Cub Bark April 2021

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Volume LXIII, No. 5 • April 30, 2021 • Larkspur, CA

Standing up for what you believe in: Gun control: p.10 Classism in college admissions: p. 6 Racial prejudice in television: p.16

Photo by Chloe Craft

Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org

Editors-In-Chief Olivia Dominguez Shiriel King Abramson Bella McWhorter Matt Ross Blazei Ella Cook Copy Editors Review Editors Kayla Aldridge Julia Cherner Aaron Halford Heidi Roenisch Macrae Sharp Rebecca Smalbach Caleigh Stephens Spanish Editors Madison Barsi Henry Tantum

News Editors Camille Kawawa-Beaudan Megan Millard Gregory Block

Video Editor Hayden Blum

Feature Editors Annie Forsman Nicole Stock

Social Media Manager Kylie Kvam Snapshot Editor Chloe Wintersteen

Opinion Editors Eric

Web Developer/ Newsletter Kevin Makens

Ahern Geneva Gist

Sam Slade

Sports Editors Ovie Crum Adam Kreitzman

Business Manager

Lifestyles Editors Hannah

Survey Manager

Sarah Kimball

Keely Jenkins

Adviser Erin Schneider

Reporters Isabella Alioto, Danny Avins, Michael Benz, Addison Brady, Kaylee Bushell, Emily Cerf, Catherine Conrow, Luke Dahlin, Sabrina Dong, Jason Fieber, Annie Fogarty, Jenna Herz, Andrew Hout, Max Josef, Maxime Kawawa-Beaudam, Isabelle Marmur,

Robin Naylor, Anne Pritikin, Kendall Rhoads, Sam Sheridan, Sydney Soofer, Cosmo Taylor, Mary Winnick, Simone Wolberg, Pearl Zhong

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B U C

Return of Clubs

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Best hikes in Marin Sports Spotlight

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Wellness Specialist Best Hikes in Marin

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redwood high school ● 395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939 ● volume LXIII, no. 5 ● april 30, 2021 ● www.redwoodbark.org

Redwood TV begins to live stream sporting events

By Justine Fisch

With a grant provided by the Redwood High School Foundation, Redwood TV students began using new and advanced technological equipment to live stream sporting events on April 20. Due to pandemic-related restrictions that limit fan attendance at sporting events, this new technology is a much-needed option for Redwood sports fans. Live streaming will provide benefits and expanded access for students and families for years to come.

In the fall of 2020, Redwood TV supervisor Erik Berkowitz presented a proposal to purchase new filming equipment to board members of the Redwood Foundation.

According to the current Chair of Allocations, Vicki Strotz, the board warmly welcomed the prospect of broadcasting sporting events live as a solution to COVID-19 limitations on attendance. “[The Redwood Foundation] thought it was a great idea and supports the whole community of students, family members, and neighbors who want to enjoy sporting

Photo courtesy of Victoria Camelio

TESTING OUT NEW equipment, Ian Leifer and Miranda Ward prepare to live stream events.

events,” Strotz said.

The Redwood TV team received the new equipment in late January and with a few modifications, were ready to use it in early March.

“The hardest part was actually getting kids who were available and interested to learn [how to use the equipment],” Berkowitz said.

Due to the demanding schedules of Redwood TV students, there are currently only four students who have been trained with the equipment. Sophomore and Redwood TV student Sam Marsh said that the four students are managing and have a system going thus far.

The small group is being trained by Peter Parish, the previous Redwood TV supervisor. Once they have learned to use the equipment, it will be their job to teach students who are interested in the future.

Berkowitz also noted that Redwood TV is planning to create a YouTube channel dedicated to streaming sports.

This is where sports fans will be able to watch the events live, or if they cannot watch them live, the videos will be uploaded and available to the public.

“Sports fans can look forward to being able to watch games at home if, for example, they could not make it because of COVID-19-related concerns,” Marsh said.

Eventually, as more events occur on campus, live streaming will be accessible for other Redwood programs.

Both Berkowitz and the Foundation hope this new addition to the Redwood TV platform will not only benefit sports fans but other programs, students and their supporters as well. “[Redwood TV] could end up being able to live stream musical or theatre performances. The Redwood Foundation loves to support activities that are going to benefit both students and the community,” Strotz said.

Even without COVID-19, the Redwood Foundation board believes this would have been a worthwhile grant to fund.

“People cannot go see all the games they would love to see even post-COVID-19 restrictions. We want to provide that opportunity and access for people,” Berkowitz said.

Additionally, Berkowitz has been working with

Photo courtesy of Victoria Camelio

FILMING A GIRLS’ varsity lacrosse game, Sam Marsh tests the zoom lens out on a new camera.

Redwood’s athletic director, Jessica Peisch, to include a variety of sports in their live streams. Once they have successfully recruited more students to train with the equipment, they can devise a system to stream as many events as possible.

“My favorite part of the process has been learning how live streaming production works. With a live stream, there is not much opportunity for polishing or rough cuts, but I look forward to seeing what will happen and how we can get it to be the best content possible,” Marsh said.

jfisch@redwoodbark.org

California is on the brink of a drought ... again earlier, wildlife patterns are beginning to change, and stock ponds are lower than It is no secret that water in California usual. According to the drought monitor, has become increasingly scarce. Experts 69.7 percent of California is in the “severe say that in 2021, the Bay Area has seen drought” category, 35.4 percent has been only 40 percent of its normal rainfall placed in “extreme drought” and 5.4 between December and April. FOX KTVU percent is in “exceptional drought.”

News meteorologist and news anchor, Grogan sees California as sitting on the Kyla Grogan views both drought and fire “seesaw” of drought, meaning the issue will weather to be the biggest concerns of the not go away no matter how much rain falls Bay Area. during the wet seasons. Grogan encourages “Water has always been a precious Bay Area residents not to question if we are resource in this state; no doubt about it. in a drought or not, but rather to question If you look at the percentage of what we the severity of the drought. consider normal rainfall, we’ve done Although the effects of drought on the mediocre this year,” Grogan said.

Bay Area’s water supply are a concern for Photo by Hailey Thompson She describes California as “constantly most residents, the greater concern lies in in a drought,” varying from region to whether or not the drought will worsen CURRENTLY AT 52 percent capacity, Nicasio Reservoir’s exposed banks are a region in severity. The National Integrated California’s fire season. reminder of this year’s lack of rain in Marin County.

Drought Information System, or drought Rich Shortall, executive coordinator monitor, reports that 99.2 percent of for Firesafe Marin and a retired firefighter and humidity levels go way down. developments. She pushes for the notion of California is currently experiencing of 30 years, views the widespread notion Therefore, the fuel is prime if you have any proactive over reactive action.

“Of course, for droughts it’s great to drought in the “abnormally dry” category. of “the worse the drought, the worse the kind of ignition,” Shortall said.

Marin County has been placed in fire season” as a false statement. Even Wet winters allow grasses to grow tall, conserve water, but one of the bigger things the “moderate drought” tier, along with if drought has dried out vegetation and while dry winters produce less moisture, we should do is try to focus on long-lasting 92.7 percent of California. This denotes created prime fuel, fire spreads slower and causing vegetation to not grow as tall. changes to prevent more serious droughts that in Marin, dryland pasture growth is more controllable without wind.

Although dry winters lead to an extended from happening in the future.”

With the dry season fast approaching is stunted, landscaping needs irrigation “Wind dries out the vegetation more, risk of fires, a wet winter’s taller grasses and increased abundance of vegetation and concerns of devastating fires returning, there is no doubt that California is on creates more fuel.

Both Grogan and Shortall argue that edge. As an ordinary citizen, one can California needs to buckle down on its fire become aware of Marin’s alert systems, and drought preparedness. Stressing the and actively conserve and prepare for both importance of education and knowledge, fires and droughts. Organizations such as they believe that with greater understanding Climate Now and Firesafe Marin use fliers, of current circumstances, local, state, posters, webinars and community activities and national governments will recognize to spread information about preparation, patterns and move towards preventing and conservation and alert systems. No change can be made without the participation of preparing California.

Junior Lauren Duncan runs Redwood’s citizens.

Climate Now club. Focusing on educating Photo by Hailey Thompson and provoking change in the community, ALPINE RESERVOIR’S WATER levels sit at a low 52 percent capacity in comparison Duncan stresses the importance of long to last year’s 88.43 percent capacity at this time. lasting change as opposed to short-term hthompson@redwoodbark.org

By Hailey Thompson

bark

Page 2 • News

April 30, 2021

Photo Survey “What do you miss most about online school?”

“Waking up right before class and only having to show up for 10 minutes.”

“Having a relaxed day, as well as being able to be home in my room.”

“Getting to manage my time on my own and being comfortable in the area I do my schoolwork.”

“Being able to sleep in and doing classwork from the comfort of my own bed.”

Margaux Veconi

Graham Gumm

Nicole Shane

Lucas Wright

freshman

sophomore

senior

junior

Biden addresses global warming crisis at Climate Summit

By Ani Svendsen

On April 22, President Joe Biden hosted the annual Climate Summit, where he stated his hopes to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade. Biden called for world leaders to take more aggressive steps to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in order to combat the climate’s rising temperatures.

The Biden administration vowed to educate and assist developing countries, as they struggle to face the harsh reality of our rapidly declining climate. Biden committed to donating 5.7 billion dollars to those countries by 2024.

Additionally, the Biden administration presented a 2.3 trillion dollar electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure plan that will result in over 500,000 charging stations throughout the United States. Freshman Aanika Sawhney, a member of the Climate Now club at Redwood, is very positive about the increased availability of charging stations.

“When driving long distances, because of the low accessibility to charging stations, you have to stop more frequently to play it safe. When thinking about someone’s commute, they don’t want to be stopping more than they have to. Electric cars can lose their appeal because of this issue,” Sawhney said.

Some Redwood students have made the decision to take the leap from gas cars to electric or hybrid. Senior Maya Rembrandt made the switch not only for the environmental benefits, but also for financial motivations.

“Owning a hybrid car has saved me money in the long run. My car can run on electricity for 100 miles, which, for someone like me who doesn’t drive long distances, can last me months,” Rembrandt said.

Kristin Abbott Aaron & Randi Agenbroad Seth & Kelli Anderson Susan Anderson Robert and Jean Baker The Baker Family Susan Ellsweig & Gary Barnett Caroline Beard The Belger Family Kathleen Belzer The Bishop Family Fred & Mary Blum The Braff Family Jason Brown Victoria Camelio Monica Canas Lucy Churton Kevin Cifarelli Robyn Cohen Laura Collins Edward Conti Deborah Cook Kelli Cook Hali Croner The Culhane Family Courtney Daly The Dawes Family Regina DeAngelis Sonya DeForrest Sandra Derango Joanne Desin Robby Dinowitz Ira Elegant The Elliot Family Mary Elliott The Elliott Family

Photo courtesy of James Goody

PROTESTING, CLIMATE NOW founder Sarah Goody, leads students in voicing their concerns over rising global temperatures .

Biden is also attempting to implement executive branch climate change policies. Some of these policies include altering fuel standards, putting regulations on fuel extraction and limiting how much Wall Street can invest in industries that pollute the environment. Although the gradual switch to energy efficient fuel sources may be difficult on businesses, Matt Koen, an economics major at University of California Berkeley, believes the economy will thrive rather than fail.

“We import around five percent of [the] oil we use in the U.S., and we’re paying taxes on that, as well as subsidizing our own domestic oil products which is a lot of spending.

When we make that shift to electric vehicles, most of our electricity that we use is domestically produced, which

Ronald Ellsweig Douglas Epps Joseph Estus Deirdre Evershed Jennifer Fang Kristin Farese Monica Fieber The Fishburne Family Rod & Hannah Fligel Pamela Fong Robert Frankus Paul Gehrman & Norah Frei Allie G The Ganong Family The Ginsburg Family William Gisvold Martin Goldstein The Goldstein Family Cynthia Goodman Ina Gotlieb Jennifer Green Linda Groah Melissa Harms Christopher & Jennifer Hartung Randy Herbst Nancy & Allan Herzog Joan Hornberger The Hughes Family Tamara S Hull Robin Jacobson Carolyn Jensen Wendy Jessen Sylvia Jones William & Rachel Kessinger Jeffrey Klompus Anneke Koblik

will stimulate growth within the U.S.,” Koen said.

However, some argue that if countries like China don’t attempt to reduce their emissions, the U.S. should not either. Senator Mitch McConnell claims that China has “shamelessly” kept emitting more, according to a New York Times article.

As more time goes by with carbon dioxide being emitted every day, the changes to our environment and climate could become irreversible. The effects of this could be astronomical, resulting in mass natural disasters such as flooding, fires and disease, according to Sawhney.

Although Biden addresses solutions to family EV and their accessibility, not many discussed the possibilities of electric mass transportation. Sawhney predicts that electric mass transportation is in the near future as the world switches away from fuel.

“Getting an electric vehicle isn’t a practical solution for everybody, and I think other solutions are out there in order to be environmentally conscious such as furthering mass electric public transportation. It hasn’t been explored as much as it should be, and is a great way to include more people in a sustainable living style,” Sawhney said.

“While it’s important for all of us to include little actions of sustainability in our everyday lives, it’s also important to not feel like you need to get an electric car because everyone else is getting one. Highlighting the environmental aspects of newer, greener cars will make people buy them for the ethical reason. Because they are helping the environment and being conscious of their footprint, that mindset will then feed into our future actions,” Sawhney said. asvendsen@redwoodbark.org

Bark Patrons E. Koeppel Zoe Koonce Carl Krawitt Sol & Gil Ladetzky Reshma Lensing The Leonard Family Elizabeth Brown & Janet Lewin Deborah Lightfoot Stephen Lightfoot Louise Lo Burt & Lisa Losee Ellen Lynch Alexandra Maliniak René Mandel Harold & Nancy Mann Dana Marotto Micheal Marrero Kerianne & Christopher McBride Ruth McDaniels Katie & David McGee The McHugh Family The Michaels Family Eileen F. Miles Robert Morgan Cindy Morris Ann Aiko Morton Julie & Brian Muller Camelia Negrea Cecily & James O’Connor Denise Olson Hillary Oppenheim Sharon Parsons

The Parsons Family Cynthia Patrizi The Pfeiffer Family Frances Piacente Michael Piacente Gabriella Piccioni Megan Pirsch The Ray Family Bruce Reed Jennifer Reese Lesley Reidy Kimberly Resnick Timothy Richards The Rocha Family Liliana Royal Jason Ryning D. Sanders The Sandrich Family Wendy Shewmaker Jena Shore Martin & Deidre Silverman The Silverman Family Peter & Lucia Sinatra Veronia Skelton The Smallhorn Family Michael & Victoria Song The Steele Family Seth & Jill Steinberg Paul & Amanda Stephen Catherine Stevenson Robert Stone Irene & Phil Strauss

Kate & Ron Strauss Jennifer Sutter Mary Sylla Richard Thalheimer Maryann Thompson Jean-Ray Tippo Deborah Tirschwell The Towns Wagner Family Andy Tress Christopher & Lisa Tribolet Kimberly Tully-Sutton Lisa Turner Dawn Valler Caroline Wabl Kimberly Wagner Perelandra Wait Diana Wang The Watridge Family The Watson Family The Welch Family Larry Wilson Ryo Weng Ryan Wilson Julie Wolfert Sarah Young The Zirpoli Family Constance Zlot Simon Zornoza If you would like to support Bark, donations can be made by check and mailed to Redwood High School. Checks should be made payable to the Redwood Bark. See www.redwoodbark. org/donate for an online payment option.

bark Clubs begin to meet in person after starting virtually Page 3 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

By Calla McBride On April 13, Redwood switched to full in person learning. This allows students to attend all classes in person and means that extracurriculars, like clubs, can start meeting in person as well. Due to COVID-19 precautions, clubs had to adjust by meeting online at the start of the school year.

Girl Up Redwood and Students Organized Against Homophobia (SOAH), two clubs that were founded this year, were able to make their clubs work virtually.

Vice president Kendall Johnson of Girl Up Redwood and president Sienna Garsten of SOAH speak on their experiences with meeting online.

“We meet every week [over Zoom], and usually I present a lesson to the members on a [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+)] topic,” Garsten said.

Garsten created the most of the virtual meetings by planning multiple events, including a virtual movie night and discussion, as well as a meeting with Principal Sondheim over Zoom to discuss ways to help LGBTQ+ students at Redwood.

Johnson similarly used Girl Up’s weekly meetings

Photo courtesy of Sienna Garsten

STUDENTS ORGANIZED AGAINST Homophobia president Sienna Garsten proudly supports her club.

to present her agenda about gender inequality, but most recently used these meetings to plan and vote on COVID-19 safe events for her club.

Making sure to comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines, Johnson planned a virtual movie night over Zoom for her club which showed “Knock Down the House,” a female empowerment film that matched her goals for the club.

While Johnson and Garsten worked to design their clubs to work virtually, Nicole Hoelzle, secretary of Model United Nations (Model UN) at Redwood, explained that even though challenges were apparent, the club was still able to function well. Model UN is a worldwide program in which high school and college students participate in a diplomatic debate.

“Most of our conferences and the ones for the rest of the year that we’ve been attending are virtual,” Hoelzle said.

Although Garsten, Johnson and Hoelzle all successfully made adjustments for their clubs to meet virtually, meeting online still presented challenges.

“We saw a big difference, not just with our club but with everyone [meeting virtually] … we find it’s harder to engage people because everyone is at home,” Hoelzle said.

Given that Model UN involves meeting with other chapters to debate and requires club members to travel twice a year for bigger diplomatic debates, Hoelzle explains the difficulties her club specifically faced.

“Usually, we’re used to having fun during in person gatherings where we provide activities. We even have a Redwood conference where other schools come to the Redwood campus,” Hoelzle said.

Hoelzle had her first in-person meeting of the year on April 20, where she found it much easier to connect with members.

“It is easier to read what people are thinking instead of being detached. On Zoom, everyone was in their own environment, but now we are more connected since everyone is [in person]. We can ask questions, and people are listening instead of sitting with their camera off,” Hoelzle said.

Photo by Shyla Lensing

STUDENTS ORGANIZED AGAINST Racism (SOAR) meets outside for their first in-person meeting since fully returning to school.

Unlike Hoelzle, Garsten and Johnson have yet to meet with their clubs face to face. Garsten plans to meet with SOAH in late April. Johnson, however, is not sure when Girl Up will be having their first in person meeting. They both explained that they have major aspirations for the next coming weeks, and Johnson hopes to meet in person as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Johnson hopes to plan more events for her club such as in-person movie nights and fundraisers.

Garsten and Johnson are working to expand their clubs by recruiting more students and teachers to join. They want to start in-person meetings promptly, in order to further continue making change and having discussions on topics that need a voice.

cmcbride@redwoodbark.org

Biden first president to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide

By Chloe Craft From 1915 to 1916, The Ottoman Empire deported and massacred over one million Armenians. On April 24, 2021, 106 years later, President Biden formally recognized the event as a genocide.

Until now, the U.S. had avoided the term ‘genocide’ in fear of angering Turkish leaders and jeopardizing relations with Turkey, a vital North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. Genocide is defined as the systematic slaughter of a large group of people belonging to a particular ethnic group, which matches the events in Armenia despite Turkey’s denial.

The Armenian Genocide is rarely discussed in history classes, and the Turkish government insists to this day that it was a World War I-era religious conflict between Muslim Ottomans and Christian Armenians that resulted in heavy losses on both sides. Historical records prove that the Ottomans encouraged systematic mass murder and an ethnic cleansing campaign that lasted years. According to the Associated Press, Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, claimed at a public press conference that Turkey “will not be given lessons on our history from anyone.”

Photo courtesy of TIMES Magazine

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER honors those lost in the genocide.

Fearing tensions with Turkey, only thirty countries have recognized the events of 1915-1916 as genocide and is rarely taught in schools. However, a few history teachers have chosen to include the Armenian Genocide in their curriculum.

David Plescia has mentioned the genocide in his World History classes in previous years.

“I think one important thing to mention is that these genocides have taken place throughout history, and in particular recent history. It’s not necessarily isolated to just a few random occurrences,” Plescia said.

“This is happening on every continent from Europe to Asia to Africa, and it’s important to recognize that this is something we need to be aware of and teach in schools.”

Armenians around the world continue to push for recognition even after Biden’s official statement. The Armenian National Committee to America (ANCA) is an American-based organization committed to raising awareness about the erasure of the event. It organizes education mandates, events, fundraisers and much more.

“Armenians worldwide have sought from their respective governments’ formal acknowledgement of the crimes committed during W.W.I. Countries like France, Argentina, Greece, and Russia, where the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and their descendants live, have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide,” says a statement from the ANCA. “However, as a matter of policy, the present-day Republic of Turkey adamantly denies that a genocide was committed against the Armenians during W.W.I. Moreover, Turkey dismisses the evidence about the atrocities as mere allegations and regularly obstructs efforts for acknowledgment.”

Turkish leaders such as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have admitted the existence of the mass deportations and expulsions, but all have yet to acknowledge the massacres, death marches and concentration camps that existed from 1915-1916. An estimated 1.2 million Armenian women, children and elderly people were forced through the Syrian Desert and eventually died,

Graphic courtesy of Facing History and Ourselves

THIRTY-ONE COUNTRIES including the United States officially recognize the 1915-1916 events in Armenia as genocide. according to research conducted by the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Ottoman forces subjected them to deprivation of food and water, robberies and assault, before finally sending them to concentration camps throughout the Syrian Desert.

The Armenian Genocide ultimately caused the destruction of more than two millennia of Armenian civilization in eastern Asia and enabled the creation of an ethnonational Turkish state. Before World War II, the Armenian Genocide was widely considered the greatest atrocity in all world history. Post-war Ottoman Grand Vizier Ferid stated, “Humanity, civilizations are shuddering, and forever will shudder, in face of this tragedy,” according to historian Stefan Ihrig in his book, ‘Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler.’ In 1915, thirtythree years before the United Nations Genocide Convention was adopted, the Armenian Genocide was condemned by the international community as an official crime against humanity.

For many students, including the Armenian Genocide in their History curriculum has been incredibly beneficial and informational. Sophomore Emma McDermott stated that she learned about

the genocide from her World History class this year.

“I don’t think I even knew where Armenia was,” McDermott said. “But when my teacher told us about the genocide during our World War I unit, I was shocked that I had never heard of it before. It was such a huge event, I can’t believe people still deny it.”

However, fellow Redwood sophomore Tim Kotelnikov claims that his history teachers had never once mentioned the Armenian Genocide.

“The Armenian Genocide? Nope. I’ve never heard of that,” Kotelnikov said.

“But I do know that many genocides have happened and will continue to happen, and that’s why we should learn about [them].”

Despite changing rhetoric by simply introducing the usage of the word ‘genocide’ and not taking direct legislative action, the acknowledgment is a pivotal move in the push to spread awareness about the Armenian Genocide. Backlash from the Turkish government is expected, but Biden has officially ended the silence upheld by previous U.S. presidents.

ccraft@redwoodbark.org

opinion

Page 4

Reading modern literature in school is a novel idea

By Luca Bernardini

Our world continues to change, pushing for advancement and social progress; yet the English curriculum remains the same. It has been centered around a similar list of books for decades, with many of our assigned readings overlapping with the books our parents read during their high school years. These classics, although beautifully written with brilliant metaphors and philosophical themes, have become outdated and lessrelatable to the average high schooler.

Instead, more modern literature, with its relevance, diversity and just as significant themes, should be introduced and balanced with the classics in the curriculum.

In fact, students prefer these contemporary reads. A Cub-Bark survey found that only 21.6 percent of Redwood students prefer classical literature over modern literature in English class.

Modern literature covers subject matter that we need to discuss in school. English is an important class where students are encouraged to think about recent issues and relate it to their lives. Books expose their readers to an entirety of new worlds, experiences and perspectives, so they should be used as learning experiences. The topics introduced in contemporary literature, specifically those of current controversy, can form a realization of the need for change.

This year, my English 3-4 class is reading five books. The newest of the five was published in 1954 — 67 years ago; the

oldest in 429 BCE. These authors of the past have not lived in the present world, at least not in the way modern authors

to a Cub-Bark survey, about 58 percent of Redwood students find that the books they read in English class make them unmotivated to read in their free time, mainly because the books assigned are unenjoyable for many.

English teachers should

have, hence the importance of a balance in both long standing and current ideologies. With the use h e l p foster a of modern literature, love of reading in we can understand their students, and our own world these statistics are on a deeper level showing that they do and gain a broader Illustration by Nico Bernardini the opposite. This disconnect view of our present from literature is not society through their discussions of relevant issues. This allows beneficial in a classroom setting. St. John for the growth of compassion and a desire Fisher College found that “motivation and interest in a text can be a leading factor for beneficial change.

Additionally, curriculum centered on students’ abilities to comprehend [the around the classics can form resentment reading],” and that “motivated readers ... towards reading. Book Cave, an attained higher academic achievement.”

Students are not given choices in organization dedicated to encouraging readers, found that 33 percent of high terms of the books we read. We are schoolers will never read another book consistently reading one classic after after they graduate. Similarly, according another, while being told that these books

have withstood the test of time, yet rarely do they live up to those expectations. I am sure they would, if they were assigned less frequently inbetween the books we choose or books that cover topics we are excited about. Reading any style repetitively gets boring quickly, and ruining these classics is a horrible side effect of this teaching style.

This year, my English teacher has chosen to balance out the domination of the classics with a couple of assignments based on books we choose. In my last project, I read the prequel to “The Hunger Games” simultaneously with “Lord of the Flies,” which was the assigned reading.

This just happened to be the most enriching and impactful literacy experience of my life. Both of these books covered the topic of mankind’s natural state, and it was through reading my book of choice that I better understood the argument of the “Lord of the Flies” author, William Golding.

We need a balance between classic and contemporary reads at Redwood. The breaks from each genre will let students fully appreciate the other. It will also produce a curriculum that better reflects the diversity of literature and culture, both from the past and present.

N.H. Klienbaum’s “Dead Poets Society” explained that students should “... learn to savor language and words because ..., words and ideas have the power to change the world.”

lbernardini@redwoodbark.org

It is not ‘a joke:’ the normalization of rape culture Story and Illustration by Calla McBride In 2007, Dolce & Gabbana released an ad campaign depicting a woman being held down by a man while being watched by several other men. The ad, which was meant to promote the brand’s new spring and summer fashion collection, instead promoted sexual violence. Despite facing backlash for glorifying gang rape and violence against women, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana never issued an apology. Many ads from other companies have similarly glorified sexual assault, like American fashion companies Calvin Klein and Relish, as well as an ad from suit company Duncan Quinn. All of these companies used rape as the focal point of their advertisements, and in brushing it off as ‘high fashion,’ have encouraged the normalization of sexual assault.

In addition to advertisers using rape and sexual assault to promote their brands, many TV shows and movies continue to depict rape as funny or normal. For example, “Superbad,” a movie that aired in 2007, follows two teenage boys with the goal of securing alcohol in hopes of getting their female classmates drunk enough to have sex with them. “Family Guy,” an animated series following the stories of the members of the Griffin family, has also repeatedly made rape “jokes” throughout the entirety of the series.

The issue of sexual assault permeates every aspect of our society, and yet these obscene jokes and advertisements are normalized in our world. According to a survey conducted by the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, a woman is raped every two minutes in America, and one in five women will be raped in her lifetime.

According to the Cub-Bark survey, 24.4 percent of Redwood students said they sometimes experience harassment (catcalling, unwanted touching, unwanted nude pictures, requests for nude pictures, etc.) from boys that go to Redwood, and 13.4 percent said they experience this frequently. This is an issue that affects many, and does not belong as the focal point of a magazine cover or as the punchline of a “joke.”

While making light of sexual assault was more common in the late 1900s and early 2000s, the issue of normalizing sexual violence and undermining its severity is still a significant problem today.

Because of this mentality, the media is quick to place the blame of sexual assault on the victim, who the majority of the time is a woman. According to Rape, Abuse &

Incest National Network, 90 percent of adult rape victims are female. Phrases like, “What was she wearing?” or “Was she drinking?” are common responses that victims face when coming forward. Having advertisements and media outlets normalize and undermine the seriousness of these acts does not support victims.

People often hear of rape and instinctually try to discredit the victim or even sympathize with the rapist.

Stanford college athlete Brock Turner’s 2015 sexual assault case is one example of this practice. On Jan. 18, 2015, Turner sexually assaulted Chanel Miller. Turner was taken to court on five charges, and despite being convicted of three, ended up facing only three months in prison for his crimes.

Much of the public eye, including Turner’s childhood best friend, Leslie Rasmussen, as well as Turner’s father, deemed Turner’s future more important than holding him accountable for his crimes. In a letter written to the presiding judge of Turner’s case, Rasmussen claimed that the assault was “a huge misunderstanding,” saying that he is “not a monster” and she believed it was unfair “to base the fate of the next ten plus years of his life on the decision of a girl who doesn’t remember anything.”

Not only does this completely discredit the victim, but also fuels the common practice of not keeping rapists accountable.

Several news outlets, including Associated Press, TIME, CNN and many more failed to identify Turner as someone who had committed sexual assault. Rather, they often referred to Turner as, “Stanford Swimmer.” Specifically, TIME Magazine called him, “former Stanford student and star swimmer.” Not calling Turner a convicted rapist or disclosing what he did suppresses the significance of the situation, and instead glorifies him rather than condemns him.

Poppy Harlow, a CNN reporter, expressed similar sympathy for Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays, the alleged rapists in the Steubenville High School rape case, in which an intoxicated high school girl was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her peers on April 11, 2012. Harlow

said on air, “[It is] incredibly difficult...to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players [and] very good students, literally watched, as they believed their lives fell apart.” Harlow places more value on their potential success, rather than facing the reality that is the accusations levied against them.

We must put an end to normalizing rape in the m e d i a .

Continuing to allow the media to promote jokes and advertisements that normalize rape will only permit this issue to continue.

The media needs to start holding rapists accountable for their actions and stop victim-blaming.

Until the severity of sexual assault and rape gets taken s e r i o u s l y, the portrayal of rape in the media and the consequences of that will continue to hurt women. cmcbride@redwoodbark.org

Page 5 • Opinion

www.redwoodbark.org

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Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org Editors-In-Chief Kelly Chuang Shyla Lensing Anna Royal Dani Steinberg

editorial Reactionary measures aren’t the solution “Hate crimes won’t stop with an ‘End Racism’ photo.”

POLICY: unsigned approved of the

All editorials are and have been by the majority Cub-Bark staff.

Atlanta, Georgia’s highly publicized, racially motivated spa shootings have shed light onto the Asian American hate crimes spreading across the country.

The six women killed in March are just the tip of the iceberg. Vicha Ratanapakdee, Noel Quintana, Noriko Nasu and more are all victims of ongoing Asian hate crimes. One week after the Atlanta shooting, Redwood Principal David Sondheim issued a “Principal’s Update” email, including a section dedicated to the importance of being anti-racist. The paragraph on Asian hate expressed Redwood’s support towards the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and shared what Redwood will do in response.

“As violence against AAPI people has been on the rise, hate and violence against any of us is an offense and a danger to all of us. We will continue to work to raise our racial consciousness and develop staff and student anti-racism knowledge and skills,” Sondheim stated.

To combat this and the continuing racial tension in this country, Redwood held two awareness-based assemblies to fight racism and anti-Semitism. These reactive discussions are necessary, but not enough.

There must be a balance between preventative and reactionary measures.

Ever since the beginning of March 2020, when COVID-19 became prevalent and politicians coined the nickname, “Kung flu,” Asian hate crimes increased. Despite this, Redwood has yet to provide adequate education about AAPI hate. A study done by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that anti-Asian crimes rose by nearly 150 percent in 2020. This same pattern can be found amongst Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) groups and the Jewish community. The Anti-Defamation League states there were 2,107 nationwide hate crimes against the Jewish community in 2019. These anti-Semitic attacks became personal to the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) community this past September, when Jewish students were attacked through Instagram accounts created by fellow students.

The Racial Justice and Education Research Guide by the National Education Association stated, “Discussions about race [happen] … once blatant racism has occurred, and often not very constructive.

Be proactive by creating planned opportunities for students to share stories and life experiences in ways that connect to your curriculum.”

A majority of the Redwood community has never voluntarily attended anti-racist training or learned about the ongoing hate towards minority groups.

Redwood hosts educational assemblies and hangs posters with the words, “End Racism,” but has yet to implement actual change.

Rather than hosting assemblies after an injustice has occurred, students should be learning about them regularly. Teachers should incorporate current

A BARK to 16 year olds being able to get vaccinated. Now the only threat they pose is on the road.

A BITE to the ParentSquare Daily Health Screener. We have allergies, not COVID-19.

A BARK to the Ingenuity Helicopter landing on Mars.

They must’ve had to planet.

A BITE to 10-minute passing periods. Laps were more fun when you only had time for one.

A BARK to freshmen joining in-person school for the first time. Differences aside, we’re

events and issues into their curriculum. While there are classes and clubs such as Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR) and Students Organized Against Anti-Semitism (SOAAS), not everyone participates. Wesley Griggs, Co-President of SOAR, feels strongly about implementing more education on these incidents.

“I would love to see more discussions of current events related to race or anti-Semitism … and integrating these teachings into the curriculum,” Griggs said.

“There are so many opportunities to integrate teachings of both modern day systemic racism, institutionalized racism, and the history of racism in America,” Griggs said.

Sarah Steele, Co-President of SOAAS, agrees with Grigg’s statement.

“We understand that public schools cannot be political and teachers are not allowed to express their political views. It can just be a conversation about human rights. This should not even be political, but apparently it is. Teachers are major adult figures and role models in children’s lives. If we see teachers modeling that behavior, students will follow,” Steele said.

Steele also emphasizes the power of the Redwood administration. They are the driving force behind change, as they possess the ability to encourage teachers to discuss these issues.

“It is really hard for teachers on their own to go out of their way and say, ‘Okay, we are going to pause the curriculum for the day to talk about this.’ It needs to come from the admin,” Steele said.

While it is understandable that teachers move at a fast pace, it is important that all students and faculty feel safe. This security can only come from community education.

The two reactionary assemblies, though better than nothing, are performative. To attack the root of the problem, conversations about racism, anti-Semitism, and other discriminations need to be integrated into regular class discussions. Although reactionary measures are necessary, as they provide immediate comfort after an incident, preventative measures are most effective. We must have these conversations about race, ethnicity, religion, as well as the systemic structures that allow for hate to happen. However, these conversations must be happening prior to incidents and throughout our education.

Have an opinion regarding anything that appears in the Cub Bark or in general? We encourage our readers to submit letters to the editor. Letters to the Cub Bark should be 500 words or fewer, typed if possible and signed.

They must emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org

happy to have you (even if upperclassmen aren’t).

A BITE to students incorrectly wearing masks. The mask doesn’t work if it’s below your nose!

A BARK to Bridgit Mendler possibly releasing new music.

Are you ‘Ready or Not?’ A BITE to the new strains of COVID-19 being found in the US. Didn’t they get the stayat-home order?

A BARK to teachers. We’re proud of you for recognizing us from our eyes and foreheads and without name tags!

A BITE to school hallways in the main building. Who knew three feet apart meant so close together!

A BARK to Mondays being in-person. Short classes at home were virtually pointless.

A BITE to Zac Efron possibly getting getting plastic surgery.

I guess he wasn’t feeling ‘fabulous.’

BARKS and BITES are the collective opinions of the CUB BARK staff concerning relevant issues. BARKS are in praise of accomplishments, while BITES criticize decisions or events.

Head Copy Editors Chloe Bishop Chloe Craft Copy Editors Rori Anderson Luca Bernardini Alexandrea Coe Pilar Goodman Kana Kojima Ava Razavi Claire Silva News Editors Ella Kharrazi Ani Svendsen Opinion Editors Stella Bennett Ingrid Houtkooper Feature Editors Caitlin Beard Gemma Favaloro Sports Editors Sam Kimball Dylan Zorn Review Editors Julia Frankus Gillian Reynolds Lifestyles Editors Sophia Buckholtz Justine Fisch Video Editors Ian Leifer Caitlyn Maas Spanish Editor Julie Oliveira Business Manager Peter Biss Multi Media Managers Lily Reese Sofia Ruliffson Survey Managers Calla McBride Ginger Rogers Art Consultant Stella Cico Reporters Arjun Aujla Matt Benbow Eliza Byck Emilie Erickson Sarah Goody Sylvan Gordon-Wagen Sabrina Kizer Hina Kojima Lea Morina Sophie Patrizi Emilio Ramirez Cole Seifer Katie Shell Maddie Sofnas Zachary Suckle Hailey Thompson Taylor Wein Natalie Welch Advisor Lisa Kemp

bark Page 6 • Opinion Period shaming cramps students’ confidence

By Sarah Goody

Once a month, it knocks at your door. The instant feeling of dread comes rushing when you see it once again.

At times, it makes you feel ashamed of your own body.

It lingers in your subconscious mind, reminding you of your gender identity. This is the relationship between a teenager and their period.

Half of the adult population menstruates, yet women around the world feel embarrassed to talk about their reproductive health. A 2017 poll by Thinx, a tampon brand, found that 58 percent of women have felt embarrassment or shame from being on their period. During recent years, the terms “period shame” and “period taboo” have started making international headlines. According to the United Nations, period shaming takes many different forms and is the result of an absence in menstrual health education.

Our society indirectly shames girls for menstruating by associating periods with negative phrases like “shark-week” and “code-red.”

The menstruation app, Clue and the International Women’s Health Coalition discovered over 5,000 different slang terms and euphemisms for the word period, the majority of which have a negative connotation.

Other forms of period shaming include the negative representation of periods in the entertainment industry, inaccessibility to tampons and pads in schools and perpetuating the idea that menstruation is dirty or unclean.

Period shaming impacts women and teenagers across the world. Another report by Thinx found that 71 percent of women have hidden a pad or tampon from view on their way to the bathroom. I remember walking to class last year and a friend pulled me over and asked if I had a tampon.

When I began taking the tampon out of my backpack she told me to stop, letting me know I needed to be more discreet and hide the tampon in my jacket to give it to her in the bathroom. Period shaming has gone so far that we’re

scared to take a tampon out in public or purchase pads at a drugstore.

Many scientists, educators and health professionals have identified the need to better educate teenagers about menstrual health in order to limit the fears of having a period or being period-

Illustration by Julia Frankus

shamed. As many instances of period shaming stem from misinformation or plain ignorance, increased education around these issues is the most effective approach to putting an end to period taboos. In May 2019, Duke University and UNICEF joined forces to support six social enterprises tackling issues related to menstrual health and hygiene. Duke University invited the organizations to speak to their students about period equity and to increase awareness around menstrual health. However, it is critical that this education starts at

April 30, 2021

a younger age. Having organizations like WASH United, Period.org and Freedom4Girls speak to Redwood students can help decrease our communities’ stigma about periods and period shaming.

While the social issues course at Redwood is supposed to cover menstruation, I noticed during my class that it was discussed very minimally, only addressing the anatomical terms of the female reproductive system and what causes menstruation. Social issues classes should aim to provide students with more information about menstruation including how to use tampons and pads, the impact of periods on transgender and nonbinary students, how periods change over the course of a person’s life, how to choose sustainable period products and the importance of talking about menstruation with peers.

Students learn how to properly use condoms in social issues classes despite only 39 percent of students having engaged in intercourse, according to a 2019 Bark survey.

Yet, students are not taught how to insert tampons or use feminine hygiene products when more than half of the student body menstruates. What if Redwood students could be certified in using tampons as they are in using condoms? Perhaps, this kind of handson education could reduce the embarrassment and fear that is associated with using tampons and feminine hygiene products.

When not addressed, period shame can lead to gender discrimination, violence, depression, suicide and untreated health problems, which is why it’s crucial to confront period shaming in our society. According to a study in the Guardian, 1 in 5 girls have been bullied about their period. Although period shame may stem from a larger societal issue of improper representation in the media, it is ultimately up to Redwood and other high schools to break down misconceptions about periods and provide adequate menstrual health education to students.

sgoody@redwoodbark.org

Money over merit: college admissions favor the rich Story and Illustration by Ava Razavi As May 1, college commitment day, approaches many high school seniors are pressed with nerves as college decisions become finalized. For some, this means getting into their dream university while, for others, it means that four years of hard work was not enough to get into the college of their choice. Don’t worry, your college decisions may have far less to do with your academic achievements, extracurriculars or athletics and may rely on something else –– money. While colleges claim to take a holistic approach and recognize the financial situations that some students are in, the college admissions process is still riddled with classism.

One of the most outdated and discriminating factors that are considered during the college admissions process is legacy status. A legacy is an applicant who is regarded preferentially at a university because a parent or relative is an alumni. Legacy children are usually more financially stable as their parents hold a college degree; people with a fouryear college degree make on average 30 thousand dollars a year more than people with only a high school diploma.

According to a Cub-Bark survey, 70.1 percent of Redwood students have one or both parents who have graduated from a private university, making them a legacy at that private university.

Natasha Warikoo, a sociology professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts, finds that admissions figures reveal that applicants who are already financially priviledged are accepted at a higher rate as compared to those who are equally talented but who are less financially priviledged.

While this piece of information may seem minor compared to the other information applicants provide on their college application, according to The Atlantic, being a legacy can double your chances of getting into the college of your choice. Furthermore, according to The

Wall Street Journal, this number is even higher for some elite schools; statistics show that Harvard applicants who were legacies were five times more likely to be accepted compared to other applicants.

The reason for this is money. According to The Atlantic, colleges often predict that alumni will donate money to the college they graduated from if their child attends the institution as well, making them more likely to accept their children.

On the other hand, the cost of attending college is often unattainable for many candidates, and financial aid has failed low-income applicants for years. Only 17 percent of families can afford the average college tuition without financial assistance, according to ThinkAdvisor, a publication that reports on finances and current events.

Consumer News and Buiness Channel (CNBC) reports that those enrolled at fouryear, public institutions paid an average of $3,190 in tuition in the 1988 school year; that average has risen to $9,970 for the 2018 school year, a 213 percent increase accounting for inflation. To alleviate some of this financial pressure, students are recommended to take out student loans; however, this leaves students drowning in debt. The American population combined holds 1.71 trillion dollars worth of student loan debt, according to Student Loan Hero, an online publication dedicated to helping students pay off their loans.

According to a study done by the Student Debt Crisis Organization, 65 percent of student loan borrowers spend more on their student loan debt than food a month, 30 percent of borrowers spend more on their student loans than on health insurance a month and 30 percent spend more on their student loans than monthly rent.

Richard Sander, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, who studies racial and economic disparities in higher education, finds that colleges have been overlooking socioeconomic diversity.

“The pervasive problem in admissions offices is classism, not racism, they’re biased against low-income students,” Sander said.

The New York Times recently investigated the wealth divide at top colleges and found that elite universities have more students from the top one percent of the wealthy than from the bottom 60 percent. These statistics do not mean that students coming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds cannot get into college; they simply show that it is significantly harder for them compared to their wealthier counterparts.

This deeply integrated classism in the college admissions system cannot be changed overnight; however, student loan forgiveness programs are great

ways to make federal headway on this issue. College admissions officers should take into account the impact that lower socioeconomic status has on students’ ability to compete with the richer applicants, and universities should attempt to add socioeconomic diversity into their institution.

For the Redwood college applicants who are worried because they are not a legacy, do not think they can afford college or are not in the one percent, there is hope.

As this problem gains more media exposure and people are speaking out on its issues, more and more programs are dedicated to reducing the financial burden on college attendees, and hopefully, the elite colleges will recognize the problematic nature of legacy status sooner rather than later.

arazavi@redwoodbark.org

español

Página 7

La crisis de la anticoncepción en Venezuela Por Shyla Lensing

La economía de Venezuela está actualmente en declive significativo debido a la hiperinflación que ha azotado al país desde 2014. La red de seguridad social de Venezuela desapareció hace años y los recursos de salud, especialmente los anticonceptivos, comenzaron a desaparecer en 2015. Hoy, millones de venezolanos no tienen acceso y / o no pueden pagar el escaso y costoso método anticonceptivo de Venezuela. En una situación casi imposible en la que el precio de los anticonceptivos es más del triple del salario mínimo, la paternidad forzada y las transmisiones del VIH han aumentado, creando una crisis masiva de control de la natalidad.

El acceso a la atención médica fue una vez un activo generalizado para el pueblo venezolano. El control de la natalidad era fácilmente alcanzable en todo el país; era una parte integrada del gobierno socialista del ex presidente Hugo Chávez. Después de su muerte en el Marzo 2013, Nicolás Maduro fue elegido, cuyo primer mandato se volvió cada vez más autoritario y ejerció una mala gestión financiera. Además, la industria petrolera de Venezuela comenzó a fallar en el momento de la sucesión de Maduro, lo que llevó a una caída económica que aún continúa, ingresando en su octavo año en 2021.

Jacquie Kizer, una estudiante de último año de Redwood venezolana, explicó la crisis financiera desde su perspectiva. “[Venezuela] era una economía de enfoque único, como muchas otras economías petroleras durante la década de 1900, cuando el petróleo se convirtió en un recurso realmente rentable,” dijo Kizer. “Pero a medida que el petróleo se volvió más común y menos rentable, la economía comenzó a declinar, y con un gobierno tan inestable, comenzó a descender a donde está actualmente: pobreza realmente grave, escasez de alimentos [y corrupción generalizada].”

Además del descenso de otras instituciones, hoy en día, el sistema de salud pública de Venezuela ha desaparecido casi por completo. Casi todos los medicamentos y recursos de salud se han vuelto inasequibles o no están disponibles, incluido el control de la natalidad. Según el New York Times, un solo paquete de condones en el país cuesta $4,40, el triple del salario mínimo mensual de Venezuela de $1,50.

Otros métodos anticonceptivos, como las píldoras anticonceptivas y los DIU, son incluso más caros.

La falta de anticonceptivos ha llevado a relaciones sexuales sin protección generalizadas y las consecuencias que resultan. Según la revista Women Across Frontiers, de 2010 a 2016, las tasas de VIH aumentaron 24 por ciento. En cuanto al embarazo no planeado, la ausencia de control de la natalidad ha obligado a algunas mujeres a convertirse en madres en un país donde apenas hay recursos suficientes para la población actual. En 2016, un análisis del gobierno mostró que la tasa de mortalidad infantil aumentó un 30 por ciento, lo que ejemplifica estas preocupaciones.

Magdymar León, psicóloga que trabaja para

Foto cortesía de Pixabay

VENEZUELA ATRAVIESA ACTUALMENTE una crisis masiva de control de la natalidad, donde las mujeres se ven afectadas de manera desproporcionada. la Asociación Venezolana de Educación Sexual Alternativa, exploró las repercusiones femeninas de la crisis del control de la natalidad en un artículo de Population Connection, una organización mundial sin fines de lucro que crea conciencia sobre la salud reproductiva.

“Se viola el poder de las mujeres para decidir si son madres o no,” dijo León. “Es una especie de maternidad forzada.”

Muchas mujeres intentan escapar de la carga buscando métodos de aborto, a pesar de que el procedimiento es ilegal en Venezuela, la cual es un pais fuertemente católica. Por lo tanto, ser atrapadas puede justificar años de prisión. Además, las clínicas de aborto clandestinas son peligrosas y cobran altos precios por sirugias que amenudo resultan ser fatales. Algunas mujeres intentan usar medicamentos específicos para inducir abortos en el hogar. Algunas drogas son más seguras que otras, pero las más peligrosas, como el mistoprostal, son cada vez más comunes en Venezuela.

La Dra. Amy Vallerie, ginecóloga pediátrica del Área de la Bahía, explicó los peligros de realizar un aborto sola.

“Las mujeres que compran medicamentos para inducir un aborto [están en peligro de] sangrado y hemorragia en el hogar,” dijo Vallerie. “Pero [en Venezuela] los abortos son ilegales, por lo que es

probable que las mujeres no quieran ir al hospital si tienen una crisis médica.”

Mirando a Venezuela en comparación con el Área de la Bahía, existen marcadas diferencias en los recursos de salud sexual, probablemente atribuidas al sustento económico y la estabilidad política de la Bahía. Aquí en el condado de Marin, existen múltiples herramientas reproductivas gratuitas a las que los ciudadanos pueden acceder. Según una encuesta anterior de Cub-Bark, aproximadamente el 67 por ciento de los estudiantes sienten que tienen un acceso fácil y seguro a la anticoncepción.

En Redwood, tenemos recursos como el Programa de Disponibilidad de Condones (CAP). Comenzando todos los miércoles durante el aprendizaje en persona, los estudiantes pueden obtener fácilmente la certificación de condones en el almuerzo y luego pueden recoger condones gratis en el Centro de Bienestar. Maisie McPeek, estudiante de tercer año de Redwood expresó qué tener la opción de obtener condones es crítico para los estudiantes de Redwood.

“Si les damos condones a los niños, no aumentara la probabilidad de que tengan relaciones sexuales,” dijo McPeek. “Los hace más propensos a tener relaciones sexuales seguras y luego llevar esa práctica más adelante en la vida.”

Además, los Programas Juveniles de Huckleberry, una organización en la Área de la Bahía que ofrece clínicas de salud sexual para jóvenes, entre otras iniciativas, también brinda atención reproductiva gratuita. Priscilla Miranda, directora de programas de Huckleberry Marin, es inflexible en cuanto a la anticoncepción accesible.

“Nos aseguramos de que los jóvenes, especialmente aquellos que están subrepresentados, reciban la información y los servicios para poder tomar las decisiones que desean para ellos mismos,” dijo Miranda.

A pesar de las restricciones de la pandemia, tanto los Programas Juveniles de Huckleberry como CAP todavía ayudan a los estudiantes con recursos reproductivos. En Venezuela, el Ministerio de Salud dejó de publicar datos en 2016; por eso es difícil determinar cómo el país está abordando la crisis de anticoncepción. Sin embargo, los derechos reproductivos han sido continuamente ignorados como una necesidad humana básica en el país y es probable que el problema no se resuelva pronto.

Kizer, el joven venezolano, cree que la situación de la anticoncepción en Venezuela es otro tema que aún debe enfrentar el gobierno.

“Es devastador,” dijo Kizer. “[La crisis del control de la natalidad] realmente trae luz a una historia de dolor tan prolongada en Venezuela, y ahora se están trayendo nuevas atrocidades. Esto ha durado tanto tiempo y todavía no se ha hecho justicia.”

Foto por Shyla Lensing

SE PROPORCIONAN BOLSAS de condones y lubricante siempre que se desee después de que se certifiquen como condones.

shlensing@redwoodbark.org

feature

Page 8

Fourth wave feminism is not a monolith

By Gemma Favaloro At first glance, movies like “Moxie’’ and “Promising Young Woman’ might seem like trailblazers in the cinema industry. They use female directors and writers to bring light to the important conversations of rape, sexual assault and the female experience in general. However, many are noticing a problem with these movies, despite the attempt at inclusivity. The majority of film production teams are white and only represent the white community, excluding other races and ethnicities. This representation is reflective of the long history of white feminism. White feminism is defined as “the label given to feminist efforts and actions that uplift white women but that exclude and fail to address issues faced by minority groups, especially women of color and [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+)] misogyny affective people.”

With the increase in the commodification of feminism through the media and corporations, feminism has risen in popularity among upper-middle class women. This led to fourth wave feminism, a feminist movement that began in 2012 and focuses on the empowerment of women, intersectionality and the use of the internet. Although these fourth wave ideals of feminism attempt to combat misogyny and harmful stereotypes, they fail to address issues facing Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and LGBTQ+ women, which are often overlooked.

Mainstream feminism has shifted from being a movement of liberation to a movement of trivial concerns and reactions.

In a discussion paper written for the Harvard Kennedy School, Koa Beck explains how the capitalistic lens of feminism is contradicting the foundations of feminism. “‘Feminist’-branded success takes on a capitalistic form, in which individual elevation within a company, personal capital, and productivity on behalf of a company are deemed innately ‘feminist’ despite their centrality to capitalism,” Beck states. “This particular understanding of gender equality breaks considerably with the foundations of feminism which identified capitalism as a key component of the oppression of women.”

When it comes to workplace equality, the focus for mainstream feminism was seen as getting women “a seat at the table,” and providing a visual representation in high positions like CEOs, executives and political figures.

However, what the public failed to address was the lack of physical and emotional equity that is needed in the workplace, especially with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people.

The Black Female Project, an organization dedicated to uplifting and supporting black female professionals, found that the majority of participants in the project “felt they didn’t get to be themselves at work, but they actually had to arm themselves against what they were going to encounter. Leaders in their workplaces did not provide them with spaces or support to make this happen.”

Rory Daly, sophomore and co-president of Redwood’s Girl Up Club, a feminist program run through the United Nations, stated her opinion on feminist culture in the workplace.

“It’s great to want to see women in higher-up positions, but [if] it’s not making real change then I don’t think it’s necessarily helping the cause,” she said.

While the hyper-consumerism side of fourth wave feminism is objectively problematic, there have been positive sides to the rise in digital feminism. Digital feminism enabled the #MeToo movement, allowing victims of sexual abuse to speak about their experiences and exposed powerful people, who were able to easily

conceal predatory crimes prior to the digital age.

Digital feminism has allowed for feminists to organize, educate and make change, even if it is just on the social media level.

In an article published on the website, Feminism in India, reporter Debarati Das, explained how powerful digital feminism can be.

“Through the use of technology as a powerful tool of resistance and activism, women and persons of other marginalized genders continue to help contemporary feminism evolve into a more inclusive, multi-dimensional and pro-intersectional movement,” Debarati said.

The media plays a big role in how digital feminism developed. If the only view of feminism that is being portrayed is predominantly white womens’ struggles, then there is a need for new stories.

However, the decision of who to put in charge of writing and producing these stories is vital. If they are told with a layer of bias or inconsistency that can be very harmful.

Dr. Latoya Williams, co-founder of Black Girls Brilliance, a global middle school program for Black pre-teens, stresses the importance of director’s intent.

“Just because you put a person of color in the media doesn’t mean they haven’t been tokenized. And that they aren’t exactly wearing the clothes of the oppressor and doing the same thing that white people do,” she said. “What is at the heart of these media organizations? Are you in the communities or are you just trying to sensationalize a story within a community?”

Fourth wave feminism is not only defined by its technological advancements, but also its actions. In 2017, the women’s march was the largest single-day protest in United States history, protesting former President Donald Trump’s inauguration and his offensive statements and actions towards women. The march was seen as incredibly successful and was made possible by social media because of the intense media coverage it received. It was a symbol for a new era of feminism, focusing on holding people accountable and incorporating intersectionality into activism.Rory Daly agreed with the need for intersectionality within the media.

She stated, “[White feminism is] definitely a single vision of feminism [seen in the media.] It’s important to remember going forward to include everyone’s perspectives. The female experience is different for everybody and different identities all factor into that.”

Activists like Daly believe all people must look inside themselves and make adequate changes to their thinking in order to pave the way for a more successful future of feminism.

Precious Stroud, the founder of Black Female Project, explained the importance of this.

“This is not about white women helping black women.

This is about white women helping themselves. The answer is self-reflection. The answer is self-work. The answer is being part of the human family in a way that’s helpful. What people can do is learn, read and explore,” Stroud said.

Since mainstream feminism values empowered upper-class women, or self-proclaimed “girl bosses,” a lot of popularized issues in the feminist community do not benefit the greater population. Stated in a Refinery 29 article, “a marketable form of feminism – like girl boss culture – which sells hollow empowerment instead of highlighting the less palatable facts of life for working women – unaffordable childcare, zero-hour contracts, sexual harassment, gender discrimination – is not really feminism at all.”

The mainstream feminism movement is no longer trying to “break the glass ceiling.” It is just trying to climb a ladder to sit on top of it. However, mainstream fourth wave feminism isn’t the only form of feminism to exist in 2021. In a Vox article on the “waves of feminism” seen in history, it discussed how the metaphor of a wave can be reductive, since feminism is not monolithic.

“It suggests that there’s a sharp division between generations of feminism, when in fact there’s a fairly strong continuity between each wave — [it portrays] mainstream feminism as the only kind of feminism there is, when feminism is full of splinter movements.”

gfavaloro@redwoodbark.org

Illustrations by Stella Cico

Page 9 • Feature

www.redwoodbark.org

AP classes: are they worth the extra work?

bark

Story and illustrations by Sophie Patrizi Every February, the Redwood halls fill with conversations of class schedules and debates of whether or not students should take Advanced Placement (AP) classes. The AP program is run by the College Board and provides students with the opportunity to take collegelevel courses and earn college credits while still in high school. At the end of the course, students can opt to take an AP exam in May that covers all the content from the course. Students can earn college credit depending on their score on the AP exam, although eligibility for credit varies for each college. Right now, over 900 Redwood students are signed up to take one or more AP Exams, and close to 1,900 AP Exams will be administered, according to Redwood Assistant Principal Saum Zargar.

When choosing whether or not to take AP classes, students face pressure from parents, peers or the media.

The importance of AP classes for college is a topic frequently discussed in today’s society, which may make students feel it’s necessary to enroll in them.

Many Redwood students believe that the decision is very personal, and there is no right or wrong choice when deciding if they should take an AP class.

Natalie Oh, a current junior at Redwood, identifies two main reasons a student might enroll in an AP class.

The first is that they are interested in the subject, and the second is that they want to challenge themselves.

“I take AP environmental science and I have always been interested in the environment. I think there is a degree of taking an AP because you want to challenge yourself a little bit,” Oh said. “I take AP language and composition not because I love English, but because I thought it was a great opportunity to challenge myself.

Those are the main two reasons I took [AP classes], and I know a lot of people [take them for the same reasons].”

Oh has conversed with her friends many times about the positives and negatives that coincide with taking an AP class. She feels as though most of the downsides of the AP program relate to the College Board itself, not Redwood.

“I really like how AP classes are paced, I feel like it works really well for me. I like the predictability [and] the organization. But the whole idea that you have to work towards this three hour exam that you have to pay tons of money to take, and [the stigma around it is that] it’s super important for college, does feel a little [artificial],” Oh said.

Sophomore year is the first year an AP class is available to Redwood students. Students have the choice to enroll in AP European history (AP Euro) or enroll in the non-AP history class, world history.

Sophomore Maddie Epps decided to enroll in AP Euro and spends around an hour and a half each day doing homework for the class.

Epps is unsure if it was worth it for her to take an advanced history class, as she enjoys the material and context of the class, but doesn’t enjoy the testing process as much.

“The tests are different from ones I’ve taken in the past,” Epps said. “We don’t do LEQs (long answer questions) or SAQs (short answer questions) in any other classes, and learning how to do those makes this class [more difficult] than others.”

Epps is not taking the AP United States history class next year, but is instead taking AP classes in subjects that she is more interested in. Overall, Epps feels that the decision to take an AP class depends on the person and what they believe will work best for them.

Simone Sarfaty, another Redwood sophomore, opted not to take AP Euro and is instead taking world history. She spends around fifteen minutes a day doing history homework, significantly less than Epp’s hour and a half, but said it fluctuates

depending on what they do during class.

“I was thinking of doing [AP Euro], but I talked to some teachers and they said if history isn’t something you love then you shouldn’t take it because it is going to be hard. [For me,] I was just going to take it for the sake of taking an AP class,” Sarfaty said.

Sarfaty believes that it is not necessary for a student to take an AP class just because they want it to look good on a transcript, especially if it isn’t a subject they enjoy and want to expand their knowledge of.

Junior Nicole Hoelzle is currently taking three AP classes at Redwood.

She feels that the workload, although challenging at times, is manageable for her, and she is happy with the schedule she chose. Although AP classes can be more challenging than other classes, Hoelzle feels as though her teachers have prepared her for the upcoming AP exams. Hoelzle feels supported in her AP classes and notes the unique aspects of the courses.

“I think what makes an AP class stand out is definitely the pace, because [there are] national standards for the exam,” Hoelzle said. “You have certain standards you need to meet and that can be stressful at [times], but all the teachers have term sheets and [resources] to help guide you through that. You get a lot of support.”

Hoelzle believes that students should base their decisions regarding AP classes on themselves as individuals, choosing classes on subjects that they want to learn about.

“Everyone is on their own personal journey, people challenge themselves in different ways.”

Hoelzle said. “You should do what makes you happy.”

The societal pressure students feel to take AP classes may stem from the belief that they have to take them in order to get into college.

Many Redwood students look past that idea, and instead highlight the importance of personal goals, limits and interest when it comes to AP classes.

spatrizi@redwoodbark.org

On April 15, 2021, a 19-year-old gunman used two a Redwood alumnus who had lived in Marin his entire life, Chapter’s website features not only positive reviews of semi-automatic rifles to fatally shoot eight people and and insisted that the general attitude surrounding firearm local gun shops and ranges, but also a list of establishments injure seven more at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, ownership only became predominantly negative in recent to avoid due to hostile environments, illegal activities and Ind. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief decades. past negative treatment of feminine-presenting people and Randal Taylor states that in March of 2020, the gunman’s With 21 being the minimum age for firearm-related minorities. Marin usually appears to be an exceptionally mother raised concerns about his mental state, which sales and transfers, no Redwood students could legally safe place, but according to Johnston, this is not the case subsequently led police to seize a shotgun that was in his have access to guns today. However, most of these in local firearm establishments. possession at the time. restrictions were set in place in the late 1960s to early “It’s heavily dependent on how you present yourself However, the more recently purchased rifles used in 1970s, and the laws were much ooser before age limits and how you identify personally,” Johnston said. “So I the April 15th shooting were obtained legally, indicating were established. more or less present as a black man, and I do get kind of that the report and seizure did not prevent the gunman “When I went to high school, we could actually have talked down to, but people generally don’t mess with me. from simply buying more firearms. Red Flag Laws, which our rifles in the back of our vehicles hanging on gun racks But I’ve heard plenty of stories of others, trans people have been given bipartisan support in some states, exist to in the back,” George said. “I wouldn’t dare do that today. especially, getting very subtle death threats and that’s at prevent those regarded by a judge to be a risk to themself And even today’s standards, we have to keep them in gun ranges and at gun stores in and around the Bay Area.” or others from purchasing a firearm. The laws, formally cases, locked, with no ammo available.”

However, the SRA strives to promote safe and deemed the Jake Laird Laws, were established in 2005.

In California, firearms must be stored in a securely judgment-free facilities to buy and shoot firearms in the California’s Red Flag Laws were only established in locked container or rendered inoperable with some state- Bay Area. As the Biden administration is ushered in, new 2014. approved form of locking device such legislative action is being pushed to reinforce firearm As President Joe Biden issues as a trigger lock or cable lock to prevent safety regulations. Having to obtain an FSC to purchase six initial executive actions unauthorized use, and guns must be stored and use a weapon sets a baseline requirement of safety intended to curb the worsening separately from ammunition. There is no knowledge, and plenty of local ranges offer firearm safety gun violence epidemic, limit on how many firearms an individual training by request. Red Flag Laws are being refined, Americans are reminded of is allowed to own or keep in their home in improved and enforced more frequently, which should how common firearm shops and California. raise the bar to a higher level of integrity for firearm shooting ranges are. Although However, there is a distinct difference owners and dealers.

California has a much smaller to be drawn between gun hobbyists and “This has to end,” Biden said at a White House news amount of licensed firearm collectors, of which there are many among conference the day after the Indianapolis FedEx shooting. dealers than states like Wyoming, the wealthy residents of Marin, and those “It’s a national embarrassment.” which has 64,747 according to who keep a gun for the sole purpose of selfBiden continues to urge Congress to refine and expand the Violence Policy Center, they defense. Officer Jeff Peterson, Redwood’s laws on background checks and the ownership of assault are not rare by any means. designated school resource officer, wants weapons. His most recent actions towards upholding California Governor Gavin to stress the importance of recognizing this gun safety, which he emphasizes are “fully within the Newsom’s 2016 Safety For All divide.

Administration’s authority and the Second Amendment”, Initiative campaign conducts Jeff Peterson, “If I were a Redwood student, I would include issuing new legislation to prevent the proliferation a monthly tally that shows school resource officer be conscious of the reasons people purchase and sale of illegal and unregistered weapons, resuscitating that around 2,315 dealers and guns, especially in California,” Officer annual reports on firearms trafficking from the FTA that pawnbrokers are licensed to sell Peterson said. “There’s a huge difference have not been updated since 2001, and publishing model guns in California. This does between people who want to own guns for Red Flag Laws for all states. not include the two other extra bad reasons and people who don’t understand Though the subjective prevalence of firearm federal categories authorized to deal in firearms. The the importance of gun safety and the people who value dealerships in the Bay Area may be worrying to many approximately 521 licensed firearms manufacturers and safety training and use [guns] for purposes where people residents, legislative action such as Biden’s recent orders 74 licensed firearms importers bring the total closer to don’t get hurt.” are tightening controls and regulations on the purchasing 2,900, according to Roger Root, the overseer of firearm Most gun hobbyists will purchase firearms at gun of firearms, and organizations such as the SRA are license investigations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, shows and shops that primarily cater to collectors, which working towards creating a safe environment to learn gun Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in Northern California. keeps those purchases legally recognized by the state safety. Though Redwood students are unable to buy guns Based on these statistics, licensed gun dealers outnumber of California. Since collection is a common purpose for at their age, that does not prevent them from educating McDonald’s restaurants more than 2-to-1 in California. firearm ownership in Marin, most guns owned by Marin themselves on the importance of safety and legality when Considering California’s historically Democratic residents are legal, and Officer Peterson is proud to say it comes to firearms. policies against guns, it is not surprising how strict state that illegally purchased firearms are quite uncommon in ccraft@redwoodbark.org firearm purchasing and licensing laws are. All California Marin. firearm purchases and transfers, including private party “In central Marin, it’s very rare we’ll come across a transactions and sales at gun shows, must be made gun that’s purchased illegally,” Peterson said. “As a patrol through a California licensed dealer under the Dealer’s officer, I’ll come across a lot of BB guns, like the carbon Record of Sale (DROS) process. dioxide ones you can get at the Big 5 in Corte Madera, but The DROS process is authorized under the rarely do we find illegal weapons. In the last 21 [patrols], Department of Justice, and it involves the purchaser we’ve only really taken one illegal handgun. Overall, presenting proof of age (they must be over 21 to engage we’re doing a pretty good job.” in a purchase or transfer regarding firearms) and identity, Once again, Redwood students may be unable to which, according to the Office of the Attorney General, legally purchase a gun for themselves, but many bear “is defined as a valid, non-expired California Driver’s witness to the guns owned by their parents and License or Identification Card issued by the Department family members, which often sparks initial of Motor Vehicles (DMV) [or] military identification interest in owning firearms for the same accompanied by permanent duty station orders indicating reason as their family. According to a posting in California.” The DROS requires that the a 2017 survey conducted by purchaser also be a legal California resident and “provide The Pew Research Center, proof of California residency such as a utility bill, 67 percent of American residential lease, property deed, or government-issued gun owners cite protection identification.” as their primary reason for Additionally, the purchaser must present a Firearm owning a firearm, while Safety Certificate (FSC), which is obtained by scoring 38 percent say hunting or at least a 75 percent on a firearm law and safety test sporting is a major reason. administered by Department of Justice (DOJ) certified This was emphasized by instructors, who are located at some, but not all, firearms Jack Johnston, a board dealerships. Once the validity of their FSC is confirmed, representative from the they must successfully complete a DOJ-approved San Francisco Bay Area safety demonstration with the firearm they intend on chapter of the Socialist purchasing. Subsequent to this entire process, purchasers Rifle Association (SRA). must undergo a 10 day waiting period before receiving “For us, gun ownership their purchased firearm. George, who wishes to remain is a means of self and anonymous, is one of many adult firearm collectors in community defense,” Marin. He considers these purchasing restrictions to be a Johnston said. “And for mere annoyance.

[SRA members], even “It’s getting harder and harder to purchase anything politically, we’re very [gun-related] in the Bay Area,” George said. “I’ve populous in our beliefs in looked at gun shops out of state and anybody outside the way that we want to of California, when they know you’re from California, operate as an organization they want nothing to do with you. They won’t sell you that supports the anything if they know you’re from California because the communities that we live laws out here are so strict.” in. And so it does worry Despite this, he went on to display the six firearms me that this increase that he keeps in his home, which he called “a small of gun ownership percentage” of the firearms his family owns. He explained coupled with American how California firearm-related purchasing restrictions individualism,” Johnston prevented him from buying enough ammunition as he said. would have liked for the guns he kept at home, but he was The SRA is an still occasionally able to purchase some ammunition and organization dedicated take his family to shooting ranges and designated hunting to advocating for safe areas for recreation. firearm ownership for George says he owns firearms exclusively for the the purpose of self and purpose of collection and aesthetic value. He, like community defense, many others, had grown up in a gun-owning family and along with assisting in community and began purchasing firearms because it was disaster relief and mutual a common and normalized practice at the time. George is aid. The SF Bay Area SRA Illustration by Sol Ladetsky and Stella Cico

If I were a Redwood student, I would be conscious of the reasons people purchase guns, especially in California.

Illustration by Kalyn Dawes

Red flags and regulations:

gun legislation, gun owners and gun stores in the Bay Area

By Chloe Craft

bark Page 12 • Feature Generation Z takes a ‘religion-lite’ approach

By Caitlin Beard At a religiously unaffiliated public school like Redwood, faith does not play a substantial role in student body culture. However, it is not just Redwood that has little focus on faith, it is Generation Z. Gen Z — the demographic made up of people born from the late 1990s to early 2010s — is increasingly unaffiliated with religion. According to Pew Research, about a third of Gen Z’ers in the United States are unaffiliated with religion, and even more practice Christianity solely in a casual manner, focusing only on the cultural aspects of it.

Gen Z is the most ethnically, racially and religiously diverse generation in the United States, according to the Public Religion Institute. The diversity of this generation results in less intense religious commitment overall. This is because most of Gen Z was raised among competing religions and cultures rather than traditional, single-religion communities. Even those raised in religious communities have access to the internet unlike any other generation had at a young age. Because of this, exposure to other religions through social media, television, Google and other internet platforms has challenged the ideas and learning of even those raised in strictly religious homes.

Diversity, as well as easy internet access, normalizes and even encourages atheism and agnosticism or a less intense version of a faith. With a smaller Carina Campbell, presence of devout religion, sophomore people have more freedom to question the existence of higher powers.

According to an April Cub-Bark Survey, 26 percent of Redwood students said they are atheist, second to the almost 34 percent who are Christian. Among the 26 percent is sophomore Carina Campbell, who was raised without religion.

“My parents didn’t really grow up going to church or anything, and they wanted me to have religious freedom to discover what I believed in, but I just never found something that led me to a higher power,” Campbell stated.

Religious socialization early in life is found to be one of the most substantial factors when predicting someone’s affiliation later in life, according to the Review of Religious

Research Journal in 1993. Campbell did not have socialization with one religion, likely giving her the independence to find atheism.

Despite significant religious influence being less common at Redwood, junior Emily Sigel had a large influence from a young age, attending Jewish preschool and continuing on to learn how to read Hebrew for her Bat Mitzvah. In addition to influence at school, Sigel’s family developed many religious traditions that they practice to this day.

“Every Passover my dad makes a Seder and tells the story of Passover, and he does it with pictures and representations instead of doing the whole thing in Hebrew. He makes it fun so we can actually understand the historic part of it,” Sigel stated.

The combined familial and school influences at a young age contributed to the Conservative Judaism Sigel practices now.

Similar to Sigel, sophomore Tony Metaxas, a devout Christian, also grew up with significant religious influences. He was raised attending church and went to Christian school from first through eighth grade. The summer after eighth grade, Metaxas attended a religious convention where he stated that he had an encounter with God. “I was just overwhelmed with His love and His presence. I just felt it and it was so real. It completely changed the way that I live. It changed the actions I make, the things that I say,”

I just never found something that led me to a higher power.

April 30, 2021

Metaxas said.

Before his religious experience at the convention, he was doing what Christians call “going through the motions.”

“I was just going to church to go. I went to the Christmas services, I went to the Easter services, but I never took it seriously. I was going through the motions up until eighth grade summer. That’s when I really started getting into real-life Christianity and living it out,” Metaxas stated.

Although Metaxas is now fully immersed in his faith, the concept of “going through the motions” applies to many, especially Generation Z. According to research funded by the John Templeton Foundation, each generation following the baby boomers has been found decreasingly religious.The same study discovered fewer children are raised in religiously affiliated environments. Without a strong religious influence, many approach religion using a “religion-lite” approach, meaning they rarely attend religious services and celebrate major holidays for the cultural aspect of it, rather than for its religious context. When Redwood students were asked in an April Cub-Bark survey to what extent they were raised in religion, 31.4 percent, the largest percentage, said they celebrated major holidays, but only for its cultural elements. In comparison, only 17.2 percent said that religion was a huge part of their family and everyday life including holidays, culture and faith.

While there are those in Gen Z that continue to be raised in faith and find it significant to their every-day lives such as Sigel and Metaxas, atheism is also increasingly common. However, the majority of people both at Redwood and nationwide in Gen Z appear to be Christians “going through the motions” as Metaxas described. Decreasingly religious generations are forecasted to come.

cbeard@redwoodbark.org

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Page 13

Sailing team rejoices as practices start again

By Sabrina Kizer After nearly a year since the Redwood sailing team shut down due to COVID-19, the team is finally able to get back on the water at the San Francisco Yacht Club.

Now, sailors must manage COVID-19 precautions as well as a cramped season to maintain their title as one of the best sailing teams in Northern California.

Due to the nationwide lockdown in March of 2020, athletes have had their seasons cut short. While some sports teams were able to start practicing at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, the Redwood sailing team was not.

The team competes using Flying Juniors (FJ boats), which hold two people: one crew member and one skipper. The crew member looks out for the boat’s front, while the skipper has the most responsibility in steering the boat. Due to Marin County guidelines and the inability to remain six feet apart on the FJs, the sailing team was not cleared to begin practices while many other sports, such as football and tennis, were. Katie Norris, a junior on the team, mentions how frustrating it was to watch other sports go back to practices as early as last August, while sailing had to wait until late March.

Sailing is usually a two-season sport, starting in late September through midDecember and then coming back in late January until early May. Because the team has only now been cleared to begin

Photo by Hailey Thompson

PRACTICING ON THE Flying Juniors, two members of the sailing team focus on their crew and skipper duties. practices, the season is far more cramped and frantic.

Lexi Sessions, another junior on the team, mentions how because of the short season, the team needs to focus on the tactics of sailing during practice. “[Our coach] has been having us work on more tactical [drills during practice, as well as] boat handling skills. [This is] so that when we [can] race again [after only a short amount of practicing], we will be ready to compete at that [same level of racing as] kids in SOCAL since they’ve

had more time to practice than us,” she said.

Many teams from Southern California continued to practice during COVID-19 due to having different guidelines than Redwood High School’s which prohibited the team from practicing. Currently, the team is trying to get back on the level of their competitors.

Sessions notes how difficult it was for the team to watch kids in different sports as them practice, while she could not.

Despite the many differences the team

has faced during their practices, it is worth it to be able to go back on the water. The team has stringent COVID-19 guidelines such as temperature checks, mask-wearing and splitting the group into two cohorts to set up boats. Half the team will go on the dock at one time to set up their boats before getting out on the water, and then the other group will.

Junior Morgan Moseley mentions that another significant difference in the team’s practices is that they are not able to be inside together.

“Normally [after we finish sailing], we would go into a classroom and have debriefs. This year we do that online,” Moseley said.

After sunset, the team will take apart the boats and then head home, where they will debrief online.

Even though the current ways of practicing are not ideal, sailors are over the moon to get back to practicing the sport they love. Many team members have been sailing their whole lives and found it hard to have the joy previously gained from the sport be taken away. They are very grateful to finally be able to continue the sport, even if it’s not the same.

“It is sort of [different returning to] the boats again, but we are just happy to be back!” Sessions said.

skizer@redwoodbark.org

Brady Weingart finishes season as varsity quarterback

By Arjun Aujla

After a long-awaited varsity football season, fans were shocked when starting junior quarterback, Clayton Grace, got a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season. Backup quarterback and sophomore, Brady Weingart, was rushed into a nailbiter against Tamalpais High School halfway through the game.

“I thought to myself, ‘I gotta get in there.’ I didn’t have time to think about the moment or doubt myself, I had the next-man-up mentality [that our] coach preached all year and the adrenaline took over,” Weingart said.

Weingart led the team to a win during the first game of the season with a final record of 3-2. When head coach Allen Talley was asked about Weingart, he had high praise.

“Brady’s a good kid, [he] doesn’t say too much in practices, he is always focused on the moment,” Talley said.

Coach Talley was also proud of his team for fighting through adversity.

“We had limited practice time, and a lot of injuries so we had to have guys step up and have a lot of sophomores playing. Brady had some big shoes to fill but he has handled himself very well.”

He also brought up the fact that Weingart never let

Photo by Sophia Rocha

WORKING HARD TO build up his strength throughout the season, Weingart was able to thrive on the field.

mistakes bother him and he is very good at not dwelling on the past.

Coach Allen Talley made sure Weingart felt comfortable with all the plays and drills during practices, which helped Weingart feel as prepared as possible despite the circumstances. Talley noted the difficulty to come in on short notice and perform as Weingart did, as he didn’t let the heat of the moment distract him.

“I really [had] no time to think about the heads turning my way,” Weingart said. “We [were] just trying to take it one game at a time [while] having each other’s backs.”

He was extremely focused on this season and was not phased by the ambitious goals and expectations of others; even when everyones’ attention was directed to how he would conduct the offense.

Still, the reality of being the starting quarterback never completely set in for Weingart.

Having his teammates and coaches around him helped Weingart settle into the role of the starting quarterback.

Weingart’s humility reflects his thanks to his team and coaches just to have the opportunity. Especially after winning the first game against rival Tam, Weingart described the winning feeling as “like a movie.” The adrenaline pushed him through that game and his ability to stay in the moment allowed him to throw the winning touchdown.

Sam Janowsky, Weingart’s teammate and childhood friend, believes Weingart has really grown into his leadership role.

“Brady leads by example, he doesn’t mess around during practice, he’s focused,” Janowsky said. “That energy helps everyone get better on the field.”

Janowsky believes that Weingart has learned a lot from the experience of stepping up into such an important position last minute.

Led by Weingart, Redwood varsity football finished the season with three wins and two losses, for the shortened season. The whole team faced adversity, from injuries affecting key players like the original starting quarterback, Grace, to not being able to watch film together. Despite these hardships, they rallied for a solid season and Weingart gained experience that will help him for many years to come. aaujla@redwoodbark.org

Photo by Sophia Rocha

STEPPING BACK IN the pocket, Weingart scans the field for an open receiver.

bark Page 14 • Sports Athletes staying positive through short season

April 30, 2021

By Sophie Patrizi

As COVID-19 restrictions pushed Redwood’s sports seasons back, many athletes are making their way back into their respective athletic facilities. As a result of shorter sports seasons, athletes have to adjust to a new schedule with fewer practices and fewer games. The majority of Redwood athletes have tried to focus on the positives rather than the negatives, feeling happy just to have a season. Sophomore Jade Fetnaci began her second year on the Redwood cross-country team in February.

Fetnaci loves the sense of community within the team, and feels happy that she is close with her teammates from last year.

This year, the dynamic of the team was different due to the shorter season and having less time to spend with teammates.

The cross country season had a late start, five months after the usual September start date. Due to this, Fetnaci said the team had less time to adjust and prepare for meets.

“We had to rush [certain aspects of the season]. [We may have] had a better season [if we had] more meets and more time, but I think that we adjusted pretty well to the season being shorter,” Fetnaci said. Before the cross country season started, Fetnaci trained outside of practices to stay in shape and maintain motivation. She went on runs with her friends that are also on the cross country team, making the transition back to running for the Redwood team easier. Although the cross country team has experienced many challenges this year, Fetnaci is grateful to have had a season.

“I wish it could have been a full season, but I’m not mad. At least we got one,” Fetnaci said.

Athletes competing in different sports share Fetnaci’s positivity, as they were happy to dive back into their sports as well.

Hannah Jones, a junior at Redwood, has been on the swim team since freshman year. In a normal year, the swim season would have begun at the end of January and ended mid-May. This year, the season

Photo by Keely Ganong

THE SWIM TEAM looks to finish their season off strong after an intense off-season. began in February and ended mid-April, leaving swimmers with a brief season that moved at a rapid pace.

“It was a really short lift off. We had our first meet during the first week of practice.

[We had] eight meets in eight weeks, and there wasn’t a lot of time to get used to it or get back into shape,” Jones said. Even though the team had little time to prepare for their first meet, Jones feels that overall they performed well because they trained vigorously to ensure the shorter season wouldn’t affect their performance.

“I think the team performed really well, I think we’re a pretty solid team. Our workouts were really hard because they were trying to get us in shape...the first

few weeks I [felt] wiped out every day,” Jones said. Many Redwood parents share the athletes’ joy of returning to their sports.

Sharra Weasler, a parent of a Redwood football player, is glad that the players were able to be back on the field.

“I am so happy that there was a season at all. I think that was the right choice,” Weasler said. “I understood the restrictions, I was on board with the restrictions, but as we learned more and more about the virus and things started to get better, I felt like it was definitely the right thing to do to let youth sports go forward.”

Despite fewer people attending the football games due to COVID-19 restrictions, Weasler noted that the energy

levels did not decrease as would be assumed, but rather increased.

“I didn’t feel [that] the lower crowd numbers impacted their energy or enthusiasm. [Because] it was a shorter season, there was energy around maximizing and getting the most out of every single game,” Weasler said.

Students and parents in the Redwood community have found a way to look on the bright side of an unfortunate situation and are grateful to have had a sports season during this challenging year.

spatrizi@redwoodbark.org

Boys’ lacrosse teams feeling confident for 2021 season

By Dylan Zorn

As the end of the 2020-2021 school year slowly approaches, COVID-19 restrictions regarding sports have slowly been easing up. Marin County is now in the Orange Tier, which allows for contact sports to start up again. For Redwood, these sports include wrestling, girls’ and boys’ basketball, sideline cheer for basketball, boys’ tennis, boys’ golf, and girls’ and boys’ water polo, which started April 19. Additionally, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ and boys’ volleyball, and boys’ soccer began on the previous Monday, April 12. All Redwood sports are set to have no playoff games, as only games against local Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) and North Coast Section (NCS) teams will prove which teams are more dominant.

Redwood’s boys’ lacrosse team has high expectations for this season.

Redwood has a decorated history with its girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams. In the 2019 season, both teams won the MCALs, and look to repeat this feat in the upcoming spring season. The shortened season has scheduled 15 games for the varsity team, and 10 for the junior varsity team. Varsity defender Braden Cook has high aspirations for his 2021 campaign.

“We have a really strong team this year, and lots of experience with six seniors and 12 juniors. Many of us have goals of playing at the [college level], so we have been taking our practices very seriously. We are definitely one of the best teams in MCALs this year, so I am looking forward to playing organized lacrosse again and showing what I am capable of,” Cook said.

Cook has been playing lacrosse for over seven years, and is looking to take advantage of the time he gets on the field this season to sharpen his leadership skills.

“Because this is my second year [on varsity], I feel like I have a really good understanding of our plays [and] how [our] coach wants us to play. Especially because this season is so short, I want to help my teammates learn and grow as players as much as they can,” Cook said.

Photo courtesy of Olivia Brekhus

LOOKING BACK ON their 2019 season, the 2021 varsity boys’ lacrosse team draws inspiration from their MCAL championship victory against Marin Catholic.

Freshman Will Parsons is taking advantage of this year MCALs, or blowing teams out,” Hunnel said. to get stronger and to develop a deeper understanding of Despite the unorthodox circumstances, Cook and lacrosse in hopes of making the varsity team in the spring the rest of the Redwood boys’ lacrosse teams have been of 2022. working hard with the opportunities that they have been “I am just trying to get bigger and stronger so that I can given, and they are optimistic about the upcoming season. be all-around better. Hopefully, my work will pay off and “Although we aren’t able to go out and play against I will make varsity next year,” Parsons said. as much competition as we normally do, everyone on Junior varsity coach Jordan Hunnel shares the same [the team] is just really glad that we can play organized perspective as Parsons when it comes to making the most lacrosse again. We all have high expectations for the team, of the team’s time together. and we’ve been working extremely hard to show Marin “This year I am looking to develop a good team that what we are capable of,” Cook said. will feed into [the varsity team] as these kids get older.

I have been working with each [player] individually to improve weaker aspects of their game. Right now, that is more important to me than having the best record in dzorn@redwoodbark.org

Page 15 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

Varsity girls’ soccer scores a 2021 season

By Hina Kojima and Maddie Sofnas After winning the Marin County Athletic League championships for the first time in eight years during the 2020 season, the 2021 girls’ varsity soccer team is looking to maintain their dominance.

Due to the pandemic, the team’s usual winter season was pushed back to spring, but now, with the green light to play, the team is aiming to remain at the top of the league.

Before the season started in April, the California Interscholastic Federation and the state prevented Redwood teams from officially training together. Therefore, the new varsity girls soccer coach, Ivan Bandov, was unable to get to know his players prior to tryouts, which is important for figuring out the team chemistry.

However, senior captains and four-year varsity players Maya Rembrandt and Shannon Watridge took initiative and held weekly captains’ practices before the season began.

According to Rembrandt, captains’ practices were not super intense but were critical to establish a strong team dynamic and get touches on the ball. Along with Watridge, who is committed to New York University as an outside forward, Rembrandt is portraying her leadership abilities.

“My role as captain is to make people feel more comfortable and supported.

Especially with high school, not everyone gets to play so we want to make sure everyone is confident both on and off the field,” Rembrandt said.

Rembrandt and Watridge’s leadership and soccer skills have greatly contributed to their teams’ success.

Redwood junior Mia Hamant, the starting goalkeeper since freshman year, can attest to that.

for the higher level training I’ll do in the future,” Hamant said.

According to sophomore Maya Greenholz who has been on the varsity team since last year, Hamant, as well as the other upperclassman, use their experience and skill to set a high standard for the rest of the team.

“I think the team is going to be really strong. We have a lot of juniors and seniors that played really well last year and are definitely key players on our team. We can definitely do as well as we did last year Hamant, who committed in [when we won the the fall of 2020 to play for the championships],” University of Washington, Greenholz said. credits her success not only to Although they’ve had to endure having the opportunities to COVID-19 restrictions, the girls have play against competitive learned to adapt quickly. In the past teams within the league t h r e e years, the team but also to her captains’ has had four motivating and d i ff e r e n t effective leadership coaches. skills.

Despite the change, according “All the to junior Briana Salvetti, the team is upperclassmen I was optimistic about having Bandov as their playing against [as a coach. freshman on the Redwood “Transitioning coaches team] were so much better wasn’t a struggle for us [in than everyone I’ve the past], we kept going, kept ever competed Photo courtesy of Briana Salvetti pushing, so I feel like we will do against in club [soccer]. Playing with just as well with Ivan,” Salvetti said. people that are good really prepared me Even though it is his first season as

I’m ecstatic to work with the group of players this year and going forward.

Ivan Bandov,

girls’ varsity soccer coach

head coach, Bandov attended many games last year and has coached some of the girls through Marin Football Club (Marin FC) and the Olympic Development Program (ODP). Bandov stated that with his experience, he will help the team continue their hot streak.

“I’m super excited — it’s a great program with a great history. [When] I went to some games, it was definitely one of the stronger teams in the county. I’m ecstatic to work with the group of players this year and going forward,” Bandov said.

Not only is Bandov extremely qualified as a coach, but he also has a unique style of coaching that he claims will help win the league. With his eight years of previous coaching experience, as well as currently coaching Marin FC and ODP, Bandov looks to improve the girls’ skills both individually and as a team. He believes the harder his players collectively work towards the same goal, winning, the more enjoyable the game is.

With no MCAL playoffs to look forward to this year, the team is excited to play their rival teams, Tamalpais High School and Branson High School. Both will be top contenders for the title of winning the most games; Redwood lost the 2019 championships to Branson in penalty kicks and edged out Tam last year in a 3-1 win.

The games against Redwood’s rival teams have proved to be the most competitive and will be crucial games in this year’s setting.

With COVID-19 taking away their ability to win an MCAL pennant, the seniors are looking to take advantage of their shortened season as a final chance to succeed. Through the strategic leadership of their new head coach, captains and the strong team dynamic, the girls’ will likely be a tough competitor to beat.

Photo by Maddie Sofnas

PUTTING IN THE work as she dribbles, Riley Anderson approaches defenders practicing for her upcoming season with the Redwood Girls’ Varsity Team.

bark

bark@redwoodbark.org

review

Page 16

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ cuts through social issues

By Chloe Bishop On March 27, avid fans of “Grey’s Anatomy” recognized its 16th anniversary.

Since the original release date, roughly one season a year has been fully released. The 17th season continues to glue dedicated fans to their couches every Thursday night.

“Grey’s Anatomy,” casually referred to by fans as “Grey’s,” is a cinematic drama series centered around the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The program has been a staple television show in high school culture and is very popular among students. Over the past 16 years of airing, “Grey’s” has provided weekly comedic relief and an opportunity for viewers to live vicariously through the main characters’ ever-changing love lives. It addresses and brings awareness to a wide variety of social issues that are crucial for the public to understand, and the show’s incredible implementation of such serious topics into its storyline is what makes it so relevant.

One of the most pertinent examples is the portrayal of the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Grey’s Anatomy’s” current season takes place amidst the global crisis, giving viewers a glimpse into the heart-wrenching tragedies the virus has caused. The many consequences of COVID-19, such as the isolation of patients from families and devastating deaths, reflect the truth about what this illness looks like inside of hospital walls. By bringing light to the darker side of the pandemic’s effects, “Grey’s” promotes imperative health protocols and

demonstrates the issues many are facing as a result of negligent behaviors. Putting adversities like COVID-19 into perspective is what makes “Grey’s” so outstanding.

“Grey’s Anatomy” continuously acknowledges racial prejudices and the reality of being a person of color in America. In the show’s 14th season, Ben Warren, a paramedic and Black man, brings a 12-year-old Black boy into the hospital after he was shot by the police because they saw him climbing through the window of a building and wrongfully assumed he was attempting to break in. Viewers later discover that the child had forgotten his keys and was trying to return to the comfort of his own home. The boy died as a result of the wrongful shooting. This child had experienced a racially motivated action that cost his life. The police showed racial prejudices and bias when they made the decision to shoot him without concrete evidence of a crime. The episode concludes with a moving conversation between Warren and his stepson, Tucker Jones.

Warren has Jones practice for potential future interactions with the police. With both hands raised, any sort of pushback forbidden, a clear statement of name, age and lack of weaponry on him, Warren’s speech reflects the Black experience regarding discriminatory law enforcement.

Furthermore, throughout the entirety of the show, viewers follow the lives of multiple characters who struggle with substance abuse and addiction. Dr. Richard Webber is shown fighting alcoholism and is incredibly impactful to audiences who

may be going through similar struggles.

The audience watches Webber at his lowest points in his journey to sobriety and watches as he bounces back with proper help. Additionally, viewers can watch him inspire his peers and prevail as the Chief of Surgery for many seasons. Amelia Shepherd, a recovering drug addict, works each day as the head of neurosurgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, a place where drugs and medicine are constantly at the fingertips of any employee. Her strength and perseverance to do what she loves whilst remaining sober is another example of an inspiring role model.

Additionally, younger viewers catch a glimpse into the active process of combating addiction and becoming sober from a child’s perspective. Betty Nelson, a 15-year-old who appeared on the show in season 14, is addicted to opioids that were originally prescribed to her in order to relieve pain after she tore her ACL playing soccer. She eventually overdoses alongside her boyfriend, who does not survive. This storyline addresses the issue of peer pressure regarding drug use, the overlooked issue of addiction as a result of a doctor’s unintentional ignorance, the severity of its consequences and the importance of getting help.

“Grey’s Anatomy” is a very popular show with a wide audience, which is why it is great to see writers take the time to emphasize the importance of dilemmas that are relevant to the modern audience. The acknowledgment of prevalent modern-day problems was intended to leave audience

Image courtesy of ABC

ADDRESSING TOPICS LIKE COVID-19 and racial injustice, season 17 of “Grey’s Anatomy” is a must see. members feeling moved, represented and aware of the world around them.

I recommend the show to all who like to stay educated on a variety of current issues while simultaneously enjoying the captivating plot that comes with the show.

The balance of serious and educational themes along with humorous and romantic moments that run throughout “Grey’s Anatomy” is unmatched, and it cannot get much better than that. cbishop@redwoodbark.org

Fantasy fashion league: spending on the trending!

By Natalie Welch Fashion trends continuously bounce in and out of style.

This year’s spring fashion is filled with funky patterned pants, halter tops, Hawaiian print and crochet everything.

However, before you renew your wardrobe for this season, consider if it is really worth the time and money. Would you wear them to school? And, most importantly, are they really that stylish?

In alignment with the chaos of this year, crazy patterned pants are in.

Swirls, checkers, floral — you name it, this season has it!

However, it can be hard to identify which patterns are fun and trendy, and which are unfashionable.

According to Brunette From Wall Street, Veronika Lipar says zebra print was the number one pattern in 2020, which means it is out for 2021. Animal prints are always clawing their way back in style, but this year, go for softer pastelcolored prints, such as green, blue or pink. In terms of functionality and dress code, this trend checks all the boxes.

As long as it’s bought from a store with sustainable fabric, these pants are perfect for all occasions. Shops like Tiger Mist, Reformation and Asos are perfect for finding this style. When looking for a top to pair with your pants, halter tops are the answer.

Halter tops are back and better than ever. After making

their first appearance in the late 1960s, they tend to emerge into the fashion scene every so often. This spring they have become tremendously popular. Halter necklines on tops, dresses and swimsuits are all the rave. Sadly, if you choose to abide by the school dresscode, you may have to leave this one at home. According to the Redwood dress code, “a short-cropped low-cut top that exposes one’s stomach or chest isn’t appropriate.” While it is possible to find a longer halter top, most are cropped and deep cut, so it exposes more than a regular neckline. Despite the dress code conflict, one can wear one to the beach, hanging out with friends or anywhere else besides school. Look for these shirts at Urban Outfitters, Etsy and Verge Girl. Halter tops are stylish pieces that are necessary for this year’s spring wardrobe and will ensure you are included in all the fashion trends.

Do not be alarmed that Hawaiian print is back in style because let’s be honest, when was it ever out? We all have a Hawaiian print shirt we bought on our last trip to Hawaii from the airport gift shop. It’s time we all look like tourists again; so dig that shirt out from the back of the closet.

As long as the dress code is followed, these are perfect for a hot day at school. Tie the shirt in the front to make it more fitted. Wear it open with a tank top under or if it’s Illustrations by Livy Seldon oversized, wear it as a dress and it’ll feel like being in Hawaii. Sort of.

By far, the most unique trend this spring is crochet

clothes. Crochet tops, bags, pants and dresses are booming back into style. This trend combines all of the other popular trends, whether that is making funky patterned pants with crochet material or creating halter tops. Crocheting is beginning to hold a high reputation in the fashion world. The tricky part about this trend is the functionality.

If one crochets the clothing themselves, make sure it won’t unravel.

Again, one may want to consider whether they would feel comfortable wearing these clothes to school. If one can successfully make it themselves or buy it from places like Beginning Boutique or Depop, it is perfect for spring because it is easy to throw on and is the perfect material to cool you down in the coming warm spring weather.

Fashion trends are highly transatory, and it is hard to determine which ones are going to last.

It is important to wear what makes you feel confident because that’s the whole point of fashion. However, remember to think about functionality­ — make sure you feel comfortable wearing the clothing item to school, and do not forget to make sure it is in season. Since we did not get to showcase last year’s fashion due to COVID-19, we better make this season unforgettable.

nwelch@redwoodbark.org

www.redwoodbark.org

Page 17 • Review

Do some mental spring cleaning by going hiking

By Gillian Reynolds

a leash. Overall, the hike is exceptionally beautiful with a collection of plants and animals. The art adds a unique touch to the hike and for the most part, is enjoyable. I definitely recommend this hike next time you want to experience the outdoors and are looking for a more intense hike.

As spring hits full bloom, the time to appreciate the beautiful California weather during this season has come.

With the stresses of in-person school beginning to resurface, one of the best remedies for anxiety is to reconnect with nature by stepping outside, especially in the beautiful scenery around the Bay Area. The number of hikes and lookout points are endless, but here are three of the best ones that will create a newfound appreciation for the exceptional beauty in our community.

Shoreline Trail/Miwok Meadows: China Camp State Park is an amazing place for hiking. The Shoreline trail starts at the trailhead in the parking lot of China Camp and leads you past the camping sites. No dogs are allowed on the hikes, but they are permitted on the campgrounds. Surrounded by trees, the Shoreline trail is shady and cool. It leads you up to Miwok Meadows trail, which is much sunnier, but is still surrounded by greenery. It is common to see deer, turkeys and lizards as well as plants such as blue-eyed grass, Warriors Plume and yellow buttercups bloom on the sides of the trails. The Shoreline to Miwok trail is only 0.8 miles, making it a great place for beginner to intermediate hikers and perfect for a quick out-and-back run, while also being safe to do alone. As there are many campgrounds off to the sides, one may encounter people, but mask and social distance restrictions are posted up outside the trails and enforced.

At the end of the hike, you come out on the side of the main road where you get a final amazing view of the bay and the marsh. Overall, this hike is beautiful and perfect to do alone or with company.

bark

Photo by Gillian Reynolds

A VAST VIEW of rolling hills at Triple C ranch is filled with California poppies, showing spring has finally sprung.

Triple C Ranch: Triple C Ranch has a unique trail at the top of Dutch Valley Lane in Sleepy Hollow, San Anselmo. The hike has three art sculptures in the beginning and each one is unique, making the hike more interesting. The trail weaves through shady oak forests into sunny green hills of open plains. Unfortunately, there is some poison oak, so watch your step! About halfway through the hike, the trail steepens and becomes straight uphill. The uphill climb continues for the rest of the hike, making it an intense workout. At the top, a stone bench is a perfect place to take a rest. The view stretches all the way from Mt. Tam to the tips of the San Francisco Bay. The plant

Turtle Back Trail: In China Camp, rather than turning around after Miwok Meadows, one can cross the road to Turtle Back trail. This trail is about 0.7 miles and perfect for everyone. There is wheelchair accessibility and braille on the maps, making the trail very inclusive. In addition to this, the trail is flat, making it family friendly. The view is also exceptional. From Turtle Back trail there is an expansive view that overlooks the marsh, which is filled with wildlife and varying plant species. It’s perfect for a jog or an easy hike because the trail is shorter and less crowded. Unfortunately, bikes and dogs must be left at home. Turtle Back trail is an inclusive hike and enjoyable for anyone. The accessibility and view tie together to create a beautiful and calming experience that I most definitely recommend.

My favorite hike was Turtle Back trail, as it was convenient but still as beautiful as the other hikes. Reconnecting with nature can be a powerful thing, especially for a stressed-out high school student. It is a helpful reminder to stop, take a breath, enjoy the epic scenery and be grateful for the little things in life and Marin’s beauty. These hikes will leave you feeling rejuvenated and calm, allowing a mental and physical reset.

and pollinator life is also exceptional, with flowering madrones, mossy tree trunks and a variety of flowers being pollinated.

The hills above are filled with California poppies, and their bright orange color looks mesmerizing this time of year. It’s an experience that is not to be missed.

This hike is 2.21 miles in total. It’s great to do with friends, dogs or even alone. It does have a steep incline, so on a hot day, it might be exhausting to take on. The only issue is that it is private property that is open only to Sleepy Hollow residents, but for those who don’t live there, finding a friend who’s willing to take you would be the best way to hike this trail. Dogs are allowed as well but are required to be on greynolds@redwoodbark.org

The Immersive Van Gogh exhibit is a must-Gogh

By Sofia Ruliffson Art is captivating, inspiring and timeless. It transforms the world and fills rooms with imagination and wonder.

Art enhances an understanding of oneself and one’s relationship to society, often evoking some emotion in the process. Several artists are known to fascinate others and bring people into a new world of vibrant colors. Vincent van Gogh is one of these artists and attracts many with his eye-catching and imaginative pieces.

On March 18, the exhibit Immersive Van Gogh opened on Market Street in San Francisco, allowing individuals to experience art like never before. The exhibition was designed by creative director and Italian film producer Massimiliano Siccardi, with a soundtrack

by Italian composer Luca Longobardi, who pioneered immersive digital-art experiences in France. People may be familiar with the Immersive Van Gogh exhibition through the popular Netflix TV series, “Emily in Paris,” which premiered last fall. Now, people all over the Bay Area have the remarkable opportunity to see van Gogh’s paintings at an elevated level. Still, the question is, does this exhibit live up to its high expectations?

Many wonder whether the Immersive Van Gogh is worth visiting. However, over 120,000 tickets have been sold in San Francisco alone. The show begins with guests entering what seems to be just a dark room at first. But soon enough, explosions of vibrant colors fill the walls

Photo by Sofia Ruliffson

REFLECTING VAN GOGH’S self portrait in a vivid way, the exhibit gives a new perspective.

Photo by Sofia Ruliffson

PROJECTING VAN GOGH’S art piece “Starry Night,” the exhibit shows his art on a larger screen. creating artwork that leaves the whole room in awe. The paintings are projected on the walls, ceiling and floor. The exhibit’s website describes the show accurately as visitors really do lose themselves “in 300,000 cubic feet of flawless projections animating Vincent van Gogh’s oeuvre” and “wander through entrancing, moving images that highlight brush strokes, detail, and color - truly illuminating the mind of the genius.”

Van Gogh’s paintings range from sunny landscapes and night scenes to portraits and still life paintings. The installation includes the Mangeurs de Pommes de Terre (The Potato Eaters, 1885), the Nuit étoilée (Starry Night, 1889), Les Tournesols (Sunflowers, 1888), La Chambre a coucher (The Bedroom 1889) and many more. Van Gogh’s originality has the audience desperately guessing what will be projected next. The variety in his artwork is what makes the show so interactive and entertaining, along with the special effects and projected display.

The exhibit starts off with colorful, vibrant and detailed pieces that bring happiness, joy and warmth to the audience. Seconds later the show transitions to portraits and the audience gets to observe the keystrokes of his paintbrush up close and the amount of detail van Gogh put into his pieces.

This experience is also an excellent way to resume cultural life as COVID-19 has shut down several ways that people can view art. Art provides brain stimulation that causes the mind to develop and use imagination in new ways. After a year without museums the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit is a step towards resuming everyday life. Following the experience of van Gogh’s art, there is a certain feeling of comfort that people can resonate with.

His art is emotional and raw and brings color into the entire city of San Francisco. The exhibition is also extremely safe. The staff did an excellent job ensuring a secure and enjoyable environment. There are social distancing circles to guide individuals safely through the exhibit. In addition, all patrons are required to wear a mask and there are increased sanitization protocols at the museum. The website even reassures people that it is ‘safe to Gogh.’

Overall, this show is definitely worth attending. The art pieces are captivating and make you enter a whole new world, free of worries and focused on beauty through art.

The experience of van Gogh’s organic landscapes brings the viewer through is imaginative journey. The exhibit lasts until September 6, 2021. sruliffson@redwoodbark.org

lifestyles

Page 18

Sophomores’ podcast ‘pops Marin’s bubble’

By Claire Silva Many Marin students refer to the county as a “bubble” that shelters from outside reality. To combat this, Redwood sophomores Caitlin Beard and Emma Orrick created a new collaborative podcast, “Popping Our Bubble.”

“Popping Our Bubble” tackles rarely discussed topics among the Marin community, specifically stigmas regarding health and academics. Each episode is made personal to Marin residents by interviewing local students for unique perspectives. The first episode aired on April 13, and focused on the false world social media creates, especially in Marin.

The podcast also highlights the point at which advocacy becomes performative. Following George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, there has been a noticeable increase in self-education on racial issues. However, this education is often motivated by the appearance of advocacy instead of effective change.

Beard and Emma hope supposed advocates will listen to the podcast, revealing if their support extends beyond visible advocacy.

“We’re hoping that the people who say they care about [racial issues] will listen, but it’s a test to see who did it for

Willacy, has also inspired the podcast.

Emma has belonged to the acapella group “Til’ Dawn” for almost two years.

It is run by “Youth In Arts,” a non-profit organization that focuses on providing art programs to adolescents.

Willacy has been a role model in Emma’s life, as he encourages her to have important conversations.

Willacy frequently conducts important conversations in his class, addressing topics that students request. The confined environments of many Marin schools offer little room for open conversations like the ones Willacy holds. Although Emma believes these conversations should also be required in school, the diverse perspectives she is able to learn from in the acapella group allow for additional educational growth.

“We’ve had discussions and dedicated rehearsals to talking about race and making sure to confront issues. After having a couple of those, it really struck me that it needs to be talked about more, because I was so unfamiliar,” Emma said.

As an accessible source for the young Marin community, decisions that impact the youth will be addressed on the podcast.

Willacy recognizes the importance of these discussions among young people, as it is something they will carry with them

the looks of it instead of the actual issues,” Emma said.

Emma’s older sister, Ally Orrick, is a political science major at the University of San Diego. She has used her expertise to assist Emma with developing the podcast content and acquiring credible sources.

“It has definitely come to light in the past year how Marin County has a long, long way to go in terms of normalizing the conversations that [my sister] is interested in,” Ally said.

In future episodes, the podcast will focus on how anomalous Marin is from other areas in the country. Ally shares the concern that students will face a large adjustment leaving Marin. She also noted the significant differences between Marin and San Diego that she encountered, and worries many Marin residents are not aware of these discrepancies.

“Marin is one of the most segregated counties in California. Now that I’m in San Diego, it’s a very different community. It’s really important for Marin [residents] to understand how it became so segregated and the effect that has had. When we live with so much privilege where everyone has money and opportunities, we become very blind to the way most people in the U.S. live their lives,” Ally said.

Emma’s acapella director, Austin

Illustration by Sarah Graydon

for the rest of their lives.

“There’s an ongoing underestimation of what young people are thinking about,” Willacy said. “Young people stand to live with the aftermath of [decisions regarding the youth] for a longer time than most of the people who are making the policies.”

Willacy believes that silence on sensitive topics only worsens the discrimination others face. Although topics that the podcast addresses can be uncomfortable, it is that discomfort that allows for growth.

“Podcasts like the one that [Emma] is planning on doing… is something that periodically might be uncomfortable and because of that, there’s an opportunity for tremendous healing, connection and growth,” Willacy said. “The fact that she and her friend are passionate enough to be seeking greater understanding and giving a voice to people who might not be adequately heard is a beautiful, powerful, and important thing.”

Beard and Emma aim to release new episodes weekly. “Popping Our Bubble” is available on streaming platformw Spotify, as well as Anchor, a podcast application. csilva@redwoodbark.org

Seniors become Rising Stars by shining at local art show

By Claire Silva

was a sleeping woman, as the ridges resemble a female side profile. Dawson used gouache paint, colored pencils school and ink to create her piece.

“My concentration this year is illustrating folktales or weird stories that are personal to the Bay Area and my family. All the pieces that I have done lately have been of those stories, and [in the style of] children’s book illustrations,” Dawson said.

Dawson’s recognition in the show helped her realize the art she had worked so extensively on was significant to others.

“I was very flattered, embarrassed and overwhelmed [when I was recognized]. I take art seriously, but I didn’t know other people took my art seriously too, so I was very honored my art teacher chose me,” Dawson said.

As graduating seniors, Dawson and Image courtesy of Rebecca Dawson Huizenga recognize the impact art has had on

Each year, Redwood art students show their spirit by competing in the local art show, Rising Stars. The art department has 12 slots for the show, which are evenly distributed between each program. Art teachers select students to enter the show. This March, artists attended the event virtually. Seniors Leah Huizenga and Rebecca Dawson emerge victorious.

Huizenga primarily focused on ceramics throughout high school, leading her to create her winning sculpture, titled “Black Woven Vessel.” This grey, clay vessel utilizes optical illusions with an intricately woven design, allowing Huizenga to win Best Sculpture in Rising Stars.

Ben Rupers, Huizenga’s ceramics teacher, initially encouraged her to submit her work to the show after seeing her skill and detail.

“She’s very talented…The piece is very impressive in how meticulous and precise it is.

There’s not a lot of imperfections and that’s what struck me with the piece — just how perfect it is,” Rupers said.

Huizenga finds inspiration from the artists in her family, most notably her mother, grandmother and older sister. They are a constant source of support for Huizenga, and encourage her to pursue and express herself through her art.

“Sometimes art has poor connotations towards it because some people don’t think it’s that important, but [my older sister] really encouraged me to create art pieces in any form or with any medium,” Huizenga said.

Huizenga also noted that she finds inspiration in her ceramics class with Rupers, who introduces new artists each week through film and documentary with “Movie Mondays.” “[The videos] help us branch out and not worry about making our pieces perfect, but about making them unique,” Huizenga said.

Similar to Huizenga, Dawson has always had an interest in art, but she only began to explore it in high school.

“I’ve always been doing art, but I only started taking it seriously once I started taking [Advanced Placement (AP)] Art. I took art classes before that, but I didn’t think I was that good, so I didn’t put that much effort into it,” Dawson said.

In the Rising Stars show, Dawson received an honorable mention for her mixed media piece, “Tamalpais.” She displayed her interpretation of Mt. Tamalpais (Tam) through stories told by her family.

Dawson’s father told her and her sisters that Mt. Tam

their time at Redwood. Huizenga plans to use a major in engineering to explore art in college. The creative side of the subject will allow her to experiment with new kinds of art while continuing what she has already explored. Dawson hopes to continue experimenting with art after high school, but believes it will be challenging to maintain time for her art while studying. She does not plan to study art in college, but has an immense amount of appreciation for the community she has discovered through art. “[Art] has helped me make a lot of connections and create a lot of opportunities. People in AP Art are all really close, and I have a good relationship with my teacher because of that. It’s something that I really care about,” Dawson said.

As Dawson and Huizenga reflect on their experiences with Rising Star, a sense of pride is evident. These awards are a visual representation of their success, and they will remember this triumphant feeling when looking back on their high school years.

csilva@redwoodbark.org

bark ‘Jvida’ takes on the fashion industry one top at a time Page 19 • Lifestyles

www.redwoodbark.org

By Ava Razavi During quarantine, Redwood students have found new ways to keep themselves busy; whether that be exercising, cooking, learning something new or finally watching that list of movies that have been circulating their Netflix home page for years. Redwood sophomore Lauren Mann decided to follow her dream to open an online boutique. Mann launched her store, Jvida, which sells trendy clothes and jewelry.

“My whole life I’ve had a passion for fashion and marketing, and I think that played a huge role in wanting to start an e-commerce business,” Mann said.

Mann’s boutique functions fully online on a website she created herself from her bedroom. It includes a direct messaging feature that allows customers to chat with Mann directly if they have questions or simply want an update on their order.

“Ever since I was six, I loved making websites, so I’ve had a lot of experience with that technology,” Mann said.

Liliana De Leon, a Redwood sophomore, is a Jvida model and friend of Mann’s. She states that she had nothing but positive first impressions of Mann’s new

business venture.

“I thought it was a great idea. I immediately thought, ‘Go Lauren!’ and I really support her,” De Leon said.

As a model for Jvida, De Leon wears Jvida clothing to shooting locations, where Mann instructs her on how to pose. She provides various directions such as, “Act like you’re on a runway,” or, “Act like you’re looking into the sky.”

Ella Endler, another Redwood sophomore, is also a proud member of Jvida. As a brand ambassador and model, Endler promotes Mann’s business on her social media to help gain a larger audience.

“My job is to advertise, I post on my [Instagram] story when she drops new pieces … I reach out to friends and try to help her grow her [customer base],” Endler said.

Despite the overwhelming support from her team, opening and owning a business during a pandemic comes with its own course of struggles. When photographing models for her website, Mann takes COVID safety precautions such as wearing a mask, social distancing and shooting at outdoor locations.

As a minor, she needed parental approval on every legal document in order

Photo courtesy of Lauren Mann

MANN’S HANDMADE “FLOWER Power” necklace is now on sale on the Jvida website.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Mann

WEARING JVIDA’S “SWEETHART necklace,” Mann’s spring collection is available online. to open her online store; luckily for Mann, finance, using brand ambassadors is a her parents were also supportive. popular advertising technique among many “Because my family knows that I love small businesses to reach out to different selling stuff and the idea of opening my demographics and positively advertise own business, they were really supportive. their products.

My friends were pretty surprised,” Mann “A couple of weeks ago I sent stuff to said. an influencer on TikTok, and that brought Endler was excited to hear her friend in a ton of website visitors. It was super was venturing out of her comfort zone, and exciting,” Mann said. finally able to open the business that she Mann plans on expanding Jvida in the had envisioned. coming years and hopes to add a new spring “I thought that it sounded like a really collection. She also plans to create more good idea because she’s talked about it a jewelry designs, as they currently are the lot, and she sounded like she was really most popular items on her website. Mann interested in making it become a real looks forward to her future with Jvida and thing,” Endler said. hopes to study fashion and marketing in Endler also speaks highly of not only college.

Mann’s products but the dedication and “It’d be a dream of mine to have an inthoughtfulness that she exhibits while person store [to put] all my clothes out,” running Jvida.

Mann said.

“She takes it really seriously ... I feel Mann’s diligent attitude and consistent like she’s always working because I know hard work drive her to continue spreading that she has a lot of fun with it,” Endler her business. As her boutique continues to said. grow with new collections and customers, In recent months, Mann has been so does the support for the business. She working on expanding Jvida. She often runs the business with a smile on her face reaches out to small creators on platforms and has become a source of inspiration and such as TikTok, offering to send them motivation for her friends. free products in exchange for promoting her brand. According to Indeed, an online publication that writes about business and arazavi@redwoodbark.org

Kacey Douglas uses art to express her racial identity

By Eliza Byck Junior Kacey Douglas has been developing her art for the past three years, specifically exploring her racial identity in Advanced Placement (AP) Art. Her art is used to express her biracial identity as half Filipino and white, as well as to strengthen her connection to her Asian heritage. “[Creating art] is a good way of seeing things more critically, visualizing and artistically communicating what you’re feeling,” Douglas said.

Douglas is especially proud of her portfolio pieces, which correlate to these themes of separation and simultaneously express an exploration of racial identity.

She also emphasized that her art expresses feeling fragmented due to her racial identity. Each of her art pieces show differing amounts of dividedness.

“It’s important to give representation to [Asian women], especially with this current narrative that makes them seem submissive and silences them. We need to put Asian women in power and in a place where they are the focus,” Douglas said.

Lauren Bartone, Douglas’s AP Art teacher, noted the importance and growth of Douglas’s creative expression.

“She’s touching on issues of identity. As a student of art history, she is very aware of the way women are portrayed in art. She’s trying to take that view and narrative into control ... instead of making the woman an object for others’ viewing, she makes them seem dangerous or complicated,” Bartone said.

Douglas inscribes words from Tagalog, which is one of the many languages of the Philippines, onto the subject and the background. However, these inscriptions can be misinterpreted without knowing the artistic meaning behind them.

“I’ve received a lot of comments about the carvings on the figures, and how it can be [construed as] self-harm or something painful. I want it to be a physical establishment of trying to connect with heritage, language or your background,” Douglas said.

“Product of the Philippines” is Douglas’s largest piece yet, and represents the feeling of division that comes with being of mixed race. The piece portrays an Asian woman with long, black hair draped down her body, reaching the floor. Large red shapes in the background represent the recurring theme of fragmentation Douglas experiments with.

“I have the Tagalog word written for ‘half’ behind her on the walls, as well as many large shapeless figures.

I wanted this piece to be the most divided. It has the most going on, reinforcing the feeling of division and separation,” she said.

“Kalahati,” another piece by Douglas, shares close resemblance in art style to “product of the Philippines.”

It portrays an Asian woman lying on the ground, with a similar style of black hair flowing to the ground around her. The background has, similar to many of her pieces, red and white oval-like shapes in the background. The piece includes the word for ‘half,’ as well as several different aspects coming together to reinforce this message of feeling divided or separate.

“Isang Babae” is the last piece in her portfolio, and features a slightly different style of art.

“This work is the ultimate whole person — without the separation or division mentioned before. On her cheek and skin I carved the word for ‘one’ in my family’s language to amplify that message of unity. Then the use of the monochromatic color scheme and the one shape or ‘lifeform’ in the background is also used to emphasize that unified feeling,” Douglas said.

Elena Wang, a junior and one of Douglas’s close friends, spoke about the symbolism behind her art.

“You can appreciate [Douglas’s artwork] without necessarily knowing the deeper meaning behind them.

There is so much thought behind everything she does, and I have always appreciated the way that the focus is her different symbols and how they relate to [racial identity],” Wang said.

Douglas has used art as a way of working through her

Photo courtesy of Kacey Douglas

DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM monochromatic pieces, Kacey Douglas titles her portfolio “Isang Babae.” emotions as well as showing others her feelings. “[Art] is a satisfying way of expressing yourself. It’s a way of visualizing and communicating things that might be hard to put in an essay or talk about. Using symbolism in my art allows me to reteach myself my family’s heritage and language,” Douglas said.

ebyck@redwoodbark.org

Magdelena Maguire joins wellness team

By Ella Kharrazi At a time when student stress levels are at an all-time high due to the return to in-person learning, the Redwood Wellness Center plays a key role in supporting students through the transition. New Wellness Outreach Specialist, Magdalena Maguire, joined Redwood in late February at the peak of increased anxiety levels among students. Although she is adapting to a new environment at a time when her expertise is crucial, Maguire fulfills a significant role on the Wellness team, as someone who consistently works to combat student mental health issues with unique methods.

Growing up in Marin, Maguire went to High School 1327 and was a part of the Team Program — a course for juniors in the Tam School District. Through Team, students go on backpacking trips, participate in community service and are exposed to local internship opportunities. After completing the program, Maguire continued her involvement for five years, guiding trips and engaging with various students, until the program was discontinued.

She cites her passion for the outdoors as one of her inspirations for wellness.

“The wilderness was really helpful for me to grow up in. I learned a big sense of autonomy and self-reliance. That brought me to work in wilderness therapy, and I was a field guide for a while. This is when I found I loved working in mental health,” Maguire said.

Maguire uses her experience in the wilderness to aid students in their struggles with wellness. Often, she recommends her favorite hiking trails and suggests that students take walks when feeling emotionally unstable.

“For me, wilderness and spending time in nature is at the core of my wellness.

Being outside resets your circadian rhythm and slows your breath. One of the best things you can do for anxiety is go outside and breathe some fresh air,” Maguire said.

She anticipates leading activities in nature at Redwood to share her passion for outdoors with students.

“I hope we can eventually have some kind of nature or wellness l u n c h where we can go on a

walk or meet after school to hike,” Maguire said.

Sophie Zlatunich, a Redwood senior and Peer Resource student, works with the Wellness Center, giving presentations to various classes on mental health, stress and anxiety. Zlatunich also finds the idea of combining wellness with nature beneficial.

“I know being in nature helps me with my mental health. [Going on] hikes or even just walking around campus as a way of therapy or de-stressing sounds like a great idea,” Zlatunich said.

Despite Maguire arriving just one week before in-person learning began, Wellness Coordinator Jennifer Kenny-Baum already sees her methods making an impact and anticipates her improving the Wellness Center further as she settles in. During the pandemic, Maguire has been outside at most lunches, handing out different goods aimed at helping students through tough school days.

“We came up with these wellness-to-go options of little items. We had stress balls one week, journals another week and a coloring book and set of colored pencils the next.

They are intended to [help students] find a way to de-stress, calm down or perform some sort of self-care,” Kenny-Baum said.

In addition to the goodie bags, Maguire passed out sleepy-time tea bags to students when Redwood moved to hybrid learning, anticipating that sleep schedules would be thrown off due to the change in

Photo courtesy of Magdelena Maguire

PASSING OUT GOODS to students, Maguire helps students adjust to inperson learning. routine. Zlatunich further noted the benefits of passing out items that focus on reminding students to take care of their mental health.

“If a student got a tea bag during break, then it would be a reminder to get back into a good sleep schedule,” Zlatunich said.

The Wellness Center has always been critical for student health — as school is inherently stressful for many — but now it plays an even more important role due to COVID-19, as emphasized by Maguire.

“I think a lot of people are feeling really lonely, isolated, and disconnected from their communities [because of the pandemic]. This makes it harder to engage in activities such as classwork and discussions. The Wellness Center is more important now than it has ever been,” Maguire said.

Maguire additionally consults with students if they want to come in and talk about whatever they may be battling.

Maguire’s warm demeanor has already made a noticeable change to the Wellness Center environment, according to KennyBaum.

“People want to be around her. Her way of talking to people feels really genuine and down to earth. I think what she really brings is a warmth that makes people connect, feel safe and feel like there’s someone who genuinely cares when they come in,” Kenny-Baum said.

Photo by Ella Kharrazi

ekharrazi@redwoodbark.org