-wide approach to student success,”Greersaid.
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Greer aims to assist students and families by encouraging participation in the Miramonte community “My goals are to support and assist students and families access what Miramonte has to offer. I am so impressed by the students and how motivated and kind they are”Greer said.
While Greer adjusts to her new role, she is taking time to get to know the students and staff. “Now I don’t have that much time one-on-one with students, I’ve been going to classrooms and saying hi, trying to help those who come into my office, and working with some classes and clubs,” Greer said. “I hope that if a student needs something they know they can come to me. I’m happy to help.”
Option-wise, not much has changed at Miramonte cafeterias in the past few years, but some students want a wider menu to choose from. “I think that we need more variety in our cafeteria food,” junior Kai Thomas said.
At home, Greer is a mother to three daughters; her eldest is a junior at Las Lomas.
Faculty Advisor Jackson Avery
Mirador 09/20/22 OPINION 3
Miramonte BIRT stated that it wants to improve its presence on campus, ensuring all students know about the group and the reporting system. The team encourages teachers to display the BIRT report QR code in classrooms and on Canvas homepages.
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“I hope that students feel confident and comfortable making reports and attributing their names to them so that BIRT can follow up with the reporter, and so that we, as a campus commu nity, can work together to bring about positive change and make our school a place free from hate, bigotry, and name-calling,” SweeneyBIRT’ssaid.restorative justice model transforms the way the district responds to harassment, bias, and discrimination among the student body. But, the limited capabilities of restorative justice amid a system based on anonymity and BIRT’s involve ment with administration harms its effectiveness and reputation on campus. BIRT must reconsider its simultaneous upholding of anonymity and reconciliatory principles as well as its affiliation with administrative officials.
When it comes to reporting incidents of harassment, dis crimination, and bias, many fearful students don't seek support from their schools. 54% of bullied students did not report the aggression to their school, according to a 2017 Department of Education report. The statistic shows a general resentment of involving school officials in aggression incidents. Even with the promise of anonymity for the reporter, many students doubt the claim due to the school’s known monitoring of students’ internet activity. If an incident reporting system is to be effective within Miramonte, it must not attach or associate itself with the school, especially the administration.
Restorative justice is the practice of bringing together the op posing groups in a conflict to discuss the incident, ask questions, and air grievances. Many schools across the nation implemented this system as an alternative to the traditional suspension and expulsion route.
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To submit a report, students can scan QR codes located throughout campus or find the link to a Google Form report on the district BIRT homepage. Administrators and staff on BIRT meet weekly to discuss the reports. When responding to reports, their usual course of action is restorative justice.
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“A restorative school emphasizes its teachers', students', and support staff's well-being and a community of connectedness. While one of the primary initiatives at Miramonte is to build a culture of connectedness and belonging, we also acknowl edge that there is still work to do to become a truly restorative school,” Wellness Coordinator Andie Nishimi said.
“The biggest obstacle BIRT faces is anonymous reporting. BIRT can only do so much if no one is willing to state that they, themselves, witnessed or heard something go down,” history teacher Matt Sweeney said. Out of the 58 unique reports made to Miramonte BIRT since its inception, only seven resulted in restorative justice according to BIRT’s April 2022 report card. BIRT cannot effectively carry out restorative justice while pre serving
“Most people don’t want to be the one who calls wolf and gets in trouble for reporting them. Most people don’t trust anonymity either, which is why the reporting system is not very accurate. Most people would rather tell a family member or keep it to themselves,” junior Asher Patel said.
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The Editorial Board voted 13 to 1 that BIRT is not reach ing its full potential.
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BIRT can only do so much if no one is willing to state that they, them selves, witnessed or heard something go down.”
The effects of BIRT are temporary or nonexistent. There is nothing enforc ing change.”
“The effects of BIRT are temporary or nonexistent. There is nothing enforcing change. They just call the person in and talk to them,” junior Diego Aguilar said. He has several friends who went through the reporting system. Its inability to take restorative action taints its reputation. To students, it seems like the system is not working hard to respond appropriately to their reports, even though BIRT is exhausting all possible resolution methods and resources.
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Student Anonymity Restrains BIRT’s Success
Acalanes Union High School District established the Bias Incident Report Team (BIRT) and system in 2020 due to concerns of increased bias incidents within the district. Its goal is to support those affected by bias and foster discussions about equity and discrimination. Although BIRT may have positive intent, the system is ineffective because of the high volume of anonymous student reports which damages student confidence in the“BIRT’ssystem.execution is very poor right now. [The district] needs to either divert the time and funds into other programs or revamp the way BIRT runs,” senior Ricky Davis said.
Yet, the impact of restorative justice, the core principle of BIRT, is severely limited due to the frequent anonymity of BIRT reports. Restorative justice relies heavily on conversations between everyone involved in the incident, which is impossible with anonymous reports.
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propriate action against discrimination because of its predomi nately Caucasian student body and staff.
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Furthermore,anonymity.the
involvement of an administrative official coupled with students’ overall low confidence in the school’s response ability may discourage them from using BIRT, pre venting it from reaching its full potential. Only around 45% of AUHSD students believe the school will appropriately address discrimination and harassment reports, according to the spring 2022 district Pulse survey. Many students of color, including sophomore Tori Chatter, feel the school doesn’t care to take ap
With the implementation of the new policy, students noticed a quieter working environment when in class. The noise with the old policy previously interrupted lectures, class work, tests, and quizzes. With the new policy, it al lows for a more focused classroom where students can accomplish more tasks.
other factors,” Brady said. These factors are more vulnerable to inequity. As Preston Cooper of the Foundation for Re
Senior Ricky Davis added that sometimes, teachers interrupt their lectures to remind students of the procedure when students forget the details of the new system. The procedure meant to minimize students’ departure from lecture fails to do so, as it takes additional time to fill out the necessary information and complete the required actions.
“I find the hall passes to be a great help for not only me, but all other staff on campus as well. I’ve noticed a lot less ‘meet-ups’ in the quad and less phone distrac tions, leaving students to be more focused during class. I understand that the periods are long, but they shouldn’t take advantage of using the restroom to walk around the school and waste time,” Campus Supervisor John Fowley said.This year many teachers implemented walks around campus or short, in–classroom breaks during the long block periods. Even if these breaks are just for a couple of minutes, this is a major help for most students who find it hard to sit through and concentrate for a whole 90 minute period.
While it is important to regulate the whereabouts of students during class, Miramonte cannot implement new measures at the expense of classroom instruction, student privacy, or public health. Administrators need to revert back to old methods of monitoring students’ bathroom usage.
Photo: Gabbi Decareau
In a time when attending expensive prep schools served as a ticket to top universities, early proponents of the SAT sang its praises as a bastion of meritocracy, in which students of any socioeconomic background could take a test and prove themselves. Today, such a measure is es sential given that wealthy students wield more advantages than ever. In spite of the equality the SAT promotes, many colleges abandoned their test requirements or went completely test-blind, as did the Univer sity of California. To combat the structural imbalance promoted by this lack of stan dard admissions components, universities must reinstate their standardized test re quirements.Themost common critique of standard ized testing is its discrimination against lower income test takers. “There’s been a major push for years for test optional/blind policies to promote fairness,” College and Career Center Director Stephanie Brady said. However, wealthier students enjoy benefits in every other part of the college application process. Such students can hire tutors to improve grades, take more rigor ous classes not offered in underfunded schools, and devote more time and money to extracurriculars. “Because my parents don’t need me to work a job, I can focus on my grades and sports,” junior Rhys Hire said. Thus, considering that other areas of the application appear more prone to advantages of affluence, the SAT entitles all students to a chance to
“At the beginning of the year I thought I was going to hate the new hall passes, but because most of my classes allow breaks, it’s easier for me to come back in, and get focused. I don’t find the hall passes to be a hassle or anything, I think it keeps the school organized and on task during class,” sophomore Mitch Reichenbach said. With these breaks, less students find the need to leave class and roam around the halls.
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New09/20/22Bathroom Policy Causes Controversy
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It’s also important to consider what admissions com ponents the abandonment of the SAT magnifies. “The ab sence of standardized testing requires colleges to consider
CASEY SCHEINER
“It’s a hassle to look for the time and date. I hate doing this, but I usually have to ask the closest person to me what the time and date is,” sophomore Ariana Caragol said.
Essays exemplify one of the subjective areas filling the void of standardized tests. A 2021 Stan ford Center for Education Policy survey found a stronger correlation between wealth and quality of essay than wealth and SAT scores. Despite this heightened inequity compared to standardized test ing, reformers in the higher education system made the SAT their scapegoat.
assert their value.
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“Five minutes is pretty short. I think students feel rushed when going to the bathroom or doing whatever they need to do,” sophomore Jack Quinnild said.
Another drawback of the new bathroom policy is that students are limited to a total of five minutes after they leave the classroom. Because of the scarcity of bathrooms on campus, five minutes is a harsh maximum as it can sometimes take a total of five minutes to walk there and back. Additionally, the hygiene process for women can often take longer than the allotted five minutes. There are also certain situations that affect all students which may require more time to be in the restroom. Therefore, private matters of students should not be restricted by the school; students need to be able to take care of their restroom busi ness in a stress-free, private way.
Universities Must Reinstate Test Mandates
It is crucial for teachers to keep track of students’ whereabouts using hall passes and sign-out sheets to ensure safety and regulation at school. Miramonte must continue following the new bathroom policy, for it promotes on-campus focus and safety.
Many argue that insufficient access to tutoring puts lower-income stu dents at a disadvantage in testing, but new educational developments allevi ate such concerns. Online services like Khan Academy offer free SAT prepara tion that helps to level the playing field. These online services can boost scores by 115 points in just 20 hours of studying, according to a 2017 EdSource study.
Not only does the new bathroom policy infringe on students’ personal business, but it also brings up sanitary issues. Having students bring the hall pass into the restroom can expose them and others to prevalent contaminants found in restrooms such as salmonella, E. coli, and C. Difficile. Such germs contaminate the hall pass which is brought back to the classroom for future use: an unsanitary practice.
“The administration created this new system because in previous years there were too many students wandering around outside during class, and it was difficult to manage. With the new sign-out sheet, we can easily track which students are out for more than five minutes and can locate students in case of an emergency,” Campus Supervisor John Fowley said.While this is true, getting up and lingering by the door to fill out the sign-out sheet is still a distraction to classroom instruction. “It’s distracting to watch my classmate walk to the front and sign out. Instead, they should just be able to leave the classroom like we used to,” freshman Teia Adler said.
search on Equal Opportunity wrote in a 2021 column in the National Review, “Subjective components are easier for rich students to manipulate in their favor.”
Standardized testing does not per fectly assess a student’s aptitude. Yet, in a process where wealthy students gain a significant advantage against their peers, the SAT gives a rare opportunity for admissions officers to objectively evaluate an applicant’s merits, rather than their wallet.
“Before, when I used to leave the classroom for a fifteen minute walk around the school, I would find myself coming back into class not knowing what was happening. Now, I only occasionally leave class for no more than five minutes when I need to use the restroom, and I find myself more focused than ever,” senior Ellie Belshaw said.
“Khan Academy has been super helpful for my SAT prep because of all of their practice problems, videos, and personal ized areas to improve,” junior Cameron Berg said. Further, fee waivers for lowincome test takers ensure every student can sit down for an SAT.
Miramonte introduced new bathroom policies and hall passes this year. When students leave the room, not only do teachers know where students are, but also administrators on campus know that they are using the restroom and not ditching class. As much as some students might find this policy an incon venience, it ensures the safety of students and leaves no room for distractions during class. Thus, Miramonte’s administration must continue to follow the new bathroom policy.
“Most of my teachers like to leave windows and doors open during the period, and I remember last year I would hear groups of students talking outside in the hallways, and it was always a major distraction. Due to the new hall passes, I’ve noticed the school being a lot quieter this year. It’s been easier for me and my fellow classmates to actually get work done,” sophomore Andrew Mahar said.
“I don’t like that we all share the same hall passes that we bring into the bathroom and back to the classroom. It’s gross and germs could easily be spread,” junior Vania Robles said.
This year, Miramonte implemented a new bathroom policy regulating students’ bathroom usage. This new policy instates the use of hall passes, imposes a five-minute limit to use the restroom, and requires students to leave their phones in class. While it provides a safer and more focused school environment, it also creates a nuisance for teachers during class and infringes on student privacy. Thus, Miramonte must ditch the new bathroom policy.
Photo: Grace Wood
Many local residents argue that discriminatory racial covenants are not the only thing that had a negative impact on Orinda’s diversity.
Sophomore Shane Watters, who identifies as African and Asian American, shared how he experienced racial discrimination. Watters, who picked up medicine from a drugstore in Moraga was accused of theft and told to leave. He thinks that hosting more events and gatherings that appeal to people of color might make Orinda feel more inclusive.
“I think Orinda should do more for non-white people. Maybe we can do an event or concert at the Orinda Community Park,” Watters said.
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automatically make Orinda a welcoming community for people of color. “It was not a particularly hospitable place for non-white people in the 1950s,” 10 year Orinda Historical Society board member and Orinda native Reginald Barret said. The legacy of restrictive housing and racially motivated prejudice still exists today.
However,houses.the removal of racial covenants did not
Racial Covenants Define Orinda’s Diversity
Photo: Othering
In 1928 and 1946, two families purchased plots of land in Orinda and built their homes on those properties. These homes remained within the families until 2020 when Zucker sold them. Both homes still had the attached restric tive covenants written in the original wording.
The photo above is of the owner and her friends when she purchased the lot near Moraga Via in 1944.
Photo: Margaret Zucker
In fact, today, less than 1% of Orinda’s total popula tion is African American. This stands in stark contrast to neighboring communities. For example, according to the United States Census Bureau, 8% of Berkeley’s population and 18% of Richmond’s population is African American. Moreover, almost 75% of Orinda’s population is white, compared to about 58% in Berkeley and 36% in Richmond. This history of discrimination and lack
CALEB ELKIND
According to KRON4, a San Francisco news television station, Orinda has the 30th most expensive housing cost among cities in California.
All homes in Orinda built before the 1960s still have racial covenants included in their property title reports unless the purchaser removes them through a lengthy process. Of course, the covenants are no longer valid, thanks to the 1963 California Fair Housing Act that made it explicitly illegal to discriminate when buying or selling
of racial diversity prevented many people of color from moving to Orinda.
“No African, Mongolian, Japanese, or person of African, Mongolian, or Japanese descent shall be allowed to purchase, own, use, occupy or lease the property hereby conveyed, or any part thereof,” a housing clause from one of the properties states.
In the early 1900s, California’s economy was rapidly growing. Many people started to move to California and the Bay Area. To deal with the influx of people, many white neighborhoods started to have racial covenants or housing clauses, a form of residential segregation. These covenants restricted people of color and other ethnic mi norities from purchasing homes. In the 1930s and 1940s, property deeds commonly included racial covenants.
Decades of racial segregation prevented minorities from accumulating inherited wealth which today makes it even harder for them to buy into expensive areas like Orinda.
“That no person except of the Caucasian Race shall be allowed to use or occupy said property or any part thereof, except in the capacity of domestic servants of the occupant or occupants thereof,” the covenant from the second home declares.
To explain the lack of racial diversity in our communi ty, many Orinda citizens ignore the history of residential segregation that excluded people of color from home ownership for over a century, and instead only focus on the high housing costs. Evidence of these discriminatory acts can still be found in the property deeds of Orinda homes.“Racial covenants are very common on Orinda proper ties. However, these covenants are no longer legal, so there is a disclaimer that comes with every preliminary title report for properties,” 45-year Orinda resident Margaret Zucker said. For the past 20 years, Zucker has been a Lamorinda realtor.
09/20/22 FEATURE 5
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“A more limiting factor would be that Orinda is mainly single-family homes and townhomes. There are only a few condominiums,” Zucker said. With their lower cost, condominiums and apartments appeal to renters and people with moderate incomes. The Orinda City Council explicitly banned apartment buildings and con dominiums in virtually all of the city through its municipal land use code which makes it more difficult for lower income families to move to Orinda.With no options for af fordable housing in Orinda it makes it almost impossible to live here without buying a multimillion dollar house.
Ultimately, century-long repercussions from racial covenants and restrictive housing policies along with the extremely high cost of living have severely limited the diversity and inclusivity of Orinda.
“The growth of journalism has allowed us to have a greater understanding of the world around us. If you go back 300 or 400 years, the information we get is deeply biased, and you have to look at it much more skeptically than the news you get today. Now, you get every perspec tive and every angle of the story, so you can see exactly what happened. Journalistic standards have become wide spread in a lot of ways, which is just part of the reason why we have to keep them in place,” Avery said.
This is Avery’s first year as The Mira dor advisor and Journalism 1 teacher after English teacher Donia Gousios retired last year. When he was approached with the opportunity of becoming the next Mira dor advisor, Avery enthusiastically agreed to begin the interviewing process. “I love reading The Mirador, and I always thought that it was so cool how students could put this kind of stuff together. This job seemed like something that I could do for 10 years, and it would still be interesting and new ev ery year,” Avery said.
In this new classroom setting, many students look for ward to working with their class mates and learn ing from each other. “I love the fact that there are more people, be cause we always sound better with more voices and we get to know each other better. I’m really looking forward to putting on another bril liant musical and combining classes to make an even bigger performing arts family,” Turtle said.Hawkins hopes for the classes to support each other in performances this year, such as Musical Workshop’sTheaterspring musical and Mixed Chorus’s concerts. “If this combination works, we could potentially see the growth of both classes and return back to having three levels of choir (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) and Musical Theater will go back to existing on its own,” Hawkins said.
Last year was Donia Gousios’s final year advising The Mirador after 21 years of teaching at Miramon te. Taking her place is Jackson Avery, who is now the new Journalism 1 teacher and Mirador advisor
will help lift up the new singers since they are in a class with more experienced singers as well. There is strength in numbers, especially when you are talking about something that can bring up some vulnerable feelings like performing can,” Hawkins said.
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are collaborating on some music and they have just started working on new music separately. This means I make practice tracks for students to access and listen to individually while I work with the other group,” Hawkins said.
The merging of the courses presents some challenges and concerns for Hawkins as well as students of both classes. “Honestly, I was really worried at first. It’s not like combin ing two different levels of the same subject like we sometimes
Low VPA Enrollment Creates Combined Class
This year will be Avery’s fourth year of teaching, and he has already earned the admiration of many of his
Students of both classes felt surprised when they dis covered the new change. “I wasn’t sure how this year would work with two classes combined into one, but I have faith and I think it’s going to be a super fun year for all of us” senior and Musical Theater Workshop student Amanda Turtle
ASHLEY DONG
The Mirador Welcomes A New Class Advisor
Due to low stu dent enrollment in two of Mira monte’s Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) classes, the formerly separate courses Musical Theater Workshop and Mixed Cho rus classes now share the choir classroom dur ing the same pe riod. Chorus and musical theater teacher, both.aseithertweentheHawkins,Meredithsplitsperiodbeinstructingclass,aswellrehearsingwith“Rightnow,they
the only classes I look forward to, which totally reflects Mr. Avery’s teaching style,” junior Rona Sorokin said.
“I really appreciate the fact that he always tries, and succeeds, at making class enjoyable. APUSH is one of
On the first day of school, in anticipation of the up coming jokes and questions, history teacher Jackson Avery acknowledges that, yes, he has the same name as a character on Grey’s Anatomy, the popular televi sion show. This year, for the first time, in addition to his history students, Avery gave this speech to the two new classes on his resume: Mirador and Journalism 1.
strong connection between journalism and his tory. He firmly believes that there is no history without journalism. In his eyes, journalism is the world’s histori cal record, and, therefore, the ethical standards of each journalist must be high, which is what he preaches to his aspiring journalism students.
Photo: Jackson Avery
Evensaid.so, the coupling of the classes may present unex pected benefits, since it encourages collaboration between the performance groups. “I’m hoping that the combination
AveryEvensaid.though he is still settling into his role on the paper, Avery already holds a deep respect for The Mi rador. “This is the historical record of Miramonte. I’m probably gonna be here, at Miramonte, for a while, and I think this could be really valuable for us,” Avery said.
Weeks after that first day, students again enter the class room, now to familiar faces and a more familiar class struc ture. The class may be different from previous years, but the common love of music and performance remains the same.
Dreaming of becoming a famous sports broadcaster, he entered college as a communications major but made the pivotal decision to switch to education after attend ing a life-changing lecture in his sister’s graduate class. “I remember leaving that class, after three hours, being more intellectually engaged than I had been in the last two years,” Avery said. “So, I called up my parents the next day, and I changed my major.”
colleagues and students. “He’s super diligent and su per committed to his students, as well as his own desire to learn and better himself. He’s constantly engaging in new stuff to try to make himself a better teacher,” his tory teacher Matt Sweeney said.
In addition to maintaining The Mirador’s ethical caliber, Avery knows how he will act as the advisor. “California’s free speech laws, when it comes to student publications, are extremely strong and extremely clear, and I feel re ally strongly about keeping those protections in place. That being said, my job as the advisor is to make sure that we hold ourselves to the standards that we should, so really, my job is just to be the adult in the room,”
Although seemingly separate topics, Avery draws a
do with art or languages. These are two different classes with different goals, procedures, agendas, etc.,” Hawkins said. “I’m doing my best to plan meaningful, beneficial rehearsals for each group, but it’s hard to be in two places at once. Both classes do better with the guidance of the instructor, but that isn’t always possible when it’s set up this way.”
Photo: Ashley Dong
On the first day of school, students of Mixed Chorus and Musical Theater Workshop walked into the same classroom, unaware that they were entering a combined class. With unfamiliar faces and different class structures, the students must navigate a new challenge: co existing with an other class during their sixth period.
Photo: Jackson Avery
Growing up as Don at Acalanes High School, Avery was the school’s sole sports broadcaster throughout his sophomore, junior, and senior year. “My goal in high school was to become like the next great Duane Kuiper or Bob Costas,” Avery said.
Along with The Mirador and Journalism 1, Avery is also currently teaching AP U.S History (APUSH). “I’ve always loved history. It’s always been so fascinating to me. I love understanding the context of the world and looking at an event that happened today and seeing how far back you can trace that kind of event,” Avery said. In previous years, Avery taught World History, U.S. His tory, APUSH, AP Government, and Government and Economics, but declared that APUSH is his favorite.
Though both Hulse and Hughes bring different strengths to the task at hand, their ideas often overlap, making the music they create better. “I’m generally the one who sets up the recording, but he’s there for every part of the process, just as much as I am,” Hughes said. This team effort allows them to work
Though the spotlight primarily shines on Hulse and his talent, supportive friend and musician senior Jack Hughes helps him create and produce music. Hughes and Hulse discuss what type of genre they want the song to be and the tone and mood it will give off.
Hulse’s music career is only just beginning, but he is already planning his future. “I’m definitely going to pursue something in the music busi ness. Whether it is being a manager or producer, I am going to make music,” Hulse said.
Ballantyne is another Miramonte se nior who interned over the summer. Ballantyne spent four weeks of his summer interning with Turner Construction in Boston, Massachusetts,
Sezto spent his time analyzing safety reports for autonomous vehicles, including crash rates and feasibility. He also analyzed 401k reports and read through employment statistics to find the company’s value and longer term growth. He got a feel of what it is like to work for a major company in the financial sector.
Internships are a way of education in addition to the school curriculum, displaying to colleges a factor of curios ity outside of the classroom. “ It shows initiative, and depending on what you have done, it shows further impact. I think that it’s a great way to demon strate a deep interest in your preferred major,” College and Career Counselor Stephanie Brady said.
There is nothing like waking up in the morning, opening Instagram and swiping through stories to see the words “SUMMER SCOTTY OUT NOW ON ALL PLAT FORMS LINK IN BIO.” Viewers click on the link, bringing them to Spotify to listen to Miramonte’s own legendary rapper: Yungg Scotty.Senior Scott Hulse, known by his fans as Yungg Scotty, spent the first 13 years of his life in San Ramon. At a young age, Hulse devel oped a love for music, especially rap. “I mainly just listened to what my parents listened to when I was younger. I started to listen to my own stuff, like Fetty Wap and Drake, in fourth and fifth grade,” Hulse said.
efficiently and release their music as soon as possible. They currently have 17 songs released on Spotify. “We are planning on releasing two new albums in the next couple of months,” Hughes said.Hulse currently has two albums, six singles, and 82 monthly listeners on Spotify. His most popular song is “Safeway 2,” though many students wish he would bring back his origi nal single, “Safeway 1.” “Absolutely, Yungg Scotty should bring it back. I love ‘Safeway 1.’ It truly brings me back to freshman year,” senior Sofia Obnial said. Although Hulse has a dedicated fan base, like any artist there are people who are unsupportive of his work. “Of course there are haters,” Hulse said. “I used to let it get to me, but now I am like, ‘whatever.’”
The process of creating and releasing music comes naturally to Hulse because he only takes roughly an hour to write and record a song. He uses his real life experiences to come up with ideas. “For most of my songs, half are written and half I freestyle while I record,” Hulse said. He records using a Yeti USB microphone and a MacBook in his basement, turning his songs into musical masterpieces. “I kind of get a feel for the beat, combine it with lyrics, and then mix it so it sounds good,” Hulse said.
Seniors Gain Experience Through Internships09/20/22FEATURE7
Photo:
In ten years or so, viewers will swipe through Instagram stories and stumble across a link to buy tickets for YUNGG SCOTTY’S WORLD TOUR: SAFEWAY GONE WORLDWIDE. Viewers better click fast or else their dreams of see ing Yungg Scotty live will be “Floatin’” away in a “ZAP!”
This past summer, a few Miramonte students spent their time interning with various companies. Students choose to intern to get a feel of what it’s like to work in a potential profession while gain ing hands-on experience that normal high-school education cannot offer. From computer science to architectural design, a handful of seniors worked with professionals in different fields.
Photo: Pegasus Technology Holdings
Turner Construction
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where he worked on-site at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. On average, Ballantyne woke up at 6:30 a.m. before starting his work with the Mechanical Electrical Plumbing and Fire production manager.
Between seventh and eighth grade, Hulse and his family moved to Orinda, but his love for music didn’t change. “In middle school, I listened to a lot of stuff on SoundCloud. XXXTentacion, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti,” Hulse said. These rappers inspired Hulse, and their music motivated him to begin writing, producing, and releasing songs of his own.
Senior Andrew Sezto decided to intern for Pegasus Technology Holdings, a company focused on autonomous artificial intelligence, in Silicon Valley. Sezto worked in the marketing and finan cial department, getting an opportunity to shadow the manager of the company’s financial sector.
CAROLINE DE BOURBON
ALEX FORDYCE
“I hope to work in Business Marketing when I’m older, so this internship was a great way to get a feel of what it’s like to work in the real world of business,” Sezto said. Interning is also a great way to network with people in that similar profes sion. By interning for this company, Sezto opened the doors to a variety of opportunities later on, as these people may help him land a job later on in his Grahamlife.
“Ride the Beat” with Rapper Yungg Scotty
“I explored the inner workings of a near-completed hospital,” Ballantyne said. He completed daily tasks including closeout documentation cross checking, sample collections, and subcontractor communications. Because Ballantyne hopes to become an engineer, he felt that working hands-on with this com pany helped him get a feel of what it’s like to work in that profession. “I felt really connected, as I was working with really passionate individuals who loved what they did. Whether on the job site or in the office, I felt connected with my peers, and everyone provided moti vation to work and pursue an education in engineering,” Ballantyne said.
Photo: Scott Hulse
Dax Harris — PE 9 and Weight Training
Photo: Gianna Labarile
Photo: Dax Harris
Ms. Noury previously taught Learning Skills at North gate High School for five years. Before that, she worked as a stage manager and lighting technician for theater and even managed a video store for several years. She doesn’t have a passport but hopes to travel abroad one day!
Rachel Kuiper — School Psychologist With a history degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a counseling degree from St. Mary’s College, Ms. Kuiper previously worked at Alhambra High School. She also worked as a Human Resource manager for non-profits and as a flight attendant for Virgin America. Additionally, Ms. Kuiper is a licensed cosmetologist!
Lauren Songponnopachon — Learning Skills / Algebra 1 Ms. Songponnopachon previously taught for eight years in Fremont. She’s very excited to get to know the Mira monte community and get involved in Lamorinda events. Ms. Songponnopachon hopes to go to all the global Disney parks with her kids!
Photo: Sarah Bowers
LUKE LEWIS & JONATHAN SU
Photo: Rachel Kuiper
Sarah Bowers — French 1, 2, 3, 4H, 5AP, and Spanish 1
Photo: Danielle Noury
Allie Tarantino — World History and Psychology A University of California, Los Angeles alumni, Ms. Tarantino is teaching at both Campolindo and Mira monte this year. This is her second year teaching, and she previously worked as a Resident Assistant in college. Her dream vacation is to Germany, and she is planning to visit for the first time next summer!
With a master’s degree in French Literature from San Francisco State University, Madame/Senora Bowers previously studied abroad in Grenoble, France. She loves taking students to France and went to Scotland with her family this past summer. Madame/Senora Bowers is very excited to attend Campolindo and Miramonte athletic events and get to know her colleagues!
Photo: Amy Kudenov
With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cali fornia, Berkeley and master’s degree from St. Mary’s College, Ms. McGill previously taught eighth grade Core at Orinda Intermediate School. She’s traveled to all 50 states and even four continents. Her dream destination is Iceland!
Photo: Lauren Songponnopachon
Hongmei Wang — Mandarin 1, 2, 3 Ms. Wang teaches Mandarin at Miramonte and Las Lo mas High School. She’s most excited to teach high school students for the first time. Ms. Wang previously taught middle schoolers at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School. She loves hanging out and spending time with her family.
The Matadors Welcome New Staff Members
Shay Kornfeld — Human Social Development Mr. Kornfield taught elementary science for 12 years in Clayton and Concord. He is excited to engage with stu dents and cheer on Miramonte sports teams. His dream vacation would be to Japan, but his favorite destination is Puerto Vallarta in Mexico!
Photo: Susan McGill
Ms. Labarille studied at California State University, Chico. She teaches World History at Acalanes and AP Psychology at Miramonte. Previously, Ms. Labarille worked as a Geology teacher in Oakland. Ms. Labarille’s dream vacation is a cruise to Alaska, where she can see orca whales in the wild!
Photo: Ally Tarantino
Photo: Hongmei Wang
Amy Kudenov — Learning Skills A California State University, Fresno, and Saint Mary’s College alumni, Ms. Kudenov previously taught English for 13 years. For the past five years, she taught in the Adults with Disabilities programs as a Program Support Instructor. She also loves spending time with her family in Nevada!
Sabrina Wun — Mandarin 4 AP Ms. Wun, another new Mandarin teacher, is excited to celebrate the Chinese holidays with her students at Miramonte! She visited her parents in Taiwan over the summer and hopes to travel to Hawaii next. Ms. Wun used to be a Chinese TV reporter before becoming a teacher!
Mirador8 FEATURE 09/20/22
Susan McGill — English 2, 3
Danielle Noury — Learning Skills
Photo: Sabrina Wun
Mr. Harris studied at St. Mary’s College and played on the football team for all four years. He worked at Las Lomas High School for 17 years, teaching various sub jects such as study hall, public speaking, resource, weight training, and PE 9.
Photo: Shay Kornfeld
Gianna Labarille — AP Psychology
From left to right are the bilingual and polylingual speaking students: Ardal Inesi, Arash Uppal, and Megan Chui. Not pictured: Pateel Horoupian.
Joining the Leadership class for his first year is se nior John Williams, also known as Jdub. His outgoing and charismatic personality exemplifies the ideal rally leader. “I decided to become a rally leader because I love being in front of a crowd and making people laugh. I’ve seen tons of rally leaders in the past make rallies su
met in Italy and speak Italian with each other. His im pressive command of four languages doesn’t stop him from learning more; Inesi is currently enrolled in French 2 at Miramonte. However, speaking and learning mul tiple romance languages can cause issues for him, as he
Taking the Leadership class for his fourth and fi
In hopes of a successful school year of spirit, the rally leaders continue to work hard to create a memorable homecoming dance. “I am really excited for homecom ing! The spirit week is going to be super cool, and the rally is going to be a ton of fun,” McAninch said.
Mirador
Polylingualism, defined as being fluent in multiple languages, is becoming increasingly valuable as global ization intensifies. Students and workers who are fluent in more than one language gain a competitive edge in ar eas such as job markets and intercultural communication. A handful of students at Miramonte possess this linguistic advantage and are fluent in multiple world languages.
The competitive aspect of the rally in tensified in competitions of the loudest chant by grade. “This was my first rally ever, so I am extremely excited to see what Leadership has left in store for the future,” fresh man Rishi Haldar said.
Pateel Horoupian: English, West ernSophomoreArmenian
The New 2022 Rally Leaders Hit the Scene
As the starting goalie on the boys varsity water polo team, Owensby transfers his natural leadership skills from the pool onto land. This school year will consist of four rallies, so the three rally leaders think strategically in terms of planning each event and making them memorable.
month in 2019 to learn the language.
“I am most looking forward to our spring rally and goodbye rally because we have a lot of time to perfect the plan to truly make them spectacular,” Owensby said.
Pateel Horoupian grew up exposed to Western Armenian from both sides of her family. In the past, she attended afterschool language classes and private Zoom lessons to further her Armenian fluency. Horoupian says practicing her Armenian is essential because of its difficult and unique al phabet, making it a tough language to learn.Despite the difficulty, Horoupian enjoys creating a special bond with other Armenians through her bilingualism. However, having prowess in more than one language can cause complications in daily life.
movie and include as many people as I can,” Williams said. As one of Miramonte’s football team captains, Williams also juggles sports and academics. “Jdub is a great leader. He is always making sure that everyone has a good attitude and is always bringing energy to the team,” junior Gabe Roman said. Williams incorporates the leadership skills he learns from football into being a rally leader. “I think being a football team captain has helped my public speaking skills and being able to talk in front of large crowds,” Williams said.
JANIE HOLLERBACH
Catalan-Italian descent, junior Ardal Inesi grew up speaking Catalan, the official language of the Spanish autonomous state of Catalonia, with his mother. Along with Catalan, Inesi picked up Spanish, the second language of his family’s home state. Inesi furthered his fluency in Spanish through courses at Miramonte and abroad, traveling to Colombia for a
Photo: Rally Video by Jdub Williams on YouTube
Inesi also picked up Italian through his parents, who
This year’s back-to-school rally took place indoors for the first time in three years. The rally leaders chose the Netflix hit show “Stranger Things,” as the rally video theme, and they made sure to in corporate that theme into the actual rally. The games included song guessing, table surfboarding, and four-way dodgeball.
Like many students with diverse backgrounds, senior Megan Chui learned to speak Mandarin and Cantonese, a dialect originating from Southeast China, before English. Frequently taken care of by her grand parents growing up, she only speaks Cantonese to them due to their lack of English ability.
Chui says that the hardest language to speak is Cantonese because of its difficult pronunciation and complex tones, more so than Mandarin, which is infamous for its difficulty.
Photo: Jack Nixon
“I sometimes forget words in English or think in the wrong language at the wrong time,” Horoupian said.
JASON WAGNER
This year, Miramonte welcomed three rising seniors as Miramonte’s new rally leaders. With confidence, public speaking skills, and energy, seniors Meghan McAninch, John Williams, and Addison Owensby stepped up to the plate. Through great determination and teamwork, the three work together to create ral lies and spirit weeks while spreading Matador pride throughout the student body. While the three have different hobbies, they all display the leadership skills a rally leader must possess.
Polylingual Students Share Their Experiences
“The most obvious advantage [of knowing multiple languages] is that I can effectively communicate with far more of the world than if I only spoke English. As an avid traveler with a cosmopolitan worldview, this is very important to me,” Inesi said.
Megan Chui: Mandarin, Cantonese, English
From left to right: rally leaders John Williams, Meghan McAninch, and Addison Owensby prepare to enter the gym to solve the mystery of the vanishing students.
Ardal Inesi: Catalan, English, Spanish, ItalianOf
For her senior year, Meghan McAninch decided to join the Lead ership class in order to become a rally leader. “So far, I love being a rally lead er. It is so different than anything that I’ve ever done before, and I love the people that I get to work with through being in the rallies,” McAninch said. As a team captain for the girls varsity water polo team, McAninch incorpo rates leadership skills into all aspects of her life, including her role as rally leader. Taking a rigorous course load, practicing five days a week, and sur viving the stressful times nearing col lege—all while being a rally leader McAninch continues to strive for success. “Seeing Meghan work hard in Leadership is really inspiring just knowing how much she cares for our school as a rally leader. I feel Lead ership has been trying really hard to make our school more spirited, and so far Meghan is doing a great job,” junior Claire O’Connor said. McAninch’s outgoing and kind personality, along with her dedication, gives Mira monte great hope for a successful year full of fun.
Besides the obvious advantages of increased job opportunities, Chui add ed her insight on why she appreciates her trilingualism: “It’s really fun being able to eavesdrop on other Chinese speakers when they don’t know you can speak Chinese,” Chui said.
09/20/22 FEATURE 9
Thanks to the rally leaders’ drive and dedication to create a spirited school environment, the Matadors are in for a fun and exciting year!
Arash Uppal: Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Eng lishAlthough he grew up in the United States, senior Arash Uppal started speaking Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi with his family at a very young age. These three languages, which are associated with Pakistani and Indian eth nic groups, remain integral to Uppal when speaking to his family. It was not until Uppal started school that he became fluent in Eng lish; however, Uppal says it lacks expressive complexity that is found in his three other languages.“Allof the languages I speak other than English are a lot more expressive and you can speak your mind a lot easier. You feel a much stronger connection with people,” Up pal said. He added that being able to express himself in other languages enables him to see the world from a unique perspective.
often mixes up words from different languages.
nal year of high school, senior Addison Owensby is the third new rally leader. With his previous experience in the Leadership class as head of the philanthropy com mission, Owensby helps to guide his fellow rally lead ers. A goal of his is to mold the school into a com munity full of pride and positivity, while including the entire student body. “One hope I want to achieve in our schools spirit week and rallies is full participation from the school. I want to see everyone dress out for spirit days and see new faces partici pating in the rally games,” Owensby said.
per energetic and wanted to recreate that feeling for all classes,” Williams said. Through motivation and team work, he is able to produce and create the rally videos along with organize each in-person rally. “I am look ing forward to the rally videos as they are fun to shoot and produce. I try to make it entertaining almost like a
Sweeney gives a thumbs down above a Yellowstone National Park entrance sign, wearing a Grand Teton National Park shirt (guess which one he thinks is better).
Sweeney and his friend stand in front of the 1991 Volvo before the first day of their trip. The green water bottle in Sweeney’s hand also made it to all 50 states.
Sweeney’s most valuable take away from the ex perience was being able to interact and connect with new people. He referred to these individuals as “single-serving” friends– not people he would make lifelong friendships with, but lifelong memories. In
Mirador10 FEATURE 09/20/22
Utah, Sweeney and his friend met someone through CouchSurfing, an online service that allows travelers to request for homestays for free. “He was like yeah, you and your buddy can totally stay. The problem is that I’m going camping and slot canyoning in South ern Utah… you both are more than welcome to join us.” It went from there. For about three days, Swee ney and his friend camped in the backcountry with a complete stranger (whose profile was verified on CouchSurfing at the very least). “Looking back on it… so, so much fun. But in the moment, there was some stuff where I was like, if I fall, I’m not getting back up. That was like, two days into this monthlong trip and that was pretty wild,” Sweeney said.
INDIE LEE
Photo: Matt Sweeney
History Teacher Mr. Sweeney Visits All 50 States
there for hours… and the entire time I had a smile on my face, just like my own joy, and then watching other people just be so joyful.”
Sweeney takes an etching of his great-grandfather’s name at the National Law En forcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. (spot the green water bottle!).
Utah was the third state of 19 that Sweeney vis ited on a road trip after graduating college in 2011. In 30 days, Sweeney and his friend drove from Cali fornia to Chicago, Illinois for a music festival. “We put 8,800 miles on a 1991 Volvo so that kind of in spired a little bit of that like ‘oh man.’ My friend and I were jokingly like dude, we should visit all 50 states before we turn 40 or 50, I can’t remember… and I was like, let’s do it before 30,” Sweeney said. And his crazy experience in Utah set the scene for the rest of his visits around the country. Sweeney recounted several stories, from talking to his Airbnb hosts in Massachusetts who had an apparent UFO sight ing, to exploring the City Museum in Missouri. The City Museum, Sweeney recalled, is like a giant play ground for adults: “There’s this weird– you have to get on all fours and crawl through it– this labyrinth that also is shrinking as you go through… I got to a certain point where I was like if I go any further, I’m gonna get stuck, and then had to crawl out. I was just
Sweeney’s trips had an element of adventure and spontaneity you could only experience while travel ing solo. Yet Sweeney doesn’t see himself as spon taneous. Food, suggestions for weird tourist attrac tions, and music festivals guided Sweeney’s decisions for where to visit. “I’d consult different travel guides or things. There wasn’t really a hard and fast plan so much as just getting to each state,” Sweeney said, referring to the original trip across 19 states, “But then later, when I was traveling on my own, I would try to do something specific to each state.” Despite this, I admired Sweeney’s resolve to travel around the country in pursuit of new experiences and adventure.
of all the teachers at Miramonte, it makes sense that Sweeney, who teaches US History, visited all 50 states of the U.S. (before the age of 30, at that!). But though there may be some connection between being interested in U.S. history and seeing the entire country, really the desire to visit all 50 states came from the value Sweeney finds in “exploring beyond.” “My rationale was that I feel like people in America are very quick to try to leave and be like, I want to go backpacking in Europe or I want to go to, you know, South America or Southeast Asia or whatever but they haven’t explored what’s out there.” There’s so much to see in the U.S. alone; on Sweeney’s trips around the country, learning about the past was more of a byproduct of learning about the present.
Southern Utah’s backcountry, about 600 miles from California and two states over, has an amazing landscape covered in slot canyons: narrow gorges in soft rock that create natural trails with vast walls of sedimentary rock on either side. There, Matt Swee ney, US History teacher, took on the dangerous but exhilarating challenge of slot canyoning: an adven ture that involves hiking, rock climbing, and swim ming through the canyons. His guide: a friendly stranger Sweeney met on the internet, who he had no choice but to trust as they ventured into the un known.Out
In 2019, Sweeney celebrated his 30th birthday in Alaska, the 50th state on the list. After 8 years, Sweeney achieved a long term goal that began as a joke between friends. “Alaska was really cool… I was totally blown away,” Sweeney said. “I ended up meeting somebody who lived two blocks away from where I lived [in Alaska]. And then he roped us into this weird prank that he and his friends would pull on each other.” In the prank, the friends would sur prise each other with a baby toy, by hiding it in each others’ belongings or bringing it up unexpectedly.
Starting with California and ending with Alaska, Mr. Sweeney visted all 50 states before the age of 30
Photo: Matt Sweeney
“We knew where he was going to be and… my part ner, she was recording it all and she was like, ‘Oh, I think you dropped this’ and put it in front of him, and he was like “WHAT??”... It was really cool, it’s like, when is that ever gonna happen?” After that, an 8 year journey came to a close, leaving Sweeney with a priceless experience he will never forget.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL:
FOOTBALL:
GIRLS GOLF:
After a dominant season last fall, capped off by win ning NCS, the girls golf team lost some important seniors who were crucial to the success of the whole team last season. However, the Mats top two golfers, Katherine Scheingart ‘23 and Courtney Scheingart ‘23, are ready to return. These twins are a highly talented duo on the course and are looking to lead their team to back-to-back NCS titles.
GIRLS WATER POLO:
The Mirador Presents the Fall Sports Preview
BOYS WATER POLO:
Photo: Miramonte Boosters Club
Photo: Grace Kan
GIRLS TENNIS:
The girls volleyball team finished with an outstand
ing 17-5 record last year, with tough wins against both Acalanes and Las Lomas. The team also made it through two rounds of the NCS playoffs. Also losing some tralented graduated seniors, Amber Chu ‘23 and her squad are looking to have a stellar season. Chu led the team with 172 kills and 121 digs on the year. The back row is led by Nicole Tuszynski ‘24, who had 299 assists last season. The Mats seek to finally conquer the beast that is Campolindo, after losing twice to the Cougars last season. If the Mats play their best against the Cougars, there will be no doubt that it’s anyone’s game this year. Watch out for the girls volleyball team as they go deeper in the NCS tournament this year.
After ending last season with an undefeated record, an NCS title, and a state championship, the girls wa ter polo team looks to repeat their 2021 season. This current dynasty has won the past two NCS tourna
Mirador 11 SPORTS 09/20/22
Photo: John Kaelle
Photo: Kirstin Parker
Photo: Ricky Davis
Photo: Courtney Scheingart
ments and is the heavy favorite for a three-peat. The team is led by USA national players and team captains Meghan McAninch ‘23 and Dania Innis ‘23. McAninch will be playing collegiate water polo at the University of Southern California (USC) next fall, and Innis will be playing at UCLA next fall. Other tal ented players are team captain Petra Cherry ‘23, who is the starting goalie for the Matadors this season, Ally Lurie ‘23, and Lucy Berkman ‘23, who is attend ing Harvard University to play water polo next fall, and Natalie Stryker ‘24. Don’t be surprised if this team pulls off another perfect season.
Photo: Courtney Scheingart
CROSS COUNTRY:
CHARLIE ENGS & JOHN WILLIAMS
After a great season from the girls tennis team last fall, finishing second in the James Logan tournament and third in NCS, the Mats are on track to outperform their results from last season. With more experienced upperclassmen on the court, the Mats are looking to dominate. The team is led by their #1 singles player, So leil Skjorshammer ‘24. Behind Skjorshammer, the team has three talented teammates, which include captains Nicole Hui ‘24, Grace Liu ‘23, and Lauren Anthony ‘23. “As a captain, I help foster a good team environment. This year, as a teammate and captain, I make sure to support my teammates in their games as well as stay focused on winning my own,” Anthony said.
Photo: Mira Haldar
The boys water polo team looks strong coming into the season. After a heartbreaking loss to De La Salle in the North Coast Section (NCS) final and a secondplace finish in the state, the Matadors are gearing up for a revenge tour. The team lost three senior starters from last season but has key returners and new tal ent. The team is led by All-American and the team’s leading goal scorer last season, Charlie Engs ‘23, and last year’s team leader in assists, Henry Engs ‘24. The strong junior class includes Grant Kurtz ‘24 and Oli ver Sherwood ‘24, who are both important players. Other vital players this upcoming season are senior team captains Matteo Petty ‘23 and Luke Lewis ‘23, USA Cadet National Team player Patrick Stice ‘25, as well as Griffin Tunney ‘25 and Brian Edelen ‘23. “We used last season’s championship loss as motivation and we’re hungry for an NCS ring,” Tunney said. Watch out for an NCS run this November.
The cross country team established itself as one of the best programs in the area. With the girls winning last year’s NCS tournament, the Mats are looking to come back even stronger under the leadership of team captains Ricky Davis ‘23, Gabbi Decareau ‘24, Jason Wagner ‘24, Casey Scheiner ‘24, Eloise Anagnost ‘23, and Grace Bell ‘24. With many graduating seniors, the team is encouraging its younger classmen to step up. “We are really focusing on the fundamentals and get ting all of the new runners used to how we run prac tices,” Davis said.
After a 6-5 season last year, the Mats are looking to bounce back behind the lead of University of Califor nia, Los Angeles (UCLA) commit Luke Duncan ‘23. However, the team lost major contributors on both of fense and defense that graduated in the class of 2022. University of California, Berkeley’s Sam Ross ‘22 and star wideout Tyler Dutto ‘22 helped the team score touchdown after touchdown. However, many returning starters like Thomas Wilson ‘23, Jimmy Foster ‘23, and Jackson Davenport ‘23 are looking to come back and dominate on the field. “We are working on our men tal toughness and discipline. We believe that’s what our past teams have lacked, not talent,” Foster said. The Mats face tough league opponents after they struggled last year, going 1-4 in league games. Yet, formidable league opponents, Benicia and Las Lomas, also lost many graduating seniors, making them vulnerable for an upset. The Matadors hold all the pieces to a winning season in their hands; it falls on them to string a win ning season together this year.
Photo: Ella Robinson
One of the key players for the girls varsity water polo team is Lucy Berkman ‘23, who recently committed to Harvard University. The senior attacker is efficient in the water with her elite ball handling skills and strong de fense. Unfortunately, due to injury, Berkman was unable to compete in the summer; however, recruits still saw Berk man as a top player. “With my injury, I was able to focus on more tactical aspects of the game from a new perspec tive. However, it also taught me to stay positive and be enthusiastic towards my teammates,” Berkman said.
The varsity football starting quarter back officially committed to the Univer sity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The 6’6” senior and team captain solidi fied himself as one of the best quar terbacks in the Lamorinda area. From attending countless recruiting camps during the summer to waking up before school to lift with the team, Duncan ‘23 put in the work and it’s finally paying off. “The recruiting process helped me socially with pitching myself to coaches that will translate to the work industry later on in my career,” Duncan said.
Playing football all four years with the Matadors, the senior offensive lineman com mitted to Whittier College. Standing at 6’ 7”, his size and strength makes him an easy target for recruiters. One of the most determined athletes at Miramonte, Davis ‘23 is excited for the challenge of college football. Yet, Davis thinks football is more than just a game. “The bonds and connections you make with your teammates makes us all brothers. Noth ing gets me more excited than firing up my brothers,” Davis said. Davis always shows up on time and ready to work, showing his true leadership qualities.
Meghan McAninch - USCMeghan McAninch - USC
Luke Davis - WhittierLuke Davis - Whittier
JOHN WILLIAMS
Cooper Bohlig - MiddleburyCooper Bohlig - Middlebury
Cooper Bohlig ‘23, the wide receiver and center field combination, officially committed to Middle bury College for both football and baseball. One of the major factors in his decision is that he is able to play both sports. “I love having two sets of friends, essentially. I’m going to be busy, but that’s how I like it,” Bohlig said. Bohlig spent multiple summers at camps for both sports while also spending lots of his time lifting in the weightroom. Last year, Bohlig was deemed ineligible for the 2022 baseball season after his return from IMG Academy. Despite this setback, Bohlig still showed up to practice everyday and supported his teammates, demonstrating his commitment to his teammates and the Miramonte baseball program.
Mirador12 SPORTS 09/20/22
Dania Innis - UCLADania Innis - UCLA
Meghan McAninch ‘23 decided to continue her well-acclaimed water polo career at the University of Southern California (USC). “I chose USC based on top tier academics, unbelievable fa cilities, many elite players and coaches, and finally, my mom also attended,” McAninch said. USC dominated the past 12 years, winning five national titles, giving McAninch a tough challenge. The senior attacker played all four years on Varsity. “Watching our team work as hard as we do and getting great results, is a special and rewarding experience,” McAninch said.
Seniors Announce Fall Sports Commitments
Most athletes can only dream of making it to the collegiate level; however, these six standout seniors overcame the odds and are prepared to represent Miramonte as they continue their athletic careers
Photo: Brian Bohlig
Photo: UCLA Football
Dania Innis ‘23 has proven herself time and time again, dominating every single northern California water polo team. The senior and team captain announced that she will continue her academic and athletic career at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Innis’s aggressiveness and shot accuracy gives the Mats many op portunities to score, not to mention her fantastic leader ship qualities among the team. “I love the intensity and competitiveness that water polo brings to the table. I love the bond with my teammates which I have gained many friends from,” Innis said.
Lucy Berkman - HarvardLucy Berkman - Harvard
Photo: Andra Berkman
Photo: Ellie McAninch
Photo: Rola Innis
Luke Duncan - UCLALuke Duncan - UCLA
Despite their various athletic back grounds, cross country united these ath letes under the spirit of competition. “I did not play a sport prior to cross coun try … [but] I realized I was good at it last season when I did significantly bet ter at a meet than I thought I would,” Byrne“Mysaid.main sport was always soccer; however, after joining cross country with my friends, it quickly became my main
A young seventh grader steps onto the searing turf of the football field to join the purple sea of his teammates. He takes a deep breath and looks up into the metal stands where his family sits watching, taking in the array of sights and sounds. The whistle blows as Wyatt Feusier ‘25 begins hs first game of tackle football for the Pleasant Hill Falcons. Following that first moment of exposure, Feusier dove head first into the realm of tackle football and never looked back.
Photo: Wyatt Johnson
“This team can be very special if ev eryone would buy in one hundred percent. I look forward to seeing where they will leave their mark on Miramonte football history,” Schram said. Even with an ACL injury hold ing him out for much of the season, Feusier looks forward to Miramonte football, hoping to show off the skills he’s perfected over the years.
The varsity girls led an impressive ca reer in recent years, paving the way for victories at the CIF North Coast Sec tion Championship. Stars like alumnae Kate Riley ‘22, Emma Wirz ‘22, and Nathalie Green ‘22 are now collegiate runners, leaving varsity slots for under classmen seeking to fill their shoes.
“There is a lot of young tal ent,” Tool said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re pretty close to where we were last year on the girls’ side, which is impressive given that the girls won NCS lastTheyear.”varsity roster isn’t set in stone; there’s still room for run ners hoping to prove their speed and“Mystrength.advice to people who want to improve their running is just to fully immerse yourself in the team,” Bell said. “That’s the best way to get a meaningful ex perience.”Thanks to Bell, Byrne, and Schmitt, the girls varsity team glimmers with promise. With light hearts and fast spikes, these athletes will race their way to victories on the trails ahead.
Wyatt Feusier Climbs to Astounding
Wyatt Feusier ‘25 kneels beside his teammates, Destino ‘23 and Scott ‘24, during a team huddle after their four–on–four scrimmages against Redwood, Hercules, and Dublin.
As Feusier begins his varsity sea son as a sophomore, he will try to make sure that his team will be re spected and taken seriously. He be lieves all of this can only be achieved through hard work and dedication.
EMMA WONG
Last season, Feusier helped lead the ju nior varsity (JV) team to a winning record of six wins and four losses. After the season ended last year, Feusier and three of his oth
Heights09/20/22SPORTS13
Throughsaid. the program, Feusier not only cultivated his talents, but met some of his closest friends still with him to this day. Tanner Gunn ‘25, who played for the Pleas ant Hill Falcons and is now his high school teammate, created countless memories with Feusier that he still remembers. “It was my first time playing football with him, and out of nowhere he absolutely clocked me, which was pretty funny,” Gunn said.
er freshman teammates were brought up to play with varsity for the North Coast Section playoffs. Following a first-round victory against the En cinal Jets, the team headed up to Crescent City, where they suffered a season-ending loss to the Del Norte Warriors. Although the loss was dis appointing for the team, Feusier at tracted the attention of the varsity coach and obtained valuable experi ence playing at a higher level, prepar ing him for his varsity career.
Late summer sunlight glares down on a precipitous hill piled with hazard ous stones and shallow dirt. Kicking back dust, the girls varsity cross country team rises to the spotlight in the absence of last year’s seniors.
Additionally, these varsity runners have newfound roles of mentoring underclassmen.
CALEB ELKIND & HENRY HAWKINS
Mirador
Football enthralled Feusier from a young age. The energetic child and lifelong 49ers fan started his journey in flag football at the ripe age of eight. Starting at the local Mora ga Orinda Lafayette Football League, a flag football program set up for children in the Lamorinda area between third and eighth grade, he played recreationally until sixth grade Upon hearing of the Falcons pro gram in seventh grade, he switched to the more competitive league. “I started playing Falcons football in Pleasant Hill, and that’s when I first fell in love with tackle football,” Feusier
Earlier this summer, Feusier was told he would be playing on varsity for the upcoming season. Varsity head coach, Jack Schram, a football coach for over 35 years, noticed his special talent and decided that it would be best if he were pulled up from the JV team. “He [Feusier] has great passion and isn’t afraid of con tact. You could immediately tell that he had played prior to high school,” Schram said.
“With [the seniors] leav ing the team, it’s definitely go ing to take some time to get the hang of things without them,” Schmitt said. “I definitely miss all of them but am excited to in troduce the new runners to the team.”Coach Tristan Tool has high hopes for this year’s team.
Being on varsity requires ded ication, as athletes must juggle sports and academics. “I balance school and sports by planning out blocks of time and under standing what I need to get done in a given day,” Byrne said.
focus,” Schmitt said.
This year, Grace Bell ‘24, Addison Byrne ‘24, and Zoe Schmitt ‘25 lead the team, aspiring to create a welcoming environment. “I’m super excited about [leading] the girls’ varsity team,” Bell ‘24 said. “I’m hoping to replicate the same enthusiasm and energy that [the seniors] brought.”Bell,Byrne, and Schmitt are formida ble opponents on the trails: last year, Bell set a personal record of 19:38 (3 miles) at CIF, nearly 2 minutes faster than her first season meet. Schmitt was the only ninth grader on varsity, running a blaz ing personal record of 19:55 (3 miles). Byrne’s times leapt from 16:10 to 14:56 for the 2-mile course in just one season.
Girls Cross Country Welcomes New Leaders
Photos: Gabbi Decareau
Photo: Nico Grinold
Photo: Jada Hembrador
To an outsider, the level of dedication, com mitment, and competitiveness of Fantasy Football might not make a ton of sense, but it certainly does to those participating. “Fantasy is my life, and it’s what makes me me. Winning in Fantasy Football is considered one of the greatest wins a person can achieve,” Duncan said. For the next six months, be prepared to hear the banter about trades, plays, and fantasy points.
timore, Maryland, and attended an intensive, four-week engineering camp. Although lessons were rigorous, they often included fun labs and group projects. Grinold even built a spaghetti bridge with an astounding 16 kilograms of weight! Yet, taking classes over the summer was tiring. “Doing school work during the summer definitely made me reconsider my life choices,” Grinold said.
Notre Dame Summer Scholars: Engineering and Inventing the Future – 9/10
Santa Barbara Summer Research Academy –
The Notre Dame Summer Scholars program is an excellent opportunity to meet new friends from around the world while learning about a topic that interests you. Un-fortunately, the lack of air conditioning takes a point off, with Kaelle rating the program a 9/10.
Photo: Ryan Kaelle
Notre Dame boasts a spectacular campus. Despite that, some dorms, including Kaelle’s, lacked air conditioning The program, however, offered lots of benefits that made up for it. “We got to play sports, use the gym, use all of the engineering resources, and got $200 for food that was on top of our three meals a day plan,” Kaelle said.
Many students enjoy Fantasy Football, but los ing is one of the worst outcomes possible. “Losing in Fantasy Football is one the most devastating and humiliating things a person will ever experience in life,” senior Carson Beury said. While losing any game is not very fun, sometimes, Fantasy Foot ball losers receive designated punishments. Due to these punishments, most participants are even more dedicated to winning and avoiding a terrible loss. “This year I am taking it much more seriously. The last time I played, I got last and had to shave my head, and that definitely is giving me more mo tivation to win this year,” senior Ryan Meyers said.
Ultimately, with a combination of intensive classes, food, and unbearable weather, offset by his friends and col-lege experience, he rates the program a 7/10.
TARYN PEARCE
Photo: Taryn Pearce
Seniors Review and Rate Summer Programs
Overall, the scenic campus was easy to navigate. Yet, similarly to Johns Hopkins, the food didn’t meet Hembra-dor’s expectations. With a lack of quality food and a dif-ficult course load but a great environment and group of people, Hembrador gives the program a 8/10.
Every year, Notre Dame offers a high school program called Summer Scholars. The topics of the summer pro-gram ranged from accounting to world politics, offering various choices for students. Senior Ryan Kaelle traveled to Notre Dame this summer to attend their Engineering and Inventing the Future program.
JONATHAN SU
one-month-long program, the Summer Research allows students to participate in undergraduate research in a specific field. Senior Jada Hembrador their mechanical engineering program, focusing on soft robotics based on a physics curriculum. The courses weren’t too difficult and primarily involved lectures, labs, and discussions, with occasional guest speakers. “For the final project, we ended up writing a 10-page research paper and creating a 15-minute presentation to share with over 200 people,” Hembrador said.Besides academics, Hembrador explored the surrounding Isla Vista and downtown Santa Barbara areas. Students could meet and make many friends; for Hembrador specifically, she became very close with her roommate. Although the people in her program were enjoyable, a few made interesting decisions. “After having an indoor maskless moshpit with peo-ple who had tested positive [for COVID], some students were surprised they tested positive,” Hembrador said.
While the program was academically focused, it also concentrated on meeting new people and living like a col-lege student for two weeks. “It felt like what I imagined college would be because everyone was so nice and no one knew each other, but it was still easy to make friends. I didn’t make friends just in my class but also with people from 10 different classes,” Kaelle said.
Kaelle admits that while the program’s core is meant to be academic, the real focus was hanging out with new friends and participating in fun activities like swimming in the lakes. “The dorm life was also super lively My friends and I often stayed up to 4 a.m. hanging out,” said Kaelle.Like other summer programs, Notre Dame also took their students on a field trip. Kaelle went to downtown South Bend, Indiana, and looked at engineering applica-tions in real life. “It was super fun because I had a tight group of four other guys, and we were cracking jokes as we toured a cell tower, data center, and various other engi-neering innovations,” Kaelle said.
The fall season is approaching and American football is starting up – school football, college foot ball, professional football, and, of course, Fantasy Football. Many students at Miramonte participate in Fantasy Football, the online game in which participants manage a professional football team. Players craft their roster by selecting players in the National Football League. Each week, two fantasy teams compete for fantasy points, where points are earned from athletes’ real-life performances in games.While walking around Miramonte, it is not un usual to see students buried in their phones, watch ing their team, and chatting with friends about possible trades. It all seems like fun and games, but Fantasy Football is a full-time job for some. “I dedicate 23 hours of my day to Fantasy Football,” senior Luke Duncan said. Many students feel the same way. “[Fantasy Football] is basically like a sec ond job behind school,” senior Cooper Bohlig said.
Mirador14 ENTERTAINMENT 9/20/22
Summer is the perfect opportunity for students to
The program, however, had its unpleasant aspects. According to Grinold, food at Johns Hopkins is questionable (something to keep in mind if you apply there). The weath-er was also unbearable and unpredictable. The campus’ summer temperature often reached over 90 degrees Fahr-enheit, and the rain arrived on random days. For instance, Grinold’s trip to Hershey Amusement Park, which initially sounded like an opportunity to relax from the intensive les-sons, resulted in a day drenched in the rain.Grinold most enjoyed hanging out with the people he attended the program with. He loved playing tennis–baseball in the dorms until 1 a.m. and going to the Johns Hopkins recreation center during his free time. Most importantly, the program gave Grinold a sample of college life.
“It was nice having classrooms and my home so close. I bonded with my roommates and could hang out with them 24/7,” Grinold said.
Annual Fantasy Football Shenanigans Return
services for the upcoming NASA Artemis moon mission, which will launch the Orion rocket to recover some data on deep space exploration next week. According to Sim ply Wall Street, this company entered the public sector in November 2020 and has since amassed an astounding average volume of 4,615,177 sold shares a day. “Average volume” refers to the daily number of times a stock has changed hands. While the stock had a bumpy start, Rocket Lab increased their revenue by 131% over the past year and is projected to reach a 204% revenue growth by the end of 2022.
As summer comes to a close, employees are return ing to the office for the start of the last fiscal quarter of the year, Q4. In simple terms, publicly-traded compa nies will soon publish their earnings, giving stock trad ers a perfect opportunity to capitalize on specific stocks.
LEILA MABOUDIAN
DraftKings Inc. (DKNG):
FIBER ARTS AND CLOTHES MAKING
Cyber Security ETF (HACK):
GARDENING
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB):
Photo: Sohann Renac 09/20/22 ENTERTAINMENT 15 BAKING
Don’t be fooled by all the fluff — fiber arts are not for the faint of heart! Making clothes, toys, or any other fiber art is a bold but rewarding task. These activities, including crocheting, knitting, sewing, and embroidery, can be timeconsuming, so starting small and working your way up to more extravagant creations is crucial. The surge of pride you’ll have in each final product is incomparable, and, as these tasks become easier, you will find them increas ingly more calming. “Crocheting is very relaxing, and I enjoy creating cute stuff. Plus, if I make a practical item, such as an article of clothing, it has use as well,” junior Olivia Lee said. The re-emergence of the fiber arts was unex pected, but their appeal and utility make one thing clear: they are here to stay.
The current popularity of gardening and plants is extremely well-deserved. Gardening should never have been an “old” hobby; it can be an effective antidote to the strains of modern life!
Rocket Lab is a functional space and launch system supplier in close liaison with NASA and the United States Space Force. In addition to launch services, Rock et Lab offers in-orbit management services, satellite dis tribution, a Photon spacecraft model, and an Electron rocket to its clients. The company will provide launch
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and The S&P 500 have been on the rise since June 17, following many fed eral efforts to ease the market’s volatility. Ac cording to Yahoo Finance, this sudden spike in price performance is due to a rebound caused by a market crash in early June re garding poor consumer reports in May. Since then, the NASDAQ Composite has regained 2,292.02 points and is well on its way to reach the 13,000–point mark. With many current events in play such as the start of the NFL season, the upcoming NASA Artemis moon mission, and the rising demand for cyberse curity, here are some of my picks to diversify your ETFMGportfolio:Prime
Ditch your store-bought loaves for the unbeatable freshness of homemade bread! With the immense variety of edible options offered in local stores, bak ing can sound like an archaic pastime. But nothing can meet the flavor and ingredient quality of the baked goods you produce with your own two hands, along with the surge of pride they bring. “I would recommend more people take up baking as a hobby; it’s something that people of all skill levels can try out. Not only is it exciting to see improvement, but it’s also rewarding to give people baked goods,” junior Nicole Guo said. Baking is a practice with a lucra tive prize: delicious snacks made perfectly for you or your loved ones. Now that baking is back where it belongs, at the vanguard of modern hobbies, take advantage of the thousands of baking videos you’ve saved on Instagram and begin baking!
Filling garden beds with vegetables and flowers is a perfect way to release tension and stress. As the “plant mom” mental ity spreads, awareness of the benefits of indoor plants and gardening must follow. “Having plants definitely boosts my mood and brings a lot of life to my room. I also enjoy the act of taking care of mine and receiving new ones!” junior Vivienne Arndt said. Given the power of plants and gardening, there’s only one thing left to do: unleash your inner plant parent and garden away.
of different companies with varying percentages that selects a certain number of stocks from a certain sec tor (ex. cybersecurity). In this case, ETFMG chose 67 other companies and formed an ETF containing cyber security stocks. In terms of price, this ETF currently sits at $50.09 and has steadily gained ground following the COVID stock crash in early 2020.
With the digital age growing more com plex, many companies have opted to secure their assets through cybersecurity. Many high-profile companies such as AT&T, Berk shire Hathaway, Apple, and many more have all had their clients’ personal information compromised through cyberattacks launched by experienced hackers.
SOHANN RENAC
SCRAP BOOKING
If you’ve ever watched the National Foot ball League (NFL), you’ve also probably heard of fantasy football. For those new to fantasy sports in general, fantasy sports are a sports betting application where players can pick their favorite professional players and go head-to-head against friends and fam ily. DraftKings is one of the leading fantasy sports applications that allows players to gamble across 14 different sports for cash and physical prizes. The company made approxi mately 1.3 billion dollars in annual revenue, a majority of those earnings coming from entrance fees, their online casino, failed pre dictions, and NFTs. Their business model allowed their stock to soar to new heights but has since fallen following the end of the NFL season. The NFL will soon host its season-opener on September 8th, giving investors a per fect opportunity to capitalize on this security, especially since the stock spiked in price for the past two Septem bers in a row.
Nowadays, to find new activities, we need not look further than our cell phones. As we open up TikTok, inventive lifestyle ideas quickly populate our screens. But what you may not have had on your bingo card (probably because you don’t play bingo) is the dominance of hobbies that were once relics of the past. If you’ve spent your life trying to keep these hobbies in the past, you might be shocked at their newfound popularity. It makes sense, though — there are many benefits to these activities, particu larly in regards to mental health and clarity. As they grow more and more common, it is becoming increasingly clear that we could all use these activities in our lives. The following are the best old-school hobbies.
Embracing the digital age does not mean leaving tan gible representations of your favorite moments in the dust. Downloading pictures onto your computer simply doesn’t compare to the joy of compiling years of memories into a physical scrapbook. Yes, you can store all your photos on the computer, but scrapbooking is the perfect opportunity for a computer break! And, years later, it will be so much easier to reminisce over a scrapbook than over a PDF. “I love the concept of saving memories in scrapbooks and trying out fun aesthetics on different pages! Being able to organize thoughts or experiences while also getting to do art or calligraphy to make them look nice is definitely something that can be both relaxing and productive. I recommend people take up scrapbooking or bullet journal ing because it’s fun to look back on and can be useful in schedules or calendars to help you stay organized,” senior Malina Andrews said. While digital editing once overshad owed scrapbooking, it is clearly no match for the many benefits of maintaining and organizing paper mementos. So, pick up your polaroid camera and glitter glue and start recording memories!
Mirador
In regards to the stock itself, HACK is an ETF stock compiled by several world cybersecurity leaders, such as the likes of Cisco Systems Inc (3.04%), Cloudflare Inc (2.88%), and Palo Alto Networks Inc (2.40%). For those who don’t know what an ETF security is, think about it this way: An ETF is a regular stock made up
SOHANN RENAC’S STOCK TALK: Back to School
Old-Fashioned Hobbies Are Back In Fashion
On the first day of school, ju niors Grant Barmmer and John Dunne raced to the quad to claim the one table big enough to fit their entire group. While they succeeded in taking the table before any other juniors could, they underestimated the bigger threat: the seniors.
JESSICA YOUN
Whether it’s vanishing tables or upperclassmen linger ing during after-school hours, one thing is clear – the table wars have begun.
Ultimately, Barmmer’s gang of juniors was no match for the unforgiving seniors: “They have a table for them selves and we have our own table. I don’t see why they need
Whileprevail.some students may call for more tables as a solution, this would not actually solve the issue: the grass is always greener on the other side, and unsatisfied students will never want to settle for a table. At the end of the day, the fight to claim tables is a uniquely high school experience that is likely here to stay.
However, seniors Lauren An thony and Kate DiFranco would not allow a group of juniors to so blatantly disrespect their seniority. They reclaimed the table the next day and even went so far as to bikechain it to another table on the se nior lawn. They were sure that this would deter Barmmer and Dunne from attempting to take it back. But Barmmer and Dunne were not ones to quit. They launched their biggest mission yet, bringing along reinforcements from their group and snuck back to school that night. They not only stole back two tables (the original and the one that was chained to it) but chained their tables to a tree with a heavy duty chain and lock. “I think it’s really
The first few weeks of school can be super nerve-racking, especially after hearing friends describe the difficulty of the classes you are tak ing. Whether you are taking a regu lar, honors, or AP class, make sure to develop good study habits that work best for you. Classes at Miramonte are intended to be challenging and aim to push students to become in novative learners. And, while every student learns differently, it is in your best interest to focus on your own academics and not compare yourself to others. We here at The Mirador wore your shoes before and offer many words of encouragement to help you succeed this school year!
Stay true to your values:
at Miramonte can be super difficult. We’ve all been there and under stand the stress. But these beneficial tips and tricks will help you achieve a success ful school year. You can do this!
Students Give Academic Advice to Succeed
All classes at Miramonte are designed to be challenging with numerous assign ments, tests, group projects, and activi ties. It can be easy to procrastinate, lose track of deadlines, or not have the mo tivation to do an assignment, so know how you like to study and find a way to get into a good habit of it right before an upcoming quiz or test. “I’m generally a hands-on learner, so for AP Calculus, I grabbed extra sheets of practice prob lems and used them to study. I also found that watching my teacher write out the answer rather than listening to them ex plain it was a lot easier for me to under stand,” senior Addison Owensby said.
unfortunate the lengths some groups went to to steal ta bles,” senior Lauren Anthony said.
GABBI DECAREAU
While it is commonly known that peer pressure is used to fit stu dents into a certain mold, don’t let this dissuade you from sticking to your values and passions. If all of your friends are signed up to take AP Euro but you are not interested in history, then don’t take it! There are various classes offered at Mira monte, giving students an opportu nity to learn about something they like. “Speaking from experience, do not choose classes that you know you won’t enjoy sitting through an entire year of. I took APUSH be cause all my friends were taking it, and I regretted it very much,” senior Ellie Belshaw said.
Classessaid.
The most important way to get good grades in your classes is to get a good night’s sleep. Students that get a proper amount of sleep at night stay focused, are more concentrated, and have improved academic performance. “Sleeping is su per important. After eight hours of sleep, I’m always in a better mood and ready to crush my exams,” junior James MacKen zie
Photo: Reagan Kaelle
Get more sleep:
to go to these extreme measures just to beat us,” DiFranco said. The boys returned to school a couple days later only to find no trace of their hard work: their chain had been
The food chaining issue was slightly addressed at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year when the administration ordered 20 new tables to provide more students with places to comfortably sit. Unfortu nately, there is still not enough seat ing for everyone; the quad (exclud ing the senior lawn) has 66 tables that fit 8 people comfortably, which provides seats for 598 out of 900 students who need a seat. The lack of adequate seating available to stu dents means food chaining will al ways
Mirador16 ENTERTAINMENT 09/20/22
Two rebel juniors sneak onto the Senior Lawn to obtain enemy tables late one evening. The juniors proceeded to secure their tables by chaining them to a tree with a heavy duty lock.
Belshaw also added that buying your own textbook and being able to mark it up and make annotations is super benefi cial. There are so many different studying techniques and it’s worth a shot to try one of these and see if it works for you!
Develop good study habits:
smashed through and the tables were taken back to the senior lawn for the last time. Accepting defeat, the juniors settled for a regular table offered by the seniors as a peace treaty. However, they are not particularly happy with the situation: “Nick Blair lost $50 chaining our table to a tree and I think the other group should leave the tables where they were. Food chaining should not be applied to the grade right below you,” junior Grant Barmmer said. Food chain ing remains an issue and it appears the underclassmen are growing tired of dealing with its consequences: “I don’t think it’s very fair that the seniors are coming over and taking our tables. We had to go back and steal our table back and chain it to a tree which they proceeded to break. I don’t think they should be stealing our tables,” junior John Dunne said.
Table Wars: The Senior Empire Strikes Back
Barmmer and Dunne celebrated their success too early, returning to school the next day to find their table relocated to the senior lawn. Knowing venturing onto the senior lawn during school hours meant certain death, the boys plotted a plan to rescue the table that night. They returned to school late that evening and lugged the unwieldy table back to its “rightful” position.
A (not so long) time ago in a galaxy very, very, near... It is a period of civil war. Rebel juniors, striking from a hidden base, launched their first attack on the reigning Empire that is the Senior Lawn