Raven Report Issue Cycle 4

RAVEN REPORT SEQUOIA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE VOLUME XIII, NO. 4 // MAY 2021

TABLE of CONTENTS

2

Students on Hybrid Schedule

4

SUHSD Fall Opening Plans

5

History of the Raven Report

6

Supporting Trans Communities

8

Sequoia Global Community and Cultures Club

10

Students Who Fence

12

Class of 2021 Memories

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Class of 2021 Post-Secondary Map

14

Non-Restrictive Summer 2021 Plans

17

Upsides and Downsides of Distance Learning

18

Reflections on COVID-19

20

Endangered Animals and Plants

22

Book Review: “A Little Life”

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Series Review: “Did I Mention I Love You?”

26

Cali Blendz Barbershop

28

Removing Artist from the Art

29

WandaVision

30

2021 Oscar’s Ceremony

31

2021 Grammy’s Controversy

32

Editorial from the Asian Student Union

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Letter from the editors

ABOUT

A Lesson On Resilience

Freshman year, we thought navigating the hallways would be hard. We’d heard from so many intimidating upperclassmen that walking on the wrong side of the hallway, moving too slow, or just being a freshman in the hallways could get you in trouble. The goal was obviously to avoid upsetting a senior.

Sophomore year, we were taking Chemistry. How on earth were we supposed to get through the hardest class that’s ever existed? We were so intimidated by the giant exams and college-style lectures we would be forced to sit through. We got through them, but, spoiler alert, Chemistry is definitely not the hardest class out there. We really were so sophomoric.

Junior year, we weren’t sure if we’d make it.

We thought surviving this notoriously difficult and emotionally tolling year would be hard. IB classes? IAs? IOs? Maybe even some IB exams?

Impossible. But alas, we did it, even after being sent home during our fourth quarter due to a highly contagious, deadly, and rapidly spreading global pandemic.

So senior year-- the continuation of the global pandemic. It’s funny to look back and remember that we once thought hallways, chemistry class, and IB would be our greatest challenges during high school. Little did we know what was in store for us.

We’ve learned a lot this year. Amazingly, we’ve been able to learn academically thanks to our dedicated teachers and staff. But, we

have also learned extraordinary lessons about who we are, how we can make a difference, and where we belong in this politically divided, socially aware, and technologically advanced society we’re living in. All of the distance, and the worry, and the difficulties have underscored incredible perseverance and resilience.

It’s astonishing what we’re able to get through when we have to. If someone had told us that we’d lose almost an entire schoolyear’s worth of in-person learning, miss our last two homecoming and formal dances, and lose months and months of extracurriculars, we would have never believed it. If someone told us we’d lose all of these joyous, memorable aspects of high school, and be left to do school alone in our houses for an unknown period of time, we would’ve thought it was impossible.

Yet, here we are; we did the impossible.

As a school community, we’ve overcome obstacles we never could have imagined. As this chapter closes for us, we get to choose how we look back on our high school years. We get to choose how to accept these losses and continue on into our new chapters. Although it was absolutely nothing like what we expected it to be, maybe, just maybe, this was a better, stronger, tougher, more impactful chapter in the end.

Sincerely,

Printing and web posting funded by

Taylor Gayner and Jay Tipirneni

THE RAVEN REPORT IS A Sequoia High School student publication produced in the journalism class through the efforts and decisions of the staff and the publication’s editors and adviser. The Raven Report is a public forum for students, staff, parents and community members.

THE RAVEN REPORT STRIVES TO provide Sequoia High School with informative, engaging and relevant news. The staff will exercise integrity and adaptability while promoting justice and transparency through professional reporting about the school, the community and the world.

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RAVEN REPORT // 20-21 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

COPY EDITOR

NATHAN BARNES

ARIANA HERNANDEZ

TAYLOR GAYNER

CARLA ROBERTS

ISABELLE BOGAN

VIVIAN KREVOR

JAY TIPIRNENI

ONLINE EDITORS

LUC BRENNAN

RHEA MUDGAL

MANAGING EDITOR

Zoe Dufner

VIOLET BURUAIVALU

STEVEN ORTEGA

CAITLIN DULSKY

TESS RESTAINO

RYLAN BUTT

ALEX PARKER ROGERS

FEATURE EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

XAVIER CASTILLO

REZA PARSEY

MADELINE CARPINELLI

OSCAR NOLF

YOSELIN CHILIN

ELLE PROPP

ART EDITOR

STAFF REPORTERS

ALEXANDRA DANCE

ETHAN RUDY

HOPE CALLAGHAN

ABBY AGUAYO

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

BEN SCHWARTZ LUCIE TENENBAUM JODI VICENTE ADVISER DIANA NGUYEN

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School opens its doors, doors open for opinions

BY ABIGAIL AGUAYO Staff Reporter On April 15, 2021 Sequoia High School officially opened its doors. After one year of distance learning, teachers and students are finally able to engage with each other without the hassle of bad internet connection and not having a Zoom link. This is a day many students, teachers and parents have been waiting for. Although this is news is very exciting, not all people of the Sequoia family feel that way.

With San Mateo County now being in the orange tier, people are still not comfortable with the idea of going out, even if schools are following the CDC guidelines (mask requirement, six-feet apart, limited amount of students per class room etc). It really just depends on how comfortable people are with Sequoias grouping schedule.

Sequoia has arranged a grouping system that allows students to go back in a fun and safe way. Students that have been placed in inperson learning have been placed in a group, either groups A1, A2, B2, B2. Those groups, starting April 19, are going to combine, allowing students to go back each week. With groups combining that means more people and more people means more friends, students and faces.

“I’m excited about seeing students on campus and getting to see my students faces

since not many kids are comfortable turning on their cameras in zoom” study skills teacher Dayna Danielson said.

With the return of people being back on campus, one of the most relieving news is that teachers and students can finally engage with each other and not just see a bunch of black squares.

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I’m excited about finally interacting with my friends and my teachers, and being able to communicate better Victoria Hamman, Freshman “I’m excited about finally interacting with my friends and my teachers, and being able to communicate better,” Freshman Victoria Hamman said.

Now that school is gradually starting to go back, teachers and students expectations are are quite high. Teachers want to feel more involved and students want to feel more comfortable working in a classroom with other students.

“I do expect to see more improvement in students’ engagement, I really do expect that

they will be more engaged and be on top of things when they’re on campus” Danielson said.

With school only having two months left, in-person learning is quickly going by. Some wonder why the district even botherd to open campus back up and not just wait until fall of next school year.

“I think we should have waited till next year I feel as though they could have came up with a better plan and have more time to sort out details,” Hamman said.

Even though some think we should have waited, other feel anytime they get to be on campus is worth it.

“I have a lot of students that are going to be in the A2 group, I am going to have one class that has a lot of students and I’m a little bit concerned about that but I do know that they did the best way that they could making sure that the students were really spread out” Danielson said.

When it comes down to safety, it is not only the teachers that are worried about your and other peoples health. Not only that, but some people do not want to risk having to go back to distance learning.

“I think the grouping system is a good idea, but I worry that if one person gets COVID when the groups combine, there will be an outbreak,” Hamman said.

Photos by Abby Aguayo

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SUHSD divided over returning full in the fall

BY MADELINE CARPINELLI Feature Editor The district recently made the decision to have schools return fully in person, but it was not without conflict. The journey to that point has been difficult and full of division, due to concerns about mental health, safety, racial and economic inequality, and more.

For the first time in the Sequoia Union High School District’s history, schools were opened for hybrid learning. Classrooms were at 25% capacity or less, instructional minutes were reduced, and students were separated. These were all measures taken to protect students, but many parents, students,

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The demographics of who is in class and who is at home reflect inequities in our community.

Submission to SUHSD board

and staff were asking whether those measures will be necessary once the next school year starts in August. Because of that, Sequoia’s community took to social media. Community organizations, such as Reopen SUHSD and Community Concerns, started Facebook and Instagram accounts, allowing parents, staff and students to share differing opinions and perspectives, although sides only became more polarized.

Through these mediums, parents were able to express concerns about grades. According to “The Biggest Problem for America’s Schools”

by Adam Harris, “nearly 30 percent of students in the Sequoia Union High School District, in Northern California, received at least one failing grade” (The Atlantic). Distance Learning was a big change for a lot of students; and while some were able to adjust, some weren’t. There are several different reasonings parents say as to why students are performing

so much worse: mental health, lack of regular socialization, reduction of instructional minutes, and much more. One parent who submitted to the SUHSD board made a point that “many students, including my own child, are having trouble taking school seriously on Zoom. It doesn’t feel like real school.”

Parents and staff were also asking whether students truly want to go back to school.

According to Principal Sean Priest, about 800 of the 2,000 kids at Sequoia opted to go back on April 5th.

Hybrid l e a r n i n g is clearly significantly different from Sequoia’s preCOVID-19 inperson learning, and some people are finding that the benefits are not worth the risk.

“There are a large number of students not returning to campus because the Zoom & Room model is simply not an improvement, and not worth any risk,” Another comment from the SUHSD board meeting states.

“Continuing from home is better than that hybrid option.”

“Everyone’s sitting in the class on their computers anyways, I’d rather be in the comfort of my own room,” junior Jamie Leathers said.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, released an update to their operational strategy saying that in high schools with low to moderate transmission, students can remain 3 feet apart while wearing masks in the classroom (CDC). Many parents

are encouraging the SUHSD to implement this in hybrid learning today as well as for the fall.

A public comment submitted to the SUHSD board states that, “By observation, there is plenty of room for ALL opt-in students to eat lunch on campus at the same time. Future agreements with the Teachers’ Union should be more flexible regarding changing pandemic conditions and health directives, such as the 3’ spacing.”

According to San Mateo County Health, over 70 percent of San Mateo County has been vaccinated. The vaccine has also been very recently approved for children under the age of 16, and many parents believe that it is possible for all students to be vaccinated before returning in the fall.

Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple. Another major concern is the racial and economic inequality in Sequoia’s community.

While Sequoia has always prided itself on its diversity, many staff are concerned with how different demographics are disproportionately affected.

“The demographics of who is in class and who is at home reflect inequities in our community. We must not turn our attention away from those who are learning from home,” another submission to the SUHSD board states.

Nevertheless, SUHSD has been fighting a long battle against COVID-19; students and staff alike are ready to return back to normal life.

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Raven Report history dating back to the 1930’s

The first issue of the 2010-2011 school year included the stories ‘Silly Bandz popularity shoots sky high,’ and a report on the recent opening of In-N-out in Redwood City. Raven Report publications included many infographics for students opinions on various topics. These topics included Twilight, and opinions on Sequoia adapting to a later bell schedule. A notable 2011 article wrote about the flawed enforcement of Sequoia’s dress code at the time; combating the statement that students would be distracted by “an extra half inch of thigh.”

Screenshots of when Raven Report was first created, 2010-2012.

BY VIVIAN KREVOR Staff Reporter One of the founders of the Raven Report is currently living in my basement while she is in between apartment leases.

As a staff reporter, it would be a missed opportunity to not investigate the history of journalism at Sequoia further. It dates back to the 1930s, when Sequoia regularly released a newspaper produced by the Sequoia Times.

Journalism eventually stopped being offered as a class, somtime around 1970. For many years there was mention of reviving the newspaper.

Past Sequoia teacher, Kim Vinh, took a role in ending this “hiatus,” becoming the first advisor of the Raven Report.

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Vinh, becoming the Raven Report advisor in 2009, took part in constructing a report accurately reflecting the opinions of the Sequoia community. At first this looked like 8 page pamphlets published eight times a year.

For the most part these pamphlets had the grey scheme of a traditional newspaper and not much space for images.

“I think we did the first and the last issue [of the school year] in color, because again that costs money and we wanted it to be special,” Vinh noted.

Eventually it was decided there needed to be a change in 2018. The ‘newspaper’ became a colorful magazine. This magazine allowed more room for images and encouraged more art and multimedia content.

“The visual appeal of the newspaper helps draw people in,” explained Sarina Gross. She further elaborated on how the Raven Report

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I asked to teach journalism because I had been in journalism as a high school student myself...it just felt like a class where I learned to be curious, to be observant, and to be really independent.

Kim Vinh, Former journalism adviser

The Sequoia Times newspaper printed newspapers throughout the 1930s to the 1960s. The 1935 issue describes how, at the time, a year long subscription to the newspaper cost a dollar, and the purchase of an individual newspaper cost ten cents. The Sequoia Times consisted mostly of reports on grades, sports, clubs, advertisements, and books-including several mentions of Mark Twain. These issues include several notable articles, such as a 1960 description of the upcoming first girls sport season at Sequoia, and “Don’t Wear Stockings;” describing the difficulty of learning how to sit without stockings snagging on a chair. There were also many advertisements and doodles around article titles.

Screenshots of Sequoia Times newspaper, 19301966.

spent a considerable amount of time using Indesign to make articles; a practice that hasn’t changed to this day.

Gross is one of the founders of the Raven Report, and my sister. She was the editor in chief of Journalism for two years, from 20102012. At the time, the class only had 10-12 kids in it, in contrast to the 30 there is now.

The Raven Report was a close knit community, having daily warm-up questions for students to better know one another. These kick-off questions are still part of the routine for class.

She explains how the Raven Report had to work on getting visibility and involvement in the community-especially when just starting as a small class. Gross admired how their advisor at the time, Vinh, navigated this.

Vinh took the class to the JEA/NSPA National Journalism Convention in Seattle with other journalism classes accross the nation.

“It was pretty exciting because it [the Raven Report] was so young. And so new, ” explained Gross.

An image on the left side of the collage pictures the 2012 Raven Report members, recognized for their national ranking eight page tabloid issue. The image was taken

by Vinh, and Gross is pictured in a ‘Cal’ sweatshirt.

When I asked Vinh what advice she has for current journalism students, she replied, “Everyone has a story to tell. Even if they’re quiet or shy at first, even if they don’t even say anything, there’s usually a story, or something

that you can learn if you are patient and curious.”

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[Journalism] was one of the first classes that I took where the students had a huge say in what was going on.

Sarina Gross, Former journalism editor-inchief

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Doing better for trans students

BY ALEX PARKER ROGERS Staff Reporter 2021 has been an especially difficult year for the transgender and gender nonconforming community, not only on a national level, but on a level much closer to home. In just the first four months of this year, trans and gender nonconforming people have had to deal with ignorant and hateful social media trends, harmful and discriminatory legislation, and high rates of fatal violence. The Sequoia trans and gender nonconforming community has also had their share of issues that both students and faculty need to understand and try to help solve.

A recent transphobic social media trend “Super Straight” that went viral in early March of this year was created as a “sexuality” for heterosexual people who exclusively date cisgender people (people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth) people of their opposite sex, that has been used to invalidate trans people’s identities by reducing them to their biological sex.

However, while “Super Straight’’ mainly stays on your phone screen that same transphobia has also trickled into politics. Transphobic legislation has made 2021 a record breaking year marking the highest number of anti trans bills in history. There have been 82 antitrans bills introduced in the last four months primarily targeting medical care and sports bans. The real world consequences of this hate are reflected in violence. 2021 is already on track to break previous records of fatal violence against trans/gendernonconforming people.

At least 15 trans/gender nonconforming people have been murdered with the majority of these people being Black or Latinx trans women.

In order to be better allies and protect trans people at Sequoia, it is important to listen to the LGBTQIA+ people at school.

An interview with the leaders and members of GSA (Gender sexuality alliance) at Sequoia was conducted to provide this perspective for students and teachers.

Sequoia’s student body specifically can refrain from saying or doing harmful things that affect the trans community as a step in creating a more inclusive environment.

Members of GSA specifically discuss not using “gay” as an insult and refraining from using

slurs as a way to make them feel safer.

Junior at Sequoia and GSA co-president, Nayeli Duran stated, “Sequoia is at a point where they’re really trying, like with LGBT+ students, but a really big problem that happens is with the microaggressions people use. Like, whenever I walk across the quad there’s always people saying ‘ Oh my god you’re so gay’ Or like, ‘that’s sooooo gay’ and that’s super

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example I know there was an issue with Infinite Campus or some of our programs not being friendly to students who need to change their pronouns or changing their names and how do we sort of accommodate that especially if parents aren’t supportive. For me it’s how do I work with teachers and other administration to educate and support non-binary and trans students.”

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we have a lot more to do to help teachers continue to make spaces safe by shutting down transphobic language/ actions both in and out of the classroom.

Dy. Nguyen, GSA advisor

annoying and honestly at this point it’s not super offensive it’s just like wow I thought we were over this.” When discussing how students could support them. Senior and GSA copresident Hayden Burnham also recommends to students, “Don’t be rude, don’t make a big bad deal about us, we’re like anyone else, and just respect people’s pronouns.”

From an administrative perspective some issues brought up by GSA that they may have power to solve are bringing more awareness to gender neutral bathrooms and making sure they are being used for their intended purpose as well as making sure programs like infinite campus are accommodating to pronoun and name changes.

Nayeli Duran also added, “People need to educate themselves on the importance of having gender neutral bathrooms. Teachers never announce when gender neutral bathrooms are gonna open or anything and cis students aren’t gonna care and will only think ‘Oh there’s this bathroom that’s available and more private’ and they’re going to use it for what they want, but they have to be mindful of people that it’s actually a necessity for.”

Mx. Nguyen the GSA advisor stated, “As a teacher I try to let you all bring me issues that you see on campus or within school and I try to work behind the scenes to fix them… For

GSA proposes that a possible solution to resolve issues among students and teachers that stem from ignorance would be to make a class or some sort of curriculum at Sequoia that provides education and awareness on LGBTQIA+ people in a respectful and thorough way.

Senior and GSA vice-president Mabel Barron says, “I think there should be some lesson taught in freshman year class… maybe health class could put something in about trans stuff and non binary stuff, just like sexualities and genders, but doing it in a way that doesn’t treat people that are like lab rats. There should also just be history or like awareness taught that we’re here and we’re real.” in response to how what she thinks could be done to combat these issues. Hayden Burnham also added, “Just educate people about pronouns, sexualities, gender, and do it in a way that isn’t harmful, and the teachers actually know what they’re talking about.” to answer this question.

Author’s graphic: I wanted to include the names of trans people who were killed so far in 2021 to raise awareness and explain why it's important for Sequoia to be a safe space for trans students when other places are not right now.

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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New GCC provides opportunities to explore the world during quarantine Communities and Cultures club was founded amidst the pandemic as a way to “be more involved in the Sequoia community,” said Students learned cultures around the Amanda Lee, and allows students to learn world without stepping a foot out of their door about cultures that aren’t regularly taught in because of the new GCC. The new Global school classes.

Co-founder and sophomore Communities and Cultures club started in Obana, highlighted t h e October of 2020, offering students an easy Sean importance of

cultural awareness. way to expand their cultural awareness. Due He said, “people [can be] very uneducated, to the school curriculum about international cultures being mostly history and language and that is where a lot of biases come from, so based, it is difficult for students to learn about I think the diversity that people see in this club will help provide a these cultures from new perspective on a modern aspect, things.” especially since The club is students cannot built around this travel during the idea of educating pandemic. The Global people who are not Communities and aware of cultures Cultures club allows the members are members to learn interested in but about unique cultures never had the means and experience the to learn about it. For world from a new example, during the Sean Obana, Sophmore perspective. pandemic, many The Global people blamed China for the virus, making them assume that all chinese people are to blame for the virus and making them forget all the good parts of China. The club strives to break these assumptions by educating its members with fun activities. When talking wabout China, the club had chinese student speakers share how chinese culture relates to their lives, as well as give brief history lessons such as what everyday items come from china.

At the end of each culture, there will be a meeting where members get to vote and choose the culture that will be explored next. Some cultures that the club has already discussed are Japan, Australia, and Egypt. The club members

BY RYLAN BUTT Staff Reporter

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The diversity that people see in this club will help provide a new perspective on things.

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decide on a culture to learn about, then spend 3-4 meetings exploring the history, lifestyle, food, and travelling potential of these cultures.

“We have our content, and then we do interactive activities relating to that content or culture. Such as, different games or crafts, or other interactive activities,” president Amanda Lee said when describing the weekly meetings.

The club will normally play games such as pictionary, kahoot, or bingo to help members retain the information they learned from the slides, making it more fun than just another class. These activities make it easy to learn new cultures while still having fun.

“Pictionary is very interactive [...] everyone is always participating because everyone is putting in guesses,” member Ruby Barott said when asked which activity feels the most successful.

Some more unique activities that the club has done are creating an itinerary for a trip to Australia and deciphering codes written in hieroglyphs. Occasionally, the club will do bigger events such as cooking, which should be something to look forward to in the future.

Cultural awareness and understanding is crucial to people who want to meet new people, and can be especially helpful for traveling or any international job. You never know when this information will come in handy.

“I guess you never know who you’re gonna meet. So it’s kinda nice to just have a little understanding about different cultures around the world, just to be aware of all the differences,” Barott said.

As for the future of the club, they plan to expand their activities when everyone is back in person and do more of the big activities mentioned earlier.

“We will do more interactive stuff rather than just stuff on the computer. [...] We can incorporate more of our cooking or even field trips,” Lee said.

Members spelled their names using hierglyhs

The GCC club meets every Tuesday from 3:00-3:30 p.m. on Zoom and is always welcoming new members. Click the link or scan the QR code for the Zoom link.

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Fencing: Fun sport or competitive nightmare? fencing not of their own accord. They are essentially forced to by their parents, as it’s a rather easy way to get into Ivy League schools through scholarship.”

Fencing. No, not fences. Sword fighting.

This leads to many people being desperate A sport that is thousands of years old, going when it comes to fencing. They spend all of back to the ancient Egyptians. It has evolved their time practicing, not having time for through the ages, from duels, to cavalry schoolwork or social activities. This degrades charges, to open warfare. Today, students many fencers’ quality of life, leading to enjoy this as a sport, some playing it for fun, depression and anxiety. some for college.

Tournaments are the ultimate prize for a In fencing, two people, wearing white fencer, especially those who use it for college. padded armor, face off along a strip. This Tournaments gather fencers in numbers from strip is created by two lines, and the fencing a dozen to the hundreds, depending on the happens in between these. There are three size. The tournaments can have big effects. different fencing disciplines, saber, epee, While going to one can go on your college and foil, each with its own rules, but they all application, winning one can have a much have similarities: they all involve two people bigger effect. Because of this, fencers put a lot dueling. of value on them. However, Fencing can this value has a dark side. impact the people who Some are willing to go far play it in positive ways. enough to cheat in order Nick Fox, a Sophomore to win. There have been at Sequoia who is also a I’ve grown more many cases of referees being fencer said that, “I feel emotionally. I’ve bribed and scores changed. like I’ve grown a lot more Last year, according to learned to accept defeat emotionally. I’ve learned to the United States Fencing accept defeat much better ... and built a lot of Association, there were than when I was a kid. I friendships with people 162 cases of corruption and built a lot of friendships I wouldn’t have met bribery. through fencing and I’ve otherwise.

“My experience is one met many really amazing in an infinite black sea of people I wouldn’t have corruption and greed,” says Nick Fox, Sophomore known otherwise.”

Rogers. “Whenever I go to a Fencers spend a lot of national tournament, there time together, allowing them to create lasting is always at least one case of bribery.” friendships that exist on and off the strip.

With college applications becoming more Alex Rogers, a Sequoia junior, is also a competitive, both parents and students are fencer. getting more desperate, leading them to find “A lot of my friends are people I’ve met ways to improve their chances. This leads to through fencing. I also keep in touch with more cases of bribery each year. people I’ve met at national tournaments, However, not everything is bad. Says Fox so I know a lot of other fencers all across about his overall fencing experience, the country.” These can help fencers grow “[It was] Overwhelmingly positive. I’ve emotionally, but there is also another side to formed many close relationships with new the culture. faces, some young, some old. I’ve had so much Many colleges have fencing scholarships, fun over my fencing career. I learned other so people who fence can sometimes get into interests through it, such as stage combat. a good college on one of these scholarships.

Overall, my experience with fencing is easily Because of this, many people fence only to one of the best I’ve had in my life.” improve their chances of being accepted into a college.

According to Fox, “Most people get into

BY REZA PARSEY Staff Reporter

“

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Sophomore Nick Fox at fencing practice

A tribute to the class of 2021

BY ISABELLE BOGAN Staff Reporter

Advice to the Class of 2022

The class of ‘21 has persevered through tough situations and come out resilient. Various teachers and seniors have recalled their experiences at Sequoia in order to say goodbye and reflect on their time here.

As the seniors prepare for the next steps in their lives, seniors and their teachers offer advice to the next generation of students preparing to graduate. As a senior, Cheatham would recommend that other students applying for college use it as a place to experiment with different interests that they have, and not everything has to be figured out in advance, since everyone in her family changes their majors as they learned more about what they were truly interested in.

Javier Nino-Sears’ advice for incoming seniors is to only apply to college that they actually want to attend, since the essays can be very intimidating and time consuming, and it isn’t worth stressing over.

DeVoe suggested, “[This class of seniors] have hope and confidence in everything they have learned in 2020 and 2021, since not everything can be measured based on tests and grades. It gives students so much more confidence knowing that it is very possible to overcome situations that might seem tough, since there is much to learn from them.”

Cons of Distance Learning A negative result of distant learning was missing out on senior activities, and the chances to be on campus for classes. Alex Cheatham was especially disappointed about missing out on the Dance Show as a senior Despina Michealadis wishes that this year was more like her first day of sophomore year, where she reminisces on the friendly students that introduced themselves and walked her to her classes, since she moved here from Boston.

“One thing that I wish was different about distance learning would be the ability to talk to teachers in person. Sometimes I feel like asking teachers questions on zoom or emailing them can seem like a burden, and I don’t know my teachers as well this year either. I just miss the in-person interactions I had with all of my teachers.”

Pandemic Silver Linings English teacher Emily DeVoe speaks about her experience teaching the senior class virtually. She is hugely inspired by the attitude of the seniors, since they have taken a not-soideal situation, and turned it into something that inspired them to look to the future for guidance and motivation to persevere.

Every student has experienced the pandemic differently, but for most she has noticed that it has driven students to work harder towards a more enjoyable future, which speaks to incredible resilience, and is truly something to be grateful for.

“I believe that distance learning has taught both me and my students that we have strength even when it seems impossible. I had set routines, and didn’t think that I would be able to be flexible, but it turns out that I could be. I think that is a lesson that we can all take moving forward in life, which gives us more ability to roll with the punches. A deep knowing in the core of our being that we can overcome difficulties is a gift in some way” said DeVoe.

Life Beyond Sequoia As the seniors prepare for the next steps in To further celebrate moving onto the next chapter of their lives, some seniors shared what their personal plans are for after high school. After graduating, Cheatham is moving to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University, as a psychology major, who also wants to pursue performing and dancing.

Javier will be attending Brown University in the fall, and is looking forward to figuring out his career and goals. Michealadis plans to move to San Diego and attend Southwestern Community College. Alex Luna-Victoria plans to spend a couple years at Canada College, then become a transfer student to a UC school in SoCal. In the meantime, he plans to keep working and finding ways to make money to set himself up for the future. Congratulations!

Although many different students choose different paths following highschool, there can be a certain stigma around people that choose different routes than the “standard” 4-year college route. Luna Victoria, speaks about attending community college, and the

pressures that surround it.

“I decided to go to community college since I wanted to go somewhere that I was comfortable with, so I could better direct my attention towards improving my grades, which weren’t the best these past couple years.”

Luna-Victoria said. “I felt a lot of pressure to go to a 4-year college since I might not seem ‘as smart’ if I didn’t, but I think community is an amazing option, since it saves money, and it gives students with a similar work ethic to mine an easier way to get into more schools, like UC’s.”

AVID and Environmental Science teacher, Jessica Magallanes, comments on this stigma as well.

“I would tell this graduating class to avoid comparing themselves to others, especially about their plans for after graduation. Some students may feel best accommodated with pursuing a community college instead of a 4-year college, or getting a job, taking a gap year, or even not attend college, and there can be a certain stigma attached to choosing options like these. Society has certain expectations set for the timeline of student’s lives, although this timeline doesn’t actually exist.”

Seniors from top to bottom: Alexander Luna Victoria, Javier Nino-Sears, and Alex Cheatham

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Western Washington University (1) University of Washington (1)

‘21 &

University of Puget Sound (1) Reed College (1) University of Oregon (7)

Montana State University (1) Boise State University (2)

Chico State University (4)

See pg. 16 for Bay Area

University of Utah (2)

Cal Poly, SLO (6) Cuesta College (1) CSU Northridge (2)

University of the Pacific (2)

Cal State LA (1)

UC Santa Barbara (4) Santa Barbara City College (2) Los Angeles Film School (1)

Pitzer College (1) UC Riverside (1)

Occidental College (2) UC Los Angeles (2)

UC San Diego (4)

Concordia Irvine (1)

San Diego State University (4)

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University of Colorado Denver (2)

Cal State Fullerton (1)

Loyola Mar ymount University (3)

Chapman University (1)

University of Colorado Boulder (1)

Cal Institue of Technology (1)

University of Arizona (2)

Arizona State University (2)

Colorado State University (2)

Done!

University of WisconsinMadison (1) Tufts University (1)

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1)

Berklee College of Music (1) Northeastern University (2) Brown University (1) Wesleyan University (1)

Grinnell College (1)

Oberlin College (2) Saint Louis University (1)

Washington University, St. Louis (1) Vanderbilt University (1)

New York University (3) Penn State University (1) Arcadia University (1)

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1)

Tulane University (2)

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Bay Area Close-Up Sonoma State University (4)

UC Berkeley (4) San Francisco State University (4)

CSU East Bay (2)

Skyline College (2)

Ohlone College (1)

College of San Mateo (20) Cañada College (34) Menlo College (2) Stanford University (1)

San Jose State University (9)

Foothill College (7) UC Merced (1)

UC Santa Cruz (3)

International

American University of Paris (1) Leidan University, Netherlands (1) McGill University, Quebec (1) University of York, England (1)

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CSU Monterey (1)

Workforce

Military

Trade School

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1

A summer less restricted

BY LUCIE TENENBAUM Staff Reporter Having to adapt to a lifestyle different from fully vaccinated. normal can be hard especially when it comes Josh Hayden, a sophomore, talked about abruptly, since last year, we’ve acclimated to a plans to hang out with his friends as “Most “new normal”, by having to do everything from definitely.” Hayden voiced his thoughts about home.

COVID-19 cases declining recently saying, Students were asked how they were going “When people started hanging out to hang out to spend their summer this year to make it more, COVID was starting to go away. And better than the previous year since COVID now that we understand what’s happening, impacted social interactions last year, and the and it’s summer, it’s time to socialize.” start of this school year.

Hayden wants to stay safe while traveling.

Chelsy Nava, a freshman reflected on her He shared, “I’m going to wear my mask 2020 summer, “I was able to hang out with around, and still be careful with, who I’m friends for a little bit, but having to stay a around because I know I’m going to be distance, and when COVID was settling down traveling a lot over summer because of hockey. and I was able to go to the mall with a few of So when I’m in the airport, I’m not going to them.” touch a lot of different things and talk to Sequoia Senior Sadie Ha spoke about what people, I’ll probably just keep a distance from she’s going to do after she gets her second dose people while traveling and be in my own space of the vaccine. with my mask.”

She said, “[I am going] to hang out with Ha talked about being able to see family some friends that this year, saying “I’m going I haven’t been able to see some family I haven’t to see in a while, seen in like, year and a half, especially family like almost two years now so it’d older grandparents, I’ll probably just keep be definitely really exciting I’m going to hang to finally see those people a distance from people out with them I again, I think, all of my think.

And my while traveling and be in family will be vaccinated, friend bubble will be my own space with my as well as some extended vaccinated fully at mask. family will be vaccinated, the same time so I’ll so I think we’re planning probably go on some on having a barbecue or like little friend trips.” Josh Hayden, Sophomore something outside where Ha talked about everyone gets together.” her college plans and she said, “I’m probably “It’d be weird before I see people, because not going to have any huge plans but, stay in I’m going to have to ask, ‘Are you vaccinated?’ the area and hang out with some friends before It’s gonna be the first question I ask everyone I go to college for sure.” before I see anybody this summer,” said Ha. Many others talked about getting the vaccine and what their plans were after getting

“

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Distance learning ups and dow

BY JODI VICENTE Staff Reporter Many students and teachers alike have dealt with the pressure, and disappointment quarantine has brought to their homes. Though most people can admit how unfavorable online education is, considering its downsides, there are positives to this time as well! As much as numerous people would like to be out and free with others we love to be with — there are more important things to note about the nows than the what-could-bes.

The Downsides: Teacher Perspective Jared Bitz, a math teacher, finds this experience a bit disappointing and challenging.

He wishes he could be surrounded by other musicians rather than sticking solo all this time.

“I’ve been playing music since elementary school, and I’m one of those types of musicians that most enjoys playing when I get to do it with other people - I’m not much of a soloist,” he explained. “There’s really something special about doing it live.”

Jessica Magallanes, a science and AVID teacher, finds it unfortunate and a bit worrying that the students and teachers aren’t together on-campus, along with the fact that her classes can’t be as dynamic as she anticipated.

“There’s not [many] live interactions, and then I also do wish that I could provide more physical hands-on things for students,” Magallanes shared.

Things like chatting with a friend as you walk between classes, feeling that vibe and energy of students or a classroom, and being able to use that to inform decisions aren’t there anymore.

“My biggest disappointment with online learning is probably that we don’t get as strong of a sense of a school community as we would when we all get to see each other in person,” Bitz expressed.

Teachers also can’t tell if students look upset or depressed. Some students always have their hair and makeup done. Others might usually take pride in wearing certain types of clothes. There are apparent giveaways that teachers would notice if these students aren’t feeling well — if they come in with sweats with no hair and makeup done, something might be happening behind the scenes. These aren’t there in virtual interaction.

“I didn’t realize seeing students in their natural environment and work environment and having casual conversations was a huge part of everything until it was taken away,” Magallanes remarked.

The Downsides: Student Perspective Jose Bautista, a junior, finds things distracting and damaging to his mental health.

He feels like students can do anything because teachers don’t see what they’re doing.

“Since we feel this way, there are more distractions and urges to scroll through social media, like TikTok and YouTube,” Bautista said.

Along with this challenge, turning work has been more challenging than ever, with the increased difficulty focusing on work.

“I bet most of us haven’t even turned in many things to our teachers,” he laughed.

“Because there’s no school environment to keep us going, it’s hard to complete and submit work.”

Bautista also believes that online school is boring. There is no real high school experience inside our homes.

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“We can’t talk to each other in the halls, the class clowns can’t mess around in the classroom, and iconic moments made oncampus are missing. This whole thing feels weird and negative without the high school experience — no fun or anything like that,” he described.

Kimberly Gopar, a freshman, finds herself not learning as efficiently as she should be due to electronic distractions and the school environment missing.

“I feel like I haven’t been learning as efficiently as I should be [and] I learn better in a schooling environment because I don’t have any distractions, and I’m restricted to just learning what I have in front of me,” Gopar shared.

Plus, it takes much longer to complete assignments now.

“Usually, I finish all my schoolwork at like eight or seven or, if I’m lucky, six PM. [However], it’s like the whole day [is spent by] schooling because I want to turn everything in on time... that’s not cute!” Gopar said with a tinge of humor.

The Upsides There have been hardships and negatives that come with online schooling. Despite this, there had been advantages and positive aspects to it as well!

For example, Bitz has found this online teaching experience helpful in easing himself into teaching. Since this is his first year as a teacher, he is grateful for the advantages of leading a class through Zoom and Desmos.

“There are some things you would have to deal with in an in-person classroom that aren’t a factor online,” he explained”[Something like] disruptive behavior in class is a lot less of an issue over Zoom…”

For instance, Bautista can speak with no problem when the teacher calls on him to share something in class. Quickly unmuting to just mute seconds later is far less awkward with no one staring at the speaker as they talk in front of everyone, and Bautista finds that convenient.

Just like what Magallanes said, “[Once] you turn your camera off, you can just pretend you

wns from teachers to students don’t see other people. Like, there’s a benefit of feeling a little uncomfortable in person because it pushes you out of that comfort zone!”

Although online schooling has profoundly impacted things unfavorably (like our motivation and work ethic), many people have developed a positive shift in their daily routines regarding school and personal lives. “[I’m] reminding myself that I do have control of helping myself feel better [and] just being aware that I can make choices that influence my overall sense of well-being,” Magallanes stated.

Dear Sequoia Understanding our needs is a critical part of our lives. When you push yourself to be 100% hardworking or 100% productive 24/7, it’s damaging your mental health.

Yes, most of us probably don’t have that much of a social life right now, as Ms. Magallanes stated in the interview. Still, texting and using FaceTime, Discord, Snapchat, Amino, and more apps/websites are available for everyone to use whenever they’d like! Coop or multiplayer gaming is also an excellent coping method. For example, Bautista plays Minecraft with his cousin and their friend while they FaceTime, and he loves it — he can unwind and relax instead of stressing over assignments. If things get overwhelming, music is a solid option as well.

Something like just sending a nice note to your teachers/co-workers and classmates/ friends will make you feel good when you push that positivity out. That way, it’s a way for everyone to feel humanized and valued.

“

[I’m] reminding myself that I do have control of helping myself feel better [and] just being aware that I can make choices that influence my overall sense of well-being.

Jessica Magallanes, Science teacher

Students and teachers can’t be celebrated for their hard work in the classroom or oncampus in general. (Like, Magallanes can’t use her cute stamps such as her “Magallanes thinks you’re awesome” one!) Yet, decorations and organized things displayed online are in use.

(Magallanes spends time making cute slides, and Bitz uses his background of programming from college to his advantage.) Traffic isn’t a pain to go through commuting to and from school anymore, giving everyone more time to do whatever they want. When on Zoom, hiding things like a blanket wrapped around

you, your fidgeting hands, and music being played during class is not an issue.

Hopefully, reading this article made you feel like social distancing from your loved ones and staying home isn’t isolation, but just quarantine. Take it easy on yourself, yeah? This is all only temporary. Good luck with working on whatever you have to do today! Remember, you are loved, appreciated, and valued. Not everyone may like you, but that’s on them.

There are people out there that respect you for who you are. Now, get productive! You can do it!

Jared Bitz’s Message

“I have to learn this lesson over and over again. You can have worthiness apart from your performance. You can have dignity independent of achievements.

Your identity does not have to be rooted in accomplishments. You can be loved for who you are, not for what you’ve done---somebody just has to show you grace. You are worth having coffee with!” - Prof. Francis Su (one of my role models in teaching math)

Jessica Magallanes’ Message

Just whenever I get super low, I can actually remind myself and believe that this is not a situation that’s going to last forever. It’s not permanent. Vaccines are being rolled out!

Also, there’s some positivity in having a new president in office! Knowing that precautions and ways to slow down the spread of the coronavirus are going to be enacted does give me hope. Yeah, it’s not permanent. None of this is permanent. It’s not gonna last forever.

Kimberly Gopar’s Message

Just know that whatever it is that you’re struggling with, there’s always someone to help you and support you. You shouldn’t worry much about being lonely, left out, or sad because many people share emotions like that.

I feel like you shouldn’t isolate yourself and instead incorporate yourself in other things to be more centered around people, so you no longer feel pressured. Just being around friends can help you relax.

Jay Tipirneni and Ally Dance demonstrate frustrations and joys of distance learning.

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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One year with COVID-19

BY XAVIER CASTILLO Staff Reporter People all around the U.S. have been quarantined for at least one year. This might have been a liking for some people, but also a negative impact towards others. Covid-19 has been a serious issue for a long time and all around the world because it has made many people sick and unable to have contact with friends or even family members. On the other hand, people like to be quarantined because they get more time to do indoor work and hobbies like reading, watching tv, and playing video games. In my opinion, I don’t like to be quarantined, but there is some stuff that I have more time to do.

This past year of quarantine has been very frustrating because of the lack of communication and experience that I would usually receive pre quarantine, as it has brought my life downhill. I feel like I have become more of a procrastinating person that gets distracted easily by his surroundings. I have gained more weight and I have become even more lazy. I am not enjoying my life as much as I used to because I can’t go outside and live a normal life, I can’t do many things that bring me joy, and I have a lack of socialization. Socialization has been one of my weak points, but quarantine made it worse by preventing me from speaking with others face to face and has stopped me from going out of my comfort zone.

Apart from my frustration, I also have some things that keep me worried. I am worried about keeping on my procrastination and losing self discipline. For example, not doing my work early and leaving it as the last thing I do, waking up late, or getting distracted by my surroundings easily. I am also worried that my baby sister will have a lack of experience with the outside world, like moving around freely on the grass or meeting up and playing with other babies at the park.

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I have many frustrations and worries, but I also have to make goals for my future. I would like to be more productive and have more time to spend outside with family and friends. We could go to a circus, an amusement park, a funhouse, etc. I can also work on myself and get my weak points stronger. I would like to workout and try to play more sports with friends or other teams that are available. Some of my more important goals are to become more disciplined, responsible, and be able to get out of my comfort zone.

“

The pandemic had a really big impact on my family.

My wife and I lost our jobs amd our children needed our support.

Eric, father of two children

“At first I felt as if I was being trapped inside my own home but after a while I got sort of

used to being quarantined. I just didn’t like needing to go to school through a computer or laptop. I would have liked to go back to school, but the way that it is set up, I don’t really like it. I don’t get to have contact with friends and if I went I would be mostly alone because not many people that I know are going.” stated Haruo. Haruo is a Sophomore at Sequoia. I am not a fan of hybrid learning and that is why I decided to stay at home as well.

Eric is a father of 2 children and one of them attends Sequoia in the sophomore grade.

Eric stated, “The pandemic had a really big impact on my family. My wife and I lost our jobs and our children needed our support.

I tried to find a new job, but I couldn’t find much. I was getting really worried because we were just barely hanging on. Fortunately after some time, I found a job and I was accepted.

I was able to keep us going and so was my family.” Personally I don’t have a job yet, but my dad lost his job too and he had trouble trying to find another job that suited him.

It is difficult to have even a little hope when covid-19 has impacted our personal lives and denied the possibility of being joyful, but the positive things that we want in our lives is the only thing that drives us to look forward.

Un año con COVID-19 POR XAVIER CASTILLO Reportero

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La pandemia tuvo un gran impacto en mi familia.

Mi esposa y yo perdimos nuestros trabajos y nuestros hijos necesitan nuestro apoyo.

Eric, padre de dos hijos

Personas de todo Estados Unidos han estado en cuarentena durante al menos un año. Esto podría haber sido un agrado para algunas personas, pero también un impacto negativo para otras. Covid-19 ha sido un problema grave durante mucho tiempo y en todo el mundo porque ha enfermado a muchas personas y no han podido tener contacto con amigos o incluso familiares. Por otro lado, a las personas les gusta estar en cuarentena porque tienen más tiempo para trabajar en interiores y pasatiempos como leer, ver televisión y jugar videojuegos. En mi opinión, no me gusta que me pongan en cuarentena, pero hay algunas cosas que tengo más tiempo para hacer.

Este último año de cuarentena ha sido muy frustrante debido a la falta de comunicación y experiencia que normalmente recibía antes de la cuarentena, ya que ha llevado mi vida cuesta abajo. Siento que me he convertido en una persona procrastina que se distrae fácilmente con su entorno. He ganado más peso y me he vuelto aún más perezoso. No disfruto de mi vida tanto como solía hacerlo porque no puedo salir y vivir una vida normal, no puedo hacer muchas cosas que me traen alegría y me falta la socialización. La socialización ha sido uno de mis puntos débiles, pero la cuarentena empeoró las cosas al impedirme hablar con los demás cara a cara y me ha impedido salir de

mi zona de confort.

Aparte de mi frustración, también tengo algunas cosas que me preocupan. Me preocupa mantener mi dilación y perder la autodisciplina.

Por ejemplo, no hacer mi trabajo temprano y dejarlo como lo último que hago, despertarme tarde o distraerme fácilmente con mi entorno.

También me preocupa que mi hermanita tenga una falta de experiencia con el mundo exterior, como moverse libremente por el césped o encontrarse y jugar con otros bebés en el parque.

Tengo muchas frustraciones y preocupaciones, pero también tengo que ponerme metas para el futuro. Me gustaría ser más productivo y tener más tiempo para pasar al aire libre con mi familia y amigos. Podríamos ir a un circo, un parque de diversiones, una casa de diversión, etc. También puedo trabajar en mí mismo y fortalecer mis puntos débiles.

Me gustaría hacer ejercicio e intentar practicar más deportes con amigos u otros equipos que estén disponibles. Algunas de mis metas más importantes son ser más disciplinado, responsable y poder salir de mi zona de confort.

“Al principio me sentí como si estuviera atrapado dentro de mi propia casa, pero después de un tiempo me acostumbré a que me pusieran en cuarentena. Simplemente no

me gustaba tener que ir a la escuela a través de una computadora o computadora portátil.

Me hubiera gustado volver a la escuela, pero la forma en que está organizada no me gusta mucho. No puedo tener contacto con amigos y si fuera, estaría mayormente solo porque no mucha gente que conozco irá “. declaró Haruo. Haruo es estudiante de segundo año en Sequoia. No soy un fanático del aprendizaje híbrido y por eso decidí quedarme en casa también.

Eric es padre de 2 hijos y uno de ellos asiste a Sequoia en el segundo grado. Eric declaró: “La pandemia tuvo un gran impacto en mi familia. Mi esposa y yo perdimos nuestros trabajos y nuestros hijos necesitaban nuestro apoyo. Traté de encontrar un nuevo trabajo, pero no pude encontrar mucho. Me estaba preocupando mucho porque apenas estábamos aguantando. Afortunadamente, después de un tiempo, encontré un trabajo y me aceptaron. Puede mantenernos en marcha y también mi familia “. Personalmente, todavía no tengo trabajo, pero mi padre también lo perdió y tuvo problemas para encontrar otro que le convenía.

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Helping Habitats

BY HOPE CALLAGHAN Staff Reporter Gen Z grew up with children’s books about endangered species and read National Geographic magazines about how our favorite animals were slowly disappearing.

For decades, the world has embraced that something is not working, especially in the last few years. In 2020 alone, 15 species were declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature which is only a small fraction compared to the 500 species that have gone extinct in the last century.

Although efforts have been made to bring back our forgotten friends and some have been successful, bringing back one animal at a time will not change the problems that lack sustainability and selflessness that exist in the day to day lives of most citizens day to day lives.

Human life has had a huge impact on the population of species around the world.

Whether it is deforestation, climate change, or over-hunting, the impact that modern technology has on plants and animals is huge. Extinction was/is not always caused by humans, but according to the Earth Institute of Columbia University, the rate of extinction is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher because of how our society is living.

Though the number of extinct species may seem small compared to the diversity of species that are still thriving, this change in nature could have some dangerous and potentially deadly effects. To start, the endangered and extinct species are a clear sign that the natural habitats and environments on Earth are being contaminated or disrupted which would lead to a lack of clean water and air for humans.

Clear examples of t h i s happening locally

were the wildfires that caused extensive air pollution in the fall of 2020 and threatened the lives of not only people, but animals that were affected by the intense smoke. If this pattern continues without intervention, it will become uninhabitable for not only animals and plants, but also for humans. Second, plants are an important part of creating medicine and as they go extinct, so is their potential to help scientists create a safer world. Animals also act as an important “wall” between humans and disease. As fewer and fewer creatures catch diseases, more and more humans catch that disease because there are less “buffer species” to prevent a disease from ever impacting people.

All of that being said, some species of plants do more harm to the environment than good. Invasive species in the Bay Area include garlic mustard which has earned its infamy by competing with and killing other plants and the ironically named tree of heaven that prevents other trees from growing and is hard to eradicate. Common invasive species that creep into gardens can be harmful for plants that were previously growing there and can grow at a rate that is hard to control. Some of these garden imposters include periwinkle, English and Irish ivy, and fountain grass. Periwinkle is known for its difficulty to remove and its intense growth speed, English and Irish ivy is

infamous for killing other plants and trees, and fountain grass is dangerous for its flammability and destruction of native plant species.

As overwhelming as it is, there are things that teens at Sequoia can do to help. Learning about native endangered animals and plants in specific areas and spreading awareness about those species help your community keep them safe. Having a safe space for animals outside is also an important step towards helping animals in the community.

This includes mindfully selecting noninvasive plants or having a garden to help insects pollinate, keeping your yard free of herbicides and pesticides because they are harmful to animals such as birds, driving carefully and making sure not to hurt wildlife.

This also can be achieved by preventing animals from eating trash by securely closing trash cans and birds from flying blindly into windows by making it clear to passing creatures that your window is not something to fly through with small stickers or tape.

More challenging opportunities to help also include using less plastic, cutting circular plastic such as soda rings and mask ear loops to prevent, and recycling and composting to reduce waste.

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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A Little Life covers a lot of life Me reading A Little Life

BY TESS RESTAINO Staff Reporter A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara examines the power of friendship, the lasting effects of trauma, and contains breathtaking prose that is guaranteed to break hearts. A Little Life was published in 2015, but recently surged in popularity due to book recommendations on TikTok. The novel focuses on four friendsWillem, JB, Malcolm, and Jude- and their navigation of life in New York City after college.

Although it focuses on the deep connection between the 4 young men, it mostly focuses on Jude and his individual (and tragic) story line.

First and foremost, Yanagihara does a superb job at building a connection between the characters and the reader. All of the protagonists were charming and likable, causing the reader to blindly root for them throughout the novel. On the flip side, I found the antagonists to be despicable and beyond unsettling. The intensity that I felt for the characters is a rare feat, and I fully applaud Yanagihara for her depthful character development.

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Not every portion of the novel is heart shattering. Since the novel takes place over the span of about 20 years, it is satisfying to see all of the characters morph into successful adults in their respective fields. Some criticize Yanagihara for making all of the characters turn out to be affluent with lavish lifestyles.

However, most of the characters start out with extremely humble backgrounds, which I felt made it all the more enjoyable when they reached success.

I appreciate the many communities that Yanagihara included in A Little Life, specifically the LGBT community. This novel has even been promoted as a “LGBT novel”, being grouped in with other great works centering on LGBT content. However, I would never recommend the novel to someone in search of a LGBT novel, and feel that doing so is somewhat damaging. This is for two reasons: firstly, the identities of the characters is not the focus of the novel. The star of the novel is the relationship between the 4 protagonists, not their sexual orientations. Queer characters should be able to exist without shifting the genre of a novel, especially if their identities

are not the focal point. Secondly, Yanagihara is not a member of the LGBT community herself, and the writing sometimes felt out of touch to me and other reviewers as well. The reviewer Michael Flick states that, “The take on gay men here is antediluvian—a dangerous and discredited brand of heteronormative delusion in which all gay men, no matter the glittering surface of their lives, are fated only to die a lonely, miserable death.”

The sexual orientations of the characters sometimes seemed like a tool Yanagihara utilizes solely to garner more empathy from readers while ignoring any realistic hardships that come with being a member of LGBT community, and perpetuating harmful tropes and stereotypes. Although I appreciate the representation, it felt a bit off base at times.

Going into this book, I was prepared for tragedy. I heard that A Little Life is extremely triggering due to its dark subject matter, and felt like I was mentally prepared for the journey.

However, while reading the book myself, I was shocked at the gruesome descriptions of torture and injury. It felt extravagantly gruesome and unnecessary, as if Yanagihara

was including it solely for shock factor, and not to progress the storyline or character arcs.

The book is quite lengthy at 816 pages.

I felt that the length was a bit unnecessary.

Yanagihara’s writing was absorbing with beautiful prose, with enchanting lines like, “...things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.” Her simple language often weaves together to form precious sentiments.

Despite the beauty, at times it felt a bit pretentious and long-winded. Not to mention the constant repetition of the same graphic events over and over, which could have definitely been limited or cut down. This novel could most likely be 200 pages shorter and still yield the same impact on readers.

All of these things considered, I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars. Yanagihara’s A Little Life has its shortcomings and flaws, and was quite the commitment to read. However, I found that the heart of the story and the beautiful prose has stuck with me long after reading it, and will for quite a while.

Above: My friend Eli holding A Little Life Below: Two contrasting reviews of A Little Life on Good Reads

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Juicy teen relationships and why they’re toxic

BY ALLY DANCE Opinion Editor

who is longing for love. They fall in love and even sleep together but Eden decides that she cannot be with him because she feels that their relationship wouldn’t survive the criticism and The Did I Mention I Love you four book gossip that would be spread because they are series written by Estelle Maskame is a powerful step siblings. love story between Eden Monroe and Tyler The second book is called Did I Mention I Bruce. The twist: they’re stepsiblings.

Need You? A year passes by and Eden decides The first book in the series is called Did to go visit Tyler in New York where he has been I Mention I Love You? In this book we see working with a program that offers help to 16 year old Eden visiting her dad in Santa kids with abandonment issues that come from Barbara after not seeing him for three years. their parents leaving them and drug abuse She explains that she and him have a tough problems. Tyler has changed, he no longer relationship because he left her and her mother suffers from drug abuse issues but his love for several years back. Eden’s dad has remarried Eden hasn’t gone away. Eden promises herself to a woman called Ella who has three kids of that nothing will happen between the two of her own: Tyler, Jamie and Chase. Tyler is a bad them because she now has a boyfriend who is boy with a bad reputation and a serious drug perfect to her. Obviously, that does not happen and alcohol abuse issue. Eden hates him from and they rekindle their relationship. Eden’s the getgo because of the fact that he’s rude and boyfriend, Dean along with a few other of her the way he holds himself so she gives him a friends and Tiffani, Tyler’s toxic and bully of nickname-- Jackass. At 3:00 am, Eden’s first an ex girlfriend come to New York to surprise night at her dad’s, her. Tiffani found out Tyler signals to Eden that Tyler and Eden through the window were more than just to let him in and she stepsiblings in book asks him if he’s drunk 1 and threatens to As I was reading this I kept to which he replies, tell Dean about them “get me another beer” on wondering when their unless Eden helps (Maskame 30).

Tiffani get Tyler relationship was finally going Shockingly, they to stick. It was frustrating, but back. Eden breaks up go from enemies with Tyler in order to lovers when she at the same time Maskame to protect Dean’s decides to kiss him did a good job of taking the feelings but Tiffani in the heat of an readers through the motions ends up telling Dean argument later that anyways. Tyler and week. Behind his face along with Tyler and Eden’s Eden go back to Santa of recklessness she story.

Barbara to tell their sees a sweet, lost boy families about their

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relationship and Eden’s dad is furious with them. Tyler ends up leaving in the middle of the night so that he can figure himself out, leaving Eden to deal with the mess that they created.

This causes a rollercoaster of emotions for the reader because it is now the second time that Tyler and Eden have called it quits. As I was reading this I kept on wondering when their relationship was finally going to stick. It was frustrating, but at the same time Maskame did a good job of taking the readers through the motions along with Tyler and Eden’s story.

The third book is called Did I Mention I Miss You? This is where the readers will be able to find out what happens to Tyler and Eden. Tyler comes back from Portland where he has been living for the past year to try and fix things with Eden but she wants nothing to do with him because of how abruptly he left her. Eden agrees when Tyler asks her to join him in Portland and they get back together.

Eden realizes that she wants to be with Tyler and she transfers from Chicago University to Portland State University. They are finally able to reconcile with their families.

The fourth book, Just Don’t Mention It is the whole story from Tyler’s point of view. I finished all four books during the week of spring break. I recommend reading them all at once because it made me feel more invested in the story. One thing I found particularly interesting about these books is that Tyler refers to Eden as a distraction and when she finds weed in his New York apartment, he blames it on her because she wasn’t there and he needed a distraction. He would also tell her he needed her because she was his distraction from doing drugs or drinking. Although it added a lot of spice to the series it got me

Photo caption & credit

thinking about how degrading it is to be referred to as a distraction.

A website called Mrs. Readerpants is a website that allows people to publish book or series reviews. One of the reviews highly criticizes the series and claims that the storyline sends a terrible message which is that a teenage girl can fix a broken guy if she loves him enough. The reviewer also comments on the relationship and how the author romanticizes the toxicity in Tyler and Eden’s relationship. However, another anonymous reviewer said that they loved the series because of how it truly shows the ups and downs of young love. I would rate this series a 4 out of 5.

The books were beautifully written, the dialogue was smooth, it wasn’t awkward or cringy and the storyline was definitely intriguing. As a reader I kept asking myself when they would finally be together but their rollercoaster of a relationship was very captivating. However, I also agree with one of the reviews, their relationship was very toxic and some young adults could read this series and think that they could have a perfect relationship with a toxic boy. A quote that particularly stuck out to me is when Tyler and Eden were at a party, “he tastes like beer and tobacco, but there’s something so enthralling about it. It’s so familiar, because it’s so him, his permanent taste” (Maskame 312). This scene perfectly demonstrates the path Tyler was on and how Eden was actually attracted to it. Especially in the first book, Tyler is shown doing cocaine, smoking weed and binge drinking.

Because of the severity of his addiction, the topic was not handled well and the author did not show how drugs and alcohol can have

such a negative impact on a person’s mental and physical health. In addition, Tyler gets drunk at a party and has a seizure but none of his friends nor Eden seek actual medical help for him. Secondly, Eden has an eating disorder, she skips meals, runs a lot to lose as much weight as she can and narrates about her low self esteem. As she continues her relationship with Tyler, her confidence goes up but when he leaves it goes back down again.

This normalizes the idea that a boy can make you feel good about yourself. Although that can be the case for some people, it insinuates that the only way to love and accept yourself is to find a guy to do it for you.

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He tastes like beer and tobacco, but there’s something so enthralling about it. It’s so familiar, because it’s so him, his permanent taste.

Maskame, 312 Photos by Ally Dance

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Marcus Thompson and Devin Harrell cutting the hair of customers at Cali Blendz. Photos taken by Zoe Dufner.

California Blendz: Blending style with business

BY ZOE DUFNER Staff Reporter California Blendz is a barber shop established in 2015 located in Downtown Redwood City owned by 2008 M-A grad Marcus Thompson and Devin Harrell. Their good reputation attracts clients, and the positive energy of the shop keeps them coming back.

"The fun, laid back culture of the shop and the diversity we add to the business community in downtown Redwood City [makes us unique],” Thompson said. “We joke a lot and play music to keep the feel good vibes going."

In their shop, they have spray painted designs and records covering the walls, with upbeat music playing that gives the shop an overall good energy.

“They’re super, super friendly, they connect with everybody who comes in and they chat with their customers,” said Kristin Stout, a teacher at Sequoia whose son is a regular client at California Blendz. “They seem like they're really interested in having good connections and a community.”

One inspiration of Thompson was his grandfather, who also owned his own barber shop, Price Barber Shop. Spending time at his grandfather’s shop made Thompson fall in love with the freedom of being a shop owner, he learned quite a bit there as well.

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“From my grandfather I learned to be both firm and understanding in business,” Thompson said. “He also showed me how to use the business as an asset and to invest in myself.”

As for Harrell, his career of cutting hair began in high school, when he decided to

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There’s nothing better than being self owned and working for yourself Devin Harrell, co-owner of California Blendz

continue due to how relaxing the job is and how well it pays. Harrell also saw some perks to owning a business as well.

“Working for someone else doesn’t really give you that freedom,” Harrell said.

Though starting your own business may have a lot of perks, it is no easy feat. Luckily, Thompson and Harrell had a plan.

“I started off working for someone else, that’s where I learned the tricks of the trade as well as the business side of the hair industry.

Once I had a couple of years of experience, I started by doing research to find locations that would be a good fit for our shop,” Thompson said.

Harrell and Thompson were coworkers at the old shop, and fortunately, they both had the same vision. This led them to open California Blendz, where they continue to work together to this day.

Both owners were confident in their decision to start their own business, and encourage others to do the same.

“There’s nothing better than being self owned and working for yourself,” Harrell said.

As for the future of California Blendz, Thompson and Harrell plan to turn it into a barber college and franchise with several locations nationwide.

Thompson and Harrell want to teach and inspire others to get into the business of hair cutting. Hopefully many others can benefit from taking a chance the same way they did.

"Don’t hesitate to invest in yourself,” Thompson said. “Chances make champions."

Widening the gap between art and artists Image via Paul Deetman

BY ELLE PROPP Staff Reporter

consumption of the show (or movie, or music, etc), and preserve your internal moral code; but these two arguments fall flat. We either On Feb. 10, Charisma Carpenter, Sarah refuse to address the toxicity, the racism, Michelle Gellar, and Michelle Trachtenberg the homophobia, and allow this hierarchy to addressed the toxic work environment that continue, or we cancel the show, and wipe its Joss Whedon created on the set of Buffy the memory like we had never heard of it.

Vampire Slayer. This was troubling to me for But Buffy The Vampire Slayer is not just two reasons. One, it was another disgusting a television show. I did not watch a show example of the abuse of power prevalent in about vampires that aired in 1997 because Hollywood. Two, I was about 8 episodes from I have an obsession with the supernatural. finishing the series, and I was left on a big Buffy, like many pieces of art, encapsulates a cliffhanger of “what now?” that pertained to if cultural flagstone. Buffy has inspired an entire I should even bother finishing it, knowing its academic community, one that analyzes its tainted past. role in expressing alternative family dynamics, In wake of the #MeToo movement, the post-feminist media, and un-fetishized #OscarsSoWhite campaign, and many more, LGBTQ+ representation unheard of for its calls to actions regarding the problematic pasts time. Once again, we see another impossibleof art have been made public. Accordingly, to-answer-quickly question of “what is art?” as public chaos emerges, so does public being pondered as we dissect the true meaning discourse. One universally known thing about of Buffy. It no longer serves as a well received a controversial show, music, or movie, is that television show; it becomes a pop culture there will never be a universal opinion; and conglomerate that becomes an integral, such a discovery descends into the rabbit hole influential piece of history in the various that is answering aspects it covers. “what now?”

It is unmitigated One of the most that such heinous infamous arguments, acts from a creator is to propose the idea should be punished. of separating the But it’s still haunting to know that It is disgusting that art from the artist; those years came with a cost: the these practices and if it is a viable abuse and trauma suffered by continue, and I am practice that will those who worked on a toxic set. not here to sway you allow art to persevere towards the opinion through hardships, of Joss Whedon, or or if the creator and Liz Shannon Miller, on her years as a Buffy the anyone else who has the created are too Vampire Slayer fan. notoriously abused blended together to the power dynamics ever be separated. present in most There is no quick answer to this question, and artistic careers. But where can we go from the alternatives to this ideological philosophy here? Removing art erases it from criticism either remain in blindly supporting the and inspiration that can last decades, filled show, and (whether consciously or not) align with bountiful creative forms and outlets. with the side of the creator. Or, you quit Erasing the memory of art also removes the

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revenue that those impacted by the abusive environment, that they may still rely on. In the case of Joss Whedon, who is still alive and benefits from these streams, you must also weigh the cost of punishing his own individual actions on a community show.

Joss Whedon did not create this television show I love. Sarah Michelle Gellar breathed life into it; Marti Noxon wrote the words we now study; David Fury brought this intricate world into film. Art is nothing if not an ecosystem that is self sustaining; one person’s art will lead to an endless loop of inspiration and history that affects each other’s creative decisions.

When a plant has a rotting stem, we cut off the damaged branch, and we continue to grow.

The plant will still be beautiful if it is missing a few leaves; and while it will never be the same as it was before, what’s the point in throwing out a perfectly good plant that has its decay long behind it?

As Sarah Michelle Gellar put it simply, she is proud to have Buffy Summers associated with her name; but not Joss Whedon. Perhaps this is a sign of the rotting stem being removed; a sign of growth through what is an unbearable time.

Image via Tasos Lekkas

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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A scene from WandaVision where Wanda is in the modern world looking at herself in a 1950s sitcom.

WandaVision has a lesson for students

BY BEN SCHWARTZ Staff Reporter WandaVision is a Marvel series about two characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wanda Maximoff a superhero with powers of an almighty witch that she gained from a magic space stone, and Vision, a synthetic being capable of changing his density at will and having a laser beam it could shoot from its head, also created by the same magic space stone. WandaVision describes Wanda’s struggles and although its style is not for everyone, the messages this part of the show convey are universal.

In the show, we see two different sides, those inside the Hex and those outside the Hex. The Hex is a big space of magic that Wanda created, that she could control to try to cope with the loss of her loved ones, specifically Vision. We also see two different villains in this show, a rival witch trying to take Wanda’s power in the Hex, and a government agency trying to handle the situation in an unjust way and betraying their own agents. The show’s unique value is how it portrays these very complex situations. Most of the show is spent hopping through different decades of style of film from the 1950’s to the 2010’s and showcasing the Hex side of the show as plays on sitcoms.

The different techniques the directors and writer of the show use, allow the audience to relate their struggles to WandaVision’s audience that can be important in relating their struggles to a piece of pop culture. For example, Wanda goes through the stages of

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grief: denial, depression, anger, bargaining, and acceptance, although in a different way, it is a good way to broadcast the commonality of having these emotions.

WandaVision demonstrates the duality of personalities and lives between a school and home life or life with those you know versus strangers by comparing WandaVision’s visualization between the Hex and the real world.

In the climax of the show, Wanda faces her grief in the face and gets to say her final goodbye, and even though she harmed many around her permanently, she was able to look that in the face try and confront herself and move on. It shows how going through grief is ok and how it can take different forms for everybody and gives a comforting assurance that eventually everything will be ok.

People deal with grief, it is a natural emotion that people have as a reaction to the inevitability that is the death of a loved one.

The way people deal with grief however is different from person to person and can put immense strain on one’s mental well-being.

There can be many different responses to the loss of a loved one from disbelief, to anger, to sadness, you even feel all three at the same time.

WandaVision demonstrates these feelings in a bolded way to show the exaggerated effect of them to show just how impactful these feeling could be and how influential it is to address them.

It is necessary that society learns to recognize these signs and recognizes them to

help whoever is struggling whether they are grieving or struggling with something else. It is especially important to help teenagers get through these emotions because that is the age when a person is most vulnerable and is most prone to reacting impulsively. It is crucial to have systems in place like Sequoia has where there are counselors on site that can help anyone struggling as well as teachers that are willing to listen and help.

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It is especially important to help teenagers get through these emotions because that is the age when a person is most vulnerable and is most prone to reacting impulsively.

The awkward moment when the Academy accepted the Award on behalf of Anthony Hopkins.

A student review of Oscars 2021

BY OSCAR NOLF Staff Reporter

as Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

The announcement was supposed to be the last announcement of the night, which was On Sunday April 25 the 93rd Academy unusual because the best actor in a leading role Awards were held in Los Angeles at the Dolby is never the last thing of the night. The winner Theaters. Some of the nominees for this year’s of the best actor in a leading role was Anthony Oscars were recently deceased Chadwick Hopkins for his performance as an old man Boseman for the leading role in Ma Rainey’s with dementia in “The Father”.

Black Bottom, Vanessa Kirby for the leading Unlike every other winner of the night, role in Pieces of a Woman. The crowd for Hopkins did not make a speech, he was this year’s Academy Awards was significantly announced the winner and then a picture of smaller than past years as they had to conform him was put on the screen, then the ending to covid safety regulations. Some of the credit rolled. presenters this year included Don Cheadle, “I thought the person who won, Anthony Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Zendaya.

Hopkins was super deserving but the way the The beginning of the award show started show ended kinda left you with a bad taste in with Regina King, who was one of the your mouth. Not to mention this year’s show presenters, walking through the hallways to the was a lot more boring and bad then past ones” room where the Oscars took place. Then after senior Javier Nino-Sears said. she made a speech, they started announcing Besides this controversy, this year’s Oscars the winners of each category one by one. The were pretty uneventful “The Academy winner of each categories in response to other were as followed; controversies they’ve had One of the biggest in the past concerning controversies for this diversity issues, have year’s 93rd academy The way the show ended really done a good job of awards was the final their voters kinda left you with a bad expanding announcement for best and kind of getting a lot actor in a leading role. taste in your mouth. more younger people in” Many people expected senior Javier Nino-Sears Chadwick Boseman to Javier Nino-Sears, Senior said. win this award as he While the amount recently won a Golden of people that watch the Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and Oscars is slowly declining, there is still a large Critics Choice Award for his performance population of students at Sequoia that enjoys

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watching the Award Show “I do think there’s definitely a sizable amount of people who watch the movies at sequoia. As far as I know, there’s not too many people who follow, along with the race. But other than that you know it’s kind of just you watch the movies, you may be tuned into the award show, if you want to see your favorite movie or just see them on TV in general. So it’s kind of just a celebration of movies so if you’re in the movies, it is definitely a fun night, and if you’re not in the movies, then you might not get as much out of it,” senior Javier Nino-Sears said.

This year’s 93rd Academy Awards disappointed many people because of the ending and its overall uninteresting ceremony which brought a record low rating and viewership, which may have been caused by the pandemic and its effect on movie production, hopefully its viewership’s downward trend will cease next year.

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This year’s show was a lot more boring and bad then past ones.

Javier Nino-Sears, Senior

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Grammys or Skammys?

BY CAITLIN DULSKY Managing Editor The 63rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony was this March 14 and honored many of this year’s stars in the music industry, but like past years the “skammys” continues.

This year there were more controversial issues with the winners of some of the biggest awards and the nominations.

The 63rd Grammys had many big name nominees including; Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Dababy, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, and many more. This year’s Grammys were meant to highlight the effects that COVID-19 has had on the music industry and to honor the top artists of this year.

This year, accusations of bias against women and Black artists at the Grammy’s continued, and people were extremely vocal about the unfair voting systems. This year the Weeknd was not nominated even with his album “After Hours’’ dropping during the year with multiple hit songs, including “blinding lights’’ being top of the charts throughout the whole year, and is still trending on the charts. The Weeknd is now boycotting all future Grammys, and expressed his thoughts, encouraging others to see how currupt the Grammys on his twitter. Beyonce also refused to perform this year to protest the discriminatory voting and nominations.

The two biggest awards, Record Of The Year and Best Album, were won by white artists, Billie Eilish for Record of the year and Folklore by Taylor Swift for best album. These two awards in the past have constantly gone to white, typically male, artists. Although, this year they were won by two female artists.

Some felt that Megan Thee Stallion, a newer Black female rapper, should have won Best Record for “Savage” over Billie Eilish. Eilish even spoke about this in her award speech for Best Record, and dedicated her award to Megan who she felt deserved it more. The last Black artist to win an album of the year award at the Grammys was in 2008, and the last Black woman was in 1999. Out of the 63 years of the Grammys, only 10 Black artists have ever won

Album Of The Year. The Wrap.com came out like their work is not being represented and with a timeline of “Grammy snubs” from Black respected properly at this award ceremony.

Artists, showing the history of black artists “Whether African American, or another getting snubbed of major awards to white person of color, doesn’t matter, that’s one of artists. Many Black artists are losing hope in the challenges of all of this. A lot of it comes the Grammys for not honoring their work. down to the root issue within who controls the “It just seems to be this sort of bias. And material,” Mr. Jefferson said. this is not the only year The big labels and that it happened with music producers control this has been ongoing what’s popular and who with in the inner works is popular, and sell what [of the industry] in makes money. So being general, especially now that historically music in the midst of all of I am hoping that we are producers and labels the racial unrest in this able to turn this around have been run by white country that people are men, a lot of bias and saying wait a minute, because I think we will racism has been in this we’re not going to take system of the industry, see the injustice that it anymore” Sequoia and still is today, which choral teacher Othello people have are treated, continues this cycle and Jefferson said. “I just is why the contreversy think that there is some experience, and not just has not ended. sort of challenge when it African Americans, but The “Skammys” will comes to the nomination continue to be biased if process. People of color also the Asian community, artists of color keep being and other people are looked over. Music is a and the Native American making it very known universal language and it that they’re not happy community, indigenous is so important to honor with it”. all musicians’ work and Not only Beyonce community all of these honor the music that and The Weekend have people are just saying has touched so many spoken out against the lives. Even though many Grammys, but many right rising up and saying Black artists and other other Black artists artists of color have no, we can’t take that including Frank Ocean, been scammed by these Kanye West, and Drake award committees, it is have spoken out about important that we see this issue of race at the Othello Jefferson, Choral that and create a change.

Grammys.

It is also important that teacher “Not only that, as we celebrate Black artists far as the voting, but and other artists of the Recording Arts color whos artistry may and Sciences, the group that does shape have not have been represented at the award the voting process. Is there actually enough ceremonies. So many diverse artists have risen representation to share or to actually do their to the top of the charts this year and have had best to pick the person that should be the outstanding years, producing many hit songs. winner?” Mr. Jefferson questions.

“Recognize that you need to do something Each year there continues to be bias at the about it to cause change” Mr. Jefferson said.

Grammys and Black artists continue to feel There are things we can do as listeners and fans of these artists. Not only just supporting your favorite artists but also expanding your musical pallet and discovering other artists.

It’s also important to know that money affects the music industry and influences the music we listen to, which is usually only supporting a small number of artists and labels. So it’s good to realize that there are so many other great artists out there, which is why we should support local artists and expand our musical library. As young teens and adults we are the target audience for a lot of popular music, so we have the power to change what is popular and support the artist who we like the most. We have a lot of power, especially through social media, to support up and coming artists, to expand our music pallet, and speak out about issues that we think need changing, and I encourage Sequoia students to do just that.

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Screenshot taken from The Weeknd’s twitter, tweet posted on November 25th, 2020

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Photo Credit: Left photo of Senior Jacqueline Kurland wearing Beyonce merchandise. Right photo of Senior Jasmine Oda wearing Billie Eilish merchandise. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Dulsky.

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You can support other people because there’s incredibly talented people out there that are not represented by labels Othello Jefferson, Choral teacher

There are many new artists of color that are up-and-coming in 2021, and are already top of many of the charts; here are some of the new artists of color taking over 2021 according to People. com Rico Nasty Nao Masego Zoe Wees Blood Orange Honey Dijon Brent Faiyaz Ms. Boogie Brittiney Howard Nija Flo Milli Willie Jones Tinashe Amythyst Kiah Mickey Guyton

RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Racism is not a trend

BY ASIAN STUDENT UNION

If you’re Asian and living in America, you that has ever been said or gestured with the movement become limited to just a series of have probably experienced some sort of racism implication that we are less than because we posts on social media. Bring your activism to in your life without even realizing it. The are Asian. Microaggressions against Asians the dinner table, to your friend group. Never coronavirus pandemic has escalated racism are also an everyday settle for anything against Asian-Americans, but racism against occurrence.

Racial less than what each the Asian community has always existed, insensitivity is a Asian-American woven into our societal fabric, throughout relevant issue among deserves. Never settle history. The prevalence of anti-Asian racism all ages. Many Asian for hatred. It is your In order to eradicate hate and it’s normalization has allowed it to slip children experience responsibility to against Asian Americans, under the radar and be brushed aside as racist jokes on the uphold the respect people must recognize the unimportant and non-threatening. However, playground.

Our for Asian-Americans prejudices within themselves. that you believe they with the COVID-19 pandemic, these instances cuisine is often the of anti-Asian hatred have become impossible punchline of jokes Whether you are a part of the deserve. It takes every to ignore- “Chinese virus,” “Kung Flu” being during lunchtime. single one of us.

Asian community or an ally, overt examples of this. Furthermore, these are Our appearances are As the Sequoia we must take accountability phrases, not just used by ordinary citizens, but often mocked. These Asian Student Union, also by powerful and influential figures in our microaggressions are for our actions and call out the we must address country, creating a rhetoric that it is acceptable drilled into us from these issues as actions of others. to perpetuate anti-Asian sentiments. childhood, forcing they have not only The Asian community is under attack right the narrative that we impacted us, but the now. Small businesses are being vandalized, don’t matter, that we are not welcome. These 18.6 million Asians that live in the United the elderly are being beaten, we are being comments are made with such indifference, States. The murders in Atlanta have brought called slurs, harassed, spit on. On March that, in addition to the harmful matter, they up what was bubbling just beneath the surface, 16, 2021, eight people were murdered in a hurt us and with no effort at all. instilling a fear and paranoia that affects how massage parlor in Atlanta. Six of whom were In order to eradicate hate against Asian we go about our daily lives and our concern Asian-American women. This revolting act of Americans, people must recognize the for our relatives and elders. Our goal as a club hatred and perversion prejudices within is to shed light on these issues that we, as Asian is not, however, unlike themselves. Whether Americans must endure, having gone on for the United States of you are a part of the far too long, and to provide a space for people America. It is not Asian community or to share their experiences and emotions. uncharacteristic or out The Asian community is an ally, we must take of nowhere. We have under attack right now. accountability for our Say their names: been experiencing actions and call out Suncha Kim centuries of Small businesses are being the actions of others. oppressionovert, vandalized, the elderly are This means educating Yong Yue covert, subtle, being beaten, we are being yourself about the Soon Park violent- and this that Asians called slurs, harassed, spit on. racism disgusting crime was have experienced for Hyun Jung Grant a continuation of, not centuries and taking only all the violence action within your Xiaojie Tan this community has faced as of thus far, but community to stop it. Do not let the blatant Daoyu Feng a continuation of subtle comments, nuanced hate and oppression of Asian-Americans slip critiques, microaggressions and everything by you. Do not let your contribution to this

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RAVEN REPORT | MAY 2021

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Artwork by Ashley Barraza, Bianca Vail, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Sharon Song The unity project is a mural we decided to create for Sequoia. We wanted to demonstrate the impact but also show the differences we all faced throughout the pandemic. While we were the artists, the student voices assisted us and we amplified a sense of unity through Sequoia.