Issue 8

Raven Report Sequoia High School

Volume IX, Issue 8

1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062

When one door closes...

May 25, 2016

ASB convention showcases political spirit

By MACKENZIE CLARKE

Staff Reporter

Photos by Aibigail Wang

Seniors Taylor Taradash, Madi Griffith and the rest of their IB Art Year II class painted doors for their final project of the year.

Youth Advisory Board inspires mental health awareness

By MADDIE REYNOLDS Staff Reporter From May 2-6, Sequoia hosted events across campus for the first Mental Health Awareness Week.

Posters advertised activities such as an after-school showing of “Silver Linings Playbook” and a “Seeing Through Stigma” panel for the duration of the school week.

Students working with the Teen Resource Center (TRC) put in the events to

address the number one problem that concerns students, as determined by a survey sent out at the beginning of the year.

“This year was the fourth in a row where depression and suicide was the number one issue on the survey,” said Whitney Fitzgerald, the Youth Development Coordinator for the TRC. The survey is sent out every year by the Youth Advisory Board in order to document and become aware of the issues that students care about most.

“We’ve been trying to organize that

same week-long program so it happens in the fall [next year] so it’s at the forefront of people’s minds.”

Redwood City has officially declared the month of May Mental Health Awareness Month in collaboration with other cities in the Bay Area in order to decrease the stigma around mental health.

Senior Emily Ducker received a proclamation from Redwood City May 23 to recognize her dedication to mental health awareness.

Construction charges through Redwood City

By BENJY JUDE and ALEX VICK Staff Reporters Unless you work at Peet’s Coffee, you might be excited to hear a new Starbucks is planned for downtown Redwood City.

Of the 36 planned projects, half are residential, while 14 are commercial. The old Century 12 Theatre across from 101 may be replaced by Villa Sport, an athletic club, and a residential complex. Two new schools are also in the works: an elementary school called Rocketship Charter and a permanent location for Oracle Design Tech High School.

“The [building projects] range from from residential apartment or condominiums to commercial office spaces and retail within downtown,” Senior Civil Engineer Kevin Fehr said.

Two projects have been com-

pleted, and eight are under con- ers] don’t close off the road, struction. By the end of the year, they’ll just tear it up when nofour will be completed, and two body’s using it, and then when new ones will begin, accord- people need it they pave over it,” ing to Redwood City Principal sophomore Ben Kazemi said.

Planner Karen Vaughn.

According to Vaughn, the Some construction causes amount of construction has inobstruction for students. creased in the past five-ten years.

“When [my friend] drives “There’s a significant increase to school, she has to go other [in building in the area.] That ways bestarted cause trafback before fic builds “A lot of the things that we see Theater up since around the high school campus are Way exsimply changes of uses within exsome of the isted. Those roads are isting buildings.” kicked off shut down the rede—Kevin Fehr, for a couple velopment Senior Civil Engineer of days,” of downfreshman t ow n ,” Landon Pierce said.

Vaughn said. “[This all] corThere have also been nine responding at the same time as infrastructure projects, includ- when the market and economy ing one sewer project, two pave- is doing better; its why people ment, and two water projects are developing again.” and four projects fixing transStudents have been affected portation. by the constant construction, “Most of the time the [build- and had to change their daily

Feature:

Special: Who’s going where? Senior College Map

Page 4-5

A&Q: Making college affordable

Page 3

routines to adapt to the new projects.

“At first when they were [doing construction], it was kind of annoying because your parents would [have to] pick you up in a [different] location,” Pierce said.

Even before school, construction can get in the way of students coming to Sequoia.

“It’s just because big trucks have to move dirt and stuff, remodeling roads. They’ve closed off roads [so] I’ve had to go around them,” Kazemi said.

Whatever students’ opinions on the construction are, the city department believes the result will lift negative opinions.

“The buildings in downtown will be the most interesting to students because it’s really in a transformational period right now,” Fehr said. “We [currently] have a traditional downtown core; a lot of historic resources [like] the Courthouse square, where we do a lot of events.”

The second annual ASB convention, held April 28, elected junior Leah King as ASB vice-president and juniors Caitlyn Gilbert and MacKenzie Utley as student activities/dance commissioners. Delegates from each 5th period class represented states in the Union, mirroring the Democratic and Republican national conventions.

“I like the idea of showing students what representative government really is,” said Student Activities Director Corey Uhalde, who organized and moderated the convention. “We wanted it to be loosely modeled after the political system we have in this country, so not only was it an educational experience, it was also a fun afternoon in which kids got to work on their public speaking skills.”

Next year’s ASB president Shayan Weera, treasurer Andrew Acevedo and secretary Katie Uthman were automatically appointed to their positions. All gave brief speeches as a preview of their plans in office for the next year. Other candidates answered questions, both prearranged and from the delegates.

“It’s an opportunity for people to actually hear [the candidates] answer specific questions instead of it being a popularity contest,” King said. “It’s nice to be able to reach out to a wider range of people.”

Redwood City Councilwoman Janet Borgens presented a keynote in which she spoke about creativity and communication.

The convention soon took on a more humourous mood as the representatives from Nebraska and South Carolina seceded from the United States and multiple states declared war on Tennessee.

The aim of the convention was to include the opinions of all students, not just those involved with ASB. “Student leaders are the representatives for the entire student body, so we want to make sure all students feel like they are involved in the process and get to see behind the scenes when electing those candidates into the positions of power for the upcoming school year,” Uhalde said.

By the numbers

39

IB and AP tests administered throughout the month of May

2

Feature

Life on a boat poses a challenge for student

By RIO POPPER

Staff Reporter

Senior Kit Sanderson doesn’t have your traditional living arrangement.

She doesn’t live in a house or an apartment—she lives on a houseboat.

She is not the only one—there are houseboats scattered around San Francisco, Sausalito, and even in the port of Redwood City.

According to Sanderson, there are some pretty big differences between a regular house and her home.

“I think one of the main differences is that most of my friends don’t have to worry about their house literally sinking,” Sanderson said.

She does. During a particularly bad storm last year, Sanderson and her dad had to bail out water from the hull of the boat.

Sanderson finds some advantages to living on a boat, however.

“It’s really cool how when you climb up on the roof, you can look around and see water everywhere,” said senior Kylee Jaworski, a friend of Sanderson.

Another advantage is price—the reason that Sanderson, her parents and their dog moved to their boat. While, according to Trulia, the average cost to buy or rent a house or apartment in Redwood City went up by 14 percent

Staff Reporter

From now until the end of the school year, students will cumulatively spend thousands of hours thinking about, stressing over and taking finals.

In an effort to minimize stress and maximize success, we’ve gone to a teacher of each of the five core subjects— math, English, science, foreign languages and social studies—and asked for some advice.

History: “Different classes have different types of finals. Check with your teachers so you know what to expect,” social studies teacher Nancy Berry said.

Another tip is to make connections.

“Create a timeline to review individ-

Some seniors eligible to vote in June California primary In time for the May 23 deadline to register to vote, the County of San Mateo Registration and Elections division hosted a voter registration drive in the quad on May 2. The Raven Report polled seniors on why they will be voting. A sampling of responses:

Photo courtesy of Kit Sanderson

In response to rising rents, senior Kit Sanderson and her family moved to a houseboat, whose price has remained relatively constant. last year, the price of houseboats has remained relatively constant. Because of the lower cost, Sanderson and her family are able to own their houseboat entirely.

These advantages do not include humidity levels.

“Once, one of my textbooks just puffed way up because it was so humid,” Sanderson said. “The librarian asked me

about it, and I was just like, ‘Yeah, that was me. I live on a boat.’”

Despite the fact that her dog has flung her phone into the water, Sanderson is happy in her houseboat. When she’s older, though, she wants something different.

“I want a more stable living arrangement,” Sanderson said.

Ease finals stress with teacher tips

By RIO POPPER

May 25, 2016

ual events as well as their correlation to each other,” Berry said.

Science: “Create your own practice multiple choice questions or find some in the textbook or online,” said David Garcia Ortiz in a science study guide.

“Work with sets of practice questions and diagrams from the textbook or Knowledge Guide.”

Math: “Study/correct all old exams from this semester,” said math teacher David Lee. “Make a list of all difficult concepts and go in for help to get each one cleared up well before the final.”

Languages: “Understanding and having a [strong] vocabulary helps students comprehend reading,” Spanish teacher Martha Sigala said. “Students

with poor vocabulary skills struggle with reading and consequently don’t do as well.”

“For additional support, there are several online resources and tutorials that can help,” she said. “These can be easier to access for students given the busy school schedule of teachers and students, where lunch time is typically the only time both parties can meet.”

English: “All of the tools to study for an English final are already in a student’s binder,” said English teacher and department chair Jonathan Hoffman.

“No matter what the task, the best way to study is to review all of the assignments and practice activities that lead up to the final,” Hoffman said.

“I care about my future.

There are currently some dangerous things I have the power to help my country avoid.”

“It’s a privilege to vote, so as American citizens we should honor that privilege because there are so many in the world that don’t have the ability to do so.”

“Because I feel younger people need to start voting.”

“If you don’t vote, you aren’t making a difference. You can’t complain things didn’t go your way if you didn’t do anything to make it happen.”

“It’s the patriotic thing to do and it ensures that no one’s voice can be silenced.”

—ALEX VICK

Newly renovated foods classroom opens A new state-of-the-art classroom was re-located and opened for use on May 6.

After the old classroom in the main hallway was closed, $850,000 was spent to renovate an existing space for the new foods room. This cost includes the new district warming kitchen that is used for school lunches. It took nine months of construction to make the room usable.

It is equipped with nine stations, each with a stand-still mixer and stovetop, plus one demo station. The demo station has a GoPro camera connected to several TVs, so students can watch techniques before doing it themselves.

The room was paid for by a bond approved by the citizens of Redwood City.

—AVIVA FUTORNICK, BEATRICE BUGOS, and NICK ABRAHAM

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Feature

May 25, 2016

How can we make more

A&Q college affordable

By MADDIE PEI

and PHILIP TYSON Staff Reporter and Copy Editor It’s that time of year again. A bright future awaits as well as a potentially massive bill.

“People in general do not want to talk about money,” said College and Career Advisor Teresa Ignaitis. “As a parent, you don’t want to discourage your kid from applying to these places, but there has to be some discussion.”

College is expensive and unaffordable for many. Though some have financial assistance, it is not always enough. Some price tags should just read: “Don’t bother, you can’t afford me.”

“I never really thought twice about going to college, and I know that some people aren’t able to even go to college,” senior Camilla Lizundia said. “I have the luxury [to] even have the opportunity to go to school. That’s really important for students to understand and appreciate.”

Why is college so expensive? Who and what is to blame?

A&Q is inspired by The Atlantic’s inverted Q&A. It takes commonly-proposed answers and questions their efficacy. But here, we want to explore the origin of the problem and propose real solutions.

First, some

basic terms:

Cost of attendance includes tuition, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, personal expenses and other fees.

It’s what college costs as a whole.

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the basis for which the government gives Pell grants and work-study programs. Like scholarships, you do not need to pay the money back (though scholarships are usually awarded for merit rather than need.)

The maximum Pell grant for the 2016-17 school year is $5,185. Work-study involves part-time jobs for students with financial need, often related to their course of study.

Net price is what you end up paying. After scholarships, grants and aid, this is the remaining amount.

Direct subsidized loans are for students with demonstrated financial need. Subsidized means interest rate stays constant; it does not increase over time. Direct unsubsidized loans are given to students without financial need.

PLUS loans, for graduate or professional students or the parents of dependent undergraduate students require good credit history and the maximum loan amount is equal to the cost of attendance. Private loans vary greatly among companies and generally provide less security.

Expected family contribution is how much money your family has (income, assets, etc). If your family has more money, they are expected to contribute more to pay for your tuition.

A&Q: taking commonly-proposed answers and questioning them and

$

why they won’t work

Answer: Okay, well, there are plenty of scholarships and financial aid.

College is affordable. It’s just not really a problem.

Question: Would the national student loan debt be $1.3 trillion if it wasn’t that big of a problem? Even though the average student debt is about $28,000, this spans 40 million debtors. There is a variety of scholarships, but not everyone will qualify for a substantial amount. Distribution is unequal.

Answer: Fine. Let’s just have banks give out student loans instead of

the government. Competition for customers will cause interest rates to go down. The government shouldn’t provide student loans, only private businesses. The government can just be an insurance guarantor, meaning that if a borrower fails to pay back the loan, the government will pick up the tab.

Question: In their proposal, the GOP does not consider that corporations will not necessarily follow this path and are notorious for taking advantage of customers. In 2014, the Department of Justice settled with Sallie Mae and Navient to pay $60 million for charging excessive interest rates.

In addition, because the government would act as an insurance guarantor, banks could irresponsibly provide loans. They would be sure that they would be paid back, so don’t care who they give loans to.

Answer: So let’s just make college free.

Question: Obama proposed making community college free as his ad-

ministration comes to an end. Though this is helpful, affordability is among a host of issues. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, only one-quarter of public community-college students finish their degrees within six years. How can we help students excel and complete their degrees in under six years in addition to helping them pay for it? Presidential contender Bernie Sanders hopes to make public, 4-year college free for all undergraduates. Is that really necessary considering there are people that can pay for it? Will people take it as seriously without making a monetary investment? If Sanders’ plan to use a Wall Street speculation tax falls short, faculty may be inclined to transfer to higher-paying, private universities.

Financial aid, especially for those who need it, is important. Free college, though, is unrealistic.

?

Here are some things we can :

blame

Larry Abramson in NPR: public funding decreased, thus tuition at public universities increased. He also notes that the federal Pell Grant covers one-third of tuition at a public four-year college in state versus over 70 percent in 1970.

Paul Campos in the New York Times: Budget cuts are not the problem. Administrative positions rose 60 percent from 1993 to 2009, according to the Department of Education (ED). California Polytechnic State University found that CSU schools’ faculty rose from 11,614 to 12,019 from 1975 to 2008. Yet, during that time, administrative positions (those not working in academics) grew from 3,800 to 12,183.

What’s up with that?

“When you see the original amount, that scary number, you kind of get put off with education. You kind of have this idea of where you want to be in the future, and when you see yourself trying to add up all these costs, it scares you,” senior Anna Spalletta said.

“But in the end, most of the time, it actually isn’t that same number. It goes down, not just by the grants, but by the opportunities different schools give you to get ahead in your career.”

Jon Marcus in TIME writes that because some college students are not college-ready, they spend extra semesters retaking classes they should have learned in high school. They then must pay more tuition for those extra semesters.

“I remember getting in, and my parents were like, ‘there’s still the finances.’ That took away from the excitement,” senior Elizabeth Gaddini said. “Luckily, it all worked out in the end.”

So how about some

serious solutions?

Incentivise college affordability: Given their influence, US News and World Report should add affordability to their criteria of best colleges. It doesn’t have to be the determining factor, but it merits its own factor. The government should also reward funding to colleges that make it more affordable. This addresses the root of the problem.

Increase staff efficacy and lower exorbitant salaries: The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and a report from California Polytechnic State University agree that administrative positions have increased more than three-fold since 1975, whereas faculty positions have hardly increased. Non-faculty are not professors; they include buyers and purchasing agents, lawyers and management analysts. We also encourage heads of universities and coaches to restrain taking excessive paychecks. We’re looking at you, University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Or rather, your $7 million paycheck. Or your nearly $1.5 million paycheck, former president of Pennsylvania State Rodney Erickson. Colleges should exercise efficacy and knowledge of a proper budget when considering who they pay and how much they pay them. Though this will not solve, it will certainly help lower costs. If universities will pay anyone exorbitantly, pay the professors.

Hold private companies accountable: According to ED, for-profit schools account for 31 percent of student loans though they only have 13 percent of the overall student population. Students should not pay for an education that does not prepare them for the future. Also, a report from a 2015 report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau noted that there are companies who exploit students’ lack of knowledge. They falsely claim connection to the ED and charge excessive, illegal upfront fees. For example, Nationwide Student Aid, LLC of Chicago charged up to $1250 of upfront fees. Their advertisements read “Get Student Loans Out of Default” but they only help one apply for free federal loans. The government should impose more regulations that protect borrowers and enhance ability to pay for them. Companies should not be able to let students default (which means end up not paying) a loan and then make a profit off of that.

Special

4

University of Washington Zelly Rosa Renic Sloan Seattle Pacific University Anna Spalletta

Washington State University Justin Blau Ariana Sandoval

Pacific University Jasper DesBrisay Oregon State University Antonio Modica

CSU Chico Ang Gordillo Miguel Gallegos Alice Mylod-Vargas Daniela Perez Lorenzo Reyes CSU Sacramento Cambria Erskine UC Davis Felice Bamford Megan Brotherton Jasmine Castillo Maddy Chamberlain Reid Dounias Olivia Fliege Kate Heller Alyssa Henderson Philip Matena Jessica Robles-Diaz Meena Rugh Kyle Shea Abgail Wang

University of Portland Steven Ledbetter

University of Oregon Avery Amaya Adle Humboldt State University Danielle Croft Hannah Delgado Melissa Martinez Ilana Slavit Anahi Avila

Carleton College Abby Hartzell

Boise State University Nicole Bourque

Sierra College Donald Snyder

Northw Claire B

University of Nevada, Reno Jonathan Kelly Maxwell Michelini Uriel Pulido University of the Pacific Genaro Solorio

Modesto Junior College Hugo Argueta CSU Stanislaus Jose Barajas Jena Rinaldi UC Merced UC Santa Cruz Jennifer Paulino Juan Ayala Paola Arellano Rosales Jesus Mendoza Rosie Valencia Thipbadee Tantivilaisin Imari Yamane Cal Poly SLO Allison Amaya Deisy Lara Alvarez UC San Diego Rachel Bergen Jennifer Lazo Blake Carbonneau San Diego State University DJ Houston Blake Detata Jake Loveland Madison Mills Nirmala Navarro Jenna Paliughi Sadie Rhen Erika Yao UC Santa Barbara Alyssa Chamberlain Abigail Lopez Ramirez Sarah Swinnerton Santa Barbara City College Henry Adams

University of Colorado Boulder Brett Baxter Alex Hermann Mike Michelini Wesley Schulze

St. Louis College of Pharmac Babak Amerian Washington University in St. Carmen Vescia

Northern Arizona University Dillon Palala

Arizona State University Emily Ducker

Southern Methodist U Lucia Abela

The University of Texas at A James Kiraly Teagan Webb

Schools in the Bay Area Sonoma State University Joaquin Angulo Adrian Cruz Jason Escobedo Juliet Rosales Daniela Salgado Sonoma Sanders San Francisco State University Ashleah Cano Cristian Chicas Paloma Conchas Leslie Cordova Marbel Meza University of San Francisco Bianca Mu単oz Dalia Barrientos Stephanie Ramirez Gomez Brianna Rosales Avery Robinson Jordan Sandoval Malcolm Ross Duy Tran Skyline College Veronika Akolo College of San Mateo Claysi Arevalo Cameron Carl Courtemanche Daniela Cuevas Luis Hernandez Joshua Hsu Juan Carlos Lara Elisandra Lazaro Michelle Ramirez Gomez Cynthia Rosales Garcia Valdemar Emanuel Calderon Ortiz Kathia Camacho Lopez Francesco Luciani Diana Medina Adriana Rivera Ametys Nora Robles Alejandra Sanchez Cynthia Sanchez Roxana Sandova Christopher Shane Alexander Vasquez

Stanford University Toren Fronsdal Marissa MacAvoy Vaughn White Foothill College Dayana Bibiano Berumen Santa Clara University Mina Kapadia LuzBella Garcia Chavez Marlon Ruiz Diana Mendoza Arvin Valle San Jose State University Amanda Wucher Elisa Carrizales Luis Del Rosario Darren Huynh Angel Hernandez Mora Evan Isenstein-Brand Ike Seneca Jesus

UC Berkeley Gabriel Bertero Matt Cresta James Delgado Madi Griffith Eric Herrmann Purvi Tandel Notre Dame de Namur University Ivonne Beraliz Viscarra Yahaira Koh Maria Morales Ca単ada College Oscar Arias Samantha Contreras-Rivera Bailee Cowart Rachel Fink Daniel Garcia Adame Alexander Gallardo Adriana Gonzalez Delgado Jennifer Guerrero Sandoval Uriel Michael Guillen Maggie Holmes Javid Jardon Sebastian Larsson Laura Medrano Kaylee Mitchell Myles Mitchell Jennifer Linnet Moreno-Serrato Jesus Najera Alondra Pulido Oscar Daniel Ramirez Uriarte Luis Ruiz Matt Tangitau Heather Valverde

Schools in the Los An Santa Monica College Sky Abdullah

Pepperdine University Nate Bartoshuk UC Los Angeles Noah Dearborn Kubilay Agi Matthew Freshwaters Ashlyn Wray

CSU Los Angeles CSU Long Be Rudy Silverman Mikey Fresqu Alison Yanace

Feature

5

Colby College Emma O’Hara

Colgate University Emma Cromwell Cornell University Ben Ladabaum University of Michigan Rebekah Westerlind

University of New Hampshire L:ibby Ross

Brown University Ariele Ladabaum

Camilla Lizundia western University Bugos Kenyon University Franklin and Marshall College Leah Pachkowski Mijal Epelman

Drew University Michael Ma Princeton University Maia Chamberlain The Ohio State University University of Maryland University of Pennsylvania Brett Patrick Katie Fazio Albert Hsu University of Virginia Villanova University Ellie Hanson Wyatt Gilman Virginia Tech Thomas Sand

Purdue University Kristoffer Sjolund

cy

. Louis

Northeastern University Glenn Billman Ethan Zak Boston University Ben Inglis Becca Schulz Harvard University Kushagra Sharma New England Conservatory of Music Max Fletcher American Musical and Dramatic Academy Brennan Cattalini Fordham University Lance Frazer Hoftstra University Erica Canale

Duke University Daniel Spottiswood Dominic Tanzillo

Intended college majors

University of Georgia Elizabeth Gaddini Spelman University Nia Walton

University

Austin

Tulane University Jenna Pucel Xavier University of Louisiana Kara Herbert

ngeles

Area

Caltech University Sophie Walton

Valencia College Gabriela Rojas

$1,013,163 total scholarship money per year

Cal Poly Pomona Sergio Bustamante

UC Riverside Chelsea Araujo Gelian Belong Elisa Guizar Chapman University Samantha Gonzalez Taylor Taradash

each uea ek

UC Irvine Elijah Punzal Jacob Solomon

Maps courtesy of Ashlyn Wray

Military-bound seniors

Internationallybound Seniors

Juventino Vargas III, Army Issac Whiting, Army Guillermo Aviña, Marines

Jennan Naja Regent’s University, London

Data based on 238 self-submitted survey results

—Compiled by Claire Bugos, Emily Ducker, Zack Rosenblatt and Carmen Vescia

6

Opinion

May 25, 2016

Something sentimental: Editors’ farewell Ah, the dusk of high school. With four awkward school portraits and a sea of 3,000 loose leaf papers in our backpacks, we are moving on to (allegedly) better places.

As dewy, immature freshmen, we were filled with so many hopes and dreams. We imagined High School Musical come to life: fun times, decent facilities and Zac Efron lookalikes dancing around every corner. Or at least, you know, existing.

Today, we come to you as Sequoia survivors to tell you how wrong we were.

As any selfrespecting ’80s movie will tell you, cheerleaders and football players rule the school. All others are doomed to be shoved into dumpsters, toilets and lockers. SIKE. Our lockers are way too small for that, and thankfully, none of us has ever seen the inside of a trash can. Instead of

a vicious food chain, the Class of 2016 more closely resembles a nudist vegan colony in Santa Cruz—a little crusty but full of love and acceptance.

We also anticipated hordes of purple people participating in spirit days, but the only time we were truly knocked out by purple pride was when Carmen was bludgeoned by frozen poultry at a basketball game. Thanks, Club David.

Angst-filled and inspired by the Breakfast Club, we envisioned sticking it to “the Man,” challenging corruption and fighting injustice in the face of after school detentions. Much to our dismay, the only time we’ve done was for tardiness and giving in to our deepest primal instincts: ordering Papa John’s to fifth period.

Throughout our time here, second semester senior year has always been the light at the end of the tunnel. We thought we’d be writing this article from a beach in Bora Bora, soaking up dem rays and relishing the sensation of having our first full REM cycle in four years. SIKE, again. If this is what you’re holding out for, find a different tunnel. The light at the end of this one is really just your desk lamp, flickering at 3 a.m. as you give up on yourself and the History of the Americas.

In the marathon that is high school, we thought teachers would be the ones chasing us from behind with staplers and bad report cards. Turns out we were wrong, yet again: many of our teachers have been our biggest supporters, lining the path with Dixie cups of Gatorade and encouraging words.

Fun in the sun:

Check out 10 affordable, local things to do this summer

By NICHOLAS ABRAHAM Staff Reporter

1. Stern Grove Festival:

Held every Sunday at 2 p.m. from June 19–Aug. 2, the free concerts in Stern Grove in San Francisco will feature all types of music from R&B singer Janelle Monae to the San Francisco Symphony.

2. Off the Grid:

These food truck stops are held all over the Bay Area, including the Belmont Caltrain Station and at Devil’s Canyon Brewery in San Carlos. Discover different kinds of food, including Louisiana-style fried chicken sandwiches from Southern Comfort Kitchen for $10, and steamed pork buns for $3.75 each at the Chairman food truck.

3. Movies and concerts on the Square:

Just a few blocks away from Sequoia campus is the square in Redwood City, where movies will be showing every Thursday from June 2–Sept.

1. The long list of movies that will be showing includes Star Wars: The Force Awakens on June 16, Inside Out on July 21, and Raiders of the Lost Ark on July 28. You can also find live music in the square every Friday.

4. Haight-Ashbury:

If you have never been, check out the vintage shopping choices in HaightAshbury district of San Francisco; from records and CDs at Amoeba to skateboards and accessories at Skates on Haight. A local alternative is the Record Man vinyl store on El Camino in Redwood City, where simply walking through the jungle of over a million records is a journey.

looking for atmospheric beats with great flow, check out electronic-pop and rap group Yoni & Geti at the Great American Music Hall July 23, for $19 at the door. Fans looking to rock out in the mosh pit, take a look at Toronto punk band PUP, who are playing a June 9 show at Rickshaw Stop, tickets $14 at the door.

8. Go to a Giants game:

Various running events will be held in the Bay Area throughout the summer, the closest being the Redwood City 4th of July parade run, a 5K race.

Giants games during the week are the cheapest to go to, with tickets usually costing $10 or less on Stubhub. Try to get to the games against the Milwaukee Brewers from June 13-15. Also, check for tickets for the games July 5 and 6 against the Rockies.

6. 4th of July:

9. Go to a museum:

5. Organized runs:

Take some friends down to the Shoreline golf courses in Mountain View for some great fireworks. Those feeling extra enthusiastic can go to Shoreline Amphitheater to see the San Francisco Symphony perform as well.

7. See a small club show:

Discover new bands, hear some great music and dance the night away at an all-ages show. For a night of indie rock and dreamy shoegaze, see Philadelphia natives Nothing at Slim’s June 21, for $17 at the door. Those

Explore modern art at the SFMOMA, which reopened this month and is free for teenagers. Other museums to check out are the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford, the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto and the Peninsula Museum of Art in Belmont.

10. Watch a street parade:

Some great parades going on this summer are the 4th of July parade in Redwood City in the morning and afternoon and Pride in San Francisco on June 25 and 26.

Sequoia’s staff are underappreciated gems, and we’re thankful that they’ve believed in us, challenged us and rounded up our borderline grades.

Looking through the uncomfortably large gap in the bathroom stall door, it can be easy to have a cynical view of our time here. Sure, there are sleepless nights, uncurved tests and “affectionate” couples in the stairwells. But at the end of the day—or more precisely, the end of 720 days—the Sequoia experience is irreplaceable. The friends we’ve made, teachers we’ve learned from and memories we’ve shared didn’t exceed our freshman year expectations. They were different and wonderful in their own right.

If you aren’t on your way out this year (lol), make sure that between sarcastic comments and pleas for the sweet end, you take time to appreciate all the beautiful things Sequoia has to offer. xoxo, The execs

Sequoia High School

Raven Report 2015-2016

Executive Editors Glenn Billman Claire Bugos Carmen Vescia Opinion Editor Abigail Wang Entertainment Editor Emily Ducker Sports Editor Trevor Crowell Copy Editor Philip Tyson Page Editors Zack Rosenblatt Mars Svec-Burdick Staff Reporters Nicholas Abraham, Leigh Alley, Xavi Boluña, Beatrice Bugos, Brighid Bugos, Mackenzie Clarke, Matthew Eisenberg, Aviva Futornick, Addison Holman, Benjy Jude, Maddie Pei, Maddie Reynolds, Rio Popper, Alex Vick Adviser Kim Vinh 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 comunity and the world. Send letters to the editor to ravenreport09@gmail.com

7

Opinion

May 25, 2016

What women want:

A guide to reducing the subtle sexism in society a picture of them before and after juice cleanses.

Women should be asked real questions

Imagine you just won the Nobel Prize, and the first question the talk show host asks you is how your love life has affected your accomplishments. And then imagine getting asked that same question in every single interview that follows. If you really want to learn a woman’s keys to success then #askhermore.

Women should be given equal sports coverage

Photo Illustration by Aviva Futornick

By AVIVA FUTORNICK

Staff Reporter

Harriet Tubman is the new face of the $20 bill, which will be entered into rotation by 2020—an announcement more overdue than your library books.

Tubman was a former slave, abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad. In April, the United States Treasury announced that Tubman is being added to the front of the bill and booting Andrew Jackson—the slave-owning 7th president who created the Indian Removal Act, which displaced thousands of NativeAmerican tribes—to the back.

America has come a long way since the era of housewives, but it’s taken us more than 150 years to put women on money. Here are nine more ways the United States can improve on gender equality.

Women should be added to the Constitution

“All men are created equal...” except for women and people of color. Our country was founded on the marginalization of women, so it’s high time that they be recognized on paper in the founding documents.

Women should be paid equally

In the state of California, women make a median of 84 percent of what men make in a year. That’s like going to a Beyoncé concert where all the women have to leave before the last 20 percent of the show and the encore of Single Ladies.

Women should be in the Oval Office

There have been 44 male presidents, it’s time for either a female president or one with a female running mate. It’s time for D.C. to end the testosterone fest.

Women should be paid like professional athletes

The United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) drew the largest television audience for soccer in American history during the 2015 World Cup final. Yet, they earn 37 cents to every dollar that a player of the US Men’s National Soccer Team each win. The USWNT have won three world cups in the last 25 years. The mens team has never placed higher than third, and the last time that happened was 1930.

Women should be getting serious media coverage

My life is the same as it was before listening to E! News describe Kim Kardashian’s post-gym bod. Kardashian is a strong activist for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which killed over 1.5 million people, but is still not recognized by the UN. It’s time to start reporting on women’s accomplishments, not showing

Unless it’s the Olympics, where people will watch anything from pommel horse to speedwalking, coverage of womens sports is incredibly hard to find.

Some tips for finding a womens sporting event: Unless it’s 10 a.m or 2 a.m., don’t look on any major sports network.

Remember, you probably won’t find anything live, so try not to go online and spoil it beforehand.

Women should be held to the same attire standards

What does anyone get out of expecting a woman to wear high heels to work?

If Mark Zuckerburg can wear a hoodie in the office, than a woman can be just as successful in sweatpants as she can in a a skirt. Let her wear whatever she wants.

Women should be recognized for their artistic achievements

In 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in Oscar history to win best director for her movie The Hurt Locker.

In 87 years only four women have been nominated for best director. When judging a piece of work, remove all the names and gender biases.

Perspectives: Spotlight shines on seniors who have talent As the class of 2016 ends their final year at Sequoia we decided to film some of the hidden gems through a series of in-depth interviews and showed these gifted students in their element, whether it be an art studio, music room, or skateboard park.

To watch online go http://youtube.com/ravenreport

Noah Dearborn, Percussion

Nirmala Navarro, Art Reid Dounias, Cosplay

“For me, art is an escape, in a lot of my artwork I just want to make something that’s really pretty, I don’t want to be conveying a super deep idea I just want to relax.”

“It’s really great because you meet new people in your area, people that you didn’t know, who like the same things as you do and you just end up connecting and making new friends.”

“There’s a really interesting and satisfying sensation to being in time. There’s a lot of distressing that happens, I feel like some of the academic success I’ve had is due to the fact that I had an outlet to just go and be in a different space and just play.”

—Compiled by Trevor Crowell and Abigail Wang

8

Sports

May 25, 2016

Softball (11-1)

“We took a lot of girls from different social groups and we all formed this really tight, strange bond, we are all really close. There’s no one on the team that I’m not friends with ‘cause everyone just likes each other, and it’s basically like playing on the field with eight of your best friends.”

—Senior Ang Gordillo

Junior Kiley Lubeck Photo Courtesy of Mitch Amaya

Spring Season Sports Summary Boys Track & Field (2-3)

Senior Max Michelini Photo Courtesy of Cameron Uhalde

“Every year people would sign up and then wouldn’t come back after a week. This year there was more consistency of people just showing up to practice, supporting each other and caring. [There was] more dedication this year.”

—Senior Gelian Belong

Baseball (7-7)

“We didn’t start out too well in league, and then we came together in our tournament in Selma, and it seemed liked we gained a lot of chemistry there. We just care for each other and want to do [well]. Not just win for ourselves but win for everyone else.”

—Senior Jonathan Kelly

Girls Track & Field (1-4)

“I love our team, honestly. There’s not a super big separation between varsity and frosh. There’s more of a difference in event groups, you have your own little community but you can come back with the larger group, and I feel like we’ve gotten along very well. That’s why I do track, it’s just fun. I’m not a good runner, it’s not my favorite thing to do, but I enjoy coming to practice.” —Senior Sadie Rhen

Boys Tennis Junior Chris Charekian Freshman Victor Frutos Sophomore Xander Posten Freshman Noah Vauclair Junior Andrew Goddard Sophomore Zoji Bomya Photo Courtesy of Michaela Coan

Co-ed Badminton (0-14)

“We lost kind of a lot [of matches]. The team is really new this year because a lot of our seniors had left, so I would say everyone pretty much tried their hardest, but all around I don’t think the season went as well as we would have hoped.” —Senior Thomas Sand

Boys Swimming (1-0-6)

(9-3)

“What I’m going to miss the most is being around the guys and just hanging out with them during the practice because it’s a pretty good environment for me. We’re all working together for the same goal and honestly just having fun playing tennis.”

—Senior Genaro Solorio

“[I’m] going to miss the dual meets. For me, [they] were really fun because you get to hang out with the swim team and show off. There was definitely times when I didn’t want to be at the dual meets but, I think looking back and reflecting on it, it was actually really fun.” —Senior Michael Ma

Sophomore Rachael Fiore Photo Courtesy of Donna Fiore

Girls Swimming (2-5)

“The team has grown together more, especially because the varsity girls and guys were combined [in practice] this year. In the past it’s just been very divided, with the guys on one side and the girls not really interacting with them.”—Senior Alison Yanacek

Boys Lacrosse (2-8)

Boys Golf (9-3)

“My favorite game was [against] Carlmont because it was probably the hardest game we played. Even though we lost, we gave it our all and it was really close [in scoring].”

—Senior Brett Baxter

“It’s an individual sport, [but] if you look at the bigger picture, it’s a big team sport. Not the whole team plays in the matches, only six people get to play. Our coaches were good at letting [people] play in at least one match because a lot of other schools don’t guarantee you playing in matches. The coaches made it happen, which is good especially for beginner golfers. —Senior Ike Seneca

Girls Lacrosse (1-7)

“[The team dynamics] were really good. Everyone on the team, this year especially, has been very supportive of each other. [They] take time to explain plays and things you need to know about the game to people who haven’t heard about it yet or who have forgotten from last season.”

—Senior Brett Patrick

Senior Teagan Webb Senior Ashlyn Wray Photo Courtesy of Stacy Sase

—Compiled by BRIGHID BUGOS and BEATRICE BUGOS