Highlander Vol 13 Issue 1

Return of the Scots - Page 14 | High school stereotypes - Page 25 | Behind the likes - Page 36

DEFYING STUDENT LABELS

VOLUME XIII, ISSUE I

Highlander Staff Highlander Editor-in-Chief Isabelle Nunes

Scot Scoop Editor-in-Chief Elle Horst

ScotCenter Editor-in-Chief Phoebe Gulsen

Social Media Editor-in-Chief Mira Bhatt

Managing Editors Chelsea Chang Amber Chia

Faculty Adviser Justin Raisner

Editors Allison Raisner Andrew Shu Anika Marino Austin Li Chesney Evert

Claire Tseng Erin Kee Grace Wu Raina Lahiri Rebecca Von Tersch

Staff Writers Aidan Lynd Andrew Tolu Anita Beroza Anna Wilkinson Anoushka Mekerira Cali Shohet Cambell Kirk Carolina Cuadros Catherine Eikelbarner Elise Hsu Erin Kee Ethan Man Glydelle Espano Isabel Wright Izaan Masud Hanna Kryhina Hayes Gaboury Hudson Fox Isa Khalak Isabel Wright Jack Hansen Jenica Su Jessica Conley Joshua Barde Julia Roseborough Kai Yoshida

Karla Lee Kasey Liu Katherine Tsvirkunova Kaylene Lin Kayley Ebaugh Keegan Balster Kiana George Leanna Gower Lindsay Augustine Lucy Lopshire Madelyn Mercado Malina Wong Mandy Mah Marrisa Chow Maya Campbell Maya Kornyeyeva Niamh Marren Nyah Simpson Oliver Fichte Payton Zolck Robin Linares Sabrina Lo Soleil Dam Sophia Gurdus Sophia Mattioli Zachary Kinder

Highlander is a newsmagazine dedicated to providing Carlmont students, staff, and community with high-quality news, features, and opinion articles. We want to keep our readers informed on important issues ranging from events at Carlmont to international news, and want to engage them with unique stories and designs.

Highlander is a publication completely run by the students of the journalism classes at Carlmont High School. Story ideas are generated by the students and the published content is up to the direction of the editorial staff. This issue’s editorial is a diversity audit of Carlmont’s journalism program written by the editor-in-chief.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear reader, We hope the new school year is treating you well! As Highlander enters its third year of the newsmagazine format, we hope to explore what it means to be a student at Carlmont.

Every school year, classic high school movies like “Mean Girls” and “Heathers” resurface. Freshmen can be found wandering the halls on the first day of school, sophomores get a taste of the wide range of courses at Carlmont, juniors leave behind their underclassmen roots, and seniors begin the daunting task of college applications.

But more importantly, we find our place on campus, the friend groups we fit into, and discover that pop culture stereotypes may not define us as students. From the cheerleaders, football players, and ASB members to the musicians and theater students, this issue’s Scotlight explores whether or not Carlmont truly adheres to the high school stereotypes many of us are familiar with.

Regardless of your social tag, friend group, or extracurriculars, it is important to note that interests don’t confine students to a strict social stratum. The Carlmont community is wonderfully diverse and supportive, and we encourage you to explore everything our school has to offer.

Without further ado, we are pleased to introduce this school year’s first issue of the Highlander. We hope you enjoy it!

Much love,

ISSUE 1 / HIGHLANDER 2021

CONTENTS CAMPUS 14 Return of the Scots: A teacher throwback 16 ASB prepares for the holidays 17 ‘Tis the season for tradition 18 A view on ‘22

SPORTS 20 Struggles in college recruiting encourages rare sports 22 Specialization affects athlete mental health 24 Scots commit to college for sports

FEATURES 33 Colliding into consequences 34 A generational guide to pop culture 36 Behind the likes

Scotlight: High school stereotypes Read on page 25

39 Enlisting in the military 40 Technology is transforming journalism 42 A future in the arts

FUN

OPINION

4 December delights

45 Editorial: Highlander’s diversity report

5 Comic: Movie stereotypes 6 Diving into anime: Catch up on anime relseases fom 2021 8 Focusing on film 10 December land 12 Hand sign origins

46 Society continues to allow fetishization of minorities 48 The time is now: The failure to deal with the world’s climate crisis 50 Buying new gas cars is a harmful practice

December de s light

Ethan

Man

Ethan Man ​​It’s the holiday season once more, a time for celebration that’s existed for as long as anyone can remember. But how should you spend it? Here are some ways you can make the most of your holidays, whether you want to find something new or relive the classics.

M vies

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” - Dec. 17, 2021 Anticipation has surrounded this film for years, mostly from rumors about a multiverse where Tom Holland’s Spider-Man comes together with the Spider-Man variations of the past. This movie is a must-watch for any fans of Marvel or “Spider-Mans” of the past or present.

Classic Songs

“Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas” - Nov. 8, 2000 This classic movie tells the story of the Grinch as he tries to steal Christmas from the cheerful residents of Whoville. People of all ages are sure to love this movie, as it’s a timeless film that’s perfect for watching with your friends and family.

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” - Dec. 3, 1984 In 1985, a stunning cast of musical talents, including David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and others, assembled during the benefit concert Live Aid to perform this song to raise money to relieve the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” - Oct. 29, 1994 Spawning the yearly “Mariahpocalypse,” this song is always among the first to usher in the holiday season and is a must-play for every Christmas occasion.

TV Shows “The Book of Boba Fett”- Dec. 29, 2021 The bounty hunter from the “Star Wars” original trilogy takes on new adventures, traversing through new atmospheres while also paying homage to the classic films.

“Prep & Landing” - Dec. 8, 2009 “Prep & Landing” follows a tired, grumpy elf, Wayne, and an upbeat rookie elf, Lanny, as they do their best to prepare houses for the arrival of Santa Claus. This lovable animated show is something to look forward to when it makes its yearly rounds on TV. 4 HIGHLANDER FUN

“Breaking movie stereotypes” by Mika Hiraishi

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 5

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Rimuru Tempest takes time off as a teacher to return to his kingdom. He’s allowed to finish teaching but is blocked by an unknown figure when he returns to finish an unpeaceful negotiation with a neighboring kingdom. Is Rimuru able to take down his opponent in time to save his kingdom?

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Ishigami Senkuu gathers his friends and recruits at the beginning of the Stone Wars.

While forming this new group, they come together and follow Senkuu and accomplish his goal. Their goal is to revive all who were turned into statues, but they are stopped by Shishio Tsukasa, who believes only the fittest should be restored.

6 HIGHLANDER FUN

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Kujo Jolyne, the daughter of Kujo Jotaro, is imprisoned for 15 years and claims to have been framed for murder. This new story arc goes into the life of Jolyne after her father gives her a pendant that awakens a power that causes her to unravel.

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Komi dreams of making 100 friends, but her communication disorder prevents her from talking to and befriending others. Hitohito Tadano makes it his job to help Komi navigate high school. He’s determined to help Komi accomplish her dream of making 99 more friends after being her first friend.

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so n 2 Sea r e ay l S Kamado Tanjiro, Hashibira Inosuke, and Agatsuma Zenitsu have been summoned on their first major assignment with the Demon Slayer Corps. Their goal is to improve all Demon Slayers’ physical abilities and overall health to have a higher chance of winning the war against the demons.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 dives into Okkotsu Yuta’s time as a student at Jujutsu High, as he learns how to control the power of his curse without hurting himself or others.

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 7

Focusing on film Sabrina Lo Phone cameras get the job done and often do it well. With a simple tap of the screen, the phone takes the picture and is immediately available for viewing. Phone cameras also come with a multitude of adjustments and options to give the photos different effects.

Since the entire process is convenient, it doesn’t seem to make sense to see so many adolescents reverting to the once trending disposable cameras. A wave of nostalgia has washed over the newer generations and has them replacing their cell phones with single-use cameras to capture memories they will reminisce about for years to come.

With the modernization of the world, society has become more and more used to things being automatic.

Shipping packages, downloading files, taking photos, and more, can all be done instantly. Because of this, waiting and the anticipation that comes with it has become an exciting process due to its rarity nowadays.

Invented in 1986, the disposable or single-use camera can take up to

27 photos, with the only adjustment being the addition of flash. Once all the images are shot, the camera is brought to a drug store or film development center to develop the film. After about a week, the photos are ready for viewing, and the camera itself is disposed of.

The camera owner must wait about a week before they can see how their pictures turned out. This is often a fun process for teens because they are left guessing what their photos may end up looking like, which contrasts with what they’re used to with digital cameras.

“Using my cell phone to take photos is nice a lot of the time because I don’t have to wait to get them back, but now I find that waiting to see the disposable camera photos is actually kind of fun because when you’re taking the photo, the only chance to have to see what your pictures might look like would be in the viewfinder,” said Nicole Coleman, a senior at George Washington University Online High School.

The disposable camera’s slightly blurry and grainy effect on its photos

brings a nostalgic feeling to many adolescents, reminding them of the images they see in their parents’ photo albums and fueling their desire to use disposable cameras rather than digital ones.

“I’ve seen a lot of old photos from my parents and just online, and it looks like what was happening in those pictures was so fun. After I saw them, I really wanted to make memories like those and similarly capture them, and disposable cameras were the closest way to do that,” said Luisa Deleon, a Carlmont senior.

Similar to what Deleon said, it seems to be a pattern for old trends that were once popular to make a comeback among new generations. Digital cameras are not superior or inferior to disposable cameras. Each has its own unique features, and each can be used to achieve different shots. But it is common to see that disposable cameras bring the teens of today’s world back several decades, allowing them to recreate the good times that they find in old photos hidden in dusty boxes.

8 HIGHLANDER FUN

Kiana George

Abby Wong

iana G JKessica Ceorge onley

Nicole Coleman

Anna Wilkinson Jessica Conley

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 9 Abby Wong

Abby Wong

Kasey Liu

9

Listen to “Train Wreck”

by James Arthur

Read “Almond” by Son Won-pyung

Play Pokemon Unite

Write a letter to your future self

8

Make roasted chestnuts

10 21

11 Listen to “Golden Brown” by the Stranglers

20

Listen to “Dance, Baby!” by boy pablo

7

Listen to “Way Back Home” by SHAUN

12

Listen to “Euphoria”

by Jungkook of BTS

19

Fold origami reindeer

22 Listen to “Easy on Me” by Adele

23

Compose your own holiday jingle!

24

Go ice skating

27

Read “Brave” by Svetlana Chmakova

26

Bake an allahabadi cake

25

Play Cookie Run: Ovenbreak

28

Fold an origami polar bear

29 Make tanghulu

30

10 HIGHLANDER FUN

Make a paper snowflake

Make mini apple pies

1 Watch “Secrets in the Hot Springs”

6

Make a snowman out of a sock

Listen to “Ice Dance”

by Danny Elfman

Listen to “Goodbye to Rock you” by TUYU

14 Read “Eleceed”

17

3 Fold a tiny paper crane

4

Visit Golden Gate Park

15

Read “On a Sunbeam” by Tillie Walden

16 Design by Kasey Liu

Kasey

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5

Make salt and watercolor snowflake art

13 Make gingerbread cookies

2

Play Candyland!

31

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 11

Hand

S GN Origins Art and Writing by Kai Yoshida In pictures, we always pose by throwing up a peace sign or the good ol’ thumbs-up. If you’re a surfer, you’ll probably do the shaka sign while saying “YOLO.” But where do these gestures come from?

Rock Sign If you know what rock ‘n’ roll is, then you’ve probably come across this gesture. According to New Musical Express magazine, the rock-on sign, or hand-horns, was speculated to have been popularized

by Ronnie James Dio of the Black Sabbath, a heavy metal band from the ‘70s. He later revealed that this was a borrowed gesture from his Italian grandmother, who used it to ward off bad luck.

12 HIGHLANDER FUN

Shaka Sign According to a Hawaiian Airlines article, Hamana Kalili, a plantation worker who lived in Oahu, lost his middle three fingers to a sugar mill accident.

The plantation owners gave him a new job as a security guard, keeping kids from jumping on the local train. Kalili would yell or wave at them with his two remaining fingers, which the kids started to mimic and spread throughout Hawaiian culture.

Thumbs Up According to Time magazine, the classic thumbsup stems from ancient Rome and its gladiators.

Referees would show the thumbs-up to indicate the sparing of a gladiator’s life, while a thumb pressed to the fist or a thumbs-down meant granting permission to end the warrior’s life.

Peace Sign In urban legend, this gesture was a British taunt used during the Battle of Agincourt in the 13th century. However, according to CBS, Winston Churchill urged people to throw up the V-sign (for victory) during the darkest days of World War II. It stuck with people through the allied victory and evolved into a symbol of peace.

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 13

Return of the

Scots

A teacher throwback Carolina Cuadros Carlmont High School was initially founded in 1952 and went through numerous changes between then and now. It has grown to over 2,000 students today, and the culture has shifted during every generation since. Currently, there are around 10 teachers at Carlmont who once attended as students. They were all drawn back to the home of the Scots to contribute to the place that helped create the talented and impactful teachers they are today.

Mary Codianne

Mary Codianne ‘73 Q: Was there a different dress code at Carlmont when you were a student?

A: The dress code was very different

when I started at Carlmont. When I went, it was the first year that girls were allowed to wear pants, and they couldn’t wear jeans; they had to wear slacks.

Q: Have you noticed a difference in school dances since 1973?

A: Our school dances mainly were on campus; they would decorate the gym.

Also, graduation night was held at the school, but that is no longer the case.

Q: Was there a difference between the way mental health was addressed at Carlmont when you were a student?

A: I don’t even think we talked about mental health when I was a student. I honestly can’t even remember [mental health] being a conversation.

14 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

Melissa Hero

Melissa Hero ‘96

Marco Aguilar

Marco Aguilar ‘97 Molly McNinch ‘08

Q: How did the campus Q: What is the most physically look when you were significant change you have a student at Carlmont? seen in the student body A: The campus looked like a prison. It population? was all painted grey, and it looked like there were bars on the windows. A big misconception is that it was built by the same person who built San Quentin State Prison, which is not true.

Q: In what ways have the sports at Carlmont changed since you were a student at Carlmont?

A: There are definitely more sports

now. When I was on the golf team, I was the only girl in the whole league, but now there’s a girls golf team. You could earn letterman jackets before, but that doesn’t seem to be part of the culture anymore.

Q: How has the safety of Carlmont changed?

A: There used to be a lot more gang

activities. At the time, East Palo Alto was the murder capital, so there was lots of violence where students were coming from. Now, East Palo Alto has changed, and our student population has changed.

Molly McNinch

A: It would be the demographics.

When I came here, I was bussed from East Palo Alto, and you had a fifth of east Palo Alto bussed to Carlmont.

Nowadays, when I see the buses, there’s few, and they are kind of empty; back then, they were at maximum capacity.

Q: Why do you think students are more stressed over school now than when you were a student?

A: The pressure is what changed.

I think Carlmont has been pretty consistent with the level of rigor and challenge. What changed is the pressure to get certain grades and get to a certain level in your education.

Q: How do you think immediate access to the internet changed the environment at Carlmont?

A: You have access to the material

anywhere; you can’t get away from it.

As a teacher, you get emails on your smartphone now, and it’s very hard not to check them.

Q: Is there something you experienced that students today no longer experience?

A: We don’t do tardy sweeps anymore.

I remember [when I was a student] the one-minute bell would ring, and people would be racing down the hall, just booking it, but you don’t see that anymore.

Q: How has Carlmont changed academically?

A: Academically, it has definitely

become more rigorous, there’s a lot more Advanced Placement (AP) classes, and we have the Biotechnology Institute (BTI) now, which is awesome! That was a little bit of a dream when I was at Carlmont.

Q: What is something you loved about Carlmont that you wish had remained?

A: It was really interesting for me

to experience assembly days because when we would have the Heritage Fair, it was crazy. The Polynesian club would do the haka, and the gym would shake because people were so loud. There was so much spirit, but I think it has kind of dissipated a bit because a lot of the interaction happens online and through social media now.

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 15

ASB prepares for the holidays Cali Shohet

Year after year, the Associated Student Body (ASB) works hard to plan various exciting events for Carlmont students.

Below, ASB guides Highlander through their planning process, focusing specifically on the upcoming holiday village, an activity that includes photo opportunities with festive backgrounds and classic holiday characters.

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Planning events starts with a look at how past ASB students have organized similar events. Students then brainstorm to find a way to put a new spin on the activity.

“ASB commissions have brainstorming sessions in which their main goal is to create an event that abides with our mission statement: to have students engaged within a spirited community. Ideas are then pitched to our Executive Board, which consists of the ASB President and the four other vice presidents. The idea must have the general logistics of the event planned out thoroughly, with potential backup plans ready in place in case things go awry,” said ASB President Jono Sison.

Execute Students then plan the event, buying the supplies needed and spreading the word around campus. For the holiday village, this involves delegating different roles, such as elves and Santa Claus, to various people. This is the part of the process where non-ASB Carlmont students can be involved.

“During the events, it is hectic and wild! There is a lot of trial and error involved as the event is progressing,” said ASB junior Samantha Kosman.

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After the event occurs, ASB reflects on how it went in hopes of improving it for the years to come. They record their experiences so that future ASB students can begin the process yet again. This is especially important for recurring events like the holiday village, so that the quality can be improved.

“We first talk to Carlmont students to get opinions on what they thought about the events. Then, we talk in ASB about how we can use this feedback to improve for next year,” said ASB senior Sophia Boynton.

16 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

‘Tis the season for tradition Hanna Kryhina

Diversity. As one of the media’s favorite buzzwords, you can find the term diversity in the mission statement of many companies and organizations.

Now, it is time to apply diversity to the holiday season.

Of all the holidays celebrated during the holiday season, Christmas appears to be the most popular because Americans adopted elements of Christianity into everyday life throughout history.

According to ShareAmerica, a website maintained by the U.S. Department of State, even some non-Christians celebrate Christmas.

At Carlmont, students and teachers alike observe Christmas on Dec. 25.

Spanish teachers Rosa Pissani and Maria Robinson present Latin American Christmas traditions and share their family celebrations to their students.

Pissani and Robinson practice Peruvian and Mexican Christmas traditions, respectively.

Mia Yoch, a Latinos Unidos X Black Student Union senior and president, also partakes in Latin American Christmas celebrations.

As part of her Christmas tradition, Yoch spends time and cooks with her family. Together they make traditional Mexican dishes like pozole and tamales.

Pozole is a soup made from pork; corn that has been first dried and then cooked, called hominy; and chile.

Tamales are made from corn dough that usually encloses a meat filling. Then, the tamales are steamed.

Food preparation is an integral part of Christmas in Latin America. Likewise, Filipino culture is shaped by specific foods.

Valentina Espinosa, senior and president of Filipino Culture Club, explains that it is customary to leave puto out for Santa instead of the regular milk and cookies. Puto is a steamed cake made with rice flour.

Although Espinosa’s family follows many Filipino Christmas traditions, they also stray from some customs because of specific

needs. This impacts her enjoyment of different moments during the Christmas season.

“Normally, on Christmas, Filipino people will attend midnight mass and open presents after, but because we have younger cousins, we attend afternoon mass. We always have a dinner of Filipino food and open presents after, on Christmas Eve. It makes actual Christmas less exciting,” Espinosa said.

While students like Espinosa celebrate Christmas, this is not the case for everyone.

Generally, students fall into three distinct categories. They only celebrate Christmas, celebrate other holidays in addition to Christmas, or don’t celebrate Christmas at all.

Seona Sherman, a senior and vice president of the Chinese Culture Club, celebrates Christmas and Lunar New Year.

In Chinese culture, Lunar New Year is the most prominent holiday during the holiday season. Besides China, many other east and southeast Asian countries also commemorate Lunar New Year on Feb. 1 to mark the first day in the lunar calendar.

To celebrate Lunar New Year, Sherman eats hot pot, in which raw meat and vegetables are cooked in a simmering broth, with her family.

She also plays her favorite Chinese songs and puts up decorations.

“I love to decorate our house with lanterns, knots, and other decor, and just welcome the new year with fortune, happiness,

and luck!” Sherman said.

Like Sherman, Yoch also celebrates other holidays in addition to Christmas.

On Jan. 6, Yoch celebrates El Dia de Los Reyes, or Three Kings’ Day. She explains that her entire family gathers to cut the Rosca, a traditional wreath-shaped sweet bread with candied fruit, which symbolizes the king’s crown.

There is also an aspect of competition that goes along with this tradition.

“Each person takes a turn cutting a slice of bread until someone discovers a plastic baby symbolizing Jesus within their piece. The person to find the baby is tasked with inviting the entire family over for tamales that they must cook themselves,” Yoch said.

This gathering, which takes place on Feb. 2, is known as Dia de la Candelaria, or Candlemas Day. While different cultures practice varying traditions for a spectrum of holidays, there exist common themes.

No matter the specific approach, holiday traditions all emphasize the importance of togetherness and connection.

Yoch values participating in holiday traditions because they help her feel closer to her family.

“The most important part about these traditions is getting to be together as a family,” Yoch said. “Making these traditional dishes together allows us to become closer.”

Isabelle Nunes

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 17

A view on ‘22

2018

then...

Liu

Eighth-grade graduation. Students gather to say goodbye to their middle school, feeling as if they’ve done it all. Little do they know what is in store for them. Throughout their next journey in high school, these young eighth-graders will experience significant social and intellectual changes that will shape the rest of their lives.

With less than one year left, the middle school graduating class of 2018 has gone and grown through three full years of high school. Many seniors find themselves reflecting on how they have changed to best set themselves up for success in their final year of the high school world.

By the start of senior year, many have learned that they have been able to grow socially and find who they want to be surrounded by and how they will continue to use this knowledge for the entirety of the school year.

“As a senior, I found my friends, and I am no longer looking for empty friendships. This year I will focus on academics and friends I can see myself being with long-term goals that will help to make me thrive,” said senior Paige Wellman.

A student’s years in high school are core years of age because they are transitioning from childhood to adulthood.

In doing so, these years are essential to social development and will be reflected through the person’s behavior for the entirety of their life.

Others acknowledge their social growth but feel held back by the barriers students have encountered over the past years, such as the pandemic.

“I have grown socially as my group expanded, but I think to some extent the isolation of the pandemic prohibited a bit of the social growth I may have otherwise experienced over the past few years,” said senior Keani Haake.

Although many students have experienced various successes within their high school, others found themselves struggling throughout their high school experiences. Given these struggles, one may have a growth or fixed mindset and choose to learn and grow from these experiences or let them consume people and build a roadblock in their way.

According to growthmindset.com, a growth mindset allows one to continue to develop intelligence and skills over time. In

Kasey

Julia Roseborough

18 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

2022

now...

contrast, a fixed mindset allows little room for new ideas and developments due to the idea that your intelligence and skills are set in stone. Senior Tyler Young elects to take his losses with an open mindset and use his struggles to move forward.

“I’ve dealt with many problems and learned a lot from them that will mature me and set me up for my future. Although these past years have been rough at times, I’ll live and learn from my mistakes and the challenges I’ve faced in high school,” Young said.

Other students focus more on their academic and intellectual changes. As work gets more complex through the years, students must continue to work harder and grow their knowledge. An essential aspect of this is recognizing learning strategies and figuring out what works best for each individual.

“Starting off freshman year, I lacked good study habits, which was clearly a problem. Over the last three years, I have been able to develop much better study habits, and I am going to continue to use these for the rest of high school and eventually in college as well,” said senior Nate Anson.

According to the essay “School Influence on Children’s Development” by Kathy Sylva, an employee for the Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry, schooling shows a direct correlation to educational achievement. She writes of how the simple essentials students learn will carry on to their later knowledge and further learning.

Although three years of high school may seem to go by quickly, the academic challenges presented a significant opportunity for growth.

“Academically, I have challenged myself more. As a senior, I can finally start to imagine life past high school. It excites me

for what’s ahead, but I know how hard I need to work to get there,” Wellman said.

Along with improving learning abilities, high school also allows students to explore different subjects and further their academic interests. The final goal for many is college, so each person learning about their interests can be very beneficial to their future.

“I’ve learned a lot about what interests me and what I want to pursue for a career. I’m focusing on preparing myself this year to achieve my goals going forward,” said senior Nikita Yentus.

While intellectual and social changes may be very diverse and uncorrelated at first glance, the two are connected as each person cannot deal with one without handling the other.

“I’ve found how to balance my social time with my academic time for this year. When it comes to being social, it’s become a lot easier to both find and stay in touch with genuine friends, which of course makes coming to school more enjoyable as well. As for academics, I can tell I’ve become more comfortable reaching out for help if needed and knowing when it’s important to focus and study and being able to put that into action,” said senior Ava Bozic.

As many look to the future, they reflect on what it took to get to where they are now. The past helps people learn what they must do to progress and excel in the future. The class of 2022 will use their obtained knowledge from high school to continue to succeed.

“Life is about growing, learning, and becoming. You can not grow, learn, or become if you can not embrace the changes in your life,” said Steve Rizzo, an American motivational speaker.

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 19

Struggles in college recruiting encourages rare sports Sophie Gurdus There are nearly 7 million studentathletes in high schools around the country. But, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), not even 500,000 of them will continue to practice their sport in college.

Participating in athletics in college is desirable for several reasons: love for the sport, a desire to go professional, the scholarship money it may offer, or the prestigious education it allows. For those with more lofty ambitions, sports are a means to get into college and receive a scholarship. But, because of this, rare recruiting sports have become an industry of their own.

Title IX is especially important for those female high school athletes looking to continue to college athletics.

It states women are to have an equal educational opportunity in federally funded programs, which made dramatic effects for women in sports.

Scholarships for women have since risen in quantity, but competitiveness remains an issue; after all, there is no shortage of female athletes. To remedy this, many turn to sports that garner less attention, like lacrosse, golf, fencing, crew, and wrestling. Fewer competitors mean scholarships are more easily attained, although still far from easy.

Fencing might not be at the forefront of your mind when someone says college athletics, but it remains a strategic choice for girls looking to get into college. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, there are only 46 women’s college fencing teams in the U.S., but over Kate Bautina 35% of women’s fencers participating in their high school leagues continue to the collegiate level, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). That is nearly quadruple the number of field hockey commits, well over double the number of lacrosse commits, and about five times the number of cross country commits.

Anna Bautina, a Carlmont junior, started fencing in 4th grade and has since stopped.

“We would host small, in-club competitions every Saturday, and whoever the two best fencers left were would fence with everyone else watching,” Bautina said. “Most people would attend competitions every few months, some of which were out of state.”

Lacrosse Although not present at many high schools, is likely one fencing is a popular choice for high of the more schoolers looking for a sport with the familiar sports on opportunity for a college scholarship. this list. And there’s It’s especially common for women a reason why. Over the to take up fencing with the past two decades, women’s goals of being recruited, lacrosse teams nearly doubled, with women’s collegiate increasing from 256 to 505. It’s fencing teams a fast-growing sport and shows no outnumbering signs of slowing down. Thousands of girls that of the across the country pick it up, aiming to be men’s by 10. recruited for college before it gets impossibly competitive. Others start for athletic credits or for the experience of being on a high school team. Catie O’Connor, a senior at Carlmont, started her freshman year.

“I found it so fun and incredibly easy to get into because most people on the team were also beginners,” O’Connor said.

According to Patrick Smith, Carlmont’s athletic director, only one female student has continued to play lacrosse collegiately in the past few years. But, outside of Carlmont, over 12,000 women lacrosse players continue on a year; 12% of athletes make it to the collegiate level, huge in comparison to sports like volleyball and basketball, Gary Nakayama both coming in around 4%.

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Despite its recent rise in popularity, women’s wrestling isn’t the typical choice for high school girls looking towards athletics.

Still, wrestling has become a good choice for girls looking to continue athletics into college. About 4.8% of high school female wrestlers continue on to compete at the collegiate level vying for spots at the selective universities offering scholarships. Of course, it doesn’t all come down to statistics; skill, dedication, and effort all come into play, as junior Jayden Kollmann, a wrestler for Carlmont, explained.

“I joined wrestling during my freshman year and was immediately so nervous when I realized I would be one of the Jennifer Kollmann only girls on the team,” Kollmann said. “I am definitely looking into different colleges that have female wrestling programs.

Especially given that there is a big uprising of opportunity for female wrestlers in college in regards to scholarships and such.”

Kollmann isn’t alone in this. There are 76 college women’s wrestling teams, offering high school girls a nearly 5% chance of making the cut. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were over 1000 collegiate female wrestling spots for the over 22,000 high school female wrestlers to compete for. So, while competition can be fierce, wrestlers like Kollmann work hard towards their goals of a collegiate wrestling career.

Women’s golf has erupted as a collegiate sport since 2008. Nearly 1,000 colleges offer women’s golf. Golf is a go-to sport for many young women looking to play in college, especially those with hopes of scholarships. According to the NCAA, just under 7% of these high school athletes continue golf into college, with nearly 3% of those playing Division I. Hannah Nebres, a junior golfer at Notre Dame, speaks for the competitiveness and opportunity golf offers.

“There are girls within my school’s league that have attended the golf Olympic trials and the US Women’s Open trials. Some of the girls I’ve played with have scores on par with professional golfers,” Nebres said.

Women’s golf is incredibly competitive within its confines but has a much smaller pool of candidates than other sports, meaning that playing collegiately is an attainable goal for many golfers. One of Nebres’s old teammates from middle school who attended Carlmont is now playing Division I golf at Bucknell University.

Hannah Nebres

Rowing has been a growing college sport for women following the upheaval over Title IX. It has become a go-to for scholarships in efforts to more evenly distribute collegiate opportunities.

Each NCAA school has 20 full-ride scholarships to award to the 7,000 women who continue to row in college. Ellie Power is a junior rower for NorCal Crew and a Georgetown commit.

“The recruiting process was overall pretty straightforward,” Power said. “Recruitment for rowing is very numbers and results-based. Rowers who are being recruited often will send videos from practices and races so coaches can evaluate technique, but video analysis isn’t as crucial in rowing as it is in other sports.”

Rowing has a focus on times, something that isn’t always the primary consideration for other sports. If a rower has good results from races, sending those to collegiate programs is the best way to be recruited. Recruiting relies on the athletes’ self-advocacy. The majority of rowers recruited lead the charge by sending their results.

Mallika John

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 21

Specialization affects athlete mental health Marrisa Chow From Little League to swimming lessons at the YMCA, youth sports have played a dominant role in American childhoods. But something that was once done for pure enjoyment has been rewritten into getting admitted into Ivy League and Division I schools.

Parents and coaches drive this “get ahead of the pack” mindset by forcing kids to spend every waking minute in swimming pools, basketball and volleyball courts, and soccer fields.

Emphasis is placed on cultivating skillsets early so they can excel at the highest levels of their sport.

Often, they don’t realize that pushing kids to the brink, mentally and physically, is counterproductive to what they hope to accomplish in the long run.

Typically, the pros don’t outweigh the cons.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), only 6% of high school athletes compete at NCAA schools.

This can be attributed to several factors, including athlete burnout, mental fatigue, and early specialization in youth sports.

The physical toll that intense training has could result in overuse injuries and a limited range of athleticism. “There are two distinct issues which are intertwined and sometimes confused with each

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other. There is the focus on a single sport, often with training targeting specific muscle groups. Then, there is an increase in intensity, often resulting in multiple daily practice sessions and frequent competitions minimizing the necessary periods of rest and recovery from that specialized training,” said Dr. David Feigley, the founder of the Rutgers Youth Sports Council.

Being a competitive athlete means pushing oneself to their performance’s limit over extended periods. While that can be beneficial for competition, it also exacts a large toll on the body.

But specialization is also thought to damage athletes psychologically, which leads to burnout and fatigue.

When kids show an ounce of promise, they are pushed to the limit, with absolute disregard for the athlete’s mental health and enjoyment of the sport.

“I started competitive swimming at age 9. At one point, I loved doing it and spent all my time at the pool. This was when I was really good and made a lot of high-caliber times. It’s no longer a priority, though, because I don’t enjoy it as much,” said junior Maile Firenze.

Firenze’s voice is just one among many high school students’ disillusionment with their sport. It’s a common phenomenon that can be attributed to the adverse effects of competition.

According to the Journal of Athletic Training, athletes’ increased training hours and expected performance in competitive sports environments can lead to social isolation, increased anxiety, inadequate sleep, and greater stress.

Parents’ or coaches’ unrealistic expectations often account for excessive psychological stress. This can lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms, loss of interest in practice, and burnout. Social isolation also impedes a growing athlete’s sense of identity.

“I think the competitive

environment impacted me negatively and wasn’t good for my mental health,” Firenze said.

Parents and coaches often perpetuate the innate drive for elite status. Such sport environments are conducive to poor mental health. Excessive time commitment and increased demand from coaches can lead to low selfesteem.

“Typically, my clients, particularly high school athletes, take the sport too seriously. This can detriment other things in their lives and lead to extreme pressure, stress, and time management challenges. If they have a bad day at their sport, they come home and think they’re a failure. They think life is awful,” said William Cole, a sports psychology consultant.

Allowing their sport to become their entire identity damages an athlete’s wellbeing, including physical health.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the solution can be found in encouraging athletes to become wellversed in several activities instead of a singular sport.

Parents should be mindful that they act as a resource to their children by being a strong support system rather than an impediment. They need to widen their one-track mind and allow children to decide which sports best fit their capabilities but, more importantly, their interests.

Once a strong foundation is set up, then talks about specialization can occur.

John Labeta is the assistant commissioner of the San Diego Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. His three-decade career as a coach and athletic director means he’s well versed in high school athletics.

Though he’s seen the shift from multisport athletes to specialists, he notes kids sometimes play on more than one team for the same sport.

“They didn’t play because they thought they were going to get a scholarship or so their parents could brag about them being on a select team.

They played because they loved the sport,” Labeta said.

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Scots commit to college for sports Photos and writing by Cambell Kirk It is many athletes’ dream to have the opportunity to continue playing their sport in college. However, behind every college commit is years of hard work, long practices, and perseverance.

Athletes who haven’t committed at a younger age work hard in hopes of signing with a school for the next four years.

A few seniors in the class of 2022 had the opportunity to commit to schools to play for their teams.

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Soccer has always been a huge part of Kathryn Kelly’s life.

“I’ve loved playing ever since I was young,” Kelly said. “It’s my way of decompressing. I look forward to games, practices, and training more than anything.”

She began playing for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) when she was five years old, participated in youth national team camps and many identification centers, and was eventually invited to join the U.S. Nationals Team in eighth grade.

College scouts would attend her team’s games to look for talented youth to play for them one day. Kelly communicated with several colleges before she found the perfect fit. She verbally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the spring of her freshman year.

“The coaches are amazing. I love my teammates, and I love the school,” Kelly said. “I’m honestly more excited than nervous. Balancing a full-time sport with homework, a social life, and sleep will be a challenge, but I can’t wait for all of it.” She is attending UCLA with an undecided major.

Tripp Garrish started with playing T-Ball and developed a passion for baseball through little league. He began playing for Game Prep, a local baseball academy, in seventh grade.

“I was surrounded with a lot of great coaches and teammates that had the same desire to be great at the game,” Garrish said. He has been fortunate to travel around the country.

Committing to playing in college was a long process. Garrish began sending emails to college coaches and garnered interest from several schools. He went to national tournaments where he was able to play in front of many coaches. It was a national tournament that caught the attention of San Diego State University (SDSU). The coaches offered him a spot on their baseball team, and he accepted with plans to major in business.

“I’m going to be at the bottom of the barrel, and I’m going to have to compete against guys that are up to five years older than me. But it’s exciting that I’m going to have a real challenge,” Garrish said.

Although he has had complications with getting his official visit set up, he plans to visit the campus in January. Until then, he is looking forward to exploring the campus and meeting faculty.

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Gabby Lee has been playing softball for 13 years. It has always been more than just a ball game — she’s met lifelong friends and grown as both a person and a player.

Her recruiting process began with sending emails to the coaches at colleges of her interest in her freshman year. They would watch her play and follow up with a call to discuss more about the college’s athletics program. The COVID-19 pandemic complicated this process.

There were no games due to the stay-at-home order and no events for coaches to scout her.

However, Lee soon caught the attention of Providence College, located in Rhode Island. In the summer of 2020, Lee visited the campus after calls with their coaches.

“A lot more happens behind the scenes than you would think,” Lee said.

She knew Providence was the perfect fit. It was a dream come true when they offered her a spot on their women’s softball team. Lee will be attending Providence in the fall and will major in Marketing.

“I absolutely cannot wait,” Lee said. “The only thing that I’m nervous about is starting over with school and friends, but I know I love the campus, my teammates, and coaches, so it should be easy to adapt.”

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Breaking down high school cliques D

on’t wear glasses. Straighten your hair. On Wednesdays, we wear pink.

Everyone has seen the movies of high schools filled with cliques and stereotypes. Even films that depend on the trope of breaking stereotypes categorize teenagers into singular groups like “jock,” “nerd,” and “populars.”

Stories like “Mean Girls,” “The Breakfast Club,” and “High School Musical” all utilize fictional cliques to create an environment that breeds toxicity in their make-believe school.

Movie makeovers often require dressing better, being skinnier, and the infamous ditching of glasses.

All of these are external factors, placing emphasis on appearance in teenagers’ minds. Often, the “unpopulars” or “nerds” are the ones receiving these makeovers, creating a stigma that being smart and good-looking is unachievable.

The portrayal of teen social groups in films is damaging to the teenage psyche. The idea that a particular type of person is “better” because they have more friends, more fun, and more money, even at the cost of their own morality, can affect teenagers and the way they act.

It’s not just Hollywood-created schools that experience harmful groupings. Many people see some cliques existing at Carlmont.

“I definitely think there are some social cliques. There are groups of people who congregate based

around their hobbies or passions,” said Lucas Fedronic, a junior and member of Carlmont’s robotics team. “There’s a group of theater students. There’s a less pronounced group of band students, just because there are so many people. There’s a lot of friend groups based around the different things that they explore in and outside of school.”

Although Carlmont does have social groups, many feel popular culture inaccurately portrays them.

“I feel like [Carlmont] doesn’t portray a movie because, in a movie, there are the jocks, the theater people, and the brainiacs,” said Ben Romanowsky, a freshman at

Carlmont. “I feel like there is a lot more diversity at Carlmont, but there are definitely those separations in groups, and that can be observed at lunch and clubs.”

Exclusion in high school movies is often centered around female friendships, which can affect real-life teens. A study done by Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz and Dana E. Mastro in Sage Journals found that cliques in movies can negatively affect views on female friendships and high school gender roles.

“I feel like a lot of people want to be ‘popular’ when they first get to high school, so they conform to that queen-bee type of character,” said

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26 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT

Emma Wang, a junior and member of the Carlmont dance team. “Obviously, there are some very unredeemable qualities in some of those characters, but they may still copy them because they think that it’ll make them more popular.”

However, it’s worth noting that cliques are different from friend groups.

Friend groups can provide support systems to students and help them find interests they can continue later in life.

They are important to teenagers’ social lives and help them develop socialization traits that they will use as they grow older.

Cliques and friend groups occur because of a natural psychological

phenomenon called homophily, where people are drawn towards those that are similar to them. This is more likely to occur when more options for friendship are available, such as in larger schools.

However, the size of a school isn’t the only factor in clique formation.

Educational rigor can also affect the social choices of students.

In a study covered by the Stanford Report, Stanford researcher Daniel McFarland found that schools that offered more choices, such as seating and electives, tended to have a more separate and hierarchical social order. This is due to homophily, as it provides more opportunities to meet and stick with

like-minded people.

However, one downside to academic rigor was the possibility of division based on intellectualism. As McFarland pointed out, schools with more focus on academics tended to be divided due to the competitive environment around test scores.

However, when it comes to movie portrayals, the complexities of high school social groups melt away as the media generalizes students into categories based on their social status.

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 27

More than a cheerleader To-do list Buy supplies for ASB Walk the dog Go to Mock Trial Finish homework Cheer practice Study for math exam

n the media, popularity is measured by athleticism, beauty, and often malice.

However, most of the proclaimed “popular” groups at Carlmont are more inclusive and are only considered popular due to their extracurriculars being more revered in movies.

“I definitely think there are social cliques, just because we’re in high school.

There are football players, cheerleaders, popular girls, and people who are more geared towards education,” Wang said. “I feel like it’s not as pronounced as it is in movies. It’s not like the popular people are really mean, at least from what I’ve experienced.”

Wang feels that she exemplifies the blurred lines between cliques at Carlmont.

“I’m kind of half-athlete, half-brainiac because I’m really involved in the school since I’m in clubs and like to be a part of the school community [but I’m also] part of the athletic community because of dance,” Wang said.

To Katelyn Nightengale, a senior and Carlmont varsity cheer captain, her squad is inaccurately represented.

“When I think of cheerleading in the media, there is this whole ‘dumb cheerleader’ trope and how it is not a sport and is super easy. I see my whole team push back those stereotypes every day because everybody works so hard in this program, and they put so much time and effort into it,” Nightengale said.

She added that many cheerleaders have more dimensions than cheerleaders in pop culture.

“You can’t say that it’s not a sport or that it doesn’t take a lot of work and that anybody can do it. We have girls who are pushing themselves more and more every single day while balancing

Katelyn Nightengale

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academics, social lives, family lives, and all these other responsibilities all at once,” Nightengale said.

On top of the misrepresentation of cheerleaders, Nightengale believes that the media’s portrayal of women in sports does not represent reality and detracts from female advancement.

“There’s very much a lower regard for women’s sports in general, I think, all across the board,” Nightengale said.

“It’s very invalidating to everybody because people work so hard, obviously care so much, and have so much passion towards so many things, and we have so many talented women athletes at our school.”

Wang echoed this point about harmful portrayals of women in media, arguing that often the media portrays women as one-dimensional characters rather than complex individuals.

“A girl is either a cheerleader or a brainiac, but she’s always with a guy who is either a football player or a brainiac.

In my personal opinion, there isn’t really a woman that is very powerful and is portrayed in a good way,” Wang said.

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Another popular trope portrays football players as individuals whose lives revolve around a singular sport. Jack Wiessinger, a junior and quarterback for Carlmont’s varsity football team, acknowledges the harm these stereotypes may have on other football players. At Carlmont, those stereotypes are usually untrue.

“The movies sometimes portray football players in a bad way, and I feel like that’s not true here. The movies say they’re super full of themselves. I feel like I’m not like that and a lot of the guys on the team aren’t either,” Wiessinger said.

Along with the media’s misrepresentation of football players, Wiessinger also believes that pop culture exaggerates the rigidity of social cliques.

“Someone from one group can totally get along with someone from another group, and the movies just don’t portray that,” Wiessinger said.

Emma Wang

Jack Wiessinger

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DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 29

More than a band student

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ovies often portray band, academic, and theater students in a negative light, but this can come at the cost of people’s confidence. This messaging can lead to students leaving their passion behind for something more mainstream.

Fedronic sees these toxic media stereotypes at Carlmont, although he feels they are less notable than in movies.

“I’ve overheard some conversations about people making fun of certain groups. I do think [media stereotypes] can lead to a little to a bit of toxicity. I think it’s less pronounced in Carlmont. There’s just, in general, not as much bullying, at least from what I see,” Fedronic said.

However, many of the students involved in these extracurricular groups don’t identify with the labels and stereotypes associated with them simply because of an activity they enjoy.

“I feel like being stereotyped as a theater kid doesn’t represent me. I know that a lot of times, a theater kid likes acting, singing, and dancing. I like specific parts of theater but not everything,” Romanowsky said. “I feel like when

you’re stereotyped as a theater kid, you’re put under this stereotype of what they all like and what they all do and what their extracurriculars are. I feel like I’m not in that category.”

Rishi Iyengar, a sophomore and member of Carlmont’s band, agrees that most “unpopular” groups in popular culture are inaccurately represented.

“I do play sports, so that’s one thing that would definitely differ. With ‘band geeks,’ I would expect people to think that their life is 100% band, which I would say is wrong,” Iyengar said. “We all play video games, we all watch videos, we all know sports, and we all like to have fun and talk to people. There’s no uniform.”

Romanowsky has many other activities he’s also interested in, like sports, piano, and academics. He feels his multifaceted extracurricular schedule makes him more than one simple clique, a trend he believes can be found across Carlmont.

“I think because Carlmont is so diverse and we have so many different opportunities to go different places, like with clubs, everybody’s welcoming of where you sit, the

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Finding a passion and a friend group who shares your same dedication is often looked down upon because the media encourages people to judge others based on their extracurriculars rather than who they are as people.

“In movies, there are very distinguished cliques and you can tell who they are based on their clothes and how they act. In real life high school, I feel like it’s harder to tell,” Romanowsky said. “You can’t just look at somebody and tell what clique they’re in without getting to know them. I feel like movies don’t portray that part of real life.”

Lucas Fedronic

expectations from the media can produce, even at Carlmont.

“I do believe that it adds social anxiety and other thoughts like ‘I shouldn’t talk to that person because of their role. They wouldn’t think well of me because I’m a geek,’” Iyengar said. “I believe that the portrayals of cliques do produce some fear and anxiety.”

The idea of popularity has been ingrained into the minds of many teenagers as they grow up watching movies about high school. Even at a school like Carlmont, where many social groups are more accepting, students can be stereotyped and misunderstood.

Rishi Iyengar

Ben Romanowsky

different people you hang out with, and the opportunities you can have. I feel like it’s really easy to be in multiple [social groups],” Romanowsky said.

Fedronic also thinks Carlmont is more welcoming of people crossing lines into other cliques than most high schools in popular culture tend to be.

“Pop culture takes a stereotype for a social clique, and they tend to exaggerate it a little bit to have more pronounced characteristics,” Fedronic said. “I think in movies, there’s often the cliques of nerds versus jocks. At least in my experience, that has been less pronounced in school.”

Iyengar sees the anxiety that

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32 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

Colliding into consequences Kiana George School just ended, and you’re navigating your car through the chaotic streets of Belmont, trying to be cautious of the hundreds of roaming elementary, middle school, and high schoolers, bicyclists, and parents.

The traffic is bumper-to-bumper, and the car in front of you abruptly stops. You react just a split second too late, and all of a sudden, BAM! Even the most minor dents and scratches can cost several thousand dollars to repair. The alternative is to use your insurance, but then the fees skyrocket through the roof.

More than a handful of new Carlmont drivers have been through this same experience. This is the reality of the Carlmont car crash epidemic.

According to the Safety Transportation division of the Centers for Disease Control, the risk of motor vehicle crashes is much higher among teens aged 16–19 than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers in this age group are nearly three times as likely as drivers aged 20 or older to be in a fatal crash.

We are fortunate that in our Carlmont community, there have been no fatal accidents due to car crashes. However, many newly licensed drivers have faced being rear-ended or have been the cause of minor fender benders.

One Carlmont senior describes the events leading up to her crash.

“I was stopped in traffic, and I was looking at my GPS display to change the music, and I began to drive again without looking up in front of me. Before I knew it, I had rear-ended the car in front of me,” said senior Lexi Romanowsky.

Romanowsky is still dealing with the repercussions of the crash, as she is still suffering financial consequences from the crash.

“Luckily, I was insured at the time of the accident, but I still needed to use my own money [to pay the deductible] to cover the costs. Because the accident was my fault, there was also an increased amount of money for my insurance plan each month, and I am still paying this difference as well,” Romanowsky said.

Even when the accident is not their fault, Carlmont students still have to navigate through the sometimes complex process of working through the insurance and numerous communications with the person involved in the crash to manage inspections, documentation of the course of events, and

evidence of damage. In addition, the impact of getting into crashes puts Scots at risk of facing serious injury.

“I felt extremely stressed because the other guy who was a part of the crash was saying that it was my fault even though it wasn’t. I was scared about the expenses, and during this, my hand was bleeding uncontrollably,” said Belinda Lewis,* a sophomore.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most car crashes involving teens occur in the first three months of the student getting their license. Another possible reason for the surge in accidents is that after returning to school after remote learning for over a year, students are not accustomed to the dense, chaotic traffic situation around the campus before and after school.

After the crashes, many students took time to learn from their mistakes and have adjusted their driving methods to be more cautious on the road.

“After the crash, I’m extra aware of my stopping distance, and I don’t start moving the car until I look up. For example, if I need to check the directions or change the song on my GPS display, I make sure that I take the measure to do so in increments. First, I come to a full stop. Second, I look at the screen, Third, I look back at the road in front of me, and fourth, I begin driving again,” Romanowsky said. *Person wishes to be kept anonymous to protect their repuation

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A GENERATIONAL guide to pop culture

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The current generation of high school and college students, Generation Z, includes peo ple born from 2000 to 2015, though some argue that gene ration Z is still in production. Generation Z is seen as a melting pot of the three previously mentioned generatio ns.

Vintage clothes are coming back in style , there are movements for equality and speech mir roring those of the 1960s, and throwbacks in the music and entertainment category are hugely popular. There are also trends of thrifting clothes and moving away from fast fashion, showing a greater emphasis on carbon footprint awareness.

“I really enjoy thrifting because you can find some good clothes for cheap, and it helps to limit the number of clothes that are thrown away,” said Katr in Lelyushkina, a junior.

In addition to carbon footprint awarene ss, there is a greater emphasis on equality for peo ple of different races, religions, sexual orientations, and genders.

Demonstrations like the Women’s Mar ch, George Floyd Protests, and marches for climate chan ge show the eagerness of generation Z to improve their world.

Artists like Drake, Taylor Swift, and BTS stand at the top of music charts, music now bein g streamed digitally. Popular movies and shows are found on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hul u, and Disney+, with standouts being Netflix’s “Tiger King” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”

DECEMBER DECEMBER2021 2021HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER35 4

Behind

the likes Niamh Marren

While most people see social media as a safe space for free expression, the truth is that there are countless unwritten rules for how one must conduct themselves.

Social media is one of the most popular forms of online communication, with 4.48 billion users worldwide in 2021.

As online media was created to extend the ability to interact with one’s social group, it can often create misconceptions or misunderstandings regarding the existence of genuine relationships, or lack thereof, in this case, between online connections.

Nadine Lahlouh, a senior, expresses how there are many artificial relationships online that do not extend to in-person interactions.

“A lot of the time, people are viewed as friends through different platforms, yet that does not extend to in person, as that friendship becomes the reality of just a mutual online relationship,” Lahlouh said.

According to the article, “Teens’ Social Media Habits and Experiences,” by Pew Research Center, Monica Anderson and Jingjing Jiang discuss how six in ten teenagers state that they spend most of their time with their friends online, compared to 24% of those who spend time with their friends in person.

Another unwritten rule of social media is that teenagers are often pressured to look their best to impress others. Because people can deliberately present the best version of themselves online, a false reality is created in the online environment, which is not translated into actual society. Anderson and Jiang also state that 26% of teens have felt worse about their personal lives and appearance with increased social media usage. This disillusionment creates an unhealthy relationship with oneself and unrealistic comparisons to others.

Hunter Dahlberg, a senior, explains that teenagers are constantly pressured to prove and present themselves in a certain way.

“Usually on social media, teenagers post to impress

someone or multiple people. Everyone posts on social media to look their best, giving a false perception of reality,” Dahlberg said.

It is easier for many teenagers to follow the societal norms they were accustomed to from a young age than break the boundaries, as they fear criticism. The unwritten rules teenagers often follow are ingrained into society as they have been a part of life since childhood.

“People follow these rules subconsciously because it’s natural to conform to societal norms to fit in and not be portrayed as different,” Lahlouh said.

These unwritten rules extend into the differences between genders. Often, women are faced with societal pressures to look a certain way to entertain their audiences, while men are expected to post material items and outdoor activities.

Through the array of filters available with a click or a swipe, users can change different features of their image, changing facial structures and identities with ease. This idea often leads to unrealistic expectations for many young women and men, creating a toxic environment on social media.

“It has become an unspoken rule to post the best version of yourself. The hidden side of social media platforms, especially Instagram, are often overlooked with edits, filters, and Facetune to portray themselves to be the person they want others to see,” Lahlouh said.

According to Anderson and Jiang, 45% of teenagers are often overwhelmed by social media, and about 40% of them say that they experience external pressures to post content that will make them have a good impression on others.

With Generation Z being the first generation to be entirely raised with the capabilities of social media, a detrimental effect of the growing addiction and selfesteem issues arriving from social media norms have been ingrained into the new generation.

In an article by Facebook, titled, “What our Research Really Says About Teen Well-Being and Instagram,” Vice President and Head of Research Pratti Raychoudhury

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stated, “The research shows one in three of those teenage girls who told us they were experiencing body image issues reported that using Instagram made them feel worse.”

Often young and easily impacted minds can be negatively affected by constantly seeing idealized models on online platforms, leading to worsening body image issues. Not only is criticism extremely widespread and common, but competition for appearing to have the most fulfilling life is a constant stressor upon teenagers.

“The endless cycle of constantly posting can be strenuous on mental health as everyone is trying to outdo and keep up with each other,” Dahlberg said.

This pressure from other users and society to engage in certain behaviors often creates a wide range of emotions for many users. Multiple studies have linked social media with an increased risk for depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

Although all users can face anxiety with social media, teenage girls are more susceptible to mental health conditions because of societal pressures.

“A lot of girls tend to face anxiety when posting an unedited image of themselves as it may be viewed with judgment and as people behind the screen are your harshest critics,” Lahlouh said.

However, not all effects of social media are negative, as some can increase friendly interaction between others.

Shelly Bustamante expresses the few positive effects of social media on teenagers.

“There is evidence suggesting the potential for a few positive mental health benefits, such as a sense of belonging and human connection,” Bustamante said.

Niamh

DECEMBER2021 2021HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER37 6 DECEMBER

Marren

38 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

Enlisting in the military Isa Khalak

Khalak

xus kaZ

Isa

Most teenagers are encouraged to go to college after high school. Some students will pursue the goal of college, thinking that this is their only option. In reality, there are many paths one can take after graduation. One rarely sought-after option can be just as appealing — enlisting in the military.

“It is a natural intuition to go towards whatever you want to do most,” said Trevor Koto, a senior who will enlist in the Marines. “If an artist wants to be an artist, they’re going to try to become an artist. For some people, you just want to go to the military.”

There are many reasons why members enlist. The military’s rigid structure teaches discipline, leadership, teamwork and exposes members to new experiences. The numerous tasks that one performs in the military can help teach skills to teenagers who are stepping into adulthood.

In addition, some high schoolers use the military as a means to subsidize a college education. Due to the Post 9/11 GI bill, military service can help pay for tuition and fund college careers. The cost of going to college can be very high, and many struggles to pay off their debt for years—however, those who serve to receive funding that ultimately negates the cost of college.

These beneficial experiences may explain the economic disparity between veterans and non-veterans. According to an article published on Pew Research in 2019, economically, veterans have economically stable households.

“When you’re entering the job market, you sort of have a foot up on everyone else,” said Sean Liuli, a senior who will enlist after graduating. “Because all those [other] kids are college graduates, they have no work experience, but you’ve spent four years in the military.”

However, enlisting in the military has its drawbacks as well. Students may be reluctant to enlist because, throughout history, the army has been represented in violent connotations.

Being a soldier is often associated with war and all the baggage that comes with that. However, the military has a different meaning to some.

“It’s not all about killing and stuff,” Koto said. “It’s helping people in need and defending those you can.”

Yet, some jobs can be hazardous and demand members to put their lives at risk. Both reserves and active military members can be called in for combat in certain circumstances. This is one key reason why parents may discourage their children from enlisting.

Additionally, about six in ten veterans are deployed for overseas combat operations. Upon their return, some may suffer from post-

traumatic stress disorder or other mental difficulties. In one 2016 study, NBCI found that about 13.5% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD. However, the rates can vary depending on what role the veteran played in the armed forces.

However, deployment isn’t necessarily the experience of everyone in service. There are also many other jobs in the military, and only some will see combat. Many times joining the military doesn’t equate to fighting.

“There are 300 plus jobs, and out of those like, 10 or 20 of them actually see combat,” Liuli said. “Given the situation right now, we don’t have any military assets that are deployed currently in combat zones.”

Even in non-combat roles, service members must be prepared to put in work. When a person enlists, they must undergo physical training and programs. In addition, the lifestyle is different from what most people are used to. The military uses a system of discipline and commitment that most high schoolers have not experienced.

Those who join must be prepared to dedicate much of their time to the military as well. Not everybody is ready to give eight years of their life after high school to serve their country.

“It’s a pretty big commitment. Four years of active duty and then four years of reserves after; that’s basically the minimum you can do,” said Jack Peasley, a senior who will join the military after graduating.

For some high schoolers, the commitment isn’t a dealbreaker. The military is a job like any other, and some students are dedicated to it. It is a way for them to make an impact.

“Ever since I knew what a soldier and Marine was, I wanted to be one of them,” Koto said. “I didn’t know that I was going to be a Marine for the longest time, but I always knew I wanted to be in the military.”

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 39

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An earthquake occurs. Within five minutes, articles have disseminated information on the natural disaster’s whereabouts and its magnitude. Social media buzzes with posts about what happened, and people quickly check in with others after seeing information online. Soon, people across the globe know that articles about the earthquake are published in several different languages.

How is this information being spread so quickly?

Media companies such as the Los Angeles Times have begun using bots (software robots) to publish automated articles based on data generated by the US Geological Survey, according to Forbes Magazine. The use of these bots and artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in journalism, transforming the industry and the way information is distributed to people.

AI is used on both a local and global scale in projects such as templated stories (like the earthquake article), homepage curation systems, and recommendation engines.

“I think it can be helpful to have artificial intelligence in journalism because it’s concise and quick. And for templated stories, there wouldn’t be an opportunity for someone to mess up the statistics; bots can just keep everything strictly news based,” said Bella Reeves, a freshman at UC Berkeley who is studying film.

AI is also used to monitor people’s behavior online. For example, according to Columbia Journalism Review, in 2014, several Twitter bots were launched in an attempt to track the anonymous editing of Wikipedia pages by government officials.

One popular example of these bots is the @GCCAedits bot, which tracked anonymous edits to the Parliament of Canada and Senate of Canada Wikipedia pages and identified whether edits came from computer addresses part of these organizations. This bot received a flood of media coverage for its work, and as a

Mira Bhatt

result, became well-known by government officials.

The International Journal of Communication later conducted a study about the bot and interviewed a government minister who confirmed he warned other staff members to beware of the bot, revealing that @GCCAedits had an impact on government officials and reduced negative behavior.

Though it has helped reduce negative behavior online, people still wonder about the ethical implications of using artificial intelligence in journalism.

“I just feel like it’s not realistic. You don’t get that humanistic element in writing by bots, but I think over time [the bots] will be able to replicate it, even though that gets rid of jobs, which can bring up other issues,” said Saya Deshpande, a senior at Carlmont.

Carlmont English teacher Tiffany Jay agrees with this idea and believes that students should be careful with the types of content and sites they interact with online.

“I’m concerned for the privacy of students because they may not be aware if their information is used for advertising purposes or profiling purposes and how their data is being shared,” Jay said.

Through the use of AI, the journalism industry is transforming to become more computational. More journalists are using spreadsheets and databases to observe quantitative patterns and analyze how certain algorithms affect article readability.

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Mississippi sifted through roughly 6000 news articles to understand the usage of social media as sources as social media continues to become more prevalent in society. Their study found that social media content in the news had doubled from 2013-2017 and that smaller publications rely on this content more so than mainstream media.

“AI and technology have impacted a lot of online content and really allowed people to spread their opinions. I think it will continue to push us forward and especially news organizations,” said Cooper Perez, a senior at Carlmont.

Technology transforms journalism

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 41

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A f uture in the arts Jessica Conley

Escapism comes in different forms, and for some students, art is their escape.

As far as society is concerned, art is generally considered just an escape from reality, with little to no possibility as a career.

While that may be the general consensus, art students continue to thrive and pursue their passions in specified settings, like art school.

“We really focused on skill enhancement. We spent hours a day learning color theory, for an entire semester, just to perfect our skills,” said Julia Schulman, an art teacher at Carlmont.

Other students plan to go into fields similar to what they’re passionate about but more applicable to the real world.

Graphic design is a popular field for those who are artistically inclined, as-is architecture and interior design. According to World Wide Learn, an online website dedicated to researching college majors, Theater/ Drama and Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management are the best arts majors with the highest earning potential and employment opportunities.

However, because society continually discredits the arts, students charmed by those specified subjects, such as fine art, feel the need to fall back into a different subject in college. Generally, they believe that either their parents would disapprove of art school or they, themselves, disapprove of it and instead look for careers where graduates are more guaranteed to earn a sustainable income.

42 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

This mindset is present with most high school students, and some believe it is harmful to pursue things for monetary success.

“It’s much better to do something you’re passionate about instead of something for money,” said senior Maya Lee. Others believe that passions should be kept as hobbies and not transformed into careers.

“I’m thinking that I don’t want to go into theater as a major or career because I want to continue to enjoy it. I just hope I still have time to do it,” said Nolan Sheetz, a senior.

According to Harvard Business Review, in a study of several hundred employees, those who believed pursuing passion meant following what brings one joy were less likely to be successful in their pursuit of passion and were more likely to quit their job nine months down the line, than those who believed following a passion was focusing on what one cares about.

Enthusiasm for a particular interest can dwindle over time. However, passion is less likely to fade if it is what one truly cares about.

“I will likely pursue STEM in college because I care about it. It also ensures that my passion for art won’t burn out,” Lee said.

According to Leon Festinger, an American social psychologist, in his study of the Cognitive Dissonance Theory, if people are forced to do a certain task, they are less inclined to want to do it, which can explain preventive measures of falling back to STEM that many art students seem to do.

This brings back the dilemma that many students face: Should they major in something they’re passionate about or something that’s guaranteed to provide stability in their future.

With college applications rolling into the admissions office around this time of year, many students likely had to choose a major or decide to apply as undeclared.

Not all students know what they want to major in or pursue as a career, especially students who are passionate about the arts, but with some universities’ policies for switching majors or transferring into a different college they provide, it might be difficult for those who decide to alter their decision.

“I hope that I am making the right decision, but I won’t know until I attend college, and then I might want to switch majors or career paths.

I don’t know what to expect; there’s so much uncertainty, so hopefully going into STEM will help me, so I’m almost guaranteed a steady job,” Lee said.

Jessica Conley, Raina Lahiri, and Niamh Marren

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 43

44 HIGHLANDER OPINION

Editorial: Highlander’s diversity report Prioritizing accurate student representation Every year, Highlander addresses a multitude of stories regarding race, gender, and culture through hundreds of articles implementing student body voices.

Strong levels of diversity are central in any newsroom to represent the voices of its readers and uphold honest, holistic reporting; Highlander is no different. By analyzing journalism student demographics compared to the overall Carlmont breakdown, we discovered multiple areas our publication can improve.

Based on school-wide data, the percentage of white staff members was nearly proportional to white Carlmont students, standing at about 47.6% and 49.5%, respectively.

Asian students make up 33.8% of our current journalism staff compared to the 22.3% Asian students enrolled in Carlmont overall.

While the percentage of white students in journalism is proportional to the Carlmont population, they make up the largest demographic of the Highlander staff. In the overall comparison of Carlmont demographic data, two racial/ethnic groups are also disproportionately underrepresented within the journalism program. For instance, Hispanic/Latino students only make up 6% of the staff despite making up 14.3% of the total Carlmont population.

Although our articles covered a wide range of diverse cultural topics and traditions last year, we still lacked an even representation of student body voices. In our past February issue, we highlighted Black voices by sharing their stories in the center spread. Unfortunately, it was evident that a united effort to make Black voices heard was limited outside of that one issue.

Given there are no Black journalism students in the program, it is clear that sources in each article must aim to cover a broader range of the student population, particularly underrepresented groups. Ultimately, it should not be a one-time effort to make these voices heard.

Highlander still has work to do in other areas of student diversity. Only two of Highlander’s editorial board members are male, while ten are female and one is nonbinary. While female journalism students tend to come into leadership positions within Highlander at a much higher rate, the publication would benefit from a more balanced range of perspectives.

Beyond this, the Highlander editorial board observed that writers tend to interview peers in their same grade level. This practice leads to upperclassmen making up a disproportionate demographic of student sources.

Freshmen and sophomores are consequently interviewed

less, which is a factor we must challenge for the sake of providing diverse perspectives.

Publications must be balanced, accurate, and diverse.

But if we are not representative of the populations they serve, how can we uphold that commitment?

Highlander is dedicated to being a well-rounded and inclusive publication that properly reflects Carlmont’s student body. However, it is clear that we still have more work to do to improve representation. The journey to gain a diverse range of student voices starts with recruitment and targeting a broad range of classes, clubs, and organizations in which freshmen are involved. Reaching out to underrepresented groups to engage with the media arts program would set the publication on a strong path toward diversity. Intentional outreach will be vital in creating balanced articles with a wide range of sources.

The journey to improve diversity in journalism starts at the student level. With enough momentum, the changes Highlander makes as a student newsmagazine will eventually translate beyond the high school level as we move into the professional world of journalism.

As a community-based publication, we encourage our readers to reach out regarding any future topics they hope to be covered within upcoming issues.

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 45

ciety continues to o S : n o i Opin

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Anna

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Anna Wilkinson Society has been proven to equate fetishization to compliments. Complimenting someone isn’t obsessing over someone specifically because of their culture or a specific aspect of their body. This is fetishization, and society continues to allow minority groups to be perpetuated and discriminated against.

However, many argue that laws such as the 15th,16th, and 18th Amendments prove otherwise. Even with this change to the U.S.’s founding law, minorities are fetishized more often than white males.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, fetishization is defined as “an unreasonable amount of importance that is given to something, or an unreasonable interest in something” and “a sexual interest in an object, a part of the body that is not a sexual organ, or a person as if they are an object.”

Racial fetishization is a mix of both these definitions as it emphasizes the obsession and sexual interest aspect of each respective definition. For example, minorities are compulsively fetishized for their skin color or stereotypes. While there are times when one can be appreciated for their skin color, these

inoritie s

ordinances become an issue when it degrades the person their color or heritage with excessive fetishization.

María Valle-Remond, a senior, spoke about how they had felt personally fetishized by those around her when they identified as bisexual. Valle-Remond has also noticed the trend of minority group fetishization I referred to.

“I think it’s confusing how a lot of the time people will fetishize light skin black people and discriminate against dark skin black people. This just shows how there’s a lot of colorism when the reason for both is the color of their skin,” ValleRemond said.

This idea is not a new phenomenon.

I have seen this obsession with skin color over various social media apps.

For example, rather than complimenting someone using

46 HIGHLANDER OPINION

adjectives such as beautiful, people tend to fall into the pattern of obsessing over skin tone rather than their holistic beauty.

Society’s issue is that they often label these habits of fetishization as “preferences.”

There is a difference between preference and objectifying someone by portraying them as an inanimate object. An example of a preference could consist of eye color or height, but overly obsessing over one group of people paints a different picture. In social media, the main group this behavior surrounds consists of people of color and genderqueer people.

As a society, comments towards these people may come off as compliments, but in actuality, attach harmful stereotypes to that person.

“I think people of color tend to be more fetishized, especially women. Asian women are a big fetish for a lot of people, as is the idea of a ‘spicy’ Latina or a sassy Black woman, and it’s really gross,” Valle-Remond said.

People of color aren’t the only minority group being fetishized. As Valle-Remond discusses, genderqueer people also fall under the umbrella of groups that are subject to fetishization.

“I also think the same people who are homophobic sexualize queer women because of the idea of threesomes,” Valle-Remond said.

Over-sexualizing lesbians is not a new trend; it has been portrayed in media for decades — yet it is another thing that exemplifies the fetishization of women. On social media, I have seen comments on videos where male-presenting people are coming out that show the true color of fetishization.

Comments such as “a win for the boys” or “two girls making out is better than one.”

A Pew Research Center study showed that around 56% of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) users on an online dating app received a sexually explicit message or image they did not ask for, compared with 32% of straight online daters who say the same.

To continue this trend, Pew Research Center also found that about four out of ten LGB online daters (41%) say someone has called them an offensive name on one of these sites or apps.

While this could just be considered harassment, the search for LGB users could also be proof of over-obsession with these users.

This is a stereotypical portrayal in television and film as well: girls make out, and boys go crazy. Not only is this harmful to lesbians, but it continually places women under the idealism of being objects. The biggest issue with the fetishization of lesbians is the fact that their sexuality and identity have become another thing catered to men. With the one thing that should be pretty much exempt from men, society instantly conforms it into something that men can find pleasure in.

Overall, minority groups, specifically people of color and queer people, share the common ground of fetishization. As a society, there are a few steps we can take to limit this pattern of fetishization. Instead of overly fixating on either stereotypes, skin color, heritage, sexual identity, or preference, we can appreciate the beauty in people in other ways. Now, this doesn’t mean to totally exempt this aspect of someone’s life completely; it means that we can find ways to appreciate a person for the whole of their being, rather than fetishizing them for one part of their identity.

Anika Marino

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 47

The time is now

The failure to deal with the world’s climate crisis Hudson Fox In recent years, the world has heard an increase of calls for greater attention to the climate crisis. From Greta Thunberg’s public displays of support for the climate movement at international summits to widely-acclaimed environmental conservation efforts, the world’s citizens have been trying to get the attention of politicians.

But they refuse to take the necessary action. Even when confronted with severe consequences in their own countries, they remain complacent.

“Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations-commissioned panel aimed at advancing knowledge about climate change.

According to a 2021 IPCC report, all hope of preventing the intensification of the climate crisis over the next 30 years has vanished due to worldwide inaction over this past decade.

IPCC co-author Tamsin Edwards, a climate scientist at King’s College London, acknowledged that some aspects of climate change would not be reversible for hundreds to thousands of years.

According to Forbes, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres characterized the IPCC report as a “code red for

humanity.” Former Sec. of State John Kerry, the special presidential climate envoy for U.S. President Joe Biden, noted that the report “underscores the overwhelming urgency of this moment.”

With all these leaders and political figures reaching a consensus, it would be reasonable to expect significant, coordinated action. So why has so little been done?

The answer isn’t a simple one. Global trade and increased economic interconnectedness complicate the issue of climate change tremendously. In many industrialized democracies, internal political pressure results in the enactment of laws that curb domestic emissions. However, many developing countries — and other rapidly growing economies, specifically China and India — put an emphasis on economic progress and refuse to impose aggressive restrictions on pollution despite the need to rein in global emissions.

For major corporations based in these developed countries, stringent regulations can present a problem, especially if the business relies upon the emission of greenhouse gases as a critical part of their production process. In many cases, these companies evade the regulations by outsourcing their production to less encumbered, developing countries.

According to a study by Yue Maggie Zhou for the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, the share

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of goods by U.S. manufacturing firms produced in lowwage countries rose from 7% in 1992 to 23% in 2009. At the same time, toxic air emissions from manufacturing industries in the United States fell by more than 50%. As one would expect, the sectors that experienced the most significant increase in imports from low-wage countries — including printing, apparel and textile, furniture, rubber, and plastics — also underwent some of the largest drops in air pollution in the United States.

Without consistent restrictions on pollution worldwide (or some mechanism to make up for differences), production will continue to migrate towards countries where the climate laws are less stringent. As a result, the cost of production is lower.

Because of this, it is difficult to assign responsibility for the climate problem. In an attempt to absolve their guilt, the developed world powers often tend to blame poorer, fast-growing, developing countries for the acceleration of the climate crisis.

But calls for accountability from the developed countries have become more vocal in the past few years.

At the United Nations Opening Assembly Debate on Sept.

21, President Andrzej Duda of Poland noted the hypocrisy of the situation and called upon wealthy nations to accept their role in managing the climate crisis.

“Do we, the rich North, pass the test of solidarity, or do we merely cater to our own statistics by relocating production to the poorer countries of the South where least environment-friendly technologies are applied, and then those countries are blamed for contaminating the planet?”

Duda said.

Given this context, the U.S. can play a critical role on

the world stage. Commitments to clean energy — via tax credits that make clean energy cheaper — is an essential first step toward achieving President Biden’s stated goal: to cut by half the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.

Investment in clean energy also benefits the U.S. economy by keeping our country at the forefront of the economic growth engine and helping maintain our leadership position on the world stage.

Regardless of what steps the U.S. takes, the crisis is global and must be attacked globally. Without a plan for emission reductions worldwide, the progress in our backyard will not be enough to save this world. To that end, the U.S. and other industrialized countries can assert their roles as global leaders by funding clean energy efforts in developing countries that help promote a worldwide effort to combat climate change.

For the youth of the world, we will live in the environment these leaders create. Not only do these leaders, whom we have placed our trust in to help build a better tomorrow, have a responsibility to protect the future, but they also are morally obligated to listen to young voices.

“The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say — we will never forgive you,” Thunberg said.

We must focus on what can be done to save the planet we call Earth, and those in power need to act now.

If world leaders do not listen to the call for change and take the necessary actions, they will face the inescapable reality of contributing to the greatest disaster humanity has ever known.

Preston Kwok

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 49

OPINION: BUYING NEW GAS CARS IS A HARMFUL PRACTICE Hayes Gaboury With the return to the commuter lifestyle following the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more cars are back on the road each day. While this may seem like a return to normalcy at first glance, the concern stems from the brand new gas cars that are seen at every turn. The world is in a climate crisis, and as climate change gets worse, the impacts on everyday people will become more severe. By attempting to limit the number of new gas cars on the road, one can help to try and push back against the global climate crisis.

According to the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States produced 1.139 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in aviation and motor gasoline combustion emissions in 2019 alone. If that number does not spark any worry, keep in mind that this only accounts for about 22% of total U.S. energy-related emissions.

The United States already generates a massive amount of carbon emissions, and the continuing production of gasoline-powered cars only adds to the problem.

Not only does this increase people’s carbon footprint and incentivize the continuation of gas car production, but it also ignores climate change entirely. It is becoming harder and harder to justify brand-new gas cars in today’s society, as the improvements that have been made in both hybrid and fully electric vehicles have allowed these vehicles to compete with their full gas counterparts directly. As of 2020, there were 286.9 million registered vehicles in the United States, with 14.5 million of these being brand new cars and trucks. When the amount of new cars is combined with the average amounts of materials needed to produce each one, the true scope of the problem begins to unfold. Each new car takes a toll on the environment, and when the production costs are combined with years of CO2 emissions, the full scale of the issue begins to take shape. We cannot continue to produce vehicles at that rate if we hope to curb this environmental crisis we face.

However, the problem doesn’t stop with the manufacturers; it is up to the consumers to truly stop the production. The demand for gas cars has stayed strong for decades, and thus the car manufacturers are pushed to make more and more cars each year. By being more conscious of our purchasing habits, we can help to push back against the fierce demand that exists. It’s easy to take the easy way out, but those who go the extra mile save the planet and a good bit of money.

One such example is Carlmont High School student Aarya Mukherjee, who elected to buy a slightly damaged BMW instead of paying full price for a brand new car.

“I bought a 2018 BMW 340I, which is a used car, so I feel better that I’m not putting another new gas car on the street,” Mukherjee said. “Most companies are starting to transition towards electric-only vehicle lineups, so investing in a new gas car made little economic or environmental sense to me.”

If more people took a similar approach to buying cars, it would help drive down the demand for brand new gas cars and thus help the issue. With the amount of technology and tools available to help ensure security when buying certified pre-owned or slightly damaged vehicles, it’s a waste of money not to explore possible options in that market.

With the massive issue of climate change looming over everyone’s heads, the thought of brand new gas cars should be the last thing on anyone’s wishlist. With the number of alternatives available, it’s good practice to consider several different options before resorting to another gas car. The more people open their minds to these alternatives, the more of a chance we have against climate change.

Hayes Gaboury

50 HIGHLANDER OPINION

DECEMBER 2021 HIGHLANDER 51